Cardinal Raymond Burke on Satan’s Influence

Here’s a link to a homily delivered by one of my heroes, Cardinal Raymond Burke, on January 24. In his remarks His Eminence doesn’t hesitate to take on the Biden administration for joining with Satan in his killing work to destroy the lives of millions of unborn children. He encourages us to come together in prayer and fidelity, asking our Blessed Mother to intercede for our troubled nation and world, and consecrating our lives to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He centers his homily on the first words of Jesus, at the start of his public ministry: 

“This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel” [Mk 1:15].

God bless this wonderful Prince of the Church. 

This link connects to a YouTube video of his homily:

https://youtu.be/OLAz0cPbZPk

 

 

Homily: Monday 1st Week in Ordinary Time

Here's my homily from last Monday's daily Mass. Forgot to post it...

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Readings: Hebrews 1:1-6 • Psalm 97 • Mark 1:14-20

Today, as we begin the liturgical year’s Ordinary Time, our readings also present us with beginnings. The Letter to the Hebrews opens with a statement that sums up God’s plan as it’s revealed to us through Sacred Scripture:

In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through the Son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe… [Heb 1:1-2].

It says it all, doesn’t it? Spanning the countless centuries from creation to Abraham to Moses and the prophets, it all leads ultimately to Jesus Christ and His Church. All that Old Testament revelation, confusing as it sometimes seems, is fulfilled through the Father’s Son, Jesus Christ, who not only comes to us in flesh and blood, but is eternally present with the Father from the moment of Creation.

I remember when I first actually thought about the eternal presence of Jesus Christ. I was a freshman at Georgetown taking an Old Testament course taught by an old Jesuit (who was probably years younger than I am now). Here's what he told us:

“You know all those verses that refer to the patriarchs and others walking and talking with God? Well, most scholars just assume it’s a metaphor. But what if it’s not? Is not the Eternal Word of God present throughout all time? Could the Son not walk and talk with Adam and Noah and Enoch and Abraham and Moses? Time, after all, is no obstacle to our eternal, omnipotent God, to Jesus Christ, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.”

Well...that certainly got me thinking.Is this what Jesus meant in John 5 when He revealed the Son’s work and challenged the Jews?

For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me, because he wrote about me [Jn 5:46].

Or at the Transfiguration when Moses and Elijah converse with Jesus about His future redemptive act on Calvary? [Lk 9:30-31]

St. Augustine reminds us, “The New Testament lies hidden in the Old; the Old is made explicit in the New.” Yes, just as God, through His Eternal Word, led the Israelites through the wilderness, so too does His Eternal Word, Jesus Christ, lead His Church.

We see this in today’s Gospel passage when Jesus begins His public ministry with the simple message:

This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel” [Mk 1:15].

A simple message…but what does it mean? Let’s look at the last part first. We use the word, “repent,” but the Greek word is metanoia, and the translation can cause problems. 

Most people think of repentance as being sorry for something. But metanoia means so much more. It means to think differently, to change. We’re not called just to be sorry and then continue on. As Paul reminds us, we’re called to “put on the new self" [Col 3:10], to be something new. We’re not called simply to change what we do; we’re called to change who we are.

Did the Apostles realize this? Did Andrew and Simon, and James and John know what Jesus was calling them to do when He said, “Follow me”? Why did they drop everything – those entangling nets, their work, their homes, and follow Jesus? Did they really understand it all?

No, they didn’t. But they sensed it…they sensed the Presence of the Holy Spirit, the Presence of God, in Jesus and His call. It was overwhelming. They knew they’d been called to something special, even if they didn’t know what it was. And so, they followed.

Brothers and sisters, it’s pretty much the same with us. “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel”

It’s still the time of fulfillment, the time of Jesus’ Presence in the world.The kingdom, God’s reign, is here, a kingdom founded on love, on our relationships with God and with one another.

He calls us to repent. He calls us to a radical conversion. We don’t know exactly what God has in store for us, but we do know He wants us to change, to renew ourselves in Him. What kind of change? The kind that comes straight from the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ. To “believe in the Gospel.” Not just to accept all the Gospel teachings of Jesus, but to believe in Him, to pattern our lives on Jesus Himself. 

It means living the Gospel without compromise.

It means a new beginning every day, not looking backwards, not regretting the sins of the past; allowing God to forgive you; forgiving yourself; putting on that new self, starting anew with God.

It means forgiving others, letting go of all the pain, all the hurts caused by others…starting anew with all those in your life.

It means following Jesus. The path may not be all that evident, but the destination is eternal life.

 

Homily: Ash Wednesday

Readings: Joel 2:12-18; Ps 51; 2 Cor 5:20-6:2; Mt 6:1-6,16-18
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Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J.

Gerard Manley Hopkins, the 19th Century Jesuit poet, frequently corresponded with the poet laureate of England, his friend Robert Bridges. In one of these letters, Bridges, an agnostic, asked Hopkins how he could learn to believe, expecting, I suppose, some deep theological answer.

Hopkins replied in a letter with only two words: "Give alms."

