In Need of a Compass: The Stories of Zacchaeus and Dr. Fritz Haber - 31st Sunday in OT (C)

Do you know Doctor Fritz Haber? If you don't, you may find it odd that you don't, since it is because of him that you are likely alive today. Back in the middle-late 1800s, when Fritz was born, farming techniques were technologically advancing, but still rather feeble, oftentimes unable to address basic needs. Just prior to his birth, for example, nearly one million people died in Ireland due to starvation (the great potato famine). Farmers understood the basic tenets needed to grow crops and they had discovered how nitrogen, better than any manure, could double and even quadruple crop yields. But nitrogen, even though it is the most abundant gas on earth (equating to about 78% of our air), is rather rare in a solid, fertilizer state. Doctor Fritz Haber changed that. He developed a process that was able to synthesize ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen -- which could then be further synthesized to form nitrogen-rich fertilizer. Because of this tremendous scientific achievement, crop yields went up exponentially, as did the world's population. Starvation became a thing of the past in western civilizations. And for this, Fritz won the Noble Prize in Chemistry in 1918. "Fritz has made bread from the air," they said.

But despite this incredible achievement, many of Fritz' contemporaries boycotted the awards ceremony. There were protests; many were ashamed that he received the award. Why was this so? What was the controversy?

Well, as Fritz was working with ammonia, he was also tinkering with chlorine gas. He had an incredible intellect that was matched by a tremendous German patriotism. World War I was beginning and Fritz was wanting to contribute to the war effort. He invented weaponized chlorine and mustard gases -- and he personally oversaw their deployment on the fields of battle. His invention would lead to a new angel of death descending into the depths of the trenches. And more, he would be directly responsible for the gases used in concentration camps in the Second World War. He would be known as the "Father of Chemical Warfare." And Doctor Albert Einstein, a contemporary, would call Doctor Fritz Haber the most "tragic figure in modern science."

To me, this is fascinating: that a man, so gifted, so in love with his country, and who on the one hand advanced the lives of many, would on the other hand be the direct and active cause of the deaths of millions. How could this be? And what in the world does he have to do with Zacchaeus and Jesus in today's Gospel?

Zacchaeus was equally talented. A shrewd business man-- and clearly so: you didn't get into good standing with the Romans by being a dolt or gullible. And for a man of short stature-- the Romans enjoyed the "bella figura"-- Zacchaeus clearly had to have made an impression. Then, despite such a short stature, he could collect and compel and himself amass a fortune -- it all speaks to an individual with great talents and capabilities. 

But at the end of the day, we don't call Zacchaeus "the most tragic tax collector in Jewish times." 

And that is because, on this day, Zacchaeus meets Jesus and finds his moral compass.

Fritz, for all of his love of man and country, did not have a moral compass -- or, if he did, it could easily spin in arbitrary directions, whichever seemed most expedient or pragmatic for the cause he arbitrarily chose as most important. 

But for Zacchaeus-- when Jesus commands "Come down!"-- the needle of Zacchaeus' moral compass immediately points north. It has been calibrated, some may say "conformed," to the Truth. Hence, Zacchaeus immediately declares: "This day, I will give half of my possessions to the poor. And if I have extorted anyone, I will repay them four times over."

What a change!

This moment is tremendous for me. First, it reveals the incredible powers that Zacchaeus had beneath all of his intellectual and business prowess: he has an phenomenal power for justice and charity. "I will repay four times over!" Now that's an incredible act of penance!

And second-- and perhaps even more importantly-- it reveals the incredible power of Jesus. He says two words: "Come down!" And Zacchaeus comes down. It reminds me of how simple the proclamation was when God brought creation into being: "Let there be light!" Or when the priest, by the power of the Holy Spirit, changes bread into God-- not making "bread from air," but a greater miracle of bread into God-- when he says "This is my Body." The power in God's voice, in His Word, when He says a thing -- is ... incomprehensible, unfathomable, and so very beautiful to me. Truly, Lord, you can do all things! Just command my conversion, please, and let it be done!

