Homily for the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B - 11/10/2024)

Good afternoon. The two widows from today’s readings teach us an important lesson about the theological virtue of love, or charity, which is to “love God above all things. . . and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God” (CCC 1822). The Catechism states that “[charity] upholds and purifies our human ability to love, and raises it to the supernatural perfection of divine love” (1827). We see this in the stories of the two widows. Like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who “died out of love for us” (1825), the two widows gave everything they had out of faith and trust in God the Father in heaven, that He would take care of them and their needs. In other words, their “human ability to love” is raised to “supernatural perfection of divine love.” Moreover, in the stories of the two widows, we realize that the “fruits of charity [are]. . . joy, peace, and mercy. . .” (CCC 1829).

As we heard from the Second Book of Kings, the widow from Zarephath believed the prophet Elijah when he said to her, “Do not be afraid. . . For the LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry. . .’” Can you fathom being in her predicament? There is a drought in the land and she is barely scraping by to feed herself and her son. Just listen to what she had to say to Elijah, “I was collecting a few sticks, to go in and prepare something for myself and my son; when we have eaten it, we shall die.” That was how dire her situation was and, yet, she responded to Elijah’s request for a “little cake” with charity. Scripture tells us that “[she] left and did as Elijah had said.” The Lord God rewarded her faithfulness and capacity for love and, in His mercy, He took care of the widow and her son for “[she] was able to eat for a year, and he and her son as well; the jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry as the LORD had foretold through Elijah.” Truly, the “fruits of charity [are]. . . joy, peace, and mercy. . .” (CCC 1829).

Moreover, in today’s Gospel, the widow who “came and put in two small coins worth a few cents” into the treasury believed what Jesus had to say about dependence on God. Recall that in his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructed, saying: “I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat [or drink], or about your body, what you will wear. . . Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. . .” Jesus continued, saying: “If God so clothes the grass of the field. . . will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?. . . Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. . .” Christ wants us to “seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness. . . Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil” (Mt 6:25-34). For this reason, Jesus had this to say to his disciples about the poor widow: “she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood."

The poor widow had faith in God and trusted that He would take care of her and her needs in the same way that He took care of the widow and her son in Zarephath in the time of Elijah. Once again, truly, the “fruits of charity [are]. . . joy, peace, and mercy. . .” (CCC 1829). Their faith in God and the trust they had in His divine providence freed them to give generously of themselves for love of God and their neighbor. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI once said that "no one is so poor that he cannot give something." This, my sisters and brothers in Christ, is the important lesson that we learn from the stories of the two widows. They were poor but they were not so poor that they could not give something - one to the prophet Elijah and the other to the treasury. You see, “each one [of us] has received a gift” from God and He calls us to “use it to serve one another as good stewards of [His] varied grace” (1 Pt 4:10). The widow in Zarephath made Elijah a “little cake” from whatever little flour and oil she had left. The other widow gave “all she had, her whole livelihood” while others contributed from “their surplus wealth.”

We are all stewards of God’s gifts of time, talent, and treasure, which He gives to us abundantly. With the gift of time, we “count our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart” (Ps 90:11) because we recognize “that there is nothing better than to rejoice and to do well during life” (Ecc 3:12). There is no greater good than to set aside time for love of God and our neighbor out of love of God through the corporal works of mercy. With regards to the gift of talents, God gives to each of us according to our abilities (Mt 25:15). He calls us to use our talents to serve Him by serving others in His Church. When we do, God will bless us even more abundantly (Mt 25:29) because God explores “the mind and test the heart, Giving to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their deeds” (Jer 17:10). Lastly, with regards to the gift of treasures, Jesus warns us “not [to] store up for yourselves treasures on earth. . . But store up treasures in heaven. . . For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be” (Mt 6:19-21). That is precisely what the theological virtue of love, or charity, is and, more importantly for us, where the treasure of our hearts should be: to “love God above all things. . . and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God” (CCC 1822).

