Carrying Your Cross (Homily #10)

12pm Mass (Version #2)

10am Mass (Version #1 - Anthony's mom & sister were present.)



Homily (22^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Carrying Your Cross (& the Family)

“Take Up Your Cross and Follow Me”

August 31, 2014

I knew a graduate of St. Pat’s High School named Anthony.   At 23 years of age, he was diagnosed with an advanced stage of leukemia.  I visited him in the hospital and, as a way to encourage him to get better, I asked him to join me on some projects I was working on.  He agreed to join me.  But I told him he needed to get better.  His mother sent regular group text messages with updates that I received over the next few months.  Eventually, in one of those text updates, Anthony’s mom texted that his condition worsened.  I called Anthony and told him to fight his cancer.  He said he would.  And then I said, “Anthony, you are on your Cross.  You are like Jesus.”  He replied in a weak voice, “Yeah, I know.”  And it was the last time I spoke with him.

This moment I had with Anthony dramatically illustrates an application of today’s Gospel about the Cross.  Sure, we may not necessarily be in the exact illness situation.  However, each of us has a particular Cross that we carry.  So let me start with this first question: What Crosses do you carry? 

The second question to be asked here has to do with how we are to carry those Crosses.  In the Divine Mercy writings of St. Faustina’s Diary, St. Faustina wrote about a vision Jesus gave to her.  She recounted:

Then I saw the Lord Jesus nailed to the cross.  When He had hung on it for a while, I saw a multitude of souls crucified like Him. Then I saw a second multitude of souls, and a third. The second multitude were not nailed to [their] crosses, but were holding them firmly in their hands. The third were neither nailed to [their] crosses nor holding them firmly in their hands, but were dragging [their] crosses behind them and were discontent.

Jesus then said to St. Faustina, “Do you see these souls? Those who are like Me in the pain and contempt they suffer will be like Me also in glory. And those who resemble Me less in pain and contempt will also bear less resemblance to Me in glory” (446).)

Brothers and sisters, let us answer a second question:  How are we carrying our crosses?  Are we on our Crosses?  Are we holding our Crosses with some fear?  Or are we dragging our Crosses.  Whatever crosses we’re carrying, let us unite them to Jesus on the cross.  Let us say to Him, “Lord, Jesus, I offer my cross in union with the infinite merits you obtained for me, through your incarnation, suffering, death, and resurrection.  Do with me and my cross whatever You will, for your greater glory and for the salvation of souls.”  By saying this with the purest love we can muster, our crosses will have redemptive value and power. 

In today’s challenging Gospel, Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”  The Christian life has great demands.  Yes, I admit, it’s easier said than done.  But the point is to not quit.  Rest, but don’t quit.  And get up after falling.

That’s why we all need … help.  And that’s why God gave us the Church and the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist and Confession, to help us on our pilgrimage here on earth.

This is the third and final point of this homily.  In the Eucharist and Reconciliation or Confession, we receive the graces we need from God to live our vocation.  God never gives us anything we can’t handle.  He always gives us the graces we need to carry it faithfully.  The Second Vatican Council reminds us that “The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life.”  Jesus said to us, “I am the Bread of Life.  He who comes to me will never hunger.  He who believes in me will never thirst.”  He knew what we would need to bear our crosses.  He gives us His Body and Blood as our daily bread to be our nourishment, our strength to face the difficulties of our lives.

In the Sacrament of Confession or Reconciliation, He gives us the opportunity to start anew, to wash away all of our sins, both grave and small.

Another way in which we are helped to carry our cross is in the family, in our very own domestic church.  It is in our families that we most experience the ups and downs of life.  It is here where Crosses are experienced AND where one can give and receive assistance to carry each other’s Crosses. 

You know, when one is in the middle of pain, one can only think of oneself.  But when that same person focuses on others outside oneself, and then transforms that hurt into something that produces hope, the hurting person is brought outside himself and herself.  This is what Jesus did.  Even in his agony, he thought about you as he carried His Cross. 

Let us meditate on how Jesus did not just carry His Cross, but He Himself was assisted in carrying His own Cross.  Thus, the best way to receive help carrying our Crosses in life is when the family comes to Sunday Mass together to first ask God for help.  The family that prays together stays together.  Sunday Mass (like at the Sign of Peace) is excellent for a family that has a hard time praying at home.  Praying the Rosary together is another way for the family to find strength, comfort, and consolation.

