St. Augustine of Canterbury

In today’s Gospel, we get to see what happens when Jesus gets mad. First, it’s the poor fig tree. Now I have nothing against fig trees myself. But there is a tree in my back yard that I’ve been trimming and I’ve put a few curses on that son-of-a-gun. So, I find this Gospel kind of encouraging, knowing that even Jesus could lose his patience with a tree.

Anyway, fig trees are one of the few fruit trees that sprout leaves at a different time than they bear fruit. Jesus had to know that. So, why did he curse the poor tree for doing what fig trees do? It wasn’t because the tree scratched up his arms and legs like my tree has done to me. The tree was an innocent bystander. Jesus’ father made all the trees and Jesus was there when He did it. He knew all about trees. So, why the curse?

I think the key is the next sentence after He says “May no one ever eat of your fruit again!” Mark says “And his disciples heard it.”

The next morning, on their way out of Jerusalem, they passed the same tree. It was withered to its roots. Peter said to Jesus “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered.” Of course it withered. Jesus has healed the sick. He turned water into wine. He made the blind see. What’s the big deal about withering a tree?

First, in the past, all Jesus’ miracles were about healing; about making things better. This is the first time they’ve seen Him destroy something. And, He made sure that they heard Him. I think the tree thing was an example for the Apostles. Jesus tells them that they can cause mountains to be lifted up and thrown into the sea. If they don’t doubt, if they believe that what they say will happen, it will happen. He’s preparing them for the time when He won’t be physically with them.

The reading concludes with Jesus telling them that when they stand to pray, notice he said “stand”, not kneel, “forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions.” Sound familiar? It’s a precursor to the Lord’s Prayer.
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But, that’s not what I wanted to talk about this morning. Today is the memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury. Augustine was born in Rome. We’re not sure exactly when, but it was some time in the middle 500’s. He was a Benedictine monk, one of the first. Pope Gregory sent him, along with 40 other Benedictines to England in the late 500’s. Word on the street was that King Ethebert had married a Christian girl and there might be the possibility of a conversion for the king. He was eventually successful and Ethebert, along with his subjects joined the Roman Church. Augustine became the first Archbishop of Canterbury.

I’m kind of attached to St. Augustine because Jan and I were married at St. Augustine Church over in Illinois. Like King Ethebert, I became a Catholic because I married one. So Augustine converted Ethebert when Ethebert married a Catholic. I became a Catholic at St. Augustine’s when I married a Catholic.

[By the way, there are 17 Saints named Augustine.]

In a thread on Domenico Bettinelli's blog, Bettnet.com, there is a discussion about the term "royal priesthood" and what it means. On writer suggested that the shortage of priests is caused by this "elevation of the laity." In fact, the concept of the royal priesthood goes all the way back to Moses time. I posted the following reply. I thought it would be worth sharing here.

No one is elevating the laity. When Peter, the first pope, referred to the faithful as "a royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9), he was echoing the words of Exodus (Ex 19:5-6) when the Lord spoke to Moses. He told Moses to tell the Israelites, "Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people, though all the earth is mine. You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation."

The notes in the New American Bible point out that the entire Israelite nation was consecrated to God. They were "a race of royal priests who participated in the liturgical sacrifices, even though the actual offering of the sacrifices was the exclusive prerogative of the Aaronic priesthood. The same condition exists in the New Dispensation as regards the whole Christian people and the Christian priesthood in the strict sense."

There are a lot of reasons for the shortage of priests, but I don't believe that the "elevation of the laity" is one of them. On the contrary, a big reason for the lack of vocations may be poor catechesis on what it means to be a Catholic, a "lowering of the laity".

Unlike our protestant brethren who can be "saved" just by saying that they are, you can't become a Catholic until you have gone through a lengthy process, either through RCIA as an adult or through Catholic School/Parish School of Religion as a child.

I'm afraid that many who are charged with teaching the faith are doing a poor job, otherwise we wouldn't be losing so many Catholics to the First Touchy-Feely Church of Good Times, Prosperity and What's Happening Now. We also wouldn't have nominal Catholics responding to surveys that they approve of birth control, abortion, mercy killing, and capital punishment.

By disrespecting the faith, we're disrespecting ourselves, and disrespecting the ordained clergy. Where once priests were looked at as role models, today they are looked on with suspicion. Some of this is caused by the recent abuse crisis, but it's been going on long before the crisis became news. Obviously, it's a complex problem and smarter people than me haven't been able to come up with an answer. But, in my humble opinion, it begins with parents who show disrespect for the pastor, the bishop, the deacon, or any other minister in front of the kids.

