The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed

New parents seem to love naming their children. Yet, it also seems to be a lot of work, not nearly as easy as it used to be. And the reason is simple --- there are a gazillion names to choose from these days --- books and books full of them. And if you can’t find one you like you can always create a new one and no one will bat an eye. In fact, creativity in naming children has become quite a thing. But it’s not that easy, and sometimes takes several days after the birth of a child before a name is settled on. But in the old days, it was much easier --- particularly for Catholic parents. As many of you know, the Church used to require (for the most part) that a child’s baptismal name be a “Catholic/Christian/Biblical” name. And what that meant in practice was that the boy or girl would be named for a Saint with a capital “S”. In other words, the list of acceptable baby names was the list of those names of people officially canonized by the Church (and some variations of those names). Often a child was named for some family member who also had a Saint’s name, but that wasn’t always the case. In fact, some parents would look at the Church calendar and pick the name of a Saint whose memorial was that same day. Yes, even the naming of children was a very Catholic thing for Catholic parents. And there were a few reasons for this. One, was the Church rule itself --- something that the Church felt was important to keep Catholic culture, faith and practice alive. Another was to promote a kind of identity --- helping individuals go through life always mindful of their connection to and participation in the Catholic faith community. One other reason was for a kind of divine protection, an appeal to that Saint for his or her prayers for that child. But maybe the most important reason was the idea that by naming a child for a Saint, the boy or girl might actually aspire to being one. Is that true? Is it? If not, then what exactly do we aspire to? Do we aspire to be poor in spirit? Or do we aspire to grab all we can in this life? Do we aspire to mourn? Or do we aspire to harden our hearts and feel little? Do we aspire to be meek? Or do we aspire to always get our way, always be in charge? Do we aspire to hunger and thirst for righteousness? Or is “what works for me” my creed? Do we aspire to be merciful? Or do we aspire to get even? Do we aspire to be clean of heart? Or do we aspire to always have an angle? Do we aspire to be peacemakers? Or do we aspire to never forgive? In other words, do we aspire to be holy? Or do we aspire to be something else? The Saints were not perfect. But they were committed. They did aspire to something more than themselves. And that wasn’t a “something” at all. It was actually a “someone”. And for the Saints, that someone was not someone to simply be admired from afar. He was someone to imitate, someone to be “put on” (as Paul says), someone to embody. The Lord Jesus. And, as you know, in the past two thousand years the Church has canonized hundreds and hundreds of Saints --- and not as some sort of favor to them (in heaven) or to their families or friends --- but to us, the Catholic faithful across the whole world. And this favor is two-fold. First, we have our friends in heaven to call on for their prayers, an unbroken bond between us and those who have gone before us. And so we turn to them --- starting with Mary and continuing through the centuries. They are our friends, our fellow believers, our family. And they pray for us --- unceasingly. But secondly, by actually identifying these people for us, the Church has given us countless examples of what holiness truly looks like, people to get strength from and identify with, and yes, people to imitate. You see, no two Saints are alike. And that means that holiness comes in many forms, in every type of person living in every type of life-situation. And that means, we too can be Saints. Seriously. We too can pattern our lives on the person of Jesus --- the Lord Jesus who was made visible in these holy men and women through the ages. And it won’t take perfection from us. That’s not possible. And it doesn’t have to be achieved through grandiose sorts of things. It just requires that we do our best to love --- as Jesus loved --- and as the Saints loved --- exactly as all of them love us each and every second of each and every day. But it won’t happen by accident. It can only happen if . . . we aspire to be saints. All holy men and women, pray for us. 

