Christmas 2008 Reflection

Thursday, December 25, 2008
St. Clement’s Catholic Church; Saratoga Springs, NY

Isaiah 9: 1 – 6
Psalm 96: 1 – 2, 2 – 3, 11 – 12, 13
Titus 2: 11 – 14
Luke 2: 1 – 14

“O Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining . . .”

In the darkness of night many years ago, your life and my life was changed forever. As the stars pierced thru the bleakness of a December night, two young people had the courage to go where no one thought they could ever go – and because of their courage our world changed.

“A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices . . . “

A young maid and her young husband, full of hope and expectations had their world turned upside down by the message of an angel. “And you shall bear a son . . . and you shall name him Emmanuel, for God is with us.” Two weary young people . . . nowhere to go, nowhere to rest but with hearts full of hope and courage our world changed.

“For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn . . .”

It is not just long ago that we remember tonight but we remember each and every time that our God continues to break into our world bringing us a new and glorious day. Joseph and Mary had the courage to allow Christ into the world and our world changed. We also celebrate the many times each of us have had the courage to bring Christ to one another – and thus allow our world to continue to change.

“It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth!”

And again he wishes to come into our world. And again he wishes to turn our darkness into light; to turn our night into morning. Our dear Savior needs more people like Joseph and Mary; he asks tonight: “Who will have the courage to bring me to a waiting world.” Not into the stable of Bethlehem, but into the hearts and souls of all that gather to celebrate his birth tonight and tomorrow.

"Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

This is the message of Christmas. This is the message of joy, happiness and peace of this Blessed Night. This is the message of the courage of two young people who changed the world. This is the message that in the still of night our God leapt down from the heavens to live among us. His birth in Bethlehem changed our world.

Do no be afraid. Go forth and proclaim the good news and be people of courage. Courage to say Yes to Christ and bring him once again to the waiting world. This is the message of Christmas. And God simply asks each of us here tonight to be his messengers. Our world can change – but we have to bring Christ into the world to change it. This is the message of Christmas – Do not be afraid! AMEN! Christ is born!

4th Sunday of Advent (Year B)

Sunday, December 21, 2008
St. Clement’s Catholic Church; Saratoga Springs, NY

2 Samuel 7: 1 – 5, 8b – 12, 14a, 16
Psalm 89: 2 – 3, 4 – 5, 27, 29
Romans 16: 25 – 27
Luke 1: 26 –38

Stories are an important part of our history. Think about what happens often at the end of a day. The family gathers around the dinner table and someone will ask another member of the family how their day was. Sometimes there might be a shrug of the shoulder and other times a member of the family launches into a colorful tale of some event of the day. We tell stories about past holidays and past snow storms. A phrase many of us might use this week will be: “Do you remember when…” and the tale begins. It doesn’t matter if we’ve heard the story one time or a hundred times, we listen intently and even will even help a relative with the details should they omit one or two of them.

This week our Church family once again shares a familiar story. It’s a story that even the youngest amongst us know. The story of a young couple and their travel to a distant town. The story of a young couple that cannot find any room at the inn. A story with angels and shepherds and kings. But the heart of the story begins with the tale we just heard this morning. “Joy to the World” “O Come All Ye Faithful” none of them would ever have been sung if not for the yes by the maid to the angel Gabriel. It is Mary’s affirmative answer that starts our story in motion.

Today we hear a story about a young woman who trusted completely in her God. A young maid who at first was not exactly sure what was happening. Her story is so familiar to us that we can tell it ourselves from memory. As we reflect on this story today try to imagine yourself in the room itself. Imagine what Mary is wearing, what are the sparse furnishings that fill her room. Picture how the angel appeared to her and once again hear the conversation between the two. Hear the angel say: “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.” And hear Mary’s response of: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.”

This week once again hear anew and picture afresh the story of the birth of Our God in Bethlehem.

We all recall even the secular stories of this time of year. We read or watch the stories about Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and my favorite of Ebenezer Scrooge and the Three Spirits in Dickens’s Christmas Carol.

One of the most famous secular Christmas stories is a poem that was first published anonymously in the Troy, New York Sentinel on December 23, 1823, and was reprinted frequently thereafter with no name attached. Authorship was later attributed to Clement Clarke Moore and the poem was included in an 1844 anthology of his works. Many of you might read for your children The Night Before Christmas sometime during this week.

As the snow falls outside and the feeling of Christmas comes upon all of us, I would like to share with you an adapted version of that poem that I wrote a number of years ago and revised for here at St. Clement’s.

‘Twas the Fourth Week of Advent, when all through the world
Four candles were lit; purple and pink all a swirled.
The streets now of ‘Toga, had lights here and there
All sensed a good feeling of joy in the air.

The shopping and baking were almost all done,
The cards were all written, it was now time for fun.
I went to St. Clement’s, and took off my cap
And figured I get a good morning’s nap.

I listened to music, to an old Advent tune,
And slowly but surely, I started humming along.
Then came time for the readings, some stories were read;
They sounded familiar, they stuck in my head.

The story of a woman and an angel I heard
When I heard it before, I always thought it absurd.
But now as I listened and the words settled in,
I listened intently, I felt a chill on my skin.

How could this be, our God comes to earth;
A young maid named Mary, was found of great worth.
She must have been frightened, she must have been scared;
And then she realized that this was how much God cared.

“Hail full of grace! The Lord is with you!”
The Angel has spoken; the words they are true!
But how can this be, since she still was not wed
“God’s spirit is with you” the Angel has said.

She trusted the words, her heart filled with joy;
She was blessed by the Lord; she would give birth to his boy.
A son she would bear, to bring peace to the earth
He would show by his life, that each person has worth.

I started to doze, the story started to fade;
And I felt a sense of peace, I was no longer afraid.
This story is true and it’s why each December
We gather together, to reflect and remember.

We remember the reason for shopping and baking;
We recall the reason for all this picture taking.
It’s because of a woman who said yes to the Lord
It’s because of a baby, that our lives are restored.

I must take this feeling of God’s love in my heart
To every place on the earth; yes, even Wal-Mart!
For the babe born of Mary, in a stable years ago
Still lives on the earth, he wants me to show.

The peace of the season, the joy of the year
Should stay with us always, there is nothing to fear.
God leapt down from heaven, we celebrate his birth
And we should bring it to ‘Toga, to each person on earth.

I’ll go forth today with a song raised on high;
I’ll let my soul soar, it will go to the sky!
For the angels still sing, they are with us today
I will go forth this morning and Prepare God his way!

His way into my heart, and your heart there too
He came down from heaven, believe me, its true!
Celebrate his birth, remember his love;
It’s still with us today, it comes from above.

I love these Christmas stories, I love this time of year’
I’m happy that the Maid said Yes; I’m happy our God is so near.
As the Fourth Week of Advent, turns soon to Christmas Eve
Look at the Babe in the Manager and you too will believe.

2nd Sunday of Advent (Year B)

Sunday, December 7, 2008
St. Clement’s Catholic Church; Saratoga Springs, NY

Isaiah 40: 1 – 5, 9 – 11
Psalm 85: 9 – 10, 11 – 12, 13 – 14
2 Peter 3: 8 – 14
Mark 1: 1 – 8

I had this story all planned to share with you even before the cold and snowy weather came upon us over night. One of the joys of being a Redemptorist is that I have had the privilege to go quite often to our Caribbean Missions. I have preached in a number of our parishes down there and had to attend a number of meetings there as well. One island in particular that I have enjoyed traveling to is the island of Dominica. Dominica is called the Nature Island; there are not many good beaches but the island is full of mountains and rain forests. To get from the airport on the north end of the island to the Redemptorist Retreat House on the south end of the island is about a 20 miles ride that can take anywhere from 90 minutes to 2 hours. I can’t imagine how they built the roads on the island of Dominica, which are about as wide as our main aisle. They had to cut through dense rain forests and blast their way through mountains. Sections that run close to the ocean I am sure they had to fill in to make a more level road. The job of road construction there, and anywhere indeed, is not an easy task.

