Thank you all for your prayers and emails of support. I had my evaluation this morning and it seemed to go very well. I will not recieve the official approval for another month, but I think things are looking pretty. Good!
God Bless.
What Recompense can I give to the Lord?
Ordination to the Diaconate
Monday, January 21, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Christmas Homilies
As promised here are my texts of the Christmas Homilies I gave over the break. They are my notes, and not necessarily the way the homily ended up being delievered so just remember that they could be significantly worse or better than what the people heard!!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Homily to the Benedictine Convent in Rome
1st Monday in Ordinary Time
Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you refuse to eat?
Why do you grieve? Am I not more to you than ten sons?
Hannah, a pre-figuration of our Blessed Mother
Weeps because she is childless.
She prays to God for a child
Offering sacrifices and supplication
So that she should be fruitful, and not barren
and promising her Child,
who she is sure God will give her
to his service.
My sisters, we too should weep to God for Children
We who are called and who have accepted
the great gift of celibacy
are called to be Mothers and Fathers
to many spiritual sons and daughters.
By our prayers, example, kind words,
and heartfelt love and support
God desires to regenerate the world
And to bring the whole world
to new life in the waters of Baptism
We cannot forget our vocation to spiritual parenthood
Which is so central to religious and priestly identity.
Like you, I a deacon and a student,
live a hidden life here at the seminary
not assigned full-time to any parish
not able to have the interaction with the laity
that I might like or desire.
This has been one of the most difficult aspects
of coming to Rome, for me.
However, I find great comfort
in the example of St. Theresa of Liseaux
who though sequestered from the world
is the Patroness of the Missions.
Even in our relative isolation,
within the wall of the seminary
We must never forget that God hears the cries
of those who call to Him in weakness.
and we must never stop pleading for children
For spiritual sons and daughters
Who like Ss. Peter and Andrew
Will encounter Jesus in some chance moment in their life
And because of the grace won for them by our prayers
Will allow that chance encounter to become
the moment of rebirth into a new life with Christ.
In this life you may never know how many times over
You are a mother
to so many sons and daughters of the Church.
But take faith that God hears
your cries for spiritual fruitfulness
and smiles on them.
By sending the church many sons and daughters
Consecrated to his service—and called to set the world on fire
By their example of holiness.
For the Holy Catholic Church, that she may never cease praying for the gift of new children…
For Pope Benedict that he may be a faithful father and guide to the Church on earth after the model of our Heavenly Father…
That religious and priests everywhere never forget to be good spiritual parents, following first and foremost the model set by St. Theresa of Liseaux…
For a greater response among people to the universal call to holiness, and especially to vocations to spiritual parenthood as a religious or priest…
For the men of the North American College, that they may be strengthened by the prayers of the faithful for their vocations, and for all who are away from seminary or pastoral year or on a leave of absence, that our prayers and the guidance of the Holy Spirit may help to confirm them in their vocation …
Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you refuse to eat?
Why do you grieve? Am I not more to you than ten sons?
Hannah, a pre-figuration of our Blessed Mother
Weeps because she is childless.
She prays to God for a child
Offering sacrifices and supplication
So that she should be fruitful, and not barren
and promising her Child,
who she is sure God will give her
to his service.
My sisters, we too should weep to God for Children
We who are called and who have accepted
the great gift of celibacy
are called to be Mothers and Fathers
to many spiritual sons and daughters.
By our prayers, example, kind words,
and heartfelt love and support
God desires to regenerate the world
And to bring the whole world
to new life in the waters of Baptism
We cannot forget our vocation to spiritual parenthood
Which is so central to religious and priestly identity.
Like you, I a deacon and a student,
live a hidden life here at the seminary
not assigned full-time to any parish
not able to have the interaction with the laity
that I might like or desire.
This has been one of the most difficult aspects
of coming to Rome, for me.
However, I find great comfort
in the example of St. Theresa of Liseaux
who though sequestered from the world
is the Patroness of the Missions.
Even in our relative isolation,
within the wall of the seminary
We must never forget that God hears the cries
of those who call to Him in weakness.
and we must never stop pleading for children
For spiritual sons and daughters
Who like Ss. Peter and Andrew
Will encounter Jesus in some chance moment in their life
And because of the grace won for them by our prayers
Will allow that chance encounter to become
the moment of rebirth into a new life with Christ.
In this life you may never know how many times over
You are a mother
to so many sons and daughters of the Church.
But take faith that God hears
your cries for spiritual fruitfulness
and smiles on them.
By sending the church many sons and daughters
Consecrated to his service—and called to set the world on fire
By their example of holiness.
