2 Homilies for Ruby Soriano RIP

Vigil Homily for Ninang Ruby Soriano (Homily #21)

Funeral homily for Ninang Ruby Soriano (Homily #22) 

Support Ruby Soriano's family: http://www.gofundme.com/mamaruby

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VIGIL HOMILY

Castro Valley, CA

Feb. 26, 2015

Ruby Esperanza Soriano is my godmother in marriage, so I call her Ninang Ruby.  Cheryl and Chancy are first cousins to my wife.  My name is Deacon Dennis, and I am a new permanent deacon of the Catholic Church.  I would like to give a very warm welcome to all of you.  And on behalf of Ruby’s parish church, please accept our deepest condolences, especially to Ninong Adel, Cheryl, Chancy, to Auntie Nene, and family.  When I first met Ninang Ruby 16 years ago, little did I know that I would be giving my first funeral vigil homily for her.    

The purpose of this vigil is for “the Christian community to keep watch with the family in prayer to the God of mercy and find strength in Christ’s presence” (Order of Christian Funerals #56).  We keep watch with the family tonight in preparation for what is called the “Final Commendation” of her soul to God at tomorrow’s funeral Mass.   

Thankfully, the Word of God consoles the pain of our great loss.  As we heard in the First Reading, a reading chosen by the family, it is written in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, “The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces….”  It is the Lord God Who is the Divine Consoler.  May these words from Isaiah be a source of comfort when we are alone in the silence missing her deeply, when tears run and no one on earth is able to wipe them away.  Let us pray for Ninang Ruby’s soul.  At this moment, may her soul, and even our own souls pray together the words:  “Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!  This is the Lord for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!” 

My strongest memory of Ninang Ruby is her strong devotion to her family and extended family as well as her strong devotion to her faith in God.  Faith and family— these are two great treasures that have forever defined Ninang Ruby and her choices in this earthly life.  It wasn’t just a typical devotion to family, or an average devotion to faith, but it was a STRONG devotion to her family and a STRONG devotion to faith.

Ninang Ruby’s strong faith and passing from this life into the next life remind us of our vocation to holiness, the Four Last Things, and the Communion of the Saints.  Jesus tells us “be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  Our earthly lives are meant to be a pilgrimage on this earth to our eternal dwelling place with God in Heaven.  Ninang Ruby’s peaceful passing reminds us of our eternal destiny, which God has prepared for “those who keep His covenant and remember to fulfill His precepts,” as we heard in the responsorial psalm.  Ninang Ruby’s passing reminds us of our mortality, of the passing things of this earth, how nothing lasts forever, except Love, as St. Paul reminds us.  And so tonight, why do we keep watch in prayer?  We keep watch and pray for Ninang Ruby’s soul because of the Four Last Things, which are Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell.  May, God willing, we may all be reunited in Heaven with Ninang Ruby one day.

In Catholic teaching, at the moment of death, the soul is separated from the body.  It experiences what is called a particular judgment.  The soul enters into one of three states at the particular judgment: Heaven, Purgatory or Hell.  A soul that dies in the state of grace, in the state of friendship with God, enters heaven.  A soul that dies in the state of grace, but with stain on the soul, eventually enters into Heaven, but still needs to be purified.  Hell is the state of separation from God and the society of the damned.  Souls in purgatory benefit greatly from the prayers of those on earth who are in the state of grace.  Our souls must be conformed to Christ at the end of our lives.

Ninang Ruby died a Christian death.  She didn’t die just a death.  She died a Christian death.  She died a death in a manner like her Savior.  She showed us what it means to die what is called a happy death—a Christian death, which is a great grace indeed!  She experienced a death similar to that of Jesus on the Cross.  All her sufferings, especially endured in the state of grace, are united to the sufferings of Jesus on the Cross to save the world.  This is the Christian meaning of human suffering.  She was faithful, not just at the end of her life, but throughout her life.   

And this is the message of hope this evening.  It is a hope that St. Paul describes in his Letter to the Romans that we heard this evening.  It is a hope that “does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us”.  Ninang Ruby gives us a glimpse of someone who included God in her life.  In her final week, she received the Bread of Life, the Eucharist, and the Last Sacraments of the Holy Church: The Eucharist, which is the Body of Christ, Confession, Anointing of the Sick.   

