Requiem on the Anniversary of the Death of Åš+P Bishop Franciszek Hodur

First reading: Wisdom 3:1-9
Psalm: Ps. 23
Epistle: 2 Timothy 1:6-11
Gospel: Matthew 5:13-16

You are the light of the world.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father.

Gather:

Today we gather, on this anniversary of the calling to heaven of our organizer, our spiritual mentor and father, Bishop Franciszek Hodur. Today we gather to remember and recall his work, but not only. Today we gather to refocus and recommit ourselves to the path he laid before us, a sure path that shows our Christian light and faith to all, and which leads all to heaven.

The great piece of art on the ceiling of St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr Cathedral shows exactly that. Bishop Hodur is following Christ, our light. In turn the people and clergy follow behind him, as he reflects Christ’s light. Off in the distance, more and more people continue to follow Christ’s light as it is reflected by each person who follows Christ.

We are debates:

As is so often the case in any endeavor, we attempt to label our actions. We attempt to define ourselves in words. For those who do not know us, we use analogy and metaphor.

As the people of the Holy Polish National Catholic Church, we do the same. We walk through the litanies of who and what we are, and sometimes engage in extensive debates. Everyone has a favorite analogy or metaphor. It is natural, because those coming through our doors want a touch point. They want some basic understanding. You know the questions and the answers:

  • Do I have to be Polish to join? No.
  • You’re Catholic, right? Yes, but not the kind you’re thinking of.
  • Democratic Church? What does that mean? It would take too long to answer in one homily…

No one wants to come to church, especially for a first visit, and be inundated with long technical answers or even the quite inappropriate and untrue: We are just like the Roman Catholic Church, except…

Who we are:

Bishop Hodur would have none of that. As I noted in the bulletin, Bishop Hodur referred to the numerical growth of the church and noted that an increase in numbers was not enough. What is necessary is spiritual commitment. Growing the Church is not only about numbers. It is something more profound. It is our personal commitment to the spirit and faith of our Church. It is also an invitation to others to join in our Church through the power of our ideas.

Who we are is the light of the world. We are a community of believers, in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic faith, that reflects Christ’s light and leads all to heaven. We are people who are committed to the spirit and faith of our Holy Church, because that spirit and faith best lead to heaven. We are a Church whose hands and arms are open to all because we invite all to join. Our invitation is the way we reflect Christ’s light and the sheer power of our ideas.

Dignity:

Looking at the work of our great organizer, we can reflect on the accomplishments achieved by the community of faith he built.

The first accomplishment is dignity. Bishop Hodur led an immigrant people, largely disenfranchised, used as fodder in mines and factories, underpaid, and seen as the dirty underclass of society, to dignity. He built up the people’s spirit; he called on them to exercise their patriotic duties, to become involved, and to grow — as a result of their faith — into physical and intellectual strength as solid citizens, business people, and community.

The people he led were the descendants and heirs to a strong and proud land, with a rich history of physical, political, intellectual, and democratic endeavors. Most importantly, as human beings, they needed to see the inherent dignity bestowed on them by God. Bishop Hodur saw all people as God’s children. He saw every nation as endowed with particular gifts by God. No one was without dignity. No one was to be treated as less than human or as mere capital for use by others.

We are all endowed with human dignity by God and that is the starting point for reflecting the light of Christ. No one is too small or insignificant to be the words, actions, and light of Jesus in the world.

Equality:

Another accomplishment is Bishop Hodur’s support for equality. He fully supported, encouraged, and stood in the midst of the Labor Movement. He rallied for equality in the workplace, and in the ownership of property. He saw a great wrong in those who amassed great fortunes and who horded wealth, building self-serving empires on the backs of their workers. Bishop Hodur rallied too against churches that saw their people as donation machines, who aggrandized their clergy, bishops, and popes while letting those they considered subjects suffer want and subjugation.

We are equal children of God. Within our Church no one ranks first, no one last. Our great democratic principles make all equal owners in the responsibility — not just for governing and managing — but for being Christ’s light to the world.

Education:

A third accomplishment is Bishop Hodur’s focus on education. Look at our Church and its organizations. You cannot trip over an organization or event without finding some sort of scholarship or college stipend associated with it. Bishop Hodur built poetry societies, a large publishing house, and literary societies. He coupled intellectual education with physical education, taking a holistic approach to learning. He saw reading and all education as the keys to success — both in society and in our key mission of spreading Christ’s word and light, being light to the world and teaching the gospel.

Light:

God’s light does not exist in a vacuum. Spreading God’s word and reflecting Christ’s light, is dependent on people. Our organizer, Bishop Hodur, knew that. Being the light of the world is not a definition, metaphor, analogy, or description. It is not a comparison, or a job for the clergy caste. It is the job of the Church. The Church is all who take up its spirit and faith, who invite others to join by the way they reflect Christ’s light and by the sheer power of ideas.