We cannot outgive God when it comes to His gifts to us of time, talent, and treasure; however, we can use those same God-given gifts of our time, talent, and treasure to give our all, not our surplus, back to God. As we enter into this blessed season with Thanksgiving in a couple weeks and Christmas next month, we have opportunities to give generously of our time, talents, and treasure and become sharers in our parish’s mission to serve those most in need in our community. Here at Saint Albert the Great, we have the opportunity to give to our neighbors through the Giving Tree or sign up to serve our neighbors at the food pantry or volunteer to serve our neighbors at our annual Feast of Grace. Like the widows, we can all give something. When we do, we experience the “fruits of charity. . . joy, peace, and mercy. . .” (CCC 1829) in our lives. 

. . .

Gospel (Mk 12:38-44)

In the course of his teaching Jesus said to the crowds,

"Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes

and accept greetings in the marketplaces,

seats of honor in synagogues, 

and places of honor at banquets.

They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext

recite lengthy prayers. 

They will receive a very severe condemnation."

He sat down opposite the treasury

and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. 

Many rich people put in large sums.

A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. 

Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them,

"Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more

than all the other contributors to the treasury. 

For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth,

but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had,

her whole livelihood."

Homily for the Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B - 11/3/2024)

Good afternoon. St. John of Avila said that what “pushes our hearts to love of God is considering deeply the love that He had for us. . . he who loves, gives himself with everything he has, until he has nothing left to give.” Jesus gave everything he had for us when he was crucified and died on the Cross as expiation for our sins (1 Jn 2:2). When we gaze upon the Cross, we are reminded that “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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (Jn 3:16-17).

In his encyclical, titled “He Loved Us,” Pope Francis wrote that “[once] our hearts welcome the love of Christ in complete trust. . . we become capable of loving others as Christ did, in humility and closeness to all” (203). Moreover, Pope Benedict XVI said that “the person of Jesus and his whole Mystery embody the unity of love of God and neighbor, like the two arms of the Cross. . . In the Eucharist he gives us this two-fold love, giving himself, because, nourished by this Bread, we love one another as he has loved us” (Angelus, 11/4/2012). And so, sisters and brothers in Christ, our response to the love that God has for us is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. . .” (Dt 6:5) and to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mk 12:30-31).

The challenge for us is, can we truly love the God we cannot see, if we cannot love the neighbor we can see? The neighbor can be someone we have never met in person because our only interactions with them is through one of the social platforms. It could be a homeless person that we encounter that makes us uncomfortable. The neighbor could be a co-worker or a fellow parishioner that we have a difficult time working with together. It could even be one of our family members with whom our relationship is strained. The neighbor could also be parents who have strained relationships with their adult children who have fallen away from the Church.

Saint John the Evangelist wrote with much insistence that if “anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:20-21). When Saint John wrote this, I believe he was recalling that time, after the Resurrection, when our Lord Jesus Christ had a heart-to-heart conversation with Peter on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. After Peter had denied Jesus three times before his Passion and death, Jesus asked Peter three times, “. . .do you love me?” Peter answered Jesus each time, saying: “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” For each of Peter’s confessions of love, Jesus showed him how to truly love him by loving his neighbor, instructing Peter to “Feed my lambs,” “Tend my sheep,” and “Feed my sheep.” And so we ask ourselves, can we love the neighbor we can see so that we can love the God that we cannot see and be able to respond as Peter did, saying, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you”?

The Good News is, we can! By living a sacramental life and tapping into the graces of the Sacraments that we have received, especially the Eucharist. When we tap into the graces of the Sacraments, through prayers and fasting, we learn from God how to focus our “sacramental vision” so that we can “look at each other not only with our eyes, but with the eyes of God, which is the gaze of Jesus Christ. A gaze that begins in the heart. . . that goes beyond appearances and manages to capture the deepest aspirations of the other: waiting to be heard, for caring attention, in a word: LOVE” (Angelus, 11/4/2012). Therefore, my sisters and brothers in Christ, “our best response to the love of Christ’s heart is to love our brothers and sisters. There is no greater way for us to return love for love. . . [because] Love for the brothers and sisters of our communities. . . is a kind of fuel that feeds our friendship with Jesus. . . [and] may well be the best. . . way that we can witness to others our love for Jesus Christ” (Francis, 167, 212).

