St. Joseph Church Homilies

I hear it all the time: someone frustrated with distracted prayer or a student struggling to focus on studying for an exam. We all know what it’s like to be harassed by thoughts that confuse and get in the way of careers, relationships and peace; I’m certainly no exception to the experience. Maybe the minds of some here are filled with worry or hurt, stress-filled to-do lists or just unwanted thoughts that make the mind feel full and cluttered. Life is often full of clutter, of unhelpful things we cling to maybe out of habit or oversight or fear. Of course, God wants us to enjoy what he’s made. But when there’s so much that it gets in the way, threatens order or creates stress: that’s clutter. On top of all the practical issues, clutter is a spiritual problem, because it limits freedom. The things that fill life demand attention. Cluttered schedules forbid rejuvenation. Cluttered spaces obscure joy. Even a cluttered fridge can be an obstacle to a good meal. Worse still, unaddressed clutter tends to grow, threatening to overwhelm. The only way to get rid of clutter is to declutter and until Lent, we’re reflecting on that. We started with a consideration of how decluttered spaces make the right conditions for peace and love to thrive. We continued with a reflection of how a soul, decluttered of all that pretends to be more important than God, makes the right conditions to remember how we have been set apart to share the Good News. Last week, we examined how decluttering relationships, investing in those which reveal grace and truth, make the right conditions that bring out our very best. Just as a garage can be filled with so much junk that there’s no room for the car, the mind can be cluttered with junk too. We were made to think, to use our minds, but when the mind becomes cluttered, clear thinking becomes challenging and peace is hard to recognize: all signs of the need to declutter the mind. Today, we listened to one of the most well-known parts of the Bible, the Beatitudes. Everyone loves the Beatitudes. They’re like God’s manual for right living: eight special blessings offered to those who strive to live after the example of the Saviour. In the sixth Beatitude, Jesus declared, “Blessed are the pure in heart…”[i]. Purity is a term usually associated with living chastely and rightly so. But there’s more to having a pure heart than just chastity. In the Bible, the heart is the place where thoughts originate; the sign of a pure heart is a mind free of harmful or selfish thoughts. Those with pure hearts have clear vision. While a cluttered mind is tempted to objectify others, to think of others either as objects to be used or as obstacles to be conquered, a pure heart consistently thinks of others as opportunities for love; they see others and creation as God does and this is the reward, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”[ii] The pure of heart have decluttered their minds so they’re not distracted from recognizing God’s presence and work in the world and in others. They are first to recognize the mark of the maker in all he has made. A decluttered mind is filled with thoughts that regularly lead in a positive direction, thoughts that give joy and peace, thoughts that keep us aligned with God’s plan. Decluttering the mind means eliminating toxic thought patterns that wear us down. It’s an ongoing exercise of rewiring the mind so there’s room for thoughts that build up and fuel us to thrive. Here’s what disciples can do. First, be aware of what the mind is exposed to. You can clear the browser history of your device, but the mind has no such feature. Just as children who watch scary movies before bed are more likely to have nightmares, the minds of adults are more likely to get stuck dwelling on thoughts planted by what is heard and seen. A mind could be decluttered of worry about world events by shutting off the news. The clutter of grief from a broken relationship might diminish by taking a break from social media. Avoiding movies or shows known to have passionate scenes in them can be a way to declutter a mind distracted by desirous thoughts. Disciples declutter the mind by judging the content we consume, the voices we hear and the information we receive. Next, deliberately expose the mind to content that’s positive, uplifting and inspiring. Parents might do this for their kids by bringing them to Compass or Awaken. All adults are welcome to Waymark and in the spring there’ll be an invitation to The Search. These are places in our community where disciples of all ages can surround themselves with discussions that directs thoughts towards God. At home, maybe consider checking out the movies, podcasts or books on formed dot org; it’s completely free for all in our community, there’s content for all ages and each week, three recommendations are offered in the news app. Maybe this week, consider taking a moment to review the thoughts that fill your mind, hunting out the clutter that weighs down. The goal is to fuel thoughts that nourish pure hearts by shielding from voices that feed toxic thinking. It could mean deleting the app, turning off the screen or simply adjusting what we expose ourselves and our loved ones to. Developing pure hearts is challenging work, to be sure, but it comes with the promise of a great reward: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”[iii] Imagine that peace that would come with seeing God as the angels do, recognizing his loving work and witnessing his power over all evils. That’s a truly great reward that guides disciples. We praise you, O God, for wonderfully making us and for guiding us through your Spirit and your Word. May the promises of the Beatitudes lead our […]

