Our prayer and our reflection find expression in the homilies that interpret for us the Word and its meaning in our time. The reality of death becomes thematic for this month of November, and as the liturgical year reaches its end, our readings turn to the very end of time itself. The Mass, with all of its prayers, seems to resonate yet more fully with these themes, as we remember Christ, who “chose to die that we might live,” and we affirm that “when we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death, O Lord...” We provide here some excerpts from sermons conveying the sense of these days. 

Prior Michael Brunner

Solemnity of All Saints and Solemn Profession of Br. Benedict Maria

Living the Beatitudes

Prior Michael Brunner (from his homily for the Solemnity of All Saints and the Solemn Profession of Br. Benedict S. Maria) 

“Today we celebrate All Saints. Saints are all those people who have attained the destiny for which God created all human beings. It is a destiny only we ourselves can prevent us from attaining. But the reason all these guests have joined us is today we are also celebrating one person’s taking a giant step forward in attaining that destiny, as Brother Benedict vows himself to a lifetime of prayer and work in pursuit of holiness. Our human experience of wholesome holiness is only possible through the mercy of God, mediated to us through Jesus Christ. So today we not only honor the Saints, but also our triune God who makes it possible for us, Brother Benedict, and all the saints to actually become saints. The power and mercy of God are so inscrutable, but they never cease… 

“One way or the other, more or less, a human life is a time of distress, as the first reading this morning indicated. But today the Gospel tells us how we should all be in this life, how to become blessed and happy which means “saintly.”  Jesus tells us we can attain our destiny and this wholeness in our lifetime here. He tells us how to survive the time of great distress, by living the Beatitudes, a word which literally means ‘The Happinesses.”  They are not passive qualities. They are active in that they inform all our actions, and these actions make us the individuals we are. Poor in spirit means not chained to the money and stuff of this passing world. To mourn is to recognize the distress of this life, our fundamental separation from the true, the good and beautiful and the real pain it causes human beings. That is life as it is in our time. To be meek is to not be aggressive, self-assertive or self-righteous, but being unself-conscious and gentle with yourself and others. A hunger and thirst for righteousness is an interior passion to acquire all the moral virtues and to be passionate for justice for others…  

“Mercy is the essential attribute of God, who throws our sins behind his back and ignores our brokenness when we turn to Him; so the merciful are Godlike and give and receive relief and forgiveness in abundance. Clean of heart: the clear of vision and heart are those who keep their hearts and eyes on the prize of God and eternity and are not corrupted by the glamour of evil. Peacemakers are restless and active, sowing all those things in St. Francis’ famous prayer, but above all sowing love and reconciliation. And those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness are those who willingly pay the price for doing the right things and living the truth in love. And in this world if you believe in God, no matter your religion, and if you truly love, you will be insulted and persecuted and you will suffer. And perhaps even more so if you give your life to Jesus Christ.” 

 (Complete Homily)
 

To Be a Saint

(Father Andrew Senay, homilette for the Commemoration of All Saints of the Benedictine Order) 

“A saint, an inhabitant of heaven, someone who very much had God in their lives: their beloved, they wanted to spend time in the presence of their beloved. To be with, to take on the characteristics of their beloved. God is one and cannot be divided. There God is – in the relationship. In this gospel, Jesus is pointing out to us that relationship of love between the two beloveds, God and us. If you want to know what the difference is between, say, a Saint with a big S and the rest of us, I think it is that they do not pray, “Lord, be with me!” Rather, they pray, “Lord, let me be with You!” Let’s all try to have that relationship of prayer where we want to be with our beloved directly, in that Presence.” 

“We Look Forward to a New World”

(Prior Michael Brunner, from his homily for the 33^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time) 

“A time unsurpassed in distress! You might think the first reading has a very prophetic message. Michael takes charge and that begins a time filled with disasters. Hopefully that doesn’t have anything to do with me. Technically, the message is not prophetic but apocalyptic, which is what the scriptural genre of prophecy grew into. Nine years ago, the day after Hurricane Sandy hit, the ‘New York Daily News’ had a front-page spread picturing the hundred homes at Breezy Point in Queens destroyed by fire during the storm. The headline read, ‘Apocalypse New York.’ The Apocalypse descended on Paradise, CA in 2018, when it was destroyed by a catastrophic wildfire. There is a saying that all politics is local; well, all Apocalypses are local too. These pandemic days, accompanied by global warming and violent weather incidents, have had a lot of people talking about the end times – dates, times and portents… 

“We look forward to a new world with God as its center. So, with that vision we are committed to cooperate with God’s loving plan for humanity revealed to us by Jesus. Apocalyptic literature is not about predicting future events, nor does it contain secrets that only certain insiders can interpret. God isn’t playing games with us, hiding vital information for just a few chosen ones. Rather, this type of Biblical literature gives us insights into the times it was written, and a vision for our present days. The Book of Revelation and other apocalyptic literature do reveal times of great distress and persecution for believers. And we know such times do happen. The Christian martyrs and victims of the Holocaust show us that. But after all that, the bottom line is a message of real hope. God is not oblivious or indifferent to people in their troubles. God’s goodness will triumph, despite any present appearances… 

“Jesus’ predictions, warnings and, most of all, his reassurance to help them persevere in their faith and sustain them in hope. In our own times we face our own trials and tests as we live out our lives as Christians or any believer. Our commitment to Christ or belief in God can cause us discomfort and even suffering. Some people will mock us, call us ignorant or superstitious. This gospel encourages us to remain strong and faithful during such times and assures us that Jesus will be revealed as the real King and Lord of all creation. Those who keep faith will come to a final vindication of all we trusted in – but did not yet see in our lifetimes. The kinds of disaster pictured by apocalyptic writing should arouse in us the awareness that we are part of a larger Body, and there are others in that Body who are suffering in ways we can only imagine.” 

(Complete homily and others from the month)