The Triumph Of The Cross Is A Given; The Triumph Of Our Crosses Is Not.

(Feast of the Triumph of the Cross: This homily was given on September 14, 2008 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani. Read Philippians 2: 6-11; John 3: 13-17.)

[For the audio version of this homily, click here: Triumph of the Cross 2008]

The triumph of the Cross is a given; the triumph of our crosses is not.

“Fr. Ray, what exactly does that mean?”

I’m so glad you asked!

The triumph of the Cross—the Cross of Jesus Christ—is one of the most important and fundamental beliefs of Christianity.

Of course, to those who do not share our faith in Jesus, it probably sounds like the ultimate oxymoron—the ultimate contradiction in terms. And that’s understandable, because in the ancient world crucifixion was a sign of defeat, not a sign of victory!

It would be like someone today speaking of “the triumph of the electric chair” or “the triumph of the firing squad”.

To most people those expressions would make no sense!

Only those of us who have faith can see the victory that came in and through Jesus’ sufferings! That victory is spoken of in today’s second reading from Philippians 2, where we are told that Jesus “humbled himself, obediently accepting even death, death on a Cross. [But] because of this God highly exalted him [in the resurrection], and bestowed upon him the name above all other names.”

Jesus said in today’s gospel reading that he would be “lifted up” in crucifixion, so that he would become the source of eternal life for all who believe in him.

And that’s precisely what happened on Good Friday: Jesus took our sins upon himself on the Cross (including, incidentally, the sins we haven’t even committed yet), and made atonement for them to the heavenly Father.

This is why St. Andrew of Crete went so far as to say that the Cross was Jesus’ “trophy”: he said that because “it was the means by which the devil was wounded and death conquered.”

Put it this way: Without the victory of the Cross, there would be no resurrection, no forgiveness, and no hope of heaven!

It’s as simple as that.

I said at the beginning of my homily that the triumph of the Cross is “a given”. By that I meant that it’s an unchangeable fact of our Catholic Christian faith. Jesus won the victory over sin and death by his sacrifice on Good Friday, and nothing can ever negate that victory.

It’s true, and it will always remain true—even if some people don’t believe it!

But, if you recall, I said something else a few moments ago. I said the triumph of the Cross is a given, but the triumph of our crosses is not a given.

The good news is that because of Jesus’ victory on his Cross, we now have the potential to experience many “victories” ourselves in the midst of our personal crosses. But having the potential and realizing the potential are two different things!

I think one of the problems is that some of us don’t know what these potential victories are; hence we don’t pursue them, nor do we recognize them when they actually do occur.

So what are they? What are these potential victories—these potential “triumphs” that we can experience through our daily crosses?

Well, think, for a moment, of the major sufferings you’ve experienced in your life.

Have you learned any positive lessons from those crosses? Have you learned the importance, for example, of being compassionate? Have you learned the importance of trying to be more patient? Have you learned to put other problems in perspective? Have you learned what’s really important in life?

Well, those positive lessons you’ve learned—whatever they might be—are victories! They represent the triumph of YOUR cross! That’s one reason why, when I’m going through something difficult, I always say to God, “Lord, what are you trying to teach me through this suffering? Help me to get the message!”

Another question: How have you changed in a positive way through the crosses you’ve experienced? This is a little different than the first question, because, as we all know, it’s possible for a person to learn a lesson intellectually, but never really apply it to his life! This question is specifically about positive change. I know people, for example, who have become less materialistic after they’ve been afflicted with a serious disease. They’ve suddenly become much more generous with their money, time and possessions. That positive change is a victory of God in them. I know people who have become much more humble after they’ve lost their job, or had a struggle with drugs or alcohol. That positive change is a triumph of their personal cross.

Another question: For whom have you offered up your sufferings? Like St. Paul, Catholics are supposed to believe that offered up suffering is like offered up prayer: it draws down God’s blessings upon us and upon other people. Well, to the extent that you consciously do this—to the extent that you offer up your personal daily crosses to God in union with the Cross of Jesus Christ—you experience victory, since you do something good with an evil you’re experiencing in your life.

