Homily: Monday in the Octave of Easter

Readings: Acts 2:14, 22-33; Ps 16; Mt 28:8-15

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During this special time of the year, our first reading is taken, not from the Old Testament, but from the Acts of the Apostles. The Church does this for a very good reason: Acts begins with Pentecost, that special day when the Church, promised and formed by Jesus, is born. It’s the story of the Church, of the Apostles who began to fulfill Jesus’ great commission:

“Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” [Mt 28:10-20].

Make disciples, baptize, teach – it all began through the preaching of the first disciples. Before the Gospel was written, it was preached. And it’s in the Acts of the Apostles, during this season of Easter, that we encounter that early Gospel preached by Peter and Paul. Listen again to Peter as he spread the Good News among the Jewish pilgrims on that first Pentecost: 

“God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God, he poured forth the promise of the Holy Spirit that he received from the Father, as you both see and hear” [Acts 2:32-33].

Peter’s focus is the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – the very foundation of our Christian faith. Yes, God raised Jesus…But in our Gospel passage the two Marys went to the tomb, not to see a Risen Jesus, but to anoint His body. 


They knew He had died. 

They had heard Him take His last breath. 

They had seen the soldier's lance pierce His side. 

They had grieved with His Mother as she cradled her Son's lifeless body in her arms; and they had seen Him placed hurriedly in the tomb.

Oh, yes, they knew He had died. In their grief, a grief of emptiness tinged with fear, they made their way to the tomb of a dead man.

They hadn’t understood Jesus when He spoke of His Resurrection. Faced with the finality of death, their faith and their hope had all but disappeared. Only love remained, and it’s this love for Jesus that carried them along the path to the tomb. But the tomb is empty, and a jumble of emotions filled their hearts: astonishment, confusion, fear.

It’s then they encountered their Risen Lord. The One they sought, the One Who was crucified, the One Who had died before their very eyes, is risen.

In the shock of sudden revelation, they realize that death has not had the last word, but that the Word has overcome death.

Faith and hope explode in their hearts. And just as suddenly, all of His teachings, every word He uttered, take on new meaning. Now they know what He meant by the Kingdom of God, for it is in their very midst, catapulted into the here and now by the Resurrection.

Matthew tells us the women left the tomb "fearful yet overjoyed" [Mt 28:8].  Fear and joy – a rare combination of emotions that I suspect exists only in the presence of God.

Oh, yes, they were fearful, for they had just witnessed God's awesome power, and for the first time fully understood Who Jesus is.

He is the Messiah, the Redeemer, the Chosen One, the Son of God. He is risen! And so too have all of His promises, that now make such perfect sense. 

Today our world, too, is filled with fear, but fear of a different sort. It’s not the fear of God, the clear recognition of Who He is. It’s not that fear that grips today’s world. No, today so many are afraid of sickness and of death. And yet Jesus told us: 

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul…” [Mt 10:28]

You see, brothers and sisters, the women at the tomb had no fear of the world, for they were joyful…joyful that their trust in Jesus was not misplaced, that God loved them with an overwhelming love.

Despair had turned to hope, and that tiny kernel of faith had blossomed into a sure knowledge of redemption. This, too, should fill us with joy, even as we struggle to overcome this threat to human life.

How fitting that Jesus chose Mary Magdalene to break the news – the Good News – to a sinful world. Mary, who had been dead in the slavery of her sin, who had been sealed in a tomb of her own making had been given new life. Jesus knew that she, who had experienced God’s healing power in her own resurrection from the deadness of sin…Jesus knew she would believe. 

Mary Magdalene is what every woman and every man is called to be: the sinner who became the saint, living proof of the power of God's love. She’s the “witness” that Peter described as he preached in the streets of Jerusalem, the fruit of Christ's Resurrection.

Today, as you make an act of spiritual communion, it is the Risen Jesus you encounter, the very source of our faith and hope.

Together let us lift our hearts and minds in thanksgiving and celebrate Christ's victory over death and sin, a victory that resounded throughout the universe, and continues to do so today.

Blessed Margaret, Pray for Us

Today is the feast of Blessed Margaret of Castello (1287-1320), one of those special saints who calls us back to the true reality of our lives, especially when we're feeling sorry for ourselves. She was born into a noble family but was rejected by her parents because of a multitude of birth defects. Margaret was born blind, lame, a hunchback, and a dwarf. She was by no means the beautiful child her parents expected. 

I won't describe the derails of her early life here; these are available elsewhere. Go to this link to read a brief synopsis of her life: Blessed Margaret. And if you'd like to learn more about this remarkable woman, read the wonderful and highly readable spiritual biography by the Dominican priest, Fr. William Bonniwell: The Life of Blessed Margaret of Castello. 

Most of us cannot imagine living under the horrendous circumstances forced upon her, but for Margaret every aspect of her life was gift from God. She lived a joyful, prayerful, loving life, a life devoted to loving God and all whom she encountered. In many respects, she is the perfect saint for today, especially in these difficult times when we're tempted to succumb to fear and worry, or complaint and anger, or despondency and self-pity. 

I think it's particularly fitting that today we celebrate the 700th anniversary of her death at the age of 33. Just a month or so ago, during a Morning of Reflection at our parish, one of my talks focused on Blessed Margaret. I've embedded a video of this talk below:

Blessed Margaret, pray for us.

COVID-19 Bible Study Reflection #2: The Book of Job

Once again I have put some words together, aimed at my Bible Study participants, that I trust will offer hope during this challenging time. The Book of Job seemed like a good source for that hope, so I made it the center of this reflection. 