Here is the theme, then, of that first reading. Notice the power of God: he overlooks our sins and spares us, rebuking us little by little so that we may repent. Of course, He could end us all, as in the flood, for all the world is in His hands and is as nothing in His scales, like mere dew. He can do all things, but He looks with clemency upon us. And I love this line: He "loathes nothing [He has] made."

He does not loathe you. He does not loathe this world, despite its troubles. But He does want its conversion. Which is why He came to it and comes to it again today. He comes to you. And He says to you: to where is your moral compass pointing? In which direction is your life pointed?

"Come down," He says. "I want to dine at your place tonight."

Imagine this for a moment. Zacchaeus could have felt dread! (Was his conversion real? The Lord was about the find out, oh God!) But it was because the Lord wanted to bring all the friends to conversion. He wanted to speak with them over the intimacy of dinner and fellowship, where the doors of the heart could be opened and heart could speak to heart.

I think you and I need to do this. Most of us pray before dinner. But is that moment a true opening of the heart to Jesus, to hear Him, to let Him recalibrate our lives and our moral compass so that we point in all things to Him? For me, I love to have a cup of coffee in the morning and sit with Him. I can bring to Him the worries of my day; the struggles of our country and who I am to vote for; the gratitude I have for His mercy "renewed each morning." 

Here, I remember a great quote by the French novelist Leon Bloy. He said: "The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint."

To become a saint requires not that we are intelligent or shrewd or successful in the ways of the world. It requires that we have a moral compass that always and everywhere points to Jesus, that leads us to Him, to converse with Him and be found and led by Him.

It is the difference between Fritz and Zacchaeus, the world and the Christian.

To where-- or should I say: to whom-- does your moral compass point?

+ In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

On the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary (2022)

 + A blessed solemnity of the Assumption to you and to your families. May God bless you and your families and your homes this day and always. 

As we begin our reflection on the Assumption, that is, the moment when God the Father brings Mary, our Beloved Mother, body and soul into heaven, it is important to distinguish this moment from Jesus’ Ascension. In the Ascension, Jesus Himself, as He is God, goes to heaven by His own power. But in the Assumption, Mary is drawn, lifted to the Father. It is not by Mary’s own power, but by the Father and the Son. They lift her up. 

And they do so in the very moment when death was about to inflict its curse. Mary is saved from the taste of death. In the Eastern Catholic churches, this moment is called The Dormition—the falling asleep. As Mary starts to fall asleep into death, she is spared and is instead brought up to heaven. Death no longer has any sting. 

There is a beautiful logic to Jesus and the Father’s love in this. Not only do they show that Mary is definitively the New Eve and has undone her curse, but also that Jesus and the Father love Mary. That is to say: if you had the power to save your mom from death, wouldn’t you do it if you loved her? This is precisely what Jesus does. 

It fulfills what Paul says in his First Letter to the Corinthians: “Christ, the first-fruits” is brought to heaven and “then each in their proper order.” So, after Jesus enters heaven, then most certainly must come His Mother, the Queen Mother. 

All of this is to simply show that there are good and beautiful reasons for this Solemnity of the Assumption. 

*

But why does this Solemnity matter? What relevance does it have for today? 

Very recently there was an article in a pretty popular periodical called The Atlantic. In the article, it advanced the argument that those who pray the rosary are radical—Rad Trads—and, even worse, those who pray the rosary may actually be white supremacists, racists, terrorists! What reason does the article give to make such a claim with breathless hysteria? Well, because we speak of the rosary as … a weapon! 

Ultimately, what has been forgotten by many Catholics and never understood by society at large is that we are in fact in a war. There is a battle. And where there is a battle, there must necessarily be weapons. We do believe that there is a devil. And we do know, at the very least from experience, that he does have his own weapons. And it would be quite naïve if we said that there wasn’t a war going on. 