As we celebrate the Second Sunday of Advent we might call today “Road Construction” Sunday. Our first reading from the prophet Isaiah mentions it: “A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the LORD! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; The rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley.” (Isaiah 40: 3 – 4) As I mentioned last week, the people of Israel were in exile at the time the prophet was writing. He lifts them up telling them that soon they will be returning home and they must “Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!” (Isaiah 40: 3) The time as coming close for them to return to their homeland and when that day arrived they would have to make a straight path thru the dessert.

Mark mentions a similar thing at the start of his Gospel when he talks about John the Baptist. “A voice of one crying out in the desert: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” (Mark 1: 3) John is that voice that was preparing the way for the coming of Jesus Christ. He appears on the scene to tell the people that they too needed to do some “road construction.” The road construction that both Isaiah and John the Baptist are talking about is not the physical type where we blast thru mountains and cut down trees to clear a path. The type of road construction they are talking about is the spiritual type – where you and I remove the obstacles, the road blocks that keep the path for the coming of Jesus into our hearts cluttered.

That is what the season of Advent is about for us -- a time to look at our lives and see where we are blocking the coming of Christ into our hearts and our lives. While not a physical road construction there are a number of obstacles and road blocks in our lives that we must tear down. Our sinful behavior needs to be torn down to allow for a straight path for the coming of Christ. We put up obstacles of greed, gossiping, jealousy and the like that are like high mountains that needed to be blasted away. This “Road Construction” Sunday is a time for us to take a look at our road blocks. It’s a gradual process of cleaning out the detours. Again, I refer you to the Advent Wreath – two candles are now lit and we might want all four to be blazing bright to show that Christmas is almost here. But we need patience, we need to take our time. We need to make straight the path in our hearts so the God may enter. Even when we finally have cleared a path we need to keep working at it. If you notice that road construction never seems to be finished. Once the potholes are filled in it seems like it no time they are back doing the same work. That’s the beauty of Advent that we celebrate year after year after year. Our “road repairs” are never completely finished. Once we have straightened the path for the Lord sometimes are sinful behaviors revisit us and we need to do some more road repairs. It is a never ending task and a tiring one as well.

Have you often seen a road crew working on road repairs and wonder why one person is working, one is directing traffic, another is leaning on their shovel and another is drinking a cup of coffee? Because road construction is tiring business – you can’t be about it for eight straight hours without taking a break. You can’t do road construction by yourself without the help of others. In our task of spiritual road construction we too need help. That help comes to us in the way of our God who is ever ready to help us. As we tear down the mountains of our sinful behaviors it is our God who comes to us and fills in the holes. If we allow him God can give us the gifts of His Spirit to help level and smooth things out. He fills in the holes we have created with his gifts of wisdom and understanding, with his gifts of courage and fear of the Lord. Our valleys and rough spots are filled up with his gifts of joy, peace, love and happiness.

“A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the LORD! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; The rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley.” (Isaiah 40: 3 – 4) This is the beautiful message of “Road Construction” Sunday as we celebrate the Second Sunday of Advent. Our God has indeed already come with his birth as a Babe in Bethlehem. We continue to prepare his coming now only on Christmas Day but on every day of our lives. He wants to be part of us, he desires to live in our hearts, our souls our very lives. But we need to do some work. I am sure that those of you who are expecting visitors over the Christmas Holidays are already busy preparing things around the house. You clean out the clutter, you straighten up the guest room, and you clean the ring from around the bath tub. You are making a nice place to receive your guests.

Take time to get ready to receive Jesus Christ as your guest. Whatever road block is up, may we have the courage to begin to tear it down. Wherever there are areas in our lives that need to be smoothed out and straightened, let us allow our God to help. We still have some time this Advent Season to get things in order. Today is “Road Construction” Sunday and it is tiring work that will never end. But think about why we are doing it – so that our God can have a straight path into our lives. That’s what Advent is all about – cleaning away our sinful behaviors so that the Lord can enter. That’s what happened at the first Christmas and hopefully it will happen to us again this Christmas and every days of our lives!

AMEN!

1st Sunday of Advent (Year B)

Sunday, November 30, 2008
St. Clement’s Catholic Church; Saratoga Springs, NY

Isaiah 63: 16b – 17, 19b; 64: 2 – 7
Psalm 80: 2 – 3, 15 – 16, 18 – 19
1 Corinthians 1: 3 – 9
Mark 13: 33 – 37

There is a story about a family preparing Christmas dinner. As the mom and young daughter were working in the kitchen, the daughter noticed that her mom cut the Christmas ham into two pieces, placing them in two separate pans. She asked her mom, “Mom, why do you cut the ham into two pieces and place them in two pans?” To which the mom replied, “That’s the way your grandmother cooked ham. Ask her when she comes for dinner.” So when the grandmother came to the house that day, the young daughter asked, “Grandma, why do you cut the ham into two pieces and place them in two pans?” To which the grandmother replied, “That’s the way your great-grandmother cooked ham. Ask her when she comes for dinner.” So when the great-grandmother came to the house that day, the young daughter asked, “Great-Grandma, why do you cut the ham into two pieces and place them in two pans?” To which the grandmother replied, “I did? Oh yes, now I recall. I cut the ham into two pieces and placed in two pans because when your great-grandfather and myself were first married we didn’t have a pan big enough to hold the entire ham.”

Traditions. They are a part of our life and part of our family stories. We all have them and at times we may not even know what they are or why they exist. Our church family has many traditions and one we begin to celebrate today – the season of Advent. However, like many traditions that exist we may have forgotten exactly what it means and why we still celebrate them.

A major part of the tradition of Advent is the lighting of the Advent wreath. Now many of us, especially those who are young, would probably wish we could light all four candles today and just get to the celebration of Christmas. The wisdom of the Church is that we light the candles one week at a time and they help us to patiently wait for the celebration of Christmas. Each week another candle will be lit so that by the end of the Advent Season all four candles will be aflame and show us that the time to celebrate the birth of Christ the Light breaking into our world has come.

In the first reading from the prophet Isaiah we have a wonderful yet haunting line. Isaiah was writing at a time when Israel was in exile, things looked bleak for them and he laments that it seems God is nowhere to be found. Isaiah cries out: “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, with the mountains quaking before you.” (Isaiah 63: 19) His cry is that God come down to fix things for Israel, to help them out of the dark situation they are in. Even today Isaiah’s cry could be ours. Our world is seemingly in a mess. The recent tragic events that occurred in India this past week, the financial crisis our country is experiencing, people continue to struggle to find food and clothing and employment, war and violence still rage throughout our planet and in our neighborhoods. It seems to be a bleak, dark time to live on planet earth. We too may want to raise our eyes to the heavens and cry out like Isaiah: “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down.” God come down to visit us and save us from the awful situation we find ourselves in.

The truth of the matter is that 2,000 years ago our God did split the heavens and visited us. In the still of a cold December night, God leapt down from the heavens and came to his people. His presence brought light into our world. Yet, we still yearn for that light. The season of Advent is a time for us to prepare to bring Christ into the world again. At Mary’s yes, the Word became flesh. We will not bring Christ into the world in a physical sense but our Advent preparation is to help us enable Christ to be brought into the world on a daily basis by the way we live our lives.

I am sure that over the years many a preacher has told you to be patient, to try and slow down during the month of December. That is the hustle and bustle of the season we need to stop and truly reflect on the great event that we are preparing to celebrate. We all have a long list of things to do: the cards need to be written and mailed out, the gifts need to be bought and wrapped, the cookies need to be baked, the tree needs to be bought, the lights need to be hung … the list is quite long. There is so much we need to do that it is just impossible to take a break. True, so what I ask all of us to do is to write the cards, bake the cookies, buy the gifts, hang the lights, put up the tree and that when every we do one of these things we remember why we are doing so. We write the cards to extend God’s blessing to our family and friends. We put up the lights to remind us that it is Christ who brings light to our darkened world. We bake cookies to remind us that the Word was made Flesh and comes to us each time we receive the Eucharist. We may not be able to completely stop and slow down but we can still prepare for the Birth of Christ as we reflect on why we do what we do this month.

