An Instrument of God

A collection of homilies given by Rev. Mr. Christopher Rossman, a deacon of the Roman Catholic Church for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in KS.

WELCOME!!!

Greetings! For those who are new or are stumbling onto this blog you have come across my homiletics blog site, which is a complimentary blog to my primary blog titled, Journal of God's Call. I am a deacon of the Roman Catholic Church studying for the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and have had my primary blog site for about 18 months. The goal of my primary blog is to discuss and reflect on elements of the Roman Catholic faith and on my journey to priesthood and beyond. This blog is a supplement to it in which I will be posting my homilies and other talks I might give that may be of interest to others.

I have left the comments section of this blog open to any readers who wish to post. I only ask that you not post anything obscene or vulgar because I will remove it and block you from visiting the site again. Other than that, I welcome comments, insights, suggestions and any other observations on my homilies and on my primary blog site. I hope you find the homilies helpful and a positive experience. God bless.

posted by: crossman at 16:59 | link | comments |
commentary

Ascension Sunday - May 28, 2006

THIS WAS MY VERY FIRST HOMILY EVER, WHICH I GAVE THE DAY AFTER MY ORDINATION AT MY HOME PARISH IN OTTAWA, KS

We've all felt abandoned, alone or full of fear even around others. Maybe you're starting at a new school or college. Maybe you are beginning a new job.
A few years ago, my dad’s mother, my grandmother, died at the age of 97. My other grandparents had died before I was born or when I was very young, so Grandma Rossman was the only grandparent I had ever known. I had just entered seminary the year before and grandma had always been so supportive of my vocation. I had always assumed she would be at my ordination. I used to visit her whenever I came home from college. I would go to the nursing home when I was home from my first year at seminary and attend Mass with her.  I had never thought about what my ordination would be like without grandma there. Her death was a great loss to my family and I. She had been such an integral part of our lives. I didn’t know what things would be like without my grandma. I felt alone and lost.
I imagine the disciples felt a lot like this in today's Gospel. They'd been with Jesus for the past 3 years. He was their teacher, their guide, their friend. They were close to Jesus, they listened to what he said & looked up to him for wisdom. He was the central figure of their lives. They had put all their hope, all their trust and their very lives into the hands of Jesus. Suddenly, after everything they had been through with him, he was gone. They were left alone and afraid. Where were they supposed to go? What were they supposed to do? Who would lead them? Why did Jesus abandon them?
We have all experienced a loss of a family member or friend. They may have died or they may have simply moved away, but we feel that emptiness in our heart and often we feel abandoned. So, imagine the loss and distress the disciples must have felt when Jesus ascended. They thought they had lost him forever when he was crucified. But Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to them in the Upper Room. They were so excited to be united with Jesus again. I’m sure they never thought he’d leave them again so soon. Yet, here they were just 40 days later and he was leaving them again, this time it was by his own choice. What were they going to do? Who was going to lead them now? They probably felt abandoned, scared and alone.
Jesus wasn’t abandoning them, though. Jesus instructs his disciples to stay together in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes. They were to be the support and strength for each other while waiting for the Spirit. They had gathered in the Upper Room for comfort and support after Jesus had been crucified. They were to return to the Upper Room now and await the coming of the Holy Spirit as Jesus has promised.  He tells them that he must ascend so he can send the Holy Spirit as their ultimate guide and companion. The Spirit was to be their Advocate, their teacher and their Spirit of Truth.
They were in need of an Advocate and Teacher. Their lives for the past three years had been as followers of Jesus. He guided them, he shepherded them and he was their leader. They had been unsure of their future and what they were to do after Jesus had been crucified. Simon Peter and the other disciples even returned briefly to their fishing trade. After his resurrection, Jesus gathered them back together and for 40 days they were with him. Now he was leaving again and they wondered if their time as his disciples was over. But their true discipleship was just beginning. Jesus gives them their ultimate mission, which we continue to share in today,  “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” Not only would they have the Spirit to be with them, but the Spirit would guide them so they could continue the mission of Jesus to bring the Gospel to everyone.
As followers of Jesus, we too are given the same gifts and mission as the disciples. There are certainly times in our lives when we might feel that others have abandoned us and left us alone. We might even feel as if Jesus has abandoned us. But we are never alone as long as we have faith in Christ. He sends the Holy Spirit to be with us, to guide us and to keep us close to him. He also calls each of us to a special mission, which he has prepared just for us. Like the disciples, we are all given the mission of spreading the Gospel to others. How we are called to do this, however, is different for each of us. In the Second Reading today, Paul points out just some of the gifts we are given by the Spirit. Some of us are called as evangelists to spread the Gospel through such wonderful organizations as the Knights of Columbus and the Altar Society to name just a few. Others are called to be catechists and teachers to our loved ones and to the broader community. Some of us, such as Father and I, fulfill our mission in ordained ministry. Many of you fulfill your mission in marriage. You bring the Gospel to your spouse and teach it to your children. You also take the Gospel into your workplace and to your friends. You may not preach the Gospel to others in so many words, but in living out your Christian life each day, you witness to the Gospel louder than any words. Paul calls all of us to this today when he says, “I urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received.”
We aren’t on our own in fulfilling our mission. Jesus didn’t abandon us here on earth any more than he abandoned his disciples. He sent the Holy Spirit to guide the Church and to guide each one of us. He also sends his very flesh and blood to nourish and strengthen us. At this Mass and every Mass, the priest calls down the Holy Spirit and the bread and wine become the true Body and Blood of Christ. We receive Jesus Christ into ourselves at Communion and united with him we are given the spiritual nourishment and strength to fulfill our mission. After being strengthened with his Body and Blood the Mass ends with our being sent to “love and serve the Lord.”
The Ascension of the Lord wasn’t the end for the disciples or for us. It was just the beginning. Jesus didn’t abandon them and he doesn’t abandon us. His Spirit is with us, his Church guides us, his very Body and Blood is within us to give us the strength to fulfill our mission – to bring the Gospel to the whole world.