She had a strong devotional life to the Mother of Jesus, the Woman that Christ on the Cross gave to us when he said, “Behold your Mother.”  Ninang Ruby understood this 2,000 year old tradition of honoring Jesus’s mother through the holy rosary which is the mark of great saints in heaven.  These are great marks of a Catholic in love with Jesus Christ.

In the Communion of Saints, the souls of those on Earth are united with those in Purgatory and those in Heaven.  Just as I would ask you for your prayers or you would ask me for my prayers, so too we ask those souls in Heaven to pray for us, and more so!  The souls in purgatory greatly benefit from our prayers on earth,  especially at Mass when Mass is offered for that soul.   

Having Mass offered for Ninang Ruby’s soul is the greatest act of love we can offer her AND stay united to her.  Every Mass that we attend, we are united with heaven, purgatory, and earth across time and space.  When Holy Communion is received in the state of grace, the soul of Ninang Ruby is delighted with great indescribable joy.  This is why we are united to her until the Resurrection at the end of time.  We will encounter this sacred moment tomorrow at the funeral Mass.

Ninang Ruby taught us the need to be in the state of friendship with God, also called being in the state of grace.  The state of grace is needed for one to go to heaven (and even purgatory).  Our choices for or against God define the state of our soul for all eternity.  And this dear soul of Ninang Ruby has chosen well.  This should be an inspiration for us all.  May her faith – especially her love for the rosary – be a model for all of us.  As we reflect on her life in the next few months and even years, let’s consider this most vital part of her life as an example.

And Ninang Ruby who was united with Jesus on the Cross will also share in his resurrection.  Her pain in her final moments was united to Jesus.   Ninang Ruby showed us the Christian meaning of human suffering by patiently and joyfully bearing her sufferings for the love of Jesus, Mary and for her family.  And in today’s Gospel, also selected by the family, Jesus said to the dead young man, “Arise!”  Only Jesus raises from the dead.  He is THE Resurrection and THE Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Him.  It is Ninang Ruby’s deep faith in Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life that is, God-willing, the source of her own resurrection on the Last Day when her soul will we pray be one day reunited with a glorified body. 

I briefly catechized us on the meaning of the Particular Judgment where the soul enters into one of three states: Heaven, Hell or Purgatory.  The Particular Judgment, however, is different from the General Judgment.  At the General Judgment, Christ will return to judge the living and the dead at the end of the world.  At the General Judgment, all souls will reunite with their bodies.  The souls in heaven and even purgatory will reunite with a resurrected glorified body to the degree that they have loved on earth, while the souls of the society of the damned will reunite with a condemned body.  In heaven, we will see God face to face and be reunited with those there where God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and there will be no more sadness, no more pain, no more death.  That is why we must desire and eagerly hope to go to heaven one day.  Now is the time to ask for mercy and live a godly life as Ninang Ruby did, because after we die, there will be no more time to repent and change our lives to God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent to save us from sin and final death.  Let Ninang Ruby’s death during this Lenten Season be a time of spiritual growth for all of us.  And God-willing, may we all be reunited with her in the life to come.  That is the beauty of our faith, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Who merited for us our eternal salvation with Him and all the saints in Heaven.

And so, dear family and friends, we the Church prepare Ninang Ruby for her final “commendation to God” (CCC 1690) and God’s mercy tomorrow.  As we prayed in the Responsorial Psalm, the Lord is “kind and merciful”.  The divine mercy of God is like going to Ocean Beach in the City of San Francisco, and like taking all of our sins, and placing them in a tiny drop of water, and throwing this drop into the ocean of mercy.  We simply need to ask for it, as Ruby did in her final moments of receiving the holy Sacraments.   

He thirsts that we might thirst for Him.  So many graces are withheld simply because we don’t ask.  So, let us “ask” as Jesus tells us to do, so that God may pour forth every good and perfect blessing under the heavens upon each and every one of us, especially on the soul of Ninang Ruby. 

Let us this evening at this Vigil stand in watch with Ninang Ruby’s family and meditate on the Word of God for consolation.  Thank you Ninong Adel, thank you Cheryl, and thank you Chancy, to you and your families.  Thank you for sharing Ninang Ruby with us.

