April 26, 2009: Third Sunday Easter (B)

Whenever you have a chance, I'd like for you to Google the following phrase on a computer: "Catholics evangelize." If you were typing this to find out how, you as a Catholic, can evangelize to the world, you'll first notice on the results page the following results:

"How to evangelize a Roman Catholic?"
"Do Catholics worship another Jesus?"
"Why do Catholics keep Jesus on the cross?"

I opened one of those links and found the following dialogue:
Author: "So, Paul, as a Roman Catholic, are you a Born Again, or Born Anew Christian?"
Paul: "Nope, I'm a Catholic, so I know I'm going to heaven!"

Could this happen to you? It happened to me in the middle of my college. I'm glad it did, because at that time, although I was a baptized and confirmed Catholic, I did not know my faith or know Jesus. So it was good for me to be challenged about what I believed. It didn't help that I was a New Ager in high school and early college; there was already a vacuum of faith. When I was junior in college, I followed my girl friend to a prayer meeting at a non-denominational gathering. Several guys approached me and asked a question: "Are you saved?" I answered, 'No.' They then asked, "Do you want to be saved?" And I answered, sincerely, 'yes.' Then they had me repeat a prayer to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

"Jesus I know I am a sinner and you are my only hope for restoration. I ask you to come into my life and to direct it. I surrender myself to you completely. I thank you for the great sacrifice you made for all the things I have done wrong. I accept the gift you are offering to me. I desire to have a relationship with You. Come and live within my heart today. Amen."

I've gone to mass many years prior to my falling away as a New Ager in high school. Many time over and over in my life, I've been to the "altar calls" at mass, confessing my sins and professing my faith in God the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. Why then did I fall away? It's the same reason why even many "Born-Again" Protestant Christians church-hop or church shop from one place to another and have to repeat the prayer to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. All of us, whether Catholic or Protestant, simply fall away because we grow cold or bored. We simply get tired of Jesus. We say one less prayer each day, we miss one more Sunday mass each month. Then soon enough, we're saying to ourselves, "I live a good life and do what the Ten Commandments tell us to do."

The correct answer to the question, "Are you saved?" for all Christians is, "Yes, we have been saved, are being saved, and will be saved by the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ." If "being saved" was a one time event, then why fall away or grow cold in the first place? Why do we have to repeat the prayer to accept Jesus as Our Lord and Savior? How do you explain fallen away Christians if those Christians were legitimately "saved" by professing Jesus as Lord and Savior?

In our First Reading, Peter reminds us how we all have denied and even betrayed Jesus (including Peter himself), "Jesus, whom you handed over and denied in Pilate's presence when he had decided to release him. You denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. The author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses. Now I know, brothers [and sisters], that you acted out of ignorance...Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away." If we are sitting here and thinking to ourselves, "I didn't deny or betray Jesus," then we are forgetting the fact that sin is "not Thy will be done, but My will be done." Everyone of us here can honestly say (including this priest) that we have on occasion this week sought to do "My will" rather than "God's will."

What is Jesus' response to our falling away and stepping away from Him? Jesus makes attempts to get ever closer to us. This past Sunday at 3PM, we had here at Mater Dolorosa a healing service where we prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet and I brought to each and every person in the pews the Eucharist reposed in a monstrance just like they do in Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. Some of the ladies present said how touched they were that Jesus would come personally to each of them and allow them to touch him and express to him their sufferings and affections. God who seems so lofty and mighty allows Himself to be carried by a poor frail human being [priest] to another poor frail human being because of His affection for them; this is simply amazing! It's the same reason why in our Gospel we read Jesus appearing to the disciples to show his wounds and to allow them to touch them. Jesus said to them, "Why are you troubled?
And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have."

We as Catholics have one treasure that no other Christian churches have: Jesus in the Eucharist. Most other churches revere the Word of God, as we do (for our mass is divided into the Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist). Yet, we have Jesus who is in flesh (body, soul, and divinity); Jesus who allows us to put our doubt and troubles behind and allow us to touch him and believe that it is truly the Risen Lord. We take a step away from Him, He takes a step closer to us. We turn our head away, and He is still facing us. One desire that we should ask from Heavenly Father today is, "Father, give me the grace to get to know your Son Jesus more. May I receive the grace to love your Son even more."