A few years ago, my parish closed it's elementary school. It was an awful, painful process. The handwriting had been on the wall for years, but no one was willing to accept it. When the time finally came to face reality and cut our losses, many of the school parents (and others) blamed the pastor, when, in fact, the pastor had fought to keep it open as long as it was.

The most painful part of the whole ordeal was hearing what some of the parents were saying about the pastor, in front of the kids. They would gather on the parking lot after school and say the most outrageous things, things that no civil person would say about anyone, let alone about a man of God. Did they not think that their kids could hear them? Did they think that they were setting a good example? It's no wonder we have a shortage of vocations.

I know, I'm ranting. But this is a real hot-button issue with me. I was raised Baptist with a father who was extremely anti-Catholic. But, even so, when I when I would see a priest, I knew that there was something special about him. Today, even Catholic kids are not getting the same impression.

Please remember our priests in your prayers.

St. Simeon Stylites the Younger

Today we remember a saint you’ve probably never heard of, St. Simeon, the Younger. Simeon was an interesting guy. He lived from 521 to 597 and died of natural causes, which wasn’t easy in those days.

Simeon’s father died when he was five years old. (Simeon was five, not his father). Simeon became a ward of a monk named John. To ensure that they would be left alone to pray, John built two platforms at the top of pillars. At age seven, Simeon moved onto his platform. But, the plan backfired. Word spread of the wisdom and sanctity of the two and pilgrims and would-be disciples flocked to the monastery to see them. At age 20, Simeon moved into the mountains.

Ten years went by and again, Simeon was surrounded by people wanting to be his students. This time Simeon decided he would help them and built a monastery. He included another platform on top of a pillar, and that’s where he stayed. When he was ordained, the Bishop climbed onto the platform to impose his hands. Simeon celebrated mass on his platform and the monks climbed a latter to receive communion.

Simeon spent 69 of his 76 years living off the ground.

Both readings today talk about giving. Sirach tells us to be cheerful givers. “Give to the Most High as he has given to you, generously, according to your means.” Jesus tells the Peter in Mark’s Gospel that God will repay us 100 times over. He says that “Many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

In the responsorial Psalm, Psalm 50, the writer tells us to “offer praise as your sacrifice and fulfill your vows to the Most High. He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me; and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”

So all three readings promise that we will be rewarded according to our gifts to God. Whether our gift is to give 10% of all we make to the church, or to offer praise, of to spend most of our lives sitting on top of a pole, we will be rewarded. God can never be outdone in generosity. “For the LORD is one who always repays, and he will give back to you sevenfold.”

I have to mention that today would have been Ben and Florentine Jobst’s 61st wedding anniversary. You can imagine that this will be a particularly difficult day for Ben and his family. Please keep them in your prayers today.

Trinity Sunday

Thanks to Deacon John Beckman for the story which I "borrowed" for this homily for Trinity Sunday.

If you watch sports on television, there's a good chance you've seen a sign like this somewhere in the crowd. "John 3:16". "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life."

The person holding up that sign was most likely one of our protestant brothers. There are two reasons why I say this. First, protestants often use this verse to back up their position of "sola fide" which means "faith alone". Once saved, always saved. If you believe in Jesus and that He died for our sins, then you're going to heaven.

Of course, we don't believe that. We believe that we are saved purely through God's mercy and His Son's death and resurrection, but it's not as simple as just "once saved, always saved."

In the Hebrew language, the word for "believe" was not exactly the same word we use in today's English. Here's a story that illustrates the difference.

A circus performer was putting on an exhibition at Niagra Falls. A large crowd had gathered on both sides of the falls to watch him perform. He said to the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, today I am going to cross these tremendous falls by walking on this narrow wire stretched from here to the other side. Do you believe I can do it?"

The crowd went wild, cheering and yelling, "Yes, we believe!" So off he went. It was windy and wet above the falls, but he inched his way across and eventually made it. When he got there, the crowd on the other side went wild, cheering and applauding.

After he had rested a bit, the daredevil said to the crowd, "If you think that was amazing, wait until you see what I'm going to do next. I'm going back across the falls on the same narrow wire, but this time I'm going to do it blindfolded. Do you believe I can do it?" The crowd was even louder. "Yes, we believe!" So, off he went again, back toward the other side. It was even windier and wetter than before, but he made it again. The crowd was even louder than before.