One of the biggest challenges in life, at least for me, is finding great friends. It’s a challenge even to define what a friendship is or to determine what criteria to use when assessing a friendship or relationship. Is a friend the one willing to wait for you at the airport or to help lift the heavy boxes when moving? Maybe you’ll discover that your best friends are the ones who help shovel the snow. Is it enough to be friends on facebook? Why is criticism from a friend perceived as love while the same words from a stranger can be demeaning? Even well into adulthood, friendships and relationships inspire a while clutter of questions. Life is often full of clutter, full of unneeded, unhelpful things that don’t serve but we still cling to maybe out of habit or oversight or fear. Of course, God wants us to enjoy what he has made. But when there’s so much that it gets in the way or when the pile threatens order, creating stress: that’s clutter. On top of creating practical issues, clutter is a spiritual problem, because it limits freedom. The things we fill our lives with demand attention. Cluttered schedules give no space to rejuvenate. Cluttered minds undermine peace. It takes work and time to keep cluttered spaces clean and ordered. Worse still, if left unaddressed, clutter tends to grow, threatening to overwhelm. The only way to get rid of clutter is to declutter and until Lent, we’re reflecting on that. We started by considering how decluttering the spaces in which we live makes the right conditions, offers the freedom needed, for peace and love to thrive. Continuing last week, we reflected on how a decluttered soul, a soul that’s free of all that pretends to be more important than God, makes the right conditions to remember how we have been set apart to share in the work of sharing the Good News. Early on, after presenting all of creation to Adam, God declared, “It is not good that the man should be alone…”[i]. The Maker made us for relationships with others; there’s no suitable substitute in all creation. Since then, we’ve all had loads of people in our lives: relatives, acquaintances, loved ones, co-workers, some chosen and some imposed. Sometimes, this is wonderful. Great relationships fill life with joy and bring out the best in us. But it’s possible for relationships to be cluttered too; cluttered relationships can lead to trouble, rob joy and hold us back. By decluttering relationships, disciples develop relationships that inspire true growth. This doesn’t happen by accident though and the Gospel passage we heard today highlights how Jesus and his first disciples were very deliberate in their relationships. First, we heard how Jesus, “…left Nazareth…”, where he grew up, “…and made his home in Capernaum…”[ii]. There’s nearly fifty kilometers between those centres and during a time before cars that may as well have been five hundred kilometers. That move would have had a great impact on Jesus’ relationships with relatives, loved ones, work acquaintances and friends. But he moved anyway, to form the right relationships with the right people. Once in Capernaum, Jesus encountered Andrew and Peter, James and John and invited them into a relationship. Jesus would be moving on again and invited these men to share in his journey and work. But it would mean, for them too, leaving behind relatives, loved ones, and coworkers, business relationships and friends. Prioritizing a life-changing relationship with Jesus meant putting other relationships on hold, at least for a time. To grow through the Saviour, those first disciples knew they would have to declutter their relationships. Like Jesus and those who followed him, we need to be deliberate with our relationships and develop ones that bring out our best. Now, to be clear, decluttering relationships doesn’t mean cutting people out. Of course there are toxic relationships that need to end. But for the most part, decluttering relationships is about evaluating which relationships are the best to invest in, identifying which ones should take priority. It’s also important to acknowledge that it’s okay if things don’t always feel even in a relationship. Sometimes we give more than we receive, parents and caregivers know all about that, and at other moments we’re more on the receiving end. Sometimes, decluttering relationships means knowing who to humbly accept support from and at other times it means knowing who to offer support to. That’s all okay so long as there’s an overall mutuality, the recognition that healthy relationships are the ones where the love of God is shared among all. There are two basic criteria that can be used to sort this all out, to help prioritize relationships: grace and truth. Disciples experience God’s grace through relationships rooted in kindness, care and compassion. We all need affirming words, reassurance, maybe even a supportive hug: the presence of those happy to journey through joys and sorrows. Relationships that encourage growth must also be filled with God’s truth. Disciples depend on the honest wisdom of others to keep rooted in reality; we need others who are brave enough to speak truth in a loving way we can hear, even if that truth is difficult or challenging. Disciples prioritize relationships that give and receive God’s grace and truth. As a curator declutters a museum, transforming a collection of things into opportunities for growth and inspiration, disciples aspiring to reflect the love of Jesus to those they care for need lives rooted in his grace and truth. That will mean some decluttering, so the right relationships can be developed and make the right conditions for those same values of grace and truth to make a real difference. Through this, through relationships free of clutter, we can truly encounter Jesus in our relationships and offer his same loving presence to others. Maker of all things good, we praise you for the gift of relationship and for the opportunities to encounter your love through the people in […]

