Thursday, October 21, 2010

Fix Your Gaze on Him

Here is my practice homily from the daily readings on September 23rd, 2010:

If you have ever seen Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ, you might remember the scene with Jesus and the adulteress.
If you haven’t seen the movie, at least you’ll recognize it from scripture: a mob of accusers have caught a woman in adultery and are ready to stone her for her sins. They bring her to Jesus and he tells them those famous words, “let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” You know this story, right? Well in the movie, this scene is rather dramatically presented. After the mob breaks up one by one, dropping their stones and leaving, it cuts to the woman, who is obviously in great distress. She crawls toward Jesus with her face turned away and reaches out for the man who has saved her life. As she reaches his feet, he gives her his hand, and as she looks up, she finds Christ gazing at her with the most loving and forgiving expression on his face. I could take that seen and go back to it again and again and again in prayer. When I picture Him gazing at me, it’s as if the entire world could pass away 100 times over, and I would be oblivious to it. There’s something mesmerizing about that gaze.

Some were saying “John has been raised from the dead’; others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”; still others, “One of the ancient prophets.” Both Herod and St. Peter listen to these false claims about Jesus, but they react very differently to them. Luke tells us that Herod “kept trying to see him.” We know later that once they finally meet, Herod “had been wanting for a long time to set eyes on him” and “was hoping to see some miracle worked by him.” Herod saw Jesus as nothing other than a man. Peter, on the other hand, knew very well that Jesus was “the Christ of God.” He knew this because he saw with the eyes of faith. He not only saw Jesus the man, but Jesus the Christ.

Peter knew the gaze of Christ. He received it as he betrayed him. But like the adulteress, that gaze was full of love and forgiveness. He longs to give you that—each and every one of you.

If we see the world the way Herod did, with expectation and faithlessness, we find ourselves searching endlessly for miracles and signs from God, but to no avail. We will keep trying to see him, but will never find him. If we have the eyes of faith, like Peter did, we will see Him everywhere. We will know his gaze, we will feel His love, and it will be mesmerizing.


Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Preaching Workshops day 2

Day 2 of homily workshops, and it's not as easy as I thought. I have learned quickly that the priest must always be looking for homily material. Assuming that the average parish priest will preach every day, as well as multiple times per weekend, it becomes clear that this aspect of the priestly life is extremely important and takes up a significant amount of time. I certainly experienced that over the course of the week. This homily was given according to the Scripture readings on September 22, 2010:

“Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.” It’s more than simply a poetic phrase. This brief psalm refrain offers us deep insights into the mystery that is the Word of God. Picture being led by a lamp through complete darkness—how crucial that light is, how dependent we are upon it! It is guiding, it is protecting, it is powerful. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that, in the Gospel, Luke mentions proclaiming the Good News in the same breath as curing diseases—not once, but twice! I find that we often fall into the temptation of placing greater value on physical miracles than those that we can’t observe with our senses. “The apostles cured diseases everywhere, oh and they proclaimed the Good News as well.” Do not underestimate the power of the Word of God! Proclaiming the Good News is essential to the healing of the sick. It’s easy to assume that Luke is referring to the physically sick, or those suffering from bodily diseases. We must not forget that our Lord always forgave sins before curing their physical ailments. Why? Because the Word is life-giving! It is healing. It is alive and working in our lives.

This is the beauty of the Eucharist—it gives us both bodily and spiritual nourishment. Just as the apostles were sent to proclaim the Kingdom of God and heal the sick, we too are given access to the Kingdom of God through the reading of Scripture, the Word, and the healing power of the Eucharist.


We believe that Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh. He is God, He is perfect, therefore, we have no need, nor d
o we have any reason to add to, remove from, or change anything about Him. Rather, dwell with the Word made flesh. Let Him, the Word, be your shield—take refuge in Him. “Add nothing to his words, lest he reprove you, and you will be exposed as a deceiver.” Often times we like to take possession of the Word, and alter it to our satisfaction. No. Let the Word guide you, let it be the lamp for your feet, follow it to its source—a love beyond imagination.

We don’t have to look far to find a litany of saints who have changed lives and saved souls by their proclamation of the Good News: starting with St. Peter on Pentecost, St. Paul, John Chrysostom, Thomas Aquinas, the North American Jesuit Martyrs, and countless others. We have also seen the effects of those who have taken the Word and distorted it by fitting it into their own subjective scope—the result is heresy, division in the Church, and much, much, worse.


The Word is Truth, who is ultimately a person, Jesus Chr
ist. Seek truth. Seek Jesus Christ, and with the guidance of the Church, let the Word be the lamp for your feet as you walk with Him!