20090329-1030

Homily by Fr. Ed Doran

The first reading told us that Almighty God established a new covenant with his people. Moses had gone upon to the mountain to receive the first covenant for the people of Israel wanted to know how to relate to their loving God. And Moses came down with the 10 commandants, and even before he stepped foot on the ground, they were worshipping the idols of gold and silver. They were forgetting the very God that they sent Moses up on that mountain for. The devil and sin had grasped them in its arms and they forgot all about God.

God is not to be undone. He established a new covenant — not on stone tablets, but in the hearts of men and women. He wanted to cement that covenant; he wanted to open up the gates of paradise to us.  But there was a problem. The corruption of sin had so sullied our bodies that we could not be brought forth. Thus in the consummate  act of God — in the most amazing act of love — he surrendered himself, and for that he was mocked, he was derided, he was whipped, he was scourged, and a crown of thorns were placed upon his very head.  He not only said that he loved us, he gave it to us in the most graphic and vivid way humanely possible. Thus it is that every church is to have the image of that cross, that very cross right there, put up by the first pastor of this church, around World War I, given and dedicated by the people, because that cross speaks of the loving dedication  of the men and women of this parish. That cross speaks of the generations of firefighters, the generations of police, and the generations of medical personnel which have served us. But their service cannot relate to this Service. It is the consummate and ultimate act of service.

At the foot of this cross, there is a prayer that I would like to share with you.  This prayer was composed by Pope Pius XI – that was before I was born. But anyway, I read it at the bottom of the cross, and here it is:

My good and gentle Jesus, I kneel before you, asking you earnestly to engrave on my heart a deep and lively faith, hope and charity with true repentance for my sins and a firm resolve to make amends.  As I reflect upon your wounds and dwell upon them with deep compassion and grief, I recall, good and gentle Jesus, the words of David the prophet: “They pierced my hands and my feet; they have numbered all of my bones.”

You know, when I was a child, I used to look at that cross and I said, “Those terrible people who did that to him.” Now that I am older and wiser, it is this terrible person, and the sins of this terrible person that did it to him. He died on the cross to free you and I from the burden of our sins — the sins that pull us under, the sins that warrant condemnation are wiped clean, through that consummate act of the loving Jesus upon the cross. All we but need to do is to humbly go to Him and say, “I have sinned.”

Yet, our pride makes us very reluctant. We skirt around the foot of the cross looking up at him, but his arms are outstretched, he wants up to get up there with him to accept the burdens that are on our shoulders, and offer them in union with his offering on that cross.

One of the things that our diocese is doing after next Sunday (Palm Sunday – get here early:  there’s going to be no places!) The following day, the Diocese of Brooklyn, the Archdiocese of New York, and the Diocese of Rockville Center will have a day of penance and Reconciliation. Every priest from 3 PM until 9 PM is to be available to hear confessions. I myself will go at approximately 9:30 in the morning to St. Francis in Manhattan, where I will partake in confession, and then I will return here and be available. This is because we need to unburden ourselves of the weight that is on our shoulders. We need to humbly kneel at the foot of that cross to acknowledge that we are sometimes vulnerable and weak.  He wants to reach out and embrace us with his love. But he will not do it unless we allow him to do it.

Today’s readings summon us in these 40 days of fasting, of prayer, and of almsgiving. Come forward – come forward, give your heart. In order to give our heart we must be washed clean and made whole. Lent is the time of reconciliation, the time that we humbly go to the Lord. And I pray that this Lent be for me and for you the time that we journey in humility to ask for his pardon and forgiveness. It is there unconditionally and abundantly. All that we need do is to humbly ask, and it will be ours.

2009-03-08a

Today’s Readings

HOMILY BY FR. EDWARD DORAN

The gospel of the Transfiguration stands in such sharp contrast with the very first reading. Abraham went up onto the mountain, and as he went up, he commissioned, he charged his very beloved son to carry sticks on his shoulders. And only as they began up the mountain did the realization that Abraham was called to offer sacrifice, but he has nothing to sacrifice, save his only beloved son. The weight upon Abraham’s shoulders must have been overwhelming; his prized possession, his beloved son!  Yet Abraham was the man who was faithful to the Lord, no matter what the Lord called him to do. He was prepared to do.

There is another mountain story besides the Transfiguration, and it is the mountain which Jesus went – Golgotha — and there He carried a bundle of wood on His shoulders. He carried the cross as He journeyed up that hill, in order to give Himself freely for our sins and for our salvation.