I mean, how many statues of Mary have we seen decapitated in the past few months? How many statutes have been tipped over and destroyed? In my brother’s city of Denver, no less than three parish churches have been shot at because of their faith and their work with women. One parish has been shot at twice in just three nights. That parish is, coincidentally to our solemnity today, the Parish of the Assumption of Mary. And this is to say nothing of the other persecutions—and even self-inflicted wounds—that we have had to endure in recent memory. 

Paul, once again, notes this reality when he says that powers and principalities will be put under the feet of Christ. And “the last enemy to be destroyed is death.” 

You see, this solemnity today serves as a proof of this victory—and of this battle. As Mary is brought into heaven, we see definitively the victory. Which is why the devil is so mad! Nothing makes Satan more mad that when a soul is safe forever in heaven. Mary is home—like a child playing tag, she can yell “base!” or “free!” And will never be tormented by the devil. He hates that. 

And what’s more: Mary can see the entire battlefield now. She has the high ground—which is the most powerful ground. She can be the greatest of field generals and, as we weave those bouquets of roses for her, she can dispense the gifts of those rosaries to those on the battlefield who need it most. Yes, the Rosary is our weapon. And our Blessed Mother Mary is the most powerful weapon of all! 

Sure, this may sound like a weird way to talk about Mary. But any mother who sees her child in danger knows that power that can be unleashed in that moment. When I was hiking in the wilderness, we saw a cub and its mother. And do you know what? We stayed as far away from that cub as possible! Why? Because the mother bear would have killed us!! So too, those who mess with Mary’s children will get Mama Bear. 

* 

Perhaps, then we should turn our thoughts to prayer. 

On this solemnity, my first thought goes to our bishops. So often, we are told to think of Sunday obligation not in terms of obligation, but as the opportunity it provides—really, we are to think of Holy Mass as a grace and a way to become truly free. 

That is correct. 

But the bishops have not treated Holy Days of Obligation as sources of grace and freedom. Rather, they get rid of them willy-nilly because of a Monday or a Saturday. Instead of having the effect of freeing, such lukewarmness actually reinforces the idea that these Masses are just a binding obligation. 

If feasts like the Assumption and the Ascension and others like St. Joseph and Saint Peter and Paul—if these feasts are feasts of grace and freedom, then wouldn’t we want more, not less, attending? 

The “dragon’s tail wiped out a third of the stars in the sky” we hear in the first reading from Revelation today. Spiritually speaking, the stars are the descendants of Abraham. So what does this mean? It means, spiritually, that in the last days, a third of the people of God will lose their faith, their light. 

Look around you. We’ve lost more than a third. 

People have forgotten about heaven. And our Blessed Mother. And about the battle. 

And there is no easier way to be a causality of war than to wonder aimlessly, naively, on the field of battle. There are many causalities around us. And the bishops have a duty to help us. 

Let us pray for them that they start reinstating Holy Days and treating them as important reminders of faith and sources of grace! 

* 

A second point of prayer—and my final thought in this homily—are for those who have fallen away from the faith. We pray for them particularly this day. I know you are worried about them because you love them. 

Give them confidently to the Blessed Mother. What does Genesis 3:15 say? The woman will “crush the head of the serpent.” This is not a dainty thing to do! Mary does it with great force—one may say with great ferocity! 

Pray the Rosary every day for your friends and family who have fallen away. And believe, believe very truly that, in the hour of their death, Mary will do everything she can to bring them home. 

Even if you don’t see their conversion before you die, believe that they will come home. For what do you pray at the end of the Hail Mary? “… pray for us sinners now… and at the hour of our death…” 

Mary, under the patronage of Our Lady of Fatima, replies by saying, “Yes, my Immaculate Heart will Triumph.” 

And Our Lady of Guadalupe, a great image of our Lady of the Assumption, crowned with the stars in the sky, says, “Let nothing—nothing—depress you or cause you anxiety… am I not here who am your mother?” 

In the last hour in this great battle, Mary will come to your beloved friends and family and say, “I am here. Your mother is here….” 

