See that Justice is done

22nd Sun OT 

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP 

St. Dominic Church, NOLA

AUDIO file

When our power went out last Tuesday around five o'clock, I gave a mighty sigh and prepared myself for a day or two of no A/C, no hot water, no lights. Like any good Dominican would, I went to my bookshelf and asked, “What does one read while a hurricane rages outside?” I rejected poetry—too ethereal for a storm. I rejected current events—what can I do about Iran's nuclear build-up or the collapse of the Eurozone during a hurricane? I rejected theology—that's too much like work for a priest. That left philosophy. It took me about two minutes to find William Barrett's classic 1958 study of European existentialism. Given that Isaac was slowing reducing New Orleans to a Stone Age village, the title of his book seemed more than appropriate, Irrational Man. (After four days w/o A/C and a hot shower, “irrational man” pretty much describes me to a tee)! Barrett argues that as a philosophy outside the mainstream western obsession with science and technology, existentialism challenges the human soul to face the deeply abiding problems of what it means to exist, to simply Be. He writes, “A single atmosphere pervades [all truly human problems] like a chilly wind: the radical feeling of human finitude”(36). At the root of being human is the gnawing truth that we are limited, impermanent. The Psalmist rebuts, “One who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.” 

Living in the presence of the Lord is the Father's promise to His children; it is the one hope that keeps crippling despair at bay. If we cannot and do not live with one another in the hope of the resurrection, then the oppressive weight of our mortality, the various spiritual diseases of our finitude can and will crush us, leaving us broken and dying. Barrett notes that as modern men and women we are confronted by a curious problem: as citizens of an increasingly secular culture we have come face-to-face with this “radical feeling of human finitude” at a time when our science and technology promise us nearly limitless knowledge, nearly limitless control. IOW, as our culture abandons the possibility of life beyond death (abandons God) and falls into mortal despair, we find some glimmer of hope in the power we possess to manipulate our physical world through the tools of material science. Our hope is not in the name of the Lord; our hope is in the name of Genetics, Physics, Chemistry, Nanotechnology—a pantheon for 21st century man, these are the gods who will save our bodies but cannot save our souls. The Psalmist patiently reminds us, “One who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.” 

So, you must be wondering: what does the fragility of human life and our deeply seated fear of nothingness have to do with this morning's gospel? Where's the Good News among the bad? The Good News is that even as we lament the death of our innocence in the face of war, terrorism, and natural disaster; even as we mourn the loss of reason's rule in our politics, our universities, and our media; even as we cry over the impoverishment of our collective imagination to exclude God, the saints, angels, demons, miracles, and the promise of eternal life after death; even as we surrender—as a culture—to the idolatrous practice of depending on science and technology to grant us hope for the future, the Good News remains constant, steadfast: we are creatures, crafted beings, drawn from the dust of the earth and given life by a God Who loved us at our creation, loves us now, and will always love us. This truth is not “worn over” creation like a garment but woven into everything and everyone that exists. God spoke the Word “Love” and we are. And nothing—not economic crises, not princes nor presidents; not wars, terrorist bombs, plagues; not science, technology, genetics; not even hurricanes can change the fundamental constitution of God's creation: we live, move, and have our being in Love. 

That's the Good News. Now that we know the Good News, what do we do about it? Barrett argues that modern man's confrontation with the “radical feeling of human finitude” has hobbled us with indecision and angst—a deadly moral impotence that allows violence and power to thrive in the vacuum abandoned by Christian virtue. Once upon a time, no one in the West denied the existence of God. They argued over His nature, His attributes, His will; but no one argued for atheism. Flowing naturally from a belief in the reality of God came a belief in the natural law—that all things were created to become perfect in themselves. From revelation and the natural law we derived the virtues, those good human habits that define us as loving creatures living in community. And from the virtues we derived natural human rights and legislated through our kings, parliaments, and congresses laws to uphold justice and peace. When a human law violated the natural law, we rebelled and overthrew the human law. There is no moral obligation to obey an unjust law. In fact, there is a moral obligation to disobey an unjust law. Justice always trumps the merely legal. 

What does the Good News tell us to do? Jesus shames the Pharisees for imposing unjust rules and regulations on their people. He quotes Isaiah, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.” Then he adds, “You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition.” Why is their worship vain? The honor they pay to God is from their lips not their hearts. The Pharisees have abandoned hope and embraced regulation; they've surrendered to the lazy spirituality of following rules, thus giving up on the hard work of actually loving one another. Jesus goes to the root of the problem, saying, “Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” A hardened heart, a heart that has willed itself closed to love will produce “evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.” These are the sins that kill a soul, that murder charity and turn us away from God. James reminds us of our origins, “[The Father] willed to give us birth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” We are born of truth and from truth justice flows. We are the firstfruits, the first born from His justice. And it is God's justice that stands with us when human finitude threatens us with despair. 

The Psalmist sings, “One who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.” The Goods New of Jesus Christ does not urge us to do justice. We are not encouraged or hectored to do justice. We are given a simple, elegant choice: do justice and live in the presence of the Lord, or don't. If we love the Lord and love him in service to one another, then justice abides where love prevails. The despair that might dawn on us when we come to realize our mortality, our finitude is nothing when set side-by-side with the promise of eternal life. Barrett is right: modern western men and women are besieged by the problems of that arise when they rapidly and recklessly abandon of God. As lovers of God and followers of His Christ, we are gathered and sent to be missionaries, living reminders that though human beings are finite creatures, we are not yet perfect, not yet made perfect. When we love and act lovingly; when we hope and live hopefully; when we trust God and demonstrate that trust, our creaturely limits are defeated, and God receives the glory. So, “humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you,” and in justice, see God's will done. 

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We're alive and kicking, y'all. . .

Aight. . .

We're back.

Power went out Tuesday around 8.10pm and just popped back on at 5.30pm today.  That's four days without power (i.e., no A/C) in August in NOLA!  The digital thermometer on my wall reads 91. 

Let's just say that we had a lot of community time together and I got a lot of reading done.

There was no flooding in this part of the city.  No real wind damage either.  Apparently, the problem with this hurricane was its duration over the city. . .it hung around for almost 36 hrs.  Compare this to Katrina which blew through in about 6 hrs.  Oh, and Isaac was a direct hit on NOLA while Katrina hit east of us on the MS coast.

Anyway, all is well here at St Dominic's!  Many thanks for your prayers!

P.S.  More than anything else. . .I am just grateful not to be wet anymore.  I might have grown some mold.  

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Isaac, etc.

Latest bit of news. . .

No mandatory evac of NOLA.  Basically, we're bracing for a really Big Thunderstorm.

Seminary classes are cancelled today and tomorrow.  

All the Hurricane Vets here in the priory are predicting a power outrage lasting two to three days.  

So. . .unless they have generators: no A/C for the local nursing homes, hospices, etc.  Keep them in prayer!

Katrina taught some hard lessons about preparation. . .I'm hearing from parishioners that they are more than ready.  Of course, Lakeview is a moderately upper-scale ward, so we have resources to prepare.  It's the low-lying wards south of the river and closer to the Gulf that will suffer. 

