One day in the Jubilee Year 2000, a young and very curious 5-year-old son of a very busy and dedicated Mom approached her just days before the Great Holiday of Christmas and asked, “What does Jesus get for His birthday?” That one very honest and simple question launched years of joy-giving traditions with this particular family that turned wish lists into giving lists, love packages of baked goods for lonely neighbors, and looking through special catalogs to purchase food and much-needed items for poor children all across the globe. Can you just stop for a minute and try to imagine the kind of adult that little boy has become today? Yes, you can: “I give you praise, Father, Lord of Heaven and earthy, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to the childlike.”
This Advent time invites us all to accomplish many fine things. Among them, we can make a list of all the blessings we have received and not a list of all the things we want or even need. There is also the pull upon all our hearts to spend more time in silence and then listen intensely. We can share our faith in ways that we never thought possible. This would be the voice of hope and comfort for those around us whom we would never have imagined: “Behold, our Lord shall come with power; he will enlighten the eyes of his servants.”
Leave a comment“The spirit of Christmas is the spirit of love and of, generosity, and of goodness. It illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than in things.” Thomas S. Monson
There is something quite marvelous that has happened every Christmas Eve in Finland since the early 14th century: it is simply known as the “Declaration of Peace.” It is accompanied by all kinds of musical instruments, including drums, choral singing, and even symphonic strings. What is it? It is basically a highly anticipated announcement made in the old capital of Turku that attests and demands everyone to act with peace and love during the Christmas Season.
Here is the actual text: “Tomorrow, God willing, is the graceful celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior; and thus is declared a peaceful Christmas time to all, by advising devotion and to behave otherwise quietly and peacefully, because he who breaks this peace and violates the peace of Christmas by any illegal or improper behavior shall under aggravating circumstances be guilty and punished according to what the law and statutes prescribe for each and every offense separately. Finally, a joyous Christmas feast is wished to all inhabitants of the city.”
This Declaration helps us understand and work for the meanings found in our Readings today: “On that day, The branch of the LORD will be luster and glory, and the fruit of the earth will be honor and splendor for the survivors of Israel,” and in the Responsorial Psalm: “Because of my relatives and friends I will say, ‘Peace be within you!'” The great Season of Advent attempts the same as the Finnish Declaration: we are called to people of peace and comfort for each other and we are to be people of faith and hope that call upon the name of Christ in every situation. “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word, and my servant will be healed.”
Leave a comment“Peace on earth will come to stay when we live Christmas every day.” Helen Steiner Rice
Brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus! We are here again at yet another installment of this adventure we call life, sandwiched between the two memory-seeking holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Although those super-technically astute would not agree, time is about to move faster and faster right about now. This we know from previous experiences of these days that are so filled with grace and opportunities for growth that there could be a time when time itself stands still. This is now the Advent Season, which has its own character and texture, and if we understand it and move forward with it, we not only stand to have an awesome Christmas but also an amazing year and life ahead. What do the Scriptures beckon us to accomplish?
“Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” Have you ever climbed anything really tall and overwhelming? There are several aspects of such a feat that are also applicable to our reflection. You’ve got to prepare, you must know the terrain, and you must decide that you are going to finish. During this spiritual season of Advent, our whole focus in on preparation, preparing to prepare, as it were. We are getting ready for yet another Christmas but it cannot be the same old same old. Our hearts must be open to wonderful moments of grace and beauty, and yes, joy as we await these beautiful celebrations.
“Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day.” Have you ever noticed how our lives can be divided into the two segments of our 24-hour existence daily? Light and darkness. The Scriptures are clearly referring to good deeds and evil deeds of which temptations constantly surround our day-to-day living. It appears we are going to have to make choices all day and all night long. It is precisely in these choices that we will find the recipe for deep happiness or disaster. And thank God we will have the Scriptures to guide us through these moments leading up to the great experience of Christmas.
