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Month: November 2005

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Homilies

First Sunday of Advent – Why?

Why do you let us wander, O LORD, from Your ways,
and harden our hearts so that we fear You not?

In other words, Lord, why do you allow us to be the people we are? Why do you let us go on and on? Why, why, why?

We are always asking God why. Why am I the way I am? Why do I suffer? Why do others hurt me? Why do I hurt others? Why Do I keep forgetting about God?

We really do want an answer. More than an answer, we want a sign. We want Jesus to come back and straighten everything out.

Over the past few weeks the Gospels have dealt with being prepared. They dealt with the end of time. We want that. Please separate the sheep from the goats, answer my questions, give me a firm foothold and a grasp on what is really going on.

Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
with the mountains quaking before you,

And this is echoed in the words of our Psalm response: —let us see your face and we shall be saved.—

We are literally dying to get to the Lord.

The inescapable fact is that as we age, as we approach our end, our hope increases. We will see His face and be saved. This is because our time of waiting, our time of expectations is drawing shorter and shorter.

Saint Paul gives us this assurance and more:

I give thanks to my God always on your account
for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus,
that in Him you were enriched in every way,
with all discourse and all knowledge,
as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you,
so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift
as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Yes, we have been enriched, given every gift, and all the knowledge we need. The gift we have is our Christian/Catholic faith. The sustaining gift we receive is the Eucharist, Jesus’ very body and blood, and His Word, the Gospel, both filling us with sanctifying grace. These gifts prepare us for His revelation. We have the answer we need to follow Jesus’ command:

Watch, therefore;
you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming,
whether in the evening, or at midnight,
or at cockcrow, or in the morning.
May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.
What I say to you, I say to all: (Watch!)

Your job is to question less and believe more. We have all we need to become regenerated. God’s offering is on the table. Come forward, accept it, let it fill your heart and renew you. Become the new man, the new woman, alive in faith, alive in the hope and expectation of Christ.

Eat His body, drink His blood. Walk in His ways. Know that you have all you need to do this. Use your free will and take it on.

The answers are there and they all begin with Jesus.

Why am I the way I am? Jesus asks you to use your unique gifts and personality to build His kingdom. You are essential to His kingdom.

Why do I suffer? Jesus was not above suffering. Do not trade your cross for His or another’s. Bear it for love of Jesus. Offer up your cross and make of it sacrificial suffering for His kingdom.

Why do others hurt me? Why do I hurt others? Jesus told us we are sinful and are in need of repentance. You must cast aside your sin and accept His forgiveness.

Why Do I keep forgetting about God? Jesus’ eternal love is less attractive than worldly cares, or so you think.

Now is the time, this is the moment to re-orient yourself. Do not let this second pass without your personal commitment to Jesus Christ. Do not let this time of expectation be spent in indecisive waiting, but in waiting with the blessed assurance that Jesus Christ is our life, our salvation, and our end.

Amen.

Perspective

The Priesthood and—¦

Among the secondary reasons I joined the PNCC was the whole issue of the priesthood and what it stands for. I’m not talking theologically, because the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and PNCC priesthood are rather on the same page from that perspective.

What I considered important was what the priesthood represents at witness in the world, in the flesh. I think the vast majority (95%) of priests in the PNCC are married. To me this is essential. It is also why I believe the Orthodox have it right. I also want to give a hearty tip o’ the miter to Cardinal Husar of the Ukraine who said in an interview (read entire interview by clicking here…)

—QUESTION: Recently there have also been problems for your married priests who operate in Western Europe. The doctrine of —canonical territory— for which the Orthodox are being reprimanded, has surfaced in the requests of some European episcopates …

HUSAR: The Spanish and Italian bishops have written to us asking us not to send married priests to their countries for the pastoral care of our communities. But we don’t have enough celibate priests to send for pastoral service, now that the faithful of our Church are spread throughout the world. I understand the reasons of our brother bishops in the West. They are afraid of what appears to them perhaps as a bad example, given that in their Churches there is debate on this point. The attachment to cultural forms must be taken into consideration, but these must not be absolutized. One can calmly explain that married men are ordained priests not only in the Orthodox Church, but also in the Catholic Church. I come from a family of priests. My grandfather was a priest, many of my relatives are married priests. Some wonderful, others less so. At the same time, I know exemplary celibate priests, and others who are not indeed so. The quality of a priest does not depend on being married or not. In some cases, for one who tries to live his vocation, having a family may also be an advantage. But I don’t wish to be discourteous to my Latin brothers. I only wish our priests be treated in the West also with the respect that is shown to our brother Orthodox priests.—

Cardinal Husar is a gem!

