50th Priest Anniversary of Fr. Jess Soriano (pastor who signed my diaconate application in 2008)

Baptism (Homily #188 on God's Message of Love Through Baptism)

Welcome to the Church!

Godmother Christine read the readings. S said that God loves us "this much" with our arms outstretched like Jesus on the Cross.

I spoke about the Prophet Malachi whose name means "God's messenger" or "my messenger".

(139th baptism) 

“Spiritual Preparation For Our Own Particular Judgment: Stay Awake!” (Homily 187b)

“Spiritual Preparation For Our Own Particular Judgment: Stay Awake!” (Homily 187b)

By Deacon Dennis Purificacion

32^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Nov. 8, 2020)

In a recent interview with legendary quarterback Joe Montana, Montana was asked his secret for success.  After crediting his dad, Montana replied his secret was in preparing.  He said, “Every time my dad came home, I’d have a ball in my hand, and we’d go over sports.”  Montana practiced throwing a football with his dad, then later prepared under Head Coach Bill Walsh, and later rehearsed with wide receiver Jerry Rice over and over until near perfection.  Joe Montana was wise and prudent enough to prepare before the big events that led the SF 49ers to victory after victory.

Today, we too prepare for many things in our lives: On a global scale, we are constantly asked to be prepared.  Be ready for natural disasters.  Be prepared for man-made problems. 

And if this is true for our earthly lives, then even more preparation is needed for our spiritual lives.  That’s why in today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us to be prepared.  Be prepared because we do not know the day nor hour for the coming of the Son of Man.  Stay awake!  Stay vigilant; keep watch.

Jesus is foretelling his Second Coming at the end of human history.  This is the return of the King who will, as the Second Vatican Council taught, restore the Kingdom of God in its fullness and perfection (Lumen Gentium, Ch.7)!  The Greek word for the Second Coming of Christ is “Par-Ousia”.  This PAROUSIA event is also called Judgment Day.  In the Mass, after the Lord’s Prayer, the priest prays that we be filled with the expectation of Jesus’ return [in glory].  As St. Paul wrote in his First Letter to the Thessolonians from today’s Second Reading, at the sound of a trumpet, the dead shall be raised and those living at the time of the Second Coming will be caught up in the air to be with Jesus.  And all of us must prepare by being like the 5 prudent and wise virgins.

Our lamps and oils are our souls ready when the Bridegroom knocks at the door.  We will experience our own “particular” Judgment Day at the end of our journey or pilgrimage on Earth.  At the moment of our deaths, our souls will separate from our bodies and stand before Jesus.  And while our physical earthly remains are placed in the earth from which it came, our spiritual souls enter into one of three states: One possibility is directly into Heaven; another possibility it is condemned to Hell (like the 5 foolish virgins); and the third temporary possibility is what St. Paul calls a burning fire of purgation or Purgatory.  (The 4 Last Things are Death, Judgment, Heaven or Hell.)

During this month of November, we especially pray for the happy repose of the souls of Purgatory.  These souls do not want anything else other than your prayers and sacrifices of charity.  They want to be with God fully but still need to be purified of venial sins and imperfections.  The beautiful flowers and caring for tombstones or beautiful words we post online [for the dead] are really meant more for us and our healing, not them, because it is our prayers and sacrifices provide them relief in Purgatory.  The highest prayer for them is the Mass.  They cannot pray for themselves; only we can on Earth.  They are grateful when we remember them in our prayers, and they in turn assist us with their prayers.  The names of our departed are listed this month.  The Bible says, “It is good and wholesome to pray for the dead” (Macc.).  Those in Purgatory eventually go to Heaven.  But, dear brothers and sisters, let us aim to go directly to Heaven, not just be satisfied for Purgatory and then Heaven.  We don’t want a mediocre Catholic faith but a fervent and zealous Catholic faith!

In the First Reading, the author of the Book of Wisdom calls us to be prudent.  “Wisdom is the perfection of prudence.”  When we pass from this life, we must be prudent, ready, and prepared.  This happens when our souls are in right relationship with God, in the state of grace, and not the state of deadly mortal sin. We do this with reception of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Penance.  Remove serious or mortal sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation by going to Confession. 

Let me ask: Are you ready right now?  Are we one of the foolish virgins or one of the wise virgins?  Remember, we know neither the day or hour of the end of our lives.

If you answered an honest yes without flinching, that you are ready, then please continue that route.  However, if you couldn’t answer yes to the question, “Are you ready right now to stand before God?” then let this be an invitation to be prepared.   Yes, the Son of Man comes at the end of the world in some unknown future for a general Judgment Day of all humanity.  But the Son of Man comes to us at the moment of our deaths for our particular Judgment Day.  So let’s be ready!

We can best prepare ourselves by completing our Sacraments, if we have not done so already.  And if we have already received our Sacraments; then, we can continuously prepare by receiving the Eucharist and going to Confession as frequently as possible, such as going to daily Mass or devotional monthly or even weekly Confession.  Our Lord gave us the Sacraments to help us on our journey to Heaven; let us avail ourselves of them as much as we can while there is still time.

Also, practicing works of mercy, like the corporal or spiritual works of mercy, help us to be like the 5 wise and prudent virgins.  [Bring example of elderly person alone without access to the Mass and doesn’t know how to use technology to access Mass.]  So we can prepare and stay awake not just with the corporal works of mercy (like giving drink to the thirsty or visiting prisoners) but with the spiritual works of mercy, too.  Some examples of the spiritual works of mercy are instructing the ignorant or people who don’t know any better, admonishing sinners with fraternal correction, comforting the sorrowful, bearing wrongs patiently or forgiving offences. 

As we begin the process of ending the liturgical year and beginning a new Church calendar year Advent 2021, the parish is offering a free virtual Advent retreat starting this Nov. 30.  This will help us not just as individually but as a parish community to prepare for the great mysteries of Christmas, the First Coming of Christ.

In closing, while we cannot all be like Joe Montana or Coach Bill Walsh or Jerry Rice, all of us can, like them spiritually, prepare, prepare, prepare.  Let us be prepared every moment of our lives by avoiding sin and living a life of divine friendship with God.  Are you ready?  No?  Well, let’s get ready then!

"Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day not the hour."

Photo credit: Gustavo Dure, Triumph of Christianity Over Paganism

(not exactly the Second Coming but some images convey foreshadow of Christ's Second Coming)

 

Marriage Prep (Armando & Lucero)

Here is one of the engaged couples I'm blessed to prepare for the Sacrament of Matrimony.

Their family was taking pictures after Mass, so I asked them to take one for me, too.

May the Woman of Cana in Galilee, present with her Son at a wedding, be with this couple from the beginning to the end of their married lives.