WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:00.400 Hey St. 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:02.080 Augustine's, how's it going? 00:00:02.240 --> 00:00:05.679 Another episode of The Heart of the Homily. 00:00:05.839 --> 00:00:06.480 Is that what it's called? 00:00:06.879 --> 00:00:08.560 The Homily Podcast, yes. 00:00:09.119 --> 00:00:09.839 Welcome back. 00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:10.480 Thank you. 00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:11.359 It's great to be here. 00:00:11.679 --> 00:00:17.359 And um again, we hope our homily or we hope our podcast helps you take the homily into the week. 00:00:17.519 --> 00:00:22.239 So we're gonna unpack um what we were talking about yesterday, which um was from the Gospel of Luke. 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:27.359 And I'm just gonna read it to start us off, and then we'll um well actually before we start that, Father, you sound a little different. 00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:27.839 Yeah. 00:00:28.079 --> 00:00:30.160 Um just wanted to raspy voice. 00:00:30.320 --> 00:00:31.039 Doesn't it sound sexy? 00:00:31.359 --> 00:00:31.839 It sounds great. 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:32.399 It sounds great. 00:00:32.479 --> 00:00:34.399 You need some jazz music to go along with it. 00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:37.439 Yeah, I this happens to me like once or twice a year. 00:00:37.679 --> 00:00:40.079 I overextend my voice all the time. 00:00:40.240 --> 00:00:42.640 And I've been talking so much the last you put me to work. 00:00:42.719 --> 00:00:44.560 We've got at these conferences and things. 00:00:44.719 --> 00:00:54.320 And um I don't know, you know, it's fascinating because um I like to use my voice almost like an instrument, especially during mass. 00:00:54.399 --> 00:00:58.560 And I've noticed that like on Sundays I'll go home and like have a little bit of sore throat. 00:00:58.799 --> 00:01:00.000 No, no, you don't have a sore throat. 00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:02.079 It's you've been overextending your voice. 00:01:02.240 --> 00:01:05.920 And so once or twice a year I'll lose my voice completely. 00:01:06.480 --> 00:01:06.879 It's crazy. 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:07.760 That is crazy. 00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:10.079 And people are like, oh, you're sick, or you don't feel well. 00:01:10.319 --> 00:01:11.599 Like I feel perfectly fine. 00:01:11.680 --> 00:01:12.159 I just can't talk. 00:01:15.359 --> 00:01:16.400 So yeah, thank you for asking. 00:01:16.799 --> 00:01:16.879 Good. 00:01:16.959 --> 00:01:19.840 Well, I was gonna say you sound, you sound even better than you did yesterday. 00:01:20.239 --> 00:01:21.680 So I do persevere and I could not. 00:01:22.480 --> 00:01:23.599 I think I do sound better. 00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:30.640 Uh, yesterday was And actually I thought I thought it kept people's attention because your voice sounded a little different. 00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:32.159 People were like, this is serious business. 00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:32.640 Yes. 00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:43.200 And a couple one gentleman in particular said to me, because you had to go slower and more intentional, like I was listening more intently. 00:01:43.359 --> 00:01:46.159 I was like, wow, maybe that's another tool. 00:01:47.040 --> 00:01:48.079 And uh be careful with that. 00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:49.680 We don't want it to happen very often, though. 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:51.519 So only once a year. 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:52.319 Exactly. 00:01:52.640 --> 00:01:53.359 But um wonderful. 00:01:53.439 --> 00:01:54.319 Well, we're glad to have you back. 00:01:54.560 --> 00:01:57.760 And uh looking forward to unpacking the gospel and the homily from yesterday. 00:01:57.920 --> 00:01:59.200 Um so I'll just kind of share. 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:05.040 The the gospel was from Luke chapter 17, and it's short and sweet, so I'm gonna give an opportunity to read it. 00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:10.000 So it says, as Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. 00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:13.599 As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him met him. 00:02:14.159 --> 00:02:20.400 They stood at a distance and from and from there raised their voices, saying, Jesus, Master, have pity on us. 00:02:20.639 --> 00:02:24.240 And when he saw them, he said, Go show yourselves to the priest. 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:26.400 As they were going, they were cleansed. 00:02:26.560 --> 00:02:31.840 And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice. 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:34.240 And he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. 00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:35.520 He was a Samaritan. 