For those of you who are parents, especially you who are mothers. Think about the time before the birth of your child. You probably wished the child would be born right away but for nine months the child grew in your womb. The time was needed for your child to grow and develop. You did not sit by idle but you were actively waiting. You painted a room, picked out clothing, choose a name – all the while waiting for the great event. Advent is very similar; we might want it to be December 25th right now but there is much that we need to do – we need to prepare ourselves to bring the Christ into the world again.

This past Friday we heard about the tragic events at the Walmart on Long Island. A worker was trampled to death as the doors of the store were opened on Black Friday. The tragedy was compounded by the fact that when shoppers were told the store was closing due to the tragic death, some of them replied: “But you can’t close the store. We’ve been waiting here since yesterday morning to get in and shop.” These men and women waited and when the time came their passion turned to tragedy. There time of waiting came to an end and the result brought death. We are people who are waiting to and hopefully when our waiting is over we can have similar passion that is unleashed but not a passion that causes death but a passion that brings life. A passion of a people who wish to bring Christ into the world. A passion that allows love to come to a world that seems devoid of love, a passion that brings peace to a world seemingly full of violence, a passion that brings joy and hope to a saddened planet, a passion that brings the light of Christ to a darkened world.

This is why we patiently wait. This is why we light one candle at a time, so that like the Advent wreath we may enflame our love for God slowly but surely. So, bake the cookies, hang the lights, write the cards and buy the presents but never forget the reason you are doing so. With each reminder of the Christmas Season we can prepare ourselves to allow Christ to enter the world. Our hope is that when Christmas day dawns we may be full of light, love and joy. We may be people who have prepared well; that we may be people who are like Mary and allow the Word of God to enlighten the world.

Patience. Prepare. Watch. Is part of the tradition of our Catholic family.

AMEN!

Next Activity for the Young Adult Group at St. Clement's Church

For those reading this blog in the area of Saratoga Springs, NY . . .

The next activity for the St. Clement’s Young Adult Group will be a Movie Night on Sunday, November 16 at 8:30 in Our Lady's Chapel. The film Bella will be shown.

"Sooner or later every one of us will face an irreversible moment that will change our lives forever. If it hasn't happened to you yet...it will. BELLA is a true love story about how one day in New York City changed three people forever."

The Young Adult Group is open to all single and married people in their twenties, and thirties (and yes, even those in their forties!). For more information contact Fr. Paul Borowski via email at pborowski@stclementschurch.com

Proclamations of Abraham Lincoln (1863)

From a Proclamation appointing a National Day of Fasting written on March 30, 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln

It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.

We know that by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world. May we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people?

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.

But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

From a Proclamation of Thanksgiving written on October 3, 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln

It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father Who dwelleth in the heavens.

Thanksgiving Day 2008

Thursday, November 27, 2008
St. Clement’s Catholic Church; Saratoga Springs, NY

Sirach 50: 22 – 24
I Chronicle 29: 10bc, 11, 12
1 Corinthians 1: 3 – 9
Luke 17: 11 – 19

On a stormy night on Lake Michigan in 1860 a boating mishap turned into an enormous tragedy. A side-wheeler steamboat was rammed by another boat. The steamboat was sinking fast. It was about a mile offshore from the village of Winnetka, Illinois.

Out of 393 passengers on board, 279 drowned. Several of the survivors owed their lives to the superhuman efforts of one young man.

A young Methodist theological student named Edward Spencer, from his seminary room witnessed the tragedy and heard the piercing screams for help from people who were drowning.

As the survivors were screaming for help, he plunged into the lake and swam to the drowning people. He brought one person to shore, and then, he would dive back into the cold waters to rescue another. He pushed his body beyond human endurance, and after he had dragged the seventeenth person to safety, he collapsed on the lakeshore.

When he regained consciousness in a hospital, the nerves in his legs were so completely damaged that he could never walk again. He remained an invalid for the rest of his life.

On his eightieth birthday, someone asked him to relate his most vivid memory of that dreadful day. He replied sadly, "Not one of the seventeen returned to thank me."

These are two of the simplest words of the English language. They are two words that from our youngest years we are taught. When we received our first Christmas gift from a relative or family friend, there was our mom or dad asking us: “And what do you say?”

And yet often they are the words that we first forget how to say. We make excuses. “Well, they were expected to do that for me or give that to me – no need for me to say thanks.” We tell ourselves that the other person knows how we feel. “They know how grateful I am, there’s no need to say it.” We take the moral high road. “They shouldn’t expect thanks, they should just be Christian.”

“Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?” And yet, we wait until the fourth Thursday in the month of November. Words that should flow from our mouths daily come slowly to our lips on this autumn day. We don’t like to admit that we are in need of anyone else. We can’t admit that we are weak. We can’t admit that we are dependent on anyone or anything else. We have been given life. We have been rescued. And yet, and yet ... The most vivid memory of that dreadful day for Edward Spencer: “Not one of the seventeen returned . . .”

There is a legend about a tyrant who had an ironclad grip over all parts of his kingdom, except for one frustrating area. He was unable to destroy the people's belief in God.

He summoned his counselors and put the question to them: "Where can I hide God so that the people will end up forgetting him?"

One counselor suggested that God be hidden on the dark side of the moon. This proposal was debated for some time, but voted down because it was believed that one day scientists would discover a means of space travel and God would end being found again.

Another advisor to the tyrant came up with idea of burying God beneath the depths of the ocean floor. This was voted down for basically the same reason - it was felt that scientific advancement would lead to the discovery of God even beneath the depths of the ocean floor.

Finally the oldest and wisest of the counselors had a flash of insight. "I know", he said, "why don't we hide God where no one will ever think of finding him?" He explained, "If we hide God in the ordinary events of people's everyday lives they'll never find him." And so it was done - and they say that people are still looking for God - even today.

We are a people of glitz and glamour. We love the big show. The more lights, the more special effects the better we believe it should be.

The things that I am most grateful for, but I often take for granted are the ordinary things of day to day life. Yes, when I’ve seen the Grand Canyon or the majestic peaks of the Alps in Austria or the beautiful sunset from the rectory on the island of St. Croix I’ve uttered a prayer of gratitude to the maker of the heavens and the earth.

However, one past Thanksgiving time when I was working with the Young Adult leaders of Bethpage we were asked to create a list of what we are thankful for. We were challenged to come up with one hundred items. Some of the easy things leaped to my mind: my life, my faith, my vocation, my friends. But as I did this exercise again this week I listened closely to my heart my pen began to write down some things that many might not consider a blessing and some might even consider a curse.

Morning coffee; fresh baked chocolate chip cookies; Hot water in the shower; a few moments of quiet in the chapel in the afternoon; memories of Portland, ME; Music – any type of music from classical to Bruce Springsteen to Jimmy Buffet to James Taylor; Golf Clubs that don’t get as much use as they would like to get; Mornings at West End, NJ and evenings at Esopus, NY

My God is in these things – and too many more that I can list right now or that I can even remember to list when I get the chance. He’s present in my Redemptorist vocation which echoes the words of St. Alphonsus who says: “The paradise of God, so to say, is the heart of man.”

One afternoon a shopper at the local mall felt the need for a coffee break. She bought herself a little bag of cookies and put them in her shopping bag. She then got in line for coffee, found a place to sit at one of the crowded tables, and then taking the lid off her coffee and taking out a magazine she began to sip her coffee and read. Across the table from her a man sat reading a newspaper. After a minute or two she reached out and took a cookie. As she did, the man seated across the table reached out and took one too. This put her off, but she did not say anything. A few moments later she took another cookie. Once again the man did so too. Now she was getting a bit upset, but still she did not say anything. After having a couple of sips of coffee she once again took another cookie. So did the man. She was really upset by this - especially since now only one cookie was left. Apparently the man also realized that only one cookie was left. Before she could say anything he took it, broke it in half, offered half to her, and proceeded to eat the other half himself. Then he smiled at her and, putting the paper under his arm, rose and walked off. Was she steamed. Her coffee break ruined, already thinking ahead of how she would tell this offense to her family, she folded her magazine, opened her shopping bag, and there discovered her own unopened bag of cookies.

We think that we have it all together. We at times buy into the ideas of our present American society that says: “Mine.” We have forgotten where it all comes from; we have forgotten how to share.

