Archive for February, 2022

Every Tree is Known by its Fruit

February 27, 2022

8th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran

The quality of a tree is known by the quality of the fruits borne by the tree. This literally means that the tree should not be judged by its appearance but by the fruit which is generated by it. The proverb also can be stated…

As is the king so are his subjects.
As is the mother so is the daughter.

St. Monica was born in a Christian family, she married a pagan man. Her marriage was blessed with three children. The oldest and most famous was Augustine. Her husband was not a model husband yet Monica prayed ceaselessly for his conversion. After much prayer her husband accepted baptism but he died within a year. Her son Augustine was a constant concern. Augustine followed the example of his father. He refused to accept baptism for many years, Monica prayed, fasted and cried silently for Augustine’s conversion, God was listening. He heard and finally answered these prayers of this faithful mother. Augustine left his sinful ways, accepted baptism from St. Ambrose of Milan. After his baptism he became good Christian and eventually bishop of Hippo. He was one of the greatest minds of the early Christian church, a theologian whose ideas forever influenced the Catholic Church. St. Monica died shortly after at the age of 55, secure in the knowledge that her son had responded God’s call. Her work on earth was finished. She was a good tree that produced good fruit.

If we want to judge a person we have to judge them not by their speech but by their actions in times of adversity. There is a story in the bible in which two women with a small baby came to King Solomon and said that this baby was their child. King Solomon could not determine who the real mother was so he said that he would cut the child into two giving them each one half. The real mother opposed it and said that she does not want to kill the child because the real mother truly loved the child. So even if King Solomon cannot choose the real mother he made use of the true inner quality of a mother to resolve the problem. So if we want to judge a person, we should do it from their actions.

In today’s gospel, Jesus also teaches us that the quality of our heart determines the quality of our words and actions. He says, “A good person, out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, while an evil person, out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.” As Christians, if we live according to the good news, our actions and words would be guided by it. Consequently, it will affect others positively. On the contrary, if we fill our hearts with evil, our words and actions would be filled with nothingness. Are our words uplifting or tearing down others? Jesus describes the heart as one that either produces fruit that is good or fruit that is evil. What kind of fruit is growing in the tree of our heart? Bearing good fruit of love for one another is needed more now than ever before in this world. Evil and hatred sits at the forefront of the world, but God is calling us Christians to be “good fruit trees” that bears good fruit that can only be identified by our character from the words we speak. If we are bearing good fruit, the results will be productivity for the kingdom of God in word and deed. Jesus observes that good trees bear good fruit. When we produce abundant good fruit, then God is glorified. We understands that we have been created by God for fruitfulness.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Homily, Sunday Homilies | 1 Comment »

On Fraternal Correction

February 27, 2022

8th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Victor Feltes

Back in your school days, did you ever have a teacher whom you really liked teaching you a subject you would not have otherwise cared about? The winsome way your teacher presented the material, and your personal respect and affection for her or him, motivated you to learn. Even back then, you recognized that your best teachers were not there to control or manipulate you, to make you obey just so they could collect a paycheck. You knew they wanted to give to you a good gift: knowledge, for the improvement of your life. You behaved better in their classrooms and gave your best effort in their classes because you knew they cared about you and willed your good. This common experience of excellent teachers helping students absorb lessons they would have otherwise rejected contains lessons for how we ought to fraternally correct one another.

But are Christians supposed to correct the sins of others? You may recall last week’s reading from St. Luke’s Gospel where Jesus said: “Stop judging and you will not be judged.” From this one might conclude we should never correct anybody; for how could we ever correct anyone without judging something they did as wrong? (Among some people today, “Don’t judge” is the only fragment of the Gospels they ever quote.) Yet, Jesus declares in a later chapter of this very same Gospel of Luke: “If your brother sins, rebuke him…” What is going going on here?

The judgement of human souls properly belongs to God, who alone peers into hearts and minds with perfect clarity, justice, and mercy. Yet Christians are called to help others see their errors and change their ways when the actions they are doing are wrong. This is part of being our “brother’s keeper,” to have care and concern for another’s soul. As St. James writes in New Testament letter: “My brothers, if anyone among you should stray from the truth and someone bring him back, he should know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” Even Jesus’ parable today states that the purpose of removing the beam from your eye is so “you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.” That’s an image of fraternal correction; helping remove a harmful impediment so another may see more clearly and live more fully.