For the Holy Catholic Church, that she may never cease praying for the gift of new children…
For Pope Benedict that he may be a faithful father and guide to the Church on earth after the model of our Heavenly Father…
That religious and priests everywhere never forget to be good spiritual parents, following first and foremost the model set by St. Theresa of Liseaux…
For a greater response among people to the universal call to holiness, and especially to vocations to spiritual parenthood as a religious or priest…
For the men of the North American College, that they may be strengthened by the prayers of the faithful for their vocations, and for all who are away from seminary or pastoral year or on a leave of absence, that our prayers and the guidance of the Holy Spirit may help to confirm them in their vocation …
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Baptism of the Lord Homily given at NSA Naples Navy Base
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
By: Rev. Deacon Ronnie P. Floyd
Throughout the history of warfare, great military leaders have used two different styles to lead their troops
Some lead from the front, and some from the rear.
Napoleon for instance would set up his headquarters on a high point, like a hilltop or nearby cliff, overlooking the battlefield.
• surrounded by a dozen or so messengers.
• when the battle started, his role was to issue orders by sending messengers to the captains of different units.
His genius was in seeing the overview, and identifying exactly the right time to execute each step of his battle plan. And he inspired awe and respect in his troops because he led them well, even though from a distance, above the sweat and bullets of the battle.
Alexander the Great on the other hand would set up his headquarters right in the middle of the camp.
• The night before a battle he would gather his officers in his tent, and together they would make their battle plan - paying special attention to timing and placement of the cavalry charge.
• Then when the time came to fight, Alexander would mount his horse and actually lead the charge - right in the forefront of his troops, risking his own life along with his soldiers'.
• Alexander inspired not only awe and respect among his followers, but also love.
• His troops knew he was their leader, but they felt that he was also their brother.
(Above example taken from www.epriest.com)
Christ wants to inspire this type of love in our hearts. That's why he became man,
pitching his dwelling among us, taking his place with sinners by his baptism.
Today we celebrate the Lord’s Baptism and along with it our own Baptism.
Most all of us here, especially those born Catholic were Baptized as little Children. And though most of us have seen Baptisms I think today is a good opportunity to think about what exactly Baptism is.
So what is it? Central to Baptism is the natural symbol of water. Baptism is not uniquely Christian, as we read in the Gospel John was Baptizing even before Jesus began his ministry and even some pagan cults baptized.
They baptized because in water people saw a great symbol of metamorphisis and change.
In Baptism we are plunged into water. a symbol of Life and Death:
Life because we need water to live. And death because even today, water, when it comes too slow or too fast, is deadly. Water falling from the sky or flowing in the worlds great rivers and oceans has always been one of the most powerful forces on earth. And I am sure I don’t have to tell sailors how turbulent once peaceful waters can get.
And so since the beginning of time water has always had a eeligious significance to man as a symbol of the ebb and flow of life.
Water is a symbol of the Battle that we call life a battle between good and evil, and between life and death, and so today Jesus enters into the fray, he enters into the waters of Baptism to show us that our God is not just the man with the answers quarterbacking from a heavenly armchair but rather he is Emmanuel, God with us.
He wants to fight right beside us, every step of the way. He leads from his throne in heaven above, inspiring awe and respect. But he also leads from beside us, by his Cross and through his Church,
You see, Baptism is a central symbol of our faith and the key to understanding the whole of Scripture:
In Baptism, Jesus enters the arc with Noah and humanity to ride out the turbulence and destruction of the storms of life with us and to remind us that the destructive power of the waters, also bears the promise of a new beginning, a new life in a world cleansed from evil.
In Baptism, Jesus passes with us through the waters of the Red Sea, with us, leading us from slavery into freedom, and destroying our enemy the devil and all his allies.
In Baptism Jesus travels and dwells with and in us as we wander through the deserts of life, all the while providing us with bread and water.
In Baptism, Jesus unites us all to His Cross, washing us clean in the water that poured from His side and feeding us with His Body and His Blood.
Through his Eucharist, our God is with us In our midst, leading us, as our General, but also as our Brother, our Friend, inspiring love.
Today we end the season of Christmas. But we can’t forget its central mystery
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, we prayered in Advent, and he came! And by his Baptism and Cross he remains with us always Emmanuel, God with us. Through all life’s struggles.
Our Baptism, is our enlistment into the Army of our King a king who loves us and treats us like brothers a king who is in the trenches with us.
Just as the great military leaders who led from the front inspired not only obedience but love so too must we, who bear the name Christian, be not only obedient to His commands, but faithful to Him in Love.
Our Baptism requires a response. It requires discipline and self-sacrifice and trust.
First and foremost we must trust our God. We must trust that He wants only the best for us! This trust can only be learned by getting to know Him by prayer, study, and the witness of others.
When we trust our God, it becomes possible to follow his commands freely and even to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good, out of love for our God and for our neighbor.
Final, Just as the symbol of water reminds us, life is turbulent, life is a battle.
Just as in a battle things can be confusing and communication can be difficult
So in life things can be unclear, this is where discipline comes in.
We need to discipline ourselves to keep the lines of communication open, even in the heat of battle, amidst all the distractions of life so that we receive the right intelligence and the right commands for the right circumstances.
To do this we need to keep our eyes on our Kings Standard, on the Cross because in the cross we are reminded of the fact that our God is with us, where ever we go.