May I suggest a prayer to St. Martin de Porres? 

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Update & Thanks

Still sunny and hot here in the Big Easy. . .no orders to evacuate yet.  Seems like most around here are hunkering down for a Cat 1 hurricane and not much more.  The city gov't is assuring everyone that the levees and canals have been sufficiently upgraded to deal with any serious flooding.  We'll see.

Also, I rec'd a book today from the Wish List, Pelikan's Credo.  No name on the invoice, so I don't know who to thank.  Anyway:  Thanks!

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Be worthy of your call from God

St. Monica
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
St. Dominic Church, NOLA

As we wait for Tropical Storm Isaac to become Hurricane Isaac and make landfall, we read this morning about another storm, an ancient storm, Hurricane Jesus, who plows through the arrogance and hypocrisy of an even older religious mindset. With a storm surge rating a Category Five, Jesus doesn't mince his words; he hits the Pharisees right in the face with all he's got. Three times he uses the phrase “woe to you,” a formula of judgment and condemnation. Three times he bitterly accuses the Pharisees of blindness and hypocrisy, revealing their love of power and prestige. Three times he calls them out for the sin of abandoning their people to the false idol of greed. In a devastating accusation, Jesus says, “You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.” In other words, he accuses the Pharisees of abandoning God's people—one by one—to the burning landfill of spiritual ruin. This is not our Sunday School Jesus. This is Hurricane Jesus set to make landfall, full force, right up the Pharisee's noses! Their most damaging spiritual fault? They are not worthy of their call from God. 

As men charged with leading God's people to righteousness through the Law, the scribes and Pharisees are set aside by God to provide instruction, direction, spiritual leadership. Their job is to help those who will to enter a covenant-relationship with God, give access to His wisdom and love. Instead, Jesus says, “You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.” Not only do they themselves refuse to enter the Kingdom, they prevent others from doing so as well. This is a failure in leadership, and more so a disastrous failure to be worthy of their calling from God. With their hearts set to love the power, riches, and celebrity that comes with their calling, the scribes and Pharisees become “blind guides” to a population of blind seekers. Lest we spend too much time and energy sneering at their many failures and forget our own, remember: we are no less vulnerable to this same failing, no less prone to holding onto our access to the Father through Christ, and becoming self-appointed Gatekeepers of the Kingdom rather than Missionaries of the Good News. 

 The scribes and Pharisees are unworthy of their divine calling b/c they have chosen to use the authority of their vocation as a tool to exalt themselves. Rather than exhaust themselves in making sure that every living soul in their charge knows and understands the Law as a means of growing in righteousness, they use the Law to set up more obstacles, higher hurdles, deeper moats. We too are guilty of this when choose to see the Church as a social club with strict membership rules; or as an exclusive retail boutique serving privileged clientele; or as a remnant of the last remaining faithful who must jealously protect God's precious gifts from those we find undesirable. Woe to us if we fail to recognize and give thanks for the inexhaustible gifts of our loving God. Woe to us if we set up social, political, cultural, racial obstacles to those gifts. Woe to us if we preach the Good News but dwell in the hypocrisy. Paul urges us to live lives worthy of our divine calling; to live the Gospel life with grace, reckless abandon; always throwing ourselves on the mercy of God, and forever depending entirely on His never-ending abundance. When we share His Good News without hesitation or worry, we offer Him thanks. Generosity multiplies generosity. Welcome and be welcomed. 

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Audio for 21stSunOT w/comments

Here's the audio file for my homily from the 21st Sunday OT, "Are you prepared for radical transfiguration?"

A couple of parishioners said things like, "Too intellectual for this parish, Father."

Others said things like, "Enjoyed it.  Didn't understand some of it."

A couple encouraged me to preach this way more often.

One faithful soul chastised me for "apologizing" for quoting difficult material from BXVI, "Don't ever apologize, Father, for making us grow!"  Yes, ma'am, said I.

No one dumped on it, but they probably wouldn't say anything too negative to me personally.  Too bad.

As a Dominican, I refuse to coddle Catholics when I preach. . .meaning, no New Age Oprah Pablum; no social-justicey cliches; no "Jesus Loves You" greeting card verse; no Boil It All Down junk.  

  

I want to challenge w/o alienating; dare without being needlessly aggressive.  Catholics are always smarter and tougher than priests think they are.  Give it to them, Fathers.  They can take it.

What say you?

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Hurricane, hurricane, go away!

Just finished watching an hour's worth of the Weather Channel and local weather. . .

Looks like Isaac is going to hit a little east of us, which is good for us here in Lakeview.

If he hits west of us, then that's bad.  Lower parishes (counties) of LA are being evacuated already.

I went out twice this afternoon and the gas stations in the immediate area are backed up with cars for blocks and blocks.  

Parishioners told me after the Masses this morning that it took between 12-18 hrs to get to Jackson, MS from here during evacuation.  YIKES!  That's normally a 3.5 hr drive.  

Pray for us.  We need it.

P.S.  If you are a Map Nerd (like me), St Dominic's neighborhood is located at the conjunction of the horizontal line marked 3ON and the vertical line marked 9ON.  IOW, right in the middle of the hurricane warning area. 

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Are you prepared for radical transfiguration?

 21st Sunday OT
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
St. Dominic Church, NOLA

AUDIO file

Before his disciples and a curious and quarrelsome crowd, our Lord teaches his most sensational lesson, saying, “. . .my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” There must've been a pause, a small moment of total silence for the import of this outrageous claim to sink in. His disciples, his best students and closest friends, start murmuring, perhaps trying to find some sense in his words, or perhaps they are questioning their decision to follow a mad man. They ask, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Is this a challenge, like a dare? I dare you to accept! Or is it a declaration of disbelief, an incredulous outcry? No one can believe this nonsense! Or is it something more subtle and strange, like a question that answers itself and in doing so blows away the closed doors and rusty locks of ignorance? Jesus knows their hearts and so he asks, “Does this shock you?” If the disciples answered him, we do not know what they said. What do you say? More importantly, if you eat his flesh and drink his blood, are you prepared to live in Christ and have him living in you? 

Many in that curious and quarrelsome crowd were shocked. Some who were shocked walk away from Christ and “return to their former way of life. . .” Watching them as they walk away, Jesus turns to his closest friends and students and asks, “Do you also want to leave?” Is he worried that they might leave him? Is he indifferent? Angry? He gives them a choice: stay and follow me to eternal life, or leave and follow death to eternal darkness. As usual, Simon Peter speaks for the disciples, “Master, to whom shall we go?” Who else teaches the Father's truth? Who else can show us the Way? Who else can feed us with the bread of heaven? Peter then explains his response, “You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.” Are the disciples shocked? Yes. Shocked into belief and conviction; shocked into the truth of Jesus' outrageous claims; shocked by the hard reality that standing with them is divine truth given flesh and blood. All that they have ever sought, all that they have ever truly needed. . .is with them: body, blood, soul, and divinity—the Holy One of God. Again, if you eat his flesh and drink his blood, are you prepared to live in Christ and have him living in you? Are you prepared? 

