Homilies for August 2019

For August 4, August 11, The Assumption, August 18, and August 25.

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 4, 2019

  Readings: Ecc 1:2; 2:21–23 • Ps 90:3–6, 12–14, 17 • Col 3:1–5, 9–11 • Lk 12:13–21 
  usccb.org/bible/readings/080419.cfm

All of the readings have a common theme this Sunday, well summarized in the first sentence of the Book of Ecclesiastes: “Vanity of Vanities! All things are vanity!” We don’t know who authored this book, which is part of the Bible’s Wisdom literature. Some say it was King Solomon himself, or another seasoned veteran of human experience. Whoever it was, he or she is not being negative, but simply truthful. Life has many pursuits and interests, but in the end it all does not seem to matter much. Things pass away very quickly, including human lives and ambitions; the wise man knows this.

The second reading, written in the light of Christ’s revelation, highlights where real value and true life can be found. Through Baptism we have died with Christ, and our true life remains hidden with him. Our ultimate goal is to live with him in glory forever. Since this is the case, we must learn to “put to death” those false desires and plans that are holding us back. Christians are to put on a “new self” that is not egotistical but is an image of God, and of Christ himself.

What tremendous lessons these readings can give us! Too often today people do not consider their ultimate goal and destiny, or the purpose of their life. They can easily end up chasing the wind, as the book of Ecclesiastes states (Ecc 2:11). They are very concerned about their health and security . . . but they don’t find time for prayer or contact with God. The experiences and goals of this world totally occupy them.

They can even forget the importance of their Baptism and their Catholic faith.

Remember the story of the California Gold Rush of 1849. Thousands of men sold all that they had in order to purchase land and to prospect along the streams and in the mines of California and Nevada. Often they would choose sites where a gold-looking material was sighted, but were deeply disappointed to find that it was not true gold, but only a mineral with a metallic luster that made it look like gold, called iron pyrite. It was practically worthless, and hence the term “fools’ gold” which we still hear to this day.

The Gospel summarizes all these ideas well. Christ is asked by someone to convince his brother to share the family inheritance with him. “Friend,” Jesus replies, “who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” (Lk 12:14). There were legal officials to handle matters of this sort, both in Jewish and Roman society. Christ came to save souls, and concludes by warning the man to avoid greed and selfishness.

Then he describes the tragic case of a man who wants to hoard all of his grain and other goods into huge barns, and to retire in plenty. “Rest, eat, drink, be merry” is his plan for the rest of his life. But that very night the man dies suddenly, and God asks to whom all those things will go. The conclusion is clear: “Thus will it be for all who store up treasures for themselves, but are not rich in what matters to God” (Lk 12:21).

There is nothing wrong with being in favor of a strong economy. It provides jobs and opportunities for millions of people and their families. And yet, even with a weak or struggling economy, we would still be God’s children with an eternal destiny, and with a greater principle of happiness which, literally, “money cannot buy.” All too often people judge another person’s worth by what he earns, the type of car he drives, and where he goes on vacation. It’s not that costly things are bad in themselves; it is the attachment or greed behind riches which defiles a man, as it did to the rich man in today’s Gospel.

I recall a point in St. Josemaria’s little book called The Way, which has inspired millions of people throughout the years: “Don’t forget it. He has most who needs least. Don’t create needs for yourself” (no. 630). Let’s ask ourselves honestly: Do I really need to get a new suit, or dress? Must I have the latest and most expensive electronic gadget? How many superfluous things (real clutter!) do I have in my closet at home?

If we are to live as Christ wants us to live, if we are to call ourselves Christians, we need to live simple, temperate lives. We know that our real treasure will always be in the things of God.

To conclude, let me propose to you some real treasures:

Our Catholic faith: Despite the problems the Church is facing today, she is the spotless bride of Christ and gives us a truth and wisdom that goes back to Christ himself and the Apostles. Let’s guard that faith, hold onto it, and build upon it. Such is the real treasure of our lives, both for ourselves and our families and friends, and we should try to live it and transmit it.