+ Eternal rest grant unto the soul of Ninang Ruby Soriano, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her.  May her soul rest in peace.  Amen.

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FUNERAL MASS HOMILY

St. Edward’s Catholic Church, Newark, CA

February 27, 2015

Nine days ago, it was Ash Wednesday.  It was in the middle of the 5 o’clock hour when Ninang Ruby passed from this life.  Fr. Jay, the priest who is with us today, was present at the hour of her death.  I’m sure I repeat the sentiments of the family when I say thank you, thank you Fr. Jay, for being there during Ruby’s last breath and for her family.  To use the words of St. Paul in the Bible who called himself a “father in Christ,” you were indeed a true spiritual father for Ruby Soriano’s spiritual birth and passing into the next life.  Please also convey to the pastor of St. Edward’s, Fr. Jeff Keyes, one of my priest friends, the deepest appreciation.

And a few moments after Ninang Ruby died, her young granddaughter, Me’Leah (or Keilyn), turned to her parents and said, “I don't want to live in a world without Mama.”  The little girl was referring to her grandmother and how much she loved her.  In a certain sense, she was saying, “I don't want to live in a world without Mama.” 

“Mama’s love…”

Love— it is one of the three theological virtues.  The other two are faith and hope.  At the funeral vigil last night, we reflected on Ninang Ruby’s strong faith in God and the hope of the Resurrection on the Last Day.  We also reflected on the Communion of Saints, the Four Last Things, and the need to live and die in the state of grace.  Being in the state of grace means that we have love (or charity) in our souls.  It means that we are in the state of friendship with God and are thus pleasing to Him.

At our baptism, we were infused with three theological virtues: Faith, Hope and Love (Love is sometimes translated as Charity).  These theological virtues were planted in our souls at Baptism like tiny seeds are planted in soil.  But faith, hope and love need to be watered with a regular sacramental life so as to grow and bear fruit.  I also understand that Ninang Ruby’s maiden name before she was married for 37 years, is Esperanza.  Esperanza.  Hope.  Her name – and her family tree – carries the name of the theological virtue of hope.  May it be more than just a name, but a lived reality in the family line.

When Ninang Ruby was baptized, a white garment was placed on her during the Rite of Baptism.  The baptismal ritual stated that she is to keep the white garment unstained into the next life.  At Mass, the priest wears white to signify this.  At Ninang Ruby’s First Holy Communion, she wore white when she received the Body of Christ for the first time.  And this morning, just as at her baptism and at her First Holy Communion, her funeral rite will cover her in her last earthly white garment.  She will be like a bride prepared to meet her husband.  The white garment is the garment of love of Jesus Christ, being in the state of grace, of having the divine life of Jesus’s very Body and Blood, of living the life of faith, esperanza, and love.

As we heard in the Word of God, it is written in the Book of Revelation, “I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband”.  This holy city, this New Jerusalem, is the Church in love with her Beloved Jesus.  The New Jerusalem is the resurrection of God’s holy people at the end of time.  She is the Bride of Christ, the House of the Lord, the Church, and she wears the white wedding garment.  She is adorned and prepared; that is, purified and made ready for her husband, the Lamb of God, through her own Crosses just like her Beloved.  As we pray during the Mass, “Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb!”  The white garment that adorns Ruby (now) is the preparation of a bride adorned for her husband.  It represents the divine life of faith, hope and love.
 

And at last night’s vigil, as we stood watch with the Soriano family and our sorrows were consoled with the Word of God, we looked at the Book of the Prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament which said, “The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces.”  Yes, let us weep.  Yes, let us cry.  Because God Himself is victorious over sin and death, and He Himself will wipe those tears one day.  We also see this in today’s reading from the Book of Revelation where it is written, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.”  The one who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” 

Faith ends with sight.  In heaven, faith is no longer needed because those in heaven see God face to face.  Hope – esperanza – ends with attainment of heaven.  In heaven, hope is no longer needed because those in heaven, well, are in heaven.  Their hopes are fulfilled.  But love, love remains in heaven. 

