Fr. JC Maximilian

I hope that this does not come as too much of a surprise to any of you, but I am not an expert on honeymoons. I have never been on one, and it is not likely I will be on one. What I know of honeymoons largely comes from listening to family and friends speak of theirs. I have started to draw some general conclusions about honeymoons from what I have heard. First, generally people go to someplace special and nice for their honeymoons. My one sister and her husband went to Ireland, and my other sister and her husband went to San Diego and Disneyland. Hawaii, the Caribbean, Mexico, even the Poconos, seem to be other popular honeymoon spots.

Another thing about honeymoons that I have picked up is that they are times of special passion between the husband and wife. Because of some of the young ears in the congregation, we really cannot go into details about that, but especially for those who have followed the Church’s teaching on chastity before marriage, the honeymoon is a time when the intimacy between husband and wife is deepened in a most profound and spiritual way as the two become one as we hear in Sacred Scripture.

By this time you are probably wondering why I have been talking about honeymoons. Well, in today’s first reading, from the Book of the Prophet Hosea, we hear God calling His bride, Israel, to go on a second honeymoon with Him. The Book of Hosea is one of my favorites in the Old Testament. The prophet was called to live the prophecy he was entrusted to proclaim in a very personal way. God wanted to call His people to repentance from their infidelity to the Covenant that He had made with them, and to drive His point home He told Hosea to marry a prostitute. Hosea’s constant, faithful love of his wife who was frequently unfaithful to him, was a living sign of God’s constant, faithful love for His people despite their frequent infidelity to Him by turning to idols and embracing sin. God, in His deep love for His people, was calling them to return to where they had honeymooned with Him. It was not someplace glamorous, though it certainly had plenty of sun. We hear in today’s first reading God say to Israel, “I will lead her into the desert and speak to her heart.”

That’s right, the place where God and Israel honeymooned was the desert; not the place most of us would rank high on our places to go to on a honeymoon. Instead of the dry, lifeless place that most of us typically imagine a desert to be, Israel’s 40 years in the desert was seen as the time when Israel’s relationship with God was at its best. Instead of being lifeless, because of its total reliance on God to lead and care for them, Israel was filled with God’s life of love. And yes, it was a most passionate love.

Many people feel a little uncomfortable when they hear that God loves them passionately, for passionate love is what the Greeks called eros. For many Christians, they are more comfortable thinking of God’s love as agape or sacrificing, charitable love. Eros is seen as being tied more to passion, ecstasy, and the body, whereas Agape seen as more noble, charitable, and having to do with the spirit.

In his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, God is Love, Pope Benedict XVI makes clear that this is a false polarity. Many anti-Christian writers down through the centuries have accused Christianity of rejecting or poisoning Eros. Rather His Holiness concludes that Christianity unites Eros and Agape. Due to Original Sin, all of our passions, all of creation, has become disordered. Sometimes they become directed at the wrong end, or we want too much of them. Pope Benedict writes, “Evidently, Eros needs to be disciplined and purified if it is to be provided not just fleeting pleasure, but a certain foretaste of the pinnacle of our existence, of that beatitude for which our whole being yearns” (Deus Caritas Est #4). Agape purifies and disciplines Eros by turning it away from love of self and towards love of the other. Instead of being imprisoned in a “closed inward-looking self,” love liberates the human heart through self-giving.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). In today’s Gospel Jesus clearly identifies Himself as the Bridegroom. As the Bridegroom, Jesus calls His bride, the Church, to come into the desert with Him, to honeymoon with Him. We see in the person of Jesus the perfect purification, discipline and unity of both Eros and Agape. God, who is love, comes to us, inviting us to the most intimate, profound relationship with Him.

How are we to respond to this infinite and intimate love that God pours upon us? Today’s Responsorial Psalm tells us how we are to respond to God’s compassionate and merciful love: “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:1-2). Saint John of the Cross writes, “Lord, you want the fire of our love to burn until we are set alight, until all that we are is consumed in its flame, so that we become transformed into you, our God. You blow upon that flame with the graces which your life has won for us, and you enkindle it with the death you endured for us” (St. John of the Cross, Audi filia, #69).

