—But the wise shall shine brightly
like the splendor of the firmament,
and those who lead the many to justice
shall be like the stars forever.”

In a few weeks we will be in the midst of anticipation, preparing with prayer and fasting for the Solemnity of our Lord’s birth.

Throughout the season of Advent we will sing O Come O Come Emanuel.

In that hymn we will sing:

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.

We sing out a prayer, begging our Lord to teach us to walk in the path of knowledge —“ not book knowledge, but in wisdom; the knowledge that can only be given by the Wisdom from on high.

If we join ourselves to Christ and seek His wisdom we will be counted among the wise, and at the end we shall shine brightly. Along with the psalmist we will say:

You are my inheritance, O Lord!
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.

The wise are those who attune their lives, every aspect of their lives, to Christ Jesus. The wise are those who pledge their lives to His Holy Church, who join together in the one true faith, working mightily to adhere to the Church’s teachings on faith, morals, and practice. Christ’s Holy Church is the path to eternal life —“ and apart from Her you cannot come to completeness of understanding.

The Letter to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus Christ

…offered one sacrifice for sins,
and took his seat forever at the right hand of God;
now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool.

But who are His enemies? I’m sure we could all come up with a quick list, and most certainly our list would be wrong.

That is because we think of enemies in human, physical terms. The writer speaks of the metaphysical enemy —“ sin and worldliness.

Joining ourselves to the Holy Church may seem at times to be an accident of history —“ a random chance. We could have been born Jewish, Hindu, or Mormon. But adjudging our place in the world as an accident, as mere randomness would be wrong. It is not true. We are here because we were chosen to do exactly what the writer to the Hebrews describes. We are to fold ourselves into the wisdom of God, and fight sin.

We are to cooperate with Jesus Christ in crushing sin, most especially our own, destroying it with His wisdom, with His grace.

We are here for that exact reason, and because of His graces we have been offered something that so many will miss —“ the chance to say yes to God, no to sin. We are offered the opportunity to consciously say yes and Amen, to be reborn and regenerated in water and the Holy Spirit. As Bishop Hodur said:

Rebirth comes from a spiritual transformation which changes man into a new being. It begins with an understanding of our true relationship with God and moving into closer union with Him.

Wisdom then is exactly that, the clarity of thought brought to us by grace, through which we come to understand our relationship to God and move ever closer to Him. It is the choice of the right path, the sinless path, the path of wisdom, becoming like unto God, what the Orthodox call Theosis.

If we choose to be wise and opt for He who is Wisdom then we shall shine brightly, like the splendor of the firmament.

I began by speaking of the weeks ahead. Today’s readings and Gospel remind us that tomorrow, while only a day away, may never come. They remind us that time is in God’s hands, and that we must ever be prepared and watchful, like the wise virgins who trimmed their lamps.

Wisdom tells us to draw closer and closer to God —“ not to forsake a minute.

Amen, I say to you,
this generation will not pass away
until all these things have taken place.
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.

Jesus, eternal Wisdom, will never pass away.

Therefore, be wise, be faithful, make your choice and set your course. Follow Jesus and crush the enemy —“ sin —“ under His feet. Start with your own sin and live a life of witness, making right choices based on God’s wisdom.

Once we begin we can, with clear conscience, hear the words of Jesus given to St. John through the angel:

“Yes, I am coming soon.”

And cry out with Saint John:

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

“Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks,
to go in and prepare something for myself and my son;
when we have eaten it, we shall die.”

Do you think that this woman was aware of God’s promise?

We can’t say for certain, but we can imagine that God’s promise was the last thing on her mind. She was a widow, with a son, in the middle of a devastating drought. Her cupboard was bare, save for a little flour and oil.

So here comes Elijah —“ a prophet of God. Here’s his request. Woman, go get me water, and bread. Do not be afraid,

But first make me a little cake and bring it to me.

Elijah asks the woman to take care of God’s prophet first.