I read Amy Welborn’s response to the leaked, upcoming document regarding homosexuals in the Roman Catholic priesthood. I can say that I agree with her on many/most levels, though not completely. Where I digress is indicative of my thinking on the subject.

View her entire post by clicking here…

Now for my comments on the areas I diverge (hey, what are blogs for anyway if not to present divergent views):

—Which is why the seminaries have to tend to the personal formation, the psychological and emotional makeup of the candidate. When I wrote that NY Times op-ed, the editor questioned the used of the word “formation.” I explained that “education” would not get at it, because that’s not what seminary is – it’s formation of the whole person, since priesthood is not just an intellectual stance, it’s the gift of one’s whole life to God and His people.—

Yes, the seminary is for formation of which education is only a part. When education takes primacy what you get is the typical intellectual or legalistic priest. When humanism takes over, you get a great social worker whose values lay in humanity, not in God, not a priest at all.

Yes, priesthood is a gift and with the option of being married it becomes not only a gift of ones self, but of the family unit. It is the modeling of the Christian family by Christian leaders, our priests. The married priest cannot lead a dualistic existence. He does not have a church face and a home face. The truly wonderful examples of married priests and their families show a joined and unified surrendering of life to the service of God and community. It is the element of sacrifice and surrender involved for the priest’s spouse and family. A Christian sacrificial love. It is a truly right ordered biblical understanding of the family relationship.

Formation is required in choosing right relationships. Choosing a spouse and the potential spouse’s choice of you, as a priest, has to be well founded and must be done with the clearest understanding of your joint mission. It is a life of sacrifice —“ but sacrifice within the construct that God intended in creating man and woman.

This leads to my deep disagreement with:

—Here’s what celibacy is supposed to be: it’s supposed to be a life of eschatological witness, an extreme sign of what, in the end, we are called to be, and will be in the fullness of the Kingdom: for God alone.—

It is frankly, in my opinion, a symbol of personal, chosen martyrdom for the purpose of self aggrandizement and pride. Sometimes, at the worst levels, it is a protective shield against the necessary commitment that comes with human relationships.

‘Look at me; I am alone, in pain.’ Look, I’m nailing myself to the cross as a symbol of what heaven will look like? ‘Look at me, I made a commitment to God, I might have sex with you, but I cannot commit to you too.’ I think not.

There is room for celibacy, if you are given that charism. The Roman Church does not offer you the opportunity to fulfill that Spirit given gift. It requires that you go to the Spirit and demand it.

The key word is —extreme—. It is extreme in that it takes the choice from God and makes celibacy an operation by law.

We are all called to be —for God alone— as our primary and ultimate. However, as implied here to be —for God alone— is extremism and the misuse of what it means to be for God alone. I actively work to set aside my sinfulness, to repent and make amends. I seek to live the life God intended. This does not mean that I must give up human relationships and my marriage. Check out the book Idols of the Heart: Learning to Long for God Alone by Elyse Fitzpatrick

If this apartness were so, the inspired writers of the Bible would have given us that symbolism. They did not, but for a few examples.
When they showed us sacrificial love, it was for the purpose of holding up self-sacrifice as a freely chosen offering.

We are not Christ. We are the humanity he took on. Humanity created to come together as family and community. When Jesus Christ took on our humanity it was not for the absence of deeply personal relationships but for their ultimate beauty. He calls us to be fully human in all its dimensions sans sin.

—And they [priests] will embrace what the Church teaches, will teach it themselves, and will commit to helping, with compassion and understanding, Catholics live this out themselves.—

Yes, absolutely!

Everything Else

What Makes a Good Christian?

I took the survey. It was very interesting and I think well put together. The following quotes were found at http://www.emaxhealth.com/27/3826.html

“Boston University researchers seek ‘answer’ to provocative question through www.religiosityscalesproject.com survey

…

The current Web survey follows-up the team’s extensive review of existing scales of religiosity, the quality of being religious, which examined some 150 measurements used by psychologists, sociologists and others. Research on the relationship of religious faith and facets of today’s society such as volunteerism, belief systems, tolerance, prejudice, forgiveness and more, depends upon the availability and accuracy of such scales.

…

“It’s worth noting that in the phrase ‘a good Christian,’ the term ‘practicing’ may be substituted for ‘good,’ since the study is seeking to determine the importance of each of the items in the lives of Christians, not the ‘goodness’ or ‘badness’ of Christians,” said Cutting.