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Oct. 26, 2025 Dcn. Bill Rf.: Sirach 35:12–14, 16–18 • 2 Tim. 4:6–8, 16–18 • Luke 18:9–14 Pride and humility are two major themes in our Scripture readings today. The evil of pride is created through an individual's choice to express it; while the virtue of humility is borne in the silence of self-reflection. In our first reading, Sirach tells us, “The one who serves God willingly is heard; his petition reaches the heavens.” The widow, the orphan- the Lord indeed hears the cry of the poor. These are humble servants of the Lord, pure of heart; those seeking righteousness in their lives; those who recognize the one Source to fulfill their true needs. Note the order: serve God willingly, then your prayers will be heard. We are to serve not in reluctance or out of a sense of duty, but in a spirit of humility and obedience. It is only by being in right relationship with the Lord, seeking, knowing, and doing his will, that we will be close to him. We can then share our prayers in confidence and trust that they will be heard and answered. This is precisely the image we have of St. Paul in our second reading. Paul tells Timothy he has served the Lord well, finished the race to spread the Gospel, and his days on earth were coming to an end. Paul proclaims his accomplishments, not in a spirit of pride but in humility and gratitude giving all glory and praise to the Father. Paul’s is a prayer of confidence in the benevolence of the Father to reward him with the crown of eternal life. This account is a type of the Paschal Mystery: the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Jesus' blood was poured out like a libation; he was deserted by his apostles at the cross, save John. He forgave those who knew not what they were doing. His Father was with him, giving him strength to endure the physical and emotional agonies of his passion. Jesus and Paul, in great humility and obedience, served the Father’s will and were rescued and exalted unto heaven. In our Gospel reading from Luke, Jesus once again draws from the deep well of abundant Pharisee shortcomings. The Pharisee is quick to spew out his qualities of leading a faithful life. He observes Temple law, he fasts, tithes, and obeys the Commandments. So close. He’s almost there! His prayer, however, is self-righteous. He takes credit for his own virtues. He doesn’t need anything from God and receives nothing. His thanks to God is for not being a sinner like the tax collector. He lacks humility. The sin of pride fills his heart. St. Josemaria Escriva stated that one of many ways you lack humility is when you “[Think] that what you do or say is better than what others do or say”. His complete thoughts on humility are worth a careful read. The tax collector, in all humility, repents and acknowledges his sin to God and asks for mercy. He cries, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.”- from which is derived the contemplative “Jesus Prayer”: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Pray it often. The tax collector is an example to us all- that God heals and forgives us, especially when we take care to approach God with humility and contrition in the sacrament of reconciliation. The tax collector is justified. His prayers are answered and so will ours be answered. Can we relate our lives and our faith to the Pharisee or the tax collector, or both? We worship at Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation, we tithe, fast, donate to charity, work the Fish Fry, pray the Rosary, etc… Isn’t that enough? No, it is not. · We are all sinners in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness. In all humility that truth must never escape our prayer. Pray the Litany of Humility reflecting upon the ego’s surrender to the humility of Christ. · Pray to seek, know, and fulfill the Father’s will in your life utilizing the gifts he’s given you. · Ask yourself: How can I sacrifice my will for that of the Father? This is the way to be a faithful servant whose prayers are answered without delay. The Gospel ends with a divine reversal- a summary lesson statement for us to guide our values and standards. “…whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."- much like the reversal, “… the first shall be last and the last shall be first.” Jesus is our model of humility in his obedience to serve the Father’s will. Paul followed suit. Both were exalted to the glory of heaven. We too are called to follow their example in the practice of our faith and in our reception of the Holy Eucharist. May we always maintain a spirit of humility to love and serve the Lord and each other, for our salvation and for the glory of God.

