So Far Transition Has Been Smooth

[Theologian in Training]

This was tonight's and is tomorrow's homily. It is not that good, but I was having difficulties trying to preach a Gospel that could easily become a cliched homily. I tried my best.

God Bless

"You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.”

Today Jesus is asking us for a lot, more than I think we might realize. He is asking us to love, and to love fully, with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind. A love so vast and far-reaching that it consumes, so that every beat of our heart, every part of our being, and every thought in our mind is of God alone.

And from that consuming love to extend that same love to our neighbor.

How is this possible? How can we possibly love to such a degree?

We quite simply can’t.

It is probably the greatest mystery that in order to love God God has to give us that love so that in order to truly love our neighbor we have to have that consuming love of God. We give from what we have been given.

It sounds circular because, in fact, it is. Yet, it is probably the greatest affirmation of our utter dependence upon God alone. For, from it, we learn that loving God precedes everything and when we love Him, we love as He does, and learn to love in the capacity He has given us to love.

That is why it is not only the first but also the greatest commandment, because all love flows from love of Him, and then we, in essence, become lovesick for Him and seek to find Him in everything we do and in everybody we meet. It is why St. Francis was able to embrace the lepers he hated so much, or the reason Mother Teresa comforted the homeless dying in the streets.

The love they received they brought to others.

We too will have a share of that same love when we will receive the Holy Eucharist in a few moments.

Christ’s love will be made manifest in us so that when we leave this Church we too will want to bring that love to others. How can we not, for, we will receive Him who gave Himself out of love for us. A love that not only saves us but seeks to consume us.

Edited October 22, 2005 by Theologian in Training

[philothea]

"...not that good..."!!

Had you said that in person, I'd swat you.

(Very nice.)

I've been thinking about homilies in general ever since I started reading about you trying to come up with good ones. I think yours are especially good because you are on topic, you're insightful, and you don't blather on for ages diluting whatever message you have.

The latter is such a common flaw. I've heard priests who begin well... but 15 minutes later I can't even remember what they started speaking about.

[Theologian in Training]

[quote name='philothea' date='Oct 22 2005, 09:08 PM'] "...not that good..."!!

Had you said that in person, I'd swat you.

(Very nice.)

I've been thinking about homilies in general ever since I started reading about you trying to come up with good ones.  I think yours are especially good because you are on topic, you're insightful, and you don't blather on for ages diluting whatever message you have.

The latter is such a common flaw.  I've heard priests who begin well... but 15 minutes later I can't even remember what they started speaking about.
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Well, you see, that is exactly why I write them out, and preach with a piece or pieces of paper in the pulpit. I know myself, and know that if I went up there and just started "talking," I would lose direction very quickly. In fact, the reason my homilies turn out so short is because I wind up cutting out a lot, realizing that they could be good for other homilies, just not the one I am preaching this time. I have a whole other Word document that is nothing but bits and pieces that I tossed from other homilies. Sometimes I go back to see if they might be relevant, but so far have not been so lucky...maybe when we move into Liturgical Year B I will have more success

BTW, I witnessed what you are talking about in your last point. I went to this Church (because we had "off" from the seminary and parish for Fall Break) which was packed full of people. The pastor was a very quiet polish man who apparently loved to talk, because I think he gave us not just one major point about the Gospel, but about 10 major points. I watched as the congregation went from being incredibly interested and captivated by what he said, to looking at their watch, talking to the person next to them, or staring at the ceiling. It was literally what Archbishop Dolan calls "homily abuse."

He had a lot of great points and I guess he felt impelled to cover them all. I know I could easily do the same, which is why I heavily edit every sermon I write. Just look at the length of my reply

BTW, you do realize I post my homilies because I know you are always the one who will read them without fail. Otherwise, I don't dont know I would continue posting my homilies since I seem to be at the point where I get feedback whether I ask for it or not, especially in my preaching practicum class.

So, thank you

God Bless

Edited October 23, 2005 by Theologian in Training

[Theologian in Training]

[quote name='philothea' date='Oct 22 2005, 09:08 PM'] "...not that good..."!!

Had you said that in person, I'd swat you.

(Very nice.)

I've been thinking about homilies in general ever since I started reading about you trying to come up with good ones.  I think yours are especially good because you are on topic, you're insightful, and you don't blather on for ages diluting whatever message you have.

