Ice Storm 2009 - In Pictures

We are now in the second day of what is, for this area, a major winter snow - about a full day's worth of ice and freezing rain, sandwiched on either end by about 3 inches of snow. The whole area is pretty much shut down, with many power outages - but our church, school, and parish office do have power. Here are some pictures from around the parish:

St. Paul Leads Us To Christ

Homily for the Conversion of St. Paul
Acts 22.3-16 Psalm 117 1 Corinthians 7.29-31 Mark 16.15-18
Note: The Church celebrates the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul each year on January 25. Typically, when this day falls on a Sunday, the Sunday takes precedence and the Conversion of St. Paul is not celebrated. However, Pope Benedict XVI asked that churches celebrate the Conversion of St. Paul this year during the International Year of St. Paul.

For us who are citizens of the United States of America, this past Tuesday was a historic day. Regardless of your political views or voting record, no one can deny the monumental significance of a day when an African-American is inaugurated as President of this great country. In the days leading up to this historic inauguration, there had been much talk of freedom, of hope, and of conviction. There has been talk of unity and strength, dreams and visions that were unforeseeable even a generation ago. But as monumental as this day was for this history of our country, this is not what brings us together today. We gather here today – as we do on every Sunday – not as citizens of the United States – we gather here as Christians, as followers of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. And this weekend, we gather to remember a particular Christian whose understanding of freedom, hope, and conviction helped to shape a people and inspire a world to follow one man, and one man only: the Son of God. St. Paul, an apostle and missionary of Jesus Christ, was a man of singular purpose: to preach the gospel to the whole world, so that salvation will come to those who believe with their hearts and confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord. St. Paul taught us what true freedom means, he gave his life in service of unity and peace, and his conviction and strength led countless people to the foot of the cross, and to the garden that held an empty tomb.

Perhaps the most important thing we can learn from today’s feast of the Conversion of St. Paul is that it is not about him. We honor St. Paul not as the founder of our faith or the source of blessings. We honor St. Paul because he helped lead us to Christ. When he saw the light and heard the voice on the road to Damascus, St. Paul’s life changed because it became totally focused on someone else – it became totally focused on Jesus, the Son of God. St. Paul himself would not have wanted to be remembered, as long as we took to heart the words he spoke about the one person his life was centered on. For us Christians, each day that we confess, with Paul, that Jesus is Lord, is a historic day, a day of monumental significance. Because on this day, as on every day, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has the power to transform lives. On this day, as on every day, the grace and peace that the Holy Spirit brings can unite all peoples of the world under the one banner of love. On this day, as on every day, the gospel that St. Paul preached continues to stir up the world and lead us to Christ. For this is a historic day – this is the day of our salvation.

Pauline Ecumenical Prayer Service

Yesterday evening, January 20, our parish hosted a Pauline Ecumenical Prayer Service to jointly celebrate the International Year of St. Paul and the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. We were joined by clergy and faithful from local Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, and Disciples of Christ churches, as well as by a Benedictine monk from Saint Meinrad Archabbey. Here is the homily that I preached for the prayer service.

A Historic Day of Grace and Peace
1 Thessalonians 1.1-10 Romans 10.9-18
For us who are citizens of the United States of America, today is a historic day. Regardless of your political views or voting record, no one can deny the monumental significance of a day when an African-American is inaugurated as President of this great country. In the days leading up to this historic inauguration, there has been much talk of freedom, of hope, and of conviction. There has been talk of unity and strength, dreams and visions that were unforeseeable even a generation ago. But as great as this day is for our country, this is not what brings us together tonight. We gather here this evening not as citizens of the United States – we gather here this evening as Christians, as followers of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. And we gather to remember a particular Christian whose understanding of freedom, hope, and conviction helped to shape a people and inspire a world to follow one man, and one man only: the Son of God. Paul, apostle and missionary of Jesus Christ, was a man of singular purpose: to preach the gospel to the whole world, so that salvation will come to those who believe with their hearts and confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord. Paul taught us what true freedom means, he gave his life in service of unity and peace, and his conviction and strength led countless people to the foot of the cross, and to the garden that held an empty tomb. We gather here this evening as Christians to remember a man who would not have wanted to be remembered, as long as we took to heart the words he spoke about the one who called him on the road to Damascus and opened his eyes that he might see. For us Christians, each day that we confess, with Paul, that Jesus is Lord, is a historic day, a day of monumental significance; for it is the day of our salvation.