In a particular way, I turn to the men.  In society, there is a crisis of manhood.  Men, you have a vital role to play to alleviate society’s ills.  Consider the words of St. Paul from the Second Reading: “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God…Do not conform yourselves to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”  There is something deep down in our psyche where we want to give ourselves to others in a radical way.  Do so for our families: Be silent strength for those suffering, like Simon of Cyrene.  There are two models here:  First, Jesus himself laid down his life for His Bride, the Church.  He fought for her with His own blood.  He is the model of men caring for their wives and children.  The second is St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus and patron saint of workers.  For workers and the unemployed seeking meaningful work, call on St. Joseph for help esp during the Cross of unemployment or relationships with children.  I challenge the men here to put God at the center of their lives and to be the rock on which your family is built.  I challenge the men and fathers (and father figures) to come to Sunday Mass faithfully with their families. 

The family meal together is something to encourage families to restore, even if it is done in gradual stages.  The table of the home is a gathering point.  The table is a forum where problems can be solved and relationships built.  If family meals are not done at all, then start off once a month or once a week. 

There is no doubt that we have our Crosses.  And we are called to carry our Crosses.  Let us look to our families – however imperfect – to help each other carry our Crosses and follow Jesus together.

[If time permits, put story of chopsticks in heaven and hell here.]

So whether it’s my former student Anthony who taught us how to hang on the Cross (Anthony’s mother?), or through families where we receive help to carry our Cross, let us together live Our Lord’s words,

“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

__________

Purificacion, Dennis (Aug. 31, 2014).  "Carrying Your Cross (& the Family)" (Vallejo, CA: St. Catherine's Catholic Church) blogged at www.marysdeacon.blogspot.com on Aug. 31, 2014.

 

Forgiving Past Hurts (9th Homily)

In the Roman rite, green would be worn on a Sunday during Ordinary Time.  However, in the Byzantine rite, white or gold was worn this past Sunday.  The Roman rite or Latin rite vestment I am wearing is my ordination dalmatic (Roman Catholic priests wear a chasuble, not a dalmatic, over their stole and alb). 

Latin rite or Roman rite is why we are called "Roman Catholics" instead of Byzantine Catholics.

PHOTO WITH OUR MOTHER OF PEPETUAL HELP IN THE BACKGROUND (L TO R):
Latin-rite Deacon Dennis Purificacion; Byzantine-rite Father Anthony Hernandez;
Byzantine-rite Father Deacon Craig Anderson

I was first exposed to the Byzantine rite from my earliest years as a teenager and young adult.  Father Anthony first exposed me (and invited me to join) the Byzantine rite.  In college, I went on a silent retreat at Holy Transfiguration Monastery for a week where I fell in love even more with the Byzantine rite.  The silent retreat itself set the standard for all other retreats that I was to attend thereafter.  No other retreats have compared to it!  I am grateful to Father Anthony who exposed me to the world of Eastern Rite Catholicism.

During the Divine Liturgy (what Roman rite Catholics call the Mass), I got to see the Byzantine rite and Father Anthony up front and personal.  I had to learn parts of the ritual quickly.  Did you know that Eastern rite deacons have more of a liturgical role than Roman rite deacons?  They move around more than the priest does.

I chanted the Gospel after some basic training with Fr. Anthony using a very basic chant tone.  I just kept it simple.  I couldn't record the chanting because I was proclaiming the Gospel in the middle of the sanctuary and hitting my record button would have look un-liturgical and odd.  I preached from the pulpit where I was able to record without distracting the Liturgy.

During the fellowship after Divine Liturgy in the hall, I spoke with some of the parishioners.  One gentleman said that he knew Fr. John J. Sweeny, another priest I grew up with and served as an altar boy.  He told me that he appreciated a Roman Catholic understanding what the Eastern Churches were about.  I think this is the best thing that Roman rite Catholics can do for Byzantine rite Catholics.  Roman Catholics don't realize that there are other rites in union with Rome.  I would encourage Roman Catholics to attend a Byzantine Catholic Divine Liturgy.  Here are some locations:

St. Basil the Great Byzantine Catholic Church
14263 Mulberry Dr., Los Gatos, CA 95032
http://www.stbasil.org

St. Philip the Apostle Byzantine Catholic Church
3866 65th Street Sacramento, CA 95820
http://www.stphilipofsacramento.com

One humorous moment was when a lady invited me to become Byzantine rite and asked me to be a priest!  I laughed. 

