You may have heard it said several times from folks who have lived a little bit longer than ourselves: “Whoever angers you controls you.” That, my friends, is wisdom gained from having lived and learned from those who may be just a little bit closer to the grave than most. You see, for many who know that time is more precious than they had ever imagined, it is of ultimate importance to know how to spend our days and how not to. Pope Francis also added some clarification to this discussion:
“In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus’ words are clear in this regard: ‘But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says “You fool!” shall be liable to the hell of fire’. When we hear people saying awful things, it’s important to always remember that to call someone ‘fool’ or ‘psycho’ is to kill your brother because an insult ‘is rooted in hatred.’ In fact, ‘it stems from the same root as crime: the same — hatred!’ Nevertheless, insulting is like second nature to us. There are people who have a shocking ability to express hatred for another person.”
If it is true, and I do believe that it is, that whoever leads us to angry moments is fact, controlling us, then just imagine if we put that in just a slightly different paradigm: “The One who inspires us to love and forgive, is the One who holds my heart.”
We can then wholeheartedly agree with St. Paul, who accurately wrote: “All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.” Because of Jesus, we can have a beautiful life that is full of love and peace. He taught us how to live and how to die.
Let Him have managing influence in everything you do and say today and always. Think of the moment when the Lord Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan with the Father’s voice and the Holy Spirit present. Think of the rebirth of our souls at Baptism.
And try to remember when you are tempted to fight fire with fire that the Fire Department usually uses water.
Leave a commentIn our Gospel reading today, Jesus makes an astounding statement: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” So, nothing is going to be altered from the basic understanding and meaning of the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. And He continues: “Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law until all things have taken place.”
Thus, there is this healthy and inspiring balance we are called to achieve between what is radically, completely, and fundamentally true about our faith and the expression and practice of this gift all the way till we breathe our last breath. We need to be ready to move forward creatively to new ways of understanding our faith and living it out. The traditions of the past are still valid but we must never get bogged down in them to the extent that we do not respond to the clear signs of the times. Tradition can be understood in two ways: either as a fundamental belief that has existed from the very beginning or simply a way of doing or understanding things which has been around for a long time.
Every year leaves fall from orange and apple trees all across our land. In the spring, newness explodes but every year, even after the changes of time and winter, those are still providing oranges and apples, as opposed to lemons and grapefruit. Yes, lots of change, but the fundamental essence remains. The day we close ourselves to change, as well as the fundamental truths of our walk with Jesus, is the day we die, as Paul warns us in the Second Letter to the Corinthians: “…for the letter brings death, but the Spirit gives life.”
Leave a comment“To live is to change; to be perfect is to have changed often.” John Henry Cardinal Newman
“You are the salt of the earth!” Now, that is certainly something you don’t hear every day, at least in polite company. If you and I are going to fully understand what Jesus is communicating with us, we are in need of a little research. In New Testament times, salt referred to the leveling agent for paddies made from animal manure, the fuel for outdoor ovens used in the time of Jesus. Young family members would form paddies with animal dung, mix in salt from a salt block into the paddies, and let the paddies dry in the sun. When the fuel paddies were lit in an oven, the mixed-in salt would help the paddies burn longer, with a more even heat. When the family spent the salt block, they would throw it out onto the road to harden a muddy surface.
Jesus saw his followers as leavening agents in an impure world. Their example would keep the fire of faith alive even under stress. Their example would spread faith to those stuck in the cultural “dung.” But if their example rang empty, they were worthless; they would be dug into the mud under the heels of critics.
Jesus also saw his followers as the light of a fire to the world. Placing a light fire under a basket would put the fire out. No, like a city high on a hill, the fire should be placed for all to see. So, one cannot hide faith by inaction. One must show faith in action for all to see so those seeing the witness can be brought to faith and praise God.
In essence, Jesus told his followers they cannot have it both ways. One cannot believe as a Christian yet act as if faith did not matter. Faith leads to action, and the action points to the Kingdom. According to some dictionaries, “salty,” as a slang term, can be used to describe a person who is angry, agitated, or upset. It can also paint a picture of someone who is mean, annoying, and repulsive. Our original question then becomes more valid and meaningful by the minute. Are we salt or salty? Are we light or darkness? Are we alive or lifeless?
Are we who we say we are? Let’s see how the day progresses…
Leave a comment“O happy Virgin, you gave birth to the Lord; O blessed mother of the Church, you warm our hearts with the Spirit of your Son Jesus Christ.” Today, the Church remembers and honors the intense suffering and grief of the Mother of Jesus during His Passion and Death and how these were gloriously transformed to bring us Jesus, Redemption, and the Church. There were actually seven individual sorrows that Mary endured as was foretold to her by Simeon, the priest of the Temple, on the occasion of the Lord’s Presentation. Here is a partial text of a very popular hymn somberly expressing these heartfelt sentiments: At the cross, her station keeping, Stood the mournful Mother weeping, Close to Jesus to the last. Through her heart, his sorrow sharing, All his bitter anguish bearing, Now at length, the sword had passed. Our present hope for our Christian journey toward Heaven is found here in the mystery of today’s Feast.
“So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’ And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.” Let us reflect on the mystery and fruits of suffering as presented by St. John Paul II in remarkable teaching borne out of his own incredible personal sufferings. First, he says that suffering empowers humility: To suffer means to become particularly susceptible, particularly open to the working of the salvific powers of God, offered to humanity in Christ. In him, God has confirmed his desire to act, especially through suffering, which is man’s weakness and emptying of self, and he wishes to make his power known precisely in this weakness and emptying of self. Secondly, he teaches that suffering is transformative: Down through the centuries and generations, it has been seen that in suffering, there is concealed a particular power that draws a person interiorly close to Christ, a special grace. To this grace, many saints, such as St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Loyola, and others, owe their profound conversion. A result of such a conversion is not only that the individual discovers the salvific meaning of suffering but, above all, that he becomes a completely new person. He discovers a new dimension, as it were, of his entire life and vocation. Finally, he writes that suffering enlivens and grows charity and love for and of others: We could say that suffering . . . is present in order to unleash love in the human person, that unselfish gift of one’s “I” on behalf of other people, especially those who suffer. The world of human suffering unceasingly calls for, so to speak, another world: the world of human love, and in a certain sense, man owes to suffering that unselfish love that stirs in his heart and actions.
Thus, suffering in its purest sense is actually the road to holiness and a closer walk and friendship with the Lord Jesus. His mother shed human tears for the Divine Son she helped bring into this world, our world. We cry human tears, but not always for what is right and just. Today, we seek to move toward complete integrity on this walk of ours toward Heaven, knowing and embracing humility, deep-seated change, and charity, which are all great gifts when we suffer with each other with Jesus always in our hearts and minds as equally dignified members of the Church.
Leave a comment“Let me mingle tears with you, Mourning him who mourned for me, All the days that I may live. Christ, when you shall call me hence, Be your Mother my defense, Be your cross my victory.” Stabat Mater
“I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” This is one of those days that we can honestly greet each other with the happy phrase, “Happy Feast Day!” Why is that? Today, the Church celebrates Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down upon the Apostles, and many gathered with them, and the birth of the Church ensued. In some ways, we could say that this is our Birthday celebration because this is how it all began. This is how all of life is transformed and made new again. This is the force of the Gospel especially when it is lived through and in the hearts of believers. This is what motivates the Psalmist to invite us to sing with all our hope and might: “When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.”
“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.” Our Gospel Reading clarifies another compelling reason to ask and openly receive all the gifts that God wishes to impart to us through the Holy Spirit. We are not alone in this life. We have a great impact on and a deep call for service for and with each other. This is what makes the Church a mystery and a hopeful presence in a world that is often without it. Make this day special by renewing your Baptism and continuing to ask God for strength of mind and heart. The best, as we have often said here, is yet to come.
Leave a comment“Without Pentecost, the “Christ-event,” that is, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, remains imprisoned in history as something just to remember, think about, and merely reflect on. The Spirit of Jesus comes to dwell within us so that we can become “living” “Christ here and now.” Henri Nouwen
George Bernard Shaw is credited with saying that the “single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” While there are many different explanations and approaches to explain and or further expand on this thought, for today, let us consider what Jesus has done for us and how we respond based on what we have the dramatic unfolding of events in the Gospel as we move through Holy Week this year. First, we begin with the explosive observation that Jesus makes to His closest friends that one of them is about to betray Him and send Him to death: “Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved, the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper and had said, ‘Master, who is the one who will betray you?'” Each Apostle in the upper room took the phrase in a different light. One or two began to blame themselves. Perhaps a few couldn’t or wouldn’t believe what they just heard. Peter impulsively sprang to action and pledged undying loyalty and protection while Judas knew exactly who the Lord was talking about.
“I will send to you the Spirit of truth, says the Lord; he will guide you to all truth.” We are called to pay even closer attention to what is being said to each of us as it may relate to our individual circumstances, especially in our spiritual lives. When you hear, “One of you is about to betray me,” what comes to mind? Now, lift that up in prayer and wait patiently for the inspiration that will come, guaranteed!
Leave a commentSt. Mother Theresa of Calcutta was once asked about her prayer life. The interviewer asked, “When you pray, what do you say to God?” The beautiful Saint replied, “I don’t talk, I simply listen.” Believing he understood what she had just said, the interviewer next asked, “Ah, then what is it that God says to you when you pray?” She replied, “He also doesn’t talk. He also simply listens.” There was a long silence, with the interviewer seeming a bit confused and not knowing what to ask next. Finally, Mother Teresa broke the silence by saying, “If you can’t understand the meaning of what I’ve just said, I’m sorry, but there’s no way I can explain it any better.”
“Do you love me?” In the Gospel of today, we are presented with a most dear and wonderful exchange between the Lord Jesus and Peter after the experience of the first Easter on the planet. Peter had denied Jesus three times, so three times Jesus asked him if he truly loved Him. However, because the English language does not do justice to the conversation, each time Jesus asked Peter the question, He was actually using a different verb for love. It spanned the meanings of love from “like” to self-giving commitment. Jesus clearly wants to invite all of us into the deep and wonderful relationship of love that will take us through this life and make sense of all that happens to us with the real prospect of living forever in Heaven with Him. This does require fidelity and keeping the commandments. This is no impossible task because we were created for love, a real joy that seeks the best for the other and never looks back. What is complete is that love involves the self-emptying of the one who seeks to love, the faith in the promise that this is the way to peace and the joy that Heaven is waiting for us.
Leave a comment“Death and love are the two wings that bear the good soul to heaven.” Michelangelo
“Prayer enlarges the heart until it is capable of containing God’s gift of himself.” Mother Theresa
“May they all be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that the world may believe that you sent me, says the Lord.” Unity and union have tremendous amounts of literary and spiritual appearances in the Scriptures and in the course of everyday life. We are constantly and even sometimes painfully reminded of what brings us together and what tears us apart. Our background, whether social background, knowledge, experience, or religion, can both bring us together, separate us, or even cause conflict between us. Still, even in the face of such daunting challenges, Jesus prays to His Father that we may be one.
“I made known to them your name, and I will make it known that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.” Why do we need unity? Jesus asserts that it is primarily for our personal benefit. It benefits all God’s people, makes us more effective, and shines Christ’s love into the world. When there is no unity in the essential matters of life, we have disastrous effects. Let’s start with our inner circles and immediate spheres of influence. What can and should I do today to make things more unified? How can I be a source of unity rather than disunity? The answer is simple because it is found in the person of Jesus, who is love and who taught us that the greatest thing we can do in this life is to love, forgive, and serve. Today is a good day to start. Out of many, let us be one.
“In the essential things, unity; in the non-essential, diversity. In all things, charity.” St. Augustine
E pluribus Unum – Latin for “Out of many, one” – is a traditional motto of the United States, appearing on the Great Seal; its inclusion on the seal was approved by an Act of Congress in 1782.
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“Consecrate them in the truth.” What does it mean to consecrate someone or something? Some definitions render the word as the act by which something or someone is made sacred and or dedicated for a clear and religious purpose. When Jesus continues His prayer to the Father in Heaven and asks that those who would follow Him, His Apostles, the early Church, and all of us who seek the truth in the Church be consecrated, it is clear that He is asking that we be set apart and made sacred for a specific role and place in this world.
“As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.” How can we live this “consecration” on a daily basis? First, it means that we are people of truth and not lies. Second, we continue to seek to be in union with Jesus, always staying in communication with Him just as He was with His Father. And finally, we must keep in mind the powerful description that Jesus gives to all of us today: “They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.” When worry, anxiety, anger, or deep-seated sorrow begin to overtake us, we must cling to this promise. We simply do not belong to this world; we belong to Jesus. Seen in this perspective, even the greatest problems we may ever have to encounter will always be met with Jesus right at our side. “In every way, I have shown you that by hard work of that sort, we must help the weak, and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Leave a comment“I promise you nothing is as chaotic as it seems. Nothing is worth diminishing your health. Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety, and fear.” Steve Maraboli
“I pray for them.” Every word of Scripture is powerful because it is inspired by the same Holy Spirit that is currently overshadowing and enlightening those who open these profound phrases time and time again. Today is just a little different. What we have been presented in the Gospel is what many call “The Prayer of Jesus.” This is truly remarkable because these are the words The Son is speaking to The Father ABOUT US! This must mean something critically pivotal for each of us who are trying to follow Jesus into eternity. Say it over and over again, “He is praying for us, He is praying for me!”
“Yet I consider life of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace.” St. Paul must have realized this and repeated it over and over as well as is evidenced in our First Reading today. All we need to concentrate in this short life is to finish the race, complete the task for which we have been placed here, and constantly praise the Lord Jesus for all the works, crosses, and even painful experiences that mold and shape us for eternity.
Nothing else will do.
Leave a comment“All our infirmities, whatever they are, are just opportunities for God to display his gracious work in us.” C.H. Spurgeon
“When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.” Each time we live through the great transforming Seasons of Lent and Easter, there must be some part of us that has changed. Understanding and embracing final justice and the Last Judgement has the remarkable effect of grounding us closer and closer to Jesus, knowing that as long as we stand with Him in the power of the Holy Spirit, life can never be the same again.
So, my dear friends, what are we to do as we bathe in the grace of these powerful proclamations from Scripture? First, practice the faith. Of course, the spiritual life is a struggle, but within that grind, we find ourselves and our road to holiness. Second, be generous in the things of God and pray for the spirit of detachment. The early Christians lived this remarkable spirit, and even though, in monetary terms, their lifestyle didn’t amount to much, their intention and their hearts certainly did, as they were poised for entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. Finally, reject discouragement: “I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world, you will have trouble, but take courage; I have conquered the world.”
Leave a comment“Suffering, failure, loneliness, sorrow, discouragement, and death will be part of your journey, but the Kingdom of God will conquer all these horrors. No evil can resist grace forever.” Brennan Manning
The Feast that we celebrate today brings a newness of understanding and a fresh and bold way to continue the path we have chosen all the way to Heaven. This virtual retreat that started on Ash Wednesday, culminating on Easter Sunday, is now being fully realized and planted in our hearts right as Pentecost looms with the promise of Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit:
“When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.” You see, this does not mark an end of the relationship Jesus has with us, the Church, but rather a new beginning and new way of how we relate to Him as He returns to the Father. We are the Body of Christ, and thus, we have also ascended with Him in a very hopeful and powerful way. This must change how we look at our lives today knowing that the greatest is still yet to come for all of us. Our very nature now is in transition between Heaven and Earth, and it will be up to us to decide how we are to act while we live and move and have our being. That must involve praying for, waiting for and living in the gifts of wisdom and knowledge. We must be witnesses!
“We must show our Christian colors if we are to be true to Jesus Christ.” (C. S. Lewis) Perhaps the most awesome lesson to learn from today’s Feast is the fact that Jesus is, in fact, coming back just as He said He would. This certainly does NOT mean that we lie in wait, scared and anxious about the cataclysmic doomsday that is so popular in science-fiction and pop culture. Actually, the opposite is true: doesn’t it make more sense that if you knew someone you deeply loved was coming to see you, wouldn’t you be outside eager and happy to greet them, having prepared a lavish welcome with mind and heart ready and poised to hold and embrace and even shout with a song upon seeing them again? Absolutely! To be honest, it is not always easy to maintain such a joyful demeanor especially when there are crises we must face and problems we must address. Sometimes we are allowed to hit rock bottom so we may clearly know that God is The Rock at the bottom. Discovering this mysterious truth, we then are set again to face whatever comes with the strength inside from Him who is actually returning just as He left. Indeed, we could and should shout with the Second Reading today: “May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.”
Leave a comment“What, then, are we to do about our problems? We must learn to live with them until such time as God delivers us from them…we must pray for grace to endure them without murmuring. Problems patiently endured will work for our spiritual perfecting. They harm us only when we resist them or endure them unwillingly.” A.W. Tozer
Generosity is a willingness to give even at a cost to oneself. It expresses concern for meeting the needs of others, even if it means sacrificing something of one’s own. We are to extend ourselves to all of mankind, especially the most needy. To do so, we are emulating Jesus, who went after the one lost sheep. To love is to give. God loves us and He gives us everything He wants us to have. When we give, as our Lord encourages, we truly deny ourselves. Generosity must be done in silence in order to merit grace from God and not merely the thanksgiving of mortal men. It is very easy to be generous to our relatives or friends, but that is not generosity since we will be repaid for that with friendship, thanksgiving, and praise. Generosity must extend to the poor and the needy. It is a quest for justice as we have the work of God to provide for those who don’t have.
The most excellent example of Generosity (after Jesus Himself): The Blessed Virgin Mary. In the fullness of grace, our Blessed Mother exhibits the fullness of love and truth. She is generous in charity, patient, kind, and gentle; she is good and faithful, chaste, modest, and temperate. Her Spirit rejoices in God, her savior, and she is at peace even in trying times because of her trust in the Lord: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my Spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day, all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.” (Gospel)
Three times in this life, Mary was blessed in a special way by the Holy Spirit – at her Immaculate Conception, at the Annunciation, and at Pentecost – and we are the beneficiaries of the immeasurable fruits of the Spirit produced in her. Through her maternal protection and intercession, we obtain pardon for our sins, health in times of sickness, strength of heart when we are weak, consolation in the face of affliction, and help when we are in danger. Above all, she is the Mother of Christ our Redeemer, and our Mother.