Ultimately, in Baptism we are promised victory. In Hoc Signo Vincit—in this sign, the sign of the Cross we already have won the battle, even before it begins.
By: Rev. Deacon Ronnie P. Floyd
Throughout the history of warfare, great military leaders have used two different styles to lead their troops
Some lead from the front, and some from the rear.
Napoleon for instance would set up his headquarters on a high point, like a hilltop or nearby cliff, overlooking the battlefield.
• surrounded by a dozen or so messengers.
• when the battle started, his role was to issue orders by sending messengers to the captains of different units.
His genius was in seeing the overview, and identifying exactly the right time to execute each step of his battle plan. And he inspired awe and respect in his troops because he led them well, even though from a distance, above the sweat and bullets of the battle.
Alexander the Great on the other hand would set up his headquarters right in the middle of the camp.
• The night before a battle he would gather his officers in his tent, and together they would make their battle plan - paying special attention to timing and placement of the cavalry charge.
• Then when the time came to fight, Alexander would mount his horse and actually lead the charge - right in the forefront of his troops, risking his own life along with his soldiers'.
• Alexander inspired not only awe and respect among his followers, but also love.
• His troops knew he was their leader, but they felt that he was also their brother.
(Above example taken from www.epriest.com)
Christ wants to inspire this type of love in our hearts. That's why he became man,
pitching his dwelling among us, taking his place with sinners by his baptism.
Today we celebrate the Lord’s Baptism and along with it our own Baptism.
Most all of us here, especially those born Catholic were Baptized as little Children. And though most of us have seen Baptisms I think today is a good opportunity to think about what exactly Baptism is.
So what is it? Central to Baptism is the natural symbol of water. Baptism is not uniquely Christian, as we read in the Gospel John was Baptizing even before Jesus began his ministry and even some pagan cults baptized.
They baptized because in water people saw a great symbol of metamorphisis and change.
In Baptism we are plunged into water. a symbol of Life and Death:
Life because we need water to live. And death because even today, water, when it comes too slow or too fast, is deadly. Water falling from the sky or flowing in the worlds great rivers and oceans has always been one of the most powerful forces on earth. And I am sure I don’t have to tell sailors how turbulent once peaceful waters can get.
And so since the beginning of time water has always had a eeligious significance to man as a symbol of the ebb and flow of life.
Water is a symbol of the Battle that we call life a battle between good and evil, and between life and death, and so today Jesus enters into the fray, he enters into the waters of Baptism to show us that our God is not just the man with the answers quarterbacking from a heavenly armchair but rather he is Emmanuel, God with us.
He wants to fight right beside us, every step of the way. He leads from his throne in heaven above, inspiring awe and respect. But he also leads from beside us, by his Cross and through his Church,
You see, Baptism is a central symbol of our faith and the key to understanding the whole of Scripture:
In Baptism, Jesus enters the arc with Noah and humanity to ride out the turbulence and destruction of the storms of life with us and to remind us that the destructive power of the waters, also bears the promise of a new beginning, a new life in a world cleansed from evil.
In Baptism, Jesus passes with us through the waters of the Red Sea, with us, leading us from slavery into freedom, and destroying our enemy the devil and all his allies.
In Baptism Jesus travels and dwells with and in us as we wander through the deserts of life, all the while providing us with bread and water.
In Baptism, Jesus unites us all to His Cross, washing us clean in the water that poured from His side and feeding us with His Body and His Blood.
Through his Eucharist, our God is with us In our midst, leading us, as our General, but also as our Brother, our Friend, inspiring love.
Today we end the season of Christmas. But we can’t forget its central mystery
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, we prayered in Advent, and he came! And by his Baptism and Cross he remains with us always Emmanuel, God with us. Through all life’s struggles.
Our Baptism, is our enlistment into the Army of our King a king who loves us and treats us like brothers a king who is in the trenches with us.
Just as the great military leaders who led from the front inspired not only obedience but love so too must we, who bear the name Christian, be not only obedient to His commands, but faithful to Him in Love.
Our Baptism requires a response. It requires discipline and self-sacrifice and trust.
First and foremost we must trust our God. We must trust that He wants only the best for us! This trust can only be learned by getting to know Him by prayer, study, and the witness of others.
When we trust our God, it becomes possible to follow his commands freely and even to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good, out of love for our God and for our neighbor.
Final, Just as the symbol of water reminds us, life is turbulent, life is a battle.
Just as in a battle things can be confusing and communication can be difficult
So in life things can be unclear, this is where discipline comes in.
We need to discipline ourselves to keep the lines of communication open, even in the heat of battle, amidst all the distractions of life so that we receive the right intelligence and the right commands for the right circumstances.
To do this we need to keep our eyes on our Kings Standard, on the Cross because in the cross we are reminded of the fact that our God is with us, where ever we go.