God loves us, Jesus saves us, and the Holy Spirit strengthens us so that we can respond to God’s love in how we love our neighbor. Over the past several weeks, we have been doing a Message Series on Generosity and were given opportunities to love the God that we cannot see by loving the neighbor that we can see. For example, last weekend, we had the opportunity to be sharers with Bishop Vasquez in the mission of the Diocese of Austin through the Catholic Services Appeal (or CSA). Now, if we ever needed a reason to give generously to the CSA, then here it is. . . Fr. Michael O’Connor, who we love and are inspired by his faith as he carries his cross courageously in times of health problems. The CSA supports priestly vocations and seminarians, two things that are near and dear to Fr. Michael’s heart, along with the John Paul II Residence for Priest, where he was able to live for a while after he was diagnosed.

This weekend, you have the opportunity to reach out to fellow parishioners, sisters and brothers in Christ within our parish community who are in need of our help. After Mass, please stop by the pastoral care table to find out how you can use your God-given talent to help someone in need. My wife and I have been helping with Communion Services at a senior living community in North Austin for over ten years now. It continues to be one of the most rewarding ministries for us to be able to minister to the residents there and bring our Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist to them. Also, at the pastoral care table, you have the opportunity to sign up to do a holy hour in Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament to pray for Fr. Michael. This prayer vigil for Fr. Michael will be next weekend - Nov. 8-10. My wife and I have already signed up for the prayer vigil. I invite you all to prayerfully discern joining us. Together, let us lift up Fr. Michael in prayers, as well as help those in need of pastoral care in our parish family.

. . .

Gospel (Mk 12:28b-34)

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,

"Which is the first of all the commandments?" 

Jesus replied, "The first is this:

Hear, O Israel!

The Lord our God is Lord alone!

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,

with all your soul, 

with all your mind,

and with all your strength.

The second is this:

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

There is no other commandment greater than these." 

The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher.

You are right in saying,

'He is One and there is no other than he.'

And 'to love him with all your heart,

with all your understanding,

with all your strength,

and to love your neighbor as yourself'

is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,

he said to him,

"You are not far from the kingdom of God." 

And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Knights of Columbus Austin Chapter - A Report of the Spiritual Director (10/28/2024)

Worthy State Deputy, Worthy Past State Deputy, Worthy Chapter President, and Brother Knights,

I bring you greetings from our State Chaplain, Bishop Mulvey. He was the keynote speaker at our  Deacon Convocation on October 5th. It was good to see him and catch up with him. Please keep Bishop Mulvey in your prayers as he continues to recover from knee surgery.

I also bring you greetings from our Associate State Chaplin Fr. Chen. As you may know, his father, Mr. Kun-Ming Chen, went home to our Lord and was laid to rest on October 26th. Please continue to pray for the repose of his soul and for consolation for Fr. Chen and his family. Here is the link to Mr. Chen's obituary: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/port-lavaca-tx/kun-ming-chen-12025541.

I want to share with you all a little bit about living a Sacramental Life, which was the topic of the last Cor meeting and the title of one of the “Into the Breach” videos. Grace is a gift from God that allows us to take part in His divine life through His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus, in the Holy Spirit. Sacramental grace prepares us for spiritual warfare, especially the Sacrament of the Eucharist. When we go to Mass, it is like stepping out of the battlefield and into the castle of the King. There, we are strengthened and encouraged by the word of God. We are nourished by Lord Jesus Christ with spiritual food. And then, we return to the battlefield refreshed, equipped, and strengthened by grace. Therefore, GO TO MASS and bring your family with you.