The sacramental life of the Church: Could there be a greater treasure than those outward signs instituted by Christ to give grace? Baptism makes us children of God and gives us a share in his infinite life. Confession forgives our sins and gives us a special grace to improve. Holy Communion, the greatest sacrament of all, gives us Christ’s only body and blood. Can there be greater treasures on this earth? And so with all the other sacraments: Matrimony, Holy Orders, Confirmation, and Anointing of the Sick.

Our family and friends: A happy home, where love is king, is one of the greatest treasures on earth. To know that we are cherished and appreciated; to go through life with a spouse who cares for us deeply; to have children and grandchildren who will be there for us in our later years. And what about having good friends who are loyal to us, as we are to them?

Such treasures are priceless, and worth sacrificing everything to obtain them. Recall our Lord’s statement about God’s kingdom: “It is like a merchant who discovers a pearl of great price, and goes, and sells all to buy it” (Mt 13:45–46). In a word, let’s always look for the true gold in every circumstance of our life: for what leads us to God and his grace, and for the good of those around us.

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 11, 2019

  Readings: Wis 18:6–9 • Ps 33:1, 12, 18–22 • Heb 11:1–2, 8–19 (or Heb 11:1–2, 8–12) • Lk 12:32–48 (or Lk 12:35–40)
  usccb.org/bible/readings/081119.cfm

Today’s second reading, from the Letter to the Hebrews, gives a wonderful, classic definition of faith: “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” Holy Scripture does not give many definitions of things; all the more reason to look more carefully today at how it defines the great virtue of faith.

Faith, the inspired text says, is the realization of what is hoped for. There is a real connection between faith and hope, which Pope Benedict brought out in his second encyclical in 2007. Both faith and hope, he teaches, have an object beyond human reason and experience: it is God himself and his providence. A person with faith and hope believes and trusts in something which he cannot see, but which was revealed or promised to him. As Catholics we know that such a power is really a gift from God. At Baptism we receive the supernatural virtues of faith and hope, by which we believe and trust in something and Someone beyond our power to comprehend.

We admire the faith of Abraham. He left his home in Mesopotamia to journey to a foreign land, trusting in God’s providence. He believed also that he and his wife could have a son at very advanced ages, and that from that son would come countless descendants, like the stars in the sky. And later, at God’s command, he made the greatest act of faith: he was ready to slay that very son Isaac in sacrifice, though God Himself stopped him from doing it.

What a spectacular, even shocking faith, we have to say. But faith applies to modern life as well. How many couples are there like Abraham and Sarah who cannot conceive a child but still believe in God and his plan for them? They continue to do great good in their lives as a married couple, or perhaps go on to adopt a child and raise him or her. Or perhaps some couples have a child with birth defects, but they accept that child with love and gratitude, and over the years he or she has proven to be the joy of their family, and a source of generosity for everyone.

Faith is truly a supernatural virtue. It does not depend on human ingenuity or effort. It is something we have to ask for with humility, perhaps many times. With God’s grace, our whole life will then become a prayer of faith, and all our actions will be illuminated by it. As Scripture says (a little Latin never hurt!): “Justus ex fide vivit: the just man lives by faith” (Rom 1:17). But we have to be cautious here, because faith, like the word love, is an overused word and can take on many meanings that don’t come from the inspired Word. Some people claim that they have a lot of “faith” in a fellow human being, like a friend of family member. This may be true, but it remains a human reliance only, and that person may at times fail or disappoint us. Many people even say that they have great faith in an athletic team that will make the playoffs . . . good luck with that one!

Others will claim that they have faith in science or technology, yet both of these can be used for bad or selfish purposes, as we see all the time.

In like manner, we know that faith is not determined by opinion polls. If 70% of Catholics do not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, does that make Christ’s presence any less real? If 90% of Catholics see nothing wrong with contraception, does that make contraception morally acceptable? When God gave us the 10 Commandments, he did not take a vote first; nor did his Son when gave us the Beatitudes at the Sermon on the Mount.