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Responding to a request from one of our Bible Study regulars, I decided to offer a view – a necessarily brief view -- of the current crisis through the lens of the Book of Job. Given the suffering experienced by so many throughout the world today, it was an excellent suggestion. Many are turning to God in prayer, begging for His help as they face not only the possibility of serious illness, but also unemployment and future uncertainty. Others, in the face of real suffering, turn from God in confusion or anger, asking why they or their loved one have become victims of this virus. They blame God and ask how a loving God could inflict so much pain on so many. And, of course, there are some who accept their suffering, who see it as a gift, as a means to deepen their faith, or as a sign pointing the way to a closer, more intimate relationship with God. All of these can benefit from the story of Job, a man who suffered much and also prefigured our Lord, the Suffering Servant [Is 52:13-53:12].

If you have not already read the Book of Job, or if you haven’t read it recently, I encourage you to do so now. Consisting of 42 chapters, Job is not a brief book, but given our situation in the midst of stay-at-home sheltering, I expect you all have more than a little extra time on your hands and should be able to spend some of it reading the Bible. If you are sequestered as a couple, I suggest reading the Book of Job together, aloud, perhaps pausing occasionally to share insights and questions.

You will find that the Book of Job tells a wonderful and interesting story, one that focuses on the meaning of pain, suffering, and tragedy, these ever-present aspects of the human experience. Many of the ancients, among both Jews and Gentiles, saw material blessings or misfortunes as manifestations of divine rewards or punishments. Prosperity was believed to be the result of virtue while sin brought misfortune. In a most wonderful way, the Book of Job challenges this too pat explanation of God’s governance of creation. It does so by introducing us to the book’s title figure, a man named Job. Not only is Job largely innocent and underserving of punishment, but he also calls into question the traditional explanations offered by his so-called friends.

As you will discover, the Book of Job provides no quick and easy answers to some of the key questions that have hounded humanity from its beginnings. But by challenging the usual answers to these questions, this ancient book offers many profound insights into humanity’s evolving understanding of suffering and its relationship to reward and punishment. Most importantly, for you and me as Christians, Job offers an introduction to and a prefiguring of the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and its message of redemptive suffering and the paradox of victory in defeat.

Our story is set in the land of Uz. No one knows for certain where Uz was located, but many scholars believe it was somewhere east of Edom, not far from the land of the Chaldeans. The book’s opening verse tells us much about the story’s protagonist:

“In the land of Uz there was a blameless and upright man named Job, who feared God and avoided evil” [Job 1:1]

Job, then, was not an Israelite, but like many in the ancient world he had apparently come to know the God of Israel [Job 1:21]. The book was surely written by a Hebrew, a man of deep wisdom who occasionally turned to the Book of Proverbs for support. He offered insight into God’s plan for salvation, a plan that extends the hope of salvation beyond His chosen people. Here we also get a glimpse into what Israel thought about God’s relationship with the pagan who lacks the benefit of revelation, the man to whom God has not yet spoken. From the very beginning Job shows us that all men wrestle with God, a mysterious, silent God who guides the universe in ways far beyond man’s understanding. The pagan’s God is one who does not explain himself, and this is the God we encounter in the Book of Job. The book, then, takes us into the ancient past, to the past before God spoke to Abraham, and in doing so asks as many questions of man as it does of God. 

Job begins with a prose prologue [Job 1:1-2:13], which provides context in the heavenly realm of Job's character and the circumstances of his suffering. This is followed by several lengthy and highly poetic dialogues between Job and his friends, as well as revelations from God Himself [Job 3:1-42:6] – all addressing Job’s suffering and his relationship with God. The book concludes with a brief prose epilogue [Job 42:7-17] in which the friends are rebuked, and Job’s life is restored. It also offers Job at least partial answers to his questions. 

The first two chapters or prologue describe a dialogue between God and Satan during which Job is depicted as a truly righteous man. And yet, despite Job’s righteousness, God allows Satan to attack him. As a consequence, Job is stripped of his family, his possessions, and his health. This dialogue, and the suffering that results, highlight God’s sovereignty and provide some initial insight as to how we should respond to the suffering that comes our way. 

Today, in the midst of this pandemic, many are asking some of the same questions we encounter in Job. How did this happen? Where is God? Is this a punishment? Some use the fact of the pandemic to deny God’s very existence: no loving God would allow this. Others simply blame Him for the suffering they or those they love must endure. Witnessing Job’s life, we find a man who must endure great suffering, a man who has lost everything. And yet Job perseveres in his acceptance of God’s sovereignty. 

In one sense, the sovereignty of God is one of the key themes of the book, a theme repeated throughout Sacred Scripture, especially in the Psalms. For example,

Say to God: “How awesome your deeds! Before your great strength your enemies cringe. All the earth falls in worship before you; they sing of you, sing of your name!” [Ps 66:3-4].

Or one of my favorites:

Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases [Ps 115:3].

Yes, God is Sovereign, a theme repeated again and again throughout the Psalms. [See Ps 47, 90, 93, 121…]

In Job we encounter another equally important theme: God is just. It is a theme perhaps best expressed by the prophet Isaiah:

Truly, the Lord is waiting to be gracious to you, truly, he shall rise to show you mercy; For the Lord is a God of justice: happy are all who wait for him! [Is 30:18]

The Book of Job examines humanity’s suffering and its relation to our sovereign and just God. It calls forth the same kind of questions people ask today. Is God’s justice different from human justice? Does He personally apply His justice in our world? Or does He simply watch as humanity applies its own imperfect brand of justice? What’s more important, our health or the worship of God? Indeed, is God better than life itself? 

As we make our way through Job, we come to realize that a true understanding of God’s sovereignty and justice is beyond our comprehension. Indeed, in Job it is revealed that our limited human view of God’s creation makes His justice incomprehensible. 