Before you answer, please bear with me as I read a longish passage from BXVI's 2007 exhortation, Sacramentum caritatis: “In the sacrament of the altar,. . .the Lord truly becomes food for us, to satisfy our hunger for truth and freedom. Since only the truth can make us free, Christ becomes for us the food of truth. . .Each of us has an innate and irrepressible desire for ultimate and definitive truth. The Lord Jesus. . .speaks to our thirsting, pilgrim hearts. . .our hearts longing for truth. Jesus Christ is the Truth in person, drawing the world to himself. 'Jesus is the lodestar of human freedom: without him, freedom loses its focus, for without the knowledge of truth, freedom becomes debased, alienated and reduced to empty [whim]. With him, freedom finds itself '”(2). That's a lot to take in, I know. But here's what I hope you heard: as rational creatures created by a loving Creator, we are made to long for the Good and the Real; we desire Truth and Freedom; and we have come to believe and are convinced that Christ Jesus is our Truth, our Freedom, our Good, and our most basic Reality. “In the sacrament of the altar,” our Holy Father writes, “. . .the Lord truly becomes food for us, to satisfy our hunger for truth and freedom.” Are you prepared to receive the truth and freedom of the Lord? 

Before you answer, bear with me one more time as I read another passage from the Holy Father's work: “The substantial conversion of bread and wine into his body and blood introduces within creation the principle of a radical change, a sort of 'nuclear fission,'. . .which penetrates to the heart of all being, a change meant to set off a process which transforms reality, a process leading ultimately to the transfiguration of the entire world, to the point where God will be all in all”(11). When we celebrate the Mass, when we witness the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, and when we commune on his sacrament, we begin a process that radically changes all that is real; reconfigures at the root of reality not only our individual lives but our communal life together so that God might work through His love in me, you, and all of us at once to bring His whole creation to redemption. Fission sparks out, dividing into smaller and smaller parts. When we eat his Body and drink his Blood, we are saying, “Yes, Lord, I will go out and be Your love in the world so that the world will see in me what You see in Your Son!” Are you prepared to be a spark for the radical transfiguration of the world in Christ? If not, walk away. “Does this shock you?. . .The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.” 

Our Holy Father, mediating on the Jewish origins of the Mass writes, “. . .[The] Eucharist demonstrates how Jesus' death. . .became in him a supreme act of love and mankind's definitive deliverance from evil.” The supreme act of love and our deliverance from evil. We are delivered from evil in this sacrament of love. But finding ourselves so delivered, what next? Freed from the Enemy and set loose to return to the world, what next? Here we are flush with the recreating love of God and wholly prepared to participate in the radical transfiguration of the world and. . .what? We go out and we keep on doing all that we have done here and will do here. Gather in his holy name with family and friends. Confess our faults and receive His mercy. Listen to His Word and give witness to His mighty deeds. Give thanks and praise for His abundant blessings. Sacrifice in love and offer one another to Him in prayer. Seek out all that is true, good, and beautiful, and exhaust ourselves in being true, good, beautiful for others. Invite the stranger. Fight against injustice. Visit the sick, the dying, the lonely. Take Christ's light anywhere and everywhere darkness hopes to rule. 

If there is one evil we must resist in 2012, it is the evil that tempts us to turn inward and away from the world; tempts us to hide the light of Christ for the sake of a worldly peace, a peace settled against the Church through fear and intimidation. This is why I have asked you if you are prepared to be a spark for the radical transfiguration of the world. Even as we move out of the sanctuary, suffused with the love of Christ, we are met with demands that we silence our praise and thanksgiving for the sake of propriety. That we continue our good works but cease offering them for the greater glory of God. Without Christ, we can do nothing good. Without Christ, we are nothing. Christ is who and what we are. And when we step outside these walls, if we are prepared, we take him—Body and Blood—into a world dying for its Creator. You—each of us—leaves here as a spark shot from the Sacramental Fission of the Eucharist. If Christ lives in you, bring him to another and another. Go out there and set fire to a world that's falling quickly into darkness. Make it a holy conflagration, a world set ablaze in the love of the Holy Spirit. 

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We call your hurricane and raise you one BVM. . .

Oh. . .just great!

If we have to evacuate. . .how am I going to squeeze my 500 + books into my little Toyota???

Mother Nature's got Hurricane Power. . .we've got Blessed Mother Power!

O, Mary, Mother of God, who, amidst the tribulations of the world, watches over us and over the Church of your Son, be to us and to the Church truly Our Lady of Prompt Succor, make haste to help us in all our necessities, that in this fleeting life you may be our succor, and obtain for us protection from Tropical Storm Issac. Help us to gain life everlasting through the merits of Jesus, your Son, our Lord and Redeemer. AMEN!

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On translations & paraphrases

As usual, Fr. Z. offers his invaluable services as a Slavish Translator of Liturgical Texts!

Here's the Latin text of the Opening Collect for the 21st Sunday OT:

Deus, qui fidelium mentes unius efficis voluntatis, da populis tuis id amare quod praecipis, id desiderare quod promittis, ut, inter mundanas varietates, ibi nostra fixa sint corda, ubi vera sunt gaudia.

Here's that same Collect in English from the 2011 Missal:

O God, who cause the minds of the faithful to unite in a single purpose, grant your people to love what you command and to desire what you promise, that, amid the uncertainties of this world, our hearts may be fixed on that place where true gladness is found.

Here it is from the 1973 Sacramentary:

Father, help us to seek the values that will bring us lasting joy in this changing world. In our desire for what you promise make us one in mind and heart. 

Now.  Tell me the 1973 version is a translation and not a paraphrase. . .a bad paraphrase at that.

NB.  Catholics must eliminate the word "values" from their moral vocabulary.  It's a modernist weasel word that allows us to shift and shake ourselves away from Christ's teachings.  We do not vow ourselves to seeking Christ's values.  We vow ourselves to following Christ's teachings.

Check out Fr. Z.'s full post if you're interested in exactly why the 1973 version is dodgy.

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Just three words

St. Bartholomew
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
St. Dominic Church, NOLA

Philip finds Nathanael and says to him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law. . .Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” Rather than leap for joy or ask for evidence, Nathanael asks a rather sarcastic question, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Rather than thump him upside the head or walk off mad, Philip answers Nathanael with an apostle's challenge, “Come and see.” Just three words. He doesn't waste time with a persuasive argument, or a professorial presentation of the evidence. He issues an invitation. With just three words, Philip answers—in a way only a believer can—every objection to the faith, every doubt, every question. Don't believe me? Come and see. Nathanael follows Philip to Jesus and he's rewarded with a greeting from Christ, “Here is a true child of Israel.” Nathanael is surprised that Jesus knows him, and Jesus reveals that he saw Nathanael long before Philip called him. With this revelation, Nathanael blurts out, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God. . .” What persuades Nathanael that Jesus is the Son of God? Jesus' greeting? Philip's faith? Some combination? Or is being the presence of the Christ persuasion enough? Come and see. 

