The gift of time, Sermon of September 18th

25^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Matthew 20:1-16a

And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner saying, “These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day’s burden and the heat.”

As we hear the Savior’s parable in today’s Gospel, we might have a tendency to sympathize with the complaints of those workers who labored for whole day and yet received only the same payment as those who came in the final hour. Something within us says, “Well, if that’s the case, why work for the whole day? It would be better to just wait till the last minute and make a deathbed conversion!”

This is obviously not the way that we are supposed to think! The Lord is challenging us with this parable. He is trying to help us to see things from a different perspective.

When we consider this parable we generally tend to interpret it according to a much more personal model: We think of the various hours of the day as symbolizing the various ages of human life.

According to this interpretation, the laborers who came at dawn would be the cradle-Catholics while those who came at the end of the day would be the sinners who have a great death-bed conversion.

If we think of the parable in this way, then the message of our Lord is to tell us that there is only one task which we simply must accomplish in this life. Beyond all else, the one objective of our life on earth must be to die in the state of grace. If we die in the state of grace, our life is a great and even an heroic success. If we die in mortal sin, then our life has been a terrible terrible failure.

And yet, we also know that the best way to die in the state of grace, is to live in the state of grace! In any case, a Christian life is far more fulfilling and joyful than a materialistic life which searches only after worldly gains and vain delights.

The simple truth is that laboring in the Lord’s vineyard is its own reward. It is far better to spend our life in union with Christ, than to be separated from him. Far better to live out our days in the grace of Jesus, than to stand idle in the marketplace!

However, there is another meaning to this parable: The hours of the day and the various laborers represent the ages of the history of salvation. When Jesus spoke this parable, the original message had much more to do with this interpretation of the ages of salvation history.

The parable of the laborers in the vineyard is really all about the relationship between the Jews (who had been called first) and the Gentiles (who were called last). The workers who came at dawn and through till noon represent Adam and Abel, Abraham and Moses, Elijah and all the prophets. Those who came at 3 o’clock in the afternoon are, perhaps, John the Baptist, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Apostles. Finally, those who come at 5 o’clock, at the very end of the history of salvation, in the final hours, these are the Gentile Christians who have been converted through the preaching of the Apostles.

The eleventh hour is the time of the Church, it is the time which we are now in! All of us, we are those laborers who come at the very end of the day.

Now this is the meaning of the parable: If we follow Christ, we will receive the same reward which was promised to Adam, to Abraham, to Moses and to the prophets. Indeed, if we are faithful, we will be included in the same Church which was founded upon the Apostles – we will even share in the glory which has been given to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

How encouraging the parable is for us when we read it in this perspective!

And this is Christ’s point: We are to recognize how generous and gracious God is in giving us the gift of time. Time is a most precious gift! Time gives us the opportunity either to convert from sin and to follow God or, if we have already begun our spiritual journey, to strive forward in grace and to merit greater glory in heaven.

What a gift time truly is! And yet, how often do we squander this gift! Far too often we say that we are just “passing the time”, or we “kill time”. What ingratitude!

St. Alphonsus Liguori makes use of a helpful analogy. He has us imagine that we are in a bank and that the owner of the bank has opened the vault which is filled with money. The bank-owner tells us that we can have however much money we are able to count in one hour.

Now, what would we do? Would we simply sit back, idle, “killing time”? No! Of course not! We would rush into the vault and start counting the money as quickly as possible. Why, we would have so much zeal and energy!

And, it tell you truly, we wouldn’t waste our time on the little bills (the ones and the fives); no, we would rush for the hundreds and the other big bills! J

If only we would make the same good use of the time which God has given us earth. Here we are, with so much time – time to make acts of charity and to store up a greater treasure in heaven. These acts of charity, whether great or small, will be of great value if only we do them all with great love!

Why then do we waste our time holding on to grudges and anger? What good does it do? Nothing!

How generous God has been! He has given us time!

Remember, the history of the world did not have to continue to today. The Savior could have come to judge the world one hundred years ago, and then none of us would have even been conceived, none of us would have existed.

You and I, we did not have to exist; but God, in his love and generous mercy, willed that there should be time in history for all of us to come into existence.

This time given us on earth is the great gift of the opportunity to come to eternity with Christ, in life everlasting.

The multiplication of loaves: It wasn't sharing, because we can't feed ourselves. Sermon of July 31st

This homily was given at my Catholic high school reunion Mass (to my fellow alumni)

18^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

July 31^st, 2011

Matthew 14:13-21

Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.