It should take participants less than a half-hour to complete the full survey at www.religiosityscalesproject.com. For each of the 59 multiple choice questions, respondents are asked to judge the importance of each action, task, practice or principle to being a “good Christian,” or “practicing Christian.” Choices are on a one to five scale and range from “not at all important” on one end to “absolutely essential” on the opposite end of the spectrum. The survey is open to men and women of all ages, races, ethnicities, social classes, geographical regions and political and social beliefs. While respondents are asked for their age, gender and ethnicity, the Web site does not collect specific identifying information, making it impossible to connect any individual with their respective responses. “

Everything Else,

Thanks be to God

I wish all of my fellow U.S. citizens a very happy Thanksgiving Day.

The naysayer and skeptic will probably say, “What is there to be thankful for this year?”

As I updated our church sign tonight to read: “Thanks be to God for every gift” I could not help but reflect on the tremendous suffering endured this year. At the same time we sit with one of our parishioners in the final days of his earthly pilgrimage.

Thanks be to God for every gift, including and especially for the gift of suffering.

Help me to reflect more intently on the fact that You shared our joys and celebrations as well as our tears and sufferings. In the end you suffered beyond all suffering and died completely alone, abandoned. You tied yourself completely to us for our salvation.

Help me to be thankful for each gift given for our salvation. Help me to remember that Your good gifts include things that are both joyful and sorrowful.

Amen.

Everything Else

My theological perspective

Many thanks to the Pontificator once again. A recent post on the “Theological Worldview Test” revealed him to be 96% Roman Catholic. I thought I would see how I fared. And the results are:

You scored as Neo orthodox. You are neo-orthodox. You reject the human-centeredness and skepticism of liberal theology, but neither do you go to the other extreme and make the Bible the central issue for faith. You believe that Christ is God’s most important revelation to humanity, and the Trinity is hugely important in your theology. The Bible is also important because it points us to the revelation of Christ. You are influenced by Karl Barth and P T Forsyth.

Neo orthodox
79%

Roman Catholic
75%

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan
75%

Classical Liberal
54%

Emergent/Postmodern
50%

Charismatic/Pentecostal
39%

Reformed Evangelical
39%

Modern Liberal
32%

Fundamentalist
14%

What’s your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com

Actually, pretty true to who I am for a short quiz.

A slightly more engaging quiz reveals:

Your results for Christian Traditions Selector.

Percent Rank Item

(100%) 1: Eastern Orthodox
(98%) 2: Roman Catholic
(93%) 3: Anglican/Episcopal/Church of England
(83%) 4: Lutheran
(79%) 5: Presbyterian/Reformed
(62%) 6: Congregational/United Church of Christ
(48%) 7: Baptist (Reformed/Particular/Calvinistic)
(33%) 8: Church of Christ/Campbellite
(22%) 9: Methodist/Wesleyan/Nazarene
(18%) 10: Baptist (non-Calvinistic)/Plymouth Brethren/Fundamentalist
(16%) 11: Seventh-Day Adventist
(10%) 12: Pentecostal/Charismatic/Assemblies of God
(05%) 13: Anabaptist (Mennonite/Quaker etc.)

I seem to follow the path of the reformation pretty closely.

While taking these quizzes and thinking about theologians I recalled the words from the Wizard of Oz to the Scarecrow when the Scarecrow received his brain:

“Why, anybody can have a brain. That’s a very mediocre commodity. Every pusillanimous creature that crawls on the Earth or slinks through slimy seas has a brain. Back where I come from, we have universities, seats of great learning, where men go to become great thinkers. And when they come out, they think deep thoughts and with no more brains than you have! But they have one thing you haven’t got – a diploma.”

What looks like a good book from my neo-orthodox brethren:

Remembered Voices

Remembered Voices
Reclaiming the Legacy of “Neo-Orthodoxy”
by Douglas John Hall
Westminster / John Knox Press,
1998
176 pages,
English
Paper
ISBN: 0664257720

Perspective

News Items – Why being helpful isn’t always helpful

Excerpt from LifeSiteNews.com

Catholic Schism Being Revealed as Homosexual Priest Document Readies for Release

By John-Henry Westen, VATICAN, November 14, 2005 – As the publication of the new Vatican document on homosexuality and the Catholic priesthood is about to be published at the end of the month, several Catholic leaders including an American bishop have publicly stated their views against the long-standing Vatican position against ordaining men with homosexual inclinations to the priesthood. Rochester, NY, Bishop Matthew H. Clark, was the latest to come out in favour of homosexual priests in a column in his diocesan paper Saturday.