As Catholic gentlemen, fathers, Knights, and leaders of our families, the "domestic churches," we should lead our families to the Sacraments. When we were baptized, God freed us of original sin. We become His adopted sons and daughters, We become the many parts of the One Body of Christ, the Church. And, not only does Jesus calls us, but he commissions us to carry out the mission of the Church, to go forth and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:16-20). It starts with our families, the "domestic churches," because (as Saint John Paul II prophetically said) as the family goes, so goes society, so goes the world.

Therefore, as Catholic gentlemen, fathers, Knights, and leaders of our families, we must carry out the responsibilities of the three offices of our Lord Jesus Christ: Priest, Prophet, and King. As Priests, we are called to sacrifice for our family and lead them in prayer and to the sacraments. This is can challenging for us as men but, with God, nothing is impossible and so we tap into the graces of the Sacraments that we have received. As Prophets, we are called to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with our families and teach them Gospel truths and the teachings of the Catholic Church that we hold to be true. If we do not, then the world will lead our children astray and away from God and the Church. 

Finally, as Kings, we are called to virtuously leading the family in words and actions. Our State Deputy shared that he and his wife have an important role in the lives of their grandchildren. Let us learn from their example and have active roles in the lives of our children and grandchildren. A grandfather came up to me after Mass on Sunday and shared that he had been away from the Church for many years. It was his grandchildren that brought him back to the faith and not he wants to participate in the life of the parish as much as he can. This is why recruitment is so important for our Order. It is to welcome men to the Order, help them be part of a community of faithful believers, and walk with them as they grow in their faith and take part in the life of the parish.

We have a wonderful opportunity to bring our families to Mass this Friday for All Saints Day (Nov. 1st - a holy day of obligation). Then, All Souls Day (Nov. 2nd) is a wonderful opportunity for families to come together and pray for the souls of the faithful departed in our families. Beautiful traditions of the Church that helps us to grow in our faith and reminds us that we are not alone, we have our family here on earth, but we also have the Communion of Saints in heaven.

Vivat Jesus!

Here is a link to my previous report from the Chapter meeting in August:

• Knights of Columbus Austin Chapter - A Report of the Spiritual Director (8/26/2024) https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2024/08/knights-of-columbus-austin-chapter.html 

Deacon Phúc’s challenges for all Knights for the month of November

• PERSONAL & FAMILY: Home altar for deceased loved ones and pray for them through the month of November.

• COUNCIL: Sons in the Son: Restoring our sonship through consecration to Our Lady of Guadalupe https://www.kofc.org/un/en/who-we-are/our-faith/sons-in-the-son.html. Sign up for this 40-Day of Reflection from Nov. 2nd to Dec. 12 and do this consecration with your families.

Finally, you are invited to attend the upcoming ACTS Retreat for men, sponsored by St. Louis King of France. here is the link for more information: https://st-louis.org/acts.

Also, here is a resource for women, published by the State of Texas, and is available on the Texas HHS web-site: https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/women-children/a-womans-right-know. The book is called, "A Woman's Right to Know."

Faith, the Path that Leads to Jesus Christ

This past weekend, I joined 33 deacons from across the Diocese of Austin for our annual deacons retreat at Cedarbrake Renewal Center in Belton, TX. I was hoping to take the entire day off but, unfortunately, I could not because of a deadline at work. However, I was still able to make it to the retreat in time for Evening Prayer. After Evening Prayer, we had our first session with our retreat director, Deacon Bob Rice, PhD. Then, we all walked to the Adoration Chapel for Holy Hour.

It was already dark outside as we walked to the Adoration Chapel. I realized that I had left my flashlight was in my room; however, I was not too worried because I walked that path to the Adoration Chapel many times before. As you can see from the picture below, the path to the Adoration Chapel is below me and, at with, it can be very dark, especially when the lampposts are not lit. Well, the lampposts were not lit but I was still able to make out the path from the moonlight and from the lights that emanated from the Adoration Chapel. And so, I followed the path to our Lord Jesus Christ who awaited us in the Blessed Sacrament.