I’m sure that we have all heard it said that this event of the multiplications of the loaves is not really a miracle; or, rather, that the true miracle was that Jesus got the people to share. The idea would be that Jesus’ example of sharing (or the example of the child) would have inspired others to share as well, such that all ate and were satisfied.

Now, we could show that this idea of “sharing” is not at all faithful to the plain meaning of the Biblical text, how it is simply ridiculous to think that 5,000 men (not counting women and children) could be fed on the “sack lunches” of a few, and how Jesus himself latter expressly states that he fed five thousand with only five loaves – we could do all of this, and it would be good, but instead it will be better to consider what the deeper meaning of the miraculous event really was, and how this meaning would change if the miracle were only about sharing.

The multiplication of the loaves, a true historical event, also contains a mystical meaning which touches on the present day. When Christ fed the five thousand, he tells us that he will always provide for his faithful people. No matter how difficult life gets (either individually, or for the Church as a whole), the Savior will be with us to guide and strengthen us. Even when we seem to be in a deserted place and on the verge of exhaustion, the Lord will support his Church with the true bread of Faith and the Sacraments.

Now, let’s think about what it would mean for us today, if Jesus didn’t really feed the five thousand through miraculously multiplying the loaves.

First, the Apostles say to our Savior, “We can’t feed them, let’s tell them to go and get food from the towns and villages!” This would mean that our Lord would send the faithful away, as though he would say, “I can’t feed you, I can’t sustain you, I can’t console you; go to the towns, that is, go into the world and seek whatever comforts you can find there!”

Jesus would never say this! No, rather, the good Lord tells us, “There is no true joy in the world, there is no consolation there for you; only I can save you, only I can strengthen you. Come to me and find peace and refreshment! For I alone am your God!”

And so, we might examine our own lives: Where do we seek our comfort and our joy? Where do we find meaning for our lives? Is my joy more in Christ or more in my job, in my success, in riches, and in all the vain pleasures of this life?

Do I seek my fill on the bread of the world, or do I receive the true bread from Christ Jesus? There is no consolation in the world, riches are here today and gone tomorrow; all things pass away, only God remains.

Secondly, we might consider what it would have meant if the people simply shared amongst themselves, as if Jesus had not multiplied the loaves miraculously. I ask you, Who was feeding whom? If the people simply shared their own bread amongst themselves, Who was feeding whom?

Would anyone have been fed by Jesus? No! This would mean that our Savior was nothing more than a moral example that led the crowd to take care of themselves. Why, this would mean that, for us today, the good Lord would be nothing more than a memory from the past, a good example who inspires us, but not a Savior who actually redeems us!

Christ did not say, “Well, let them feed themselves; there’s nothing I can do.” Rather, he said, “Bring me the five loaves, I will feed the crowd.” It was Jesus who fed the people 2000 years ago; and it is Jesus who feeds the Church today.

But, far too often, we try to simply “share” our little morsels amongst ourselves, rather than to receive the true bread from Christ and through his Church. We “share” and feed ourselves whenever we look to popular opinion rather than to the teaching of Christ and his Church.

To where do I look when I want to know how to raise a family? Do I look to the Gospel, or do I only share in the vain falsehoods of the world.

Or, even more, when I form my beliefs about the Church – Do I look to the Church herself and let her teach me who she is and what she believes, or do I rather “share” in all the false notions and errant opinions of the media.

No! We cannot feed ourselves! Only Jesus is the Savior, we cannot simply “share”, but we need him to give us the true bread, the true Faith.

And now, there is one last detail which we ought to point out: Christ does not give the bread directly to the people, but rather he gives it to the Apostles and tells them to distribute it. This also has a mystical meaning – for the bread is a figure also for the Eucharist.

The Lord is teaching us that the Eucharist is not something which he gives directly and immediately to individuals, but it is a sacrament which he has entrusted to his Church. The Eucharist is the great treasure of the Church and is meant only for those who are united to the Church.

Now, I know that this can seem to be a bit controversial – but, it is good to recognize why the Church teaches that only Catholics who are practicing their faith are to receive communion. It’s not about being exclusive or rejecting others, but we have to admit that Christ gave the Eucharist to the disciples rather than to the crowds in general. Just so, the Eucharist is not to be shared among all people generally, nor even among all Christians, but only among those who are united to the successors of the Apostles, those who are practicing Catholics.