Today, we recall her famous visit to her cousin Elizabeth. John the Baptist leaped in her womb, foreshadowing our joy at the Birth of Mary’s Son, Jesus. She also shows us quintessentially how to evangelize, bringing Jesus to others at every opportunity. Mary also powerfully reminds us that every encounter we have has the potential of bringing the Good News to someone who truly needs it. Thank you, Mary, for your wonderful YES!
Leave a comment“You’ll never understand life until it grows within you.” (Sandra C. Kassis). “When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.” The Gospel today presents us with yet another powerful and insightful image to help understand the depths of our spiritual lives and how we can best understand and live them to their fullest with Jesus Christ always before us. The basic wisdom at play here is really quite simple: the greater the goal, the greater the sacrifice, the greater the sacrifice, the greater the reward. “Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead, and so enter into his glory.” Jesus accomplished everything for us with a great amount of pain and suffering. But just look at the results: Our salvation and place in heaven has been assured and guaranteed. All we need to do is get there. Consider the following two quotes and allow for some quality time today to reflect on them:
Leave a comment“If God gives you an abundant harvest of trials, it is a sign of great holiness, which He desires you to attain. Do you want to become a great saint? Ask God to send you many sufferings. The flame of Divine Love never rises higher than when fed with the wood of the Cross, which the infinite charity of the Savior used to finish His sacrifice. All the pleasures of the world are nothing compared with the sweetness found in the gall and vinegar offered to Jesus Christ. That is, hard and painful things endured for Jesus Christ and with Jesus Christ.” Saint Ignatius of Loyola
“When it is all over you will not regret having suffered; rather you will regret having suffered so little, and suffered that little so badly.”
St. Sebastian Valfre
“Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow that I’ll say good night until tonight becomes tomorrow.” –Shakespeare, (Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2, Line 185) “I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord; I will come back to you, and your hearts will rejoice.” How can separation and painful longing be good? Perhaps we could also remember the adage that is repeated a million times all over the globe which states emphatically that “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Is that true? Because of our weakened humanity, always longing for things that will never disappoint, anger, or end, we can see how separation allows us to be much more aware and grateful of the people and the things around us. Think of the ailing patient in a cold, removed hospital room who misses the outdoors. Then, imagine the first day out of the hospital. What joy it would be!
And there is yet another sweetening factor here: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.”
Please realize today and for the rest of our tomorrows what access we have been given after the Ascension and in the power of the Holy Spirit coming at Pentecost. We can and must ask God for all of our needs with the assurance and confidence that the Risen and Ascended Lord Jesus has given us. “Ask, and you will receive” is better than all the promises of the world combined! That is why the parting of Christ at the Ascension is such sweet sorrow.
Leave a comment“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” A.A. Milne (Winnie-the-Pooh)
“So long as the memory of certain beloved friends lives in my heart, I shall say that life is good.” Helen Keller
Our first Reading today reveals a remarkable experience that St. Paul had when speaking to the deeply religious Greeks living in Athens at that time: “You Athenians, I see that in every respect you are very religious.” As we recall, the Greeks had an altar to an unknown or unrecognizable deity, and the brilliant St. Paul utilized this moment in what had to have been a breathtaking moment. He built on their spiritual experience of something beyond their immediate grasp and began to introduce the wonders and miraculous comfort of our God , who clearly does not want to remain hidden or distant and who has been and will always be patiently awaiting an epiphany on the part of every individual who is looking for truth and meaning their lives: “God has overlooked the times of ignorance, but now he demands that all people everywhere repent.”
“But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth.” These wonderful passages are preparing us for the great Feasts of the Ascension and Pentecost which are being anticipated by the whole Church in the coming weeks. First, Jesus must physically leave to prepare a place for us, and second, The Holy Spirit must come down upon the Church so that Christians everywhere may fully enter the mystery of grace and salvation at a level of comfort, vision, and understanding. We pray during this time for an infusion of wisdom so that we might comprehend what is happening in our lives and place all those events, good and bad, happy and tragic, onto the backdrop and perspective of our eternal life in Heaven. Allow these days of waiting for Pentecost to make a real impact on your life. It promises to be amazing even if it is just one small insight that is received. It could make a huge difference.
Leave a comment“Our society worships gods of our own making. Our culture is saturated with the worship of sports, sex, and pleasure. We are busy humanizing God and deifying man. Our idols are not statues of gold and marble; our idols come from the things we love the most. Life does not have to be filled with such emptiness, but we can fill our minds and hearts with the things that bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.” Dr. Billy Graham
“Then he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you and your household will be saved.'” When we say that we believe in something or in someone, that one little phrase speaks volumes. When you or I say that our belief is placed in a person, then everything points to complete trust, respect, and love. This is why when we surrender power to people we love, and rightly so, we also risk a terrible plight of being hurt badly. Many of us have heard the statement that “no one can hurt you like the one you love can hurt you.”
“And when he comes, he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation.” This is why the ongoing promise on the part of Jesus for the Holy Spirit, often referred to as the Advocate in several of the passages this month, is how we come to put our trust in Jesus, believing in what He says to do, is of the most remarkable and utmost importance for the salvation of our souls.
And the great news is, unlike people, the Lord will NEVER hurt us. What a relief!
Leave a comment“As we journey through this life – through the easy times and the painful times – God is fashioning us into people who are like his Son, Jesus. That means God is in the process of changing what we desire far more than he is in the process of giving us what we desire.” Charles Stanley
“One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying.” From time to time, the Scriptures unfold and reveal certain special treasures that make sense to a handful of believers, even more so than to others. Today is one of those days. Although we may not have ever heard of Saint Lydia, she did, in fact, exist, and in some parts of the Church on the planet, her veneration and memory are still celebrated. In fact, the site where she was baptized is marked with a modern Greek Orthodox chapel just outside the NW gate of Roman Philippi in Greece.
“And you also testify because you have been with me from the beginning.” Although for most Catholics, praying to Saint Lydia for her intercession to the Lord for us would be very innovative and unique, there is something wonderful and insightful here. What she models for us is not new. In his 1995 Letter to Women, Saint John Paul II wrote “In this vast domain of service, the Church’s two-thousand-year history, for all its historical conditioning, has truly experienced the ‘genius of woman’; from the heart of the Church there have emerged women of the highest caliber who have left an impressive and beneficial mark in history.” St. Lydia’s genius is instructive and worthy of our consideration for knowing the desires of her heart: She was a businesswoman who lived the virtue of hospitality, a leader of people, and a follower of Jesus Christ. She knew her own heart and followed its inspirations and attractions all the way to the person of Jesus Christ. Let us ask Lydia to guide all women, indeed, all Christians, in their responding sacrificially to the holy desires of their hearts. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home.”
Pour out upon us, Lord, the spirit of knowledge and love of you, with which you filled your handmaid blessed Lydia, so that, serving you sincerely in imitation of her, we may be pleasing to you by our faith and our works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Leave a comment‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities, namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage.” There are certainly days in the life of every Christian that life feels particularly hard and burdensome. Unfortunately for some more than others, these last a little longer. We wonder where God is or why He seems to have abandoned us. This kind of test is very difficult because it is dark. That is why we must remember the promise that was made to us sealed by the blood of the lamb in the Old Testament and the blood of Jesus (Lamb of God) in the New. This is what we know as Passover.
“I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” In many ways, some of the toughest tests we will ever have to endure in this life are practically impossible to pass —on our own. This is precisely why God the Father rescued the Chosen People, preparing the way for the magnificent redemptive act of the suffering, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, His Son. When we fully grasp and incorporate what Jesus did for me on a universal level and spend my life working to make that real in every instance and circumstance in my personal life, we will find such peace and clarity that we would or could never be the same again.
Leave a comment“Freedom is within our grasp, and Passover reminds us that we need to reach.” Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson
People are always disappointed. Think about the hateful disappointment of those over 2,000 years ago who were expecting their own created version of the Messiah! They were expecting a revolutionary who would wield such political and military power that anyone associated with him would be called “his friend.” Selfishly, they would then somehow share in that tremendous and overwhelmingly amassed power. It is little wonder why such as these rejected Jesus Christ flat out because, astoundingly, he promoted service as a basis for greatness. He even washed feet and wounds and ate with sinners and outcasts: “Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him.”
Those who rejected Jesus when He first came were steeped in their own mistaken ideas about who God promised and how he would save them from their sins. This still happens today as Jesus comes to us every single day of our lives which calls upon us to set aside any biases or unrealistic expectations and accept the Lord Jesus just as He says He is for the world: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” Love Jesus today with all your heart, and then allow that remarkable decision to permeate and affect everything you do and say from now on. Sometimes the human heart needs more time to accept what the mind already knows.
Leave a comment“Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ, and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.” C. S. Lewis
“I call you my friends, says the Lord, for I have made known to you all that the Father has told me.” Perhaps one of the greatest gifts we each have in this life is that of solid, lasting, and supportive friendship. We often do not think about this treasure in our lives, but it is one that we certainly miss when it is gone. Jesus offers the most remarkable share in His life by calling us His friends and providing to us the same comforts and encouragements that come from good friends. And He promises that He is also present in those relationships that bring us closer and closer to Heaven and help build our relationship with Jesus Himself. “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.”
The Lord also offers a deeper insight into love and friendship when he states what might have been so obvious beforehand: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” The utmost extent of a loving commitment of one friend to another is found in the ultimate sacrifice that people make for each other. Sometimes that sacrifice is carried out in one singular moment, or lived out over many, many years of life. Nevertheless, friendship in the Lord Jesus is the greatest gift of all, nourished by the Word of the Scriptures and the Bread of Life.
Leave a commentAnd friends are friends forever
If the Lord’s the Lord of them
And a friend will not say never
‘Cause the welcome will not end
Though it’s hard to let you go
In the Father’s hands we know
That a lifetime’s not too long
To live as friends.Michael W. Smith
“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.”
Joy is both a mysterious and complicated matter for some reason. What brings joy to one and not to another? Why do some people avoid being happy while others thrive on it? Perhaps part of the understanding of human nature is revealed within each person who feels and experiences life through their own prism of life and love. Each person makes a fundamental decision practically every day of their lives as to what is going to make them happy, sad, angry, or even apathetic. We could say here, for our purposes in trying to unlock the Scriptures, that joy, like happiness, is a choice, and from the looks of things, a very important one.
“My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.” What it comes down to is this: it all depends who you listen to. We all know friends and acquaintances that are news aficionados and who basically have their hands on the pulse of all things newsworthy, or not. We know people whose very worldview is determined by those few people who occupy their inner circles. And of course, there are those who seem aimless and lost because they apparently have no one. That is why listening for the voice of Jesus today is critical. What is He saying to you, right here, right now? So much is riding and depends on the answer to this question. If we want complete joy in Christ, we must listen. And we listen, we follow. Then our joy might be complete.
Leave a comment“Prayer is, first of all, listening to God. It’s openness. God is always speaking; he’s always doing something. Prayer is to enter into that activity… Convert your thoughts into prayer. As we are involved in unceasing thinking, so we are called to unceasing prayer. The difference is not that prayer is thinking about other things, but that prayer is thinking in dialogue,… a conversation with God.” Henri Nouwen
“Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord; whoever remains in me will bear much fruit.” This is yet another profound and useful image to understand our role and purpose in this life. How often have we asked ourselves or heard others ask about why we are here and what exactly is our purpose. Sometimes our vision for ourselves falls short of what is actually going on in our lives. At times, our perspective on the world around us becomes bitter, and thus our actions and words become rude, unkind, and thoughtless with numbing regularity. We mistakenly think there is no good fruit to be found, but the real truth lies in the fact that we haven’t spent enough quality time with our beautiful and loving God. When we allow ourselves the time to realize how great our God is, we begin to see and bear good fruit. Then and only then does it become much easier to choose gratitude over complaining.
This now brings us to this very telling and provocative warning from the Lord: “Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned.” At the heart of the battle for our souls is a real enemy who prowls around seeking someone to devour. Evil will never stop to gain new ground and move others away from the Lord. This is yet another reason why we must be aware of those who just “talk the talk.” “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.” We must also realize that we will be able to recognize the true person living in every human being by their fruits. That includes you and me, especially in our day-to-day interaction with our fellow sojourners on this planet toward Heaven, always knowing and trusting that the Lord Jesus will make a great harvest even out of our most humble intentions as long as we remain faithful. Be great today! You may never know what kind of rich harvest you will be planting.
Leave a comment“Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed.” Robert Schuller
“And when they arrived, they called the Church together and reported what God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. Then they spent no little time with the disciples.” At that wonderful moment in life when everything is so clear and lucid, you just do not want time to end. We might say that in those special episodes around us, time was relative. “Time is relative” means the rate of change of time is not the same for every frame of reference. Two people sitting in two other frames of reference can measure different rates of time, i.e., one’s clocks can tick faster than others or vice-versa. When the grace of God surrounds you, time stands still, and everything comes into such clear focus that we just do not ever want to leave that space. But unfortunately, reality knocks relentlessly, and there we go back to the grime and gristle of it all. The joy that literally overwhelmed the disciples in our First Reading, understood that very well. They knew and quickly realized that great things take great sacrifices but yield even greater rewards: “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” They couldn’t spend enough time listening to all the wonders that God had done for those who never lost trust or faith in Him.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.” In order to find these deep, wonderful moments of clarity, we must slow down. If we think that somehow and somehow we are going to finish everything we think we need to accomplish, we will definitely wear ourselves down. This leaves little time to survey and realize how God our God is to us. Try slowing down today. You’ll be so glad you did.
Leave a comment“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” Saint Francis de Sales
“When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they cried out in Lycaonian, ‘The gods have come down to us in human form.” Have you ever wondered why so many have a seemingly preoccupation with movie, sports, and music superstars? Just take a look at the raw energy at concerts, movie premieres, award shows, and of course sport events and notice how literally crazy people get over these people, who like Paul and Baranabas in our First Reading, are just human beings like ourselves. Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that too many people do not have God in their lives, so they will and have settled for a bunch of little, passing, inconsequential gods. They last for a moment until the next rage appears. So sad!
“I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.”
“Then he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved.” The only remedy for this obsession over human idols, as we have heard in today’s Readings, is to be open to the Holy Spirit for wisdom and knowledge. Belief and trust in the Lord Jesus promise that we will have clarity in this life, peace in our hearts, and right judgments, especially when we watch the news of any given number of movies and television shows, not to mention sporting events. Jesus truly loves us, and is not looking for fame or good looks, but just loving Him back in return.
Leave a comment“God will not look you over for medals, degrees, or diplomas, but for scars.” Elbert Hubbard
“Behold, I make all things new.” Those of us who marveled at the epic movie (now classic), the Passion of the Christ, will remember with a mixture of emotions, the scene, very close to the Crucifixion of Jesus, where we see on the big screen the complete battered and bloodied body of the Lord looking forward clearly in the worst levels of pain and suffering. As He arises from the third and final fall, he barely gets up, and as if to speak not only to the audience but to the entire world, “Behold, I make all things new.”
This scene has always left an indelible mark on my soul: “How can He make all things new from that position of such pain and self-emptying?” And each time I internally ask that question, the answer is the same. “By His cross and resurrection, You have redeemed the world.” The mystery of Easter is totally entwined in the combined experience of death and resurrection, little deaths and little resurrections along the way.
“I give you a new commandment: love one another.” And in case you were wondering where we should find these gems in our spiritual life, Jesus clearly lets us know how and where. It is found in the way we treat each other, pray for each other, and believe together in the One who was slain for our new life, here, now, and beyond all time and telling.
Don’t miss a single moment to find Him right next to you.
Leave a comment“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Once we accept Jesus into our hearts and carry Him wherever we go, there is a certain appreciation for life that never leaves us. Once we realize and accept Jesus is the way I want to follow, every minute of my life is a true gift and others begin to see and experience that as well. And today, we have an added gift: we can actually see the Father in Jesus!
When Jesus becomes our Truth, everything He has taught us is maintained in a life of remarkable integrity. This is critical, especially in the face of temptation, when we must make that daily choice which version of ourselves we choose to be for that moment. It also means that we are now poised to forgive even the meanest and cruelest individuals we will ever meet. Jesus is stronger than any of those!
When a person accepts Jesus as their universe and pattern of living, love becomes nearly effortless. That is because God is love, and those who truly understand the overwhelming love which has been shown to us, especially in the death and Resurrection of Jesus, His Son, then the only response can be a life of generous giving of self, amazing patience, and love. This clearly prepares us for eternal life in Heaven, where there is no more pain, no more guilt, no more tears. “And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”
Leave a comment“Jesus said to Thomas, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” It has been a couple of years now, but I distinctly remember a talk given by a very wonderful and spiritually-driven woman who presented her answer to the age-old question, “Why do we overeat?” She narrowed it down to five:
1. Panic: reaction to much anxiety, fear, and stress
2. Comfort: the attempt to nurture, soothe, and care for unmet needs and feelings
3. Self-protection: numbing action because we can’t or won’t face our feelings
4. Frustration: things go wrong, so we head for food.
5. Shame and self-pity: whatever is wrong with life, we take the blame and hide.
Whether anything is off-balance or troublesome in our lives, it is because something is troubling inside of us, at our very core, which is our soul. Ask yourself about each of the painful reasons we may overeat. Why do we ingest and consume so many things that will never satisfy and actually hurt us? Why do we sometimes gravitate to unhealthy relationships? If we truly believed that Jesus Christ is alive and real in the Eucharist, how would he make a difference in our lives?:
1. Panic: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”
2. Comfort: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.”
3. Self-protection: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”
4. Frustration: “So I say to you, Ask and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.”
5. Shame and self-pity: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
See you at the altar!
