If a building...(St. John Lateran homily)

 This feast – which occurs on a Sunday 

infrequently; the last time was 2014! – may seem odd to us. 

It celebrates a building. Why would we do that?

Well, if you go to Philadelphia, you can visit Independence Hall, 

where our founding fathers adopted the Declaration of Independence. 

We commemorate a building where something important happens.

A Catholic church is where the most important thing ever, happens: 

where heaven and earth meet in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. 

What Jesus did for us on the cross, 2,000 years ago, 

is made present to us at this and every altar in the world. 

This raises a point. A lot of folks wonder 

why the bishops teach that it’s a mortal sin 

to miss Mass on Sundays or holy days, without a good reason. 

(And a mortal sin means, you have to go to confession.) 

People wonder, what’s the big deal?

Well, suppose one of the Apostles didn’t show up for the Last Supper? 

Would that be a big deal?

What if you didn’t show up for your own wedding, or that of a friend?

The point is, for things that matter, it matters if we show up.

Of course, when we’re ill, at work or caring for others, we’re excused; 

When the roads are nasty, we’re excused.

But Sunday Mass is the most important thing that ever happens.

If we believe that, then reason to be there is clear.

Jesus is on the cross. Not “again” – 

the Mass brings us, across time and space, to Calvary. 

That’s what Mass is.

This is the heart of the heart of the Faith.

This is why the priesthood matters. 

This is why we pray for more priests.

And, this is why we treat our churches with reverence, 

not only when we’re praying, but at all times. 

In some traditions, it’s normal to bring coffee and snacks into church.

I’m not criticizing: it’s a different mindset.

Because of the Incarnation – God becoming human –

we Catholics believe that “stuff,” like medals and rosaries, 

and yes, buildings, can be consecrated and made truly sacred.

This is a Biblical idea: God told Moses, at the Burning Bush, 

“This is holy ground.” That’s what a church is, too.

I might add: you and I believe that God is here – in this church – 

in a unique and supreme way. I mean in the Holy Eucharist.

I don’t mean in the general, “God is everywhere” sense.

But even after all that, there is still another reason

we maintain this place with a sense of quiet and calm.

This is where you and I can meet God. 

It isn’t God who needs a sacred place; we humans do.

Back to today’s feast. 

Why celebrate the cathedral of Rome?

A cathedral is “home base” for the bishop. 

The “cathedra” is his chair, as a teacher.

Have you ever noticed, the pope almost always sits when he teaches?

This occasion links us to the bishop of Rome—

that is, Pope Leo, who succeeds Peter, Jesus’ chosen leader.

This is a tangible reminder that you and I 

are part of something bigger than ourselves. 

None of us arrives in this world alone, and we don’t live on our own. 

We belong to a family, our family shapes who we are, 

and we owe something in return. 

The same is true of our community, our nation—and our Church.

What’s more, if we can grasp 

that a building can be a sacred place, where God dwells, 

how much more that human beings are sacred places—

again, where God dwells.

Every person you ever meet can be a cathedral.

You want a practical application of this point? 

Think of all the conversations you had during the last 24 hours. 

All the interactions online. How you behaved while driving. 

Were all those people truly sacred to you?

Today we celebrate a sacred place central to our history, 

linking us to the worldwide Body of Christ.

Seated around you and me, and outside these walls, 

are many more walking, talking “cathedrals”

for each of us to treat as sacred.

Live ready, die ready, be at peace! (All Souls homily)

 Every five or six years, All Souls Day comes on a Sunday. 

I don’t want to shock you, but: this day is about death.

In ancient Rome, when a victorious general would be honored 

with a triumphant parade, surrounded by cheering throngs,

with even the Emperor paying tribute, 

there would be a servant beside him in the chariot,

whispering in his ear: “Remember that you are mortal.”

“Remember that you are mortal.” 

Does death scare you?

I remember a night, years back, 

when I was driving home, lost in thought. 

To my sudden horror, I realized—I’d just gone through a stop sign. 

I thanked God all the way home that he’d preserved me. 

Yes, that scared me.

Still, you and I don’t have to be scared about death. Be ready!

It’s not hard to be ready.

Stay close to Jesus. That’s it.

You and I stay close to Jesus by living as he commands. 

We are close to the Lord 

when we care for the least of his brothers and sisters. 

Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, embrace the outcast.

If we are close to Jesus, we are listening to him—learning from him. 

And we are talking to him—we are praying.

And if we’ve neglected or disobeyed the Lord, we go to confession. 

Why mess around? Just go!