Have your sufferings brought you closer to God? This is yet another way that you can triumph through your cross. In fact, there are probably people in this church right now who returned to the practice of their faith after something bad happened to them.

Another question: Have you ever used your suffering as an occasion to share Christ with someone else? If so, that act of witnessing was a victory—a triumph—of your cross. Not long ago I had to take a taxi cab to a doctor’s office, and I ended up getting into a conversation about Christ with the cab driver—a young woman in her late 20’s—on the way there. I wasn’t happy about having to go to the doctor, but I still used the occasion of that cross to do something good—spiritually—for someone else.

Looking back on it now, I realize that was a victory.

And finally, by looking to Jesus and reflecting on his Cross, have you found strength to deal with your own sufferings? If you have, then you’ve experienced victory and triumph by allowing the Lord to build you up in faith and hope. Your cross may not have gone away, but you were better able to deal with it.

My brothers and sisters, these victories are all possibilities that can become realities for us every day, since crosses come to us every day. And to some extent at least, they’re under our control!

We can’t always choose the sufferings we experience in life—that’s true—but we can choose to have victories in the midst of them! I can choose, for example, to learn from my crosses; I can choose to change in a positive way in response to my crosses; I can choose to offer up my crosses; I can choose to let my crosses bring me closer to God; I can choose to share my faith with others when I have a cross, and I can choose to look to Jesus for the strength I need to deal with my cross.

All this having been said, my prayer today is as follows (and I hope you make it your prayer as well):

“Dear Lord, since I’m going to suffer one way or another, help me to make the most of the opportunity. In the midst of the many crosses that come into my life, help me to experience all the victories that I possibly can—every day!”

Is Silence Golden?

Jennifer O'Neill

(Twenty-third Sunday of the Year (A): This homily was given on September 7, 2008 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani. Read Ezekiel 33: 7-9; Romans 13: 8-10; Matthew 18: 15-20.)

[For the audio version of this homily, click here: Twenty-third Sunday 2008]

“Silence is golden.”

You’ve heard that saying before; you’ve probably even used that saying from time to time in conversations with other people.

And I will admit that there may be some situations in life when it’s true—when silence is indeed desirable (did I hear someone say, “At homily time during Mass”?—I certainly hope not!); but it’s never desirable when sin and evil are involved.

Silence may sometimes be golden, but not in the face of evil and sin. In those situations silence is harmful, destructive—and sometimes it’s even deadly.

And this is something that almost everyone believes deep down inside—even atheists and materialists and others who oppose Jesus Christ and his gospel!

Case in point: the controversy surrounding the conduct of Pope Pius XII in World War II.

According to some contemporary historians, what was the most glaring fault of Pope Pius XII? What was he most guilty of?

Silence.

Right? They claim that he was totally silent in the face of the Nazi Holocaust of the Jews during the Second World War.

Now the truth is that Pius XII was not silent. He spoke up and he spoke out many times—and for that he was praised after the war by prominent Jews like Albert Einstein, the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem and the Chief Rabbi of Rome (who eventually became a Catholic himself due to Pius’ example and influence).

But even though Pius’ accusers are wrong, the fact that they’re so upset does show that they believe exactly what we believe: that in the face of evil silence isn’t golden, it’s reprehensible!

On a separate subject, I read an interesting statistic the other day. According to the New York Times—whose editors are definitely pro-abortion—64 percent of Americans oppose the idea of abortion-on-demand.

64 percent!

So how come Roe v. Wade is still the law of the land?

Why might we elect a man for president this year who got a 100% positive rating from the abortion rights group NARAL; a man who voted against a law in his home state that would have mandated medical care for babies born alive in botched abortions?

How could these things be happening?

The simple answer is “Silence”: the deafening silence of at least 64 percent of our citizens—including many members of the clergy.