posted by: crossman at 17:21 | link | comments |
homily

Most Holy Trinity Sunday - June 11, 2006

THIS WAS THE FIRST HOMILY I GAVE AT HOLY TRINITY PARISH IN LENEXA, KS

St. Augustine was walking along the seashore one day reflecting on the Trinity. He was trying to understand the mystery of the Trinity with no success. As he was walking along, he came upon a boy who was carrying a spoon full of water from the sea and emptying it into a hole he had dug in the sand. "What are you doing?" St. Augustine asked. "I am emptying the whole sea into this hole," said the boy. "Don't you know that’s impossible?" Augustine replied. "And so is trying to understand the Trinity," answered the boy who then disappeared.
This miraculous experience helped Augustine to realize that the Trinity cannot be explained. The Trinity is something beyond our understanding. It is a mystery…and yet it is so important to our faith. In fact, the Catechism tells us that the mystery of the Holy Trinity is the central mystery of our Christian faith and life. The Trinity is the most fundamental and essential teaching of our Church. We know that the Trinity is three persons, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and yet it is impossible for us to fully comprehend what that means. Nonetheless, we are called by our faith to believe in this mystery even though we cannot fully explain it. But what do we believe?
We believe that the One God, in his infinite goodness, is made up of three distinct persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three persons are co-equal – meaning that each person of the Trinity is fully God and equally all-powerful. We believe that the three persons are co-eternal – each person of the Trinity is without beginning and without end. Each person existed before time began and each person participated in the creation of the universe. Lastly, we believe that the three persons are consubstantial – and by this we mean that they are one, single nature and One, Single God. We confess this in the Creed when we say “one in being with the Father” and also when we say that the Holy Spirit “with the Father and the Son, is worshipped and glorified.”
Even knowing all this we have just scratch the surface into understanding the mystery of the Trinity. We might know some characteristics about the Trinity, but these don’t help us to recognize the Trinity in our own lives. So, how is the Trinity to each of us in our lives? The Trinity has been revealed to us from the beginning of creation. As we read Scriptures, from the Old Testament to the New Testament, we progressively learn more and more about the Trinity. We see examples of this in the readings today. In each reading we gain a deeper understanding of the Trinity. In the first reading, Moses points out that the Jewish people know God by His words spoken to them through the prophets. They also know God by the glorious acts. God the Father is revealed to us as Creator. He is the One God of heaven who is made known by his actions here on earth. In the second reading, Paul tells us that the Spirit bears witness to the Trinity. The Spirit helps us to realize that we are both children and heirs of the One God in three persons. The Spirit is revealed as the Sanctifier and guide of the Church. In the Gospel, Jesus calls us to baptize and teach in the name of the Trinity, the Father, Son and Spirit. Jesus also re-emphasized the words of Moses in the first reading that proclaims the power of the Trinity both in heaven and on earth. Jesus is the Savior and the Way. From these three readings today we realize how the Trinity is revealed in our own lives. The Trinity is revealed in our lives through the experience of our faith.
In what ways do we experience the Trinity in our own lives? First, we experience the Trinity within our very selves. The image of God is imprinted on our souls. We are in the image and likeness of God. Jesus Christ, the Word of God is on our lips and in our heart. We proclaim Jesus Christ in our words as we answer the call to spread his teachings to all. Lastly, the Holy Spirit dwells within our soul and guides us in our mission – first given to the Apostles – to “make disciples of all nations.” The Father, Son and Spirit live in each of us and because of this we are in a continual and ever-deepening relationship with the Trinity.
While the Trinity dwells within us, we also experience the Trinity in the sacraments. Our first experience with the Trinity is in our baptism. The deacon or priest, obeying the command of Jesus in today’s Gospel, baptized each of us in the name of the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit. By our baptism, become members of the Church and heirs to the kingdom. From our very first moments as children of God, we begin a lifelong relationship with the Trinity.
At our confirmation, we enter into a deeper relationship with the Trinity. At the first Pentecost, which we celebrated this past Sunday, the disciples received the Spirit and began to boldly proclaim the Glory of God through His Son Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. At confirmation – our own Pentecost – we too receive and are strengthened by the Holy Spirit. In the Rite of Confirmation, the bishop instructs those to be confirmed that in confirmation we are to be witnesses to the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ. We are called to be active members of the Church and to build up the Body of Christ. This experience of the Trinity makes us active participants of the mission of the Father, Son and Spirit.
In the Eucharist, we have our most intimate experience with the Trinity. At the consecration, the priest calls upon the Father to send the Holy Spirit so that the gifts we offer as one Church may become the Body and Blood of Christ. We then receive the very same Body and Blood of Christ at communion and by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we are united with the Father through Jesus Christ.
Lastly, we experience the Trinity through others and as a Church. Each year, we come together as a community on Holy Trinity Sunday to rejoice and praise the presence of the Trinity in the life of our parish Church. The Holy Spirit works in all of us on this weekend so that we may be Christ to each other and so we may unite in giving glory of God. Our parish weekend brings us all together to celebrate how the Holy Trinity has blessed and strengthened us both individually and as a parish. The hours and hours of preparation, work and effort that goes into the success of our parish weekend witnesses to the action of the Trinity in our own Church.
Throughout our lives we experience the Trinity in a number of ways. The Trinity dwells within us and graces us with an ever-deepening experience of our faith. The sacraments nourish and strengthen us to share our faith with others. Lastly, in  this celebration, and throughout the year as Holy Trinity Catholic Parish, we are inspired and called to continue to grow as one community in relationship with the Father, Son and Spirit – the Most Holy Trinity.