If you required eye surgery, in what manner would you want the procedure performed on you? I would want someone to do mine calmly, skillfully, as painlessly as possible while accomplishing what must be done, and in a sterile environment. Likewise, when you correct someone, do it calmly and if possible in a private place in order to minimize their embarrassment. Approach the encounter with prayer so that you may cooperate with God’s grace and choose words which are as firm as is necessary and as gentle as possible. Your critique may be hard for the other person to swallow so perhaps serve it to them inside of a “Compliment Sandwich.” First, express something true and admirable about them, then share your correction, and close with another personal praise or by affirming your friendship. It is much easier to accept correction from a friend who sees the good in you, than from a stranger who does not. Or, in lieu of a face-to-face interaction, sometimes a thoughtfully-written, signed letter can be a good approach. In any case, if we are going to correct another about something we need to be walking-the-walk ourselves, lest we undermine our own words by our poor example.

Jesus’ parable today highlights a common human problem: we more readily see faults in others than see them in ourselves. We note the splinter in our neighbor’s eye but do not perceive the wooden beam in our own. There are multiple psychological reasons for this, so we must act against our bias towards self-blindness to see ourselves truly, in order that we may grow. A passage from the Book of Proverbs teaches that if you correct a fool he will hate you, but if you correct a wise man he will love you for it. So when someone corrects you, receive the message gracefully. Even if they are only half-right, take that half to heart. And if they are totally off base, let their criticism roll off your back without holding a grudge.

Remember that the person over whom you have the greatest control, and whom you have the greatest responsibility to convert, is yourself. In your prayers this Lent, which begins this Wednesday, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal your true self to you. Seeing yourself through the loving eyes of our Lord is likely to both challenge and console to you in surprising ways. Jesus says, “No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher.” Let Jesus Christ, the greatest teacher, instruct you. He cares about you, has important knowledge to share, and desires your glory to be like his own.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Homily, Sunday Homilies | 2 Comments »

The Lover’s Return — Funeral Homily for Richard “Dick” Aubert, 85

February 24, 2022

Dick was swept off his feet and went head over heels on his first date with Michele. It was during the winter which spanned 1959 and 1960. They were both quite young. He had just returned from service in the U.S. army She was piously contemplating becoming a nun. Facilitated by mutual friends, Dick and Michele decided to go ice skating together.

There were a lot of people at the rink that night. Many skaters going to-and-fro on the ice. Suddenly, during a moment while Michele was either distracted or not nearby, Dick slipped, and fell, and smacked his head on the ice. Michele later saw somebody sitting on the ice, a crowd of people gathered around him, but she did not realize that that young man was her date.

Having suffered a concussion, Dick was brought off the emergency room. But Michele thought he had ghosted her. She assumed he had abandoned her, without even saying goodbye. Surely this must have seemed like the end of their relationship. How could a relationship continue after that? Well, Dick soon returned, explained what he had happened and where he had gone, and they booked a second date.

After a year of dating, they committed their hearts to each other, entering a marriage covenant in the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Eau Claire in 1961. And their love bore fruit, particularly in three daughters; Catherine, Lori, and Heather, in their grandchildren and great grandchildren.

We are gathered here on this day, rather than gathered elsewhere, because of one man more than any other. For love, he pursued a holy and beautiful bride. He was painfully struck down, and they were separated for a time. She did not understand why they were parted and had not hoped to see him again. But then he rose again and returned to her, and their love has borne fruit since. I speak of Jesus Christ and his Church. Behold, he makes all things new, renewing his mysteries within our lives.

The holy love of a husband and wife reflects the holy love Christ and his Church. Dick and Michele have been married for sixty years, even throughout the past three years of his mental decline, living together at home until just three months ago.

On a day like there are tears from sadness due to parting and tears from beholding the beauty of faithful love. Jesus will one day wipe every tear from our eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, when this world is finally set free from slavery to corruption and this old order has passed away, replaced by the new. St. Paul urges us to “consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us.”

