Where Your Treasure Is

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 3, 2025 — Year C
Readings: Eccl 1:2; 2:21-23 / Ps 90 / Col 3:1-5, 9-11 / Lk 12:13-21
by Rev. Mr. Mark De La Hunt, Permanent Deacon

When you are thinking about money and possessions, what comes into your mind? What emotions and desires are evoked in you? It is good to occasionally bring to the Lord Jesus our thoughts on money and possessions, so that He can order them according to His will. That is what the Catholic Church has done by selecting today’s readings.

Today’s gospel, for example, is from a long sermon in front of a large crowd. It begins in Luke Chapter 12 and goes all the way into Chapter 13. In the passage just prior to today’s gospel, Jesus warns us that God has the power to cast us into hell after we die. (Lk 12:5) Shortly after Jesus warns us about hell, the man in today’s gospel interrupts Him with his request that Jesus command his brother to share his inheritance. Obviously, Jesus sensed there was more to the request than fairness. For Jesus said, “Take care to guard against all greed…for one’s life does not consist of possessions.” His words take on greater importance when you know He just told them about hell.  St. Paul’s words in the second reading spell out more clearly the sin of greed. He called it idolatry, which we know is a very serious sin.

Our tendency to overly fixate on money, and the things we can buy with it, is not only in the Bible. It is in popular culture too. Chris Janson’s humorous country hit song, Buy Me a Boat, has this lyric, “I know everybody says money can’t buy happiness, but it could buy me a boat.”  That sentiment did not work out so well for American financier Bernie Madoff, who made billions of dollars and owned three boats, including an 88-ft luxury yacht. He died in 2021, while serving the 12th year of his 150-year prison sentence for cheating people out of their money. He got away with the sin of greed for years, until in 2008, his own sons reported him to the authorities.

Madoff would have done well to pray over today’s first reading. “For what profit comes to a man from all the toil and anxiety of heart to which he has labored…All his days sorrow and grief are his occupation; even at night his mind is not at rest. This also is vanity (or meaningless).” (Eccl 2:23) If our financial goals and desires are rooted in this world, then they will become distorted. They can imprison us, if you will, with a desire that cannot be fulfilled, but that ensnares us, becoming an all-consuming desire.

Money, like all the goods of this world, is not good or bad. It is morally neutral. Accordingly, the Bible has examples of the greedy rich, like the rich man who ignored the beggar Lazarus, and the generous rich, like the centurion Cornelius. (Lk 16:19-31; Acts 10: 1-2) The greedy rich man ended up in hell. Cornelius, on the other hand, was visited by an angel who said to him, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God (Acts 10:4).” He became the first gentile to become Christian, baptized by none other than St. Peter.

The reality is we need money to care for ourselves and our families. Working for that money is also important, as it strengthens our God-given dignity. And as we see from Cornelius’s charity in Acts, giving money to the Church and to those in need elevates our work to heaven, where it is seen by God.

The “rich fool” that Jesus spoke of in the gospel had developed a disordered desire for possessions. Disordered means not ordered to God’s will. Jesus condemned him because the man “stored up treasure for himself, but was not rich in what matters to God.” (Lk: 12:21) That man had been very successful in using his God-given talents to produce a “bountiful harvest.” That was a good thing, assuming he did it in a principled manner.

Where the wheels came off was how he responded to his success. Instead of giving thanks to God, who gave him his talent and ability, made the crops grow, and gave him his very life, and instead of giving some of his bounty to those in need, he “stored it up for himself.” (Lk 12:18) He was duped by the Father of Lies, the devil, into idolizing God’s gift instead of thanking God the Giver. He began to think, as Father Gadenz summarizes, that there is no need for God, and he put his trust in his possessions. Luke reveals this by sharing the rich fool’s inner thoughts writing, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!” (Lk 12:19) But then he died.

So how do we avoid this eternal trap? How do we avoid beginning to idolize the gifts of work, money, and possessions to the point they rob us of the greatest treasure in the world:  love, love of wife, love of children (Madoff’s sons had him imprisoned), and eternal life in heaven abiding in God, who is Love? The answer is in scripture and human nature.

In scripture, we read in Proverbs: “Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.” (Prv 10:2) And the author of Sirach wrote, “Store up almsgiving in your treasury, and it will save you from every evil.” (Sir 29:12) But what did Jesus say?

If you keep reading today’s twelfth chapter of Luke, Jesus gives us much guidance on avoiding the “idolatry of greed” by being in relationship with His Father who cares for us. He talks about how his Father takes care of the birds and adorns the fields with flowers and says, “…how much more will He clothe you—you of little faith!  And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world (rich fools like Madoff) runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well… Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses (or money bags) for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Lk 12:28-34)

As for human nature, what we pour our time and talent into is what we care about. We feel affection and appreciation for our homes, boats, gardens, animals, arts, crafts, careers, and music. We pour so much of ourselves into them that they become a part of us. St. Augustine said we are what we love. This is why it is so important that we guard against greed by pouring some time to be in relationship with Jesus through prayer, the sacraments, adoration, and worship (Mass). Notice that by participating actively in Mass we do all four to these spiritual exercises or acts of piety.

These works of humble piety develop in us an appreciation and love for Jesus through His Church. Pursuing Jesus through our faith fans the flame He placed in us at our Baptism (what St. Paul, in the second reading, called being raised with Christ) and that He strengthens in Confirmation. This flame, the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, enables us to love as God loves, which is best experienced in the love between a husband and wife. They love each other unconditionally, with tender mercy when called for. And in caring for their children, they train to feed the hungry and to clothe the naked. This is why marriage and child rearing are so important. It is where we train in charity, to be like God. It is where we learn the godly use of work, money, and possessions.

All of this is predicated on a childlike faith that we are not an accident of nature and probability. We believe we were intentionally made by God out of pure love, and that this world is not our home. Therefore, we do not need to grasp for all the wealth we can accumulate. Instead, this world is where we train in holiness, with the grace of Jesus Christ, in communion with the Holy Spirit. We open ourselves to God’s love and then pour it out by loving those in need, family first and then the poor, the sick, the lonely, the imprisoned, and those who are mourning (make time for funerals).

Love is the only treasure that each of us will be able to take into heaven. That is why Jesus’ words that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” are so important. We want our hearts to be taken up into heaven when we die. We confess this at every Mass when, after Father tells us, “Lift up your hearts,” we cry out, “We lift them up to the Lord.” Recall too, that loving others requires self-sacrifice.  Father will offer up that sacrificial love in a few moments in the Eucharistic Prayer when he prays that his sacrifice and ours may be acceptable to God. Those words are only possible if our hearts are on the Giver and not His gifts.

Yes, money can buy a boat, and that can be a good thing. The first pope, Peter, owned one. But only when Peter used his boat in accord with Jesus’ will did it become an instrument for his conversion of heart and for the good of others (someone got to eat those 153 large fish). Let us seek his intercession. St. Peter, pray for us that we, like Cornelius whom you baptized, will use our money and possessions for the love of God, family, and those in need. Amen.

Eggs and Scorpions

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 27, 2025 — Year C
Readings: Gn 18:20-32 / Ps 138 / Col 2:12-14 / Lk 11:1-13
by Rev. Augustine Temu, Guest Celebrant

My name is Augustine Temu.  I am a Roman Catholic priest, originally from the Roman Catholic diocese of Tanga.  Tanga is in Tanzania.  Tanzania is in east Africa.  If you don’t know it, just remember the second highest mountain in the world is Mount Kilimanjaro, which is in my country.  The second deepest lake in the world, being four miles deep, Lake Tanganyika, is in my country.  The most precious gem is only found in my country, and it is called tanzanite.  Currently I am a priest at St. Mary Magdalene parish in the diocese of Pittsburgh, and I work for Cross Catholic Outreach as an outreach priest.