We all know people who love to get their own way. Maybe at times we enjoy that ourselves. For example, we all know people who are great at talking to customer service reps --- people who somehow get off the phone with their problem solved (and maybe some additional perks on top of it). Or parents who get the coach to play their son or daughter more (even though the opposite should probably happen). Or people who get the date after they were turned down time and time and again. Or people who get their bank fees waved, or who talk themselves out of speeding tickets, or who get people to donate money for a charitable cause, or who seem to be great at rounding up volunteers. The powers of persuasion can be a very useful thing. Does it work with God? It’s easy to come away from today’s Gospel passage thinking that very thing. After all, the dishonest judge eventually gives in to the widow who bothered him over and over and over again. We can almost picture it --- the judge rolling his eyes and saying, “Fine. You can have it your way. Just be gone.” Is that supposed to be God, supposed to be how this “prayer” thing works? Nag, nag, nag, and eventually get our way? I think you know the answer. That would be true if the Gospel passage ended a few verses earlier. Yet Jesus wants to make sure his disciples don’t misconstrue what he’s teaching them in the parable --- and so he basically tells them that God is not like that at all, contrasting the “dishonest” judge with God who considers us his “chosen ones”. In other words, if we can sometimes get uncooperative people to cooperate with us, imagine how much more cooperation we will get from our God who made us, and sustains, and forgives and loves us. So what is the comparison between the judge and God? Well, there is no comparison. And that should give us great comfort. In fact, God is more like the people we know who can’t be manipulated, can’t be tricked, can’t be persuaded to do anything they don’t want to do, or don’t feel is right. These are the kinds of people who can see through all the tricks and false flattery and “spin.” God is probably more like the parent whose son or daughter has just offered, out of the blue, to help with the housework and says to their son or daughter, “Nice try. What are you up to? What do you want?” We can’t “trick” God. We can’t get him to do something he doesn’t want to do, or that isn’t good for us, or that is contrary to who he is. All those things should sound absurd to us. Yet, there often is a little part of us that wants to try anyway --- wants to bargain with God, or do something good and then feel that God somehow owes us, or will pay more attention to us. God doesn’t “work” that way. And that should be obvious. But then there’s that little bit added to one particular verse. You might have missed it. Jesus says to them, “Will not God secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?” . . . who call out to him day and night. You see, Jesus doesn’t just say that God is going to do whatever God is going to do so there’s no point in asking. Rather, he’s essentially saying the opposite --- that we should continually make our needs, thoughts, hopes and fears known to our loving God (who actually knows them already). It’s not unlike Moses in today’s First Reading from Exodus, raising his arms and the staff of God unceasingly to secure God’s favor. Moses’ persistence made some sort of difference in the way things were turning out. And maybe ours does too. Not because we make God different. That seems to be a kind of impossibility. Rather, our persistence makes US different. We remain aware of our total dependence on God. We remain aware that our God is the only one who has our complete interests at heart, the only one who loves us completely, the only one who knows what’s best for us (and can actually do something about it.) Our prayers of petition keep us in right relationship with our God (and most likely, with each other too). And it is this sort of persistence, this continual mindfulness, this constant focus toward the source of every good thing that will help infuse ourselves and the world around us with every good thing, a world utterly transformed by people pleading (and working) to make it so. It is our persistence (and a humble, faithful heart) that helps open ourselves up to every good thing God wants for us. And so we ask. Not because we understand. Not because we think we can force God to do what we want. Not out of superstition. Not out of selfishness. But because this is who we are --- people who understand that only God can bring about the changes in us and the world that we (and God) desperately want. And then we wait --- patiently --- for whatever beautiful thing God has in store for us, whatever grace is around the corner. 

Where does good come from? Maybe you never really thought about that question in a such a direct way. And if you think the “answer” is simple, well, it is and it isn’t. Of course, the quickest answer everyone here wants to respond with is, “God”. That is the easy part. But why do we believe God is “good”? And what do we even mean by the word “good”? And could each of God’s commandments have been the exact opposite from what they are if God had chosen to make them so? And if there were no God, could anything even be called “good”? (And what would that even mean?) Feel free to argue about those things around the dinner table. People have been asking those questions and wrestling with them from the dawn of time. I won’t be going into all of that in this homily. Yet the question (and more importantly the answer) is still one we must always cling to, embrace, acknowledge, be aware of --- believe --- if we truly want to be people of faith. Where does good come from? Easy --- God. In fact, that’s essentially how we define “good”. God’s very essence is what we mean by good --- it’s who he is --- his will, his actions, his mercy and compassion and generosity and grace, and even his judgment --- his complete identity (if I can use such a word). If it’s of