The Lord Jesus, who makes us children of God the Father; Christ, the lover of our souls, who proposes to us an everlasting covenant with himself; Jesus Christ, who suffered with us but rose again, he is the reason we are here today for Dick’s funeral. In this broken world of suffering and beauty, Jesus is our cause for hope and our greatest consolation.

Posted in Funeral Homilies, Homily, Jesus Christ, Marriage and Family, Salvation History | Leave a Comment »

Dorothy at Home — Funeral Homily for Dorothy Turner, 85

February 22, 2022

I am informed that Dorothy dreaded snowstorms. In years past, she would urge her family not to travel on a day with weather like today’s. But for love of Dorothy you have gathered here to spiritually aid her on her journey and for your mourning hearts to be blanketed by heavenly grace. Today, I would like to share and reflect on a handful of Dorothy stories.

When her kids were growing up, her beloved husband Bob would come home in time for supper when his work schedule permitted. Bob loved everything and everyone to be in their right and proper place. So, near five o’clock, Dorothy would glance out the window to glimpse her husband’s approach. “He’s coming around the corner,” she would yell, and the whole household would spring into action. One child would run into the living room, to tidy up the toys and homework materials. Meanwhile in the kitchen, one kid set the table, another prepared the dessert, while another helped mom put the food into bowls. When dad walked in, Dorothy had everyone seated and ready, awaiting him at the table.

Four years ago, after sixty years of marriage together, Bob passed away. In addition to her many relatives and friends, one of Dorothy’s great consolations in these last years has been her favorite dog, Bud. After suffering a stroke and heart attack eight years ago, Dorothy moved with much more difficulty. Yet Bud would not impede her path or bump into Dorothy’s legs. He would walk with her, behind her all the way. When Dorothy sat or slept, he was there nearby.

A few days before her recent passing at home, Dorothy was saying, “I need to go upstairs. I need to go upstairs.” Josh, her devoted caregiver, asked her, “Why do you need to go upstairs?” She answered, “Because Pa and Ma and all my brothers and sisters are waiting for me.” Dorothy lived in a ranch duplex, it has no second story upstairs. But like others who have approached the end of their earthly lives with perceptions of the hereafter, Dorothy referred “not to what is seen but to what is unseen.” As St. Paul writes, though our bodies (“our earthly dwellings”) may be destroyed, we have a building from God, eternal in heaven.

And who through the many years of Dorothy’s life has most faithfully accompanied her? When she would rest or rise, he was there. He was never an obstacle but her constant companion. Who was her Good Shepherd who has never misled or abandoned her and would seek her out if she ever strayed? He is our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the blessed say, “You spread the table before me.”

We rightly pray for Dorothy’s soul today but it is also right for us to hope that our holy family upstairs is now in a flurry of activity, making last-minute arrangements, preparing her place at the heavenly banquet. In the difficult moments ahead as you mourn Dorothy’s passing imagine an archangel announcing in our Father’s house, “She’s coming around the corner! Dorothy is coming home!”

Posted in Funeral Homilies, Heaven, Homily, Jesus Christ, Last Things | 1 Comment »

Mercy Like Christ’s

February 20, 2022

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran

The mystery of Christian life is loving our enemies and praying for our persecutors. Forgiveness, prayer, and love for those who seek to destroy us is the path Jesus has laid out for us. The challenge of the Christian life is asking the Lord for grace to bless our enemies and to love them.

Today I like to give you the example of St. Maria Goretti, who was born in 1890 in Italy. Her father began to work for a landlord south of Rome and made a deal with another family who would share the same house with them. Unfortunately, Maria’s father died of malaria. Alessandro began to cause trouble for Maria. Her big mistake was that she did not tell her mother because she did not want to cause trouble. One day he wanted to take her to the bedroom, but she refused shouting, “No! It is a sin! God does not want it.”

He stabbed her fourteen times. In addition to this horrible pain, she underwent twenty hours of surgery without anesthesia. During that time she forgave Alessandro and prayed for him. On the following day, she died. Alessandro was sentenced to thirty years of hard labor. While he was in prison, Maria appeared to him in his cell. She smiled and was surrounded by lilies symbols of purity. That was the turning point in Alessandro’s life.

