Oct. 28, 2007: 30th Sunday Ordinary (C)

A month ago, I went to Angola Prison to assist Fr. Charlie with his masses. Many of the guys who were gathered for mass were what they called “life-timers”—guys who were there for life. To me most were normal guys, who did not fit my stereo type of what a prison inmate looks like. I felt like I was in a normal church, and for a brief moment during mass, I had to ask myself what was the difference between the inmates and I. But I was reminded of that difference when I approached the gate to leave Camp A for Camp B. Right outside the chapel was a heavy iron bar gate which was to be opened only by a guard. The inmates did not have the freedom that I enjoyed, to come and go as I please. They did not have air conditioning nor any creature comforts. If they worked, they earned at most 25 to 50 cents an hour. And that was only enough to purchase some deodorant, tooth paste, and stamps.

Many of you probably remember Bishop Fulton Sheen and his TV program “Life is Worth Living.” He was preaching to prison inmates on one occasion, and he said something very profound. He said, “Do you know what is the difference between you and me? You got caught and I didn’t.”

How many of us here can honestly say that we don’t need to go to confession? We might say, “I’m a good person. I haven’t killed anyone.” Can we honestly say then to Jesus, whom we’ll meet in the Eucharist in a short while, that we are sinless so we don’t need his forgiveness?

If we are so confident about our own purity, Our Lord has a word for us today. Today’s Gospel begins with the following words: “Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.” I know our churches are deemphasizing confession. You can tell this by how less frequently confession is offered. Typically it’s offered only one hour on Saturday and available by appointment. But I notice that people even do not take advantage of this small opportunity.

Are we perhaps taking the same attitude of the Pharisee of today’s gospel? When he entered a temple and saw a tax collector, he prayed, “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.” What was wrong with this Pharisee? Was it his spiritual discipline? His stewardship? No, he was doing the right things—commendable things. But the Pharisee was forgetting that it was God who gave him the grace to be able to pray, to fast, and to give. Pride can eat your lunch; it can spoil our good works.

How could all of us improve, who has some degree this Pharisee’s attitude in us, improve? Our Lord tells us, take the attitude of the tax collector who prayed, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” None of us can boast in front of Our Lord that we are sinless. The opposite is true. All of us can boast that we are sinners. This is truth. We are clay, molded in God’s hands and animated by his gift of Spirit. Everything about us, we don’t possess, even our own life. Everything belongs to God. All of us have a different starting point—environment in which we were born, circumstances that surround us. But all of us have freedom to choose—to choose to be humble.

I bet if Fr. Jack or Fr. Leo has the ability to read souls like St. Padre Pio this church would be packed day and night with people who want to go to confession. For some strange reason, people flocked to Padre Pio because he could tell what sins you committed even prior to entering the confessional. Personally, I would be afraid to go to Padre Pio for confession because I would rather hide my sins rather than have them exposed. I would rather others think that I was a holy person rather than a person in need of forgiveness. I’m afraid of getting caught. Remember what Bishop Fulton Sheen said to the prison inmates, “The difference between you and I is that you got caught, and I didn’t.”

Oct. 21st, 2007: 29th Sunday Ordinary (C)

How long does it take to thaw a whole frozen chicken? Well it depends on how you thaw it. I remember my mom would put it out on the counter for an hour. But usually the quickest way to thaw it is to put it in a microwave for 10 to 15 minutes.

Sometimes we come to expect problems in our lives to be solved quickly as in a microwave. We come to expect by applying this advice here, that solution there, our problem will be solved over night. But as we all learned over time, some problems seem to take forever to go away. How many of you wives and husbands imagined before getting married that you could change your spouse's personality? How many of you are still praying for that to happen?

In matters of life, time does not shrink like the way we expect it in a microwave. And unlike a cable TV channel, we cannot click our remote and change to a channel that is more exciting. Life requires patience and perseverance. And while we are waiting we may get tired. Why is it that time passes quickly when we are having fun but it slows down to molasses when we are suffering?