What is the depth of your own faith? Pope Benedict in his encyclical, mentioned before, distinguishes between “informative” and “performative” faith. I have also heard it described as the difference between theoretical and operative faith. As Catholics we say the Creed every Sunday, which contains the great truths of our religion: Creation, the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Church, Life Everlasting. These truths are often expressed in dogmas that have been formulated by the Magisterium of the Church, with the help of the Holy Spirit, throughout the centuries; they form the backbone of our Faith.

But there is also a practical and operative side to all of these beliefs. We say that the Holy Mass is the prayer and sacrifice of Christ himself, and the Eucharist is his Body and Blood . . . but do we try to participate fully in what is taking place on the altar, and put our lives next to Christ on the paten? We say that we believe in the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit . . . but do we try to adore these Persons in our prayer, or think of them as we make the sign of the cross in their name?

We say that we believe that marriage is a great sacrament that unites a man and a woman to Christ and his Church. So if you are married, do you pray for your spouse every day? Do you live in such a way that you and your spouse are really loving one another, that you are helping each other in your journey through life, and that you are finding God together?

All of these are examples of operative faith. If I may put it this way, they are examples of faith that has hands and feet. Many times we will have to ask Our Lord, as the apostles did, “Lord, increase our faith!” (Lk 17:5). Perhaps at times we may even have to cry out with tears, as that poor man did who had a son tortured by a demon, whom Christ’s apostles could not cure: “Lord, I believe in you, help my unbelief!” (Mk 9:24).

There can be many events and persons that try our faith, like the continuing crisis in the Church, the sad fact of many Catholics who have left the Church, the regular opposition of the secular media and other powerful groups against her and her teachings. Or perhaps, in a more personal way, we ourselves have asked God for something we consider very good, even for a long while, but He has not answered us. Why are you silent, Lord God? we want to cry out. But at these moments we need to trust more deeply in his love and providence, and to realize that by his silence he is deepening our faith, and that in the end He will draw a greater good from our pain than we can imagine.

We began our reflection by considering the faith of Abraham. Let’s conclude by thinking of the person who had the greatest faith in history: Mary the Mother of Jesus. She believed that she would actually conceive a child in her womb without any human seed, and not simply any child, but the Son of God himself! Because of her faith we can truly say that she was not only Christ’s mother, but his first disciple as well. Yet her faith did not stop there. She would continue to “ponder things in her heart” (Lk 2:19–51) That is, she kept reflecting on the events of her life, and her son’s life, trying to see them always in the light of God’s plan.

This is precisely what each one of us must do, as we go through our own lives. Let’s ask her to intercede for us, so that we may have a living operative faith that can really move mountains, and bring Christ to the world as she did. And thinking of her, let’s remember that next Thursday, August 15th is a Holy Day of Obligation, and one of her great Solemnities: her Assumption into Heaven, body and soul. Be sure to come to Holy Mass that day, and remind others to do the same.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
– August 15, 2019 (Mass During the Day)

  Readings: Rv 11:19a; 12:1–6a, 10ab • Ps 45:10–12, 16 • 1 Cor 15:20–27 • Lk 1:39–56
  usccb.org/bible/readings/081519-day.cfm

“The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold” (Ps 45:10). On today’s Solemnity we celebrate one of Mary’s greatest privileges: her Assumption into Heaven, which was solemnly defined as a dogma of the Church by Pope Pius XII in 1950. And we can see both the truth and fittingness of this event when we think of Mary’s life and her place in the history of salvation. It was fitting that she who was conceived without sin would be assumed, body and soul, into eternal life. It was fitting that her body, which bore the savior of the world, the Son of God Himself, should suffer no corruption after the end of her life on earth. It was fitting and is fitting that the Mother of God should have the most privileged destiny of all human persons, being placed next to God Himself, so that she could protect us and intercede for us.

Apart from these theological reflections, let us simply be glad for the great honor given to our Mother. Just as if our mother on earth would receive some great award or privilege in her life . . . and the whole family rejoices…we should feel the same about Mary today. We’re very glad for her as a human being, and for her place above all the angels and saints, and we give glory and thanks to God for having created such a marvelous creature, and given her so much grace.

