Homily for the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross - given at Bundeena on Sept 14, 2008

2. “The Son of Man must be lifted up” (Io. 3, 14).

Today the Church makes special reference to these words which Christ spoke to Nicodemus.

Nicodemus was a man who loved God’s word and studied it with great attention. He had a hunger for the truth, an eagerness to understand and a desire to know answers to the great questions of life. It is to Nicodemus, that Jesus speaks these words which still have meaning for us today: "The Son of Man must be lifted up, that all who believe may have eternal life in him" (John 3, 14-15).

When Christ said this to Nicodemus, Nicodemus had no idea that this one sentence would summarise the entire mission of Jesus. Nicodemus would not have imagined that Jesus was referring to his death at Calvary when he said that “The Son of Man must be lifted up”. In order to be understood, Jesus referred to an event from the history of the Jewish people which Nicodemus would surely know about, namely, Moses lifting up the serpent in the desert, written about in the book of Numbers.

Let me take you on a journey. Moses and the Jewish people were walking in the desert. They had escaped from Egypt and they were trying to find their way to the land promised to them by God.  This journey lasted forty years and was full of tests, maybe similar to a season of the TV Show Survivor: Moses and the Israelite people "tested” God with their unfaithfulness, their lack of trust, their disobedience; God responded to the Jewish people by providing obstacles in order to strengthen and purify Israel’s faith.

Near Mount Hor a particular test took place, and this involved poisonous serpents. These serpents "bit the people" with the result that many of them died (Nu. 21, 6). Then Moses was ordered by God, to make “a bronze serpent and mount it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he recovered” (Nu. 21, 9).

We might ask: why such a test?

God intends to save the people of the world. The bronze serpent in the desert is a symbolic representation of Christ on the Cross. If someone was poisonously bitten and then looked at the bronze serpent "lifted up" by Moses, then that person was saved. That person remained alive, not because he had looked at the bronze serpent, but because of the belief in the power of God and his saving love. In this way, when the Son of Man is lifted up on the Cross, when Jesus is crucified, "all who believe will have eternal life in him" (Jo. 3, 15).

There exists a deep connection between the bronze serpent in the Old Testament and the Cross of Christ. These two stories go together hand in hand. Salvation and healing came to the Jewish People in the desert through the lifting up of the bronze serpent, and salvation and healing came to all the world through the lifting up of Jesus Christ on the Cross.  

This connection, Pope John Paul II said:  “becomes even more striking if we keep in mind that the salvation from physical death, a death caused by the poison of the serpents in the desert…” was a death which began in the Garden of Eden with the serpent or the snake tempting Adam and Eve. Salvation and healing from this death, a death that was caused by the actions of a man Adam – this salvation and healing came through a Man, through the Son of Man "lifted up" on the Cross.

You may be thinking, where on earth is Deacon James going with this. My friends, the Old Testament as we all know prepares us to listen and to hear the message of Christ.

In the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus in today’s Gospel, Jesus prepares an eager student of the Scriptures, so that in time he will understand the saving mystery contained in the Cross of Christ. Nicodemus did understand in time, but not straight away.

What, then, does this "being lifted up" mean?

In today’s second reading from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, "being lifted up" means "being brought low." God become man. This is the first dimension of "being brought low", and at the same time it is a "lifting up". God is brought low, God becomes man, so that we man, humanity, may be lifted up, so that humanity may become as God.

Why? Because "God so loved the world". Because he is love itself and God desires our friendship, love and relationship.

"God so loved the world that he gave his only Son". GOD GAVE. This emptying is itself the gift. It is the source of every gift and we can’t truly understand how to love or to give without understanding what happened on the cross. In this emptying, this is the beginning and source of every "lifting up."

The Church puts before us the Cross of Jesus Christ. My friends, the cross is not just the image of a criminal being humiliated and killed. This image is the perfect image for the Christian and for humanity.

We look around the world and we often see the crucifix displayed as jewellery or as an ornament. Many don’t understand why the cross is important, but deep down within us there is a sense that this is an amazingly powerful image, relevant even for us today.

My friends this Sunday is my last Sunday here at Bundeena. In 9 days time I will depart Cronulla to begin further post graduate studies of theology in Rome. I ask you to pray for me and to pray for the people of Bundeena and for the faith of our families, friends and those around us.  The church here at Bundeena could be a thriving centre of hope and love for our world even more than it is already.

Unfortunately it is difficult for Bundeena because in essence you never have a full-time priest. So the responsibility and mission of building up the faith here in Bundeena falls in a very special way to each of you.