The man climbed down from the platform, dried himself off and adressed the crowd again. "Ladies and gentlemen, for the most amazing feat of all, I'm going to go back across, blindfolded, carrying a man on my back! Do you believe I can do it?" More wild applause and cheers of "Yes, we believe!" Then the daredevil asked for a volunteer. The crowd grew deadly quiet. There wasn't a sound except for the roar of the falls.

Our Catholic faith is not one where we stand on the sidelines yelling "Yes, we believe!". The kind of belief we're talking about is the kind that's willing to let Jesus carry us, believing that He won't let us fall. In fact, if we read on in John's Gospel, to John 3:36 Jesus tells us that "whoever believes (there's that word again) in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him." In other words, if we believe but don't obey, we're no better off than someone who doesn't believe.

OK, we're supposed to obey Jesus. But, what did He tell us to do? Before we get to that, I said earlier that there were two reasons why I think that the sign-holders we see are protestants. The second reason is because they're really good at knowing chapter and verse from the Bible. They've got us there. Most Catholics know what the Bible says, we just don't always know where to find it.

Protestants have what they call "sword drills" in Sunday school. A sword drill is where the teacher gives a passage, like John 3:16 and the student has to recite the verse. Or the teacher may recite the verse and the student has to give the chapter and verse. They get the term "sword drill" from Ephesians, where Paul said " In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all (the) flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

When I was growing up in the Baptist church, I was lousy at sword drills. I really admire people who know their Bible well enough to be able to do it because I know how hard it is. That's why I'm pretty sure that anyone you see holding up a sign like this is a protestant, because they know what it means. It's a shorthand that they understand.

The problem with learning the Bible that way, though, is that you have a tendency to take individual verses out of context. For example, as we saw earlier, if you just know John 3:16 and don't read any further, you can come to a wrong conclusion.

But, I started thinking, if we Catholics were going to hold up signs at a Ram's game or a Cardinal's game, what verses would we pick? So, I came up with some suggestions.

How about this one, James 2:14; "What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works?" Or, James 2:17, when James writes, "So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead."

Some people believe that all you need for salvation is found in the Bible. They take exception to some of the things we do that have been handed down for centuries by the magesterium, or the teaching office, of the church. So maybe this is the sign we would use.

2 Thess. 2:15 Paul wrote to the Thessalonians and told them "Brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter." Sounds good to me.

Here's my personal favorite, Acts 6:3. " Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task", the commissioning of the first deacons.

Of course, there are a lot of Christians who don't recognize the authority of the Holy Father. Maybe our signs should say "Matthew 16:18-19. " And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

What about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist? That was His gift to us and to His Church, but some people don't believe in it. Maybe we should have this verse on our sign: Luke 22:19 Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me."

Finally, today is Trinity Sunday. We believe one God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Paul closed his second letter to the Corinthians by saying " The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with all of you." (2 Cor. 13:14) and Christ Himself said to the Apostles, (Matthew 28:19-20), "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. Let me repeat that: Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

Which brings us back to where we started. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." As Catholics, we know that that simple word "believe" means observing all that He commanded us and all that the Church has handed down to us. It's a lot more complicated than just holding up a sign.

Thursday of the 7th Week of Easter

May 12, 2005

That Paul was a pretty smart guy. Even today, more than 2,000 years after he died, you can ask just about anybody, “Hey, what about that Paul?” And they’ll answer, “he was a pretty smart guy.”

After all these years, after the Gospels, he’s still the one we turn to when we want answers about Jesus. He was a smart guy, all right.

But in the first reading today, Paul was almost too smart for his own good. He had to appear before the Sanhedrin to see exactly what it was that he was doing that had the Jews so upset. So Paul got up before the Sanhedrin and declared that he was a Pharisee. He was the son of Pharisees. And, he was on trial for hoping in the resurrection of the dead.

See, the Pharisees believed in resurrection. The Sadducees didn’t. Paul hoped to divide the two groups so that they couldn’t come to a decision about him. And the plan worked. The Sads and the Phars started to argue amongst themselves. The Pharisees decided that Paul wasn’t doing anything wrong.

Unfortunately, Paul’s plan worked too well. The fighting got so heavy between the Pharisees and the Sadducees that the commander was afraid that they would attack Paul. He had to send troops in to rescue him and they put him into what we would call today “protective custody.”