If we are not Catholic or if we are no longer practicing our Catholic faith, we simply cannot receive Holy Communion – it would be a falsehood to receive the sacrament of unity when we are not truly united.

My friends, it has been 10 years since we graduated from high school – it is time to make a little examination of conscience. Where have we gone and where are we now? Are we finding our joy and consolation in the Lord, or have we begun to seek after all the shallow pleasures of the world? Does our own self-worth rely on our relationship with our Savior, or are we more concerned about our job, our house, our social standing?

Now is probably a good time to get back to confession. We have reached a mile-marker, and all of us could probably use confession more often anyway. It is time to return in earnest to our life of faith.

The pearl of great price: The Eucharist, the child, the poor. Sermon of July 24th

St. Anthony of Egypt sold all he had, entered the desert,
and endured every trial with joy - he had found the pearl of great price!

17^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

July 24^th, 2011

Matthew 13:44-52

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.

When we hear the parables of the treasure and of the pearl, and learn how we are to be ready to sacrifice all things for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven, we may recall the memory of St. Anthony of the Desert – the Father of Monasticism, who lived at the turn of the 4^th century.

St. Anthony was only a young man, about 18 years old, when his parents both died and he was left an orphan. Wondering what the good Lord desired of him, he felt inspired to go to the church. Upon entering, Anthony heard the words of St. Matthew’s Gospel being proclaimed: If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come follow me.

The young St. Anthony was deeply moved by these words and felt inspired to give generously to the poor. You see, his family had been very wealthy, so he sold a good portion of his inheritance and gave it to the poor.

However, he did not give everything away – perhaps he was thinking, “Lord, if you are really serious, if you want me to give over everything; you are ‘gonna have to say it directly!”

[those, of course, are my own words … I doubt St. Anthony would have put it quite that way!] J

Shortly thereafter, Anthony again entered the Church and heard the words of St. Luke’s Gospel: Take nothing for your journey; neither staff, nor scrip, nor bread, nor money; neither have two coats.

Deeply moved by the Holy Spirit, St. Anthony immediately went forth, sold what little inheritance was left to him, and gave the money to the poor. Then, this heroic soldier of Christ, left the world and entered the desert as a hermit. There he would remain for nearly 100 years!

Many people came to St. Anthony to seek his counsel, and he ultimately founded the first monasteries in the history of the Church. Was it easy? Of course it wasn’t easy! He lived in the desert of Egypt! It was very hard, he suffered much, he was bothered by all sorts of crazy people coming and pestering him. And, on top of all that, he suffered terribly from the attacks of demons!

But St. Anthony persevered through all of this because he was filled with a profound spirit of joy. He had found that treasure, he had taken possession of the pearl – having left all things, he obtained the Kingdom.

Now, most of us are not called to seek the pearl and the treasure out in the desert. Surely, some here are called in this way – there are likely some among our young men and women who are called to leave all and follow God through the vocation to the religious life or to the priesthood. But most of us will search for the treasure in the ordinary circumstances of daily life. Where then shall we find the Kingdom in midst of the world?

I want to point out three places where we find the treasure, where we gain that pearl – and these are three occasions which are common and ordinary.

First, we find the treasure in the Sunday Mass. If the Eucharist isn’t the pearl of great price, I don’t know what is! It is at the Mass that we gain the riches of everlasting life. Here, in our Sunday worship, we store up treasures in heaven.

How valuable the Mass is! There is nothing more important in our week than Sunday Mass

In fact, Sunday Mass (or Mass on Saturday evening) is so valuable … why, it’s even more important than hunting and fishing season! J

The Eucharist is so important, that we wouldn’t ever want to miss it or skip out on the Mass in order to fish or hunt. If we truly understood the value of the Mass and the Gift that we receive, we would never skip Mass – not for travel, not for vacation, not for games.

Remember, this isn’t just about an obligation (though, it is an obligation); we are talking about the treasure and about the pearl – we have found the Kingdom, be filled with joy and give all things in order to attend Sunday Mass every week without exception.

Second, we find the pear of great price in all the good things that God has in store for marriage and family life. If the child isn’t the pear, I don’t know what is! The gift of the child, how could we ever reject the child?!

And yet, far too often, many people (and even many Catholics) refuse to accept the gift of children. Using artificial means of regulating fertility is like finding the treasure and abandoning it. If we knew the gift of the child, we would never use birth control. A nation which uses contraception is a nation which has rejected the child.