Finally, it is odd-sounding to Roman/Latin rite Catholics, but the permanent deacons in the Byzantine rite are called "Father Deacon".  It doesn't sound odd to me, since I knew this ever since I was younger.  We permanent deacons in the Church in the West or in the Latin rite should be grateful that the Church in the East retained the permanent diaconate as a permanent rank of the hierarchy (as opposed to it being a mere stepping stone to the priesthood).  Remember, the Latin rite Church restored the diaconate as a permanent order at the Council fifty years ago.  But it has been retained in the Churches of the East for centuries. 

We have much to learn from the Churches of the East.  

* * *

Homily @ Byzantine Rite Divine Liturgy: “Forgiving Past Hurts”

Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Mt. 18:21-35)

You and I know what it is like to have to forgive someone that has hurt us.  You and I also know what it is like to have to be the one who actually did the hurting.

Many years ago, I taught religion at one of our Bay Area Catholic high schools.  And there, I had a student who approached me on a difficult situation that involved violence to her and even her family.  There were other professionals and law enforcement official involved with this, but since she knew me to be a practicing Catholic, she confided in me many of the details of the tragedy.  I even involved our local priest in this case.  I saw my role as more of a spiritual support and whatever practical support I could give. 

I also knew the aggressor.

At some point, I was able to meet and sit down with the aggressor.   Assuming all the facts of this violence matter to be true, my intent was to bring the one that brought violence to conversion, repentance, even the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and also to have him apologize to her (since that’s what she asked for—an apology).  She knew that she needed to forgive, and she did after many years.  But she also wanted closure with a verbal apology from the aggressor.

The matter, to my knowledge, has not been resolved, and I do ask you to lift up a quick prayer for it. 

 

In the Middle East, many of us are aware of the systematic persecution and genocide of Christians and other religious minorities, especially in Iraq, going on at this very moment.  The Holy Father Francis, the Pope of Rome, has on many times condemned these gross acts of violence and war, even though the media and our leaders in the West remain generally silent in defense of the poor and the oppressed there.

The most heart-wrenching of this situation involves little children who suffer and die simply because they were baptized in the faith of their parents.  I do not know how one can hear of the violence against these innocent children (and non-combatants) and yet remain indifferent.

This matter, too, remains unresolved. And it calls for prayer and fasting.

 

But whether it is closer to home in the case of my former student, far away on the other side of the globe, or any particular hurt that you yourself have carried around for many years, the difficult teaching of forgiveness still somehow – somehow -- applies for us Christians.  What is a Christian to do in response to the violence and hurt? 

Forgiving does not mean what the other person did was right or that justice should not be dispensed.  Forgiving does not mean being a door mat and being walked all over or that one does not have the right to defend oneself.  In fact, justice should be dispensed and the vulnerable should be defended against an unjust aggressor (and the Church should be at the forefront of defending the innocent and defenseless.) Forgiving does not mean approving the act.

Rather, forgiving, St. John Paul the Great wrote, is a decision of the heart to go against the natural instinct to pay back evil with evil.  Forgiving is a decision of the heart to go against the natural instinct to pay back evil with evil.  St. John Paul also wrote that Christ is the exemplar of forgiveness when He prayed, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23).  Forgiveness has a divine source (and requires grace) that is a truly human act. 

Forgiveness and meekness simply means hatred and revenge should not take root in the heart.  These natural instincts can easily eat away at one’s heart and waste away even years of one’s life by being consumed in in hatred.  Let the natural anger that emerges in one’s heart be permeated with Christ’s words that we see in the Gospel today to guide it as a response to the evil in our increasingly dangerous world of violence and acts of war. 

 

In the section on Christian Prayer in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the petition “And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass again us” is called “astonishing”.  Astonishing.

It is astonishing because our petition to be forgiven will not be heard unless we have first met a strict requirement to forgive.  The petition looks to the future, but our response must come first NOW.  The two petitions are joined by the single word “as”.  Forgive us AS we forgive others.  Forgive us AND forgive others.

Even though we are clothed with baptismal innocence and the white garment, we do not cease to sin and turn away from God.  We are all sinners before God (save Our Lord and His Mother), but we are confident in God’s mercy if we ask for it.

At the beginning of this homily, brothers and sisters, I focused on the first part of this petition: Forgive others (those who trespass against us).  In my second major point, we now focus on the first part of the petition “Forgive us our sins”.

The Catechism teaches, “In refusing to forgive our brothers and sisters, our hearts are closed and their hardness makes them impervious to the Father’s merciful love…” (#2840).  Don’t let others hurt of you be the cause of a closed heart and a hardened heart.  Don’t perpetuate the aggressor’s actions by letting it affect you.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy!