Ultimately, in Baptism we are promised victory. In Hoc Signo Vincit—in this sign, the sign of the Cross we already have won the battle, even before it begins.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Mass at Midnight--Important Guest
Homily for the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord
Given at St. Patrick’s in Wareham
Midnight Mass—by Rev. Mr. Ronnie P. Floyd
One day, at then end of his historic 1979 tour of the US, Pope John Paul II, was being driven back to the Airport in a limousine. Knocking on the window between him and the driver, he explained to the chauffeur that he had never been in a limo, and asked the man if he could drive for a while.
After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence the man agreed, pulling the limo over and swapping places with the Pope. Little did he know the the pope, being a young man then, had a lead foot.
The Holy Father "floored it," going from 0 to 60 mph in just a few seconds, to see what the limo could do.
Going well over 80, an acceptable speed in Europe, the Pope noticed flashing blue lights in his rear view mirror, and so he pulled over.
The state trooper who approached the drivers door was shocked to see the white clad driver. Asking him to wait just a moment he went back to his cruiser to radio in for instructions.
He told the Sargent--"I've got a problem, I pulled someone important over"
"Who is it?" The sergeant asked, "the governor again?"
"No more important," the trooper replied.
"The President?" the sergeant inquired?
"No even more important!"
"Well who the heck is is it?" The sergeant demanded!
"I don't know," replied the trooper, "but the pope is his Chauffeur"
In most cases important people—have and show off the trappings of importance. I mean even the poverty of a Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, or a certain Cardinal of Boston becomes in a sense a type of status symbol complete with entourage and paparazzi.
And this isn’t necessarily a bad thing—its just a fact of human society.
But this fact makes it difficult to truly understand the gift of Christmas.
Tonight we celebrate the coming of the limitless God in the form of a tiny baby.
Why does he come to us in the darkness of the night? In a hidden corner of the world? In the form of a little baby, born to parents of no worldly importance?
This entrance make it sometimes seem as if our God is a weak or silly God, doesn’t it?
I mean we say he is all-powerful and all-knowing, but if this is true, why not come in glory and might?
I think this is one of the questions that bothers the modern believer most about God—and it is closely related to another question of a similar vein. Where is God when he allows so much evil to occur in the World? If we believe that our God is all powerful His coming in poverty and weakness seems and absurdity. And if He is truly good and loving, then why does he allow people to suffer?
This question is a old one and throughout the centuries it has been answered in three ways:
The Greek Philosophers—who rejected pagan myths about the gods
- answered that the one God,
- was so much greater and beyond us
- that he couldn’t possibly care about man.
Two thousand years later, however—Jesus introduced us to the unknown God of the Philosophers a God who truly cared for men and suffered with them
The second answer, was the skeptical one,
Fifteen hundred years after the birth of Christ, people started to look for evidence of God and finding nothing hard and fast, they slowly began to deconstruct God pushing him further and further into the background until eventually they made the logical step toward atheism.
The third answer is the Christian answer—It was an answer that had been made during the first centuries of the Churches existence to defend our belief in the incarnation and crucifixion.
We, like the pagans, expect our God to come in glory on a chariot of fire, like the roman god Helios or in a limo, driven by the Pope.
We expect him to come with supernatural pyrotechnics, like some sort of rock star, with the heavenly hosts flanking him like the secret service,
and yet our God comes in a barn, a rock cave, used for housing animals he is wrapped in rags for his birthday suit and his crib is a manger—basicly a slop bucket from which animals are fed. How do we understand this?
The Christian answer to this question is a question base in Love.
You’ve seen the bumper stickers—John 3:16- God so loved the world that in the fullness of time he sent his only begotten son that we may not perish but have eternal life!
God comes in silence, quietly into the darkness the world without any fanfare because he loves us.
As I said on Sunday—God keeps His promises even when we fail to love Him and keep our promises.
He loves us so much that he comes in silence so as to respect our freedom, and to challenge us to become truly Holy
Sure it would be easier and less painful if he rolled into town like the US Marines into Iraq—with shock and awe and fixed all of our problems and ended all suffering. Like a TV Santa Clause
But as they say—if you give a man a fish he will eat today if you teach him how to fish he will eat for a lifetime.
God wants to challenge us, to stretch us, to take our selfish hearts and make them hearts that love even when it hurts to love.
He doesn’t do it for us, but also he doesn’t leave us to do this alone, rather he does it with us.
Emmanuel, a God who love us so much that he condescends to become one of us, experiencing all the pain and suffering that is part of human life.
By doing this he is showing us how to fish, that is, how to truly love and to be at peace in a world that is anything but peaceful.
Tomorrow the world might fall apart: famine, war, terrorism, plague, all of these are real possibilities.
But why should we be afraid of them, when our God promises that he will be here with us through them all.
As I have told some of you in private. This peace, was how I knew, that this was the vocation God was calling me to.
Our God is just as comfortable in a palace as in a stable. He would just as soon break bread with us as go to the cross with us.
This is true love—and the source of a peace that shatters the power of war.
This is the true gift of Christmas. He is with us now, come let us adore Him.
