Homily for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus, King of the Universe

Today is the feast of Christ the King.

In the year 2016, there are some countries that still have kings. 

Our nation is not one of them.

Here in the United States we have a president.

In fact right now, one might say we have two presidents.

One president who is finishing out his second term, and we have a president-elect. A man elected 11 days ago.

He is now gathering together his governing team and will take office two months from today.

This most recent election dramatically reveals the deep divide that exists in our nation. In the past 10 days many Americans have been jubilant and elated – happily looking forward to the start of the new president’s term. And many other Americans have been fearful and angry – worried that even before the start of the next term that the mood of the nation has darkened, and that those on the margins of society have already begun to feel a change.

At the same time, many Americans are trying to take a “wait and see” attitude and to hope for the best.

We Catholic Americans are kind of unique in that we have both president and king.

We Catholic Americans have a president. 

Whether we voted for him or not, whether we like him or not, whether we agree with him or not, a duly elected president deserves our respect, cooperation and support.
At the same time, we must be vigilant and hold any president responsible for ensuring the protection the most vulnerable members of our society – whether these be the poor, the unborn, victims of human trafficking, racial, ethnic or other minorities who are being made to suffer. 

We Catholic Americans also have a king. 

His name is Jesus Christ. 

Every king has a throne. 

Our King has had 3 and he seeks a 4^th. 

1.     The first throne was the manger where he was born in Bethlehem.

2.     The second throne that Jesus had was the cross.

3.     His third throne is the throne in heaven where He is seated at the right hand of the Father.

In some future homily I will talk about those three thrones and why they are important,

But for now, let me talk about one last throne – that 4^th one.

Whether you know it or not, you have the throne in your heart. Whatever sits on that throne governs your life.

Ask yourself: What sits on the throne in your heart?

o    Is it the desire for money?   or things?

o    Is it alcohol? Is it drugs? Is it sex? Is it yourself? Is it your work?

o    Is it a relationship with someone that you know in your heart is sinful?

o    It is possible for any of these things to be sitting on the throne of your heart.

And if one of these things is sitting on the throne,
it is governing your life; it is directing your life, and NOT the Lord.

The thing that you and I need to do is to look into our own hearts and to see who or what is sitting on the throne there. If we see ourselves sitting there, or if we see any one of the things I just mentioned sitting there, we.need.to.repent. We need to remove those other things from that throne. And then we need to turn to Jesus.

We need to open up our hearts to Jesus.

We need to invite Him to come into our hearts.

We need to invite Him to sit on the throne in our hearts.

We need to invite Him to be our king.

We need to invite Him to rule our hearts, to rule our lives,
with His love, with His peace, with His reconciliation, with His forgiveness.

When we invite him to take his throne as King in our hearts and our lives, it will affect how we act as Catholic citizens of our great nation. 

One more, related thing:

Archbishop Chaput 4 days ago wrote and posted a very helpful article about our nation since the presidential election in CatholicPhilly.com entitled:
“The Right Place to Start ”

Here is a link to the column. I highly recommend it. 

Finally, as we receive Our Lord Jesus in the Eucharist today,

let us invite Him to be the King of our hearts and our lives.

so that we can help the Gospel values of Justice, Mercy and Compassion to prevail in our nation. 

最近の俳句 Recent Haiku

2016.09.13:

In my top drawer

I have many handkerchiefs.

More than I need.

2016.09.16:

Found some old catnip.

tho it is almost her age

it made her crazy. 

2016.09.18:

Some die too early

Lives hardly even started

Journeys cut too short.

2016.09.19:

I suck in the air

it swishes around my lungs

out then in seconds

2016.09.22:

I was so surprised

to discover that my cat

likes Parmesan cheese

我が猫が

ヤムヤム食べる

こなチーズ

2016.10.29:

It gives me a smile

discov’ring day-old popcorn

in my shirt pocket

House Where Nobody Lives

A Song by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan.  

Sung by Liam at Burlap and Bean, Newtown Square, PA.  September 28, 2016.

Pink Flamingo - poem

Pink Flamingo - Spoken word poem - composed 2001

Recorded September, 2016

今日の俳句 Haiku of the Day 2016.08.26

Quad, the parish cat,

spent last night outside again.

One more bunnycide.

