31 July 2022
30 July 2022
28 July 2022
Homily #211: Intro to the 7 Petitions of the Lord's Prayer (& Absolute Need to Pray Persistently) [w/Photos of My 48th Birthday & 19th Wedding Anniversary Blessing; Other Photos]
There is a story told of a Catholic priest military chaplain from World War II. We know about this story because this chaplain survived his time in the Army. He then eventually told this story in talks he gave after returning home from the war.
The story goes something like this: One day, the priest chaplain heard a solder yelling in a foxhole. The chaplain crawled into the foxhole and gave the soldier the Last Rites of the Church.
The soldier was seriously injured and dying. However, the solder was cussing and swearing about different people in his life. The priest chaplain asked him, “Why are you cussing at those people?” The dying solder replied, “Because they did not teach me how to pray.”
Eventually, the priest taught the dying solder in his final moments how to pray. Unfortunately, the solder eventually died. Fortunately, the solider seemed to die in the state of grace. The soldier was at peace with God, and he reconciled to the people he was angry at in his life.
II
This dramatic story is told to highlight the need not just to pray, but to teach others how to pray. And not only to pray to but to pray constantly. Now, for us 99% of the Catholic Church that don’t live in monasteries or convents, what does this mean for us? How do we pray without ceasing when we have busy lives in the world? Some say even Sunday Mass is a challenge to get to every week.
Well, in today’s Gospel, Jesus’s Apostles asked Jesus these same questions in a way, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Jesus replied with the ever-famous prayer called the Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father.
The Our Father is divided into 7 main parts or petitions. The first 3 petitions have to do with praising God: (1) “hallowed be Thy name” / (2) “Thy Kingdom come” / (3) “Thy will be done…”
Notice: Thy, Thy, Thy (referring to God’s name, God’s kingdom, and God’s will, while the other 4 petitions have to do with us.
(1) “Give us this day…”
(2) “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”
(3) “Lead us not into temptation”
(4) “But deliver us from evil.”
Notice: Us, Us, Us, Us (these present our wants to God: that He would make us nourished, healed, and made victorious over evil)
III
We start off with “Our” instead of “My Father”. When we say “our” Father, it is because WE are his people, and He is our God. It shows that we are praying of one mind and one heart and one soul, united in our common baptism. In a world of divisions, Jesus teaches us to overcome our divisions. The “Our” in “Our Father” means that we exclude no one. God is our Father, Mary is our mother, and Jesus our brother makes us brothers and sisters with each other.
According to Tertullian, the expression God the Father (Abba) “had never been revealed to anyone.” Even Moses heard another name for God. Jesus revealed God as Our Father. And yes it may be hard to experience a father’s love, esp if there is a father-wound, but this is where we are called to a child-like trust of the Father because it is to little children that the mysteries of the Father are revealed.
“Who art in Heaven” does not mean a place or space somewhere, but it is a way of being; it does not mean that God is distant; it means that God is majestic. He is in the hearts of the just, you who are his holy Temple. We profess that we are People of God, already seated with God but longing for Heaven our ultimate true home.
IV
In “Hallowed be Thy name” the word “hallowed” means “holy.” “Holy is your name.” It does not mean that we are causing God’s name to be holy but rather that we are recognizing God’s name as holy. This also means that there is a plan for each of us to be holy, starting with Baptism. St. Peter Chrysologus taught that asking God to hallow or make holy his name means to make all of creation holy. It gives salvation to a lost world.
“Thy Kingdom come” refers to the Kingdom of God in the person of Jesus. The world was originally good. Then it fell into Original Sin and the world was dark. And in this darkness, Jesus, the Light of the World, announces Himself as the Kingdom of God. Ultimately, “Thy kingdom come” refers primarily to the final coming of the reign of God through the Second Coming of Jesus. The Church cries out, “Marantha Tha” (Come, Lord Jesus!)” We see the Kingdom of God in Jesus, in the Church, in the Mass, in our lives, in society where there is justice and peace, but we want to see the final victory of the Kingdom of God at the end of time. St. Cyril of Jerusalem taught that only a pure soul can boldly say “Thy kingdom come.”
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” St. John Chrysostom said that Jesus did not say, “thy will be done in me” or “thy will be done in us” but rather “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. We constantly ask for God’s loving plan to be fully realized on earth the way it is already in heaven. That’s how we bring a little piece of Heaven on Earth— by doing God’s will.
