Friday, March 28, 2008
New toy
Right now I'm playing with a new toy. Verizon gave me a really good deal on a BlackBerry 8130, so I had to take them up on the offer. I've really enjoyed the new BlackBerry in the (relatively) short time that I've had to play with it. I can definitely see why they call these things "CrackBerries". Very addictive toy! At least I'll be able to be found: just call my cell phone since I'm probably playing with it. Must download more stuff...
Friday, March 21, 2008
Homily for Good Friday
Of all the images that have been created that portray the Passion of Our Lord, one of the most moving has to be that of Michelangelo's "Pieta", in which we see Mary with her son's body draped over her lap. She is looking down at the face of Jesus with an expression of sorrow and anguish. We are reminded of this powerful image every time we read the Passion narrative on Palm Sunday and Good Friday, as we did today.
While this moving image is one of sorrow, it should also bring us great joy and hope, as it depicts the greatest moment of salvation history. Our Lord, Jesus Christ, accomplished his mission. He suffered and died for our sins. Through his blood, our sins are washed clean.
Our Lord's sacrifice on the Cross was prefigured in the covenant that God made with the Israelites. Through the law given to Moses, the Israelites were commanded to offer the sacrifices of goats and bulls so that the transgressions of the Israelite people would be forgiven. These sacrifices were not a one-time-only event, but needed to be repeated year after year.
The mission of Our Lord was to be the perfect sacrifice, the sacrifice that would end all other sacrifices. No longer would animal sacrifices be necessary for forgiveness of sins. Now we unite ourselves with his sacrifice through the waters of baptism which washes away our sins and make us sons and daughters of God. Likewise, through the Eucharist, we participate in the sacrifice of Christ. At every Mass, we are standing at the foot of the Cross with Mary and the beloved disciple. Even through 2,000 years and many thousands of miles separate us, the Sacrifice of the Mass makes this moment present to us wherever and whenever we are.
Today, as we venerate the Cross, may we be able to do so with great joy, but also with the realization that Christ died for our sins.
While this moving image is one of sorrow, it should also bring us great joy and hope, as it depicts the greatest moment of salvation history. Our Lord, Jesus Christ, accomplished his mission. He suffered and died for our sins. Through his blood, our sins are washed clean.
Our Lord's sacrifice on the Cross was prefigured in the covenant that God made with the Israelites. Through the law given to Moses, the Israelites were commanded to offer the sacrifices of goats and bulls so that the transgressions of the Israelite people would be forgiven. These sacrifices were not a one-time-only event, but needed to be repeated year after year.
The mission of Our Lord was to be the perfect sacrifice, the sacrifice that would end all other sacrifices. No longer would animal sacrifices be necessary for forgiveness of sins. Now we unite ourselves with his sacrifice through the waters of baptism which washes away our sins and make us sons and daughters of God. Likewise, through the Eucharist, we participate in the sacrifice of Christ. At every Mass, we are standing at the foot of the Cross with Mary and the beloved disciple. Even through 2,000 years and many thousands of miles separate us, the Sacrifice of the Mass makes this moment present to us wherever and whenever we are.
Today, as we venerate the Cross, may we be able to do so with great joy, but also with the realization that Christ died for our sins.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Homily for Palm Sunday - Blessing of Palms
Today, as we begin this last week of Lent, this Holy Week, we commemorate Jesus' triumphal entrance into Jerusalem shortly before his Passion and Death. He approaches the city very humbly, riding on a donkey, but the people of Jerusalem line the path before he can enter the city. To use a modern phrase, Jerusalem rolls out the red carpet before him.
Why would the people greet Jesus in such a dramatic manner? If it sounds like they were welcoming him as their king, it's because they were. This whole event is the public proclamation of Jesus as their messiah. The term messiah is frequently understood in Christian circles as synonymous with savior, but it had a different connotation in Jesus' time. The Jewish people were under the control of the Romans, and were looking for a great king that had been foretold by the prophets. This king would free the land of Judah from the foreign oppressors, and would set up a great Jewish kingdom.
Jesus was thought to be this great king, and his entry into Jerusalem was seen as the fulfillment of the prophesy of the prophet Zechariah. In this prophesy, written about 500 years before Jesus' time, Zechariah foretold that the great king would come to Jerusalem “triumphant and victorious [. . .] humble and riding on an ass.” (Zech. 9:9) This king would not only restore the kingdom of Judah, but he would also bring about peace among the nations.
The problem with this view is that it understands the messiah as an earthly king. The people were looking for the establishment of an earthly kingdom, but that wasn't Jesus' mission. He came to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven and to establish it here on earth through his Church. Instead of establishing a kingdom solely for the Jews, the Kingdom of Heaven proclaimed by Jesus is open to all humanity, both Jew and Gentile.