posted by: crossman at 19:01 | link | comments |
homily

Body & Blood of Christ - June 18, 2006

The well-known theologian Scott Hahn, who teaches at Franciscan University in Steubenville, is a convert to Catholicism. In his book The Lamb’s Supper, he describes the experience that led him to his conversion. As a Protestant minister and a professor, Scott was studying and researching Scriptures by reading the Church Fathers. In their writings, he kept coming across references to the Mass. He had never been to a Catholic Mass because he had been taught that the Mass was a sacrilege against God. As a purely academic exercise, however, he decided to attend a Mass in the summer of 1985. He went to a weekday Mass at a small church in Milwaukee…strictly as an observer. He was surprised, however, that the Mass was so saturated with biblical passages and references. He was impressed by the reverence shown by the parishioner at the Mass. Yet, he still had many suspicions and doubts. That all changed moments later, however, when the priest began the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Scott explains,
I watched and listened as the priest pronounced the words of consecration and elevated the host. Suddenly all my doubts drained away at that moment and within my soul a voice shouted, "My Lord and my God." I was overwhelmed by this revelation. I had truly found the presence of Jesus here on earth…and it was on the altar in a CATHOLIC CHURCH! I was stunned. The next day I returned for Mass, and the next, and the next. I was head over heels in love with Christ and His Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. It quickly became the source and the summit and the climax of each day.
Less than a year after this blessed experience, at the Easter Vigil, Scott became of full member the Catholic Church.
Scott’s conversion story is so powerful because in a single moment, God opened his heart and soul to the Real Presence of his Son on that altar. On that day, Scott came face to face with Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. The words spoken by Jesus in today’s Gospel suddenly made perfect sense: this is my body…this is my blood. When the priest spoke these words at the consecration he recognized that the bread and wine truly became the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. He yearned each and every day to experience Christ’s presence in the Eucharist at Mass.
Scott was graced with the sudden realization that Jesus Christ was truly present in the consecrated bread and wine at Mass. Each and every day, he was in awe over the miracle that took place at the consecration.      We have to ask ourselves: do WE realize the miracle that takes place on this altar at each and every Mass? Scott, like many converts to Catholicism, experienced a blessed and grace-filled moment in coming to recognize that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. Some of you here today are probably converts to the faith and often converts tend to have a deeper appreciation of the miracle of the Mass than do us ‘cradle Catholics.’ Converts have had that life-changing revelation and suddenly understood that we actually receive the Body and Blood of Jesus at each and every Mass. Sometimes us ‘cradle Catholics’ take the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist for granted. We’ve been taught from childhood of his presence in the consecrated bread and wine, but usually we don’t give it much thought. We overlook the awesome encounter we have with our Lord and Savior each and every time we receive communion. In taking the Eucharist for granted, we have lost our sense of wonder and our reverence for Jesus Christ in our very midst.
So, how can we regain or deepen our reverence for Jesus in the Eucharist? Let’s begin with the Mass. At each Mass, when the priest recites the words of consecration we can remember that we are experiencing a miracle at that very moment. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine are transformed before our eyes into the true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. As Scott Hahn puts it, “It is at that moment that heaven touches down on earth.”
It is also at the consecration that we can affirm our OWN belief in the presence of Christ as the bread and wine truly become his Body and Blood. At vacation bible school last summer, Fr. Regie, Mark Wassmer and I taught the children that when the priest elevates the host we can show our reverence for Jesus by thinking or saying quietly, “My Lord and my God” just as Scott Hahn did. It wasn’t Scott Hahn, however, who first spoke these words, but rather the Apostle Thomas when Jesus revealed himself to the disciples after the resurrection. Thomas realized that Jesus was really and truly in their midst at that moment and he exclaimed “My Lord and my God!” We too should realize the real and true presence of Jesus as he enters into our midst at the consecration.
Holy Communion is an especially important moment to deepen our relationship with Christ. When we receive the Body and Blood of Christ at communion, we enter into the deepest and most intimate encounter with Jesus. We are consuming his very Body and Blood that he sacrificed for OUR sins at Calvary. To show our reverence we take great care in receiving the Blessed Body and Precious Blood at communion. We mustn’t let a single crumb or single drop of blood fall to the floor when we receive communion. Practically, we must protect the Blessed Sacrament when we receive communion from the Eucharistic ministers. If we are receiving on the tongue, we can open our mouths wide and tilt our head up slightly so the priest can easily administer the Eucharist without it falling to the floor. If we receive in the hand, we can make sure to cup our hands togetherso that we safely cradle the body of Christ just as Mary did when Jesus was taken down from the cross. When receiving from the cup, we can carefully take the cup from the minister and make sure he or she has a firm grip on the chalice after we’ve received before we let go ourselves. In doing these things, we are giving great respect and reverence to Christ because we are showing that we recognize his true presence in the sacred bread and wine we receive.
Lastly, we can truly deepen our relationship with Christ in the Eucharist through Eucharistic Adoration. We are blessed here at Holy Trinity to have perpetual adoration in our adoration chapel. Anytime day or night, one can enter the chapel and truly be with Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. We can spend this time with Christ in prayer, reciting the rosary or another devotion, meditating, reading or in silent reflection. What we do in these moments with Christ, however, is not nearly as important as simply being present with him. It is in adoration that we show Christ our own personal reverence and belief in his presence in the Eucharist.
For Scott Hahn, the Eucharist became the climax and focal point of each and every day. The Catechism calls us all to this experience as well saying, “the Eucharist is the source and summit of our Christian life.” We are called into an ever-deepening relationship with the true Body and Blood of Christ at the altar. If we allow ourselves to be drawn into the miraculous encounter with Jesus that takes place at every Mass and if we continue to grow in our reverence for his true presence in the sacred bread and wine…then when the priest elevates the host at each consecration, our souls too will shout out: ”MY LORD AND MY GOD!”