“So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Carry on with our eyes wide open and ready for anything. In many ways, Advent is like a dress rehearsal for our last breath before seeing God face-to-face. Just think about the image for just a second. Christmas is the First Coming of Christ. The Second Coming will arrive when our time on this planet is finished. Will we be sad or worried? If we approach Christmas with the joy and love of a child’s heart, then we can hope to face our own death in the same way.
Leave a comment“The problem is solved. Now go and utterly enjoy all remaining days. Not only is it “Always Advent,” but every day can now be Christmas because the one we thought we were just waiting for has come once and for all.” Richard Rohr
Brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus! We are here again at yet another installment of this adventure we call life, sandwiched between the two memory-seeking holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Although those super-technically astute would not agree, time is about to move faster and faster right about now. This we know from previous experiences of these days that are so filled with grace and opportunities for growth that there could be a time where time itself stands still. This is now the Advent Season, which has its own character and texture, and if we understand it and move forward with it, we not only stand to have an awesome Christmas but also an amazing year and life ahead. What do the Scriptures beckon us to accomplish?
“In those days Judah shall be safe, and Jerusalem shall dwell secure.” Have you ever climbed anything really tall and overwhelming? There are several aspects of such a feat that are also applicable to our reflection. You’ve got to prepare, you must know the terrain, and you must decide that you are going to finish. During this spiritual season of Advent, our whole focus is on preparation, preparing to prepare, as it were. We are getting ready for yet another Christmas but it cannot be the same old same old. Our hearts must be open to wonderful moments of grace and beauty, and yes, joy as we await these beautiful celebrations.
“…how you should conduct yourselves to please God, and as you are conducting yourselves, you do so even more.” Have you ever noticed how our lives can be divided into the two segments of our 24-hour existence daily? Light and darkness. The Scriptures are clearly referring to good deeds and evil deeds of which temptations constantly surround our day-to-day living. It appears we are going to have to make choices all day and all night long. It is precisely in these choices where we will find the recipe for deep happiness or disaster. And thank God we will have the Scriptures to guide us through these moments leading up to the great experience of Christmas.
“Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.” Carry on with our eyes wide open and ready for anything. In many ways, Advent is like a dress rehearsal for our last breath before seeing God face-to-face. Just think about the image for just a second. Christmas is the First Coming of Christ. The Second Coming will arrive when our time on this planet is finished. Will we be sad or worried? If we approach Christmas with the joy and love of a child’s heart, then we can hope to face our own death in the same way.
Leave a comment“The Lord is coming, always coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord.” Henri Nouwen
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Apart from being so close to the water and thus positioned by the Sea of Galilee, there must be other more powerful reasons why Jesus called Fishermen to follow Him and why fishing has become a very important image for all of us in discipleship. What do fishing and living a Christian life have in common? Here are some possibilities:
You’ve got to be prepared. “For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.” (First Reading)
You’ve got to get up early. “At once they left their nets and followed him.” (Gospel)
You’ve got to be quiet. “The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul.” (Psalm)
You’ve got to wait. “Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.” (First Reading)
You’ve got to be persistent and determined. “The command of the LORD is clear enlightening the eye.” (Psalm)
You’ve got to practice and enjoy the process. “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!” (First Reading)
Let us conclude our Reflection today with the brilliant prayer of St. Andrew, whose feast is today:
O glorious St. Andrew, you were the first to recognize and follow the Lamb of God. With your friend, St. John, you remained with Jesus for that first day, for your entire life, and now throughout eternity. As you led your brother, St. Peter, to Christ and many others after him, draw us also to Him. Teach us to lead others to Christ solely out of love for Him and dedication in His service. Help us to learn the lesson of the Cross and to carry our daily crosses without complaint so that they may carry us to Jesus. Amen.
Leave a comment“I, John, saw an angel come down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the abyss and a heavy chain.” Here, we are treated to John’s vision of how it will all end. While it is also painted in a mega-dramatic fashion, and amidst the clamor and uproar of the background scene, the hope of Jesus is shown through the chaos for all to welcome or fear, depending on the disposition and readiness.