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:39.360 Jesus said in reply, Ten were cleansed, were they not? 00:02:39.599 --> 00:02:40.960 Where are the other nine? 00:02:41.199 --> 00:02:44.080 Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God? 00:02:44.319 --> 00:02:46.400 Then he said to him, Stand up and go. 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:48.319 Your faith has saved you. 00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:49.759 Powerful. 00:02:50.080 --> 00:02:50.560 Powerful. 00:02:50.719 --> 00:02:52.479 Yeah, like what a beautiful and powerful scene. 00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:53.919 I'm gonna put you on the spot. 00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:55.039 Go for it, please. 00:02:55.360 --> 00:02:58.159 Do you know when else we read this gospel? 00:02:59.599 --> 00:03:01.199 Um nope. 00:03:01.599 --> 00:03:02.479 Thanksgiving Day. 00:03:02.719 --> 00:03:02.960 Okay. 00:03:03.039 --> 00:03:04.879 I was like, is there a gratitude weekend? 00:03:05.039 --> 00:03:05.840 That would be it, actually. 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:06.400 That would be it. 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:08.800 On Thanksgiving Day, we'll hear the same gospel. 00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:09.599 That makes sense. 00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:09.840 Yeah. 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:10.639 That's beautiful. 00:03:10.879 --> 00:03:12.879 I mean, there's so much to this gospel, too. 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:17.120 And um so, Father, what um what part inspired you? 00:03:17.280 --> 00:03:21.599 Because you kind of wove together all of the scriptures, the first reading, the second, and the gospel. 00:03:21.680 --> 00:03:23.680 Like, what was your main inspiration for sure? 00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:30.800 I thought this weekend, and it doesn't always happen that way where all of the readings just tie back into the main theme of gratitude. 00:03:31.120 --> 00:03:50.879 Um, I was when I was reading, when I began to write this, I I was thinking about um I remember my aunt always said a saying that Estee Lauder, I don't know if you know Estee Lauder, Estee Lauder's makeup things, and she said that every woman likes a small gift. 00:03:51.039 --> 00:03:55.280 And so I remember, like when she would have a dinner party, she'd give like a lipstick or something. 00:03:55.360 --> 00:04:04.240 And I remember I was at one of these dinners and I was like, you know, younger or whatever, and this cousin of mine received a little lipstick. 00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:08.719 And you you would have thought that they were given to her like a million dollars, you know. 00:04:09.120 --> 00:04:14.159 But I remember it just changed the whole room of this wow, you thought of me? 00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:22.959 Like and so it that came to my mind when I was thinking about how gratitude can even just change everything, everything shifts. 00:04:23.120 --> 00:04:26.319 Like I mentioned in the homily, the air seems softer. 00:04:26.800 --> 00:04:31.439 Um, there's something that happens, it can take the ordinary and make it holy. 00:04:31.759 --> 00:04:39.279 Because there's a component that I wanted to kind of unpack, and that is that gratitude and faith go together. 00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:40.399 They're inseparable. 00:04:41.600 --> 00:04:42.319 Inseparable. 00:04:42.480 --> 00:05:00.639 And and one of the things that I I want to talk about, which I want to break open the first reading, this Naaman and Alicia, which when you read the first reading from Sunday, it doesn't break it open in the sense that there's no context. 00:05:01.040 --> 00:05:04.480 So when you're reading it, you're kind of, okay, what's going on here in the scene? 00:05:04.639 --> 00:05:09.439 So that's why when I wrote the homily, I wanted to give a little bit of context. 00:05:10.079 --> 00:05:27.279 And um and so that's what I developed in the in the homily saying, well, here you have this general, all these metals, armor, very powerful man, but on the inside, or behind that armor, is leprosy. 00:05:27.680 --> 00:05:36.240 And he's suffering from this horrific disease, and he hears about this prophet in Israel, a pagan, right? 00:05:36.319 --> 00:05:37.600 He's not Jewish. 00:05:38.879 --> 00:05:40.959 And um, so he goes in search of. 00:05:41.759 --> 00:05:47.279 But what I love about it is that he gets there, Alicia doesn't even pay him no mind, he doesn't come out. 00:05:47.600 --> 00:05:50.879 He sends with another attendant, hey, all right, fine. 00:05:51.199 --> 00:05:53.600 Go and wash in the Jordan seven times. 00:05:53.839 --> 00:05:55.360 And Naaman is furious about it. 00:05:55.439 --> 00:05:56.319 He's like, what? 00:05:57.199 --> 00:05:57.920 That's it? 00:05:59.439 --> 00:06:01.360 That's all you're gonna ask me to do? 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:09.360 And um I and I think that there's a another line that you can take from that. 00:06:09.839 --> 00:06:14.240 Um as our human condition, we want more. 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:14.959 Why? 00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:17.439 Because we we we want to be in control. 00:06:18.240 --> 00:06:19.759 I'll give you an example. 