How about the Transfiguration? The Transfiguration is our linkage between Heaven and Earth and it reminds us that in every one of our lives there are those brief moments where we go up to the very top of the hill and we feel a sense of exhilaration; maybe the birth of your first child – a wonderful and powerful event. Vividly do I remember the receiving of my doctorate – that was a great moment! But the down moment was when I had to take my New York State exam to become a licensed psychologist, and I remember walking into the exam fantasizing spending the rest of my life behind a McDonald’s counter flipping hamburgers because I failed the test. The only Ph.D working at McDonald’s! Never happened, but you know at times we doubt, and we do experience those down moments.

The reading opened up by saying that the moment at which our health becomes an issue, the moment at which we worry about our children, the moment at which we are concerned about our finances and our job stability — my brothers and sisters, our lives are full of our transfiguration moments, moments of joy, but they also are experiences of Golgotha and suffering on the cross.  And today, we turn to this cross, and we say, “What is it that you want of me, O Lord? What is it that you want of me?”

And I can’t say to you in the context of our readings, he wants us to have a connectedness to him. He wants to give us the strength in those moments of Golgotha, in those moments when we experience confusion and pain and uncertainty; those moments when the doctor says that we have cancer; those moments when we lose someone who is so vital and important in our lives; those moments where job stability goes out the windows; those moments where the children begin to experience – those are the moments where we need Him so badly and so desperately.  He is there for us; he wants to be there for us; he where be there for us without reservation or question. All we are challenged to do to establish a link to Him. It will give us the strength that we need always and without question.

Each and every Friday, I lead the congregation to the 14 Stations of the Cross. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven,  … and the remaining seven — because as we re-enact the journey of Jesus, we see an offering of love. He is coming to us, giving everything that he has, to the very point of humiliation and crucifixion, and death.  But out of that comes resurrection, and on Easter Sunday, we will celebrate that resurrection. On Easter Sunday, we will rise with him. But we can only rise if we have a connectedness with him, if we are animated by the strength of our relationship with Him.

All my brothers and sisters, we bring our pain and our confusion down this aisle, to place them on the table of the Lord, where they will be blessed, consecrated, and given back to us, with whatever strength that we need. Every time I look at that cross, every time I journey these 14 stations, I feel His strength. I know that He is with me, and that He will animate me, and sustain me in every way that I could possibly need. But I must – it is so vital and so important – the Lord has his arms open on the cross, but we must open our arms to Him.

How much does He wants to come to us, but in order to come to us, we need to go towards him. And tragically, and unfortunately the Devil wanders the earth trying to block our path, trying to prevent us from reaching out, instead presenting the alluring situations that end up in absolute disaster, that spreads terror in our journey towards our loving God, and in this season, this time of repentance, we need to go to the Lord to humbly acknowledge that “I am weak. I am vulnerable. I yield to sin in my life. Grant me your pardon and forgiveness.”  Not only will He grant, but He will grant with no strings, with no conditions, out of pure, unadulterated love.

The pillars of the Lenten season: prayer – building and establishing a relationship with our loving God. Fasting – disciplining and controlling our bodies so that they work towards the good that we want in our lives. Almsgiving – talking the wonders that God has given onto us and sharing them with everyone around us. Yet I know certainly in my own life that I trip and I stumble along the way. And one of the stations that I love is when Jesus falls under the weight of his cross, because I fall under the weight of my sins. But I ask his pardon and his forgiveness, because that is the very aspect of this season, that in this wonderful season of Lent, we are encouraged, exhorted, that we take the opportunity to avail ourselves to humbly go before him, to ask pardon and forgiveness.

Today, my brothers and sisters, the story of Abraham is a story that is dark in its reality, but it is real. Abraham was to sacrifice that which meant so very much to him. He did not want to sacrifice, but because of his constancy and his loving relationship with God, he was ready to sacrifice. The Disciples needed to be prepared for the departure of Jesus. They hung on every word that he said, but he was about to be taken away from them.  They need that deep moment of transfiguration.

From those two, I realize – and we realize – that our lives are moments, are those times that we are called to sacrifice, those times that we are called to exhilarate.  But in both the peaks and the valleys, the one thing that remains constant is our loving relationship with Him, and we gather today to animate that relationship, to nurture that relationship, to cultivate that relationship, so that we have the strength during these 40 days to move closer and closer toward Him.

First Sunday of Lent 2009

Today’s Readings

TRANSCRIPT OF HOMILY BY FR. EDWARD DORAN

When I was a teenager growing up in St. Patrick’s Church in Glen Cove, Long Island, one of the ordinary characteristics of our Lenten journey each Lent [was that] we had a parish mission. And those of you of my age might have remembered those – it would have been either a priest of the Passionist Monastery , or a Vincentian priest, or a Franciscan priest, who would come to the parish in order to make sure that Lent was very special, to enter into the journey of Lent and to encourage us.