And that’s why we should be in the state of grace, in the state of friendship with God, in the state of love, in the state of being adorned with the white garment as a bride adorned for her husband.  Like Ninang Ruby, we need to nourish the virtues of faith, hope and love in the soul with the Sacraments of the Holy Church; otherwise, faith, hope and love will rot and die like a dead branch.  After Baptism, there is the gift of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation to strengthen us against life’s daily temptations, so we have the graces and gifts needed to keep our wedding garment unstained.  There are also the Sacraments of Holy Matrimony, Anointing of the Sick, and most especially the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, the Bread of Life.   

As we hear in today’s Gospel, Jesus said, “[w]hoever eats this bread will live forever”.  When they challenged Jesus about feeding us with His Flesh, he didn’t back away.  He didn’t say, “I’m sorry guys, (my bad,) I didn’t mean that,” but rather Jesus stood his ground even more and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, You…Do…Not..Have…Life…. within you.  John Chapter Six.  Ninang Ruby ate the flesh of the Son of Man.  Jesus said, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day”.   

This is why Sunday Mass every week is vital to nourishing faith, hope and love in the soul.  Without eating the Eucharist, we will be easily picked off and eaten by the wolves.  And when we do eat the Eucharist which is the Flesh of the Son of Man, we need to be in the state of grace and love, not in the state of what the Bible calls deadly or mortal sin.

It is serious sin that kills the life of grace in the soul from God.  Serious or deadly or mortal sin is the worst thing ever in this life.  With deadly or mortal sin, our wedding garment has been soiled.  The wedding garment has been stained.  Yes, faith still remains.  Yes, hope still remains.  But love is dead in the soul through serious sin.  The opposite of faith in God is….doubt….deliberate doubt.  The opposite of hope...is despair (like Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus).  The opposite of love, the opposite of being in the state of grace, is being in the state of sin. 

And if or when we do fall from grace, when we fall into deadly sin, that is why Jesus gave us the Sacrament of Reconciliation (also known as Confession) which restores the wedding garment back to baptismal innocence.  We confess our sins, and we start over.  We start over.  God says, “I make all things new!”  We just have to ask Him for another chance.  We must live and die rather in the state of grace, in the state of love, in the state of keeping our wedding garments adorned and prepared for the wedding feast of the Lamb of God.  “If we die with Christ, we shall live with him. And if we are faithful to the end, we shall reign with him.”

In our lives on earth, dearly beloved, let us not lose our faith, hope and love.  Let us nourish our faith, hope and love that was planted in our souls at baptism, with a fervent sacramental life, especially the Holy Eucharist every week – not just Christmas and Easter – and Confession at least once a year and, for those who really want to grow spiritually monthly Confession or even making a General Confession.  It is Lent, and now is a good time to restore our white garments.

And so, as we make our Final Commendation of the soul of Ruby to God, let us recommit ourselves to nourishing the gifts of faith, hope and love in our souls.  Let us, as with Ninang Ruby, live the life of grace and love.  Like Me’Leah who said, “I don't want to live in a world without Mama,” let us too like a little child (to whom the mysteries of the kingdom belong) say, “O God, I don't want to live in a world without You.”  Like Ruby, let us prepare our hearts always, as a bride adorned and prepared for her husband, coming down out of heaven.  On that day, God Himself, will wipe every tear from our eyes, those tears that we will shed for Ruby as we finally commend her soul to God, where there will be no more death or mourning, no wailing, no pain— only love.

 

In other words, in a sense, it’s like Ruby telling us, “I’ve asked the Lord to ease the hurt / And comfort you somehow. / It’s hard at the beginning, / But I know you’ll make it through. / I hope it helps to know / That I’ll be waiting here for you.”  You wait for us in the House of the Lord.  Thank you, Ruby, my sister, for your witness to faith and family.  We love you.  We offer this Holy Mass for you.  We ask God for mercy upon you for any failings and sins.  We ask God to grant you peace.  As we prayed in the Responsorial Psalm, “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing else that I shall want”  And may you, too, rejoice one day, as you wait for us to come home, and sing in the New Jerusalem, “The Lord is my shepherd; that is nothing I shall want”.   (Amen.) 

Raising My Hand to Console a Paramedic's Patient

The kids and I got a routine oil change for our family vehicle yesterday.  But it was far from routine.

As we walked to the waiting room, a fire truck came first.  Then, the ambulance came.