* 

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. +

Room for the Holy Spirit - Homily for Pentecost (2022)

Today we celebrate the great solemnity of Pentecost, the fiftieth day since the great celebration of Easter. Today’s feast actually takes us back to Ash Wednesday, at the start of Lent, when we heard to “repent and believe in the Gospel.” Throughout Lent, we began to become aware of the spirit of the world that plagued our hearts and we asked the Lord to heal us. When we reached Easter, we realized that this belief—that our Lord could heal us—we realized that this belief was credible: if Jesus could be raised from the dead, then maybe He could actually save us. Fifty days have passed since Easter and so we may now ask: why is this day so important? 

In a word: because now we see that it is possible to become holy. The Holy Spirit makes it possible to become holy; that we can actually be freed from our sins pre-Lent; that we can actually live a new life in Christ. Specifically, that we can—and even must­—become saints. For that is what the Holy Spirit has the power to do: to change us, you and me, and to transform us into saints. And I say the Holy Spirit has the power to do that because the Holy Spirit is the Love of the Father for the Son and the Love of the Son for the Father—that Love is so personal, so eternal, so infinite, so almighty that it is God. The Holy Spirit is God. And with God all things are possible—including and especially turning you and me into saints. 

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Admittedly, I haven’t always thought of the Holy Spirit as powerful, much less necessary. 

When I was growing up and in the seventh grade, I remembered going to school “mixers.” This is where boys and girls would go the school gym on a Friday night and meet up for a dance—and mix. Inevitably, the girls would be on one side of the gym and the guys on the other, against the wall, really, and then a slow song would come on. And the boys would ask the girls to dance—a slow dance—Lady in red… is dancing with me—and, inevitably, we would hear the voice of an adult chaperone: “Hey kid, leave room for the Holy Spirit.” 

If you don’t know chaperone speak, that means “you’re dancing too close.” 

Leave room for the Holy Spirit? Sounds like the Holy Spirit is getting in the way of my game… 

Later on, when I was confirmed, I received a lapel pin of a dove—because, you know, the Holy Spirit is like a dove. But this didn’t impress me, either. I mean, if the Holy Spirit was so powerful, then why wasn’t He a hawk or an eagle? A dove was too fluffy, weak. 

And, later on, I would hear about the “Holy Ghost.” This also didn’t do anything for me; after all, I ain’t afraid of no ghost. 

+++ 

So that was my relationship with the Holy Spirit until I reached grad school. In grad school, I took a class in theology and the professor was talking about the Holy Spirit. I decided to challenge her: Why do I need the Holy Spirit? I mean, if Jesus saves me, then so what about the Holy Spirit? He seems non-essential. 

The look she gave me, I thought I had ran over her dog. 

With great patience, she replied to me: 

            Consider what the Holy Spirit has done in history. 

            How is the bread and wine changed at Holy Mass? By the power of the Holy Spirit.

            How are sins forgiven? By the power of the Holy Spirit.

            How is a man ordained? By the power of the Holy Spirit.

            How were the scriptures inspired? By the power of the Holy Spirit.

            Prophets prophesied by the power of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist was sanctified by the Holy Spirit. And Mary—how did she miraculously conceive of our Savior? By the power of the Holy Spirit.

            And look at the Apostles in the Upper Room. Tongues of fire descended upon them—which was prefigured by the mystical burning bush and by the frightening pillar of fire that turned away the Egyptians. On that same Pentecost, a mighty wind—the very breath of God (which is called ruah or, in Latin, spiritus) rushes upon them and makes a mighty sound. This wind was prefigured by the very ruah, the spiritus, that blew upon the Red Sea and divided it in two.

            And consider how the world was created: When it was a formless waste and water, the Spirit of the Lord descended upon it and the earth was created. In the Psalms, we pray: Lord, send out your spirit and renew the face of the Earth.

            Without the Holy Spirit, there is no renewal, no Scriptures, no forgiveness of sins, no priesthood, no Eucharist. In short: without the Holy Spirit, we do not have access to Jesus.

            And this makes sense because Jesus Himself said: “I must send you the Holy Spirit. And when He comes upon you, you will know the Truth. And the Truth will set you….” 