00:06:20.959 --> 00:06:35.279 I will give a penance to someone at confession, and it won't be a crazy penance, it'll be something adequate to what the penitent just confessed. 00:06:35.920 --> 00:06:37.680 And they won't be happy with that. 00:06:38.399 --> 00:06:41.040 They'll say, no, I deserve to be punished. 00:06:41.199 --> 00:06:44.240 I deserve something stricter, something harder. 00:06:44.720 --> 00:06:47.120 And and they're missing the whole point. 00:06:47.519 --> 00:06:47.839 Yeah. 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:48.480 Right? 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:53.920 They're missing the whole point that, okay, if I if I asked you to do something really hard, they would do it. 00:06:54.319 --> 00:07:04.720 But what I want you to connect is God's mercy is so amazing that he loves you so much that he's saying, even your even the punishment, even the penance, you can't control. 00:07:05.199 --> 00:07:07.279 I am God and you are not. 00:07:07.759 --> 00:07:12.000 Because we want to, we want to control every aspect, even our penance. 00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:12.399 Yeah. 00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:22.959 And so you see there, Naaman wants to control everything, but then he lets his pride down and he goes into the muddy waters of Jordan seven times and he comes out. 00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:28.160 You know, the scripture tells us, with a skin, uh, almost like a baby. 00:07:29.279 --> 00:07:31.600 And then he begins to understand. 00:07:32.800 --> 00:07:44.399 And you know what's fascinating is that when I was writing this homily, I wrote the words that gratitude made him into a believer, and then I continued writing the homily. 00:07:45.680 --> 00:07:50.079 But it wasn't until I delivered the homily that I understood what I wrote. 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:51.040 Isn't that crazy? 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:59.040 Like, and that happens to me a lot different times when I'm writing a homily, that even through my homily, I am being touched. 00:07:59.199 --> 00:08:02.399 That the Lord is so the Lord is like, these are my words. 00:08:03.279 --> 00:08:03.600 Yeah. 00:08:03.839 --> 00:08:05.920 The preaching is my words. 00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:12.399 And so how powerful that gratitude made him into a believer. 00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:28.000 And I think that if we apply that to our own lives, yes, our faith life where we want to know the Lord and believe in the Lord, but there's something that if we live a life of gratitude, then we begin to believe in a deeper way. 00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:28.720 Yeah. 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:34.799 And I think what you're also saying is like we we begin to see like what's actually real, what's actually happening. 00:08:34.879 --> 00:08:37.519 It kind of opens up our eyes to see what's happening. 00:08:37.679 --> 00:08:45.039 Um, and it's funny, Father, as you were talking about the confession examples, like, uh, yeah, that was definitely me when I came back into my faith. 00:08:45.200 --> 00:08:46.639 I was like, Father, that's it. 00:08:46.799 --> 00:08:49.120 Like, don't I get like a slap in the face by someone? 00:08:49.279 --> 00:08:57.519 Like, like really, um, but recognizing in the and the priests I went to for confession, you know, especially like a life confession that I did when I first came back to the church. 00:08:57.679 --> 00:08:59.679 Um, and then the penance was so simple. 00:08:59.840 --> 00:09:02.960 And I remember being like, like, are you sure? 00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:04.159 How about like seven rows? 00:09:04.399 --> 00:09:07.519 Like, I'll give you ideas on like what I can do to make this really hard to make it. 00:09:07.679 --> 00:09:14.639 But that was that was the gift of mercy of like I can just receive the forgiveness that has already been bought for me. 00:09:14.879 --> 00:09:24.240 Um and that that is what really began that transformation, that healing like within me was recognizing so easy God wanted to give me mercy and didn't want to complicate it. 00:09:24.320 --> 00:09:26.480 Um, but I wanted to complicate it out of my own pride. 00:09:26.559 --> 00:09:29.600 And um, but I was grateful the priest helped me to receive the gift. 00:09:29.679 --> 00:09:33.360 And yeah, I think that you know, we could call it the scandal of simplicity. 00:09:34.720 --> 00:09:37.759 You know, it's it's the whole I want to be in control. 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:47.519 I also too Naaman comes out of the water and then he confesses and he says that there is no other God but the God of Israel. 00:09:47.759 --> 00:09:55.039 And then in the scripture from this weekend, it says that he took two mule loads of dirt, earth, back with him. 00:09:55.360 --> 00:09:58.639 A lot of people at at the end of mass were asking me, what did that mean? 00:09:58.720 --> 00:10:01.200 Did he want to be buried with that dirt or this or that? 00:10:01.360 --> 00:10:05.519 And I I should have maybe explained it in the Holly, but there's only there's only so much. 00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:09.279 There's only 15 minutes of Yeah, and so it's kind of hard. 00:10:09.440 --> 00:10:20.960 Like But I wanted to just to hit on that too, because Naaman wants to bring back a piece of holy ground, right? 