…and…

Rev. Timothy Radcliffe, the international leader of the Dominican Order from 1992 to 2001, last week slammed any suggestion of barring homosexuals from the priesthood, and suggested barring “homophobes” instead. “Any deep-rooted prejudice against others, such as homophobia or misogyny, would be grounds for rejecting a candidate for the priesthood, but not their sexual orientation,” he said.

Clark, in his column, relates the story of priests and religious in his diocese who have “come out” to him as being homosexuals. About receiving the revelations, the bishop writes “I know that I was deeply gratified that they entrusted me with that information . . . Their simplicity and honesty with me only deepened my regard for them . . . and (I) felt enriched by their trust and confidence.”

Clark says media reports that the upcoming Vatican document will restate the church’s position that those with homosexual orientations are unfit for the priesthood are “a source of great pain for them and for all of us who know and love them.”

However, as re-affirmed in 1961, the Catholic Church’s official disciplines have strictly forbidden the ordination of homosexuals, whether ‘active and open’ or otherwise. The fact that the Vatican’s instruction was largely ignored is evidenced by the current proliferation of homosexual men in the priesthood and subsequent need for another document reiterating the direction.

Nevertheless, Clark says, “The fundamental concern of formation for a life of celibate chastity is for sexual maturity, not sexual orientation.” He goes so far as to tell homosexual men, using the homosexual activist “gay” term, “to gay young men who are considering a vocation to priesthood. We try to treat all inquiries fairly. You will be no exception.”

————–

If you look at the original posting from Bishop Clark in his diocesan newspaper you will notice that his column portrays him as so very open. It has a very positive spin. He portrays himself as being fair minded and accepting of people’s ‘vocations’. It is a reminder to his flock that there is a process of discernment and review before anyone becomes a priest. He tells us that he is not closing the door.

The different take in the LifeSiteNews article reminds me of the old saying, sometimes it is not helpful to be helpful – and for us at least, we should not be helpful in the way we discern (on our own).

Churches have a process for discernment, whether it is in vocational awareness or in matters of theology or dogma. When we decide to impose our personal agendas on a matter that has undergone discernment under the ecclesial norms of the Church, then we are being helpful in an unhelpful way.

Like Bishop Robinson of New Hampshire, the office of Bishop can be easily hijacked by personal agendas.

It is far more charitable and helpful to be honest about a vocation. Perhaps, your vocational calling is not to the Holy Priesthood, but to the single life. A life dedicated to Christ in chastity. Whether hetero or homosexual —“ chaste. And no, phony marriage ceremonies or govenment allowances do not relieve you of the necessity of not engaging in sinful sexual activity.

As we approach the season of Advent, let’s pray that we watch in patience. God has given us all we need for our journey. We need to set aside activist agendas that fly in the face of the Gospel’s call to repentance, and not just repentance, but to set aside sin. Sacrificial living is hard.

For those who love irony, today’s Buffalo News has an article about a 60 year old widower and grandfather that was ordained to the Holy Priesthood this past weekend. In it:

—A long-postponed journey into the Catholic priesthood concluded Saturday with the ordination at age 60 of the Rev. Richard J. Cilano of Victor in St. Joseph Cathedral.

The Mass was celebrated here [in Buffalo, NY] because the Rochester native’s home diocese, but not the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, deemed him too old.—

Yes, that’s Rochester, NY, Bishop Clark’s Diocese.

Everything Else

Well said…

From Alvin Kimel at the Pontifications Blog

Re-enchanting the Mass

—There have been many days since when I have wondered if God actually exists or whether Jesus is truly risen from the dead. But as long as I believe, I will believe that the consecrated elements are truly the Body and Blood of Christ Jesus. I found it possible to believe the Eucharistic promises of Christ because of the enchanting power of the liturgy….—

And so much more so well said! A great analysis of what our aching minds, hearts, and souls are missing. People come to Church to be re-energized, re-connected, and re-focused, all-in-all centrally on God and on His Son Jesus Christ.

This was the first and foremost reason for my falling in love with the PNCC. It is the mystery and reverence with which the Holy Mass is conducted. It is not mass, a community celebration, or any other term. It is simply Holy Mass. Every first Sunday Holy Mass concludes with solemn Exposition and Benediction. Each Holy Mass begins with the Asperges (Vidi aquam during Eastertide). The entire atmosphere draws you to the place where Christ is real and present in a most special way —“ His Church.

