Presentation of the Lord (February 2, 2014) Readings: Malachi 3: 1-4 / Hebrews 2: 14-18 / Luke 2: 22-40

Presentation of the Lord (February 2, 2014)

Readings: Malachi 3: 1-4 / Hebrews 2: 14-18 / Luke 2: 22-40

Fr. Charles Johnson, O.P.

                  Noted Dominican theologian, Gustavo Gutierrez, who spent many years serving the poor in his native Peru, tells the story of the visit of Pope Blessed John Paul II to the poor shantytowns of Lima, the capital of that country.  Husband and wife, Victor and Irene were asked to give a greeting to the pope in the name of the community. They began by saying, “Holy Father, we are hungry.  We suffer affliction, we lack work, we are sick. Our hearts are crushed by suffering as we see our tubercular wives giving birth, our children dying, our sons and daughters growing up weak and without a future.  But, despite all of this, we believe in the God of Life.”

              The hard-hitting impact of their greeting was matched by their simplicity and honesty. Their suffering was accompanied by sincere joy and trust in God.  Pope John Paul II was moved by such unshakeable faith as he reached out to his flock, poor in material wealth and power, but rich in faith. Some might say that to say such a greeting was, perhaps, out of place.  Some of the organizers might have been caught off-guard.  It was a festive event, after all.  Were such words like “rain on the parade?” 

          Not for the pope, not for the people.  In the midst of the celebration of the papal visit to those poor settlements, there was always the recognition of the effects of sin and suffering all around them.  Still, they celebrated. Still, they trusted.  Why? Because they knew that God was with them.

           Perhaps the words of the just man Simeon and the prophetess Anna came as a surprise to Mary and Joseph as they presented their child, Jesus, in the temple. Imagine the inspiration they felt as Simeon lifted up the baby Jesus and said, “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” Now imagine what they wondered when he addressed Mary, the mother of Jesus: “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted – and you yourself a sword will pierce ….” In the midst of a joyous moment, presenting their first-born son in the temple, an ominous prophecy was given, one that spoke of pain, suffering and conflict.  Was that an inappropriate message or one given at the wrong time and place? Well, that’s not the issue.  The words of Simeon and Anna were the truth, the truth that needed to be spoken. 

           Simeon and Anna knew who Jesus was because they knew and trusted in God’s promise.  At the same time, they recognized the reality of humanity – the reality of the possibility of rejection of God and His promise. They knew that God’s salvation and the rejection of it are contrary to each other, but that in Christ there can be reconciliation. Only in Christ can the rejection by humanity be overcome – a rejection overcome by acceptance:  God in Christ accepting and taking on our sinfulness so that, in return, we might know redemption.      

        Christ is the source of our joy and peace, but he is no stranger to rejection and suffering.  Pope emeritus Benedict XVI writes, “The Suffering Servant has the great mission to bring God’s light to the world. Yet it is in the darkness of the Cross that this mission is fulfilled.” 

      Redemption is always good and healing, but sometimes it can be uncomfortable, even painful. Christ, the Eternal Light, shines brightly because he knows the darkness. The Good News is always that, good.  If it startles us, perhaps it’s because the reality of sin has come to be accepted, even comfortable. The message of Christ is appropriate in all moments. Not just because it’s the right thing at the right time, but because it’s what we need to hear.  

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III Sunday in Ordinary Time – A (26 Jan 2013) Readings: Isaiah 8: 23 – 9:3 / 1 Corinthians 1: 10-13, 17 / Matthew 4: 12-23

III Sunday in Ordinary Time – A (26 Jan 2013)

Readings:  Isaiah 8: 23 – 9:3 /  1 Corinthians 1: 10-13, 17 /  Matthew 4: 12-23

Fr. Charles Johnson, O.P.

            Every time I’ve gone to Honduras as part of our Tulane Catholic Center mission to that country, I’ve appeared in several television interviews and news programs.  We go to Honduras in a low-key manner to serve the people in some very remote villages that most people in the nearby large city of San Pedro Sula have never heard of, much less visited.   Still, the TV and radio stations and newspapers want to talk to us and tell the public about our mission and service to the poor in their country. 

               Dina, the coordinator of our Honduran host group, Misioneros de Esperanza (Missionaries of Hope), tells me that since there is so much bad news about the rampant crime and violence in Honduras, it is urgent to get the message out that good things are also happening there.  Thankfully, some media outlets have taken up that challenge.

            Once again, the ancient message of hope given us by the prophet Isaiah guides our way, even in our times: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.” I’m continually moved in faith by the example of so many people who follow the light of Christ in the midst of difficult situations, from here in New Orleans to my brothers and sisters in faith that live in Honduras and the other Latin American lands I have served in.  How do they do it? 

