Father Paul Weinberger
Saint William the Confessor Catholic Church
Greenville, Texas
32ND Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 12, 2006
Just as it is appointed that men die once, after this the judgment. So also, Christ offered once to take away the sins of many will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him.
In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit
Amen
I went to Mexico in 1993 to study in Ciudad Victoria, four hours south of Brownsville. I was to be there for nine months. The bishop had promised a great program with nuns, who were going to help me morning, noon, and night to learn Spanish, a real intensive Spanish program. When I arrived there and moved in with the Vicar General nothing happened. The nuns didn’t appear and then I found out that the Bishop had been in a car accident a year or so before and he really didn’t know what was going on.
I was there with the Vicar General for a month when he asked me if I minded taking over a parish while I was there. I am sure he decided to offer this because after me being there a month he looked at his food bill and said,
”What happened?”
Then he put two and two together and realized…. Anyway, I agreed to go but on one condition and that is that I could go by myself. He agreed to my request.
Before I moved into Divine Providence, which means, “God will provide”, I went to say my first Mass there; it was a funeral. A lady was there with her ten or twelve children; Senora Terry was a young woman and her husband had passed away. He’d gone up the mountain in his car in a fog and it plummeted off the side of the mountain. So my first Mass there was a funeral Mass for her husband.
Senora Terry had no insurance but did have a couple of small businesses; tortillas are what the businesses made but they didn’t have an income that could feed so many. She has some money in reserve but was in terrible straits.
Divine Providence is a beautiful Church, about twice as long as this Church, half as wide, twice as tall, and has a huge dome over the cross with a large bell tower. The Church was built by contributions from Germany. After WWII Mexico was incredibly generous with Germany and other nations, who had been devastated by the war. Mexico gave food away and Germany never forgot this. The people of Germany have set up a foundation, which gives money to build Churches in Mexico. Whether they are Catholic or not, they send money to build Churches and one of these was Divine Providence, which is beautiful.
The Church wasn’t finished when I arrived. You see, a couple of nuns had come along, who were from out of town. They represented themselves as nuns but one of the things they did was misappropriate some of the money and bought a car. They would park the car in the unfinished Church. That was a warning sign right there! Before the Church was completed, there went the nuns! There went the car and there went part of the money! The Church had not been painted and was still gray block with cement over it. As well as needing to be painted, the roof needed to be waterproofed and the sanctuary needed to be finished. There was a rose window that had a beautiful sky blue glass in it, which upon closer inspection was the sky. [Laughter] Birds loved it because it was the biggest birdhouse in the world.
The tower, which soared into the air, had not been finished and every time we rang the little bell up there, amazingly the children would come out from everywhere with their money, interested in buying Popsicles. Tinkle, tinkle, the bell sounded like one on those carts a person pushes around selling ice-cream, It was a terrible bell for the parish.
There were just some of the things that needed to be done in the parish so with eight months there and one hundred dollars a week there from a good collection, we were digging in to make our list of things to get done. Jose, who had been there when the first stone was placed, worked with me to make the list and prioritize because materials in Mexico are probably double what they are here. Where we were there was no Home Depot or Lowe’s so the materials were expensive.
I told the people there that I would be leaving May 30th to return to Dallas so we got down to business. I recall December 12th, I had been there a month or so and we were just about to start work. This day was The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and we sang Morning Prayer to Our Lady and then we left. It was a very cold morning there but fortunately the Church had central heat and central air... central heat in the summer and central air in the winter. [Laughter] Then again, people in Mexico wear clothes. Right?
When we left the Church there was a man to the right of the bell tower. He’d been there all night in his truck. He’d taken a large beam and leaned it from the bell tower over to the fence that separated the Church from the public school next door. From this beam he had suspended a two-ton bell. It was beautiful; it had an image in bronze of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the bottom and the date, 1993. When he rang the bell it had a deep tone and could no doubt be heard for miles. It was LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT!
This was right after the president of Mexico had instituted the new peso. The bell would cost 12,000 new pesos, which is about three thousand dollars. That was a bargain for a bell that size but a lot of money for a parish that would bring in only one hundred dollars in a good week. I was just learning Spanish and I was trying to mix the verbs and nouns together to ask Jose how we could complete all the work that we had just mapped out and buy the bell as well. I told him that I would be leaving in 5 ½ months and that I didn’t want to leave him with a large debt.