The next night, the Lord appeared to Paul and told him that he would have to bear witness in Rome, just as he had in Jerusalem. From the time he first fell off his horse, poor Paul couldn’t seem to get a break.

So, how does this apply to us today? Well, it’s not likely that we’re going to put ourselves into physical danger for proclaiming the Gospel. It’s possible, but probably not likely. But, there are definitely a lot of people who don’t believe. And a lot of them don’t mind saying so.

We live in what Pope John Paul called a culture of death. He wasn’t just talking about abortion. If you look at death as the opposite of life, then we realize that we live in a world where life is considered to be very cheap. Watch the 10:00 news and all you see are murders and kidnappings and rapes. There are fires and terrible accidents that were caused either by someone’s carelessness or viciousness. How often do we hear about arson fires that cost someone their life? Too often.

If you drive on the highway, you know that there are a lot of drivers out there who must think very little of their own lives, and even less of yours and mine. Is it any wonder, in a world where life isn’t respected, that so many people ignore the Gospel? It would really be hard for Paul if he were around today.

But, in today’s Gospel Jesus prays not only for his Apostles, but also “for those who will believe in me through their word.” He tells the Father that “as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.”


I had an interesting conversation with a man at the hospital Tuesday evening. He was raised Lutheran but lately, he’s been “church shopping.” For the last few weeks he’s been going to one of those “feel good” churches that you see advertising on television. I could tell that he still hasn’t found what he’s looking for.

We got on the subject of Pope John Paul II. He said that he was very surprised at how much he has grieved the passing of the Holy Father. He said that there was just something about John Paul that really touched his heart and he feels a great loss; quite a statement from a life long Lutheran.

But, you know what it was about John Paul that touched this man and so many others, regardless of their faith? He lived the Gospel. Whether you agreed with him on everything or not, no one has ever questioned the man’s faith in God and His Church. And that’s the thing that drew people to him, whether they were Catholic or Protestant, Jew or Muslim.

And, that’s the lesson that you and I can learn from the late Holy Father. St. Francis said to always preach the Gospel and if necessary use words. We have a responsibility to do that. It’s up to us to show and tell the world that Jesus was sent by His Father to save us from our sins.

Something Fun for Monday Morning

I found the following puzzle in "The Grapevine", the newsletter of the Military Council of Catholic Women-Europe. It’s a real challenge. You can find the solution at http://www.nccogop.org/30_books_solution.htm, but don’t go there until you’re sure that you can’t possibly find any more of the books.



There are thirty books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can you find them?

This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new sales record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, "the books are all right here in plain view hidden from sight." Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus, there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found.

Friday of the 6th Week of Easter

It’s never been easy being a Christian, from the very beginning. Jesus, himself, suffered a brutal death on the cross. Today, in the first reading, we see some of the trials that Paul went through during his ministry. He’s in Corinth and the Jews there want him arrested. They think he's violated the Mosaic law.

The Roman tribunal wants no part of it, because he hasn’t violated any civil law. Like Pontius Pilate when he was asked to execute Jesus, this tribunal doesn't want Paul's blood on his hands. The Jews even beat a synagogue official, right in front of the tribunal. He wasn’t impressed.

Luke tells us that Paul stayed there for “quite some time” and then left for Syria. At the beginning of the reading, God promised Paul that no one would harm him while he was in Corinth, and He kept his word.

Of course, later in life Paul would be arrested and imprisoned. And he eventually died a martyr’s death.
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In the today’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that they will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. He compares their suffering to a woman in labor. They will endure pain, but the reward will be so great that they will forget all about it. They will rejoice and no one will be able to take their joy away from them.

It's too bad that so many people today seem to have forgotten Christ's words. Forget about dying a martyr's death. A lot of so-called Christians think it's too much of a sacrifice to come to mass once a week. They honestly think that if they show up on Easter and Christmas, they are in God's good graces.

Yesterday was the feast of the Ascension. It used to be a Holy Day of obligation. But here in St. Louis, as in most dioceses of the United States, several years ago, it was moved to this coming Sunday. Believe it or not, some people haven't even noticed the change. I think the only people who were really upset were school kids and teachers because they don't get the day off anymore.

Many of us have turned into minimalist Catholics. How much do we have to do to get into heaven? Shouldn't the real question be, "What's the most I can do to repay God for sending His son to die on a cross so that my sins could be forgiven?"

We have no idea what God has in store for us when we get to heaven. All we know is that Jesus says that our "hearts will rejoice" and no one will take our joy away from us.