Thankfully some Americans have resolved to be “silent no more” on this crucial issue; and it’s interesting to see who many of them are: women who have had abortions! In fact, a number of them—like actress Jennifer O’Neill—have actually formed a group with the name “Silent No More.”

These are women who have suffered spiritual, emotional and even physical consequences from choosing to end their pregnancies, and who are now courageously coming forward to tell their stories to the world. As O’Neill said to a group of government officials in Washington back in 2002, "I had an abortion and paid for it all my life until I healed and am now able to help other women." May God bless these women of “Silent No More”! They’ll probably do a lot more to change the immoral abortion laws of this nation than most of our politicians will.

I encourage you to look up this organization online. And if you’ve been personally wounded by abortion, I encourage you to consider joining; it might do a great deal to help further your healing—which is certainly what God wants for you.

In today’s first reading from Ezekiel 33, God warns the prophet not to be silent concerning the sins of the people of Israel: “You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel; when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me (i.e., you shall NOT be silent!). If I tell the wicked, ‘O wicked one, you shall surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way, the wicked shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death. But if you warn the wicked, trying to turn him from his way, and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself.”

Obviously this word has a special application to bishops, priests and deacons in the Church today. Please pray that we all will take it seriously—for our sakes as well as for yours!

Let me add that this is why it amazes me when people are critical of the pope—or their bishop—or their pastor—for preaching against sin.

What do they expect us to do? Do they want us to allow people to go to hell? Do they want us to condemn ourselves?

After he murdered his brother Abel in the book of Genesis, Cain asked the famous question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Well, in today’s gospel reading from Matthew 18 Jesus gives Cain and us the answer: “Yes, you are—at least to a certain extent; at least to the extent that you are responsible for doing what you can to help him recognize and turn away from his sin!”

Bishops, priests and deacons are called to do this for the entire family of God here on earth by their preaching, teaching and personal witness—as Ezekiel was called to do it for God’s people in Old Testament Israel.

But fraternal correction is also a requirement for all of you! Notice that Jesus does NOT say here: “If your brother sins against you, be silent, because silence is golden”?

He says the exact opposite! He says, in effect, “If your brother sins against you, don’t be silent! First go and tell him his fault, but keep it between you and him alone.”

If that doesn’t work, Jesus says, go tell others and get them to help you; and if that doesn’t work, seek assistance from the Church. Finally, if that doesn’t work, treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector (which basically means to avoid his company for a time, lest you become an accomplice in his sin).

It does not mean to completely close the door on the relationship you have with the person! And how do we know that? We know it because Jesus himself never closed the door on anyone—including Gentiles and tax collectors! He didn’t participate in their sins; he didn’t condone their sins in any way; however he did always welcome them when they recognized their sins and repented.

Think of St. Matthew; think of Zacchaeus.

Is there anyone in your life right now that you’ve “closed the door on,” so to speak?

If there is, then I think the Lord would say that this is a good time to at least unlock the door to that person! They might keep it closed on you, but you must not keep it closed on them. Who knows?—you may be the one who eventually leads them to salvation in Christ!

Stranger things have happened.

So today our prayer should be for courage—for fortitude (which is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit): “O Holy Spirit, give me the courage to say what I need to say, what I should say, what you want me to say—in every situation. May I never, ever be guilty of the terrible sin of silence.”

Jesus, the ‘firstfruits’; Mary, the ‘secondfruits’; You and I, the ‘thirdfruits’

(Assumption 2008: This homily was given on August 15, 2008 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani. Read 1 Corinthians 15: 20-27; Luke 1: 39-46.)

[For the audio version of this homily, click here: Assumption 2008]

The Immaculate Conception, which we celebrate each year on December 8^th, reminds us that Mary was different from us in one very important respect: she was conceived without original sin. She was also different from us in other ways. For example, she never committed a single sin in her entire life (no one of us can make that claim!), and she was different in that she had a unique calling from God to be the physical mother of the Savior of the world!