God, it’s good. If it reflects who God is, it’s good. If it is a God-thing, a God-attribute, it is good. And none of it starts with us. And that’s the part we often get so wrong. We want the credit of course, but never the blame. A person stumbles into a really good job and automatically presumes that it’s because they are “better” than those who didn’t get the job (failing to realize the many variables that figure into these things). Or someone has a really good marriage and figures that other people whose marriages failed must have had poor judgment in picking a spouse. Or someone excels at schoolwork from a very young age and is under the impression that people who do bad in school are “lazy”. Or people who avoid addictions through life are convinced that people with addictions are “weak”. You get the idea. Once we start thinking that way, start accepting credit for every good thing we experience - we will find ourselves in a dangerous place spiritually, the place in which we find it nearly impossible to be truly grateful. We just heard two stories about gratitude. And while they are not identical, they do have a common element --- both people who were healed knew that God had something to do with it. God deserved the credit. God somehow made it possible, and God was at work through the people who healed them. And that’s something that’s so easy to forget, or so easy for us to be unwilling to admit. Sometimes we don’t want to acknowledge God’s part in some good thing that has come our way because we don’t want to have to respond in kind. I’m reminded of the joke about a guy circling a full parking lot, late for a meeting and unable to find a spot. In his panic he prays to God to help him find a parking space, and promises that, if God does find him a spot, he will start going to church more. Suddenly, a parking space up front becomes available. The man immediately says to God, “Never mind. I found one!” Yes, sometimes it’s hard to admit (or maybe even see) the hand of God in every good thing we experience. (He’s also in the difficult stuff too, but that’s a different homily!) A grateful heart is a faithful heart. A grateful heart is one that rejoices in every good thing, one that is grateful for the person or people who helped bring it about ---- but also one that never forgets where it came from in the first place. But we must be careful. Just because every good thing comes from God doesn’t mean that our sorrows or tragedies or disappointments (or those of others) indicate some kind of disappointment or punishment from God. Often (but not always) they are connected to the choices of a combination of people, choices mixed in with our own choices. And so, when things get bad we should take an honest look at the situation, but not necessarily presume we have incurred God’s disfavor. Sometimes we are the source of some bad thing, sometimes others bring it upon us, and sometimes it just happens. (Or any combination of the above!) And that leads us to another truth about God’s goodness, God’s blessings, God’s grace. Everything that is good does indeed have its origin in God. Yet, it isn’t always that that blessing, that “good” thing, finds its target in a straight line, goes directly from God to the one he wants to receive it. You see, ours is a God who invites us to cooperate with him and with all the good he wants to accomplish. There are lots of good things God wants for the world (and for particular individuals) that will not happen unless we help make it happen, unless we become channels of every good thing God shares with us. And the reason we get to share in this holy work, share in showering the world with God’s blessings, share in spreading good things everywhere we go, is because WE share in the goodness of God. Our origin is in God. He made us. And that means that at our core each of us is good. Not a little bit good. Not kind of good. Essentially good, deeply good, God-like good. Sometimes we hide it. Sometimes we deny it. Sometimes it gets buried under our bad choices, our egos, our sin. But it’s there. Waiting to change the world.

“. . . bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.” Life is full of hardships --- at least for most of us. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that. Each of us has probably experienced plenty of them for ourselves. Hardships arising from difficult relationships. Hardships brought about by money troubles. Hardships regarding health. Or employment. Or mental and emotional issues. Or involving school. Or consequences of bad decisions, or poor judgment, or even sin. Yes, life is often filled with all sorts of hardships --- disappointments and burdens and tragedies --- large and small. So why would we want another one? “. . . bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.” That’s not the part of faith that attracts me. I like embracing a life of faith because it brings me comfort. And it gives my life meaning. And it rings true in a very real sense, that is, seems to match and often brings understanding to my life experiences. And it makes me happy to gather for worship. And it helps me feel part of something bigger than myself. And it helps me feel close to God (especially through the Sacraments). And it helps me fear death a little less. That’s what attracts me to faith, what I “like” about faith. All the good stuff. But hardship? That doesn’t sound so great to me. Have I chosen the wrong faith? Well, maybe. That probably sounds strange coming from a member of the clergy (or from any one of you who is here week after week worshipping in this holy place). Now, I certainly don’t mean I wish I was part of a different faith community, a different faith tradition. Nothing could be further from the truth. But what I AM saying is this. If I’m not willing to embrace the tough parts of walking a journey of faith, not willing to embrace the “work” involved, the sacrifices, the challenges, the self-emptying, the crosses --- then I can’t really say that I am “all in”, can’t say that I’m as committed as I