Let us focus on two things that make us come to church every weekend.  First and foremost, to listen to the Word of God, and secondly to receive Jesus Himself in the Holy Eucharist.

Today I’d like you to think about the contrast between egg and fish, serpent (or snake) and scorpion.  Fish, egg, serpent, and scorpion.  Jesus uses contrasting symbolism to teach about God’s goodness in answering prayer.  Fish and egg represent nourishment, life, and good gifts.  Serpent and scorpion represent harm, deceit, and destruction, often associated with evil.  This gospel passage reassures us that God gives what is truly good, not harmful or deceitful.  God knows our very needs, not just our wants.  There’s a difference between a need and a want.  Sometimes we want things, but God gives what we need, not what we want.

The Holy Spirit is God’s greatest gift, the source of truth, guidance, peace, and strength.  In the last two sentences of the gospel today, Jesus says that the Father will give the Holy Spirit.  This is the best gift we can desire because it is the source of truth, guidance, peace, and strength.

Secondly, we ask God for fish but receive a scorpion:  This is a deep spiritual struggle many of us face when prayers seem unanswered and the result is suffering.  We ask God sometimes for a job, health, for peace, and instead we face rejection, illness, or conflict.  It may feel like we asked for a fish and we received a scorpion.  But God sees differently.  What seems like a scorpion may turn out to be a path to deeper transformation, humility, or grace.  You can read an example in the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (2 Cor 12:7-10), when Paul prayed three times to be freed from his thorn in the flesh, but God said, “My grace is sufficient for you.”  Paul asked for relief, or in other words, a fish, and he received endurance and grace, not a scorpion but something greater.

Thirdly, fish, scorpion, and the modern materialistic world:  In today’s world, driven by consumerism, greed, and superficial desires, this teaching challenges us in several ways. People often pursue material things, thinking they will be satisfied.  Fish becomes money, fame, power, and so on.  But sometimes what people get is a serpent, addiction, anxiety, emptiness.  In a materialistic culture, even parents and leaders may unknowingly give scorpions, such as overindulgence, pressure to succeed without ethics, replacing love with gadgets.  Like God, let us give what nourishes the soul—time, truth, love and virtue, not just material things.

Fourthly, beware of the serpent in disguise:  Many things today look attractive, such as wealth, status, and popularity, but carry hidden dangers.  The serpent today whispers through the following: consumerism, which means “Buy this and you will be happy.”  Secondly, ego, which means “Be better than others” and that brings pride inside—that I feel I am better off than others.  Thirdly, compromise is another way whereby the serpent whispers through.  And what is compromise?   “Everybody does it,” “It is normal,” “So don’t worry, do it.”  Be watchful.  What seems like wisdom is often a clever lie that separates us from God.

Fifthly, the scorpion has hidden poison:  Scorpions have a sting that is concealed until they strike. They represent harm hidden under the surface.  Today, many things appear harmless or beneficial but cause spiritual damage.  For example, addictive entertainment, pornography, violent media.  Toxic relationships disguised as love. Overuse of social media breeds anxiety and comparison.  Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.  (2 Cor 11:14)   What glitters may not be gold; it may be a scorpion in disguise.

Sixthly, materialism is a beautiful serpent:  The world says, own more, show more.  But Jesus says, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?”  (Mk 8:35) I should make it very clear, I don’t say wealth is bad, riches are bad.  No, it is good.  I’d like everybody to be rich and have wealth.  But if you have wealth and you aren’t compassionate, sensitive, kind, merciful, supportive, sharing that blessing with others, it’s a scorpion.  If it is used for selfishness, individualism, self-centeredness and you don’t become aware of the needs of others, especially those who are less fortunate, it’s a serpent.  But if you have wealth and riches, be they intellectual, emotional, economical, (“riches” doesn’t necessarily mean money, even if you have talent, that’s riches) and you share them with others, becoming compassionate, merciful, kind, volunteering, that an egg, that’s a fish, that’s good.   Materialism often disguises itself as security or progress, but it can choke the soul, the thorns that choke the Word. (Lk 8:14) Not every egg is safe.  Be rooted in prayer, scripture, sacraments, and the community.

Today I have come to you to ask for your support. Cross Catholic Outreach is dealing with helping the poorest of the poor in different countries, especially in the developing countries. Those who are hungry, those who are thirsty, those who are homeless, those who are naked, to empower them, to share our blessings with them. And today I have come to you to ask for your generosity, to ask for your sensitivity, to ask for your sharing, that whatever you can to help these people. These are people in different countries, in Asia, in Africa, South America, Central America, and in the Caribbean. And you can learn more information from our website (https://crosscatholic.org/).

If you donate $50 you can provide 333 meals for hungry children; $92 can deliver a lifetime of safe drinking water to a family of four; $250 can help to provide lifesaving medical care for infants in impoverished communities; $500 can help sponsor a self-help project allowing families to break the cycle of poverty, $1,500 can help to start building a house.

These are very minimal when we compare our lives in America with those developing countries. We are very blessed, but sometimes we take things for granted. For example, in my country, which is similar to other African countries, babies die and suffer from water borne diseases, such as E. coli, cholera, typhoon fever, bilharzia, hepatitis A and B. Women and girls fight and scramble for water, people walk long distances, almost four to five miles away for water, while in America I don’t see babies and children dying and suffering from water borne diseases.

I ask you today, and I know you want to give an egg, you want to give a fish to these people in these different countries. Whatever way you’d like to be sensitive, to be compassionate, to be kind. This is a standalone, nonprofit organization, 501 (3)(c) by the IRS, and therefore you can claim this on your taxes at the end of the year.

And last but not least, it is not the money you give, but the happiness, the joy, the transformation, the egg, the fish you will have given to these people in those developing countries. And on top of that, at the final day of judgement, when you die and you meet with that gentleman, Jesus, He will tell you, “Now enter in the home of my Father,” and you will ask Jesus, “Why are you welcoming me so joyfully into your Kingdom?” He will tell you, “Whatsoever you did to the people of Africa, that you did unto Me. When I was hungry you gave me to eat, when I was thirsty, you gave me to drink.”

True Hospitality

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 20, 2025 — Year C
Readings: Gn 18:1-10a / Ps 15 / Col 1:24-28 / Lk 10:38-42
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

Today’s readings invite us to reflect on hospitality, not just to one another, but to God Himself.  They challenge us to ask, “How do I welcome God into my life?  Do I allow myself to sit at His feet like Mary, or do I allow myself to become anxious and distracted like Martha?”  Through Abraham, Paul, and also with Martha and Mary, we learn that true hospitality involves both action and contemplation, service and presence.

Abraham, in our first reading, sees three men approaching in the heat of the day.  These visitors are no ordinary guests.  They are a manifestation of the Lord Himself.

Abraham runs to welcome them, prepares a lavish meal, and tends to them with humility and joy.  This is one of the most beautiful images of sacred hospitality in the Old Testament.  And what is the result of this hospitality?  A promise from God that Sarah will bear a son within the year.  Abraham shows us that when we make space for God, miracles can happen.

The Church fathers saw this scene as a foreshadowing of the Trinity and the Eucharist.  God visits us, feeds us, and blesses us when we welcome Him with open hearts.

