Vocations and Obedience

Another wonderful post from Fr. John Speekman, the priest in Australia, this time on vocational discernment and priestly obedience. Amazing how priests who are obedient to their bishops and to the Church are also the ones who are more effective in promoting and encouraging vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Think that's a coincidence? I don't.

The Healing Presence in an ICU

A priest in Australia has posted a beautiful reflection on what it means to offer the Sacraments in a hospital's Intensive Care Unit. Although I didn't have the ability to offer any of the Sacraments in ICU when I did my hospital experience, I did spend two shifts visiting ICU. It scared the daylights out of me the first time, but was also the most powerful experience I had throughout that summer. Several times, I visited and prayed with someone who was unable to speak because of a breathing tube. While it was obviously frustrating to them that they couldn't speak, the look of joy and peace in their eyes after we prayed told me everything. I wish I could have offered them Anointing, but God willing, I'll be able to do that many times over throughout my priesthood.

Impressions on the Papal Visit

It's been a week since our Holy Father returned to Rome. In the relatively short time that he was in the United States, I think he changed a lot of people's opinion of him, while simultaneously confusing the mainstream media to no end. In the preparation for the Pope's arrival, the MSM was doing it's best to make Pope Benedict look like a German hardliner who was going to put the smack down on dissident groups. Many articles that I read made him look like an old fogey who was out of touch with the youth, with issues in America, heck, out of touch with everything in general. Were they in for a surprise.

I found the surprise of the MSM to be quite evident when looking at the reporting in the newspapers and 24-hour news stations. Instead of dropping the hammer, Pope Benedict gave a very uplifting and positive, while still challenging, series of addresses. Instead of looking unpopular and out of touch, the fact that 20,000+ youth and seminarians came from around the country to see him spoke volumes about his appeal. Instead of looking tired and frail, Pope Benedict looked enlivened and energized by the reaction of the youth. He even had a bit of a sheepish grin when he forgot to read the Spanish part of his address.

Is Pope Benedict as lively and dynamic as Pope John Paul II was? No, it's still obvious that Pope Benedict is a German theologian, which is not a bad thing, just different from JP2. It was also obvious that he truly loves the People of God and wants to reach out to each and every one of us. That's what I feel this visit was all about. This was his opportunity to personally reach out to the Church in the United States and to be present to as many people as possible. He requested the youth rally, and it's obvious that he found great joy in being able to spend time with the youth and seminarians. It's obvious by the reactions that I saw that the youth and seminarians enjoyed his presence just as much.

The trip was long and tiring, but it'd do it again in a heartbeat. It was a wonderful opportunity to praise God and see the Church in all it's glory. Our Pope came to see us; the least we could do is return the favor.

Bible Study Recordings coming soon

Over the past 5 weeks, I've had the opportunity to lead a Bible study on the Acts of the Apostles at St. Raphael's, the parish that I've been assisting at. With the exception of the first class, I've been recording the sessions on a digital recorder, so I'm considering posting these lessons through a podcast. This may even be an opportunity to continue these Bible study sessions in a more distance-learning format. I've really been enjoying teaching the classes, and those who attend seem to be really enjoying it as well (they keep coming back, so I must be doing something right!).

Here's the outline for the classes:

Session 1 - Introduction - "What is this Bible thing?" (The recording was corrupted :( )
Session 2 - Acts Ch. 2 - "The Third Glorious Mystery"
Session 3 - Acts Ch. 9 - "Conversion of Saul"
Session 4 - Acts Chs. 10-11 - "Peter and the Gentiles"
Session 5 - Acts Ch. 15 - "Council of Jerusalem"
Session 6 - Acts Ch. 13-28 - "Journeyman Paul"

Please let me know in the comments for this post if there is some interest in listening to these classes.

Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter

In the Gospel today, Our Lord promises us that he will send an Advocate who will be with us always to lead, guide and protect us. This Advocate will be a Spirit of truth, and will help us to live that truth in our lives, bringing us to Christ. Through the work of this Advocate, we will be able to love Jesus and follow his commandments. In return, Jesus promises that he will love us, and that God, our Heavenly Father, will also love us and we will reside in Jesus, and Jesus will reside in us. This Advocate which Our Lord promises to us is the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity, who came down upon the Apostles at Pentecost, and continues to come down upon us today in the Sacrament of Confirmation.

