Preaching Workshops

This past week, the second year men began preaching workshops. This includes daily lectures as well as an afternoon practicum--that is, live practice. I thought I would post the fruits of my labor, so that you can all watch my progress. Comments and critique are welcome.

Disclaimer: As I am not yet an ordained priest (and thus, not an official spokesperson of the Catholic Church) and still writing practice homilies, my views do not necessarily reflect that of the Catholic Church--even though it is my intent to be perfectly in line with Catholic teaching.

Here is my first ever practice homily on Luke 10:38-42 (Martha and Mary):

Listen to the Lord! What was it that Mary did that caused our Lord to label her choice as "the better part?" Martha seems to do it all right: she welcomes Christ into her home, she serves him, what is there left to do? I'm sure many of us can identify with Martha, including myself. "Lord, I've been serving you, I've been working hard, I'm tired, why are you rewarding Mary for being lazy!?" The answer--she sat and listened to the Lord! Mary's devotion and zeal for the Lord will not be disturbed by the temptation to be efficient, the temptation to do, and achieve for the Lord. Rahter, Mary remained confident that sitting and listening to the Lord was not a waste of time--instead, it was the better choice. As it is often remarked in the Christian community, "time spent with the Lord is never time wasted." Why is this so difficult for us to believe? I venture to guess that it's difficult because it takes a radical surrender and trust in the Lord and the Holy Spirit to carry out the will of God, which we are certain, at times, cannot be achieved without our doing. How wrong we are! The more we let God be God, the more we allow the Lord to work in our lives, which ultimately brings us happiness and satisfaction beyond belief.

Mary's trust in the Lord allows her to sit and listen to Him, knowing that her seemingly inactive attentiveness to Christ was better than any work she could have done on her own. BUT, that does not negate Martha's work! Martha's active service, in itself, is not bad. The same hoes for any work we ourselves do for the Lord--in itself, it isn't bad. Rather, it becomes bad if we do not accept the Lord into our work--if we do not take the time to sit and listen to the Lord. "Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build" (Psalm 127). Martha was so preoccupied with her work that she forgot the reason why she was serving in the first place. She was so distracted that she forgot to listen to the Lord. How easy it is for us to do the same. We can go hours, days, week, without even thinking of settling ourselves and asking the Lord for guidance. Martha's fault was not in her service, but that she let her work keep her from listening to the Lord.

Because a constant communication with our God, who loves us infinitely, is first and foremost, anything else we do must include that communication between lover and beloved. Brother Lawrence, a barefoot Carmelite of the 17th century writes, "The time of business, does not for me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my [workplace], while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the Blessed Sacrament" (Presence of God 25). That's the key! Time spent in contemplation, listening to the Lord in love is essential. At the same time, we are called to be instruments in God's plan for salvation. The difficult task is to unite the two. Mary chose the better part, but that doesn't demean the goodness of active service for the kingdom--so long as we invite the Lord into that service. What it does, however, is remind us that whatever you do, wherever, whenever, listen to the Lord!

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

Thus begins another year of formation in Rome. As I say my goodbyes to family and friends, I am reminded of the moments in which Christ departed from his loved ones--namely, at the passion and the ascension. As our Lord prepared his disciples for what was to come: his death and resurrection, he consoled his evidently distraught and confused friends. Let's look at the words of our Lord according to St. John: "it is for your own good that I am going, because unless I go, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you" (16:7). There you have it! Although we may be parted geographically, we are united through the power of the Holy Spirit, in the Eucharist, in Christ Himself. It gets better! The power that bonds us through the Eucharist is greater than any bond formed by humans. Thus, the paradox: because we are separated, we must rely solely on the power of the Eucharist, and therefore, we are united more perfectly. This is how I have seen my recent departure--not as a loss, but as a gain.

That's the first half of it. The second half is precisely laid out in the Gospel of Luke. Let's turn to the ascension: "Now as he blessed them, he withdrew from them and was carried up to heaven. They worshipped him and then went back to Jerusalem full of joy" (24:51-52). If we are united in the Eucharist, we cannot help but be filled with joy. The Eucharist is the "eschatological tension" as the late Pope John Paul II called it--that moment in which we have a taste of heaven on earth. How can that not bring us joy?

Goodbyes are often sad, painful, and difficult to cope with--all of which are natural--but it doesn't have to end there. We take this opportunity to be united in prayer, in the Holy Spirit. We offer ourselves at the table of the Lord, so that we may be united as one mystical body of Christ.