“When Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, he said to them: ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him.” Real personal change has just dawned upon us. The life, teaching, and example of Jesus Christ can never and should never be erased from our understanding of our own salvation, which is found squarely and fundamentally in Him. He lived in such a way that everything depended on God, and his whole life was dedicated to preparing the way for all of us into Heaven. The Messiah. So why do we say “climate change?” This is a very interesting aspect of today’s feast.
“What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.” What is most memorable about the life and death of St. John the Baptist is that he was determined to leave behind the legacy of decrease/increase. Jesus must increase in my life, and I, that is, my ego and selfishness, must decrease. Only if this happens will we be true disciples, loving Christians, and destined for Eternal Life. The hope is that you and I will decrease so that the Lord can shine through us like the morning dawn..
Leave a comment“Pride must die in you, or nothing of Heaven can live in you.” Andrew Murray
“Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles.” Each time we live through the great transforming Seasons of Lent and Easter, there must be some part of us that has changed. Understanding and embracing final justice and the Last Judgement has the remarkable effect of grounding us closer and closer to Jesus, knowing that as long as we stand with Him in the power of the Holy Spirit, life can never be the same again.
So, my dear friends, what are we to do as we bathe in the grace of these powerful proclamations from Scripture? First, practice the faith. Of course, the spiritual life is a struggle, but within that grind, we find ourselves and our road to holiness. Second, be generous in the things of God and pray for the spirit of detachment. The early Christians lived this remarkable spirit, and even though, in monetary terms, their lifestyle didn’t amount to much, their intention and their hearts certainly did, as they were poised for entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. Finally, reject discouragement: “I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.”
Leave a comment“Suffering, failure, loneliness, sorrow, discouragement, and death will be part of your journey, but the Kingdom of God will conquer all these horrors. No evil can resist grace forever.” Brennan Manning
“How long are you going to keep us in suspense?” In the discipline of literature and creative writing, suspense is the element of both fiction and some nonfiction that makes the reader uncertain about the outcome. As an emotional response, to be in suspense could be good or not, depending on how sure we are of the outcome of any given situation. “And a large number of people was added to the Lord.” Humanity has always been in suspense about one thing or another. Perhaps the great number of people who turned their lives over to the Lord Jesus suggests strongly that they knew something better was waiting for them and they found it all in Jesus. In this regard, the suspense kept the mind and heart open to find the true and lasting answers to life and, love, and eternity.
“My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” This still happens today, especially with the amount of anxiety and restlessness in the world. The task for all of us is clear. We must listen. We must attempt with all our might to recognize the Lord’s voice and heart in this troubled world, and with the divinely inspired help of the Scriptures, the suspense of the future can and should and in fact, is resolved in the hearts of those who love Christ first, then all who have been placed alongside us on this earthly journey of ours. It takes true courage inspired by the Holy Spirit to even imagine a greater and fuller existence in anticipation of our life in Heaven, and yet this adds color and suspense to life, which brings us to believe that the best is always yet to come. And so it is.
Leave a comment“Even cowards can endure hardship; only the brave can endure suspense.” Mignon McLaughlin
George Mallory was the famed mountain climber who may have been the first person ever to reach the top of Mount Everest. In the early 1920’s he led a number of attempts to scale the mountain, eventually being killed on the third attempt in 1924. Before that last and fatal attempt, he had said: “I can’t see myself coming down defeated.” Mallory was an extraordinary climber, and nothing would force him to give up. His body was found in 1999, well preserved by the snow and ice, 27,000 feet up the mountain, just 2000 feet from the peak. He never gave up nor looked for the easy way to the top. In that same year, a banquet was held for the team that accompanied George Mallory. A huge picture of Mt. Everest stood behind the banquet table. It is said that the leader of the group stood to be applauded and, with tears streaming down his face, turned and looked at the picture:
“I speak to you, Mt. Everest, in the name of all brave men living and those yet unborn. Mt Everest, you defeated us once; you defeated us twice; you defeated us three times. But Mt. Everest, we shall someday defeat you because you can’t get any bigger, but we can.” In 1953, two climbers, Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, reached the top.
“Jesus said: ‘I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.'” Today, Jesus invites us with perfect clarity to enter and follow Him as a shepherd. This path could mean following the Lord Jesus when it is convenient or inconvenient. It could mean doing the right thing even when no one is watching. Entering and climbing with our Good Shepherd means following Christ, not just sometimes or partway, but completely. It means we persevere and sacrifice and surrender, even how we think things should unfold, even in the face of disappointments and sadness.
God never said that the climb up the mountain of life would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worth everything.
Leave a commentChristianity is altogether unique in many ways when looking at all the aspects of religion. We could easily say that is “personal.” Now, how do we come to that conclusion? The Church was founded personally by Jesus Christ, true God and true man. He did not leave a philosophy or manual or even a step-by-step approach as to how to continue. He set the cornerstone of our way of life upon the foundation of the Apostles whom He personally selected & called. Let’s continue to unravel this “personal” aspect of Jesus’ choice, not only of The Twelve but also how that impacts you and me here today.
“I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.”
1. CLOSE FRIENDS: Jesus called the Apostles to be his close friends, and He mentioned true friendship even as He taught of the mystery of love. It really shouldn’t surprise us at all that Jesus needed human friendship. The very doctrine of the Trinity is in itself a revelation of community to the highest degree, and it is the very core of humanity, created in God’s image and likeness, that we need the love of family and friends to be truly happy and reach our potential.
“Many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God.”
2. STUDENTS: Jesus knew that the end of His time on earth was approaching. It was not age of books or even less, social media. The Church was going to have to proclaim the Gospel through the personal experience of learning that these Apostles (students) had experienced and then established for centuries to come. Jesus chose these men that He might write His message upon their hearts, minds, and souls so they would become His “living books,” as it were, continuing throughout history as it developed and unraveled through time.
“These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
3. AMBASSADORS: The Greek word “Apostolos” literally means someone who is sent out on behalf of another person or country, such as an envoy or an ambassador. The Apostles were chosen to be personal ambassadors to all the world, reflecting personally what they had learned as the friends of the Lord Jesus. This, in turn, would create more personal friends into a Church for all ages and all believers. The greatest Christian men and women in my life encourage me in my own journey because I keep thinking, “If these people are awesome because they have met Jesus, I want to be like them and know Him, too!” That’s personal, wouldn’t you agree?
“My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand.”
Finally, these great Apostles were very ordinary people like you and me. There was not a wealthy, nor a famous, nor an influential person in that group. None of The Twelve had any special education or specific training before the Lord called them. They were just like you and me, more than they were unlike any of us. The work of Jesus and the foundation of the Church was not in the hands of those whom the world called great but in the hands of ordinary people like ourselves. They were a strange mixture of characters and personalities. Take, for instance, Sts. Matthew and Simon. Matthew was a tax-collector, and, therefore, a traitor and a renegade. Simon was a Zealot, and the Zealots were fanatical nationalists who were sworn to assassinate every traitor and every Roman they could. It is one of the miracles of the power of Christ that Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot could live at peace in the close company of their brothers. You see, when a person is a real Christian, the most different and even politically opposite types can live at peace with each other. If we personally and truly really love the Lord Jesus, we will also love each other no matter the circumstances.
Leave a comment“Don’t judge me until you know me, don’t underestimate me until you challenge me and don’t talk about me until you’ve talked to me.” Poster in a classroom
“The Church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace.” Are you at peace today? Why or why not? These questions are sincerely important because of who we are: Christians, that is, people who believe in and follow The Lord Jesus, risen from the tomb. People in our lives who do not have any faith or who are wondering why we have ours will certainly be looking to us to see how we handle every kind of life situation, especially disappointment, tragedy, and bad treatment. What they may be searching keenly in us is a profound sense of gratitude: “How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?” This thankful-for-living attitude can make all the difference in the world, not only in the way we live our daily lives with family and friends but also in the way we subtly impact the lives of all those around us who are also searching for meaning in their own lives.
“It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and Life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” This openly optimistic and encouraging attitude has more to do with the grace and presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives than it does with just simple cognitive shifts in our personality. It has everything to do with believing that Jesus accomplished everything He said and promised He would do. This is highly crucial for us. We have been so immeasurably blessed that the only response for us today is to be a blessing to others. Loved people love people, and freed people to lead others to freedom.
Leave a comment“The Easter eggs symbolize our ability to break out of the hardened, protective shell we’ve surrounded ourselves with that limits our thoughts and beliefs. As we break open our hearts and minds we discover a transformation to a new life enhancing thoughts and beliefs.” Siobhan Shaw
“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ He said, ‘Who are you, sir?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” There is a very telling and interesting detail in our Scriptural Readings today. It concerns the very nature of the question that Jesus asks Saul, later the great St. Paul, as to his previously recklessness and heartless persecution of the early Christian Church. Keep in mind that he has been going around rounding up all those following the “New Way” of the Lord and imprisoning most of them for their beliefs. But notice what Jesus asks him: “Why are you persecuting me?” What inescapable conclusion can we draw from this telling detail? Jesus is equating the Church with his very person, His own body. His new creation of the Church has everything to do, then, with a deep and lasting, wonderfully engaging personal relationship with Himself and what a joy it is to discover that in prayer today!
The effect of this real joy is what we do with the knowledge of who Jesus is and what He has done for us. We share! This can and does bring life to others in the very broken world in which we live. “Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.” If we came across someone in our homes or places of schooling or work literally in obvious distress, our first reaction would be to do something positive and proactive. How much more does that matter when we know that someone needs to hear of the great and marvelous love our God has for us? This is precisely how we can help Jesus and the community of believers. Be a friend to someone in need. It is just too easy to dismiss people who are not like us or perhaps do not even like us! How can you be a blessing for that certain someone today? And even though we cannot expect anyone to change just because we forgive them, it is the change in our hearts and within all our attitudes that we are after. Our prayer reveals that Easter means a new life for all. Imagine all the possibilities!
Leave a comment“Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is a daily admission of one’s weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” Mahatma Gandhi
Today, we have a real treat as we learn more about Philip about whom we read earlier: “Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” Although, at first, he was skeptical, he responded to the vigor and enthusiasm of Philip and came to meet Jesus. Most people would agree with our assessment that a person who is duplicitous is also said to be “two-faced.” The Apostles were clearly free from this type of deception and went on to give great honor and glory to God and the early Church, which Jesus founded with his death. But what exactly is a two-faced person? It is basically a person who suffers from a lack of self-identity, self-esteem, and integrity. This person is also usually one who fakes compliments to please whomever they meet. In an effort to be accepted by the entire world, a “two-faced” person will socially accommodate anyone in an attempt to be popular and liked by everyone but then later hurls usually vicious and negative barbs in the safety of the darkness of deceit. But this is totally evil because it lacks truth and sincerity, everything that Jesus is, and invites us to imitate as His followers.
What are some ways we can be imitators of the Apostles who have given their entire lives to follow Jesus and avoid two-faced people and behavior? First, let us practice honesty in every situation and on every level possible. Little lies become medium-sized and on and on. Although in some circles, being honest means being vulnerable, nothing could be further from the truth. Take the opportunity as often as possible during your day to avoid creating white lies or painting another person’s character as much inferior to yours. You would be surprised how honesty and a strong grasp of the truth actually begin to create a climate of trust and shed light on elements that are not truthful and good. If we truly want to live in peace and have peacefully good nights of sleep, it is best to trust Jesus with all judgments and be as real throughout the day as we are in the silence of our hearts. We simply cannot afford to live in the shadows, the darkness, or always in the background offering petty commentary about people because it makes us feel secure. Only mold grows in damp, dark crevices.
Leave a comment“Don’t worry about those who talk behind your back, they’re behind you for a reason.” Anonymous
“Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him.” The blood of the martyrdom/witness of St. Stephen brings a considerable amount of sobriety to the joy of the Easter Season, but it is remarkably necessary. The gift of Easter has everything to do with where we hope to end our earthly pilgrimage because of the great gift of the Resurrection. We want to go to Heaven after a good and solid life to witness the real joy and meaning of this great time. We want to have enough happiness and peace in our hearts to say at the end of it all, “Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.”
“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.'” The Resurrection of Christ also brings forth the spiritual nourishment we need to make it to Heaven and find our way in this life by imitating the hope that is ours and for a much better life. He is the Bread of Life that feeds and cares for our needs. Thus, we could say that in our Spiritual Easter basket this year, we will find forgiveness, hope, strength, and courage to face whatever awaits us.
Leave a comment“The very first Easter taught us this: that life never ends and love never dies. It is the only time of year when it is safe to put all your eggs in one basket.” Kate McGahan
“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always oppose the Holy Spirit; you are just like your ancestors.” For those of us who sincerely try to follow Jesus and live by the Gospel, we must be convinced that our behavior shapes our personality and, therefore, all of our moral and otherwise important decisions in life. The Scriptures clearly show the track record of those who have abandoned their own set of values and goals toward Heaven and those who never gave up, even though it was tough at times to stay focused and faithful. It is all about balance and humility. Jesus wants us all in Heaven, and every day, we are either moving closer or further away from this awesome destiny of ours.
“Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from Heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from Heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world.” As we prepare to begin another day, let us carry Jesus deep within our souls so that we do or say nothing that would displease him. A stiff neck is not pleasant neither on the body nor on the soul. To be stubborn when it comes to growing closer to God and surrendering our pride is not a virtue. This is the challenge and fruit of being loving people who love God and our neighbor. Be determined, not stubborn. Determination is positive, feels light, and will take us far with the grace of God. It is a willingness to change as needed and always keeping an open mind. Stubbornness is a heavy feeling and refusal to budge. A negative, closed mind can never reflect the face and attitude of Christ. It is truly an exciting adventure.
Realize who you truly are in the presence of God. Do not be inflated or arrogant today. Accept your life as it is today and ask God first for the wisdom to know what to change and then the courage to start on this exciting project of transformation.
Leave a comment“A Christian is not a person who believes in his head the teachings of the Bible. Satan believes in his head the teachings of the Bible! A Christian is a person who had died with Christ, whose stiff neck has been broken, whose brazen forehead has been shattered, whose stony heart has been crushed, whose pride has been slain, and whose life is now mastered by Jesus Christ.” John Piper
A very wise man once attempted to comfort a younger apprentice who seemed to have been the target of several slimy and vicious remarks from a coworker by stating the following, “Whatever is ever said to you is never more important than the one who said it.” Now just think about that bit of advice for just a minute and then consider the passages with which we have been gifted today in the Scriptures: “Though princes meet and talk against me, your servant meditates on your statutes. Yes, your decrees are my delight; they are my counselors.” Do we ever truly realize how many words and phrases are spoken to us in the course of any given day? Some are surely good and others not so. We received a glimpse of this in the First Reading in the ugliness hurled at Stephen: “We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.” What we can safely conclude from these two Biblical selections is that all of us, throughout the entire span of human experience, have to decide quickly and wisely what we will allow to settle, grow, and/or fester into our ears and, hearts, and minds.
With that in mind, the Gospel screams for attention to the only voice that we can truly trust 100% of the time and in every situation before us: “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.'” Let us call out to one another and challenge each other to pay even more attention to the words of Jesus uttered in the Scriptures for us, especially in the coming week, believing that it is not only important to see who is talking but also what He is saying.
Leave a comment“Somewhere, we know that without silence, words lose their meaning, that without listening, speaking no longer heals, that without distance, closeness cannot cure.” Henri Nouwen
Although it is not plausible to debate that eating is essential to our survival, that it is deeply symbolic, and that it is enjoyed across the board by every known culture on the planet, we can and should open the debate lines concerning how we have lost the meaning of meals and richness of gathering to feast, especially in our modern times. For example, it appears that breakfast is often a shake of everything from protein, fruits, or a soda with ice, lunch a sandwich gobbled in front of the computer, and dinner when hurriedly arranged or just accidentally falling into place, is quickly consumed usually in front of the television blaring or everyone with their phones checking Facebook posts and or texts. Even though we see commercials to the contrary and movies and listen to heartfelt pitches to act otherwise, we still continue with this rapid feeding frenzy. Perhaps it is because eating like this satisfies some basic needs, as it fuels our bodies. But being fed is not the same as being nourished. This is how and why we must understand the great significance of Holy Thursday when Jesus the Christ uttered those immortal words that have since been repeated over the centuries and the great span of time: “This is my body…this is my blood…do this in memory of me.” Our Gospel begins to set the stage for this deeper awareness of the simplicity of eating: “Jesus said to them, ‘Come, have breakfast.’ And none of the disciples dared to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ because they realized it was the Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner, the fish.” Our lives have been bought and purchased and at an amazing cost! None of us are here “by accident.” We each have a deep and enriching purpose which we must find and, for that journey, must be fed: “We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”
While thought-out mealtime practices and rituals can draw us into a state of increased awareness, our appreciation for the Eucharist can give sight to the vision we need to focus on the things that really matter in this life and to get home safe to Heaven when it is all said and done. Jesus does so much more at every Mass as well. He teaches us that not only do we take meaningful time when we sit and share food, but also take every opportunity and chance to serve, even to the point of washing each other’s feet. “I have given you a model to follow so that, as I have done for you, you should also do.” Today, especially on this day, we need to remember what the initial impression of this passage made on the initial First Century audience: even art and literary works have somewhat romanticized this event, it was not really beautiful to them. It was not even humbling; it was actually humiliating. You see, to wash another’s feet was a dirty job reserved for slaves. Today, this action would be tantamount to going to someone’s house to clean their bathroom, including the toilet. Maybe caregivers who have to clean and wash and witness the worst in a person’s life are closest to the real meaning of this marvelous gesture. As Jesus feeds us with His very Body and Blood, He is assuring us that He is showing us and expecting us to be the least among us. It is easy to do great things for those we love. What about doing the hard things for those we don’t even know, or even better, know that will never be able or willing to say thank you. This is selfless, and it is what this night is all about: empty yourself as Jesus did, so where He has gone, we can follow.
Leave a comment“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” J.R.R. Tolkien
“Jesus said to Thomas, ‘I am the way and the Truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'” How is Jesus “The Way”? Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think about how really precious is the time you have to spend whether it is at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored. (Earl Nightingale) Once we accept Jesus into our hearts and carry Him wherever we go, there is a certain appreciation for life that never leaves us. Once we realize and accept Jesus is the way I want to follow, every minute of my life is a true gift and others begin to see and experience that as well.