should be. In a certain sense, when I acknowledge that I only want the “good stuff” when it comes to faith, I’m actually saying that what I really want is a kind of Christianity-lite, a Christianity that doesn’t demand much, a stream of Easter mornings without a single Good Friday. In other words, I don’t want things in my life that make me want to shout like the prophet Habakkuk in today’s First Reading, “How long, O Lord? I cry for help but you do not listen!” How many of us wonder about that very thing? How many of us, when faced with some sort of sorrow or disappointment or painful situation, wonder if God is listening, if God is paying attention, if God truly cares? Yet, God does provide us with a kind of “answer”. The problem is, the “answer” he provides is one we don’t really like, or really don’t accept, or often can’t get past --- an answer most perfectly on display on Calvary --- an answer we just heard in response to the cries of Habakkuk. “If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come . . .” Wait for it . . . . And that’s not easy to do. We want the “good stuff” NOW. We want the blessings of God now. We want the pain to go away now, the problem to be solved now, the worries to go away now, the heartache to go away now. We don’t really want to wait. (And who can blame us?) Yet, that’s part of what lies at the heart of the Paschal Mystery. Everything unfolds in God’s time, on God’s “schedule”. It took three days for that first Easter --- a period of waiting and wondering and hoping and confusion and sorrow and every kind of human emotion. But it came. The resurrection came. Salvation came. The Holy Spirit came. All in God’s time and in the way God saw fit. I’ll never say that any of this is easy, never say it’s easy to hold onto hope in the face of life’s struggles, never say it’s easy to trust even though we can’t see what’s coming next, never say it’s easy to embrace the idea that God’s way is always the best way. All of those things take faith --- deep and authentic faith, persistent and relentless faith, humble and sincere faith. So what’s a person to do? What’s a person to do in the face of life’s hardships? The simple answer is, the most faithful answer is, to simply forge ahead, simply continue to do all we have been commanded to do, simply do our duty, fulfill our responsibilities, and honor our promises --- to God, and by extension, to each other. That’s what it means to walk by faith and not by sight. God just wants us to love, to be kind, to be generous, to be merciful --- regardless of whether our lives are going smoothly or are in turmoil, regardless of whether we are in a period of joy or a period of great disappointment. And God will be our strength, our companion, our comfort, through all of it. “. . . but the just one, because of his faith will live.” That goes for every Easter we pray for in the midst of every Good Friday. But we’re going to have to wait for it. In hope. In faith. With trust. And God will not disappoint. 

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr. C 9- 28- 2025 Dcn. Bill Kenney Ref.-Luke 16:19–31 Reflection on Charity and Justice in our lives. Are we persuaded to repent and become more charitable people by the model given us in the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus? Charity is love for others and acting with generosity and self-sacrifice. It is a spiritual gift and fruit of the Holy Spirit to give out of great love as Christ did for us- up to and including his death on the cross. St. Catherine of Siena said, "Consider God's charity. Where else have we ever seen someone who has been offended voluntarily paying out his life for those who have offended him?” Together with faith and hope, charity is one of the Theological virtues that grow our relationship with the Father and each other. In our Gospel reading from Luke, we learn a lesson in charity and justice. We hear of the anonymous rich man and the poor man, Lazarus. They led vastly different earthly lives and eternal lives. They did share one thing in common and that is, death- the great equalizer. In the parable, there’s really no sign of charity on either parties’ behalf. No crumbs from the rich man’s table would feed Lazarus’ hunger; not even a drop of water was given to cool the rich man’s thirst. These are both so over-the-top and appalling that it might give us pause to think, “Do I, to some degree, resemble either of these people in my daily life?” The justice served each player is just as eye-opening and thought provoking. These are certainly outcomes deserving of our interior reflection and conversion of heart. This is a parable Jesus addresses to the Pharisees who were well-off middle-class people. They had their every need met while imposing strict, oppressive temple laws on the common Jews. They believed in the resurrection and the afterlife but did not put two and two together to realize their shortcomings; to recognize and inherit their salvation standing before them. Jesus loved them as God’s creation and wants them, and us, to understand the errors of our ways to save our souls. We provide an identity to the anonymous rich man in our sinfulness and lack of charity for others in our lives. We can sometimes be a type of the Pharisees needing to be woken up and enlightened to our uncharitable ways. How do we become more charitable? It starts with clarity of mind, heart, and will for the unconditional well-being of others. St. Teresa of Calcutta, a.k.a. St. Mother Teresa, is a model of charity. Her religious order is called, The Missionaries of Charity, giving meaning and identity to their cause. She dedicated her life and devotion to the Lord to serve the poorest of the poor in India and beyond- the Lazarus’s of our time. She said, “Every work of love done with a full heart brings people closer to God.” In addition to giving money or material support, giving of ourselves with a full heart builds communion with the Father and each other, which is a far greater act of charity. There are many other charitable