God is the giver of all good gifts. He is the Creator and he shares freely with us. There is nothing that God asks for in return. Love that’s freely given, wants to freely be received. And yet, we are possessive of the gifts that God has bestowed upon us. We gather them in and fence them off from others.

The gift you have received give as a gift. Give without asking for in return. Share without expecting a pat on a back.

Let me return back to today's Gospel. Why did only one cleansed leper return to thank Jesus? The following are nine suggested reasons why the nine did not return:

Leper #1 "This is fantastic, I'm just so excited."
Leper #2 "I've got to hurry home to tell my family."
Leper #3 "Well, it's about time God answered my prayer!"
Leper #4 "This is great, for the first time ever I will be able to hug my son."
Leper #5 "This must be a coincidence; He never even touched me. How can I know for sure it was God who did this?"
Leper #6 "I'm going to call the publisher, this story will sell!"
Leper #7 "Man, I've got a lot of making up to do, an education to get, a business to start."
Leper #8 "Maybe this is just a brief 'remission'; I'm going to 'wait and see' if this healing really sticks."
Leper #9 "But Jesus said go to the priest, if he confirms it, then we'll come back to give thanks."
In contrast to all these, Leper #10 said, "You can do whatever you want, I'm going right back to give thanks to the One who healed me."

The fourth Thursday of November we are the Tenth Leper. We come back to the one who has saved us and we say “Thank You.” However, often times we are like the other nine –busy with our lives, taking credit for our own successes or making excuses for why it is finally our time to shine. Let us continue to Thank God this day as we continue with our Eucharist. Let us sing God’s praises as we continue to raise our voices in song. Let us be of grateful heart as we share fellowship and food with one another after this Liturgy. But the real test is whether the celebration of Thanksgiving continues tomorrow, or better yet Monday, when we all get back to our regular lives and see how we respond – like the other nine or like the Tenth leper, still thankful.

Commemoration of All Souls

There is a poem that I often share at the start of a funeral homily. Today as we remember All Souls I would simple like to share that poem with you in my Blog this week. Let us always remember those who have gone before us in faith and pray for our loved ones and all the souls in purgatory, especially during this month of November.

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean.

She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says; "There, she is gone!" "Gone where?" Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port. Her diminished size is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment when someone at my side says, "There, she is gone!" There are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout; "Here she comes!" And that is dying. (Henry Van Dyke)

"I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11: 25 — 26)

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Sunday, October 26, 2008

St. Clement's Church; Saratoga Springs, NY

Exodus 20: 20 – 66
Psalm 18: 2 – 3, 3 – 4, 47, 51
1 Thessalonians 1: 5c – 10
Matthew 22: 34 – 40

In order for me to give the correct homily today I need to ask the congregation three questions. I have three homilies written and based on your responses will determine which homily I’ll give. (Don’t worry, all three homilies are of equal length!)

The first commandment that Jesus gives today is to love the Lord our God. If you really believe that this is something we should all do, I ask that you raise your hand. Now, the second commandment that Jesus offers us is that we love our neighbors. Again, if you really believe that this is something we should all do, I ask that you raise your hand. Now, the there is a third commandment hidden in today’s Gospel. The third says that we should love ourselves. If you really believe that this is something we should all do, I ask that you raise your hand.

The third is the one that sometimes we don’t all readily agree with, the first two are almost no brainers but the third we have some trouble with. I am not asking that we return to the “ME” generation, or that we act as selfish people concerned only about ourselves or that we turn in on ourselves and let our egos run the roost. The command to love ourselves is to accept ourselves as beloved children of God. The message that Jesus offers is that we are indeed good and worthwhile people. Listen again to the second commandment that Jesus offers: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) If you do not love yourself than how can you love your neighbor? Love of neighbor comes after we are able to accept and love ourselves.

There is a story of a little eight-year-old girl in a Pennsylvania orphanage who was shy, unattractive, and regarded as a problem. Two other asylums had her transferred, and now this director was seeking some pretext for getting rid of her. One day someone noticed the little girl was writing a letter. An ironclad rule of the institution was that any communication from a child had to be approved before it was mailed. The next day, the director and her assistant watched the child steal out of the dormitory and slip down to the main gate. Just inside the gate was an old tree with roots showing above the ground. They followed and watched as the child hid the letter in one of the crevices of the root. Carefully looking around, the little girl scurried back to the dormitory.The director pounced on the note and tore it open. Then, without speaking, she passed the note to her assistant. It read, "To anybody who finds this: I love you."

This shy, unattractive girl was full of flaws. However, I feel that her ability to freely offer love to another was rooted in the fact that she loved herself. Yes, she had our own problems and flaws but I would like to feel that deep down she saw herself as a daughter of God and she was happy with whom she was. This is what it means to love our self. To recognize that even in the midst of our own flaws we are a wonderful creation of God and that should always be celebrated!

Often in my years of ministry as I’ve talked to people they often struggle with this fact. As people come to receive God’s forgiveness they can readily accept that forgiveness. But when I ask them if they can forgive themselves, often I hear a similar tune . . . “But Father, you don’t know the full story. You don’t know all the things I’ve done. I could never forgive myself.” Then again I ask them if they believe that God’s forgives them. “Oh yes, I believe in the forgiveness of God. “ Well if God who knows everything, can accept us back and forgive us we should be able to do the same.

That is the part of the second commandment that Jesus gives us today . . . the call to love ourself. The commands of love that we hear in today’s Gospel really need to be lived in the reverse order that we hear them. We first need to love ourselves. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) Once you accept that you are a son and daughter of God and you rejoice in that, then you can move to the next point – love of neighbor. We begin to see that if we are a son and daughter of God then so is the person that is sitting next to us now and the persons we rub elbows with the rest of the week.

One of my favorite Broadway Musicals is “Fiddler on the Roof.” It’s the story of Tevye, a Jewish milkman and his relationship with God and his family. The tradition of his life had been that all marriages are arranged, just as his was. However, his three oldest daughters begin to break with that tradition by choosing their own husbands. This shatters Teyve to the core and it rattles not only his relationship with his daughters but with his God and even with his wife. In the second act he approaches his wife, Goldie, and in song asks her if she loves him. Goldie looks at him as if he is an old fool and replies that for twenty five years she has cooked for him, cleaned his house, sewed his clothes – of course she does. But Tevye wants to hear the words. Three simple words that often are underused. Not that we should toss them around loosely but that we share them freely with those we love. We can often fail into the routine, the rut where we do things for one another and we might forget why we are doing them. We say the other person should know we love them. The command to love one our neighbor means to do so by action but that those closest in our lives should hear the words “I love you” more than we probably already offer them.

So logically the love that Jesus is talking about flows first from love of self, then to love of our neighbor. If these two things happen the greatest commandment of all will naturally follow. How can we love a God we cannot see if we fail to love the brother or sister that we do see. How can we love our brother or sister is we cannot love our very self.

"You shall love the Lord, your God,with all your heart,with all your soul,and with all your mind.This is the greatest and the first commandment.The second is like it:You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22: 37 –39)

AMEN!

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Sunday, October 12, 2008
St. Clement’s Catholic Church; Saratoga Springs, NY

Isaiah 55: 6 – 9
Psalm 145: 2 – 3, 8 – 9, 17 – 18
Philippians 1: 20c – 24, 27a
Matthew 20: 1 – 16a

One busy bride had planned for a wedding in the middle of June, so she mailed her invitations at the beginning of May. By the beginning of June, she was distraught because so few of her responses had arrived. On the day of her wedding, however, even those guests who had responded were no-shows. Her wedding day was supposed to include 150 guests, instead only the couple’s immediate family, five close friends, and the wedding party’s significant others were in attendance. What went wrong? Her printer had mistakenly listed the date of her wedding for the middle of July! In fact, when the depressed bride returned from her two week honeymoon, her post office box was overflowing with invitation responses.

The parable today told by Jesus follows closely with what he heard last week. It speaks of how God thru the years has offered his love to the people of the world. His messengers to come to the feast were the prophets, some who were mistreated, some killed – all because they were the messengers brining the invitation to be part of God’s family. Finally in the course of history, God sends his only Son and for simply extending the invitation of His Father’s love, the people of his time not only rejected the Son but put him to death. The parable still holds true for us today – the invitation is there and while we might not be killing the messenger we may be ignoring the message.