posted by: crossman at 19:02 | link | comments |
homily

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 2, 2006

In the early 1800’s, after Lewis and Clark had explored the Louisiana Purchase, a stream of settlers began moving westward. There was a settler who was journeying west during the winter one day and came upon the Missouri River. An Indian guide was camped on the bank of the river with a canoe he normally used to take settlers across to the other side. Since it was winter, though, the river was frozen over with ice. The guide assured the settler, however, that the ice was thick enough that it was safe to cross. But the settler didn’t trust him and instead began walking downriver to look for a safer way to cross.
A little while later another settler came to the river and wondered how he would get across. Again the Indian guide told this settler that the ice was think enough for him to walk across it. Hesitantly, the settler got on his hands and knees and began crossing the ice. About half way across, though, he became unsure of whether the ice would hold him, he got scared and turned back. He too began walking downriver to look for another way to cross.
Just a few minutes later, a third settler came upon the river. Again the Indian guide started to tell the settler that it was safe to walk across the ice. But before the Indian guide could say anything, the settler was already walking on the ice crossing the river. He made it easily to the other side and went on his way…      You see, the third settler had overheard the Indian guide tell the first two men that it was safe to cross and wanting to continue his journey as soon as possible he completely trusted the assurance of the Indian guide.
These three settlers each had different levels of faith. The first had no faith at all in the words of the Indian guide even though he knew that the guide’s job was to help people cross the river. The second initially had faith but got discouraged on the way, lost his faith and turned back. The third settler, however, never doubted the guide. He had complete faith that the guide had his safety in mind and was able to continue on his journey quickly because of his faith.
We see a similar situation in today’s Gospel. A synagogue official, Jairus, and his messengers approach Jesus and ask him to come heal his daughter. They initially have faith that Jesus can heal her. But later, when they find out that the daughter had died, they lose that faith in his ability to help her. They lack solid and unwavering faith. Jesus encounters those with another level of faith when he arrives at the official’s house. The people gathered there ridicule him for his assurance that she would be well. They have no faith in Jesus at all. Sandwiched in the story of Jairus we hear about the women with the hemorrhages. This is a third level of faith encountered by Jesus. The woman wants to be healed of her affliction and has complete faith that Jesus can heal her. In fact, her faith is so strong that she doesn’t even ask Jesus to heal her. Instead she just touches his cloak with total faith that simply touching Jesus will heal her.
These three people in today’s Gospel are good examples of the different types of faith that exist in our world today. There are many people in the world who have no faith in God whatsoever. Either they do not even believe in God or they don’t believe that God can have any impact in their lives…     Others believe in God and initially have faith in Him, but when they are faced with a crisis or other hardship they question their faith in Him and don’t think He can help them…     Then are those who have complete faith in God. They trust Him in their times of joy and in their times of sorrow. They turn to him especially when they are struggling and need His help the most. Their life is so centered on God that, like the woman with the hemorrhages, they courageously seek out God to bring them healing and grace.
Faith is central to our Christian life. At first, that might seem like an obvious statement, but it is actually much harder for us to practice it than it is for us to simply say it. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians today gives them a shopping list of things to excel at. First and foremost on this shopping list is faith. Without faith, the Christians at Corinth and we ourselves cannot excel in the other virtues. We also see in the responsorial psalm that the author has complete faith in God. He has faith that God will be his helper…that he will turn his mourning into dancing…that he will be there for him in his time of need.
So, whom in today’s Gospel do we resemble the most in our Christian life. Are we like the mourners at the synagogue official’s house who had no trust in Jesus at all? Do we think that God can’t help us or that He won’t help us in our time of need? These people feel that God is so distant or that He is non-existent and so they have no faith. I truly hope that we are not like these poor souls, but we know that there are people in our world today who have no faith. We must pray fervently for these people that they may find faith in God and invite Him into their lives.
Maybe are we like the synagogue messengers, though, that initially had faith but whose faith faltered when the daughter died. If we are like them, we too have faith in God, but it is solid only when we have hope in our lives. When we face hardships, struggles or tragedy we begin to question whether God can truly help us? At these times we can fall into despair and can even feel abandoned by God. When we see others who are struggling with their faith, we are called to pray for them and for their struggles. We pray for strength in their faith and we pray for God to shed His grace in their lives. We also can ask others to pray for us when we are struggling with our own faith.
Lastly, there are some who have a very solid and deep faith, like the woman with the hemorrhages. Despite great difficulties or maybe because of these difficulties, the faith in God of these people never wavers. They put their complete trust in God and their lives are firmly centered on their Christian faith. We are all called to this level of faith, but it is difficult to attain. It is these people who can give US strength and be an example to us. Many saints of the Church exemplify this total faith. We can pray that we imitate them in our own lives and also ask that both the saints and those with total faith to pray for us.
We usually don’t classify ourselves solely in one of these levels of faith. We experience each at various times in our lives. Often in our lives, however, we find ourselves being like the synagogue people. We falter in our faith when hardships or difficulties or a crisis arises. We don’t abandon our faith, however, and God is compassionate. He knows we are human. He knows that while we may waver in our faith, that we will not abandon it. He knows that we will stumble occasionally, but He gives us His grace that we might be strengthened and continue to grow more soundly in our faith throughout our lives. As we strive to develop total, solid faith in God, we can be confident that God will strengthen and guide us. And when our faith seems to be faltering or when we face struggles in our lives, we can know that God will give us the grace to hear the words of Jesus today: Do not be afraid; just have faith.