Given at St. Patrick’s in Wareham
Midnight Mass—by Rev. Mr. Ronnie P. Floyd
One day, at then end of his historic 1979 tour of the US, Pope John Paul II, was being driven back to the Airport in a limousine. Knocking on the window between him and the driver, he explained to the chauffeur that he had never been in a limo, and asked the man if he could drive for a while.
After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence the man agreed, pulling the limo over and swapping places with the Pope. Little did he know the the pope, being a young man then, had a lead foot.
The Holy Father "floored it," going from 0 to 60 mph in just a few seconds, to see what the limo could do.
Going well over 80, an acceptable speed in Europe, the Pope noticed flashing blue lights in his rear view mirror, and so he pulled over.
The state trooper who approached the drivers door was shocked to see the white clad driver. Asking him to wait just a moment he went back to his cruiser to radio in for instructions.
He told the Sargent--"I've got a problem, I pulled someone important over"
"Who is it?" The sergeant asked, "the governor again?"
"No more important," the trooper replied.
"The President?" the sergeant inquired?
"No even more important!"
"Well who the heck is is it?" The sergeant demanded!
"I don't know," replied the trooper, "but the pope is his Chauffeur"
In most cases important people—have and show off the trappings of importance. I mean even the poverty of a Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, or a certain Cardinal of Boston becomes in a sense a type of status symbol complete with entourage and paparazzi.
And this isn’t necessarily a bad thing—its just a fact of human society.
But this fact makes it difficult to truly understand the gift of Christmas.
Tonight we celebrate the coming of the limitless God in the form of a tiny baby.
Why does he come to us in the darkness of the night? In a hidden corner of the world? In the form of a little baby, born to parents of no worldly importance?
This entrance make it sometimes seem as if our God is a weak or silly God, doesn’t it?
I mean we say he is all-powerful and all-knowing, but if this is true, why not come in glory and might?
I think this is one of the questions that bothers the modern believer most about God—and it is closely related to another question of a similar vein. Where is God when he allows so much evil to occur in the World? If we believe that our God is all powerful His coming in poverty and weakness seems and absurdity. And if He is truly good and loving, then why does he allow people to suffer?
This question is a old one and throughout the centuries it has been answered in three ways:
The Greek Philosophers—who rejected pagan myths about the gods
- answered that the one God,
- was so much greater and beyond us
- that he couldn’t possibly care about man.
Two thousand years later, however—Jesus introduced us to the unknown God of the Philosophers a God who truly cared for men and suffered with them
The second answer, was the skeptical one,
Fifteen hundred years after the birth of Christ, people started to look for evidence of God and finding nothing hard and fast, they slowly began to deconstruct God pushing him further and further into the background until eventually they made the logical step toward atheism.
The third answer is the Christian answer—It was an answer that had been made during the first centuries of the Churches existence to defend our belief in the incarnation and crucifixion.
We, like the pagans, expect our God to come in glory on a chariot of fire, like the roman god Helios or in a limo, driven by the Pope.
We expect him to come with supernatural pyrotechnics, like some sort of rock star, with the heavenly hosts flanking him like the secret service,
and yet our God comes in a barn, a rock cave, used for housing animals he is wrapped in rags for his birthday suit and his crib is a manger—basicly a slop bucket from which animals are fed. How do we understand this?
The Christian answer to this question is a question base in Love.
You’ve seen the bumper stickers—John 3:16- God so loved the world that in the fullness of time he sent his only begotten son that we may not perish but have eternal life!
God comes in silence, quietly into the darkness the world without any fanfare because he loves us.
As I said on Sunday—God keeps His promises even when we fail to love Him and keep our promises.
He loves us so much that he comes in silence so as to respect our freedom, and to challenge us to become truly Holy
Sure it would be easier and less painful if he rolled into town like the US Marines into Iraq—with shock and awe and fixed all of our problems and ended all suffering. Like a TV Santa Clause
But as they say—if you give a man a fish he will eat today if you teach him how to fish he will eat for a lifetime.
God wants to challenge us, to stretch us, to take our selfish hearts and make them hearts that love even when it hurts to love.
He doesn’t do it for us, but also he doesn’t leave us to do this alone, rather he does it with us.
Emmanuel, a God who love us so much that he condescends to become one of us, experiencing all the pain and suffering that is part of human life.
By doing this he is showing us how to fish, that is, how to truly love and to be at peace in a world that is anything but peaceful.
Tomorrow the world might fall apart: famine, war, terrorism, plague, all of these are real possibilities.
But why should we be afraid of them, when our God promises that he will be here with us through them all.
As I have told some of you in private. This peace, was how I knew, that this was the vocation God was calling me to.
Our God is just as comfortable in a palace as in a stable. He would just as soon break bread with us as go to the cross with us.
This is true love—and the source of a peace that shatters the power of war.
This is the true gift of Christmas. He is with us now, come let us adore Him.
Christmas Eve
Vigil of The Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord
Christmas Vigil—Rev. Mr. Ronnie P. Floyd
Ever since I was a child I always loved reading.