When I go grocery shopping, I always bring a list and, mostly, I stick to it. I discovered long ago that without a list, I’d end up buying just whatever looked good. The result: a bigger food bill, forgotten necessities and waste. I discovered that, for me at least, a successful grocery shopping trip demanded I declutter my shopping practices. Life is often full of clutter, full of unneeded things, unhelpful things, things that don’t serve but we still cling to anyway, maybe out of habit or oversight or even fear or insecurity. Of course, God wants us to enjoy what he has made. But when there’s so much that it becomes a challenge to track it all or to find a place or everything, when the pile threatens order and makes stress: that’s clutter. On top of the practical issues it makes, clutter is a spiritual problem too, because it limits freedom. The things we fill our lives with, in a way, own us; they demand attention. A cluttered schedule gives no space for rejuvenation. A cluttered mind gives no space for peace. A cluttered room or house demands time to keep it clean and ordered and working. Even a cluttered fridge can be an obstacle to a good meal. Worse still, if left unaddressed, clutter tends to grow even to the point where it overwhelms. The only way to get rid of clutter is to declutter and until Lent, we’re going to reflect on decluttering. Last week, we considered how decluttering the spaces in which we live, our homes and rooms, make the right conditions, give the freedom needed for peace and love to thrive. It’s an act of decluttering a little easier to do because it’s visible and practical; it’s easy to see the progress made as you work. A bigger challenge, is decluttering what’s invisible, decluttering the soul. The soul is what connects us to God. We all got our bodies from our parents; they provided the genetic material and helped us grow. The soul though, what makes each of us, us, comes from the maker; there’s no one else who decides what makes up our soul. We actually can accumulate clutter in our soul. A healthy soul will be attuned to God and his plan. A cluttered soul, however, is distracted from our creator, tempted to place other priorities, like pleasure, power, money or fame, over God; and because the soul organizes all other aspects of life, when the soul is cluttered, it’s difficult to then sort the good from the bad, or to conquer dilemmas with wise decisions; it’s easy to feel conflicted or fragmented or lost. This has always been a challenge for God’s people. Today, in the second reading we heard the introduction from a letter Saint Paul wrote to the Christians living in the city of Corinth, the Corinthians. We could think of that city as being like the Bowmanville of today: its location offered wonderful opportunities for trade and manufacturing. So, the citizens of that city enjoyed extra luxuries, wealth and influence. Nothing wrong with that, but it tempted the Christians of Corinth to clutter their souls with concerns about those things and Saint Paul knew it had to be addressed. So, he began his letter, “From Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.[i]Paul started by linking his identity to God’s will. He’s an Apostle, not because he trained for it or had some innate talent. His position and authority, the reason he should be listened to, comes only because he was called by God for that work. From the very first sentence in his letter, we can tell where Paul’s priorities lay. Saint Paul then extends this thought to the Corinthians. He addressed his letter, “…to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints…”[ii]. It’s a reminder to the Christians of Corinth that they have been set apart for a special purpose. While the city of Corinth may have pressured the Christians to prioritize money, power, pleasure and fame, God has set them apart for something else. This is what it means to be sanctified: to be set apart for a special purpose defined by God. John the Baptist recognized this. He recognized how he was set apart, not to live as a priest in the temple like his father, but to announce the presence of the Saviour. An ordered, decluttered soul begins and ends with God and organizes life and priorities around God’s will; always asking, what does God want me to do, how does God want me to live my life? An uncluttered soul understands the call to first love and worship him, to serve others in his name, to participate in the Christian Community and to direct others to the Saviour. The uncluttered soul puts God given skills and gifts to work not for personal gain but to further God’s plan. For Saint Paul, it meant becoming an Apostle and it would eventually mean giving his life in martyrdom. A cluttered soul leads to feelings of inner conflict because our priorities don’t match those of God. A cluttered soul leads to feelings of meaninglessness or being lost because purpose becomes obscured. There’s a need to declutter. For this, deliberate, prayerful reflection is key. Decluttering a home takes deliberate work; it won’t happen by accident. It takes effort to go through it all to determine what is to be kept, what is to be stored away and what should be eliminated. Decluttering the soul takes a similar approach: deliberate examination of all that fills the soul, to judge what should be kept: those things that align our priorities to those of God, what should be stored away: those things that strengthen and nourish during difficult moments, and what should be thrown away: all that pretends to be of greater value than our Saviour. Disciples throw away anger, bitterness, resentment, lust, greed and selfishness. We make the determination […]