We find in our first reading that Israelites were insured of victory in battle against Amalekite tribe when the staff of Moses were lifted high. When Moses gets tired and lowers the staff, the victory seemed more distant. So Aaron and Hur assist holding up Moses' staff. We wish sometimes that solution to our problem is finding that victory staff or the magic bullet. In Mose's case it is not the staff itself but determination, perseverance and people around him who supported him as he grew tired. For those who are looking for the perfect job, it is not the job itself, but our commitment to diligence and integrity. For those looking for a perfect marriage, it is not determined by a perfect spouse, but our commitment to live out what we promised on our wedding day even when our marriage is going stale and tired. For those seeking to be a saint, it is not about receiving supernatural signs, but small acts of kindness and patience when we experience irritation. Our Lord instructs us in the Gospel, in all matters that seem insurmountable, to pray always without becoming weary.

Can you think of one problem or challenge in your life at this moment that you are seeking a quick solution? Can you ask Our Lord today if He can grant you patience and perseverance to wait for a solution in His time and in His way?

Oct. 14th, 2007: 28th Sunday Ordinary (C)

Ever since we were young, we were taught to say “thank you” when someone has done something nice for us. Our parents wanted to teach us to recognize that the giver has gone beyond our expectations. A couple of years ago, my mom, sister, and I took a trip to Lourdes, France to visit where in 1858 Blessed Mother appeared to St. Bernadette and gave miraculous water as a sign for people to believe. At the time of her apparition, the grotto was simply city's garbage dump. 150 years later and after 200 million pilgrims, the place has been transformed brick by brick and candle by candle into a glorious and beautiful shrine dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady all because of the thanksgiving of all those people.

Here at St. Louis King of France, we have someone who have been giving even greater gift than the miraculous water of Lourdes. 41 years ago, Our Lord established his church here on 2121 N. Sherwood Forest so that He can feed us with his very own body and blood in the Eucharist. Ever since then, Our Lord has faithfully placed his priests here so that we can be continually fed and not go hungry. In thanksgiving for this gift, countless numbers, including all those present here have rolled up our sleeves, gave our time and talent to build this parish up to where it is today. Isn’t it amazing that few decades ago, this place was just a field, and now it is a vibrant parish serving the needs of this local community.

When I arrived here three months ago as a new intern, I noticed that the surrounding neighborhood was the not the safest around. But you know Our Lord does nothing by accident or coincidence. There is a reason why Our Lord established his church here, even though He knew ahead of time that St. Alphonsus and St. Thomas Moore will only be five minutes away from this church. He knew ahead of time that the area immediately surrounding the church will not be safe. There is a mission for this parish that Our Lord wants to accomplish. And He is calling all of us as disciples to collaborate with Him to make this parish a beacon of light and hope. Our Lord said, “Where sin abounds, his grace will abound even more.” He provides the grace to do it, and we supply thanksgiving, worship, our time, and our talent. With God nothing is impossible.

Just take a look at what happened at St. Peter Claver Parish in New Orleans area. The parish was located in declining surroundings—poverty, drugs and violence. Our Lord placed himself there to feed his people with his body and blood knowing that they will need all the grace to transform that darkness into a place of life. The people responded by thanksgiving, worship, and with their time and talent. That parish has gave back life into that community. No longer people feared drugs and violence near that parish. This happened because people have responded to Our Lord’s generous gift of himself with their thanksgiving.

In Lourdes, France Our Lord has made millions of gallons of miraculous water flow uninterrupted for the past 150 years. Likewise this parish will continue to flourish because Our Lord will continue to give river of miraculous grace through the gift of himself in the Eucharist. He only asks that we return to Him week after week to give him thanks and worship for that gift. We read in today’s Gospel that out of the ten lepers healed by Jesus, only one returned to give thanks. Not all who have received grace from this parish will return and give thanks. But look at what is possible with just one person returning and giving thanks to this parish. How much greater this parish will be when one more person will return and give thanks with their time and talent. I encourage all of us here to ask Our Lord today, ‘Lord, how do you want the mission of this parish to be accomplished through my time and talent.’