With just three words, Philip answers—in a way only a believer can—every objection to the faith, every doubt, every question. While argument, evidence, and personal testimony will likely fail to persuade a truly reluctant soul, a direct experience of the Christ cannot fail. If the proliferation of the faith depended on intellectual gymnastics, or rhetorical eloquence, then we would all need to be philosophers and orators. But the gifts required to excel at these professions are uncommon, even specialized. Among the apostles, only Paul was specially trained in argument and rhetoric. Philip used just three words to convince Nathanael to visit Jesus. Three words that we practically minded Americans can appreciate: come and see. Don't believe me? Follow me and see for yourself. What's Philip's special training? What are his degrees? Who authorized him to convince Nathanael to visit Jesus? The challenge Philip issues is an apostolic challenge, a challenge issued by one who was sent out to bring others in. Sent by Christ, Philip goes out and bring Nathanael in. He sees for himself and believes. Jesus tells Nathanael that he will see more, much more. All b/c Philip said, “Come and see.” 

When did you last say to a reluctant soul, “Come and see the Christ”? Maybe you say it all the time. If you do, keep it up! If you don't, why not? I know, I know. . .Catholics don't care for all this evangelization stuff. Too Protestant. Too have-you-accepted-jesus-into-your-heart-as-your-personal-lord-and-savior. Or maybe you think you have to be one of those well-trained, professional apologists like Mark Shea or Patrick Madrid. A Catholic answer to every objection. A verse of scripture ready to slap on the table like an ace in poker. When these sorts of doubts arise, remember Nathanael's dismissive question and Philip's patient answer, “Come and see.” That's all you need to say. Invite. And let Christ do his work. Come and see the Lord's sacrifice. Come and see the sinners who gather together to receive his mercy. Come and see what praise and thanksgiving look like coming from the hearts and minds of ordinary men and women. Come and see that he is with us always, among us always. Come and see the goodness of the Lord, the One who died for us and lives with us still. Come and see, and you will see the repair of creation in love.

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From the archives: a few useful links

Preparing for a radio interview this morning, I browsed around the archives and found a few posts that might be of interest to recent readers of HancAquam. . .

Error, Heresy, & You

Praedicare! To Preach!

Making a Good Lenten Confession (even in Ordinary Time)

Guidelines for Faithful Catholic Reading

Answers to supporters of women's ordination

12 Reasons Why Faithful Citizenship Failed to Persuade
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Advice to preachers & their people

These are a few notes I jotted down for a radio interview this morning. . .

Some advice/notes for the preacher:

The preacher preaches to himself first. Preach “we” and “us” not “you people.” You struggle, fail, succeed, fall, get up, soar, wallow, succeed again. Use your struggles/successes.

Preach the gospel in front of you. What's the Good News in these readings? And what does it mean for us right now in these circumstances?

Avoid the temptation to scratch itchy ears. Preaching what you think we want to hear can be safe, popular, and ultimately damning. 

Challenge, provoke, encourage by preaching the truth. We are stronger than you think. We are also confused, worried, and tempted to despair.  Hold up the ideal.

Point out and celebrate in unambiguous terms our relationship with God. In every homily, tell us how being in love with God changes us. How failing to love hurts us.

Preach struggle and victory. Note the details of struggling to follow Christ but keep our eyes focused on Christ's victory (and ours in him).

Preach with passion. Let us know that you believe what you're preaching.

Stay fresh. Read good novels, good homilies; keep up with pop culture and the Church Fathers.

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Feedback to your pastor:

You don't have to Occupy the Pulpit to get good preaching!

Silence = Approval. If no one speaks up, then Father will think all is well.

Encourage your pastor by pointing out what you found helpful/useful in his homily. Let him know that you were listening. Send him a note.

Encourage him to publish his homilies in the bulletin.

Tell him what sorts of things you need to hear. Can you address personal prayer and how to do it better? How do I love more and better? I'm confused about this teaching, can you explain it?

If his homilies seem ill-prepared, challenge him—charitably—to be better prepared.

___________________

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"Invite whomever you find. . ."

20th Week OT (Th)
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
St. Dominic Church, NOLA

All of Jesus' parables lead us deeper into the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven. He uses parables precisely b/c the truth of the Kingdom has yet to be fully revealed much less understood, so the only fruitful way to talk about the features of the coming reign of God is parabolically, i.e. indirectly, using short allegorical stories to give us a peek at the bigger truth. The power of a parable lies in the use of the ordinary elements of daily life, the familiar people, places, and things that regular folks see and hear everyday. We're called upon to understand a parable by comparing the elements of the story to our own lives and draw out the truth. So, who are we in the parable of the wedding feast? We aren't the king, his son, or the soldiers. We could be the guests, though we've been at the party for a while now. We can't be the poor guy who gets bounced b/c he's improperly dressed. We're still at the party. That leaves the servants. We're the servants. The ones sent out by the king to summon his guests. The ones sent out to rouse the rabble and bring them as guests to the feast. That's what we do. As servants, we obey the king. 

What are His orders? “The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.” Note what's missing from these orders. We are not ordered to evaluate any potential guest's wardrobe. We are not ordered to assess their moral worthiness; their social standing, wealth, health, looks, or family ties. We are not ordered to invite only those who look like us, sound like us, think like us, or believe like us. The king's order are crystal clear, “Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.” Whomever we find might be poorly dressed or morally rotten; or high-born and ugly as sin; or low-born and beautiful; or just plain folks with nothing much to do that evening. “Whomever you find” is an all-encompassing category that makes it very difficult not to invite whomever we might find. That's our job. It's what we do. After those we have invited to the feast get here, then it's the king's job to sort them all out. Not ours. The guy who's bounced out into the darkness is bounced out into the darkness b/c he's not properly dressed. In parabolic terms, he's not properly disposed, not internally prepared to receive food and drink from the Lord's generous table. He's not wearing the heart and mind of one who's accepted an invitation to party eternally with the Father's Son. 

In case we're missing the point of the parable, Jesus sums it up for us, “Many are invited, but few are chosen.” In fact, everyone is invited but not everyone will show up. And even some of us who show up will choose to turn away from the more difficult requirements of staying at the table. In our modernist rush to be politically correct and all-inclusive, we've mistakenly come to believe that b/c we were invited into the Church just as we are, there's no need for us to put on the mind of Christ, repent, and seek after righteousness. We're fine as is, thank you very much. This parable points out our error. Coming to Christ in his Church entails a willingness, an eagerness to receive the Father's freely offered mercy and to turn away from sin and death. Yes, absolutely, come as you are! But stay so that you might be remade into a more perfect you in him. Our job as servants is to invite whomever find. It is Christ's job to turn the filthy rags of sin into the proper wedding garment. 

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No comment

And from the "A Picture is Worth a 1000 Words" file we have. . .