“Jesus told his disciples a parable. ‘Consider the fig tree and all the other trees. When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near; in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near.” In the Gospel of today, a different kind of imagery takes shape. This time, it is the fig tree, which is quite obvious in its appearance when it is ready to burst out with fruit for those patiently waiting.
So you must see the pattern: amidst the chaos, there are those who patiently wait for fulfillment, and they are not disappointed. It all depends on which chaos you choose and how much patience you can muster. The time to prepare is now. Let us resolve to take stock in our lives and see what is important and what is not. Jesus is coming!
Leave a comment“In the never-ending battle between order and chaos, clutter sides with chaos every time. Anything that you possess that does not add to your life or your happiness eventually becomes a burden.” John Robbins
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a tin can at his feet. He emptied it to see if he had enough to buy some food for dinner. There was a sign next to him which said: I am blind, please help. There were only a few coins in there. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the can. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the can began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon, the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?” The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.” I wrote: “Today is a beautiful day, but I cannot see it.”
Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were blessed that they were not blind. Their generosity increased exponentially as their gratitude grew within their hearts.
Our First Reading today gives us this inspiring thought: “Who fosters people’s growth from their mother’s womb and fashions them according to his will!” What we can learn from this passage is the power and crucial place that God’s will has in the life of the Christian. His will that takes precedence over everything and everyone. Psalm 145 reiterates this for us: “They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty and tell of your wondrous works.” With this in mind, we can certainly trust that whatever He does—and whatever He allows—to be perfect, albeit in a strange, mysterious way. The Portuguese have this wonderful saying, “Deus escreve direito por linhas tortas,” which basically translates as “God writes straight with crooked lines.” I’ve also heard it expressed like this: “Not everything that looks good at first is actually good, and likewise, not every seemingly bad thing turns out that way.” The Second Reading underscores that rich idea when it assures us, “He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Gospel certainly reminds us that there are still so many ungrateful people in the world that make it very hard for us to fully understand and experience what it means to live freely with God’s amazing grace. God does not need for us to say “thank you.” We do. If we are not grateful, we will stop appreciating all that is around us and when that happens, we begin a path along the road of total destruction. Maybe it is because, for some people, life has been hard and disappointing. For these, the great mercy and generous heart of God our Father must be sought and found constantly. Terrible, bad, even horribly tragic and disappointing things will happen to us, but that does not mean it’s the end of the world. A close friend of mine used to invest way too much of himself in relationships, and when they went sour, he thought his world was over. It was just the world he built, a delicate and unbalanced universe of wayward feelings and crushing emotions. He says today with confidence, “In the end, it’s all going to be OK, and if it’s not OK, it’s not the end.”
So Today, on Thanksgiving:
Be thankful for what you have.
Be creative. Be innovative.
Think differently and positively.
When life gives you 100 reasons to cry,
Show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile.
Face your past without regret.
Handle your present with confidence.
Prepare for the future without fear.
“Then I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire. On the sea of glass were standing those who had won the victory over the beast and its image and the number that signified its name.” The topic of perseverance is of extreme importance in our walk with God because, many times, our lives seem out of order, unorganized, and even chaotic. Bad and disappointing things happen, which may tempt us to believe that somehow the Lord has abandoned us, which is precisely why we constantly need to remember what marvels God has done and keeps on accomplishing. How do we translate this into our spiritual lives?
“By your perseverance, you will secure your lives.” Here are some examples: Keep your promises, especially if it takes more effort than anticipated; never betray a friend’s trust; avoid gossip; remain true to your friends and spouse; return money that you have found without expecting a reward; always know that Jesus is present when making any choices, big or small. These are but just a few and there will certainly be more revealed throughout the day. This is how the Lord would put it: “Remain faithful until death, And I will give you the crown of life.”