In declaring this year to be the International Year of St. Paul, Pope Benedict XVI asked that the year’s observances have a particularly ecumenical dimension. Pope Benedict remarked that “the Apostle of the Gentiles, who was particularly committed to bringing the Good News to all people, gave everything he had for unity and harmony among all Christians.” The Pauline year can serve to remind us “how important it is to pray together to implore the gift of unity.” At the beginning of his First Letter to the Thessalonians, the oldest preserved letter we have from Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles greeted the church in Thessaloniki using a phrase that was to become one of his hallmarks: “grace to you and peace.” Here we can find the source of the unity that we long for as followers of Christ. The unity of Christians is a grace, a gift, that comes from God alone. The divisions and disputes that have broken us apart are of human origin – it is only with God’s grace that we can set aside all that separates us and be united in faith, in hope, and in love. It is God’s grace that binds us together, and the more we can attune ourselves to the presence and movement of God’s grace, the more our unity in Christ will become visible. And when that happens, when we see in each other the face of Christ himself, then the peace that we so long for will be so much easier to grasp. A world of war and violence, a world of poverty and hunger, a world of hatred and pain, is a world that longs for God but has not yet grasped the truth of the gospel. If the Apostle Paul can teach us anything today, it is that the glory of the cross and the light of the resurrection can give meaning to our suffering and can transform our pain so that God lives in us and we live in God. The grace of unity and the gift of peace can change lives – but we must work together, we must pray together, we must spread the Good News together – as one family of faith.

Yes, today is a historic day – it is a day of monumental significance. Because on this day, as on every day, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has the power to transform lives. On this day, as on every day, the grace and peace that the Holy Spirit brings can unite all peoples of the world under the one banner of love. On this day, as on every day, the gospel that Paul preached continues to stir up the world and lead us to Christ. For this is the day of our salvation.

Being Eli

Homily for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
1 Sm. 3.3b-10, 19 Ps. 40 1 Cor. 6.13c-15a, 17-20 John 1.35-42

We might think that today’s first reading is about Samuel, and how the Lord called him to be a prophet. But I think this reading is just as much about Eli, and we can learn much from his example. From the stories I’ve heard, it seems like most priests and those in religious life have an Eli in their lives. Just about every priest and religious I know has had someone at some point in their life’s journey who played the role of Eli to their Samuel, someone who helped them recognize the voice of God calling them. I know I definitely did. Actually, I had a few different Eli’s in my story. And, really, the story of my own vocation can be the story of the Eli’s who helped me listen to God.

The first Eli’s who helped me listen to God calling me to the priesthood came when I was very young – when I was in grade school, as an altar server at Mass. Over the years, a few members of my home parish asked if I had ever thought about being a priest. At the time, I dismissed these questions – I’m sorry, but the priesthood isn’t part of my plans. I wouldn’t recognize these people as taking the role of Eli in my life until years later – but they were there, and in the long run, I know that their prayers helped to open my ears. It wasn’t until I was a senior in high school that I actually acknowledge an Eli for who he was. On my high school senior retreat, one of my teachers said that he saw in me the qualities that would make a good priest, and he asked if I had thought about that vocation. All of a sudden, for whatever reasons – perhaps the atmosphere of the retreat, and definitely the persistence of God’s call – but all of a sudden, the thought of priesthood actually became a real possibility. I spent the rest of that retreat listening for God – but it was the question of a teacher, the help of an Eli, that helped me want to listen.