Adherence to the rhythm and life of the Church is expressed not only by the calendar, but more so, and in a more real way, by the liturgical life of the Parish. I hope Mr. Kimel continues to find those Parishes out there that are true gems. They allow the radiance, mystery, and glory of God to touch us in a very human way, thus building up the humanity God intended in all of us.

Homilies

Solemnity, Christ the King – The Veil will be Lifted

When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

My fellow subjects of Christ the King,

The veil will be lifted and we shall see God as He is.

This passage in the Gospel has always held a special place in my heart. It lets me look at the last days as a sort of observer. I’m watching the sheep and the goats from on-high. I’m watching Jesus in His glorious second coming. Jesus robed in gold, surrounded by angels, seated on a throne. Trumpets blast, paradise to the right, damnation and fire to the left. A huge sea of humanity before Him.

I wonder if anyone has ever captured this event in a movie? The Gospel lets us watch this movie in our minds.

But, the veil will be lifted,

The veil to be lifted is our veil of voyeurism. We will not be watching this event, but will be participants in it. We will not have the luxury of checking out all the cool sights and sounds; we will be shaking in our shoes.

Remember those small wrongs we have all done? We put them quickly out of our minds. Remember those small and sometimes big lies? We thought the passing of time would wipe them clean. Remember every sin you have committed? Remember those times you put yourself and your money ahead of the stranger, the naked, the sick or the imprisoned? Remember that time you —just couldn’t make it— to see mom or dad, your brother or sister, Aunt Susan or Uncle Tony? Remember that time you judged the person next to you? You’ll be in line thinking about those things pretty fast.

The veil will be lifted,

As we look upon Jesus Christ our King seated on the throne of glory we will also be looking at the rest of humanity around us. We will not be seeing Bob, Nancy, Jim, Mary, Tom, Hassam, Fatima, Manuel, Hilda, Miecislaw, Jadwiga, Juan, Hiroshi, or Kameko. We will be looking at Jesus Christ crucified in them. They will see Jesus Christ crucified in us. We will see the pain and loneliness we have inflicted upon others.

We will see very clearly that Jesus is within each of us. When we hurt another, when we criticize another, when we imply motives to another person, we do it to Christ. We drive the nails straight into Jesus’ hands right through the heart of the person next to us.

The veil will be lifted,

It is something that you and I will not be able to bear. Remember how Peter cried after he disowned Jesus? The old story is that the lines in Peter’s face were from the rivers of tears he cried for days after hurting Jesus.

Very few of us approach Christian perfection and frankly we are all headed to the left. It is pretty cut and dried.

But the veil will be lifted.

The Bible says that we all sin, we all fall short of God’s glory and righteousness. We do not and cannot earn God’s acceptance, nor do we need to. Jesus has purchased that for us by His death on that cross.

On that last day our hope is in Jesus Christ the true shepherd. The Bible tells us that when Jesus saw the crowds “He had compassion on them for they were helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Jesus let us press thorns into his head, beat him, whip him, and nail him to a cross. He carried that cross and died on it for our sin. Enduring enormous suffering, Jesus paid for sin on our behalf.

He died, but rose again, showing the world that He has complete power over death. When Jesus said he came to give us eternal life, he showed that he owned eternal life and he offers it to us as a gift. In His kingship we receive that gift.

This is God’s remarkable love for us. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him…might have eternal life.”

This is what our Church, the PNCC teaches. The road to the left is not the final curtain. We teach that repentance, sorrow for our sins and the desire for God opens the door to God’s everlasting love, a door that is never closed. Our Church preaches the hope of the Gospel. Not a false hope of happy times and the easy way, but a hope that comes from right belief. Give yourself to the shepherd and he will take you into His sheepfold. Desire Him above all else, repent and make amends.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in him…might have eternal life.”

Amen.

Homilies

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Biblical Investing

For to everyone who has,
more will be given and he will grow rich;

My sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus,

I love biblical lessons on investing.

Consider these questions: Can we invest with our own knowledge and skills and obtain an everlasting reward? Can we go toe-to-toe with God and answer Him in regard to what is right? Can we expect a return for our investment of time in this Church this Sunday?

To the first and second question, no. We cannot rely on ourselves. We cannot approach God as experts, demanding of Him.