When I was about twelve I picked up one of C.S Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia books, and I was hooked.
And after reading the entire series I moved on to other authors ending up with one of my very favorites: J.R.R. Tolkien
You might remember a few years ago at Christmas time the final chapter of the movie version of Tolkien’s famous Trilogy The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King came out in theaters.
As I was preparing for this homily this book stuck in my mind.
With good reason, Tolkien, a devout Catholic could not help but base his mythical tale on the basic structure of reality, his Christian Faith, that was so central to his life. Tolkien believed, as I do, that while Children fear monsters under their bed that don’t exist adults fail to fear the monsters that really do exist in dark places.
Although everyday life is usually not as dramatic as one of Tolkien’s stories: most of us are living “a hobbits life” of creature comforts and rountine tedium
Tolkien believed that in the absence of proactive good without someone to guide society in the way of truth, and ultimately without access to God, mankind would grow careless, allowing dark things to emerge and become powerful.
In the absence of a good King, power, greed, ambition, lust, and those individuals and forces that would use these things to control people would necessarily try to lead mankind and the world down the road to destruction.
It’s a pretty fantastic story—and yet it is our story.
We have all seen the results of evil in the world so often during the last century:
in Communism’s iron curtain,
in Nazism’s “scientific” plan
to wipe entire people’s from the face of the Earth
in 40 years of Cold-War on the brink of self-annihilation
and just a few years ago in New York and Washington
but so often we who have seen these things fail to believe in the Evil that is at their root. I think it true, that the devil’s best trick is convincing people that he doesn’t exists.
But as Christians we believe in monsters men who have been corrupted by power, as well as in other creatures, fallen angels, Who want nothing else than to see the world fail. It is important to remember this reality in which we live and in which Christ was born into, a reality which we often forget or ignore just so that we can sleep at night.
While we may sing peaceful songs like: silent night and away in a manger, tonight
We can’t forget that just days after Jesus’ birth King Herod ordered the massacre of the Holy Innocents, hoping to kill the baby Jesus.
As we will hear in a few weeks on the Feast of the Presentation The Prince of Peace; the baby Jesus is born to be a sign of contradiction, destined for the rise and fall of many. On Christmas night we celebrate the Return of the King Jesus, who is born into a long line of Kings going back to David, to Abraham and to Adam, but who is also a king because he is the Son of God and God himself
We celebrate his coming with joy, joy at his arrival, and joy at the promise of victory over evil.
He will shine light on all the dark places of our lives giving us strength to overcome our fears and we must not forget that although the War is won just by the fact of His Birth
Many Battles remain and each of us are called to stand with Him every day of our life--not just avoiding evil, but in doing good!
That is what Christmas is about, and that is what our faith is all about.
As we enter into this reality here at the Altar let us pray that the King of Kings will help us to dispel the powers of darkness and lead each of us to Victory this Christmas.
The King is very near, come out and greet Him!
Christmas Vigil—Rev. Mr. Ronnie P. Floyd
Ever since I was a child I always loved reading.
When I was about twelve I picked up one of C.S Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia books, and I was hooked.
And after reading the entire series I moved on to other authors ending up with one of my very favorites: J.R.R. Tolkien
You might remember a few years ago at Christmas time the final chapter of the movie version of Tolkien’s famous Trilogy The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King came out in theaters.
As I was preparing for this homily this book stuck in my mind.
With good reason, Tolkien, a devout Catholic could not help but base his mythical tale on the basic structure of reality, his Christian Faith, that was so central to his life. Tolkien believed, as I do, that while Children fear monsters under their bed that don’t exist adults fail to fear the monsters that really do exist in dark places.
Although everyday life is usually not as dramatic as one of Tolkien’s stories: most of us are living “a hobbits life” of creature comforts and rountine tedium
Tolkien believed that in the absence of proactive good without someone to guide society in the way of truth, and ultimately without access to God, mankind would grow careless, allowing dark things to emerge and become powerful.
In the absence of a good King, power, greed, ambition, lust, and those individuals and forces that would use these things to control people would necessarily try to lead mankind and the world down the road to destruction.
It’s a pretty fantastic story—and yet it is our story.
We have all seen the results of evil in the world so often during the last century:
in Communism’s iron curtain,
in Nazism’s “scientific” plan
to wipe entire people’s from the face of the Earth
in 40 years of Cold-War on the brink of self-annihilation
and just a few years ago in New York and Washington
but so often we who have seen these things fail to believe in the Evil that is at their root. I think it true, that the devil’s best trick is convincing people that he doesn’t exists.
But as Christians we believe in monsters men who have been corrupted by power, as well as in other creatures, fallen angels, Who want nothing else than to see the world fail. It is important to remember this reality in which we live and in which Christ was born into, a reality which we often forget or ignore just so that we can sleep at night.
While we may sing peaceful songs like: silent night and away in a manger, tonight
We can’t forget that just days after Jesus’ birth King Herod ordered the massacre of the Holy Innocents, hoping to kill the baby Jesus.
