Homily: September 7, 2024, Saturday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time (Suffering).

-

 “To this very hour, we go hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clad and roughly treated, we wander about homeless, and we toil, working with our own hands.”

The Apostle Paul described the life of him and his companions as they do their mission of proclaiming Christ. It was quite a life of hardship and suffering. And it seemed that many, if not all, of the missionaries who went out to proclaim the Gospel suffered similarly – other than persecution from anti-Christianity haters, it was simply hardships in daily living conditions.

Is it true that living for Christ and proclaiming the Gospel means living a harsh life of suffering?

St. Ignatius Loyola said, “If God sends you many sufferings, it is a sign that He has great plans for you and certainly wants to make you a saint.”

So, it is true that to be a saint does mean going through suffering. Doesn’t this sound irrational and sadistic? Why can’t we be faithful to Christ and not have to suffer? Does such suffering come with pain and anguish too?

Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified, also known as “The Little Arab” said, “I desire to suffer always and not to die. I should add: this is not my will, it is my inclination. It is sweet to think of Jesus; but it is sweeter to do His will.”

Well, there you have it. Suffering for Christ is never an anguish, but it is a sweet encounter with the crucified Lord on the cross. To know that we suffer with Christ in doing His will brings more joy than pain.

Being active in ministry, I can tell you that the life of evangelizing the world is not a comfortable mission. Just as St. Paul struggled, I, too, struggle.

The deep consolation I find is when I look at the crucifix - the extended hands of Jesus, nailed to the wood of the cross. He suffered for me and for the world. He was unjustly accused and was counted among criminals for not any crime of His.

On the cross, we see the value, meaning, and purpose of suffering. We live, and die, not for ourselves but for God, and thus for others.

Would we not experience any suffering if we do not follow Christ?

We know that is not true. Anyone and everyone experience suffering in one way or another, in different intensities and extensities.

The two thieves who were crucified with Christ, both suffered the same fate and the same physical punishment for their crimes, but one found meaning, accepted the suffering and was granted salvation; the other found fault, rejected the suffering and wasted his chance of salvation being right next to the Savior.

Yesterday, I received a hospital call to anoint a dying man. His family shared that his son-in-law was also expected to die that same night. Double grief? What words could possibly console the family?

St. Faustina said, “It is You Jesus, stretched out on the cross, who gives me strength and are always close to the suffering soul.”

Our consolation is in knowing that when we go through suffering, and unite it with the suffering Christ, He is close to us.

Pope Benedict XVI reminded us, “We are not created for comfort but for greatness.” The greatness in Christian life can only be achieved by following the same path as our crucified Christ, the path which the apostles took, knowing where it will lead them to – eternity with Jesus.

The sufferings we endure in this life will save us and keep us for eternal life.

St. Teresa of Avila taught us, “Suffering is a great favor. Remember that everything soon comes to an end . . . and take courage. Think of how our gain is eternal.”

Keep our face towards the crucified Christ and keep our focus on the eternal life.

Amen.


Comments

Post a Comment

Read

Homily: September 11, 2024 Wednesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time (best attitudes)

-
 "Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven." When I was a small boy, I used to look up in the sky when I heard a plane fly by. At that time, no one in my village had ever flown in an airplane before, so my dream was to fly in a plane to a place far away from my home. I thought that would be the day I would be very happy. Today I am here in the USA, more than 8 thousand miles away! Do you have a dream for yourself? We all have dreams, and whatever our dreams are, we all believe that when they come true, we will be very happy. I too have a dream for Holy Family School. I dream that every student who comes to this school will experience joy, that they will be happy learning and growing together, to make good friends and create beautiful memories here, and that every student here will gain not just great knowledge of the world, but also develop a deep understanding and love for God. Today’s Gospel passage is known as the Beatitudes. The Be
Read more

Homily: September 16. 2024, Monday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time (Reason)

