November 2019 - Father Greg

Faith > Hope > Love

Carmelite homily for Monday, December 2, 2019 – Lectionary 175

In today’s Gospel we have Jesus praising the Centurion. The Centurion came to Jesus asking that his servant be healed saying, ‘just say the word and it will be done because I, a centurion, when I say something, it’s done.’ And Jesus says, ‘I have never seen such faith in all of Israel.’ But I think there’s more than faith here. Because this man loves his servant or he wouldn’t be there. And he hopes that Jesus will give him what he asks for. It’s faith, hope, and love, we see in today’s Gospel. These are the words of Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection. We don’t hear from him too often and yet he has a lot of profound things to say. Brother Lawrence writes, “All things are possible to him who believes; they are less difficult to him who hopes, they are easier to him who loves, and most easy to him who practices and perseveres in these three virtues.” I think that’s what we see operating and being lived in today’s Gospel.

Saint Teresa’s Bookmark

Carmelite homily for Sunday, December 1, 2019 | The First Sunday of Advent | Lectionary 001

Today we begin a new season and a new year – it’s the Season of Advent. But the Gospel’s kinda scary. It says that it’s going to be like the days of Noah when the floods came and swept everyone away. Or there’ll be two people working in the field – one will be taken, one will be left. Or grinding meal – one will be taken, one will be left. And the homeowner would not have slept if he knew when the thief was coming. All kind of scary. But it shouldn’t be. This is the season of patience, the season of hope – Advent. I think Teresa of Avila tells us how to react to all this with her probably best-known quotation – the Bookmark. It’s something she wrote in the corner of her Breviary to remind her of this everyday. She writes, “Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you. All things are passing away, God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices.” Let’s make that this season. Let’s make that our lives. Let’s make that our journey as we journey to the Nativity.

Recruiting for the Fishing Team

Carmelite homily for Saturday, November 30, 2019 | The Feast of Saint Andrew | Lectionary 584

Today is the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle, and we have the Gospel passage where Jesus is calling Simon Peter and Andrew, fishermen, to be fishers of men and women. Therese writes, “More merciful to me than to his disciples, Jesus took the net himself, cast it, and drew it in filled with fish.” He didn’t call Simon or Andrew to be fishers without him. He doesn’t call us to be fishers without him. Jesus becomes that fisherman with you, fisherwoman, you fisherman – we, fisher-team.

Four Waters

Carmelite homily for Friday, November 29, 2019 – Lectionary 507

One of Teresa of Avila’s best-known images is that of water. She writes, “It seems the garden can be watered in four ways; you may draw water from a well, or by means of a water wheel, or it may flow from a river or stream, or the water may be provided by a great deal of rain.” What she is talking about is prayer; and the love and the life that comes from prayer. You notice that each of those is easier and easier. You can haul water from the well. Or easier yet, from a water wheel. Or easier yet, irrigation from a river. Or easiest of all, rain. The more we pray, the more we live, the more we love, the more our garden grows. So Jesus talks about the fig in springtime when it’s just opening. But I think the goal is not to just recognize when it’s opening, but to bring it to full bloom and to full harvest, in his love and in his life.

Gratitude

Carmelite homily for Thursday, November 28, 2019 | Thanksgiving Day | Lectionary 945

Note: This post is a rerun from November 13th, since the Gospel passage, Luke 17:11-19, is the same passage for today.

In today’s Gospel we have the well-known story of the ten lepers who come to Jesus for healing. And he does it! But only one returns. And he asks, “Where are the other nine?” Well, the other nine may say, “I didn’t ask for leprosy, why should I say thanks? I didn’t do this to myself.” Therese reminds us, though, “Prayer is a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trial as well as in joy.” That may be hard to remember, hard to implement, hard to do – just like the nine who wandered away. But it is true, “Prayer is a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trial as well as in joy.” Let’s try to remember that.

Our Actions, Our Love

Carmelite homily for Wednesday, November 27, 2019 – Lectionary 505

In today’s Gospel Jesus warns us that they will haul us before kings and governors and into prisons, but not to prepare a defense beforehand for he will give us a wisdom with which to speak. I think that wisdom is our actions. That’s what Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity says, “By our actions we tell him of our love.” That is our defense – our actions, our love. “By our actions we tell him of our love.”

All in God’s Hands

Carmelite homily for Tuesday, November 26, 2019 – Lectionary 504

Note: This post is a rerun from Sunday, November 17th, since the Gospel passage, Luke 21:5-11, is the same passage for today.

In today’s Gospel we some super-heavy-duty and scary end of the world scenarios where nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom and there’ll be earthquakes and plagues and omens in the sky and people will arrest you and haul you before judges. And Jesus says “do not be terrified.” I think John of the Cross says the same thing. He says, “If the whole world should crumble and come to an end and all things go wrong, endure all with tranquility and with peaceful equanimity.” Why? Because it’s all in God’s hands. No matter what happens – today, in your life, in the world, at the end of the world – endure all with tranquility and peaceful equanimity. Great advice.

God is Pleased

Carmelite homily for Lectionary 503 | Monday, November 25, 2019

Webster’s Dictionary defines ‘mite’ as any small thing – m i t e – mite. Oftentimes a little bug is called a mite, any small thing. So today’s story, from Luke’s Gospel, is called ‘The Widow’s Mite.’ It represents the two copper coins she throws into the Temple Treasury. And Jesus praises her for this mite, this tiny, little offering. I think John of the Cross summarizes this very well when he writes, “God is more pleased by one work however small done secretly, than a thousand done with the desire that people know of them.” That’s why Jesus praises this widow. That’s why Jesus praises us – humility and not self-aggrandizement, but God-aggrandizement, other-aggrandizement, focus on God, focus on other. That’s the call of this very simple Gospel.

How To Be King

Carmelite homily for Lectionary 162 | Christ the King | Sunday, November 24, 2019

In the Gospel today we have a very interesting image of Jesus as Christ the King – Jesus suffering on the Cross. Yes, Pilate does put the sign ‘The King of the Jews’ over his head, but Jesus suffering on the Cross is Kingship. Therese – Therese of Lisieux – says, “You will not arrive at what you desire by your own path or even by high contemplation but only by a great humility and surrender of the heart.” That’s what we see with Jesus on the Cross: great humility, great surrender, great peace. This is Kingship in the Church. This is the call of today’s feast.

Doing Good on Earth

Carmelite homily for Lectionary 502 | Saturday, November 23, 2019

This is a Re-Post from Sunday, November 10, 2019, because today’s Gospel, Luke 20:27-40, is the same passage proclaimed that Sunday.

One of the best known lines of Saint Therese of Lisieux is “I will spend my heaven doing good on earth.” This could be the problem in today’s Gospel when the Sadducees come to Jesus with this hypothetical case of a woman who marries seven successive husbands. And in the end, whose wife with she be? And Jesus says it’s not like that at all. I think Therese knows that too. Heaven is not about being – whose wife will she be – it’s about doing. In fact, life is about doing, not about being. I oftentimes tell couples about to be married, “it’s not enough be married, you’ve got to do married.” And I say that to our seminarians, “it’s not enough to be a priest, you’ve got to do priest.” And I think that’s the key everywhere because that’s how God acts. God is not a being; God is a doing – redeeming us, saving us, guiding us, loving us. That’s the key that, I think, Therese captured. And that’s the Little Way. Do – it’s not enough to be – do good. “I will spend my heaven doing good on earth.” And let us do our earth doing good on earth.