posted by: crossman at 19:05 | link | comments |
homily

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 9, 2006

My second year of college at Conception Seminary in northwest Missouri was the most challenging of my academic career. Learning had always come easy for me. I really didn’t have to study a lot to get exceptional grades. Then I had a class with a Benedictine monk named Fr. Isaac. The class was Thomism – the study of the theology of St. Thomas Aquinas – and needless to say, Thomas’ writings can be a little…well dense. I had difficulty grasping his writings and I really had to work to learn the material. To make matters even more challenging, the teacher assigned a half dozen 10-page, single space term papers to be written for this class. At the time, my classmates and I rebelled against what we felt was too much work and a threat to our tight schedules and other “important” activities – such as playing baseball, going to the movies, watching TV, etc. We didn’t want to do what the teacher was asking of us but what we wanted to do. We grudgingly did the work, however, completed the papers and we survived the class.
Four years ago, that experience was a challenge to our way of life and my classmates and I felt we had to rebel against it. At the time, it seemed like Fr. Isaac was being unfair and cruel. It seemed like he was just trying to make things hard for us. It seemed as if he was just trying to dominate us and we resented that. Today, however, I realize just how much I learned in that class. I appreciate what a blessing those challenges turned out to be. So much of what I learned in that class became integral to my understanding the faith of our Church. And now, writing a half dozen 10-page papers over a semester seems rather easy compared with writing a 8 – 10 minute homily each week!!! I think back to that time, however, and ask, “Why did I feel so threatened by that class?”
I think most of us feel uncomfortable and even threatened by change. Because this classroom setting was such a change from what I was used to, I rebelled against it. It challenged the comfortable and familiar academic world I was accustomed to. We also railed against the teacher himself and resented him because we saw him as responsible for shattering our comfortable little world. Resistance is a common reaction to change. We show resistance in the form of resentment and taking offense to the person we feel is threatening us and we sometimes show resistance by outright rebellion against the change itself.
In the readings today we see an example of both. In both the first reading and the Gospel there is resistance from the people to the message being proclaimed to them. God sends Ezekiel in the 1st reading to speak to the Israelites, but warns him that they are ‘hard of face and obstinate of heart’ and that they are rebelling against God. God tells Ezekiel that they won’t listen to his words even though they know he is speaking as a prophet for God. God had warned them to turn away from their evil deeds and return to Him, but they did not want to listen. They rebelled against God’s warning and against Ezekiel’s message because it was calling them to change. God’s message was a challenge to their comfortable life and immoral ways.
In Gospel of Mark today, Jesus returns to his hometown to preach and to teach in the synagogue. The townsfolk however were not open to what Jesus wished to teach them. It’s not as if his teaching were beyond them. The people themselves recognized that his teachings were full of wisdom and that he performed great deeds, but they felt threatened by what he said and what he did. They asked, “What kind of wisdom has been given him” yet they rebelled against that wisdom. “What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands,” they said! They saw that he had authority to proclaim his message because of the signs he had worked, but they still rebelled against him. In this same story from the Gospel of Matthew Jesus actually says of the townspeople, “they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.” They refused to listen to or follow his teachings even though they knew it was of God and was God’s will.
