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.)

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

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

Ezekiel 33: 7 – 9
Psalm 95: 1 – 2, 6 – 7, 8 – 9
Romans 13: 8 – 10
Matthew 18: 15 – 20

There is a story about a man named Joe who was dying. For years he had been at odds with Bill, formerly one of his best friends. Wanting to straighten things out, he sent word for Bill to come and see him.

When Bill arrived, Joe told him that he was afraid to go into eternity with such a bad feeling between them. Then, very reluctantly and with great effort, Joe apologized for things he had said and done. He also assured Bill that he forgave him for his offenses. Everything seemed fine until Bill turned to go. As he walked out of the room, Joe called out after him, “But, remember, if I get better, this doesn’t count!”

“But, remember, if I get better, this doesn’t count.” Forgiveness is a wonderful thing to be able to receive and also should be just a wonderful to give. Today, Jesus is talking about what we should do when our brother or sister does something that hurts us. He tells us to summon up the courage and go to them to let them know how their actions have affected us. Most times when I talk to people and they tell me that they could never do this and I ask why they respond by saying that they really do not like confrontation. Well, in reality I don’t know many people who actually enjoy confrontation but today Jesus is saying it is something we have to do.

Jesus has keen insight into human nature. “If your brother sins (against you), go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.” (Matthew 18:15) But if the other person really knew me they never would have done what they did to me. If the other person really loved me they never would have acted as they did. However, the person who has hurt you might not even realize they have done something wrong. We refuse to talk to another and we allow the anger to build inside of us. He let the feelings fester and harbor ill feelings towards another and all the while they might not even know that they have done something hurtful to us.

We are called by Jesus to approach our brother and sister to practice what we often call fraternal correction. We are the ones who are called to make the first move. Often in my past sixteen years of working with seminarians they have come to my office to tell me I need to talk to one of the other seminarians. “They are playing their music too loud in their room.” “They don’t pick up their trash in the TV room.” “They forgot to fill us the car with gas and left it on E.” Then I would ask them if they have brought this up to their fellow seminarian. “Oh, no, I can’t tell him that – I think you should.” To which I would often tell them to go read this Gospel we just heard proclaimed.

None of us want to really go to another and tell them how their actions have hurt us but it is the challenge of the Gospel. When we do there are two qualities we need to bring with us. We should first approach the person in humility. If we go in with a superior attitude, acting as if we are the chief judge we will never get the other person to even listen to us. We must also approach the other with love. Going to another to tell them how they have wronged us is an effort to build up the body of Christ. We go to another to be re-united with them so that we can live as members of the Church. If we go to another without humility and love then we will never be reconciled to one another. The walls that exist between us will just become stronger and harder to tear down. The challenge of Jesus is present. “If your brother sins (against you), go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.” (Matthew 18:15) Tough words but necessary is we are to live together as God’s family.

There was a preacher whose Sunday sermon was about forgiving your enemies. He asked, “How many have forgiven their enemies?” About half held up their hands. He then repeated the question. Now about 80% held up their hands. He then repeated his question again. All responded, except one elderlylady. "Mrs. Jones, are you not willing to forgive your enemies?" asked the preacher. "I don’t have any." she replied. "Mrs. Jones, that is very unusual. How old are you?" asked the preacher. "Ninety-nine." she replied. "Mrs. Jones, please come down in front and tell the congregation how a person cannot have an enemy in the world." asked the preacher. The little sweetheart of a lady tottered down the aisle, and said, "It’s easy, I just outlived all of them."

Hopefully we won’t be like Mrs. Jones and simply outlive our enemies. Hopefully we reach out to them in humility and love. There is also a flip side to this message. At times we will be the one that have wronged another. That is a reality since we who make up the Church are all saints and sinners. There will be a day when someone will approach us to tell us how we have hurt them. We must be open to hearing them. We might not even realize that our actions have been harmful. When another comes to us we must respond with those two virtues I mentioned earlier: with humility and love. We have to be a person who can listen to another as they call us to live a better Christian life. We might think that our actions are not hurtful but in the eyes of another we may have done them great harm. Living the challenging message of Christ means we have to be open to fraternal correction as well as being able to give it. None of us is perfect and there are times when we need to know when we have sinned.