April 19, 2009: Divine Mercy Sunday (B)

Recently I was at a parishioner's house watching their kids play. On their trip to Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans several weeks ago, the parents bought their kids a Caterpillar to Butterfly Kit. The kids watched their caterpillar turned itself into cocoons and eventually metamorphed into a moth (pictured left). On this sunny day, their daughter flung this newly transformed moth five feet up in the air. It flapped its wing, but crashed on to the grass. It was too early and premature for this moth to take off just yet. Beside me was their 3 yr. old son blowing bubbles and spilling all the bubble liquid on the porch. As I sat there on the porch watching these kids play, there was a mystery that was unfolding. Here a child was learning something about patience and providence. The Caterpillar to Butterfly Kit provided everything the caterpillar needed to make their transformation--a sealed glass bottle with food, a mesh tent to protect the catepillars from the prying hands of curious children wanting to touch them, and parents who constantly reminded the kids to leave the caterpillars alone. "When will they fly?" the kids asked. "Wait and see," parents replied. This little butterfly kit taught the children that to raise a living thing from its infancy to adulthood takes love and patience.

There is a word that expresses both love and patience. It is mercy. In Latin, it's misericordia. The first part of the word, miseri, means pity, suffering, or compassion. The second part of the word, cordia, means heart. So another way to say mercy or misericordia is a heart full of compassion for one's suffering. Today's psalm and response extol God as the one who is rich in mercy.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
Let the house of Israel say, "His mercy endures forever..."
I was hard pressed and was falling, but the LORD helped me.
My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior.

Have you ever experienced God in this way? Has God ever helped you when you were falling into despair and lifted you up? And have you thanked God for that? "Thank you God for You are good and your love is everlasting." Or, have you experienced God more like a judge who will not bend a single rule for you. We may have had such an experience with a priest or dealing with strict church policy on marriage and divorce. "Where is merciful God in this," we ask. God's greatest attribute is mercy or heart full of compassion for our suffering, but those who work in his public relations department may not represent Him accurately. Sometimes God's representatives here on earth can be rude, uncaring, or too busy so we come away with an impression that God is rude, uncaring, or too busy for us. But that's not how Jesus truly is.

Take example from our gospel today. Jesus appeared to the ten disciples, gave them the Holy Spirit, and commissioned them to forgive sins. But poor Thomas. He wasn't there with the ten when Jesus appeared. Will he be the only disciple without the Holy Spirit and without the commission to forgive sins? This reminds me of the flight I took Friday night from Dallas to New Orlenas. Dallas had some severe weather and most of the flights were delayed. As I waited in a lounge which made its last call for departure, a young lady dashed to the gate. The gate attendant said, "Sorry, the plane is already taxing toward the runway." The lady began to cry on the spot. That was the last flight out, and she was forced to stay overnight somewhere. Going back to Thomas, was he going to be the only one of out of the twelve who missed the plane? The answer is no. Jesus personally comes back just for Thomas. Jesus personally invites Thomas to put aside doubt and believe. "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." Jesus shows God who believes in second chances, God who is patient, kind, and will not let anyone of his children left behind. He is God of mercy, who has heart full of compassion for those who are suffering.

This is why Jesus personally requested the Universal Church to celebrate the Sunday after Easter as the Divine Mercy Sunday or the Feast of Divine Mercy. Listen to what Jesus said to St. Faustina regarding this Sunday. "I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened." (Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska, 699)

Why make this Second Sunday of Easter the Divine Mercy Sunday? It's because we don't appreciate God's greatest attribute, His Mercy. Jesus said, "I desire that priests proclaim this great mercy of Mine towards souls of sinners. Let the sinner not be afraid to approach Me...Distrust on the part of souls is tearing at My insides...despite My inexhaustible love for them they do not trust Me. Even My death is not enough for them...I desire that you know more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart for souls, and you will understand this when you meditate upon My Passion." Take advantage of this great Feast Day of His Mercy. Jesus simply requests in order to receive this tremendous gift of His Mercy in remission of all our sins, He asks us to go to confession, attend Divine Mercy Sunday mass, and receive communion on this day.

A child who waits with patience and compassion on a caterpillar to transform itself into a butterfly is like Jesus who waits with patience and compassion to pour out His Mercy on us to transform us. Listen to these words of Jesus to St. Faustina, "When you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flow down upon your soul and ennoble it. ..When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy."

He is Risen! (Easter at Mater Dolorosa & St. Dominic)

Click here for the rest of the photos

Mater Dolorosa bears signs of Easter inside and out.