One year – I was about 15 years of age – they invited a Father of Mercy. I had never ever heard of that order, but it happened that the priest that came to give the retreat was a Father of Mercy. And the reason I clicked with it is that the date of the retreat was the exact same Gospel that we read today. And I remembered it vividly. And I have to tell you that this Irish priest with his very adorable brogue had us spellbound. He was an extraordinarily good preacher. And I remembered it vividly because at the end he said “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to give all of you the opportunity to come to confession. I’ll be available back there. Come and see me.”

So I was so inspired, I was so animated, I said “I’m going to go to confession.” And off I went, and I was the first one in line. And I went in and I confessed some embarrassing impulses and thoughts that I had, as would be characteristic of a 15 year old boy.

And he simply said to me, “Well man, did you entertain those thoughts?”

I said, “Well Father, I didn’t entertain them, but boy sure did they entertain me!”

In many ways, sin entertains us. Sin is not a horrible, terrible evil thing, oh my goodness! Rather, sin is rather appealing. And in the first reading from Genesis, what was happening — what was going on, the context — was that the people were engaged in sin. They had turned their back on the Lord, and were entering into the evils of their time. Noah was attempting to call them to task. He was saying, “What are you doing. What is going on here?” He was patient – he didn’t scream at them, he didn’t condemn them, but he was calling them to task.

And while he did it, he patiently built an ark. He gathered large timbers, and he began to assemble those timbers, and to put them together, with the proper way of doing it. And he spread tar on the timbers, and very patiently he gathered together the animals and the beasts, and everything on earth, two by two, he took them into the ark. And what happened was that the ark was sealed, and it rained for 40 days and 40 nights, and the earth was washed clean. It was purified, it was made holy, it was reconsecrated, it was made sacred to God again.

That is what these forty days are about. We are in the ark of the Lord, and the waters of baptism are going to wash us clean again. But I say to you that the only way that the waters can wash you clean is if you all it to course over your body. If you allow it to wash you, if you take the soap and you put it on your body, and you take the cloth or the brush and scrub, you are made clean.

As a young man, my mother said to me, “Get in there and take your bath”. And I was not particularly enamored of taking my bath. So I went in and I ran the water like a banshee – it was running like crazy. And in within a few minutes, my father came in and there I was sitting on the edge of the tub, with the water going like a banshee.

And I said, “How did you know?”

He said, “I know everything. Now get in that tub!”

We have to get in the tub! We have to get in the tub, and take the soap and use it. We have to take the cloth or the brush and cleanse ourselves. That is what the 40 days are all about – cleansing and purifying and changing and making whole. Sin entertains us. Sin is captivating. Sin is fun. So we are challenged then to re-think, and re-work.

How do we do it? Well we do it by prayer, entering into a prayful relationship with our loving God. Does it mean that we never pray? No, but honestly can our prayers can become so routine that they almost lose their spark, their luster? How well I can remember saying the rosary: “Hailmaryfullofgrace, thelordiswiththee, blessedarethouamonstwomen, blahblah”, 200 miles an hour. What is that? Slow down, mister! Savor the words, let them speak to you. We can inadvertently allow things to become careless and routine. Prayer – vital and important.

Secondly, fasting. One of the things that I think are essential to change behavior is disciplining ourselves so that we do things in a slightly different way. On Wednesday, a man came to me, a little bit on the heavy side, and he said, “Father, I just want to say this to you publicly, because I am saying this to everybody. I’m committing myself to fasting for Lent.”

He said, “Father, it is spiritually good, but I have to take some of this weight off. That’s all there is to it.”

And I said, “God will bless you. What a wonderful, wonderful thing.”

So I saw him on Ash Wednesday. He came over to the rectory on Saturday and rang the bell, and he said, “I have good things to report and I have bad things to report.”

And I said, “Let’s share, let’s talk a little bit – how did it go?”

“Father, Wednesday was great – my resolve was strong and I could feel my strength. Thursday was good, I succeeded. Friday came and I accidently drove past the bakery that I was trying to avoid – it was an accident, I didn’t mean to do it. When I found myself in front of the bakery, I said to myself, ‘Lord, if your Holy Spirit opens up a spot in front of the bakery, I’ll just pull over’.”

“Father, after nine trips around the block, a spot opened, and I went into the bakery and bought the biggest éclair you’d ever want to see.”

It is violating the spirit of what he said. How often our intentions are good, but our follow-through is weak. This is a human thing, and I think each Sunday of Lent we have to challenge ourselves and say how did it go from Ash Wednesday, to Thursday to Friday, to yesterday, and where am I at today, and what am I going to do tomorrow, tonight, et cetera.

