God’s love letter

Again, another finely-woven tapestry— heartfelt, hopeful, joyful— shared in a way that’s relatable, light-hearted, and memorable.  The message is more than words, more than sentiments; it’s an invitation to love.

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Today’s homily, recorded, transcribed, and edited, was delivered by Fr. Joseph Craft at the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans.

My brothers and sisters, our readings today are spectacular.  Have you ever had a day when you’ve looked up and said, “I’m burdened with the cares of this world and I just don’t know why, but I feel like the weight of the world is on top of me?”  Or am I the only one who’s had a day like that?  Well, then, we are just so blessed with our readings today.

Our first reading reminds us of Moses in Exodus.  It’s this wonderful moment when God reveals himself and his name.  What an incredible name: I am who am.  How we say that in the Church is: “Yesterday, today, and forever, God is always the same.”  That God who created.  That God who will be from the very beginning to the very end.  That God who is in love with you.  And I hope this stops you cold in your tracks.

Let’s slow this down for a minute.  Have you ever been in a situation where you grew up like I did with not too much money in the house?  And, at some point, you said, “I sure wish I had a rich uncle that I don’t know about.”  Maybe that family line you hear about in your heritage?  Maybe you’re related to a king way back, and there’s still some money someplace?  Well, guess what?  That is the God of I am.  And, in today’s gospel, he said, “Come to me, all you who are labored, and I will give you rest.”

We need to break this apart to fully understand.  When he says “come to me,” did you notice where this rabbi is?  He’s not waiting for you to figure things out while he waits in the temple.  He’s actually out there looking for you and me in our streets.  He’s come to our world and taken on our flesh, breaking down the barrier that was set up when our first parents, Adam and Eve, fell into original sin.

When he says “come to me,” what you need to hear is: “I have been looking for you your entire life.  Come to me.”  He calls out as a lover to his beloved, like a bridegroom seeking a bride.  But it must be a free act of your will to say, “Yes.  I will go to you, Lord.”  He will never force us.

Someone shouts at him.  “What’s the kingdom of heaven like?”  And he says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a bridegroom long delayed.”  That’s Christ.  And he’s looking for his bride.  That’s what we hear.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened.”

Maybe that was in reference to the six-hundred-thirteen commandments the Jewish people contended with in the time of Moses?  Maybe it’s trying to keep all the commandments of the church today?  Maybe it’s just living in a world today where we have to pay bills to be able to eat?

He says, “I know your plight.  Come to me, you who are laboring and burdened.”  Then he says, “What I have, the love I have for you, will give you rest.”  In fact, the love that makes you go out and keep working so you can eat those nice meals and go to those nice places is really a God-sized hole in your heart.  You’re trying to find God.  And he’s gonna tell you, “That’s free.

“Take my yoke upon you.”

He wants to have two laws: To love God, to love others as yourself.

He says, “My yoke is easy.”  It’s about love.  And then he tells you that he’s meek and humble of heart.  He’s not coming like the god that wants us to bang out the rules one by one.  He’s meek and humble of heart— humble— meaning he’s doing the Father’s will.

I’ll ask the same question from yesterday.  What’s heaven like?  Does anybody know what heaven’s going to be like?

Heaven is where everyone’s doing the will of the Father.  And he’s showing you that he does that himself by coming to us, searching for us, and loving us.  His yoke is easy; his burden, light.

My brothers and sisters, what you receive today in this beautiful gospel is God’s love letter to you.  He says he loves you.  He seeks you like a bridegroom seeking a bride and— after searching for you your whole life right up to this moment— he’s asking, “Now, come to me.”

So, come to him— in his word, in the Eucharist— and let him love you.  His love will shape your life.

Quote

Jesus is waiting, so go and find him when your strength and patience are giving out, when you feel lonely and helpless.  Say to him: “You know well what is happening, my dear Jesus.  I have only you.  Come to my aid….”  And then go your way.  And don’t worry about knowing how you are going to manage.  It is enough to have told our good Lord.  He has an excellent memory (St. Jeanne Jugan).

Links of interest…  Archdiocese of New Orleans…  Be still & know that I am God…  Commandments: greatest / how to follow the first two (more) / most important / ten…  I am who I am…  Jesus: divinity of Christ / seven I AM statements / who do you say that I am…  Moses: facts / who was…  St. Louis Cathedral: daily saints / history / Mass / photos / tours / website…  You can only know the answer to “who am I” by discovering who God is…

WP posts…  Beatitudes…  Blessed blessing…  Collective heart…  Corpus Christi…  Foundation…  Freedom…  Graces shared…  Heaven…  Mary’s gifts…  Most Holy Trinity…  Perfect prayer…  Salt and light…  St. Joseph…  Sunset…  Truth

Heaven

Some messages are Wind Song commercials: simply unforgettable.  They can be funny, sad, quiet, loud, true-to-life— or sometimes so bad— that they linger.  But the best ones are authentic and captivating, inspiring google searches even when the topic is familiar.