His first deed after release from prison was to visit Maria’s mother and ask her pardon. He accompanied her to Christmas Mass in the parish church where he spoke before the congregation, acknowledging his sin and asking forgiveness from God and the community. In June 1950, Pope Pius XII canonized Maria Goretti declaring her to be a saint and martyr before a huge crowd. Her mother was there with her four children.

There are other well-known examples of forgiveness in the Scriptures. The patriarch Joseph in the latter part of the book of Genesis (Gen 37-50) was also the subject of jealousy. His brothers sold him into slavery and he ended up down in Egypt but rose to second in command to Pharaoh. During the famine, he forgave his brothers when they came looking for food. They had been merciless to Joseph but he was merciful to them. He invited the entire family down to Egypt as guests of Pharaoh.

The first reading tells us that David was merciful to King Saul. King Saul tried to kill David twice, and twice David could have killed King Saul but did not. David spared the life of King Saul twice; once in the cave where David cut off the corner of his cloak instead of killing him (1st Sam 24); and once when David took away his spear and jar of water when he was asleep instead of killing him (1st Sam 26). David was very merciful to King Saul.

Jesus gives his disciples a challenge. He tells them: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you.” Jesus challenges us at the deepest level of our being. Each one of us has been wounded, betrayed or rejected at differing times in our lives. Jesus shows us the perfect example of how to love our enemies through His Crucifixion You can reflect on Jesus’ life and character, he demonstrated how much he loved those who were against him. Remember when he was on the cross, he said: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” This can only flow from a heart that has been transformed by the love of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus continually invites us not only to free the individual who wounded us but also to free ourselves from the pain, anger, and hurt that binds us. Jesus is patient and yet persistent. He continually invites us and calls us to forgive. Thus today we can take one small step in this direction.

Posted in Chrisitian Virtues, Forgiveness, Homily, Mercy, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

How Far is East From West?

February 20, 2022

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today we praise the Lord with Psalm 103, a psalm written by King David: “Merciful and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger and abounding in kindness. Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he (repay) us according to our crimes. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us.” David rejoices that the Lord is merciful and slow to anger, not punishing our sins in the measure we deserve. God forgives our sins and removes them from us, “as far as the east is from the west.”

Let’s look more closely at that last line: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions (our sins) from us.” How far away is the east, the place of sunrise, from the west, the place of sunset? Depending upon where you’re standing, your horizons may not be far away. But when ancient peoples walked beyond the next range of hills which blocked their view they did not imagine they had reached the ultimate place of the sun’s rising or setting. They knew that both east and west went on and on, farther still. What they likely did not know when King David wrote his psalms 3,000 years ago is that our Earth is spherical.

We know a number of facts that they didn’t back then, but ancient peoples were not less intelligent thinkers than us today. Could you, without using modern technology, prove that the world is round? Well, in the 3rd century B.C., Greek astronomers did and calculated the Earth’s circumference without using telescopes, photographs, airplanes, or satellites. So, given what we know now, how far is the east from the west?

Because the world is a globe, east and west eventually come together. If you were to travel from here due east while I journeyed due west, if we both kept going on making equal progress, we would meet once more near a border of China and Mongolia. If east and west actually meet together how are sins taken far from us “as far as the east is from the west” like this God-inspired psalm says?

Now some may say I’m taking biblical poetry too literally. A figure of speech doesn’t need to be painfully accurate to be true. We may know that each new morning comes from our perspective upon this spinning planet, but in ordinary conversation it’s not wrong to say the Sun rises. Or, in romantic poetry, a woman’s skin need not be made of real porcelain nor a man’s chin actually be chiseled for such metaphors to convey truths about their beauty. Saying the Lord removes our sins far away from us like the east is distant from the west is a straight-forward enough image on first impression. But humanity’s later discovery that these two opposites unite suggests an additional interpretation for this scripture passage about how our Lord takes our sins away.