God wants us to trust in him! Will it be hard? Of course it will be hard! Remember, Anthony was in the desert for 100 years; it wasn’t easy, but he was joyful. So too, we also must be joyful – consider the gift of the child and the grace of God who will always provide for us, if only we trust in him.

The way to space out children and to be responsible in parenting is to use Natural Family Planning, not contraception. Natural Family Planning is the great means for parents to find the treasure of the Kingdom and to receive God’s plan for their family with joy.

Third, we find the treasure in being generous to the poor. The poor are that treasure hidden in society, neglected and ignored by so many. If we cannot see that the poor are that pearl, then we have missed Christ who is present to us through them.

The US Dollar is losing strength every day – I hear that it is worth less even than the Canadian Dollar. You may as well give your money to the poor before it is worth nothing at all! J

Mercy covers a multitude of sins, and those who are generous to the poor are the true friends of God.

Finally, if we really believe that these three – the Mass, the child, and the poor – truly are the pearl and the treasure, then we ought to be filled with joy! Here is our means of attaining to the Kingdom of God, which is worth more than any passing treasures of earth; let us sacrifice all our self-love, all our selfishness, all our distrust. You will lose nothing, but you gain everything! And, consumed with the joy of God’s Kingdom, we should be bold in speaking of these things with others.

If we believe that the Eucharist is the great Gift that it is, we will try to bring fallen-away Catholic back to Mass. If we know that the child is a pearl given us by the Lord, we will not be afraid to proclaim the truth about marriage and family, and to encourage others to use Natural Family Planning [and parents and grandparents have a special obligation to explain this to their children]. Finally, if we know that the downtrodden are that true treasure, we will not be ashamed to defend the poor and to be a witness of God’s preferential love for them.

Be joyful! Though these pearls and treasures may only be obtained through much sacrifice, if only you preserver in God’s love, you shall soon attain to life everlasting.

On Humility, Sermon of July 3rd

See how humble our Jesus is: a donkey was his throne in Jerusalem!
St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way 606

14^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 3^rd, 2011

Matthew 11:25-30

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.

As we hear our Savior’s words my yoke is easy, and my burden light, we may ponder and question within ourselves: “How can it be that taking up a yoke should make our way easier? How can adding a burden make us lighter?” And, if we consider the matter, we will not be surprised to discover that St. Augustine (who asked and answered most of the modern questions we have about the Bible and the Faith) discussed this point also, and offers us a most insightful answer.

How can a burden lighten the load? St. Augustine gives us the analogy of a bird, take for example a dove. As we consider the dove we recognize that its wings add weight to its body – in this sense, they are a burden. As the dove walks along upon the ground, it must bear this load, this burden of its own wings. It carries these wings along.

However, if anyone – desiring to free the bird of this additional weight – came and clipped the wings back, who would say that he had made the bird lighter? Surely, the bird would weigh less, but now it would be confined to the ground and could no longer fly to the heavens. This small burden of the wings, truly lightens and frees the bird.

So it is with the imitation of Christ. On one level, following our Lord is a yoke and a burden – we take up his example, we take up the Cross, and we follow. However, more profoundly, we must say that this yoke is easy and the burden is light; since, by bearing this load we made truly free.

And what is the burden our Savior gives us? What is the yoke by which we are to imitate the good Jesus?

The Lord says learn from me. And what are we to learn? He does not say learn from me that I created the heavens and the earth, that I am the almighty God. Nor does he say learn from me that I have worked great miracles and converted peoples. Nor even does Christ tell us learn from me that I have preached well and proclaimed the truth with power.

Rather, before all else, Jesus tells us learn from me that I am meek and humble of heart. Humility, Christ tells us to imitate his humility before all else.

Humility is the foundation of the virtues, as charity is their queen. But what is humility?

Principally, humility is about how we relate to God. To be humble is to admit that every good thing we have and every good act we do comes from God as from its first cause. We are only instruments – free instruments, true, who cooperate with his grace – but still, we are only instruments in the hand of God. Thus, whatever good we possess must be credited more to God than to ourselves.

However, when it comes to evil, to vice, and to sin, this we claim for ourselves. Whatever is good in us comes from God, but whatever is evil comes solely from ourselves.

Hence, in true humility we admit that we are nothing without God, but we quickly add that – by his grace – the good Lord makes us to be something great. The virtue of humility is that burden that, by lowering us in our own estimation, raises us to the heights of heaven by the grace of God.

