Homily: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Readings: Is 55:6-9; Psalm 145; Phil 1:20c-24, 27a; Mt 20: 1-16a

_______________________

Have you ever been treated unfairly? I guess most of us have, especially when we were kids, even if it weren’t true.

I was the younger of two sons. My brother, Jeff, was four years older, the smarter, better-looking son. He got a lot of attention, far more than I. But I’m not complaining, because for me the benefits far outweighed the disadvantages. You see, because everyone focused so much on Jeff, they kind of left me alone. The poor boy was constantly measured and examined, under the family microscope, while I had a lot of freedom, probably too much.

For me, though, it was a good life. But one day, when I was 17, a high school senior, I totaled my father’s car. It was a nice car, a very nice car, a French car. Approaching an uncontrolled intersection, I had assumed the cross street had a stop sign. It didn’t; and I plowed into the side of a taxicab.

As you might imagine, when Dad got home from work, he was upset. “Your brother would never have done that! You’re grounded for a month, and that’s just the start.”

I was tempted to reveal some of Jeff’s secrets, but instead appealed to my father’s higher instincts. Every Saturday morning Dad, an Army Reserve colonel, led a family “staff meeting”, that included reading and discussing the Sunday Gospel. Recalling the Gospel of the previous week, I said, “You never would have grounded Jeff. You told us to treat everyone alike, to be merciful like that landowner in the Gospel.” Big mistake. He just said, “Two months,” and left.

Now don’t get me wrong. My folks loved us both and were wonderful parents. And I deserved a lot more punishment than I was given. But that little episode also convinced me that, indeed, our ways are not God’s ways.

We hear it first from Isaiah, who assumes the role of opening act for Jesus, sharing God’s message, and foreshadowing Jesus’ words:

“…my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways.”

Jesus takes this a new level in His Sermon on the Mount when He commands us: “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Imperfect as I am. I turned to Jesus in a kind of prayer and told Him: “Look, Jesus, you’re the Son of God, I’m just the son of John McCarthy, who got mad because I wrecked his neat car. Aren’t you asking way too much of me, of all of us?” And His response? "My Father sent me to redeem you, but I became one of you so you could see first-hand how you should live the gift of your life."

I would think all of us here hope to enter God’s Kingdom, right? After all, we're here, so that should mean something. But Jesus seems to be telling us to become more like Him, more God-like, to think, see, and live as He does. Even though perfection is beyond us, at least in this life, God wants us to strive, to be open to His Word, His gifts of grace, trying to see and treat each other as God does.

Today’s Gospel parable shows us the difference between God and us about as clearly as any. It’s all about mercy; about striving for the holiness God wants for us; about entering a relationship with our Lord Jesus.

First, it’s a parable; it’s not a mini-seminar on labor-management relations. Any employer today who did as the landowner did would go bankrupt because of his high labor costs. He’d also be accused of unfair labor practices and likely face a shutdown strike. Of course, this just highlights the point that Jesus makes: God is different. God is so very different. So different that if we acted as He acts, the people around us wouldn’t know what to make of us.

That’s what saints do. They go against the grain of the world and upset a lot of people. Yes, they’re always scraping their fingernails on the world’s blackboard driving people crazy. Yes, saints and martyrs follow Jesus. It’s because they’re so different they make a difference. Because God continually raises them up among us and places them in our midst, we’ll never be at a loss for saints and martyrs.

But let’s get back to our parable...

For all of us who spent a lifetime working hard preparing for our retirement, it’s easy to get caught up with the literal, human side of the parable. It’s easy to sympathize with the workers who’d spent a long, hard day in the vineyard. Even though they were paid the wages they agreed to…well, it just doesn’t seem fair, does it? For the others, though, who waited all day to be hired, the landowner’s a savior, a most kind and generous man. It all depends on our point of view, doesn’t it?

But we can put all that aside because this parable isn’t about agriculture or farm workers. It’s about the Kingdom of Heaven, offering us just a tiny glimpse into what it’s like, and what God’s like. You see, God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- is out there looking for us, calling to us, and He’ll does it early and late and in-between. We need only respond in faith: “Yes, I’ll be your disciple, tell me what to do.” The reward, the wages, are the same: salvation and eternal happiness.