Source:  Reuters

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The Divine Lagniappe

Queenship of Mary
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
St. Dominic Church, NOLA

Show of hands: how many of us love to get free stuff? OK. Now, how many of us believe that nothing is ever really free? There's always a catch, right? “Free gift with purchase.” “Free newsletter. Just give us your email address.” Here in New Orleans we have the famous custom of the lagniappe (lan-yap) –a freebie, something extra in the bag just for being you. But you only get the lagniappe—that 13th doughnut—b/c you bought a dozen in the first place. Walk into the Cafe du Monde and ask for a beignet lagniappe w/o buying an espresso, and they'll bounce you out on your bon temps! It's this sort of deceptive advertising that's led us to want free stuff and at the same time believe that free stuff is never really free. Unfortunately, this all-too-American attitude infects our faith as well. How many times have you heard that we do not earn, borrow, beg, or steal our salvation? We are freely saved and do nothing whatsoever to earn our freedom. However, we still harbor the dark suspicion that we're being lied to, that God is just waiting for us to trip up so He can jump out from behind the door and shout, “GOTCHA! Now, go to Hell!” That suspicion is at the root of Jesus' parable of the disgruntled laborers. These hard working men begrudge the owner's generosity to the latecomers. And that's exactly what we do when we mistrust the gift of our freedom. 

The disgruntled workers begrudge the landowner’s generosity in paying full wages to the latecomer laborers. Why? For some reason they feel that their own labor and their own wages are diminished by the largess of the vineyard owner. Somehow their day’s labor is dirtied. Their dollar is devalued. They worked harder and longer under the fiery sun, so they deserve more than those who sauntered in at the last hour and barely broke a sweat! These guys are upset b/c they are working out of a very human notion of justice, a temptation, I think, to believe that compensation is earned; to get what is owed you, what you deserve. And that makes perfect sense if we are talking about just labor practices in the marketplace. But remember, this is a parable about salvation and holiness not a lesson on capitalist economics. Jesus isn't giving us a model of setting up a union or a business plan for earning a profit. 

Think about this: Is it a human notion of justice you want applied to your eternal life? An economic balance? Do you truly want what you deserve? What you’ve earned in this life? Do you want the Father to give you a just compensation for your life’s work in His name? The whole point of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ is that we won’t be given what we deserve (thank God!); we won’t receive from the Father what is owed to us (thank God!). He owes us nothing. All the work we do we do for His greater glory, and He still owes us nothing. Do we want justice from God? Or do we want mercy? We want mercy. And Christ has bought that mercy for us and given it to us freely. There's an eager little devil out there waiting to pounce on our witness to the Lord. He will offer us an opportunity to sin and delight the Liar. What is this temptation? It is the temptation to believe that we work for the Lord out of our own generosity, out of our own time, out of our own resources, and we are therefore entitled to a greater reward when we outwork our neighbors. My time, my resources, my talents belong to God. And so do yours. Our freedom is a gift. All that we do in God's name we do with His gifts for His glory. Because without Him we are nothing. 

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12 yrs ago today. . .

Today marks the 12th anniversary of my novitiate class' profession of simple vows. . .

Happy Anniversary to fras. Gerald, David, Roberto, Mauricio, and Minlib!

Remember the Alamo!!!  (Our novitiate year took place in San Antonio, TX).
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Another OP homily site

Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP of the English Province posts his homilies at Releasing the Arrow.

Fr. Lew is also an excellent photographer and posts his pics at R.A. as well.

Be sure to check out the impressive new altar at one of his ministry sites, The University of Edinburgh.

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Back in the (academic) saddle again. . .

Finally!

I'm back behind a desk, in front of a board, and yapping away at a Captive Audience, i.e. students.

Yes.  I'm teaching again.  

This morning, classes will begin at Notre Dame Seminary here in Nawlins'.  The Academic Dean has thrown all caution to the wind and hired me to teach Intro to the Old Testament.

Please pray for me and my students as we begin a study of God's Self-revelation to His people, Israel, through His Law, His Prophets, and His Wisdom.

NB.  Pray also that the Holy Spirit will untie my tongue so that my dyslexia will not obstruct the proper pronunciation of all those ancient Hebrew names!  Oy vey.

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Demand Better Preaching. . .some examples!

Catholic preaching will not improve until Catholics demand better preaching!

(Repeat three times. . .)

If you want to read some Good Preaching, visit these two Dominican sites:

In spiritu et veritate run by Fr. Gerald Mendoza, OP. . .one of my SDP novitiate classmates.

The Specious Pedestrian run by Fr. Dominic Holtz, OP. . .a Central Province friar living in Rome.

A call to all Dominicans with preaching blogs:  drop me a comment and I will link to you.

Catholic preaching will not improve until Catholics demand better preaching!
Catholic preaching will not improve until Catholics demand better preaching!
Catholic preaching will not improve until Catholics demand better preaching!

Check back for updated links. . .
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What to do with Jesus' crazy teachings?

St Bernard of Clairvaux
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
St Dominic Church, NOLA

Driving back from vacation in MS, I hit a Radio Dead Zone just south of Jackson. My choices: local farm report, community college jazz, or screaming Redneck Fundamentalist Preacher. I chose silence. After about two minutes of that, I turned the radio back on and found a station broadcasting a show about Evangelical missionaries in India. The host started by asking a good question, “What do Christians do with Jesus' more radical teachings?” He gave a few examples. One of these happens to be from today's gospel reading. What are we to make of Jesus' instructions to the Rich Guy who asks about gaining eternal life? The missionary told several harrowing stories about preaching in India. He fell into a sewage ditch. The platform he was preaching on collapsed. He and his interpreter got stuck on a mountain pass behind an old man and his bull. Between stories and commercials, the host took calls from listeners who tried to answer his original question about Jesus' radical teachings. They all suggested we do one of three things: 1) take them literally and follow them exactly; 2) put them in historical context and interpret them with a modern spin; or 3) give them a spiritual interpretation. What should we do with Jesus' instructions to the Rich Guy? 

Obviously, we can't just ignore them. Taking them literally and following them exactly is certainly a legit option. Difficult but doable. The other options are OK too, if a bit wimpy. Here's a fourth option, a Dominican option: read the text carefully and make the right distinctions. Note well: the Rich Guy already knows how to gain eternal life. Jesus tests him and his passes. He follows the Commandments already. Then Jesus adds another dimension to the original question, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor. . .Then come, follow me.” So, there's eternal life and there's being perfect. Eternal life comes after death. Being perfect in this life requires something more than following the Commandments. The genius of Catholic moral teaching is our tradition of upholding impossibly high ideals and at the same time freely confessing our failure to live up to those ideals. We absolutely, resolutely refuse to compromise our principles simply b/c we can't or won't succeed each time we're tempted to violate them. The point is not to win each and every moral battle. The point is to celebrate the victory Christ has already won for us by keeping ourselves sharply focused on where he's taking us: perfection in this life (if we will follow) and our eternal lives to come. 

