Priests need to preach against contraception, Sermon on the Feast of St. John the Baptist

The following is the summary of my daily Mass homily from this past Monday

August 29^th, Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist

St. John the Baptist was the great Forerunner of our Lord – he preceded the Savior in his conception and birth, in his ministry and death. Today we celebrate the feast of the martyrdom of the greatest of the prophets, he who was the voice crying in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord.”

It is quite interesting to note, however, that St. John the Baptist did not die explicitly for his confession of the Christ – rather, he suffered and was killed on account of his defense of the sanctity of marriage. When King Herod married his deceased brother’s wife, Herodias, St. John pointed out that this was an unlawful marriage. And, while Herod always maintained a certain curiosity about John (proving that his own conscience was telling him that the Baptist was right), Herodias hated John vehemently.

And so, John the Baptist was arrested and imprisoned on account of the rage of Herodias – ultimately, he suffered martyrdom by beheading at the insistence of this vile woman and her daughter.

John did not die explicitly for his proclamation of the coming of the Messiah, but he was martyred for his witness to the truth about marriage and family – and, in this respect, he is a prophet of the grace which would come through the sacrament of Christian Marriage which Christ Jesus would institute.

John the Baptist died as a martyr for the dignity and sanctity of marriage and family life. In this respect, John is a great example for parish priests.

Consider the many parallels between the Baptist and the priest: Like the priest, John was celibate and, as a celibate, he was able to speak clearly and convincingly about married life. Like the priest, John was removed from society (both by his manner of dress and by the fact that he lived a desert life which was separated from the daily concerns of the consumer culture) and, precisely because he was in the world but not of the world, John was able to call men and women to a radical holiness.

There are, of course, many more parallels besides.

John died as a martyr, that is a “witness”, to the sanctity of marriage and family life. So too, the parish priest is dedicated in a particular way to helping the faithful to fulfill their vocations, especially the vocation to marriage (since most of the faithful in his parish will be called to the married state).

God gives us priests in order to help us become saints – that is what priests are for, to help us get to heaven. But we can only become saints through living out our own vocation well: A monk cannot be a saint by living like a married man, and a wife cannot become a saint by living like a cloistered nun. The job of the priest is to help each individual in his parish to live out the vocation to which God has called him. And, for the majority of the parishioners, this means learning to live holiness in the context of family life: Either as the husband or wife, or even as the child.

The only way that a priest is going to help people become saints is for him to hold up and defend the dignity and the sanctity of marriage and family life as a true means of growing in holiness.

We need to pray that our priests would follow the example of St. John the Baptist and be fearless in proclaiming all that God has to offer us in marriage and in the family. We need to pray that the good Jesus would strengthen our priests so that they might be clear and bold in teaching the truth about the family – both from the pulpit and (especially) in the confessional.

St. John Vianney once said, “There are no priests, only priests for whom there is not enough prayer.” Yes, let us pray for our priests, and pray the good Lord to send us more priests – that, through the intercession of St. John the Baptist, we might be granted true shepherds who will help our parishes to thrive and to grow in holiness through living out the vocation of marriage and family life according to the divine law.

But we need to be more specific. There are two areas which we really need priests to speak about with greater clarity and boldness – and always, always, always with charity!

First, there is the Church’s teaching on contraception. Contraception is destroying our marriages, ruining our families, corrupting the faithful, and (quite frankly) bringing great and terrible sorrows upon us all. We can scarcely imagine just how great an evil contraception is in our society and (sadly) in our Church.

And yet, many will say that contraception is “the Church’s worst kept secret.” I call it a “secret” insofar as nobody is talking about it – priests don’t preach on it, priests don’t ask about it in the confessional, parents neglect their duty and obligation to teach the truth to their children; almost nobody at all is speaking about contraception. And so, it is a “secret”.

However, I say it is the “worst kept secret” because, even though nobody ever talks about it or gives the Church’s official teaching – everybody knows it! Everybody (or nearly everybody) knows that the Church is against contraception – it seems that we’ve all just agreed to wink and smile and ignore our Mother.

Contraception cannot remain the “worst kept secret” any longer. The wreckage which contraception has caused in families and marriages has to stop. And so, pray. Pray, pray, pray! Pray the good Jesus to convert our priests and to give them the strength to follow St. John the Baptist in proclaiming the truth no matter what the cost.

Pray also that the Lord would send us more good and holy priests who will preach the truth with love and free our Church from this terrible scourge.

And finally, if only very briefly, we must mention the family Rosary. How can we every make it as a Christian family without the Rosary? And yet, how rare it is to hear priests preach about the Rosary or tell our mothers and fathers of the importance of gathering as a family every day to pray the Rosary together. How many graces are lost!