Leave a comment“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.” Mary Anne Radmacher
“So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and cut the earth’s vintage. He threw it into the great wine press of God’s fury.” After a quick review of human history, it seems as if there has been a long and protracted preoccupation with the idea of how a person’s life and the world will end. The end of the universe as we know it has been a fascination of all cultures and all peoples for a long time, including the Scriptures today: “Use your sickle and reap the harvest, for the time to reap has come, because the earth’s harvest is fully ripe.” In the Gospel, the worry about the last days was becoming neurotic: “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them!”
Imagine spending a pretty penny on a novel or movie only to be told as you began reading and/or watching how the plot would be resolved and who would die, survive, marry, get arrested, etc. You would probably be thinking: “Spoiler Alert!” Why did you bother spending money on this? That concept works with entertainment venues but it does not work with regards to our Salivation. “The Lord comes to judge the earth.” Jesus has already set the stage for our triumphant and glorious entry into Heaven, but we must take the necessary steps to get there. So this is what we know about the end of our world: a) it is going to happen, 2) it is going to happen when we least suspect, 3) there is no need for fear, just action: “Remain faithful until death, And I will give you the crown of life.”
Leave a comment“On their lips, no deceit has been found; they are unblemished.” You can always tell what sort of person you are meeting by the direction the conversation takes concerning what is important right now in life. For some people, there will be a new, certain relationship that takes precedence or a new home, job, or prized possession. Basically, we reveal to others who we are by what we believe is of top priority. How long does it take us to talk about anything spiritual when conversing with others? Now, this is decisively different than talking about religion or politics, subjects which in and of themselves do not have any real conclusions or winners, but it is the value of Heaven and eternal things we are the source of topics we are mentioning here. What is truly central and important should be very obvious to those who know me and also love me. That is because of Whom we have met the Lamb that was slain to set us free forever.
The same is true about what people do with their money. There is perhaps no other greater barometer of priorities than to assess what people believe is worth paying for or purchasing and to what extent. “When Jesus looked up, he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury, and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.” When the Lord saw what the poor widow was offering, He knew right away that it was the height of generosity, love, and faith. The good news for all of us today is Jesus can see right through the otherwise misleading and confusing appearances and what truly constitutes value. As we near the First Sunday of Advent, it is clear that we are called to take another look at our lives and see what we have been doing with them thus far. It is a necessary task and one that will bring great peace. “Stay awake! For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.”
Leave a commentThe older you get, the more you realize that life isn’t about the material things, or pride, or selfish ego. It is about hearts and who they beat for.
“When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out, and the tide of love rushes in.” Kristin Armstrong
CHRIST THE KING
“His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away; his kingship shall not be destroyed.” What a marvelous and glorious way to end the Church’s Calendar Year with the Feast of Christ the King! Next Sunday, we begin all over again with the First Sunday of Advent, but for now, let us finish a full year of faith and hopefully much spiritual growth since the last time we were at this “Movable Feast.” Why “movable”? Because in a very mysterious and providential way, we take this moment with us wherever we go, preparing one day to stand, as it were, face-to-face with Jesus when everything is said and done. “The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.” 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 on 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.
“Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” 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 the King in our midst? Every day, we got up from sleep and began our day!
Leave a comment“Want to keep Christ in Christmas? Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, forgive the guilty, welcome the unwanted, care for the ill, love your enemies, and do unto others as you would have done unto you.” Steve Maraboli
“Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war.” There are more than just a few people who have wondered what may sound to others to be unthinkable: is it possible that pursuing happiness is actually a cause of sour, distasteful unhappiness? Perhaps in all of Scripture, there can be found no more perfect of a focus group to highlight those who have fallen into a happiness trap than the sad group (no pun intended) in today’s Gospel Reading: “Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and put this question to him…” You see, the real clue here as to why these people are so miserable is because they do not hope for or believe in the Resurrection. How sad for the Sadducees! (pun intended)
“You are greatly misled.” This is definitely not a phrase you nor I would ever want to hear from Jesus which is why we are so richly blessed to have the Word nourish us today. The Resurrection of Christ is everything. Life would not be worth living if we did not realize that a much better eternal life was simply waiting for us when our time approaches. Today, lift your head and shake off any regrets or sadness that could lead you to take your focus off the great Miracle of the Resurrection of Jesus. Commit this phrase to memory as you may never know when you might need it for yourself or to share it with someone who needs it even more: “He is not God of the dead but of the living.”