I would love to return to Bundeena in 5 or 10 years time and see a church packed with young people, young children and young families. The role of leadership in this community needs to be more tangibly passed onto the next generation. Our Bishop Ken and Dame Cath can’t keep it going forever.

The Cross and the message of Jesus Christ are powerful. By looking towards the cross with faith and belief, we receive healing and salvation, as the Jewish people received healing when they looked at the Bronze Serpent while in the Desert.

Jesus is lifted up on the cross but before he is lifted up, God came down to our level so that each of us can be lifted up and enter into the eternal glory of Heaven. God has given us something wonderful. The Cross shows us and enables each of us, you and me, to empty ourselves for another, and at the same time, by emptying ourselves we will be lifted up.

I thank you very much for all your support over the past 11 months. I have tried a few different things while I have been in Bundeena and in the parish of St Aloysius and the friendship, hospitality and kindness which have been extended to me have been exemplary.

As I finish my homily, I ask invite of you to look at our crucifix for about 1 minute and pray about how the cross has an impact in your life – does it give you healing, does it encourage you to empty yourself for another as true gift and do you believe that you will be lifted up be emptying yourself.

“The Son of Man must be lifted up, that all who believe may have eternal life in him.”

Let us pray.

Homily for the 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A - Given at Cronulla on August 24, 2008

Readings: ISAIAH 22: 19-23; ROM 11: 33-36; MATTHEW 16: 13-20

 

Today’s Gospel has two main parts – The question and answers, and then the commissioning of authority to Peter.  Caesarea Philippi, the place where today’s Gospel event occurred, is important for understanding what Jesus was asking. Caesarea Philippi was, in many respects the coming together of the religious, political and economic worlds. Caesarea Philippi was founded by Philip, the son of Herod the Great, as a summer residence and to perpetuate his memory and to honor the emperor Caesar.  The city was at the center of pagan religions.  There were temples for the Syrian gods Baal and Pan, the Roman god Zeus, and a marble temple for the emperor Caesar.  Jesus realized that if his disciples did not know who he truly was then his entire ministry and his suffering and death would be useless. Jesus also wanted to make clear that the apostles needed to understand that his message is relevant for all the world.

 

The first question Jesus asked was: “What is the public opinion?” What do people say about Jesus? My friends, this question is as relevant for us today as it was 2000 years ago for the apostles. What do people say about Jesus, the Church and the ways of goodness, of love and of commitment?

 

When Pope Benedict was in Sydney told us that

“there are many today who claim that God should be left on the sidelines, and that religion and faith… should be excluded from the public forum altogether... This secularist vision seeks to explain human life and shape society with little or no reference to the Creator… If God is irrelevant to public life, then society will be shaped in a godless image.” (From the Speech at Barangaroo)

 

My friends, we can see this around us. Each of us I am sure has experienced or witnessed a godless approach to life.

Perhaps we have heard other things about Christ and the Church. Church is a waste of time, God doesn’t really exist. God didn’t create the world. God is dead.

 

At the beginning of WYD, our Prime Minister Kevin Rudd spoke about public opinion of Jesus, and he spoke courageously about his faith in the Church and Jesus Christ.

“Some say there is no place for faith in the 21st Century. I say they are wrong.

Some say that faith is the enemy of reason, I say, also they are wrong.

Because faith and reason are great partners in our human history and in our human future. Rich in humanity, rich in scientific progress.

Some say only that which they see wrong in Christianity and in the church, I say let us speak also about what is right in Christianity and the church.”

 

The second question Jesus asked was: “What is your personal opinion?”

 For the first time in their relationship Peter, speaking for the other disciples, declared publicly: “You are the Christ (Messiah) the Son of the living God.” Peter was the first apostle to publicly recognize Jesus as the Anointed - the God who became Man to save sinners.

 

My friends, What does Jesus mean to you?

Is he a Founder of a religion?

A Revolutionary Jewish reformer?

One of the great teachers?

Son of God and personal savior?

“The way the truth and the life?”

 

This can perhaps be broken down into other questions:  "How do we really view Jesus? Do we see Jesus as Good Shepherd, Saviour, and Redeemer? Is He our beloved friend, closer to us than our spouse or children, father or mother? Is Jesus a living experience for each of us, walking with us individually, loving us, forgiving us, helping us and transforming our lives and outlook?

What difference does Jesus make in our lives?  Have we really given our life to him?  Are there areas where we have excluded Him, where our lives are not noticeably different from the lives of those who see Jesus as irrelevant?

Being a Christian makes us different from the rest of world. Faith is not coming to Church. Faith is a way of life.