As we will hear in a few weeks on the Feast of the Presentation The Prince of Peace; the baby Jesus is born to be a sign of contradiction, destined for the rise and fall of many. On Christmas night we celebrate the Return of the King Jesus, who is born into a long line of Kings going back to David, to Abraham and to Adam, but who is also a king because he is the Son of God and God himself
We celebrate his coming with joy, joy at his arrival, and joy at the promise of victory over evil.
He will shine light on all the dark places of our lives giving us strength to overcome our fears and we must not forget that although the War is won just by the fact of His Birth
Many Battles remain and each of us are called to stand with Him every day of our life--not just avoiding evil, but in doing good!
That is what Christmas is about, and that is what our faith is all about.
As we enter into this reality here at the Altar let us pray that the King of Kings will help us to dispel the powers of darkness and lead each of us to Victory this Christmas.
The King is very near, come out and greet Him!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
God keeps his promises!
4th Sunday of Advent Given at St. Patrick's in Wareham
By: Rev. Deacon Ronnie P. Floyd
At Baptism, we were adopted into God’s family and became members of his chosen people.
That’s why we read sacred scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments at Mass, in our private prayer, and in small groups. Because the Scriptures are the stories and memories of God’s family, which is also our family.
So when we read today the promises made to the Israelites, To the chosen people, we should see in them promises made to us!
The Old Testament is full of prophecies. But what exactly do they all mean?
Throughout the Old Testament, from the very first sign of trouble when our first parents lost their way God promises to save us.
The bible is the story of His promise to us
and of the way God has carried them out
• the calling of Abraham,
• Moses and the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt,
• The entrance into the promise land
• the establishment of Israel under King David
All of these events tell us about God’s work to save us in the past but also today, in our lives!
Today's First Reading is taken from the last period of salvation history just before the coming of the Christ.
The Kingdom of Israel broke down because:
• the people of God were unfaithful.
• they stopped following God's commandments,
o and so their nation was divided,
o and they became vulnerable to invasion.
• The Israelites failed to keep their promises to God.
o abandoning Him,
o and so they suffered the consequences.
But even though the Chosen People didn't keep their promises, God still kept his.
God didn't force his people to follow him – he allowed them to break their promises.
But because true love is freely given, without strings attached he was faithful to his promises.
This story should sound familiar because this is not only the story of Israel but our own personal story.
Just like the Children of Israel each and every one of us sins. We can’t help it, because separated from God we can never live perfect lives. And just like that first sin our sins have ripple effects, effects that further divide and alienate us from each other, and from our God. This is the situation that God promised to repair.
As St. John Chrystdom writes: The pagan desire to see and have access to God which for them took the form of the worship of statues for us becomes a reality in the birth of Christ, Emmanuel, God with us.
The God, who is all-powerful and just, keeps his promise with his people by humbling himself to become a little Child
So that we who have sinned, are able to approach him, without fear, and to find in him a foundation for true life.
This gift, of Emmanuel, is the basis for all human hope. As Pope Benedict points out in his recent encyclical letter,
He says: God is the foundation of hope: not any god, but the God who has a human face and who has loved us to the end, each one of us and humanity in its entirety.
His Kingdom is not an imaginary hereafter, situated in a future that will never arrive; his Kingdom is present wherever he is loved and wherever his love reaches us.
His love alone gives us the possibility of soberly persevering day by day,
[For it] is at the same time our guarantee of the existence of what we only vaguely sense and which nevertheless, in our deepest self, we await: a life that is “truly” life. (Spe salvi, #31)
________________________________________
God’s love is the foundation of our Hope, our hope for a life and a world, that is truly human—where true happiness can be found
In a world full of suffering and difficulties, it's easy for us to forget this. We are so wounded by life, by experiences in which people have broken their promises to us, or not lived up to their word to us, that our hearts can get cold. We build walls around our hearts to protect them, but those walls end up keeping God out too.
In the mountains in northern Alaska there is a lake whose waters are always warm.
• Even in the coldest winter months, it is warm enough to swim in.
• In the midst of a frozen wasteland some underground channel constantly feeds it and keeping it warm.
• Creating a real oasis of warmth and life amid the desolation of arctic winter.
Christ is like that lake.
• No matter how much this fallen world causes us to suffer, no matter how cold the world gets, his love never weakens, his goodness never freezes over.
• Like this warm lake in the midst of arctic ice, the Heart of Christ, a heart that keeps his promises, is always there to welcome and sustain us.
• He is the fulfillment of the Father's promises.
In a couple of day we will celebrate the fulfillment of these promises, so as we enter this final, short, fourth week of Advent our hearts should be especially full of gratitude.
• But what is the best way to express this gratitude?
• God loves us, he keeps His promises to us!
• But have we loved and kept our promises to Him?
During this last day and a half of Advent let's renew our commitment to keep our promises to Him made at Baptism and Confirmation:
• to reject evil, but also to do good,
• to imitate Christ in our daily lives, most especially by
o loving God with all our hearts
o and loving our neighbor as ourselves.