00:10:21.600 --> 00:10:30.000 That and and also too, we gotta understand that in that in that time frame that we're talking about in Naaman's time, gods were territorial. 00:10:30.480 --> 00:10:31.039 Remember? 00:10:31.279 --> 00:10:38.480 So bringing back the God, the dirt, the earth where where the God of Israel dwells, I want to be able to come back to that. 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:48.639 Also, I think that the dirt reminded him of his conversion, of his belonging to uh of of this land, of wanting to belong to these people in a sense. 00:10:49.279 --> 00:10:50.480 Humility of the earth. 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:51.279 Yeah. 00:10:51.519 --> 00:11:08.399 And I think also, too, um, there's this universality of faith, like a foreshadowing that Jesus, when he comes, and he and he talks and later on Paul through his letters, that faith is not contained to Jerusalem, right? 00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:10.480 That God comes to save all people. 00:11:10.720 --> 00:11:22.559 And this understanding that here we have Naaman taking dirt from Israel back to his place, saying um kind of the foreshadowing of the universality of the faith. 00:11:23.840 --> 00:11:27.759 Um so I thought I thought that people picked up on that. 00:11:27.840 --> 00:11:30.720 And it's it's kind of interesting, it's fascinating. 00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:42.080 Um It's also very human, like to like when you when you encounter something so beautiful, so profound that it changes you, like it's very human to take a rock or take a dirt. 00:11:42.240 --> 00:11:47.519 You know, like that's very much um, you know, a token of under like remembrance. 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:48.240 Aaron Powell Yeah. 00:11:48.320 --> 00:11:55.039 And it's almost like the healed man right now is carrying God's presence into foreign soil. 00:11:56.720 --> 00:11:59.519 I think there's a lot that can be unpacked there. 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:07.919 Um but just beautiful in how gratitude turns him into a believer. 00:12:08.240 --> 00:12:09.840 And how would he not be grateful? 00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:18.639 Can you imagine the the the scandal of leprosy and being isolated and separated and marginalized because it was so contagious. 00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:19.200 Yeah. 00:12:19.759 --> 00:12:23.519 And something you said in your homily was that gratit gratitude completes the miracle. 00:12:23.840 --> 00:12:23.919 Right. 00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:28.240 And it kind of moves us into like this belief and trust and like a real concrete faith. 00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:29.600 Yeah. 00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:49.679 And I and I think that that's something that people should take to their prayer life, to meditation, maybe if you're doing like a Lectio Divina or you're praying with the scriptures, or even if you're praying with this, with this gospel, is saying, where even in your own life has a miracle completed the journey? 00:12:51.200 --> 00:13:00.960 Um, or a healing completed the journey, or this, or just simple gratitude of being overwhelmed with gratefulness where it completes the journey. 00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:01.919 Yeah. 00:13:02.320 --> 00:13:15.279 It reminds me of um something from my own life where um having gratitude, um being able to um like step back and reflect on like what is happen, like what is God doing in my life um helps me not miss like the miracles that do happen. 00:13:15.600 --> 00:13:33.120 Instead of and sometimes um I think even in a story from the Old Testament that you're talking about when we're focused on like it has to look this way, that we we miss, we can miss what God is actually doing when we're so narrow-minded, or like it, you know, the miracle has to happen this way, or um being able to step back and be grateful of like, Lord, you are at work. 00:13:33.200 --> 00:13:34.960 And if I don't see it, like you're doing it. 00:13:35.200 --> 00:13:43.039 And like that radical trust of um trust and also be know that God is doing a miraculous work in our life and being open to seeing it. 00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:45.120 Aaron Ross Powell And that takes a lot of work. 00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:50.240 And it's something that I don't remember if I said this yesterday in the homily or if it was something from today. 00:13:50.399 --> 00:13:52.080 Or I think I think I mentioned it both. 00:13:52.240 --> 00:14:00.720 It's that part of uh renewal where it's that everyday conversion, where it's receiving Jesus in the Eucharist. 00:14:00.799 --> 00:14:10.480 Uh I mentioned the homily coming forth as that uh Samaritan who who came back to Jesus in Thanksgiving. 00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:20.320 Almost being like that Samaritan receiving Christ in the Eucharist and and and having the gratefulness of understanding all that God has done for us. 00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:27.360 And it's not the same old, same, oh, I'm in the communion line, let me go and receive, okay, it's time to get up for communion. 