DEAL WITH TEMPTATION LIKE "THE KID"

Hi everyone... here’s my homily for the FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT - February 26, 2012.   The readings for today’s Mass can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/022612.cfm .  Thanks as always for reading and your feedback.  God Bless - Fr. Jim

HOMILY:

    As most of you know, I’m a Yankee fan, and have considered myself such throughout my life.  So, some might be shocked to learn that there are some unflattering pictures of me as a high school-er with a Mets gear (one such picture, taken at a High School "pool party" is one example).  You have to remember that back in the 80's when I was a kid, there wasn’t as much hatred between Yankees and Mets.  I think part of the reason was because there was no inter-league play back then, so there wasn’t much reason to have animosity towards one another back then.  There’s another reason there was no real hostility for Yankee fans towards Mets fans: Throughout most of their history the Mets have been awful; while on the other hand the Yankees have been elite, world-champions over and over, and over (I could say this 27 times, but I won’t) But during that childhood era of mine - my brother Craig liked the Mets and it didn’t bother me, and I wouldn’t mind watching games with him or even rooting for them on occasion.  To be completely honest in the 1980s, the Yankees weren’t exactly on a Championship run, so there wasn’t much bragging on either side.  So that’s partially a disclaimer about any photos people should dig up.   But more seriously, it’s an introduction of how I’ve always been a fan of Gary Carter.

    When I think of Gary Carter, the catcher for the second (and only second) time the Mets won the World Series in 1986, I just remember that the guy always seemed to have a smile on his face.  He just looked like he was having a fun time.  He came across as a player that was just  a real man: His ego was in check, he worked hard, played hard, could be counted on for a big hit, and unlike some of his peers, you never heard anything bad about him.  I still remember the one Mets game I went to as a kid with my brother and parents, seeing Gary Carter hitting a home run (and that ridiculous Apple popping out of the Mets hat in the outfield... sorry, I’ve really grown in my dislike of the team)

    That’s why I was saddened to hear that he died over a week ago after a somewhat short battle with Cancer.  Sadly with the non-stop coverage of Whitney Houston’s death and funeral, there seemed little coverage at all about this passing.  But a friend of mine (a die-hard Mets fan I might add) forwarded me an article about Gary Carter that really was enlightening about him.  One thing I learned was the origin of his nickname:  “the Kid.”   Because that name was said so openly and Carter seemed to embrace it, you might have thought (like I did) that it was just a term of affection that had been handed down to him over his team in the Majors.  It seemed endearing.  Even last week when reporting his death, the NY Post had a headline that said “GOODBYE KID.”   But the truth of the matter was quite different.    The WSJ article shared the truth from a friend of Gary Carters who said:  In the oft-ignorant, oft-shallow world of baseball, Carter was deemed a geek from the very beginning. He didn't drink and didn't smoke. He didn't curse and he didn't talk smack. He showed up to work early, played hard, embraced home-plate collisions and—by all accounts—worked his tail off. He was loyal to his wife, Sandy, and an involved and dedicated father to their three children.     Yet this was rarely good enough for teammates... Such behavior didn't sit well with many of the Expos, who mocked him behind his back and made him the butt of their juvenile jokes. Carter's famous nickname—The Kid—was born of neither love nor appreciation, but scorn.    As he was rising through the Expos' minor league system in the early 1970s, Montreal's players used to irritate the team's starting catcher, a gruff beer barrel named Barry Foote, with taunts of, "The Kid's coming! The Kid's gonna take your job! Watch out for The Kid! To his credit, Carter embraced the moniker. The way he saw it, he was a man being paid big dollars to play a child's game. Hell yes, he was a kid.”

    For some reason this took me by surprise.  That in “professional” sports, there would be such immaturity.  (Not quite sure why it was surprising since it’s far from new...just think two words: Tim Tebow) But perhaps because when I remembered the rest of the roster from 1986 World Series Championship team that included names like Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Lenny Dykstra - all who were great on the field, but you can google to read about their antics off - who continued to mock and ridicule “the kid” when he was a member of the Mets for being a good guy - who was a devout Christian trying to live that life rather than just saying he was... well it saddened me...  But it also made me admire Carter even more.