Saint Paul, in our second reading, speaks of his suffering as a participation in Christ’s Passion for the sake of the Church.  He emphasizes the mystery that has been revealed: “Christ in you, the hope for glory.”  His mission is to present everyone perfect in Christ, to proclaim Him, and to help others grow in maturity of faith.

Here Paul models spiritual hospitality, opening his heart to God’s mission and welcoming others into the life of Christ through his teaching and sacrifice.  This ties beautifully with the gospel.  The deeper purpose of any Christian service is not just doing good but helping others encounter Christ.

In our gospel reading, Jesus enters the home of Martha and Mary.  Martha welcomes Him but becomes anxious and overwhelmed with the work of serving.  Meanwhile, Mary sits at the feet of Jesus, listening.  When Martha complains, Jesus gently corrects her.  “Martha, Martha, you’re anxious and worried about many things.  There is need of only one thing.  Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her.”

It is a beautiful passage about Mary and Martha and their hospitality, but it is also a very misunderstood passage.  It can be quite confusing.  It may be helpful to keep in mind that Jesus is very good friends with both Mary and Martha.  This passage does not condemn Martha’s service.  After all, she’s the one who welcomed Jesus.  But Jesus draws attention to the disposition of the heart.  Mary has chosen to be fully present to Christ.  She recognizes that being with Him is more important than doing for Him.

As Saint Francis of Assisi once said, “We must not be wise and prudent according to the flesh, but instead we must be simple, humble, and pure.”  Mary’s humble presence is a model of simplicity and purity.

All three readings emphasize welcoming the Divine Presence: true acts of hospitality as with Abraham and Martha, spiritual service and suffering as with Paul, and attentive listening and contemplation as with Mary.  Together, they challenge us to examine how to balance action and contemplation, work and worship, service and stillness.

The Church reminds us today that prayer and action are both necessary.  Prayer is both a gift of praise and a determined response on our part.  It always presupposes effort.  Martha’s work and Mary’s stillness both have value.  The Church does not elevate one at the expense of the other, but calls us to a unity of life, where action flows from prayer, and prayer is expressed in action.

Sometimes we ask ourselves, “Should we be like Martha, or should we imitate Mary?”  As our readings tell us today, we are not called to choose between being Martha or Mary, but to integrate both aspects into our lives.  We can be both.  Be like Martha in service—generous, active, and caring; and be like Mary in spirit— contemplative, present, and attentive to the Lord.

A Christian life is one of prayerful action and active prayer.  When our service is rooted in prayer, it becomes fruitful and peaceful, rather than anxious or burdensome.  In our modern world, we are often more like Martha—rushed, distracted, and anxious.  Even our service in the Church can become burdensome if not grounded in Christ.  As followers of Christ, we are called to take time daily to sit at Jesus’ feet, through scripture, silent prayer, or Eucharistic Adoration.

We are also called to be truly present to others.  In a digital-hearted world, presence is the most radical form of hospitality.  As Paul reminds us in the second reading, our mission is to proclaim Christ, to help others to mature in faith, and to live in such a way that Christ is seen in us.  We are called to be hosts to Christ, welcoming Him into our hearts, homes, and communities.  We are also called to be Christ to others, offering His Presence through our listening, compassion, and love.

There is much to do, but only one thing is necessary:  to be united with Christ.  Let us serve like Martha, but only after we have sat like Mary.  Action without contemplation could be fruitless and quite misguided, a waste of effort.  And contemplation without action could be just self-indulgence.  Both are needed in their own order, with first priority given to sitting at Christ’s feet, listening to Him, being open to Him, and learning from Him.

Let us welcome God into our lives like Abraham, so that we, too, may receive His blessing.  Let us suffer with Paul for the Church, teach Christ with our lives, and build communities rooted not just in activity, but in love and contemplation.  Let us remember the gentle wisdom of Jesus: “Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her.”

May we do the same, so that, in all things, Christ may be made known, loved, and served.

To Whom Can I Be a Neighbor Today?

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 13, 2025 — Year C
Readings: Dt 30:10-14 / Ps 69 / Col 1:15-20 / Lk 10:25-37
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

Today’s readings invite us into a deeper understanding of what it means to live the faith we profess, not only through words or pious intentions, but through concrete acts of love and mercy. The scriptures challenge us to look inward and outward, to see the law not as distant and unattainable, but as something already written on our hearts, calling us to reach out to others, especially those most in need.

Moses, in our first reading, tells the people of Israel that God’s commandments are not too mysterious or remote. The law is not in heaven nor is it beyond the sea. No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts. You have only to carry it out. This is a profound affirmation: God’s will is accessible. We do not need to search far and wide to discover how we are to live. The law of love has already been revealed to us. It is within us, inviting us to respond. This anticipates the new covenant in Christ, who fulfills the law and calls us to love God and neighbor with our whole being.

In our second reading, St. Paul proclaims the cosmic and divine majesty of Christ. He is the image of the invisible God. All things were created through Him and for Him; and through Him, God was pleased to reconcile all things to Himself.

Why does Paul emphasize Christ’s supremacy here? Because only in Christ can we truly understand the meaning of love, mercy, and reconciliation. Jesus is not just a teacher of morality. He is the source and goal of all creation. He reconciles what is broken, unites what is scattered, and restores peace. This reading sets the foundation for the gospel message: The One who calls us to love our neighbor is not a distant deity, but the Lord of the universe, who Himself became our neighbor in Christ.

Our gospel reading tells us the famous parable. A scholar of the law asks Jesus a profound question: What must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus answers with the twofold commandment: Love God and love your neighbor.  But the scholar, seeking to justify himself, asks: Who is my neighbor? Jesus responds with the story that turns expectations upside down.

It is not the priest or the Levite who shows mercy, but the Samaritan, a social and religious outsider. This story forces us to confront uncomfortable truths. Love of neighbor is not limited to those like us or those we deem worthy.  St. Augustine wrote, “What does love look like? It has the hands to help others, the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. That is what love looks like.” The Samaritan didn’t ask whether the man deserved help. He simply responded to suffering with compassion. Jesus’ final instruction is clear: “Go and do likewise.”

All three readings point toward one essential truth. Love is not distant, abstract, or theoretical.  It is near. It is visible in the person of Christ. And it is demanded of us in daily life. Our first reading says the law is near to our hearts. St. Paul reminds us that Christ is the fullness of God’s love. And the gospel shows us what love looks like when it is lived. It crosses boundaries, takes risk, and restores life.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that the works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities. (CCC 2447) The Good Samaritan embodies the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The Church teaches that love of neighbor is inseparable from love of God. In fact, it is the measure of our love for God. As Pope Benedict XVI once said, “A Eucharist which does not pass over into the concrete practice of love is intrinsically fragmented.”

Nowadays, where polarization, prejudice, and indifference often dominate headlines, the parable of the Good Samaritan is as urgent as ever. Who are the wounded along our roads today? We see homeless people ignored by society; the refugees fleeing war and persecution; the neighbor struggling with addiction or mental illness; the unborn child, the elderly, the lonely, and the abandoned. Even those who we might consider enemies or outsiders.

We are not called to ask, “Who is my neighbor?” as a way to limit our responsibility. Instead, we must ask, “To whom can I be a neighbor today?” Our mission as Christians is to make visible the mercy of God through our actions. We are called to be attentive to those who suffer physically, emotionally, or spiritually.  To be courageous in crossing boundaries of race, religion, politics, or prejudice to serve others.  To be generous with our time, compassion, and resources. And to be imitators of Christ, Who is the ultimate Good Samaritan. He stooped down to heal our wounds and gave His life to restore us.