Can you imagine if a member of the clergy said that to someone today? Woman, make me some bread and bring me a drink. But father, deacon, here are all my problems. I know child, do not be afraid. Just get me the bread and a drink…

I do not think anyone would be afraid. They would be angry. Very angry! They would see to it that the clergyman never darkened their doorway again.

You know, that person, so offended by our clergyman, would be just like you and me, their faith would be weak.

The clergyman’s job, like Elijah’s job, is to say those important words —“ do not be afraid. We are to say it to you in the midst of the most devastating losses, in times of great sorrow, and in times of joy, those times where our ever present fears are more muted —“ but still active.

The woman of Zarephath had something —“ something many lack. She had blind faith. She may not have been aware of God’s promise, but when the prophet came and told her to set aside her fears, to give up the little she had left, she listened and acted.

The woman of Zarephath understood that God’s promise was worth everything she had, down to her last meager ration.

The woman in the Gospel had that blind faith. She followed the prescripts of the Law and the words of the prophets’ —“ but more than that, she allowed herself to be overcome by God. She gave up everything on the simple promise of hope.

Jesus certainly saw that:

“Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more
than all the other contributors to the treasury.

He wasn’t talking about charity. The coins meant nothing —“ a few cents, no value. What Jesus points out is that she put her faith first, above everything else.

The two women we read about today gave everything they had based on faith and out of hope. Not hope in a miracle, faith in a god of the dice —“ but hope and faith in God.

They took action based on what they had heard. The teachings of the prophets and the Law transformed their hopelessness into confidence, confidence in God.

What will you do with what you have heard? What will you do with our clergyman who comes to you in your despair and says to you, “Do not be afraid—?

These two women who were at the end of their ropes, who acted on blind faith, who only had the Law and the prophets, are but a shadow of what is required of us.

Before us we have the body and blood of God. Before us we have the words of Jesus Christ. God came among us and remains right here, with us, body, blood, soul, and divinity. Of Him the letter to the Hebrews states:

Just as it is appointed that human beings die once,
and after this the judgment, so also Christ,
offered once to take away the sins of many,
will appear a second time, not to take away sin
but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

Our sins have been washed away in His blood. We eagerly await Him and call for His return. We do not have a promise in Law, but the promise of God Himself.

What more do we need?

We are more than aware of God’s promise. It is written in His blood and made evident by His resurrection. Allow yourselves to be blinded by faith, to give, even from your want, based on His assurance alone. Give all that you have for God’s promise.

Take action based on what you have heard – from God Himself.

And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him,
“You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

Today’s readings and Gospel would seem to allow me and other members of the clergy an opportunity to do a no-brainer homily. After all, the readings and Gospel simply point out that we are to love God and love our neighbor.

Most people would know that —“ and they would know it intuitively. You could be a Christian, a Jew, or a Muslim and know that much. The vast majority of Americans have a belief in God and they know, at least subconsciously, that they are supposed to love Him. After all, He loves them.

In presenting a homily I could opt to drone on about love. Love, love, love —“ all you need is love. Not a bad Beatles tune.

The concept of love, like the Beatles tune, has become the Muzak of our times. Love is discussed, analyzed, Dr. Phil’d, Oprah’d, written about, and presented in the media almost constantly. Love is the staple through which Hallmark has made billions.

Moses, Jesus, the scribe all say:

“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength.

When they say ‘Hear, O Israel,’ who are they talking about? The Jewish people? Modern Israel?

No, ‘Hear, O Israel‘ is addressed to you and to me. We are Israel, grafted onto the vine. As St. Paul tell the Ephesians:

Therefore, remember that at one time you, Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision by those called the circumcision, which is done in the flesh by human hands, were at that time without Christ, alienated from the community of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ.

In Jesus’ blood we have become adopted sons and daughters and co-heirs to God’s promise. Jesus, perfect priest and perfect sacrifice, who because of His sinlessness had no need to offer sacrifices for Himself to the Father, sacrificed Himself for us.

