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21st Sunday of OT C - Discipline

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St. Rose of Lima, from catholicsaints.info Readings:  http://usccb.org/bible/readings/082519.cfm   Discipline – that magical and fearful word.   What comes to mind when you first hear that word?   Chances are it’s something a bit harsh, whether you’re the one giving or receiving it.   Maybe there’s memories you have from childhood of particular ways of discipline that your parents would give you when you did something wrong.   Maybe you think of things from school or your workplace – what happens when you either do something intentionally or even just make a mistake.   Or maybe we think of grunt-work, that we need to put in a lot of effort to grow.   At school this week, I heard a boy telling his angry dad, “I didn’t know there was another side to the homework!”   Sometimes it’s those simple mistakes that still require some sort of discipline, to help us be more careful. If these are our memories of “discipline,” why is it that we hear it brought up in our second readin
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Where do we find our comfort? 14th Sunday of OT, C

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"As a mother comforts her child" - by Il Sassoferrato, fineartamerica.com Readings:  http://usccb.org/bible/readings/070719.cfm What do I take comfort in?   Comfort is an important theme in our first reading from Isaiah, which prompts us to reflect: where do we find our comfort?   Here are some things I take comfort in: I find comfort in spending time with friends and families, especially when there’s good food involved.   I’m consoled by music, whether it’s listening to it or playing guitar and drums.   I enjoy playing strategic board games; whether I win or lose, it’s a fun way to focus and go on cool adventures.   I take comfort in enjoying the outdoors, especially while playing golf or disc golf.   All of these things are really good and comfortable things, and I’m glad to enjoy them. However, I also recognize areas in my life where maybe I take too much comfort.   I know that I’m often distracted by these things I mentioned and don’t spend time on fulfillin
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That They May Be One - Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year C

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Priests and Seminarians gathered for my First Mass at St. Anthony's Church (Audio at the end of this post) Readings:  http://usccb.org/bible/readings/060219-7thday.cfm  A couple of months ago, I was talking with my parents over the phone, and my mom suddenly became very excited.   The new missalettes had just come out in Church, and she happened to wonder, “What will the readings be for my son’s first Mass?”   When she saw, she was astounded: the Gospel passage for this weekend is the exact same one that my parents chose for their wedding.   Astounding indeed, to see the timing of God, especially since we’re one of the few dioceses in the United States that celebrate the Ascension on the Thursday before instead of on Sunday.    So for those of you traveling from other dioceses, we can assure you, “Yes, Jesus did ascend into heaven!” It was June 13, 1992, when my parents came to this very church to be married.   So this past week, I watched the video of the wedding, and
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Waiting in Line . . . Ascension, Year C

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St. Anthony in Columbus, NE, with its mural of the Ascension Readings:  http://usccb.org/bible/readings/053019-ascension.cfm I remember during the summer before I went into third grade, how this wall went from being a plain peach color to the beautiful mural that we have now.   The church had just been renovated the previous year, and the parish was anticipating with great excitement its final art pieces in the murals of the saints around the church and the mural of the Ascension, all painted by Ardith Starostka.   I as a third grader was really excited: what will this painting look like?   And indeed, how fortunate we are to have this mural right at the center of our church, reminding us of the fact that Jesus has ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father!   But I also sense that for myself, it’s easy for that excitement and anticipation to fade, especially as we take this mystery of the Ascension for granted.      It’s a common question that I h
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The Prayer of Agony - Palm Sunday, Year C

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The Church of All Nations, Garden of Gethsemane Readings:  http://usccb.org/bible/readings/041419.cfm When we remain with Jesus, he sustains us.   Today, we fully enter into Holy Week, this time specifically set apart to pray over Jesus’ Passion, death, and resurrection.   It’s really easy for us to just glance at the cross every once in a while, not really considering its importance.   But this week puts the cross front and center, urging us to behold it, both its glory and its gruesomeness.   So here’s the question: how do we enter into this week to receive its blessings and graces anew? I had a powerful opportunity a few months ago to go to the place where all of this happened: Jerusalem.   There were many memorable moments, but one of the most memorable moments for me took place somewhere I wasn’t expecting and for reasons I definitely wasn’t expecting.   We spent one morning upon the Mount of Olives, which is where Jesus goes before he processes into Jerusalem.   We
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Unplanned Mercy - 5th Sunday of Lent, Year C

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Image from Crisis Magazine Readings:  http://usccb.org/bible/readings/040719-yearc.cfm Audio at bottom of the post. Yesterday, along with many other parishioners, I saw the movie Unplanned .   As Father Joe has said, this is a very powerful movie.   I believe it makes a powerful case for why we are pro-life and shows the deception that organizations like Planned Parenthood fall into.   In this homily, however, I’d like to take a step back from just abortion and reflect on how this movie shows us the cycle of sin and redemption, which we experience in our lives in many ways.   I’ll then connect this with our Gospel for today, which speaks powerfully of this reality.   The movie depicts the life of Abby Johnson, who is a real person and now a powerful pro-life activist.   Listen for the common thread within these three scenes: when she went to college, she went from, in her own words, being a “high achiever” to a “party girl,” and eventually meets a man, becomes pregnant, and
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Running Away from Home - 4th Sunday of Lent, Year C

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The Return of the Prodigal Son, Rembrandt Readings:   http://usccb.org/bible/readings/033119-yearc.cfm   Audio at bottom of post. Have you ever had a time in your life when you wanted to run away from home?   It’s interesting how so many kids have these sorts of thoughts – they see the privileges that other kids seem to have, they’re told no by their parents, and then they imagine that life must be better elsewhere.   It doesn’t help that there’s so many movies or cartoons that seem to glorify independence as a child, which makes many children think that they can do the same.   I know I had those thoughts occasionally as a child.   Of course, those thoughts are completely irrational, but that doesn’t stop us from wanting to do it! But what happens when that continues into older age?   This is the question that Jesus proposes for us in our Gospel, this well-known story of the Prodigal Son.   The younger son has had enough of life working with his family, and he comes up
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