We are, therefore, encouraged to accept God’s sovereignty and realize His infinite value, that He is more satisfying than anything earthly. God is not to be cursed; rather, He must be worshipped and loved – and, yes, even feared – in the midst of our suffering. But that fear of God, that gift of the Holy Spirit, is merely an acceptance of the reality of God’s all-encompassing sovereignty. He is Creator; we are His creatures. But we were created in His image and likeness and created in love. 

Like much of the Old Testament, the Book of Job foreshadows New Testament thought. Consider, for example, how the Apostle James views Job’s faithfulness: 

“As an example of suffering and patience, brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we call those happy who were steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful” [Jas 5:10-11].

Compassion and mercy, even in the midst of suffering, are manifestations of God’s love for us, and display God’s true character. Even though God gave Satan permission to bring conflict and suffering into Job’s life [Job 1:6-8], there still remains the reality of God’s mercy and compassion. God loves His people, just as He loved Job. Despite death, sickness, financial upheaval – all these effects of the current pandemic – we must first consider the character of our God.

God communicates directly with Job, providing answers to many of Job’s questions [Job 38:1-42]. Job is reminded that his understanding is limited, and that God is the creator of all and through His power keeps creation whole. God continues by revealing that even in His omnipotence and omniscience He extends compassion and mercy to His people, the creatures He created out of love. God, therefore, is more than an observer, more even than a participant; He is the ruler of the world, a revelation echoed by the prophets [Amos 3:6; Is 45:7]. As ruler, God alone governs sickness, life, and death:

“Is it not at the word of the Most High that both good and bad take place?” [Lam 3:38]

Today, as we cope with the current pandemic, we can be certain that God rules over our sufferings and our fears. We can, therefore, turn to Him in our pain and reaffirm the response of Job:

“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!” [Job 1:21]

Despite all that he has lost – his children, his possessions, his health – Job will not react by cursing God. Note how Job responds to his wife when she tells him to curse God:

“We accept good things from God; should we not accept evil?” [Job 2:10]

Remarkably, then, for Job the losses he has experienced instill in him a desire to worship the Lord. In the same way, our response to suffering should be one of reverence and worship. God wants us to recognize His sovereignty, to worship Him, and pray that He will intervene and relieve our suffering. 

Are we willing to examine our own fears and our response to God in the midst of this crisis? Can we look more deeply, beyond the obvious, and come to recognize the good that God has brought? Can we bless God for these gifts? 

Job understood that we should not add to our sinfulness by cursing God in the midst of suffering. For Job the only suitable response is to turn to God in humility, and in prayer and adoration. We see this reflected by David in the many of the Psalms, for example:

"My soul, be at rest in God alone, from whom comes my hope. God alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not fall. My deliverance and honor are with God, my strong rock; my refuge is with God. Trust God at all times, my people! Pour out your hearts to God our refuge!" [Ps 62:6-9].

We must also recognize that the suffering Job experienced was not the result of his sinfulness. He was not being punished. On the contrary, God acknowledged Job’s righteousness three times in chapter one. You and I cannot comprehend the mind of God, and the pandemic we currently face is not necessarily related to our sinfulness. Yes, God disciplines us…

The discipline of the LORD, my son, do not spurn; do not disdain his reproof; For whom the LORD loves he reproves, as a father, the son he favors [Prv 3:11-12].

Knowing this should lead us to repentance. It should deepen our faith and cause us to turn to the Good News of redemption in Jesus Christ. It should not cause us to blame the suffering so many are experiencing on their sin. In Job, it is revealed that through suffering and pain that there is no greater good, no greater love, than God.

Job seemed to understand almost instinctively that family, possessions, and health are not the source of true happiness. The ultimate satisfaction we all seek can be found only in God Himself. Once again Job prefigures the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” [Mt 10:37-39]

St. Paul brings this teaching to the reality of his own life when he instructs the Philippians:

“But whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ” [Phil 3:7-8].

We too, as we make our spiritual way through this pandemic, must recognize that our hope cannot be found in physical health, or in other people and things. As St. Peter reminds us, our hope is only in our loving God, even in the midst of suffering: 

“The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little. To him be dominion forever. Amen” [1 Pt 5:10-11].

God is here. He is Emmanuel – God with us – and He continues to rule over the entirety of His creation. Some will be restored from their suffering in this life, and others in the next, but God has promised salvation to His faithful ones:

"Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: 'Now have salvation and power come, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed. For the accuser of our brothers is cast out, who accuses them before our God day and night. They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; love for life did not deter them from death'" [Rev 12:10-11].

And how can we not turn once again to the prophetic words of St. Paul as we seek peace and comfort?

"We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose" [Rom 8:28].

Savor and bask in the glory of God today. As I walked through the near deserted streets of The Villages in this morning’s pre-dawn hours, I couldn’t help but notice that all of creation continued to praise its Creator. A nearly full moon hung over the western horizon while the morning’s first light painted the eastern clouds red. I watched as the planets – Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter -- all named after false gods, faded one after another in the first light of day. The birds, too, greeted the rising sun with a medley of glorious songs. 

Yes, indeed, it is the Rising Son that all creation celebrates during these three holy days of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Thank God for this today. Thank our loving Father, the God of Job, for sending His only begotten Son to live as one of us, to die for our sins, and to destroy death through His Resurrection – all so we can enter an eternal life of happiness with Him.

As we await the end of the current crisis, we should learn from Job who placed his hope in God, knowing that God’s plans, God’s will, cannot be thwarted by any power. 

I see the image of Divine Mercy hanging of our wall and the words, “Jesus, I trust in You!” Trust in God’s mercy. Trust in the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace, the Lord of Lords. Trust in the God who suffered to provide us with life and peace. 