This week we begin the holy season of Lent. It is our annual invitation to allow God to lead us into the desert so that we can honeymoon with Him. During Lent we are called to simplify our lives so that we can learn to rely more fully on God. The fasting that we do during Lent is a physical reminder for us of the need to discipline our Eros so that we come to know the freedom of love that being a child of God brings. While each of us, hopefully after prayerful discernment, will decide on what we will “do” for Lent so as to repent from our sins and more fully embrace God’s love, I would like to recommend one thing for your spiritual reading. Pick up a copy of Pope Benedict’s encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, and read it. There might be parts of it that may be difficult to read, but as any married couple will tell you, sometimes love takes patience and effort. As we enter the desert of Lent, may we truly encounter God who is Love, and our love for God burn with the flame of the Holy Spirit.

Share This

Shortly after waking up this morning, before I could even jump into the shower, the phone was ringing. It was the gentleman who plows the parking lot at the one church that is part of this parish (we have two churches, a.k.a. “worship sites,” and this was the one that we priest do not live at). He said to me that we should just cancel the Masses for this morning because of the snowstorm we were still in. I guess that at that time 5 inches of snow had fallen, but the real issue was the 30-40 mph winds which were creating “white-out” conditions.

While certainly sharing in his concern for the safety of our parishioners, there are several practical problems with canceling Masses. Setting aside the fact that we have taken stipends for the Masses, so we have to offer the Mass for the intentions, at least sometime (I believe Canon law say within 1 year of taking the stipend), just how do we let people know that we were going to cancel the Masses? This is a parish of over 3000 families, and there are many others who are not registered in the parish who still come here each week for Mass. We do not have a phone-tree for calling them. Of course there are always some people, who no matter how bad the weather, will come to church on Sunday. If they come and the priest is not there, they can get very upset, saying, “well, we made it to church Father, why couldn’t you make it?”

So, this morning I bundled myself up, and the deacon who was assigned to assist me came and picked me up at 7:30 a.m. to head over to St. Anthony’s (the deacon has a 4×4, besides why should there be two knuckleheads on the roads?). The roads were bad, and visibility was maybe 20 feet, but we arrived safely. The plows were making a valiant effort, but not making much progress. The sexton, who lives next door to the church, was there. We had 7 people (excluding the sexton, deacon, and myself) at the 8 a.m. Mass. The people seemed surprised that I preached (see homily below) but they were there, and you really are suppose to give a homily on Sundays. After Mass I had over an hour to kill before the next Mass, so I talked to one of the gentlemen who made it in for Mass. Both the deacon and I thought that the 10 a.m. Mass would be better attended, we both thought 20-25. We were wrong; again only 7 people came.

Now, God bless those souls who came to Mass in such bad weather. It truly is a testament to their Faith and commitment to the Church. I have on more than one occasion spoken about the importance of Sunday Mass, of making God our top priority, and scheduling things around Mass, and not just fitting Mass in when it is convenient for us (around cheerleading, soccer, football, shopping). However, we need to keep in mind the need to be reasonable. Of course the sequel will be next week during Confessions when a large number of people will confess about missing Mass. Again, this is a testament of their Faith, and the value they place on the Mass. I will compliment them on this faith, but remind them that if they could not make it to Mass, for a serious reason (and a blizzard qualifies as one), then it is not sinful to miss Mass. However, they can and should still keep holy the Sabbath, by spending time with Scripture and praying.

Share This

Illness is one thing to which all of us can relate. Who of us has never been sick? Whether it is from a cold or the flu, or even something much more serious, everyone can empathize with being sick.