00:14:27.600 --> 00:14:28.799 Are we really conscious? 00:14:28.960 --> 00:14:36.639 Are we really truly understanding that I'm standing in line in the communion line to receive the Lord? 00:14:36.799 --> 00:14:39.120 Or is it just, oh, let me have the cookie? 00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:39.519 Trevor Burrus, Jr. 00:14:39.679 --> 00:14:40.159 Yeah. 00:14:40.639 --> 00:14:47.679 And I I think that's a beautiful invitation of like if that's the pinnacle of our week, receiving the Eucharist, the the Thanksgiving. 00:14:47.840 --> 00:14:56.799 Um, if we're living a life of gratitude, then we're bringing like our whole week of thankfulness, our whole like week of like seeing God at work and saying thank you. 00:14:56.960 --> 00:15:07.840 Like the gr-I don't know, like what a beautiful way to like receive the Lord at Sunday Mass, but then also if we're doing that work of like living a reflective life and seeing and being grateful every day, yeah. 00:15:08.080 --> 00:15:11.919 Then like this beautiful moment of like gratitude meeting gratitude, you know. 00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:15.519 Um, but I think that's part of this too, is that gratitude takes uh work. 00:15:15.679 --> 00:15:20.320 It takes our part of like stepping back and like actually having the eyes to see. 00:15:20.960 --> 00:15:21.279 Right. 00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:28.080 And if we go to the gospel and we see these ten lepers, right? 00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:38.320 Because what's fascinating to me is that as I mentioned in the homily, that they they cry out to Jesus, right? 00:15:38.399 --> 00:15:39.600 Because they're not going to get close. 00:15:39.759 --> 00:15:42.559 They know the law and they should not be approaching anyone. 00:15:43.519 --> 00:15:47.039 And so they're screaming out, Jesus, Master, have pity on us. 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:53.200 And Christ doesn't say, be healed, or I heal you. 00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:54.080 He doesn't say that. 00:15:54.240 --> 00:15:57.039 He says, Go show yourselves to the priests. 00:15:58.159 --> 00:16:08.240 But what that says to us is that the lepers obeyed or yeah, they obeyed before they even saw any results. 00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:09.600 Okay. 00:16:09.840 --> 00:16:12.799 I'll go, I'll go show myself to the priest. 00:16:13.120 --> 00:16:20.000 And I think that that's something that we can apply to our lives where faith demands of us before there's evidence. 00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:23.039 Because they were healed on the way. 00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:24.080 On the way. 00:16:24.399 --> 00:16:25.600 Like as they're walking. 00:16:27.440 --> 00:16:27.600 Right. 00:16:27.759 --> 00:16:34.240 So faith demands that we move that we be on the way before there's evidence. 00:16:34.399 --> 00:16:36.240 And I think that that's the hardest part. 00:16:36.639 --> 00:16:36.799 Yeah. 00:16:37.039 --> 00:16:38.720 Because we want to see it and then we'll follow. 00:16:38.960 --> 00:16:39.039 Right. 00:16:39.279 --> 00:16:40.159 But that's not how Jesus's. 00:16:40.480 --> 00:16:41.360 Jesus, show me a sign. 00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:41.759 Yeah. 00:16:42.080 --> 00:16:43.360 Show me that it's from you. 00:16:43.840 --> 00:16:45.039 Show me this, show me that. 00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:49.679 And so faith demands of us start moving. 00:16:50.399 --> 00:16:51.759 Yeah, heading in the direction. 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:56.639 And what a beautiful encouragement of just just like being obedient to the Lord. 00:16:56.879 --> 00:17:01.840 Like that in that the healing always takes place and it's gonna be and it's on the way. 00:17:02.080 --> 00:17:07.839 I think it's such a um instructive really point that Jesus is also making, I think, to us. 00:17:07.920 --> 00:17:10.240 Like, yeah, because a miracle was an instant. 00:17:10.880 --> 00:17:11.119 Right? 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:12.559 It's like a process. 00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:18.640 That's why I love that one about the where the person is blind and he Jesus uh, you know, it's in stages. 00:17:19.039 --> 00:17:22.799 And how often do we want proof before we're obedient? 00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:23.759 Yeah. 00:17:24.319 --> 00:17:28.480 And Father, something from your humble Yasha, you said gratitude isn't about circumstance. 00:17:28.880 --> 00:17:33.599 Could you share a little more what um kind of was what you were talking about? 00:17:34.319 --> 00:17:45.920 Yeah, I think that that what I meant there is that we're so quick to always need um well, I'll say it this way. 00:17:46.240 --> 00:17:52.079 What I meant by not by circumstances is it's very easy when everything is going well to say thank you. 00:17:52.720 --> 00:18:06.559 Um it shouldn't even when you want to or you don't want to, or it it's it's living in this perpetual thanksgiving of always being grateful. 