Brothers and sisters, the commandment is not far away. Christ is not distant. The path to eternal life is not hidden. The law is in your heart. Christ in in your midst. And your neighbor is at your doorstep. Let us then go and do likewise, loving with hands that serve, with eyes that see suffering, and with hearts that beat with the mercy of Christ.

May Jesus Christ be praised.

Sent on Mission

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 6, 2025 — Year C
Readings: Is 66:10-14c / Ps 66 / Gal 6:14-18 / Lk 10:1-12; 17-20
by Rev. Mr. Mark De La Hunt, Permanent Deacon

You may have heard it said that “The Church does not so much have a mission, as the Church ‘is’ mission.” Jesus said it this way, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” (John 20:21) The Father sent Jesus on mission to save us. Likewise, Jesus sends us on mission to save others. In Luke’s gospel today, He sent seventy-two disciples on mission, and He told them how to go about it. Our challenge, adults and youth, is to open our hearts and minds to the mission.

Luke wrote that “the Lord appointed seventy-two” disciples to go on mission. (Lk 10:1) Just as the twelve apostles represent the regathering of the twelve tribes of Israel, the seventy-two disciples anticipate the mission to the Gentiles, for that was the number of nations descended from Noah, which spread across the earth (Gn 10). It also alludes to the seventy elders Moses appointed to be prophets in Numbers 11.

Pope Francis took this call to proclaim the Gospel to all nations and made it personal. He said we need to reach out to those “on the peripheries.”  Cardinal Joseph Tobin of the Diocese of Newark expanded upon Pope Francis’s challenge. He wrote, “Getting outside ourselves and going to the periphery can mean any effort to reach out to others with compassion and understanding. It does not mean that we abandon our beliefs, principles, or way of life. But it does mean that we open ourselves to those who are different from us and, in so doing, share with them the good news that all are loved by God and redeemed in Christ.”

Jesus showed us the way when He went to the people on the peripheries, and it perplexed the Pharisees. The evangelist Matthew wrote that upon seeing Jesus with the people on the periphery, they asked His disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” [Jesus] heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Mt 9:10–13)

Each of us, children and adults, are being called to ask the Holy Spirit to show us people who may be outside our usual circle of friends and acquaintances, and that we may not feel comfortable around, but that need to know God loves them and that He shows that love most powerfully in the worship/liturgy and sacraments of the Catholic Church, the only church He founded.

Next, Jesus sent the seventy-two out in pairs. We are stronger together. Marriage is a great example. The love of husband and wife draws from the fount of the inexhaustible love of Jesus and overflows in acts of charity, beginning at home and then the community. If you are single, pair up with a believing friend, especially a parishioner. A friend in Christ can boost your courage to share your faith. Whether with a spouse or with a friend, evangelizing in pairs is important, for Jesus warned us that we will be like “lambs among wolves.” (Lk 10:3).

Those who may behave like wolves are not the only part of mission work that makes us uncomfortable. Uncertainty does, too, and an essential element of mission that helps us overcome it is trusting in God’s providence, His care for us. (1 Pt 5:7) Jesus told the seventy-two, “Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals…” (Lk 10:4).  When we say yes to the Lord, He provides us everything we need. I experienced this firsthand when I flew to New Orleans on mission to bring my brother, Kevin, back into the Church.

He was in home hospice, dying from cancer. Uncertainty and fear filled me. I had no training in caring for a dying person. And Kevin was separated from the Church because he could not reconcile his same-sex attraction with the Church’s moral teachings. And, by the way, this occurred before I was a deacon, so don’t think I had lots of theological and pastoral training and the sacrament of Holy Orders to help me. What I did have, though, I brought to bear. I asked people in our parish to pray that Kevin would come back to the faith before he died, and off I went, praying the rosary often.

After settling in, I walked to Kevin’s parish for 7 AM daily Mass and afterwards told the priest, Fr. Bob, my brother needed Holy Anointing, but that I was not sure he would allow it. Fr. Bob told me he would come if Kevin agreed to it. The big moment came. I sat by Kevin’s hospice bed in his living room and said I had something very important to ask him. I told him his priest wanted to come and give him the sacrament of anointing of the sick and asked him if he would allow it. I braced myself for an angry refusal. Kevin’s response was a simple and peaceful, “Ok.”  Later that day, I overheard him on the phone with a friend excitedly and happily telling them that Fr. Bob came and anointed him.

This story illustrates an incredibly important truth! The Holy Spirit goes before us on mission. We do not convert anyone. Our part is necessary, but the Holy Spirit works in their hearts before we arrive. We show them compassion and love that speaks to their mind. The Holy Spirit, who is love, speaks to their soul. This is why Kevin, who had no wife and no children and was dying, found happiness with Jesus, who came to him powerfully in the sacraments of Holy Orders (Fr. Bob) and Holy Anointing.

Further along in the gospel, Jesus also emphasizes peace, commanding the seventy-two to say, “Peace to this house!” (Lk 10:5) Note that Luke put an exclamation point after Jesus’ command. The point is to be at peace and to remain at peace while speaking with and listening to the person you felt the Holy Spirit nudge you to go to. Of course, you may not meet that person in a house. It could happen on a plane trip or in a restaurant or at work or school or at a game or concert. In all cases, a smile and sincere heart and reflective listening will bring Christ’s peace to the person.

What if that person rejects your words or cuts you off and or rolls their eyes and walks away? Jesus covers that too. He said that if you are speaking to a peaceful person, your peace will rest on them, but if not, it will return to you. (Lk 10:6) That is a win-win, Jesus-style! If your message is rejected, thank Jesus for the peace that returned to you. Also, to build up your courage, remember the first Pope’s words, “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” (1 Pt 4:14)

This next advice from Jesus was practiced by the Holy Name of Mary Catholic Work Camp teens and adults, when they went on mission to the people on the peripheries in the Bristol and Abingdon area.  Jesus said, “Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you…Do not move about from one house to another.” (Lk 10:7) For the most part, the teens worked on one person’s home the entire week, helping them with basic needs like wheel chair ramps and all kinds of home repairs. They prayed with them and “ate whatever was set before [them].” (Lk 10:8). In doing so, they built up that person’s God-given dignity and made friends with them. Do not underestimate this. Many of these people are not only poor, but also lonely or cut off from their family. The teens, seminarians, and bishop visiting them means the world to them.

The teens also grew closer to those they were on mission with. When we say yes to going on mission, God’s grace always accomplishes more than we expect. And the work camp teens and adults returned like the seventy-two; they were rejoicing. You can see their testimonies on the Holy Name of Mary Facebook page.

Jesus also said, “Cure the sick…and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’” (Lk 10:9) Do not gloss over this. Healings have always been a part of our faith and mission. And when we are speaking with someone that we think the Holy Spirit wants us to bring to Jesus, we need to listen expectantly and with a loving and compassionate heart. And if they share some difficulty, suffering, or fear, we meet Jesus in that pain with them, not to be overcome by it, but that Jesus may overcome it through us.

Father Henri Nouwen, in his book, The Wounded Healer, wrote the following about the power of these moments of intimate prayer. “Let us not diminish the power of waiting [to listen to a person who is suffering] by saying that a lifesaving relationship cannot develop in an hour. One eye movement or one handshake can replace years of friendship when [a person] is in agony. Love not only lasts forever, it needs only a second to come about.”