My road to the priesthood wasn’t determined on that one night of a retreat as a high school senior – really the only thing that changed that night was that I started to listen more closely to God and to really be open to whatever he was calling me to do. For the rest of my senior year in high school, I met each week with another teacher – a spiritual companion – and our conversations often turned to how God was calling me. This teacher, too, was an Eli for me – as I was listening for God, our conversations together helped me understand what I was hearing. Then, in college, the Christian Brothers and priests in the Campus Ministry Center, plus the professors in the school’s religion department, supported me in the prayer and discernment that would help me make the choice to become a seminarian. And the whole time, the support I received from family and friends gave me confidence and courage to respond to God’s call.

The call to serve as a priest, just like the call to marriage or religious life, comes from God alone – and I humbly believe that I am answering that call as best I can. But along the way, there were many Eli’s in my life – many people who helped me to listen, who recognized God’s presence and pointed me in the right direction, people whose conversations and prayers helped me find the words and the strength I needed to answer God. And, like most priests, it took multiple times of God calling me – and multiple Eli’s to help me listen – before I was ready to say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Even though the call and vocation comes from God alone, I don’t know if I would ever have answered if I hadn’t had all those Eli’s along the way. And that’s not just my story – that’s the story of just about every priest and person in religious life I know. This week, we continue the Called by Name Vocations program. This program is just one chance for you to be an Eli to someone God is calling to serve in the priesthood or religious life. Nomination forms can still be found in the pews, and completed forms can be placed in the collection basket today or next week, or turned in to the parish office. Together, we can by like Eli to Samuel, we can help people discern God’s call in their lives.

Called by Name

Homily for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Year B
Isaiah 55.1-11 Isaiah 12 1 John 5.1-9 Mark 1.7-11

Matthew has just finished a stint as a Jesuit volunteer, working for a year as a teacher in an inner-city school. From all appearances, he is the kind of guy anyone would want to be around. According to reports from the school, “he once stopped a food-fight among the fourth graders by singing a song that made the kids laugh so hard they forgot why they were launching ketchup-dripping Tater Tots at one another.” (Richard Malloy, SJ, “Making a Mark,” America 200.1 January 5-12, 2009, p. 18) One of the Jesuit priests who knows Matthew asked him once if he or any of his friends had ever thought about being a priest or religious. The answer came as quickly as a projectile Tater Tot thrown across the lunch room: “No.” When asked why not, Matthew replied: “I guess that as a priest you really can’t make your mark.” (ibid.)

This Sunday, parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Indianapolis are beginning the Called by Name program. The specific call we are focusing on is the call to priesthood or religious life. I am convinced that there is not a shortage of vocations in the Church today – God has never stopped calling people to serve him in the priesthood and religious life. What we do have, though, is a great difficulty in hearing and answering the call that is there. People like Matthew may have great respect for priests and religious, they may have exactly the qualities that would serve them well in religious life, but for a variety of reasons, they have difficulty seeing the impact you can have by being ordained or joining religious life. The call may be there, but it is masked by questions, personal ambitions, our individualistic culture, and often family reluctance to promote religious vocations. Surveys and experience consistently show that many young people haven’t been asked or haven’t been encouraged to consider a religious vocation. But it doesn’t have to stay that way. In the early years of the Church, the local community recognized that they needed leaders to minister to their needs. They prayed to God for direction, looked around their own community, selected those who had the necessary qualities, and then asked them to be their leaders. Today, we want to imitate their example. With your help, perhaps we can discover in our own parish some of those who are being called by God to serve in the Church and whom we can also “call by name” to set aside any questions or reluctance and at least consider God’s call.

