Jesus said, “Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.” (Doing the sign of the cross and looking up to heaven) Whoa, Jesus, do I seriously have to preach on this? There are people here looking at me who are rich. Could you please help me out here with what to say to them? Amen.

Jesus said, “Woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry.” (Doing the sign of the cross and looking up to heaven) Um, Jesus. It’s me again. There are people here who had a big meal before coming here and are filled now. Are you sure woe to them is the message you want them to hear? Amen.

Jesus said, “Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep.” (Doing the sign of the cross and looking up to heaven) Jesus, this is getting really awkward here. There are people here who have been laughing at comedies on Netflix and funny videos on YouTube this weekend. Any help you could provide me on what to say to them would be great. Amen.

And Jesus said, “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.” (Doing the sign of the cross and looking to heaven) Jesus, there are many here who people speak well of and who are well respected. What should I say to them? Amen.

Whenever there are teachings of Jesus and his church like these woes from today’s Gospel that are tough for us to hear because they make us uncomfortable with the way we are living our lives, or that we are frustrated by, or that we simply don’t understand, it is tempting to ignore them, call them ridiculous, or be dismissive of them in some other way. These woes are pointing out four areas that Jesus thinks can be spiritually dangerous. Instead of being dismissive of these tough teachings, Jesus wants us to wrestle with them, to try to understand them from his perspective, and to see them through his eyes.

With this being World Marriage Week, with World Marriage Day being today, and St. Valentine’s Day being just a day away, let’s try looking at these woes Jesus spoke of through the lens of love and from the perspective of the one who is love.

When I say through the lens of love, I want to be more specific. By a show of hands, has anyone ever heard of the book The Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman? Okay, some of you have heard of it and some have not. For those of you who have not heard of it, let me provide a quick description that may also serve as a refresher for those of us who read the book a long time ago. The author says that there are five main love languages or ways we feel loved and can show our love to others.

The first love language is physical touch such as a handshake, hug, or kiss.

The second love language is words of affirmation such as telling someone you like their haircut or telling them they did a good job.

The third love language is gifts such as giving someone flowers or a box of chocolates.

The fourth love language is acts of service such as washing the dishes for someone or making a meal for them.

The fifth love language is quality time such as talking with someone and giving them your undivided attention.

Out of these five love languages, the author says that each of us humans has a primary love language, meaning that one of these love languages is the primary way that we feel most loved. The author goes on to say that whatever our primary love language is, that is the default love language that we use when trying to express our love to someone else. This can cause some frustration and misunderstanding in a relationship. For example, when a newlywed husband is focused completely on physical touch and his wife is thinking to herself, “would this guy just do the dishes?” Alright, enough about me and my life.

What do you think Jesus’ primary love language is? … Any guesses? As I was reflecting on today’s Gospel reading and trying to understand the woes Jesus talks about, I think I discovered the answer. I think Jesus’ primary love language is acts of service (pointing to the crucifix).

In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says, “the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as ransom for many.” To try to understand the woes Jesus is talking about, let us look at them the way someone who has the primary love language of acts of service might look at them.

“Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.” Okay, here’s how much Jesus valued money: He entrusted the money bag that was to take care of the financial needs of Jesus and the apostles … to a thief. It’s not so much what you’ve been given as it is what you do with it. In the verse that immediately proceeds today’s Gospel reading, we are told that Judas was selected as an apostle. Judas was there and when Jesus said “woe to you who are rich,” Judas heard these words, but he didn’t listen to them. This is the same Judas who was probably the richest apostle. The way he got the riches and maintained this status of being rich was by stealing and selling out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. If you took $30 and you bought a University of Toledo hoodie and you gave it to someone you see at a street corner asking for help, the reality is this makes you $30 less rich. This sacrifice to clothe someone in need of clothing delights Jesus, the one who was stripped of his clothing and hung upon the cross naked.

“Woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry.” Bishop Fulton Sheen said there are two philosophies of life. The pagan philosophy of first the feast, then the fast. Then there’s the Christian philosophy of first the fast, then the feast. It’s when we’re hungry that we most appreciate food. As Jesus hung upon the cross, he was not filled, yet over the last 2,000 years, Jesus has made a meal for millions. The more empty space we create for him, the more Jesus can fill it.

Jesus said, “Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep.” Here, I am thinking of a King who has his court jester making him laugh while he is oblivious to the suffering of his people right outside the walls. Or bringing it a little closer to home, I am thinking of the person who is laughing at a funny show on Netflix or a funny video on YouTube, instead of tending to the emotional needs of a loved one who is sad, depressed, or suffering possibly near death in a hospital or nursing home or right within their own home. When we pause the laughing and hit the play button on tending to the emotional needs of those we love and care for, that makes Jesus happy. Remember, many of those who loved and cared for Jesus weren’t there for him during his darkest hour. As he hung upon the cross, the vast majority of the apostles were someplace else they presumably deemed way less sad.

Jesus said, “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.” Having our reputation and people speaking well of us as our primary focus for our decision-making is very dangerous spiritually. There are all kinds of ungodliness we do for the sake of people speaking well of us. There are times when we are faced with a decision of either telling people the truth or telling them what they want to hear. If people speak well of us because we tell them the lie they want to hear, woe to us. There are times when the popular thing to do at the table is not to give thanks to God for the food in front of us. There are times when the popular thing to do is to go to the sporting event and skip Mass. When we sacrifice what makes us popular for doing what is right, Jesus delights in these acts of service.