-
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.” There are many reasons people choose to go to a particular church on Sundays. Some say, “I like the music,” or “I like the homily.” Others might say, “My friends are going there,” or “I like the diversity of this community,” or “The Mass time is convenient.” Some people choose to attend other denominational or non-denominational services to make their Sunday church experience more interesting. What about you? Why do you come to church? There could be many motivations too, but truly, any Mass at any Catholic church is the same, whether the homily is wonderful or awful, whether the music is traditional or contemporary, whether the community is lively or sleepy… because the exact same sacrificial event takes place at every Mass. Be it here in Iowa, or there in South Sudan, it is the same Jesus, the same sacrificial death on the cross, the same redemptive love at every Mass. And so, w
Read more

Funeral Homily: Anna Gomes (103), Thursday January 20, 2022

-
 Anna lived 103 years and God arranged me to encounter her in the last five months of her life. I first met Anna in September 2021. I had just moved to this parish and was having a stressful two months trying to resolve many pressing issues. When I was asked to visit her, I just went without expecting anything more than the usual anointing, blessing and go. I got into Anna’s room in University Park Nursing Home, it was the first time she had seen me and I was wearing a mask, so she gave me a suspicious look, wondering who this stranger was. I pointed to my roman collar and immediately her eyes lit up like an excited little girl. Yet, in her grandmotherly way, she commanded me, “Take off your mask!” and I did. She looked at me so tenderly and smiled like she was seeing her favorite grandson. What followed was the most joyful conversation I ever had with someone I met for the first time. I did not even notice how long we talked. I felt so relaxed, joyful and loved. That first meeting lef
Read more

Meditation: April 7, 2023, Bridge churches stations of the Cross.

-
 Jesus promises to share his reign with the Good Thief (Luke 23:39-43) Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us." The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." ========================= Two criminals were being crucified beside You, Jesus. We call one of them the ‘good thief’. While none of Your gospel writers described him as such, he had become known by this title because of what he said at that moment before his death. Jesus, do you also think he was ‘good’? I thought he was ‘lucky’ more than good, because at that last m
Read more

Homily: December 8, 2023, Solemnity of the immaculate conception of B.V. Mary.

-
Holy Family Shcool Mass:  After the man, Adam, had eaten from the tree, the LORD God called to the man and asked him, "Where are you?"  Has anyone called out to you like that before? Do your parents call you on the phone and ask you “Where are you”? When I was a little boy about age 4 or 5, I used to enjoy wandering about on our small family farm with my siblings. Just walking around, looking at the crops and the trees, the animals and the insects. We could take hours and sometimes walked to the far end of the farm. Then when dinner was ready, my mommy would call out to us loudly and ask, "Where are you?" Mommy knew we were on the farm, so her question was not to ask us for our location, but it was more questioning why we were not yet home for dinner. When God was calling out to Adam, he too knew where Adam was hiding. He is God, of course He knows. So why was He asking that question? Back to the story of my childhood at the farm. When I grew a little older, I used
Read more

Homiía: Mayo 1, 2022, III Domingo de Pascua

-
 Jesús les dijo: “Vengan a almorzar”. Mi mamá cocinaba nuestras comidas familiares a la manera tradicional de la India, preparando todo con ingredientes frescos y cocido a la leña. Pasaba la mayor parte de su tiempo en la cocina cocinando para sus siete hijos. También trabajaba en la granja familiar. Sin embargo, todos los días, a la hora de comer, cuando terminaba de cocinar, nos llamaba a todos: “vengan para comer”. Incluso cuando no nos habíamos portado bien o cuando estaba enojada y molesta con nosotros, siempre que la comida estaba lista, mamá llamaba. Ella debe habernos llamado miles de veces hasta el día en que fue enterrada. Las invitaciones a la hora de comer de mi mamá todavía resuenan claramente en mi corazón. Otra tradición india, mi mamá nunca se sentaba a comer con nosotros cuando teníamos invitados para cenar, tenía que esperar hasta que nosotros, incluido papa y los invitados termináramos de comer antes de comer ella. Mi mamá siempre se aseguraba de que estuviéramos bie
Read more