What is sadly lacking in our hearts is humility and knowing our place. It is lacking because society and the world tell us that we are grand. Our ideas are perfect, our opinions and feelings are important. Our desires should be met, whatever they are. False and dangerous reasoning.

For the third question, Can we expect a return on this Sunday’s investment of time? Maybe. If we are led by the Holy Spirit, and come to God of our own free will, perhaps. If we live Christian lives beyond this Sunday morning, all the more certain.

But, we must first come here. We must come and lay our lives and our desires at the foot of the cross.

If we come with humility and the desire for God burning within us we have found wisdom, the worthy wife. —her value is far beyond pearls.—

I thank God that we have been called. That we have been called here, not because of our own righteousness, but because of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Our acceptance of the call and our follow-through in living the call is the outward sign of that wisdom.

Reflect on your parents’ gift to you at Baptism. Your inclusion and membership in the Body of Christ, not by your own desire and demand, but by your humility.

Think about Baptism. A small child, little self consciousness or determined will. A child subject to the will of another. A child, ultimately, really, and symbolically carried to the waters of Baptism. The child, pure humility and reliance.

Jesus told us that we must be as the little children, even now.

But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness,
for that day to overtake you like a thief.
For all of you are children of the light and children of the day.

No, you are not in darkness. You know that, as children, we must be humble before God. You know that we must set our own will and desires aside —“ to let God lead us. To free ourselves from the darkness of earthly desires and enter into the light of the kingdom.

Jesus told Peter this.

—Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.—

And this is what we must do as good investors. We must come to this Altar free from self-will. Reliant only on the grace and love of God. Humble in receiving Jesus Christ into ourselves through the Word and through His body and blood. Dependent on an act of faith, trusting in God. Come forward and proclaim your faith. Stand now and profess your act of faith.

Homilies

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

My family, joined together in the name of Christ Jesus,

We all thirst. Within us is an unquenchable desire. During the month of November we reflect even more deeply on this desire.

On All Souls Day Father Andrew and I read the names of our deceased brothers and sisters. Before each High Holy Mass throughout the month we will re-read those names, and pray for the repose of their souls. A strong symbol of our desire to remember them.

For All Souls Day we broke out the black vestments. You do not see these very often. They are however very representative of our feelings. They are symbolic of our emotions, our longing, and our need.

When I visit a funeral home before the Requiem Holy Mass, I ask people what color they would like us to use for their loved one’s funeral. They have a choice of black, purple, or white. Invariably, people choose white. White is obviously symbolic. We celebrate our brothers’ and sisters’ entry into heaven. We celebrate their life. We are supposed to be ‘happy’.

In today’s second reading, Saint Paul reminds us that death is not a time for mysterious grief, but a time for ardent hope. We know where we, as people who hope in the salvation of Christ Jesus, are going.

—We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,
about those who have fallen asleep,
so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.—

My brothers and sisters,

The fact is, we are not happy. We miss them. Even weeks, months, years later we will cry for them. Our pain might ease over time. But we are not predisposed to forget them. We cannot wash away our sadness and desire in a sea of joyful white. When we try to mask the reality of our existence, when we try to cover our true feelings, we are failing to touch the humanity that God gave us.

The first reading speaks of the gifts of wisdom. Wisdom is found in truth.

The truth is, we are thirsting. We thirst for the Kingdom of God. We thirst to be joined together. What we see now is only shadows, and what we know now is not everlasting happiness. What we do know is that we must walk the way of the cross before we can reach the Resurrection. Good Friday comes before Easter Sunday. We know that we must be truthful and deal with the pain and sadness represented in black before we can get to the white.

The ten virgins represent this difference. Five were wise. Five were prepared for and understood reality. Five knew that the bridegroom has his own schedule. Five were foolish. Five thought they knew what was going to happen and were left unprepared.

The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them, but
the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.

The five foolish virgins created their own reality. They had their own dreams and schemes. You would think that after sitting there, waiting for a while, at least a few of them would have gotten nervous. You would think at least a few would have rethought their positions on what is real. But no,

Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

They waited to rethink their concept of reality and didn’t do so until it was too late.

‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.
Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and said,
‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’
But he said in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’

Now is the time to reconnect to what is real. Now is the time to worship what is real. Now is the time to buy your oil and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Now is the time to be ready. Do not think that you have the power to define reality. That is God’s job.

Let us pray that our reality will be the truth taught by wisdom. Let us pray that we rethink our perceptions and concepts, and that we sacrifice what we think at the foot of the Cross. Lord Jesus Christ, take my life and teach me Your truth. Amen.

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