Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: John 16: 12-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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By a show of hands, how many of you have you either heard of or read Dante’s Inferno, the first book in his famous trilogy, The Divine Comedy?

The Divine Comedy is the story of his soul’s journey to God. Dante begins in hell, but eventually he makes his way through purgatory into heaven. 

Each stage of his journey has captivated and shaped Catholic imaginations since it was written more than 700 years ago.

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In hell, Dante descends through nine different circles of sin, each representing a gradual increase in wickedness: from lust, to greed, to anger, and so on. Finally, when he reaches the very bottom, he encounters that ancient beast, Satan. 

Surprisingly, Satan isn’t breathing fire as many of us might have imagined. 

He’s frozen, trapped waist-deep in ice. Above his waist, his furry bat-like wings flap restlessly as he torments himself eternally.

That’s where the Evil One freely chooses to be – stuck in the darkness, frozen in ice, completely separated from the outside world.

For Dante, that’s hell – being isolated; trapped.

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Alone.

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How we wish that loneliness was something only the devil felt.

But it can creep into any human heart, especially after scrolling through social media for hours on end; after a heated family argument; a breakup; or losing a loved one. 

Why is loneliness so painful?

Because it frustrates and opposes our human nature. We believe that we were made in the image and likeness of God, who is not alone, but is a community of Three Persons – Father, Son, and Spirit, each of whom is bound to the others by love.

This is what Dante discovers as he ascends from the icy darkness, through the purification of purgatory, into Paradiso, the glory of heaven.

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Heaven is a place of welcome, light, and love. The angels and Saints swirl around the throne of God in praise. The higher Dante climbs the brighter it becomes, until finally he beholds God Almighty.

Unlike Satan, God isn’t trapped in ice, flapping his furry bat-like wings.

God is living in community, surrounded by love.

Dante discovers that this is the secret to his own happiness – living in perfect harmony with others, even while here on earth.

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It’s an amazing Christian insight: The more we live in peace with our neighbors, the happier we become, because we are reflecting the inner life of God, who created us.

As Saint John writes, “God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” For wherever there is love, God is found.

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Thus, God is found when couples exchange their vows. God is found when parents behold their newborn child, and watch as they grow.

God is found when neighbors are reconciled; when the hungry are fed; when the naked are clothed; when the weak are cared for; and when the sick are cured.

God is also found in our brokenness. His Spirit is that healing balm that slowly pieces us back together.

As Dante writes at the end of The Divine Comedy, God is, “The love that moves the sun and the other stars.”

God is everything that is holy, beautiful, and good – not only in heaven, but also in us.

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If hell resembles being alone, then heaven is being together, even while here on earth.

This is what God desires for all of humanity – to live as one, just as the Father, Son and Spirit are One. 

On this Trinity Sunday, we pray that God would strengthen the bonds we hold so dear – our connections to our family, our friends, to this community, and to God himself, while also repairing those relationships in need of healing.

Doing so gives us a taste of Paradiso, even before our journey is complete. 

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Image credits: (1) NPR (2) Gustav Dore, Paradiso, Dante (3) Proverbs 31 Ministries

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Gospel: Matthew 5:20-26

Jesus said to his disciples:
“I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that
of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment,
and whoever says to his brother,
Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,
and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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The Greek philosopher, Plato, likened the soul to a charioteer whose task it was to drive two horses. One horse is gentle and mild, obedient to the commands of its master. The other is rebellious.

The name of the first horse is Reason. The second horse is Passion.

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Reason and passion live in constant conflict within us.

For example, if someone strikes us across the cheek, reason would say, “Take a deep breath. Back down. They may be stronger than you!” 

Even, “Forgive them.”

Passion would say, “Hit ‘em hard! Smack ‘em back!”

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It’s our passions that Jesus is addressing in today’s Gospel. It is not enough for the Christian to know what is right; we also must do what is right.

It’s not enough to refrain from slapping a person; we should not even wish to hurt them. 

It’s not enough to refrain from gossip; we should not even think poorly about another person.

It’s not enough to refrain from dishonesty; we should never even consider telling a lie.

It’s not enough to repress our anger; we must genuinely forgive from our heart.

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Such a high standard is impossible to reach on our own as Reason and Passion constantly tug at our will.

The only charioteer who can tame both is Jesus. 

Christians must learn to surrender to him, to the point as Saint Paul says, that, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ living in me” (Galatians 2:20). 

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Image credits: (1) StockCake (2) Emotional Detective, TypePad (3) Friendship Baptist Church

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Acts 11: 21-26, 13:1-3

In those days a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
The news about them reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem,
and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.
When he arrived and saw the grace of God,
he rejoiced and encouraged them all
to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart,
for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.
And a large number of people was added to the Lord.
Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch.
For a whole year they met with the Church
and taught a large number of people,
and it was in Antioch that the disciples
were first called Christians.

Now there were in the Church at Antioch prophets and teachers:
Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger,
Lucius of Cyrene,
Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,
“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul
for the work to which I have called them.”
Then, completing their fasting and prayer,
they laid hands on them and sent them off.

The Word of the Lord.

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Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Barnabas, whose name means, “son of encouragement.”

Interestingly, his birth name isn’t Barnabas, but Joseph. Barnabas receives his new name from the Apostles after proving himself to be a man of deep faith and character.

We first encounter Barnabas in the Acts of the Apostles after he sells a large field of land and gives the proceeds to the Apostles.

But his greatest contribution, which forever changes the direction of the Church, is playing the role of bridge builder between Saint Paul and the Apostles.

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Prior to his conversion, Paul was known for persecuting Christians. He even consented to the death of Saint Stephen, the first known Christian martyr.

But after his dramatic conversion, Paul wanted to join the community of believers. Many were skeptical of his motives; so, he needed someone who could vouch for him. 

That man was Barnabas.

As we heard in our first reading, “Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the Church… It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.”

Paul and Barnabas then partnered in ministry, risking their lives by travelling 1,400 miles across Greece and Turkey together.

The fact that Barnabas not only vouched for Paul, but also ministered with him, was a sign that he must’ve loved and forgiven Paul for his past transgressions. He was no longer a threat, but a brother.

In the years thereafter, Paul travelled another 10,000 miles on foot, not including many other days at sea. It’s quite possible that his remarkable ministry would’ve never been considered credible had he not met Barnabas.

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Maybe there’s a word in that for us.

Some people are called to do “great” things for God like Saint Paul did. But Barnabas reminds us that even simplest gestures like welcoming a brother can change the world. 

May we embrace his good spirit and humbly encourage someone else today.

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Image credits: (1) bethanyum.org (2) The Apostles Paul and Barnabas, Nicholaes Berchem, 1650 (3) Good and Godly DNA with LA