Here is the puzzle God faced in regards to our redemption: how could the all-holy Trinity ever forgive humanity’s sins? If the Lord were to forgive us by merely ignoring our crimes, then what of cosmic justice and divine righteousness? There was a price to be paid which we sinners could not pay, but God found a way. As was foretold in the 85th Psalm: ‘Kindness and truth met; justice and peace kissed. Truth sprung out of the earth and justice looked down from heaven.’ Just as east and west were distant contraries which surprisingly converged, so sinless divinity and estranged humanity were amazingly joined through the Incarnation and Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Jesus separates us from sin by uniting himself to us.

What our Lord Jesus has done to save us is reflected in all of this Sunday’s readings. In our first reading, Jesus’ great ancestor David took King Saul’s spear and water jug and then returned them, thereby proving his goodness to his persecutors. Later on the Cross, Jesus takes the soldiers’ spear into his side and water pours out with Christ’s blood, proving his love for us. In our second reading, St. Paul notes the first man, sinful Adam, is saved by the new God-man, Christ. “The first man was from the earth, earthly; the second man, from heaven.” And in our Gospel, Jesus observes that if you love those who love you and do good to those who do good to you, what is so remarkable about that? Jesus says, “Love your enemies and do good to them.” St. Paul wrote to the Romans that “God proves his love for us in this: that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” We struck him on one check and he offered the other one as well. We took his cloak and he let us strip him of his tunic. We could not purchase our own redemption but Jesus paid the cost knowing we could not pay him back. “Indeed,” as St. Paul writes, “while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son…”

Jesus Christ, the first of the Most High’s children, is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked, and merciful, just as his Father is merciful. He has loved his enemies, done good to those who hate him, blessed those who curse him, and prayed for those who mistreat him. He calls us to follow his own Christian example that we may share in his resurrected glory and heavenly rewards, “a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,” poured into our laps. Praised be Jesus Christ! Let us always praise and thank him – for who he is and what he’s done. “From the rising of the Sun to its setting, may the name of the Lord be praised.”

Posted in David, Forgiveness, Homily, Literature, Mercy, Science, Sunday Homilies | 1 Comment »

Trusting God

February 12, 2022

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran

Trusting God is simply a belief in His Love and His Goodness. He has the power to help you, and He wants to help you. Christians are called believers, but many times, we are more like unbelieving believers. We trust our friends, the bank, the stock market, or the government more than we trust God and His Word. Lot of people go to church, hear what they should do and then go home and try to do it on their own. They usually end up desperately telling God how hard they’re trying to do what they need to do, and they’re leaving Him out! God wants us to put Him first in our lives. He wants us to put our confidence and trust in Him, all the time, in everything.

In the first reading, the Prophet Jeremiah explains the benefits of placing one’s trust in God rather than himself. Then he compares the wicked to a barren bush in a desert and the just to a well-watered tree growing near a running stream. In essence, this “beatitude” teaches us that if we choose God as our hope, our security, and our happiness, we will be blessed, truly happy. On the other hand, if we choose human standards for our guidance, self-sufficiency and the meeting of our own needs and desires as our happiness, we will find ourselves living in increasing misery and confusion, that is, in woe. Jeremiah tells us that the only source of lasting happiness is trust in God and hope in His promises.

In today’s second reading, St. Paul writes that trusting hope in the Resurrection of Jesus is the basis of our Faith. Through Jesus’ death and Resurrection, believers are now welcomed into a new relationship with God as His sons and daughters, and with each other as dear brothers and sisters who have Jesus as our Elder Brother and Redeemer. This means that all the blessings of the Beatitudes are now available to us, provided we choose to follow them.

In our Gospel today, Jesus did not say that poverty, or hunger, or sadness, or hatred is a blessing but these conditions of need and dependence make us rely on God. When we rely on God humans in relationship with God our creator. So the poverty, hunger, sadness, hatred, or whatever the cross can be an instrument to draw us closer to God. Whatever cross we have in our lives is there for a purpose, to bring us closer God. In that sense, our cross is also our blessing.

We have a long way to go to make it a reality. It is not God who is to be blamed; rather it is for all of us to hang our heads in shame. Jesus expects us to perform the same acts of goodness that he did for the poor, the alienated, the sick, the deprived, and the oppressed. Our trust should be in the Crucified and Risen Christ, the Savior and hope of the world. May we trust in God, not in human power, to lead us all into His kingdom and to keep us on His path.