Coming to church on Sundays is being thankful to God, is recommitting to faith, is a growth and nourishment in love, and coming to Church is an opportunity to support, serve and connect with our community and to prepare for eternal life.

 

Who do we say that Jesus is in our daily life? Who do we say that He is when we are in the presence of those who don't know him, those who aren't interested in him? Are we ashamed? Do we never speak of Jesus or the ways of Jesus?

What does the way we live and behave say about who Jesus is? Is the joy, the love, the peace that we find in Jesus reflected in the way we live our lives? Christians should be people of joy, love, peace and service.

 

My friends, like any important relationship, we need to nourish and strengthen our commitment every day.

As the Mass continues, I invite you enter into prayer and not be a spectator. Truly ask Jesus to fill you and I and each of us with the presence and love of Jesus. At communion, each of us will make our personal statement of faith, like Peter in today’s Gospel. Each of us will in humility come to the altar of God and say “Jesus come into my life. Nourish me, heal me and make me your arms, your ears and your voice in the world.”

 

When you receive communion today, look up at the host and say within your heart the words of Peter: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And as the minister says “The body of Christ” make your ‘Amen’ mean what you are saying. Don’t be half-hearted about it. Your Amen is the public act of your faith in Christ and the Eucharist. It is a commitment for yourself but it is said to the minister, to the Church and to our God.

 

My friends, the world doesn’t believe Jesus to be present in us, or in the Scriptures, the priest, and especially not in the Eucharist. Make your Amen a statement of your commitment, your belief and your faith, not just for the rest of the Mass, but for the coming week, until you come to nourished and recommit publicly again.

 

My friends, let us now pause for a few moments to pray quietly, thinking about What we think of Jesus? Is he our Lord? Are we ready to receive him into our hearts and lives in communion? Do each of us really want to united with God?  Are we ready to become Jesus in our world today? Let each of us pray and reflect about our faith and our opinion of Jesus!

 

Homily for the Solemnity of the Assumption

Given at Cronulla on August 14^th, 2008.

 

Today the Church begins the great celebration of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother, body and soul into Heaven. Tradition states that when Mary came to the end of her life, God completed the good work done in Mary and she was brought immediately home to heaven. From the earliest of times, Christians across the world have firmly believed and professed that Mary was taken up to Heaven, to join Jesus and the angels in paradise.

The complete unity of Mary with God did not begin at the Assumption, but in fact began at the Immaculate Conception, and continued at the Annunciation. At the Annunciation Mary made her Yes to God, and God respond with his heartfelt and loving embrace and said YES to Mary.

The Yes of the Assumption, the YES that Mary is with God in Heaven, Body and Soul, is the YES that each of us needs to make in our lives everyday.

When Pope Benedict was in Sydney, he spoke beautifully of the Annunciation and the YES of Mary. The Annunciation is strongly connected with the Assumption. Without the Annunciation, there would never have been the Assumption.

Pope Benedict said: In the Annunciation

“we reflect on Mary as a young woman, receiving the Lord’s summons to dedicate her life to him in a very particular way, a way that would involve the generous gift of herself, her womanhood, her motherhood. Imagine how she must have felt. She was filled with apprehension, utterly overwhelmed at the prospect that lay before her.

The angel understood her anxiety and immediately sought to reassure her. “Do not be afraid, Mary…. The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Lk 1:30, 35). It was the Spirit who gave her the strength and courage to respond to the Lord’s call. It was the Spirit who helped her to understand the great mystery that was to be accomplished through her. It was the Spirit who enfolded her with his love and enabled her to conceive the Son of God in her womb.

This scene is perhaps the pivotal moment in the history of God’s relationship with his people. During the Old Testament, God revealed himself partially, gradually, as we all do in our personal relationships. It took time for the chosen people to develop their relationship with God. The Covenant with Israel was like a period of courtship, a long engagement. Then came the definitive moment, the moment of marriage, the establishment of a new and everlasting covenant. As Mary stood before the Lord, she represented the whole of humanity. In the angel’s message, it was as if God made a marriage proposal to the human race. And in our name, Mary said yes.

In fairy tales, the story ends there, and all “live happily ever after”. In real life it is not so simple. For Mary there were many struggles ahead, as she lived out the consequences of the “yes” that she had given to the Lord. Simeon prophesied that a sword would pierce her heart. When Jesus was twelve years old, she experienced every parent’s worst nightmare when, for three days, the child went missing. And after his public ministry, she suffered the agony of witnessing his crucifixion and death. Throughout her trials she remained faithful to her promise, sustained by the Spirit of fortitude. And she was gloriously rewarded.