Why did the people react in such a way to the message of Jesus? Rather than embrace Jesus as a hometown hero, they took offense to his message and they took offense against him…but why? His teaching of repentance…his call for them to turn away from their sins and to follow God meant that they had to change. It challenged their way of life and it offended them that one of their own could have the audacity to be teaching them in such a way. They rebelled against Jesus because he was calling for changes that were disrupting and upsetting to their comfortable and familiar lifestyles.
Feeling threatened and resisting the words of God is not limited to biblical times. We grapple with this ourselves even today. In our daily lives, we face situations in which we struggle to follow God’s will and his commandments. Maybe you children here rebel against your parents because what they are telling you to do isn’t what you want to do. You don’t want to follow God’s commandment to ‘honor your mother and father’ even though you know your parents want only what is best for you. Doing what your parents want challenges your way of doing things.
Maybe some of us here had to put forth great effort to come to Mass today. We had to fight the urge to say, “there’s a really good baseball game on right now” or we try to rationalize what we really want to do by thinking, “I’ll just fall asleep listening to Chris’ homily anyway”…well I hope that isn’t what you were thinking, put the point is that we know that God wants us to gather as a community every Sunday to celebrate His Son’s sacrifice for our sins and yet even that can be challenging to us because of things WE might want to do…which tempt us.
So, what do we do when we feel challenged and threatened by what God is calling us to do? We could just give in to our unease and desire to do what we want. There are times when we stumble and do just that. But, God is a compassionate God. When we stumble, we can turn to God for forgiveness. He has given us His own Son to free us from our sins. He has given us the sacrament of reconciliation as a means of restoring our friendship with Him. He always is waiting with open arms to embrace us when we have sinned and return to him asking forgiveness.
We can turn to our close and trusted friends to help us better understand God’s will for us. We do need to discern whether our friends truly want God’s will for us or if they have their own wants in mind. If we have close friends, however, whom we respect and whom we know are solidly grounded in their faith then we can be assured that God will utilize them to guide us in His will.
Lastly, when we feel threatened and challenged, we can always turn to God in prayer for strength and guidance. Maybe we aren’t openly rebelling against God, but we think that what we want to do is the best thing for us. Or maybe we are confused as to what God is calling us to do and we are tempted to simply do what we want. It is at these times that we can pray to God and ask him to open our minds and hearts to His will. We can pray that he gives us guidance to know what His will is and that he gives us the strength to follow his will.
Responding to God’s will is not easy, especially when it challenges us and disrupts our comfortable way of life. We can feel threatened and tempted to rebel against His words. But we can also turn to the Lord in these difficult times and ask for His grace to resist these challenges and temptations against him. Like the people in today’s Gospel, we know that God’s words are words of wisdom and that the works He performs for us are mighty indeed. But our human nature still wants to rebel against that wisdom and power. We need God’s help to fight against those challenges to our faith. Even when we fall, however, we can turn to God for His forgiveness and his love. And we know ultimately that God will give us the grace and the strength to do his will as long as, like the responsorial psalm says today, we keep our eyes fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.