Today’s “sermon” hit the spot like an E. F. Hutton commercial— people listened— and some of us were so invested that we even blurted out responses to Fr. Joe’s rhetorical questions.  But that’s what heaven does: it totally gets our attention.

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The following, recorded, transcribed, and edited, was delivered by Fr. Joseph Craft at the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans.

We have some spectacular readings today.  We need to find out what exactly happened on Mt. Horeb.  How many of you have got that great historical mind that you can remember all the important events that happened on Mt. Horeb?

The burning bush!

When Moses goes down to Egypt he sets Israel free and, when he passes Mt. Horeb again, God makes a covenant with them.  They go out of the desert and, when they come back, Moses has this wonderful conversation with God that includes the Ten Commandments.  Years later, Elijah comes along after slaying all the prophets of Baal and, after running from the queen, Jezebel, lands on Mt. Horeb and finds God not in the earthquake or the fire or the storm, but in the small voice.

What are the words we hear today that God promises Moses on that mountain?  They will worship God on that mountain.  That’s what we need to get so far.  God wants to be in relationship with his people, so he gives us a place to encounter him and worship him.

Do you know where we stand today?  At sea level?

We stand kind of on Mt. Horeb.  We stand in a place where we can worship God.  That’s why we come to Mass.

Some people tell me, “You know, padre, I don’t get much out of the Mass.”  I say, “That’s great!  It’s not really about you.  It’s about us giving worship to God.”

That’s what we’re here about.  So, okay, let’s try to figure out where I’m making the connection between Mt. Horeb and here.  Did you hear the gospel?

Jesus is teaching us how to be in relationship with the Father: to worship God and to give him praise for all he’s done.  This is a beautiful priestly prayer, and we are a priestly people.  When we were baptized, we were anointed priest, prophet, and king; so today’s gospel reading is helping us know what we’re here after.

Does anybody know what we’re here after?

We’re here after the hereafter: heaven on earth.  When you and I receive the Word of God and the Eucharist, we’re supposed to become what we receive.  Does that make sense?

Let me break it open one more time: Does anybody know what heaven’s going to be like?  Has anybody been there?

I can tell you what heaven’s going to be like.  And, no, it won’t be angels playing violins on the clouds.  It will be where everyone is doing the will of the Father.

We come here to worship God.  He gives us the grace to hear the Word: how to live as he’s commanded.  And then he gives us the Eucharist: the grace to live that out.  We make heaven on earth by doing the will of the Father, and we start by getting outside of ourselves and giving God praise and worship.

Let me just hit a few more things.

Do you know when we worship God here on Mt. Horeb?  It’s when we genuflect.  It’s when we stand for the gospel.  It’s when we kneel.  But let me name two other really great places of worship.  You ready?

The first is after we’ve heard the Word of God, after we’ve listened to the sermon, after we’ve done the priestly prayers.  It’s the little blessed moment of silence, after we’ve received the Eucharist, when we ask God to help us do his will to make heaven on earth.  And, do you know the next most important time when we give that worship?  It’s when we wait for the priest to walk all the way out of church.  Sometimes people think that’s because the priest likes to have all that attention or so he can give that one parishioner that needs it that serious look: “You’d better do that this week!”  Nope.

Do you know why we ask you to stay here till the very end?

It’s so you can kneel one more time and say, “God, thank you for this encounter.  Now I’m getting ready to go out and live the hardest part of my week— away from you this close— so give me the grace to use what I’ve received.”

My brothers and sisters, today, let us worship.  Let us give God praise.  And let us make heaven here on earth.

Links of interest…  Archdiocese of New Orleans…  Commercials: E. F. Hutton / Wind Song (more)…  Elijah (journey – mystery of God’s silent speech – on Mt. Horeb – story)…  God speaks to us on tops of mountains…  How Jesus makes heaven present to us today…  Jezebel…  Moses: about / burning bush…  Most Americans believe in heaven… and hell…  Mountains, the Bible, & divine encounters...  St. Louis Cathedral: daily saints / history / Mass / photos / tours / website...  Prophet’s legacy…  Seeking Mt. Horeb…  Sermon vs. homily…  Ten Commandments…  Time to decide— reflection on a question from Elijah…  Why praise & worship music is praise, but not worship…

WP posts…  Beatitudes…  Blessed blessing…  Collective heart…  Corpus Christi…  Foundation…  Freedom…  God’s love letter…  Graces shared…  Mary’s gifts…  Most Holy Trinity…  Perfect prayer…  Salt and light…  St. Joseph…  Sunset…  Truth

Beatitudes

A wonderful homily, the Beatitudes always make me sit up and listen more closely because the words resonate strongly with a lifetime of memories.  And, for the Church to have this as its gospel reading specially for Canada Day?  Truly refreshing.