Dear young people, we too must remain faithful to the “yes” that we have given to the Lord’s offer of friendship. We know that he will never abandon us. We know that he will always sustain us through the gifts of the Spirit. Mary accepted the Lord’s “proposal” in our name. So let us turn to her and ask her to guide us as we struggle to remain faithful to the life-giving relationship that God has established with each one of us. She is our example and our inspiration, she intercedes for us with her Son, and with a mother’s love she shields us from harm.” (Words of Pope Benedict XVI before the Angelus in Sydney, on the Occasion of WYD08.)

Mary generously gave of herself to God – let us do the same.
Mary generously responded to the marriage proposal of God – let us do the same. Mary remained faithful despite the difficulties and sufferings she endured – let us do the same.
God promised Heaven to Mary and God delivered on His Promise.
Let us enter with Mary into the eternal paradise which God has promised and prepared for each of us and will deliver to us at the end of our earthly life if we are faithful to ours and Mary’s YES.

Let us pray: Hail Mary..

 

Homily for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A.

Given at Cronulla on August, 17, 2008.

Readings: Is 56: 1,6-7; PS 67: 2-8; ROM 11: 13-15,29-32; MT 15: 21-28

 

There is a story about a Sydney man, who, together with his family, hosted a rabbi from Moscow one Christmas. To treat the rabbi to a culinary experience unavailable to him in Moscow, the Australian decided to take the Rabbi to their favourite Chinese restaurant. After the meal, the waiter brought the cheque and presented each person at the table with a small brass Christmas ornament as a complimentary gift. Everyone laughed when they turned the ornament over and read the label “Made in India.”  The laughter quickly subsided, when everyone saw tears running down the rabbi’s cheeks. The Sydney man asked the rabbi if he was offended at having been given a gift on a Christian holiday. Smiling, the rabbi shook his head and answered, “No, I was shedding tears of joy to be in such a wonderful country in which a Chinese Buddhist restaurant owner gives a Russian Jew a Christmas gift made by a Hindu in India.”

 

When Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI was recently in Sydney he met with Leaders of other Christian Communities and also leaders from other religious faiths.

 

At the gathering, Pope Benedict said that “Australia is a country marked by much ethnic and religious diversity. Australia is renowned for the congeniality of its people towards neighbour and visitor alike. Immigrants arrive on the shores of this majestic land hoping to find happiness and opportunities for employment. Yours, too, is a nation which recognizes the importance of religious freedom… Your country recognizes that a respect for this fundamental right gives men and women the latitude to worship God according to their conscience, to nurture their spirits, and to act upon the ethical convictions that stem from their beliefs… Religious Freedom… allows citizens to act upon values which are rooted in their deepest beliefs, contributing thus to the well-being of society. In this way, Christians cooperate, together with members of other religions, for the promotion of human dignity and for fellowship among all nations.”

In this brief paragraph, Pope Benedict makes 3 key points:

1. The importance of religious freedom.
2. Contribution made by people of faith to the well-being of society.
3. Promotion of human dignity and fellowship among all nations.

 

My friends, today’s readings speak of the expansive nature of the “kingdom of God.” Although the Hebrew people were God’s chosen race, God included all nations in His plan for salvation and blessed all the families of the earth. By declaring through the prophet Isaiah (the first reading) “my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples,” God reveals the truth that in His eyes there is no distinction among human beings on the basis of race, colour, or gender. 

 

Today’s psalm reinforces this point. “Let all the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.”

 

In the second reading, Paul admits that although the Jews were the chosen people, most of them denied the promised Messiah and consequently, the Gentiles – the non-Jews (the people who most of us are descended from) received mercy through their faith in Jesus.

 

In the Gospel, Jesus proves that salvation was meant for the gentiles as well as Jews, by healing the daughter of a gentile woman as a reward for her strong faith, proving that God's mercy and love are available to all who call out to Him in faith.

 

Very often we set up walls which separate us from one another and from God. Today's Gospel reminds us that God's love and mercy are extended to all who call on him in faith and trust in God, no matter who they are, where they come from, or how much money they have.

 

My friends, Christ did not begin the Church of Australia or the Church of Italy. Jesus Christ founded one Church – a community which was to unite people of every race, colour, gender and creed, so that God’s house should become a house of prayer for all peoples.

 

All the world is called to be the People of God, not just in terms of our Sunday worship, but we are called to overcome the divisions that exist within humanity. We are called to be one people.