How is Jesus “The Truth”? Stay true to yourself, yet always be open to learn. Work hard and never give up on your dreams, even when nobody else believes they can come true but you. (Philip Sweet) People all around us worship many things in this life, anything from money to power and pleasure. When Jesus becomes our Truth, everything He has taught us is maintained in a life of remarkable integrity. This is critical, especially in the face of temptation, when we must make that daily choice of which version of ourselves we choose to be for that moment. It also means that we are now posed to forgive even the meanest and cruelest individuals we will ever meet. Jesus is stronger than any of those!
How is Jesus “The Life”? There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved. (George Sand) When a person accepts Jesus as their universe and pattern of living, love becomes nearly effortless. That is because God is love, and those who truly understand the overwhelming love which has been shown to us, especially in the death and Resurrection of Jesus His Son, then the only response can be a life of generous giving of self, amazing patience, and love. This clearly prepares us for eternal life in Heaven, where there is no more pain, no more guilt, and no more tears. “If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”
Leave a comment“One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord.” When we realize all that we have been through these past few months, how can we not see the great blessings in each and every day? What kind of power or force are we blindly following to make a day, an hour, or even a single minute blessed or cursed? “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?” Doubt and pessimism in all its forms are useless and truly squander time and energy. The Pharisee Gamaliel made a very poignant observation that could help our understanding of this: “For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them.” What makes today blessed, fortunate, and awesome has nothing to do with some outside uncontrollable force over which we have no power, but on one simple fact: Jesus died for us sinners, and now we have a shot at eternal life.
“Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted.” We have all been blessed by the complete and selfless act of self-sacrifice that Jesus accomplished on the cross. By His blood, we have been washed and made clean, and we can and should avail ourselves of all the promised blessings every single day we are alive. Shallow people believe in luck; strong people believe in cause and effect; blessed, healthy, and happy people believe in Jesus.
Leave a comment“Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.” Zig Ziglar
On this beautiful day in the Easter Season, we are presented in the First Reading with a dramatic and very telling dialogue that makes perfect sense for all of us who are attempting to follow the light of Christ all throughout the days we have been given on this planet. First, the Sanhedrin, clearly angry and disgusted with the Apostles, began this exchange: “We gave you strict orders, did we not, to stop teaching in that name.” What is curious about this inflammatory statement is that it seems the high court is more upset about the name of Jesus than over the fact the Apostles are still alive and being received with great respect for themselves. It is all about the name! Invoking someone’s name like this announces not only a closeness and reverence for the person who bears the name but also the willingness to follow, emphasize, and share this relationship with everyone in one’s own circle of influence, with, in fact, the whole world. The Apostles made this crystal clear in their quick and concise response to the Sanhedrin: “We must obey God rather than men.”
Many years ago, I saw a short film which basically told an imaginary story that at the heart of it, asked this question: “If it were a crime to be a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” With today’s Readings still echoing in our hearts today, we could ask the same question of ourselves. The answer would have to rest on the amount of time, energy, and vigor that we place in following Christ and believing everything He taught and said He would do for us, especially on our own last day on earth. Everything depends on this powerful relationship, which Jesus would prefer to call a “friendship” because it is truly based on love and forgiveness. So, what’s in a name? Everything.
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene II
Leave a comment“There are two hundred and fifty-six names given in the Bible for the Lord Jesus Christ, and I suppose this was because He was infinitely beyond all that any one name could express.” Billy Sunday
“But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.” So much of our planet needs light in order to grow and survive. Conversely, things like mold and mildew flourish in the darkness and cause a whole slew of problems ranging across the board. Amazingly, today, we are instructed that the same values and standards apply to our spiritual life and our relationship with God and our present-day happiness, and our future fulfillment. When we expose our lives to the light of Jesus in our prayer and our honest assessment of our conscience, we can expect great things to happen and to experience great peace of mind and heart. Guilt does an incredible amount of damage to the human soul, and we are the only ones who can make a difference by choosing to be transparent, honest, and truthful, especially in our dealings with one another.
“God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.” This kind of living is not difficult or complicated. It will involve a deeply open, honest, and loving relationship with Jesus Christ, which is nourished by prayer and sacrifice and a strong desire to spend more and more time with Him in this busy and frenetic life of ours. Perhaps the great gift of our imagination can be a service to us with all this in mind. Let us imagine Jesus sitting right next to us when we are perplexed by anything. Can you see yourself slightly turning toward Him, asking for advice? Can you hear Him gently whispering to you? So what are you waiting for?
Leave a comment“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
“You must be born from above.” There are not many more phrases in Sacred Scripture than this one that has been interpreted and re-interpreted, applied, and reapplied, both accurately and otherwise, than this one that we find at the beginning of the Gospel of today. How does one understand being reborn or born again? Perhaps there are some clues in the other sections of the Scriptures we have today. We could point first to the generous spirit that has experienced the joy of the Resurrection: “The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common.” Then there is the powerful witness that we can give to the Lord as did the Apostles: “With great power, the Apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all.” And finally, we can be born again by the sheer and deep confidence we place in God: “Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed: holiness befits your house, O LORD, for length of days.”
However, the most profound path to rebirth in the power of the Resurrection is simply to gaze upon the Crucified Christ, unite our sufferings with His, and hope for all our days in His power to save and the promise that is ours to be saved: “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” We must slow down in order to catch up, pause in order to soar, and reflect in order to learn. This we can do with the Lord Jesus right at our side, guiding, if we allow Him, every step of the way with the Scriptures as our friend. This is the Easter joy we so desperately seek.
Leave a comment“God proved His love on the Cross. When Christ hung and bled and died, it was God saying to the world, ‘I love you.” Billy Graham
“Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a man once grown old be born again?” Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin assembly who is particularly known for visiting Jesus at night. He couldn’t risk being seen with the Lord during the day because, well, he couldn’t be caught dead speaking with the “rabble-rouser.” Part of him really wanted to know and learn and actually spend time with someone he deeply admired, but the pressure of public and private opinions came at too high a price, so it was better to be covered safely by the dead of night than to be associated with such a man in bright sunlight. Time was to eventually change all this and bring both men in each other’s company most dramatically and memorably. This is precisely what it means to have a life-changing encounter with the Lord that changes things forever. This is that new conversion and being born again that is so wanting and needed in our world and the Church today.
“As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” Our deep and lasting call during the Easter Season and, in fact, throughout the rest of our lives is to live our faith in such a way that is indeed bold, makes a huge difference, and causes us to interpret and face all the crosses of life with deep courage and resilience. All because Jesus lives within me, and greater He that is in me than he who is in the world.
Leave a comment“Receive every day as a resurrection from death, as a new enjoyment of life; meet every rising sun with such sentiments of God’s goodness, as if you had seen it, and all things, new-created upon your account and under the sense of so great a blessing. Let your joyful heart praise and magnify so good and glorious a Creator.” William Law
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” On this Second Sunday of the glorious Easter Season, we are presented as we are every year, with this insight into human behavior as it relates to doubt and confidence, and how the normal process of knowing and believing either feeds or starves our doubts. Our main character in this lesson is the Apostle Thomas, who, by most accounts, has been unfortunately dubbed with the nickname “doubting Thomas,” although it hardly adequately describes his whole life, which in the end he gave completely to Christ in martyrdom. However, his painful doubts teach us something very real about our faith. You see, perhaps St. Thomas was so used to seeing Jesus right in front of him, talking and teaching on a daily basis, so that when all of a sudden He was taken away, he refused to believe and get his hopes up and over what he considered a “reasonable” doubt. “You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord; blessed are those who have not seen me but still believe!”
“Yet more than ever, believers in the Lord, great numbers of men and women, were added to them.” Doubt has the potential of strengthening our faith and hope, but not if we entertain too much of it and then surround ourselves with people who neither have faith nor hope, which, according to the last survey, are growing in number and kind. In the Gospel, the very opposite was true. The faith spread like wildfire, and the miracles in life began to increase exponentially. This is where a healthy prayer life, a daily dose of Scripture, and adherence to the Eucharist make all the difference in this world and the next. Starve your doubts and feed your faith.
Leave a comment“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure, Act I, Scene IV
“Observing the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them to be uneducated, ordinary men, the leaders, elders, and scribes were amazed, and they recognized them as the companions of Jesus.” Among the nuances in the dictionary world, there seems to be consistent agreement when it comes to the definition of boldness: a willingness to take risks and act with innovation, confidence, or courage. This would certainly more than adequately describe Peter and John and all those who experienced the first Easter. There are those who believe that the real challenge in life is to overcome the fear that tends to overwhelm and inhibit real, healthy living. For this level of life, we all truly need the virtues that come from the side of the Resurrected Christ. He is who is the source of all we need to make our way through the hills and valleys of the swinging moods and seasons of our journey: “My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior.”
The Gospel for this beautiful Easter Saturday reveals the real purpose and mission of this boldness that is bestowed on all believers at Easter: “He said to them, ‘Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” Now, the bulk of us reading this today are not being placed on the next flight into a war-torn area on the planet, nor are we walking into any real danger as so many who have died for the faith. However, we are being sent. Where? We are placed on this earth for a very specific and awesome purpose. That purpose is all about what happened on that first Easter morning, about life and death and all the elements that form the fabric of existence. Think about all the things you said to others today. Were you bold?
Leave a comment“People who ask confidently get more than those who are hesitant and uncertain. When you’ve figured out what you want to ask for, do it with certainty, boldness, and confidence. Don’t be shy or feel intimidated by the experience. You may face some unexpected criticism, but be prepared for it with confidence.” Jack Canfield
Sometimes a great and significant event in life, while answering some very perplexing worries and anxieties, also produces another level of questions that have the potential of taking us to a new and deeper level of living. There is a hint of that aspect of life nudged within the confines of the Psalm today: “The LORD is God, and he has given us light.” The touching scene in the Gospel also supports this approach when Jesus, already risen from the dead, invites his Apostles and closest friends He had on earth to go deeper: “So he said to them, ‘Cast the net over the right side of the boat, and you will find something.” Indeed, they did find something. It was the living, breathing, loving Church that Jesus had died to start and give to the world.
“There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.” Like so much of the accumulated wisdom that has been gathered over the centuries over such an amazing span of time, what is real and holy and immersed in truth is usually quite simple. It is the name of Jesus that has the power to save, producing a true and abiding adherence to Him personally and to all He has taught and given to us, even today. This is what we search for here on earth. This is what brings us peace. This is yet another wonderful fruit of Easter. Tonight, before retiring from the day, go fishing: call out His name, then listen.
Leave a comment“Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.” Henry David Thoreau
“Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” Take special note of what just happened in the Gospel. The Apostles are talking about life, suffering, God and the Messiah, then Jesus appears to bless peace to everyone and yet, their first interpretation of the event is that they are witnessing an episode from the SyFy Channel. The problem here is simple to see while the remedy is close by. Jesus first asks why there are troubled hearts. Right after that remark He tenderly instructs the only way to combat fear and doubt: “Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.” What we must see today is that unreasonable and irrational fear can only successfully be combated by reverting back to the entire mystery of Easter, which is the awesome truth that Jesus has not only defeated death but also all the forces of evil and darkness. He is on our side. We start to shake and quiver when we forget this wonderful Truth.
The First Reading also recognizes that as human beings, still affected by the vestiges of Original Sin, make mistakes out of many different reasons and faulty mindsets. St. Peter was certainly magnanimous in his own personal assessment of this predicament of ours: “Now I know, brothers and sisters, that you acted out of ignorance, just as your leaders did,” and then later in that same reading: “For you first, God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you by turning each of you from your evil ways.” Easter brings light and clarity to our minds because it reveals that the massive, archetypal, age-old battle between good and evil has already been won. We are now offered the chance to share in that victory should we choose to do so with the freedom and wisdom that has been purchased for us by the blood of the Lamb. Remember during this glorious Easter Season that earth’s worst day and best day were just one day apart.
Leave a comment“In one aspect, yes, I believe in ghosts, but we create them. We haunt ourselves.” Laurie Halse Anderson
“I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.” How many times have any of us heard something like, “I would give a million dollars to see my father again!”? What that emotional phrase (and many like it) screams to connect is simple. What is precious to the world is not necessarily precious to my soul. After forty grueling days of Lent, we can begin to see what truly has value and supreme importance as was described in our First Reading today. The totally transformed disciples of Jesus now have in their circle of life the most wonderful and awesome of all gifts: the name of Jesus and the faith that supports a life that can have deep meaning, healing, and eternal consequences.
“Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” The answer to this surprising revelation of the two travelers who were actually walking with the Lord and even breaking bread with Him is simple: Yes, they were! And the best news for you and me today is that they can still continue to burn if we allow them to. This will come from thanking God for the rich blessings and lessons of Lent, asking Him to guide and direct us today especially in the ongoing effort to change, transform and become forgiving people, no matter what is happening around us. Remember, Jesus does not want us to be like other people. He wants us to be like Him. This is so much better than silver or gold.
Leave a comment“To holy people, the very name of Jesus is a name to feed upon, a name to transport. His name can raise the dead and transfigure and beautify the living.” John Henry Cardinal Newman
“And they said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?” With all the wonderful talk and mention of the glorious Resurrection of Jesus at this great time of Easter, there will no doubt be the recollection of the state from which our resurrected bodies will join the Heavenly faithful and crowds of immense joy, which, by definition, is death. In some parts of the world, many flock to the cemetery to place Easter flowers, mostly lilies, which mimic the blare of trumpets of the season at the tombs of those who did not live to see this particular Easter and perhaps those who have long been absent from the table. And because of the humanity we share and the tender hearts that beat within many brave souls, there will be tears today. This is why we need the witness of Mary Magdalene today to bring everything into sharp and hopeful focus: “She said to them, ‘They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.”
Like Mary Magdalene, many of our crosses and sufferings that produce momentarily crisis phases in our souls stem from the not-so-obvious fact that we may be looking for God’s comfort and consolation in the places that could never provide them. Once again, Mary pointed us in the right direction: “Mary went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord,’ and then reported what he had told her.” Excited or mournful, the only true way to celebrate the Easter Season, officially fifty days of commemoration, after the forty days of fasting and penance, is to look for Christ and find him in everyday life and then tell others that you have seen Him. Life can not possibly ever be the same.
Leave a comment“Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality.” —Emily Dickinson
Every so often, we or someone we know has the experience of waking up from a terrible dream nearly paralyzed with fear and even at times unable to speak or move. Likewise, we may have most likely heard well-intentioned people attempt to explain these terrifying moments as attributed to stress or worry over circumstances in our lives. Be that as it may, we must face the glaring fact that life can and often does hurl directly at us episodes of challenge, difficulty, and internal and external struggles that can be frightening and cause us to respond like we do in those terrible dreams. For some others, even more unfortunately, there seems to be no rest from these terrors. Life itself seems to be a nightmare with no end. For such as these the gift of Easter is so precious. Imagine holding Jesus tight and close to us so as to never have to be afraid again. The Scriptures today assure us that we can. “God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses.”
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.'” Another rich and exciting element of the newly begun Easter Season is the call to engage the spirit of the time with all we meet. We must tell others why we are Easter people and why we must keep singing and remembering that there is always hope in every single situation, no matter how dark it may seem. Let us begin on this first Monday of Easter. Continue to tell all you meet of the hope we celebrate by keep saying “Happy Easter” with a great big ol’ smile on your face. Tell them all, “Jesus sent me.”
Leave a comment“The great gift of Easter is hope – Christian hope, which makes us have that confidence in God, in his ultimate triumph, and in his goodness and love, which nothing can shake.” Basil Hume
“On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb.” At this wonderful culmination of these days of Lenting and detachment, we have come to the morning of our dreams. God has accomplished the victory He promised for us and we are glad indeed. Death has been destroyed forever, and now the gates of Heaven once closed because of selfishness and sins, are open for all humanity to enter with integrity and hope. It was on the “first day of the week” that this glory was discovered because it is the beginning of all our expectations every time we awaken in the morning. Thus, every beginning we have before us is the glimmer of the bright promise of tomorrow. Mary of Magdala was alone in approaching the burial place of the dead. This detail reminds us that each of us must face this truth on the path that we choose and envision, enlightened by the Church and the Word of God. Then, we join the millions who experience the same longing fulfilled and relieved even in the face of death. Although she did not actually see the moment of Resurrection, (she) “saw the stone removed from the tomb,” Mary knew what the scene meant: death had been conquered, and Jesus is alive. This is assuredly our call for today and every day on this planet. We must look for, find, and cling mercifully to the wonders of our lives, which all point to the miraculous endings of all our stories nestled wonderfully in the heart of Jesus, the Messiah who has risen from the dead.
Perhaps the most telling and soothing detail of John’s Easter Gospel today is this tender yet poignant morsel: “while it was still dark.” How often do our lives take swings and turns into chapters that we would never have imag ined! How often have we found ourselves “in the dark” as well? And yet, whatever joy and happiness we may feel today must be kept safe and sound deep within the recesses of our hearts so that when we find that it is still dark, we must continue to make our way to the Lord with all the hope and faith that we can muster and share.“Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.”(St. John Paul II)
On behalf of all those who make CityOfAgape, its mission, and its hope to bring the Word of God to everyone hungering for meaning and purpose in this life, please accept our heartfelt wishes for a happy, holy, and beautiful Easter! “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.”