It’s interesting, isn’t it? The early workers suggest the landowner is unjust, not because he’s broken their agreement, but because he’s gone beyond it and been overly generous to all who come to him. By saying “Yes” all the workers agreed to His terms, and by saying, “Yes” to God, we do the same. 

You see, God’s terms are very straightforward. He likes to keep things simple; we’re the ones who complicate everything, making our lives far more difficult than they need be.

Not long after this, after Jesus entered Jerusalem, Matthew tells us how our Lord summed it all up, going back to Deuteronomy and Leviticus, and repeating what God had revealed to Moses:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? If everyone did that, just imagine what our world would be like. And yet it’s not like that because we’re all sinners. But for a pack of sinners, we should be overjoyed that the rules of divine grace are not the same as human rules, that God’s justice is so far beyond our human justice. You see, God’s capacity for forgiveness gloriously exceeds any human potential.

We hear the early workers’ complaint: You have made them equal to us! Satan tries to convince us that God plays a zero-sum game, that it’s impossible for all to win, that God simply doesn’t have enough grace, enough love for everyone. As always, the father of lies is wrong. Jesus’ teaching on discipleship reflects the loving equality within the Kingdom, and the freedom of its King to shed His grace as He sees fit, beyond our understanding. Of course, given our competitiveness and the calculating nature of our self-driven sense of justice, too often we respond to God's goodness with resentment.

Brothers and sisters, God loves outrageously and asks us to do the same. Doing so, He scandalizes many who seem to be just, good, and worthy. We see this in so many of Jesus' parables…

Recall the merciful father when the repentant prodigal returns seeking forgiveness. Who’s scandalized by this? The elder son, the one who had done everything well but failed to understand both the mercy and joy of his father.

Yes, our God flaunts His love and mercy, and dares us to be as generous, as selfless, as merciful. Like the Good Shepherd who celebrates when he finds the lost sheep, Jesus turns our attention to the sheer delight that should accompany conversion, the joyful fruit of selfless love.

Conversion isn’t just some one-time experience as some Christians believe. No, conversion’s a life-long process. I think St. Paul said it best when he told the Philippians to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” (Phil 2:12) Yeah, it ain’t easy, and we have to work it out with God's help.

God knows we struggle and He doesn’t forget faithfulness, whether it’s early or late. After all, if we’re truly faithful, we’re out in the vineyard doing His work; bringing others to Him. That’s right. You do know that we are all called to evangelize, that evangelization is the primary mission, the work of the Church. Where do we evangelize? In our families, our friendships, our neighborhoods, in our own little slice of God’s world sharing His unconditional love with the others He places in our lives. God never forgets the faithful. But He also rejoices and celebrates the arrival of those who might have been a little late in joining them.

God, you see, is the ultimate landowner. It’s good to remember that. You and I own nothing; all of creation, every speck of it is His. Our little temporary share is pure gift. It’s certainly nothing we earn. Once we let that really sink in and abandon ourselves to God’s love and mercy, once we allow our lives to be motivated by thanksgiving for God’s generosity, we can get over our fussy little comparisons between ourselves and others.

We can avoid the individual, even the international hatreds, the nasty and foolish rivalries that lead only to envious resentment and sin.

We can forgive fathers and brothers, mothers and sisters, and daughters and sons. Yes, we can forgive all, forgive as God forgives.

What do you and I pray every day, using the words Jesus gave us? “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Failing to forgive is no way to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

I’m the only one left in that family that raised me. I forgave them long ago of those little slights, and pray that they forgave me for much greater ones.

As a recent birthday reminded me, a lot of us here on in God’s vestibule. But one of my favorites, St. John of the Cross, said it best: “In the evening of life, we shall be judged by love.”

Yes, indeed, judged both by a God who is love and by ourselves by how much we have loved.

God love you.

 

Romano Guardini and Wendell Berry

Earlier this week, as I wrapped up a mini-course on Ecclesiology, I showed the participants a half-hour film from EWTN, The Prophet of Lake Como. The film focuses on Fr. Romano Guardini (1885-1968) one of great theological and philosophical minds of the 20th century. The film reflects his thoughts on how technology impacts our lives as human beings, as well as our relationships with God, with each other, with the Church, and with God's gift of the natural world.

