Writing about things I am passionate about, such as my faith, has always given me joy. Lately though the need, not the desire – the NEED, to write has begun to take on urgency in my life. Not just blogging about the random event or idea, but real, serious writing about things. Creative, essays, articles, blogs.

I don’t know if God is telling me something, or if I’ve just got a lot to say and work out for myself through writing. Could be both. Either way, I am going to make the attempt. I’ve had a hand in several blogs over the years where I’ve posted about wildly different stuff. Probably going to do that again too. Most of that won’t show up here, but I am toying with the idea of posting all of my Diaconal material over at www.DeaconTim.com. Nothing there at the moment, but there will be. Check it out every so often.

Check back here too. Hopefully there will be at least a post a day, but I’d say there’s going to be at least 2 or 3 a week. Considering how often I have been posting, that’s practically an explosion of verbosity.

Thanks and have a BLESSED day!

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This is about the over use and abuse of the sacrament, but it also explains perfectly why Deacons ought not to be able to do this sacrament as I have heard many suggest, both in class and on teh interwebz, as the Gormogons might say.

There has been some discussion in some circles that due to many deacons doing hospital ministry and the time crunch on priests that deacons ought to be able to anoint when visiting the sick. Sounds reasonable, except that it isn’t.

This article primarily covers the abuse of the sacrament that has been going on and why it’s an abuse. The, dare I say it, liberal application of the sacrament has reduced it to the status of superstition in many places and given much of the laity a faulty understanding of what it does.

The anointing doesn’t keep you from getting sick and isn’t intended to heal your physical body. It’s a spiritual effect in that it forgives sins and prepares one for meeting your maker. All related to the sacerdotal nature of the priesthood, not the service of the diaconate.

Now because of the wrong application of what came out of the Council we are presented with a situation where we have to re-educate people on what the Church really means and intends. And we need to do it in a way that will hopefully minimize the fallout. And there WILL be fallout.

“What do you mean I can’t be anointed because I have a hangnail that hurts a lot?!!?!?!?!”

Count on it. Of course that presumes that there will be much of movement to correct this in the first place.

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In these last four years, I have gained new brothers and sisters in my fellow candidates and their wives. We are a terribly close-knit group and already are making plans for regular get-togethers on a quarterly basis after ordination. God willing, this will be a habit we keep going for a long time.

Our group has lost 3 of the original 18 members from that first meeting so long ago. I still think about them sometimes and hope that they will come to the ordination if they can. We’ve also dealt with a lot of health issues, some life threatening. But so far, all have persevered and are with us still. I have no doubt that it is through the power of prayer to a great degree.

In once case, one of our group was in the hospital in a life or death situation and took a marked turn for the better while the entire class was downstairs in the chapel praying the Rosary. We’ve had many cases where a whole lot of praying was going on and healings followed.

We are all getting ready for our assignments, which should become finalized in the next few weeks. Some of us are staying in our current parishes and others are moving to new ones to fill the needs of the Archdiocese. We have just 1 more class plus our retreat to go, so pray for all of us and our wives as we get ready for this new phase in our lives.

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She stated that the best way to prevent abortion was to reduce unwanted pregnancies, which is best done through contraception according to her.

When reminded that her church, the Catholic Church, is against contraception, she openly admitted she knows and that it doesn’t matter. She also openly admitted that sometimes abortion is necessary and she doesn’t always agree with her Church or political party.

I leave it to canonists, and I am sure they will weigh in, but it seems like this is a public profession of such that could trigger a Canon 915 related denial of communion. Presuming that her Bishop has, or will, counsel the Senator and she refuses to publicly recant her pro-abortion positions, it would seem that would constitute obstinately manifesting in grave sin given her position as a member of the United States Senate.

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They are also running a Black Friday special. Looks like it’s mostly Protestant sources, but still worth checking out.

In the coming weeks I plan on posting about some of my favorite features in the Logos program.

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I am so geeked out about having this, that I am transferring all my data and regular apps to it. This will be my primary PC from here on out. Or at least for the foreseeable future. Expect more blogging for sure.

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Okay – point taken Holy Spirit – I will be more judicious in posting these in the future. (Yeah, I know I’ve said it before but as we Catholics know, it’s always a good day to repent.)

Comment is always inivited.

HOMILY –  2nd Sunday ORDINARY TIME – CYCLE “A” 2011 – “Behold The Lamb Of God”

Is 49:3, 5-6, 1 Cor 1:1-3, Jn 1:29-34

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

Those are words we say every single mass just before we receive communion – and it is this scripture passage – from John’s Gospel – from where those words come.