I didn’t have to start down that road of explanation because someone arrived honking the horn of her truck. It was Senora Terry, the widow who’d lost her husband. There she was honking her horn and I was relieved because now I wouldn’t have to tell the guy with the bell “No” because I would have to go to the hospital. I figured that someone with that many children had a “speed pass” to the Red Cross hospital, which was just around the corner. Children slam their hands in things or they put things up their nose and I thought Senora Terry has some kind of emergency concerning a child and I was prepared to go to the hospital now and decide what to do about the bell later on.
That was not the case. Senora Terry got out of her truck; she was alone, which was rare. She was very animated and said to me in Spanish while waving something,
“Father, Father, I have got to give this money to the Church!”
It was as if the money was an affliction to her. Now if you are afflicted in this manner…see me after Mass! Anytime! [Laughter]
This was the first time something like this happened and it never happened again. She had a thousand new pesos. Well, I didn’t need a house to fall on me to realize that Someone wanted us to purchase the bell and I wasn’t going to stand in the way. The man with the bell allowed us to pay the balance on time knowing that any time we failed to pay he could come and take the bell. He knew I was leaving on May 30th so every once in a while he came through and picked up another payment.
When I left on May 30th all the work that was to be done to the Church to complete it had been done and the bell was paid off and there was money in the bank. One wonders how such a thing is possible. Well, you know me by my earthly name but I am really SUPERMAN!!! [Laughter] That is not how I did it; He did it! Divine Providence did it! Superman…yea right!
All of the readings today speak of God’s tremendous providence. In the First Reading concerning the widow, Elijah approaches her as she is gathering a few sticks. I am reminded of the houses around Divine Providence Church, which were made of sticks. In the morning when the people got up the first thing they did was to let the animals, the livestock out of the house made of sticks and then they would leave the house. Anyway this woman is picking up sticks to cook a little bread. Elijah approaches her and asks for a glass of water. Of course there has been a drought going on for years so he may as well ask for liquid gold or silver, but the woman doesn’t complain. Then Elijah asks for bread. She told Elijah that she was gathering sticks to make bread for she and her son and after that they would die. Of course Elijah says,
“Ok, before you do that could you just bring me a little cake? I understand you are starving but…”
Now, he is a prophet but doesn’t he sound just like a priest? [Laughter] Later on we read that this woman never goes without food. You see, there was this great government program that sustained them throughout the…There wasn’t a government program; it was Divine Providence. We have such an inflated opinion of government programs that when we see someone in need our first impression is,
”Isn’t there a government program to help them?”
That is not getting us one step closer to Heaven.
Last week a friend of mine was reading about Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She was walking through the streets one day and she saw a newborn infant in the street inflicted with terrible disabilities and abandoned. Mother Teresa did what she always did, she picked the child up and took him back to the convent and cared for the child’s every need. She said that the child’s mother loved him so much that she wouldn’t kill him. Abandon him? Yes! Kill him? No. Yet, how many people in our country would abort a child because the child might grow up and be hungry. Those great government programs again.
Yesterday was the Feast Day of St. Martin of Tours, who you might have a picture of in your home or see in a place of business. The picture is of a Roman soldier on a horse, taking his sword and cutting his cape in two in order to give a nude man at his feet some clothing. People were streaming out of the gate and St. Martin stopped and helped him. Later on the beggar revealed himself as Jesus Christ. St. Martin was then baptized and he, along with St. Benedict are co-patrons of Europe. They both spread monasteries in Europe, which aided so many over the centuries.
We have the account of his death just like we have the account of the death of St. Francis. These are the last moments in the life of St. Martin, someone who has grown poor enriching others. Someone who has grown strong spiritually, while growing weaker physically. It sounds like the description of a parent, who will give and give to their children, enriching them, as they grow older and weaker. Martin was now a bishop and he is dying so the fellow monks, his brothers are there and are trying to get him to turn on his side to relieve the pain. Martin says to them,
The most important point in the life of any person is getting ready for that final departure. After St. Martin spoke the words he saw the devil standing near by. This is what he said to the devil.Brothers, allow me to look toward Heaven rather than at earth so that my soul may set on the right course when the time comes for me to go on my journey to the Lord.