In the first reading, we see the importance of the Sacrament of Confirmation. Crowds of Samaritans had begun to believe in Jesus, and were baptized, but it wasn't until the Apostles Peter and John came to the Samaritans and laid hands on them that they received the Holy Spirit. Through the laying on of hands, Peter and John confirmed the belief of the Samaritans and they received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the Holy Spirit comes down upon the baptized believer, completing the process of initiation which began in the Sacrament of Baptism and is continued through the reception of the Eucharist. When we were confirmed, we received the Holy Spirit, which tied us more closely to the Church, uniting us more intimately to the Body of Christ, which we entered at our baptism. It also more strongly obliges us to spread the Gospel throughout the world, while also giving us the obligation to defend the Gospel against those in the world who would attack it.

Among Catholics, there tends to be a common misunderstanding about the Sacrament of Confirmation. For many Catholics, especially those who are in preparation for the Sacrament, there is a tendency to view reception of Confirmation as a “graduation” from religious education. With this view, the newly confirmed feel that they are no longer obligated to attend any religious education program. This, of course, is an inaccurate understanding, as we should be open to any opportunity to grow in our understanding of the Christian faith, allowing ourselves to draw closer to Jesus by learning about him. Only through growth in our faith can we more powerfully and effectively fulfill Jesus' command to preach the Gospel to all nations.

So, how do we preach this Gospel? As we heard in the second reading today, St. Peter tells us that we must “always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.” By growing in our faith, both spiritually and intellectually, we are able to explain our faith with greater clarity and true desire to share the faith we hold. By sharing our faith, we are fulfilling the commandment by Our Lord to spread the Gospel to all nations. All of us, through our baptism and reception of the Holy Spirit at Confirmation are obligated to preach the Gospel. We do this mainly by living our lives as Jesus commands us: to love God with our whole heart, soul, and being; and to love our neighbor as ourself. By following these commandments, we are able to show how much we love Our Lord. In return, Our Lord promises to love us, and that God, our Heavenly Father, will also love us. Likewise, Jesus promises to be united with us, and we will be united with him. Through our examples when living out our belief in the Gospel, others will be drawn closer to Christ, while we ourselves will also be drawn closer to him.

As we come closer to the end of this Easter Season, may the Holy Spirit guide us into loving Christ and following his commands, and may we experience the depth of Jesus' love.

Homily for Monday in the Fifth Week of Easter

At Mundelein Seminary, each deacon is required to preach one homily to the seminary community. This was my opportunity, so it's obviously geared more towards seminarians than my usual homilies. Of course, it came the day after we returned from the Papal Youth Rally, so I had to throw a little of Pope Benedict's address into this homily. Hope you enjoy.

In the Gospel today, Our Lord gives us not only one, but two great promises. First, he promises that those who love him will dwell with Jesus and his Father. Second, he promises to send the Holy Spirit to teach and guide. For those of us who are called to the ordained ministry, these promises can be, and should be, very comforting, but they also provide a sense of direction for our lives and ministry.

We know that the Father wants all men and women to love him and to spend eternity with him. We also know that this will not be forced on anyone, but must be a free response on the part of the individual person. This is very comforting for those of us who have responded and continue to respond positively to God's invitation for love, but it also provides the challenge to show God's love to those around us who may not have responded in the same way. In the first reading, Paul and Barnabas were in the midst of their ministry proclaiming the Gospel and showing God's love to all they encountered. While we may not be required to walk the countryside healing the lame, as they did in today's reading, we still have the obligation to visit the sick, comfort the sorrowing, and all the other corporal and spiritual works of mercy. By performing these works not for show, but through a sincere love of God and neighbor, we will show the love of God and guide others to loving him.

This is where the second promise comes in. Those of us who are called to enter into the ordained ministry are to be conduits through which the Holy Spirit will be able to teach us and remind us of all that Jesus told us. For this reason, we must be open to the work of the Spirit within our lives. We will be called to preach the Gospel, and must spend time in prayer and reflection on the Scriptures to allow the Holy Spirit to guide our words. We must continue to study, spending even just a few minutes every day reading a book that will help us grow theologically and spiritually. We must be open to ministering in places and situations that we might find personally uncomfortable or beyond our abilities. We must open ourselves to the guidance of the Spirit, both for ourselves and for those we serve as ministers.

If we allow the Holy Spirit to work through us, we will show the love that we have for God and will lead others to experience God's love for themselves. As Pope Benedict reminded us at the youth rally on Saturday, “Remember that what counts before the Lord is to dwell in his love and to make his love shine forth for others.” May the Holy Spirit come down upon us to allow God's love to shine through us.

Liveblogging from Papal Youth Rally

Right now, I'm crowed in with over 20,000 youth and seminarians. Fr. Stan Fortuna was just on, Third Day was on earlier, and a group of three beautiful women called the Three Graces are performing now. The weather is perfect, sunny and warm. Papa Benedict will be here soon.