organizations doing God’s work to love and care for others. In our own Parish we have access to the Knights of Columbus, Christian Service, Mary’s Refuge, Torch 180, Loaves and Fishes, Family Impact Center, and many others. I recently conferred God’s blessings upon the Pregnancy Help Clinic facility and its Staff members. The Holy Spirit is indeed moving and working through their cause. They and all these charitable organizations are gathering crumbs and dipping their fingers to serve, refresh, and give dignity to the needy among us. As a sign of your gift of charity consider giving your time, talent, and treasure and your full heart to help these and other organizations meet the needs of others. Our OCIA Catechumen and Candidates [ 4:30 -will be welcomed tomorrow] [ 8:30 - will be welcomed today] [ 11am - are welcomed here today] in their journey of faith. They need your crumbs and drops of prayer to inspire them to a greater love of Christ and his Church. Prayer cards for them are out in the Gathering Space. There’s no time like the present to express and take charitable actions for others. Give and don’t keep score. Life and God’s justice are fleeting and swift. We will be asked one day to account for the charity we provided to others, starting with our families. Unlike the rich man, may we serve our needy brothers and sisters in Christ. May charity and love prevail from the fullness of our hearts, for our salvation and for the glory of God.

I’m sure that many of you can remember your favorite meals when you were growing up ----- those dishes that made you really happy each time your mom (or dad!) prepared them. And for those of us who were fortunate enough to have parents who loved to cook and were good at it, these meals provided us not only with tasty nourishment, but also with fond memories we took with us as we grew into adulthood. And, as a result, many adults try to recreate for their spouses and children and friends some of the best meals they cherished as kids. Oh, if only it were that easy. If you’ve ever tried to cook a meal that was first cooked for you by someone else, you know that replicating it can be more than a little tricky. Three potential problems quickly come to mind. One --- Sometimes we don’t have any sort of recipe to go by and we are forced to try to remember or imagine what ingredients and/or steps were used in the making of the dish. Two --- Sometimes mistakes have been made in the writing and rewriting of the recipe as it is handed down. This can be infuriating as we take the time to follow the recipe to a T, but somehow can’t quite get the meal to taste like it’s supposed to. And three --- Sometimes (I know you will be shocked!) the original cook will deliberately leave out some important step or some critical ingredient, not wanting anyone to make it as well as they do. In each of these three cases, it becomes obvious that (when it comes to cooking) the little things matter, small things that (on the surface) shouldn’t change the taste of the food, but in reality do. Little things matter not just in cooking, of course, but in many areas of life. Authors struggle with every word and sentence, knowing that it’s not simply enough to have a good plot or interesting characters. Artists will tinker with a canvas for months, doing all they can to make sure each dot of paint is exactly the way they want it. People giving presentations or speeches will work and re-work the text, and then rehearse and rehearse and rehearse some more, knowing that even a stumble or two could change how their words will be received. And most sports teams will continually work on the “fundamentals”, knowing that raw talent isn’t enough to ensure success over the course of a whole season. Put simply, often in life if we want the “big picture” to come out a certain way, if we want a particular outcome, the only way to make it possible or likely is to pay close attention to the (seemingly insignificant) little things. Today’s Gospel passage from Luke is a somewhat difficult one --- not in what is specifically being said by Jesus, but what he means by what he is saying. There is almost a kind of “riddle” quality to his words. First - we have the story about the dishonest steward and then we get a series of statements from Jesus about dishonest wealth vs. true wealth, very small matters vs. great ones, and God vs. mammon. What is our Lord driving at? I’m not going to try to unpack all the levels of meaning in these verses. Even scholars aren’t all in agreement. But I would like to try to summarize as best I can. If we start with the last line first, “You cannot serve both God and mammon” Jesus seems to be saying that we can’t have it both ways, that we can’t on one hand say (and maybe even believe) that we are serving God when the choices in our lives clearly show that we are simply serving ourselves --- indulging our own needs, wants, and earthly desires. And if that’s the case, then how do we really know if we are serving God? How can we be sure that we’re not trying to serve both God and mammon? All of us in one way or another want to serve God. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t. We want to please him and be with him for all eternity when our earthly lives have ended. We all want the same “big picture”, the same outcome. We all want for God to see us in a good light and for him to know that we sincerely love him. We all want a seat at the banquet that lasts forever. And yet, wanting those things is not enough --- not if our focus is so far down the road that we fail to see what God is calling us to this very day, in this very moment. If we want the big picture to look a certain way, if we want to be confident that our lives are pleasing to God, we must pay attention to the little things, pay attention to the day-to-day opportunities to love, forgive, serve, teach the Truth and be generous. These are the ingredients that make a beautiful, meaningful, faithful life. May we get the recipe right and do countless little God-like things each and every day. 