The first and foremost proof of God’s love is the shedding of Jesus’ blood for us, and in that blood our adoption.

When Moses, Jesus, and the scribe speak of the required totality of love —“ a love involving every aspect of our being, what are they talking about?

Have you ever felt that kind of love, the kind that causes you pain when you are away from the one you love? The kind of passionate, deep, pervasive, total love that can best be described as hunger?

That’s the kind of love they were talking about. And, they did not mean until the honeymoon is over.

We, the new Israel, are to pour ourselves and our totality into God alone.

Listen to the love described in today’s Psalm:

I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
The LORD lives! And blessed be my rock!
Extolled be God my savior.

The psalmist was in love with the Lord. To him, the Lord was everything.

Our love for God and our neighbor is a derivative of God’s perfect love. God’s love is within us, and we as Catholic Christians share most closely in that love because the Holy Eucharist is present, here among us and within us.

Our love is indeed a derivative of God’s love because God’s love is part of our very essence as human beings. This is why the taking of life is immoral —“ for God places His love in each and every human being, whether an embryo, a single cell, a blastocyst, a prisoner, the elderly, or the terminally ill. God’s love is within all, even our enemies.

Our love for God and for our neighbor is a full immersion experience.

When Jesus saw that the scribe understood this He said:

“You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

When you commit yourself, when you immerse yourself, when you allow nothing to stand between you and your love —“ that is, God, then, just like the scribe who understood, you will be assured of the fact that you are not far from the kingdom of God.

But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
They cried out in a loud voice:

—Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne,
and from the Lamb.—

That is what the saints proclaimed;
That is what we are afraid to proclaim, and thereby be acknowledged and notorious Christians;
But, that is what we must proclaim, for there is no other choice.

…and the elder will say of us who have witnessed the reality of Christ ever present —“ our salvation:

—These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.—

You and I must…
We must confess Jesus as our God and as the world’s salvation.
We must bring all to Him and His Holy Church.
We must witness, washing our robes in the Blood of Christ, and as He promises, we will be counted among the blessed, the saints of God.

Jesus told us:

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.

It is our duty, our work, and our struggle.

Saints of God, intercede for us! Pray for us that we may persevere in, teach, and defend the Holy Faith.

“Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”

Today’s readings and gospel combine the realities of despair with the joyful hope to which we are called.

Our first reading sounds rather joyous. The exiles are being called home. God is bringing them back:

They departed in tears,
but I will console them and guide them;
I will lead them to brooks of water,
on a level road, so that none shall stumble.

But a quick jaunt into biblical history will show us that Jeremiah spoke these words in the midst of the destruction of Israel and of Jerusalem. The temple had already been partially destroyed. Wars had been ensuing for years. Nothing looked good. The northern tribes were carried off to Assyria. The razing of the rest of Jerusalem was upon the Jewish people and the remnant would be carried off. The Jewish people and their king were entering the Babylonian captivity.

How could Jeremiah speak hope? Here he was, left sitting among the ruins of Jerusalem, like Job among the ashes. The temple was no more and the temple fixtures were the spoils of war.

Not much to be happy about.

Yet Jeremiah proclaimed hope. God spoke through His prophet. He would bring them all back; He would be their Father again.

God always speaks hope. It is hope to which we are called; the hope of everlasting life in God, and the hope of the resurrection on the last day.

Bartimaeus understood hope. Bartimaeus had a clue, and just like the rest of us he was confronted with an opportunity to recognize and act on what was already inside him. He recognized Jesus.

On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
he began to cry out and say,
“Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
But he kept calling out all the more,
“Son of David, have pity on me.”

Jesus rewarded Bartimaeus’ hope and his faith. He healed him and Jesus said a rather funny thing:

“Go your way; your faith has saved you.”

When Jesus said —Go your way— what did we expect Bartimaeus to do? Should Bartimaeus have run home? Should he have picked up the coins he had been begging for? Should he have run off to the Synagogue to show the priests that he had been healed? What did Jesus’ statement —Go your way— mean?