Pope Benedict said: “My dear friends, I have come to Australia as an ambassador of peace. Our effort to bring about reconciliation between peoples springs from, and is directed to, that truth which gives purpose to life. Religion offers peace, but more importantly, it arouses within the human spirit a thirst for truth and a hunger for virtue. May we encourage everyone… to marvel at the beauty of life, to seek its ultimate meaning, and to strive to realize its sublime potential!” Religion offers peace, but it makes us thirst for truth and hunger for virtue.

We need to work, day in and day out to pull down every wall which separates and divides  humanity. These walls are not only racial or religious, but it may be age, financial ability, or political preferences.

 

Some of the older members of our congregation may remember the Berlin Wall being pulled down which united Germany. For many of us, the Olympics is helping to open China to the world.

But we think of others walls – the wall between Israel and Palestine.

Perhaps it is not a wall but a bridge – Tom Ugly’s or Taren Point. 

Perhaps it is a separation between parish school and parish church.

 

Pope Benedict said: “Men and women are endowed with the ability not only to imagine how things might be better, but to invest their energies to make them better. Who is not impressed by the power of the human spirit to set goals and to develop ways of achieving them?”

My friends, we must invest in the future of humanity.

Each of us has investments – they may be in a bank, the stock market or in property. How do each of us invest our energies to make the world and our Church a better place, a more united and peaceful people?

 

Pope Benedict said that within everyone human being is a “religious sense which is planted within the human heart. This leads us to meet the needs of others and to search for concrete ways to contribute to the common good. Religions… teach people that authentic service requires sacrifice and self-discipline, … cultivated through self-denial, temperance and a moderate use of the world’s goods.”

 

My friends, humanity is meant to be united, and religion is meant to unite us, not divide. Let us pray that the walls which we have raised will crumble.

 

What will each of us do? What investment will each of us make? I can’t tell you what to do. God has planted within each of our hearts what we are to do for our world, our Church, our community.

Something has to be done. Let’s take up the challenge and make a difference!

 

Homily for the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A - Given at Cronulla on June 22, 2008

Readings:  JER 20: 10-13; ROM 5:12-15; MATTHEW 10: 26-33

“Do not be afraid to go out on the streets and into public places, like the first Apostles who preached Christ and the Good News of salvation in the squares of cities, towns and villages. This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel (cf. Rom 1:16). It is the time to preach it from the rooftops (cf. Mt 10:27). Do not be afraid to break out of comfortable and routine modes of living, in order to take up the challenge of making Christ known in the modern “metropolis”. It is you who must “go out into the byroads'” (Mt 22:9) and invite everyone you meet to the banquet which God has prepared for his people. The Gospel must not be kept hidden because of fear or indifference. It was never meant to be hidden away in private. It has to be put on a stand so that people may see its light and give praise to our heavenly Father (cf. Mt 5:15-16).”  My friends, these are some of the great words preached by our revered and much loved Holy Father, Pope John Paul II. He said these powerful words during a very memorable homily on the 12^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, on the occasion of World Youth Day when it was held in Denver in 1993. But the theme of “Be Not afraid” did not begin in John Paul II’s writings in 1993.

When John Paul II was elected in 1978, he said to the world ‘Do not be afraid to be witnesses to Christ, to his life and ways and to his Church.’

Our scripture for this Sunday is a call to live without fear, a call to courage, a call to not be afraid. The readings speak of the opposition we will encounter as we carry on the work of Jesus in the world and they encourage us to persevere in doing the work of Jesus. Today’s readings assure us that we will be successful despite the opposition we will definitely encounter.

 

The first reading from Jeremiah and today’s Gospel reflect on the suffering that is received for being faithful to the Lord. Being a follower of God has never been easy, and it is not easy today either. The world tells us that we should worry about ourselves before we look after or help someone else. I always find it odd when I am on a plane and the aircraft crew explain the safety procedures, and they always advice us to look after ourselves before helping children with seatbelts or oxygen masks.

 

The ways of God and People of God are under attack. Many unfortunately believe the Church to be out of touch, and some believe the Church to be simply another presence for evil. The concept of helping another before ourselves has all but disappeared, and with it, the concept of self-sacrifice.

 

 It wasn’t easy for the Jewish people, and it hasn’t been easy throughout the Church’s history, but the faith has continued to spread, grow and flourish.

 

Jeremiah experienced the dangers of his friends, and even his own family because he spoke the words given to him by God. He lived almost 2,500 years ago.

He worked most of his life in Jerusalem, the same Jerusalem that exists today. Jeremiah tried to keep the people and several kings faithful to God amidst an atmosphere of political intrigue, corruption and backstabbing. His situation doesn’t sound that unfamiliar to what we have in politics today, although Jeremiah legitimately feared for his life, perhaps in the same way that the leader of the opposition in Zimbabwe today fears for his life when he speaks for peace for his country.