Guardini’s father, a wholesaler, moved his family from Italy to Germany for business reasons when his young son was only a year old. The young Guardini attended German schools and eventually became a German citizen. He spent virtually all of his professional life teaching in universities in Berlin, Tübingen, and Munich. World War II, of course, intervened and in 1939 the Nazis ousted Guardini from his teaching position in Berlin. Apparently they were upset because of his criticism of Nazi mythology related to Jesus Christ. As a result Guardini ended up spending much of the war with a friend, another priest who was pastor of a parish in Mooshausen. 

Guardini, however, became even more influential after the war, and his work and thought had a significant effect on the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council and can be recognized in many of the Council's documents. His influence continued long after the Council. Indeed, Pope Benedict XVI called Guardini a “great figure, a Christian interpreter of the world and of his time.”

I learned about Romano Guardini years ago when I first read some of his works, especially his, Letters from Lake Como, The End of the Modern World, and The Lord. The first, a rather brief book written in the form of letters to a "Dear Friend" reflect Guardini's insights arising from his visit to family in the Lake Como area. He wrote of the impact of technology on both humanity and the natural world. When I first read the book, I was stunned to realize it was written 100 years ago, first published in 1925, because it seemed to address many of the issues facing humanity today. After reading the letters it was easy to conclude that Guardini was a true prophetic voice pointing to our post-modern world of rapid technological change and addressing how to live amidst it all as faithful Christians. One of the wonderful aspects of the book is noting how Guardini's understanding changes over time as he considers the issues that occupy his thoughts.

And then, yesterday, I discovered that another prophetic voice, that of the Kentucky philosopher, poet, and novelist, Wendell Berry, would speak no more. Berry died in his home at the age of 92. Like Guardini, Berry clearly saw the effects of technology on the human spirit and spent much of his life encouraging his readers to respond in ways he believed would preserve both the natural world and our humanity. 

I've read and enjoyed Berry's poetry and a few of his books, and found myself wondering why some conservatives dismiss him as if he were simply a resurgent hippie who resists change. Such comments usually come from a breed of economic conservatives who assume technological and industrial growth are always positive. That's a shame because Berry has much to teach those who read him. 

I certainly don't agree with all of Berry's thought, but also believe his voice is one that should be heard and not suppressed. He considered himself a Christian, a pacifist, and an environmentalist. Although a bit eccentric in his theology and his politics, he certainly took the Gospel seriously. I suspect Berry never read Romano Guardini, and that suspicion causes me to wonder how Guardini's thought might have altered Berry's worldview. Another question without an answer.

And so, today, I will pray for the soul of Wendell Berry. As a postscript it's good to know that Fr. Romano Guardini is now a Servant of God and his beatification process has begun, thanks to the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. We should pray for that as well. 

More of the Normal and Weird

Another semi-quiet day. Diane resting on the couch while I just relax — good for both of us. 

She’s been home for less than a week from almost a month  in the hospital and rehab. She seems happy, but we need to exercise more, so she can continue rebuilding her strength.  I think I’ll also help her take another shower today. That should make her feel even better. 

Our friend, Pat, made a serving of chicken parmesan for Diane yesterday, delivered by Pat's husband, Larry.  I decided to serve it for lunch today. That, too, should make Diane happy…it did!

Then I got a text from another Bible Study friend, Phyllis, who wants to present us with a nice chicken dinner. That'll happen on Thursday, since tomorrow is my day to cook something for the two of us, something Dear Diane might actually want to eat. My cooking improves...but agonizingly slowly.

Everything else around us is so busy and strange. Illness, weakness, lots of meds, physical therapy, visiting nurses, appointments with specialists whom we've never met...it all overwhelms. We're left with so many unanswered questions...

And so, we conclude that we don’t know the future, at least not much of it, but what we do know is always good, although it might occasionally be sad. 

For example, I just heard that Dolly Parton died today at 80. Sad indeed, but also joyful. Those who knew her, those who loved her, will miss her, but she’s where she wants to be, where she planned to be, with her God and with those she loved, especially her husband of 59 years, Carl Dean,  who died last year. 

