Deacon Phúc's Homily for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C - 1/30/2022)

Good morning. We just heard this proclaimed from the Gospel of Luke: “And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, ‘Isn’t this the son of Joseph?’” Now, growing up, my parents were asked this question - “Isn’t he the son of Vinh & Mai?” - quite often and, depending on the situation, my mom would either reply with a “Yes, he is my son!” or a “Yes, he is my son. . .” followed by “What has he done now?” I am sure you all have experienced this, am I right? Last Saturday, at the Catholic Schools gala, the keynote speaker shared that when she was in Catholic School, there was a nun whose stare could send her “straight to hell”. [I am pretty sure my mom - and, perhaps all moms for that matter - are masters of said “stare”.]

My sisters and brothers in Christ, we go through life and our identity is so tied to our family of origin, especially our parents, that we work hard to break free of these connections. We want to go into the world and be our own person, to put our own mark in society and in history. We want to live our life like the Frank Sinatra song - I did it “My Way”. Now, there is nothing wrong with doing things our way. My parents, as I am sure all parents do with their children, raised me to be my own person. However, this “do it my way”, “pick myself up by my bootstrap”, “I am the master of my own destiny” mentality often leaves very little room for God in our lives, especially in our interior and spiritual life and in the practice of our Catholic faith. The truth of the matter is, we are too busy trying to establish who we are in this world and overcoming whose we were (our family of origin) that we forget who we are and Whose we are. I repeat: “We are too busy trying to establish who we are in this world and overcoming whose we were (our family of origin) that we forget who we are and Whose we are.” 

So the question is, who are we and Whose are we? The answer is, we are beloved sons and daughters of our Father in heaven. My wife and I lead the CALLED TO BE ONE Marriage Class ministry, as well as the Marriage Spiritual Guidance team, and young couples love to choose today’s second reading, from the First Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians, as one of the readings for their wedding ceremony. I can see why because it is about love that they desire in marriage. However, what we fail to realize is, we love because God loves us first. When we replace “love” and “it” with “God” and “He”, we can see and come to know how much God loves us. Just listen: “[God] is patient, [God] is kind. [He] is not jealous, [He] is not pompous, [He] is not inflated, [He] is not rude, [He] does not seek [His] own interests, [He] is not quick-tempered, [He] does not brood over injury, [God] does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. [God] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. [God] never fails.” God is love.

My sisters and brothers in Christ, we are God’s beloved sons and daughters. That is who we are and Whose we are, and Jesus loves us so much. Perhaps this fact is so simple that we forget who we are and Whose we are or, worse yet, we take God’s love for granted. Hard to believe, right? Well, we only need to look at the empty pews around us to see and know the reality of this sad truth. I am not talking about Catholics who cannot join us at Mass because of health reasons during this time of global pandemic, but Catholics who choose (of their own God-given freewill) not to live out the precepts of their Catholic faith - first and foremost of which is: “Attendance at Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation”. And make no mistake about it, sisters and brothers in Christ, all Sundays are Holy Days of Obligation. Jesus wept for Jerusalem then; he weeps for us now. So many Catholics forsake eternal life for secular, temporal life and, worse of all, they are okay with that. Well, it is not okay for us, fellow pilgrims on this journey in life, to stand idly by as Satan picks off our loved ones and friends - one soul at a time - from the embrace of our Father in heaven and drops them into an abyss that is devoid of the Father’s love.

The reason why Catholic churches have crucifixes instead of crosses without the Body of Christ is to remind us of the great price that was ransomed for our salvation. The beloved Son of God, the Pierced One, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ spilled his Precious Blood for us because God loves us. Psalms 8:5-6: “What is man that you are mindful of him, and a son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him little less than a god, crowned him with glory and honor,” and also these verses from today’s first reading: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you. . . I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.” Yet, only 32% of Catholics believe in the Real Presence of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, meaning that the other 68% of Catholics do not know how much Jesus loves them. Yesterday, I officiated my 9th wedding as a deacon and this is what I shared with the newly-weds because I wanted them to know in their hearts how much Jesus loves them. I told them: “In a world where we sometimes have to hide a part of who we are to feel accepted, to fit in with the prevailing culture of society, God sees us for who we truly are and He hears the true voice that cries out from our hearts and He loves us and He blesses us because we are perfectly and beautifully made by our Creator.” We have Catholics who need to know that God loves them.