V
“Give us this day our daily bread.’ After praising the Father, we show the “trust of children who look to their Father for everything.” Here, God “wants to relieve us from nagging worry and preoccupation” (Catechism 2830). This is the “filial surrender of the children of God.” Jesus said to seek first the Kingdom, and all things shall be added unto you.” At the same time, it calls Christians to responsibility for their hungry neighbors, both materially and spiritually. This ultimately means the Eucharist, the Bread of Life, which gives life to the world.
“And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Trespass means to sin. And the key word “as” connects “Forgive us our sins” “as” “we forgive those who sin against us.” This includes even forgiving enemies. Our sins are indeed forgiven, but that means we must forgive others as well, including those old wounds, those who have hurt or harmed us. With man, it may seem impossible, but with God all things are possible.
“Lead us not into temptation” means that God will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation the Holy Spirit wil0251l provide a way to escape.
“But deliver us from evil” means we ask to be protected from the Evil One, the devil, who is not an abstract idea, but the devil is a real person, a fallen angel, who hates you! We ask God to protect us from all evil, past, present and future. The Church brings to the Father all of the distress of the world and desires victory over the devil.
Amen means “So be it.” We ratify and agree with the prayer.
VI
To close, I knew a veteran soldier who could not remember longer prayers when he was sick and dying but did pray the Our Father repeatedly. And unlike the story of the solider who died in the foxhole, this veteran soldier recovered. I was also the first on the scene of an accident where a teenager was hit by a car. All I could think of was praying the Our Father for her. Thankfully, she survived. We can teach it to others. We can pray it every day. We can meditate on the words of the Lord’s Prayer and even see miracles happen.
Prayer, according to St. Therese, is a look to Heaven. St. John Vianney said, “God looks at me, and I look at God.” The Lord’s Prayer is a “summary of the whole Gospel” (Catechism 2761). St. Thomas Aquinas called it the most perfect of prayers because it teaches us the right order to pray for things.
Like the parable of the persistent asker in today’s Gospel, let us persistently pray, especially the Lord’s Prayer.
We pray, at the Savior’s command, and formed by divine teaching, we dare – we have the audacity – to pray it in and out of Mass.
Let us pray and meditate this prayer, while we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ.
For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory now and forever.
Amen.
16 July 2022
Homily #210 for Baptism: "God is With Us"
Please remember in prayer a newly initiated royal prince of the Kingdom of Heaven:
Godfather was helpful. He approached me for a blessing afterward, and we prayed together as I placed my hand on his head and pressed down like what happened to me at ordination.
Teenager who had received Confirmation helped with Reading. He was from Holy Spirit School in Fairfield, CA, across the hills. I was impressed with his education.
15 July 2022
"Introduction to Each of the 10 Commandments" [Homily #209]
Homily #209a: Introduction to Each of the 10 Commandments
by Deacon Dennis Purificacion
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 10, 2022
12pm & 5pm Masses
Whenever we play or watch a sport, we love the athletic excellence of the game. A big part of this is because all the players and referees follow a set of rules. If the players don’t play by the rules, then they and we don’t get to enjoy the game.
It’s ironic or paradoxical. By following the rules and laws of the earthly game, we become happy. So too if we follow God’s law in the heavenly game of life we will become happy in our souls with a properly formed conscience.
In this homily, I’m going to explain not sports rules but God’s rules called the 10 Commandments. Jesus summarized the 10 Commandments in two lines: Love God & love neighbor. Let’s focus on not just the “do not” part but also the “do” part. In other words, in the Christian way of following the 10 Commandments, every Commandment has a “do this” part but also a “don’t do that” part. “Go and do likewise, as Jesus said explaining the Good Samaritan.
Love the Lord your God is specified in Commandments ##1, 2 and 3, while love neighbor is in Commandments ##4-10.
The 1st Commandment is “I am the Lord your God. You shall not have any strange gods before me.”
One way to keep this Commandment is to have faith, hope and love for God. These 3 theological virtues were planted like a seed in the garden of our immortal souls through baptism. At the Gloria, we pray: We bless You, we praise You, we adore You, we glorify You, we give you thanks, O God. We adore the Triune God alone. When someone says, “Praise the Lord” or “Thank you, God” they are honoring the 1st Commandment.
Now, some ways to violate the 1st Commandment include worshiping other material things, superstition practices, and divination where one consults horoscopes, astrology, or palm readings instead of relying on God’s providential care. Or participating in secret societies, like Freemasonry, violates this Commandment or even using crystals and those dreamcatchers that people hang on their cars. All these can actually open the doors to demons. We’re also noticing a rise in the New Age Movement and even Satanism.