Humility also has an aspect of relation to others. Humility does not mean ignoring certain objective facts: We cannot deny it if we participate more fully in the sacramental life of the Church than our neighbor. It is ok to admit that we are more faithful to Sunday Mass than another.

Moreover, by certain manifest facts, we can even say that we seem to be further along in the spiritual life than others. It will do no good to completely ignore reality or to simply refrain from making any conclusion whatsoever – this would be a bit ridiculous.

Still, humility leads us to think less of ourselves in the sense that we admit that whatever is good in us is from God – therefore, we cannot boast over others, but we must give the glory to God alone. Indeed, perhaps today you are raised up above your neighbor, but maybe tomorrow you will fall and God will raise him up in your place. This is humility, to recognize it all depends upon God and there is no room for our boastful pride.

Moreover, we know that we have each been given many graces, and we have wasted many of them. Perhaps our neighbor has been given less graces and has done more with the little he had. Thus, we can never know who is truly greater; and it is always God who is greatest anyways.

Humility, united with charity, will certainly get us to heaven. And so we must pray for the virtue of humility. But be careful, God just might give you what you ask for. Because humility is gained only through suffering humiliations, and so we must receive these with joy as coming from the good Lord.

St. Josemaria Escriva, one of the great saints of modern time, spoke well to this point: “You are not humble,” he said, “when you humble yourself, but when you are humbled by others and bear it willingly for Christ.”

To be truly humble is to desire the lowest place and, when the lowest place is given you, to receive it with joy.

Lowering ourselves in the eyes of others, Christ our Savior will raise us up on high.

The happiness which you desire, Sermon of January 30th

So great is the Love of Christ, that he taught his disciples...

 4^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

January 30^th, 2011

Matthew 5:1-12a

Jesus began to teach them saying, “Blessed are they…”

When we think of morality and Christian ethics, we probably think of one of two ideas – either we consider law or the conscience. If we think of the law as the foundation of ethics, we emphasize the importance of objective principles: the natural law, divine positive law, and even civil law. If, on the other hand, we think of the moral conscience of the individual as the foundation of ethics, we emphasize the particular circumstances of the individual and the importance of having a well-formed conscience.

Nevertheless, for the Catholic tradition, the foundation of Christian ethics is neither the law nor the personal conscience, but the human desire for happiness. The pursuit of happiness is the starting point for all moral doctrine.

The Sermon on the Mount is the summation of the Christian life. In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ our Savior outlines the whole of Christian ethics and morality – but he does not begin with law or with the personal conscience, rather he begins with the Beatitudes.

Beatitude is nothing other than perfect happiness. When the Lord says “blessed are the poor” or “blessed are the merciful”, this could also be translated as “happy are the poor” and “happy are the merciful”. The blessedness of which Christ speaks in the beatitudes is the happiness of the Christian life, the happiness and joy of the life of grace.

It is happiness and the pursuit of happiness which is the foundation of Christian ethics. The whole goal of morality and of all the laws of the Church is our happiness. Christ knows what will make us happy, for he created us – he has given us the New Law of the Gospel so that we might attain to this perfect happiness.

Most certainly, the perfection of all happiness can only be attained in heaven. Nevertheless, there is something of a participation in this total joy already in this life – this is why our Savior says, “Blessed ARE they…” He does not say, “Blessed will they be”, but “Blessed ARE they”. Already, even in this life, there is a happiness and a blessedness which those who follow God enjoy.

Nothing brings more joy than the possession of God – and, without this participation in the divine life, no other creature can bring any true joy. We have been created for happiness; if we do not find this happiness in the enjoyment of God, we will begin to seek it in all the most inappropriate places in this life. Unless we find happiness in God, especially through the intimate union with God attained only through prayer, we will look for joy in the basest realities of this life.

But this is the great paradox of Christian joy – the soul in the state of grace, united to God, is able to rejoice even in the midst of great suffering and persecution! For this reason Jesus said that the poor and hungry and persecuted are blessed – if we find our consolation in God alone, no suffering or hardship in this life will deprive us of that deepest joy and happiness.

Here, we think of the many martyrs of the early Church. In particular, we consider St. Lawrence, the early roman deacon.

Lawrence was a deacon of the Church of Rome in the early centuries. He was known for his joy and love of the poor, and for his good humor. The emperor, because he hated Christianity and wished to destroy the true faith, persecuted the Christians of Rome greatly. St. Lawrence also was persecuted and even arrested and sentenced to death. He was to be cooked alive over a fire, but he went courageously to his death – so great was his faith, for he found all his happiness in God alone!