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter

“The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.” Psalm 23 is probably the most recognizable of the Psalms, and definitely the most popular. It's easy to see why, as the Psalm evokes a very peaceful scene of a beautiful, grass covered landscape with sheep peacefully grazing and a shepherd calmly watching over his flock.

Today, on this Fourth Sunday of the Easter Season, we celebrate what is commonly known as Good Shepherd Sunday. In addition, this Sunday is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. It's no coincidence that we celebrate both on the same day, as the two are intrinsically linked. Our understanding of Christ as the Good Shepherd influences our understanding of religious vocations.

In the passages we just heard, we see Christ symbolized as a Good Shepherd, who leads, protects, and guides his flock. As Christians, we are members of this flock. I once heard someone say that it was an insult to be called sheep, as sheep are usually portrayed as slow, stupid creatures that follow their shepherd blindly. This isn't the case, however, as sheep are actually quite intelligent, as far as animals go. As the Gospel tells us, they can recognize the voice of their shepherd and follow him, while shying away from those whose voices they don't recognize.

In our world today, many voices try to draw us away from the Good Shepherd. Popular media, such as movies, television shows, and music, try to draw us one way. News channels and programs bring another call. Even the day-to-day demands of life provide an alternative message. Through all this noise, how can we hear the voice of our Good Shepherd calling us to him?

To help us to follow him, we have the Church, which is symbolized as a sheepfold, a fenced-in pen used for protection of the flock. The sheepfolds were used by shepherds to corral the sheep every evening so that they wouldn't wander away while the shepherd slept, but it also protected the sheep from predators and those who would try to steal the sheep from the shepherd. The teaching office of the Church, the Magisterium, keeps us from wandering away from Jesus and falling into error, but is also called to protect us from those who would cause our spiritual lives harm.

Christ has also given us earthly shepherds to lead and guide us to him. Bishops and priests are members of the Church called to act on Jesus' behalf. In fact, when the Pope visits the United States next week, his aircraft will be known as “Shepherd 1”, a recognition of his role as earthly shepherd serving the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

All of us have a vocation that we're called to. For most Christians, indeed the great majority of Christians, the call is to live in the world, whether in the married or single state. This is a highly important vocation, and should not be minimized by anyone. Some men and women are called to enter into a religious vocation, giving up everything to spend their lives working and praying for the coming of the Kingdom. Other men, such as myself, are called to enter the ministerial priesthood, serving the Lord and his people by preaching the word of God, administering the sacraments, and reaching out to those in need.

In the United States, there is a concern within the Church regarding the number of vocations. Many diocese, my own included, are either facing a priest shortage, or will be soon. Many religious orders are also having problems with lack of potential vocations. How do we overcome this problem? First, we must pray for those who are in a religious vocation, those who are discerning a religious vocation, and those who may be called, but haven't answered yet. Second, we must be willing to ask if a young man has considered the priesthood, or if a young man or woman has considered religious life. Chicago's Called by Name program is an excellent opportunity for this. In my own life, I had someone tell me three times (not ask, mind you, but tell me) that I was going to be a priest. At first, I said no, but her words came back to me several years later. Without that seed being planted, I may never have considered entering the seminary.

Today, on this World Day of Prayer for Vocations, let us pray for those men and women discerning their vocations, and let us also pray that more young men and women may hear the call of the Good Shepherd and answer willingly.

Late Homilies

Well, I got a little behind on posting my homilies, but I'm caught up now. I really would like to hear some comments, so please let me know what you think. I do ask that the comments be made in a respectful manner, so no flames please.

Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter

When I began my Bible study last Monday, I introduced a quote from one of the great doctors and biblical scholars of the Church, St. Jerome. St. Jerome lived in the 4th and 5th Centuries, and is known for creating the Vulgate, a translation of the Scriptures into Latin. In his commentary on one of the prophets, he writes, “Ignorance of Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” We need to be well versed in the Scriptures if we are to take seriously the call of Jesus to preach the Gospel message to the whole world, as we need to understand that how that Gospel message lives in our lives.

We can see St. Jerome's maxim in practice in the Gospel today. The two disciples were very familiar with the texts of Sacred Scripture. As Jews, they knew the stories of the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They were intimately familiar with the Exodus and Moses receiving the Law. They heard the words of the prophets proclaimed regularly during synagogue and temple services. They knew the texts of the Scriptures, but they didn't understand how these sacred texts pointed towards Jesus, especially that he must suffer, die and rise again.