I reflected on this during Holy Hour and the Holy Spirit placed this on my heart. As we go through life, our path can be dimmed (and even darkened) by sin and life experiences that pulls us away from the love and mercy of God. We can feel that we are undeserving of God's forgiveness. During times when things seemingly appear to be darkest, that is when it is so important for us we lean on our faith in God, even if our faith is the size of a mustard seed. We we do, the Holy Spirit will see us through the darkness into the light of our Lord Jesus Christ and God's loving presence.

Jesus said, "if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you”  (Matthew 7:20). Faith gives us hope because, by faith, we know that we are adopted sons and daughters of the Father through our Baptism and God loves us as the apple of His eyes. If He did not, then why would He have adopted us as His sons and daughters through His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit? And so, in times of difficulties and challenges, keep the faith and it will lead to Jesus because "God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5).

Deacon Sunday - Homily for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B - 10/13/2024)

Good morning. When Peter said to Jesus: "We have given up everything and followed you," he is sharing with us the reality of a life spent following Jesus. When we say “yes” to Jesus, we say “no” to a multitude of other things. For example, we said “yes” to Jesus and came to Mass this morning, because we said “no” to hitting the “sloth button” on our alarm clock and sleeping in a few more hours. The Good News is, God cannot be outdone in generosity. We get so much more in return because, at Mass, we encounter Jesus. We receive the word of God that “is living and effective. . . penetrating even between soul and spirit. . .” and reveals to us the true desires of our hearts - to love God because He loves us first. Then, Christ nourishes us with his Body broken for us and his Blood shed on the Cross for our salvation.

Jesus is “the living bread that came down from heaven. . . and the bread that [he gives] is [his] flesh for the life of the world” (John 6:51). Jesus asks of us one thing, that we love him above all else. “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him” (14:23). This is the love that Jesus asked of the man when he said to him: “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” However, the man did not get it because, upon hearing this, his face fell and “he went away sad, for he had many possessions.” How many of us, or those we know, opted not to follow Jesus because we grip so tightly our “many possessions” rather than cling on to the thread of Jesus’ garment? For me, the Diaconate has helped me realize that the “treasure” I seek for most in life cannot be found in “the many possessions” that the world has to offer but in the “treasure[s] in heaven” that Christ has to offer. If I am “rich” in the things of heaven, then it might be easier for me to enter the kingdom of God than “for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.”

As I reflected on the dialogues between Peter and Jesus and Jesus and the man, I asked myself: what did I give up to come and follow Jesus as a deacon? The answer is time. I cannot tell you how sad I was at all the times I had to miss gatherings and events with families and friends because I had Diaconal Formation classes on Saturdays. However, as Pope Francis once said: “[our] life is made of time and time is God’s gift, and it is therefore important to make use of it by performing good and fruitful actions. . . Among the many things to do in our daily routine, one of the priorities should be reminding ourselves of our Creator who allows us to live, who loves us, who accompanies us on our journey” (Meeting with German altar servers, Aug. 5, 2014). God did more than just accompany me on my journey in Diaconal Formation; He took what little talent that I had to offer Him and multiplied it like he did with the “loaves and fish.”

Now, as a deacon, time is still what I continue to give up daily to come and follow Jesus. However, God cannot be outdone in generosity. Saint Paul wrote that “God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). God continues to bless my diakonia abundantly. To the world, I am one person; however, when I give generously of my time, talent, and treasure, out of love for God and self-giving love of neighbor, I can be the world to one person, in particular, here at Saint Albert the Great.

I share about the blessings of my diakonia because today is the Second Sunday of October and, in the Diocese of Austin, it is recognized as Deacon Sunday for the purpose of fostering diaconate vocations. To all the men thinking, praying, discerning about becoming a deacon, listen to Pope Saint John Paul II, who echoed these words of Jesus: “Do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid to ask Jesus the question that the man asked in today’s Gospel: “what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Do not be afraid to believe and trust that Jesus loves you. Do not be afraid to come and follow him and imitate his self-giving love. Do not be afraid to give to God generously without counting the cost. When you do, you will realize that God cannot be outdone in generosity. He returns blessings upon you 100-, 1,000-fold.