 Nevertheless, Jeremiah was confident that God would not let his enemies overcome him.  Jeremiah said, "But the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.”

 

Today’s Psalm is a response to the situation of Jeremiah, and is a response to the situation of all people who are shamed and persecuted because they serve the Lord. Our confident prayer today is that God will guide us and protect us as we seek to know and do his will in a world full of conflicting strategies and goals.

 

Many people are ashamed of being a Catholic and a follower of Christ after they have left the church on a Sunday morning. We look around our church and we don’t see too many young people, especially those in high school and those who have recently left school. I talk to kids in high school and I hear that it is “uncool” to be a part of the Church, and to come to Church on Sundays is just “lame” and “boring”.

Goodness, peace and a strong united community seem to no longer be important to many people today.

 

In the second reading Paul tell us that we need to not be afraid of opposition because we share not only in the death of Jesus but also in his resurrection. Paul explains that in spite of opposition, our work will succeed. The Gospel and the ways of the Church are controversial. Self-sacrifice seems to be in contradiction to most structures and organizations today.

 

Today’s Gospel continues this theme of “Do not be afraid” and Jesus gives us three reasons why we should not fear. The first reason is that the opponents will not be able to prevent Jesus' followers from succeeding in our mission because God will expose their evil plans: God will not permit evil to win. “nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered” – the truth will win in the end. At times we may lose hope, but Jesus reminds us that evil will never have the final word.

 

The second reason to not fear is that God is more powerful than evil. The power of our opponents should not cause us to be afraid to be apostles. Our property can be damaged (as it often is here at Cronulla), our reputation can be reduced, our influence can be diminished. People may ridicule us and laugh at us, but evil has no lasting power over us. God has ultimate power and God’s power overcomes evil. 

 

The third reason we should not be afraid to live our faith is because we have a loving and compassionate God. We are more important to God than the sparrows. Our God looks after the trivial birds, but he also cares about our trivia -- even the number of hairs on our head. God knows everything that we go through, and nothing that happens to us escapes him. When we feel lonely and totally abandoned, when it seems that our prayers are unanswered, God knows and God cares.

Its hard to be an apostle of Jesus Christ. Everyday we have reasons to be afraid. In fact, in the Scriptures the phrase: “Do not be afraid” appears 365 times, once for every day of the year. Every day we need to be strengthened to become Christ.

 

On Friday evening 73 young men and women committed their lives to God, to Jesus Christ and his Church. They were confirmed and strengthened in the Holy Spirit by Cardinal Pell here in this church on the Solemnity of St Aloysius.

My hope is that these young men and women will live up to their commitment to Christ and will be examples to each of us of what it means to have the courage of Jesus Christ. My hope and prayer is that our parish will be revitalised through the assistance of these young men and women.

 

In the past few weeks I have assisted in their preparation and interviewed each of them individually. I noticed that many have not got to the stage that they can say as St Paul says in his letter to the Galatians: “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.”

 

My friends, We need to have courage. We need to not be afraid to be Christ and to live the life and mission of Christ in all that we do and say.

I’ll conclude with the words of Pope John Paul II from World Youth Day in 1993. They are directed towards the young people, but I think they have lasting meaning for each and every one of us.

“At this stage of history, the liberating message of the Gospel…has been put into your hands. And the mission of proclaiming it to the ends of the earth is now passing to your generation. Like the great Apostle Paul, you too must feel the full urgency of the task: “Woe to me if I do not evangelize'' (1 Cor 9:16). Woe to you if you do not succeed in defending life. The Church needs your energies, your enthusiasm, your youthful ideals, in order to make the Gospel… penetrate the fabric of society, transforming people's hearts and the structures of society in order to create a civilization of true justice and love. Now more than ever, in a world that is often without light and without the courage of noble ideals, people need the fresh, vital spirituality of the Gospel.”

 

Let us pray:

Loving Lord and Father, help us to not be afraid to become you and to truly live as Christ in our world. Give us the strength and courage of your spirit to bring your message of love, peace and justice to our world, our friends and our families. Lord, we love you and give you thanks and praise for all that you have done for us.

We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN

 

Homily for the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A - Given at Bundeena and Cronulla on 8 June, 2008

In most countries of the world, the end of June marks the end of the financial year. Each of us begins thinking about taxes, tax returns and some of us may begin to consider investments, mortgages, and pensions. With the current interest rate rises, and extremely high petrol prices, every family and individual is starting to feel the pinch. Financial concerns are important and each of us gives due consideration to our financial management.