00:18:06.880 --> 00:18:09.839 Not just when it's I'll give you an example. 00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:31.200 I I remember um a friend of mine was on a trip with his adult son and wife, and they would have dinners together, and um the dad said to the son, you know, I I want to say something, I don't want to upset you, but whenever the waiter comes or people come, you never say thank you. 00:18:31.279 --> 00:18:32.880 Why don't you ever say thank you? 00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:37.599 And the son said, I I didn't even realize that I wasn't saying thank you. 00:18:38.880 --> 00:18:42.319 So it's it has to move beyond just the circumstance. 00:18:42.400 --> 00:19:00.559 It has to be this, I'm always living this perpetual gratefulness, whether it's something that someone has done for me, whether it's a beautiful day, and you just walk down, you're just amazed by how gorgeous this the day looks, or or it's in this constant thanksgiving to the Lord. 00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:03.359 Sorry. 00:19:03.920 --> 00:19:10.160 And um because we need to live in that way to constantly be thanking God. 00:19:10.480 --> 00:19:14.400 And I think the disposition is knowing everything's a gift. 00:19:14.720 --> 00:19:22.960 Like if that's like the disposition that we have towards ourselves, towards the world, towards God, then it's really easy to be able to say thank you, because all is gift. 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:23.279 Right. 00:19:23.440 --> 00:19:27.759 We've not been, we're not owed anything, but all is gift from God. 00:19:28.079 --> 00:19:30.559 Um and then even with the the lepers, right? 00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:33.599 The ten that were healed and only one came back to say thank you. 00:19:33.759 --> 00:19:37.440 I I remember for that story, we some packs makes them like, how do they not all run back? 00:19:37.519 --> 00:19:39.200 You know, like what happened there? 00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:41.279 And um I don't know if you have some insights, Father. 00:19:41.440 --> 00:19:49.279 Like, what happened with the other nine that like distracted them or prevented them from not being able to come back and thank the giver of the gift? 00:19:49.359 --> 00:19:49.519 Trevor Burrus, Jr. 00:19:49.759 --> 00:19:51.279 I think it's a lesson for us. 00:19:51.440 --> 00:19:55.680 I think that there are people who are just ungrateful. 00:19:56.720 --> 00:19:59.839 And it's a lesson for don't be like that. 00:20:01.039 --> 00:20:09.519 Um And also we can get so caught up in the miracle itself that we forget to thank who we got the miracle from. 00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:17.039 And I think that that's easy to imagine a birthday party or a Christmas where you're so overwhelmed with some great gifts that you're you forget. 00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:19.119 Oh, I I need to say thank you. 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:28.880 Um so I really think that the nine were so overwhelmed with what just happened to them that again, it's what you were talking about earlier. 00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:43.759 Are we attentive enough to have that self-awareness to constantly be living in this perpetual thanksgiving to take the space to know who you are and that giving thanks is everything. 00:20:45.279 --> 00:20:46.480 Yeah, it reminds me of St. 00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:48.880 Ignatius of Leola talks a lot about gratitude. 00:20:48.960 --> 00:20:49.039 Right. 00:20:49.200 --> 00:20:53.839 And basically that kind of the heart of most sin is in gratitude towards God. 00:20:54.079 --> 00:20:57.119 Kind of like that pride of um being ungrateful. 00:20:57.440 --> 00:21:05.119 But it's also, I think, a again a great anchor point in our own life of our own spiritual life that gratitude is something that flourishes faith. 00:21:05.359 --> 00:21:06.880 And we have to practice it. 00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:09.119 It's not something that comes natural for all people. 00:21:09.200 --> 00:21:19.279 Some people are very, you know, optimistic, which is different than gratitude, but um it is something to practice, to exercise gratitude, to be aware, to look around and um and to do that often. 00:21:19.440 --> 00:21:20.559 Even I think about, again, St. 00:21:20.640 --> 00:21:22.240 Ignatius with his exam and prayer. 00:21:22.400 --> 00:21:30.160 You know, part of that is looking at your day and thanking God and being aware of God's abundant gifts even in one day, you know. 00:21:31.279 --> 00:21:37.440 Yeah, I I have to say that I'm grateful to God that I I think I have that. 00:21:38.240 --> 00:21:48.079 I may not have other things, I may not have other gifts, but I like to think that I live in this perpetual gratefulness. 00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:55.680 Um it's intentional, but I think like I mentioned a couple weeks in the homily, it has to be like a muscle. 00:21:55.920 --> 00:21:58.319 Or it continues to be exercised. 00:21:59.039 --> 00:22:04.720 Um, because then if you're if you're exercising it like a muscle, it becomes like second nature. 