The words are spoken by John the Baptist – but they are very much the words of St John the Evangelist – in fact, the image of Jesus as the “Lamb of God” is pretty much attributed exclusively to him.

The term appears all throughout the Fourth Gospel as well as the Book of Revelation, which St. John also wrote. For example:

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing.”

I’ve often thought that this term – so common in both our worship and indeed even in our very language – needs a little more fleshing out, a little more time spent with it – so it seems circumstances today have afforded me the opportunity.

You know the term “The Lamb” conjures up all sorts of meanings and images in our minds.

Indeed St John’s creation and use of it was – if you’ll pardon the pun – quite inspired.

The Image of “Lamb” is one of meekness and innocence – a lamb is by nature gentle, mild and very much the essence of helplessness in all things – qualities we would all ascribe to Jesus at one time or another.

In the Book Of Exodus, by God’s direct instructions the Israelites were to prepare an unblemished lamb for their very first Passover meal– something they still do even today in fact.

The Lamb in the Old Testament was far more than just a meal though – it was indeed a SACRIFICE ordered by God himself as a means of saving his people – that was its sole purpose actually.

The people ate the Lamb’s flesh for nourishment the night before their flight from Egypt – but its blood was smeared on the doorposts and lentils where they were during the stifling Night of Terror – when the first born of all of Egypt were killed with the Angel of Death Passing Over the houses of the Israelites which were marked with the Lamb’s Blood.

It was the Blood of the Sacrificed Lamb which saved God’s people that night.

Sacrifice here we must remember has a deeper meaning than simply  giving someone or something over to death – the death from SACRIFICE has a good and holy purpose – a purpose for saving others – otherwise any such death would be tragic, if not downright meaningless in fact.

As it was with the Old Testament – so it is with the new – the Lamb of God is sacrificed and it is HIS BLOOD which saves God’s People once more!

Did you know that when we all say the Lamb of God before Communion, we are ALL participating in THAT VERY MOMENT – IN THE ONE AND ONLY SACRIFICE OF JESUS ON CALVARY?

The “Lamb of God” acclamation is said at the VERY EXACT MOMENT of the sacrifice itself – it’s called the Fraction Rite and it’s the precise action of the BREAKING of the Eucharistic BREAD – and it corresponds EXACTLY to the BREAKING of Christ’s body – his DEATH – upon the Cross!

It is that exact moment when his willingly giving up his life – “It is finished” as John’s Passion Narrative tells us.

If you watch both Father John and Father Jim closely at that moment when we sing the Lamb of God – you will notice that they time their actual breaking of the bread with the actual singing of those very words – Lamb of God.

And you’ll ALSO notice that Deacon Darryl or I NEVER assist in the actual BREAKING of the Eucharist – we may help divide the broken pieces – such a division for distribution is an act of SERVICE, something which we Deacons are specifically ordained to do – but the BREAKING of the BREAD ITSELF is an act of SACRIFICE – and it’s something ONLY a PRIEST can do – for ONLY THEY are the sacrificial Christ himself at the Altar!

The sacrifice you see – MUST be conducted at the Mass just as it was on Calvary – WILLINGLY offered by Christ himself.

And ONLY the Lamb of God – in this case those who are in his Person at the Altar – ONLY THEY can offer that sacrifice – for indeed it is by definition a SACRIFICE of SELF!

Christ OFFERED HIMSELF – and the priest who stands for him at the Altar does so as well.

What we celebrate is that ONE SAME SACRIFICE on Calvary but we do so in an unbloody manner – we do not “remember” or “reenact” or “symbolize” that original sacrifice – the sacrifice was once and for only once!

We PARTICIPARE in that One and Only – through time and space – at Mass WE are all standing on that windswept hill at the foot of the Cross on Calvary!

We are there – as Christ – THE LAMB OF GOD – willingly SACRIFICES himself – for us.

You know many people today are not comfortable with this notion of sacrifice.

Many have profound issues with any emphasis AT ALL on this aspect of the Mass – they prefer to dwell on the fact that the community is present together, all sharing a meal and “being one” with each other and such similar things – all of which are, of course, TRUE by the way.

But . . . I think those who place so much emphasis on the COMMUNITY aspect of the Eucharist sometimes forget the real point of what actually happens here at the altar – and on Calvary.

And its phrases like “Lamb of God” which can bring us all back there.