Bartimaeus was told his faith had not only healed him, but had saved him. Jesus’ words, —Go your way— were Bartimaeus’ next challenge.

Think a moment. Jesus touches you, heals you, and performs one of the millions of small miracles that occur in your every day life. Then He says —Go your way.— What to do? What would we expect to do?

Bartimaeus did it right.

Immediately he received his sight
and followed him on the way.

He followed Jesus with a sight that was greater than the gift of physical sight.

For Bartimaeus the hope of a cure was the door to a greater hope. He recognized that the cure was not enough. He literally saw that his greatest hope was in following Jesus.

It’s Sunday morning. You’re getting up, a little groggy. You prepare yourself and your family to depart for church. Why? What is your attitude? Do you come filled with hope? Do you feel like Jeremiah, seeing the hope despite the obstacles in front of you?

Listen to the crowd:

“Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”

Like Bartimaeus we need to throw aside what we have clung to. We need to spring up, and come to Jesus.

Even in the midst of despair, tiredness, sickness, and want, we need to know where our hope lies, a hope greater than our present reality. A hope in the midst of despair.

The cure of Bartimaeus is a sign for us; a sign of the deeper challenge Christ calls us to. How do we react to Jesus? Once the cure and the good times arrive, how do we react? How do we respond to Jesus’ question of —Go your way?—

Will “Go your way” always mean my way or no way, or will “Go your way” mean following in the footsteps of Christ.

What we sow in our struggles must always be related to the harvest that is to come. Because of Jesus we must leave here changed, ever ready to say yes Lord, and to follow Him.

Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God,
let us hold fast to our confession.

Holding fast to our confession, that is, to our faith, is exceedingly difficult.

I could say it is difficult in the face of the world and the ways of the world, but today I would rather focus on the problem of religious indifferentism.

What is indifferentism?

Indifferentism is a term applied to the theory that one religion is just as good as the next, that you can get God just about anywhere in equal shares. It is a theory that denies our duty to worship God by believing and practicing the one true religion.

And, what do we mean by one true religion?

By one true religion we mean the religion that Jesus Christ established on earth, the Holy Catholic faith.

But deacon, isn’t Christianity the outward expression of God’s teaching?

I would reply that Christianity is indeed superior to all other faiths, while at the same time telling you that other expressions of Christianity, outside the Polish National Catholic Church, do not contain, or they corrupt, the essential aspects of faith in Jesus Christ.

Bishop Hodur, in writing the Eleven Great Principals of the Polish National Catholic Church stated:

Christ our Lord established the Church for this purpose: that His believers might carry on the work begun by Him, the work of human salvation. The apostles and disciples, as well as their successors, were to prepare and lead humanity into the Kingdom of God; assured that if they fulfilled this task, He would be with them, lo, to the close of the age.” (Matt. 28:20)

…

This presence of His, however, He made conditional. Christ would be with His disciples if they would gather together and work in His Name, for His purposes, according to the plan indicated by Him.

As Bishop Hodur wrote, this promise is conditional, conditional upon our personal acceptance of Christ, our common gathering in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, and our common work.

He went on to outline Jesus’ promises, namely:

Therefore, if the members of the National Church will live according to these teachings of the Divine Master, and will propagate the democratic principles of Christ, they may be assured of His presence, help and cooperation.

To be a member of the Polish National Catholic Church is to be consciously aware of your decision for Christ and the true teachings of His Church. To be a member shows your cooperation in and with the work of Jesus. To be a member of the Holy Church makes you a participant in the victory of Christ to come.

Being a member imposes upon you an obligation of faithfulness. It imposes on you an obligation to follow-through on the choice you have made. It imposes on you an obligation to study and understand your faith.

