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Baptism of the Lord

“Indoctrinate” - I think that word gets a bad reputation. I mean, there are malicious circumstances in which that is the right word. But at face value, I think that it doesn’t mean anything more than training or raising our children the way we see fit, passing on to them those things we believe are supremely important.
For instance, as a child, I was taught all the most important things: we are Mets fans in this house, and God help you if you root for the Yankees. And then, my cousin not only rooted for the Yankees, but got a job with them! Anathema! We never saw him again,
Of course, I’m kidding. Because once my uncle and my father learned that it was his job to drive back and forth to practices at spring training, Yogi Berra, almost all was forgiven. Yes, Yogi was Yankee, but he had coached the Mets for a time. Besides, he’s Yogi Berra; he’s baseball royalty!
But aside from this all-important lesson I was taught, to be a Mets fan, to root for the underdog, so many other important things were passed on, were taught, were indoctrinated into me: an enjoyment of (and the development of the skills for) music, including Irish folk music, how to swim, an appreciation of the quiet and of the enjoyment of being out in nature, humility, self-reliance, honesty, not to be pushy, but patient, and other virtues, like maintaining the connections to family, of attending those family events even if we’d rather be with other friends.
Some of these may have taken some time and practice to set in, to become a part of my being. But “practice makes permanent.” Especially something like instilling in us the proper relationship to food and drink. It’s a fight every year at Easter and Halloween, with all the chocolate around, for parents to teach temperance and avoid gluttony (and diabetes). And it was the same in our house. And of our relationship to alcohol, we weren’t going to go through life drinking cheap light beer. No, my brothers and I were going to appreciate the good stuff! To appreciate the complexities and richness of, say, a Belgian dunkel. Oh, and of course that we weren’t going to become alcoholics.
See, it’s about the relationship to the thing. And “well-begun is half-done.” As it is with our relationship with food, drinks, family, swimming in a body of water, and sports teams; which require careful guidance from the outset to avoid gluttony, alcoholism, alienation, drowning, or (God forbid) rooting for the wrong team, respectively; so our relationship with Jesus must have a good beginning and healthy guidance. And that beginning is Baptism, when from that moment we are referred to as “children of God.” It’s so easy to get off track, to fall into, say, alcoholism, and it can take an extraordinary effort to get back on track. For instance, when that damage is done, often the relationship can never really be again what it’s supposed to be. It might not be possible for someone to just have a glass of wine with dinner any more. Or bringing back together estranged members of a family might be a very painful process. (This is also the reason the Church’s abuse crisis is so painful for people, because finding Jesus within the community (or the system) that was also the setting of the abuse involves, to put it extremely mildly, mixed feelings.)
We have in our reading from the Acts of the Apostles today, an interesting passage about Cornelius and his family. Cornelius is a centurion, a Roman military man in charge of a “century,” 100 soldiers. Cornelius was from Italy, and lived in Caesarea with his family and directed his soldiers from there. He happened to be well-known and well-liked among the Jewish people, because he was devout, generous with the poor, and prayerful. But he is a foreigner, having grown up with all sorts of different beliefs and Gods back at the center of the Roman Empire. Living in Israel for so long, he had most likely been following all the news for years. He knew the Jewish people and politics, maybe he had heard about the ministry of John the Baptist, had likely heard of this new figure of Jesus that had gained a following, had maybe even heard about the conflict between Jesus and the religious establishment, would have understood Pilate’s role in the whole affair, and would have heard about the Resurrection and everything that followed after that with the zealousness of his apostles. So he invited Peter, the head of this group, over to his house, to hear more about it. This man is intrigued; he probably noticed something very different (and better?) was happening here than with his former Roman beliefs. In the end, Cornelius, wanting the best for his family, asks for he and his family to be baptized, to join them on their path, their journey, with Jesus. And Peter baptizes the whole family, the adults down to the babies.
This example of Cornelius is a pattern for how the OCIA process works nowadays: there’s a period of curiosity, of inquiry, including conversations of who Jesus is and what he and the scriptures and the sacraments are all about, after which time the people are baptized.
Let’s be thankful for the baptism that we have, that either our parents and godparents brought us to or that we came to as adults with the help of other members of the Church (here on earth or by the saints in heaven!). Let’s appreciate it as a new beginning, a new birth. Let’s take the lessons, the guidance that Jesus gives not as merely an indoctrination into rules that must be followed, but as guidance in the life that we are called to live, with Jesus as our savior and guide along the journey, from day to day and from here to eternity.