John the Baptist obviously knew what was to come for Jesus by his calling Jesus the Lamb of God – and indeed St John the Evangelist himself was a witness at the foot of the Cross – and they both knew that like the Passover Lamb – it is Christ’s blood which saves:

“When they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out.

An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may (come to) believe.”

The same blood which will be in the chalice in a few moments.

The same broken body which will be given to each of us.

Father will take the ONE Body and break it into MANY pieces – indeed as many pieces as there are people in this Assembly – and for our parts in the very ACT of consuming that broken Body – we will REUNITE it within ourselves and thereby REUNITE EACH OTHER with Christ himself once more.

ONE – will become MANY – and then become ONE again.

The Pascal LAMB – the Lamb of Sacrifice – the Lamb of God.

The very act of GOD sacrificing himself for OUR SAKE should be a very HUMBLING REALIZATION on our parts, you know.

Many of us likely KNOW this fact – or at least we have probably heard it articulated from time to time.

But do we REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED?

Well hopefully we have a little bit better idea NOW about it than when I started – but while I may have given you a whole lot more regarding the WHAT – I haven’t really covered AT ALL the BIGGER QUESTION of WHY.

WHY DID HE DO IT?

He is GOS – he lacks nothing and needs nothing by definition – why would he do such a thing – especially in such a bloody, horrid way?

Well actually – it is St. John the Evangelist once more where we find the answer – and I’ll bet you all know the Chapter and Verse for this one too!

It’s probably about the only Chapter and Verse that we Catholics can articulate on command, even though we don’t always remember the quote, we likely remember the numbers.

It’s John 3:16 – words which we’ve seen on graffiti and on billboards and that someone once told me was written on a wall in the Saigon airport by some of the very last American troops leaving there forever those many, many years ago:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”

Kind of humbling, don’t you think?

Words for us to take with us this week and meditate upon more deeply I should think.

But NOW – I think it’s time now for us to journey once more to Calvary – and for us to participate again in that one and only sacrifice of the Lamb – and for us to remember once again both WHAT he did – as well as WHY.

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I’m going to post this homily – and try and post mine on a more regular basis now (once you get to far behind it’s tough to try and catch up. Easiest thing to do is make a resolution to do better, and pick a new begninning point.)

My wife is very sparse with her comments and compliments on my homilies – she knows it could lead to me getting a big head about it sometimes so her caution is actually a good thing – but this one she said was my very best ever – which surprised me but gave me the impetus to decide this was the place to go for a new beginning.

It’s about the Church as Family – I took from His Awesomeness Archbiship Dolan of New York and I hope – as I said in the homily – he will forgive me for using his words for the very best of reasons (and that I gave him credit as the original author shouldn’t hurt either I hope.)

As always – comment is invited.

HOMILY – 

Christmas Vigil – 2010 – The Church As Family

Is 62:1-5, Ps 89:4-5, 16-17, 27, 29, Acts 13:16-17, 22-25, Mt 1:1-25 or 1:18-25

First of all, I would like to welcome all of our family, friends, visitors and guests here tonight – a Merry Christmas to everyone indeed and praised be Jesus Christ, both now and forever!

Tonight, I want to talk about one thing and one thing only.

It is one of the main dimensions of the Gospel Passage which I just proclaimed – and I think it is actually the PERFECT subject to talk about at Christmas time.

In a word – it’s FAMILY.

We just heard about Jesus’ family – 14 generations times three from Abraham to Joseph.

Matthew, you see, was “tying” Jesus by an unbreakable thread to the Jewish heritage of Joseph – and of all of those who came before him – stretching back through history as one solid line of ancestry – in other words, one solid line of FAMILY.

I’m betting a bunch of you tonight are here with your families – some from out of town, perhaps, and I hope we will all find lots of time to spend with them this holiday season.

I DO want to remind you all though – PLEASE remember those who have little or no families at this time of the year – especially those who might be here with us tonight or those whom we might know who fall into that category.  

A little special attention in that area is EXACTLY what Jesus would do – and so of course, should we.

You see – as Catholics – we, quite simply, can’t do anything LESS.

We understand FAMILY here because the Church VERY MUCH IS our family!

We all have our natural families – but we all also have our SUPERNATURAL FAMILY too – the Church!

Just like Jesus himself was both FULLY HUMAN and FULLY DIVINE at the same time – we are ALL a part of both NATURAL and SUPERNATURAL FAMILIES simultaneously.

