We’re on a Mission from God

 

(Baptism of the Lord (B): This homily was given on January 10, 2021 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani.  Read Isaiah 42:1-7; Psalm 29:1-10; Acts 1:34-38; Mark 1:7-11.)

[For the audio version of this homily, click here: Baptism of the Lord 2021]

 

“We’re on a mission from God.”

John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd made that line famous many years ago in the movie, “The Blues Brothers.”

“We’re on a mission from God.”

With the proper qualifications, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, could have said something very similar on the day he was baptized: “I’m on a mission from the Heavenly Father, and the mission officially begins now—at this moment!”

The Father himself verified this when he said, from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”  His message was, “This is Jesus, my beloved Son; and you must listen to his words and obey his commands, because he’s on a mission—he’s on a mission from me!”

Now if we are called to be like Jesus (and we are!), then common sense should tell us that we are also to have a mission in this life: not the same one that Jesus had, of course—saving the world from sin and eternal death is way beyond our capabilities!—but we are to have a mission nonetheless.     

Do you have a sense of what yours is?  Many people today do not—even if they’re very successful in the eyes of the world.  They achieve certain goals; they do good things; they even help others in wonderful ways—but they lack a real sense of purpose which is rooted in this idea of “mission.”

I think this is a clear indication of how secularized our society has become.  Let’s face it, for many people—even for many Christians—God is not the major player in their decision making process.  When it comes to the important decisions of life: choosing a vocation, or a spouse, or even a job, the question for them isn’t, “Lord, what is your plan for my life?  What do you want me to do?  Please show me.”; the question normally is, “How do I feel about this?  Is this what I feel like doing right now?”

The person who does involve God in the major decisions of his life—in other words, the person who tries his best to discern God’s will in all that he does—is much more likely to have a sense of purpose and mission, as opposed to the person who makes decisions based on his feelings or instincts.

To have a sense of mission in your life, you must first of all be convinced that there’s someone out there who has a plan, and who’s actually sending you forth!  That’s why God, and not our feelings, must be our reference point for everything.  In fact, if you remember nothing else from this homily, please remember that: God must be our reference point for everything!  He already knows our mission in life, and he’s the only one who can reveal that mission to us over time.  Our emotions can’t do it; in fact, our emotions will normally lead us astray. 

As St. John Henry Newman put it concerning his own life:

God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me, which He has not committed to another. . . .I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place while not intending it—if I do but keep His commandments.

Therefore I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirit sink, hide my future from me – still He knows what He is about.

Notice the connection Newman makes there between fulfilling our mission and keeping the commandments.  One follows the other.  Consequently, if you’re lacking a sense of mission in your life at the present time, perhaps the first thing you need to do is make a good examination of conscience and a good confession.

Notice, too, the implicit warning he gives against living our lives according to our feelings.  Newman indicates here that fulfilling our mission might not always make us “feel good;” sometimes it may actually involve unpleasant things like sickness and sorrow.  So, obviously, if we make the mistake of living by our emotions, we may miss our mission entirely.

You parents, for example, already know this by your own experience.  Part of your mission in this life is to provide for the spiritual, physical and emotional needs of your children.  But that’s not always a lot of fun, is it?  That’s not always enjoyable on an emotional level.  In fact I dare say that if you equated your mission in life as parents with what made you feel good, most of you would have run away from home a long time ago!  Faithfulness to the mission God gave you has required sacrifice and even, at times, sorrow.  But, as St. John Henry Newman would tell you, that sorrow has actually served God, and enabled you to fulfill a crucial part of your mission here on earth.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta (now St. Teresa of Calcutta) also understood this from her own experience.  After Mother Teresa died in 1997, the Church began an extensive investigation into her life—which is a normal part of the canonization process.  And during this investigation they learned some things about Mother Teresa that were not known before (at least by the general public).  First of all, it seems that she had a very deep, powerful spiritual experience on September 10, 1946, which led her to found the Missionaries of Charity. God made it clear to her that this was his will.  And then—during the rest of 1946 thru 1947—she experienced a real mystical union with Christ in her prayer life.  This is something incredible that most people never experience on this side of the grave.  But then, when her difficult work in the order began, that sense of union with Christ left her, although she deeply longed for it—as I’m sure we all would.  (They know all this, by the way, from letters she wrote to her spiritual directors.)

