St. Mary's Basilica

9th Sunday in Ordinary Time
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 This week the scriptures invite us to reflect on “how we build our houses”. This is an image that Jesus uses to help us think about what we allow to count as foundational in our lives. We have all had the experience of walking on a sandy beach. It’s warm, it’s pleasant, it’s almost therapeutic to sink our feet into this soft material that moves under our weight. It’s attractive, it’s appealing, but what would happen if you decided to build a house there? Jesus knew as the Master Architect that the sand would shift in a storm and there would be no stability for the foundation. The setting might be attractive for us at the time but unfortunately the structure would be apt to fall in a crisis.
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 We are reminded that our words must match our actions. It is not enough to say, “Lord, Lord.” No matter what one’s religious credentials are, it is putting Jesus’ words into practice that really counts. To do this is to build one’s house on rock rather than on sand. Sometimes we hear the word but do not really listen. We find ways to skirt the ways that are not appealing or attractive to us. We make our desires into gods and worship them rather than the God who made us, forgetting that Jesus offers us life. However, following his commands strengthens us when we meet the storms of life. Life gives us choices, it is up to us to make the right ones. The foolish build on sand, the unwise give no serious thought to the consequences of his/her choice.
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 But how do I build my house on rock? We’re talking figuratively…what do we need in order to grow on a firm spiritual foundation? First, what are the gifts that God has blessed us with. We have to honestly discern what they are. They help us to reach out to others and continue the work of building the Kingdom. If we don’t use them, no one else is going to use them. One English Olympian runner, once said, “God not only made me, but he made me fast.” Anyone who is good at athletics might have the gift of working to excel with that gift and being an inspirational role model for others. We may be able to say, God has made me generous …so do I use that gift? Or God made me a good listener, a good parent, a good musician or dancer. God is delighted that he made you. When you know and use your gifts, you not only know yourself but you have built your house on rock.
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 Your family, friends and community also help us to build that house on rock. We value the friends we have. A Christian can see Jesus in these friendships and lead us in directions that we may not have thought of ourselves and help us to make our lives more stable in our faith. They help us to make the right choices. Do we take time to separate the sand from the rock? Do we stand on ground that helps us to cooperate with God’s grace and our human freedom? We can either accept God’s gift of grace or reject it depending on whether we have built on sand or on rock.
 —Sr. Anthony Poerio, IBVM

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Did you ever look around you and see what kinds of people are authentically happy or look back at your life at the times when you would consider, you were really happy? Then we recognize what an inversion of conventional values the beatitudes are. We tend to think life belongs to the strong, young, wealthy, powerful, and beautiful. Jesus reveals the norms of the new age he came to inaugurate. In so doing, he turns our value systems upside down.

He reminds us that the only true source of happiness is a heart renewed by the Gospel in mercy, simplicity and reconciliation.

Those who live the beatitudes usually experience real happiness not the kind that feast on material possessions which are only temporary. They teach us that through our baptism we are called to be priest, prophet and ruler. We are all called to live the prophetic life some in more dramatic ways than others. Without prophets, the beatitudes run the risk of becoming just a nice story about the day Jesus went up the mountain to teach his friends. The sermon is radical and if we really listen to it and follow it we are subject to persecution and rejection. To change the condition of the poor and oppressed might mean that we relinquish all that keeps us in a posture of superiority. That might be too much for an unsuspecting subconscious to endure. Yet the beatitudes are meant to announce a new order in which God’s love and justice triumph over evil. Is God telling us to go where the action is; then we may experience what true happiness is all about?

The Beatitudes invite us to find the appropriate balance between prayer and action. One is needed to strengthen the other. It takes no less than the prophets around us to remind us that the beatitudes are not just pious fervorinos, but rather a serious call to justice, prayer, and discipleship. Faithfulness to the will of God leads to the cross. But sometimes in our weaker moments we are apt to say but who wants to go there? Fortunately we don’t do this alone. Strength and inspiration comes from the Gandhis, the Mother Theresas, the heroes of Tucson who saved lives but may have lost their own.

Real happiness is more profound than the joy of buying a new car, a flat screen TV, or an item of new clothes that you have longed for a long time, or for that dream vacation. After the initial experience we may discover that there is more to life than just “nice possessions”. There are “wrongs that need to be made right”, there are injustices that we might be able to do something about. There are some of God’s people who are in need of healing.
—Sr. Anthony Poerio, IBVM

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 23, 2011

Once again, the scriptures remind us of call. Jesus’ call is to “come and see”. In the midst of the everyday world with its routine concerns and needs, Jesus challenges these fishermen to build upon what they know best. He invites; he does not coerce. He sincerely wants them to respond but wants them to establish an enduring life-relationship with him in the service of the kingdom. Conversion and the call of God are intimately related. It is not easy to say yes to Jesus. His call is to experience a change of heart a new direction, focus and value system. All is made new. We know so well that it is painful to give up the familiar, the certain, the expected, and the taken-for-granted. It is a comfort zone for many of us. For us , the coming of the Kingdom means a letting go of something, but also the discovery of something new.

But we know that our lives must have a purpose. We walk by faith and live a life of hope in things not seen. The call may be so radical, that we may even have to give up family and friends. This may call us to that uncomfortable zone that we may not want to go. But Jesus tells us that two masters cannot be served. The house of one’s being cannot be divided. Jesus and the Kingdom must be the ultimate concern of the person who says yes to the call of discipleship.