Encouraging vocations to the priesthood and religious life is not just the responsibility of us who are already ordained or members of religious communities. This task belongs to all of us as members of the Body of Christ. For the next two weeks, I invite you to join with me in encouraging vocations to the priesthood and religious life. As in the days of the early Church, I invite you first of all to pray. Pray for guidance; pray for this program; pray for open and responsive hearts to our Lord’s call. Use any form of prayer that you prefer, but please pray. Second, I invite you to look around our community to notice those who are high school age or older who appear to have some of the qualities that you feel could serve us well as priests, religious sisters, or religious brothers. Look in our parish – in the pews around you and in the ministries you are involved in; look in your neighborhood, your workplace, and even in your own family. After praying and looking, take one of the forms that can be found in the pews this weekend and next to recommend one or more people whom you think might be a candidate for the priesthood or religious life. Fill in as much information as you can, and then bring the form back to church on either of the next two weekends and place it in the collection basket. You can also send the forms to my attention at the parish office. After the nomination forms have been returned, they will be compiled and sent to the Office of Vocations for our Archdiocese. Everyone who is nominated will be invited to attend an informal gathering to learn more about vocations in the Church today. There is no pressure in being nominated; we simply invite these people to listen and discern God’s call in their lives, whatever that call might be.

We all know that we need good priests and religious in the Church. We need people who love Christ and can give their lives in service to the community; people who have integrity, faith, compassion, and commitment. And I know there are people like that right here, sitting in these pews, worshiping with us today. But those who are being called by name to serve as priests, religious sisters, or religious brothers also need us; they need us to affirm these qualities and to encourage them to respond to God’s call. Please join me in praying and in being instruments of Christ’s call to service in the Church.

Epiphany Proclamation

Today, January 6, is the traditional date of Epiphany - the twelfth day of Christmas. In the United States, we transfer the liturgical celebration of Epiphany to the nearest Sunday, but today still has a special significance. One of the many traditions associated with Epiphany is the proclamation of the date of Easter and all other moveable feasts for the coming year. This tradition is a holdover from the days before computers and calendars, but it is still a nice tradition. The Epiphany Proclamation below as read after communion at all of our parish Masses this past weekend.

2009 Epiphany Proclamation

Dear brothers and sisters, the glory of the Lord has shone upon us,
and shall ever be manifest among us, until the day of his return.
Through the rhythms of times and seasons
let us celebrate the mysteries of salvation.
Let us recall the year’s culmination, the Easter Triduum of the Lord:
his last supper, his crucifixion, his burial, and his rising celebrated
between the evening of the 9th of April.
and the evening of the 12th of April.
Each Easter— as on each Sunday—
the Holy Church makes present the great and saving deed
by which Christ has for ever conquered sin and death.
From Easter are reckoned all the days we keep holy.
Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, will occur on the 25th of February.
The Ascension of the Lord will be commemorated on the 24th of May.
Pentecost, the joyful conclusion of the season of Easter,
will be celebrated on the 31st of May.
And this year the First Sunday of Advent will be on the 29th of November.
Likewise the pilgrim Church proclaims the Passover of Christ
in the feasts of the Holy Mother of God, in the feasts of the Apostles and Saints,
and in the commemoration of the faithful departed.
To Jesus Christ, who was, who is, and who is to come,
Lord of time and history,
be endless praise, for ever and ever.
Amen.

The Wisest of the Wise

Homily for The Epiphany of the Lord, Year B
Isaiah 60.1-6 Psalm 72 Ephesians 3.2-3a, 5-6 Matthew 2.1-12

They are called kings, sometimes, these strangers from the East who wander into the home of Mary and Joseph. But the gospel does not call them kings – it calls them magi – a word used most often for astronomers and philosophers, those who were renowned throughout the world as the wisest of the wise. These wise men, these magi, travel far from their homes to visit a child – a child whose birth had been foretold. But what made these men so wise? They certainly had a lot of knowledge – they knew the Jewish scriptures, even though they weren’t Jewish; and they knew how to observe the movements of the stars and the planets. But this knowledge did not make them wise – simply knowing facts is not the same as wisdom. The magi also seemed to have some kind of wealth – they were able to bring with them expensive gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But, certainly, wealth does not make you wise. So if the wisdom of the magi does not come from knowledge or from wealth, what makes them so wise?

