As I mentioned last weekend, the Gospel this Sunday is a continuation of the 6th Chapter of John's Gospel. Last week we heard about the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fishes. As I said, that miracle – the only one recounted in all four of the Gospels – is a prefigurement of the Eucharist. Jesus comes to the people and fills them with earthly food. This weekend we read verses 24-25 of the same 6th Chapter. We hear that the people who had been fed have searched and found Jesus again. And the first thing he gives them is a rebuke: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.” It's an almost shocking statement, isn't it? Since we know that Jesus loved those people, it sounds harsh that He would chastise them … [Read more...]

Please excuse me if I have been a little unavailable over the last week. The death of my Dad came at an unexpected time, and being his only child in New Orleans (and a priest) thrust me into the center of the funeral preparations. It also placed a heavy burden of grief upon me that – while not unexpected – was more physically challenging than I would have anticipated. I couldn't believe how exhausted I became over the time that I heard about Dad's death on July 16 ( the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel ) and even up until two days after the funeral. Giving the homily at the funeral on Tuesday was one of the most difficult things I've done as a priest, but it was also a time when I experienced God's grace working through my weakness. The day before Dad's funeral was probably the most … [Read more...]

This week we celebrate “Independence Day,” the “birthday” of the United States of America.It's a day when we celebrate our “Freedom.” The Declaration of Independence was the document by which the people of the New World cast off the “yoke of slavery” of their former ruler – the King – and formed a government based on very important truths: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” I'm sure we all have fond memories of celebrating this day with fireworks, hot dogs, picnics and family.But it's always good to remember the spirit behind the Declaration. Freedom is ultimately rooted in God-given truths, and apart from … [Read more...]

This coming July 3 is the tenth anniversary of my Ordination to the Priesthood. It is a blessing to me that only two weeks beforehand, on June 19, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Benedict XVI inaugurated the period from June 19 until June 11, 2010 as a “Year for Priests.”Â  The year coincides with the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Marie Vianney, whom Pope Pius XI declared in 1929 to be the patron saint of parish priests. This year, Pope Benedict will also name him patron saint of all priests. The inauguration on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart was particularly appropriate because St. John Vianney once famously said that the priesthood is “the love of the heart of Jesus.” The Year of the Priesthood arrives at an important time. Over the last few years, … [Read more...]

“Fatherhood” is something to which we're introduced to at a very young age. While not as “immediate” as motherhood (we're in our mother's womb for 9 months!), our father is one of the first people to whom we're “introduced.” But fatherhood can't be reduced to simply begetting a child. Fatherhood is one of the most important relationships in our entire earthly society; fatherhood points to our relationship with God. One of the most important models of fatherhood is St. Joseph, the “foster father” of Jesus. Although very little is said about St. Joseph in Sacred Scripture, there's something very profound about the relationship between Jesus and St. Joseph. As a young boy, Jesus would have addressed St. Joseph as “abba,” a name still used by most Semitic children for their father. It … [Read more...]

In terms of a feast in the Catholic Church, today's Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ  (“Corpus Christi” in Latin) is a fairly recent one.  We all know that the Body and Blood of Christ are present at each Mass, but the addition of this special feast to the Church calendar was primarily due to the petitions of a Belgium nun named Juliana of Liège who lived in the 13th century. From a young age, Juliana had a great love for the Blessed Sacrament and longed for a special feast in its honor.  Her desire was increased by a vision she had of the Church under the appearance of the full moon having one dark spot.  The spot signified the absence of a day specifically honoring the Blessed Sacrament.  In 1208 Juliana also had a vision of Christ in which He instructed her to institute … [Read more...]

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. In the early days of the Church there was no special day to honor the Holy Trinity, but that changed in the 3rd century when the Church was confronted with one of the first great heresies: Arianism. Although this heresy would seem strange to us today, it basically stated that God the Father was always existing but that He was separate from the lesser Jesus Christ, who was created by Him. Then, the Father, working through the Son, created the Holy Spirit, who was subservient to the Son as the Son was to the Father. This belief was definitively declared to be false by the Nicene Council in 325 A.D. Without going into too much theological depth about the controversy, we can simply affirm the Nicene Creed which we recite each … [Read more...]

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Pentecost: When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. Acts 2:1-4 Pentecost commemorates the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, an event which occurred fifty days (including Easter Sunday) after the Resurrection. Historically and symbolically, Pentecost is related to the Jewish Festival of Weeks, celebrating the day (occurring fifty days after the Exodus) on … [Read more...]

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension, which is the elevation of Christ into heaven by His own power in presence of His disciples. In Sacred Scripture, this occurred on the fortieth day after the Resurrection – which was actually last Thursday, traditionally called “Ascension Thursday. However, the celebration of the Ascension has been moved to Sunday to encourage a more active participation in the Feast. In terms of modern aviation, I guess Jesus' flight got postponed for three days! The Ascension was prophesized by Christ's own words. In John 6:63, Christ asks the Jews: “What if you were to see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before?” and in 20:17, He says to Mary Magdalen: “Do not touch Me, for I am not yet ascended to My Father, but go to My brethren, and say to them: … [Read more...]

Friendship and love are the keywords in the Gospel this weekend.  Even before Christ, these were heavily discussed topics among Greek philosophers and Roman orators. Friendship was so important to Cicero that he once said “Without friends no one would choose to live, even though he had all other goods.” But what is friendship? The Greek philosopher Aristotle mentions three “types” of friendships: the first type is where there is a quality in a person which gives me pleasure (I like this person because she's funny), the second type is where the other person is useful to me in some way (I like this person because he takes me fishing), and the third type is when I recognize the goodness in another person that causes me to desire to be that person's friend.  In the first two types, I am … [Read more...]