    Because learning that he endured such pressure from his teammates... no, pressure’s not the word, rather their ridicule, you appreciate even more that you would never have known what was going on when he was on the field.  He didn’t let it affect his play.  He rose above it.  But even more what made Gary Carter a man of character wasn’t that he didn’t let it affect his game, but  that he didn’t let it change who he was. 

If you read any biography of a baseball player, a common thing is how far from glamorous a life it is.  As they travel all across the country far from family and friends, and can be traded and moved around frequently, you see that while they are “just playing a game” that they get paid ridiculous amounts of money for, it can be extremely lonely for them.  The obnoxious money they make can though can make the temptations to give into drugs and alcohol, the temptations to give into pre-marital sex and infidelity and all kinds of demons that much easier.
   
    How was Gary Carter able to resist those temptations?  He was able to take the ridicule of his peers, resist those temptations because he was following the one who withstood them and empowers us to do so as well.  In today’s Gospel we see how Jesus is driven out into the desert for forty days.   He’s going on retreat.  He’s leaving the world behind to clarify in his heart and his mind what it is that the Heavenly Father has sent Him to do.    And as He enters into this time where he wishes to be united with His Heavenly Father, what happens?  He’s tempted by the devil!  Imagine that, even Jesus had temptations!  While the Gospel of Matthew and Luke give more detail than this account, we don’t really need too many details.  Just reading the words that Jesus was “tempted by Satan” says it all.  He didn’t have his friends, there were no apostles or disciples to rely on...   He didn’t even have the help of his family, his Blessed Mother Mary at that time.   The Gospel simply says that He relied on;  he “leaned on” angels who helped him to keep faithful to His Heavenly Father who had sent Him to earth with this Mission to save humanity.

    For you and I as we begin this season of Lent, we often start this time of “spiritual renewal” with a hope, a desire to grow closer to Jesus Christ.  We set out with great intentions.  Yet, quickly our motivation starts to wane.  Our attention gets diverted.  And the temptation to just let go of our hopes, our desires to grow closer to Jesus Christ are replaced with everyday tasks, unnecessary distractions and even a sense of despair as we start believing the lie “I’m never going to really be able to change.” 

    Its true, we’re not like Jesus Christ during his time in the desert.  One blessed difference is that we have Him to lean on as we embrace this lenten journey.  But that’s one of the key factors – we have to choose to focus on Him.  Because if not, this somewhat jaded, cyncical world around us will try to discourage us at every choice, every decision, every opportunity we have to make whether we will follow Christ or go along with what the “other guys on the team” are doing – Satan will whisper lies to us making us doubt we’ll be able to resist what everyone else is doing, so why even try.

    Yet Gary Carter is one more witness of someone who wasn’t weighed down by the mocking of the world around us and found his affirmation not on the field or from his fellow teammates, but from Christ alone.  This Lent, you and I are invited to recognize how Jesus meets us in our vulnerability, in our moments of weakness where we feel tempted to give into whatever lie that Satan is putting before us.  In those moments, we have Jesus himself that we can rely on to minister to us.  Are we willing to withstand the ridicule of the world to live only for him?

WITH TIME TRAVEL NOT POSSIBLE, CHANGE YOUR PRESENT

Here is my homily for ASH WEDNESDAY - FEBRUARY 22, 2012 - The readings for today can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/022212.cfm Thanks as always for reading and your comments.  I hope and pray you will have a blessed Lent (and even more joyful Easter) Fr. Jim

HOMILY:

    This past Sunday, The Simpsons celebrated another milestone. After becoming the longest running, scripted program on TV about two years ago, this past week they celebrated the airing of its 500th episode. I shudder realizing that I remember first seeing “The Simpsons” when they were animated shorts on the Tracey Ullman Show before most of you were even born. Anyway, while I barely watch new episodes now because they’re just not as funny to me as the first 10 seasons were, if I’m flipping the channels, and see a repeat is on, I’ll usually give it a chance hoping it's one from an earlier season. A couple of weeks ago, there was a repeat of one of their “Treehouse of Horrors” – their Halloween-themed episodes that are on every year... which are usually some of the funniest, cleverest of their episodes. This particular edition had one called “Time and Punishment” that starts normal enough:  Homer is seen trying to fix a plugged in toaster with a fork, and rather than getting an electric shock, discovers the thing is a time machine.

    Have you ever noticed that even though a thing like “time travel” is not possible, whenever there’s a story like this - whether it was the movie “Back to the Future” or the Family Guy episode that had Stewie and Brian traveling back in time as well – every one of them follow an emphatic rule. And that is, if you travel back in time, you’re not to do, say, touch, anything lest you change the future to horrific consequences.

    So it’s funny in this Simpsons episode, Homer, whose character is often portrayed as someone who doesn’t know the basic rules of human decency, seems to know this rule and is trying to be SO careful to avoid changing anything as he travels to pre-historic times. So what happens - he simply kills a mosquito before he returns to present day, he shockingly recognizes that somehow the death of the insect has resulted in his neighbor and nemesis Ned Flanders becoming a brutal world dictator.  Trying to set things right, Homer goes back again, avoids killing the mosquito but accidentally kills a walking fish... which when Homer returns to present day realizes has resulted in Bart and Lisa’s existence changing into their becoming giants. After narrowly avoiding being crushed by them, he returns, avoids the mosquito and the fish, and then sneezes on a dinosaur which causes their extinction. He is initially pleased with the results in the present; amongst other perks, the family is now extremely wealthy and his two hated sisters-in-law Patty and Selma are dead. However, he is terrified to find that donuts do not exist in this timeline and flees, ironically, just seconds before donuts begin raining from the sky.  After several more trips back and forth in time, Homer eventually arrives in a reality that appears normal. However, he finds that humans eat with lizard-like tongues, but ultimately decides it is "close enough".

           The reason time-travel stories appeal to so many of us is, who hasn’t, from time to time, wished they could go back and change things in the past. For you guys who are college students, it’s the reason so many of us give you tons of unsolicited advice. Once you graduate and begin ‘real life” it’s not uncommon for people to look back and say, “I wish I had studied this instead of that.” (Or in some cases, “I wish I had studied.”). But people can get caught up with a whole list of things that they look back on and say, “I should have done – blank–“ or I shouldn’t have done –blank–“ (we call that “should-ing on youself”).  And on the other hand, the thought of time travel forward is appealing as well. Why?  To alleviate whatever fears or anxieties we have about the future... We want to see that “things will be better” for us in the future.

           So often people come to Mass on Ash Wednesday, and something inexplicable draws us here... something about this day and the season of Lent speaks to us.  And often, our minds and hearts can’t help but look back and maybe re-evaluate some things...imagine how things would have been we had we done something different, or not done something, in particular. Wishing we could go back in time and make some changes, even small, slight ones that would leave us feeling better about who we are, the people we are, the “children of God” we truly are - who wouldn't want that?

            While time travel does not exist, the Church calls us together to this celebration of Ash Wednesday to enter into this season of Lent, and come in touch with Jesus Christ who wishes to affect real change in our lives, here and now. Listen to those words of the Prophet Joel from the first reading. These are words that the living God is speaking to us today:  Even now... return to me with your whole heart... Rend [Change] your hearts.  Hear the words of invitation from St. Paul in the second reading:  Behold Now is a Very acceptable time - Behold NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION.

            Jesus doesn’t want to meet us in our pasts, or for us to waste any more time anxiously anticipating the future. Jesus comes to meet us, here and now. And if we hear the words of Ash Wednesday and truly respond to them – “Turn away from Sin, be faithful to the Gospel” - we won’t have to re-write our past history, we can begin, instead, to repair the damage of our sins, we can begin to heal from the pain of that, and set out to start and create a new present - and a much different future.