None of this is easy. It seems as if the recent words of Jesus in these Sunday Gospels have been extremely difficult. They are words we need to reflect on and strive to live. We are a people who need to approach our brother and sister to let them know when they have harmed us. We are a people who need to be open to another when we have wronged them. This is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. This is what it means to have heard his words and put them into action.

The Good News is that he is there to help us. The last line of the Gospel today offers us hope. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20) When we approach our brother or sister we do not go to them alone. He is in our midst as we fraternally correct another. He is in our midst when another approaches us to tell us how we have wronged them. The words of Christ are easier to live when we realize we are not there alone.

That is also why we come to the Eucharist, so we can receive the strength we need to live out his words. He not only offers us these challenging words but says he will come to us to be our support and strength. AMEN!

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Sunday, August 31, 2008

St. Clement’s Catholic Church

Saratoga Springs, NY

Jeremiah 20: 7 – 9

Psalm 63: 2, 3 – 4, 5 – 6, 8 – 9

Romans 12: 1 – 2

Matthew 16: 21 – 27

Jesus asked his disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15) To which Peter replies: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” (Matthew 16:16) Jesus then tells Peter that he is Blessed, that no mere man has revealed this to Peter but God himself has enlightened him. No, I am not going to repeat the homily from last week but in order to truly grasp our Gospel for today we have to remember what we read last week. The scene from today’s Gospel follows directly from what we read last week in Matthew. Today, Jesus is explaining to his disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem in order to suffer and die. To which Peter responds, “God forbid it my Lord.” (Matthew 16:22) That is followed by Jesus’ response to Peter, “Get behind me Satan.” (Matthew 16:23) How do we go from Peter being called Blessed to being called Satan? This is a large jump in rather a short time. This exchange is what we need to reflect upon today.

There is a story that after a preacher died and went to heaven; he noticed that a New York cabdriver had been given a higher place than he had. "I don't understand," he complained to St. Peter. "I devoted my entire life to my congregation." "Our policy is to reward results," explained St. Peter. "Now what happened, Reverend, whenever you gave a sermon?" The minister admitted that some in the congregation fell asleep. "Exactly," said St. Peter. "And when people rode in this man's taxi, they not only stayed awake, they prayed."

Results … that is what the Gospel is asking us to focus in on today. In our American society we have learned that results are to be valued. We go to work to get the promotion, to get the bonus, to get the job done. We need to produce results or else we lose our job. Children are preparing to return to school and when they do they are encouraged to get good grades, to achieve the A, to obtain a sold GPA. From our earliest years we are told that we need to succeed in life, we need to get ahead. This is the message that is a constant in our American society. Yet Jesus tells us that things have to be different. If we truly want to be his follower our results are not about who has the most money at the end of our lives but it is important on how we lived our lives. What we have done in our career is not as important as how much we have loved others.

Peter calls Jesus the Christ, the Messiah and has an idea of what it means for Jesus to be called these titles. He is to be treated like royalty, like a King. All people are to worship him and bow down before him. So, when Jesus begins to tell his disciples that he has to go up to Jerusalem to suffer and die, Peter tells him he has it all wrong. Then just a few verses after Jesus calls Peter blessed he then calls him Satan. To be the Messiah means to suffer, to deny himself, to pick up his cross. The Messiah is to give his life for the sake of the world and this is not exactly what Peter had in mind.

For us who profess to be followers of Christ, Christians, means that we must follow in his footsteps. We are called to deny our very selves. That means that we must place the interest of others before our own interests. We must deny ourselves to love others. We all have crosses in our lives and our Lord is telling us that whatever crosses we might have we need to carry them, we need to embrace them. But we do not carry them alone; the one who asks us to carry our cross is there to help us.

There is a story told by the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard. Once upon a time there was a fire in a small town. The fire brigade rushed to the scene, but the firemen were unable to get through to the burning building. The problem was the crowd of people who had gathered not to watch but to help put out the fire. They all knew the fire chief well - their children had climbed over his fire engines during excursions to the fire station, and the friendliness of the fire chief was legendary. So when a fire broke out the people rushed out to help their beloved fire chief.