 

Forgiving others becomes possible AS God in Christ forgave us.

Our Lord’s teaching on the parable of the merciless servant today “crowns the Lord’s teaching on ecclesial communion”. “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”  It is there in the HEART – in the depths of your heart and my heart – that everything is bound and loosed. 

It is not in our power to necessarily forget an offense, but the heart under grace can transform injury into compassion and purify the hurtful moment into INTECESSION.

Suffering here becomes redemptive!

 

Forgiveness of even enemies transforms the disciple to his or her Master.  It testifies that love is stronger than death.

Love is stronger than sin.  Love is stronger that violence. 

Look at the martyrs of the holy Catholic Church from the time of the archdeacon Stephen to today.  There was a Sister who was killed in retaliation to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s comments on Islam.  She was stabbed.  As she lay dying, she uttered the word, “Forgive.”  Forgive.

 

The holy Sacraments of the Church will help us live this and purify our hearts.  Imagine somehow that the pain and agony in your hearts and my heart is somehow united with Jesus on the Cross.

In the Sacrament of Reconcilation, esp. bring your sins here and trust in God’s ocean of mercy.

The Divine Mercy is a great way to help heal your heart.

Think of your sins as a drop of water….and then imagine going to Ocean Beach in San Francisco and throwing it in the Pacific Ocean.  The Pacific Ocean itself is just a drop of God’s mercy.

In the Holy Eucharist, which we will receive today, give the hurt and anger in the heart to the Crucified Christ.

I ask that you offer it for the suffering Christians in the Middle East.

 

In fact, let this homily be a moment for the Church to raise her voice and condemn the violence in the Middle East.  Pray, act, let others know what is going on there. 

In the case of my student, even this ongoing situation calls for the defense of the weak, even as violence happens.

And you brothers and sisters? What hurt is there that can be let go of today?  Offer it here today at Divine Liturgy.  And be strengthened by these holy and sacred mysteries.

As I close my homily, I want to say thank you to you, beautiful people, and I want to thank Father Anthony, my mentor and teacher ever since I was a teenager.  He exposed me to the Churches of the East.  As you can see, I’m wearing Roman vestments.  I’m a (new) Roman permanent deacon, and this is my first time here.  Thank you, Father Anthony, for letting me (con)celebrate* with you.

Let us reflect on these words from Our Lord: “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” 

 

*Deacons are considered “concelebrants” in the Divine Liturgy of the East, and in the West deacons “assist” at Mass.

______
Purificacion, Dennis (Aug. 24, 2014).  "Homily: Forgiving Past Hurts" (Palo Alto, CA: St. Albert the Great Catholic Church) blogged at www.marysdeacon.blogspot.com on Aug. 27, 2014.

Faith & the New Evangelization (Homily #8)

 

Audio of Homily #8

 

 



  

("Mary, Star of the New Evangelization," taken from the Diocese of Arlington, VA)



 

HOMILY: FAITH & THE NEW EVANGELIZATION

(Question From the Homily: "How Is Your Faith in God Doing?) 

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Aug. 17, 2014

8am Mass

 

We know what it is like to make telephone calls and leave messages for someone we care about.  We also know what it is like when we leave more than one message for that person, and that person that we care about doesn’t return our phone calls.

God invites, is patient, and calls us.  But at the end of the day, our hearts are either with God or our hearts are sadly away from God.

Our response to God is called Faith.  It is where you and I can encounter God on a very intimate level.  It is impossible to please God without the response of Faith.

So let me ask you this morning: Where is your heart, brothers and sisters?  How is your faith in God doing? 

In today’s Gospel, the Canaanite woman had great faith.  She continues to engage conversation with Jesus.  For our modern ears, the conversation with Jesus can seem strong in tone.  But Jesus is making a point here.  He is showing that everyone, not just a chosen few, is called to faith.  The Responsorial Psalm reflects this universal call to Faith.  It is written in Psalm 67, “Oh God, let all the nations praise you.”  (This is actually one of my favorite Psalms.)

Jesus eventually says to her:  “O woman, great is your faith!  Let it be done for you as you wish.”

Like in the story, faith involves both one’s heart, will and intellect in responding to the invitation.  The whole person must respond in love.  Compared to the telephone call story, she is the total opposite of the Canaanite woman.

The Canaanite woman persisted in her faith, even with all the difficulties.  “One thousand difficulties do not make one doubt,” according to Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman, the great English convert to the Catholic Faith.  “One thousand difficulties do not make one doubt.”  The Canaanite woman’s faith was certain amidst the difficulties.  Difficulties are sure to come, but it doesn’t mean that we don’t believe.