            We perceive the light in the midst of the darkness of sin and despair when we believe in the One who shines forth with the rays of Divine Mercy and peace.   Following Christ means not to curse the darkness, but trust in the light.  It means to know him as Emmanuel, God with Us:  God with us, yes, but all the time, through the dark valley and during the mountaintop experiences. 

           Pope emeritus Benedict XVI wrote a few years ago, “A distinguishing mark of Christians is the fact that they have a future: it is not that they know the details of what awaits them, but they know in general terms that their life will not end in emptiness.”  He continues, “Only when the future is certain as a positive reality does it become possible to live the present as well.”Hope for the future begins by putting our faith into practice in the present moment.

           Our Honduran brothers and sisters teach us that faith means recognizing the darkness of sin and suffering around us, but that we base and guide our lives by something else – someone else – the radiant light of God’s love. What does that light look like?  It shines from on high and up close.  Pope Francis gives an illuminating response:  “Faith teaches us to see that every man and woman represents a blessing for me, that the light of God’s face shines on me through the faces of my brothers and sisters.” Sometimes those faces might smile at us, sometimes not.  Still, the “light of God’s face” seeks to shine forth, no matter what the masks of selfishness, hate or indifference might try to hide behind them.  

        To seek good news when most of it seems rather bad does not mean to be perennially or superficially happy.  People in Honduras and in our own country and city grow tired of bad news.  We must hope and work for a better and less-violent society.  In faith we must come to know that nothing needs to be destroyed, but built up with the love of God.

          Dominican sister Annie Willetts, O.P. reminded us Dominican friars in a recent retreat, “Sin is the visible absence of God, while grace is the invisible presence of God.”  Invisible?  In a sense, but only because the Lord waits for us to make his mercy and love felt and visible. 

God is there, but that statement only makes sense when we trust that God is with us, so that through us He might also be there for others.

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II Sunday in Ordinary Time – A (Jan. 19, 2014) Readings: Isaiah 49: 3, 5-6 / 1 Corinthians 1: 1-3 / John 1: 29-34

II Sunday in Ordinary Time – A (Jan. 19, 2014)

Readings:  Isaiah 49: 3, 5-6 /  1 Corinthians 1: 1-3 /  John 1: 29-34

Fr. Charles Johnson, O.P.

              At the conclusion of a meeting with a potential donor for our capital campaign to build the new Catholic Center at Tulane University, one of our committee members addressed the two student leaders who were in attendance: “We need to build this new center so we can provide a better ministry and presence to students.  We need you to change the world and make it better.”  His words were spontaneous and sincere and certainly made an impression on all present, especially the students.
“Change the world and make it better,” I thought, “That’s what vocation is all about.  Doing something good with the life that God has given us.”  Perhaps for the students, such words were daunting and presented an ideal that would be challenging to reach.  Still, I’m convinced, they understood and I believe that ideal truly guides them.
          This week, we mark a major event and celebrate a major life:  the annual March for Life to promote our ideal of the dignity of all human life, from conception to natural death, and the need to be on guard against all threats to it.  Monday, January 20, 2014 marks the day to commemorate the life and ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Both moments call to mind the bedrock principles of our faith and how, in our times, there are many situations that remind us that life must be defended and just living must be promoted.  To do so is to work for a better world.  A starting point is acknowledging the dignity of all life, including our own and the lives of those around us.  The continuation is living the gift of life as God’s blessing to us and our response.
         The questions arise, “Do we appreciate the purpose and potential of our lives?  Do we recognize the mission or vocation that is ours?  Will the world be a little better as a result of our passing through it?”The three readings proclaimed today all highlight the dignity of our lives as well as the vocation God gives us and the needs of our world that give it real-life focus. John the Baptist did not know beforehand who would be the Savior, but he knew what God had promised, both to him and the people.  Power was not necessary nor all knowledge.  Rather, trust in God’s promise and the confidence that his life was at the service of such a great blessing.
        The prophet Isaiah put his life at God’s service and discovered not only his life-purpose, but especially the good that the Lord sought to work through him.  He also discovered the purpose of the people of God, the Hebrew people.  The gift of the Lord’s salvation was not a power given to the prophet or the people, but a light that needed to shine through them to the ends of the earth.  Through faith, the discovery of our true purpose in life has to do with the discovery of just how much God loves us.
       Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in a “dark night of the soul,” when threats against his life and the fear of failure surrounded him and he felt all alone, said, “In this state of exhaustion, when my courage had all but gone, I decided to take my problem to God.”  He prayed aloud to God, “I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right.  But now I am afraid.  The people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they too will falter.  I am at the end of my powers.  I have nothing left.  I’ve come to the point where I can’t face it alone.”  He recounted, “At that moment, I experienced the presence of the Divine as I have never experienced him before.”
        Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. did great things without seeking greatness.  So did John the Baptist.  That’s confidence, in God and yourself.  Knowing you have the strength to do great things, because you are willing to trust in God’s goodness and justice as much as in or more than your own instincts.
        Knowing that you have the intelligence to help change the world because you are willing to change your thinking to be more like Christ.  That’s vocation, following the footsteps of Jesus and finding your bliss, finding yourself and the ones who need you.

