As I practice and continue to learn the Exultet for the Great Easter Vigil, I am moved to tears reflecting on these lines, especially the part about the Eternal Father ransoming a slave by giving away His Son:
"O love, O charity beyond all telling, /
to ransom a slave you gave away your Son! /
O truly necessary sin of Adam, /
destroyed completely by the Death of Christ! /
O happy fault that earned so great, /
so glorious a Redeemer!"
I am that slave!
As the verse says: Love beyond all telling. The thought of the Father sending His Son for love moves me deeply. How can words describe something like that?
My left foot was the first thing I saw after the bishop ordained me a deacon.
During the laying of the hands, my eyes were closed. At the time, I thought of the silence of the Eternal Father.
(This silence of the Eternal Father is the same silence I occasionally experience during the Doxology when the priest lifts the Sacred Body of Our Lord and when I as deacon assist him by holding the Sacred Chalice of the Precious Blood of Jesus.
Here, the priest re-presents the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross to the Father in the Spirit in a bloodless manner.)
On ordination day, a few seconds after the laying of hands, I opened my eyes, and I saw my left foot. I then walked over to be vested with servant vestments.
* * *
Here's what I wrote when I added this picture above to the ordination day blog HERE about a year later:
"I took this picture in 2015 at St. Joseph's in Vacaville, CA. I took it b/c my feet were the first things I saw opening my eyes after the bishop laid his hands upon my head. They remind me of Jesus washing His disciples' feet out of humility. I thought of the many steps I would walk for Him before my last days in His service."
Well, I continue to look down at my feet (or think of Jesus washing feet):
- when walking to the front door after a long day at work
- when seated at a meeting
- during the Liturgy of the Word at Mass
- when washing dishes or changing dirty diapers
- while driving
- when saying sorry to someone
- while teaching a class
I know I have many daily faults. I don't know how people manage without going to Confession regularly.
According to Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich, Jesus washed His disciples' feet because it is the feet that comes into daily contact with earthly cares and there makes mistakes.
So it was sufficient for Jesus to wash the feet instead of the whole body as Simon Peter wanted to do.
And I will say that with this focus on my feet, it definitely forces my eyes downward. And it reminds me to keep my pride in check, to try to practice humility as hard as it is and be humble.
"Talking About God to Others; Let Your Light Shine"
St. Catherine's Catholic Church, Vallejo, CA, USA
Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017
At football games, like at the Superbowl, people hold up poster signs, like “John 3:16”.John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave His Only Son that whoever believes in Him might not perish, but have eternal life.”Those holding up these signs are letting their light shine.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus said that his disciples were the light of the world and the salt of the earth.Today, I’d like to offer practical ways to let our light shine.To do this though, I need to first distinguish between evangelization versus pre-evangelization.
Evangelization proper means talking/speaking about Jesus or God or something about our holy Catholic faith to others with the intention to convert them.In other words, it means deliberately using words to bring them to the knowledge and saving love of Jesus.
Pre-evangelization, on the other hand, is all the things that prepare a person or make them disposed to receive the Gospel.For example, a smile and a hug are pre-evangelization.Being friendly, hospitable, or kind acts to others is pre-evangelization.In a sense, it is not evangelization proper.
Evangelization proper, as the Church has always understood it for 2,000 years, as seen in Pope St. Paul VI) means speaking, sharing with words, proclaiming, and saying things religiously about God.It means explicitly using the Word of God, like the people holding up the sign, John 3:16, at the Superbowl, sharing the Good News.
We must do both: action AND words.We should be examples and friendly to others, but in addition to our actions, we must learn and train ourselves to talk about Jesus with others, even if our voice and our bodies shake.
The Word of God is meant to be spoken.Faith comes through hearing.How will others know about Jesus and His desire for them to go to Heaven, if we do not preach it?
Even if you’re nervous, you just have to start somewhere.In the Second Reading to the Corinthians, St. Paul gives us encouragement.He wrote, “I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, BUT with a demonstration of Spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.”One does not have to be a great speaker to evangelize or talk about God with others.For us who are immigrants, our English does not need to be perfect to talk about God. One only needs to be willing to let God’s light shine in and through them.
After Mass one time, a professional speaker came up to me and asked, “I have to give a talk.What do you recommend?”My mind was blank, I asked the Holy Spirit to help me, and I said, “Speak your heart.Be yourself.People will know if you’re real or not.”He said, “Thanks, I love you, bruh.”If you are worried about talking about God, say a brief prayer to the Holy Spirit asking Him for help, and then share your heart with them.