Some thoughts about coming to OMGC in Bryn Mawr

[the second half of my homily for July 10, 2016  

the first part was about contemporary violence and the Good Samaritan]

Let me begin by sharing with you a little bit about me
and about how I see my role here at Our Mother of Good Counsel. 

I was born in Darby, Pennsylvania, just about 8 miles from here.

After finishing Blessed Virgin Mary Parish School, I went to Monsignor Bonner High School in Drexel Hill. Then I became a friar in the Order of St. Augustine and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest nine years later.

After one year of ministry in a parish in upstate New York, I was sent to the Augustinian missions in Japan. I worked there for 18 wonderful years. I returned to the United States in the summer of 1995.

After working in a parish in Massachusetts for one year, I requested a leave of absence from priestly ministry and Augustinian community life. For 12 years I worked in companies in the Boston area – mostly in international telecommunications and then IT in the healthcare sector.

In 2008 after years of prayerful consideration I requested permission to return to the Order of St. Augustine. Happily, my request was honored and in May of that year I was assigned to the Augustinian Community in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. Father Jack Denny was the pastor and Brother Bill Harkin was pastoral associate.
3 Bonner grads!!  Father Jack and Brother Bill welcomed me very warmly. They were very helpful. They greatly facilitated my return to active priestly ministry and to Augustinian community life. My 14 months living with them was a wonderful time of many graces and blessings.

After Maggie Valley, I was assigned to St. Mary’s Church in Lawrence, Massachusetts for one year. Most recently, for the past 6 years I was assigned to Our Lady of Good Counsel in Staten Island, New York.

In April of this year, Father Michael DiGregorio, our prior provincial, told me that my next assignment would be to come here to OMGC as Father Jack’s assistant pastor.
I was extremely happy at the prospect of working with Father Jack and Brother Bill again. It was like getting the old gang together again!

Then just four days later we received the devastating news about Father Jack’s cancer diagnosis.

On the morning of Saturday, June 18, one of our friars, Father Joe Murray, was ordained to the priesthood at St. Thomas to Villanova Church. Immediately after the ordination I drove over to Bryn Mawr Hospital to visit Father Jack.

I went into his room. He had lost a lot of weight.

His words were coming very, very slowly.

But he had not lost his wonderful smile.

I told him, “Jack, I was really looking forward to working with you again. It looks like that is not to be. But I promise you that I will do my best to continue the great work that you have been doing at OMGC. So, I’ve come here to ask for your blessing.” His smile got bigger and he said, “Sure, Liam,” as he raised his right hand to give me his blessing. I quickly genuflected to receive his blessing, made the sign of the cross and stood up again. I mumbled my thanks for all that he and Brother Bill had done for me in North Carolina, pledged him my prayers and left the room. The whole visit was probably less than two minutes.  I am so glad that I had that short visit with him!!

Father Jack passed from this life about 36 hours later. 

At his Friday funeral I saw Father Jack’s Mother before Mass. I went over to her, expressed my condolences and introduce myself: “Mrs. Denny, I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m Liam O’Doherty.”

“Oh yes,” she said, “You’re going to replace John at Bryn Mawr.”

I replied, “Oh, Mrs. Denny, nobody can replace Jack. But I promise to do my best to continue his work.”

And that’s what I intend to do – to work with you all and to continue his work.

For a year or so I will listen and observe and work very hard to get to know you and the parish.  When I became pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Staten Island six years ago, Cardinal Dolan told me: “during the first year the only thing you should change is your socks.”
Of necessity there may be some things that will have to change,
but I don’t expect there to be many of those situations.

After 40 years as a priest, I have come to believe that the most important thing a priest can do it is to help his people fall more deeply in love with Jesus Christ.

The best thing a priest can do for his people is to help them have hearts on fire for Jesus, the Lord who loves them.

Some of the ways that a priest does this are through:

¤ prayer

¤ The liturgy and the sacraments

¤ and preaching.  

¤ ministering directly to the people  .... among others. 

I’ve already been praying for you all for a couple months.

I will continue to pray for you.  I promise to do that every day.

And I promise to prepare my homilies as carefully and as prayerfully as I can.  I take preaching very seriously.

One thing I must warn you about my homilies is that I have a tendency to repeat myself - a lot.