Posted in Homily, Sunday Homilies, Trust | 1 Comment »

Jesus Invites You

February 12, 2022

6th Sunday of Ordinary Time

When we come before our Lord for the Holy Mass it is good to prepare ourselves. Greet Jesus present for us in the Tabernacle. Ask his help so that you may also be fully present and worship well. Also before Mass, form Mass intentions; choose which persons or problems you wish to be especially blessed by the graces which will flow from this Sacrifice on the altar. Having a Mass intention helps ward off distractions because you will not be merely a spectator—just watching the priest pray—but an invested, active-participant in offering his sacrifice and yours, for the needs of many. If you have prayerfully prepared for Mass and there’s still a few minutes remaining before it begins, perhaps look over the day’s readings printed in the missalette.

There’s a feature in our missalettes you may or may not have noticed: for each Sunday, the readings are preceded by an introductory reflection. The entry for this Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time begins with an illustration which struck me: “How would you feel if you received an invitation today to a simple but free meal, maybe a plate with beans, some bread, and a tall glass of cool water? If you are wealthy, you would likely refuse, for you know you could afford a much more sumptuous meal elsewhere. But if you are having difficulty putting food on your table and your family is starving, this complimentary meal would be a godsend.”

Would I go to attend that meal? If the invitation to this meal were addressed to everyone in the general public rather than a personal invitation specifically to me, I can easily imagine myself staying at home, most likely to enjoy some reheated leftovers. But what if this invitation came from the Lord Jesus himself, wishing to be our host and companion at his simple meal? Then who would attend? We would like to think everybody would, yet how many people skip Sunday Mass for other activities instead? It is very possible to overlook or to undervalue the invitations of Jesus Christ.

Unlike the famous Sermon on the Mount (with its eight “blessed” Beatitudes recorded by St. Matthew), this morning’s Sermon on the Plain recounted by St. Luke features four blessings paired with four woes. “Woe” was the cry of Israel’s prophets (such as Isaiah, Amos, and Habakkuk) who warned people of impending distress. Jesus says:

“Woe to you who are rich…
  Woe to you who are filled now…
  Woe to you who laugh now…
  Woe to you when all speak well of you…”

The danger is, if we’re comfortable, satisfied, happy, and at home in this world, we may imagine that we don’t need God or may refuse to make personal sacrifices we’re called to make for him. We can easily ignore the needs of other people, if we decide not to care. We can distract ourselves from the reality of our own mortality, sometimes up until the very end. We can dismiss our impending judgment by the holy, righteous God and refuse to change our ways. The poor, the hungry, the suffering, and the mistreated are blessed, in part, because they more easily see that all is not right with this world. They more readily recognize, they are more open to accepting, that our flawed hearts and sinful cultures need the Divine Savior, Christ. And that openness is a blessing.

You accepted Jesus’ invitation to his meal here today, and that is very good, but in what areas of your life do you still decline him? The thing about even a free meal of beans and bread and water is that this menu seems unappetizing, unappealing. Many good things Christ wants to share with us feel like that at first. We have plenty of free time for the internet or television, but do we want to spend more time with the Lord in prayer? If we take home $30,000-a-year after taxes, our individual income is greater than 95% of people on earth, but do we want to share as generously as Jesus calls us to? We see the needs of our neighbors, near and far, but do we want to offer penances and acts of service for them, serving Christ within them?

The season of Lent is only two-and-a-half weeks away. To what new engagement with himself is Jesus personally inviting you? Blessed are you who respond to him, for this is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who share his simple table, for he promises you will be satisfied. And blessed are you who accept Christ’s invitations, for your reward will be great in heaven.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Culture, Homily, Jesus Christ, Mass, Money, Sunday Homilies | 1 Comment »

“Here I Am. Send Me!”