But today’s feast, the Assumption of Mary into heaven, reminds us that Mary was also like us in one very important way: she was a human person, who had a human body—a body that was made for earth and which had the potential to be “re-made” for heaven!

Today Catholics throughout the world gather to proclaim that this “potential” in our Blessed Mother became a reality on the day she was assumed into heaven. In today’s second reading from 1 Corinthians 15, we are told that when Jesus rose from the dead in his human body he was “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Well, I suppose you could say that the teaching of the Church is that Mary was the “secondfruits”. According to the dogma of the Assumption, Mary was taken up into heaven, body and soul, at the end of her earthly life. The Lord did not allow her flesh to decay in the grave. This was one aspect of her “blessedness”—a blessedness that she herself prophesied in the Magnificat when she said, “From this day all generations will call me blessed.”

The ultimate blessing for Mary was to be taken to heaven, body and soul, to be with her Divine Son in eternal glory.

Which brings us to what I would call “the thirdfruits”—US!

Jesus was the firstfruits because he rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, body and soul, by his power as God. Mary was the secondfruits because Jesus raised up her body when her earthly life was over, and brought her into his kingdom, body and soul.

We are the thirdfruits because what happened to Mary will happen to those of us who die in the state of grace. With one difference: It won’t happen to us at the same time that it happened to the Blessed Mother; in other words, it won’t happen when we die! (I always like to review this on the feast of the Assumption, because many Catholics are unclear about it.) The Church’s teaching, based on the Sacred Scriptures, is that when we die our souls are separated from our bodies. Our souls go either to heaven, hell, or purgatory.

However, our bodies go into the grave; and, unless they’re preserved by some special miracle, they decompose there. But they will be raised up again: at the end of time—at the Final Judgment—and at that point they will be reunited with our souls. Then everyone will go—soul and body—either to heaven or hell; purgatory will cease to exist.

We call Mary “our hope” in the Hail, Holy Queen because we hope that what happened to her at the Assumption will happen to us at the end of the world. And so, in the preface for this Mass (which we will hear in a few moments), the priest says, “Today the virgin Mother of God was taken up into heaven to be the beginning and the pattern of the Church in its perfection [the Church, remember, is us!], and a sign of hope and comfort for your people on their pilgrim way.”

Ultimately the feast of the Assumption is a reminder that the true goal of life is not to make a six-figure salary, or to “make-it” in the eyes of the world. The Assumption tells us that the true goal of life is heaven, and that it’s not only our souls but also our bodies that are meant to reside there forever (without all the aches and pains and imperfections that we have here on earth, of course!).

We sometimes say that Jesus died to save our souls. And that’s right—but it’s really only half-right. It’s much more accurate to say that Jesus died to save us, soul AND body.

This is why the Church teaches that our bodies are important, and that what we do to them and with them and for them matters!

Hedonists will sometimes accuse the Church of teaching that the body is “dirty”—as if the Church believes that the body doesn’t matter as much as the soul matters. Hopefully you now see what a lie that is! People who tell you to “do whatever you feel like doing” with your body are actually the ones who think that the body doesn’t matter. They’re the ones who say, “It’s my body and I’ll do whatever I want with it.”

The Church says, “No, your bodies deserve better! Your bodies deserve respect and care—they should never be abused with alcohol or drugs or promiscuous activity or through violence—simply because your bodies are made to reside forever with God!

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, that we will learn the lesson of your Assumption and treat ourselves—and our brothers and sisters—accordingly, always keeping in mind that their bodies and ours will someday be raised and glorified, just like yours and just like your Divine Son’s.

One Of The Roots Of Fear And How To Deal With It

The moment when fear took control of Simon Peter

(Nineteenth Sunday of the Year (A): This homily was given on August 10, 2008 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani. Read Matthew 14: 22-33.)

[For the audio version of this homily, click here: Nineteenth Sunday 2008]

It’s a well-known fact that more people fear flying than driving (and that was the case even before September 11, 2001!).