One thing I must warn you about my homilies is that I have a tendency to repeat myself - a lot.

You’re going to hear a lot about Oreos and milk.

And about my Dad and Mom, who got me started on this walk with Jesus.

And about baptism.

And about the Kingdom of God.

And about the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And about His Second Coming.   And about the Holy Spirit.

And I promise that I will do my best to make a connection between the Sunday Gospel and the lives that you and I live Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

I’ve gone on longer than I usually do. I don’t usually preach this long. So let me end by asking for us to pray:

¤ For those whose lives have been snuffed out by violence

¤ For those who have lost loved ones to violence

¤ For those who live in fear of violence

¤ For those who mistakenly think that violence can solve anything. 

And let us pray for each other – priests and parishioners

Let us not only pray but let us take action as the Samaritan did.

It was the Samaritan who showed mercy.

It was the Samaritan who became neighbor.
Let us learn by his example. 

最近の俳句 Recent Haiku

2016.08.16:

How many more years? 

No one knows the number;

Live each to the full!

2016.08.15:

Meryl Streep again: 

absolutely killing it

singing out of tune.

Next time I'm on Island

Let's get together and eat. 

I'll let you know when.  

今日の俳句 Today's haiku 2016.08.12 & 13

2016.08.12:

Jeoffry bewildered,

moved into new room today.

will she sleep OK?

2016.08.13:

Mass with no A/C:

using bulletins for fans

worshipping the Lord.

今日の俳句 Today's haiku 2016.08.10

.

Jeoffry on a box

chasing her tail in circles 

confused in the night.  

箱の上

尾を追いかける

夜の猫。

Liam's Art

.

1966 to circa 1985

Tempora, oil, pen and ink

Click on image to view larger version.

NYC Interfaith Leaders - Podcast

The Interfaith Center of New York (ICNY) talks with diverse NYC faith leaders about their callings, their congregations, and their commitments to justice. 

Father Liam O'Doherty, OSA and ICNY's Maggi Van Dorn

Click HERE to listen or download.  

Four Priests who need your prayers

[This homily was delivered on the 12^th Sunday of Ordinary time – June 19, 2016 at the 9:30 and 11 AM Masses at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Staten Island, NY.]

In today’s Gospel Jesus asks his disciples, those men who would become his first priests:

“Who do the crowds say that I am?”

They said in reply, “John the Baptist;

others, Elijah;

still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’”

Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.”

Then he said to all,

“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself

and take up his cross daily and follow me.

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,

but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”  

This applies to all Christians, but today I’m going to talk about 4 priests.  These 4 priests are linked together. 

The first is Father Joe Murray.  Joe was a parishioner here at OLGC for a number of years before he joined the Order of St. Augustine. Joe was ordained the priest yesterday at St. Thomas Church on the Villanova university campus. I had the privilege of singing for the Mass in the small choir made up of seven Augustinian friars. After the bishop laid hands on Joe, praying that the Holy Spirit come into him, everyone of us priests got in line and did the same. That part of the ceremony makes me feel as if each one of us priests is sharing our priesthood with the newly ordained.

Father Joe is not a young priest. He’s 58 years of age. His first assignment we’ll be right there at Villanova. He will work as a member of the campus ministry team. And I’m sure that he will do a very fine job. In that context the Lord will ask him to deny himself, take up his cross and follow him. 

Every day in one way or another Jesus will be asking him:

“Who do you say that I am?”   I want you all to pray that Joe answers that question in the way it needs to be answered every day of his priesthood - for the glory of God and for the salvation of souls.

Immediately after the ordination Mass I drove a couple miles to Bryn Mawr Hospital, and visited Father Jack.

I took this photo of Fr. Jack in the
fall of 2008 in Maggie Valley, NC. 

Father Jack Denny is from a big family - eight brothers and one sister.  His brother Bill was the year ahead of me at Msgr. Bonner High School in Drexel Hill, PA. Jack was nine years younger than me, so I didn’t know him then. But in 2008 when I returned to the Augustinians after 12 years out on an extended leave of absence, I was assigned to St. Margaret of Scotland Church in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, where Jack was the pastor and Brother Bill Harkin was the prior of the friary. With their kindness, warmth and good humor, Jack and Bill made my return to Augustinian community life and active priestly ministry a smooth and pleasant one.