I must admit that I didn’t come up with this on my own. Not long ago I heard a speech by New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan – HIS AWESOMENESS Himself – which he gave at the Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Los Angeles back in September – a priest friend of mine sent me the link – and I swear that I now think that what he said has changed me forever!

I want to let you know right up front that I plan to steal LIBERALLY and SHAMELESSLY from that speech tonight – and I trust and pray for Archbishop Dolan’s understanding and forgiveness on that account.

I expect that he will be fine with it, you know, for I am POSITIVE that he wants this message SHOUTED FROM THE ROOFTOPS!

Archbishop Dolan has essentially created what he called a NEW MODEL of CHURCH – the MODEL of the Church as FAMILY!

The CHURCH is our FAMILY!

That is why we are called back to Her time and time again – ESPECIALLY at Christmas just like we are with our natural families!

We want to be HOME! We long to be once again with our FATHER and our MOTHER!

No matter how young or old we are – we still crave to be with God Our Father and our Hoy Mother the Church!

And here we are tonight – we are HOME!

And yes, it sure feels good – no matter if we’re here every week, or are just back after many years!

You see, for so many of us cradle Catholics – whether we are active in our faith or not – Catholicism is in our DNA, it’s in our bones, and it’s in our genes and it’s part of the air we breathe.

And for those who converted into the faith – I suspect that it was that quality which at least in part helped led them to their conversion in the first place – am I right all you converts out there?

Actually, I think that CONVERTS tend to understand what I’m talking about here FAR BETTER than those of us born into the Faith!

For instance – my dad was the oldest of 11 kids – 2 boys, 9 girls and yes my dear grandmother will be 99 next June.

As regards my generation, there are 27 of us grandchildren – I’m the second oldest – and most of us are either married now or very likely soon will be – and yes, the number of great-grandchildren keeps changing now so fast it’s almost impossible to keep up!

Yeah – you think YOUR house is crowded on Christmas! Be fruitful and multiply indeed!

My Dad actually lost track of his nieces and nephews after about 12 or so – he would have to ask them which sister they belonged to in order to sort of keep things straight after that!

Yeah, ask any of the wonderful guys or gals who married any of my siblings or cousins – especially MY dear wife, of course, who got into this just a little over 20 years ago – if you REALLY want to know what a BOWLING is like – just marry one!

Yeah, with us Bowlings you kind of need a score card. We even joke that if any potential spouse can keep track of all the cousins and cousins-in-laws halfway decently – they’re definitely a keeper!

I’m telling you – it’s those IN-LAWS – those who CHOSE the FAMILY for themselves – who know it best of all!

YES – as it is with our natural families – also it is with the Church.

Catholicism is taught, yes, but more than that it’s caught, said Archbishop Dolan!

So yeah, we’re all connected to our spiritual family – and yes, we might occasionally drift away from it, as we sometimes do with our natural families, no?  

Often times we don’t really mean to, it just kind of happens, right? Especially when there’s tons and tons of relatives.

Staying CONNECTED requires serious WORK, doesn’t it?

And yes, we might even get mad sometimes at our supernatural family just as we do with our natural family.

At times we might be scandalized or shocked or angered by our spiritual family, the Church, just as we are by our natural family.

Because, yes, our supernatural family is not always perfect anymore than our natural one is – they are both made up of flawed human beings aren’t they?

I’d like to think that in BOTH families everyone really works hard to try and get it right – and also I hope that they work real hard at saying they’re sorry and trying and make amends – even when it’s tough.

But even when things are not as we might wish, we’re STILL proud of our family – we STILL love her and being a part OF her.

We STILL heartily appreciate the wisdom that our family passed on to us – we WANT to BE THERE with our families – both natural and supernatural – at Christmas and Easter and all of the PIVOTAL moments of life – like birth and marriage and death.

We see the value of being at our family meal on both Christmas and on Sunday – whether it be the Holy Eucharist or around our family table.

And sooner or later we realize that we’re stuck with that family last name – be it Catholic – or Bowling – or your own – and the older we get, the more we cherish it and appreciate it.

So you see the Church is not JUST an institution . . .

It’s not JUST a clearly defined set of creedal and moral convictions . . .

It’s not JUST a great agent of charity and education . . .

It’s not just a great place to pray and worship, all of those are essential, but it’s also my spiritual home and my family!

And it is yours too!

So I say thank you once again to Archbishop Dolan – and a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of you!

BUT mostly importantly WELCOME HOME!

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