Unfortunately the townsfolk were seeking to extinguish this raging inferno with water pistols! They'd all stand there, from time to time squirting their pistol into the fire while making casual conversation.

The fire chief couldn't contain himself. He started screaming at the townsfolk. "What do you think you're doing? What on earth do you think you're going to achieve with those water pistols?!"

The people realized the urgency of the situation. How they wanted to help the fire chief. So they started squirting more. "Come on" they encouraged each other; "We can all do better, can't we?" Squirt, squirt, squirt, squirt.
Exasperated the fire chief yells again. "Get out of here. You’re achieving nothing except hindering us from doing what needs to be done. We need firemen who are ready to give everything they've got to put out this fire, people willing even to lay their lives on the line. This is not the place for token contributions!"

Kierkegaard tells the story to urging us to realize that discipleship to Christ means much more than token levels of support to the church and Good's mission in the world. It calls for wholehearted and total life commitment
Christianity demands a full commitment on our part. Christ asks us to give 110%. The message of today’s Gospel may seem to be tough, because it is – there is no way that I can sugarcoat it. Denying ourselves, carrying our cross is not the things we praise in today’s society. However, they are the things our Lord asks us to do. Christ is not looking for people to give token contributions but is looking for people who are ready to lay it all on the line.

A hard message but there are some things to help us in trying to live out this message. First is what we will receive in a few moments. We gather today to receive the Body and Blood of our Savior who not only asks us to live this message but comes to us to give us the strength we need to do so. He also did not just preach these words he lived them. Secondly, we come together in this Church and there are people sitting besides us who are trying to live this message as well. The people next to you are striving to live the words of Christ just as you are. Together with one another we can offer the support we need to live this message. Left alone it would be impossible, with the support of others it becomes a possibility.

The final point I would like to make in offering help to live the message of carrying our cross lies in the lovely lady, Mary. She is the first and best disciple because she lived the message of denying herself and carrying her cross. She was a woman who had to leave her hometown to delivery her first born in a distant town. She flees with her husband and new born son to a foreign country because King Herod was trying to kill them. She stays at the foot of the cross and feels the pain as her innocent son dies a terrible death. Throughout her life, not just at the Annunciation, Mary continually said: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

May the Lord strengthen us in the Eucharist we receive. May we have the support of one another in living as Christian disciples. May the inspiration of Mary always be with us to encourage us. AMEN!

Welcome for Steve Angrisano (Saturday, August 30, 2008)

Sisters and Brothers: Welcome! Whether this is your regular parish community or you are visiting us tonight we are glad that you have come to be with us and the Lord. Tonight is an evening for us to once again offer our praise and thanks to God – in a very special way through song. St. Augustine once said that “Singing is praying twice.” St. Augustine never heard our guest who is here with us. I first heard Steve Angrisano’s music about eight years ago when I began to work with a LIFE TEEN Program at St. Martin of Tours Parish in Bethpage, Long Island. His music has inspired me, has gotten me through some dark moments, it has lifted the spirit of the young and the old that I shared it with. Listening to his music and lyrics has made me feel as if I was praying more than twice. I’ve only heard Steve play live once – in the midst of thousands at World Youth Day in Toronto in 2002. I am looking forward to more intimate experience tonight. His songs have made a difference in my life and a number of young adults and teens I have worked with. May they lift our hearts and souls to the heavens this evening.

Well, you didn’t come to listen to me so let me just end by say that it is my great honor to welcome Steve Angrisano to St. Clement’s Church here in Saratoga Springs, NY.

One last thing before you begin, Steve. I have used your song “Psalm 63: As Morning Breaks” on countless retreats for Morning Praise. If you don’t mind I have re-written the refrain and if I don’t get in trouble with copyright laws I’d like to offer it to you now.

We welcome you tonight Steve
Thank you for being here
May our God bless you tonight Steve
Lead us tonight in prayer
Guide us tonight in prayer.

(Sung to the tune of "Psalm 63: As Morning Breaks")