Father Nouwen also used a powerful metaphor to encourage us to enter into another person’s suffering so that we can pray with them there and bring them to Jesus. He wrote, “Who can save a child from a burning house without taking the risk of being hurt by the flames?” He wrote that we have to be willing to lose some of our “precious peace of mind…for who can take away suffering without entering into it?”

Jesus gave us that example on the Cross. Indeed, it is the power of the Cross, that entered into us at our baptism, that enables us to go on mission to enter into the suffering of those on the peripheries in order to bring them to Christ. Jesus’ suffering on the Cross gives our suffering and the suffering of the one we are praying with a purpose, salvation, and a power resurrection.

We are the seventy-two to whom Jesus promised, “I have given you the power to tread…upon the full force of the enemy, and nothing will harm you.” (Lk 10:19) Our enemy is not the people on the peripheries. Humanity only has only one enemy, Satan, and he has no power over us who are baptized and who through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, do what Jesus commanded us to do: “Love one another as I have loved you.” (Jn 13:34) Jesus is sending us, and we were born for this. Amen.

Who Do You Say That He Is?

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
June 29, 2025 — Year C
Readings: Acts 12:1-11 / Ps 34 / 2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18 / Mt 16:13-19
by Rev. Sam Hill, Guest Celebrant

I am so thankful to be here again to celebrate Mass with you all.  A couple of Wednesdays ago, on the 18^th, I said that Holy Name of Mary embraced me and that I was kind of surprised when I decided to go to seminary and discovered that all these people really cared about the priesthood.  You made me feel humble and I have so much gratitude to you all, especially as you took me in as a new convert and then as a man going off to the seminary.

What I was thinking about in reading this gospel today is that seminary is a time of deep interior conversion, or at least it should be.  It’s a place where we find that we encounter the Lord day after day.  We have Mass every day.  We have confession available every day of the week if you need it, and we are encouraged to go at least once a week, as seminarians preparing to be priests.

In a way, Peter and Paul, I think, had a seminarian experience.  They were with the Lord day after day, experiencing Him face to face, hearing His words, learning from Him, learning who they were themselves, and learning who Jesus was.  Therefore, at the core of this process of conversion, which we are all called to as Christians, is that question that we hear today: “Who do you say that I am?”  After encountering Jesus day after day, we find that we know him better and better, and we’re able to answer that question.

Who do you say that He is?  Who is He to you?  As we continue to grow in our Christian faith, Jesus never stops asking this question of us.   That’s important because this question is a marker that tells us if we have grown.  Have we grown closer to Jesus?  Somebody asked if it is even possible to know God, though.  Is it possible to know who Jesus is?  In fact, Saint Augustine would say that the person who says that he understands God reveals to everyone else that he understands nothing.  He doesn’t understand God at all.

Does this mean that we can’t know God?  No, we can.  We can know who God is, but our knowledge is maybe different than what we expect.  Our knowledge of God is our relationship; it’s something that’s ongoing and dynamic.  It’s continual and it continues to grow over time.

So, the answer to that question, “Who do you say that I am?” is not just one fixed thing.  You can’t just say, “This is who Jesus is,” and that’s it and that’s that.  But this question, this relationship, is dynamic; it grows.  And it’s dynamic, not in the sense that it completely changes.  Jesus is not changing it every day.  God is the same from all time.  But it changes in the sense that it’s always getting deeper.  You’re always able to grow more deeply and more profoundly in your faith.

There’s no end to the knowledge of God, but the relationship can grow stale.  In fact, it can lose life.  We lose interest in Him when we stop seeking to know Him.  The psalms describe Jesus as the fountain of life.  He’s not just a pool of life.  The baptismal font is not just a pool that’s stagnant or stale.  It’s described as gushing water.  We are always being filled continually with Him.  In fact, that’s what heaven will be like.  It won’t be this place where we just know who Jesus is.  It will be where Jesus is revealed in His fullness day after day.  There’s no end to God’s goodness, and heaven is the place where we will be filled day after day, moment after moment, with the fullness of God’s goodness.

A good friendship is one where you never stop learning more about the other person.  I challenge each of you, and this is a difficult thing, to ask your friend if you think about it, “Who do you say that I am?” Have you ever been asked that by someone else?  Who am I to you?  How do you see me?  How has your perspective changed about me over time?

I think it’s a very difficult question.  A lot of our friendships can feel stale at some point.  You have grown accustomed to each other, and you do the same things that you always do, but a true friendship is one that is always growing, always getting deeper, always getting closer.  This could be a really cool way to take stock of a relationship that has grown stale in your lives.

“Who do you say I am?”  This is a question that Jesus is asking us about Himself.  He’s asking, who do you see Me as?  This is a good Sunday for us to evaluate that question. Am I growing in love with God?  Or have I let that relationship grow stale?  Has that relationship grown flat?

Both Peter and Paul have great stories of growing in friendship with Jesus.  Their stories are great, not because they are just great apostles.  (We call them the princes of the apostles; they’re in the Collect prayer we heard this morning.)  They’re the ones that founded the Church.  Paul went out and preached to the Gentiles, and Peter became this solid figure who died in Rome.  Their stories are great, not because of how they ended, but because of what happened in the meantime.  They’re great because of the imperfections that they eventually overcame with Jesus’ help.

Peter was first a fisherman whom Jesus called and who came to know Jesus, but even in him we see this growth over time.  He knows Jesus as this man who has called him to be His follower at first, and then in the gospel today, we hear that Peter makes this profound profession of Jesus, “You are the Lord.”

After this passage we will encounter a Peter who denies Jesus, a Peter who abandons Jesus on the cross.  The fact that Peter is one of the apostles, allowed this story to be in the gospel.  God allowed this story to be shared.  He knows this story is for His glory and for our good.  This story lets us know that even though we have come to know Jesus, we don’t have to be perfect.  We can always grow more and more.  Jesus allows that too.  He knows that we’re imperfect, so despite that initial imperfection of Peter, despite his denial, despite his doubt, we come to the end of his life where he’s able to not turn away from his cross, but actually embrace it.

Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome has become a place of pilgrimage, even from the time that he died.  There’s a story about how, when Christianity became legal in Rome, the emperor Constantine built this beautiful church called St John Lateran, and that was going to be the heart of the church in Rome.  In fact, it’s still the cathedral of Rome.  It’s the place where the Pope presides.

However, Constantine noticed, and was disappointed, that many Christians would not go to that beautiful church.  They kept going out of the city walls across the Tiber River to a grand mausoleum called Vatican on the Vatican Hill.  He said, “Why are they going there?”  It was because they had a devotion to Peter even in the early days.  They had a devotion that carries on in the tradition even today.  That place where Peter died, where he made that testament, where his denial became his acceptance, where his denial became his great act of love and sacrifice.  It’s an important place for us as Christians and Catholics.

Paul similarly had a great conversion, because he was a Pharisee and he was persecuting the Christians.  Today, if there were somebody who was murdering Christians and all of a sudden he said, “I want to become an apostle,” would we even allow that?  Would we let that happen?  It’s kind of crazy to think that the very man who was killing many, many Christians became the one to evangelize the entire world, and became a testament to the Gentiles.  One of my favorite verses in the gospels says, “There is no greater love than this—to lay down one’s life for a friend.”  That’s what the Christian life is about.

Who do we say Jesus is?  He’s a friend, and that means that we grow in a relationship with Him day after day, that we grow deeper and deeper in love with Him each day.  So where will this friendship with Jesus take us?  I think we don’t really know.  Peter was a fisherman.  Paul was a Pharisee.  Paul was killing Christians, yet these two men became great apostles.  Each was unique, each was an individual in his mission, but they show us that friendship with Jesus is worth living for and worth dying for.