Leave a comment“The more we try to avoid the basic reality that all human life involves pain, the more we are likely to struggle with that pain when it arises, thereby creating even more suffering.” Russ Harris
“Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” The entire wealth of the Holy Scriptures are replete with celebrations. Sacrifices, parties, and gatherings of all kinds literally strewn the panorama of scenes set before us to highlight the kind of activity that accompanies all the experiences that humanity provides as a result of following the Lord and living in His presence.
Such was the episode when the Incarnate Word of God, Jesus, steps into the Gospel with riveting action: “Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, ‘It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” For this and many other actions and confrontations documented throughout the Gospels, the elite class of religiosity and other power-enthused leaders wanted to put Christ to death but could not find the effective means or vehicle “because all the people were hanging on his words.”
As we near the great and vigilant Season of Advent, this sweet and sour serving of Scripture has all the potential of the world to prepare us for great things ahead. Realizing that well done is always better than well said, let us begin the gargantuan task of bringing both the attractiveness and inspirational nature of the Word of God and infuse it with good and effective deeds every day we are given. In this way, we will begin to understand Heaven as the celestial banquet and live lives of grateful service to one another.
“Sooner or later, everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.” Robert Louis Stevenson
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“If this day you only knew what makes for peace–but now it is hidden from your eyes.” Perhaps some among us have come across people in our lives who, as we might say, “just don’t get it.” We should point out quickly before time and comfort get the better of us, that we are most certainly in that very same category at least a few times in our lives. Why is it that the most profound answers and solutions to life’s most perplexing problems are right in front of us, and we don’t seem to notice? The answer to that may be found in the question that creeps upon us in the daily doses of Scripture of, which we also have today: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”
This apparent spiritual blindness was not just a simple, arbitrary aspect of human nature. It made Jesus cry. “How sad!” we might think, but let us be careful. Am I making Jesus cry right now as well? We would hope not because that would be an even sadder chapter of the fabric of our lives today. How could this be in a time when we want to be open and disposed to all that the Lord wants to give us and bestow upon us on a daily basis? The only explanation is the daily distraction of life that keeps us from thinking and praying about the things that really matter.
“You made them a kingdom and priests for our God, and they will reign on earth.” As we move closer to the end of the Liturgical Year, Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas, and dare we say it, yes, even our New Year, we can and must begin a review of our lives right here, right now.
Leave a comment“An unexamined life is not worth living, and an unexamined faith is not worth holding.” Ergun Caner
Our First Reading today is from one of the most intriguing books of the Bible, that of Revelation: “Worthy are you, Lord, our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things; because of your will they came to be and were created.” Have you ever wondered what those first few moments will be like when we walk into HEAVEN? It will simply be glorious, based on all we know about it from the Scriptures. We also know that we realize that we must develop a life of integrity so that we will be welcomed. What is integrity? Some have stated that it is the choice we make when confronted with paths of doing what is convenient or what is right. It is the manner in which Jesus lived and died and thus calls us to emulate: “I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.”
If the central theme of our Readings today is, in fact, integrity of life, then the Gospel makes perfect sense: “I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
The gift and presence of integrity in a person’s life gives true and lasting freedom. Why? Because if we live complete and honest lives we have nothing to fear because we have nothing to hide. Therefore, we are guided by such a strong inner principle that we move toward the right thing to do in every circumstance and every opportunity because there is no pathetic guilt to stand in the way. Selfish, weak, and dishonest folks lose what little self-respect they have just to get by and be liked. You see, “image” is what we want people to think of us and work hard to maintain; integrity is the real story. It is who we know we are before God.