Sadness and Hope and Remembrance

Voluntarily (sort of) trapped in our homes, we have all found new ways to occupy ourselves. We pray more. We read more. We probably eat more. We spend more time listening to our favorite music. We stay in closer touch with our families, and even renew old friendships via email and telephone and text. Some folks, especially here in The Villages, play more golf. (Yes, indeed, in The Villages golf is apparently considered an essential activity, and is both allowed and encouraged, so long as everyone follows the usual social distancing guidelines.) And, of course, we're all watching far too much TV. In the words of one friend: "I spend an awful lot of time fending off boredom."

If, however, boredom is our principal complaint, we certainly can't claim to be suffering. I hate to admit it, but I've even grumbled about the inability to get a haircut. But for most of us, to encounter true suffering we must look beyond the walls of our homes. Millions of Americans have lost jobs and, as they wait for government assitance, are unable to make ends meet. Hundreds of thousands of small businesses, the true engines of our economy, have shut down and their owners worry about their ability to restart once things improve. Of course, thousands of Americans have contracted this nasty illness, COVID-19, and far too many have died as a result. I'm not downplaying the effects of their deaths on their families, because the death of a loved one, especially when that death comes suddenly and unexpectedly, is always tragic. But by focusing so much attention on the virus and its immediate effects, we can lose sight of the tragedies and suffering that have continued unabated and are experienced by so many more. 

According to the latest revision of the virus' predictive model, our nation can expect 60,000 deaths as a direct result of this virus. But sometimes it's useful to put such huge numbers into proper perspective. For example, nearly 50,000 Americans will commit suicide this year. And an even greater number will die from drug overdoses. Close to 40,000 Americans will die in automobile accidents. And hundreds of thousands will die from the effects of cancer. 

This last statistic was brought home to Diane and me this week, and to many of our friends, when we lost Donna Slider. After a long battle with cancer, Donna entered hospice just a few days ago and died on Tuesday, April 7. 

Donna was the manager of the Wildwood Soup Kitchen and, like all soup kitchen workers, she was an unpaid volunteer. Diane and I have volunteered there for over 16 years, but while we worked every Thursday, Donna was there almost daily, doing whatever had to be done to keep the kitchen functioning at full speed. She not only worked tirelessly for the good of others, but she did so with a smile. Indeed, it's hard to recall Donna's face without that beautiful, disarming smile. So often I'd approach her all grumpy about some petty irritant, and Donna would just nod understandingly and flash that wonderful smile, as if to say, "It's really not that big a deal, Dana. In an hour's time you'll have forgotten all about it." Of course she was right. She had a way of bringing me back to reality -- to the reality of God's love. 

As you might expect, Donna was a woman of deep faith. I was made very aware of this last year at a special Mass and healing service celebrated at our parish. I had been asked to preach and because of Donna's illness, Diane and I invited her and her husband, Vic, to attend. Both are active Christians, but neither Donna nor Vic are Catholic. But as she said to me later, "Healing is healing. We all seek it and God offers it." Diane and I met with them during the healing service and the four of us experienced God's loving Presence as we prayed for His will to be done in the shared life of this wonderful couple.

Interestingly, Donna and I had another connection. Some years ago, when she first joined the soup kitchen, someone told her of my past life as a Navy helicopter pilot who had been involved in the recovery of Apollo astronauts. She asked me if I knew Glen Slider, her brother-in-law. I couldn't believe it! Back in 1970 Glen was a Navy Chief Petty Officer in our helicopter squadron, HS-4. He was also the first crewman of the primary recovery helicopter for the Apollo 13 recovery operation. I happened to be the co-pilot of that same helicopter. This was truly one of those remarkable "small world" situations that remind us of how interconnected we all are.

On Tuesday our loving God called Donna to Himself. He took her from the anxiety, the pain, and the cares of this life and carried her to the glory of eternal life. When I think about her now, in my mind's eye I see her resting in God's loving embrace. And that smile? Yes, it's even brighter, inviting us to set aside our sadness and remember to share God's love with all His people, especially with those in greatest need.

In a paradoxical, but very real sense, Donna's death has lifted me up. It has freed me from worry about this pandemic and reminded me that the rest of the world hasn't been put on hold. Donna knew that life continues as it always has and we are still called to do God's work in our troubled world. 

In the words of the "Song of Farewell," so often sung at the end of our Catholic funeral liturgies:

May the choirs of angels come to meet you;

May they speed you to paradise.

May the Lord enfold you in His mercy;

May you find eternal life.

Rest in Peace, Donna.
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...and for those who might be interested. Here's a link to a video of my homily at that Mass and healing service last year:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YtaPL8Xkh5A

COVID-19 Bible Study Reflection #1: God's Presence

I wrote this reflection today for the regular participants of my Bible Study sessions conducted weekly at St. Vincent de Paul Parish. Because the pandemic has caused us to cancel these sessions, as least for the time being, I thought perhaps I should send our participants some Scripture-related thoughts on a regular basis. The following is my first attempt. 
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There’s nothing like a pandemic to get people asking questions about God and why such things as this nasty virus happen. 

Did God cause this disease? Did He inflict COVID-19 on the world? Or did He simply allow it to spread? Why? Is there some divine purpose behind all this, or is it the work of Satan? Is it a sign that the end times are upon us? 

In recent weeks I’ve been asked every one of these questions, and a few dozen more. I think, perhaps, the best way to address these concerns is to turn to Sacred Scripture. After all, the Bible actually has a lot to say about plagues and sickness and healing and end times.

First of all, let’s address the last: pandemics as signs of the end times. The most important thing to remember when it comes to the end times is that no one knows when Jesus will return. I’m always amazed by the number of people who are convinced they know when God will bring His creation to its fulfillment. How many books have been written, how many movies made, how many sermons preached, all telling us that Jesus’s return is imminent? Some even give us specific dates. Not only are they always wrong, but they also contradict the Word of God. We can safely dismiss them all.