February 6, 2022

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran

Our human existence is a gift of God to us. God constantly comes into our lives and invites us to partake in his life. Through faith in Christ, human beings are oriented toward God. God reveals himself to us continuously through persons, words, and situations. He comes to us in various ways and we must recognize him. He invites each person individually with a mission. Holy Scripture tells us about the call of Abraham, Moses, Samuel, and others who had to fulfill the mission of God. God calls each one to fulfill a purpose. Thus the entire Church is said to be in a state of vocation and of mission. Therefore, each members the Church, has their own vocation and mission. Every one of us is called to play our individual role in building up the life of the Church.

Some 2,000 years ago, when Jesus first founded his Church, He called some of the people at that time to be apostles, he called others to be prophets, he called others to be evangelists, others were called to be pastors and teachers, but despite their different ministries what united all of them was that they were all entrusted with the same mission and the same type of service in building up the Body of Christ.

Today’s readings also teach us that God has His own plan for selecting people to be His disciples, ministers and prophets. The readings challenge us to examine our own personal change of life and commitment to our discipleship. The background of today’s first reading the kings of Israel and Judah focused on political schemes to ensure their nations’ safety, instead of relying faithfully on the Lord God to sustain them. This was the situation in which Isaiah received God’s mission to speak God’s word to the kings and people of Judah and Israel.

Yahweh permitted Isaiah to experience His magnificence in a vision in the Temple of Jerusalem. Experiencing the glory of God, Isaiah at once confessed his unworthiness, calling out, “Woe is me, For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips.” In the presence of God’s holiness, Isaiah became painfully aware of his own sinful human nature. However, when cleansed by God, he was ready for His ministry: “Here I am. Send me!” God gave him the courage to speak His word, interpret His will, and call His people and their leaders to repent and return to God’s ways.

In today’s second readings Corinthian Christians questioned Paul’s authority and disputed the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. Paul silenced them by presenting the evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus. Then he recounted the story of how he had been chosen to be an apostle to the Gentiles by the Risen Lord who appeared to him on his trip to Damascus. But Paul confessed his unworthiness to be an apostle because of his former persecution of Christians and gave the full credit to God for his call to the ministry: “By the grace of God I am what I am.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is speaking to a crowd when he gets into a boat near the shore, sits down, and continues teaching. When he finishes, he tells Simon to lower his nets again for a catch. Simon, frustrated from a day of catching nothing but, trusting Jesus, agrees to once again lower his nets. He pulls out an extremely bountiful catch. At this, Simon Peter sees Jesus for what he is and says, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” But Jesus does not depart from him. He replies, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men,” and Simon Peter, James, and John leave their lives behind to follow Jesus.  All of them were weak. All of them made mistakes. But what was most important, all of them had sincere hearts and overcame their weaknesses by placing their complete trust in the Lord.

At times we feel like Isaiah, Paul or Peter. We feel so unworthy of our call that we can hardly do anything for the sake of the Gospel. However, we should realize that it is God who cleanses us of our sins and makes us worthy to be his messengers. Therefore, we are not to be afraid. Rather, we should be docile to the spirit of Jesus Christ. He makes us available, worthy, and capable for his mission. If we are ready to say like Isaiah: “Here I am, Lord send me.” Christ is also ready to make us “fishers of men.”

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Divine Callings & Accompanying Feasts

February 5, 2022

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The fishermen brothers, Simon and Andrew, along with their partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee, had their best ever day of fishing ever, and then decided to quit their jobs. After Jesus’ instruction to go deeper with him, their catch of fish was so great that their two boats were filled to the point of nearly sinking. How much fish are we talking about?

In 1986, during a severe drought in Israel, a remarkably well-preserved, 2,000-year-old, 27-foot-long fishing boat was discovered at the Sea of Galilee and rescued from the mud. There’s no proof this boat now on display at a museum in Israel belonged to any of the apostles, but because its wood has been carbon dated to the 1st century A.D. it is dubbed “The Jesus Boat.” If the boats in today’s gospel were like that example, then accounting for the weight of the men and fishing gear, the boats could hold an estimated 31,000 pounds of fish apiece. Even if the average fish they caught that day weighed, say, six pounds, this would be a catch of over 10,000 fish. (Notice the gospels do not say the fishermen cast their nets just once; they record that both boats were filled despite their nets tearing from wear.) Simon, Andrew, James, and John were stunned, but Jesus said, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” Upon returning to shore, they immediately left their boats to follow him. That day changed the lives of these future apostles. But no one ever asks, “What happened to all the fish?”