When there is peace in a family or community…it will flourish. When there is discord and lack of harmony, it is difficult to find life. It can be devastating when people do not know the purpose of life. When no purpose in life is discovered some people experience meaninglessness, displacement, alienation and a lack of direction. Our young people are searching for role models and values which will sustain them beyond the pleasures of the moment and the bread of the world which fails to give lasting nourishment. The widespread use of drugs and alcohol, along with the suicide rate give vivid witness to the need to belong and be comfortable with the real purpose of life. We all need to be nourished in the Spirit. The challenge of and need to proclaim the Lord’s words of comfort, acceptance and hope are as pressing today as in the days of Isaiah.

This past week the experience of the “Tucson Tragedy” is a wake-up call to do more of establishing peace and harmony and firmly believing that God walks with us and gives each of the strength to do what we can to build the Kingdom. Today might be a good time to reflect on what we could do to establish a peaceful world rather than one that dwells on factions, or disunity. Are we going to change the cause of war, crime, hunger, and homelessness to one of peace, happiness and harmony overnight? Probably not. Yet, can we contribute a little bit to making a better world if we each did at least a little bit to make that happen? I think we can. We can ask ourselves why are we here? Do we know what our purpose in life is? Then and only then can we follow God’s call!
—Sr. Anthony Poerio, IBVM

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 16, 2011

There are many themes that emerge out of today’s liturgy – conversion, discipleship, the call of God. Many of them are connected. Our lives are filled with hearing many voices, maybe not literally but yet we know they are there. Some we want to listen to, but for many we turn off the sound. We hear our parent’s voice, “Anything worth doing is worth doing well”. We hear the voice of a former teacher telling is to use our gifts, you have enormous potential. We hear the cynical voice, the hopeful voice, the challenging voice. John the Baptist speaks of “preparing” and “witnessing” to help us discern what voices we listen to. Our inner voices can be a real key to what has prepared us and what we witness to now and in the future. But whose voice do we listen to?

It takes a lot of work to develop the kinds of ears which can hear another’s pain or to hear the need that another does not express but is deep in his/her heart. It’s not what they say but rather what they don’t say. It takes a lot of energy to hear the Lord’s voice among the many voices in our minds. Once we hear the voice of hurt and suffering, do we choose to witness to the Lord’s voice of hope? We can choose to follow that voice or the other voices of despair, cynicism, failure. The choice is ours. We all have “ups and down” of life and perhaps made wrong choices. How do we know if it is God’s call or our own inclinations? We don’t! The hand of God has to be part of the decision-making process. It may be that we would rather not go there. However, it probably would lead us to a life-changing direction. God uses such circumstances to help us grow in the gifts we have been given.

It is important to listen to that voice that is calling is to grow closer to the One who shows us how to live. In our daily life, it is not always so simple to hear God’s call or to work out what it means to respond to that call. Let us not forget that we are surrounded by faith-filled people who will help and support us along the way. Responding to a call is only the beginning. A single action or decision affects others as well as ourselves. A choice for God, for Jesus Christ, for an exploration of the faith, or getting to know a community of believers becomes a pivotal time in our lives.

Maybe this week we can spend some time in reflecting on the many inner voices that tug us in different directions. Maybe we will hear the voice that John heard. Maybe we will hear a voice which sounds like the Lord’s voice – a voice which consoles, a voice which invites us to live fully, a voice which asks us to give witness with our own voice of hope.
—Sr. Anthony Poerio, IBVM

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, January 9, 2011

Water has many meanings attached to it. It may be a calming effect as we sit on a seashore and watch the movement of the waves. It may mean the difference between life and death for survival in the desert if our supply has depleted. Water is cleansing. But as we watch the news and see houses sliding down mud cliffs in California, we see that it can be dangerous. Water can be refreshing and relaxing when we go for a swim on an extremely hot day. But it can also be treacherous when a toddler falls into a pool and drowns.

Many of us do not remember our baptism because we were baptized as infants. We might have a photo or two or a relationship with our godparents that has enriched us with the importance of this sacrament. Today, we probably reflect on this beautiful sacrament even with more understanding because of our adults who are going through the RCIA process as we share their stories of conversion that lead them to a commitment to the Church in our community. The plunge into the water at the Easter Vigil is a sign of dying to self to begin a new life with Christ. Jesus’ mission was inaugurated at the event of his baptism by John. He showed us how to live it out. He became one with sinners. He lived with them, got his hands dirty, and showed us what love really means.

The Jews were a people rescued and chosen for a purpose. They were to live as a people brought up out of the waters. Their self-consciousness was to be a sign of a people raised up, to live faithfully for the sake of others. Isn’t our purpose the same? And what does all this mean for us? We, too, as baptized Christians, are a people come “directly out of the water”, called to live in solidarity with all others “washed” for a purpose in this life. Allowing the Spirit to empower us in ways that seem to be impossible for us, give us the strength to assist us in following the purpose in life that God has set for us. This allows us to serve in ways that we didn’t think possible. People can be led to see, can be released from the many things that imprison them, can be brought up out of darkness by a servant community called and empowered to act on their behalf. Faith-filled people who surround us with kindness and goodness help us to discover what we need to do.

Some of our Churches have large baptismal pools where baptism is done by immersion. There is something to be said about the presence of excessive water. The triple immersion is a visible sign of dying to self and rising to the new life with Christ to which he is calling us. For us, the already baptized, maybe today is a good day to reflect on what baptism means to us. God invites us to change, to live out our baptisms more fully. He invites us to change week after week, day after day. This is on-going. This invitation needs a RSVP. This isn’t always easy and yet if we look at our baptismal commitment and listen to the scriptures intensely, we may make the changes in our lives that may make us in tune with bringing forth justice, being merciful, and healing the hurting.
—Sr. Anthony Poerio, IBVM