I took above photo during mass right after the sign of the cross. People were amused that a priest would act like a "Japanese tourist" at their Easter Sunday mass. But they obliged and smiled, "Spaghetti!"

Below three photos are from St. Dominic Easter Sunday. 5 minutes before mass began, a tree fell on a power line and we lost power for several hours. Thankfully, I took these photos before the tree fell. The church was overflowing when mass began with about 30 people standing outside.

Click here for the rest of the photos

April 11, 2009: Easter Vigil (B)

(Picture: Michael Phelps hugging his mom after winning his gold medal)

If you've watched Beijing Olympics last year, there was one athlete that most Americans eagerly followed: Michael Phelps. The media was also watching one other person, his mom, Debbie. After he clinched a record breaking eight gold medals in swimming, the cameras were all over Michael and his mom. The media dubbed her as "The World's Most Famous Mom." It's not because she won the medals herself but because her son credited his accomplishment to her. Michael had a difficult start when he was a kid. He showed symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder. Debbie said she will never forget what one teacher told her when Michael was in elementary school. “This woman says to me, ‘Your son will never be able to focus on anything.’ ”
His grades were B’s and C’s and a few D’s. Debbie also heard that her son was not gifted. She replied, "What are you going to do to help him?" So from the beginning, Debbie believed in him and stood by him. And you can believe that she also stood by him as a faithful mother when he recently fell from his tall horse doing something really stupid. Now she may no longer be the "World's Most Famous Mom," but she is still a mom who will ask anyone, "What are you going to do to help him?"

Around this time of the year, I like to watch Mel Gibson's movie, "The Passion of Christ." When it first came out, I went to the theater at least 8 times. Somedays, I watched it twice, back to back. I kept going back because there was an incredible mystery that was captured in that movie--a mystery between a son and his mother. In one scene, Jesus was placed in a dungeon at the high priest's place after being arrested at the Garden of Gethsemane. His mother somehow intuitively sensed where his son was placed below and bent down to the floor to comfort her son. She knew intuitively that her son needed company because all of his disciples have abandoned him. She was present when her son was jeered and laughed at Pilate's praetorium. She was also present as her son received a heavy cross to carry to Calvary. The most touching scene for me was when he fell with the cross for the second time. She was several steps away from him but she hesitated to approach for it was too painful for her. Then she recalled an old memory where she comforted him when he fell as a child. With that to give her courage, she dashed to her son. Jesus, who was exhausted, could not get up. But with his mother now at his side, he grabbed hold of the cross again as he declared to her, "Mother, behold I make all things new." This scene really captures the mystery between Our Blessed Lord and Our Blessed Mother. To make something new requires someone who believes that new beginnings are possible.

A priest who was the chaplain of the Korean Catholic Church in Metairie told me that during Katrina one of his parishioner refused to evacuate. Her son was incarcerated in one of the local prisons, and she would rather die with him rather than depart to save her own life. Here was a mother who truly believed that new beginning for her son was possible!

Easter is about new beginnings, and this mystery between Our Blessed Lord and Our Blessed Mother extends to all of us. Our Lord, as our Redeemer and Savior brings forth new life in us by his sacrifice. And Our Blessed Mother stands by us, encourages us, and believes in us so that we may bring to fruition the eternal life that is planted in us. In order to truly understand what happened in Easter, we need to gaze at that famous statue of Pieta, in which Blessed Mother holds in her hand the limp body of Our Lord. As she waits in silence for her Son to resurrect, she likewise holds our bodies in her hand for our resurrection. Hence, the world's most famous man is not without the world's most famous mother.

April 10, 2009: Good Friday (B) The Lord's Passion

Sometimes after mass some parishioners come up to me and ask, "Father Paul, do you want to hear a joke related to your homily?" I say, "Go ahead." Sometimes I get the joke, sometimes I let out a nervous laugh, which means I didn't get it. What makes a good joke? When I googled "How to make a good joke," I came upon the following information. First of all, what makes a joke? It involve a set-up with the subject and facts, and a punch line that highlights the irony. So you got to have a good set-up. You want to build up the tension slowly in the set-up; give a little time for people to get on board with what you've told them so far. And finally, hit them with a strong punch line.