What a wonderful answer! Even though it was probably lost on Mr. Bridges. You see, in his own search for truth, a search that ultimately led him to the Catholic Church, Hopkins had learned something most people never grasp. He hoped to show his friend that the love of God is experienced most fully in our love for others.

Only in loving others that we recognize and experience the source and being of all love.

Only in loving others can we see in every other person the divine image.

Only in loving others can we come face to face with Jesus. 

How did Jesus put it? 

"...whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me" [Mt 25:40].

But Jesus didn't stop there, did He? For in today's passage from Matthew, He tells us not only to give alms, but to take it a step farther, to do what doesn't come naturally: He tells us to give alms in secret.

Imagine that? Being charitable but telling no one. Taking no credit for the good we do? No bows, no bouquets, no recognition, no thanks. Why, it's almost inhuman. Well...actually...it is inhuman, because it's what the Father wants, and He will repay us.

As we begin this Lenten season of repentance, this season when we look forward to the joy of Easter, let's remember that in giving up we're also called to give. But real almsgiving is a giving of ourselves, a giving of time, a giving of talent, a giving of our presence to others in need...

...to those who are ill and suffering

...to those who hunger and thirst, not only for food and drink but for the Word of God

...to those who are dying and afraid, who need the touch and reassurance of another

The opportunities are all around us, brothers and sisters. The question is: will we respond? Will we be the ambassadors for Christ that Paul says we are?

But Jesus talks about more than almsgiving, doesn't He?

He also calls us to prayer. And here too he tells us to act in secret, to withdraw from others, to pray to the Father in the intimacy that comes from contemplative prayer.

Public prayer, the faithful coming together, as we assemble here today, is a necessary and holy act. But as Christians we're also called into an intimate, personal relationship with God. Now that certainly takes place through the Communion we experience through the Eucharist. Indeed, can anything be more personal, more intimate?

But this relationship must also be continually reinforced through prayer, through the private prayer commanded by Our Lord. This is the kind of prayer that leads to the interior transformation for which we strive during Lent.

And that's not all. Jesus continues by telling us to fast; and here, too, He urges discretion, to fast without ostentation, to avoid praise.

Once again we're in conflict, because the world admires only the spectacular, even when it comes to sacrifice. It places little value on hidden and silent sacrifice.

The Church, then, following Jesus' command, fasts during Lent.

As a worldwide community of faith, then, we give alms, we pray, and we fast.

We recognize and turn away from our sinfulness.

We reject self-absorption and greed, hate and despair, and once again heed the first call of our baptism.

Pope Benedict, on the day he announced his resignation, wrote few words on his Twitter account:

"We must trust in the mighty power of God's mercy," he said. "We are all sinners, but His grace transforms us and makes us new."

Yes, we are all sinners, and only God's grace can transform us. Only through God's grace can we do as the Prophet Joel proclaims: "Rend your hearts..." [Jl 2:13] allowing God to tear open the secret places of our hearts so He can enter and be present to us. 

"Rend your heart..."

To rend our hearts: to see ourselves as God sees us, to let Him shows us our innermost being. And that can be a scary thing, to come face to face with the real me, to come to an understanding of who I really am. For whom do I live?  Do I live just for me, or do I live for the God who brought me into being? 

To rend our hearts: to open ourselves up to others because God's infinite love demands it.

To rend our hearts: to perform the great works of Lent - almsgiving, prayer and fasting.

Yes, we are all sinners, but we are still called to mirror God's love and forgiveness in our own lives. 

Lent is an opportunity to share in and alleviate the sufferings of others. But Lent is also an opportunity to be forgiven for our refusal to forgive; to be cured of our secret pride and hatreds.

"Repent, and believe in the Gospel" [Mk 1:15].

Moments from now, as your forehead is marked with the sacramental sign of ashes, you will hear those words of Jesus. 

Yes, indeed, we are called to repent and to believe the Good News, the promise of redemption, the gift of eternal life. 

We need only open our hearts to God's healing presence.

Video: Homily 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C

The wonderful Audio-Video folks of our parish recorded a video of the homily I preached this past Sunday. I have embedded the video below for those who would rather listen than read. The text is available here. 

Homily: 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C

Readings: 1 Sam 26:2,7-9,12-13,22-23; Ps 19; 1Cor 15:47-49; Lk 6:27-38
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Here we are, just 10 days before Lent and through today's readings the Church offers us a beautiful pre-Lenten message. So maybe that's what we should focus on today: preparing our minds and hearts for Lent.

Most of us think of Lent as a time of sacrifice and self-denial - nothing drastic mind you, just small personal sacrifices... things like giving up dessert or putting a little extra in the collection basket, or maybe praying the Stations of the Cross on the occasional Friday.

Now don't get me wrong. Prayer, fasting, and sacrifice are good things, and given the growth of our parish, I know Fr. Peter will appreciate a few extra dollars. As the Church has always taught, Lent is a time for prayer, fasting, and alms giving. But these are not ends in themselves; rather, they are the means by which we draw closer to God and carry out His will in our lives. I think we sometimes get so caught up in the "things" of Lent, we forget why we are called to do them. 