The Answer to Our Hunger

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
June 22, 2025 — Year C
Readings: Gn 14:18-20 / Ps 110 / 1 Cor 11:23-26 / Lk 9:11b-17
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

Today, on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi, the Church invites us to pause and contemplate the wondrous gift of the Eucharist, the source and summit of the Christian life.  In a world where many are starving, not just for food, but for love, truth, peace, and hope, the Eucharist remains God’s answer, a feast that feeds both body and soul.  Let us reflect on the readings that unveil the deep meaning of this feast.

In our first reading, we encounter Melchizedek, the mysterious priest-king of Salem, who offers bread and wine and blesses Abram.  This is more than an ancient gesture of hospitality; it prefigures the eternal High Priest, who will offer Himself under the signs of bread and wine.  Melchizedek’s act is the first priestly act in scripture involving bread and wine, and the Church sees in it a clear foreshadowing of the Eucharist.  This ancient encounter reminds us that the Eucharist is not a new invention.  It is rooted in salvation history and is the fulfillment of God’s plan from the beginning.

St. Paul, in the second reading, hands down what he himself received: the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper.  “This is my Body, this is my Blood, do this in memory of Me.”  The Eucharist is not a symbol or a reminder; it is a real participation in the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection.  Every time we gather to celebrate the Mass, we proclaim the Lord’s death and resurrection until He comes again.  This reminds us that the Eucharist is not just a devotion. It is an encounter with the living Christ, a memorial that makes present the sacrifice of Calvary, transcending time and space.

In our gospel reading today, Jesus is preaching to the crowd and healing them.  When they are hungry, He multiplies five loaves and two fish to feed over five thousand.  He takes, blesses, breaks, and gives; the same actions you will see at the Last Supper.  This miracle is not just a gesture of compassion, but a sign pointing to the Eucharist where He feeds the world with his own Body and Blood.

St. Josemaria Escriva once wrote, “When you approach the Tabernacle, remember that He has been waiting for you for twenty centuries.”  This quote powerfully reminds us that Jesus, the Bread of Life, is not a distant figure from the past, but truly present, patiently awaiting us in every Tabernacle, ready to nourish and renew us.

All three readings today speak of a priestly offering of bread and wine, of divine blessing and abundance.  From Melchizedek’s offering to Paul’s account of the Last Supper, to Jesus feeding the multitudes, the message is clear:  God provides.  He gives not only what sustains our bodies, but what feeds our soul, His very self.  The Eucharist is the fulfillment of God’s eternal desire to be with His people in the most intimate and life-giving way.

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi was established to draw our attention more deeply to the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.  It is a feast of love and remembrance, not just of what Christ has done, but what He continues to do.  In our present times, a lot of people often overlook the sacred.  Where noise and destruction abound, this feast reminds us to adore, to give thanks, and to recognize the divine in the ordinary, in the humble Host.  The Feast of Corpus Christi exists to awaken in us a deeper reverence, love, and gratitude for this supreme gift.  It is a feast of remembrance and renewal.  It is also a public testimony.  That is why in many places, Eucharistic processions take place on this day, proclaiming to the world that Christ is present in our midst, not metaphorically, but truly.

We are reminded today that the Eucharist is God’s answer to our hunger for Him.  It invites us to center our lives on the Mass.  The Eucharist must not be just a Sunday obligation, but the heart of our Christian life.  We must also spend time in Eucharistic Adoration.  Like Mary of Bethany, we are called to sit at the feet of Jesus, to rest in His presence and to let Him transform our hearts.

The Eucharist is not just something we receive; it is a call to become Christ for others.  We are to be broken and shared, in service, in mercy, in love.  Let us also renew our reverence.  In a culture that is casual about sacred things, we are called to approach the Eucharist with awe.  Let us prepare our hearts to go to Confession regularly and to receive Him worthily.  Let us remember to be a witness to the Real Presence.  Our belief in the Eucharist must shape how we act, speak, and love, not just in church, but in the world.

In today’s world we are surrounded by hunger, not only physical hunger, but hunger for meaning, connection, truth, and beauty.  The Eucharist is our answer to this hunger.  It reminds us that we are never alone, never abandoned.  Christ is truly present and walks with us.  In the midst of individualism, the Eucharist reminds us of community.  In a world of division, it calls us to unity.  In a culture of superficiality, it draws us into the sacred.  In a time of busy-ness, it offers us rest in His presence.

Let us then return to the Eucharist with new eyes and open hearts.  Let us not take this miracle for granted.  Let us spend time in Eucharistic Adoration.  Let us participate in Sunday Mass with reverence and joy.  And let us become in our lives what we celebrate at the altar—Christ’s hands and feet in the world.  Today’s Solemnity is more than a celebration. It is an invitation to believe more deeply, to love more fervently, and to live more generously.  Jesus feeds us so that we can feed others.  He gives Himself so that we can give ourselves in return.  May our lives be a reflection of the Eucharist—taken, blessed, broken, and given for the life of the world.

God’s Being is Relationship

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
June 15, 2025 — Year C
Readings: Prv 8:22-31 / Ps 8 / Rom 5:1-5 / Jn 16:12-15
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the central mystery of our Faith, and the heart of who God is:  one God in three divine persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Though the Trinity is a mystery, beyond full human comprehension, it is not a puzzle to be solved, but a truth to be lived and loved.  The Trinity is not a distant theological concept.  It is the life of God, shared with us, and the pattern for how we are to live in this world.

In our first reading, from Proverbs, we encounter Divine Wisdom, present before the beginning of the earth.  The Church has long recognized in this passage a reflection of the second person in the Trinity:  the eternal Son, the Word of God.  “Then was I beside Him as His craftsman,” we hear, “and I was His delight day by day.”  Wisdom is not just knowledge.  It is relational delight, creative joy, and eternal communion.  God’s very being is the relationship.

In Romans, Chapter 5, St. Paul invites us into that relationship: “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  This peace is not the absence of conflict but the process of God’s life in us, poured out through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.  The Trinity is not only revealed to us; it is shared with us.  In Baptism, we are drawn into the life of the Father, Son, and Spirit.  We become living temples of the Trinity.

In the gospel of John, Jesus prepares His disciples for the coming of the Spirit—the Spirit of truth—who will glorify Christ and declare what belongs to the Father.  This mutual giving and receiving, this perfect communion between the persons is the very light of God.

Notice that the Spirit doesn’t speak apart from the Son.  The Son reveals the Father, and the Father sends the Spirit.  This is the unity of truth and love we are called to mirror in the Church and in the world.  God is not solitary.  God is a communion of persons.  This has profound implications.  We are made not for isolation but for relationships—with God, with each other, and with the truth.

And yet we live in a time marked by division, relativism, and attacks on the most vulnerable among us, especially the unborn.  Today, the unity of the Trinity challenges us to bear witness to the truth with love, especially in the public square.  We, as believers of the risen Christ, must engage our consciences and communities in defending life and dignity in our Commonwealth of Virginia.

There is currently a great attempt underway—a two-year process—to add an extreme abortion amendment to Virginia’s constitution.  This amendment would not only permit abortion at nearly all stages but could possibly eliminate basic protections for unborn children.  The Virginia Catholic Conference has prepared vote reports for every parish showing how our elected representatives voted on this and other key issues.  We are called as Catholics, not just to worship the Trinity on Sunday, but to live the truth of the Trinity in our public witness.  That includes being informed, engaged, and faithful to the gospel of life.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, §234, says,

The mystery of the most holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life.  It is the source of all other mysteries and the light that enlightens them.

