Tonight we come together as a community of faith, seeking the healing power of Jesus.  All of us in this Church know that the Sacraments are not equivalent to magic we would see in Harry Potter or from Pen and Teller.  Rather, the Sacraments are vehicles of God’s grace and help to conform us into Jesus Christ.  We can’t just receive a Sacrament and hope for the best, every time we receive a Sacrament we need to have the right disposition of heart.  It’s just like going to exercise at the gym; we can go to the gym seven days a week for an hour at a time, but if we don’t change our habits outside of the gym, we won’t lose any weight.  This is a reality I’m very familiar with.

    When we come to receive the Sacraments, if we just take the Body of Christ and think, “ok, I’m all set now, Jesus is going to take over,” and we don’t try to live like Jesus outside of these holy walls, then we’re not doing it right and we’re not worthy of the grace being given to us.  The same is true for the other Sacraments as well.  If you and your fiancé aren’t getting along, the Sacrament of Marriage will not change that by itself.  Tonight, if you’re hear because you think getting greased up with Holy Oil is going to take away your aches and pains, I hate to break it to you, but it probably won’t.  Don’t quote me here, with God all things are possible and who am I to say how God plans on working tonight; however, if we all receive this Sacrament without planning on becoming more like Jesus, then we’re waisting our own time.  

    My brothers and sisters, what does Jesus do at the start of our Gospel?  He says: “Father, Lord of heaven and earth, to you I offer praise.”  The very first thing Jesus does is give praise and thanks to God.  That should be our prayer every morning when we wake up and every night as we fall asleep: “thank you, Jesus.”  That’s the starting point of putting our hearts in the right disposition.  “Thank you, Jesus.”  

    Our Lord then says, “Everything has been given over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son but the Father, and no one knows the Father but the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”  Friends, tonight the Father and the Son are being revealed to us.  God the Father is certainly present in this Church because where two or three are gathered in Jesus’ name, the Blessed Trinity is here.  Jesus is certainly here because we’re gathered and Jesus will be here in an even more real way in the Eucharist.  Finally, the Holy Spirit is going to be real active and busy in a few minuets when the priests and I call the Spirit down and anoint each of you.  My brothers and sisters, God is real, God is here, God is risen. God want’s to heal you because He loves you. Thank you, Jesus.

    Finally, Jesus says: “Come to me all you who are labored and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”  You see, tonight is not about taking away the aches and pains; rather, tonight is about giving you rest.  We all come here tonight with various pains: cancer, depression, anxiety, diabetes, heart disease, neurological diseases, loneliness, fear, anger, and many other problems.  The Church doesn’t reserve this Sacrament for people who are physically sick; this Sacrament is for anyone who is suffering in mind, body, or spirit.  Jesus told us tonight in our Gospel to come to Him because he is “gentle and humble of heart. Your souls will find rest, for [His] yoke is easy and burden light.”  Thank you, Jesus.

    The Blessed Trinity is here and active.  The Lord wants to heal you of all your pain and suffering, physical or not, and most importantly, the Lord wants to give you rest.  Tonight is about healing the heart.  Know that Jesus loves you and He wants your love in return.  It starts by the simple prayer: “Thank you, Jesus.”  It ends with eternal rest in the new and eternal Jerusalem.