posted by: crossman at 14:36 | link | comments |
homily

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 30, 2006

Last weekend I presided at a wedding and in the lobby afterward I met a lady from St. Louis. She had left St. Louis on the Wednesday before so she could be in Kansas City for a few days before the wedding. As many of you probably know, St. Louis had a very severe and destructive storm pass through the city on Wednesday evening a week ago. Many homes were damaged or destroyed. I was talking with her about the storm and asked if she knew whether her home sustained any damage or not. She said that she hadn’t been able to communicate with anyone in St. Louis because over 500,000 were without power. She said that if here house was gone when she returned home there was nothing she could do about it. Then she said something that made me realize how deep and true her faith in God was. She said, “God has never abandoned me before and he won’t abandon me now. He’s all I really need.” Such a deep faith and trust in God. What a blessed way to live one’s life. She had complete confidence that God would provide for her.
In our Scriptures today, the followers of both Elisha and Jesus struggle to have that depth of faith in God to answer their needs. They knew that the people were in need and yet they didn’t trust that God could fulfill that need. In the first reading, there has been a famine in the land and the people are hungry. When Elisha instructs his servant to set the barley loaves before the people, his servant objects. He is worried that only a few will be fed while the others will be sent away hungry … their needs unfulfilled. He fails to trust the prophet Elisha…he fails to trust in the infinite power of God. Elisha, on the other hand, had complete trust that God would provide the food these hungry people needed. Elisha knew that God always fulfills our needs.
The disciples in today’s Gospel are in a similar situation, but on a much larger scale. Elisha fed a hundred people. The disciples were facing a crowd of five thousand who were hungry. Elisha had 20 loaves for those hundred people. The disciples only had 5 loaves and two fish for the 5000 people seated in front of them. The crowd was hungry and needed food. The disciples recognized that the people needed to be fed, but didn’t think that Jesus could help the crowd. They did not yet realize the infinite power of Jesus. They lacked trust that Jesus could answer their needs and feed so many people. Jesus, however, knew that the people had been following him all day and that they were hungry. As the Gospel says, “he himself knew what he would do.” He knew their needs and in his mercy and love he fulfilled those needs.
Just as Jesus knew the needs of the crowd gathered on that mountain, he knows our needs as well. Jesus knows what we TRULY need and not just what we think we need.
He is always aware of our true daily needs … both physical and spiritual … and because he loves us he is always there to answer our needs. He hears our daily prayers in which we ask him to provide for our earthly needs and for those of any others who may depend on us. When we face difficulties and struggles in our life, we need Jesus to help us overcome these. Jesus will always answer these and all our needs … if only we trust Christ and have faith in him for our daily lives.
While we have physical needs that Jesus fulfills, we also have deep spiritual needs that only Jesus can fulfill. Only Jesus knows our spiritual needs and only he can respond to and fulfill those needs. Our deepest spiritual need is to be saved and Christ is always ready to help us fulfill this need. To be saved and have eternal life, we need his forgiveness from our sins. We need to be reunited with God when we have turned away from Him. Jesus answers these needs for us in the sacrament of reconciliation. We need his example of love and mercy not only for ourselves but also so we can show that same love and mercy to others. The Word of God…Christ who IS the Word… instructs us and helps us to fulfill this need.
Our ultimate need, though, is spiritual nourishment. Our soul needs continual spiritual nourishment to fulfill our need to draw closer to God each and every day. Christ fulfills that need by giving us his very Body and Blood. On the cross, his sacrifice opened the door to our salvation. In the Eucharist, he feeds us spiritually in a much more intimate way than he fed the crowds physically. In the miracle of the 5000, Jesus temporarily nourished the crowds with a single meal. This was but a glimpse of the everlasting nourishment he would give us in consuming his Body and Blood. At Mass, Jesus feeds us daily and gives us the eternal nourishment of his very self when we receive communion. Our deepest need … spiritual nourishment and intimacy with Christ … is fulfilled in the Eucharist.
Christ is deeply interested in our daily lives on earth and in fulfilling those physical needs. He knows what we actually need. We have only to ask him in prayer and to trust in his infinite power to answer our needs. More importantly than our physical needs, however, is our spiritual need. Our spiritual fulfillment and eternal happiness is a need that only Christ can fulfill. He answers our spiritual needs through the sacraments and through his Word. And continues to fulfills our spiritual needs by this and every Eucharist we celebrate. As the responsorial psalm says today, “The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.” If we turn to him trustfully and sincerely, he will answer our true physical needs … he will give us the spiritual nourishment that we can only find through him … and he will draw us ever closer to him every day so that we too can say, “God has never abandoned me before and he won’t abandon me now. He’s all I really need.”

posted by: crossman at 15:25 | link | comments |
homily

27th Sunday of Ordinary - October 8, 2006

THIS WAS THE FIRST HOMILY I GAVE AT THE BASILICA CATHEDRAL OF ST. LOUIS

I can remember vividly how every day began at my house when I was only 8 or 9 years old back in Northeast Kansas. My father worked about 12 hours every day, so we would all get up about 5:30 each morning. My mom would make breakfast and we’d all sit around the table. Mom and dad would talk about what they each were going to do that day while we ate breakfast. Then my mom would walk my dad to the door, she’d kiss him goodbye and he’d go off to work. In the evening, around 6:00 my dad would come home and mom would meet him at the door. Then they’d go to the living room together, sit down and just talk with each other about their day and what they did. They would do this each and every day.