The latter is such a common flaw.  I've heard priests who begin well... but 15 minutes later I can't even remember what they started speaking about.
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Actually, I was given another compliment on my homily today. A woman came up to me and told me that my homily was the perfect length. She then told me about a priest who also preaches short, I think she said no longer than 3 minutes. She said, as a result, you could hear a pin drop because the congregation knew he would not be up there that long but what he said had so much impact that if you did not pay attention you would miss it. She then told me I remind her of that priest. Come to think of it though, I do realize that the Church does get awfully quiet when I get up there to preach, and I never noticed it before, but a lot more eyes are on me. Hmmm..food for thought....I just hope I can write three, possibly four homiles for this week (forgot about my preaching practicum class and a homily on All Souls Day....ahhh, life.

God Bless

[philothea]

[quote name='Theologian in Training' date='Oct 22 2005, 07:28 PM']BTW, you do realize I post my homilies because I know you are always the one who will read them without fail. Otherwise, I don't dont know I would continue posting my homilies since I seem to be at the point where I get feedback whether I ask for it or not, especially in my preaching practicum class.
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I do appreciate it very much. I hope it is not too much trouble.

[philothea]

[quote name='Theologian in Training' date='Oct 23 2005, 12:17 PM']Come to think of it though, I do realize that the Church does get awfully quiet when I get up there to preach, and I never noticed it before, but a lot more eyes are on me. Hmmm..food for thought....I just hope I can write three, possibly four homiles for this week (forgot about my preaching practicum class and a homily on All Souls Day....ahhh, life.
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Cool!

In my parish people get comfortable for a long nap....

Okay, not exactly, but I have been able to watch many people as they drifted off to sleep. Including the altar servers.

[Paladin D]

It isn't about the quantity, it's about the quality of the homily. Some priests can make their point only with a few words, while with others, it takes longer. None of these methods are wrong, just as long as you are getting your point across.

Keep it up, doing good.

[Theologian in Training]

Perhaps it is because I am feeling incredibly overwhelmed by all I need to get done, but I could use a prayer or two. I emailed my professor to ask him if I could do the practicum another day, which he agreed to, but I still have three other sermons to write. I would appreciate prayers because I am having a really hard time coming up with anything for this weekend, the Eucharist and the Seminary.

So, if you remember a prayer or two would be great.

Thank You

God Bless

[Theologian in Training]

Here are the two homilies I gave, one for the Sunday liturgy and the other for the Holy Hour. The one for the seminary is going to be another recycled version of the one on the cross. I will post that one as well.

BTW, the one for the adoration actually brought some to tears.

Thank you again for all your prayers...need some more for my MDiv presentation tomorrow though...so keep them up!!

"Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

This command of Jesus is probably one of the most confusing in the bible, because it is asks us to humble ourselves, yet in the very act of humbling ourselves we are then no longer acting humbly.

Yet, I think that is the point Jesus is trying to make. To show that to be humble we, in fact, don’t do it, but let it happen to us.

The modern day saint and founder of Opus Dei, St. Josemaria Escriva, puts it this way: “You are humble not when you humble yourself, but when you are humbled by others and you bear it for Christ.”

In essence, recognizing humility as something God gives rather than something we do.

Yet, in order for us to do that, we have to be honest with ourselves and realize that our greatest accomplishments in this life were achieved with talents that were freely given, talents that were a gift from God.

In fact, our current Catechism says that: “humility is the virtue by which a Christian acknowledges that God is the author of all good."

This, in itself, is humbling because it asks us to attribute all our good works to God alone, despite our great inclination to do just the opposite.

Yet, this is what the saints meant when they would see themselves as mere instruments; the ability to get out of the way, as it were, so that Christ could fully work through them.

Probably one of the greatest examples of this was a priest I met a few summers ago at a program for priestly formation. He had a myriad of jobs, but the one in particular that stood out was as the exorcist of a major metropolitan city.

I remember we had a great conversation about exorcisms, how it happens, how they know if a person is possessed etc. However, when I asked him how he prepares for an exorcism he said “I fast, I pray, and have others pray for me, and most importantly during the actual exorcism, I get out of the way.

It was probably the most profoundly simple piece of advice I had ever heard. That in order to do such a great thing, he had to let himself be the lowest thing, the mere conduit through which God works.

That is what it means to be truly humble to recognize not just our entire dependence upon God alone but to let ourselves be the vessel through which God works.

May we strive to be that vessel and, in doing so, allow ourselves to be humbled rather then trying to humble ourselves.

Edited October 30, 2005 by Theologian in Training

[Theologian in Training]

When I was younger I went on my first retreat, something called Youth 2000, a retreat designed for teenagers, and run by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal.