Five years ago, Father Jack was appointed pastor of our Mother of Good Counsel Parish in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Brother Bill (a permanent deacon) is semi-retired and still works at OMGC on weekends. In early April of this year I was very pleased to learn that my next assignment would be to go to Bryn Mawr as Father Jack’s assistant pastor.  I was thrilled that Jack and Bill and I would be working together again.

Then, just four days after that, we all received news that Jack was diagnosed with cancer of the liver that was rather advanced. My assignment was changed from “assistant pastor” to “administrator pro tem.”  During this last week other organ systems started to fail.

When I walked into his hospital room on Saturday, I knew that he was very weak and that I shouldn’t stay long.  Jack received me with a smile. He spoke slowly. I told him that I had been looking forward to working with him again, but that I considered it a privilege to be able to continue the work that he was doing in the Parish. I asked him for his blessing and almost immediately he raised his right hand and began the words: “May the blessing of Almighty God...” I quickly knelt beside his bed to receive that blessing. Then I thanked him for all the kindness and warmth that he and Brother Bill had shown me in Maggie Valley and said good-bye.

Jack also is 58 years of age.  Joe is beginning his priesthood.  Jack might soon be coming to the end of his active ministry.

And every day Jesus continues to say to Jack:

“But who do you say that I am?”   Please pray that Jack may respond to that question in a way that pleases the Lord, every day of his priesthood.    However long or short that might be...for the glory of God and for the salvation of souls.

And then there’s that priest Fr. Jack Denny blessed yesterday afternoon. 

This priest, Liam O’Doherty, standing here in front of you.    

The Lord has made me a better priest in the 6 years I have been here among you at Our Lady of Good Counsel. At least I think and believe so.  Thanks to your patience with me, I think I have become a more patient pastor.  A pastor who listens better.  A more relaxed priest. 

Working here among you these past 6 years has helped me to realize that the most important thing for a priest to do is to help his people fall more deeply in love with Jesus Christ. 

I thank God for that.  I thank you, the people of OLGC for that. 

And of course every day Jesus is asking me:

“But who do you say that I am?”   Please pray that I may respond to that question in the way the Lord wants to hear, every day of my priesthood - for the glory of God and for the salvation of souls.   

And then there’s Fr. Ambrose Madu - the priest who will come after Fr. Liam.

I . really . like . Father . Ambrose.  

He spent an afternoon with us here at the beginning of the month.

In the next 12 days until he becomes your pastor I plan to spend 2 more days with him.  I like him.  I believe he will be good for this parish.  But you, the people of OLGC, have a very big part to play in that. 

You, the people of OLGC supported me in many ways. 

I pray that you welcome and support Father Ambrose even more. 

He will need it even more than I did.     

Let me talk to you from MY Experience:

I know what it is like to be a pastor in a country that is not your own. 

My first pastorate was at St. Monica’s in the city of Nagoya in Central Japan, between Tokyo and Osaka.  There I was, like Father Andrew - a priest from a faraway country, a priest of different racial background. 

Not only did the people support me and the wider parish community through their participation in ministries and activities, they also invited me into their homes to break bread with them (actually the main staple food there is rice rather than bread – but you get the idea.) 

Their warmth and acceptance made a huge difference for me. 

Please! Befriend Fr. Ambrose with your warmth, your smile, your acceptance.  

Father Ambrose will need that same kind of help and support. 

And please pray for him. 

And of course every day, in some way or another Jesus will be asking him every day:

“But who do you say that I am?”   Pray that Ambrose answers that question in the way fits what God expects of him every day of his priesthood.  

For the glory of God and for the salvation of souls.

  

So you have these 4 priests: 

• Joe, who at 58 is beginning his priesthood.
• Jack, who at 58 is possibly coming to the end of his. 
• Liam, who is moving on to a new Good Counsel
• Ambrose, who will be your new pastor in less than 2 weeks.

Please pray for them and for all priests:

That they may answer that question:

“But who do you say that I am?”  

in the way it needs to be answered every day of their priesthood.  

For the glory of God and the salvation of souls. 

[Note: Father Jack went home to the Lord less than 24 hours after this homily was delivered.]