The Rich Guy is a moral coward b/c he settles for eternal life. Sure, he follows the Commandments, and that's no easy thing, but he doesn't even attempt to live perfectly in this life. Instead, he walks away sad b/c he owns too many things. Or, rather, too many things own him! Who's he going to disappoint by attempting to live perfectly by following Christ? His cattle? His jugs of olive oil? His sacks of gold? Had he ears to hear and eyes to see, he would've heard and seen that Jesus' radical, far-fetched instructions were really an invitation to live for an ideal, an incorrigible principle rather than a set of rules. The one Commandment the Rich Guy could not live perfectly is the First Commandment: love God first and always b/c He loves you first and always. Cattle, jugs of oil, cars, houses, IRA's—none of these loves you, none of these can love you. And b/c they cannot love, they cannot save you or perfect you. Love the One you want to become. Perfection follows. 

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2012 Novices

Novice Class of 2012 for the Province St Martin de Porres:

(L to R) Br Julian, Br Brian Joseph, Br Gabriel Marie, 

Br Augustine Xavier, Br Elias, Br Nicholas

Pray for our novice brothers. . .and the Novice Master, Fr. Scott O'Brien. . .and the novitiate community at St. Albert the Great Priory, Irving, TX.

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Back in Big Easy

Made it back to Nawlins'!

The Redneck Squirrels chased me 'til we got to the 305 cutoff to 4 near Senatobia. . .guess they'd heard that the Redneck Humans in that part of MS actually eat squirrels!

Two points of interest:  1). I managed to spend 14 days in MS w/o eating fried chicken once; 2) the new trendy buzzphrase for interior designers on HGTV is "open concept."

Arrived back in NOLA to discover four books awaiting me!  Always a pleasure.  My thanks to Jenny K. and Shelly.   Since you two are already on my Book Benefactor Prayer List, I will have to add you to the Prayer List With Golden Lace Curlycues.  :-)

Now!  I must immediately drive into unpacking my things and opening two weeks of mail. . .right after tonight's episode of Cajun Justice. . .and a peek at Drudge. . .and a little Facebook browsing. ___________________

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Coffee Cup Browsing

NB.  Headed back to Nawlins' this afternoon!  The Redneck Squirrels have done their best to reform me. . .alas, we shall see if their tireless efforts have proven successful.

Mark Steyn:  "Our elites have sunk into a boutique decadence of moral preening entirely disconnected from reality. . ."  This goes for our Ecclesial Elites as well. . .and I think he's being too kind.

A brief history of phony Eco-apocalypticalism. . .'cause we all know that the Only True Apocalypse is the Zombie Apocalypse!

Racial Diversity Apparatchiks bullying high school choirs. . .the ASO musicians aren't gonna be bullied quite so easily.

Please!  Don't give the DHS or the HHS any ideas!  I hear they are stockpiling 12x16 glossies of Dear Leader.

Burning the village to spare it from imaginary enemies. . .the scorched earth strategy of the same-sex "marriage" bullies.

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Coffee Cup Browsing

A two-step program to help "consensus-chic, testosterone-free liberals" overcome their disillusionment with B.O.  Of course, the first step is to admit that you have a problem.

Gunman at conservative Christian lobbying group was a "gay activist."  Do the Switcheroo-Tango with ideological labels and wonder how this story would've been reported differently.

If you support marriage, you could be a member of a Hate Group.  This is how it all ends, folks.

Also. . .praying for Mom and Dad in France outrages outrageous Outrage Professionals.

Dems won't even acknowledge their Pro-Life colleagues. . .no "differing positions" allowed when it comes to the Most Unholy Sacrament of Child Killing.

God's Wrath vs. God's Love.  No, God is not moody; it's all about what we are prepared to experience.

"Nuanced Plagiarism"?  No.  Stealing is stealing.  Identifying plagiarism isn't difficult.

I don't think that word means what you think it means:  finding non-existent "violence" in the CDF assessment of the LCWR.  "Violence" now means "disagreeing with me."
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Coffee Cup Browsing (Squirrel Edition)

LCWR speaker preying on the sisters' fear of death and diminishment?  

And in stark contrast. . .Gung-go bishops not backing down from The Fight!

Yes, yes, I've seen it.  And no, I have no comment.

Contemporary marriage is messed up and it's not the fault of gay activists. 

Culture Warriors need some peace.  Instructions to Self: Read it.  Think on it.  Pray about it.  Do it. 

IL state workers forced to attend Dem political rally. . .on the taxpayers' dime, of course.

Female "frat house" at DHS?  I've had a lot of female supervisors and they've always been exemplary professionals.

No drag queens at SanFran parish, "We're stuck in the middle trying to walk this fine balance." What's there to balance?  "Balance" implies equally desirable options.

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Leftists Bully Priest

Father prays the rosary in the middle of a Chick-fil-A protest. Listen carefully to the protesters and tell me if you hear any tolerant, accepting, loving comments coming from these Embodiments of Tolerant Accepting Love.   Maybe Father should've been praying the Rite of Exorcism. . .

My fav is the Harpie Bigot hatefully screeching, "HATEFUL BIGOT!" 
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A brief comment on Paul Ryan

(whispering). . .OK. . .I've broken out of the Squirrel Retreat House to answer a political question. 

Several HancAquam readers have written to ask what I think about Romney's choice of Paul Ryan as his V.P. running mate. . .

Honestly, I don't know much about Ryan.  He's Catholic.  He really riled up some LCWR-type sisters with his budget proposal in the House (cf. Nuns on a Bus).  He's pretty smart in that policy-wonkish sort of way.  He seems inoffensive at first glance. 

Regular HA readers know well my thoughts on and feelings about B.O. and his crusade to transform the free citizens of America into wholly-owned wards of a leftist secular federal gov't, using the European Union as his model.  So, at this point, I'm almost one of those Anybody But Obama voters.  

This doesn't mean I will support the GOP ticket.  The Republicans have their own problems when it comes to the National Security Nanny State and its endorsement of torture, imperialistic adventurism, and soft-peddling on the murder of 1.7 million American children annually.

And, yes, I've heard all the arguments about a vote for a third party candidate is a vote for Obama.  Nobody ever said being an American citizen and a Roman Catholic would be easy.

(sneaking back into the retreat house. . .)

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On praying for death. . .

[NB.  As I spend part of my Squirrel Vacation contemplating, discerning, praying, etc. this homily from 2009 came to mind.]

19th Sunday OT: 1 Kings 19.4-8; Eph 4.30-5.2; John 6.41-51
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
Church of the Incarnation, Univ of Dallas

Elijah, the prophet of God, prays for death: “This is enough, O Lord! Take my life. . .” How thick, how deep must your despair be to pray for death? How heavy must your desperation be before you can no longer lift it? When do you cry to God: this is enough! Here and now, I am exhausted, weary beyond living. Elijah killed 450 prophets of Baal. For this reason, he confesses to his Lord, “. . .I am no better than my fathers. Take my life.” Elijah challenges Baal's prophets to a contest of power. He pits the real power of the Lord against the demonic power of the Canaanite god. Baal loses. And so do his prophets. Elijah marches the demon's priests to the River Kishon and cuts their throats. Fleeing the wrath of Jezebel for killing her prophets, Elijah goes into the desert and there he discovers—among the stones and sage brush—that he no longer wants to live. “This is enough, O Lord. Take my life. . .” Elijah, prophet of God, touched by His hand to speak His Word, despairs because he has murdered 450 men. What weight do you lift and carry? How thick and deep is the mire you must wade through? At what point do you surrender to God in anguish, walk into the desert, and pray for death? When you balance on the sharp point of desperation, poised to ask God to take your life, remember this: “When the afflicted call out, the Lord hears, and from all their distress He saves them! Taste and see the goodness of the Lord!” 

