Most of us here, if not all of us, were raised in Christ through the waters of baptism. In his letter to the Colossians, Saint Paul writes, “Seek what is above. . .” The thing is, “seek what is above. . .” goes for ALL - the baptized AND the unbaptized - because, whether we choose to believe or not, the Truth is that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ died on the Cross for the salvation of ALL people. The Incarnate Word of God came to redeem ALL of God’s children. We who are blessed to be numbered among God’s children give God praise, honor, and thanksgiving every day of our lives and, in a special way, when we come together for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Saint Paul tells us, “If you were raised in Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” I invite us to take a moment to gaze upon the second Person of the Trinity on the beautiful Crucifix that hangs before us. Let us allow Jesus to gaze back at us. Now, how does he speak to your heart in this intimate moment? Perhaps you are struggling, weighted down by the many burdens in your life right now, Christ reassures you, saying: “I have not forsaken you. . . come to me. . . you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. . . my yoke is easy, and my burden light” - and, in that moment, you remember that time in the Garden when Jesus said to the Father, “I pray for them”. . . Jesus the Eternal Priest loves you and he prays for you unceasingly. HAVE HOPE. Perhaps you feel distant from Christ or you do not feel his loving presence in your life right now, listen. . . he whispers into your heart and invites you to “[sit] here while I pray” because Jesus loves you and, as he hung on the Cross, he thirsts for you. . . he calls you by name and invites to come to him JUST as you are and so you say to him in reply: “Here I am, Lord.” HAVE FAITH. Or perhaps you have unforgiveness in your heart right now because of something that happened in your life - either you cannot forgive yourself or another - lay your head against the pierced heart of Jesus - the living fount of mercy that pours forth blood and water for us and the whole world - and let his Most Sacred Heart console you and remind you that when Christ was on Cross, he raised his eyes to heaven and cried out: “Father, forgive them. . .” Jesus loves you; He forgives you. Forgive yourself, and embark on the path to forgive another. HAVE LOVE.
My sisters and brothers in Christ, Saint Paul tells us to seek what is above because God made us for Himself. Our Lord tells us to “[put] to death. . . the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.” In God, we find our true identity and the meaning and purpose of our lives because only He can fulfill our deepest yearning. For me, I believe that these are the things of God that ought to take priority in our lives to help us seek what is above, during our pilgrimage in life, striving for holiness as we journey on the path that leads to our final destination. First, form a right relationship with God our Father in His Son our Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. We do this through prayer, coming to Mass, visiting with our Lord in Adoration, and other devotions and practices. Second, foster a right relationship with each other, particularly with our families and loved ones, where everyone is loved, cherished, respected, and feels protected and safe. Third, develop a healthy detachment from “possessions” that are of this temporal world and not of God.
About that third one - develop a healthy detachment from “possessions”. I am not going to stand here and tell you to deny yourselves the “luxuries and leisures” that this life has to offer, if you are so blessed with the means, because that would be untruthful of me and I would have to go see Fr. Charlie in the Confessional. I mean, I am a foodie who likes smart watches, big screen televisions, and LEGO. I am constantly trying to convince my wife that I need an aerial drone or an Audi A4 sedan but her answer has been consistently - “No”. This is not surprising to me because, for the twenty-two plus years that we have known each other, including 15 years of marriage, my wife has always been the more practical one in our relationship, and I am grateful to God for her. That being said, however, I think it is important for us to recall these words that Jesus spoke to the crowd in today’s Gospel: “. . .though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” The Lord tells us not to store up treasures of this world that are temporary, none of which we can take with us to the grave. The Lord tells us to be “rich in what matters to God” instead. Hmm. . . be “rich is what matters to God”. . . if you are like me, you might be wondering to yourself, what does that look like in America in 2022?
I ask God this in prayer and guess what? God sent me an article about Mr. Leonard Gigowski, “a bachelor who ran a corner grocery store and loved ballroom dancing and pigeon racing. As a child, Mr. Gigowski always caught the 6:30 a.m. bus to St. Francis Minor Seminary. That way, he’d be in church in time for 7 a.m. Mass and in class by the time the bell rang. The humble, hard-working man’s commitment to his faith and education never wavered. [His] faith was incredibly important to him and he had a profound respect for the sacrifice his parents made to send him to Catholic schools. He was a strong believer in Catholic education and a very devout Catholic. He understood the importance of Catholic education and instilling Catholic values at a young age. At a party for his 90th birthday, Mr. Gigowski reminded the students to love God first and work hard every day, and in return, God will provide. And when he died, this quiet and frugal man left $13 million in a scholarship fund for St. Thomas More High School (his alma mater) that covers up to half the tuition for needy students who don’t qualify for the private school choice program and its state aid payments.” Mr. Gigowski was “rich in what matters to God”, not in a dramatic, grandiose way, but over the course of a life well lived, always remaining faithful to God. In our own little ways, we, too, can be like Mr. Gigowski and leave our corner of the world better off than before.
I want to wrap up my homily with an invitation and a final thought. Here is the invitation. Two weeks from today, on Saturday, August 13th, Fr. Charlie and I will be leading a Men’s Retreat right here at St. Albert the Great. I want to personally invite all men to sign up for the retreat after Mass or, at the very least, stop by the table and learn more about the retreat before you decide. Ladies, encourage your men to join us. Tell your man that it is okay for him to spend a day with other Catholic men and reassure him that you (and your children) will join him for the Vigil Mass and social and dinner. Men, we are made to be heroic, to follow God with love and conviction. God tells us in Joshua 1:9: "I command you: be strong and steadfast! Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD, your God, is with you wherever you go.” My brothers in Christ, come join us for the Men’s Retreat, because as “[iron] is sharpened by iron; one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).
Finally, a group of men and I did Exodus90 together during Lent. After that, six of us decided to continue the fellowship by doing a book study on a novel, written by author Jim Sano, titled “The Father’s Son”. I am blessed by the wonderful insights that I get from our discussions of the book and about the various things that affect us as Catholic men, husbands, fathers, and male role models. I want to leave you with this passage from the book that I think captures the spirit of this Sunday’s readings so well. Fr. Tom Fitzpatrick, one of the main characters, said:
"If you had to sum up the entire Bible, you might say that it’s about trusting in God and giving everything you have in love, and you will always be filled and never run out. But, when you cling to things other than God, they can never satisfy. You can hoard and save as much wealth, power or pleasure as you can, but it will never be enough. . . God is pure love and love is not something you can keep but only give, only pass on to another. When you are giving to others, especially those who are in need, giving of yourself without any expectation for something in return, you are linked with God. You’ll feel filled and free." (110).
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