Here are a few simple questions:

• How many sacraments do you receive in the course of the Holy Mass?
• What is the Church’s teaching on the devil?
• What is the Church’s teaching on eternal life?
• Did Jesus redeem the world or regenerate it, and what’s the difference?
• How many sacraments are recognized by the Church, and what are they?
• Why are our clergy married? Is it just a convenience?
• Why are we democratic and what does that mean?
• When is it permissible to attend mass in a Roman church?
• What is the Church’s position on birth control, abortion, stem cell research?
• Have your read the Confession of Faith and the Eleven Great Principals you say you believe in?

Can you answer them?

When you enter a Roman or Episcopal church you may very well recognize things that appear, at least outwardly, to resemble what occurs here. You may say to yourself, ‘It looks, sounds, and smells the same.’ What’s the difference?

I tell you that the difference is great. I tell you that your presence in another church tells all who see you there that your foundation is weak and that you adhere to whatever rules you run across. It says to the world: ‘Faith – hey I’m flexible.’

Do not be indifferent to Christ and to your faith, to what the Holy Church proclaims and teaches.

If coming to church is an exercise, if repeating responses during the Holy Mass is simply an act of mimicry, just as good here as it is there; if you really think that a pope or a lot of money give you power, give you gravitas, give you the truth; then you are sadly mistaken and you are missing the point. What you are seeking is not Christ, but convenience.

James and John made an infamous mistake. They put their selfish desires before Jesus.

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him,
“Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”

…and Jesus gave them that which would save them, not necessarily that which they wanted.

When you consider your faith, your choice of Christ and His Holy Church, when you ask yourself that all important question, ‘What do I believe?’ Consider James and John. Consider whether you are asking Jesus for a church that gives you what you want, or the Holy Church which gives you what you need.

…and I chose to have her rather than the light,
because the splendor of her never yields to sleep.

What’s important to you?

The Christian life is a demanding life. We might call a lot of things demanding: our jobs, our families, our hobbies, raking the leaves. None of it compares to the demands of Christ.

Let’s review a few of them starting with one from today’s Gospel:

Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

Tough choice, in the material world.

Consider these:

He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him. (Matthew 4:18-22)

Tough choice, throwing away your livelihood and your family, in your father’s face, so you can go preach the Gospel.

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. (Matthew 13:44-46)

Tough choice, giving up everything for God’s kingdom.

Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!” But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’

Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.” (Luke 12:15-21)

Tough to work hard, doing what you think God wants, praising Him for His blessings, only to find it was all for nothing because you missed the point.

A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:11)

Tough to die.

Giving up all that you have, even to your life, is a requirement. It is a choice you are being asked to make. I’m asking you here and now, will you choose God over all? I’m asking you because the Holy Spirit is here, right now, and He’s asking.

These parables and narrated stories all seem pious and idealistic, but only if your faith is weak and your attachment to the world is great.

If your faith is strong they are the things that define you each day. More than principals, they are life itself. They are your goal and sole desire, as the reading from Wisdom told us.

The Letter to the Hebrews recaps God’s ability to see our priorities pretty clearly:

No creature is concealed from him,
but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him
to whom we must render an account.

Scary thought, except for those who believe they will live forever.

Remember, you’re being asked. Whether you sit here in this church or not, you cannot run from the question or from God. He’s always asking, —What’s your choice.—

While considering your choice take a listen to a lesson from St. John Chrysostom:

There are many disciples of Christ who can justly claim that they are indifferent to material possessions. They happily live in simple huts, wear rough woolen clothes, eat frugally, and give away the bulk of their fortunes. These same people can claim that they are indifferent to worldly power. They happily work in the most humble capacities, performing menial tasks, with no desire for high rank. But there still may be one earthly attribute to which they cling: reputation. They may wish to be regarded by others as virtuous. They may want to be admired for their charity, their honor, their integrity, their self-denial. They may not actually draw people’s attention to these qualities, but they are pleased to know that others respect them. Thus when someone falsely accuses them of some wrongdoing, they react with furious indignation. They protect their reputation with the same ferocity as the rich protect their gold. Giving up material possessions and worldly power is easy compared to giving up reputation. To be falsely accused and yet to remain spiritually serene is the ultimate test of faith.