           Each of us has come here today of our own free-will. There was no parent, no teacher, nothing that “forced” us to come.  It was a choice, – a very good choice – that each of us made. In our hearts and in our minds, something hit us when we realized it was Ash Wednesday - that we wanted to get to Mass and “get our Ashes” - get this mark, reminding ourselves that we are sinners in need of a Savior. We’ve prepared these brochures that explain the scripture's plan of Fasting, Almsgiving and Prayer they give you some practical ways as college students, here at MSU, you can do something.  Maybe it means making Sunday Mass a priority.  Maybe you’ll participate in a community service opportunity.  Maybe you’ll take advantage that we’re offering confessions all day today and throughout the season of Lent, so maybe, if it’s been some time since you've dealt with that stuff from the past, this can be something you consider this year as something to 'do' for Lent.  We’re also having a very special event this Saturday. It’s a one day retreat called “Why Jesus Christ Matters.” It’s not going to be like any retreat you’ve ever been on. It’s being led by a nationally known speaker named Chris Stefanik, who’s a Catholic Evangelist from Denver Colorado - he's flying in just to be with us.  Like I said, it’s this Saturday, and he’s going to offer this presentation, talking about Who Jesus Christ is - what that means to us, and how we should respond to Him. It’s from 4pm - 8pm in University Hall - the top floor.  Just consider coming.

           These are just a few out of the thousands of ways this day can be the beginning of a special Lent. Without the help of a time machine, fast-forward and imagine where you can be on Easter Sunday - what shifts and changes you can start to make today that will draw us  closer to the Lord, and to one another, as the Body of Christ. And, who wouldn't want that?

A LESSON FROM WHITNEY HOUSTON'S DEATH

Hi everyone, here’s my homily for the SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - February 19, 2012.  The readings for today’s Mass can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/021912.cfm   As always, thanks for taking the time to read and sharing your comments and feedback.  God Bless you and have a great Lent!  Fr. Jim

++++ For those on campus, Just a reminder that our Ash Wednesday Schedule is Masses: 12:15, 3:00, 5:00 & 8:00 PM - Confessions heard: 11:30-12 N; 2:00-2:45; 4:00-4:45 & 6:30-7:45 PM - All in the Student Center Ballroom A (on the main level of the Student Center) Join us! +++++++++++++

HOMILY:

    Of all of your good friends, how many of them are really good friends?

    As much as I consider myself somewhat in touch with the culture – what’s hot/what’s not – one thing I’ve never been able to wrap my mind around is obsession around celebrities.  That we have news programs dedicated simply to telling us that Natalie Portman was spotted eating a McDonalds cheeseburger in Los Angeles or that Channing Tatum took a break from shooting his latest movie to play basketball – it just seems to be the ultimate in “wastes of time.”  Yet the fact that there’s multiple psuedo-news programs, magazines, websites dedicated to just those things I suppose shows that there’s obviously a major demand for this so-called “news” and that perhaps I’m not as in touch with the culture as I think (which might not be a bad thing).

    For the most part I don’t give celebrity-news media much thought.  But whenever there’s a celebrity death, particularly when it’s a relatively young person (which sadly seems to happen with regularity) theres this bizarre  intersection between “celebrity news” and “real news” that you can’t help but hear all about it.  So in the past week, whether you were into celebrities or not; whether you were in my generation who remember Whitney Houston as a major superstar or to the younger generation who ask “Whitney who?” - you could not escape wall-to-wall coverage over the death of the 48 year old singer.  Front page stories on a daily basis talked about the New Jersey native with roots not 10 miles from where we are sitting tonight.  The funeral, as much as the family tried to keep it as a private moment for them to grieve spun out of control.  Speculation about whether her former husband would attend; who would be invited, who would sing, how close could “fans” get to the Church all made this sad story even sadder as, once again, the world seemed to forget that this was a person, this was a woman with a Mother, a daughter, family who loved her and were not looking to make this an event like a Movie premiere or a record dropping party.