Jesus calling the fishermen and that huge catch of fish reminds me of Elijah the Prophet calling the future prophet Elisha to follow him. Elijah finds Elisha plowing in a field behind twelve yoke of oxen. Upon being chosen, Elisha asks, “Please, let me kiss my father and mother goodbye and I will follow you.” Elijah pretty much replies, ‘Go ahead, I’m not stopping you.‘ So Elisha leaves, slaughters his oxen and boils their flesh using his plowing equipment for fuel. Then he gives the meat away to his relatives and neighbors and departs to follow Elijah.

If Simon, Andrew, James, and John “immediately” left their boats to follow Jesus (as Matthew’s Gospel says) then what did Mr. Zebedee and the hired men who were left behind do with 60,000 pounds of fish? The city of Capernaum reportedly had a population of about 1,500 back then and the nearby town of Chorazim, perhaps 500 to 1,000. So some of the fish could be sold at market. Some of the fish could be processed and preserved for later through drying and/or salting. But I imagine many of the fish were simply given away or sold for next to nothing. Like Elisha with his neighbors, Jesus calling of the fishermen brought a feast to their community. Answering your calling, embracing your God-given vocation, brings blessings for yourself and others.

For most Christians, God’s calling, their personal vocation, is to marriage. The bride and groom at the wedding feast of Cana were embracing their holy vocations and God abundantly blesses them. Jesus is invited to their wedding and he transforms the contents of six stone jars, roughly 150 gallons of water, into about 1,250 pounds worth of excellent wine, more than enough for their feast. The choice of the fishermen to become “fishers of men,” Elisha’s choice to become a prophet, and the Cana couple’s choice to become man and wife, each in answer to their callings, were marked by overwhelming feasts. These are signs to us about how doing God’s will by embracing our vocations brings joyful blessings for ourselves which overflow for others.

Preaching about vocations typically highlights priesthood and religious life because they are so important, but the vocation of marriage is also extremely important for the sanctification of those called to it and others. You are called to be a saint. If you are married, you are called to help your spouse, and any children you may have, to become saints as well. Your marriage, your family, is meant to sanctify one another and sanctify this world. So pray every single day. Pray for each other in your household. Pray as a couple and pray as a family. Help each other to be holy. Share conversations, books and films, and sacrificial acts with this goal in mind. Speak of your faith and what we believe, enjoy Catholic media which forms and inspires, offer penances and enable each other’s growth in holiness. I would love for all spouses to ask each other: “How can I help you be a saint?” Help each other to be holy and see what blessings flow.

Even if your children have educators elsewhere, you are their foremost teachers. Make your home a school for holiness. And bring your household, as God demands, to his house every weekend for Mass. Jesus calls us to follow and feast with him each week, and all-day Sunday is meant for joy. Make every Sunday’s rest and activities more enjoyable than any weekday, more special than any Saturday. Jesus wants to give you himself, along with a one-day vacation, a fun, full-day to enjoy each week.

Jesus says, “Let the children come to me.” Teach your children about vocations, facilitate their healthy discernment of Christ’s call, and never be an obstacle to God. A parent who resists their child pursuing a priestly or religious vocation by saying, “but I want grandchildren,” risks placing their own wishes ahead of God’s will. Imagine how much blessing might have been lost if James and John’s father or Elisha’s folks had tried convincing their sons not to go. Imagine if Elisha, James, or John had decided not to answer their callings.

Jesus says, “Do not be afraid.” No one will find a greater, fuller life than embracing their God-given vocation. A surgeon may save a thousand lives throughout a long career, and that is a wonderful thing, but all of those patients will eventually go on to die. The life’s work of a priest or religious sister or brother can save a thousand souls, bestowing eternal life in heaven. Saints and families of saints, are what our world needs and what we are all called to be. I challenge you to recognize and embrace your own God-given vocation. Answer Christ’s call, to follow him or to go deeper, and then behold his feast of blessings.

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