One of the priest investigators was asked, “How long did this period of darkness last [for Mother Teresa]?”  He replied, “Till the end.  Fifty years.”

So here was a woman who was blessed to know her mission in life because it was revealed to her directly by God in a powerful, spiritual experience; but who had to fulfill that mission without any deep, spiritual consolations for 50 years.  As the priest investigator put it, she had to minister to the sick and dying for all that time out of “pure faith and pure love.”

Can you imagine if she had made the mistake of living her life by her feelings after 1947?

She obviously never would have fulfilled her mission; in fact, she probably would have given up after only a couple of days!

The Blues Brothers were right: we are all on a mission from God.  The challenge for each of us—and for every human person—is first to discover our particular mission, and then to complete it with the faithfulness of a Mother Teresa.

If we do, then we will someday be where she now is.

The Spiritual Benefits of Eternal Light Therapy

 

(Epiphany 2021: This homily was given on January 3, 2021 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani.  Read Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-13; Ephesians 3:2-6; Matthew 2:1-12.)

[For the audio version of this homily, click here: Epiphany 2021]

 

Seasonal Affective Disorder (commonly known as “SAD”) is a medical condition similar to depression, except that it manifests itself only during the winter months.  In colloquial terms you might call it “the wintertime blues.”

SAD, unfortunately, has existed for a long time, but it was first identified as a medical condition back in the 1980s, by people like Dr. Norman Rosenthal, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University.

Dr. Rosenthal was recently interviewed by the New York Times on this subject along with other mental health professionals, and they said that they expect the problem to be worse this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.  As Kelly Rohan, a professor of psychological science at the University of Vermont, put it: “I think we’re in for a particularly difficult winter for people with SAD, who seem to be especially susceptible to stressful life events.”

And, as we are all well aware, the pandemic has been an extremely “stressful life event” for a lot of people!

So, is there hope?  Is there any hope for people who may be suffering from this emotional disorder at the present time?  The good news is, yes, there is—there’s a lot of hope.  As Rosenthal and his colleagues have discovered, there is something which is highly effective in battling SAD.  It’s called “light therapy.” 

Listen now to 3 paragraphs from an article on SAD that I came across a number of years ago online.  There are some very important insights here:

 

The exact mechanism by which light affects mood is unknown.  Dr. Rosenthal believes that when light stimuli are carried to the brain, they may stimulate or suppress the levels of certain brain chemicals.  But regardless of how it works, he says the key to treating SAD is getting more light.

“First and foremost, bring more light into your life,” he says, “This can be done naturally by getting outdoors on a bright winter day or by bringing in more lamps.  The light can be just general ways of lighting up the room, but there are some specific light boxes or light fixtures that have been specifically produced to deliver the amount of light that has been used in research studies that have been shown to be effective.”

Typical light therapy involves sitting in front of a lamp for an hour or so every day.  Dr. Rosenthal says most patients will see the benefits from this therapy within a week.  The benefits will remain as long as they use the light; but as soon as they stop, the old symptoms of sluggishness and depression can return relatively quickly.

 

If Bishop Fulton Sheen were still alive, I think he would read those paragraphs and say, “I’m not at all surprised, because so often there’s a direct parallel in this life between the spiritual and the physical.”

Fr. Ray, please explain.

Okay, I will.

This is the feast of the Epiphany, when we recall how the light of a star guided the Magi to the true Light of the world, Jesus Christ.  Two lights—one physical, the other spiritual—both of which dispelled sadness and brought great joy.  St. Matthew tells us in today’s Gospel that after they left Herod, the Magi “were overjoyed at seeing the star.”  And that joy must have intensified a hundred-fold when they finally arrived at their destination, and presented their gifts to the newborn King of the Jews.