    In the midst of the wall-to-wall coverage though, something stood out that for the most part has remained unspoken or perhaps I missed it in the avalanche of stories.  But it’s something that has really bothered me all week.  And that is that this woman died a few feet from a room full of people that Ms. Houston probably considered “friends” and it seemed like no one even knew.    And that even in her last days other “friends” spent time with her, partied with her and even after her death some of them continued to “cover” for her saying “she was fine.” 

    I’m not to place the blame on them.  There’s an autopsy that’s been done, that sadly we’ll all get to hear about and consume on TMZ or Entertainment Tonight which will tell us if it was a drug overdose or something along those lines.  And yes she was a 48 year old woman who had her own free-will and made her own decisions.  But the thing of it is - as she gave into her demons and temptations once again; as she had visible signs of not being “fine;” as she collapses in her bathroom behind one of those thin, hotel room bathroom doors - a difficult question kept coming to mind -  were any of her “good friends” a good friend to her?  And as commentators this past week were looking at the many “teachable moments” to gleam from this tragedy, one good question for each of us to ask ourselves is of all of our good friends, how many of them are really good friends?  How many of them are life-giving, loving people - helping us to become our best selves?  Encouraging us, challenging us in that special - non threatening, non judgmental way that only a friend can?

    Because in today’s Gospel we have the epitome of what good friends are.  Thanks to the leper who was healed in last weeks Gospel, and then ignored Jesus’ order not to tell anyone what he did for him – he told EVERYONE so - Jesus’ fame is at a fever pitch.   The crush of crowds trying to get at Jesus, who’s been publicized as this miracle worker who completely eradicated one of the deadliest and most feared diseases of that day and age with a simple touch has gotten beyond crazy.  So much so that people couldn’t get near the house where Jesus was speaking today. 

    These four friends though, they have a friend who’s in a bad way, a really bad way – He’s paralyzed.  But think about it, they’re not looking to find Jesus because of any of their own personal, pressing needs.  They’re moved completely out of love out of concern for their friend.  In their hearts they’re worried about him.  They care about him.  They CARRY him...

    They’ve heard about Jesus, or perhaps have seen him in action.  And so they’re single minded in their focus about what they need to do.  They need to get their friend to Jesus.  And they will do anything –  anything to make that happen.  Seeing the crowds, fearing they might not be able to get him to Jesus, they improvise, and rip open the roof of the house where Jesus was staying, and the lower the guy in. 

    Of all the good friends this guy has, and they were really good friends, the paralytic, nor his four roof rippers didn’t realize the great friend they were about to meet.  Jesus - like we saw last week -moves beyond the mere cure of the specific ailment, the illness that troubled the poor guy.  Jesus sees past that handicap and shows a care, a concern for his innermost being.  In focusing on the thing that can doom him for all eternity – sin – and relieving his soul from that by offering His forgiveness, Jesus demonstrates a deep love that probably none of the people who had gathered in that place had anticipated.  And in that experience, the paralysis of people’s hearts and minds in their understanding of who God is was cured just as the physical paralysis of this one man.  They began to appreciate the awesomeness of a God who cares even more good than the “good-est” of our most “good” friends for each and every one of us (I know how horribly atrocious that sentence was, somewhere my English teachers are wailing)    We have a God who so desperately loves us, He continues to send His Son Jesus Christ to us in the Word, the Body and Blood in the Eucharist, in our witness and care for one another...to proclaim that intimacy he desires to have with us.