As they were walking, Jesus joined them, but they didn't realize that it was him. Maybe they were deep in grief, maybe Jesus had the ability to mask awareness of himself, but either way they didn't know they were speaking to Jesus resurrected from the dead. As Jesus broke down the Scriptures, making the connections between the Mosaic Law and the prophets that pointed to him, they began to become aware that Scripture had foretold Jesus' death and resurrection. They still weren't aware that Jesus was speaking to them until the breaking of the bread, a phrase commonly used to refer to the Eucharist. At that point, the Gospel tells us that their eyes were opened, and they realized who was speaking to them. In joy, they rushed back to Jerusalem to share with the Apostles and other disciples their incredible experience.

When we read the Bible, do we feel this desire to share what we've read? Probably not. For many of us, the Scriptures are hard to understand. There are concepts and phrases which are foreign to us, with good reason. The Scriptures were written in different times for different cultures. While we may not understand the literal texts that we read, there are still truths that are conveyed to us today. This truth may be hard to find, but there are tools and opportunities available to us that lead to understanding.

Probably the most obvious opportunity that we have is the one that we are using right now. Every time we attend Mass, whether weekly or daily, passages of the Scriptures are proclaimed. At every Mass, the Church asks that a homily be given on the Scriptures so that all present might understand the passages that were just proclaimed. This is usually done by the priest, but obviously deacons can fill this role as well. The homilist should dig deeper into the Scriptures so that he can show how they relate to people's daily lives.

Another way in which we can find the truth within the Scriptures is through daily immersion into them. Daily reading and reflection on the Scriptures is not something that is reserved to those who are ordained or professed religious, but is highly encouraged for all Christians. All of us should be opening the Scriptures daily. This can be as simple as reading a verse or two before bed, but can also include reading commentaries and reflections on the daily Mass readings. There are many good resources online and in libraries and Catholic book stores to provide clarity and understanding, especially for those passages that may seem a bit murky or confusing.

For the third way to understand the Scriptures, I'm going to do a little self-promotion. A fantastic way to really dig into the Scriptures is through a Bible study, which I just happen to be leading on Mondays at 6:30 PM. Through a Bible study, whether in a class format as I'm running it, a group study using a guidebook, or even on an individual basis with a good study bible, the Scriptures are broken down so that the beauty and truth can shine through more clearly. Group studies are particularly beneficial, as difficult questions can be explored and bring clarity to hard to understand passages. Likewise, individual insights can help the entire group to really appreciate the Gospel message and Christ himself who speaks to us through the Scriptures.

Through these tools for understanding the Scriptures, may we draw closer to Our Lord Jesus Christ and be drawn to do His will. As we reflect on the Sacred Scriptures and join Our Lord at the breaking of the bread, the Eucharist, may be able to say with the disciples, “Were not our hearts burning within us as [. . .] he opened the Scriptures to us?”

Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday

Today, we join the whole church in commemorating the Divine Mercy of Our Father in Heaven. This feast, Divine Mercy Sunday, was established in 2001 by Pope John Paul II so that we might take time after the joyous celebration of Easter to reflect on the mercy that God has shown to us through the death and resurrection of His son. Although the celebration of the Feast of Divine Mercy is relatively new, the roots of this feast reaches throughout the history of Christianity.

In our Gospel today, we see the disciples locked in a house. They're terrified because they just saw their master, their teacher, brutally tortured and killed by the religious and civil leaders of their land. They're terrified that these leaders will come after them next, so they go into hiding. They gather in a house and lock the door. They want to hide, they want to get out of sight so that they won't be next.

All of a sudden, their teacher who they thought was dead and whose body had been stolen appears to them. They're amazed, they're frightened, they're terrified. What does our Lord say? “Peace be to you.” What an amazing thing to say. This simple phrase, “Peace be to you”, really shows the heard of the Christian mystery. It shows why Christ died and rose again: to bring peace to our lives.

Now, this is not saying that we're going to have an easy life. We know that there are struggles in life. We all have challenges that we have to deal with. In our second reading today, St. Peter says that we may have to suffer through various trials so that our faith may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We will have to struggle, we will have to face the challenges that come to us, but Our Lord promises us peace, he promises us mercy.

This is what this feast is all about. It is all about realizing in joy the mercy that has come to us through the death and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the celebration of the fact that through Christ's death and resurrection, we have been adopted as God's children. We no longer are isolated from him in sin. We are now his adopted children, and can now inherit eternal life. This should bring us great joy, and should also bring us great peace.