I am sure that many of you who have already been married the bride to be spent many hours going over what their wedding invitation would look like. The wording is to be exact, the design is to be perfect but in the story I just shared there was a mistake in the invitation and many who should have been invited never got a chance to respond. All of us if we host a party and send out the invitations would be heartbroken if we were all set for the party and no one showed up.

Once again today we have all been extended an invitation – the invitation comes from God himself to join him as part of his family. There is no misprint, there is no misunderstanding, and the invitation comes to each one of us loud and clear. Our God is inviting us to join him, not just for a banquet to share his love, his compassion, his forgiveness. It is an invitation that is offered not just to a few but to all who hear his word. Think about how you might feel if you know someone who is hosting a party and you are one of the few who does not receive an invite. With God the invitation is extended to all, there are no favorites, no one’s invitation has gotten lost in the mail. The Good News is that we are all invited! The challenge is that it is up to each one of us to respond.

The response to be part of God’s family demands from us not just a onetime response either. Often when we respond to a wedding we send in our response, we check off whether we want the chicken, the fish or the steak and we forget that how we responded until the actually day of the wedding. Our response to God’s invitation is not like that – it requires a daily response. For those of us who were baptized as infants our parents responded for us. At our confirmation we stepped forward and responded to God’s invitation for ourselves. For those who are married, hopefully when you said I do to your spouse on your wedding day was not the last time you did so. The vows you spoke to your spouse hopefully are words that you speak in one way or another to each other on a daily basis. As a vowed religious and ordained priest I renew my vows each and every morning. It is a daily response to God’s invitation to follow him. Each morning as the sun rises in the east and we turn over to hit the snooze alarm we also wake to receive the Lord’s invitation; an invitation that demands a response from us.

In our first reading we hear more about God’s invitation. “On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples. A feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.” (Isaiah 25:6) The prophet Isaiah talks about God’s people being invited to a great banquet – a banquet that will include choice food and fine wine. A similar invitation is extended to us this morning to come to the banquet of the Lord here on this mountain, here at this table. At this table the Lord invites us to partake in the best food possible – to share in His Body, He invites us to share the finest wine -- to drink from the cup of His Blood. The celebration is here this morning and we have chosen to say yes to this invitation. But again it has to be stated that this invitation is extended to all and extended to us each and every week.

We come to this feast, to the table of His Body and Blood, not alone but we come to this celebration with our brothers and sisters. We come to the table of plenty with others invited to the family of God. This is a celebration that includes young and old, rich and poor, saint and sinner. The invitation from our God is the Good News that we gather to celebrate today. However, with every Good News that we hear there is a challenge – the challenge is in our hands, the challenge for us is how we respond.

Today, all people are invited to be part of God’s family and share in God’s love. Just as with any invitation the RSVP to God is an important choice that we have to make. Today let us celebrate the love that God offers us. Today let us rejoice in the compassion and forgives we are invited to share. Today let us look around and see our brothers and sisters that we are invited to share the love of God with. We have a wonderful chance to say yes to the Lord’s invitation – that is not just Good News but it is Great News. But an invitation is useless unless there is a response. Today the question for each and every one of us is: what will our response be today. May it be a response of yes to be part of God’s loving family. AMEN!

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Sunday, Ocotber 5, 2008
Holy Martyrs of North America Catholic Church; Falmouth, ME
Sacred Heart Catholic Church; Gray, ME

Isaiah 5: 1 – 7
Psalm 80: 9, 12, 13 – 14, 15 – 16, 19 – 20
Philippians 4: 6 – 9
Matthew 21: 33– 43

[Homily given in preparation for Redemptorist Mission in Cluster 24 of the Diocese of Portland, ME]

Good morning! My name is Fr. Paul Borowski, one of the two Redemptorist Missionaries here this week. I always feel that the role of a Missionary when he preaches at the weekend masses before the Mission is to get you excited and to try to entice you to come to the Mission. I always love going to the movies and I like to get there early. I get my bag of popcorn, a soda and make sure that I’m at the theater in time to watch the previews before the main event. If they do a good job, they show you wonderful movie trailers so that you say to yourself: “I need to go see that film when it comes out.” Hopefully, my reflections with you today will have you nodding your head and saying: “I need to go to the mission this week and hear more.”

As I mentioned, I am a member of the Redemptorist Congregation and I recently spent the last sixteen years working in New York City. I was involved with the formation of our college age seminarians and spent a good part of that time teaching at St. John’s University in Queens. I taught Business Ethics and regret not being there now since I would have tons of material to teach about. Just this past August I was assigned as pastor at St. Clement’s Parish in Saratoga Springs, NY just north of Albany. However, I am not a stranger to Maine and the Portland area. Since 1995 I have been coming up to the area to work with Habitat for Humanity and have brought teens from all along the East coast to work building houses. My trips each summer would range anywhere from one to four different weeks and for the past five summers I slept on the Parish Center floor at Holy Martyrs. I have even said Mass here in this Church for the teens when we arrived on Sunday nights. I was thankful yesterday when I showed up that Fr. Ford had a room for me in the rectory and I wouldn’t have to spend the night in the Parish Center.

Today’s Gospel is rather straight forward – we readily understand what Jesus is talking about. During the history of the world, God sent prophets to call the people to a closer relationship with him, but the prophets were not accepted. Finally in the course of history, God sent his only Son to bring a message of love and compassion to the world. We all know how that ended up … Jesus, God’s only Son, was rejected, mocked, crucified and died on a dusty hill outside of Calvary. The people of his day saw who he was but did not completely grasp their relationship with him. They failed to truly see Jesus for who he was. Unfortunately, many of us today sometimes fail to grasp completely who Jesus is for us. Our relationship with him is one of great importance and hopefully this time of mission will help each of us to deepen our relationship with the Lord.

During these autumn months, Bishop Malone has invited the Redemptorists into the entire diocese of Portland, the entire state of Maine to help all of us renew our relationship with the Lord. You know better than I do about all the recent clustering and changes that are going on within the Church here in Maine. The Redemptorists have been invited in to help all to reflect on what it means to be one family of God. The theme is “Gather Us.” Gather us together as one family. Gather us together as one Body. We may be from different towns such as Falmouth, Gray, Yarmouth or Freeport but by our baptism we are all one. So we will gather us together as one family this week.

A time of mission is to help us focus in on our relationship with the Lord. Already you have a relationship with our God that we are called to deepen each day through prayer. To see and recognize and understand who God is for us, we need to talk to him. If a married couple came to me and said they hadn’t spoken to each other in twenty years, you don’t need to be a marriage counselor to know that something isn’t right in their relationship. In our relationship with the Lord, we need to constantly talk to him and listen to him. That’s what prayer is all about. All our other traditions within Church are there to help us draw closer to the Lord. The very act we are about now of coming together as one family around the table of the Lord is to help us strength our relationship with our God. This upcoming week the time of Mission is once again for us to reconnect, renew, re-energize our relationship with our loving God.

We will come to meet a God who loves us since the day of our baptism. We will be gathered together to reflect on a God who never stops caring for us. Today, I come before you and it is not I, nor Fr. Ford, nor Bishop Malone who invites you to the mission; rather t is God himself! God today calls you by name, the same name he gave you the day water was poured upon you head. The same name you were given that day now listen to hear again as He invites you to spend some time with him this week. St. Alphonsus Liguori, the founder of the Redemptorists, once wrote something that may at first sound blasphemous. He wrote that God is crazy, that God is insane. Insane with love for you and I. More than we can imagine our God cares for us and loves us. Today he invites you to come and recognize him, to come and spend time with him. Today God himself invites you to this mission as he will gather us all together.

As I mentioned, I use to be a college professor at St. John’s so I enjoy giving homework. Today I want to give all of you a little homework assignment. When you come to the Mission this week do not come alone. Bring someone else. Bring someone who needs to hear again how much God cares for them. Bring someone to the Mission who perhaps has forgotten how much God loves them. The people that truly need to hear this message are not in the church this morning and I won’t be able to get out and meet them today. You know who they are. They are perhaps members of your family or your co-workers. They may be friends or yours, people who live next door to you, people that you know from the supermarket. The message of God’s love is not just for us alone but it is to be shared freely with all men and women. So, my friends – be disciples of Jesus Christ, share your faith and invite someone to come to the mission with you this week.