The picture that most of us have in our minds of the magi, the picture contained in most Nativity scenes, is deceiving. We usually picture the magi standing or kneeling in front of Jesus, offering their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But that’s not what the gospel tells us. The gospel tells us that the magi prostrated themselves in front of the child – they laid down flat on the floor in front of him – they didn’t stand, they didn’t bow, they didn’t even kneel. When you lie prostrate, you are completely vulnerable – you have no way of protecting yourself. When you lie prostrate, you are completely humble – you become the lowest of the low. The true wisdom of the magi is right there in their gesture before the King of Kings. The true wisdom of the magi is that, with all their great wealth and knowledge, they had the humility to admit that they are nothing in the presence of a little child, who they know to be God himself. The true wisdom of the magi is that they know that there is always someone else who is wiser than they are. The magi are the wisest of the wise because they can lay down their lives in front of a helpless child, who is the source of their wisdom. I wonder what we would do in the presence of that child?

Mary in the Nativity Scene

Homily for Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God
Numbers 6.22-27 Psalm 67 Galatians 4.4-7 Luke 2.16-21
If you have had a chance to take a good look at our church Nativity set this year, you may have noticed that there is a new figure. For each of the past two years, we have been able to add a new piece to this beautiful set. Last year, we added a woman named Rachel, who is carrying a basket of fruit. This year, we added a woman named Judith, who is carrying water jugs. Just about everyone who has seen and noticed these new figures has had the same response: “I don’t remember Rachel or Judith from the Christmas story; where did they come from?” Of course, you won’t find either of these two women mentioned in the stories of the birth of Jesus in the Bible. These particular figures are a creation of the company that makes these Nativity scenes. I like to think of them as coming along with the shepherds – the shepherds we do hear about in Scripture certainly must have had family or friends who may have accompanied them to the manger. Or, perhaps, they are among the other residents of Bethlehem who heard the shepherds’ news that the Messiah had been born. If nothing else, these extra figures are a reminder that the birth of Jesus was not an event just for the few people who are mentioned in the Bible as having been there. The birth of Jesus was meant for all humanity, and Rachel and Judith can remind us of that.

But there’s another side to the story of our parish Nativity scene. We could very easily take Rachel and Judith away from the scene – and it would still be complete. We could even take away the shepherd boy and his sheep, the donkey and the cow, the magi and their camel, and even the angel – and left with just Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, the scene would still be complete. The Holy Family is still the Holy Family, even without the animals, shepherds, and magi surrounding them. But we could go even further. If we take Joseph out of the scene, leaving only Jesus and Mary, his mother, the Christmas story could still be told. Because the heart of the Christmas story is not about those important but extra people, but about a child, the Son of God, born of a woman, born under the law, as Paul says to the Galatians.

But then we have to ask – can we take the next step. Can we go one step even further in reducing the Nativity scene and take away Mary, leaving only the child Jesus. On the one hand, of course we can – Christmas is about Jesus, the Son of God, born for us – and all our celebrations of Christmas focus on the person this child is. We could just have the infant Jesus, lying in a manger – and our Nativity scene would be complete. But, on the other hand, we would still be missing something. We do need Mary there, because we can’t ignore the fact that Jesus was born of Mary, that she is his mother. The child we worship is not God alone – he is also fully human, and we have to include Mary in the picture to remind us of her Son’s humanity. That’s why images of the Madonna and Child have been so popular throughout history – because by picturing Mary and Jesus, we can sum up everything we believe about the Word made flesh, God made man. And that’s what we celebrate today on this Feast of Mary, the Mother of God. Just like all the other figures in the Nativity scene, just like all Christians through the ages, Mary’s gaze is focused on the child in the manger – he alone is the reason for our celebration and the focus of our worship. But we can’t completely take Mary out of the picture, because her “yes,” her response to the angel’s message is an indispensable part of God’s plan. She is a loving mother, she is the perfect disciple – always leading people to her Son, the Son of God. And we can never take her out of the picture of Christmas.