This mystery teaches us that God is love, and that all Christian life is a sharing in the life of the Trinity.  If we have received this gift, we must also share it, with courage, with compassion, and with clarity.

The Church teaches in the encyclical letters, Evangelium Vitae by Pope John Paul II and Caritas in Veritate by Pope Benedict XVI, that love must be truthful, and truth must be loving.  In a world that tells us to keep our faith private and accept moral confusion as tolerance, the Trinity calls us to a higher standard:  to unity in truth, charity in action, and clarity in conscience.

How can we respond to this higher calling?  Consider the following:

1. Pray and draw near to the Trinity. Make time daily for prayer, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Let God draw you deeper into His divine life.
2. Read and reflect on the vote report when it becomes available. Share it respectfully with your family, friends, and neighbors.  Voting is a moral act.
3. Speak the truth with charity. Defend the unborn and the vulnerable with both conviction and compassion.
4. Live unity in diversity. Just as the Trinity is unity in three persons, we must learn to work together as a Church.  There are different vocations, different gifts, but one mission.
5. Let your love be sacrificial.  Love as the Trinity loves, not in self-interest, but in self-gift.  That means being generous with our time, treasure, and truth.

The mystery we celebrate today is not distant.  It is intimate.  The Trinity is our origin, our destiny, and our guide.  As Pope Benedict XVI once said, “The Christian God is not a solitary being, close in upon Himself.  He is life, love, gift, and communion.”

Let us be living icons of the Trinity in today’s world.  People of truth, communion, defenders of life, and agents of peace.  Let us walk boldly and humbly, not to impose, but to propose the Gospel in the spirit of love and truth.  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The Breath of Our Christian Life

Pentecost Sunday
June 8, 2025 — Year C
Readings: Acts 2:1-11 / Ps 104 / 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13 / Jn 20:19-23
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

Today we celebrate Pentecost Sunday, the glorious culmination of the Easter season and the birth of the Church.  It is a feast of power, promise, and purpose, a day when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and forever changed the course of salvation history.  It is not only an historical event to be remembered, but a living reality to be embraced.  Pentecost reveals to us the life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church and in each one of us.

In the first reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, we witness the dramatic coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples.  As they were gathered together in one place, a sound like a mighty wind filled the house and tongues of fire came to rest on each one of them.  They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages, astonishing the people of many nations who had gathered in Jerusalem.  This moment fulfilled Jesus’ promise to send the Advocate and it signified that the Gospel was meant for all people, Jews and Gentiles, near and far.  The Spirit who descended is the same Spirit who continues to inspire and empower the Church to proclaim the Good News without fear.

The second reading, from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, emphasizes the unity and diversity within the Church.  Paul reminds us that, though we have different spiritual gifts, it is the same Spirit who gives them.  Just as a body is one, though it has many parts, so too is the Body of Christ.  We were all baptized into one Spirit, forming one body.  This image of unity and diversity is crucial in a world that so often divides and isolates.  The Spirit is not a source of confusion, but of communion.  Our varied gifts are not for our own benefit, but for the good of all.

In our gospel reading, John takes us back to the evening of Easter Sunday.  The disciples, afraid and uncertain, are behind locked doors.  Jesus appears in their midst and says, “Peace be with you.”  Then He breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”  This gesture of breathing recalls the moment of creation when God breathed life into Adam.  Now, Jesus breathes new spiritual life into His apostles, commissioning them to continue His mission.  He entrusts to them the ministry of reconciliation: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them.”  The Spirit is given, not for comfort alone, but for mission—mission rooted in mercy and peace.

These readings are intimately connected by the movement and action of the Holy Spirit.  In Acts, the Spirit empowers.  In Corinthians, the Spirit unites.  In the gospel of John, the Spirit recreates.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that Pentecost is the full revelation of the Holy Trinity.  (CCC 731-732) It is the moment when the Church is made visible, Catholic, and missionary.  It marks the beginning of the Church’s outward journey to bring Christ to the world.  The Church is Catholic because Christ is present in her.  Where there is Christ Jesus, there is the Catholic Church.  In her subsists the fullness of Christ’s body, united with its head.  This implies that she receives from Him the fullness of the means of salvation, correct and complete confession of faith, full sacramental life, and an ordained ministry in apostolic succession.  The Church to us, in this fundamental sense, is Catholic on the day of Pentecost and will always be so until the day of Parousia.

In the New Testament, Parousia means the Second Coming of Christ.  The way in which our Lord spoke of this Second Coming is connected to His other sayings referring to the establishment of the Kingdom of God here below and the destruction of Jerusalem which took place in 70 A.D.

In summary, the celebration of Pentecost represents 1) the day in which the Church received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit;  2) the founding of the one holy, Catholic, and apostolic church that has the fullness of the means of  salvation;  3) the beginning of the age when Jesus communicates His work of salvation through the liturgy of the Church;  4) the beginning of the dispensation of the Church’s sacraments;  5) the ordained ministry and apostolic succession;  6) the arrival of the invisible kingdom on earth in Jerusalem, a kingdom already inherited though not yet consummated.

St. Augustine beautifully reflected on this mystery when he said, “You breathe in the Spirit when you are silent, you speak with the Spirit when you preach, and you live by the Spirit when you love.”  His words remind us that the Holy Spirit is not simply a momentary experience, but the very breath of our Christian life.  In silence, we listen.  In speech, we proclaim.  And in love, we truly live.

How should we respond to this great gift of the Spirit?  First, we must open our hearts through prayer.  The apostles were gathered in prayer when the Spirit came, and so must we be.  The Holy Spirit does not force His way into our lives.  He waits to be invited.  Second, we must recognize and use our spiritual gifts.  Every baptized Christian has been given gifts by the Spirit, gifts meant to serve, build up, and bring life to others.  Third, we must strive for unity.  In a time when division, polarization, and isolation abound, we must be agents of reconciliation and communion.  The Spirit bridges differences and builds harmony.  Fourth, we must be on a mission.  Pentecost is not the end of the story.  It is the beginning.  The Spirit sends us forth to bring the peace and joy of Christ to the world around us.

In today’s world, marked by war, injustice, fear, and loneliness, we need the Spirit’s gifts more than ever.  We need wisdom to discern what is good and true.  We need courage to stand for justice.  We need understanding to listen deeply to others.  We need patience and gentleness to be peacemakers.  The Spirit is not far from us.  He is here within us, beside us, and working through us.  We must only say, “Come, Holy Spirit.”

Pentecost is not only a celebration of what God did once.  It is a proclamation of what God is still doing.  The Spirit continues to breathe into our lives, to rekindle the fire of faith and to send us out into the world.  Let us open our hearts to receive Him.  Let us speak His word with boldness, live His peace with joy, and love one another with a love that reflects the very heart of God.

Come, Holy Spirit.  Fill the hearts of Your faithful.  Kindle in them the fire of Your love and You shall renew the face of the earth.    

Share Your Joy

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
June 1, 2025 — Year C
Readings: Acts 1:1-11 / Ps 47 / Eph 1:17-23 / Lk 24:46-53
by Rev. Mr. Mark De La Hunt, Permanent Deacon

Though it is the seventh Sunday of Easter, in our diocese, we are celebrating the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord today.  It is the prequel to Pentecost, which is celebrated next Sunday, and that concludes the Easter season.