My sisters and brothers in Christ, the Catholic Church of our Lord Jesus Christ needs us to stop standing on the sidelines and go out into the world and carry out the mission that He has entrusted since the day of our Baptism: “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” (Matthew 28:19-20). Remember at the end of the movie “Saving Private Ryan”, when Captain Miller (played by Tom Hanks) pulls Private Ryan (played by Matt Damon) close to him and, with his dying breath, tells Private Ryan: “Earn this.” Jesus is not telling us “Earn this” because He died on the Cross in obedience to the Father for our salvation but my sisters and brothers in Christ. . . really: “Earn this” - out of our love for Jesus who loves us so much. How? It can be as simple as reaching out to an inactive Catholic in your family or circle of friends and letting them know how much Jesus loves them and how much the Church misses them. Then, invite them to attend Mass with you. If you do this, then you would have done your part to save their souls from the hands of Satan. The Holy Spirit will do the rest.

As I mentioned earlier, last Saturday, my wife and I attended the annual Catholic Schools gala and listened to an excellent presentation by the keynote speaker, Katie Prejean McGrady. I was struck by two things in her presentation. I share the first for the benefit of all parents and catechists who have the responsibility of forming our children in the Catholic faith: Proverbs 22:6. I would invite you to go home, look up Proverbs 22:6 in the Bible, and read and reflect on it as a family. The second thing she said that struck me, I will share to close my homily. I want to leave you with this image so, if you are comfortable, then I invite you to close your eyes. I find that the images in my imagination are more vivid and more focused when I close my eyes.

Imagine that you are standing just inside the gates of heaven and next to you is your guardian angel. The both of you are watching as others enter through the pearly gates and every now and then, your guardian angel points out this person to you, then another, and then another. After a while, you ask your guardian angel who are all the people that he is pointing out to you. Your guardian angel gives you a big smile and says to you, "Those are the people you helped get to Heaven because, through your faith in God and faithfulness to His Church, you led these people to an encounter with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and they came to know the love of their Father in heaven with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their mind." Then, from behind the two of you, you hear the Father say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

Deacon Phúc's Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (Year C - 12/26/2021)

Good morning and Merry Christmas to you all! Yes, it is still Christmas! For us Catholics, the Christmas season has only just begun with today being the Second Day in the Octave of Christmas. For some of us, we celebrate the Christmas season until The Epiphany of the Lord, while others (like myself), we continue to celebrate the Christmas season until the Baptism of the Lord. What does this mean and not mean? This means that we have a legitimate reason not to put away the Christmas tree, lights, and decorations quite yet. However, this does not mean that we get more Christmas presents!

Speaking of presents, Saint Paul gives parents one of the best gifts in today’s second reading. This is what he wrote in his letter to the Colossians: “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord.” Parents, put your hands up like this and repeat after me: “Thank you, Saint Paul!” Kids, Saint Paul is right. Listen to Saint Paul and obey your parents for it is pleasing to God. Even Jesus, who is the Son of God and the Son of Man, obeyed his parents, Mary and Joseph. Let us listen to what the Bible tells us: “[Jesus] went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.”. Therefore, be like Jesus and obey your parents as he obeyed his parents.

Of course, there is more to what Saint Paul is telling us and we look to the first reading to help us understand its deeper meaning. The Wisdom of Ben Sira tells us about the relationship between parents and their children and the blessings that flow from family life that is lived to honor our Father in heaven. I would invite us to take a moment and reflect on these words as I read them again for us. “God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons. Whoever honors his father atones for sins, and preserves himself from them. When he prays, he is heard; he stores up riches who reveres his mother. . . Whoever reveres his father will live a long life; he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother.” Now, turn your attention to our beautiful creche (or Nativity) to my right and, as you gaze upon the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, ponder these two questions in your hearts. Children, do you honor your parents as God commands you? Parents, do you exercise your authority over your children with the heart of the Father, the tenderness of Mother Mary, and the faith of Saint Joseph?

Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph and, for me, one of the most enduring images of the Holy Family is Saint Joseph holding Baby Jesus close to his chaste heart while Mary sleeps peacefully behind them. This image came to my mind on Christmas Eve as I watched my sister-in-law stood by her children - who are my goddaughter and nephew - while they prayed the Hail Mary, the Our Father, the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena Prayer and then read the Nativity story from their Precious Moments Advent Calendar. My nephew was so excited as he removed Baby Jesus from the box in the Advent calendar and, with great love and care, placed Baby Jesus between Mary and Joseph. As I watched him, I could imagine the same excitement in Mary and Joseph’s hearts when Jesus was born. It was such a special moment, such a tender moment, a moment that moved me to tears, and one that will forever remain in my heart. My goddaughter and nephew understood the true meaning of Christmas because their parents (as the leaders of their domestic church and the first formators of their children’s faith) taught them the reason for the season.

As a deacon, I am grateful to God for the many blessed opportunities to journey with families in the various stages of family life. I work with parents and godparents who are seeking the Sacrament of Baptism for their children. I prepare young couples to receive the Sacrament of Marriage and work with married couples experiencing difficulties in their marriages. I grieve with families who have lost loved ones and celebrate with families who are joined together when their children enter into the covenant of marriage with God. I accompany families with loved ones who have health problems, praying with them and praying for them. Recently, the day before Christmas Eve last week, my wife and I visited with a brave little girl who was in a fatal car accident, in which her father did not survive. Even as she faces a difficult recovery ahead of her, this little girl felt she needed to grow up fast and be strong so that she can take care of her mother. What these families shared is the peace of Christ, a peace that controlled their hearts. In sharing these moments of great joy and deep sorrow with these families, I am reminded of the joys and sorrows that the Holy Family experienced and how, through it all, Mary and Joseph each gave God their fiat - their “Yes” because the peace of God controlled their hearts.

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph also teaches us about our human condition and how it sometimes forms the way we respond to unexpected and challenging circumstances in our lives. Recall from the Gospel that this is what Mary asked Jesus upon finding him in the temple: “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” My sisters and brothers in Christ, do we not sometimes ask God, “why have you done this to me?” The truth of the matter is, nothing tests our faith or causes us to question God’s will and plan for us more than unexpected and challenging circumstances that arise in our lives. A dear friend of mine shared with me about how her children have fallen away from the Church and their Catholic faith after they lost their father to cancer. They felt that God abandoned their father and ignored their family’s prayers in their hour of need. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Even though they encountered many challenges, the Holy Family always trusted in God's goodness and faithfulness. In the example of Mary and Joseph, we are called not only to trust God’s will for us as they did and, in faith, follow the plan that He has for us as they did but, most of all, we believe that God is with us always - in times of joy but, especially, in times of sorrow.

Finally, in the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph - the first domestic church - we have the model of the family and family life as God intended. Saint Paul described so beautifully the virtues that all families should strive for in his letter to the Colossians. God desires families to be filled with “heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another. . . [filled] with gratitude in [our] hearts to God. . . giving thanks to God the Father through [our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ].” We see all these virtues on display, in today’s Gospel, in the interaction between Mary and Joseph when they realized that twelve-year-old Jesus was missing from their caravan. Could you imagine the conversations that Mary and Joseph might have had during their day-long journey back to Jerusalem to look for Jesus - a difficult journey filled with anxiety and fear? However, I am sure they were not blaming each other for losing Jesus, saying, “I thought he was with you the entire time?” Nor would one of them make the other one feel even more guilty by saying, “Well, you should have kept a better watch of him,” Rather, I believe that Mary and Joseph would have treated each other with “heartfelt compassion, kindness. . . gentleness, and patience. . .” and, more importantly, “bearing [the burden of losing Jesus] with one another and forgiving one another.” And then, when they found Jesus safe and sound in the temple, they would have been “[filled] with gratitude in [their] hearts to God. . . giving thanks to God the Father.”

My sisters and brothers in Christ, in a few moments here, we will do the consecration prayer to the Holy Family. As we do, may we always know in our hearts that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is truly Emmanuel - “God with us.” - and his mother and father - Mary and Joseph - are our spiritual mother and father.