We stopped and watched.  I told the kids to pray. 

I took out my rosary and prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy while a lady was being led to the ambulance gurney.  One of her arms was shaking violently. 

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is powerful, especially for the dying.  I didn't know whether she was dying or not.  It didn't matter.  This chaplet was for her specifically in her time of need.

My eldest then said, "You're the only deacon here."

With his words, for some reason, I was reminded of the consolation that comes with the Church's blessing.  Then, I took a few steps such that the troubled lady would be able to see the public act I was going to make. 

I raised my arm high in blessing.

She saw me.

I hope it consoled her.

Others, like the paramedics, saw me, too.  But I was not here for them.  I was here for her.

I made the Sign of the Cross before the ambulance doors closed.  Both her arms were shivering.

After the doors closed, the kids and I went inside to our waiting room to the noise of ambulance sirens and lights.

 

 

 



A deacon may grant a blessing according to liturgical books.  I didn't have any liturgical books.  I also wish I had a stole to wear, the one that I keep in my glove compartment.  But I had neither with me.  So I simply raised my hand to console and ask God's blessing.

The quick event took about two minutes.

In such cases, a priest would have been preferred, personally speaking, to offer assistance especially if she was dying.  But there was no priest available. 

Any Catholic -- clergy or not -- should pray in such instances for the dying.  The Chaplet of Mercy and the rosary are powerful prayers in such cases.

I hope the lady turned out okay.



 

The Silent Awe I Contemplated as I Lifted the Chalice

Last Sunday, I assisted at the 8am and 12pm Masses.  I held the Chalice of the Precious Blood during the doxology as usual.

However, something happened at the 12pm Mass that deeply moved my heart.  Something was different this time.

The new parish administrator, Fr. Glenn, is taller than me.  After he handed the Sacred Chalice to me, he then held the paten containing the Body of Our Lord at a significant height and prayed the words of the doxology (see below).  I had to really elevate the Chalice as high as my short stature could, since Fr. Glenn raised the paten containing the Host pretty high up.  For a few seconds, I even felt like I was almost tiptoeing to elevate the Chalice to match his height.  My arms were extended as high as I could lift them.  My left hand, which normally touches the base of the Chalice, could barely touch the base this time.  All my effort was exerted at lifting the Chalice as is proper for the deacon.

And in my heart, the following happened.  As I elevated the Chalice level to the same level of where the priest was lifting up the paten that held the Sacred Host, my eyes were forced to look upward.  My arms were stretched as far as I could.  During that time as my eyes looked intensely upward and my entire body directed toward the same direction of the priest's elevation, I first thought of a certain silent AWE of the Heavenly Father's presence as I held up the Chalice while the priest offered the Body and Blood to Him.  My breathing increased.  My focus was on that of the presence of Our Heavenly Father.  I cannot even remember listening to the priest's words.

My second thought was how I imagined my unworthy self collecting a few drops of the Blood of Jesus on Calvary onto the rim of the Chalice I was holding, as though I had somehow scooped some of the Blood that came out of Jesus's Body as He hung upon the Cross.  I briefly thought of the lance of St. Longinus, the Roman soldier who according to legend was the one that pierced Jesus with a lance and was later ordained a deacon after receiving baptism.  And as I looked up thinking these thoughts about collecting Jesus's Precious Blood in the Chalice, I thought of the silent awesomeness of the Heavenly Father.  For a moment, I had a brief instance where my eyes welled up while my breathing deepened.

I was before a great mystery!  Were it not for the grace of ordination and the thought that I had been ordained for such purpose, I absolutely would have not done this profound act of the Mass.  I, for a moment, thought of my sins, but they seemed minuscule compared to the diaconal act that I had just made during this moment of the Sacred Liturgy.  My unworthiness was not the point of the moment, but rather it was the Sacrifice of Calvary as though my being a sinner could not obscure or detract from the sacrifice taking place before me and the people gathered for Mass as well as before my heart and mind's eye. 