I remember they held the retreat in a school and converted a gymnasium into a chapel by stacking what looked like wooden palettes with candles on the end of each board, and on top sat this golden sun-looking thing.

It was a peculiar thing to me, and something I had never seen in my life.

That is why it was so strange to see young kids spending countless hours kneeling before it, in deep prayer. In fact, I remember one girl in particular whom I think spent most of the night just praying.

It made absolutely no sense to me. Why were these kids spending so long in front of this thing that looked like an oversized golden sun?

I came to find out during the course of that retreat, that this oversized sun was actually what they called a monstrance, like the one on the altar now, and that within that monstrance there was an actual Son, the Son of God.

Yet, I have to admit, even after that experience and when I would often find myself before the monstrance again, it was not until many years later that it all made sense, and that I understood indeed within that monstrance is the actual Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ.

It wasn’t an earth-shattering revelation, per se, rather it was more of an awareness that I wasn’t just speaking to this white host anymore but Jesus, and it probably became clearest to me when I was overcome with a very strong desire, a desire that is going to sound really strange, and even stranger when I say it: the desire to run up and hug the monstrance. Rest assured, I did not act on that desire but it was strong a desire. And, it was at that moment, I finally knew, I finally realized that Jesus was there, and He was sitting on that altar, listening and speaking to me, and to all those present before Him.

Yet, as strange as this may sound, I don’t think that desire was exclusive to me alone, in fact, I am willing to guarantee that everyone here will have or has had a similar experience. It is bound to happen, it has to, otherwise, no matter how many times your told that your sitting before Jesus, you won’t believe it, you will think you are merely wasting time in front of a white host or a golden box.

And this only comes with faith because to believe such a thing we have to take one of the greatest leaps of faith, to believe without seeing and to know. It demands a lot, because our entire faith is centered upon this one belief, and why the Church calls it the “source and summit of our lives.” In fact, it has to be.

It has to be the source of all of our strength, the one thing that can sustain us, to make we who are weak the strongest in this world, to be our highest peak, the ultimate pinnacle of our existence.

At heart though, the Eucharist has to be the greatest and most importance person in our entire lives.

For, within that monstrance right now is not just a white host but Jesus Himself. He is here with us, in front of us on that altar, waiting, so that He can speak to all of you, and address your problems, your fears, and your concerns.
“Come to me,” He says, “all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light”

[Theologian in Training]

The moment I walk through those chapel doors, my eyes are immediately drawn: first to the tabernacle and then to the large crucifix hanging upon the wall.

I look upon that cross each and everyday and think of how many times I have found myself kneeling before that cross, either figuratively or literally. It puts everything into perspective, it draws attention to what matters, to who matters, and even more, it reminds all of us to what we are called.

In fact, Jesus’ greatest instruction for His disciples was the importance of taking up their cross to follow Him. The same instruction He gives us.

And yet, I wonder if we really know what that means, if we truly understand what He is asking of us? Calling us, in love, to walk with Him on the road to Calvary, carrying with us our burdens, our pains, our hurts, and our desolations, and, treading this path of suffering to go there and die, not physically, of course, but die to our very selves. And, in many respects that’s even worse, that scares us even more, because even though death itself is scary how much more when we are asked to renounce our very being, the power we think we have; to be utterly vulnerable and at our most weakest, naked before the cross so that Christ can fully dwell within us?

Yet, this is the way Christ has shown for us, to die each and every day, by taking up our cross each and every day.

A while ago there was an email circulating about a man and his cross. I would like to share now:

A young man was at the end of his rope, and seeing no way out, dropped to his knees in prayer. He said:
"Lord, I can't go on, I have too heavy a cross to bear."

The Lord replied, "My son, if you can't bear its weight, just place your cross inside this room.
Then, open that other door and pick out any cross you wish."

The man was filled with relief and joy and said, "Thank you Lord," and did as he was told.

Upon entering the other room, he saw many crosses; some so large the tops were not even visible. Then, he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall.

"I'd like that one, Lord," he whispered. The Lord replied, "My son, that is the cross you just brought in."

Our cross makes us unique, because our suffering is unlike anyone else’s and the only person who truly knows the depth of our suffering is Christ Himself. For our cross is His, and His is what makes ours that much lighter, and yet, He still has us carry our own cross, out of love for us.

I know that sounds strange, giving us a cross so that we can learn love, but it is only at the foot of the cross where we learn the meaning of true love, and truly understand what it truly means to die to everything from that love.