About five years ago I was given a mission and made this plea to not come alone at the weekend masses. The first night of the mission as I was giving my sermon there were two men in the front row. One of them was singing, talking, occasionally nodding off and snoring during my homily. After a while I could not ignore his disruptions and had to do something. I went over to his friend and say that I’m sorry but could he kindly ask his friend to leave. He responded: “Father, it took me a fifth of gin to get him to church and now you want him to leave?”

You don’t need to bribe anyone and feed them gin to get them to come to the Mission. Just extend an invitation by telling them you want to come and meet someone who loves and cares for them. You want them to come and meet our God of love. If you can’t make the mission I ask that you pray for us. Pray for the people of Falmouth, Gray, Yarmouth and Freeport that this may be a time when God himself gathers us together. Pray that this may be a time where we reflect on the call to be one family of God. Know also that we will be praying for you that this week may be a time of immense blessings for all of you. May it be a time when all of us once again strengthen our relationship with our God. This is a week to rejoice, to celebrate and be glad. God who is mighty has done great things for us, may He continue to work in our midst! AMEN!

Young Adult Group Looking to Form at St. Clement's Church

For those reading this blog in the area of Saratoga Springs, NY . . .

St. Clement’s is looking to begin a Young Adult Group that will offer support as well as minister to and with single and married people in their twenties, and thirties. If you are interested (or know of anyone who might be interested) please stop by for an evening social time of wine and cheese on Sunday, October 12 after the 7:30pm Mass.

For more information contact Fr. Paul Borowski via email at pborowski@stclementschurch.com

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Sunday, September 28, 2008
St. Clement’s Catholic Church; Saratoga Springs, NY

Isaiah 55: 6 – 9
Psalm 145: 2 – 3, 8 – 9, 17 – 18
Philippians 1: 20c – 24, 27a
Matthew 20: 1 – 16a

As we listened to today’s Gospel, I am sure that there were many parents nodding their heads in agreement with the parable that Jesus shares with us. Many parents in here have probably had the experience of asking their children to do some chore around the house only to get one excuse or another. One of the worse days of the week in the seminary was Saturday – Saturday was everyone’s day off. So, by Saturday evening the dishes were piled a mile high by the dishwasher. Occasionally I would ask one of the seminarians to perhaps do the dishes and sometimes I would get a positive response while other times I’d get the excuses. It was hard to argue with a seminarian who said they were on the way to study at the library and even tougher when they said they were going to spend some time in prayer in the chapel.

But Jesus is not talking to us about children doing or not doing their household chores. (Although it is very bad for children to avoid their chores around the house.) :) The message that Jesus offers us today is that our actions have to match up with our words. At the beginning of Mass we ask the Lord for forgiveness as we said: “Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.” Did we really think about the words as we said them? Did we truly mean that we were asking the Lord for forgiveness for the times when we harmed our brothers and sisters of failed to love our God? They should not be empty words but words that are lived out in our lives. Later on in this Mass we will receive the Body and Blood of Christ. We come forward and myself or a Eucharistic Minister will say to you: “The Body of Christ.” “The Blood of Christ.” Our response will be: “AMEN.” I believe! Yes, I believe. We believe the lord will enter our heart and our soul but when we say Amen are we just mouthing empty words? How does it affect our lives when we leave this church? Do we say ”AMEN” just because that is what we are taught or because we truly mean it?

The son who says Yes to the Father in the Gospel but fails to go into the vineyard fails to live up to what he promised. The son who at first refuses and then does what his father asks shows us that what is more important in our lives is our actions. We are called to live the commandments of Jesus, live them with our lives every moment we are alive. We are called not to just nod our heads in agreement when asked if we are a follower of Christ but we are called to put into action the faith we say we believe in.

Today in the midst of our 9:30am Mass there will be a group of adults who are beginning the year long process of entering the Catholic Church. These adults are saying “Yes” to the Lord. A Yes that they uttered a long time ago and they are now asking to continue to journey deeper with the relationship of the Lord. They should be inspirational to us to continue to utter our own yes to the Lord. Many of us were baptized as infants when our parents and godparents said they would raise us in the practice of the faith. For those of us who have been confirmed it was a time for all of us to stand up and say that we wanted to be part of the Church. The words at our baptisms were spoken for us by others and the words at our confirmation we spoke for ourselves. Those words are not just one time utterances. The Yes the members who are seeking entrance into the church are not just one time words. The words need to be spoken on a daily basis and not just spoken but are lived out in our actions. It is not a onetime event but it is a lifelong process.

The Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard who lived in the 19th century once wrote, "There is no such thing as being a Christian; there is only becoming a Christian." In other words, following Jesus is a process during which we journey toward full conversion. We are not just Christians because we say so in words but we become Christians as we live and act on it each and every day.

This is what our faith is all about. We do not wake up the day after saying yes at our baptism and/or confirmation and wipe our hands saying that we are finished. Our yes to the Lord in those sacraments are simply a beginning, the start of a life long journey where we need to say yes to the Lord each and every day when we awake. A yes that does not solely take the form of the words we speak but in the actions we do. We are not simply a follower of Jesus Christ but our daily actions help us to grow into a follower of the Lord.

For anyone who has played sports one knows that to be a good athlete the action needs to be completed. You do not stop halfway through when you throw a baseball, kick a soccer ball or hit a golf ball. There is something important that needs to be done –- one needs to follow through in the action. The throw, kick or hit needs to be completed. The follow through is one of the most important parts of being good at a certain sport. Just as in sports, Jesus is asking his disciples to follow through with what we say. We say yes to the Lord but the words are not enough. Actions need to back up these words. We need to follow through in what we have said. The son who said yes but never went into the vineyard failed to follow through in what he told his father. While the other son may have said no at least he came through in his actions. Actions speak louder than words and that is true in a journey towards following as a disciple.

We often have heard the saying: “You can talk the talk but can you walk the walk.” Anyone can say they are a follower of Jesus, they are just words. The real test is to see that we follow through in saying we are a disciple. We need to daily live out our yes to the Lord. Follow through; backing up our words with our actions. The Lord is not looking for a group of disciples who give him lip service by saying one thing and doing another. The Lord is looking for people who are not afraid to live their faith. Jesus is inviting us to follow him by living lives of faith. It’s easy to say yes in words to being a disciple of Jesus Christ, it’s tough to live it by our deeds. But that is what makes us a Christian – living lives of faith. Remember to follow through, that’s what makes the action worthwhile. That’s what truly makes us followers of the Lord. AMEN!

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Sunday, September 21, 2008
St. Clement’s Catholic Church; Saratoga Springs, NY

Isaiah 55: 6 – 9
Psalm 145: 2 – 3, 8 – 9, 17 – 18
Philippians 1: 20c – 24, 27a
Matthew 20: 1 – 16a

If Jesus were a business man in today’s world, the US government would certainly have to bail him out. If Jesus was in charge of a business he would be bankrupt before long. If Jesus were a business with the business sense he presents in today’s Gospel, he certainly would not be on my parish’s Financial Committee. For those of you who work for a living, let me ask you this simple question: if you worked an eight hour day and one of your co-workers only worked an hour, how would you feel if you got paid the same amount. Saying that would be unfair is to put it mildly.

The parable that Jesus tells us today is not a thesis in how to run a business. Towards the end we hear the landowner asks one of the workers if he is questioning his generosity. This is what the main message is: that our God is generous and we should be forever thankful for all the wonderful gifts our God has shared with us.

There is a story about a highly successful businessman was once asked to make a substantial donation toward an urgent charity appeal. The businessman listened to the case presented then said, "I can understand why you approached me. Yes I do have a lot of money, and yours is an important cause. But are you aware that I have a lot of calls upon my money? Did you know my mother needs 24 hour nursing care?"
"No we didn't" came the reply. "Did you know my sister is struggling to raise a family of eight on her own?" "No we didn't" came the reply. "Did you know I have one son in a drug rehab clinic and another doing voluntary work overseas?" "No we didn't." "Well, if I don't give them a cent, what makes you think I'll give it to you?!"