Epiphany Homily

"Maji” is an interesting word, as it’s the root for the word “magic” and “magician”. But these people coming to visit are not casting spells or anything of the sort, nor are they in the business of doing tricks, illusions. They are simply learned people who specialize in fields such as astronomy and technology. Think Archimedes, or Euclid, or Aristotle or Leonardo DaVinci. They are curious people who have played with things until they learn everything about them. They follow the scientific method, and follow the evidence where it leads. They are inquisitive and creative. They are inventive, and what they invent can seem like magic. It’s these same sorts of people who build technology today, who have built the phone in my pocket, which is effectively magic to me. And those who design and build them are effectively magicians.
So the Maji are Wise Men. They are learned, but the tradition around them also regards them as Kings.
In our catholic tradition, we have many Kings and Queens who are regarded as saints: St. Louis IX King of France, St. Elizabeth of Portugal, St. Margaret Queen of Scotland, St. Wenceslaus King of Bohemia of whom we sang on Dec. 26, St. Elizabeth Queen of Hungary, St. Casmir, prince of Poland, even St. Cunigunde Queen of Luxembourg, St. Ferdinand III King of Castile, St. Jadwiga of Poland, St. Edward the Confessor of England, St. Hedwig Queen of Poland, St. Ladislaus King of Hungary.
Kings and Queens, and by extension, anyone who has a leadership role in a community, as a mayor, PM, president, or governor, has a tough job, a role with a lot of responsibilities and a lot of balancing the needs of the people, from justice to economics to law to food supplies. It’s a role that comes with a lot of authority and a lot of power. The danger with too much power is that, as the phrase goes, “power corrupts, and absolute power is pretty awesome” I mean “corrupts absolutely”. Therefore, what the magi do here is extremely important in setting an example for all other leaders, kings, people in positions of authority. They acknowledge that whatever authority they have, and whatever wisdom they have gained, they are still subject to another authority above them.
So the Maji are often depicted as placing their crowns on the ground before baby Jesus. This is not to suggest they are giving up their responsibilities as kings; it’s leadership work that they are responsible for. But they are leaders who have put their crowns down in front of Jesus, who have regarded their power and authority properly at the service of their people, and under the authority of God. This is specifically contrasted with King Herod, who is power hungry, is corrupted by his power, and who attacks powerless children to preserve his power.

Therefore, I think we can see that these Maji, Wise Men, Kings, are also respectful of the little one, and serve this little one with gifts that he’s going to need. They put themselves at the service of a baby. Parents all put themselves at the service of their babies, and it’s a lot of work. And it’s important work, because so often babies and children are dismissed. They’re weak and contribute nothing to the world, but take up our time and energy. No one wants to be dismissed like that.

You all have seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? I assume everyone has. It’s the one with James Bond; Sean Connery plays Indy’s father. One of my favorite lines from any movie is from this movie, because it is so telling. It’s established that when Indy was a child, his father had no time for him, he was so much more interested in his work, which couldn’t be shared with his son. Or he never made the effort to figure out a way to share his work, his interests with his son. Indiana leaves as soon as he’s old enough to not have to live in the same house as his dad, 14 or 16 years old. So when they are reunited, his father says to him, “Why did you leave?”, and his son explains that he left as soon as he was old enough to leave, in order to leave behind the guy who never had any time for him. And his father, Sean Connery’s character, says to him, “You left just when you started to get interesting.” It’s a great line, and an important line, and a sad line, that shows that dad never really got the hang of being a father, never put the work into becoming a good father of young children, that he would rather just work with adults.
But we have to be more like the Maji: We have to intentionally give good things and pass on what we have to our children. We must respect the image of God in the child, even the littlest, and give the children what they need to grow and develop properly, in education, in virtue, and especially in their relationship with God. This is why we have Catholic schools, and why we have faith formation, and why we have Catholic godparents picked out for our children.
It’s also particularly suited to the role of kings, of governors, leaders, presidents, etc. that these rights of children should be respected at their level. Yet political leadership around the world is hit-and-miss when it comes to this sort of pro-life stance. In some places there are no protections built into law at the level of the king, of the leader. Certainly in our state there are some laws, including a new one, that don’t respect life. And yet in Puerto Rico last month the governor there signed into law greater protections for women and children.
To some degree, it doesn’t matter what the laws are, because whether something is on the books or not doesn’t determine our own actions. We ought to act out of the virtues that have grown in us based on these principals, whether they are legal or not. But let’s be sure to pray for our leaders, that insofar as it is possible, they may always put their crowns down in front of the baby Jesus, honoring him as their king, and serving the littlest and weakest.

We hope you all had a joyful and peaceful Thanksgiving. As we enter this season of Advent, may it continue to be filled with hope, blessings, and the light of Christ.

This Tuesday, 12/2, is Giving Tuesday. We are deeply grateful for all who have supported Blessed Sacrament School over the years, and for those who continue to help our mission grow. Your generosity makes a real difference in the lives of our students and community.

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7 current or former Albany Catholic Schools principals and two pastors. What an incredible evening it was, thank you to all who came out for this incredible event!

Thank you to 2Shea Catering and Decorations in Dreams for helping make this evening wonderful!

Thank you for all your support and receipts! Once again, Blessed Sacrament won the Colonie Center School Bucks Program!

As back to school is upon us, our teachers are seeking some help! Any items are so greatly appreciated, thank you!

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REUNION IS THIS FRIDAY!!!!

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Blessed Sacrament 1998
Cardinal McCloskey 1971
Blessed Sacrament 1989, Bishop Maginn 1993
Holy Cross 1974 and Mercy High School 1978
Cardinal McCloskey 1963
St Patrick’s Institute Graduated June 1966
Cardinal McCloskey Graduated June 1970
St.Patrick’s 1955
St Teresa of Avila 2006
Bishop Maginn 2010

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Diocese of Albany Catholic Schools
The Evangelist
Bishop Maginn High School