Consistency in prayer —“ and its natural outcome, a consistent and holy way of life, is vitally important.

In today’s first reading St. Paul takes St. Peter to task for being a hypocrite.

I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong.
For, until some people came from James,
he used to eat with the Gentiles;
but when they came, he began to draw back and separated himself,
because he was afraid of the circumcised.

Peter freely welcomed the Gentiles. After all, he was called early to minister to Cornelius, a Gentile, and after God poured out the Holy Spirit upon Cornelius and his family in front of Peter, Peter could not refuse them baptism. Upon entering the house of Cornelius:

Peter proceeded to speak and said, “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him.”

Peter ate with and prayed alongside the Gentiles, until his friends from Jerusalem showed up. Then he was on the spot. St. Peter had a knack for placing himself in uncomfortable positions antithetical to the faith he knew. Paul called him on it.

Paul was saying, live like you pray, in unity with your faith. Otherwise you are a hypocrite.

Peter should have, and we should remember that Jesus thoroughly condemned hypocrites. Jesus told people that they mustn’t pray or give alms for show —“ but in truth, and from the heart. Jesus demands that we live fully in Him.

When the disciples asked, Jesus gave them the perfect prayer. That prayer is to be the model for our lives. A prayer opposed to hypocrisy.

By that prayer —“ the Our Father, we join ourselves to the will of God, placing Him as the object of our devotion and love, and relying upon Him for all that is good. We conform ourselves to God in our prayer, in our faith, and in every aspect of our lives.

St. Canice, whom we honor today, was the son of a popular bard from county Derry in Ireland. He felt God’s call to a life of holiness. A call that is not foreign to us. He was ordained a priest and traveled a missionary route through Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, founding many monasteries. While an essentially lonely figure, he copied the scriptures and wrote a treatise on them. He preached the Gospel with missionary zeal, even converting his own brother.

Let us imitate St. Canice. Let us be cautious of hypocrisy in the practice of our faith —“ for our faith is our life. Let us pray with zeal, being consistent in prayer, and conforming our lives to our prayer. Like St. Canice, let us spread the Gospel by our zeal and by our example.

Why are you here, and why are you having this child baptized?

By your action and choice you are marking her as a Christian.

Anyone with a passing knowledge of the history of World War Two knows that you didn’t have to be a practicing or devote Jew to be thrown into a concentration camp. You either were or you were not. The Jewish people were marked by their simple membership in a people.

Anyone with a passing knowledge of the history of the Roman Empire knows that being marked as a Christian meant a certain death sentence. Yet so many became Christians. Why?

By baptism you mark this child as a member of the Christian people. You mark her as a Catholic. She is enrolled in the company of saints and is enrolled in the books of the Holy Church. You are setting her apart —“ not the wisest decision according to world opinion or popular culture —“ where being different is odd at best.

You are going to step forward to do this. You are going to stand up and set her apart from the world.

There are consequences for this action —“ lifelong and eternal.

As parents we desire what is best for our children. We pour out our love, dedication, devotion, and our hard work upon our children. We give them the best and protect them as best we can.

By bringing Rileigh Irene here you are saying something important. You are saying that you believe —“ on faith alone —“ that this action, that being a Catholic Christian, is good for Rileigh.

Our Church does not buy into the concept of original sin, as believed in some Churches. What we do acknowledge is that there is evil, sinfulness, and many dangers in the world. By this baptism the power of the Holy Spirit will regenerate Rileigh, and mark her as one opposed to the world, one opposed to sin.

Baptism is a good. You know that is has value, otherwise you wouldn’t waste a beautiful Sunday morning. I ask you to consider and think on the question of why.

You’ve set Rileigh aside for God —“ not a god of I don’t know, some sort of magical mystery god, but for the God —“ Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Tough choice and tough commitment.

Once you’ve done this —“ don’t forget that the Church —“ God’s people is something you thought had value. Come back weekly to enrich yourselves and Rileigh.