Leave a commentFor those among us who are blessed to attend the Easter Vigil tonight will have encountered and entered a most wonderful mystery that the Church has to offer as a way of truly making the Easter experience the great moment it truly is. What we do tonight is nothing more than waiting at the Lord’s tomb, meditating on His passion and death, and awaiting His glorious Resurrection with prayer and fasting. When we think about it, we spend a great part of our lives waiting for everything from simple mundane things like traffic lights and parking spaces to remarkably awesome milestones in life like the announcement of a new baby, a job, or the tragic news we have all been waiting for. A vigil is the liturgical commemoration of a notable feast held on the evening preceding the feast, much like Christmas Eve. The actual term means “wakefulness” because we stay awake to pray and prepare for the dawn of Easter and, by extension, for the individual experiences we will have of our own death and resurrection and of those we love and cherish in this world. For our purposes here, let us take a look at the diagram of Liturgical Readings for tonight and follow them in our journey toward the empty tomb:
Reading 1: Genesis-God creates with His Word and Holy Spirit over the waters
Reading 2: Genesis-God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his only son
Reading 3: Exodus-Moses parts the Red Sea and leads his people out of slavery through the waters
Reading 4: Isaiah-The prophet reminds us of the safe passage of Noah through the waters
Reading 5: Isaiah-The prophet invites all to come to the waters
Reading 6: Baruch-The prophet issues a pledge of wisdom and a return to God
Reading 7: Ezekiel-The people of God will be cleansed by water and live in God’s land
Epistle: Baptism through water and the Holy Spirit is our way to union with God and the promise of Heaven
Gospel: The tomb is empty; God did not spare His own Son, and thus Jesus has defeated death forever
You see, Easter is about the continuing cycle of life, death, life in an amazingly complicated and mysterious pattern that underscores and straps all reality together. This means so much to our human race and yet different takes and aspects based on the conditions and lived experience of everyone alive. But one thing is certain. Everyone dies; not everyone lives. Let us live in the light of Christ this night and always.
Leave a comment†Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, Love leaves a memory no one can steal. — from a headstone in Ireland
Today is Good Friday. What do we call it “good?” This is the FIRST day of what the Church has long in her Sacred history called the Triduum. These are the three glorious days that end Lent, enter the tomb of Jesus, and rise with Him at Easter. It could be said that we call this “good” because although everyone wears a mask of sorts as we present to the world the person we want others to see, today we remember the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus so that you and I can reach true spiritual maturity which is that point where a person no longer hides behind any pretense, removes the mask of deceit and fear, exchanges the fashion statement for integrity and truly begins to live a holy life. Every year on Good Friday, when this day arrives, it is certainly different for each one of us. It’s always different because either someone has died in the last year, a friend has become ill or incapacitated, another year has passed from the time we lost a dear loved one, and we ourselves have lived another year, presumably, one year closer to our own death.
This is why the Scripture passages and the yearly reading of the Passion we have for Good Friday are simply priceless. We came from God, and slowly but surely, we are moving back to him, face to face, to give whatever account we have of how we used these precious pearls of time while we were alive. I guess that’s why there are some who can’t (or won’t) deal with death. The message and experience must be too much, too overwhelming. I have also known people who have downright rejected God with a kind of indignation and misplaced anger for “having taken my loved one away.” That’s actually more tragic than death itself because there is absolutely no way you can arrive at a spiritual and mental place of peace and comfort— or even effectively through the grieving process —without the One who defeated death on the cross. Grief is the price we pay for Love, and we think that getting through this life without Love is some viable option when you really think about it; it is indeed a fair price.
The readings from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, Psalm 31, the Letter to the Hebrews, and the Passion according to St. John all clearly and effectively underscore that truth. God is in control. He sent His Son Jesus to take away the eternal price of our sins, and Jesus gave us the Church so that through the centuries of time and space, we would remain together in hope and prayer until the day comes for us.
+May the Divine Assistance remain always with us, and May the souls of all the faithful departed, through your mercy, O God, Rest in Peace. Amen
Leave a comment“Because I could not stop for death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.”
—Emily Dickinson
Although it is not plausible to debate that eating is essential to our survival, that it is deeply symbolic, and that it is enjoyed across the board by every known culture on the planet, we can and should open the debate lines concerning how we have lost the meaning of meals and richness of gathering to feast, especially in our modern times. For example, it appears that breakfast is often a shake of everything from protein, fruits, or a soda with ice, lunch a sandwich gobbled in front of the computer, and dinner when hurriedly arranged or just accidentally falling into place, is quickly consumed usually in front of the television blaring or everyone with their phones checking Facebook posts and or texts. Even though we see commercials to the contrary and movies and listen to heart-felt pitches to act otherwise, we still continue with this rapid feeding frenzy. Perhaps it is because eating like this satisfies some basic needs as it fuels our bodies. But being fed is not the same as being nourished. This is how and why we must understand the great significance of Holy Thursday when Jesus Christ uttered those immortal words that have since been repeated over the centuries and the great span of time: “This is my body…this is my blood…do this in memory of me.” Our First Reading begins to set the stage for this deeper awareness of the simplicity of eating: “This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate with pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution.” Our lives have been bought and purchased and at an amazing cost! None of us are here “by accident.” We each have a deep and enriching purpose, which we must find, and for that journey, we must be fed: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.”
While thought-out mealtime practices and rituals can draw us into a state of increased awareness, our appreciation for the Eucharist can give sight to the vision we need to focus on the things that really matter in this life and to get home safe to Heaven when it is all said and done. Jesus does so much more this night as well. He teaches us that not only do we take meaningful time when we sit and share food but also take every opportunity and chance to serve, even to the point of washing each other’s feet. “I have given you a model to follow so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” Today, especially on this day, we need to remember what the initial impression of this passage made on the initial First Century audience: even art and literary works have somewhat romanticized this event, it was not really beautiful to them. It was not even humbling; it was actually humiliating. You see, to wash another’s feet was a dirty job reserved for slaves. Today, this action would be tantamount to going to someone’s house to clean their bathroom, including the toilet. Maybe caregivers who have to clean and wash and witness the worst in a person’s life are closest to the real meaning of this marvelous gesture. As Jesus feeds us with His very Body and Blood, He is assuring us that He is showing us and expecting us to be the least among us. It is easy to do great things for those we love. What about doing the hard things for those we don’t even know or, even better, know that will never be able or willing to say thank you? This is selfless, and it is what this night is all about: empty yourself as Jesus did, so where He has gone, we can follow.
Leave a comment“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world”. J.R.R. Tolkien
For the Optional Mass of the Last Super, please go here,
MEANING OF THE CHRISM MASS
Blessing of Holy Oils
The Chrism Mass is held during Holy Week in every Catholic diocese. It is traditionally held on the Tuesday of Holy Week. During this mass, the priests, deacons, and representatives of the entire archdiocesan community gather around the Bishop, who blesses the Holy Oils for use in the coming year.
These are: Oil of the Sick, Oil of Catechumens, Sacred Chrism
Whenever the Holy Oils are used in a diocese, the ministry of the Bishop who consecrated them is symbolically present.
Unity, Renewal of Vows and Promises
The Chrism Mass reminds us of our oneness in Christ through Baptism and its holy anointing, made possible by the ministry of the Bishop and his priests. The Chrism Mass is also a key moment in which the unity of the archbishop with his priests (together, they form the presbyterate) is manifested and renewed. During the liturgy, the entire assembly is called to renew its baptismal promises; deacons and priests also renew their vow of obedience to the local (arch) Bishop and their commitment to serve God’s people. At the end of the Chrism Mass, the Holy Oils are brought back to parishes of the archdiocese for use in the coming year.
One Flock, One Eucharist Gathered Around the Bishop
The following statement from the Second Vatican Council can help us understand the significance of the Chrism Mass for the Church:
The bishop is to be considered the high priest of his flock from whom the life of his people in Christ is in some way derived and on whom it in some way depends. Therefore, all should hold in the greatest esteem the liturgical life of the diocese centered around the bishop, especially in his cathedral church. They must be convinced that the principal manifestation of the Church consists in the full, active participation of all God’s holy people in the same liturgical celebrations, especially in the same Eucharist, in one prayer, at one altar, at which the bishop presides, surrounded by his college of priests and by his ministers.
(Second Vatican Council. Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium), No. 41)
I. Oil and Anointing:
Ancient Greece and Rome
Old Testament
II. The Messiah: God’s Anointed One
The biblical word for one who was anointed was messiah. Translated into Greek, the language of the New Testament, it becomes Christos or Christ.
Jesus: God’s Anointed One:
When we call Jesus our Messiah, we are saying that he was anointed
by God to announce God’s word –the Good News of salvation- to God’s
people. In Luke, Jesus says: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor…” (Lk 4, 18ff)
Christians as Anointed Ones:
Baptism makes us Christians, that is, anointed ones who share in the
life of the crucified and risen Jesus, God’s anointed one. Immediately
before being baptized with water, we are anointed with the Oil of
Catechumens, which strengthens and purifies us. After Baptism, with
water, we are anointed with the Oil of Chrism, which consecrates us as
members of Christ’s body who share in Jesus’ anointing as priest,
Prophet and king. This anointing with Chrism gives us the Holy Spirit’s strength to live out our Baptism. Anointing with Chrism at Confirmation completes the grace of Baptism and seals us with the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s gifts.
III. Three Holy Oils:
This quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church gives a good summary of the importance of the three holy oils:
Anointing with oil has all these meanings in the sacramental life. The pre-baptismal anointing with the oil of catechumens signifies cleansing and strengthening; the anointing of the sick expresses healing and comfort. The post-baptismal anointing with sacred chrism in Confirmation and Ordination is the sign of consecration. By Confirmation, Christians, that is, those who are anointed, share more completely in the mission of Jesus Christ and the fullness of the Holy Spirit with which he is filled so that their lives may give off ‘the aroma of Christ.’ [2 Cor 2, 15]
Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 1294.
Oil of the Sick
Used in Sacrament of the Sick to bring the strengthening and healing power of Christ, who is at work in the Church by the action of the Holy Spirit. St. James writes: “Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders [priests] of the Church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up, and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.” (Jas 5:14-15)
Holy Chrism
Holy Chrism is a mixture of olive oil (a rich oil, symbol of richness of God’s grace) and balsam fragrance (symbol of sweetness of Christian virtue). The Oil of Chrism is a sign of fullness of grace and spiritual strength; it consecrates and enables us to live out the call to follow Jesus Christ (the anointed one) as baptized/confirmed/ordained Christians: “The holy Chrism consecrated by the bishop is used to anoint the newly baptized, to seal the candidates for confirmation, and to anoint the hands of presbyters [priests] and the heads of bishops at their ordination, as well as in the rites of anointing pertaining to the dedication of churches and altars. The oil of the catechumens is used in the preparation of the catechumens for their baptism. The oil of the sick is used to bring comfort and support to the sick in their infirmity.” (Ceremonial of Bishops, 274)
Use at Baptism:
Right after the actual baptism with water, the priest anoints the candidate on the crown of the head with Chrism saying: “God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has freed you from sin and given you a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit. He now anoints you with the chrism of salvation. As Christ was anointed Priest, Prophet, and King, so may you live always as a member of His body, sharing everlasting life. Amen.”
Use at Confirmation:
In the Sacrament of confirmation, the bishop anoints the forehead of the candidate with chrism saying, “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Use in Holy Orders:
When a man is being ordained to the priesthood, his hands are anointed with the oil of chrism, and when a priest is being consecrated a bishop, his head is anointed by the consecrating bishop with chrism.
Other Uses of Holy Chrism:
Holy Chrism is also used in the dedication ceremony of a church. Here, the bishop anoints the altar, pouring holy chrism on the middle of the altar and on each of its four corners. It is recommended that the bishop anoint the entire altar. After anointing the altar, he anoints the walls of the Church in 12 or fourteen places marked by crosses. It is also used to anoint the new bell of the Church.
IV. Blessing and Distribution of the Holy Oils
At the offertory, the three Holy Oils and balsam fragrance are carried up to the sanctuary with gifts of bread and wine.
The Oil of the Sick is blessed by the Bishop during the Eucharistic Prayer. The Bishop then mixes the balsam fragrance into the Chrism and blesses it, praying: “Make this Chrism a sign of life and salvation for those who are to be born again in the waters of baptism. Wash away the evil they have inherited from sinful Adam, and when they are anointed with this holy oil, make them temples of your glory, radiant with the goodness of life that has its source in you.”
As the Bishop prays, the priests present with him extend their right hands toward the Chrism, signifying their participation in his authority, through which Christ himself sanctifies and builds up his body, the Church. When the Chrism is blessed, the Bishop breathes over the open vessel which contains it. This is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, who blew over the face of the waters before creation (Gen 1, 2b), and of the risen Jesus, who appeared to his disciples and breathed on them, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit…” (John 20, 22-23). It is the Holy Spirit who consecrates this oil through the Bishop’s Bishop’s invocation.
Finally, after the Chrism has been blessed, the Bishop blesses the Oil of Catechumens. At the end of the liturgy, the holy oils are given to the deacons of the diocese, who distribute it to representatives of each parish. It is recommended that each parish keep the vessels containing the Holy Oils in a special clear glass cabinet called an ambry, where they can be viewed by all the faithful. Many newer churches have an ambry, which is usually located close to the baptismal font. It reminds all who see it of the anointing which unites and strengthens us to live as one body in Christ and comes to us through the ministry of his Church.
V. Conclusion
The Chrism Mass is a celebration of the entire Christian community:
“The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.” Imagine the pain of a person when they realize they have wounded and perhaps forever severed the most wonderful and awesome relationship that they will ever encounter. Now compound this upon the world stage of history, and we may have something close to the experience of Judas, the man who betrayed the Son of God. “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” His name has become synonymous with any notorious traitor, even to this very day. In addition to this remarkable infamy, there has developed a popular hatred of Judas in various parts of Christendom. On the Greek island of Corfu, for example, the people, at a given signal on Holy Saturday night, throw vast quantities of crockery from their windows and roofs into the streets and thus execute an imaginary stoning of Judas.
However interesting, the painful truth for us to face in this midway of Holy Week is the potential for each of us to betray love itself in our own lives. This comes when we allow selfishness and hate to brood within us so that we do not even realize the pain and misery we are inflicting upon others and, by extension, to our very souls. What happens is that we become so accustomed to disguising ourselves to others that, in the end, we become disguised to ourselves. Perhaps the pains and disappointments of life create hurt and deep wounds beyond our imagination. The paradox of this week, deeply entwined with the whole teaching of Jesus Christ, is simple in many ways. If we love until it hurts, then there can be no more hurt, just more love to give. (St. Teresa of Calcutta) It is then, and only then, can we shout and sing with the most joyous voice we have, joining the refrain of today’s Psalm: “I will praise the name of God in song, and I will glorify him with thanksgiving: ‘See, you lowly ones, and be glad; you who seek God, may your hearts revive! For the LORD hears the poor, and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.”
Leave a comment“The shattering of a heart when being broken is the loudest quiet ever.” Carroll Bryant
George Bernard Shaw is credited with saying that the “single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” While there are many different explanations and approaches to explain and or further expand on this thought, for today, let us consider what Jesus has done for us and how we respond based on what we have the dramatic unfolding of events in the Gospel as we move through Holy Week this year. First, we begin with the explosive observation that Jesus makes to His closest friends that one of them is about to betray Him and send Him to death: “Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified, “Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” Each Apostle in the upper room took the phrase in a different light. One or two began to blame themselves. Perhaps a few couldn’t or wouldn’t believe what they just heard. Peter impulsively sprang to action and pledged undying loyalty and protection while Judas knew exactly who the Lord was talking about.
“Though I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength, Yet my reward is with the LORD, my recompense is with my God.” On this Tuesday in Holy Week, we are called to pay even closer attention to what is being said to each of us as it may relate to our individual circumstances, especially in our spiritual lives. When you hear, “One of you is about to betray me,“ what comes to mind? Is there any evidence whatsoever that would or could suggest betrayal in our lives? The next pertinent question would then be, to whom or what? To God? Our spouse? Our family and friends? The reality is simple during this very holy time: everything that is uttered and celebrated has deep meaning and significance and must be addressed with courage and fidelity. We must make this week different by what we do with it. Now, lift that up in prayer and wait patiently for the inspiration that will come, guaranteed!
Leave a comment“Love is not something we give or get; it is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people when it exists within each one of them – we can only love others as much as we love ourselves. Shame, blame, disrespect, betrayal, and the withholding of affection damage the roots from which love grows. Love can only survive these injuries if they are acknowledged, healed, and rare.” Brené Brown
“You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” This particular and perhaps familiar Gospel passage has been quoted and misquoted, applied, and misapplied by so many over the centuries, literally ever since it was first transcribed. This, among many other factors, is exactly why it is simply not enough to know what the Bible says but what it means. You see, at first glance, the phrase about always having the poor seems almost fatalistic, as if to suggest that there is really no use to address the issue of poverty because we will never rid our society from it, but that is so far from the meaning. Jesus was actually quoting another well-known Biblical passage from Deuteronomy, which sets the context of the poor and our response in a very different context: “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be … For the poor, you will always have with you in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.” (Deuteronomy 15:7-11) Thus, realistically and with the greatest of authentic interpretation, the Lord Jesus is enthusiastically begging us to be “open-handed” toward the poor among us. Holy Week begins for most of us with this deep and emotional call to be aware of those who suffer in our own circles, perhaps right in front of us, and to respond quickly, deeply, and readily.
In this most awesome week, we must see our own roles to feed the hungry and lift up the poor among us. In the New Testament humble beginnings of the Church, there were no needy persons among them. Everyone shared and cared for each other. Poverty, even as we can describe it today, was eradicated in their midst. That was the natural outcome of taking Jesus’ teachings seriously and to heart. Just imagine that for a moment: a world where all are free to love and serve! This is not some nimble-headed utopia but the goal of being a follower of Christ right here, right now. The fulfillment of Lent, Holy Week, and all that Jesus taught and lived and died for is now about to be realized and celebrated. Spend today reflecting on those in your own homes and friendships who really need you. Pray for all those who are unhappy in this life and beg Jesus to live deeply within them and in you. He has the ultimate endorsement from Heaven: “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, Upon whom I have put my Spirit.”