Let us once again take up the spirit and faith of the Holy Polish National Catholic Church by the way we acknowledge the dignity of every person, the way we practice equality in our democratic model of Church, by educating to teach the gospel, and most importantly by being Christ’s light to the world — the same light Bishop Hodur reflected and continues to reflect. Amen.

Church is for lovers

His banner over me is love. – Song of Songs 2:4

May our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, bless your marriages and relationships. May He be the source and example of love and fidelity in your lives. May He grant you the gifts of love that are patience, kindness, selflessness, forgiveness, truthfulness, trust, and perseverance. May He be the center of your love, for He is love.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Bible Study for Sexagesima Week
  • 2/12 – Psalm 68:5-6 – Father, Your care and concern are ever before me. I rely on You. I praise and thank You for Your justice and the good You do for Your faithful.
  • 2/13 – Hebrews 13:5 – Father, grant that I may never fall into the traps of the world. May I always recognize that every gift is from You and that without Your grace I am lost and alone.
  • 2/14 – Isaiah 61:1-3 – Lord Jesus, thank You for the fulfillment of the promises spoken by Isaiah. Your love and care are with me, and I am Yours.
  • 2/15 – Philippians 2:3-7 – Lord Jesus, grant that I may follow You in serving others, in putting their needs before my own in Christian love.
  • 2/16 – John 15:18-19 – Lord Jesus, You have taken me from the clutches of the world and have given me a great inheritance with You for eternity. I praise and thank You.
  • 2/17 – John 17:23 – Lord Jesus, You prayed to the Father and in doing so, I have become one with You. Grant that I may recognize the unity I have with You and the Father.
  • 2/18 – Psalm 34:15-22 – Father, my refuge is in You. I desire to live righteously and know that in doing so, You will ever hear and be with me.

Pray the week: Lord Jesus, free me from all loneliness.

Reflection for Sexagesima Sunday

Just say away!
Please don’t abandon me!

He remained outside in deserted places.

Jesus had just healed the leper who had begged Him for mercy. Jesus instructed the former leper to go show himself to the temple priests and to make the called for sacrifice. But now Jesus was in trouble.

According to Mosaic Law, Jesus could not go near anyone. He had touched a leper, and in the process had made Himself ritually unclean. According to the law, He had to stay away from people, had to be isolated, so that He would not contaminate anyone else.

Of course, Jesus was completely pure and clean, but He abided by the strictures of Mosaic Law.

Jesus came to us, not to be separated from humanity, but to be part of humanity. That meant He was subject to the same feelings, the same temptations, the very same things we face. So today, we learn about Jesus’ experience of isolation.

The whole point of Jesus’ isolation was not to show that He is like us in every way but sin, but to let us know that He is here, to this day, as the remedy and cure for our isolation.

God created us, each of us, to be social, to live in community, to be a real part of each other’s lives. We need people because God designed us that way. Recall what God says in Genesis: “It is not good for man to be alone.”

Jesus calls us to repent and follow the Gospel, to fix relationships that are damaged and spoilt because of our own wrong actions and selfish behavior. He also wants us to know that the Father – the maker of the whole world – is a loving person, who desperately wants a relationship with us! It may be unbelievable, but it is true. God is not a power, a force, a feeling, or a distant angry ruler – He is a person, who wants to be a ‘friend who stays closer than a brother’. He is the ultimate Family, the real Lover, and the special Friend. What is more, He can give us a new power inside, to handle life, relationships and problems. He came to heal isolation, to end loneliness, and to be with us, even when we think we are so alone.

Bible Study for Septuagesima Week
  • 2/5 – Philippians 3:13 – Lord Jesus, grant me the grace of fixing my eyes and thoughts on the road ahead, and Your goal for my life.
  • 2/6 – Acts 22:10 – Lord, grant me the courage to trust solely in Your call and Your guidance.
  • 2/7 – Philippians 3:12 – Forgiving God, look not at my sins of the past but my actions going forward. Grant me the grace to set aside sins, failings, and regrets so that I may work only for Your kingdom.
  • 2/8 – Ephesians 6:7 – Lord, Your path is set before me. Grant that I may follow it without distraction, focused only on pleasing You.
  • 2/9 – Isaiah 40:31 – Lord, the joys of serving You are without number. The graces You provide ensures our victory. Grant me the grace to trust in Your word.
  • 2/10 – John 2:5 – Blessed Mother, pray for me that I may follow your example and call all to do as your Son Jesus asks.
  • 2/11 – Isaiah 33:21-22 – Lord, Your path and Your goal are not obtained by force or power, but by trust and willingness to do as You ask. Grant me the grace to go Your way, and there to find my rest and peace.