The 2nd Commandment is “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.”
When I was teaching religion at the local Catholic high school in my 20s, I remember attending the local movie theater. Before the movie started, someone in the audience used God’s name in vain really loud. I immediately blurted out loudly, “Don’t use the Lord’s name in vain!” …and then I sank in my seat and realized that I had just corrected him in public. [Thankfully, the guy said, “I got God right here” which was perhaps his way to apologize.]
We honor and use God’s name respectfully. It’s unfortunate that in many Hollywood movies God’s name is mainly used as a cuss word. Misusing God’s name is called blasphemy. But respecting God’s name and anything holy, like the saints and holy things, in our speech in sacred matters is what we are commanded to do. Saying “Blessed be God’s name!” when some blasphemes is a way to make reparation.
The 3rd Commandment is “Remember to keep holy the Lord’s day.”
We rest from – and here’s the important word – unnecessary servile work and spend time in prayer on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.
So, 3 Commandments specify the first of two parts in Jesus’s teaching: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind.
The second of two parts of Jesus’s teaching is “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” These are Commandments 4 through 10.
The 4th Commandment is “Honor your father and your mother.”
It shows us the order of love. After God first, we should then honor our parents next “to whom we owe life and who have handed on to us the knowledge of God” (CCC 2197). I know this can be difficult for many in broken family life situations, but trust in the graces of the Sacraments to follow where Christ is leading us to help heal any hurts or divisions in family life.
The 5th Comm is “You shall not kill” or better translated “You shall not murder.”
All human life is sacred. I never told you why I chose St. Catherine’s Church as my parish. I attended the other Catholic parishes in Vallejo in the late 1990s, and at that Mass the pastor here gave a homily on defending innocent human life. He was one of those Irish Catholic priests. I immediately said that this is my parish because if someone can defend life, they will protect you. And for those who have deliberately terminated their pregnancies for whatever reason, Project Rachel is an excellent ministry to help women who have had abortions heal and reconcile with the Church.
The 6th Commandment is “You shall not commit adultery,” and it goes together with the 9th Commandment “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.”
They apply to both married and unmarried people. In the beginning, God created the human race in His own image…male and female he created them.” Everyone is called to practice chastity in thoughts and actions. For unmarried people, this means waiting until marriage before giving one’s body to another person. For married people, this means following the Church’s moral teaching especially on regulating birth. If there is a divorce and remarriage where one person is Catholic, there should be an annulment process before receiving Holy Communion. Also, not sure if you are aware of this but the pornography business is linked with human trafficking which is a modern form of slavery, so pornography hurts women and society. All are called to love but each has a different mission on how that love is lived out in relationships.
The 7th Commandment is “You shall not steal,” and it goes together with the 10th Commandment “You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.” These two commandments form the basis for Catholic social doctrine. On the one hand, we have the right to private ownership but on the other hand the earth has resources for the just distribution of the world’s goods, especially for the poor. Justice means giving what is due to the person. The Church has always rejected communism and socialism (cf. Catechism 2425), as well as rejecting democracy and capitalism without virtue. [If time, explain: solidarity and subsidiarity] Democracy and capitalism must have virtue. A representative democracy needs a virtuous people; otherwise, it will not work [and you have a mob instead].
Finally, the 8th Commandment is “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” In other words, do not lie.
Since God is the source of all truth, we too but bear witness to the truth, beauty and goodness. It means standing up for the Christian faith, even when it is difficult. It means respecting others’ reputation in speech or writing.
Commandments 9 and 10 teach us to order desires and material things toward God’s service and toward our neighbor. As John Paul II wrote in “The Splendor of Truth,” the Commandments are the starting point of freedom (cf. Veritatis Splendor 13).
[If time allows, speak from the heart about brief experience as a Police Chaplain and the role of the 10 Commandments in society.]
In closing, dear brothers and sisters, Jesus taught us to love God and love neighbor. Commandments 1-3 specify love of God, and Commandments 4-10.
[As Moses taught in the Book of Deuteronomy from our First Reading today, it is not “too mysterious and remote for you. It is not up in the sky. No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.” ]
The Two Great Commandments to love God and our neighbor will set us free. Let us be like the Good Samaritan who loved God by loving our neighbor.
“Go," Jesus said, "and do likewise.”
A.M.D.G.
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