02/24/13 DIY Religion: Jesus: Dozens of Models to Choose From, Pick Your Own

Homily from the Second Sunday of Lent.

"What is the idea of creating a Jesus of my own making, of my own choosing, of my own invention? ...Basically, when it comes to all of the Greek gods and goddesses, what they are is it's divinizing, it's a way of making a god out of whatever it is that you want. And so you actually get to, as we'd say in Christian terms, you get to baptize your own desires. So choosing something now simply means choosing God. If I want this thing, of course I would want this, because God would want this. This idea is completely alive and well, not that we believe in the gods or goddesses of ancient Greece, but we have re-cast Jesus so often to fit our own desires. ...Who is the real jesus? ...Is it Jesus who weeps in the face of death at Lazarus' tomb? Yes, Jesus hurts when we hurt. But it's also Jesus who commands death at Lazarus' tomb. The God of the Resurrection. It's Jesus, whose face today in the Gospel is glorified beyond recognition, is also the Jesus in the Gospel, four weeks from now, whose face is beaten beyond recognition. ...We need to recognize this, that I might have to change my vision of Jesus, not make my vision of Jesus based off of me."

Mass Readings from February 24, 2013:
Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
Philippians 3:17—4:1
Luke 9:28B-36

To download the 40 Days Scripture Readings for Lent, click here!

To find out more about the Rice Bowl and to make a donation, click here!

02/17/13 DIY Religion: The Life of Grace

Homily from the First Sunday of Lent.

"You might be sitting here like 'I want that, I want that grace, I want that Holy Spirit.' Well here's the reality: if you've been baptized, you've already been given that grace. If you've professed faith, you've already been given that grace. Everyone here, you are post-serum Captain America's! You're not like, 'Oh, I want that grace, give me that grace!' Like I have to beg for it, no no no no. You've already been given the power of the Holy Spirit. ...You do not have to convince God to give you His Spirit, You do not have to convince God to love you. The fact that you are here is proof that He has already chosen you and that He already loves you. It's just up to us to begin living the life of grace. ...The practice of the presence of God is simply being attentive to the fact that God is attentive to you."

Mass Readings from February 17, 2013:
Deuteronomy 26:4-10
Romans 10:8-13
Luke 4:1-13

02/13/13 A Savior for a Sinner

Homily from Ash Wednesday.

"What can I do this Lent so that in 40 days I have what I really want? Which is not just, 'I made it without drinking pop!' And not just, 'I made it without snacking!' But it's, "I love Jesus more.' Because I realize that I cannot just choose to love Jesus more, I have to train my heart to long for Him more. And it starts not by trying harder, it starts by trying smarter. It doesn't start by praying harder, it starts by praying smarter. That's my challenge to myself and to everyone here: what is it that I can do for the next 40 days so that by Easter I just love Him more, I know Him more, I am more like Him?"

Mass Readings from February 13, 2013:
Joel 2:12-18
2 Corinthians 5:20—6:2
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

To download the 40 Days Scripture Readings, click here!

To find out more about the Rice Bowl and to make a donation, click here!

02/10/13 DIY Religion: How Do I Know It's True?

Homily from the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

"After the Resurrection, Peter goes out on the feast of Pentecost into the same city that Jesus was crucified, in the same city that Jesus was risen from the dead, with the same people who were there 50 days earlier and he said, "That Jesus you crucified? He died. And He rose from the dead, and we saw Him!' Do you know why 5,000 people that day became Christians? Because the Resurrection actually happened. It's true. And so it changed peoples' lives. Question: if the Resurrection is true, would you let it change your life?"

Mass Readings from February 10, 2013:
Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Luke 5:1-11

02/03/13 DIY Religion: Love In Truth

Homily from the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

"There's nothing wrong with going to Old Country Buffet and saying, 'I'll have some of this, but I don't want any of that.' ...It doesn't work when it comes to religion. How come? Because if God is real, that means that God actually has an identity outside of me. Just like if my mom is actually a real person, when my dad loves her, he can't just do what he wants, he has to love her because she has a real identity outside of himself. If God is real, then there is actually a way we can love Him and a way that we can't love Him, if He is an objective reality."

Mass Readings from February 3, 2013:
Jer 1:4-5, 17-19
1 Cor 12:31—13:13
Luke 4:21-30