Let’s prepare to enter into the spirit of Christmas, a spirit that is all about giving, because when we do this we become truly God’s family and experience the life changing warmth and light of God’s Love, even in these darkest and coldest days of the year.
As we prepare to God to the Altar take a minute to recommit yourself to God to giving yourself as a gift to Him even as we prepare to receive him into our Hearts.
(Preperation materials and example from www.epriest.com)
By: Rev. Deacon Ronnie P. Floyd
At Baptism, we were adopted into God’s family and became members of his chosen people.
That’s why we read sacred scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments at Mass, in our private prayer, and in small groups. Because the Scriptures are the stories and memories of God’s family, which is also our family.
So when we read today the promises made to the Israelites, To the chosen people, we should see in them promises made to us!
The Old Testament is full of prophecies. But what exactly do they all mean?
Throughout the Old Testament, from the very first sign of trouble when our first parents lost their way God promises to save us.
The bible is the story of His promise to us
and of the way God has carried them out
• the calling of Abraham,
• Moses and the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt,
• The entrance into the promise land
• the establishment of Israel under King David
All of these events tell us about God’s work to save us in the past but also today, in our lives!
Today's First Reading is taken from the last period of salvation history just before the coming of the Christ.
The Kingdom of Israel broke down because:
• the people of God were unfaithful.
• they stopped following God's commandments,
o and so their nation was divided,
o and they became vulnerable to invasion.
• The Israelites failed to keep their promises to God.
o abandoning Him,
o and so they suffered the consequences.
But even though the Chosen People didn't keep their promises, God still kept his.
God didn't force his people to follow him – he allowed them to break their promises.
But because true love is freely given, without strings attached he was faithful to his promises.
This story should sound familiar because this is not only the story of Israel but our own personal story.
Just like the Children of Israel each and every one of us sins. We can’t help it, because separated from God we can never live perfect lives. And just like that first sin our sins have ripple effects, effects that further divide and alienate us from each other, and from our God. This is the situation that God promised to repair.
As St. John Chrystdom writes: The pagan desire to see and have access to God which for them took the form of the worship of statues for us becomes a reality in the birth of Christ, Emmanuel, God with us.
The God, who is all-powerful and just, keeps his promise with his people by humbling himself to become a little Child
So that we who have sinned, are able to approach him, without fear, and to find in him a foundation for true life.
This gift, of Emmanuel, is the basis for all human hope. As Pope Benedict points out in his recent encyclical letter,
He says: God is the foundation of hope: not any god, but the God who has a human face and who has loved us to the end, each one of us and humanity in its entirety.
His Kingdom is not an imaginary hereafter, situated in a future that will never arrive; his Kingdom is present wherever he is loved and wherever his love reaches us.
His love alone gives us the possibility of soberly persevering day by day,
[For it] is at the same time our guarantee of the existence of what we only vaguely sense and which nevertheless, in our deepest self, we await: a life that is “truly” life. (Spe salvi, #31)
________________________________________
God’s love is the foundation of our Hope, our hope for a life and a world, that is truly human—where true happiness can be found
In a world full of suffering and difficulties, it's easy for us to forget this. We are so wounded by life, by experiences in which people have broken their promises to us, or not lived up to their word to us, that our hearts can get cold. We build walls around our hearts to protect them, but those walls end up keeping God out too.
In the mountains in northern Alaska there is a lake whose waters are always warm.
• Even in the coldest winter months, it is warm enough to swim in.
• In the midst of a frozen wasteland some underground channel constantly feeds it and keeping it warm.
• Creating a real oasis of warmth and life amid the desolation of arctic winter.
Christ is like that lake.
• No matter how much this fallen world causes us to suffer, no matter how cold the world gets, his love never weakens, his goodness never freezes over.
• Like this warm lake in the midst of arctic ice, the Heart of Christ, a heart that keeps his promises, is always there to welcome and sustain us.
• He is the fulfillment of the Father's promises.
In a couple of day we will celebrate the fulfillment of these promises, so as we enter this final, short, fourth week of Advent our hearts should be especially full of gratitude.
• But what is the best way to express this gratitude?
• God loves us, he keeps His promises to us!
• But have we loved and kept our promises to Him?
During this last day and a half of Advent let's renew our commitment to keep our promises to Him made at Baptism and Confirmation:
• to reject evil, but also to do good,
• to imitate Christ in our daily lives, most especially by
o loving God with all our hearts
o and loving our neighbor as ourselves.
Let’s prepare to enter into the spirit of Christmas, a spirit that is all about giving, because when we do this we become truly God’s family and experience the life changing warmth and light of God’s Love, even in these darkest and coldest days of the year.
As we prepare to God to the Altar take a minute to recommit yourself to God to giving yourself as a gift to Him even as we prepare to receive him into our Hearts.
(Preperation materials and example from www.epriest.com)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)