This story says that, with those words he gave up his spirit to Heaven and was welcomed by Abraham. He left this life a lowly man and entered Heaven rich in God’s favor. St. Martin gave until there was no more to give.Why do you stand there you bloodthirsty brute? MURDERER, you will not have me for your prey; Abraham is welcoming me into his embrace.
Today is the Feast of St. Josaphat. If you ever visit St. Peter’s Basilica in the future, on the other side of the main Altar are minor Altars and the Altar closest to the High Altar on one side is the Altar of St. Josaphat. Chris, the Roman Sacristan took this picture you see on the front of the bulletin while he was there. He likes to go every four weeks or so…I am sorry…he would like to! Notice the facemask is silver, a silver mask. He was martyred about four hundred years ago and that is why the “M” is there, it stands for martyr. He was a martyr for unity in the Church.
Today people in the Church incorrectly think that Jesus is so happy that there are so many Churches. Isn’t it great, so many faith traditions, etc.? But, if we listen to Jesus in St. John’s Gospel at the Last Supper while He is praying to His Father, He is referring to His Church when he prays,
Father, may they be ONE as You and I are ONE
And so it was for centuries and then the disunity entered the Church. St. Josaphat was martyred about four hundred years ago as I have already mentioned. He kept his piece of geography tied to the Successor of St. Peter; in fact, about a week before he was martyred he told the assembled crowd in Polotsk, his diocese, that he wished to be a martyr for unity if God would allow it. The Russian Orthodox didn’t want St. Josaphat to remain united to Rome because they wanted the Orthodox to take over the area.
”Oh, it really wouldn’t matter that much, come on Father!”
The piece of territory that Josaphat kept united to Rome produced a baby some four hundred years later and this baby was Charles Karol Wojtyla, who would eventually become the pope, Pope John Paul II. St. Josaphat kept part of Poland tied to St. Peter and his successors; he was called a thief of souls. He did tremendous work. One day terrible people knocked on his door in the Archdiocese and pulled him out, stripped him naked and executed him. They dragged his body through the streets naked after having set the dogs on it, and then they dismembered the saint. After they had all their fun with this tremendous archbishop, they put all the body parts and some large rocks into some fishnet, took it out to the middle of a very deep lake and threw him overboard. The faithful Catholics saw where the body was deposited and they fished him out, hence the death mask in silver.
There was nothing more for St. Josaphat to give than what he had given. He dies a martyr for unity.
Last week I heard an introduction to one of Father Corapi’s shows and if you listen to him you will always learn something. He is a big tall priest and he has a booming voice. This is how he begins his program.
Father imitates Fr. Corapi’s booming voice
Anyway that is close as I can get; I think I hurt myself. [Laughter] Fr. Corapi really gets your attention. Now think of this; Purgatory will pass away, I will probably be the last one out, there will either be Heaven of Hell and you and I will either be in Heaven or Hell. It kind of helps you focus, focus like most of us never do. Focus is everything about these readings. I have four points listed for you in the bulletin. Look at point #1, from Pope John Paul II’s, “On the Mystery of the Incarnation published in November of 1998.In the end, forever, you and I will be either in Heaven or Hell…period!
Free and conscious surrender to grave sin separates me from the life of Grace with God and therefore excludes me from the holiness to which I am called by God.
In your bulletin there is a simple and powerful to recite after Communion, written by Pope Benedict XVI, which was taken from his book written while he was Cardinal Ratzinger. The book is “Spirit of the Liturgy” and on pages 88-89 you will finds this powerful prayer. This prayer is more to us that silver or gold. Parents, you must drill this into your children. You must again be assiduous in teaching them this very simple prayer. What Pope Benedict is encouraging you and I to do after worthily receiving Holy Communion is to surrender, freely and consciously surrender ourselves to the source of all good and every Grace, who is Jesus Himself. We should beg Him to raise us up and transform us and He will! But…as St. Therese’ said,
Some Catholics walk up to Communion as if they are going to get their parking validated. Some friends of mine recently went on vacation and while in another state they were leaving Church after Mass and a grandmother was ushering out her grandchildren. She said,We manage our affairs very poorly on earth.
“Come on kids…. on to bigger and better things.”