[If time allows: After Mass the other week, someone approached me in a nurse’s uniform.During our conversation she said that she prays with her patients.She does not work for a Catholic hospital.She will pray and at times talk about God.This is evangelization proper.]
[If time allows: Talking about God should take place out there in the world 24/7, not just here in church on Sunday for an hour.We should be sharing our Faith naturally at our workplaces, schools, factories, at the marketplace, and most especially in our own families.The primary role of the laity is to season the world with the salt of the Good News.Lay ministry is really secondary.]
And notice, one does not need ordination to proclaim the Gospel.We must train ourselves to speak about God. Go to workshops and retreats (like Cursillo). Find solid programs that will train you to speak about God more.For example, I co-founded the Maris Stella Institute (with other certified master catechists).In this program, you will be trained not just what to say, but you will practice how to say it.You will gain the skills to talk about God.
One final note about salt and light.For someone who has been in a dark room for a long time, and their cell phone rings, when the light on the cell phone is too bright, it can shock them for a moment (esp. if they have been living in the darkness of sin for a long time).Make it gradual, but don’t make this an excuse to not let your light shine with the Word of God, as if we’re afraid, and as if we are covering our light with a basket.It still must shine, even if it shocks a little bit.Our job is to evangelize; let God take care of the rest.
So like those football fans that hold up signs at the Superbowl, let us let our light shine before others, but let it not just be at the Superbowl, but at the “Superbowl of our lives,” – the game of life. You are the light of the world.Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven.
As we gather on this historical day for Joey and Rachel, we give thanks to Almighty God and to His Most Holy Mother, after whom this church, Our Lady of Peace, is named. We consecrate this homily and this moment to the triumph of her Immaculate Heart, the heart which the Bible says was pierced with a sword.
We also say... (full text continued below after pictures or click on audio below)
Wedding Sermon for Rachel & Joey
(photo courtesy of Helen Villanueva)
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[Note: I was happy to return to my second boyhood parish where I served as an altar boy and parish admin assistant in high school and college. The saintly Father John J. Sweeny was pastor.]
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HOMILY #85
WEDDING SERMON FOR RACHEL & JOEY
Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church
Santa Clara, CA, USA
Feb. 4, 2017, 12pm
Dearly Beloved,
As we gather on this historical day for Joey and
Rachel, we give thanks to Almighty God and to His Most Holy Mother, after whom
this church, Our Lady of Peace, is named. We consecrate this homily and this moment to
the triumph of her Immaculate Heart, the heart which the Bible says was
pierced with a sword.
We also say thank you to the pastor, Fr. Brian, and to
our priest celebrant, Fr. Joseph, as well, for bringing us the Holy Sacrifice of
the Mass. We say thank you for granting
me delegation to receive the exchange of vows and for allowing me to preach the
Word of God today and explain the teachings of the holy Catholic Church on
marriage and family.
I
Well, after much preparation, dear brothers and
sisters in Christ, we are here.And most
especially, the bride and groom are here.(And they are still here!)
I say this because your consent before the
Church, your “yes” to live according to God’s plan for marriage and family,
your “I do” in a few minutes, is the
form of the marriage and makes marriage
what it is.
You two have made this act out of your own free will.The options and choices were placed before
you.You
did not have to do this, but you did.Joey, you said, “I don’t want to lose Rachel.I love her.”Or perhaps more properly speaking, you replied to God’s invitation.
It is truly a
calling today to be married, given all the attacks on marriage and family in
the lies of our culture, a Culture of Death that is the fruit of especially the
Sexual Revolution which was at its peak 50 years ago.We see these today in efforts to re-define
marriage into something which it is not.
But the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony is a gift and grace of God to you.This sacrament, which is one of the seven signs or mysteries instituted by Our Lord Jesus
Christ, will give you graces to help you fight against today’s Culture of
Death.
II
God (Not the State) Instituted Marriage
As a Natural Institution Between a Man & Woman...
And because of
these attacks on God’s plan for marriage and family (and because these attacks on marriage are so prevalent today), let us take a few
moments before your “yes” – your consent – to recall this plan through a brief
catechesis:
In today’s Gospel, when Jesus was asked about the
meaning and definition of marriage, notice what Jesus taught.He said, “From
the beginning….”This line, “From the beginning” refers to the
beginning of time.
At the beginning of humanity, God instituted
marriage.Jesus said in today’s
Gospel, “God made them male and female.”Thus, God
is the author of marriage, not the state.It is not for human beings – esp. judges and justices on the Supreme
Court and democracies– to determine what marriage is.The role of the state, rather, is to protect
marriage (as a natural institution between a man and a woman).Any human law that does not
follow divine and natural law is no law at all (and need not be obeyed).