    Which brings us back to our friendships  – Our relationships... Have we really taken a stock of where these relationships are - where they are going?  Perhaps we’re fortunate enough that there’s not a life-threatening or destructive behavior going on around us, like with Whitney Houston, but if they were (or are happening) do we care enough to speak up, to do something about it?    Even more, do we love one another enough to even point out the things – the sins – that we observe that we know are destructive to each others souls?  We’re quick to invite people to join us to a movie, to a game or something; would we ever think to invite a friend to come with us to Mass or to be a part of this community?   Or are we too timid to share that, afraid “what will they think if I say something?”   The four men in the gospel cared and loved their friend so much, they wouldn’t stop until they found a way to bring them to Jesus Christ, the ultimate of good friends... even going so far as ripping off the roof of the place to get him to Jesus.  Fortunately we don’t need to do the same (so don’t go near the roof of the Newman center please).  We just have to get over ourselves and go out of ourselves, and be bold in sharing this precious gift we have here with the world around us.

    So, of all the good friends you have, how many of them are good friends? How good a friend are you and I being? Are we helping to lead one another to Jesus Christ?

TRUSTING JESUS, WITH OR WITHOUT A CURE

Hi everyone, here’s my homily for the SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - February 12, 2012.  The readings for today can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/021212.cfm .  As always, thanks for reading and your feedback.  God Bless!   Fr. Jim

HOMILY:

    How comfortable are we in putting our lives in God’s hands?  To laying down our lives, our hopes, our dreams, our wishes to Him?  That’s one of the hardest things that we as Christians struggle with and is essential to this Gospel passage we just heard.  Because the poor man struck with leprosy is able to recognize who Jesus is and surrender to Jesus’ will - whether he performed this miraculous cure or not.   But we’ll come back to that. 

    Until I saw the film The Human Experience (quick plug, once again – brilliant film by the way) I didn’t know that there are still people who suffer from this gruesome illness of leprosy. In biblical times, lepers would have had to have lived in isolation - often times in filth and poverty as the disease is extremely contagious.  Aside from the health concerns, the poor people who suffer from this aren’t just in wretched pain.   The bacteria produces paralysis, deformities throughout the body as fingers, skin, waste away - so there’s pain from the illness, coupled with embarrassment at how they look.    Most of the victims find that the people who mean the most to them, their family and friends could not be near them (and in some cases, don’t want to) because of how contagious the disease was.    In many ways, leprosy was one of the worst of worst case scenarios.  Even more, this guy in the gospel most likely would have to wear a bell around his neck to announce to people that a leper was approaching so they would avoid him – can you imagine how humiliating that must’ve felt. 

    Despite all of those realities that the leper experienced though, the leper must have heard Jesus or perhaps saw Jesus from a distance, and something within him is changed.  He senses, perceives,  recognizes something very different in Jesus than he has from any other person – including his closest family members and best friends.  So much so that he abandons whatever embarrassment he felt over of his physical appearance, he ignores the rules that society had imposed on him forcing him into isolation to protect those who were clean and disease free and look at what he does: He throws himself on his knees in front of Jesus and makes a prayer from deep within his soul - with faith, with trust, with confidence and humility...  He says to Jesus:   “IF YOU WISH, YOU CAN MAKE ME CLEAN.”  Not - can you do this for me? – Not I’ve heard about you, you’re the miracle guy, right, can you help a leper out?   In his heart and soul he recognizes that in Jesus all things are possible.  That Jesus desires our wholeness, our healing, our connectedness.  He recognizes that Jesus can heal him, can clean him, restore him...

    But that recognition precedes the miracle.  Which is somewhat miraculous itself.  And had Jesus not performed that miraculous cure, the leper’s recognition of who Jesus was wouldn’t have changed.  In going to Jesus with that prayer, he was putting himself, putting his life in God’s hands - realizing that were the leprosy to remain, that didn’t mean that Jesus didn’t care for him, didn’t know what was burdening him.  No it would have meant that God was working in his life in some other way that might not have been as immediately obvious as this instant cure that takes place. 