The Book of Revelation gives this famous description of her in today’s reading: “A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Rev 12:1). Many Fathers of the Church and other writers see the woman as symbolic of the Church herself: for the Church herself is the Mother of the people of God, and brings forth salvation for every human being. But Church will always be in travail as she generates her children throughout time and the dragon, the evil one, constantly pursues her and tries to devour her child. (It is something that we can see throughout history, and continues to see to this day.) The image also represents Mary who is the Mother of the Church and the Mother of Christ, who is the Child that she brings forth into the world, and whom the devil will constantly try to destroy, along with his people.

This is such a rich image that we could spend the rest of our lives trying to appreciate it. It has inspired many prayers and commentaries over the centuries, but we see it manifested in one particular event in Mexico in 1531, which has been approved by the Church for our devotion. In that year, on a hill outside of Mexico City, the Queen of Heaven left her image impressed on the simple tilma (cloak) of St. Juan Diego, as a sign of her presence and her true identity. This apparition brought so much grace and devotion that it opened the way for millions to convert to the Catholic faith in Mexico. That image on Juan Diego’s cloak, which science has been unable to explain, is the exact reproduction of the mysterious woman described in the book of Revelation: the woman clothed with the sun, the moon at her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head.

As you all know, this is the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas which of course include both the United States and Canada.

In the light of all this history, and many things which we ourselves could add from our personal experiences, we can well understand Mary’s humble words to her cousin Elizabeth: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed; the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name” (Lk 1:47–48).

It is even more marvelous for us to remember that this wonderful, exalted woman was a human being like us. She too had her daily work to do, as a mother and spouse in the little village of Nazareth. Like the other women of the village, she too went to the well each day to draw water, she too baked bread, she too cared for her home with all of the details that family life entails. She too had her joys and sorrows throughout life, even more intense than we can experience, but in a human heart and soul like ours. She too at times could not understand the ways of God, but had to ponder and reflect upon them many times. She too suffered big disappointments from others, especially from her relatives who failed to recognize her Son and his mission on earth. Thus she is very accessible to us in our prayer and dialogue, just as she was to St. Juan Diego whose uncle was very sick, whom she cured.

One further thought on this great Solemnity. Mary, assumed body and soul into Heaven, represents the final goal of us all. We long to be with her and all the saints someday, body and soul, enjoying God forever. At the last judgment, at the resurrection of the dead, our bodies will be resurrected and united to our souls. It will be the new Heaven and the new earth, with Christ the King and Mary as our queen. Our lives will be completely fulfilled, and the Church the bride of Christ will be completely united to her bridegroom in the new Jerusalem. Just like Mary, we will share in the final victory and the eternal Kingdom of her Son, which we heard described today in St. Paul’s magnificent passage today: “For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the first fruits; then, at his coming those who belong to Christ” (1 Cor. 15:22–23).

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 18, 2019

  Readings: Jer 38:4–6, 8–10 • Ps 40:2–4, 18 • Heb 12:1–4 • Lk 12:49–53
  usccb.org/bible/readings/081819.cfm

“And they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern . . . letting him down with ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.”

A rather depressing scene from the Old Testament, isn’t it? Of all the prophets Jeremiah was probably the most misunderstood and mistreated. He had the misfortune of living at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians (586 BC), and of having to preach about this coming destruction to his fellow Hebrews, who refused to listen to him and considered him to be a traitor. But he did not reject his prophetic mission from God, and kept on preaching until the end.

Jeremiah, like all holy men and women, had an essential virtue which we can all imitate: the virtue of fortitude. In the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “Fortitude is the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of good” (CCC, no. 1808). We admire people with strength of character who keep struggling to achieve a noble goal. It is the virtue of the athlete, the soldier, the mountain climber, and above all, of the saint. Saints are men and women who don’t quit or run away when they face obstacles, either from the outside or the inside (their own fears and hesitations).