Leave a comment“Be Impeccable With Your Word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.” Don Miguel Ruiz
There are two very stellar examples of faith and integrity we have today whose names are also very telling: John, in his famous Book of Revelation, the final chapter, the end of the Greatest Story ever told, starts us with this timely image: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me.” Zacchaeus so wanted to see Jesus that he climbed a tree to catch a glimpse and so much more. Let’s take a look at the invitation from Christ and the tree-climber’s response:
The Invitation of Jesus: “Zacchaeus (calls by name) come down quickly (there is urgency), for today (now in the present moment) I must stay at your house (upfront and personal).”
The Response of Zacchaeus: “And he came down quickly and received him with joy (fruit of the decision brings deep happiness). “When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, ‘He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.'” (there is always opposition.) “But Zacchaeus stood there (he faces the opposition in front of and with Jesus) and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.'” (Action follows commitment)
Both John and Zacchaeus men stood their ground with the Lord in their midst. Both men believed that their only long-term (eternal) happiness would depend on one simple decision to follow God. One was at the end of a long life of integrity, and the other was just beginning it. Jesus went home with Zacchaeus, while John, the youngest Apostle who never left Jesus’ side, went home to God.
Definitely a happy ending, wouldn’t you agree?
Leave a comment“Moreover, you have endurance and have suffered for my name, and you have not grown weary.” The First Reading calls out to us to realize that whenever we are faced with the devious temptations of this world, what is truly evil will attack and feed on and off of our feelings of being unloved, unimportant, or insecure. One of the most successful of the devil’s tactics is simple: everyone is doing this; why do you want to be left out? In these moments, we must remember to whom we belong. You see, the very price for our lives was paid by the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross, and that payment made all of us not only members of a club but actually and really living parts of the Body of Christ, each having our own individuality and strength, weakness and struggle. This is the great gift of the Church and every day we move closer and closer to the Heavenly City that awaits all the billions that have ever brought the precious name of Jesus to their lips.
“Lord, please let me see.” Daily, there is a deep call to renew, maintain, and nourish this belonging in a world that values selfishness, earthly possessions, and power. These unfortunate priorities create such misery and emptiness that even in some circles, from those who should know better, there are vicious attacks on the very source of beauty and healing that are celebrated, proclaimed, and lived in the Church. Resist the urge to settle, give in, go along, and participate with evil. On our own, we simply cannot do this. We need a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus, who understands every single aspect of our broken world and broken lives. “Have sight; your faith has saved you.”
One beautiful day, you will open your eyes and recognize that you have no fear or worries, just the pure vibration of love. Then you will see Jesus.
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“At that time, there shall arise, Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people; it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began until that time.” Here we are treated to John’s vision of the universe at battle with evil itself and the true nature of our spiritual life placed in dramatic fashion. So amidst the clamor and uproar of the background scene, the hope of Jesus is shown through the chaos for all to welcome or fear, depending on the disposition and readiness.
“Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near.” In the Gospel of today, a different kind of imagery takes shape. This time, it is the fig tree, which is quite obvious in its appearance when it is ready to burst out with fruit for those patiently waiting.
So you must see the pattern: amidst the chaos, there are those who patiently wait for fulfillment, and they are not disappointed. It all depends on which chaos you choose and how much patience you can muster. The time to prepare is now. Let us resolve to take stock in our lives and see what is important and what is not. Jesus is coming!
Leave a comment“In the never-ending battle between order and chaos, clutter sides with chaos every time. Anything that you possess that does not add to your life or your happiness eventually becomes a burden.” John Robbins
“Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says” I don’t know about you, but every time I hear someone tell me, “Pay attention!” I tend to stop what I’m doing and take special notice. The judge is being “pestered” by the widow to hear her complaint and do his job. Clearly, the judge is NOT God, and this is no ordinary widow. “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?”