Through the waters of baptism, we have entered into this kingdom. At the same time, we pray within the Lord's Prayer “thy kingdom come”. If God's kingdom is already here through the establishment of the Church upon earth, why do we pray that it will come? As members of the Kingdom of Heaven, we want to see God's plan of salvation come to fruition. In essence, by praying “thy kingdom come”, we are looking forward to the return of Our Lord Jesus Christ and our triumphal entrance into Heaven.
This is foreshadowed within the Mass when we sing the “Holy, Holy, Holy” immediately before the Eucharistic Prayer. With the people of Jerusalem, we exclaim, “Hosanna in the highest” and “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Today, as we sing these words, may we enter more fully into the Kingdom of Heaven, and proclaim to the world that Jesus is Lord and Messiah.
Why would the people greet Jesus in such a dramatic manner? If it sounds like they were welcoming him as their king, it's because they were. This whole event is the public proclamation of Jesus as their messiah. The term messiah is frequently understood in Christian circles as synonymous with savior, but it had a different connotation in Jesus' time. The Jewish people were under the control of the Romans, and were looking for a great king that had been foretold by the prophets. This king would free the land of Judah from the foreign oppressors, and would set up a great Jewish kingdom.
Jesus was thought to be this great king, and his entry into Jerusalem was seen as the fulfillment of the prophesy of the prophet Zechariah. In this prophesy, written about 500 years before Jesus' time, Zechariah foretold that the great king would come to Jerusalem “triumphant and victorious [. . .] humble and riding on an ass.” (Zech. 9:9) This king would not only restore the kingdom of Judah, but he would also bring about peace among the nations.
The problem with this view is that it understands the messiah as an earthly king. The people were looking for the establishment of an earthly kingdom, but that wasn't Jesus' mission. He came to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven and to establish it here on earth through his Church. Instead of establishing a kingdom solely for the Jews, the Kingdom of Heaven proclaimed by Jesus is open to all humanity, both Jew and Gentile.
Through the waters of baptism, we have entered into this kingdom. At the same time, we pray within the Lord's Prayer “thy kingdom come”. If God's kingdom is already here through the establishment of the Church upon earth, why do we pray that it will come? As members of the Kingdom of Heaven, we want to see God's plan of salvation come to fruition. In essence, by praying “thy kingdom come”, we are looking forward to the return of Our Lord Jesus Christ and our triumphal entrance into Heaven.
This is foreshadowed within the Mass when we sing the “Holy, Holy, Holy” immediately before the Eucharistic Prayer. With the people of Jerusalem, we exclaim, “Hosanna in the highest” and “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Today, as we sing these words, may we enter more fully into the Kingdom of Heaven, and proclaim to the world that Jesus is Lord and Messiah.
More Montana Pharmacy Board News
Apparently, Planned Parenthood is not happy with the Montana Board of Pharmacy. Planned Parenthood of Montana has petitioned the board to change their rules regarding religious objections to birth control. Please keep praying for those pharmacists who are following their consciences, not only in Montana, but throughout the United States.
Ordination Wishlists
With my impending ordination, I've had several family members ask me what they should get me as a gift. In response, basically because I'm not exactly sure myself, I've created a wishlist at Amazon.com that I can email to family and friends. I've also added an icon to the side bar of the blog which will allow anyone who would like to peruse my wishlist to do so with little or no trouble. I'll probably create some other wishlists at other merchants, but Amazon was the first site that came to mind when discussing this with my parents.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Update on Catholic Pharmacist
For those who have "friended" me on Facebook, you may have seen the article in the Billings Gazette regarding the Catholic pharmacist in small-town Montana who no longer dispenses birth control. He was reported to the Montana Board of Pharmacy, which has dropped all charges against him. Please keep Mr. Lane and his family in your prayers. He has taken a very courageous stance for life, and will be attacked further.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Lent
In our culture today, many are obsessed with postponing or even eliminating mortality. Movie stars and politicians spend thousands, even millions, annually on plastic surgery and make-up to keep themselves looking like they're 20 years old. Scientists are actively looking for the “aging” gene, trying to find that element in our DNA which causes us to grow old and eventually die. Some more eccentric people with far more money than common sense are even having themselves cryogenically frozen at the moment of death so that they can be thawed out and resurrected at a future date. Great quantities of time and money are spent in the search to find the technological equivalent to Jesus' miracle in today's Gospel.