00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:08.640 And that's how I try to live my life. 00:22:09.359 --> 00:22:14.960 Um so yeah, it's it has to be part of who we are, that everyday. 00:22:15.599 --> 00:22:16.000 Yeah. 00:22:16.559 --> 00:22:21.440 And so maybe, Father, as we um kind of start wrapping up, um perhaps we can look at the second reading. 00:22:21.519 --> 00:22:22.240 I know uh St. 00:22:22.400 --> 00:22:23.599 Paul, um his letter. 00:22:23.920 --> 00:22:30.559 Maybe give us some insight in from your homily, because um when you were talking about that gratitude in all circumstances, I think about Paul. 00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:34.480 You know, he's writing his beautiful letters in prison, you know. 00:22:34.640 --> 00:22:36.319 So put some insights there. 00:22:36.400 --> 00:22:41.440 Trevor Burrus, Jr.: And that's when I was writing the homily, this is my favorite part was just thinking about St. 00:22:41.680 --> 00:22:46.880 Paul, because he had every reason to be bitter, miserable. 00:22:47.440 --> 00:22:52.640 And he's not, and he's chained and he's um probably starving. 00:22:53.359 --> 00:23:00.799 And uh he's actually giving thanks to Almighty God because he remembers who he was. 00:23:01.039 --> 00:23:08.640 He remembers he was Saul, that he was persecuting Christians, he hated Christ, he was hunting down believers. 00:23:08.720 --> 00:23:13.839 And so he's looking at his life, and I'm sure you know, you're in prison, you got a lot of time to think. 00:23:14.000 --> 00:23:14.480 Yeah. 00:23:15.039 --> 00:23:19.119 And and to say, wow, I've been saved. 00:23:19.680 --> 00:23:21.680 Mercy has given me salvation. 00:23:21.839 --> 00:23:30.480 And so there you again have that gratitude of turning you into a major believer, right? 00:23:30.799 --> 00:23:35.599 So, you know, he says that Jesus has done this for me. 00:23:36.400 --> 00:23:44.960 And I think that that's what the one of the points that I wanted to mention is that when we come to the Eucharist, is we're very good at asking God for things. 00:23:45.200 --> 00:23:46.000 And rightly so. 00:23:46.160 --> 00:23:57.920 We have a lot of problems, or maybe you're going through a diagnosis or you're going through a very difficult time in your life, or whatever it is, it's normal to be able, it's normal to go to God with these things. 00:23:58.079 --> 00:24:02.079 And and God wants to help his children, as I mentioned. 00:24:03.279 --> 00:24:07.119 But a lot of times people in their prayer life, that's all they do. 00:24:07.519 --> 00:24:12.160 The way they know their prayer life is it's just asking, asking, asking. 00:24:12.799 --> 00:24:18.160 And we have to teach people how to pray, uh, to sit in silence, to be thankful. 00:24:18.400 --> 00:24:34.559 Um but what I wanted to kind of switch it up a little bit was yes, you there will be times where you're gonna be asking and asking, but when you're coming up to receive the Lord in the Eucharist, think about everything that He's done for you. 00:24:35.440 --> 00:24:38.960 Don't think so much of what you don't have, but what you do have. 00:24:39.839 --> 00:24:55.200 Um I've been dealing with some young people who are in very serious situations with illness and dying, and and and they they come to say and living saying, health is everything. 00:24:55.680 --> 00:24:57.680 It's not about the accumulation of things. 00:24:57.759 --> 00:25:00.319 And if you don't have health, there is nothing. 00:25:00.799 --> 00:25:10.720 And it it's that just being able to go to the Eucharist and say, thank you, Lord, for my health, for the breath in my lungs, and to be able to serve you again today. 00:25:11.359 --> 00:25:24.160 Um but you have Paul there in prison, and um he becomes proof that gratitude doesn't come from comfort, it comes from Jesus Christ. 00:25:24.480 --> 00:25:34.960 And what I love about the word in that, in that gospel, I mean in that second reading, that letter from Paul, which is is so powerful, it says, the word of God cannot be chained. 00:25:35.200 --> 00:25:45.759 I can be chained, I can be, I can be, you can do whatever you want, you can abuse me, you can torture me, whatever it is, but you will never be able to chain the word of God. 00:25:46.000 --> 00:25:58.880 If you talk to any of these hostages and some of the people who have been in living in capac in captivity, they will tell you, you can take everything from me, you can take food from me, you can take sleep, you can take whatever it is, but you will not take God away from me. 00:25:59.519 --> 00:26:14.640 And you hear some of these hostage stories, and and they will walk around their cell praying the rosary, they will fight the craziness in their head from isolation by having that conversation with the Lord, having a prayer life in captivity. 00:26:14.799 --> 00:26:29.839 And so it's powerful what Paul is living and that he he gives to us as a firsthand experience is you cannot chain the word of God because that's how powerful and how our Lord takes care of us. 00:26:30.240 --> 00:26:32.160 Yeah, that's incredible. 00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:36.960 But every mass, I as I was saying, every mass needs to be that school of gratitude. 00:26:37.200 --> 00:26:43.200 Because I think that if you live gratitude every single day, you live differently. 