Leave a comment“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.” Saint Augustine
Among several cultures on our planet, there exists a delightful little story about a young donkey and his mother who was trying desperately to prepare her young son for the ravages and cruelty of the world, which typically never treated these animals with much respect. Coming home, however, one day, the young animal was full of excitement and unbelievable joy. He had a small job earlier that morning and everyone was shouting with respect and joy and even throwing palm branches in front of him so that the walk on the hard surface would be less strenuous. “They love us, Mama!” he shouted with almost unbelief. “They now respect us! We are free!” His kind mother looked with love upon her somewhat idealistic son and simply said, “We are free as long as we carry greatness upon our backs.” “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately on entering it, you will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.” (Opening Gospel Before Procession with Palms)
Today we celebrate Palm Sunday while ushering in the great mystery of Holy Week when we commemorate Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey with gleeful and exuberant shouts of “Hosanna.” It was, however—a short-lived moment of public popularity for Jesus. In just a few days, the feckless crowds would become violent and hostile, crying out for His execution. The donkey would be traded for a cross. By the end of the week on Good Friday, the burden-bearer would be Jesus Himself, and a donkey would not be carrying Christ – Christ would be carrying the Cross. He would not be astride the back of a donkey’s back, but rather a cruel, albeit redemptive Cross would be crushing upon His back! So let us begin and let us pray:
All-powerful, eternal God, You have chosen to give us all a model of humility; our Savior took on our flesh and subjected Himself to the Cross. Grant us the grace to preserve faithfully the lessons He has given us in His Passion and to have a share in His Resurrection. Amen
Leave a comment“My dwelling shall be with them; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” There are certainly days in the life of every Christian that life feels particularly hard and burdensome. Unfortunately for some more than others, these last a little longer. We wonder where God is or why He seems to have abandoned us. This kind of test is very difficult because it is dark. That is why we must remember the promise that was made to us sealed by the blood of the lamb in the Old Testament and the blood of Jesus (Lamb of God) in the New. This is what we know as Passover.
“Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before Passover to purify themselves.” In many ways, some of the toughest tests we will ever have to endure in this life are practically impossible to pass on our own. This is precisely why God the Father rescued the Chosen People, preparing the way for the magnificent redemptive act of the suffering, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, His Son. When we fully grasp and incorporate what Jesus did for me on a universal level and spend my life working to make that real in every instance and circumstance in my personal life, we will find such peace and clarity that we would or could never be the same again.
Leave a comment“Freedom is within our grasp, and Passover reminds us that we need to reach”. Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson
“In my distress, I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.” In some dictionary excerpts, distress is defined as extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain. Human life encounters distress all throughout the experience that we engage in while on earth, and the Lord knows that we must be ready and fully equipped to face whatever we must to grow and become a new creation in Christ. In fact, in a very poignant and real way, it is truly the only way we will become transformed into that new existence.
“Jesus answered them, ‘I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?” There are, however, not a small number of people who do not accept the call of grace to see things in life with the eyes of faith and then, in turn, blame God for every ill and problem under the sun. Because of spiritual blindness and a faithless approach to reality, they seem to actually attack God as Jesus was in the Gospel today. Our stance, especially throughout these days of Lenten Journey, must be entirely different: “Sing to the LORD, praise the LORD, For he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!” Imagine singing to God when life is hard and burdensome. Yet, that is exactly the remedy!
Leave a comment“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.” Paulo Coelho
“On your part, you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages.” If there is such a thing as the science of belonging, it would most certainly have to include behavior as an essential element of what it means to be part of something much larger than life itself. Today, in the Scriptures, this belonging has to do with the Family of God in faith and acting in certain modes of belief that cause an entire group of people to stand apart from the rest. This is what is actually meant by “holy.” This is precisely where our modern-day understanding and practice of fasting and other Lenten practices have originated, especially the actual marking of ashes on the forehead. This clearly sets us apart as a group of people with the same or similar mindset and definitely the same goal: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.”
“No longer shall you be called Abram; your name shall be Abraham, for I am making you the father of a host of nations.” Such an acceptance of such a universal invitation makes a definite and indelible change within the individual and the whole people. Such was the case with Abram, who became Abraham. The same happened to Saul, who became Paul, and Simon, who became Peter. All had their name changed because their entire destiny and future had undergone a magnificent and overwhelming overhaul. Lent is the same for us. Hopefully, by now, we can sense these deep-rooted changes in our hope and our direction toward Heaven. We are so close to our goal this year!
Leave a comment“Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays.” Soren Kierkegaard
By now, there are many of us who could agree with the marvelous assessment of those deep within the fire bravely and accurately uttered by the three young men hurled into the hottest of all possible flames in today’s First Reading: “If our God, whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O king, may he save us!” Our specific take on this observation would need to be tweaked just a little: If our beautiful and merciful Lord preserved us during these trying and unprecedented days of Lent, then He can do even greater things! This much is certainly true and we have only a few more days until the fulfillment of the Easter promise of Resurrection will be ours in abundance. We just need to hold on to this truth in our lives and practice endurance without whining or dramatic overreacting.
“If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” And this is the truth: God loves us so much that even wants us to be better with every passing day, especially the passing days of our Lenting this year. The Lord has been, is today, and will always be at our side, assisting us in our daily struggle to become more like Jesus in every way possible. This is the bright promise of Easter made during the somewhat dark, at least purple, days of Lent. If we accept this truth, the consequences are literally out of this world.
Leave a comment“The difference between a good life and a bad life is how well you walk through the fire.” C. G. Jung
“Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.” Our First Reading makes an inspiring case for the deep relationship between our sins, our pain, our incessant desire for healing, and the free offer of forgiveness of the sins that cause us so much pain and guilt. Moses dealt with the criticism and pessimistic reaction on the part of the Israelites for all that the Lord had done for them, and in response, they were bitten by horribly attacking snakes, which must have been quite a sight! Their unending complaints were answered by sheer harshness and fear. What is beautifully clear today is the Lord truly wants us to be safe, happy, and holy. Our own sins and failings often stand in the way and present an enormous stumbling block to achieving all that God has intended for us, including acknowledging and receiving His healing forgiveness to a greater, healthier spiritual life. Moses was commanded to construct a bronze serpent so that anyone who would look up would be cured and saved. That must have taken an immense act of faith and well, well worth it.
“When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM and that I do nothing on my own, but I say only what the Father taught me.” It is, however, in the Gospel where the real truth is to unlock the mystery of true inner freedom that is characteristic of a true believer and those who desperately want to get to Heaven. It is to take seriously the innocence, total trust, and openness to look up at the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, lifted up on the cross so that all may be cured and saved. Jesus made this more than crystal clear in the Gospel: “Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.” When you are suffering or worried or anxious, look up at the cross to see your Jesus there, wanting everything that is good for you. Accept this in faith and never look back. It would also help not to complain so much, either.
Leave a comment“When you complain, you make yourself a victim. Leave the situation, change the situation, or accept it. All else is madness.” Eckhart Tolle
“As soon as the maids had left, the two old men got up and hurried to her. ‘Look,’ they said, ‘the garden doors are shut, and no one can see us; give in to our desire and lie with us.'” Today, we have an interesting pair of Scriptures to help prepare our formative days of spiritual growth. The first concerns the famous attempted fatal lie against Susanna on the part of two ruthless and morally bankrupt individuals who tried to frame her in the garden where she innocently passed her time. Thank God for the confident, wholesome, and honest voice of Daniel, who exposed their treachery by asking just a couple of simple, innocent questions. Susanna’s trust in the Lord was confirmed: “Even though I walk in the dark valley, I fear no evil, for you are at my side.” Her resolve to stand with the truth and to trust in the Lord is more than just a model of behavior for us during Lent and during the duration of our time on earth, but the very pattern of existence because of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross and out of the grave.
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” In the Gospel, we are once again called to live and walk in the light. This means that we are illuminated by the Word of God and the Body and Blood of Christ. This is how it will be for all of us who want desperately to follow Jesus all the way to eternity. We will be maliciously attacked and accused, but we know to whom we must run to seek comfort and resolution.
Leave a comment“Often, you can see power lines running alongside the street. Unless current is flowing through them, there is no light. The power line is you and I! The current is God! We have the power to allow the current to flow through us and thus to generate the light of the world: JESUS – or to refuse to be used and, thus, allow the darkness to spread.” St. Teresa of Calcutta
“Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” Today, we have an interesting pair of Scriptures to help prepare our formative days of spiritual growth. The first concerns the famous Prophet Isaiah calling the people in the First Reading to put away the past and focus on the bright promise of tomorrow. Thank God for the confident, wholesome, and honest voice of the Scriptures, which calls us, especially in the closing days of Lent, to trust in the Lord God for everything. Let us resolve to stand with the truth and to trust in the Lord, which is more than just a model of behavior for us during Lent and during the duration of our time on earth, but the very pattern of existence because of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross and out of the grave.
“Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery.” In the Gospel, we hear annoyingly again from the Pharisees who seem never to lose a chance to try either to trap Jesus in some monstrosity or attack His authority and wisdom. This is how it will be for all of us who want desperately to follow Jesus all the way to eternity. We will be maliciously attacked and accused, just like Susanna and the woman in the Gospel, but we know to whom we must run to seek comfort and resolution. Jesus’ truth was also found in the garden, the garden tomb from whence He rose and defeated death forever. We must remember these garden experiences so that when we are attacked, confused or even overly tired and anxious, we may never forget that God is love and oftentimes, truth is found in the garden.
Leave a comment“Truth makes all things beautiful.” Edward Counsel
“Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said, ‘This is truly the Prophet.’ Others said, ‘This is the Christ.'” When we look at and study all the moments of the life of Jesus, we realize that The Lord does not introduce anything new in terms of human experiences but rather elevates and imbues tremendous meaning and purpose into them. When evil and the demons of our lives approach, we realize first-hand that we truly need faith in the One who can handle and defeat them. These present themselves as conflicts that call us to make choices:
Conflicts: Every last one of us must face conflicts practically every day of our lives, even if they surface from within us. Therefore, it is not an indication or measurement of how much we are loved when we have issues or problems, but rather what we are going to do with them.
Choices: When Jesus calls a person to follow Him, it necessarily involves the fundamental option whether to accept him or to reject him; and the world is always divided into those who have accepted Christ and those who have not. Everyone makes choices every day. This choice, however, affects eternity, and forever is a very, very long time.
A Cross. The original audience of Jesus experienced tremendous suffering and loss. They knew very well what a cross was. The Jewish historian Josephus mentions the swift & cruel action of Publius Quinctilius Varus, a Roman General under Emperor Augustus who crushed a revolt in Judea in 4 BC. After occupying Jerusalem, he crucified 2000 Jewish rebels and placed the crosses by the wayside along the roads to Galilee. This is why Jesus had and has tremendous compassion for His people, then and now.
Our daily dose of the Word leads us to understand and fully engage the conflicts, choices, and crosses in our lives. When we are worried, it is because we are trying to do things ourselves. When we are at peace it is because we remember that God is in control.
Leave a comment“Any organization which works for peace, I will join. If you want to resolve a dispute or come out of conflict, the very first thing is to speak the truth. If you have a headache and tell the doctor you have a stomachache, how can the doctor help? You must speak the truth. The truth will abolish fear.” Christina Lamb
“Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said, ‘This is truly the Prophet.’ Others said, ‘This is the Christ.'” When we look at and study all the moments of the life of Jesus, we realize that The Lord does not introduce anything new in terms of human experiences but rather elevates and imbues tremendous meaning and purpose into them. When evil and the demons of our lives approach, we realize first-hand that we truly need faith in the One who can handle and defeat them. These present themselves as conflicts that call us to make choices:
Conflicts: Every last one of us must face conflicts practically every day of our lives, even if they surface from within us. Therefore, it is not an indication or measurement of how much we are loved when we have issues or problems, but rather what we are going to do with them.
Choices: When Jesus calls a person to follow Him, it necessarily involves the fundamental option whether to accept him or to reject him; and the world is always divided into those who have accepted Christ and those who have not. Everyone makes choices every day. This choice, however, affects eternity, and forever is a very, very long time.
A Cross. The original audience of Jesus experienced tremendous suffering and loss. They knew very well what a cross was. The Jewish historian Josephus mentions the swift & cruel action of Publius Quinctilius Varus, a Roman General under Emperor Augustus who crushed a revolt in Judea in 4 BC. After occupying Jerusalem, he crucified 2000 Jewish rebels and placed the crosses by the wayside along the roads to Galilee. This is why Jesus had and has tremendous compassion for His people, then and now.
Our daily dose of the Word leads us to understand and fully engage the conflicts, choices, and crosses in our lives. When we are worried, it is because we are trying to do things ourselves. When we are at peace it is because we remember that God is in control.
Leave a comment“Any organization which works for peace, I will join. If you want to resolve a dispute or come out of conflict, the very first thing is to speak the truth. If you have a headache and tell the doctor you have a stomachache, how can the doctor help? You must speak the truth. The truth will abolish fear.” Christina Lamb
An hour can be the 24th part of a day, culminating in 60 minutes, or it can be a moment in time that can change everything. “This could be your hour” is a phrase that can have deep and meaningful meaning for many people. We could say that our moment can be upon us, but we must be able to recognize it without distraction or fear. This is what we can glean from the Gospel today: “So they tried to arrest him, but no one laid a hand upon him, because his hour had not yet come.”
So how is it that so many miss their moment? We have a clue in our First Reading: “These were their thoughts, but they erred; for their wickedness blinded them, and they knew not the hidden counsels of God; neither did they count on a recompense of holiness nor discern the innocent souls’ reward.” If you and I are distracted by the things of the world, we will not possibly be present to the moment when God opens His heart and reveals His wonderful plan for our lives. They say that opportunity only knocks once, but God’s love and mercy are everlasting: “Many are the troubles of the just man, but out of them all the LORD delivers him.”
This is your hour. Take it!
Leave a comment“I see how stiff-necked this people is. Let me alone, then, that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them. Then I will make of you a great nation.” For those of us who sincerely try to follow Jesus and live by the Gospel, we must be convinced that our behavior shapes our personality and, therefore, all of our moral and otherwise important decisions in life. The Scriptures clearly show the track record of those who have abandoned their own set of values and goals toward Heaven and those who never gave up, even though it was tough at times to stay focused and faithful. It is all about balance and humility. Jesus wants us all in Heaven and every day we are either moving closer or further away from this awesome destiny of ours.
“The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me.” As we prepare to begin another day, let us carry Jesus deep within our souls so that we do or say nothing that would displease him. A stiff neck is not pleasant neither on the body nor on the soul. To be stubborn when it comes to growing closer to God and surrendering our pride is not a virtue. This is the challenge and fruit of being loving people who love God and our neighbor. Be determined, not stubborn. Determination is positive, feels light, and will take us far with the grace of God. It is a willingness to change as needed and always keeping an open mind. Stubbornness is a heavy feeling and refusal to budge. A negative, closed mind can never reflect the face and attitude of Christ. It is truly an exciting adventure.
Realize who you truly are in the presence of God. Do not be inflated or arrogant today. Accept your life as it is today and ask God first for the wisdom to know what to change and then the courage to start on this exciting project of transformation.
Leave a comment“A Christian is not a person who believes in his head the teachings of the Bible. Satan believes in his head the teachings of the Bible! A Christian is a person who had died with Christ, whose stiff neck has been broken, whose brazen forehead has been shattered, whose stony heart has been crushed, whose pride has been slain, and whose life is now mastered by Jesus Christ.” John Piper
As we move with ever greater speed and anticipation to the great mysteries of Holy Week, the words of the Scriptures that are lavished upon us are simply breathtaking. The Psalm assures us that our beautiful God is always there waiting for us and wanting for us to live in happiness and joy: “The LORD is faithful in all his words and holy in all his works. The LORD lifts up all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.” Jesus can and will accomplish the greatest miracle in our lives because of the intense, powerful, and loving relationship that exists in the Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: “For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed.”
But perhaps the most tender of all morsels that have been distributed in due season to us today is the awesome image of a mother and her own child that is provided in our First Reading from the Prophet Isaiah: “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.” How precious! The relationship between a mother and her child is so powerful that it affects everything from health and self-esteem to all other relationships. This is what makes today a delight because of what the Lord is asking from each of us to form the most powerful bond in the world. This is why The Lord will never forget us and why cannot afford to forget Him. Keep in mind today that God holds you in His heart until He can hold you in Heaven, face to face. That is how much He loves you. Think about that.
Leave a comment“God will never leave you empty. He will replace everything you lost. If He asks you to put something down, it is because He wants you to pick something greater.” Jordan Smith
“Wherever the river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live, and there shall be abundant fish, for wherever this water comes, the sea shall be made fresh.” Without a doubt, we would all die without water. By extension, our souls are in grave danger without the flowing waters of Baptism that put an end to sin and death and shine the bright promise of eternity with God upon our earthly lives. Healing and strength are gifts along the way that we need to keep going.
Imagine for a second the sick man in today’s Gospel who had been fighting his disease (we are not sure what it was) for thirty-eight years! And still, there he was by the pool of Bethesda, hoping with all his might for a cure and a new life. That sounds a lot like you and me. Then there came that day when Jesus approached him and changed his life forever: “Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your mat, and walk.’ Immediately, the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.” Sometimes we learn the hard way that we must get up first from our old ways of life and self-loathing and reach out for the loving hand of Christ. He is certainly there waiting. The great news for this Lenten Weekday is that Jesus wants us to walk with Him and live the life He wants for us. He wishes for us to thrive, not just survive.
Today we grasp the truth that unless we let go, forgive ourselves, and the situation, and realize the past is over, we cannot move forward.
Leave a comment“Today I close the door to the past, open the door to the future, take a deep breath, step on through and start a new chapter in my life.” Emmy van Deurzen
As we move closer and closer to the great mysteries of Holy Week, the Lord is slowly but surely drawing back the curtain of the Lenten Season to reveal great things ahead: “Lo, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; The things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind.” Clearly, something new is promised and on the horizon for all of us. These days of detachment and longing have not, nor never have, been in vain. There is great love behind the intention of Lent and there is a great reward for us who wish to experience a newness of life and love on this earth while we prepare for the Easter newness within our hearts. We realize today that the Lord has always been right with us during these 40 days: “O LORD, you brought me up from the nether world; you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.”