 

In today’s Gospel, the writer introduces a new character to the reader. We are introduced to a Jewish man named. Matthew was hated by all the Jewish people because he worked for the Roman Empire, the occupying presence in Israel. Matthew would visit people, often members of the Jewish community, and he would assess how much tax was owing to the Roman Empire. Matthew made his income by over-assessing and over-charging his brothers and sisters, the Jewish people.

 

 In most cultures, even today, the tax man is an unpopular job. For many Jewish people at the time of Christ, they believed that paying taxes was in essence the work of the devil.

Taxes were a sign that a community was unable to live in harmony, and that the community was dominated and controlled by someone more powerful. Tax was something that the pagan emperors used to force everyone in society to contribute.

 

In a perfect world, taxes shouldn’t be necessary. Governments shouldn’t exist. Families should look after each other. Neighbours should help neighbours when one is in trouble. And when there is a threat of war, families should unite in defending their land and property.

For the devout Jew, tax, professional armies and large government were a sign of disorder, disharmony, and unfaithfulness to God.

 

It is into this context that Jesus calls the Jewish taxman “Matthew” to follow him.

Matthew was a tax collector and was most likely a very good accountant. When Matthew came to follow Christ, his skills with accounting were not lost. In fact, the skill of accounting is an important part of what it means to be a follower of Christ.

 

Financially, we as a society are becoming more and more stretched, but also more aware. We plan ahead, not just as a country, but also as individuals. And towards the end of the financial year, we account for expenses and make our returns.

 

But why aren’t we so careful and premeditated in the way we use and account for the other resources we have.

Each of us has received many wonderful gifts from God. Each day we are alive is a gift from God. Financial wealth is a gift from God. One may claim that an individual is responsible for personal growth in wealth, however without the gifts of life, health and wellbeing, growth in wealth is impossible.

 

As we account for the ways we spend our money, we should also account for our time, for our relationships, and for the ways we use our talents. We shouldn’t need to account for relationships based on love, but even in loving relationships, we give gifts of flowers, we have celebrations and so on.

 

Matthew, the tax collector, would have accounted for his gifts. He would have calculated how much time he was spending on coming to know Christ. But he would have also accounted for the time he spent with his friends, his family, relaxation and personal time.

In the business world, everything a company does is designed to increase profit. Everything a follower of Christ does should help to build the Kingdom of God. As followers, we should account for the ways that we are building the Kingdom of God.

 

Recently I returned from the USA where I visited a parish community and a diocese where I worked last year for about 10 weeks. In the diocese of Wichita, Kansas, in the very centre of the US, the Catholic faith is stronger than any other religious denomination in that area, even among young people. The people are ordinary Americans: predominantly of Irish and German backgrounds. Most are middle class workers and professionals involved with the nearby Boeing Aircraft Manufacturing Plant. On average 85% of Catholics attend Mass every weekend, compared to our parish where about 10% attend weekly Mass.

 

In Kansas, the parishioners feel that they own the church. Each parishioner takes personal responsibility for the mission of the Church. They look after each other and encourage each other. While I was there last year, a young 16 year old girl with two children was kicked out of home by her parents. The parish took her in, looked after her and her children, nourished them and helped to finish school.

In Wichita, Kansas, the church is a place of prayer every hour of every day, not just on Sundays. For all 168 hours of the week, there is someone praying in the church for needs of the community and the world.

There are more examples I could give of the amazing work of the church in Kansas, but I will stop for now.

 

Our parish here in Cronulla also does some wonderful things. We are helping children who have recently lost their parents. We pray for them and support them in whatever ways we can. Cronulla would not be the same with the active presence of our Catholic community. But I think we can be doing more.

 

If each of us understood that we owned the Church and that you and I have a responsibility to give a return to God for the gifts he has given to us, and that you and I have a share in the mission of Jesus Christ, then I think the church in Bundeena/Cronulla would begin to flourish.

 

This week, begin an accounting of your life. What sort of quality time do you give to the Church, your family, our community, our God? Begin to look at the church and begin to get more involved. This week, think of one or two things you can do to more fully assist with bringing people to faith in our parish.

Matthew the tax-collector left his evil job, followed Jesus and very shortly after, he brought his friends and work colleagues to friendship with Jesus. Let us do the same.  

 

Let us pray:

Loving Lord and Father, we praise and thank you for giving us life, freedom and order. Help us during this week to consciously work to build your kingdom and to let your will done in our hearts and lives. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

 

HOMILY ON THE FEAST OF ASCENSION OF THE LORD, Year A - Given at Cronulla on May 3-4 2008.