Pray the good Lord that he would strengthen and inspire his priests to preach the family Rosary with greater zeal, confidence, and love. Imagine all the good things our Jesus wants to pour out upon our families, if only we would pray!

St. John the Baptist was willing to lay down his life in defense of marriage and the family. Let us pray the Almighty Father to send his Church priests after the Heart of his own Son – priests who will bring about a renewal in marriage and family life, no matter what the cost; priests who will lay down their lives for the sheep.

The one reason to be Catholic, Sermon of January 16th

2^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

January 16^th, 2011

John 1:29-34

John testified further, saying, “I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’”

Today, at the beginning of the season of Ordinary Time, the Church gives us to meditate once again upon the Baptism of the Lord. Last week we heard the account of Christ’s Baptism as given by St. Matthew, now we hear of the same event as recorded by St. John the Beloved.

As we listen to the text of St. John’s Gospel, we might notice a certain peculiarity, something which could perhaps cause some confusion – for, speaking about Jesus, John the Baptist says, “I did not know him.” John tells us that he did not know Jesus until after the baptism, when the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove.

But how can it be that John does not know Jesus – recall, of course, that John and Jesus were second cousins; their mothers, Mary and Elizabeth, were first cousins and close friends. Is it possible that John the Baptist should not know his own relative? Could it be true that John, who leapt in the womb when Jesus came to him in the womb of Mary, could it be that John did not recognize his Lord?

Most certainly, John the Baptist knew who Jesus was – he recognized him and said, “I ought to be baptized by you.” John testified that Jesus is the Christ and our Savior, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” Moreover, John even knew something of Jesus’ divinity for he said, “He who is coming after me existed before me” – John was conceived and born before Jesus, yet because he is God Jesus existed before John.

What, then, did John the Baptist not know about Jesus? What did he not learn until he saw the Spirit descend upon our Lord? John tells us, “The one who sent me to baptize told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’” This is what John did not know until that day: That Christ alone would baptize with the Holy Spirit.

John knew who Jesus was, he knew him to be the Christ and our Savior, he even knew that he is true God – what he did not fully know was that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit. Yet, he knew that Jesus would baptize for he said, “I ought to be baptized by you.” And he knew that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit, “The one coming after me will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

What he did not know was that, whoever baptizes with the Holy Spirit, it is always Christ who baptizes. This is the great difference between the sacramental baptism which Christ instituted and every other ritual baptism which had preceded.

If John baptized with his baptism, it was John who baptized. But if Andrew, when still a disciple of John, baptized with the baptism of John, it was not John who baptized but Andrew. And likewise, if Peter baptized with John’s baptism, the person was baptized not by John but by Peter.

However, it is different with the sacramental baptism which Christ gave the Church – for it is always Christ who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. Does Peter baptize? It is Christ who baptizes. Does Paul baptize? It is Christ who baptizes. Does Fr. Ryan baptize? It is Christ who baptizes.

The power of the sacrament of baptism does not depend on the particular minister, but on Christ, for it is always Christ who baptizes – and likewise with the other sacraments, it is Christ who is the one high priest. This is why there is no baptism of Paul or of Peter or of Fr. Ryan – there is only the one baptism of Christ, for it is always Christ who baptizes.

From this it follows that the Church is not founded on Fr. Ryan, nor even on Paul or Peter, but on Christ. Likewise the holiness of the Church does not come from her priests, nor from her people, nor even from the apostles, but from Christ.

Certainly, it is necessary that we should all become saints – and especially the priests of the Church must strive for holiness – but the grace of the sacraments and the holiness of the Church does not depend upon the holiness of her members, but only upon Christ.

The Church receives her holiness from Christ and, like a true mother, passes this holiness on to us her children. For the holiness of the Church is greater than the summation of the holiness of her members, it is a sanctity which comes from the perfect holiness of Christ himself.

There is some confusion about this in our day. All too often, we hear of people leaving the Church because the priests are sinners or because the other Catholics are hypocrites – and there is some truth to this! Indeed, priests are sinners and we must continue to strive for greater virtue. Indeed, Catholics are also sinners and even sometimes are hypocrites, we all should be working to grow in holiness.

However, whenever I hear someone say that they left the Church because of the sins of priests or of other Catholics, I can only shake my head – they have not understood the Church at all! We do not join the Church because of the holiness of her priests or people, and so we do not leave the Church because of the sins of priests or of people. There is only one reason to be Catholic – it is Christ! Jesus alone is the foundation of the Church; not the priests and not the people, but Jesus. She keeps her gaze ever fixed upon the Sacred Heart of her Savior.

Why was Jesus baptized?