What a loss to our nation! Dolly Parton was a brilliant, talented, humble, and extraordinarily kind and generous human being. She was a woman who lived the Christian faith she received from her parents and her family and community. She grew up in material poverty, but was the recipient of true spiritual wealth and never forgot it. 

I’d like to hear what the so-called Democrat Socialists have to say about Dolly Parton, who grabbed the American dream and ran with it. She did not let her impoverished roots in Appalachia — the 4th of 12 children of an illiterate share cropper — decide her future. She used her intelligence, talents, and drive to make herself into one of the most successful women in the country. One suspects the socialists — who always lie — will stupidly ignore her death, or attribute her success to “white privilege”. Can’t wait to see what happens.

In any event, all of this drove my thoughts back to events I experienced years ago during the war in Vietnam. Back then we were told to kill communists. Most of us didn’t object because those communists were trying to kill us. Also, they were brutal in their treatment of civilians and of our POWs who, like so many of us, were mostly aviators. Close to 50,000 Americans died in Vietnam, but at least a half-million died among the communists in both North and South Vietnam. 

This caused me to reflect on what I see as a great contradiction: In both Korea and Vietnam -- from the 1950s through the 1970s -- Americans in the armed forces were told to kill communists, but now, rather surprisingly, we’re told to elect them. And we're encouraged to do the latter by many seemingly mainstream politicians. Believe me, this new crop of American “socialists” are truly full-fledged communists. They follow the communist line to the letter. Anyway, I find it all very strange. 

As I mentioned above, the left always lies. For example, when they claim to want to eliminate prisons, they’re lying. In truth, the left always expands prisons because they need to imprison all those who disagree with or threaten them in any way. Don’t believe me? Just look at the history of leftist nations.

Please don’t think this deacon is advocating the killing of socialists or communists…not at all! I simply encourage folks to pray for them. Let God change the world; we certainly can't do it. But I also think it a bit bizarre that the world, and the attitudes and awareness of many Americans, has changed so radically during my lifetime.

Enough for now. Keep praying for Diane and me...and our nation.

God Thinks Us

 Thought into Being

I shave my face.

The stubble there

carries me to 

the scratch of life.

Just simple things:

to touch and taste,

to know I live.

For what? To hope?

Was life my choice?

Unasked, it came,

answered no plan

of mine; but His?

I live, not through

theology.

My senses sense

His will in all.

My life, His thought,

brought to being

as the cosmos

sang its creative hymn of joy.

 

Ok, What’s Up in the USA?

I don’t often comment, at least not overtly, on politics. I suppose it’s a deacon thing: best not to speak too often about secular subjects that might skew opinions of me and my words on the important stuff, causing those who think otherwise to consider me a jerk...or far worse. But the American political scene has become very strange indeed, so I just can’t help myself. I must say something.

I’ll begin by stating something everyone seems to ignore. The battle we see taking place all round us is not a political battle; it’s a spiritual battle. The so-called Democratic Socialists are not in any way democratic and neither are they like the mild-mannered but incompetent Western European socialists. When we listen to their words we quickly conclude they are full-fledged communists. And believe me, communists are driven by a special kind of evil. It’s an evil that despises God, especially the Judeo-Christian God that the vast majority of our nation has worshipped throughout our history. 

Now, I'm not saying that large numbers -- at least among registered Democrats -- who support the Democratic Socialists are all evil. No, they're really more akin to what Vladimir Lenin reportedly labeled, "useful idiots." Far too many haven't a clue about the consistent failures of socialism and communism wherever and whenever they've been tried. And so these nodding supporters are essentially political "idiots" or perhaps more kindly, just grossly uninformed. They are also very useful to those seeking power since they vote based on their ignorance. 

I had my first up-close-and-personal experience with communism in 1951. (I was a seven-year-old.) My dad was an Army officer stationed in West Germany, and he took his family with him. At some point Dad decided we should visit Berlin for a few days. Berlin was a divided city completely surrounded by communist East Germany. The communists ruled East Berlin while the Allies governed West Berlin. 

We boarded a train in West Germany, passed through a good hunk of communist East Germany, and arrived in West Berlin. On the train we encountered armed Soviet soldiers, apparently there to ensure all passengers were "legitimate". They were not pleasant, obviously trained to intimidate.