Jesus Christ is the eternal Light worshipped by the Magi; he is “Light from Light,” as we say in the Creed every Sunday.  And this divine Light is still with us in many ways, but most especially in the Holy Eucharist. 

I wonder: Could it be that many Catholics today are depressed, confused, and in spiritual turmoil because they aren’t getting enough “light therapy”—enough Eternal Light therapy—courtesy of Jesus Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament?

I think a very good case can be made for that.

Remember what it said in that article?—“The key to treating SAD is getting more light into your life.”

I believe that’s what more Catholics need to do, spiritually speaking!  How?  Number 1, by receiving the Eucharist worthily, reverently, and prayerfully (this is why it’s so important to eventually get back to Mass); and number 2, by spending more time in the presence of the Eternal Light, who is reserved in the tabernacle of every Catholic Church, and exposed for adoration here on Tuesdays and First Fridays, as well as in the adoration chapel at Immaculate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

In the physical order (as Dr. Rosenthal and his colleagues have discovered) light therapy dispels sadness.  The same is true in the spiritual order, as Bishop Fulton Sheen would happily remind us.  As many of you know, Bishop Sheen made a Holy Hour in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament every day of his priestly life.  Every single day!  He always said that this was the secret of his powerful preaching and effective ministry in the Church.  It was his “hour of power,” so to speak.  That’s why I’m convinced that he would smile and nod his head in agreement if he were still with us and had the opportunity to learn about SAD.  He knew the importance of spiritual Light therapy in his own life, so he would not have been surprised about the benefits of physical light therapy.

In this regard, did you notice how Dr. Rosenthal said that “light boxes” have become useful in battling this disorder?  I think Bishop Sheen would say, “We Catholics have our ‘light boxes’ too: they’re called tabernacles.  If we pray in front of them with faith in our hearts, then the eternal Light which is inside will gradually heal us of our spiritual ills—and perhaps even some of our physical ones.”

And he would no doubt use the final point in the article I quoted from earlier to encourage us to do this as often as possible.  Listen again to these words: 

Typical light therapy involves sitting in front of a lamp for an hour or so every day.  Dr. Rosenthal says most patients will see the benefits from this therapy within a week.  The benefits will remain as long as they use the light; but as soon as they stop, the old symptoms of sluggishness and depression can return relatively quickly.

Sheen would say, “That’s why I make a Holy Hour every single day!”

The Lord’s message to us today, then, is very simple, my brothers and sisters.  He says, “Get yourself some Eternal Light therapy, and get it often.  Pray in the presence of the true Light of the world, Jesus Christ, who is present to you Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Holy Eucharist.  Do that every day, if possible.  It will help you deal with all that makes you sad and bad and mad—and it will help you to do this not only during the winter months, but throughout the year.”

 

Mary: She Pondered the Past to Prepare for the Future

(Mary, the Mother of God 2021: This homily was given on January 1, 2021 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani.  Read Numbers 6:22-27; Psalm 67:2-8; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21.)

[For the audio version of this homily, click here: Mary, the Mother of God 2021]

She pondered the past to prepare for the future.

I’m talking, of course, about Mary, our Blessed Mother.

She pondered the past in order to prepare herself for what was to come in her life.

We know this from today’s gospel reading, in which we read the following line: “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”  We also know it from Luke 2:51 which says pretty much the same thing.  There the evangelist writes, “[Jesus] went down with [Mary and Joseph] and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.”

And what exactly were “these things?”

Well, very simply, they were the events surrounding Jesus’ birth and youth.  That’s obvious since the first reference to Mary “keeping these things in her heart” occurs during St. Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus, while the second one occurs after he tells the story of the finding of Jesus in the Temple when our Lord was twelve-years-old.