To varying degrees and in different ways, all of us have discovered in one sort of desert or another that we are tired, exhausted beyond going another step. Overwhelmed by studies, financial stresses, marital strife, family feuds, personal sin, physical illness, we have all felt abandoned, stranded. We might say that it is nothing more than our lot in life to rejoice when our blessings are multiplied and cry when the well runs dry. These deserts look familiar. We've been here before and doubting not one whit, we know we will visit them again. We hope and keep on; we pray and trust in God. This is what we do, we who live near the cross. But there are those times when the desert seems endless and only death will bring rescue. We find hope in dying. And so, we cry out to God: “Take my life, O Lord!” Is this the prayer we should pray when we find ourselves broken and bleeding in the deserts of despair? It is. There is none better. 

The witness of scripture pokes at us to remember that our God provides. Beaten down and hunted by Jezebel, exhausted by his prayer, Elijah falls asleep under the broom tree. An angel comes to him twice with food and drink, ordering him to wake up and eat: “Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!” Elijah obeys. Strengthened by the angelic supper, he walks for forty days and nights; he walks to God on Mt. Horeb. The Lord provides. Jesus reminds the Jews who are murmuring about his teaching that their ancestors wandered around in the desert for forty years, surviving on angelic food. Though they died as we all do, and despite their constant despairing, they survived as a people to arrive in the land promised to them by God. As always, the Lord provides. Paul reminds the Ephesians (and us) that Christ handed himself over “as a sacrificial offering to God” for us, thus giving us access to the Father's bounty, eternal access to only food and drink we will ever need to survive. Paul writes, “. . .you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Therefore, “. . .be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.” We always have before us the feast of mercy. The Lord provides. So, wake up! And eat! 

What are we promised, and what is provided? Even the slightest glance at scripture, even the most cursory perusal of our Christian history will reveal that following Christ on pilgrimage to the cross is no picnic. To paraphrase Lynn Anderson, “He never promised us a rose garden.” Sure, Christ promised us a garden alright. But it's the Garden of Gethsemane. Betrayal, blood, and a sacrificial death. He also promised us persecution, trial, conviction, and exile. He promised us nothing more than what he himself received as the Messiah. A life of hardship as a witness and the authority of the Word. The burdens of preaching mercy and the rewards of telling the truth. An ignoble death on a cross and a glorious resurrection from the tomb. What he promises, he provides. All that he provides is given from His Father's treasury. Food and drink on the way. The peace of reconciliation. A Father's love for His children. And an eternal life lived in worship before the throne. 

All of this is given freely to us. But we must freely receive all that is given. Elijah flees into the desert, seeking his freedom from Jezebel's wrath. The former slaves of Egypt flee into the desert, seeking their freedom from Pharaoh's whip. The men and women of Ephesus flee into the desert of repentance and conversion, seeking their freedom from the slavery of sin. Each time we flee into a desert to despair, we are fleeing from the worries, the burdens of living day-to-day the promises we have made to follow Christ to the cross. Our lives are not made easier by baptism and the Eucharist. Our anxieties are not made simpler through prayer and fasting. Our pains, our sufferings are not relieved by the saints or the Blessed Mother. Our lives, anxieties, our pain and sufferings are made sacrificial by the promises of Christ and all that he provides. We are not made less human by striving to be Christ-like. We are not brought to physical and psychological bliss by walking the way of sorrows. We are not promised lives free of betrayal, blood, injury, and death. By striving to be Christ-like, by walking behind our Lord on the way of sorrows, we are all but guaranteeing that we will suffer for his sake. And so, the most fervent prayer we can pray along this Christian path is: “This is enough, O Lord! Take my life. . .!” Surrender and receive, give up and feast. Surrender your life and receive God's blessing. Give up your suffering and feast on the bread of heaven. 

What Christ promises, he provides. He says to those behind him, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” Exhausted under a tree and running for your life; pitiful and despairing, wandering lost in a desert; chained to sin, wallowing in disobedience, yet seeking mercy. . .where do you find yourself? Are you hungry? Are you thirsty? Are you exhausted? Spent? Do you need to be rescued? Cry out then, “Take my life, O Lord. . .” Pray for death. Pray for the death of Self. Pray for the death of “bitterness, fury, anger, reviling, and malice.” Pray for the death of whatever it is in you that obstructs your path to Christ; pray that it “be removed from you. . .So [you may] be [an] imitator of God, as [a] beloved child[], and live in love, as Christ loves us.” Remember and never forget: “When the afflicted call out, the Lord hears, and from all their distress He saves them! Taste and see the goodness of the Lord!” The bread come down from heaven, Christ himself, is our promised food and our provision for eternal life. 

The 2009 comments for this homily were interesting. . .check them out. 

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Speaking in tongues at the LCWR

The Redneck Squirrels have released me from bondage long enough to post this. . .

BEHOLD!  The New Agey Neo-Paganism on triumphant display at this week's LCWR general assembly.

NB.  There's no solid evidence that the Good Sisters of the LCWR are taking this gobbledegook seriously; however, by inviting this woman to address their assembly as the keynote speaker, we may safely assume that they do not find her gibberish in any way odd or offensive.  

They refused to allow Bishop Blair to speak at their gathering.  They didn't even want him to attend!  

So:  Freaky New Age guru--YES!  Catholic bishop--NO!

Go figure.

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Bye

Headed out for two weeks of books, squirrels, and a deepening of my southern accent.

No cell phone. . .limited internet access.

God bless!  Fr. Philip
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Get some beautiful feet

Solemnity of St. Dominic
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
St. Dominic Church, NOLA

Audio File

Brothers and sisters, I would begin this morning with a question: are your feet beautiful? Up and down the mountains, do you walk with beautiful feet? If you bring glad tidings; announce the Lord's peace; bear his good news; and proclaim salvation through his mercy; if you raise a cry of joy; break into song; rejoice at his marvelous deeds; and give witness to the Lord restoring his people, then your feet are indeed beautiful. Your feet are beautiful b/c they bring you among us as a preacher of the Good News! A prophet of the Lord's salt and light, his blessing and fire. Are your feet beautiful? In word and deed, do you bring his Good News to the world? Do you rejoice, sing, give witness, bear his glad tidings? Are you Christ-for-others out there? We collect ourselves together this morning for one purpose: to become more like Christ than we were yesterday. To accomplish this, we will pray in thanksgiving; hear his Word proclaimed and preached; and we will eat and drink his Body and Blood from the altar. Then we will go out there and present ourselves to the world as evidence, as living, breathing testimony to the truth of the Gospel. We are sons and daughters of the Father. Brothers and sisters to Christ. And with St. Dominic, we are preachers of the Good News! 