Pray the week: Lord Jesus, give me the grace to reach the goal You set before me.

Reflection for Septuagesima Sunday

Couldn’t I just sleep in a little?
Nope! Let’s get up and go.

“And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed.”

Jesus was hard at work. He fasted in the dessert for 40 days, underwent temptation, walked along the Sea of Galilee gathering His disciples, went to Caper’na-um where He preached and healed, went directly to Peter’s home where He cured Peter’s mother-in-law, took care of the crowds that came. Scripture tells us that: the whole city was gathered together about the door.

It would make sense for Jesus to want to sleep in a little, to seek some respite and refreshment.

Instead, Jesus got up before sunrise and went off to pray. This wasn’t casual prayer either, ‘Hi Father, how are You?’ This was intense prayer in which Jesus sought out the Father’s will. In that time of prayer He listened for direction and engaged in an active dialog with His Father.

None of this is to say that Jesus wasn’t weary. Of course He was. His humanity was screaming at Him, rest, rest, rest.

What did Jesus receive in prayer? First, He received the rest and refreshment He needed. Those who spend time in prayer find that they have more time in their day, a more rested mind and body, and have the ability to accomplish more. This isn’t just getting the dishes and the common work done, but more-so getting the work of God done.

When we are resolved to pray, to rest in God, and follow His commission, we are able to change the world.

St. Paul tells us that he received a commission – to preach the Gospel. Paul saw this as not just a commission, an obligation, but as a duty and a reward in and of itself. Paul chose not to take the things he was entitled to, including rest and recompense, and instead became a slave to all so that God’s work would be accomplished. Paul knew that those who accepted God’s word would be saved, and for this he set aside what he was due, even a moment to sleep in, so that he could pray and spread the Gospel of Jesus.

Bible Study for the Sixth Week of Christmas
  • 1/29 – Psalm 23 – Lord Jesus, You are my Shepherd. Grant that I may always take comfort in You, never forgetting that in the midst of turmoil or anxiety, You are with me.
  • 1/30 – John 14:27 – Lord Jesus, Your peace is my refuge. Grant me Your gift of peace, and the knowledge that there is nothing that can overcome or defeat Your gifts.
  • 1/31 – Psalm 42:11 – Lord Jesus, You know that I grow weary and discouraged. Grant me the grace to rise up again, singing Your praise as I do Your work.
  • 2/1 – Psalm 37:1-5 – Lord, the world and those that cling to it rage about me. Grant that I may see Your light that pierces every darkness, and enable me to carry that light to the dark places around me.
  • 2/2 – Matthew 6:33 – Lord Jesus, as the week winds down, grant me refreshment, renewal, and Your constant light.
  • 2/3 – John 16:33 – Lord, victorious King, You have overcome the world, and none of its darkness can harm me. May I always acknowledge Your peace and Your promises as enough for me.
  • 2/4 – Philippians 4:6-7 – Lord Jesus, set my heart and mind on You. Place me within the community of Your Church so that I may work with all and for all, showing forth Your peace.

Pray the week: Lord Jesus, grant me Your comfort in the midst of cares and anxiety.


Reflection for the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Freedom is not free…
But we are free because the Lord has delivered us!

“Brothers and sisters: I should like you to be free of anxieties.”

There was a lot of anxiety in 1897. The people of Scranton had scrimped and saved to build a church. The parish they had built, that their generous donations supported, didn’t want them. They had been ejected from their former parish by a cruel pastor who demanded only obedience, who derided the hard working people, threatening them will hellfire. He sought only to be the lord and master of the people.

Think of their anxiety. They were outcasts, without a parish, without a pastor, without a spiritual home. Their investment in a spiritual home was gone and its doors were shut to them. In their anxiety they reached out to God and in doing so found comfort in a pastor, a shepherd who made the grace of God available once again. Not a pastor who demanded to be their lord and master, but a pastor who was their brother, teacher, and guide; a pastor whose heart was for the people.

God sent Åš.P. Bishop Hodur to take their commission. He let them know the one key way to alleviate anxiety. It was not submission to priests, bishops, and a pope who defined themselves as royalty, as lords and masters, but instead knowledge of the one Lord and Savior who frees us.

Bishop Hodur showed them the true Jesus who came to give us His word, to teach us, to show us the way to the Father. He showed them that Jesus was not preparing hellfire for His people, but rather the joys of heaven. He pointed and led to Jesus who takes up every one of our anxieties, big and small, and frees us; Jesus, who promises us joy.

Today we honor our freedom as we exercise our voice and vote in our annual parish meeting. This freedom was hard won, but has given us the best of all churches – one that is fully Catholic and fully democratic.

The people of Scranton took their anxiety to the Lord and He showed them the way, provided for them. Let us too rely on the Lord who has made us free.