To all the wives, I ask you all to encourage your husbands to discern and have the courage to answer God’s call to them to “come and follow” Him. Your husband is the provider and protector of your family, there is no doubt about that. He will not pursue anything else if he believes that it might take him away from his primary vocation as a husband and his primary mission - his wife and children. However, when you reassure your husband and encourage him, but most of all, when you pray that he discerns God’s will for him and your family, your generosity will be rewarded with an outpouring of grace and blessings that is beyond measure. Pray about it together. Perhaps, sign up to take home the Vocations Traveling Chalice to pray for your discernment and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and religious life.

God cannot be outdone in generosity, but we can seek to model His self-giving love. Here at Saint Albert the Great, we work together as we seek to worship God, serve others generously, and form disciples. We need you, the many parts of the One Body of Christ, to fulfill your Baptismal promises with intentionality and in a concrete way to help us carry out the mission of our parish, the mission of the Church that Jesus entrusted to us. If we give generously in gratitude for our God-given gift of time, talent, and treasure, then it just might be easier for us to enter the kingdom of God than “for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.”

Here is the link for the Vocations Traveling Chalice: 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4EABAA23A7FBC16-48039243-vocations?useFullSite=true#/

You can read my full vocation story here: https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2024/01/my-vocation-story-part-1-st-brendan.html #diakonia

. . .

Gospel (Mk 10:17-27)

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,

knelt down before him, and asked him,

"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 

Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? 

No one is good but God alone.

You know the commandments: You shall not kill;

you shall not commit adultery;

you shall not steal;

you shall not bear false witness;

you shall not defraud;

honor your father and your mother."

He replied and said to him,

"Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth."

Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,

"You are lacking in one thing. 

Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor

and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."

At that statement his face fell,

and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,

"How hard it is for those who have wealth

to enter the kingdom of God!"

The disciples were amazed at his words. 

So Jesus again said to them in reply,

"Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 

It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle

than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." 

They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,

"Then who can be saved?"

Jesus looked at them and said,

"For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. 

All things are possible for God."

Homily for the Thursday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time (Year B - 10/10/2024)

Good morning. In yesterday’s Gospel, Jesus taught us the Lord’s Prayer. In today’s Gospel, not only does Christ encourage us to persevere in prayer, he also promises that our prayers will be answered: “. . .ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. . .” This should bring us great comfort knowing that God hears our prayers because He loves us. From our joyful ramblings to our cries for help, God hears us and answers us.

I mentioned in my homily yesterday that Pope Francis said that prayer is “first of all dialogue, a relationship with God.” However, we can find it challenging to pray sometimes. In a general audience a few years ago, the Holy Father acknowledged that “praying is not easy; many difficulties present themselves in prayer.” Pope Francis went on to identify the difficulties in prayer as distractions, time of barrenness, and the sin of sloth.

The first obstacle to praying is distraction (CCC 2729). Pope Francis said “that the human mind finds it hard to dwell for long on a single thought. We all experience this constant whirlwind of images and illusions. . .” What do we make of this? A Spiritual Director of mine once told me not to be afraid of the distraction during time of prayer, especially in Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. He said that if the same thought comes into my mind over and over again, then perhaps it is something that God wants to reveal to me in prayer and that I should ask God to help me understand it.

The second obstacle to praying is time of barrenness. The Catechism describes it in this way: “The heart is separated from God, when there is dryness, with no taste for thoughts, memories and feelings, even spiritual ones. This is the moment of sheer faith clinging faithfully to Jesus in his agony and in his tomb” (CCC 2731). Pope Francis warned against having a “grey heart” because we “cannot pray. . . [or] feel consolation with a grey heart!. . . The heart must be open and luminous, so that the light of the Lord can enter. And if it does not enter, wait for it, with hope. But do not close it up in greyness.” In other words, we should not be discouraged, or have a “grey heart,” when we pray fervently and it seems like God does not even hear our prayers at all, much less answer them. God always keeps his promises.