So was God trying to be funny with us in what happened to His Son on Good Friday? From the beginning pages of the Book of Genesis, Heavenly Father began his great setup. He gave a foreshadow of what Jesus would accomplish. Addressing the serpent, God said, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel." Yesterday at Holy Thursday mass, we heard from the Book of Exodus how God was going to personally liberate the Israelites from their bondage. And today from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah we hear, "See, my servant shall prosper,he shall be raised high and greatly exalted...because of him kings shall stand speechless." So God was building up the tension slowly throughout history. Then God hit us with his punch line. His Son dies a humiliating death of a criminal...and no one laughed. All of his disciples, including us, said, "we don't get the joke." Yes there were some who were there on Calvary who were laughing and jeering, "Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself by coming down from the cross." (Mk 15:29-30)

Wasn't something great suppose to happen? Shouldn't this suppose to look more like a great victory after a presidential election with balloons, cheers, and victory speeches? Yet all we got was a great let down, a great disappointment--a limp dead body in the arms of his sorrowful mother. How is this dead guy suppose to help me, 2000 years later?

God certainly knows how to use irony in the punch line. The irony is that the man who didn't strike back at those who struck him was greater than them. Prophet Isaiah said today, "Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth;like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers,he was silent and opened not his mouth...(here comes the irony) Yet it was our infirmities that he bore,our sufferings that he endured,while we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses,crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole,by his stripes we were healed."

We still don't get how all this works. Well, we need an example. On my Blog website, I included a video clip of a story on a priest named Fr. Maximilian Kolbe. He was a Polish priest who was arrested and sent to Auschwitz Concentration Camp during Nazi occupation. One day, one of the prisoner escaped from the camp. The Nazi soldiers as a reparation randomly picked 10 men to be starved to death. One of those man named Francis (Franciszek Gajowniczek) protested because he still had his family. Then, Fr. Kolbe stepped up and volunteered himself to take his place. The Nazi soldiers found it amusing that a Catholic priest would volunteer, so they let him take his place. Fr. Kolbe was last to die out of that group of 10 from starvation. But to the last moment of his breath, he took care of the dying men. On October 10, 1982, Pope John Paul II canonized Fr. Kolbe. And present at that canonization was Francis, the man who lived because a priest chose to take upon himself another person's death sentence. In 1994 Francis visited the St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church of Houston, where he told his translator that "so long as he ... has breath in his lungs, he would consider it his duty to tell people about the heroic act of love by Maximilian Kolbe."

Isn't this why we are here on Good Friday before the cross? So long as we have breath in our lungs, we consider it our duty to tell people about the heroic act of love by Our Blessed Lord.

April 9, 2009: Holy Thursday (B) The Lord's Supper

Meal time at my sister's house can be a messy affair. With two little ones (2 and 4 yr. old), it's hard to keep them on task--eating rather than playing with food. The little ones prefer to be left on their own, dipping his hand in the soup or grab spaghetti by its end and swirl it in the air. When it's time for their mother to wipe their face or to reprimand them for playing with their food, they inevitably break into sobs. The same thing happens when it's time to change diaper. The little one protests that it's better to walked around in soiled diaper than for momma to strap him down to wipe his behind. For even little ones, they want to be on there own and left to their own vices. They don't realize all the mess they create. (Note: The photo on the left is NOT my sister's child)

Us, big kids, also don't like to depend on other people. Take for example Morrie Schwartz who was featured in the book, "Tuesdays with Morrie." He was a renowned professor of Sociology at Brandeis University. In his 70s, he contracted Lou Gehrig's disease which is a fatal disease that degenerates his use of the muscles of his body. He got to the point of needing assistance with feeding him and wiping him after bathroom use. Physically, he became an infant again. Initially, being dependent on everything embarrassed him. But this disease taught him few life lessons. He said,

"So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things.We have a sense that we should be like the mythical cowboy... able to take on and conquer anything and live in the world without the need for other people...The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in." This comes from a man who used to be agnostic.

Early in our life, we feel invincible--our health is good, and we believe everything we have is due to our own work. Only later in our life do we begin to realize that we are under someone's constant care. This happens when we have our own children to take care of. Also this happens when we become ill or lose a loved one. We reflect back, "Oh, how I miss being taken care of." Only in their absence, do we begin to appreciate what they have done for us.