This is because, as psychology professor David Myers has said, “We fear what we can’t control. We fear flying more than driving because we feel we are in control of the car, but we know we’re not in control of the plane.”

In today’s well-known gospel story from Matthew 14, Peter walked on the water in faith, but then sank in fear. And that fear was rooted in what he could not control, namely the weather! Scripture says, “Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’”

“When he saw how strong the wind was . . .”

Before that moment he was doing just fine; in fact, he was doing a lot better than “just fine”—he was doing what was humanly impossible! He had his eyes on Jesus—meaning that he was totally unconcerned with what he could not control—and he walked on the water.

But once he took his eyes off the Lord, the “uncontrollable” suddenly grabbed his attention—and that was the beginning of the end of his little stroll on the lake.

There are many things in life that we cannot control no matter how hard we try: certain aspects of our health, for example. We can do our best to take care of our body through diet and exercise and yearly check-ups with our doctor, but in spite of our best efforts it’s still possible to come down with a serious disease. We can’t control the other terrible drivers on the highway; we can’t control the price of gas; we can’t control the weather. We can’t control what other people say about us; we can’t control what other people do to hurt us (I’m sure you parents wished you could control your children in this way, but you can’t. They will disobey and hurt you at times in spite of all the good things you teach them, and the good example you try to give them.)

If we really stop and think about all the events and circumstances of our lives, we’ll realize that the vast majority of what we have to deal with each and every day is totally beyond our control.

But “the majority” is not “all”! That’s good news, because it means that there are some dimensions of our lives that we can control successfully if we choose to. And these, believe it or not, have a direct impact on how we deal with all of those uncontrollable things in life that sometimes cause us to be fearful.

Here Peter serves as a great example. As I noted at the beginning of my homily, he could not control the weather that day on the Sea of Galilee: he couldn’t stop the wind; he couldn’t calm the waves that were tossing around the apostles’ boat. But he did have the power to control his mind—his thoughts—in the midst of it all! And he actually did that very well—for a brief time.

That’s when he walked on the water. He had his mind centered on the Lord; he had his eyes riveted on Jesus; he put his complete and total focus on his Savior—and he acted fearlessly! Even though he was in the midst of a situation that he could not possibly control, he had no fear in his heart!

But then he chose to focus his attention somewhere else. He made the decision to take his mind and eyes off Jesus, and allowed himself to be distracted by what was uncontrollable.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Like Peter, we can also control our choices—especially our choices regarding Jesus Christ and our Catholic faith. We can choose, for example, to take the teachings of the Church seriously every day and apply them in every circumstance we face; we can choose to nourish our relationship with Jesus through daily prayer and frequent reception of the Eucharist; we can choose to read at least one passage from the Bible every day so that our thoughts get in line with God’s word; we can choose to read books that will build up and not undermine our faith; we can choose to strengthen (or repair if necessary) our relationship with Jesus by going to Confession on a regular basis.

If we choose to take positive, spiritual steps like these every day (all of which are under our control), they will have a direct, positive impact on how we deal with the many things in our lives that we cannot control. We will be spiritually stronger in the midst of those uncontrollable events, and less fearful.

Once again, look at Peter. The man who freaked out in the midst of some bad weather on the Sea of Galilee, later went to his death fearlessly! He obviously had changed. He obviously had grown spiritually. And his was no ordinary death, remember: Peter was crucified upside down near the obelisk that now stands in St. Peter’s Square in Rome.

Jesus had said to him, “When you were a young man you fastened your belt and went about as you pleased; but when you are older you will stretch out your hands, and another will tie you fast and carry you off against your will.”

Peter could not control Nero and the Romans who condemned him to death. But he could control his inner response to their condemnation.

This time he made the right choice—and stuck with it! This time he chose to keep his eyes—the eyes of his soul—firmly fixed on Jesus till the end.

So today’s lesson is simple: By controlling what we can control in life, we strengthen ourselves to face the things that we cannot control. And this can eliminate—or at least lessen—our level of fear (perhaps even our fear of flying!).