And yet, at the same time, we are told that pandemics should not be ignored. As Jesus revealed to His disciples when addressing the end times:

“There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky” [Lk 21:11]

Yes, indeed, among other signs, we can expect plagues as we approach the end. But notice that Jesus immediately adds something else:

“Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony [Lk 21:12-13].

I suppose one could make a good case that the persecution of Christians is at an all-time high, but God’s People – both the Israelites and the Church – have suffered persecution for thousands of years. The persecution of God’s people is nothing new. In the West today, the persecution of Christians and Jews is perhaps a bit more subtle than that which they experience in other parts of the world. Anti-Christian political correctness, because it manifests itself largely through social and psychological intimidation, can seem almost benign. But far too many Christians react by turning inward, as if their faith is strictly personal. Of course, it isn’t: “It will lead to your giving testimony.” We cannot hide our faith under a bushel basket, folks [Mt 5:14-16]. We are called to evangelize. 

Plagues, too, have been with us since the beginning. We get our first taste of this very early in Genesis, when God describes the effects of the sin of our first parents. Unlike the bodily immortality with which God originally blessed them, they would now suffer hardship, pain, and death [Gen 3:16-19]. In other words, disease is one of the results of our fallen nature. 

We encounter plagues throughout the Old Testament, with perhaps the most famous being the “plagues” suffered by the people of Egypt as described in the Book of Exodus. Of course, a number of the Egyptian plagues were not diseases at all, but extreme manifestations of otherwise natural events. But we can lump some of the others – livestock epidemic, boils, and the death of the firstborn – into the category of disease or other physical ailment. 

In Exodus we are told why God inflicted Egypt with this series of calamities when He instructs Moses to tell Pharaoh:

“Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go to serve me, for this time I will unleash all my blows upon you and your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me anywhere on earth. For by now I should have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with such pestilence that you would have vanished from the earth. But this is why I have let you survive: to show you my power and to make my name resound throughout the earth! Will you continue to exalt yourself over my people and not let them go?” [Ex 9:13-17]

Although God allowed these plagues, His purpose was not to destroy the Egyptians but “to show you my power…” so the entire world would come to recognize His sovereignty. Remember, too, that God displayed that sovereignty by sparing His people from the effects of these plagues:

“But for you the blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing the blood, I will pass over you; thereby, when I strike the land of Egypt, no destructive blow will come upon you” [Ex 12:13]. 

Today as our society struggles to deal with the current crisis, perhaps we will come to realize that this virus, this tiny piece of God’s creation, is also a manifestation of God’s power. Unlike the Egyptians we might actually understand and accept the message God sends us. Because He has blessed us with intelligence, we have the capability to overcome this disease. But our application of His gift of intelligence and the knowledge that results are always imperfect. In the meantime, then, many will die. 

This, of course, leads to our next question: Why have we been inflicted with this virus? Is God sending us a message, as He did the Egyptians? Is He punishing us for our sins, for our lack of faith? Or is this pandemic simply another consequence of our fallen nature?

I suppose the best answer to these questions is “Maybe” or a qualified “Yes.” The truth is, you and I do not know the mind of God, but we can get at least a glimpse if we turn to His Word. Let’s turn to the New Testament and find those wonderful signs of hope that God offers us.

It’s important to realize that no plague, no illness, no affliction can withstand the Word of Jesus Christ, the Word of God incarnate. Matthew put it beautifully:

“Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness” [Mt 9:35].

He did it all, didn’t He? “Every disease and illness” covers the waterfront. But notice that these cures, all that healing, did not take place in isolation. Jesus also taught and proclaimed the kingdom. In other words, the cures offered proof that the Word the people heard was indeed the Word of God. In his Gospel, John calls these miraculous manifestations of God’s power “signs.” And signs they are, because they point to something greater than themselves. They point to the divinity of Jesus, the Son of God. They point to the salvation and hope Jesus offers us through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. They point to His Church and the grace manifested by the Holy Spirit through its sacramental life. And they point to Jesus’ continued Eucharistic presence, a presence that will remain with us “until the end of the age” [Mt 28:20].

The question for us: How should we respond? Most importantly, we should not fear. Faith and fear cannot coexist in the human heart. Indeed, fear is the great enemy of faith and leads us to despair. Buoyed by the gift of faith, we come to accept that God is always in charge, that He has sovereignty over all things. You and I, the medical profession, the scientific community, and yes, even the government, are all called to respond in faith. And because God gave us intelligence, we must also be prudent and use our intelligence wisely. By ignoring the obvious, by refraining from doing what is necessary to stop the spread of this virus, we would, in a sense, be putting God to the test [Mt 4:6-7], something we should never do.

And finally, realize that a living faith, a faith that demonstrates our love for God and for each other, always leads to the good. How did Paul famously proclaim this truth?

“We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” [Rom 8:28].

We don’t fully understand God’s purpose, but we do know that when we love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, only good will result. Let us not forget this during these challenging times.

Too many people, including too many Christians, fall prey to panic and pessimism, which leads only to fear. Instead, we must always remember what awaits. Jesus came to redeem us from our own sinfulness; he will come again to lead us to eternal life:

“Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him” [Heb 9:28]. 

Once again, remember those words of Jesus: “It will lead to your giving testimony” [Lk 21:13]. Accept this pandemic as an opportunity to respond to Jesus’ call to evangelize, to ease the fears of others, to share God’s sacred Word, and to be carriers, not of a virus, but of God’s love.

Communist China and Other Liars

There's a lot of public and private lying going on today. This always happens when a crisis arises. When the going gets tough, the incompetent and lazy and self-centered simply lie.