00:26:43.599 --> 00:27:00.880 You stop comparing yourself to others, you start stop judging, you stop being a miserable person because there's this self-preservation, this self very selfish kind of nature to us that it's all about me, me, me. 00:27:01.759 --> 00:27:07.519 But when gratitude is applied and when it's uh a living with gratitude, your life changes. 00:27:07.839 --> 00:27:09.119 You see the world differently. 00:27:09.359 --> 00:27:16.799 Your behavior, the way you respond, the way you look at things, the way you see the world is completely different than if gratitude is not there. 00:27:17.279 --> 00:27:24.799 That's why I one of the things I wanted to stress so importantly was that faith and gratitude are inseparable. 00:27:25.599 --> 00:27:27.039 They go hand in hand. 00:27:27.920 --> 00:27:28.160 Yeah. 00:27:28.319 --> 00:27:31.200 And even with that, you know, practice. 00:27:31.519 --> 00:27:33.440 The practice of gratitude can increase our faith. 00:27:33.759 --> 00:27:33.839 Right. 00:27:34.079 --> 00:27:39.279 And so if you want to grow in faith, and easy, first thing attainable is to start practicing gratitude. 00:27:39.440 --> 00:27:50.559 Um, and really like being able to step back and look at um everything that you're grateful for and being able to uh just know that God is with you and um allow that faith to really blossom. 00:27:51.200 --> 00:27:51.599 You know, St. 00:27:51.759 --> 00:27:57.519 Justin Martyr wrote, he wrote a lot, and I apologize for clearing my voice a lot. 00:27:57.599 --> 00:28:02.079 It's again a lot of this uh laryngitis. 00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:03.279 St. 00:28:03.440 --> 00:28:07.920 Justin Martyr writes about the early communities and their main thing. 00:28:08.160 --> 00:28:14.240 Before there was these beautiful cathedrals and beautiful churches and nice fancy vestments and all of that. 00:28:14.480 --> 00:28:19.279 The whole church, the whole people, all of the people came together to do what? 00:28:19.599 --> 00:28:20.720 To give thanks. 00:28:21.279 --> 00:28:22.559 And that was the Eucharist. 00:28:22.720 --> 00:28:26.480 And he explains there in detail the Eucharist. 00:28:27.200 --> 00:28:28.720 It was about giving thanks. 00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:36.960 Every Mass, from the simplest parish to the grandest basilica, is really about an act of gratitude. 00:28:37.759 --> 00:28:39.200 It's an act of gratitude. 00:28:39.759 --> 00:28:40.480 Wonderful. 00:28:40.799 --> 00:28:53.359 And Father, as we wrap up, what would be some um a challenge to give or a takeaway for those who are listening um that want to maybe grow in gratitude or really be able to see how um that will help increase our faith? 00:28:53.519 --> 00:28:58.559 What are some uh maybe action challenges or anything that you think to put in practice? 00:28:59.680 --> 00:29:05.839 I think I would say practice gratitude, even in the simplest forms. 00:29:06.960 --> 00:29:11.519 And then ask yourself right now, if we are you're listening, who do I need to say thank you to? 00:29:14.000 --> 00:29:16.799 I love people when I open the door and they say thank you. 00:29:16.960 --> 00:29:20.160 I can't tell you how many times I'm like at CVS, I'll leave the door open. 00:29:20.319 --> 00:29:22.960 And someone will they won't even say thank you. 00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:26.480 I want to shout out, oh, you're welcome, but I don't. 00:29:28.960 --> 00:29:30.720 Doesn't look good in a collar. 00:29:31.759 --> 00:29:38.160 But you know, it's um that's the challenge that I would say is let's be more thankful. 00:29:38.640 --> 00:29:38.799 Yeah. 00:29:39.359 --> 00:29:44.400 And then ask yourself today, who do I need to call or who do I need to think about? 00:29:44.640 --> 00:29:48.079 Who do I need to lift up in prayer that I need to thank? 00:29:48.640 --> 00:29:49.839 Because you're right, it changes things. 00:29:49.920 --> 00:29:50.559 Trevor Burrus, Jr.: Changes things. 00:29:50.799 --> 00:29:51.200 It changes things. 00:29:51.759 --> 00:29:51.920 Trevor Burrus, Jr. 00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:54.960 It changes people, it changes the feeling in a room. 00:29:55.119 --> 00:29:59.680 Um, and I think that's it's such a powerful way to express God's love is through gratitude. 00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:04.960 And I would say pray to have the heart of that leper. 00:30:06.079 --> 00:30:12.240 Can you imagine looking down and maybe seeing your hand cured or your skin cured? 00:30:12.559 --> 00:30:18.799 Instead of running to wherever he was going to his family, he returned back to Jesus. 00:30:19.839 --> 00:30:21.359 Fell on his knees. 00:30:21.680 --> 00:30:22.559 Thank you, Lord. 00:30:22.720 --> 00:30:23.279 Thank you. 00:30:23.519 --> 00:30:24.480 I want to thank you. 00:30:24.640 --> 00:30:26.079 You are the source. 00:30:26.400 --> 00:30:27.119 Thank you. 00:30:27.359 --> 00:30:30.720 And then the other nine went away, but this guy received salvation. 00:30:30.799 --> 00:30:32.960 He goes, Your faith has saved you. 00:30:33.759 --> 00:30:36.799 Imagine a double miracle, the biggest miracle. 00:30:37.200 --> 00:30:37.839 The biggest miracle. 00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:39.359 The one that he'll take with him when he's going to be able to do it. 00:30:39.519 --> 00:30:40.240 The one he'll take with him. 00:30:41.359 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