Getting sick or dying is not the worst thing that can happen to us.

The worst thing is a death for which we are not prepared.

Live ready. Die ready. Nothing to be afraid of!

As you can imagine, 

I get called to visit people when they are near death. 

This is one the best parts of being a priest:

Being able to pray with people 

as they approached the threshold of eternity.

What can be sad is when I visit people, 

And they really aren’t facing the situation.

I’ve been turned away, as if there was no urgency –

But there was.

When both my mother and father, in their turn, 

were approaching death, they were open about it.

They talked about what they wanted. It was a great help.

We often use the term, “Last Rites” – what does it really mean?

Well, I’ll explain.

There are several prayers it can include –

And it’s important to mention, none of which need to be “last” – 

meaning, you don’t have to wait till your last breath! 

Better NOT to wait!

First comes the sacrament of confession. 

This is not frightening: this is our opportunity 

to make peace and to have peace.

Then the priest can give the “apostolic blessing,” 

which the Holy Father allows priests to grant to us 

when we’re in a serious place, including near death. 

It is a remission of all time in purgatory. 

Pretty good!

Speaking of purgatory, this might properly be called, 

“The saints’ finishing school.” 

The point of purgatory is to complete the work of God’s grace,

And make us truly heavenly.

We enter purgatory from earth; we exit to heaven!

It’s customary to renew ones baptismal promises 

and to use holy water, reminding us of baptism.

Next is the anointing of the sick. 

Again, the movies always make it seem you do this at the very end,

but the anointing can be given anytime we face a serious illness, 

and we can receive it more than once. 

The most important sacrament to receive 

in such a situation is the Eucharist: 

called “viaticum,” which means, “food for the journey.” 

Sometimes people have swallowing issues.

All I can say is, please talk to the priest about this, 

and we can usually overcome this problem.

There’s one more part of Last Rites that isn’t as important, 

But it helps us see what’s really happening at that moment. 

And that is when the priest leads everyone in a Litany of the Saints.

Remember: the same litany was prayed at your baptism!

Baptism is when you became a saint;

And the whole goal of everything we do is to 

“be in that number when the saints go marching in!”

And then he offers a prayer of commendation, 

which really gives our loved one directly to God.

One of those prayers begins,

“Go forth, Christian soul, from this world…”

The other includes these words:

“May Christ who died for you admit you to his garden of paradise.”

I love praying these prayers with people – 

but not if folks aren’t ready to face the real situation.

All I can do is encourage you again:

Don’t be afraid; live ready, die ready, be at peace!

There’s a lovely tradition of family gathering

When someone is near the end, and praying together,

Along with the priest.

I so strongly encourage you, don’t wait till the last minute,

Call the priest and perhaps the family can be part of the prayers.

Lots of people are afraid of death; 

but Christians should not be among them. 

Our Savior, our Jesus, suffered, died, and came back from the dead! 

Surrounded by the other saints, he will welcoming us home.

An All Saints Experiment (All Saints homily)

 Let’s spell out a few key points about this feast.

First. There is a lot of nonsense spoken about Hallowe’en, 

which is part of this feast. Hallowe’en means the eve, 

or “e’en” of All Hallows, which is just another way of saying, All Saints. 

So maybe you saw someone claim that we Catholics 

dressed up a pagan holiday and turned it into this feast. 

Not true. 

People will say, Oh, but there was a pagan holiday…

Let me tell you: if you look it up,

You’ll find there are pagan holidays all year long.

You just about cannot pick a day without some pagan connection.

Which is why you hear the same thing about 

Easter, Christmas, The Presentation, Assumption, 

and lots of saints days as well.

Hallowe’en is fun, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

But it isn’t about demons or ghouls. It’s not about evil.

Hallowe’en is about the saints.

It’s about grace.

Grace is God’s own life and love, poured into our lives, 

to make us like God.

All Saints – including the eve, Hallowe’en – 

exists to celebrate God’s success stories.

So, it seems funny that some Christians 

don’t want to talk about saints; 

it’s as if we’re saying, 2,000 years later,

And Jesus hasn’t had many successes!

But of course he has!

That’s what the saints are, and what we celebrate today.

Now, this year we did a little experiment; let me explain.

When All Saints falls on a Saturday (or Monday), 

it isn’t an obligatory holy day.

And because we don’t have a Saturday morning Mass,

The only way we could commemorate All Saints – 

as opposed to skipping it, which parishes are allowed to do –  

was to do it at one of our Saturday evening Masses.