At the time, Mary didn’t know exactly what the future held for her and for her family.  Much of that was hidden from her eyes—as our future is hidden from our eyes.  Yes, Mary knew that her Son, Jesus, was unique—the only man ever to be conceived directly through the power of the Holy Spirit.  She knew that her Son Jesus had a special relationship with God, and that he was the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies which are found in what we now call the Old Testament.  She also knew that Jesus would somehow “save his people from their sins” (as the angel had told Joseph before our Lord was born).  And she knew that he would establish some kind of kingdom that would never end.

But beyond that Mary didn’t know too many other things regarding God’s plan to reconcile the world to himself through his divine Son.  She certainly didn’t know all of the details of the story that we know—although she was aware of the fact that, in some way, she—and her Son—would suffer greatly.  She became aware of that disturbing detail courtesy of the holy man Simeon, who said to her at the Presentation, “And a sword will pierce your own soul too, so that the secret thoughts of many will be laid bare.”

But our Blessed Mother faced all those future events with faith and strength when they actually occurred—because she had prepared for them well by “pondering” the past.  In other words, she got ready to face the future events of her life by reflecting on—by meditating on—by praying about—the things God had already done for her and for her family.

And even for her nation.

We see evidence of this in her Magnificat: that prayer of praise that Mary said when she visited her pregnant cousin, Elizabeth, at the Visitation.

Notice how the lines of that prayer that I’m about to read to you point to past events either in Mary’s own personal life or in the life of the nation of Israel—past events that Mary had obviously pondered and reflected on in her heart.  Mary said in her Magnificat, “God has looked with favor on his lowly servant; the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name; he has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit.  He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly.  He has filled the hungry with good things, and rich he has sent away empty.  He has come to the help of his servant Israel, for he remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.”

As I said a few moments ago, just as Mary’s future was hidden from her eyes, so our future is hidden from our eyes.  None of us knows what tomorrow—or even the rest of today—will bring.  This, I would say, is something that the coronavirus pandemic has made clear to a lot of people.  And, as we all know, this uncertainty about the future can easily cause us to become fearful or anxious or depressed (or all of the above!)—unless we learn from our Blessed Mother, and follow her example of pondering the past.

In this case, our past!

This is something we should do frequently when we pray—and especially when we pray in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.  We should spend some time reflecting on the ways—the many ways—that God has been there for us in the past; on the ways he has helped us and provided for us in the past; on the ways he has gotten us through every difficulty and trial that we’ve faced in the past.

And he has!  In one sense, at least, Almighty God has helped each and every one of us to deal successfully with everything we’ve had to face in our lives thus far—including COVID-19.  We know that because we’re still here!  We know that because we’re still alive!  The very fact that we’re still breathing and have a pulse after all that we’ve been through is a living testimony to the faithfulness of God!  His words to St. Paul are true for everyone: “My grace is sufficient for you, for in your weakness my power reaches its perfection.”

This means that we can—and that we should—have confidence and trust in God as we look to our uncertain future, as Mary had confidence and trust in God in the face of her uncertain future.

Her pondering prepared her well—and helped her to stay faithful to God and on the road to heaven.

May our pondering help all of us to do the very same thing.

 

Why Practicing Your Catholic Faith is Good for You and Your Family

(Holy Family 2020 (B): This homily was given on December 27, 2020 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani.  Read Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14; Psalm 128:1-5; Colossians 1:12-21; Luke 2:22-40.)

 [For the audio version of this homily, click here: Holy Family 2020]

 

On the first Sunday after Christmas—even in a pandemic year—there are definitely many people in church for Mass who were also there on the Sunday before Christmas.  I’m sure most of you fit into that category.  But, hopefully, on the very first Sunday after December 25^th there are at least a few people in church for Mass (here and in other places) who were NOT there on the Sunday before December 25^th—or on the Sunday before that; or on the Sunday before that; or on the Sunday before that!

These are the souls who were touched by God’s grace in some way during the celebration of Christmas, and who made the decision to start practicing their Catholic faith again.