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross – September 14, 2025 Readings ref.: Num. 21:4b–9 • Jn 3:13–17 Dcn. Bill Kenney We exalt the cross of Christ In our daily lives, what kinds of people, places or things do we exalt? What do we place high above other things? - put on a pedestal to stand out as prized assets or relations in our lives? Is it a famous quarterback, or a sports car, an expensive dog breed? A college diploma? A trip to Grand Camen is just heavenly. What do these things have in common? They are all of this world and are passing. To exalt something in a spiritual sense is to elevate it to the highest level of adoration, glorification, and praise for all eternity. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is celebrated today. It is also celebrated in the liturgy of Good Friday. Such a major theme of our faith is worthy of recalling, even as we do at every Mass. Recall also, at the foot of the cross is our Blessed Mother, Mary, the prime exultant and model of humility and grace. Today we commemorate the recovery of Christ’s actual cross by St. Helen, Emperor Constantine’s mother. We exalt the everlasting, saving power it represents in our lives. At the Presentation of Jesus in the temple, Simeon prophesizes that the infant Jesus is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel. He would be a sign that will be contradicted. Simeon’s prophesy is fulfilled in our readings. In the Book of Numbers, the ungrateful, complaining people of God, were punished with venomous serpents. They repent and ask for mercy. From the Lord’s instruction, Moses fashions a pole with the seraph serpent figure on it, the same serpent sent to bite and kill them was now to be looked upon for healing. Certainly, a sign of contradiction. But why this sign? In this case, it served as a reminder of the punishment they paid and could perhaps pay again for their ungratefulness and disobedience to the Lord. It also reminds them and us of God’s endless mercy if we repent. Moreover, this account is a type of the redemption and salvation we receive from Jesus Christ exalted on the cross. Our gospel reading from John is the famous 3:16 verse made popular by the saints and Christian sports fans as a definitive tenet of our faith. Jesus tells Nicodemus of his original domicile, heaven. He continues by explaining a comparison of the Son of Man being lifted up as was the serpent pole lifted up, or exalted, by Moses. Instead of the wrath of God sent down to all mankind from heaven, God sends his only begotten Son to take the wrath for us and save us from our sin. Those who look upon the seraph are healed; those who not only look upon the cross but also BELIEVE in our Savior Jesus Christ might not perish but might have eternal life. Just as the disobedient, ungrateful People of God in Numbers, we too, because of our sin, deserve condemnation. It is only through the mercy, sacrifice, and redemptive love of our Savior that we are saved. What do you see when you look upon the crucifix? Sadness, perplexity, love? It should be an extra-sensory experience, lifting you up with the exalted Christ to a life of awe, peace, and love for our Lord, for all he did and still does for us. As Catholics we see not only the cross but also a bloodied corpus and recall his great passion and death. Some Christian sects prefer to remember the divine power of Christ with an empty cross symbolizing his victory over death and his resurrection. The cross is a sign of contradiction. Each of us may have a unique realization of the cross in our lives. This instrument of torture and death leads to our eternal life. Think about that: death gives life. This great mystery is a matter of faith, belief, and trust- not unlike the mystery of Christ’s true presence in the Eucharist. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross is made present on the altar in the Eucharist. He gives us his body and blood to strengthen us to bear our own crosses and together become one body in him. Jesus, the Light and Life of the World, is the true source of our eternal salvation and we can come to him by looking at him lifted up in the tragedy and triumph of the cross. Jesus conquered sin through his atoning death and resurrection. Through the Father’s infinite love for each of us, when we sin, we need only to turn back to him with contrite, humble hearts in the sacrament of reconciliation. O God, who willed that your only begotten son should be condemned to the cross to save the human race, grant we pray that we who contemplate his mystery on earth may merit the grace of his redemption in heaven, for our salvation and the glory of God.