When he was being cooked alive over the fire, Lawrence (in his characteristic spirit of good humor) cried out, “I am done on this side, turn me over!” So filled was he with the enjoyment of God and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, that he was able to laugh and be of good cheer even in the midst of terrible physical torments.

You too, as often as you are in the state of grace, are filled with the same Holy Spirit which so inspired St. Lawrence! The great challenge for us is to live more fully from the joy of God and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Rather than seeking consolation in the things of this life, Jesus our Savoir is asking you and I to give ourselves over to his Sacred Heart. Apart from God, there is no joy in this life; but with God, all things fall into place and become a means of attaining the perfect joy which God has reserved for us in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Shunning the false joys and consolations of this world, we turn with confidence to the Heart of our Savior – in his Most Sacred Heart, we will find the fullness of beatitude: the beginning of life everlasting.

Sermon on gratitude

28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C.

October 10^th, 2010

Luke 17:11-19, The cleansing of the ten lepers

Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”

All of us can recall the experience from our own childhood – and those of you who are parents know of it from another perspective – the experience of learning to say “Thank you”. When receiving a gift from a parent or a friend or from another adult, children often have to be reminded by their mother or father, “What do you say?” And, of course, the child slowly learns how to be gracious, how to express gratitude. The boy or girl learns to give thanks.

I bring this experience to mind because I think that there is something of an analogy between the parent teaching the child to say “Thank you” and the words of our Savior in today’s Gospel. We must recognize that parents do not make the child say “Thank you” because they need to feel better about themselves – it’s not really for their sake at all, but for the sake of their son or daughter. Parents know that they have to teach their children to express gratitude because, without this habit, one cannot be successful in human relationships. The parents insist on the words “Thank you”, because they want what is best for their children.

While we might be a bit surprised at how strongly Christ speaks in the Gospel today – for, indeed, he seems outraged and dejected that none but the Samaritan has returned to offer thanks – we must also recognize that our Lord is not upset because he feels put-out or underappreciated. Christ does not require the thanks and praise of any human being; even as a man, he has received all glory from his heavenly Father. Rather, the Lord is dejected because he had given these ten lepers the gift of the healing of their bodies, but he wanted to give them another even greater gift – the healing of their souls, through faith.

Because the nine did not return to give thanks, they received only the first gift, the bodily gift, and they lost the opportunity for grace. Jesus is upset because he had wanted to give them so much more, but they would not receive it.

We have taken the part of the Samaritan who returned to bless God, we have gathered here today to worship and to give thanks. The Mass is characterized by this spirit of thanksgiving. We praise and bless God for all his gifts and we implore his continued protection and guidance. As I am sure many of you know, the very word “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving”.

And, wonder of wonders, as we return to give thanks for God’s blessings, we receive a gift more precious than all else – we receive the very Body and Blood of Christ. In our act of thanksgiving, we are given a blessing of infinite value.

And yet, we must notice this tension – though the Mass is certainly the greatest action we can possibly perform, it is yet only a very small part of our week. Even if we attend daily Mass, we probably spend less than an hour a day in Liturgical worship and thanksgiving. We must ask ourselves: “How can I take the spirit of thanksgiving and praise which is present at the Mass and extend it into my daily life? How can I truly ‘go forth in the peace of Christ’?”

In this regard, G.K. Chesterton, a Catholic author of the early 1900’s in England, can be of great assistance. He tells, if we are thankful for the beauty of nature, let us follow the law of nature. If we are grateful for the gift of grace and redemption won for us in Christ Jesus, let us follow the Law of Christ and of his Church! The Lord himself has told us, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” This is the true expression of gratitude that must permeate our lives – we thank God for his gifts, by using his blessings according to his command, knowing that all he commands is for our benefit.

It is true that certain teachings of the Church and of the Gospel are not always immediately clear to us. Perhaps we do not fully understand why some things are required and other things are outlawed. Indeed, even when we do understand, it can be difficult to follow the Law of Christ in the midst of the world’s temptations. But this is where the spirit of thanksgiving assists us.

The love and thanksgiving which leads us to follow God’s Law brings us joy and peace, even when things are difficult. By that spirit of gratitude, what might have been heavy is made light, what could have been bitter is made sweet, and the commandments and precepts of Christ and of his Church become our joy.

May this true spirit of thanksgiving, which is itself a gift from On High, inflame our hearts with the Love of Christ and help us to grow in his grace.