She paused. She had me. 

“… Free,” I replied. 

In that Upper Room, the same Upper Room where He had given then the First Eucharist, the same Upper Room where Matthias had been ordained, the same Upper Room where He had literally breathed on them, He now on Pentecost was giving the fullness of His Spirit. 

“Peace I leave you, peace I give you. Not as the world gives, do I give you.” 

Truth. Freedom. Peace. What amazing gifts Jesus gave as He breathed, spiritus, on them. 

+++ 

The words of that adult chaperone come to my mind again, now, but this time as a question: 

Have you left room for the Holy Spirit? 

Do you have a relationship with Him? Do you treat Him as essential to your spiritual life? 

After all, you were baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the …. Holy Spirit. And you make the Sign of the Cross in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the … Holy Spirit. 

I don’t know about you, but over the past two years, I have found myself at times feeling “stuck” or not making progress in my spiritual life. Have you felt stuck over the past two years? Have you felt at times that you are not making any progress, that you are kind of in the same place where you were years ago? 

I think a lot of us have this problem at times. How is it to be addressed? 

I am confident of the solution. Each day, invite the Holy Spirit into your life. And you can do it with three simple words: 

Come, Holy Spirit. 

Say this prayer every day and I guarantee you will grow. You will become holier, because this is what the Holy Spirit does. 

Now, I must also issue a warning. Jesus “gives not as the world gives.” There is a spirit of the world. The devil is a spirit; a fallen angel; and he is behind the spirit of the world. The spirit of the world brings about bitterness, resentment, envy, jealousy, lust, pornography, greed, restlessness, anger, laziness, hopelessness, violence, and death. 

If we don’t ask for the Holy Spirit and make room for Him, then we will be gobbled up by the spirit of the world. You may not experience hopelessness or violence at first; you may simply experience the malaise of looking at your phone for the thirtieth time today and being bored. Boredom is a clear sign that you are falling into the spirit of the world. 

The Holy Spirit brings you peace and freedom and Truth and joy and charity and generosity and goodness and chastity—and I could go on listing the fruits of the Holy Spirit. 

And this is what Jesus wants for you. 

+++ 

Finally, if you want to get unstuck, in addition to praying “Come, Holy Spirit,” start to place yourself in places where the Holy Spirit can be found. 

He inspires (literally “breathes into”) the Sacred Scriptures, so start reading Scripture—even if you don’t understand it, you will be encountering the Holy Spirit and He will help you. Join a Bible Study. 

Make a deeper commitment to Sunday Mass and to Confession—yes, even and especially during the summer months. For how do the Sacraments happen? By the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Do these things and I guarantee you—I guarantee­—you will find yourself more free, and growing again, and even becoming more holy. 

And if you persevere to the end, you will find yourself something that you never thought that you could ever be: 

A saint.

 

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

For the Anniversary Mass of the Dedication of Saint Barnabas Parish Church (2021)

Sixty years ago this past week, on October the sixth, 1961, the first holy Mass was celebrated in the basement of the rectory here at Saint Barnabas. The cornerstone to this parish church would be placed in the summer of 1962 and the Dedication Mass would be celebrated in the completed church one year later on June 16, 1963. This weekend, we celebrate the anniversary of that first holy Mass as well as the dedication of this parish church. 

Here, in this place, our savior and our God, Jesus Christ, has chosen to dwell and it is holy. How many have come through those doors, pastors and parishioners, to offer Holy Mass! How many baptisms, confirmations, first communions, anointings, absolutions, weddings—how many graces have been given here in the Father’s house! How many of our beloved dead have been lifted in prayer to God at the funeral Mass! Truly, holiness has been sown into the ground here—and the ground we walk on is holy. To God be all praise, honor, and glory. 

+ 

In these most recent days, many wonder whether there will be another sixty years here. As Jesus passes by, we are like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus who say to Jesus, “Mane nobiscum, Domine”—stay with us, Lord. The two disciples had enjoyed the past encounter along the way, but they were worried for the future. 