I thought it was a shame to skip it, so we’re doing it tonight.

Don’t worry, this Mass still “counts” for Sunday.

And if you want, you can be part of All Souls at Mass tomorrow.

Just a note here about All Souls, which comes on November 2.

That is the day for the “faithful departed,” meaning: 

for those who weren’t necessarily finished products, 

as it were, in this life, but who have certain hope – 

I repeat, certain hope – of victory.

If you didn’t know this before, hear me: 

everyone who enters Purgatory will be a saint. Without exception.

Purgatory is the saint-finishing school, and our prayers help.

Now, let me point out something extra special we did at this Mass.

At the beginning of Mass, 

we welcomed a group of our friends and neighbors, 

some of them are relatives, who want to become Catholic.

This prayer of welcome could have happened outside of Mass,

But this day seemed very fitting to do it with you;

Because you and me are the one welcoming them.

We represent, if you will, all the 2 billion Christians worldwide,

And the untold numbers of the faithful ahead of us,

Who welcome them into the destiny of being a saint!

So often people ask:

Why do we have baptism and confession and the sacraments?

Why do we pray and do penance?

Why do we go to Mass? Every week!

What is this all for?

It’s basically like the first of the 12 Steps:

“We admitted to ourselves that we are not heavenly.”

Only God’s grace can make us so.

The Catholic Faith, all of it, every bit, is about becoming a saint.

No one gets left behind (Sunday homily)

 These readings cast light on the broader idea of justice

as the Bible talks about justice. 

We also sometimes call this “social justice.”

Now, the core principle of justice is, 

as St. Thomas Aquinas said, 

based on Aristotle: “To each his or her due.”

But there is another value that intersects with this:

And that is the principle of solidarity.

To state that simply: that means, we are all in this together.

Let me illustrate with a story from when I was a seminarian.

I was in Fort Wayne, Indiana for the summer, 

taking part in a program in the inner-city, 

organizing a “day camp” for children 

in the roughest neighborhoods of the city. 

Three Lutheran churches were providing a place 

for these children to get out of the house and off the streets.

So, we had various activities and sometimes an outing – 

Including, one day, to a park that was about ½ mile away.

We had about 30 children from 6 to 13 years old.

There were several adult leaders,

One was a college student named Ann.

She was in a wheelchair.

She managed fine on her own, 

except where there wasn’t a ramp cut into the curb.

And you know what happened with the children:

Some were racing ahead far ahead, 

and that meant we adults had to put the brakes on.

And we told them: “we’re going to the park, but we’re going together. 

We don’t leave anyone behind.”

That’s the principle of solidarity.

Now, there are some obvious applications.

Some people have physical or other disabilities.

Those of us who don’t need walkers or wheelchairs 

may not even realize how much of a barrier a step or a curb can be.

Some of our facilities are more accessible than others;

And some of the fixes are easier than others.

I am aware, for example, of the need 

for auto-open buttons at our entrances, 

and for wider doors in some places.

Yes, these ideas have lots of applications, including in public policy. 

My task here is not to recommend any particular proposal;

Only to invite you to ask yourself: how do we apply this?

Because the real insight I had 

when I was with those children in Fort Wayne was this: 

they weren’t even noticing that Ann, in her wheelchair, 

and other, smaller children, were being left behind.

That’s the first conversion moment: 

look around, see who’s being left behind!

In this Gospel passage, our Lord Jesus adds another layer.

The question of what do people deserve?

The Pharisee was convinced he deserved God’s favor.

And: he really may have been more moral than the tax collector.

Think about that: what if, instead of “Pharisee and tax collector,” 

we were talking about, “Prayerful Grandma and a pornographer”?

And now, I’ve made every grandma mad at me!

The point is, for each and every one of us, it is God’s gift!

If Mother Theresa were here, and we’d say, wow, Mother Theresa!

She’s a saint! Right: and you know what she’d say:

I didn’t deserve anything. I became a saint because of God’s gifts!

Back to the Pharisee. 

Let’s suppose he really was more holy, more virtuous. 

He’s probably who we’d rather have living next door!

But how do you think Jesus would have reacted 

had the Pharisee said this in his prayer:

“Oh God, thank you for the graces you gave me.

This tax collector is my brother. What can I do for him?

I don’t want to leave him behind”?

'Which leper are you?' (Sunday homily)

 Ten lepers were on their way to the Temple. 

The first leper said to the second leper, 

“That Jesus didn’t have much time for us, did he? 

That wasn’t very pastoral!”

“I know,” said the third leper. 