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

January 9^th, 2011

Matthew 3:13-17

Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. John tried to prevent him saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” Jesus said to him in reply, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

Today is the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord; yes, I say it is the feast of the Lord’s Epiphany! For indeed, the Epiphany is not only the commemoration of the adoration of the Magi, but it includes also two other mysteries: Our Lord’s baptism in the Jordan and the wedding feast at Cana. And so, today’s feast of Christ’s baptism is a second Epiphany – for this reason, from ancient times, the Baptism of the Lord has been celebrated on the octave of the Epiphany.

The very word Epiphany means “manifestation”; Epiphany is the manifestation of Christ to the world. In Bethlehem, shortly after our Lord’s birth, there was the first Epiphany, a hidden Epiphany – for none but the Magi (and the shepherds before them) recognized the Child as the Christ and true Lord of all. This first manifestation was part of the hidden life of Christ, hence it is a private Epiphany.

Today, however, we have the second Epiphany which is a public Epiphany – for it is with his baptism that the Lord begins his public ministry. Now, at the age of thirty, our Savior manifests himself publicly and before all.

And what is the Epiphany which we celebrate at the Lord’s baptism? What about Christ was made manifest to the world today? Behold, the heavens were opened and the Spirit descended and the voice of the Father was heard – This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. This is the Epiphany, the manifestation of Christ: He is revealed to all as the true Son of God, and God himself!

And yet, there is a difficulty which arises as we consider the baptism of the Lord. For indeed, the baptism of John was a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. How then can it be that Christ the Lord should come to be baptized? He is without sin, he is Messiah and Lord – why should he submit himself to the baptism of John?

This was what troubled St. John the Baptist – he recognizes the dignity of the Lord and he tries to prevent Christ from coming to be baptized. It is only at our Savior’s persistence that John is willing to baptize him.

And so we ask: Why was Christ baptized by John? What is the meaning of this event?

Let us be very clear – Christ had no need of John’s baptism, it was not for his sake that he was baptized. The Savior already was filled with the Holy Spirit and, from the very moment of his conception, the heavens were opened to him. He already knew with certainty that he is the Son of God the Father. The miraculous events surrounding Christ’s baptism were not for him – he already knew who he was, he already knew himself to be true God and the Christ.

No, it was not for his own sake that Christ was baptized; rather, he was baptized for us. Jesus submitted himself to the baptism of John for us and for our salvation.

There are many reasons why Christ was baptized, but it will be enough for us to consider three.

First, Christ was baptized in order to confirm John in his ministry. By his baptism, the Lord testifies to St. John’s life and work. Normally, we think of John as witnessing to Christ, as pointing to Christ, as giving testimony to Christ – and that is good and true, as far as it goes. But, on an even more fundamental level, it is Christ who gives testimony to John; for our Savior has no need of human testimony, his words and his saving works give testimony themselves.

In submitting himself to John’s baptism, the Lord testifies that John has indeed been sent by God. Jesus says to John, “You have prepared the way for me, well done my good and faithful servant.” And so, we are admonished by Christ to follow the indication of the Baptist, to heed his words, to prepare the way of the Lord, and to look to the Lord as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Second, the Lord was baptized in order to begin the institution of the sacrament of baptism in the life of the Church. In submitting himself to John’s baptism of water, Christ prepares the waters for the sacramental baptism in water and the Holy Spirit which he would soon give the Church.

Here we have a great mystery – the reality we witness is turned on its head. For, as Christ is submerged in the waters, it is not the waters which cleanse Christ, but Christ cleanses the waters. It is not the waters which purify Christ, but Christ purifies the waters. It is not the waters which sanctify Christ, but Christ sanctifies the waters.

Through the waters of baptism, Christ will cleanse and sanctify the human race.

Finally, our Savior was baptized to give an example of humility to all who would follow him. The Lord was without sin and yet he was willing to receive the baptism of John. Jesus is true God and yet he submitted himself to the baptism of the Forerunner.

If Christ, who was sinless, received the baptism of John; how much more must we who are sinners receive the baptism of Christ? The humility of our Savior is an example to us, that we might all run to the sacrament of baptism and there find true forgiveness of our sins.

And this is a point of some confusion today – for there are many, and even some in the Church, who speak and act as though baptism were not necessary. They will make it seem as though baptism were nothing more than a cute and sentimental event, a good excuse to get the family together. This type of thinking is contrary to the Gospel!

We have great need of the sacrament of baptism. Baptism is necessary for salvation, it is for this reason that Christ gave the sacrament to the Church.

Through the sacrament of baptism was are cleansed of all sin, both original sin and any actual sin; we are elevated by grace and filled with the Holy Spirit; we are incorporated into the Church, the true Body of Christ. Indeed, in this sacrament we are united to Christ in such a way that the words which almighty God spoke to our Lord at his baptism are applied also to us – we hear the Father say to each of us individually: “You are my beloved son, you are my beloved daughter, in you I am well pleased.”