The lies of the self-important are usually designed to deflect attention from their current and past incompetence to the real or imagined mistakes of others. Once the crisis hits, they realize, or others make them realize, that their incompetence either caused or aggravated the crisis. Such knowledge, of course, must be hidden from the public. Hide the truth, identify a suitable scapegoat, and attack it aggressively. The truth, of course, is hard to hide, so this works for only a while. Eventually the truth becomes known. 

Sadly, the self-important, which include many politicians and most of the national media, are the least of our problems. The most dangerous of today's liars are not incompetent; they're simply evil. Perhaps the best example are the Chinese Communists.

The Chinese Communist Party really can't be called a political party because it's the only party permitted in China. Indeed, if you tried to start an actual political party in China, you would surely be arrested and likely imprisoned...if you were lucky. 

It's important to be aware of this, a key identifier of all totalitarian states. No totalitarian government, whether based on ideology or a cult of personality, can tolerate intellectual or political competition since it will always lose the argument. It must reject the very idea of truth, because it never has truth on its side. This is why those on the extremes must always distort history, creating fictional versions that support the ever-expanding structure of lies they want us to accept.

And here we encounter another key identifying trait of all extremist ideologies, whether national socialists like Hitler or international socialists like Lenin: their remarkable capacity for spreading lies. Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler, Mao, Fidel -- yes, the whole bunch and so many others -- all encouraged telling the lie so long as doing so aided the spread of their ideology. For them the end always justifies the means, any means. 

This might lead you to believe that such extreme ideologues are not unlike most politicians who tell lies so easily when it suits their purposes. Yes, indeed, most politicians lie on occasion, and the longer they've spent in politics, the more comfortable they become with telling the lie. This is why I try to avoid voting for any man or woman who's spent a long career in politics. But communists and other socialists are different from run-of-the-mill politicians. The latter lie occasionally, but the former lie constantly. They must because their failing policies are indefensible.

Communist China's a wonderful case in point. Every agreement, every treaty, every official statement made by the ruling Chinese Communist Party is based on and filled with lies. The lie is present even in the nation's official name: the People's Republic of China. The people have no say in their government which cannot be described, by any definition I'm familiar with, as a republic.

Just look at how the party has handled the virus. When COVID-19 began to spread in Wuhan, the authorities clamped down hard on the doctors who were telling the truth about the budding crisis. Most were arrested because in a socialist state the truth will get you imprisoned. (See this story: Los Angeles Times.)

Now, months later, when the party offers statistics on the spread of the Coronavirus in China, you can be certain the data are intentionally inaccurate. This week we've begun to hear reports of tens of thousands of cremations taking place in Wuhan, where the virus apparently originated, and this despite the "official" death toll of 3,305. (See this story: International Business Times.)

The Communist Party can't completely hide the truth, so it changes the conversation and offers the world a spectacular lie: the United States Army is responsible for introducing the virus into Wuhan Province. 

Interestingly, many politicians and members of the mainstream media accept the Chinese "data" without question and use it to attack their favorite target: the president. In other words, they base their own lies on the lies of those whom they know are lying. Yes, it's all very interesting, and would actually be entertaining were it not so serous and so deadly.

Homily: Monday 5th Week of Lent

Once again, a recorded video of this homily for Monday, March 30 -- indeed of the entire Mass -- can be found on our parish website.

https://sumtercatholic.org/homilies/

These video recordings will continue as we cope with the requirements mandated by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The text of my homily follows:
____________________

Readings:  Dan 13:41c-62; Ps 23; Jn 8:1-11

Have you ever done something, that looking back on it, you realize was unjust? I think of my own past – and the present too -- lack of charity, selfishness, displaced anger… I wish I had a more selective memory because the sins of the past can overwhelm us if we let them.

On a retreat some years ago I spent time with the retreat master, a Benedictine monk. He knew I had past issues to discuss, so he simply said, “Let’s make this a confession where you just go through your life and air all those ancient things that trouble you.” I suppose we spoke for an hour or more.

After giving me absolution, he said, “All those failings, all those sins are gone. God not only forgives them, He forgets them. 

“He wants you to be God-like and forget them too. They’re gone. Stop dwelling on them. But don’t forget your story, how God has moved you closer to the person He calls you to be.”

As I rose to leave, he added, “You know all those people who’ve hurt you? Many of them experience the same regrets. But even if they don’t, you must forgive them as well.”

Yes, a most liberating experience, one of reconciliation and conversion.

This is nothing new. God has called us to conversion from the start, from Eden to the Incarnation and beyond. In our reading, we see Susanna falsely accused by…well, by two dirty old men. But the prophet Daniel came to her defense, proving the false witness of the accusers. As a result, they suffered the sentence they tried to inflict on the innocent Susanna.

Susanna ands the Two Elders

Of course, as Christians we might object that they, too, should be forgiven. But remember, God was leading His chosen people, step by painful step, from darkness to the fulness of Truth revealed by Jesus Christ. Jesus will fulfill the Law, revealing the depth of divine love that motivates it, and teaching them and us to live it in its fulness; for God desires our conversion, not our punishment. 

How did He express it to Ezekiel? Listen again to the words of our Gospel acclamation.

“I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live…” [Ez 33:11]

God told His chosen ones it was their sins, their stubbornness and disobedience, that would send them into exile. But still He remains with them, and speaking through His prophet Isaiah, led them to what shall be:

“Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see, I am doing something new!” [Is 43:18-19]

God wanted them to trust Him, to look forward not backward, to put their sins, their idolatry behind them and to serve the Living God. They remain His Chosen People, for through them He would bring salvation to the world.

St. Paul, too, reminded of his own past sins, calls us to repentance and conversion: 

“One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus. [Phil 3:13-14]

Yes, Paul tried to forget his sins, while remembering all that God had done for him through the gift of faith. For Paul to forget his story would be to forget his God.