In fact, I remember, a couple of summers ago while at IPF, a deacon there said something I will never forget. He said sometimes the cross can get so hard to handle that we scream out saying “God Your killing me,” to which God responds, “I know.”

While it is true that God does not give us more than we can handle He also does not want to give us too little, otherwise we would never understand the mystery and depth of Christ’s love if we cannot unite our own sufferings to His.

How incredibly hard this is to bear, because we don’t want to die, we don’t want to accept the fact that we "are dust and to dust we shall return." That we are no more than a speck in this vast existence, smaller than Christ, an ant in comparison to the Cross.

Yet this death occurs daily by our frequent prayer and the reception of the life, death, and Resurrection of Christ in the Eucharist. In fact, it is in the Mass that this is bought to fruition. The Mass reminds us of this death, and the death we must live ourselves. In fact, every time we receive the Eucharist we die more and more to ourselves because we become more and more like Christ in that reception and it is His life that dwells within us. St. Pio in one of his letters to his spiritual director said that there is no reason to imitate Christ if in imitating Him we don't appear "arisen" or "changed." In other words, when we deny ourselves, through our daily cross, Christ shines through us and we become "renewed" or "resurrected" in Him.

This is true death, the death of self, brought to fulfillment by living in direct communion with the Will of God, regardless of the consequences or actions it entails. True death of self then is true love of Christ, and true love of Christ is in imitating Him, and after all, isn't imitation the best form of flattery?

Therefore, how better to imitate Our Creator than to seek to imitate Him to the point of fully losing our very selves so that we can say, as St. Paul says, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives within me.”

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Theologian in Training' date='Oct 30 2005, 04:58 PM']In fact, I remember, a couple of summers ago while at IPF, a deacon there said something I will never forget. He said sometimes the cross can get so hard to handle that we scream out saying “God Your killing me,” to which God responds, “I know.”
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[Theologian in Training]

[quote name='Raphael' date='Oct 30 2005, 06:06 PM']
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You didn't notice that before? Honestly, I have never recycled a homily so much as I have this one. The changes are always subtle but designed to fit the congregation to which I am preaching.

I am glad it moved you though, because it shows the lasting impact words inspired by the Holy Spirit can actually have.

I now have more confidence in preaching this tonight to the seminary.

Wow, you know what I just realized? This is probably my longest homily. I don't usually preach any longer than 2-3 minutes, yet when I timed this one, it was 4 1/2

Thank You

God Bless

Edited October 30, 2005 by Theologian in Training

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Theologian in Training' date='Oct 30 2005, 05:12 PM']You didn't notice that before? Honestly, I have never recycled a homily so much as I have this one. The changes are always subtle but designed to fit the congregation to which I am preaching.

I am glad it moved you though, because it shows the lasting impact words inspired by the Holy Spirit can actually have.

I now have more confidence in preaching this tonight to the seminary.

Thank You

God Bless
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Oh, Deacon...it's just kinda the story of the last year of my life...being killed very slowly and painfully by our Lord.

[Theologian in Training]

[quote name='Raphael' date='Oct 30 2005, 06:26 PM']Oh, Deacon...it's just kinda the story of the last year of my life...being killed very slowly and painfully by our Lord.
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Oh, I see. Yet, don't forget though, what doesn't kill us, makes us strong, and that is what He does to us, kill us to make us stronger in Him. "I can do all things in Him who strenghens me"

God Bless

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Theologian in Training' date='Oct 30 2005, 05:30 PM']Oh, I see. Yet, don't forget though, what doesn't kill us, makes us strong, and that is what He does to us, kill us to make us stronger in Him. "I can do all things in Him who strenghens me"

God Bless
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Yes, Deacon. It's just nice to have a reminder in such simple words.

[StColette]

[quote name='Theologian in Training' date='Oct 30 2005, 04:30 PM']Oh, I see. Yet, don't forget though, what doesn't kill us, makes us strong, and that is what He does to us, kill us to make us stronger in Him. "I can do all things in Him who strenghens me"

God Bless
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I might just have that saying tattooed on me because I can't say Amen enough times to show how much I agree with it.

[Theologian in Training]

The reality just hit me that I am preaching to the seminary in a half hour. Please send prayers...please

God Bless

[Theologian in Training]

[quote name='StColette' date='Oct 30 2005, 06:38 PM']I might just have that saying tattooed on me because I can't say Amen enough times to show how much I agree with it.
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look at that, another idea for a homily

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Theologian in Training' date='Oct 30 2005, 05:49 PM']look at that, another idea for a homily
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You're gonna tattoo a homily to your back?