Readings: ACTS 1: 1-11; EPHESIANS 1: 17-23; MATTHEW 28: 16-20

 

Today we celebrate the great feast of the Ascension of the Lord, body and soul into Heaven. The Ascension is one of the great feasts in the Church’s calendar.

 

It is most closely related, in meaning, to Christmas. You might be thinking, Christmas – that is the time of presents, cribs and children.

So how is the ascension closely related to Christmas?

At Christmas, what it means to be God becomes a part of what it means to be a human being. At Christmas, God became united with humanity. In Jesus, the human and the divine become united in the person and life of one man. My friends, Christmas is not about toys and lights and tinsel. It is about God becoming completely united with humanity.

 

At the Ascension, this human being-the person and the resurrected body of Jesus-became for all eternity a part of who God is. For all eternity now, humanity is an integral part of God and of what it means to be God.

 

Before the world was created, God created the spirits and angels. God created angels as the highest of all creatures and these angels had the freedom to choose whether they would do good or reject the good. Among the highest of these angels was an angel named Lucifer, who in time, rejected God and became what we now know as the Devil. The Scriptures, in Genesis, and different parts of the Old Testament, and also in New Testament in St Paul’s writings and in the Book of Revelation, refer to the casting out of Lucifer and the evil angels from God’s presence. The Angels were the highest of all the creatures, but Lucifer had great pride. He knew he was the best and no-one but God was going to be higher. But God told all the angels, even before creating the world, that a human being would be God. That human beings could become a part of God.

 

For the angels, this was a terrible thing. They believed that they were the superior being and many of the angels rejected God. In the Garden of Eden, the snake, the personification of evil, tempted Adam and Eve but did not lie. The snake said that Adam and Eve would become like God, knowing good and evil, if they were to eat the fruit.

 

And indeed because Adam and Eve ate the fruit, God humbled himself and became a man so that man can become God. Today, we celebrate how Christ, God and man, body and spirit, ascended to heaven to unite humanity with God for all eternity.

 

My friends, the Ascension is a great celebration of the kingdom of God. The first reading, from the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles, tells us that after the resurrection, Christ “continued to appear to the disciples and tell them about the kingdom of God.”

 

Humanity, both spiritually and physically is an essential part of the kingdom of God. Some people talk about being more spiritual. But we can become so focused on the spirit and not worry or respect the body – the physicality. Ultimately we don’t come to church to become more spiritual – we come to church to become more like who we are meant to be – to be like God – both spiritually and physically. We can do good things that are spiritual, but if we don’t do good things that are physically, then what are we. Every moment we are alive we glory to God through our body and hopefully throughout our spirit.

 

It was not the spirit of Jesus or the divine nature of Jesus that ascended to the Father. It was the resurrected body of Jesus: a body that the disciples had touched, a body that ate and drank with them, a real, physical, but gloriously restored body-bearing the marks of nails and a spear. This is what ascended. This is what, now and forever, is a living, participating part of God.

 

The Ascension, along with the Incarnation – the celebration of Christmas, is here to tell us that it is a good thing to be a human being; indeed it is a wonderful, an important and a holy thing to be a human being. It is such an important thing that God did it. Even more, the fullness of God now includes what it means to be a human being. The experience, the reality, and the stuff of being a person is so valuable that God has made it a part of God's life.

 

St Ireneaus famously said: “The Glory of God is a human being fully alive, and human being fully alive is the vision of God.” My friends, the Beatific Vision – the fullness of God’s love and presence will be a human encounter. Heaven will be a human encounter.

 

People often imagine heaven as a place in the clouds with angels with wings, some bright lights and maybe some smoke.

 

Heaven, my friends, will be the greatest party you have been to. It will be human, it will have colour, music, videos, joy, laughter. Heaven will be the perfection of a human party.

 

So what does this all mean to us today?

St Therese of Lisieux famously said that holiness was in doing the ordinary things in life extraordinarily well. Let us live as human beings consciously aware that we are drawn ever closer to God by doing the human things in life in a godly way.

 

When you make the bed in the morning, make it with a smile and make it with joy. When you drive the car on the road, drive with courtesy, respect and calmness. When you talk to your husband or wife, surprise them with a gift of love and generosity.

 

Maybe we need to be more spiritual, but I think we need to be more human, and ultimately we need to consciously be more like God.

 

Let us pray:

Loving Lord, we give you praise and thanks for become like us, for taking on our human condition and for showing us that humanity is called and destined to dwell in your glory and friendship for all eternity. Help us to hear and accept your way and give us the courage to live your way in our families, in our parish, and to all the ends of the earth. We ask this in your name, Jesus, our Lord and our God. Amen.