The Holy Mass is the same sacrifice on Calvary but in an unbloody manner.  The consecrated wine I held up at Mass during the doxology was the same Blood that poured out for us on Calvary.  This recent doxology was a very intense moment that lasted only a few seconds, and nobody would have noticed it but for my writing it here.  I'm not even sure if my re-telling of the moment does justice to what happened.  These are just some points of prayerful meditation on the Mass.  Thank you for listening.  I joyfully submit this all to the judgment of Holy Mother Church. 





 

Magisterium Teaches w/Authority of Christ



Pope Francis leaves the Sistine Chapel after his election to the Chair of Peter.

 

This is the clearest of the recordings:



Audio of Homily #20 (12pm Mass)

Video (1 of 2) of Homily #20 (5pm Mass)

 



Video (2 of 2) of Homily #20 (5pm Mass)



 

HOMILY: The Catholic Church Exercises Christ’s Teaching Authority

4^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

There’s a cute little story about 4 people that die and meet St. Peter at the Pearly Gates.  St. Peter says to them, “Why should I let you in to heaven?”  The first person steps forward and says, “Well, I was a nurse, and I helped sick people.”  St. Peter said, “Ah, come on in.”  The second person steps forward and says, “I worked in sales and helped people buy food and things they needed to survive.”  St. Peter said, “Cool, come on in.”  The third person said, “I served the hardships of the military, and I helped people stay free from tyranny.”  St. Peter said, “Well done, soldier, enter.”  Finally, the fourth person said, “Well, I didn’t do much in life.  But um, do you see these three, the nurse, the salesman and the soldier?  Well, I was their teacher.”  And of course St. Peter let this person in.
 

The point of this story is that we know that teachers exercise some authority and influence.  But let’s take this and see how in today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks and exercises great authority, and Jesus teaches with an authority that no teacher in the world exercises.  The people say, “What is this?  A new teaching (pause) with authority.”  One who teaches and speaks for God is called a prophet.  In the First Reading, it is written in the Book of Deuteronomy, “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kin, and will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I command him.”  Jesus fulfills this passage from the Old Testament.  Whoever will not listen to Jesus, to use the words of Deuteronomy, “I myself will make him answer for it.”
 

And this doesn’t just happen to Jesus 2,000 years ago.  Today, just as Jesus spoke with authority, so too today, His Catholic Church that Jesus established, teaches with His authority.  Jesus said, “Whoever hears you, hears me.”  The highest authority in His Church is found in what is called the Magisterium (repeat: the Magisterium).  The word magisterium comes from the Latin word “magister” which means teacher.
 

So the Magisterium is defined as the Pope and the bishops in communion with the Pope.  (repeat: the Pope and the bishops in communion with the Pope). The Pope is the successor of Peter, and a bishop is a successor to the apostles.  When Peter and the Apostles teach, they exercise that authority in the name of Christ.  Their successors, those who replaced Peter and the Apostles, are the Pope and the bishops.  There have been 266 popes from Peter to Pope Francis.  Today, there are a total of 5,000 Catholic bishops that can be traced in a continuous line back to the Twelve Apostles through the laying on of hands.  No other Christian body can make this claim.  Like Jesus in the Gospels, the Catholic Church teaches “as one having authority.”
 

The next point here is that when the Magisterium officially – officially – teaches in matters of faith and morals, the Magisterium is protected from error.  It doesn’t mean that the Pope and bishops can’t sin.  As human beings, they are sinners and can and do make mistakes, but when it comes to officially – officially – teaching as successors to the apostles, they teach with the authority of Christ and are preserved from error.  We’re not talking about a random comment that a pope makes or the bishops make…, but when they act as successors of the apostles, they are preserved from error.  On matters of faith, the Church cannot err, for example, on Mary’s Perpetual Virginity or the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.  On matters of morality, the Church cannot err, for example, on contraception, traditional marriage, or premarital cohabitation.  We must always find out the official teaching of the Church which comes from Christ and are not mere human opinion.  Her teachings are His own and they are meant to bring us life, life to the fullest.  Like a good mother, who gives her children rules to guide and protect them from harm, so, too Holy Mother Church has given us the teachings of Christ in order to guide and protect us from harm to our souls.
 

So, when Jesus through His Church teaches on matters of faith and morals, let our hearts joyfully receive the teaching.  “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts,” as we sung in the Responsorial Psalm.  Open dissent, public rebellion, and having a closed heart against Catholic teaching of the Magisterium is incompatible with being a follower of Christ.  Let us, however, acclaim the rock of our salvation! 
 