The same is true of the woman caught in adultery. For her, for all of us, the danger lay in living in the past, wallowing in our guilt, unsure of forgiveness, unable even to forgive ourselves. But then she encountered Jesus.

“Has no one condemned you?”…Neither do I condemn you.” [Jn 8:10-11]

Her sin was forgiven, and that forgiveness became a part of her life, her story. Like Paul, she would not forget her story, and neither should we. Because her story is your story and my story. Indeed, she’s really all of us, everyone from Adam until judgment day, all of us in need of a Savior, in need of forgiveness.

"Has no one condemned you?"

Hers is the story of salvation, of sin and mercy, of sin committed and sin forgiven. With forgiveness she’s called to begin a new life: “Go and sin no more,” Jesus tells her and us. Know and love the God who refuses to condemn. Learn to accept His forgiveness.

So many don’t, but go through life, wallowing in guilt, afraid of hell, tormented by their pasts, unable to make peace with their brokenness and human frailty.

This isn’t why God became man. This isn’t why He died that horrible death on that dark Friday afternoon.

The current crisis can tempt us to look back to happier, more stable times; but as Christians we are called to confront the present and look to the future.

We see a building with locked doors and can fall prey to the temptations of the evil one: “Where is my Church? Where is my God?”

Brothers and sisters, God’s Church is not a building. It is His community of salvation. It is you and I, joined together with all members of the living Body of Christ. It is the universal Church, intimately united in the Communion of Saints.

God acts in His Church always, even when the doors of the buildings are locked; for God acts in and through His People, wherever they are.

For the true disciple of Jesus Christ, tomorrow is always better than yesterday. Each day is a new creation in the presence of a loving God.

Confront today’s crisis with faith and prudence but look forward to the hope of tomorrow.

Pray, then, for tomorrow’s hope and for those working tirelessly, with God’s help, to bring it about. Pray too for a rebirth of self-giving, a new birth of love.

Only two weeks of Lent remain. As we all hope to rise with Christ, let us repeat the song He sings to us:

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth” [Is 42:19].

Come to think of it, as Christians, we are the new thing. Why not spring forth, filled with hope?

Homily: Saturday 4th Week of Lent

With the closing of our parish church due to COVID-19, we are now recording Masses and posting them on the parish website. It's a bit odd with only the priest and deacon, but odder still to preach to a large, but very empty, church. 

I was ill for several week -- just a nasty, lingering cold -- and so did not participate in the recordings. Now healthy, I assisted and preached at a couple of our recorded Masses this past week -- one for today and another for next Monday, March 30. 

You can access a recorded video of each daily Mass on our parish website. Here's the link:

https://sumtercatholic.org/homilies/

My homily for Saturday, March 28, follows: 
__________________

Readings: Jer 11:18-20; Ps 7; Jn 7:40-53

"Never before has anyone spoken like this man" [Jn 7:46].

Hearing those words in the Gospel brought to mind a 45-year-old memory. At the time I was teaching at the Naval Academy in Annapolis when we were blessed by a visit by Archbishop Fulton Sheen who would preach at Sunday Mass. Actually, he preached, not only at morning Mass, but also during later the Protestant Service, both held in the large Naval Academy chapel. 

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Preaching

Diane and I heard him at Mass, but Diane also went to the Protestant service, wanting to listen to him again. As you might expect he preached a bit longer to the Protestants, more accustomed to long sermons. When he concluded, an elderly woman sitting behind Diane said to her husband, “My! I don’t think anyone’s preached like that in this church before.” Yes, I suspect that Catholic preacher surprised her – just as Jesus surprised the Temple guard in the Gospel: 

"Never before has anyone spoken like this man"

We’ve all done it, haven’t we – prejudged others before we know them, before we listen to them? So often we arrogantly dismiss others simply because they don’t measure up to our preconceived notions of importance – a kind of snobbishness. But then, in the sudden shock of recognition, we realize the error is rooted in us, not in the other.

We’re all a bit like the Pharisees who, knowing little about Jesus, dismissed Him as a nobody, but a dangerous nobody, a threat to their own authority. Without having heard Jesus speak, without listening to His words, they rejected the Word of God. This is exactly what Nicodemus tried to tell them:

"Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?" [Jn 7:51]

Nicodemus, too, was a Pharisee, but he had taken the time to listen to Jesus, to question Him, to see if He spoke the truth. And it was Nicodemus who first heard Jesus proclaim those words of redemption:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” [Jn 3:16].

Sadly, though, too many Pharisees were simply snobs. You can almost hear them, can’t you? This Jesus? He’s from Galilee, a nobody from nowhere. How did the Apostle Nathaniel put it?

“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” [Jn 1:46] 

Even a soon to be Apostle can be a bit of a snob.
But isn’t it interesting that so many of the people who encountered Jesus, even the Temple guards, who’d been sent to arrest Him, actually listened to Him and realized they'd heard the truth.

"Never before has anyone spoken like this man."

What a remarkably courageous thing to say, knowing how much the chief priests and the Pharisees, despised Jesus.

Temple Guards: "Never before..."

What about us? Do we have the courage to speak out for our faith, to proclaim Jesus as Lord when He is under attack, as He is in our world today? 

The world really hasn’t changed all that much, has it? We’re divided today, just as the people of Jerusalem were divided 2,000 years ago. The prophet Jeremiah encountered the same kind of division centuries earlier, when all the important folks plotted against him, just as their successors would plot against Jesus.

Our country, too, seems so divided, but in the midst of this current crisis the Church calls us to reject division, to come together, to unite in faith and not be consumed by fear. We live in an imperfect world and our response to its imperfections must always be driven by faith.