In today’s first reading we hear that God wanted the priests in the line of Aaron to be responsible for the care of those with leprosy. As we know, many diseases are contagious, and for the people of the ancient world there were few ways for controlling the spread of disease. Epidemics often wiped out whole towns. The most effect means for controlling the spread of disease was isolation and separation. The infected person was banished from the community, and often forced to wear distinctive cloths or to make some kind of noise to warn people to stay away. Of course this was not done out of meanness, but rather to protect society. One of the most frightening, and deadly of diseases that often threatened the ancient world was leprosy. It was so very contagious, and seeing body parts literally being eaten away was just horrifying. The only thing that could be done in most cases was to send the inflicted to live in caves with others with the disease. This meant that the sick not only had to suffer the symptoms of their illness, but they were also cut off from their loved ones.

The injunction to Aaron, and the priests of his line, which we hear in today’s first reading was actually a step in a positive direction, for it recognized that not all skin diseases were the same. Some were harmless, and the real danger was sending the person to the leper colony where they would likely catch the deadly disease. The priests of the ancient world were not trained just in theology, but where specialists who learned to tell the difference between various ailments so as to tell which ones were dangerous to the community, and which were not. In today’s Gospel we see that Jesus respected the traditions of His people. After healing the man with leprosy, He told him to go see the priest and make the appropriate sacrifice to God to thank God for being healed. It would be through the priest that the man would be welcomed back into the community.

There is a theological dimension to physical illness, which God’s faithful people have often struggled to try to understand. We hear in today’s Psalm the common view of sickness in the ancient world, that illness was a punishment from God for one’s sins. It is easy for us to want to dismiss this view and say that there is no connection illness and sin, however this is not true. While God does not punish us for our sins by inflicting on us some disease, our sins have caused a lack of God’s grace in the world that has resulted in a disordering of creation. Disease is certainly part this disordering of creation.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church presents a brief overview of the theology of human illness in #1499-1532. The CCC, #1500, teaches us, “Illness and suffering have always been among the gravest problems confronted in human life. In illness, man experiences his powerlessness, his limitations, and his finitude. Every illness can make us glimpse death.” The Catechism goes on to say that there are two fundamental ways to respond to illness and suffering; it can either lead to despair, self-absorption, anguish and revolt against God, or it can lead a person to greater maturity as they discern what is truly important in their life, and searching for an even deeper relationship with God. Of course the best response to human illness is to unite one’s suffering with the suffering of Christ Jesus on the Cross, for it is through His suffering on the Cross that the really serious disorder, namely sin and death, are conquered.

Probably the least understood sacrament is the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Too many people still think of it as “last rites,” and more than once I have walked into a hospital room to administer this sacrament and a look of panic crosses the person’s face. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is intended to strengthen a person who is being tried by illness (CCC #1511). “The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given to those who are seriously ill by anointing them on the forehead and hands with duly blessed oil - pressed from olives or from other plants - saying, only once: ‘Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up.’” (Sacram unctionem infirmorum, 1972).

The Catechism describes a number of effects that this sacrament has on the sick person. “The first grace of this sacrament is one of strengthening, peace and courage to overcome the difficulties that go with the condition of serious illness or the frailty of old age. This grace is a gift of the Holy Spirit, who renews trust and faith in God and strengthens against the temptations of the evil one, the temptation to discouragement and anguish in the face of death. This assistance from the Lord by the power of his Spirit is meant to lead the sick person to healing of the soul, but also of the body if such is God’s will” (CCC #1520). The sacrament also absolves a person of their sins, however, if the person is conscious they should go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation either before, or as part of the celebration of the Anointing. Another effect is to unite the sick person with the passion of Christ. “Suffering, a consequence of original sin, acquires a new meaning; it becomes a participation in the saving work of Jesus” (CCC #1521). The sacrament also is an ecclesial grace, contributing to the sanctification of the Church, if the sick person freely unites themselves to the passion of Jesus for the good of the Church. Lastly, while the sacrament is not necessarily just for those who are dying, if the person is dying the sacrament provides a preparation for our final journey.

The sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick “is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived” (Sacrosanctum Concilium #73). Any person who is going into the hospital for surgery really should try to arrange with a priest to be anointed prior to going into the hospital. To celebrate this sacrament with one’s family and friends can be very beautiful, and is a sign that the sick person is still very much part of the Church.

“I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation” (Psalm 32).

Share This