The same can be said for our faith. In high school I was a budding dabbler in New Age philosophy. It believed that God was NOT someone who created me. God was really me! I was ‘god’ in rough diamond form. Through esoteric meditations and practices, I was to refine this rough diamond and become the brilliant god that I was meant to be. It also said that formal religions like Catholicism was attempt to squelch this discovery process. Doesn’t this sound tempting? Unfortunately, even some well meaning Christians have fallen for variations of this temptation; this is the same temptation that Adam and Even fell for. So what’s wrong with it? If I am self-sufficient god (with little ‘g’) why do I need God (with big ‘G’)? Then, in the same line of reasoning, do I need Jesus? In high school, a Baptist classmate asked me, “Do you know Jesus?”

I replied, “No, does that mean I’m going to hell?” That classmate didn’t know what to do with me. I was that mythical cowboy Morrie Schwartz talked about, who was able to conquer anything and did not need anyone.

How did I ever come to recognize Jesus as one who is relevant in my life? Like Morrie Schwartz and St. Paul, I needed to fall from the invincible high horse. Early college, I experienced a tremendous emptiness in my life. No books on New Age or self-help helped. Then there was one fateful evening. I helped out with my parents during summer in their restaurant. It was open 7-days a week. One evening, my parents gave me a night off. I was at home resting when I got a call from police that a tragedy had happened at our restaurant. There was an armed robbery and someone was shot. Thankfully, it wasn’t my parents. As I drove quickly to the restaurant, many thoughts rushed through my mind. “It could have been me. Why was I off this fateful evening?” S uddenly with a brush of death, I was open to the possibility that my life was not my own. Perhaps, I thought, it could be possible that God (with big ‘G’) existed and He was looking out for me. That was enough crack in the once closed shut heart for God to intervene. I’m sure there are some of you out there who believe that Jesus and religion are for weak people. Like Morrie and I God uses the moments of our helplessness to teach us that we need Him.

Tonight we’ll witness God bending down low in humility to wash our soiled feet and souls. In the face of such humility and love, our invincible pride and arrogance washes away. That is why Jesus had us commemorate every year what he did for his disciples. Morrie Schwartz realized near his death that he was not invincible and that he had many who cared for him. Thus he said, "The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in." As we witness washing of feet, Jesus wants us to realize just that. He said, "I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do."

April 5, 2009: Palm Sunday (B) by Deacon Roger Navarra

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

This is one of, if not, the most important questions ever asked in all of mankind. We know that Jesus was Man and God. I think that Jesus asked this question to show us His human side. He knew what His fate was, and He knew that God didn’t forsake Him. I think He asked this question for our benefit.

We all, from time to time, may feel forsaken. -- We all may question our faith from time to time.

We all have trials and tribulations that can make us question our faith. The illness or death of a loved one, the loss of a job, the feelings of loneliness or of being abandoned, can make us question our faith and feel forsaken.

God knows this; He knows that we are weak, sinful humans. That is why He sent His only Son to die for our sins. That is why He left His Holy Spirit for us. That is why He left us the Holy Eucharist.

Next time you feel forsaken, no matter what the reason, think of how much our Lord loves us. Think of Jesus suffering and dying for our sins. Open your heart, mind, and soul to the Lord, and allow Him to help you.

Remember Our Lord loves us unconditionally, and He would love nothing more than for each of us to grow closer to Him.

Today we sit on the eve of the holiest week of the year. One packed with every kind of feeling and emotion. We’ve been preparing for Holy Week for the past six weeks, getting ready to immerse ourselves in a great mystery as it unfolds before our eyes. And during this sacred time we have been assessing our lives—reflecting, praying, and examining who we are and who God would like us to be.

I don’t know how your Lent is going; only you do. It if is going as planned that is wonderful. Continue to more forward, and get ready to celebrate Easter.

If it isn’t going as planned, don’t get down on yourself. Have a heart to heart talk with yourself. Examine your conscience and work on the areas that are not pleasing to you and ask God for the strength necessary to get back on track.
Remember Our Lord loves us unconditionally, and He wants us closer to Him. We have to allow this to happen. We have to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. We have to be open to the Holy Spirit.

We have to pray, and pray as Jesus prayed: “not what I will, but what you will!”
As I close, if you remember nothing else from this homily, please remember this----as proof of how much Our Lord loves us:

Jesus paid a debt He didn’t owe,
Because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay.

Jesus paid a debt He didn’t owe,
Because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay.

May each of you have a wonderful Holy week and feel more blessed and loved than ever before. God Bless.