Well, if you’re one of those people, I want to reinforce your decision today in and through this homily.  And if you’re not one of those people—that is to say, if you’re someone who was in church last Sunday and has been faithful all along—I want to increase your level of dedication to your Catholic faith through what I say this morning, on this Feast of the Holy Family.

And so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the title of my homily today is: “Why practicing your faith is good for you and your family.” 

It’s very clear from today’s gospel reading that Jesus, Mary and Joseph—the members of the Holy Family—were Jews who took their religion very seriously.  Jesus was consecrated to God in the Temple in obedience to the Law of Moses, which stated that “every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord.”

We heard that a few moments ago.  And notice it says that the members of the Holy Family did not go back to their hometown of Nazareth until (and here I quote) “they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord.”

Later on we read in Luke that Mary, Jesus and Joseph traveled to Jerusalem every year to celebrate Passover, the most sacred feast in Judaism.  Our Lord attended synagogue regularly—not just on the High Holy Days.

They were a family of practicing Jews.  And practicing their religion was good for them: it gave their lives the right center; it gave their lives meaning and direction; and it taught them how to love and serve God and one another. 

That, of course, was 2,000 years ago.  We live in a different time, and in a different culture.  But I believe the truth still applies: When you go to church and practice your religion, it makes a positive difference in your personal life and in the life of your family—especially if your religion is Catholicism (which teaches the fullness of God’s revealed truth)!

And this is something that even honest secular researchers will acknowledge.  If they’re researching deviant behavior, for example, and they divide people into two groups: people who practice their religion, and people who don’t, there will almost always be a huge difference in the numbers!  The amount of lying, and cheating, and stealing, etc., will almost always be much greater in the “non-practicing” group.

The other day I made a short list of some practical benefits that I’ve observed in families that practice their Catholic faith.  (This is not an exhaustive list; you could probably name many others.)

#1 When a family practices its Catholic faith, parents have another authority—the Ultimate Authority—to appeal to in dealing with their children!  “Do it because I say so” can only get you so far, parents.  If that’s the only weapon in your arsenal, sooner or later your children will say (or at least think), “And who are you, mom?  And who are you, dad?  With all due respect, you’re just an imperfect human being like me.”  But if you can say, “Do it because Almighty God wants you to do it; do it because it’s HIS will”—that carries a lot more weight.

#2 When a family practices its Catholic faith, everyone learns the importance of forgiveness.  And let’s face it, no family—no marriage—no friendship—no interpersonal relationship—survives for very long without forgiveness.

And beyond that, practicing your Catholic faith also provides you with concrete examples of how to forgive (especially in Jesus).

#3 As was the case for Jesus, Mary and Joseph, practicing your religion presents everyone in the family with the right set of priorities—the right “center,” so to speak.

#4 When a family practices its Catholic faith, everyone learns to be accountable and responsible for their actions—which apparently is not a lesson that most high school students are learning in their classrooms (or online) these days! In a well-known study by the Josephson Institute several years ago, almost 30,000 students were surveyed: 64% of them admitted they had cheated on a test in the past year; 30% had stolen from a store; 42% had lied to save money—but 93% said that they were satisfied with their personal ethics and character.

Not a lot of responsibility and accountability there, unfortunately.  I don’t think much has changed since that study was done.  If anything, it’s probably gotten worse.

What I wonder is how many of those young people went to church every week.  That’s a question they didn’t ask in the survey—but they should have!

#5 When a family practices its Catholic faith, everyone learns the importance of thinking of others; everyone learns the importance of helping others.  That’s another benefit.  As Jesus said, “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do to me.”

And finally, #6 when a family practices its Catholic faith, every family member has the opportunity to get on—or to stay on—or to get back on—the road to heaven, which is the ultimate goal of our existence here on earth.

So aren’t you glad you’re here at Mass today—or watching it online?  You should be!

Hopefully this will motivate you to come back (or at least tune in) next Sunday and every Sunday thereafter—and to practice your faith on the other six days of the week as well—for your own good, and for the good of your family.