Also, like in the story, the young woman made a free act of her will.  She wasn’t forced to pick up the phone or coerced.  The response of faith is free.  The response of love and faith is free.

 

The second major point is the universal call to faith.  All nations are called to faith in God!  In fact, this was one major theme that was consistent throughout all the readings this morning.  That Faith is meant for all nations, for everyone.  It isn’t meant to be just a private matter.  All the nations should be brought to God. 

In the First Reading, it is the foreigner – not the Jew – who loves the name of the Lord and becomes His servants.

The foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
ministering to him,
loving the name of the LORD,
and becoming his servants—

In the Second Reading, St. Paul describes as the “Apostle to the Gentiles” in his Letter to the Romans.

Thus, the call to Faith is universal, not specific to any one particular nation.

This means that we, the Church, are called to spread faith in God.  This is called “Evangelization.”  Evangelization is where we share God with others.

Pope Paul VI wrote, “The Church exists for evangelization.”

Also, Pope Paul VI wrote, “Modern world listens to witnesses before it listens to teachers.  And if it does listen to teachers it is because they are witnesses.”

Yes, I admit, it is difficult for many to talk about God in the public.  Or perhaps praying in one’s family or doing something related to church can be difficult.  But like the Canaanite women, a thousand difficulties do not make one reason to doubt and not share the faith.

Pope Francis wrote in “Light of Faith”:

In the family, faith accompanies every age of life, beginning with childhood: children learn to trust in the love of their parents. This is why it is so important that within their families parents encourage shared expressions of faith which can help children gradually to mature in their own faith. Young people in particular, who are going through a period in their lives which is so complex, rich and important for their faith, ought to feel the constant closeness and support of their families and the Church in their journey of faith (LF #53).

The Church is a Mother who teaches us to speak the language of faith.

 The purpose of the Church is to spread the name of Jesus Christ.  “Oh God let all the nations praise you!”  The call to faith is universal.  The word “catholic” in Greek means “universal”.  The Church is universal and catholic.  St. Ignatius of Antioch around the year 100 said, “Where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.”  It is our calling to spread the Faith.

But here’s the thing: We cannot spread Faith in God if we ourselves have not been converted and engaged with a passionate relationship with Jesus. This relationship is strengthen most especially in the Seven Sacraments of the Church, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation or Confession which can be received many times.  These sacraments will help us be converted first.  Conversion happens daily. 

Many of us know people who have left the Church or perhaps we ourselves need to be strengthened to practice our faith.  I used the world “Evangelization,” but there is a term used by the Church these days called the “New Evangelization.”  The New Evangelization is directed at Catholics who have left the Church.  It doesn’t mean new methods and new media, even though these are part of it.  It means that we need to re-evangelize societies that have left the Faith.  We need to remind them that the Church is their home.  It is in the community of believers that Christ is encountered.  It is in the Eucharist most especially where we experience Jesus.  We need to invite fallen away Catholics back home to the Church.  Let them know that we miss them and that something is missing from the altar of sacrifice and the table of the Lord.

The New Evangelization also refers to practicing Catholics to deepen their faith in God.  Pope Emeritus Benedict said that the New Evangelization takes a step forward every time a Catholic goes to Confession.  We bring the world closer to God every time we ourselves pray and have daily conversions ourselves.  In addition to the Eucharist, we encounter Jesus in Confession.  This is where he waits for us.

The great spiritual master Fr. Garragou-Lagrage says that in one’s spiritual life, if one is not advancing, then one is regressing.  We must constantly and daily nourish our faith.

So if we return to the question I asked this morning: How is your Faith doing?  It is in personal prayer, holiness, the practice of a fervent sacramental life, and love of neighbor where we can measure our faith.

To evangelize the world, to invite Catholics who have left the Church or simply do not regularly practice their Faith through Sunday Mass, we ourselves first must be converted to Jesus Christ like the Canaanite woman.  Let our response of faith be enflamed so that ALL nations will come to faith in God.

Like the Canaanite woman, let us have a strong faith, so that all nations may come to faith in God and His Only Son whom He has sent into the world.

Oh God, let all the nations praise You!

Purificacion, Dennis (Aug. 17, 2014).  "Homily: Faith & the New Evangelization" (Vallejo, CA: St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church) blogged at www.marysdeacon.blogspot.com on Aug. 17, 2014.