And there is so much more: the promise of these days of self-denial and prayer has healing and miraculous effects if we allow them to work through us and if we believe that miracles are still possible for those who believe and trust Jesus. This is made crystal clear in our Gospel today with the royal official whose son was deathly ill and on the verge of a certain demise. What do we know of the outcome of trusting the Lord with everything?: “The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.” Such was the confidence of the official in the words of Jesus that this was all he needed. He immediately got back to the daily drudge of life expecting a miracle and believing from where it came. This is the lesson for us today and for every day we have left. Ask, Listen, and Trust. “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” We have seen, and we do believe.
Leave a comment“Draw aside into the secret place no one, but you and God can explore. This is a place from which all questions can be revered. Doubts and struggles are safe to open up and wrestle with in this place. Tears are welcome.” Jenneth Graser
“Never judge a book by its cover” is a phrase that many of us have heard since we were little. Have you ever really thought about what that truly means? Let’s take it apart for just a minute to help us understand and fully grasp the meaning of the Scriptures today. “Never judge” is a great piece of advice especially with our limited outlooks and prejudicial postures. We know this much is true because the Lord has made clear how unclear our own perspectives can be: “Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance.” “Never judge a book” seems to intimate that we really shouldn’t assess anyone or anything without reading it or living through it first. This involves and assumes a deep faith in the One who has loved us into existence:
“The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.” “By its cover” also suggests that many people choose to live in darkness because they think they can hide. This is NOT the way we are to live, especially after having been enlightened by Christ as is pronounced in our Second Reading today:
“Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.”
The Gospel today reveals an even deeper lesson of life for all of us surrounding a tremendous and multi-layered healing that takes place by a source of water, refreshment and healing for one very blessed blind man who could not have judged anything, much less a book, by its cover: (Jesus tells him) “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” —which means Sent—. So he went and washed, and came back able to see.” This life-changing encounter with the Lord removed not only blindness but also the fear, mistrust and self-loathing self- pity that now allowed the blind man to see. But there were other seeing blind people around at that time as well: the Pharisees: “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.” This recalls yet another great saying from our youth: “There are none so blind as those who will not see” traced back to the 16th century and also resembles Jeremiah 5:21. It appears that the most deluded people in our world are those who choose to ignore what they already know.
Let us continue this amazing Lenten journey that by now is more than half completed while remembering, we may be the only Bible someone will read today. Make it a great read!
Leave a comment“For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” Last year at a Christmas dinner, a very proud and loving father sat next to his future daughter-in-law, who was sitting across from her future husband, the man’s amazing son. After dessert and before presenting her with his Christmas gift, he turned to her and gently said, “All I want for you to remember today is that I have been praying for you even before I met you. That means I have been loving you without knowing you all this time.” What he did for her and his son, and by extension, all of us, is to give a poignant example of pure love that extends all the way into Heaven. It means that trust and, love, and responsibility go hand in hand with developing a powerful and lasting relationship with God and with all who believe that love is the answer to the question of how we arrive in Heaven forever:
In the Gospel passage, however, we saw the supreme ugliness of hypocrisy even being practiced in a holy place: “The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector.”
The result was disastrous. No faith, no miracles, no healing, and no justification for the proud Pharisee. The lesson seems clear enough: when we overstep our own relationship with the Lord either by trying to “play God” or reduce faith by arrogant grabs for wisdom and insight, nobody wins. Thank God we have a God who loves us and is always ready to forgive. As we continue our Sabbath experience and begin a new week, let us pray for faith that is built on trust in the One who never stopped loving us, even while we were in the womb.
You’d never know. There are people who pray for you without your presence and without your knowledge. Perhaps those prayers save you many times in your life. You’d never know. Stay humble.
Leave a comment“Thus says the LORD: Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt.” When we stop and think about it for a while, Lent is consumed with remembering the most important things in life and realizing how, at times, our guilt and fear can be so paralyzing. That is why we sacrifice (give up) mundane things which we really do not need so that we can focus on the things in this world that we truly need. This is supported by the underlying meaning from our First Reading today: “Straight are the paths of the LORD, in them the just walk, but sinners stumble in them.”
“But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.” Remembering the most important things in life is one of the most important things to do in life. All of what we have experienced and lived must form the fabric of the wisdom and the philosophy of life that we exist and use as we move into the future, which is all in the mind of God, who cares and loves us with an everlasting love. During the awesome Season of Lent, we are called and pulled toward memory and freedom. Guilt hurts at first, but if it motivates us to change and reform our lives according to Christ, then we will, in fact, remember how it is that we can find our way to Heaven by following the Lord God with every fiber of our being. In turn, we are compelled to pass that on to those we love, especially our children. May we remember the Name of the One who has saved us! “I will heal their defection, says the LORD; I will love them freely, for my wrath is turned away from them.”
A man once wrote to his teenage son: “God is the reason why even in pain, I smile, in confusion I understand, in betrayal I trust, and in fear I continue to fight.” These are not just words if they are put into practice and lived as best as possible. You and I must remember, even long after this particular Lenten Season is over, that our children, students, and friends will not follow our advice—they will indeed follow and remember our example. “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”
Leave a comment“Thus says the LORD: This is what I commanded my people: Listen to my voice; then I will be your God, and you shall be my people.” Those who are into music and the recognition some musicians receive for their craft are certainly familiar with The Grammy Awards. They are named such because of the miniature gramophone affixed to the coveted prize. This, moreover, has its roots from the trademark image originated from a painting by Francis Barraud, which is famously known and entitled “His Master’s Voice.” The painting famously shows a cute dog apparently listening intensely to the original record player, which was then later adopted as the trademark by the Victor Talking Machine Company. According to available publicity material, the dog, a terrier named Nipper, had originally belonged to Barraud’s brother, Mark. When Mark Barraud died, Francis inherited Nipper along with a cylinder phonograph and recordings of Mark’s voice. Francis noted the peculiar interest that the dog took in the recorded voice of his late Master emanating from the horn and conceived the idea of committing the scene to canvas.
“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” What a powerful image we have been given today as we continue our days of Lenten’s journey. To be so attuned to the voice of Christ and to be so drawn and driven in listening to it no matter what the cost is the goal of all who want to find their way to Heaven with the great and powerfully loving assistance of the Good Shepherd. However, this search must not become one of superstition and doubt: “Some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons.” Clearly, these people had no idea of Who was standing right in front of them. Ignorance is certainly not bliss! You see, there is no website, Twitter account, or Facebook page that accomplishes the value and depth of speaking and listening directly with the Lord in daily prayer strengthened by our daily dose of the Scriptures and Eucharistic nourishment. Let us decide this week to make the time and listen intensely to our Master’s voice. He is always ready to start a conversation.
Leave a comment“Listen in silence because if your heart is full of other things, you cannot hear the voice of God.” St. Teresa of Calcutta
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus makes an astounding statement: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” So, nothing is going to be altered from the basic understanding and meaning of the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. And He continues: “Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law until all things have taken place.” Thus, there is this healthy and inspiring balance we are called to achieve between what is radically, completely, and fundamentally true about our faith and the expression and practice of this gift all the way till we breathe our last breath. We need to be ready to move forward creatively to new ways of understanding our faith and living it out. The traditions of the past are still valid, but we must never get bogged down in them to the extent that we do not respond to the clear signs of the times. Tradition can be understood in two ways: either as a fundamental belief that has existed from the very beginning or simply a way of doing or understanding things which have been around for a long time.
Every year leaves fall from orange and apple trees all across our land. In the spring, newness explodes, but every year, even after the changes of time and winter, those are still providing oranges and apples, as opposed to lemons and grapefruit. Yes, lots of change, but the fundamental essence remains. The day we close ourselves to change, as well as the fundamental truths of our walk with Jesus, is the day we die, as Moses begs the Israelites to remember: “However, take care and be earnestly on your guard not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen.”
Leave a comment“To live is to change; to be perfect is to have changed often.” John Henry Cardinal Newman
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us!” Today, we receive good news for this trying struggle of our wills throughout our lives. The goal of finding Jesus and embracing His spirit into our souls forever is coming near. This is the basis of the announcement or annunciation that we celebrate today. The Feast of the Annunciation remembers and celebrates that moment when the angel Gabriel informs Mary that she has been chosen to be the Mother of Our Savior and while her freedom was completely intact throughout the encounter. This underscores why we wait and fast and abstain during these days so that our hearts and souls will be ever ready for the Lord to enter our hearts and our entire lives to make sense of this life now and later. It also reminds us of the sacred moment when Jesus was conceived in the womb of His mother. It also means that Christmas is now just nine months away!
“Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.” Our response is to be patterned after the same as the Virgin Mary responded to the Angel Gabriel. This is what is meant by total openness to God to accomplish on earth what is according to the mind and the heart of God. Once we trust that Jesus loves us and wants only the best for us, then all we can do is open our souls in total confidence to His most holy will as we pray in the Our Father, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” Today, as is the custom in some cultures, is the day where we ask the Lord for the most profound, awesome, and seemingly unattainable miracle that we could ever need. This is the day that the Holy Spirit descended onto earth to bring us the tiniest beginnings of our salvation. Ask, and you shall receive, “…for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Leave a comment“Miracles are retelling in small letters the very same story, which is written across the whole world in letters that are too large for some of us to see.” C. S. Lewis
There is a remarkable juxtaposition, a type of literary set of bookends in our Readings of today. In the First Reading, the assured faith and belief that the prophet could actually heal leads to wonderful consequences: “Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of Elisha, the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean of his leprosy.” However and, quite sadly, the same is NOT true later in the life of Jesus: “When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury.” Jesus’ own people would not, or could not accept Him as the Messiah He is because they allowed doubt and tragic unbelief to stifle and cloud any hope of a miracle in their midst. And this is the real important meaning of the imagery: leprosy.
If we were to look upon this frightful and dehumanizing disease that attacks the skin and bones, it becomes an excellent metaphor for the lack of faith and vain trust in self and its effects on the soul. One horrible aftermath of leprosy was the exclusion of the sufferer to the rest of the community. They became outcasts and wholly rejected. So, too, with the seeds of sin and death that undermine a true and loving attachment to the Lord, we become outsiders to life and seemingly never able to be part of the community again. This is where the touch of Christ means everything. He wants us close to Him; He desires our reunion with the Church and the community of believers. He truly wants us closer to Him than we are to ourselves. We must die to pride so we can live again. St. Paul says it best: “If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we persevere, we shall also reign with him.”
“Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.” Perhaps there is no other depiction from anywhere in the Bible that illustrates and highlights the depth of a mean-spirited lack of faith that produces ingratitude. What a painful experience to be on the receiving end of such selfish, egotistical behavior. Have you ever wondered what causes that? The current level of detachment in our society could be a clue. We seem to be facing reality through a screen of some sort: iPhones, laptops, iPads, computers, television, etc., all train us to take an almost inhuman step away from reality so as not to become too immersed with any real internal and integrated approach to life, you know, the way Jesus approached everyone in the Scriptures and how he deals with you and me right here, right now.
Let us consider some ways to learn how to be faithful and grateful:
*Take your focus off of yourself and consider the people God has placed around you (we need each other)
*Count your blessings from God (you will be amazed)
*Accept your emotional state: Feel-Deal-Heal
*Welcome time alone as precious for growth with Jesus, who did the same
*Avoid comparing your life to others: you never really know what goes on behind the smiles
*Shake the Green Monsters: envy and jealousy (open wounds of insecurity)
*Fight the desire to isolate and seclude yourself from others (wounds just fester)
*Avoid negative voices and situations (misery loves company)
The truth about water is both obvious and critical because it is absolutely fundamental to lasting health, peace of mind, and survival. Our bodies are about 60% water, and without it, a person will die within just a few days. Perhaps water is also an important aspect of our spiritual lives while we examine the beautiful readings that are given to us on this Sunday: “Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink.” However, this Scriptural lesson cannot be concerned with just the nutritional aspects of water. The clear connection is with Baptism and the new life that is promised in the Old Testament and then fulfilled by Jesus, with whom we travel these days of Lent.
“A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.” Just as the human body actually pangs and thirsts for water, the soul also desires fulfillment and complete nourishment that can only be satisfied and found in the Lord Jesus. The remarkable aspect of the scene at the well is that Jesus asks for a drink. What could that possibly signify? Jesus thirsts for the faith of the woman at the well and He is thirsting for you and me to make a commitment to Him and be completely nourished with His presence and His love. The truth is simple: without Jesus, we will die; with Him, we will constantly be refreshed in His great love. This is the truth about water.
Spend this beautiful Sabbath asking God for the diving gift of Wisdom, and then see if you can spot instances and opportunities where it made its awesome appearance.
Leave a comment“Like water in the desert is Wisdom to the soul.” Edward Counsel
“Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance.” It would be more than just a simple sadness if we found ourselves finishing another great Season of Lent and were not in possession with just a little more desire and ease when confronted with the need and call to forgive. And yet, if we were to speak realistically, the lack of ability may equal the lack of desire to even approach any semblance of forgiving someone and letting everything go especially when there is a deep and lasting wound or infraction that is at stake. Why do you think some people will not forgive, at least not yet? Here are just a couple: Some will not forgive another because they want more proof of repentance; others because they are still carrying another hurt from their not-to-distant past, and we may have just opened a scab, the proverbial “old wound.” However, there is a deeper and inherent reason why some refuse to forgive, and it is simple: they have lost the true and essential truth of what Jesus has accomplished for them and for all of us. Redemption!
In an obviously sincere and hopeful attempt to avoid any unnecessary sadness for us today, the Scriptures provide us with an even better reason to continue to work toward a forgiving heart and a life dedicated to the mercy of our loving Father. And this is wonderfully found in such a delightful and poignant detail that is found wedged gently within the phrases of the parable that Christ presents to us in the Gospel: “So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him and was filled with compassion.” Could you picture this? The prodigal son has left everything that was important to him and all the people who loved him. The pain caused to his father must have been horrible but even with this hurt, this holy parent still waited outside for his son to return home and then ran to accept him back into his arms. This is God who always is poised to forgive and love. This wondrous love is enough to bring us to forgive everyone who has ever caused us pain. The Psalm gives us the words for the prayer that will lead us to lasting joy: “He pardons all your iniquities, he heals all your ills. He redeems your life from destruction, he crowns you with kindness and compassion.”
Leave a comment“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable in others because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” C.S. Lewis
We have noted many times in our Reflections that more than a few Old Testament accounts of people and events tell of a foreshadowing of that which is yet to come. For example, Moses told the Jewish people of another Law-Giver, like him, who would come later and who would require the people’s total allegiance and obedience; the Psalms describe the experiences of David, yet they also speak of David’s Greater Son, the Messiah. In our First Reading of today, We heard of Joseph, son of Israel, who was deeply loved and cherished by his father but who would also face awful rejection: “When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons, they hated him so much that they would not even greet him.” The Scriptural lesson for us today is that for centuries humanity had been waiting for the Messiah, the Landowner of Heaven and Earth, and still many rejected Him. That, unfortunately, goes on today in our time as was described dramatically in the timely threat that if we cannot produce good fruit with what we have been given, someone else will: “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”
We clearly have been given a vineyard and a charge: You have a life now; use it wisely and carefully. This means, among many other things, that our very demeanor and actions, especially around our families and friends, and co-workers alike must, in fact, radiate the fact that we do believe that Jesus is the Long-Awaited Messiah and that “I have in fact accepted Him here and now.”
Every day, especially in these wondrous days of the Lenten journey, you and I have wondrous and numerous opportunities to accomplish this. One of the best ways is through forgiveness whenever possible and necessary. Even for our friends. Especially for our friends. The sad turn of events in the parable that Jesus uses to continue to get through to the chief priests, scribes, and elders is one of rejection. The truth is, we make literally hundreds of choices every day we walk on this planet, from what we will eat and not eat to whom we will call or not. The wisdom here is found in what to reject and what not to reject. “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?”
Leave a comment“When we are faithful to simply show up with hands willing to work, we can watch in wonder as God brings forth fruit from our humble efforts.” Eryn Lynum
The pages of all the Scriptures literally shout out with warnings and desperate pleas concerning neglect for the poor and hungry in our world. This seems also to be a theme that has never been applied to just one culture or time period but for all of humanity in every age. The words of the Prophet Jeremiah are as fierce as they are clear about the pride and selfishness that produces this kind of woeful abandonment of the most vulnerable around us: “Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the LORD.”
The Gospel today makes even a stronger case for realizing our responsibilities for the poor and neglected in this world and the serious consequences that await those who live very selfishly and even hatefully while they walk the earth with the many blessings abounding. “My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad.” The rich man in our passage literally had to walk over Lazarus who was literally covered with sores and longed to eat scraps that fell from the opulent table of the palace in front of which he was begging. This is a powerful Lenten lesson for each and every one of us. Let us all carefully look around our lives to make sure we are not “walking over” people who need us. Negligence is a terrible thing that brings much worse than sores and scraps for those who remain blind.
Leave a comment“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.” St. Augustine
Today, we joyfully celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph, the Father of Jesus, and another excellent installment of our Lenten journey as we continually get closer and closer to Holy Week and the glorious Feast of Easter. St. Joseph is the Patron of the Church, of all fathers, and of a happy death. How can all these three essential elements of life be brought together for our spiritual benefit to undergo the great mysteries of Easter waiting for us at the end of these forty days? As always, we return to the precious Word of God beginning with our First Reading: “I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me,” and from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans: “I have made you father of many nations.” It is clear that the Lord God wished not only to shepherd us through this valley of tears but also to show us a father’s love and guidance just as He bestowed upon His only begotten Son with the awesome figure of Joseph, husband of Mary. Imagine the interaction and parenting that was occurring in the first years of the human formation of the Savior of the world. The Gospel also deepens this desire for loving obedience for us all through Jesus: “When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.”
What is also remarkably profound about today’s Feast and the Patron Saint of the Church, the Body of Christ, is the lesson of true and unrelenting obedience to the will of God the Father and the acceptance of what lies ahead in our spiritual lives. St. Joseph accepted everything no matter how difficult or mysterious in his vocation and helped raise and protect Jesus the Messiah, true God, and true Man. While it is true that there is no objective magic formula for success, there is an unconditional acceptance of God’s gift of life to us and all that it brings. This he lived even unto his death, premature by some estimates. This is why St. Joseph is the Patron of a happy death because the last face he saw on earth was the first he saw in Heaven. May it be the same for us!