If you want a picture of the most blessed person who has ever walked the earth, this is it (pointing to Jesus on the cross). As Jesus hung upon the cross, he was not rich in the world’s eyes as he had no money. As Jesus hung upon the cross, he was not filled as he was hungry. As Jesus hung upon the cross, he was not laughing. As Jesus hung upon the cross, they were not speaking well of him, they jeered at him and reviled him.

Why? Because this great act of service is how Jesus shows his love for you. Friends, today, Jesus says these words to each one of us: “I have shown you how much I love you with the ultimate act of service (pointing to Jesus on the cross). Love me and one another the way I have loved you.” Now, how will you respond to this love that has been given to you?

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle C – February 13, 2022
Mass Readings:
Reading 1: Jer 17:5-8
Psalm: Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
Reading 2: 1 Cor 15:12, 16-20
Gospel: Lk 6:17, 20-26

What is your perspective on today’s Gospel reading? What is this Gospel saying to you right now? What is it speaking into your heart? I’m going to be silent now.

(10 seconds of silence). I have four children at home, so if no one wants to say anything, I will gladly take all the silence I can get. … (response about being silent in prayer). Yes, thanks for sharing. How did you feel about the silence when none of us were speaking? Did the silence feel uncomfortable?

As I was meditating on today’s Gospel reading, it became clear that God wants us to get comfortable with the uncomfortableness we feel when none of us are speaking and God is speaking to us in the silence. St. John of the Cross said, “God’s first language is silence.” Remember, that the Word of God, Jesus Christ, was with his Father and the Holy Spirit in silence before God ever said the words, “Let there be light.”

If we want to converse with God in his native tongue, silence is the language with which we should start the conversation. During Jesus’ transfiguration, instead of conversing with God in his first language of silence, we hear Peter give in to the temptation we may also sometimes give into. This is the temptation of feeling like we have to always be saying something in our own language or feeling like we have to always be doing something. Simply being in Jesus’ presence, listening to the words Jesus is speaking into our hearts, and basking in the glow of God is enough for us, in fact, it is more than enough.

In today’s Gospel reading, we hear a delicious morsel of truth in Matthew’s account of the transfiguration, which is not included in the accounts of Mark and Luke. When describing Jesus’ transfiguration, Matthew tells us that “his face shone like the sun.” Just as you cannot be exposed to the sun without receiving its rays, neither can you be exposed to Jesus without receiving his divine rays of grace, love, and peace. Instead of Peter just basking in and soaking up these divine rays in silence, Peter busies himself with talking and wanting to put up tents, which could result in blocking these divine rays from reaching others.
How many times have we blocked the blessings that come from these divine rays in our own lives? We block the blessings from these rays when we focus too much on acting as a human saying or a human doing, instead of living as we were created, as a human being.

During this penitential season of Lent, let us call to mind all those times we, like Peter, were so busy saying and doing things that we were blocking God’s blessings and grace from illuminating our lives. Maybe it was when we were so busy talking to others or doing a bunch of activities that we didn’t make time to receive God’s grace through the Eucharist at Mass on the weekend or on a holy day of obligation. Or it could have been during what is supposed to be our time conversing with God in prayer when we tried to dominate the conversation.

Let us come before God with contrite hearts for the times when we have turned into that annoying person in a conversation who was doing all the talking when we were instead meant to embrace the silence to make space for God to speak into our hearts. These are just a few of the ways that we may have given into the temptation of feeling like we always have to be saying something or doing something. In the process, we ended up blocking the rays of God’s blessings that Jesus wanted to touch our lives.

Just being fully present with and listening to someone who has wisdom they want to share with us could be the most important thing we do today. Our father reminds Peter on the mountaintop, and each of us here today, to listen to Jesus. So, before we go off saying and doing a bunch of things, let us simply be with and listen to Jesus as this is what he desires. Our God loves spending quality time with us, free from a bunch of talking, busyness, and distractions. God knows our hearts. God knows when our hearts desire divine help to resist the temptation Peter gave into, the temptation of always feeling like we have to be saying something or doing something.

Tomorrow, before we say anything or do anything, let us go be with Jesus in prayer and let us listen to what God has to say to us in the Bible. Then, after having spent time being with him in prayer and listening to his word in the Bible, let us feel Jesus touch us, as he touched Peter, James, and John in today’s account of the transfiguration, and say to us, “rise, and do not be afraid.” For when we have basked in the divine rays of being in Jesus’ presence and have clothed ourselves in his word to be the lamp to guide our day, as our feet hit the floor, it is not us who are afraid, it is the enemy who is afraid.

As we descend the mountain with Jesus, walking in his light, we are reminded that Jesus’ glory is both something he has and something Jesus gives away to each of us so that we may freely choose to bring this glory back to him. God’s will is for there to be a circulation of his grace and glory. Our hearts become radiant in Jesus presence, strengthened by our yearning for Jesus. It is when we are most satisfied in being with and listening to Jesus that God is most glorified in us.

With eyes of faith, we can see glory shining forth from Jesus here and now. Our participation in the Eucharist already gives us a foretaste of Jesus’ transfiguration of our bodies. As we receive the Eucharist, this is when we both give Jesus a home as well as give Jesus our hearts, so he can give our hearts a home in him. As the whole body of baptized believers, this is how we enter into the mystery of our transfiguration in Jesus.

Well, for a homily on silence, I’ve already said too much. So, I’m going to be silent now before a voice comes from the cloud saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” Does anyone else have anything you would like to say? (silence followed by thumbs up. Pointing to ear and point to Jesus on the crucifix.)

2nd Sunday of Lent Cycle A – March 8, 2020
Mass Readings:
Reading 1: Gn 12:1-4a
Psalm: Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22.
Reading 2: 2 Tm 1:8b-10
Gospel: Mt 17:1-9