Homily for Mass @ CHS
Fr. Albert
Catholic High, New Iberia
Fire. Fire is something of a double symbol for us. Good because of heat, light, comfort, and food. But ask the people in California and they’ll tell you, fire is also immensely dangerous and destructive. This is true for human beings, as well as for most plants and animals. I say “most” because there are some plants that can actually benefit from fire. Yeah, I just said there are trees that benefit from fire.
One such tree is the Ponderosa Pine. It’s huge, and it smells like butterscotch, but that’s not important. The fact is that it seems to want fire. The pine needles don’t decay for decades. The branches naturally fall off the lower part of the tree. And, it’s bark is unusually flame-resistant, able to survive up to 60% burns. So, it sheds needles year after year, practically waiting for them to catch fire. Eventually, fire does come along and it clears out all the competition. A mature Ponderosa Pine tree usually has plenty of space around the bottom because fire took care of everything nearby while the tree itself was able to survive.
What does this have to do with Jesus? Well, Jesus seems to really like fire too. God talks about fire all over the place in Scripture. We have one example right here in our first reading, God says, “the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch.”
So, the evildoers will be burned up, but what about the good men and women who are in the same forest? Our psalm tells us that the Just Man is planted near running water” and that their “leaves never fade.” More importantly, Jesus also uses fire in a good way. We use fire to describe the Holy Spirit and Jesus says, “The Father in heaven [will] give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” Just like the ponderosa pine, faithful Christians benefit from fire. Not because it will burn up all those people you don’t like in your school or work, but because it will burn up your sins, and your faults if you let it.
But you have to ask for it. When we pray, we too often treat God like a genie and get mad when he doesn’t answer. But Jesus tells us something important. If you don’t get what you pray for, keep praying. The reason is simple, if we really want it, then we will be willing to persevere and endure in asking God for it. Part of the reason God doesn’t immediately answer every prayer is because we don’t know what we really want. So many of our desires and the things we pray for are like pine needles and lower branches. Like the Ponderosa, we have to shed those. The longer it takes for God to answer a prayer, the more likely we are to realize that so much of what we want is really dead leaves in need of a good fire.
Then, and only then, the things that really matter can become clear to us. The things we truly want are the ones we are willing to still ask for even if it takes decades. Most importantly, pay attention to what Jesus tells us. God will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. You want your prayers answered? Ask for the Holy Spirit. Keep asking. He will come along. He will burn away the dead stuff and give your soul space to grow in the right way.
But it’s going to hurt a little. The first reading shows us people who say, “what do we profit by keeping [God’s] command and going about in penitential dress?” Why pray a rosary? Why should we avoid meat on Friday? Why should we fast? Why should I avoid too much TV or video games? Because you are full of dead leaves and useless branches. God wants you to grow tall, but you have to cut away your sins and let them be burned in holy fire.
And I’ll be really specific too. Tomorrow is the 100th anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun. Our Lady of Fatima appeared and worked great miracles in front of thousands of people. It’s historical fact, go look it up. More importantly, she gave us a message. Mary, the Mother of God knows about God’s fire in the Holy Spirit. She was made perfect by that fire and she wants the same for you. She appeared in visions and worked miracles to tell you how. If Mary really asked us to do something, do you think it is wise to ignore her?
And this is her message: Repent of your sins. Pray often. Do penance for yourself and others. Tomorrow is the 100th anniversary, so we should try especially hard tomorrow. I am asking you as a priest, do not miss this opportunity. Pray a rosary tomorrow or at least one decade of the rosary. Then, I’m asking each and every one of you, student and teacher, pick some kind of penance for tomorrow: Skip a meal. Give up your cell phone for the whole day. Give up video games or the internet for the whole day. The more generous you are, the more God will repay. The more you are willing to cut off, the faster God’s fire can purify you. The faster that happens, the sooner you will know what you really want… and that it’s already been given to you.
