This year I had the great privilege to preside at the Celtic Mass on Saturday evening. With over 3,000 people in attendance it was truly an electric atmosphere.

I did not have any Sunday Mass this weekend and so I offer you this homily to reflect upon instead. Unfortunately I have no audio of it. I hope you enjoy it.

God Bless

I recently had a discussion with a friend of mine about his weaknesses, or as he called them his vices. I'm not sure how the conversation got started but it was fascinating dialogue not because we were talking his weaknesses and not mine but because we discovered something very interesting about ourselves. My friend is a successful businessman who runs his organization with effectiveness and efficiency building up his large company from nothing; he's a self-made millionaire. He is tough, driven and suffers incompetence poorly. He would not consider himself to be holy man in any way yet he is a good man; honest and trustworthy in all matters.

The conversation centered on his weaknesses, or as he put, "his struggle to overcome his vices." None of what he shared was particularly earth-shattering after all he was basically a good man who struggled with his dark side. He shared that his wife challenged to look at his vices like any good spouse or partner would do! But he was faced with the dilemma of being very successful at work and being less successful at home. He found what worked at the office did not work at home! Duh!

As we chatted about this struggle and he named some of his weaknesses it quickly became apparent that his vices and virtues were actually the same. His weaknesses were also his strengths or at the least had the potential of being so. For example, impatience was one of his weaknesses that bothered him and we realized that out of his intolerance for idleness he strives for efficiency and effectiveness, a strength. But also vice versa, his strengths are also his weaknesses or at least have the potential of being so. For example, his strength for being a visionary and trailblazer also had the potential weakness of leaving everyone behind, including his wife the rebuilding of his home!

That's the very thing that's going on in today's gospel. The Pharisee seems to be a good man who fasts twice weekly and tithes from his whole income and seems to keep the law strictly. But lies his weakness; he prays/thinks to himself about how good he is and how righteous he is. Then he judged others and in particular the tax collector. On the other hand we have the tax collector who is very aware of his weakness as a sinner and there lies his strength for he knows his limitations.

The same can be true for all of us here. We are all here because we are good people and we are trying to get better at our ministry. That's our strength but our weakness is somewhat the same. The temptation is to return from here as people who know it all. We, too, can be strong visionaries but we can sometimes leave people behind by going too fast. We can be great at preaching but we sometimes continue to preach even when we are not at the ambo or pulpit. We can be great presenters and teachers but we sometimes forget it is not about the messenger but the message of Jesus Christ. We can be great at conversation, witty and entertaining, but we sometimes dominate conversations leaving little room for others. We can be very sensitive and compassionate people but we sometimes become needy and oversensitive ourselves bearing resentment and bitterness for our unmet needs.

Yes our strengths are typically the other side of our weaknesses and our weaknesses are the dark side of our strengths. So what are we to do? Today's gospel makes it clear we are to be humble before our God and humility is rooted in the truth. The truth is to acknowledge that we have gifts and we have weaknesses, often they are the one and the same. Like most Irish man I know I have the gift of the gab but my mouth can be also my greatest weakness. Acknowledging that reality steals the power from the evil one for it brings it to the light, to Christ. The primary way the evil one gets good people to fail is to deceive us into believing that our weaknesses are fatal and there is no redemption through them. But as Catholics we know better: we know if we admit to our God we are weak, then he will make us strong through our weakness. Before Christ we say, "Be merciful to me, a sinner."

So as we continue our journey of Lent may we recognize this time of repentance for our weakness. May we remain humble before our God. May we also recognize this time of renewal of our baptismal promises and so recognize it is time of conversion. May we not allow the evil one to convince us our weaknesses are fatal but are our redemption, in and through our weaknesses. If we allow the Lord he will make us strong in the dark times. Since Lent is the time of spring may we find to plant a tree of truth in minds and hearts. We are weak but Christ will make us strong. Lord, be merciful to me a sinner.