Not the type of person we want to be in our lives. We appreciate being around generous people and our God is quite the opposite of the businessman in the story. We should try not to look around us and say that we don’t have enough as the next person. We should try not to compare the blessings of our lives with the blessings on another. Each of us in our own way has been gifted by God. All that we have, from the life we live, to our family and friends, to the faith that brings us together as one community this morning is a gift from the hands of our God. It makes no difference whether you have been a member of the Catholic Church for a few days or for many years –- God’s love is shared equally to each and everyone of us. The message of the Gospel is that there are no favorites in the household of God.

There is an interesting point in the Gospel that occurs around the 5:00pm hour. The landowner goes out and sees a group of workers waiting around. When asked why they are not working, their response is not that they are lazy or that they do not really want to work but they answer that no one has asked them to work – no one has invited them into the vineyard. They are willing, and have been willing all day, but just needed to be invited to work in the vineyard. We as a Catholic community are called to extend an invitation to others. We are bearers of a great gift, the gift o f the Church, the gift of being called by a loving God. But the gift is not meant just for ourselves but to be shared. There are others who probably would like to be part of our Catholic family but they have not joined us because they have never been invited. Like the workers at the 5:00pm hour, many are waiting to be invited into the vineyard and those of us who have been part of the Church family for many years need to share the gift of God with others.

There is a story about an elderly woman who was travelling in the mountains and found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime.

But, a few days later, he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. "I've been thinking," he said. "I know how valuable this stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me this stone."

The flip side of today’s Gospel is how it applies to us. The message again is quite simple: if our God is generous with us than we too must imitate and be generous with our brothers and sisters. If God shows no favoritism and shares his love equally with all his children, then we too must freely share the gifts that we have been blessed with. This generosity does not translate solely into sharing our financial blessings with other but we are called to share all our blessings with others. For each and every person in this church today we each have our own gifts and talents that God has given us. For myself, it seems as if God has given me the gift to be able to stand in front of people and speak His Word. To the people involved in our music ministry today, God has blessed with the gift of music and song. It is a gift they share with us in this Church. We need to be able to share our time with others: lend an ear to someone who just needs to talk. Offer our assistance in an area that we are good in with someone who needs help in that area.

Our God has blessed us and we in turn need to be a blessing to others. Today we celebrate Catechetical Sunday were we will bless and commission those who will be working in our Faith Formation program over the next year. They are sharing with the larger Church Family the gift of their faith. For this we thank them and no to give them a swelled head, they should serve as a challenge to us all to step forward and be generous with our time and with sharing our faith.

Today, be thankful for the gifts that our God has blessed you with. His love and blessings are for all who come to the vineyard. Today, let us commit to following the example of our God but being generous with others. The gifts that we have freely been given we must share with those around us. They are not gifts solely for our own lives but like the valuable stone of the wise woman should be offered without any regard to what we will receive in return. If we give, we will receive. It’s not a lesson for the business world of 2008 but it’s a lesson on how to live as disciples of the Lord. AMEN!

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Year A)

Sunday, September 14, 2008
St. Clement's Catholic Church; Saratoga Springs, NY

Numbers 21: 4b – 9
Psalm 78: 1c –2, 34 – 35, 36 – 37, 38
Philippians 2: 6 – 11
John 3: 13 – 17

I am sure that many of us have seen the sunrise. It is certainly a thing a beauty, a true sign of the wonders of our God. I remember seeing the sunrise one summer while I was vacationing at Ocean City, MD with a group of my friends. We had a house right on the beach and had spent the night sitting on the deck talking and before we knew it the sun was coming up over the horizon. To see the sun rise over the ocean and the beach was a wonderful sight. There was another time I vividly recall seeing the sunrise. I was in the seminary college and I had a paper due in the morning. I was in our typewriter room (working on a manual typewriter) working on trying to finish this one particular paper. As I looked out the windows I saw the sun rising in the east and I thought: “Oh boy – I’m not done yet.” That sunrise was not a thing of beauty.

Perception. One can see the same thing, witness the same event and we can have two outlooks on the matter. A sunrise can be a thing a beauty or a thing of dread depending on the situation. The Feast we celebrate today can be looked at in the same way. To us Christians in the year 2008 we see the cross as a sign of our redemption, of our salvation. It has become a part of our life and perhaps it may have become a part of our life in the sense that it is so ordinary. We enter into this Church and as we bless ourselves with Holy Water we make the sign of the cross – yet how often do we reflect on what that sign means. I am sure that in your homes you have many a cross or crucifix on the walls of your living room, dining room or bedroom. Perhaps like me you have a cross hanging on the rear view mirror of your car. Many of us wear crosses around our neck, but once again do we realize what the cross means?

If you were to ask the people of Christ’s time about the cross they would give you a different answer to what it meant to them as opposed to us. To the people of ancient Israel and the Roman Empire it was an instrument of torture, it was a means to put to death the worse possible criminals of their day. As St. Paul writes: “Cursed is he who hangs up the tree.” For the people of Jesus’ day the cross was a terrible thing. If Christ lived and died during our present time perhaps instead of a cross he would have been put to death in an electric chair or on a gurney with a lethal injection. Our celebration today is to remember what the cross truly is: a sign of how much our God loves us that he would allow His only Son to suffer such a terrible death.

Perhaps we have lost sight of the true meaning of the Cross. One of the saints of the Church was once quoted as saying that the Christ was not crucified on a gold cross between two brass candle stands in a cathedral but he was crucified on a wooden cross between two common criminals on a dusty hill. St. Alphonsus Liguori, the founder of the Redemptorists, said that when we gaze upon the cross we should see two things. The first is what our sins have done in crucifying the Lord. Again, there is no easy way to say this so we must admit that our selfishness, our carelessness towards others and our God lead Jesus to sacrifice his life on the cross so that we might live. His death on the cross and his resurrection frees us from sin and death and gives us new life. But Alphonsus did not stop there, he goes on to say that when we gaze on the cross we should also see the immense love that our God has for us. In fact this love is a crazy love, a love that would go so far. So, when you go home today and you look at the crosses in your house perhaps we can say a prayer of thanks to our God for loving us as much as he does. Perhaps the crosses that we have will no longer just be ornaments that decorate our house or our necks but will be daily reminders of a God who is crazily in love with us.

In today’s Gospel from St. John we heard proclaimed one of the most famous passages of all Scriptures. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.” (John 3:16) The passage is John 3:16 and it has been made famous not by any great preacher but if you are a person of my generation you might recall seeing this written on a place card at many a sporting event in the late ‘70s and during the ‘80s. At various sporting events a man by the name of Rainbow Man would position himself to get on TV and hold a sing with John 3:16 written on it. Everyone knew the Rainbow Man, everyone knew John 3:16 and everyone knew what it meant. The Rainbow Man, whose real name is Rollen Stewart made it his mission to spread this Good News. There he was at Olympics and World Series, decked out in a Rainbow Afro Wig driving TV producers crazy since he kept getting in the camera’s view. He would take a Portable TV with him to these sporting events so he knew where the camera would be looking. He once was banned from the Olympics since they thought he was a spy and the John 3:16 was some type of code.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world” is probably well know because of the work of the Rainbow Man, Rollen Stewart. However, in 1992 he was arrested and charged with kidnapping when he broke into a hotel room outside of Los Angeles and held a few people hostage. During the siege he had a pistol that he used to fire at incoming planes into the Los Angeles airport. All along the windows of the hotel he placed John 3:16 placards. He was finally apprehended and is presently serving three consecutive life sentences. He was also found guilty of setting off several stink bombs at various locations in years prior to 1992.

What happened to Rollen Stewart? His story is one that shows that the message of the cross, the message of John 3:16 must not just be for external show but must take root and abide deep within each one of us. The love that God shows us in the Exaltation of the Cross is a love that we must show to one another. If we simply allow the Cross to remain a decorative item we run the risk of allowing it to have no meaning in our lives at all.