    I think that’s the biggest difficulty we face in our prayer lives.  We often come with a list of requests, wishes, concerns - which is a great thing for us to do in our prayer.  But more than likely, we also have our answers to them.  Jesus I’ve been out of work for so long, I know you can do all things – so when I have my interview this week - well, you know what to do... thanks.  Jesus, my parents and I are fighting all the time - I KNOW YOU WANT ME TO DO THIS, so if you could convince them I’d appreciate it...  Jesus, I know I didn’t study all semester or do any work, and now I’m failing, so if you love me, you’ll hear my prayer and send that Holy Spirit in my brain to magically make the answers appear and I’ll ace all my exams – (that one was from personal experience, a prayer not answered)

    We know that we are to go to Jesus. We know that Jesus loves us.  But we can fall into the trap of believing that if he loves us, he will answer prayers in the way we want them to be, when we want them to be answered.  And If that’s the case, then Jesus isn’t our Savior, he’s our “genie in the lamp” doling out wishes to our demands.    Which is why I think Jesus orders the leper not to tell anyone about what he’s done for him...  The leper recognized Jesus for who he was not what he could do for him.  It’s not that Jesus doesn’t care about people suffering from leprosy or that he doesn’t care about any of the things that we’re struggling with and bring to him.   And in His own way, through each of us, God still does amazing things.  But what’s at the forefront, what weighs on God’s heart and mind, that he is concerned about is the illness that all humanity is suffering from - sin.  And that sin can lead to death.  He wants us to desire to be set free of that first and foremost and he readily, happily - no lovingly, offers to cure each and every one of us from that illness right now.  So he didn’t want people to get hung up and absorbed on an illness being cured, multiplications of loaves and fishes, walking on water or any other spectacular miracle.

    Jesus is more interested in our eternal salvation... wanting us to draw closer to Him as “the way, the truth, the life” that leads to that destination.  His love for us isn’t revealed in whether we get what we want when we want it.  It was made real on the cross as he lays out his arms and offers his very life for me and you. 

    To the real illness, the leprosy of our souls – sin, Jesus comes to offer himself as the antidote as the cure.  And that is made present in the most precious miracle we experience at every Mass, that  in the Eucharist as bread and wine become his very body and blood promising that as we eat and drink it, we have Eternal life within us.   In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, in going to confession, where we acknowledge our sins, we find ourselves going to our knees, placing our lives in God’s hands and recognizing where we have not followed His will, His plan, His desires for us...

    To you and I tonight He says – I do will it, be made clean – will we embrace the lepers faith and be willing to accept the gift?

THE POWER OF A MIRACLE

Hi everyone, here’s my homily for FEBRUARY 5, 2012 - FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME.  The readings for today’s Mass can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/020512.cfm.  As always - thanks for reading and your comments and feedback are always appreciated, Fr. Jim


HOMILY:

    Two weeks ago in the midst of an Inbox of 55 unread messages, there’s one email that I’ve read, and re-read several times:   

    Hey Fr. Jim -
    So on Friday I was having lunch with a friend and I was feeling miserable and she told me I should let you and the Newman Center know. [I usually worry when an email starts like that] A few years ago when I was still a student I participated in a drive that the Newman Center was doing to have individuals sign up to be on the [Bone] Marrow Registry. I had completely forgotten about it until a representative from the NY Blood Center called me in late October letting me know that I was a potential match for one of their patients and wanted to know if I was still willing to donate. I said sure and started the process (which by the way is pretty long between further testing to make sure you're a perfect match and then health testing to make sure you're healthy enough to donate).  Friday morning I started the last step, which is getting injections each day for the 5 days before donating to build up white blood cells in your body, which the side effects make you feel pretty miserable (which is where my statement above comes from- I'm not actually miserable!), and I will officially be donating tomorrow.  And in talking we wondered how many people who do match let you all know that your drive did lead to a match if any at all. So I wanted to formally let you (and Newman!) know that at least one match was made and I am fully going on to donate tomorrow, and hopefully in a year as long as all was successful I get to meet the recipient. It has been a wonderful experience for me - everyone involved in the process has been extremely kind and I'm really grateful for the opportunity. I wanted to really say thank you for providing this opportunity to me and so many others.
    While reading this, that something we’ve done has been instrumental in helping others is significant, awesome in and of itself – there was a whole other part of the story that this young lady didn’t even realize that made me just marvel at how God continues to work miracles through all of us.   About 5 years ago, my god-daughter, Lizzie, at the age of 9 months old had been diagnosed with Leukemia.  And after suffering the devastating effects of chemotherapy which were unsuccessful in controlling the cancer, the doctors said Lizzie’s best shot was to have a bone-marrow transplant. 