I told my friend to follow her! I am forty-seven and I have no idea what could be bigger or better than worthily receiving Our Lord… Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity… in Holy Communion, surrendering myself to Him and begging Him to raise me up and transform me.
Look at the contrast.
Free and conscious surrender to grave sin or free and conscious surrender to Our Lord, begging Him to raise us up and transform us
Now, look what point #1 says; it is the classic definition of mortal sin.
Freely and consciously surrendering to grave sin is to live Hell while still on earth.
Point #2 says,
Freely and consciously surrendering myself to Jesus and worthily receiving Him in Holy Communion is Heaven while still one earth!
Look at point #3…
“No one talks about mortal sin anymore, Father. Where are you getting this about mortal sin? I mean, are you planning to deliver a homily next week on buggy whips, the horse and buggy, the return of traditional transportation?
Notice there that it states that, last Sunday in St. Peter’s Plaza in Rome, Pope benedict XVI said the following.
Notice how point #3 builds on point #1 and #2. It builds on the other two points very well. The Pope fearing death of the body; that is going to happen! Everyone here will die one day but, death of the soul, to freely and consciously embrace and surrender to grave sin is to experience Hell on earth.The death of the body is not to be feared; instead the death to be feared is the death of the soul, which the Bible calls the “second death, death of the soul. In fact, those who die unrepentant in the state of mortal sin, locked in proud rejection of God’s love, exclude themselves from the kingdom of life in Heaven forever.”
Point #4 is just thrown in as gravy.
This paragraph is taken from a book written by the Chief Exorcist of Rome, Fr. Gabriel Amorth.When You Feel the Attack of the Evil One – the Cure is Always... “In ALL cases the cure is the same: prayer, fasting, receiving the Sacraments, a Christian Life, Charity and [many blessings]...
The book’s title is “An Exorcist Tells His Story”.
This list in point #4 are things that we are obliged to do as Christians. So, when we feel oppressed by the “other team” the antidote is to do what we should have been doing all along, which is prayer, fasting, receiving the Sacraments and charity.
The woman in the Gospel today was so focused on God, and the fact that He would provide everything for her, she gave everything she had to live on. Jesus recalls this widow’s contribution and it is alive a thousand years later. The sacrifice of the woman in the First Reading today…the same thing! . In order to give away everything you have to live on is an anomaly today; we have such overarching confidence in government programs. It is not uncommon for someone to have five coats. What are you going to do? Are you going to wear all five at one time? You’d probably be mistaken for a polar bear and get shot. People would be wondering if the person had a condition or something. No, the person is just wearing five coats. You can’t even put on five coats so would it kill someone to give three or four of those coats away? St. Martin…call your office!
A few years ago a woman was really pestering me to start this new program at Blessed Sacrament; she was going to link me with this company and we were going to be able to pick up food for the poor. I told her I didn’t want to do it but she kept nagging, which is the appropriate word. We tried it one time. I’d told her I didn’t want bent cans. She assured me they would be perfect and may not have labels but they would be identified. We went over there and loaded up the truck with the industrial size cans. No family uses those things anyway, right? Who buys vegetables in that large a quantity…come on! Every one of the cans was bent and we had to throw them away.
Mother Teresa asked why it was that the poor get our trash! When we give to the poor are we just cleaning out the lint in the dryer to give them as well? The worst is given to the poor but Jesus associates Himself essentially with the poor. So, taking care of the poor in acts of charity helps us to focus on Jesus and get our attention where it ought to be, and that is on Christ.
Just as it is appointed that men die once and after this the judgment, so also Christ offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him.
Think about your last moment on earth. Are you going to just be able to turn things around? Think of the pilot, who dives toward the ground and just feet from the pavement pulls up on the stick and then rushes back into the sky. Yes, it works in cartoons but not in aviation.
“Yes, I am going to spend all my life, freely and consciously surrendering myself to grave sin, separated from God and I am going to be so weak that at the last moment, I am going to call that kook, Father Paul, and get him to hear my confession”
Ain’t going to happen; we can’t do this! I agree that anything is possible but is it probable? No! God does not want us in such a state of wretchedness in this life and so poor; He wants us to be strong and all the ways are right there in point #4. These are the ways that we become strong and one of the ways to become strong is in making ourselves poor to enrich others and this is called “Charity.”
In the Name of the father and the Son and the Holy Spirit
Amen