Dad had arranged for Mom, my elder brother, and me to take an Army Special Services bus tour of East Berlin. (This was almost a decade before the infamous Berlin wall was built.) As we passed from West to East Berlin, the difference was apparent. West Berlin was booming in the midst of remarkable rebuilding to erase the horrendous damage of World War II. That half of the city was experiencing a true economic miracle. East Berlin, though, was just a pile of rubble, with only one exception. Some buildings that faced west were built as phony facades that appeared to be newly built or rebuilt buildings. But there was nothing behind the facades. A beautiful example of an essential element of the communist's public persona: they must lie...about everything.

Far worse, though, was what we encountered as we looked through the windows of our bus. On every corner we saw a pair of armed Soviet soldiers. As the bus approached, they lowered their AK-47s and aimed them directly at the bus. They followed us with their gun barrels until the bus approached the pair on the next corner. This was repeated throughout the "tour." It's relevant to mention the bus was filled almost exclusively with dependents, women and children, who were apparently seen as a threat. To communists any threat, whether great or negligible must be eliminated.   

Here we have an example of another essential element of the communist public persona: out-threat the threat; i.e., the only effective rule is one that presents a believable threat to any person or group that might resist or disagree. And if the threat continues, pull the trigger.

Yes, indeed, I learned a lot that day as a child of seven. The images are fixed deep in my memory and will always remain there to color my beliefs.

Looking at the American left we find it rarely argues effectively for its policies, because its policies have consistently failed. They, therefore, do two things. First, they simply lie about them, speaking either in meaningless generalities or tossing brash statements designed to get attention, but words they can laughingly renounce later. Second, they attack their opponents, usually with baseless ad hominem attacks. Note how the left tends to attack President Trump personally rather than present any solid, believable arguments for their policies. They also tend to avoid real debates, especially with intelligent, knowledgeable opponents who can expose their lies.  

And their latest tactic? They don't hide their beliefs, even if they can't defend them. They just toss them out there, expecting enough folks to respond enthusiastically and VOTE. 

If you watch and listen closely, you will also discover that the far left despises Christianity in any orthodox form. We've already seen how they have attacked Judaism, under the false excuse that they only oppose Netanyahu. This, of course, is a lie. They hate Judaism, Israel, and really all Jews because their continued existence on earth is a manifestation of God's power. But they know their greatest threat is the one, holy, catholic, apostolic Church, the Church founded by Jesus Christ. And so, they try to replace the one, true God, Who created everything, with an impossible Marxist version they have created in their troubled minds. 

I've been fortunate to travel throughout much of the world and sadly have witnessed the ravages and pain caused by communism. It's all about power, folks, and the evil application of money to gain and retain power.

Ok...that's enough, at least for now. I suspect I'll take more than a few hits, but I'm at the age where I really don't care.

Catching Up

I know...it's been a while. But I've been a caregiver (a very small pat on the back) as Dear Diane makes her way through a difficult time medically. It's just been one challenging series of problems after another, but we seem to be arriving at a good point in this strange progress. 

The poor girl has suffered much in recent months and, as I too often let her know, I been right there with her. I won't bore you with the medical issues, and Diane would be very upset if I focused on her, so I'll just say it's been hard for her and a joy for me. That's right...caring for her has been a true joy, something I never expected after almost 58 years of marriage. It calls to mind all the time she spent just doing everything for me while I was off flying in the Navy or traveling the world in my consulting work. Believe it or not, I was amazingly self-centered and just expected her to do everything. As I sit here today I realize how God reveals the truth to us, and does so in His time. Thank you, Dear Diane, and than you, Dear Lord.

Late this afternoon Diane was moved to the UF Health Rehab Facility on the fifth floor of our wonderful hospital here in The Villages. This is probably the best rehab facility, among many, in the area...so I am really pleased that she's there. We've been there before, know the staff, and love them all. 

Today was a bit strange. For many years, I have suspended my parish Bible Study for the summer months because we have so many "snow birds" among our parishioners. To appease the year-round locals, I always schedule a course in August. Some months ago, long before Diane encountered her current health issues, I scheduled a survey course on Ecclesiology beginning today. It will run for five 90-minute sessions on each Monday of August. I think the first session went well, even though I was remarkably unprepared. 