Good parents should teach fortitude and endurance to their children. They set guidelines for proper behavior at home, along with certain tasks and duties. By mutual agreement they also enforce consequences for children who are lazy, disobedient, or disrespectful. Without such training children will often expect others to serve them in the years ahead, and will become selfish and unhappy persons. In a word, they will be spoiled because they were not taught to be responsible.

The followers of Christ need to be strong not only in human tasks, but also in spiritual ones. At times it will not be easy to get up and go to Mass on a cold and rainy Sunday. It will not be easy to commit to a daily plan of prayer, or to increase our study of the Catholic faith. It will not be easy to be patient and kind with people who annoy us. For this kind of strength, in both big and little things, we need God’s grace.

It does help to think of the saints and their courageous following of their vocation. Think of Saint Agatha, that twelve year old girl who endured all kinds of torture, including disfigurement and sexual assault, but who would not deny her faith in Jesus Christ. That girl had more strength in her heart than a whole Roman legion. Or think of a Saint Thomas More, who refused to sign an oath making an earthly king to be head of the Church in England, and paid for it with his life.

Or think of Mother Theresa of Kalkutta, who not only dedicated her life to helping the very poor, but who fought years of doubt and depression in order to carry out God’s will.

You might be saying to yourselves: this is all too much, I could never do such things. But don’t sell yourselves short, nor forget God’s grace working within you. Remember Saint Paul, who did such marvelous missionary work for the Church, and endured so many sufferings, and how he revealed to the first Christians the secret of his fortitude: “It is now no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20) and “I can do all things in him who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13).

In his treatise on the cardinal virtues, Saint Thomas Aquinas distinguishes three aspects of the virtue of fortitude: to begin a difficult task, to persevere in it, to finish it. At times the hardest thing for us is to face what we must do each day without procrastinating: to begin cleaning a room that needs it; to make a phone call that will be difficult or unpleasant; to put away the phone or video game, and go to bed. But once we begin a difficult thing we can be sure that God will give us the grace to complete it, if we are humble and ask for his help.

The glory of fortitude will always be in its completion. This is the ultimate proof of virtue, like inserting the keystone in a building or an arch. Our lives, our Catholic faith, should also be strong and without cracks or hesitations. A person who has ideals will not be stymied by public opinion or peer pressure. The main point for a virtuous person is whether the task in itself is good or worthwhile, and whether it pleases God. There will be some occasions, especially today, when we will have to stand up for moral principles in our conversations and social life, particularly with topics like the dignity of human life, and the authentic nature of marriage between a man and a woman. Even those of our own family might oppose us because of our faith in Christ and his Church, as we have heard in the Gospel.

These will be the moments when we must draw from a strength beyond ourselves, namely the supernatural virtue of fortitude, which is a gift of the Holy Spirit. As we prepare for Holy Communion, let’s ask Christ now to give us that Spirit, that strength of mind and soul which resists human fears and doubts, and which goes forward to accomplish God’s will. Then we can make our own the words of today’s Responsorial Psalm, as we think of Jeremiah and his suffering: “The Lord heard my cry. He drew me out of the pit of destruction . . . he made firm my steps.”

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 25, 2019

  Readings: Is 66:18–21 • Ps 117:1–2 • Heb 12:5–7, 11–13 • Lk 13:22–30
  usccb.org/bible/readings/082519.cfm

“Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.”

Christ is giving his apostles their marching orders, so to speak, with his final words to them before his Ascension into Heaven. They are not to keep the Gospel to themselves; the Good News of salvation and grace is for all mankind. And history tells us that the apostles took those words very seriously. They literally went to the ends of the earth in their missionary travels: to such far-away places like Spain and India and Russia, which in those days were truly the limits of the known world.

There they preached the great truths about eternal life, about sin and judgment, about the Church and the sacraments, and above all, about Jesus Christ who brings hope and salvation to every human being.

Can’t we all hear Jesus giving us the same challenge today? And we need not go to far-away places. We are all called to be apostles, even in our own city and neighborhood, and especially in our families and circle of friends. Through our baptism we have been transformed into other Christs; on that day, though we may have only been children, the Lord called us by our names and made us members of his Church, and his apostles.