Homily: June 18, 2023, Sunday of the Eleventh Sunday in ordinary time (God's Love)

-
 "At the sight of the crowds, Jesus' heart was moved with pity because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd." I especially admire Pope Benedict XVI. I can relate to his personality in many ways. He was an introvert and shy, so am I. And he liked bier, so do I. He was one of the greatest theologians of our time. Through the encyclicals, which are papal letters to all the bishops of the church, Popes share their wisdom and insights on world issues and the faith to guide the church forward. When Pope Benedict was installed, many theologians and the world waited eagerly for his first encyclical, wondering which global issue of the time he would address. Instead, his first encyclical dwelt on a very basic yet profound topic, "Deus Caritas est", that means "God is love". It was what the church needed, to go back to who God really is and focus on the very basis and essence of our existence. No world issue can be resolved without kno
Read more

Homilía: Marzo 24, 2022, Jueves de la III semana de Cuaresma.

-
 “El que no está conmigo, está contra mí; y el que no recoge conmigo, desparrama”.”. El mensaje de Jesús es muy claro. No podemos seguir a Jesús parcialmente. Si no lo estamos siguiendo de todo corazón, no somos sus seguidores. Hoy es el vigésimo día de Cuaresma, sin contar los domingos. Estamos a la mitad. ¿Recuerdas lo que decidiste hacer especial para estos 40 días de Cuaresma? ¿Lo estás cumpliendo? Mientras nos esforzamos por fortalecernos espiritualmente, los demonios se esfuerzan más para mantenernos deprimidos. Me pregunto quién está a la cabeza en esta mitad de camino. En mis años de infancia, solo los niños ricos de mi pueblo podían tener bicicletas. Cuando estaba en quinto grado, mi hermano mayor y yo decidimos recolectar flores silvestres de nuez moscada del bosque cercano para venderlas y poder comprar una bicicleta. Nos despertábamos muy temprano en la mañana y corríamos al bosque para buscar y recolectar tantas como fuera posible. Muchos niños de otros pueblos estaban hac
Read more

Homilía: 23 de Octubre 2022, XXX Domingo ordinario (ES)

-
 En la primera lectura escuchamos: “El Señor es un juez que no se deja impresionar por apariencias. No menosprecia a nadie por ser pobre”. Siempre pensé que Dios tiene un amor especial por aquellos que son pobres, débiles y vulnerables. Sin embargo, de las lecturas de hoy está claro que todas las personas son iguales, nadie es favorecido, Dios nos ama a todos por igual. Rico o pobre, fuerte o débil, pecador o santo. Cuando nos presentamos ante Dios, todos somos iguales para Él, apreciados y amados. Igual de amados y valorados. Toda persona humana está creada a imagen y semejanza de Dios, esta es la divinidad que todos compartimos, nuestra identidad, nuestra dignidad. Todos los años, por este tiempo, cuando cambian las estaciones, a menudo noto que los animales también están ocupados preparándose para el invierno. En mi jardín vive una ardilla de tierra que está más ocupada en este tiempo del año. La veo corriendo para arreglar su nido para la hibernación y almacenar comida para el invi
Read more

Homily: June 7, 2022, Tuesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time.

-
 “You are salt of the earth.” When couples are in love, they call each other ‘sweetheart’, ‘honey’ and maybe ‘sugar’? Because they add sweetness to each other’s life. And most religious leaders would expect their followers to be powerful, mighty and unbeatable. But here, Jesus calls His beloved disciples ‘salt’. Such a humble reference. What does Jesus want His disciples to do differently? One. Humble yet purposeful. Salt is common yet very useful in every home, rich or poor. His disciples would reach out and preach the good news to every home, every family in the world. Two. Taste enhancing. The right amount of salt makes food tasty. Without it, food tastes bland. Just a sprinkle of it will bring out the full flavor. His disciples would help everyone realise their purpose, to bring about the full consciousness of their true calling as children of God. Three. Purifies. Traditionally, Holy water is blessed by adding a pinch of salt because salt purifies and wards off evil. Jesus’ discip
Read more