One thing I really despise is losing something. I know it’s something everyone experiences, but while some seem able to shrug off losing something as a frustration and children just accept losing things as part of life, I lose sleep when I know I’m missing something. It’s an experience that encourages me to be a bit of a minimalist, at least with my own things and when I lose something I wonder if I just have too much. Having less means there’s less to keep track of. But this takes work too. It takes work to constantly get rid of the things that maybe just aren’t needed. It’s an exercise often called decluttering. Life is often full of clutter, full of unneeded things, unhelpful things, things that don’t serve but we still cling to anyway, maybe out of habit or oversight or even fear or insecurity. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with having things and God want’s us to enjoy what he has made. But when there’s so much that it becomes a challenge to track it all or to find a place or everything, when the pile threatens order and makes stress: that’s clutter. The only way to get rid of clutter is to declutter and until Lent, we’re going to reflect on decluttering, not just the space in which we live, but also our schedules, finances, mind, heart and life. I have no doubt there’s all kinds of self-help books that discuss the practical problems of clutter, but clutter is a spiritual problem for disciples too because clutter limits freedom. In a way, the things we own, own us; they demand attention. A cluttered schedule gives no space for rejuvenation. A cluttered mind gives no space for peace. A cluttered room or house demands time to keep it clean and ordered and working. Even a cluttered fridge can be an obstacle to a good meal. Clutter is a spiritual problem because it tends to grow to the point where it overwhelms. I think every home must have some kind of junk drawer or junk bowl: that place where all the stuff that has no other place to go ends up. It’s where that single battery or mystery key falls into so you don’t have to look at it. It’s an illusion of order though. Over time, if it’s not addressed, eventually that junk drawer or bowl fills up and even overflows; it needs to be decluttered. Today we’re celebrating the Baptism of Jesus a moment that marks when people first stated noticing him. It’s the first mention of the adult life of Jesus. The Christian belief about Baptism is that it invisibly changes someone, that through Baptism, someone becomes part of God’s family. It’s an invisible change; though a baby cries just as much after being Baptized as before, we’re certain a change has taken place in the soul that makes things right. Being God himself, Jesus, of course, didn’t need to be altered in that way. But the Gospel we read today does mention a change that took place at his Baptism. As he came up from the water, “…the heavens were opened to him…”[i] we’re told, and then the presence of the Spirit and God’s voice was perceived. This wasn’t for the benefit of Jesus, but for us. Through the Baptism of Jesus, the conditions were right for God’s Spirit to be visible and for God’s voice to be heard. This is what Baptism does: it makes the right conditions. Baptism is about taking on a new identity, shedding the clutter that divides from God. For disciples, Baptism makes the right conditions in the soul to be adopted into the family of God. At the Baptism of Jesus, the conditions were right for God’s voice to be heard. Baptism may make the right conditions in the soul, for heaven to be opened for us, but when life around remains the same, God’s voice and presence can be obscured; we know it’s there though it’s sometimes difficult to recognize. Some change is obviously needed, a little decluttering, to make the right conditions for peace and joy, focus and insight to be realized and for many the easiest place to start is by decluttering your stuff. Well-ordered museums depend on great curators who constantly declutter. Without the vigilance of curators, museums would just become warehouses not worth an entrance fee and all the stuff inside would become useless. Curators transform piles of stuff into exhibits; they make the right conditions that teach and inspire. Changing the world is a job far beyond any of us. But we do have a little more control over the spaces in which we live. Maybe decluttering our own stuff, making the right conditions in our homes and spaces, can be a starting point for bringing about the change needed to clearly hear the voice of God and God’s voice has power over all. The things we have: they can add to our lives, contribute to joy and assist us through life. But they can also be a hinderance and contribute to cluttered lives. Disciples imagine life with a little less clutter: life with more freedom, less stress and hopefully a little more space that makes the right conditions for the presence of the Spirit and God’s voice to be recognized and praised. Maker of all, creator of order, open the heavens for us so we can share in your work of making all things right so your Spirit can invade hearts and homes to listen for your voice. May we follow the example of your Son who has entered the world and welcomes us into your family through Baptism. We offer all our prayers through him. Amen. [i] Matthew 3:16 NRSVCE