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III Sunday of Advent: Gospel reading: Matthew 11: 2-11

III Sunday of Advent – A (December 15, 2013)

Gospel reading:  Matthew 11: 2-11

Fr. Charles Johnson, O.P.

 

I can remember elementary school yard antics that seemed to be geared at determining who was number one or the strongest in the bunch.  One time, when I was probably ten years old, I remember my classmates figuring out who was the toughest based on who had beaten who in fights during recess.  Not being one of the big guys in my class, I looked on as a bystander, but understood the twisted logic that was being used to determine the playground king.  Twisted, yes, both in the obsession to determine who was the toughest and in the manner that violence and dominance were employed in the process. 

“Thank God for the wisdom of our years and experience!,” we might think to ourselves.  It is easy to dismiss such experiences as a lack of maturity.  “I’ve grown beyond that,” we might say.  Still, in moments of spiritual honesty, a question can surge forth from the depths of our soul: Have we really grown beyond that?  The race to determine who is the first, strongest, richest, most famous, etc., etc., can be more the obsession of the adult world than the school playground.  Consider the next time we are behind the wheel of a car, are we “king or queen of the road” or exemplars of courtesy?

Jesus seems to turn on their head our conventions to determine who is the greatest among us.  He clearly recognizes the “greatness” of the prophet John the Baptist as a well-demonstrated honor that, indeed, was a gift from God as well as fidelity to a divine mission.  “Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; ….”  Not so fast, the Lord seems to say as he finishes out the statement with a catch:  “… yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” 

Just when we think we have security in worldly systems and hierarchies that value power and wealth, Jesus reminds us that such things are illusory and often end in conflict.  In such systems and mind-sets, only the few can enjoy what is most revered or obsessed over.  Some will be happy, for a while at least, while vast numbers will be sad or downtrodden. 

          The world says, “Only a few can have or attain it.”  Jesus says, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”  His gift of salvation and new life is not for a select few, but offered to all. 

John the Baptist was great because he placed his life at the service of something much greater.  The prophet knew God’s promise of salvation was coming and he wanted to make sure as many people as possible knew the Good News and were prepared to receive it.   His joy was not in being great, but in seeing many receive new life through repentance and forgiveness. 

The kingdom of heaven does not seek “great” people, but offers to all a great gift: God’s mercy in abundance, if only we are willing to stoop down to the level of Jesus who became human and humble and reach up to the potential that he urges us on to.

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First Sunday of Advent - A (December 1, 2013) Homily

 

First Sunday of Advent - A (December 1, 2013)

 Readings: Isaiah 2: 1-5/ Romans 13: 11-14 / Matthew 24: 37-44

Fr. Charles Johnson, OP

 

          If I ask what you long for in life, will it be the same as what you prepare for?  Is what you expect to come to pass the same as what you hope for?  In other words, are your expectations similar to or compatible with your hopes? In today’s readings, ranging from the prophet Isaiah to St. Paul to the Lord’s admonitions in the Gospel according to Matthew, we get an interesting mix of longing and the need, sometimes urgent, for preparation.  The prophet Isaiah leads us to aspire to greater ideals that we long for but rarely seem to experience, whereas St. Paul and Jesus call us to be awake and prepared for the Lord’s coming and not be lulled into complacency. At the same time, I cannot help but perceive that woven into the message of Jesus is the challenge to us that what we long for must be compatible with what we expect to happen or even prepare for.  In other words, the good Lord not only calls out to us to be prepared, but to know what and who it is that we await, or better put, who it is that we long for, who it is that we must make room for in our lives.

         The eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage were not really the issue.  Rather, the problem was and is the living of life without making space for God and the needs of a suffering world all around us. When St. Paul and Jesus admonish us to “stay awake,” it is not about spiritual insomnia, but having a disposition and attitude of longing for God and believing that his promises are real and meant to come to pass in our time and in eternity. The great rabbi Abraham Heschel wrote, “What makes you think you will like heaven, if nothing in your life on earth resembles it.”  Earthly existence surely is not heaven and vice-versa.  However, Christ gives us the means to make sure the two are not strangers.  

It has to do with understanding our earthly weaknesses as reasons for trust in the Lord’s heavenly remedies.

 

It has to do with our knowing and trusting Jesus in the here and now, so we are able to recognize him not only in the future but also in the present. 