American Catholics may sing America the Beautiful or some such here and there after Mass, but that’s it.  Church and state are separate, so I was intrigued that the collective spirit of our neighbors to the north would celebrate differently from us.  And what a coincidence that Canada Day falls within days of our nation’s Fourth of July.  I was so excited that I had to learn more.  But never did I expect such contrasting views on the topic: The first online article made me smile, but the next one made me quite sad.

Last month I was stunned to read about the remains of the Indigenous children discovered in Kamloops and, more recently, in Saskatchewan.  Then, today, I was equally pained to read about the plight of Indigenous Nations in places like Iqaluit and Nunavut.

Adversity, resentment, bitterness, pain.  Injustices, past and present, impact future generations.  And nothing changes.

The Beatitudes are beautiful and relatable, but how can they ever be enough?  How can words, or even good intentions, suffice when Canada has so many broken hearts?

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Today’s homily, recorded, transcribed, and lightly edited, was delivered by the Very Reverend Stanley Galvon, rector at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver, Canada.

With this Canada Day Mass setting, the gospel is the Beatitudes, and that’s a wonderful reading today.  It maps out the high places that God wants to lead us to.  He respects our free will, of course.  It’s not automatic that we go to these high places of virtue, truth, and goodness by our own efforts; but the graces are there for us to work together.

So we can take a quick look at some of the beatitudes to appreciate why they are important for us, these high places of reverence and respect and responsibility.

Beatitudes talk about the humble of heart.  Humility is walking in the truth, so we have a relationship set that we know what is based on reverence for God and respect for each other.  Humility means that we are in the right place in our relationships.  Another Beatitude refers to the gentle of heart, or the meek, in that we wish to raise people up, to build up those around us.  There are many things that oppress us in daily life: fear, uncertainties, pride.  All sorts of things can push us down, but the gentle of heart wish to raise up the people around them, raise them up in dignity and hope.  Another Beatitude is holiness.  Holiness means that we want to be filled with God’s love.  And holiness means that we want to obey God’s Commandments.  The Commandments, again, map out right relationship, how justice and charity are brought together in day-to-day needs.  We also hear about mercy.  Mercy means, of course, not choosing to demand what is due to someone, but to let that go for the sake of a love that serves and sacrifices.  We also hear in the Beatitudes about purity.  Purity means nothing getting in the way of loving God and neighbor as we should.  And, finally, peace.  The Beatitudes talk about the peacemakers and those referred to as the tranquility of order.

So, that’s the work of government and citizens coming together to create and maintain an ordered tranquility.  So, with all of the needs of Canada in our minds and hearts, especially with the uncertainty of the last few months, we bring all of this to the Lord, seeking, again, reverence for God, the Creator, respect for each other— each of us made in the — and the image and likeness of God— and responsibility.  Peace and justice don’t happen automatically.  We have to be responsible for our part in promoting peace and justice for God’s glory and make the common good.

Psalm 13

How long, O Lord?  Will you forget me forever?  How long will you hide your face from me?  How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?  How long will my enemy triumph over me?  Look on me and answer, O Lord, my God.  Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death.  My enemy will say, “I have overcome him;” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.  But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.  I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me (Bible Gateway NIV).

Links of interest…  Almanac: Canada Day 2021…  Beatitudes: Mt. 5:1-13…  Canada Day muted as country reckons with treatment of indigenous, other minorities…  Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops…  Facing our demons: A Jesuit take on dealing with anxiety…  Fr. Stanley Galvon…  How a First Nations restaurateur found her family through food…  Indigenous peoples & communities…  It was kidnapping & abuse, but not genocide…  No perfect answer: Is it First Nations, Aboriginal, or Indigenous…  Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Cathedral: architecture / bells / crucifix / history / Mass: archives & livestream / vespers (pdf) / website / windows…  Psalm 13: Cry of Black Americans / How long, O Lord / lyric video / meditation on anger & disappointment / Women Living Well…  Radical call of the Sermon on the Mount…  St. Augustine on the esoteric meaning of the beatitudes…  This Canada Day, let’s remember: this country was built on genocide…  USA: How Native Americans fought back at boarding schools…  What’s in a name: Indian, Native, Aboriginal, or Indigenous…

WP posts…  Blessed blessing…  Collective heart…  Corpus Christi…  Foundation…  Freedom…  God’s love letter…  Graces shared…  Heaven…  Mary’s gifts…  Most Holy Trinity…  Perfect prayer…  Salt and light…  St. Joseph…  Sunset…  Truth