If you're interested in the course, I have included some course content -- PowerPoint and "handouts" -- on my parish Bible Study website. Here's the link: 

    www.catholic-scripture.com/courses

Just scroll down to view the info on the 2006 Ecclesiology Course.

Life goes on, folks. God is good and He prunes His olive trees as needed.

Blessings and God's peace...

Happy Birthday, USA!

This morning I’m sitting, far too comfortably in my living room here in the great state of Florida, watching the remarkable July 4th events as they are presented to us via a technology that didn’t exist when those first patriots founded our nation. The world had to wait about 150 years before an American with a great name, Philo Farnsworth, invented the technology that brought television to the world. And so, thanks to what Philo did in 1929, today you and I can watch, in living color and on big screens, as our nation celebrates 250 years of independence and freedom. 

(Ok, a little aside: There's also a lot of garbage on TV, but we shouldn't blame Philo for that. Indeed, to rid ourselves of TV trash, we can thank another American, Robert Adler, a Jewish physicist who emigrated from Nazi-Austria in 1938, went to work for Zenith and invented the wireless remote control. So, if you don't like what some network wants you to watch, just grab your remote, push the button, change the channel, and thank Robert Adler.) 

I just watched the Navy's flight demonstration team, The Blue Angels, for about the hundredth time. They roared over the Hudson River in their usual tight formation trailing behind them a stream of red, white, and blue. As a long-retired Naval aviator who earned his "wings" in 1968, I have known many Blue Angel pilots, all remarkable aviators and good guys. 

Witnessing all of this today I’m reminded of the events Diane and I watched 50 years ago on the USA’s 200th birthday. We'd just moved into a new home in Bonita, California, thanks to another change of duty station ordered by the U.S. Navy. Within a few weeks I was at sea aboard the USS OKINAWA (LPH-3) as the ship prepared for a long deployment in the Western Pacific. At the time Diane and I had three young children. Erin was 5, Siobhan was 3, and Ethan was only 2. Erin might recall some of what we watched that day on our much smaller TV, but I suspect the others were too young. Brendan, our fourth and today a former U.S. Marine, didn’t make his global debut until December 8, 1977, coincidentally, also Diane’s birthday. 

Although today we're taking a long look at those 250 years, it's important to turn our primary focus toward the inaugural event, the day our founders began the formation of the United States as an independent nation free of foreign control. The Second Continental Congress accomplished this on July 4, 1776 by signing and formally adopting the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson. Almost 50 years later, the artist, John Trumbull, gave us a painting (below) of that historic event. Although not totally accurate, Trumbull's painting is still a beautiful depiction and encapsulates the essence of the Declaration's adoption by Congress.

Part of this year's tribute to our nation's founding was yesterday's celebration at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. 20 Years ago, in June 2006, Diane and I spent a day at Mount Rushmore on our way to visit our daughter and her family in California. If you have never gone to Mount Rushmore, add it to your bucket-list. It's truly worth a visit. Here are a few photos I took as we stood in awe at the foot of this huge sculpture. The first is a typical shot of the four presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Lincoln.

I especially like this one, though, a photo I took from an unusual angle and precarious spot, showing my favorite, President George Washington.

If you didn't catch President Trump's speech at Mount Rushmore last night, find it and listen. As he reminded us, no nation in the history of the world has accomplished so much for so many. Yes, we have our faults, for we are simply human, but we also have a history of overcoming and correcting those imperfections through a continuous effort to become greater.

Today we are in the midst of a battle for our nation's soul. It is not a political battle between left and right, and those who believe we can achieve victory solely through political action are condemned to lose. The same is true for those who believe it is simply an economic battle between capitalism and socialism. Rather, this battle, this war, is spiritual, a battle between good and evil. We must do our part, and realize that only when we turn to God in total trust, when we allow Him to lead us, when we accept Him as "the Way and the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6), can we hope to achieve the victory God wants for us.

Pray today, folks. Pray for our nation. Pray for those who have given their lives for this uniquely good nation. And pray for the souls of those who signed that Declaration, always keeping in mind the document's final sentence:

"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

We must do no less.