The holy Catholic Church, founded by Jesus Christ,
today, like her Divine Founder, Jesus, also faces a hostile question about
marriage and family.The Church, the Bride of Christ, still also
says, “From the beginning” like Him.Her teachings are his own! She likewise teaches, “In the beginning,….”It is
this way.It is this way that Joey and
Rachel are following in the next few moments and throughout their lives.Rachel
and Joey, by your “yes,” you are bearing witness and testifying to God’s plan
for marriage as taught by Jesus and His Church.
III
...And Jesus Raised Marriage to the Dignity of a Sacrament!
God instituted marriage, but notice the second line
from the Gospel which you chose.Jesus elevated marriage to the dignity of a
sacrament!“…a man shall leave
his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one
flesh.”They are no longer two separate
individuals but “one flesh”.And what
God has joined, man must not divide.Human beings must not tear apart.No human being, even the state, can ever
separate a bond that is indissoluble.
This is the second main point that Jesus teaches.Jesus Himself, knowing that marriage fell
under the original sin of our first parents, knowing that marriage was attacked
and weakened and placed under what the Catechism
of the Catholic Church calls the “regime
of sin”, knowing that marriage was in the grip of the Evil One, Jesus raises marriage into something
greater (than it was at creation)— a Sacrament.
(It is like in the movie “Star Wars” when the entire
galaxy was under the evil control of the demonic Emperor Palpatine, but
Skywalker – a Christ figure – redeems the universe from evil.)
This is why it is important for Catholics to be married in the Catholic Church by the Church’s ministers,
the priest or, in today’s case, a properly delegated deacon.It is not sufficient for Catholics to just be
married civilly or simply live together and cohabitate today without the public
vow, the consent, in the presence of the Church’s ministers and 2 witnesses.Catholics that are only civilly married or
cohabiting should refrain from receiving Holy Communion.The joyful news is that sexual activity is the privilege of those who are married. The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, the “I do”
before the Church, is there to give grace,
to give help for us to go to Heaven.
Speaking as a married permanent deacon with kids,
I say marriage and family are already difficult without the culture attacking
marriage.But we trust in the graces of the sacrament.Married and family life will be difficult,
Joey and Rachel.Marriages need grace and prayer!We need God’s help to live His plan.Find some common spiritual practice, like the
Lord’s Prayer and esp. Holy Mass and continue to pray together daily.No other prayer surpasses the power of the
Holy Eucharist.Keep God in your marriage.
Joey and Rachel, thank you for choosing the way of
Christ Jesus today.You are what the Bible
through St. Paul calls “being married in
the Lord”.
God
instituted marriage, but Jesus Christ made marriage into a sacrament.This is true
love.It is true Christian love, as
we saw in the Second Reading from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians.Love bears all things, endures all things,
love “rejoices with the truth”.Live love in truth, so that you will reflect
the mystery of Christ’s love for his Church, which is the very Mystical Body of
Christ.
IV
Finally, I turn to you, my brother Joey.In
this Sacrament, love your bride as Christ loved and laid down his life for the
Church.God is with you, my brother
Joey.He has called you here.And speaking as your brother-in-law, your
Kuya, your older brother, thank you for
loving my little sister, for laying down your life for her.Let us look to St. Joseph (whose name you bear), the model of fatherhood and
manhood, for help.
Rachel, my sister, I turn to you.In this Sacrament, love your husband as the
Church loves Christ and also, in divine love for Jesus, lay down your life for
him.We the Church, the Bride of Christ (which you symbolized walking down the aisle), join our Crucified Beloved and place ourselves under (“sub”) his mission (“misio”)
to redeem and save the world.As it
is written in the Word of God from the Book of Sirach, the Church (in which you Rachel are now an image), “A good wife
is a generous gift bestowed upon him who fears the Lord”.I may not have been physically present with
you over the past many years, but Kuya
has always been fighting for you spiritually with the weapons of prayer and the
sacraments, and is now physically with you at this most sacred moment in
your life.
Joey and Rachel, in closing, Sr. Lucia, who the Blessed Mother
appeared to in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917, 100 years ago this year, said, “The final
battle between Our Lord and Satan will be over family and marriage.”Let the holy Sacrament of Matrimony help you
to be faithful in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, for richer
or poorer, all the days of your life. Let the words of the Responsorial Psalm (which the both of you chose for today) be true of your earthly life,
“The earth [my earthly life] is full of the goodness of the Lord.”Amen.