The third obstacle to praying is sloth. Quoting the Catechism, Pope Francis explained that sloth is “‘a form of depression due to lax ascetical practice, decreasing vigilance, carelessness of heart,’ CCC 2733). “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). Sloth is one of the seven ‘deadly sins’ because, fuelled by conceit, it can lead to the death of the soul.

So how do we overcome obstacles to praying? Jesus tells us to be persistent. Moreover, Pope Francis said that we “must learn to go forward always. True progress in the spiritual life [is] being able to persevere in difficult times: walk, walk, walk on… and if you are tired, stop a little and then start walking again. But with perseverance. . . Believers never stop praying!” It is as Saint Paul wrote to the Philippians: “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God” (4:6).

. . .

Gospel (LK 11:5-13)

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Suppose one of you has a friend

to whom he goes at midnight and says,

‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,

for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey

and I have nothing to offer him,’

and he says in reply from within,

‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked

and my children and I are already in bed.

I cannot get up to give you anything.’

I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves

because of their friendship,

he will get up to give him whatever he needs

because of his persistence.

“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;

seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks, receives;

and the one who seeks, finds;

and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

What father  among you would hand his son a snake

when he asks for a fish?

Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?

If you then, who are wicked,

know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit

to those who ask him?”

Homily for the Wednesday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time (Year B - 10/9/2024)

Good morning. Pope Francis said that the Mass is “the prayer par excellence, the highest, most sublime, and at the same time, the most ‘concrete’. . . it is an encounter with the Lord [Real Presence in the Eucharist]. . . a privilege moment to be with Christ, and, through Him, with God and with our brothers.” The Holy Father went on to say that prayer is “first of all dialogue, a relationship with God,” because each of us was “created as a being in personal relationship with God, who finds his full realization only in the encounter with His Creator.” In other words, through prayer, we encounter God, and, it is in this encounter with our Creator, that we discover our purpose in life in relationship with God and with one another.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us the Lord’s Prayer (or the Our Father). In the Lord’s Prayer, we boldly proclaim “Our Father” because, through Baptism, we become adopted sons and daughters of the Father in heaven through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and incorporated into his Mystical Body - the Church. Saint Augustine wrote that “‘Our Father who art in heaven’ is rightly understood to mean that God is in the hearts of the just,” that we who pray should desire the one we invoke to dwell in our hearts. “Hallowed be thy name” reminds us that “at the [holy] name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11).

Moreover, when we pray “thy kingdom come,” we eagerly await the “final coming of the reign of God through Christ’s return” while we commit ourselves to carrying out the mission of the Church in the present world (CCC 2818). Jesus teaches us that one enters the kingdom of heaven not by speaking words, but by doing “the will of my Father in heaven” and so when we petition God that “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we can discern “what is the will of God” and obtain the endurance to do it (CCC 2826). The Eucharist is our daily bread and so we pray for God to “give us this day our daily bread” because we desire to become what we receive - our Lord Jesus Christ, who came to do the will of the Father (CCC 2837).

Furthermore, although we are clothed with the baptismal garment, we do not cease to sin, to turn away from God. With bold confidence, we petition God to “. . .forgive us our trespasses,” because our hope is firm in Jesus Christ, in whom “we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (CCC 2839). Our petition for forgiveness will be heard but our response must come first, to “. . .forgive those who trespass against us” (CCC 2838). Forgiveness is the fundamental condition of the reconciliation of the children of God with their Father and of men with one another (CCC 2844). God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one; therefore, we pray “and lead us not into temptation,” we are asking God not to allow us to take the way that leads to sin (CCC 2846). In the final petition, “. . .deliver us from evil,” the Church brings before the Father all the distress of the world. . . and implores the precious gift of peace and the grace of perseverance in expectation of Christ’s return (CCC 2854). We end the Lord’s Prayer with “Amen” to express our “fiat,” our “yes” to what is contained in the prayer that God has taught us.

. . .

Gospel (Lk 11:1-4)

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,

one of his disciples said to him,

"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."

He said to them, "When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name,

your Kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread

and forgive us our sins

for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,

and do not subject us to the final test."