Leave a comment“Go, then to Joseph, and do all that he shall say to you;
Go to Joseph, and obey him as Jesus and Mary obeyed him;
Go to Joseph, and speak to him as they spoke to him;
Go to Joseph, and consult him as they consulted him;
Go to Joseph, and honor him as they honored him;
Go to Joseph, and be grateful to him as they were grateful to him;
Go to Joseph, and love him, as they love him still.”St. Alphonsus Liguori
“Come now, let us set things right, says the LORD: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow.” From time to time we come across words that are very similar sounding but quite different in meaning. Such may be the case with the difference between being humiliated and being humbled. Humiliation is the act of being embarrassed or even an act of self-hatred self-loathing. Humility is the understanding or will to accept oneself in love and truth. Although these two are easily and often confused, they are vastly different. They are almost polar opposites in the light of the Readings for us today. God will never humiliate us out of a sense of evil hatred, but there are moments that certainly humble us. The great news today is that He always wishes to raise us up and strengthen us in His great love for reach and every one of us.
In the Gospel today, Jesus makes this point very clear and even with greater promises ahead: “…for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” This means that no matter what happens to us, if we stay close to the Lord especially in these days of Lenten journey, we may, for a time, feel low and deprived of attachments that have been detrimental to our spiritual progress, but the great promise of Easter is ours for eternity. A person who seeks to humiliate serves the darkness; a humble person walks in light because they serve the truth. This is our Lenten goal: to be a person of light and truth!
Leave a comment“The greatest friend of truth is Time, her greatest enemy is Prejudice, and her constant companion is Humility.” Charles Caleb Colton
It may take the death of someone very dear to us or some horrendous tragedy or life-altering disappointment to finally take us to the brink of existence to realize that we truly belong to God. Some of us have been blessed from the beginning with a child-like and total trust in God, but for many of us, it seems as if we have to grow gradually into that space where we know without a doubt that 1. God exists, 2. He made me, and 3. I can trust my entire life to Him. Daniel of our First Reading was one of those totally trusting God-fearing individuals. Yet, he was also ready to beg forgiveness for straying from the fold: “But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness! Yet we rebelled against you and paid no heed to your command, O LORD, our God, to live by the law you gave us through your servants, the prophets.” The two apparently opposing attitudes are actually quite linked in the depths of love and mercy a person who loves God completely understands. Love and mercy are essential elements of a holy, happy, and healthy life in Christ.
No one can claim seriously that they are “self-made.” That simply is not possible. We did not create ourselves as much as some might insist. Precisely because God created and designed and loved us all into existence means that we belong to Him. We can trust that. “Stop judging, and you will not be judged. Stop condemning, and you will not be condemned, …For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” When one trusts the Lord with everything they have, acknowledges their sinfulness and failings before the Lord, they are much less ready to judge and short-change the people around them. Thus, the same standards we apply to others will indeed be applied to us, one way or another, sooner or later. Since we deeply and fundamentally belong to God, then we have an even stronger and more compelling reason to get along with each other and practice what we preach. Since ALL have been created by God, then ALL have equal dignity, and the more we can recognize that quality in everyone, even if they themselves do not see it, the closer we come to fulfilling the destiny God has invited us to follow.
Let us remember how remarkably patient God is with you, how can you show your gratitude by being patient with others today?
Leave a comment“The more you know yourself, the more patience you have for what you see in others.” Erik Erikson
“He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.” Do you realize that you and I have been placed on this earth for a specific reason and purpose? Every day becomes an opportunity to strive and realize that reality, especially when things look dark and bleak. If I have a purpose in life, and I do, then everything that is happening around me today is either a part of that reality and I should stay focused on its messages and lessons, or it is keeping me from my purpose and direction and therefore I should move on and as quickly as possible. This is certainly one very important way we can understand transformation and transfiguration from the hands of Christ, who leads through this Lenten Season. “Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white.” Jesus becomes transfigured to prepare the disciples and all of us for His Resurrection, which in turn prepares us for our Resurrection, our ultimate transfiguration. This complete transformative moment when we see Jesus as He exists in total glory in Heaven is both an inspiration and goal while we walk and continue our spiritual journeys. We must find in this vision of glory the real hope of true happiness in this world to make a suitable place in our souls and hearts for the message of the Gospel of Jesus.
The most unhappy people in the world have made it their life’s mission to make as many people around them as miserable as they are with every ounce of strength they can muster. Surely, this can’t be news to us. Remember, only wounded people wound people. Our best stories will come from our struggles. The seeds of our successes are in our failures. Keep standing. Seasons change. There is no such thing as a storm that lasts forever. On this Second Sunday of Lent, let us all ask God to help each and every one of us continue to uncover and discover our purpose in this great adventure we call life. He proclaimed as much today in the Gospel: “From the shining cloud the Father’s voice is heard: This is my beloved Son, hear him.”
As we move forward in Lent, remember the promise of this time is a better life, a more sane and healthy way of living. Keep this in mind. We were not made for comfort—we were made for greatness.
Leave a comment“I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness; I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us, too. I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more.” Anne Frank
“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Once again, Jesus, the New Moses and Lawgiver, transforms our way of life by exacting upon us which some believe is virtually impossible. However, it is not impossible. In the First Reading, Moses reminds us of the ultimate source of all power in this universe, who is the ultimate judge and dispenser of all justice. “This day, the LORD, your God, commands you to observe these statutes and decrees. Be careful, then, to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.” The act of forgiveness and exuding mercy does so much for the heart that displays such intentions that it becomes clear that when the Lord asks us to forgive our enemies, He really and truly wants the best for our souls so that they be freed of any hatred and the scourge of evil.
“For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers and sisters only, what is unusual about that?” Our world is definitely filled with people who have been hurt, mocked, and humiliated. This would explain why it’s easy to see how hurting people hurt people. As Christians, we are charged to remember that all people carry wounds, whether they were self-inflicted or not. We all suffer in one way or another and what we truly need is patience and love rather than judgment.
Leave a comment“Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” Abraham Lincoln
Let us begin by reviewing the Scriptures of today: “If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just, he shall surely live, he shall not die.” Have I truly repented of all evil and malice and selfishness in my life in light of the great call to fasting and penance? “I trust in the LORD; my soul trusts in his word. My soul waits for the LORD more than sentinels wait for the dawn.” Have I truly trusted the Lord Jesus with all my heart and soul and thus experienced peace and calm even through heavy decisions and life demands? “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.” Have I been obedient without grumbling or complaining, especially when it was hard to do so?
“Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the LORD, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.” Perhaps we could make a commitment to recall on a daily basis the great sacrifice Jesus made for each one of us and how that one single event has to make a difference in the way I act, especially with my family and those around me. This deep and meaningful shift within us toward the Messiah can determine the kindness, faithful and hopeful living that needs to be seen in all of us who are Easter people purified, as it were, in these absolutely necessary days of cleansing and renewal.
Leave a comment“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves.” Julius Caesar, (I, ii, 140-141)
“Queen Esther seized with mortal anguish, had recourse to the LORD… Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you, O LORD, my God.” Our Scriptures open today with a dramatic scene in the life of Queen Esther, a most remarkable Biblical figure in the Old Testament, who, at a serious moment in her life, had only the recourse to serious and complete self-emptying prayer that would move anyone to tears. This becomes a great image for us to factor in the way we lift our prayers to God. Do we just rattle off words? Do we think about what we are saying? Does the level of faith reach deep within our souls? Queen Esther would certainly answer easily.
“For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Prayer is the life of the new heart (CCC 2697). Christians throughout the centuries have maintained three main expressions of prayer: Vocal, Meditation, and Contemplation. Together, they make a phenomenal path to peace and holiness, not to mention sanity. Vocal: We are body and spirit so it is important to express our spiritually feelings outwardly [we speak] Meditation: The mind searches to understand what God is saying [we think, imagine, desire and feel] Contemplation: “We are alone with the One who loves us.” [God speaks, we listen and experience] The one who asks through vocal prayer, receives; the one who seeks through meditation, finds; and the one who knocks at the door of contemplation, can change the world one soul at a time.
Leave a comment“In the confrontation between water and the rock, the water always wins. Not through strength but through persistence.” H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
One thing is very clear and actually demanded from the one who hears the call of discipleship to follow Jesus and wishes to answer it: it will always involve a leap of faith, an extra helping of courage, and a sometimes small, sometimes monumental act of courage. Such was the case of Jonah of, which we heard in our First Reading after he was first charged to warn and issue an apocalyptic message to the Ninevites: “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed.” This was no easy task, and neither was the awesome, even unexpected outcome: “When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.” What a relief that must have been! In front of this all-encompassing mercy of God that marvels as well as redeems, we can understand and agree with the Psalmist who is so insistent with the only recourse we have when we have made that tumultuous leap of complete trust: “A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.”
The benefits of this leap of faith are then made crystal clear and even more desirable in the Gospel today, which readdresses the nature of Jonah’s mission and our own hopes for a successful Lenten Season. Jesus is the last installment of any hope to return to the most excellent existence that could only possibly be had in Heaven; our life here on earth, much like these forty days of Lent preparing us for Easter, is like an “extended Lent” bringing us to new heights and clarity so that we may continue onward.
Perhaps we could agree with a statement that was posted in a church lobby some years ago:
“When God pushes you to the edge of difficulty, trust Him fully because two things will happen. Either He will catch you when you fall or He will teach you how to fly.”
As we continue our journey through Lent, and we prepare for yet another wonderful installment of grace and direction, we are served with the timeless and excellent anthem for our spiritual journey in the words of the Lord’s Prayer, known to most of the world as the “Our Father” prayer. The Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it brilliantly as it teaches that The Lord’s Prayer is truly the summary of the whole gospel. Since the Lord . . . after handing over the practice of prayer, said elsewhere, ‘Ask and you will receive,’ and since everyone has petitions which are peculiar to his circumstances, the regular and appropriate prayer [the Lord’s Prayer] is said first, as the foundation of further desires. (2761)
“Our Father who art in heaven” We acknowledge we are His children.
“hallowed be thy name” We acknowledge the power in His name.
“thy Kingdom come” We acknowledge and desire His Kingdom.
“thy will be done” We desire to follow God.
“on earth as it is in heaven.” We realize there is this life and the next.
“Give us this day our daily bread,” We ask for all of our needs.
“and forgive us our trespasses,” We beg forgiveness.
“as we forgive those who trespass against us.” We pledge forgiveness.
“and lead us not into temptation,” We ask for courage and strength.
“but deliver us from evil.” We ask for protection from the devil.
Sometime today, even late this evening, when all is said and done, reflect slowly on the words of this incredible gift of a prayer and allow the Lord Jesus to hold you safe within his most Sacred Heart.
Leave a comment“Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israel and tell them: Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.” Perhaps every Lent, we forget that one of the more profound reasons for this time is to become holy. Sometimes, because of unfounded negative voices in our lives, the idea that I might be a holy man or woman seems absurd, and yet, we must strive for this state if we ever hope to enter Heaven after our earthly pilgrimage is over. So my friends, one day it will indeed be our last reflection, our final use of our intellect on this planet, and the final moment to use the time we have been given to discover our purpose in this life and to uncover the courage necessary to meet the challenges we daily face.
What will they write upon your tombstone or grave marker? How will people remember you? How do you remember the people you have loved and missed and cared for? The Gospel today gives us the most impeccable clue. “And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.'” We will be remembered based on all the times we sought and found the face of Jesus in the lives in which we were situated, especially the people we did not always see eye to eye or get along with. When did we ever turn and actually see Christ in our midst? It happened every day we got up from sleep and began our day!
Leave a comment“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
“The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan.” On this First Sunday of Lent, we are alerted to the core reason for our journey these days. Jesus was in the desert for a very specific and wonderful reason: He is showing us how to live and how to face the temptations of this life. He was strengthened by his fasting and supported by His very love for you and me. The famous temptations of Christ could be saddled in the categories that should be more than familiar to us: passion, power, and position. These passing commodities in this life can actually aid our demise if we are not careful and lose our focus on the things that really matter in this life, which always outlive and outlast our existence here and pass into the next life.
“When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us, imposing hard labor upon us, we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and he heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.” In our First Reading, Moses relates that beautiful chapter of our Salvation when the Chosen People were subjected to the physical and mental weight of slavery. The Lord heard their cry and was given yet another chance to find salvation and hope in this life. This “second chance” involves our entrance into the mystical Body of Christ which also has prepared us not only for the forty days of Lent but all the days we have left on this planet. The Church protects all within Her through the waters of Baptism that put an end to the reign of sin and death around us and assures our arrival to the Promised Land of Heaven. As we continue this great and marvelous time of renewal, we call upon the Spirit of God who led Jesus into the desert, who helps us maintain our Lenten focus, and who inspires us with love and forgiveness now and forever.
Leave a comment“Lent stimulates us to let the Word of God penetrate our life and in this way to know the fundamental truth: who we are, where we come from, where we must go, and what path we must take in life.” Pope Benedict XVI
“If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; Then light shall rise for you in the darkness.” There are many among us who swear by the deep, internal cleansing and detoxifying process whereby the poisons and noxious substances are purged from the bloodstream. And while this is neither the time or place to have an intelligent conversation about these purported benefits, it is safe to say that there is a deep and beneficial connection to Lent and our spiritual lives. Using another medical analogy, sin, and selfishness can creep into our lives like plaque upon our gumlines. Fasting, like floss, seeks to go deep and eradicate the hidden filth that seems to accumulate without our realizing it. While our First Reading truly addresses our speech and our attitude toward the poor in our lives, the Psalm opens the heart to listen carefully in prayer to the promptings and inspiration from the Holy Spirit: “Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.”
“Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.” Another crucial part of a successful Lenten journey is humility and honesty. Many have to come to understand that we are only as sick as our secrets, which basically means that a secret which is kept in the dark usually grows and festers and ultimately destroys a person. The good news is that once it is exposed to light and released, all its ugly power is gone. People who are so proud and who refuse to admit that there are issues and areas that are in need of Lenten cleansing open this lack of self-knowledge to growing negativity and self-loathing while keeping them sick and trapped in sinful behavior. The awesome truth about Lent is this: we are sick, and we need Jesus. Now, the battle is more than half-won. Let us pray:
Lord Jesus, hear me pray, walk into my soul, and cleanse me with Your Love. I am yours. I can hide nothing from you. Help me be honest with myself so I may find your Truth. Amen.
Leave a comment“The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” We have now arrived at the First Friday of Lent where we are reminded of that particular Friday when Jesus gave us His entire being on the cross for our salvation and eternal happiness. We are also reminded of the call to fast and go without to strengthen our resolve and our wish to be holy and ever so close to the Lord. Here we can visualize and follow the radical connection between the paths of Lent by which we are made wondrously ready for Easter.
“Why do we fast, and you do not see it? afflict ourselves, and you take no note of it?” Fasting assists our prayer life by helping us focus on the things in life that really matter, starting with our relationship with God and spreading into our dealings with one another. This supports our prayer life which in turn feeds our desire to do good and avoid the near temptation of sin that we may grow in holiness and deep and lasting friendships in this life. What we know by now is certain: we cannot do this alone, and we need Jesus and each other to make or break this Lent.
Leave a comment“Only in eternity shall we see the beauty of the soul, and only then shall we realize what great things were accomplished by interior suffering.” Mother Angelica
Board Member
Everyone needs to have a Ray “Redfish” for a friend or at least to meet one like him before you leave the planet. He has never been known to interrupt a single person, say an unkind thing, although he did come close during the last Dallas Cowboy game, or leave any food on his plate. Ray wants to live in a world where Jesus is Lord, life is sacred, and blessings never end.
Board Member
Grateful for an amazing group of friends and a life that has been blessed and enriched by so many, Andrea brings a deep joy and dedication to the mission of CityOfAgape. She is detail-oriented and uses her experience and foresight to proactively address the needs of those around her. When you speak with Andrea, you feel like you’re the only one in the room.
Board Member
Father David comes from the land of Iowa where you can get sunburn and frostbite all in the same week. He has the mind of an architect and the soul of a musician. Father David has given his heart to Jesus and truly lives in the Kingdom. An accomplished guitarist, drummer, phenomenal preacher, he has the voice of a baritone angel. His prayers are powerful and his humor, well… it’s Iowan.
Secretary/Treasurer
Every day, for nine months, an intermittent light rain falls in Seattle, Washington. Those days are brightened by the warm smile and hopeful outlook on life that Angelyn brings to every encounter. Her financial expertise and engaging conversation has ensured great things ahead for CityOfAgape. Her life is filled with a constant welcome that is focused and friendly.
President
Jacqueline’s life epitomizes hard work, creative service and complete dedication, not only to CityOfAgape, but also to her husband, Joshua, and her beautiful children. Her smile, even when things are difficult, is refreshing and comforting. In most currently used English dictionaries, under the word “energy,” you will find Jacqueline’s picture.
Secretary/Treasurer
Janice is not only meticulous in reviewing records and requests for Scriptures, but her eyes well-up with joyful tears when you ask her about all the letters she has received from the thousands of Bible recipients over the years. She loves gardening and listening to the earth; her life is like a long stroll through an intriguing and engaging nature center.
Board Member
Father James’ priestly service has taken him to four different countries, many parish settings, and in contact with more friends that rivals most politicians. One of his favorite quotes is by G.K. Chesterton, “Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair.” If there are sounds of a lively discussion, mixed with hearty laughter and the aroma of a good cigar, Father James can’t be too far way.
Founder and President Emeritus
The minute John walks through the door, your IQ goes up. He embodies the remarkable talent of grasping the bigger picture while juggling multiple points of view, in a world where many are very one-sided. Always happy, even when he is sad, John is ready to challenge and comfort all in the same breath. Where some only see problems, John sees the bright promise of tomorrow. His inspiration and memory will outlast his years on earth. John always says, “there are always miracles where there is great love.”