The second major point of reflection from the Gospel is how Jesus silenced the demon that was proclaiming Him as the Holy One of God.  Have you ever wondered why Jesus silenced the demon that was simply speaking the truth about Jesus?  Wouldn’t it be a victory for Jesus if the unclean spirit professed Jesus?  If we want to understand why Jesus silenced the unclean demonic spirit, we have to understand the strategy of the devil.  And, yes, the devil is real and exists.
 

The word “diabolos” in Greek means “divider” or “devil” in English.  The devil divides the Church…or attempts to divide the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.  He divides dioceses and sows confusion.  The devil divides parishes and gets parishioners to work against each other.  He divides the family which is the domestic church.  He tries to deceive the Elect – we, the baptized – if that were possible.

So when the demonic unclean spirit cried out the truthful statement that Jesus was the Holy One of God, the strategy of the unclean demon in today’s Gospel was to try to set up a false redeemer…a mere human messiah…a this-world king…a type of anti-redeemer or anti-Jesus image.  Knowing Jesus to be the Christ, the demon uses this very information against Christ.  So Jesus tells the demon, “Quiet!”  The demon presents a “false Jesus” as the socio-political redeemer not for the kingdom of heaven, which is our ultimate home, but a redeemer of this world only, as if Jesus came primarily to save us from social ills.  But social action and charity separated from Christ is a type of humanism, or even socialism, which we in the Church must be on guard against, as several modern-day Popes have taught.  The truth is that Jesus came primarily to save us and liberate us from sin.  Yes, He taught truth, but He wasn’t just a mere human teacher like some wise guru, equal to all the sages and other teachers of the world.  Jesus is not one of the truths, he is truth itself.  He said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”
 

Like the unclean spirit with Jesus, the mainstream secular media sets up a false Pope Francis image.  The media presents Pope Francis as if he’s out to change Catholic teaching.  They cite the Holy Father not because they love the message but because they love to misquote the Pope’s words.  But Pope Francis as the Successor of Peter will always uphold Catholic teaching.  Don’t get your news about Pope Francis or Catholic teaching from the secular media.  Go to a reliable and solid Catholic media source like Immaculate Heart Radio on 1260 AM, EWTN, the National Catholic Register, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, or directly from the Vatican Information Service.  Like Jesus in the Gospels, we must tell the secular media that distorts the Pope and official Catholic teaching to, in a certain sense, be “quiet” and not twist Pope Francis into someone he’s not or present falsely the teachings of the Catholic Church.  (We will see more of this happen especially up until the Synod on the Family this October.)

Finally, we the baptized and confirmed with the Spirit exercise this authority of Christ when we, too, uphold the teachings of the Church in public and spread the Gospel.  The role of the laity is to be a leaven in society.  Laity go to places that clergy cannot, such as the market place, the office, schools, factories, playgrounds, etc.  Even if you don’t have a theology degree, you are still baptized and confirmed and sent by Christ to teach all that Christ has commanded us.  Your sacraments are your credentials.  Jesus says to us to not be afraid!  In the Second Reading, St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “I should like you to be free of anxieties”.  We must say to the unclean spirit of fear troubling our hearts and souls when we talk about God, “Quiet!  Come out!” We must boldly speak about God and the joy and freedom we experience when we hold fast to the teachings that were handed on to us from the time of Christ and His apostles. 
 

As you know, I am a married permanent deacon with kids.  You and I who are parents are the first educators of our children in the spiritual ways of our Faith.  But whether married or single, we cannot be distracted by worrying about our jobs, how to pay the bills, being bullied to silence, or what people think about us when we talk about God.  We who are married and anxious about the things of the world should act like those who are unmarried and focus on pleasing the Lord instead.  St. Paul wrote, “I am telling you this for your own benefit not to impose a restraint upon you, but for the sake…of adherence to the Lord without distraction”.  The Eucharist at Sunday Mass and the holy rosary will help strengthen you and me, who are one with Christ the one Teacher. 
 

Having heard the Word of God proclaimed, dear brothers and sisters, let us move forward at this Mass and be strengthened by the Holy Eucharist.  Amen.