While we are concerned about our physical deaths, our culture is ignoring the far more serious death of sin. As physical illnesses can bring about the death of our bodies, sin can bring the spiritual death that comes when we allow our sins to cut ourselves off from God. Through our sins, we turn from God and push away from him. Much like one might stand outside on a sunny day with the sun on our backs and see our shadow before us, sin causes us to turn away from the light of Christ and be drawn into the darkness that is in the world.
Like the stench from Lazarus' grave, this darkness of sin pervades our world today. Sins that were once avoided are now tolerated, even encouraged. Virtues, such as chastity and religious observance, are mocked and derided. Success is viewed as the achievement of wealth and power. Professional sports players, big-screen actors, and other public personalities are idolized, while those who live humbly and morally upright lives are denigrated and ridiculed. In many ways, the only true sin in the eyes of the world is daring to believe that there truly is right and wrong, virtue and vice.
The deeper that we are drawn into the world by sin, the tighter that sin ties us up. Like Lazarus in the tomb, sin binds our hands and feet, keeping us from the grace that God promises us. When we willingly choose a gravely immoral action that we know to be immoral, we commit a mortal sin, which can even cut ourselves off completely from God, ensnaring us from head to toe with sin. To die in this state would cut us off from God for all eternity, which is the definition of what it means to be condemned to Hell.
There is a bright side, however. We can get the bindings of sin removed. We can turn back to God and enjoy his grace through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. When we celebrate this powerful and beautiful sacrament, we admit our sins to God and ask for his forgiveness. Through the words of the priest, we hear that God gives us his forgiveness and exhorts us to “Go, and sin no more.” Our bindings are removed, we come out of the tomb of death and enter into glorious light of life. Our souls bask in the glory of God.
I will be the first to admit that confession of sins is painful. It's difficult to closely examine how sin has affected us and to admit our failings. It's also very difficult to go to another human being and lay bare our souls, especially if we know the priest well. The joy that comes from being truly in union with God more than makes up for the momentary pain of confessing our sins.
Through our sins, we are bound to death, but through God's mercy and forgiveness, we are released to life.
While we are concerned about our physical deaths, our culture is ignoring the far more serious death of sin. As physical illnesses can bring about the death of our bodies, sin can bring the spiritual death that comes when we allow our sins to cut ourselves off from God. Through our sins, we turn from God and push away from him. Much like one might stand outside on a sunny day with the sun on our backs and see our shadow before us, sin causes us to turn away from the light of Christ and be drawn into the darkness that is in the world.
Like the stench from Lazarus' grave, this darkness of sin pervades our world today. Sins that were once avoided are now tolerated, even encouraged. Virtues, such as chastity and religious observance, are mocked and derided. Success is viewed as the achievement of wealth and power. Professional sports players, big-screen actors, and other public personalities are idolized, while those who live humbly and morally upright lives are denigrated and ridiculed. In many ways, the only true sin in the eyes of the world is daring to believe that there truly is right and wrong, virtue and vice.
The deeper that we are drawn into the world by sin, the tighter that sin ties us up. Like Lazarus in the tomb, sin binds our hands and feet, keeping us from the grace that God promises us. When we willingly choose a gravely immoral action that we know to be immoral, we commit a mortal sin, which can even cut ourselves off completely from God, ensnaring us from head to toe with sin. To die in this state would cut us off from God for all eternity, which is the definition of what it means to be condemned to Hell.
There is a bright side, however. We can get the bindings of sin removed. We can turn back to God and enjoy his grace through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. When we celebrate this powerful and beautiful sacrament, we admit our sins to God and ask for his forgiveness. Through the words of the priest, we hear that God gives us his forgiveness and exhorts us to “Go, and sin no more.” Our bindings are removed, we come out of the tomb of death and enter into glorious light of life. Our souls bask in the glory of God.
I will be the first to admit that confession of sins is painful. It's difficult to closely examine how sin has affected us and to admit our failings. It's also very difficult to go to another human being and lay bare our souls, especially if we know the priest well. The joy that comes from being truly in union with God more than makes up for the momentary pain of confessing our sins.
Through our sins, we are bound to death, but through God's mercy and forgiveness, we are released to life.
So, why yet another blog?
With all the blogs, some good, many not-so-good, why do I feel it necessary to inflict another blog on the world? My hope is that this blog will have a three-fold purpose. First, it will allow me to post my homilies and receive feedback on how good or bad the homily is, what works, what doesn't, etc. Second, and more importantly, I hope that it can be used in some small way to help spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world. Finally, I hope to just have some fun with it, linking to items and articles that I find interesting, cool, or just plain old strange. In other words, I hope it'll be quite a mix of posts.
Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
The title of the blog comes from the New Vulgate translation of Psalm 150. I always look forward to praying this psalm within the four week psalter of the Liturgy of the Hours, so I have adopted this last line as my personal motto.
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