And an "Oh, by the way..." My parents, Martha and John McCarthy, married on July 4, 1935, 91 years ago today. Unlike today's celebrities they married in a simple ceremony, in a Catholic church and not in Madison Square Garden. It was a small, but devout nuptial Mass, an event great in God's eyes, an event for which I am eternally grateful.

God bless America.

Deacon Dan Pallo - Funeral Homily

Yesterday our pastor, Fr. Kenny, joined by three priest concelebrants -- Fr. Tom Connery, Fr. John McCracken, and Fr. Glen Baptiste -- conducted the funeral of Deacon Dan Pallo. Our priests were joined by the parish deacons as we all asked our Lord to take Deacon Dan into His loving and eternal embrace. 

Here's perhaps my favorite photo of Dan and his wife, Eleanor, taken at our home back in 2008.

I was blessed that Dan asked me to preach at his funeral, and I trust my words were both fitting and proper, and also provided some solace to Dan's extended family. My homily follows:

________________________

Readings: Lamentations 3:26,28-29b,31,41,58; Psalm 23; Romans 14:7-9,10c-12; Matthew 11:25-30

________________________

Oh, how we will miss this good man, this brother deacon, this servant of God.

But no one will miss Dan as much as this wonderfully extended family that he cherished so very much. To you, Dee and Karry and Amy, and to Dan’s stepchildren, whom he loved as his own – Rita, Tom, John, Randy, Kim, and Kurt – and to the grandchildren and great-grandchildren…so many names, my aging brain can't hold them all. Yes, to all of you, my brother deacons and I join with Fathers Kenny, Tom, John, and Glen, as well as the other priests who gladly help our parish, and extend our heartfelt condolences, as you mourn the loss of this remarkable man who played such an important role in your lives.

I first met Dan at a meeting the day he arrived here at St. Vincent de Paul. Our pastor at the time, Father Peter Sagorski, had invited Dan to attend the meeting and in walked this large man. Asked to tell us about himself, he quietly and humbly revealed his life in about three sentences. Oh, yes, he also mentioned his wife, Eleanor.

My first thought? “I’ve got to get to know this guy.”

Yes, we became friends. We even worked together at the Wildwood Soup Kitchen for many years. But we weren’t – how can I put this? – we weren't buddy friends. We didn’t get together for a beer or golf. No, our personal friendship was different, because the two of us were so very different. I guess you could call us spiritual friends. When we talked or got together, we inevitably found ourselves talking of our ministry as deacons.

Too often I would get all wrapped up in the “stuff” of ministry – what we do and how we do it. But Dan tended to focus on the “who” of our ministry. And, yes, we helped each other, but in truth, Dan was the greater helper. He’d likely disagree, but he’d be wrong. You see, Dan helped me relearn that being a deacon was to be a servant, to be like Jesus, to serve everyone God placed in my life.

I chose the readings we just heard because they often came up in our conversations and also helped me recall Dan as a deacon and friend. Indeed, those words we heard from Matthew 11 described him so well:

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourself” (Mt 11:29-30).

In so many ways, these words of Our Lord defined Dan’s ministry and his life.

Joined with the Lord, throughout much of his life Dan carried half of that yoke on his broad shoulders – raising those three girls on his own, often overwhelmed, but always being the father they needed. He did so without complaint, for he, too, had learned meekness – and know that meekness is not weakness, far from it. God’s call to be meek is really a call to strength – to turn from oneself, to look to the other in need, and then to act.

Note, too, that Jesus joins meekness and humility. I’ve always believed humility is our foundational virtue. For without humility, the other virtues become what today is called “virtue signaling” – simply a means to let others see how very good we are. Dan didn’t signal his virtues. In his humility he just lived them, quietly and consistently. For humility is merely acceptance of the reality of who we are. And Dan understood that.

That was how he lived his life and how he approached his death: “and you will find rest for yourself.” Dan’s death was one of pure acceptance, happily accepting the gift God now offered him. How many of us could face death with such acceptance? How many of us, when it comes to our own lives, can believe so completely the words we utter daily?

 “…Thy will be done, one earth as it is in heaven” (Mt 6:10). 