So today we celebrate a glorious feast -- a day to remember that by his death on the cross and his resurrection on the third day we have been loved by God and been made his chosen people. Take a look at the crosses and crucifixes you have in your house or on your person. Don’t let it just sit there as an ornament but as a real reminder of what our faith is all about. We believe in a God who loves us insanely and calls us to love one another with the same passion. May we never forget to glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. AMEN!

Remembrance of September 11, 2001

Thursday, September 11, 2008

St. Clement’s Catholic Church; Saratoga Springs, NY

Isaiah 9:1-6
Philippians 4:4-9
Matthew 11:25-30

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown.” (Isaiah 9:1)

We are a hope filled people. We are a family of believers. We are a faith filled community who experienced darkness seven year ago today. People of all ages, of every race, of every economic situation, of every ethnic background and nationality walked in darkness on that first 9/11. Some of us may have actually walked in the darkness in the midst of the dust and debris as the Twin Towers collapsed. A few of us may have walked in the darkness of not hearing from a family member or a friend. Many of us walked in the darkness of knowing someone who has lost a loved one in the tragic events of that day We as a faith community, we as a nation, we as a world dwelt in the land of gloom seven years ago today.

We are a loving people. We are a family of great care for one another. We are a giving and generous community who also saw a great light in the days after 9/11. Yes, light shone on us who dwelt in a land of gloom. In the midst of destruction, in the midst of death, in the midst of a lost innocence of our young people and teens we also witnessed the Rising Star of our Loving God once again entering into our lives.

In the midst of a collapsing building we saw the light of Michael Benfante and John Cerqueria carry a disabled woman down 68 floors of a World Trade Center building and place her is an emergency van. In the dust and debris we saw the light of firefighters, police officers, Port Authority officers, and thousands of volunteers who rolled up their sleeves and donned surgical masks to look for life in the midst of the incomprehensible rubble in lower Manhattan. In every city across our country we saw the light of countless people waiting to donate blood, food and various other supplies that are needed. In the dusk of an autumn Friday evening we saw the light of candles burning brightly in our neighborhoods. We heard the prayers of millions rise to our God in heaven. We listened to the signing voices of thousands asking our God to bless us.

In the midst of the darkness of those days seven years ago, my sisters and brothers we have seen a great light. It is the light of our faith in our God. It is the light of our hope for peace in better world for tomorrow. It is the light of our love for one another, love for those around us, love for people affected by this tragedy that we do not even know.

It is the bright shining light of a group of teens, young adults and old adults from the parish of St. Martin of Tours in Bethpage, where I was helping out, who gathered for six hours straight to wash cars in order to raise money for the Red Cross. It is the inexhaustible light of these teens that no act of terror will ever put out. It is their faith, their hope and their love that cried out to help in any way they could to overcome the darkness and gloom of our country and our world. It is the light of the hundreds of people who waited patiently in Car Wash line to donate what they could for the Red Cross. It is the bright shining light of those who simply stopped and offered whatever they could. As individuals, as a community, as a nation we walked in darkness, we dwelt in the land of gloom.

But my brothers and sisters, I stand before you this evening to tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that we also saw a great light during those days. That light shines brightly tonight and the message of our God to us is simple: continue to allow that light in each and every one of us to shine. The light we experienced in those days after 9/11 is the Child of Bethlehem; he is the Prince of Peace; his dominion is vast and forever peaceful. How can I say that tonight – because I have seen his light shine in the hearts of countless millions that week.

“Rejoice in the Lord always! I say it again. Rejoice! Everyone should see how unselfish you are. The Lord himself is near. Dismiss all anxiety from your minds. Present your needs to God in every form of prayer and in petitions full of gratitude.” (Philippians 4: 4 -- 6)

We are a hope filled people. We are a family of believers. We are a rejoicing people. We rejoice not in death and destruction. We cry and we weep for those who have died and for the fact that our lives have been dramatically changed. But we must not deny this basic fact of our faith: We believe in a God who cares for us and loves us more than we can ever imagine.

We are a people who have looked beyond our own lives in those days to give unselfishly. We are a people who reached out to friends with e-mails and phone calls that week saying: “I hope you’re all right. I hope you didn’t lose anyone close to you, and if I haven’t said it lately, I love you.” We are a people who hugged strangers and friends that week in an effort to bring comfort to others.

Our God is in our midst; walking besides us during the events of that week. We rejoice in the unselfishness of the rescue personnel who toiled to the point of exhaustion, take a break and then got back to the most grisly and heartbreaking work imaginable. We rejoice in the unselfish acts of the hundreds of firefighters, police offices and Port Authority officers who never came home. We rejoice in the deeds of Ronnie Clifford , who was trying to save a woman’s life outside the first tower, even as his own sister was aboard the United Airlines plane that was about to hit the second tower. Again, we rejoice not in the death of so many but in the fact that so many have lived the following words of the Lord:

"This is my commandment:love one another as I have loved you. There is no greater love than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.” (John 15: 12 -- 13)

We rejoice because in the midst of evil and death our God is indeed near to us. We rejoice because we are the bearers of God’s Loving Word in the world today. We rejoice because in the midst of our own pain and fear that week, our God is with us. He is Emmanuel. We celebrate our God who is not looking down at us from the heavens, far away from the pain and suffering of the world. We rejoice in a God who is in touch with the earth. We celebrate a God born in a stable, a God who shares our work and our tears. We gather tonight and pray to a God who has only once looked down upon us – when he gazed down upon on from the Cross. We rejoice that our God has not abandoned us. Many in the years since 9/11 may wish to feel that God does not care – but we firmly believe that Emmanuel does care. We believe in our God who tonight continues to weep for us his children and we believe in our God who wants us to turn towards him with all the prayers and petitions in our heart.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me,for I am gentle and humble of heart. Your souls will find rest,for my yoke is easy and my burden light." (Matthew 11: 28 -- 30)

We are a loving people. We are a family of great care for one another. Yet still we come before our God this evening as a community who is weary. The events of those days are still burdensome and trouble us. The message of Christ tonight is important: “I am here. Do not be afraid. I am with you.”

Do not look for an explanation. Do not take the role of the investigators who search for clues. Do not try to explain these acts of terror, these events of evil.

Our task for the rest of our lives is to come to the Lord in order to be refreshed. We are not to explain but to rest. Paul writes to the believers in Cornith:

". . . Jews demand "signs" and Greeks look for "wisdom," but we preach Christ crucified,a stumbling block to Jews and an absurdity to Gentiles . . ." (1 Corinthians 1: 22 -- 23)

Do not attempt to make sense out of the Cross of our Lord. Do not attempt to make sense out of the events of September 11, 2001. But know this fact:

Our God is calling us. Our God wishes to refresh us. Our God wishes to give us rest. We believe in a God who was crucified and the act made no sense. We believe in a God who is in our midst tonight and holds us in the palm of his hand.

We believe in a God who brought new life out of death. We believe in a God who is the resurrection and the life. We believe in a God who has not abandoned us. We believe in a God who today calls to each one of us to journey with him. We believe in a God who has blessed us with Light in the midst of darkness and gloom.

We gather tonight in prayer as a sadden people, as a confused people, as a people afraid.

Let us approach the Lord tonight as a hope filled people. Let us live this week as a family of believers. Let us live this month as a loving people. Let us live this year as a family of great care for one another. And let us never stop living our lives as a giving and generous community.

The reason that we can do so is quite simple:

We are a great light to a people who have walked in darkness. We are the light that has shown upon those who have dwelt in the land of gloom.

My friends: Do not be afraid. Do not allow the evil of a few men to quench our great light of goodness. Do not stop being the great light that each of you in your own way has been to one another.

We believe in Emmanuel – God with us.

Emmanuel believes in us.

Together we can allow the light of God to shine brightly in the hearts of all people.

May our Good and Loving God welcome into his embrace those who have died in the events of September 11, 2001. May God send his comfort to those who continue mourn the loss of loved ones. May God bless each and every one of us with the courage and graces we need to allow our light to shine throughout this great land of ours. And may God bless America and this great and beautiful world with his peace. Amen.

(This homily was originally preached on Sunday, September 16, 2001 at St. Martin of Tours; Bethpage, NY. Slight modifications have been made to reflect the elapsed time since the events of 09/11/01.)