How should we react to this mercy? Other than the great joy that this brings, how else should we receive God's mercy, to Our Lord's call for peace? The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles tells us that the early disciples devoted themselves to the teachings of the apostles and the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers. The early Christians reacted to this message of mercy by giving up everything. They were willing to sell everything they had and give it to be distributed to those in need. Most of us who are Christians are not called to sell everything we own and give it to the Church for redistribution, but how many of us would be willing to do that? Fortunately, we have many brothers and sisters who have entered religious orders who are willing to give up everything, and even close themselves off from the world to enter into a spirit of prayer and sacrifice for all our sakes.

Even if we're not called to give away everything we own, all of are called to serve the poor. The first reading also reminds us that we are also called to gather on a regular basis, weekly at a minimum, for the celebration of the Eucharist within the Mass. Whenever the New Testament uses the phrase, “the breaking of the bread,” it is referring to the Eucharist. Likewise, we are called to be committed to “the prayers.” In the first reading, this would be regular periods of prayer throughout the day. This practice has carried over to our day in the Liturgy of the Hours, a form of prayer which priests, transitional deacons, and those in religious life are committed to praying at regular periods throughout the day. The Liturgy of the Hours is not exclusively for those in religious life, but is open to and encouraged for all members of the Church. Not everyone is able to take the time or has the desire to pray in this manner, but all are called to spend some time throughout the day in prayer. This might be praying a rosary on the commute to or from work, taking short breaks throughout the day to say a Hail Mary or Our Father silently, even just looking for opportunities to say, “Thank you, Lord, for your mercy and love!” It doesn't even have to be a memorized prayer, just a brief prayer from the heart.

Because of the mercy that God has shown to us, adopting us as sons and daughters through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ, we now have the opportunity to inherit eternal life. This mercy is best expressed in our Lord's blessing, “Peace be with you.” May we be able to say with the psalmist, “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.”

Homily for Easter Sunday

For 40 days, we fasted, sacrificed, and prayed in preparation for these days. Thursday, we were there when Our Lord gave us the Eucharist at the Last Supper. Friday, we watched as Our Lord was tortured, crucified, and died. Saturday was spent in a watchful anticipation. It was all worth it, because Our Lord has risen from the dead, and we can shout, "Alleluia! Jesus Christ has risen from the dead! Alleluia!"

While we know now that Our Lord had to suffer, die and rise again, we can see in today's Gospel that the Apostles and disciples didn't have the clarity of vision that we have with 2,000 years of hindsight. They were still reeling from the fact that their master, whom they had followed for three years, was now dead, killed by the religious leaders and secular authorities. To top it off, now there's a report that the tomb had been broken into and his body stolen, the ultimate insult to pile on top of injury. Peter and John couldn't believe it. They had to see for themselves.

Too often, we're like the Apostles. We have to see it to believe it. If someone tells us in the middle of drought that it's going to rain tomorrow, we might say something like, "I'll believe it when it happens." In some cases, it might even be good to be skeptical, especially when someone is trying to cheat us or lie to us.

There are things, however, that we must accept without any proof. Much of what we profess in the Creed every Sunday cannot be fully demonstrated, and must be believed through an act of faith. This act of faith comes about when we consciously accept a truth that has been revealed by God.

We celebrate one of those revealed truths today. Our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead so that we may also rise with him after our time on Earth has ended. His resurrection and appearance to his Apostles demonstrate to us what will happen for us after our deaths. We must have faith that the resurrection of Our Lord into his glorified body will also happen to us, that our bodies will be glorified as his was. We must also have faith that, as the Apostle Peter said in the first reading, "everyone who believes in him receive forgiveness if sins through his name."

May we be open to that forgiveness, and pray that those who have died may enter into glory iwth Christ.

Liturgia Horarum for PDAs/Smartphones

To start the "Catholic BlackBerry" movement going, the entire Liturgia Horarum -- Liturgy of the Hours in Latin -- is available in iSilo format, a cross-platform mobile format. While using the Liturgia Horarum on the BlackBerry is not as easy as the original books, it is a convenient way to carry the Liturgia Horarum without having to lug around a fairly large, somewhat expensive book (the four-volume set in Latin is approximately $100 before shipping per volume).

Catholic BlackBerry

As I've continued to play with my new BlackBerry Pearl, I've been able to see the power that these smart phones really can have. I also can see the addictiveness that has caused them to be labeled "CrackBerry". One thing I've had a hard time finding are add-ons with a specific Catholic mindset, such as Rosary programs, liturgical calendars, and so on. There is much that these devices can do in a Catholic environment, so I'd like to hear how others use their BlackBerry as Catholics. Also, I'd really like to hear about Catholic programs and tools that are available for these phones.