Whether we know it or not, we are all preachers. Through baptism, we were all made priests, prophets, and kings along with Christ. Now, let's be honest: some of us are better at preaching than others; all of us have good preaching days and bad ones. There are times when being a witness for the mercy of God is more aggravating than it is delightful. The burden of forgiving those who hate us can be crushing. Most of the time, the temptation to dive into the flow of the world and revel in passion is overwhelming. No Christian who wakes up to an ordinary day can deny that following Christ out there can test one's patience, endurance, and resolve. It would be easier not to bother, safer to just walk away. Jesus knows this, and this is why he says to us, “You are the salt of the earth. . .You are the light of the world.” Salt preserves, enlivens, seasons. Light shines through the darkness, reveals what's hidden. As his disciples, his students, we are charged with being salt and light for one another and for the world. So, not only are we to be preachers, we're to be bright, salty preachers of the Good News! 

Jesus knows all too well the realities of being a faithful servant of the Father in this world. His life and death provide us with ample evidence that preaching the Father's word of mercy is a dangerous gamble for the preacher. Just being a Christian these days, even a bad Christian, invites persecution and death. Look at the mass murder of Christians in Nigeria, Sudan, Egypt, Afghanistan. There have been no car bombs exploding outside American churches yet; however, militant secular humanism, disguised as a human rights movement is building its case against Christ and his Church in the U.S. Through bureaucratic regulations, employment anti-discrimination laws, “hate speech” codes, social engineering in the military, and the redefinition of marriage through judicial fiat, the Church is being bullied out of the public square and silenced as a voice for the least among us. Facing this secular challenge as preachers of the Good News requires more than political savvy and good media skills. It requires courage, strength, perseverance, and, most of all, an absolute trust in God. Given all this, Jesus warns us that though we are the salt of the earth and light for the world, salt can lose its power to season, and a light can be extinguished. How does this happen? How does salt become tasteless and light become darkness? 

To put the question more directly: how do we as faithful preachers of the Good News become “go along to get along” pewsitters? The answer lies in our reading this morning from Isaiah. If we fail to bring glad tidings; fail to announce the Lord's peace; hide his good news under a bushel basket; and only whisper about our salvation through his mercy; if we stifle our cries of joy; break into griping, whining instead of song; begrudge his marvelous deeds; and give witness to only to our disappointment and despair, then our feet, the feet of Christ's preachers, become anything but beautiful. Salt loses its taste when it is stored too long, never used. The fire of the Spirit, its light will dim and go dark unless it is fed. Like any normal human person, we are all prone to being intimidated into silence by ideological opposition, threats of violence and protests, ridicule, and public bullying. And our courage and faithfulness are easily compromised by our sin. Whatever joy we have, whatever elation we may want to express with Christ can be beaten into hushed and private words. Being all too aware of our own sinfulness, our own failings, we can easily be shamed into taking our faith indoors, away from those who are all-too-ready to be offended by it. We can find ways to accept the division of our public and private selves and only show our acceptable faces outside these walls. But when we do these things, we cease being preachers of the Good News. We become dim lights and tasteless salt. 

 Jesus says that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. He also says that salt can lose its power to season and light its power to shine. What happens to the preacher who become tasteless and dim? Jesus says, “. . .if salt loses its taste. . .It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” When we are confronted by opposition to our preaching, to the proclamation of the Good News with our words and deeds, we must remember that this world passes away; it's nature is change. The kingdom of God is eternal, unchanging. And if we hope at all upon the promises of God, we trust, have full faith in the Spirit's guarantee that we will given what to say, shown what to show when the Enemy sends for us. What we cannot do, as preachers, is run after weak compromises, faithless accommodations, and hope upon the temporary promises of this world's princes. Paul encourages Timothy, “. . .proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.” Paul knows what Christ himself knew: that when made to feel the heat of opposition, we are likely to ask for relief from those who are stoking the fires. Paul writes, “For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine. . .and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths.” 21st century myths abound! How tolerant are we of sound doctrine? Do we listen to God's truth and preach it? Or do we beg for negotiation, hoping to just be left alone? 

Do you have the beautiful feet of a preacher? In word and deed, do you bring his Good News to the world? Do you rejoice, sing, give witness, bear his glad tidings? Are you Christ-for-others out there? We are sons and daughters of the Father. Brothers and sisters to Christ. And with St. Dominic, we are preachers of the Good News! In season and out, convenient or inconvenient, shout it out: The Lord is king! And there is no other! 

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Skilled in Love: a vesper's homily

From 08 Aug 2007. . .

Solemnity of St. Dominic, Vespers: Philippians 1.3-8
Fr. Philip N. Powell, OP
St Albert the Great Priory, Irving, TX

We begin with an innocent question: are you skilled in love? Do you possess the distinguishing talents, the connoisseur’s gifts for hunting, finding, and cultivating love? If so, Paul is writing to you on this evening feast of St. Dominic, “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion…” In fact, he is writing to all of us who are skilled in love, promising us the achievement of the Good Work, a sterling finish to the gospel race we have vowed to run. If we are to be graced love-makers, committed craftsman of our Lord’s saving charity—looking to our Dominican brothers and sisters: Jordan, Thomas, Catherine, Rose, Martin, fra. Angelico, Margaret, Lacordaire—if we are to light even the smallest fire among the wet woods of this wearying world, we will imprison our hearts and minds in the gracious, re-creating Word, defending and confirming with every word we speak the Good News of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no joy for us in anything less. Our fiery brother, Savonarola, preached the Lord’s Passion, saying, “Our preaching will be refined and not refined, yet everyone can receive it, particularly those skilled in love. Those who are not skilled will know their distance from Love.” And that distance we must make our own and then travel to those who do not yet know Love. Our sister, Catherine of Siena, preached this ministry, saying, “The soul in love with [the Lord’s] truth never ceases to be of service in a small enough way to all the world…” Surely, it is a small enough way for us to walk, gifted as we are with the work of preaching Christ Jesus and skilled in nothing less than giving voice and volume to the advent of our Father’s Kingdom! We can find those who do not yet know Love even when we ourselves forget to love, forget to be Love. From our long history, we Dominicans know that it is never enough for us merely to preach. We must be the preaching—with all our anxieties, human quirks, tongue-tied failures, and even the occasional cold heart. The sacred preaching is never just an imitation of Dominic. We do not channel Hyacinth or Peter of Verona from the pulpit. Love shapes each voice of the Word given the nature of the tongue that speaks it, so that all the syllables of the Gospel will find their artful expression. And all those skilled in love will hear One Word, One Voice, One Herald of the Good News. 

Lord, on this solemn feast of our Holy Father, Dominic, free us from the silent death of fear and worry and jail us in your saving Word. Bring to perfection the Good Work you have begun in us and take us with ready hands and hearts to serve those who are not yet skilled in your Love. Amen.

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