Yes, when it comes to our own lives, so often we like to place our will above God’s.

Dan’s daughter, Karry, collected over 5 pages of family thoughts on her father – from kids and step-kids and grandkids – words that revealed so much about who Dan was. And yet, everything I read, all the wonderful family stories, merely reinforced what I already knew.

One thing stood out: how Dan quietly taught his family – and taught me as well – not so much by his words but by his actions. Let me give you an example. In our 2^nd reading Paul admonished the Romans:

“Why then do you judge your brother? Or you, why do you look down on your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God” (Romans 14:10).

One day, some years ago, Dan reminded me of the meaning of those words. I often assisted him with the Catholics Returning Home program he had introduced to the parish. 

Dan got to know the participants well, while I would just come in occasionally and conduct a session. One day, as I was speaking on the Eucharist, one of the participants continued asking very negative questions. I answered each question with a smile, but found myself thinking, “Why does this guy want to return to the Church? He doesn’t seem to like it very much.”

After everyone had left, while Dan and I were talking about the group, I said something to the effect, “Yes, a nice bunch of folks…except maybe for the grumpy old man with all the negative questions.”

Dan just smiled and said, “How did St. Paul put it? ‘Why do you judge and look down on your brother?’” 

As you might expect, I had no answer. So, Dan waited a moment, let it sink in, then told me:

“Yeah, during the first session with this group, I felt the same about him, grumpy and negative. So, I asked him to stay a moment to tell me his story.

“He was treated badly by a pastor years ago, and it drove him from the Church. His wife, a devout Catholic, prayed for him constantly.

“She died recently, and the last thing she asked of him was to come back to the faith. That’s where he is now, coming back, asking questions no one had ever answered before. Thank you for answering them so well.”

Did you notice how Dan handled me? It took me a while to recognize what he'd done. First he chewed me out, then he taught me, and finally he thanked me. And that, brothers and sisters, was one of Dan’s strengths. 

I like to think I helped him as well. Once, while discussing aspects of our ministry, he said to me, “I know I’m not a very good preacher…”

I interrupted him: “Dan, we’re called to be servants, to preach, to teach, and to heal; and believe me, you teach a lot of folks how to serve, how to live the Christian life, leading them to God’s healing grace. Those are God’s gifts to you. Be thankful for them,” 

Yes, we taught each other.

Then there’s our first reading, from the Book of Lamentations. I think I can take credit for introducing Dan to that little book. Lamentations is not very popular because it’s filled with anguish over the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC. Long attributed to Jeremiah, modern scholars argue about that. But modern scholars seem to argue about everything.

Anyway, each of its five chapters is a poem or hymn, and the suffering man described in our reading from chapter 3 is often seen as a kind of foreshadowing of the passion and death of Our Lord. The message? If in our worldly sufferings, we recognize and confess our sins we can then rejoice and share in the glory of Jesus’s Resurrection. 

As I thought of Dan’s life, and especially his final days, the words of chapter 3 came to mind, God’s Word filed with hope for Dan and us.  Listen again:

“It is good to hope in silence for the LORD’s deliverance, for Him to save…when its weight lies heavy…yet there is hope.”

I was reminded of the loving care Dan provided for Eleanor during her long illness. Yes, “the weight of life often lies heavy, yet there is hope." Dan's loving care for Eleanor taught me a lot about caregiving, something I'm involved in today. And yes, we accept the gift of hope, reminding us that the virtue of hope is merely our certainty that God always fulfills His promises.

Those words were followed by a word to each of us:

“…though grief comes to us, He takes pity, according to the abundance of His mercy.”

Yes, we grieve, but God’s mercy, His love, knows no bounds. And because of God's mercy our grief can be touched with joy.

Then, finally, despite the hatreds and divisions we encounter in our world today, we’re told how to share God’s love in the midst of it all:

“Let us lift up our hearts as well as our hands toward God in heaven! You pleaded my case, Lord, you redeemed my life.”

Yes, indeed, we can lift up our hearts and hands today, thanking God for the life of this good man, this servant who loved God and His people. And so, we praise God for Deacon Daniel Pallo, and for each of you, and for me…for we have been redeemed.

Thanks be to God.