There are a couple of other things to note about next weekend.  First, Holy Name of Mary seminarian, Deacon Sam Hill, will be ordained on Saturday and will celebrate his first Mass as a priest next Sunday at St. Andrews Basilica in Roanoke, and he invited me to serve on the altar with him.  Second, Pentecost marks the end of year three of the Eucharistic Revival, the year of mission.  The year of mission ties powerfully to the Ascension of our Lord, so that is the focus of this homily.

Before I preach on mission though, I want to share some teachings on the Ascension from some greats in the American Catholic Church.  Scott Hahn, speaking about the Ascension on YouTube, says that, when Jesus ascended, He took our humanity into the divinity, thereby completing our redemption. Jesus’ Ascension unites us to the Trinity.

Bishop Fulton Sheen, also speaking about the Ascension on YouTube, explained that Jesus ascended to the right hand of God because He shares in God’s glory and is mediator between God and man.  As mediator, Jesus is constantly showing His Father His wounds, saying, “Father, I love them.”  Jesus can say this because He entered into all our brokenness and experienced all our temptations, and He sympathizes with us.  We know this because, from the cross, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Lk 23:34)

Now let’s discuss the relationship between the Ascension and mission.  In his reflections on the rosary’s Glorious Mysteries on the Hallow app, Bishop Robert Barron speaks of the Ascension (the second Glorious Mystery of the rosary), listing four things related to mission:

1) Notice that Jesus ascends after commissioning the disciples to take the gospel to the whole world. (Acts 1:8; Lk 24:47-48)

2) Jesus ascends but does not leave us.  By ascending, He is now with all of us all the time, for He is no longer bound by space and time.

3) Those who focus on heaven do the most good here on earth.  Those who pray most intently are most effective in the practical realm.

4) Jesus’ Ascension is an invitation to us to go on mission.  He exited the stage of God’s “theo-drama” so that we could enter the stage and continue Jesus’ mission under the direction of the Holy Spirit, who enters the theo-drama on Pentecost.

Reflecting on the third Glorious Mystery, Bishop Barron said the descent of the Holy Spirit enabled us to “go on mission.”  He elaborated, saying that living in the Spirit removes fear and even brings joy in persecution.  And Barron noted that the Holy Spirit appeared as tongues of fire.  He likened this to those living in the Spirit having fiery speech that is public.  We see this courageous missionary spirit in the early Church.

It has not been that way as much lately.  I am not sure when Catholics, especially in Europe and North America, stopped thinking in missionary terms, but we did.  In a survey of various Christian traditions, Catholics ranked well below other traditions in missionary focus or evangelization.  In the United States, I would say we are in the early stages of reversing that.  We are beginning to understand two things.  One, to quote Bishop Barron, “Catholicism is smart…beautiful…colorful and textured. It engages the mind, body, and soul.”  Second, is that if we care for others, we should want them to encounter the healing power of Christ in the Sacraments and in the Mass.  We should want them to experience the divine life and joy we are experiencing and that Jesus’ Ascension made possible.

Speaking of joy, the joyful moment described in Psalm 47 today, “God mounts His throne to shouts of joy,” is a prophecy fulfilled (like the other three hundred prophecies Jesus fulfilled) in today’s gospel.  St. Luke wrote, “As He blessed them, He parted from them and was taken up to heaven.  They did him homage (worshipped Him) and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy.”  That joy led them to “continually praising God in the temple.” (Lk 50-53)

Now let’s bring these reflections closer to our personal lives. About twenty years ago, I was a catechist teaching fifth-graders.  One of them asked me, “Why should we want people to become Catholic, even other Christians?”  I gave an answer, but it was not very good.  It bothered me that I could not give a confident and clear answer.  His question is so important, for in the answer is both our mission and our inspiration to evangelize.

To me, joy and love work hand in hand in being a missionary disciple who brings people to Jesus through the Catholic Church and brings fallen-away Catholics back to Jesus. The joy we have experienced we should want others to experience, especially if we love them.  Jesus asked us to love others as He does.  That means we should love everyone and want all to know the joy we know.  Bishop Barron says, “The surest sign that God is alive in you is joy.”  This is what Jesus meant when He said, “I came that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (Jn 10:10)

Through the Catholic Church, Jesus touches the mind, heart, and the body.  This should give us confidence as evangelists and missionary disciples!  Catholic Christians can literally bring people to Jesus. Our faith awakens all five human senses.

Chris Stefanick, on the topic of evangelization on Formed, got me thinking about the following:

Other churches can say, “Jesus forgives your sins,” but the person they are speaking to might wonder, “How will I know Jesus heard my prayer and how will I know for sure that He has forgiven me?”  We Catholics can say, “Jesus forgives your sins through His priest, who will be sitting there with you.  You will hear that priest, an emissary of Jesus, say, “I absolve you from all your sins.”  You will feel unburdened and receive grace to strengthen you against temptation and to be more compassionate toward others who sin.  And you can share your personal testimony, “I know this, because I have experienced Jesus’ power in Confession.”

Other churches can say, “You will be fed God’s word at our church.”  We can say, “You will be fed by God’s word and Jesus Himself in the Catholic Church.  Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (Jn 6: 51). He does this through His priests, through the power of the Holy Spirit.  During worship, you literally receive the bread Jesus spoke of and that the earliest Christians, such as St. Justin Martyr in 155 AD, wrote about!  And you can share your personal testimony, “I know that bread is really His flesh, because I have experienced healing and peace after eating it.”

Do you see how compelling our Catholic faith is?  It engages all the senses and the mind and literally feeds our soul.  My answer to that fifth-grader’s question now is something like, “I want others to become Catholic, including other Christians, because I want them to encounter Jesus’ love and healing not just spiritually, but physically, for that is the ‘living life to the full’ Jesus said He desires for us.  I want them to know my joy.  I want them to have not just a personal relationship with Jesus, but a physically intimate one.”

How do we bring others into the Church? We emulate Jesus by going to those who are seeking something more and just cannot find it.  Jesus reached out to the seekers of food, good health, and freedom, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and freeing the sinner.  They listened to Him, because He gave them a vision of a better life and showed them the way there and gave them the grace they needed to follow the way.  People who are suffering are often ready for change and so respond to our invitation more readily.

Who in your life is seeking and ready for change?  Show them the way to encounter the true God in the physical vehicles of grace we call Sacraments.  The Sacraments are concrete things you can smell, touch, taste, and hear that put us in touch with the divine.  Prayer, praise, and song are all amazing, but Jesus gave us even more.  He did not leave us alone with hungers that cannot be filled.  He feeds, heals, and forgives us through His holy priests.  Not holy in and of themselves but made holy through the Holy Spirit in yet another Sacrament that is tangible, Holy Orders.

What an amazing gift we have received and that we can share with others.  I am not preaching solely an intellectual argument here.  I am preaching the person of Jesus who came to me physically in the Sacraments and saved me.  My life was a mess when His grace broke upon me through another tangible Sacrament, marriage.

Now let’s pray for the grace to go on mission:  Lord Jesus, keep us mindful that “we draw close to heaven and enter heaven to the extent we draw close to You and enter into communion with You.” (Magisterium AI, on the Hallow App) At the right hand of the Father, You continually offer Yourself for us, and You sent the Holy Spirit to your Church so that your heavenly offering may be made present in the Eucharist on this altar at every Mass.  May the Holy Spirit give us the courage, joy, and love we need to bring others to encounter You in the Sacraments of your Church. Amen.