Back then I never really gave much thought to why they did this every day. I realize now, however, that what they did each morning and evening was to share themselves…to share their life that day…with each other. They were no longer just two persons who each had their own separate lives. Their marriage had united them as one. Even when they were physically apart, they were one as husband and wife. They shared their day with each other because they lived their life for and with each other. They shared their day with each other to build upon that unity that was formed on their wedding day.

That unity between my father and mother is such an intricate part of every marriage. In the first reading and the Gospel today scripture speaks of God, His creation and the unity of man and woman. God is seen as the Author of all Life. God creates all that lives. He forms the animals and birds of the air. Most importantly, He fashioned Adam and Eve with His very own hands. Unlike the animals, however, God created Adam and Eve for each other. The Gospel says, "from the beginning of creation God made them male and female." He calls them to be one…to be one in unity with each other. Christ emphasized this in our Gospel saying, "man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh so they are no longer two but one flesh."

They are not only called to be one in unity with each other. God also calls them to be in unity with Him. In Genesis, God says to Adam and Eve, "be fruitful and multiply" These words give them the gift of sharing with Him in the creation of new life. In unity with each other, through the act of marital love, husband and wife become co-creators with God in bring forth new life.

God has been the Author of Life throughout all of history. A husband and wife share in this creation of new life. In today’s world, however, current trends in society threaten to damage this unity of husband and wife as co-creators with God. Jesus spoke of divorce in today’s Gospel as damaging that unity. Unfortunately, divorce seems to be more and more common in today’s society. However, there are other issues as well that are damaging that unity of marriage and the creation of new life. Same sex marriage, in vitro fertilization and embryonic stem cell research are all examples that damage the unity God intended for us. Of these, though, embryonic stem research is one of the biggest threats in our world today to that unity of being co-creators with God. Embryonic stem cell research is not only an attempt to play God in the creation of life, but it destroys life as well. Many see stem cell research as the key to curing all diseases and disabilities, but we cannot let the possibility of treating diseases overshadow the immorality and absolute evil of killing a new human life.

There are two types of stem cell research. Adult stem cell research is moral, it is ethical, the Church supports it and it is already being used to treat many diseases. Most importantly, it does not kill human life. Embryonic stem cell research, on he other hand, has not been used to treat a single for any disease thus far and is decades from being able to do so. Embryonic stem cell research is immoral, the Church considers it an attack on life and it KILLS A LIVING, HUMAN PERSON!

Embryonic stem cell research destroys life. It destroys a new human person at its earliest and most vulnerable stage. To obtain embryonic stem cells, scientists must create an embryo, a new life, in a laboratory and let that new life grow in the lab for a few days. The stem cells are then "harvested" destroying this new, living person. Worse yet, in order for embryonic stem cell research to advance, thousands of embryos – thousands of new lives – must be destroyed. Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer, or SCNT is also method of creating an embryo to be used in obtaining embryonic stem cells. SCNT is a form of cloning and it too creates a new, human life – a new life that is destroyed simply to obtain embryonic stem cells. Regardless of the method, a living, human person is created and ANY means of obtaining embryonic stem cells destroys that embryo…it destroys a human life.

In embryonic stem cell research each embryo, each new life, is created solely for the purpose of its destruction. That new, human life is killed in the name of science. Think for a moment. You…me… even Christ…we all began our life as a living, human embryo. We all began our new life at conception and in that first moment we were created, each of us was imprinted with the image of God as a new, living person. Think about if, when we were just a few days old, someone harvested our embryonic stem cells. We wouldn’t be here today. Our own human life would have been destroyed.

Any attempt to play God in our world today is an attack on life. It damages or destroys the unity God intended between husband, wife and God himself. He gives us life in His gift of creation. He allows us to be co-creators with him in bringing forth new life. Our gift of brining new life into the world in unity with God calls us to respect and preserve all life. Embryonic stem cell creates and destroys human life solely for the purpose of research.

Our faith, our conscience and our role as co-creators with God call us to oppose any attempts of playing God. Our faith compels us to protect the sanctity of all life. We are called as Christians to protect that gift of unity between husband, wife and God that creates new life. Lastly, we are called to oppose any attempts to play God simply to create and destroy human life. God alone is the ultimate Creator and Author of Life. He gives us the gift of being co-creators with him. We are called to bring forth new life. We are called to love, respect and cherish all life…not to destroy it.

posted by: crossman at 01:57 | link | comments (1) |
homily