    When someone you love is sick, you will do anything, anything to help them... so of course we were all tested, hoping we could be a match.  But, adding more devastating news to already devastating news - none of us were.  The doctors began a world-wide search to see if a potential donor could be found.  And thank God, (which I do every day) they were able to find a woman, (I believe she’s from Eastern Europe) who was a match, underwent the procedure and was key in saving my niece’s life.

    Some people when they hear stories like that, there’s a part of them that is extremely skeptical.  They might dismiss it being a miracle thinking “It was just good luck...”   It’s hard for some people to see the miraculous, to appreciate the healing especially when we see others still suffering... or even wondering “well the miracle wouldn’t have been necessary if people didn’t get sick in the first place.”  

    The reality is that we’re still in this spiritual battle of good versus evil.  There are still awful things that unravel us, cause us to wonder where is God in all of this.   There’s no question that Jesus has already won this war against evil- dealing a definitive blow to the devil with his resurrection from the dead... but for you and I, who are still enduring these ongoing battles, we need to make our choice whether we are truly going to follow Jesus Christ or not.  Whether we see him as our Hope – in this life and for all eternity.

    Which is why these healing stories are so important and so powerful to us.     In today’s Gospel, we hear more miraculous healings including one about St. Peter’s Mother in law (yes the first pope was married!) who was suffering with this fever.  You gotta realize that back then a fever was a big deal - it wasn’t pop two Advil or get an antibiotic and you’ll be fine in a few hours.  This could be extremely deadly.  More than likely she had heard about Jesus from Peter.  But in her hour of need, Jesus grabs her by the hand and instantly recovers... not just the fever goes away but she is rejuvenated, transformed.  2,000 years later, we still remember this miraculous story thanks to scripture.  But think about it, the fact remains the woman eventually died.  Eventually there was a fever or some other illness that must’ve come along and there wasn’t a miracle experienced.   But aside from this day where a cure was experienced, what made this day so memorable was from that day on, she knew who to trust, she knew who to follow, she no longer feared death.  She knew deep in her heart from her own experience that we have a Heavenly Father who looks at us as His Children.   And that he has sent his Son Jesus Christ to destroy evil.    The miracle only meant to proclaim the good news that in Jesus Christ, the world has been made new.

    When I got that email about the bone marrow donor, I was just overwhelmed to see how one of the most terrifying things my family has faced  – my niece’s battle with Leukemia – 5 years later could bring about so many unexpected blessings.  That what to me was a miracle that she experienced has multiplied countless times over... that this experience could have affected me so deeply, that when students at the Newman Center at MSU learned about it - it would touch their hearts and motivate them to work so hard to make this bone marrow drive a reality on this campus for three years in a row, and then would bring together two complete strangers into another life-changing, hope-filled experience where another potential miracle is unfolding .  That’s not just luck.  That’s not just a coincidence.   Not by a long shot.  It’s just another beautifully creative wonder of our ever-surprising, glorious God - who invites us to be a part of His story.  To seek Him in the midst of our illnesses and moments of horror, and trust that whether there’s a miraculous healing like a fever leaving with a touch – or through the selflessness displayed through the generosity of loving people, God continues to move with and in and through each of us.

    Today, this Gospel reminds us to be attentive to the blessings, the miracles that we experience, that we bring to others.  Knowing that when we do, our faith in the one who comes to save us is renewed and proclaimed anew in our day and age.