"I wanted to tell him everything he needs to change! 

What about lay involvement?”

The fourth leper said to the fifth leper, 

“Why did she have to bring her kids? 

How was I supposed to talk to Jesus 

with them making all that fuss?” 

The sixth leper said to the seventh leper, 

“I could go back and thank Jesus—

but he knows I’m busy: 

I’m sure Jesus sees the value of sports,

and understands why I need to put my business first.

The seventh leper said to the eighth leper, 

“Look, we’re all OK, but what about that Samaritan! 

Did you see how sloppy his clothes were? 

And what about those tattoos and earrings—

You know he’s one of those types, 

if you know what I mean!”

The eighth leper looked around. 

“It’s not like I’m prejudiced or anything, 

but why don’t they stay with their own kind?

Then the ninth leper spoke up:

“Say . . . where’d that Samaritan go, anyway?”

And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned,

glorifying God in a loud voice;

and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.

Ten lepers walked down the street. Which one are you?

Be part of the flood (Sunday homily)

 Today we celebrate a special occasion just for St. Henry. 

That’s why the readings and the Mass prayers were different.

We recall when this church was consecrated 

by Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk on October 3, 1982.

Here we are, 40 years later. 

And this is a glass-half-full-or-half-empty kind of situation.

The constant of our times is constant change. 

You and I experience it in this parish – 

but that reflects the larger society.

That said, you and I all want this church to be a refuge from that constant froth.

May I point out that when this church was built, 

it was a deliberate expression of change?

This design departs notably from the old, familiar style.

Maybe you like that, or you don’t, but it wasn’t an accident.

The hope was to express openness – not only to the world around us,

But openness to the future.

And the point I’m making is that a certain amount of flux 

was baked into this parish’s DNA right from the beginning.

And I think that “openness” this church building tries to model 

is at work in this community.

If you drive past St. Henry, early, mid-day or evening, 

have you noticed? There’s always some cars, always some activity.

Yesterday our soccer fields were teaming with families.

Day after day, our Parish Activity Center 

has meetings and basketball games,

When it’s not serving our students.

In the midst of the change with our three parishes becoming one,

That activity level is increasing. That’s openness in action.

Thank you for that openness.

It is disorienting and tiring to experience change;

At the same time, your openness is a healthy thing.

The task ahead for all Catholics in our country – 

not just this parish –

is to rethink and reorient how open we are, 

how engaging we are, in sharing our faith.

For the longest time, we Catholics were so low-key about that.

This is a culture shift and it won’t be easy.

Forgive me for reminding you: when you and I met three years ago, 

and I listened to the questions and observations of our parishioners,

a frequent yearning was to revive the practice of our Faith, 

to bring people back in these doors, and to bring new people, if we can.

If you and I are going to do anything with that desire, we can’t sit still.

So, on the one hand, 

I agree with those who’d like a little rest from change!

On the other hand, we don’t want to get stiff and stuck.

This church was designed to challenge us to action. 

Surely you noticed, the light comes in and changes through the day.

We need a refuge, but we don’t want to close ourselves off.

Indeed, you and I must be willing to be that water that flows out, 

as we heard described in the first reading. 

If you noticed, it starts as a trickle – 

that’s a symbol of each of us individually; 

but all those trickles become a flood, giving life.

That flood happens as each of us shares our hope with others.

So, here’s the answer to the question that always comes up:

How do any of us, as ordinary Catholics, engage in evangelization?

What does that mean?

It means, be a disciple yourself – be serious about your faith, 

grow in holiness, 

and that will feed the light in you that shines to others.

Being a witness means little things, little trickles of water:

Invite neighbors and friends to share coffee or a meal.

Welcome them to pray here.

In this church, we have a Rosary on Monday evenings, 

exposition on First Fridays, 

and the doors are open every day.

There are other opportunities at Our Lady of Good Hope and St. Mary. 

In the next few weeks, we have retreats for men and women. Come! Bring friends!

Would you like to help assemble blessings in a bag 

or to walk with women facing challenging pregnancies?

Contact our parish office to learn more.

Would you like to be part of a prayer group, or a Bible study?

We’ve got too many such opportunities to list. Call and ask.

These, too, are opportunities to invite others.

Sometimes, some of us can be more salty than fresh water!

There’s always something to find wrong if you look.

And that’s OK, because finding leads to fixing. 

Let me know what you see and want to suggest.

That said, there’s far more good to celebrate and life to share.

Lots of fresh water, lots of life; and you and I can add to it. 

Be part of that flood!