One of the things I am trying to offer here to each and every one of us, including myself: we are presenting Stations of the Cross. Every Friday, the 12 o’clock Mass — immediately after we have Stations. Every Friday, from 7 until 8, we have Stations. It happens this Friday is the first Friday of the month, devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the Sacred Heart of Mary. So what I am going to be doing this Friday: exposing the Holy Most Blessed Sacrament, we will journey together for the 14 stations, and we will have a wonderful opportunity of prayer. Now, obviously it is not obligatory to go to the Stations of the Cross, but wouldn’t that be a wonderful Lenten sacrifice, and a way of growing?

Tonight, I’m going to be giving a presentation on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I’m going to be talking about the Bible and its source of inspiration and strength. Now, nobody is obligated to come, but maybe if you are hanging around watching boring television shows from 7 to 8, be bored by me –right here. From 6 to 7, be bored by me. It will be a wonderful thing. And then tomorrow, I’m doing the same thing for the old crowd like me. For us older folks who have difficulty getting out at night, from 11 to 12.

The point is, that if Lent has meaning, if these 40 days have meaning, if we are going to get into the ark for the 40 days, so that at the end of the 40 days, the ark settles upon the land, it opened up and the birds of the air, the fish of the sea and all the wild creatures, and they were cleansed and purified, and they entered with great joy on a earth that was cleansed and purified. In 40 days, you and I are going to join together on Easter Sunday. Wouldn’t it be great if all of us were cleansed and purified and made whole? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if on Easter Sunday we can feel the resurrection because we will rise with Jesus when our time is complete?

I pray that, for me and for each and every one of you, that this be a Lenten season in which you enter into the season by prayer, by fasting, and by almsgiving. And let me promise you that if you enter into the joy and the sorrow of this season, you will be blessed by God, and you will find on Easter Sunday the joy and happiness in your heart will elevate you and lift you up, because you will experience the happiness and joy of his resurrection, which will bless you again, and again, and again.

Listen to homily here: [podcast]http://166.84.6.232/stcharles/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/2009-02-25homily.mp3[/podcast]

Matt 6:1-6, 16-18

TRANSCRIPT OF HOMILY BY FR. EDWARD DORAN
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of a 40-day journey into the desert with Jesus. Before He began his ministry of love, his surrendering his life, He went in order to pray and receive strength from His heavenly Father. For he was about to undertake a mission that involved great suffering and great pain. But it was also a mission of love, and it was the very mission that he was called to.

Lent is the period of 40 days — the exact time Jesus went into the desert. And the exhortation and encouragement off these 40 days involves fasting – that is the disciplining of our bodies to bring about a control of our impulses, a control of our destiny. So fasting is a vital and an important part of these 40 days.

Prayer. Prayer is our union with God, a reaching out to our loving God, to have him come to speak to us and to give us direction, assurance, and encouragement. Prayer is a vital part of these 40 days.

The third leg is the leg of almsgiving . The Lord has blessed us as a people. Every night when I rest my head on the pillow, I rejoice because I have had sufficient food during the day. I rejoice because my thirst has been quenched. I rejoice because my medical needs have been taken care of. I rejoice because I have a warm bed and a warm house. And let me assure you that many, many people in the world do not have what we have. The loving God though, asks only one thing of us: stewardship of what He has given onto us. Taking from our own blessedness, to provide blessedness onto others. Almsgiving is a most important way of telling the Lord how much we love Him. So much so, that we want to give onto others so that they are provided for, or taken care of.

The symbol of the Lenten journey is the imposition of ashes. And in that imposition, turn away from sin, and follow the Gospel. And then from the Old Testament we are reminded that from the earth we came, and onto the earth we shall return. Remember that thou art dust, and onto that dust thou shall return. Tremendously humbling scriptural passages, for one of the things that we are challenged to do are to submerge our strong ego in order to take on Christ, in order to allow Jesus to reach into our very being, to shape and to form a new person in a new image.

Truly, in no way can the imposition of ashes, can the imposing of ashes, guarantee that all of this will happen. But certainly it is a wonderful beginning that we stand in public, with a darkened image on our forehead, acknowledging that we love the Lord so very, very much, that we willing to embark on the journey. For I would dare say to you that the chances of success go up exponentially as you attend mass – minimally on Sunday – as you discipline with fasting of your body, as you take what has been given onto you and share it with others.

Those three ingredients will guarantee that this Lent will bring you to great joy, for you will rise with Jesus on Easter Sunday. You will feel the palpable joy of that resurrection, and at some point you will be called to share with him in the glory of that resurrection.
My brothers and sisters: I say to you that these 40 days are so very, very important. I say onto you that it is my humble privilege to impart the ashes onto your foreheads. It is my humble privilege to bring you the body and blood of Jesus to animate and strengthen you, so that these 40 days might be marked by fidelity, constancy, and absolute commitment to fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. For it is in the embrace of those three that we find our way; it is in the embrace of those three that our journey become clearer.

May He strengthen and guide us this day and every day of our lives.