The Greek word for the devil in the New Testament is diabolos, usually translated as “the slanderer.” But the word’s two roots literally mean “to throw apart” or to “scatter.” And that’s exactly who Satan is; he is the scatterer. He scatters. He tries to tear us apart, while Jesus does exactly the opposite: He unites. 

As Christians, then, we must always strive to do Christ’s saving work, and never to divide or scatter.

Dear friends, as we move through these last days of Lent, Jesus continues to call us to conversion: to repent and trust in His mercy, to love God with all our being, to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, to speak always as Jesus spoke, in the language of the Father’s love. 

We have to choose because God never forces Himself on us. He simply looks on us with love and lets us make the choice.

Open your heart to Jesus today. Turn to Him in prayer. Let His Holy Spirit deepen your faith and fill you with the humility and repentance God asks of you.

And, brothers and sisters, through it all, fear not, for Jesus is Emmanuel. He is “God with us” and promised us:

“I am with you always, until the end of the age.” [Mt 28:20]

Walking with Maddie

Dear Diane has been sleeping in the guest room for a while because of her shoulder replacement surgery and its aftereffects. Unfortunately she awakens often during the night, because she either slept on the wrong side or used her right arm a bit too much the day before. Either way it results in pain. So she sits up and reads or watches TV until the pain subsides. In her kindness she thought this would disturb my sleep. (She was right about that.) She decided, therefore, to sleep in the guest room, leaving me in the king size bed with Maddie, our 12-year-old Bichon Frise.

Now, I'm sure many of your will chastise us for letting our dog sleep in our bed. But when we "rescued" Maddie she was already five years old and pretty set in her ways. She had also been mistreated and was a bit of a psychological wreck. In fact, the rescue vet had put her on a doggie version of Prozac. Although we got her off her meds quickly, she still needed lots of loving attention. Given her age and condition, we thought it would be difficult, perhaps even a bit cruel, to attempt to crate train her. The result? She sleeps in our bed. You must also understand that she's a Bichon, and is a perfect example of this stubborn, self-centered breed.

Because the bed is large and she's a small dog, you'd think I wouldn't even know if she were there. But every morning, long before sunrise, usually between 5 and 6 a.m., Maddie snuggles up against my back and leans into me. She'll keep this up for a half-hour or so, increasing the pressure, hoping I'll decide to get up. When I resist, as I did today, she begins to whine softly, letting me know she's ready to begin her day and expects me to join her, first by preparing her breakfast and then taking her on a long walk.

Maddie on Her Morning Walk

This morning Maddie woke me a bit later than usual, and the whining didn't begin until after 6:30. Within 30 minutes she had eaten, I was dressed, and we opened the front door to greet another of God's gifts: a beautiful day in The Villages -- Sunny and 64 F this morning, but a warm 88 F this afternoon. 

Although sunrise was still 15 or 20 minutes away, the eastern sky was already aglow. Indeed, by this time I could see only a few of the sky's brightest objects. Toward the southeast only Jupiter stood out, as befits the god of the sky. Neighboring Mars and Saturn were still visible but barely. Vega could be seen near the zenith, but the other stars were fading quickly. 

As I looked heavenward, Maddie of course looked earthward, continuing her life's work of sniffing everything that passes under her remarkable nose. And so we walked, slowly to accommodate her sniffing and in whatever direction Maddie chose. 

Today's walk followed a rather long (about two miles) circuitous route through several nearby neighborhoods. Because of so many businesses are closed, we encountered very little car and golf cart traffic. This, of course, is good since dogs and those walking them seem to be invisible to many drivers. But even more surprising was the increase in walkers and runners. Most mornings, especially in the pre-dawn darkness, I may see only one or two people. But today lots of folks, both individuals and couples, were out walking. It was nice to see so many people enjoying the morning. I suppose for many it was a cure for cabin fever, offering a temporary respite from voluntary home confinement.

But then there was that one oddity. Maddie and I had been walking for only a few minutes when we turned onto a side street and noticed about a dozen people, well spaced out to enforce social distancing, but all walking in our direction. Without a sidewalk and almost no traffic, they had filled the street. Like all of us who live here, they were elderly. None moved very quickly and some limped along trying to keep up. Now, it was still early, and with the almost risen sun behind them, they were all shadows and silhouettes. If you can picture the scene, you might understand why my strange mind suddenly announced: Zombie Apocalypse! I'm sorry but I felt as if I had fallen into a scene from one of those wacko zombie movies. Of course, as we passed, everyone smiled and greeted us, a few petted Maddie, and no one tried to eat my brains.

Except for the rare zombie scare, I truly enjoy these daily walks. Today we spotted a gator in one of the many neighborhood ponds: not a very big one, but big enough for me to keep my distance. We witnessed some early morning repositioning flights of water birds, and followed a large flock of white ibises as they flew from one pond to another. A large blue heron passed right over us, so low we could feel the effect of his wings. We watched a kingfisher as he hovered  anxiously, then plummeted into the water and grabbed his breakfast. That same peaceful, healthy, virus-free air was filled with the greetings of mockingbirds, cardinals, red-wing blackbirds, and countless other songbirds. From stars and planets to birds and gators, it was all a wonderful display of God's creative power. Even Maddie glanced up on occasion and seemed to savor the day.

Lots of Ibises

I feel sorry for those unable to get out and take even a short walk, but I especially pity those who walk or run daily, but do so without noticing the beauty that surrounds them. They look so grim as they strain forward to reach their 10,000 steps, eyes glued to the road before them, while the noise in their earbuds blocks the greetings of passersby and the sounds of nature. Life is just too short to ignore the wonders that surround us.

Maddie with her Reward

When we returned home Maddie and I decided she deserved a special treat, one of those milk bones for large dogs. You see, she doesn't realize she's little.

God's peace, friends, and stay healthy.