Lent is really about conversion, about change. It's about interior change, change in here, in the heart, the same kind of change we hear from Jesus in today's Gospel.

How did Jesus begin?

"...love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you" [Lk 6:27-28].

Pretty hard stuff, isn't it?

"Love your enemies..."

I don't know about you, but for me these commands of Jesus are among the most difficult to follow. They just seem so counterintuitive, don't they? So un-human, which of course they are...because they are divine.

Some years ago, I caught a news story about a woman who was to be executed for her role in a brutal murder. She'd been on death row for years and during that time had experienced a deep conversion to Christianity.

During an interview, a daughter of the victim hoped to witness the execution.

"I want to watch her die," she said, "just as she watched my father die. I'm a Christian but some things just can't be forgiven. I hope she rots in hell."

Wow! I can understand her anger, but found myself praying more for her than for the murderer - a murderer who went to her death repentant, at peace, asking only for God's mercy and the forgiveness of those who suffered because of her sins.

"I want to watch her die..."

How did Jesus put it? 

"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" [Lk 6:36].

So often we think we can defeat the world's evils on our own, but of course we can't.

Certainly not through politics. Politics, the art of the compromise, must, therefore, always be imperfect.

Certainly not through man's justice, since we so often mistake revenge for justice.

And despite the courage of those who defend us, the application of power never seems to change things.

We live in a world in which the Prince of Lies employs his agents to kill babies, shatter families, corrupt priests (and deacons), and mock the Church.

Only one thing can overcome the evil of the world...only mercy.

As Jesus reminds us, mercy and forgiveness are divine; unattainable without God's help. And yet He commands that we imitate the perfection of Father: to be as merciful, forgiving, and loving as the Father.

How can we do this? We can't. For we can't save ourselves. We must turn to God in total humility. 

We are called to serve each other; but to serve another, to love another as God loves demands humility. I must lower myself and place the other higher. Only then can I see the other as he or she truly is: as a child of God who was loved into existence. 

As St. Peter instructed his fellow Christians: "...clothe yourselves with humility" [1 Pt 5:5].

For most of us, this calls for some pretty drastic change.

And that's what Lent's all about. You see, Lent really is about giving up something. It's about giving up yesterday, all of our yesterdays, the yesterdays of selfishness, sin, and death for the today of life. 

To change is to repent. But repentance means so much more than simply being sorry for our sins. Repentance is to turn around, to change direction, to re-think our lives. And in repentance I must turn more and more completely to a living Christ.

As St. Paul reminded us in our second reading, "we must bear the likeness of the heavenly one" [1 Cor 15:49], the new Adam, Jesus Christ who gave up the glory of His yesterday and in an act of divine humility chose the Cross.

He did that for you and He did that for me. That's right...He chose that Cross for you. That's how much He loves you. And if you were the only person in the world, He would have done the same thing.

That's how much He loves you.

We can easily give up a percentage or two of body fat, or an evening at our favorite restaurant, or, perish the thought, even a round of golf, but can you and I give up our yesterdays?

Can we refuse to be imprisoned by our pasts? And, believe me, the habits and sins of the past are all the more deadly because they are so damned comfortable...and, yes, I say that because they can be damning.

Can I give up that consuming concentration on the self where my days and nights revolve around me, around my delights, my worries, my frustrations, my fears, my needs, my wants?

If yesterday is sin, than today must be love. For love alone is the solution to sin.

If yesterday is the prison of sin, today is the freedom of the risen Christ. If you want to repent, then taste the freedom of God's love.

Open yourself to God in free obedience, open yourself to others in uncompelled love. This is no soap-opera love, not something out of a country-western song, but a love that keeps all God's commandments.

It's a love not crushed by the crosses we sometimes must bear.

It's a love that dies for another, a love stronger than death.

Such is the love of Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Lent, you see, looks forward to the Easter miracle, prepares us for the Risen Christ, the living Christ who remains among us.

Do you believe that?

Do you believe that Christ is alive, more gloriously alive today than when he walked the rugged roads of Galilee and Judea and Samaria?

Do you believe that with the risen Christ death no longer has power over you, that when it comes it will hold you for only the briefest moment?

Do you believe that through Jesus Christ you will cast off death and rise to an eternal life beyond your wildest dreams?

Do you believe that as a baptized Christian you are already risen with Christ, because His life courses through you like another bloodstream?

Do you believe you don't have to go searching for God, because His Holy Spirit is already right here within you? He came to you first in Baptism and comes to you again and again through the sacraments.

If you believe all this, then Lent will indeed be life for you.

If you believe all this, when you are sent into the world at the end of today's Mass, when you hear those words, "Go in peace, and glorify the Lord by your life," you'll know exactly what to do.

You will love your enemies.

You will do good to those who hate you.

You will bless those who curse you.

You will pray for those who mistreat you.

You will feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger and visit and comfort the sick.

You'll do all those things, because that's what Jesus wants you to do...and He wants you to do them today, and tomorrow, and every day.

Quite simply He wants you to love God and love one another.

He calls you to "be merciful just as your Father is merciful."

Try that for Lent.