“For the corruptible body burdens the soul and the earthen shelter weighs down the mind that has many concerns.” We “get” what the author of the Book of Wisdom seems to be driving at in this passage. And while the passage uses the image of a “body”, we know that this same insight applies to many things --- basically anything that is “of the earth”. And the reason is pretty simple --- because the concerns that often weigh people down are concerns about the world we live in, and specifically the challenges that come with trying survive and thrive in uncertain circumstances. And we shouldn’t consider our concerns about the world as being “bad” or “misguided” or evidence of some sort of diminished faith. That can be a trap we fall into from time to time, seeing spiritual things as “good” and worldly things as “bad”. We must never forget that in the beginning our loving God created everything good. For example, our bodies (and the drives that arise from them) are absolutely good, but sometimes get us into trouble. And the need to work and provide for ourselves and our families are good, but sometimes lead to greed if left unchecked. And our need to be loved and to love are both necessary and beautiful, but can sometimes lead us to look for those things in the wrong places. And our need to be safe can sometimes get us to violate the freedoms of others. And our deep desire to be loved by our God can sometimes drive us to consider ourselves to be better than or more important than others. At times the things of this world can become over-burdensome, controlling and dominating our daily lives. But God wants something different for us. If you’ve ever had to sell a home you know that one of three things can happen. The first is something we hope never happens --- our home sells in one day. And while every case is different, a house that sells in one day often means that the price asked was way too low, that the people undervalued their home. The second possibility can be equally frustrating, the times when a person’s home sits on the market forever. No reasonable offers. Just waiting and waiting and waiting. When that happens, the real estate agent will almost always go to the seller and say. “Clearly, we’ve set the price too high. We’ve over-valued your home.” But what most people hope for is possibility number three --- those times when lots of offers come in just under the asking price, indicating that the people selling got the “value” just about right. In that situation, the sellers don’t have to worry that they either overvalued or undervalued their home. They achieved the “balance” they hoped for, that real-estate “sweet spot”. That same sort of idea can apply to our spiritual lives. At the heart of every God-centered life is a life being in proper balance. And that involves “valuing” everything in the proper way and to the proper degree --- making judgments about what a certain thing or certain pursuit is really worth. And it will come as no surprise to hear me say that when it comes to the things of this earth --- things that don’t last --- we tend to “overvalue” them in all sorts of ways and often to our great harm whereby we give up peace and joy. In a sense, every temptation is precisely that, a giving too high a value (and being willing to pay too high a cost) to something that in fact falls far short of something else, someone else. In those situations, the fulfilling of our own needs and wants moves to the front seat rather than remain in the back seat. It’s evidence of a life out of balance. On the other end of the spectrum, the things we often “undervalue” are surprisingly the realities that matter the most, the Gospel values that last, the God-things that give meaning, purpose, peace and joy to every aspect of our lives on into eternity. And so, striving to live out the commandments and beatitudes might not sound that great because that would mean adjusting our calendars, priorities and routines. Yet, in faith, we know better. Our Gospel passage today from Luke drives this point home. In it Jesus uses examples to show the importance of understanding what something “costs”, what something is “worth” --- whether that be someone doing a construction project or someone going into battle. And Jesus sandwiches these examples with two extreme declarations. First he says that people have to hate their family members or they can’t be his disciple. And he ends by saying that a person who is unwilling to renounce all possessions cannot be his disciple. That’s rough stuff. It’s hard to hear. And it’s difficult to wrap our minds around. What exactly is Jesus saying? From this story (and others in Scripture) it seems pretty clear that Jesus wants us to always maintain the proper balance, always keep things in right relationship, always value things in an accurate way. And it doesn’t mean the things of this world aren’t important, or don’t have value, or aren’t worth pursuing. We don’t have to consider them worthless. In fact, we should never do that. It just means that one true reality is always worth more than everything else and that is God. And once we realize that (and start living accordingly) our lives will take on a kind of beauty, fullness, peace, joy and meaning we can’t possibly imagine. But we don’t have to just imagine it. We can find out for ourselves --- if we want this state of mind, body and soul enough. And rest assured --- no price is too high.