The enemy, the devil, would have us dwell either in the past or in worry about the future. The enemy does this because it takes us away from the present. Our Lord, in the Sermon on the Mount, tells us not to worry about tomorrow for there is enough evil for one day. Colloquially, therefore, we are often told to live in the “present moment.” He tells us this because the future does not exist and the past is no more. The present in the place where we live under God’s providence. 

But there is something peculiar to the present moment, something more that Our Lord wants to highlight: The present moment is the moment in which God Himself has chosen to dwell. As such, it is right that many saints call the present moment the “Eternal Moment.” It is the Eternal Moment because God has entered into it by His Holy Incarnation. The Eternal has broken into the Present—and thus this is the place, this moment, where contemplations can happen. 

That is why the enemy would have us living in the past or worrying about the future—precisely so that we would not dwell in the place and moment where God dwells. “Zacchaeus,” says our Lord, “make haste and come down for I must stay at your house …”—in two weeks? No: “… I must stay at your house today.” Notice the immediacy: “Make haste, Zacchaeus,” you do not have this moment for long. Open the doors of your heart right now—for it will soon be past; and do not delay for later, because the invitation is not forever! 

And what happened next? The Lord stayed with him to fulfill the Scriptures that have said: “the dwelling of God is with men.” 

And what did He do there? He made “all things new.” Those who dwelled in darkness encountered the light; the feet of sinners were turned around to the path of sainthood. “See,” says our Lord, “I make all things new.” 

You see, in the Eternal Moment, heaven breaks into our existence. What makes heaven, heaven? It is the place where God dwells. In this moment, therefore, there is a foretaste of heaven. In this moment, just as in heaven, God brings with Him His holy angels and saints; they are here too. We prayed the Gloria and will pray the Sanctus with them. Together, the holy angels and saints beckon us to allow Our Lord entry into our hearts—to let heaven dwell in our souls—for at least a moment. And there in our souls, He will dwell and make things new. 

+ 

And should He continue along the way and no longer dwell here in this parish church (for He is passing by, after all), we will certainly ask, as did those first Apostles once asked: “Lord, where are you staying?” And His response will be the same as it was then: “Come and see” and “Follow me.” 

For there will come a time that this place will be no more. Seven minutes—are you prepared?—seven months, seven million years (only the Father knows and not even the Son)—there will come a time that this place, the first heaven and the first earth, this, will pass away. And the Eucharist, the pilgrim’s food, will no longer be needed either: the holy city, the new Jerusalem, will come down out of heaven from God and this pilgrimage and its heavenly food will be finished. 

Then we shall see Him face to face, He who was with us here in this moment here on earth, whom we praised and contemplated and adored here. Here, in this present, eternal—beautiful—heavenly moment. 

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Health Update

Blessings to you.

First, I thank all who have prayed for me over the past week or so. Your prayers have been wonderfully helpful to me and I am most grateful.

For those who are looking for more information "from the horse's mouth," here it is.

On Sunday, September 19th, during the morning and then continuing through Holy Mass, I experienced palpitations of the heart and shortness of breath. Thankfully, two amazing nurses were in the pews when I was struggling through the consecration. And at their kind recommendation, I went to the hospital.

Tests at the hospital came back pretty good and never was I told this was the result a "panic attack." However, a CT scan of my lungs showed some "stuff" in my lungs. ... And thus I am being treated for pneumonia. I never thought I'd be saying "I have pneumonia" at age 40, but here we are.

 Hopefully, treatment will clear up whatever is going on in there.

(And no, it's not Covid. I've been tested, gosh, like five times in the past three weeks!)

Ultimately, I'm back at the rectory and feeling fine and have resumed all my usual duties -- I simply become short of breath a little easier. But I trust that will improve in the days ahead.

The past week or so has been a blessing for me and it has really been because of your prayers. God is faithful and He delivers us from evil. Thank you for your prayers and may God bless you for your kindness.

May you continue to find strength in Him during these days.

With Mary Our Mother,

Father Gerber