 

         Recognize Christ on high and his face in our neighbor.  Knowing and trusting Jesus in our day and age, so that his mercy and peace might truly be both gifts to share and gifts to come. The vision of peace given by the great prophet, of “beating swords into plowshares,” seems like a utopia.  If that’s the case, it’s because we’ve let what we expect take precedence over who and what we hope for. For those who love as God commands us, the coming of Christ is not a threat, but an eagerly-awaited blessing.  A blessing we are meant to embrace and enjoy today and tomorrow.  The Lord comes to us because he loves us.  In the end, being prepared is not limited to being vigilant, but being open to receive his mercy and peace believing and hoping in the good that follows.

Ready or not, Jesus is coming.  Ready or not, he’s already here.

Advent blessings,

Fr. Charlie  

 

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Second Sunday of Advent - A (December 8, 2013) Homily

Second Sunday of Advent - A (December 8, 2013)

Gospel reading:  Matthew 3: 1-12

Fr Charles Johnson, O.P.

 

One of the great spiritual writers of our time, Padre Ignacio Larrañaga, a Capuchin Franciscan priest who lived in Chile, died in late October at 85 years of age.  I had the privilege of hearing him give a talk 4 years ago in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, where I served in mission. 

 

In spite of his advanced age, he told the nearly 1,000 people in attendance a story of an imaginary conversation between John the Baptist and Jesus. 

 

John, with the full force of his prophetic clarity said that the time had come.  “The ax lies at the root of the trees and the time had come to cut them down.  Religious and social corruption had taken root and the only remedy was to chop them down, but from the roots.” 

 

Fr. Larrañaga’s tone changed as he switched to give the response of Jesus, who with equal firmness replied, “No, it’s all about my Heavenly Father’s mercy.  That is what is needed.  Always mercy, the cutting can wait”

 

The effect of the message was palpable.  We had come to hear the words of wisdom of a contemporary spiritual master.  However, instead of an ethereal message, we were brought to the depths of God’s very essence: mercy, simple mercy.  Be patient, let God’s mercy do what is needed.

 

Yes, John the Baptist was right.  He looked upon the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Sadducees as well as the immorality of his time and saw it all for what it was: a failure to recognize sinfulness in its many forms and the need for sincere repentance.  The same can be said for us and our day and age. 

 

The hard-hitting message of John the Baptist had drawing power.  It was obviously very cathartic and brought about sincere conversions in the people who came to him.

 

However, John the Baptist’s perspective needs more, it needs grace. It needs Christ to be complete and to have staying power.   Perhaps John the Baptist needed a little more patience.

 

Pope Francis writes that “we cannot but admire the resources that Jesus used to dialogue with his people and teach them and reveal his mystery to all.” The “secret,” the Pope says, “lies in the way Jesus looked at people, seeing beyond their weaknesses and failings.”

 

Seeing and going beyond our weaknesses and failings to get at the love he himself has given us. Jesus knows where that love is sometimes hidden, do we?  Take the time in prayer to open up your heart to his light; it might be a surprise what we discover. 

 

John the Baptist recognized more the obvious, the sinfulness and hypocrisy of his age.  However, we need Jesus to recognize what is sometimes less obvious to us: that beyond all the sin and suffering that seem to occupy center stage and get all the attention, his love is at work; his grace is alive. 

 

Sometimes the getting beyond our weaknesses and failings, our sinfulness, requires some work.  However, for Jesus it’s not that it takes time, but love.  Keep in mind what St. Peter teaches us in his second letter: “Consider the patience of our Lord as salvation.”  

 

Even in the coldest of hearts, the patient mercy of Christ can find the warmth of love.  How?  Well, it’s a love that he puts there …. Have we let it take root? 

 

The good news is that God prefers to prune the vines and not cut them down.  He longs for us to be fruitful branches, not firewood.

 

Advent blessings,

Fr. Charlie

 

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Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 

Advent Greetings!  You've probably heard it many times before that Advent is a time of waiting and preparation for the coming of Christ, in anticipation of the birth of the child Jesus.  It has much to do with time and how we use it.  For most of us, the month of December brings more activities and obligations that clamor for our attention.  It can seem obvious that time and patience tend to be in short supply.  Also, it can be easy to wonder, do the situations we find ourselves in rule us or are we able to bring things to a reasonable pace that respects our need for health of body and soul?  Little peace within us and between us and those who make up our world will also result in little attention being given to God's presence in our midst.  In pondering our daily routines and obligations, consider the wisdom of Blessed Pope John Paul II:  "Do not be afraid to give your time to Christ! Yes, let us open our time to Christ, that he may cast light upon it and give it direction." 

 

God bless,

 

Fr. Charlie

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