To each of us He says: “You are the light of the world . . . so let your light shine” (Mt 5:14–16).

I recall the story of a small Catholic village in Bavaria (Southern Germany) which was heavily bombarded by the allies at the end of World War II. One of the bombs dropped into the sanctuary of the church and exploded. Miraculously nothing was damaged in the sanctuary, but the arms of the figure of Christ on the cross were blown off. It was a beautiful crucifix, dating from medieval times. After the war the townspeople gathered to ask what they should do about the damaged work of art. Some wanted to make a whole new crucifix; others simply wanted to restore the arms of the figure. In the end neither option was taken. They simply left the damaged figure of Christ on the cross and wrote underneath him the words: “YOU ARE MY ARMS.”

Our Lord needs people today who will be not only his arms, but his tongue, and hands and feet. It is our privilege to serve him who is our Savior and King. We can serve him with our daily work, with our care for others, with our words at the right time to speak and defend the truth. And like the apostles we must have a big universal view of people and the world. We cannot allow ourselves to become narrow-minded or isolated. Christ wants us to have a big heart, like his, where all can fit: Catholics, non-Catholics, non-Christians, even agnostics and atheists. He wants all people to come into his Body the Church and into his Sacred Heart: “That all may be one,” he said at the Last Supper, “even as you Father in me, and I in you” (Jn 17:21).

Let’s realize our responsibility. There is a whole world to enlighten and conquer for the Crucified and Risen One, and for his Church. As Saint Josemaría wrote in the first point of his little book The Way: “Don’t let your life be sterile. Blaze a trail. Shine forth with the light of your Faith and of your love.” We have the right, and the mission to involve ourselves in other people’s lives. Without being rude or aggressive, let’s try to bring up deeper questions and ideals with those around us. What is the family? What is real happiness? What is prayer? Why is there suffering? Why should we be hopeful and not sad or depressed? These are questions that many people at some point ask themselves, but may be too embarrassed to speak about. They either cannot find the words, or have no real friend with whom to share their deepest concerns.

Could you or I be that friend? If we pray for people, if we really care about them, we can find the way to bring up these questions and share our own thoughts and experiences with them. Above all, with God’s grace, we can help them to know Jesus Christ who offers his truth and love to all people.

Let us return to our initial Scriptural text: “Go forth into the whole world . . .” I would propose that Christ’s words are not only a command for us, but an adventure. To follow Jesus Christ often entails risk because we are not certain of the results. Yet we do have to trust him and his grace. Consider the apostles Peter and John when he told them to “go forth into the deep, and lower your nets for a catch” (Lk 5:4). During all the previous night they had caught nothing, yet they obeyed Christ’s command. They took a chance and tried again: they rowed into the lake, and caught an immense number of fish.

At times we may feel like the apostles before the miracle. Perhaps we have tried many times to give witness to Christ and his word, or to convince a close friend or relative to change their ideas or behavior, but to no avail. We may have been trying for a long time, even years, with no apparent results. We need to hear Christ encouraging us once again, “Go forth into the deep”, and keep trying with a spirit of obedience and adventure. It is not we ourselves who will catch the fish in the end; it is Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit working in people’s souls.

One of the invocations to the Virgin Mary in the Litany of the Rosary is “Queen of Apostles.” Try to imagine her, the Mother of the Lord, living still on earth after the Ascension and Pentecost, and witnessing the apostles going to different parts of the world: Peter to Rome, James to Spain, Thomas to India, Paul to Greece. Imagine also her prayer for each one, since she knew that they were obeying the wishes of her Son. Finally imagine one more thing, which I think is more than simple imagining: that she gave each of them a motherly embrace, letting him know how much she cared for him and wanted him to succeed in the great adventure of spreading the Gospel to all nations and peoples.

Mary Queen of Apostles, pray for us. Help us also to be brave and hopeful as we try to carry out Christ’s apostolic command in the middle of our own world.