You see, with the proper attentive reading of today’s word of God, we will come to realize that God is the one who “pesters” us to answer and act in this adventure we call life. “Will he be slow to answer them?” Clearly, God is always poised and ready to answer all of our prayers. “I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.”
“Please help them in a way worthy of God to continue their journey.” Time continues to move swiftly and almost surprisingly. They say that the older we get, the faster it goes. Pray for those who have asked you to pray for them. Ask God for your miracle. Don’t miss a single opportunity to spend some time with the Lord. Talk to God now. He can’t wait to hear from you.
Leave a comment“Many Christians have the mistaken notion that eternal life begins when they die. But that is not biblically accurate. Eternal life begins when we are born again into the Kingdom of God.”
David Jeremiah
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson went on a camping trip. After sharing a good meal and a bottle of fine French wine, they retire to their tent for the night. At about 3 AM, Holmes nudges Watson and asks, “Watson, look up into the sky and tell me what you see?” Watson said, “I see millions of stars.” Holmes asks, “And what does that tell you?” Watson replies, “Astronomically, it tells me there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, it tells me that it’s about 3 AM. Meteorologically, it tells me that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you, Holmes?” Holmes retorts, “Someone stole our tent.”
“Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh; such is the deceitful one and the antichrist. Look to yourselves that you do not lose what we worked for but may receive a full recompense.” Perhaps the most disturbing hurdles Christians face in following the Lord are distractions. They come in all shapes and sizes, from the most expected places to the most surprising. The issue here is how to spot the obvious signs and wonders which Jesus places right in front of our eyes.
When one follows another, the journey cannot be lonely because at least two are involved. What is required of all of us is not being brilliant or clever, or even knowledgeable. What is needed is faithfulness and courage. The disciple of Jesus sets out for the land of absolute freedom when following the Lord into his destiny as the most awesome and divine Hero. “They said to him in reply, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather.” Jesus lets us all know that it may not be so obvious that it is hidden. Just take a few minutes to fathom how wonderful life is while He is in the world. Then, look at the stars and tell Him what you see.
Leave a commentLet’s take a look at this astounding Gospel passage because it has so many ways it deals with matters and issues that we must face every single day of our lives on multi-levels of variety:
“Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come,” People are seemingly always asking questions that begin with “when.” When will I find a good job? When will I get a raise? When will dinner be served? When will I know when I’m in love?
“The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.'” We read that Jesus was asked by some Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would finally come because, in their mind, they wanted to be “on top of things” when the big moment finally arrived, with their power and influence all intact. However, as you may have heard, we make plans, and God laughs.
“For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.” The great and mysterious message for all of us today is simple. The Kingdom cannot be found by looking around for telltale signs so that you can say it is ‘here’ or ‘there.’ In other words, it is right in front of us. First and foremost, the Kingdom is in the very person of Jesus, who is the incarnation embodiment of God’s Reign. He is the Messiah-King ruling here right now in the hearts of those who love Him.
“But first, he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.” So, while The Lord’s reign is already in play, the search for the exact time can stop right here right now and find its resting place among our day-to-day struggles and little deaths along the way. The Kingdom is truly among us and we need to look no further than the daily experiences of our own lives to know and experience the power and presence of Jesus. You see, the time of that final coming, which will be the end of all suffering and rejection, is not for us to decide – nor to worry about. When will the Kingdom of God arrive? You’ll know when you know.
Leave a comment“The Kingdom of God is available to you in the here and the now. But the question is whether you are available to the Kingdom.” Nhat Hanh
We have once again been reminded of the terrible affliction that spanned both the Old and Testaments, that of 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 the self and its effects on the soul. One horrible aftermath of leprosy was the exclusion of the sufferer from 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.
“Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Perhaps there is no other depiction from anywhere in the Bible that illustrates and highlights the depth of ingratitude. The sick, horribly-looking lepers came to Jesus with desperate longing and need; he cured them all, and nine never came back to give thanks. So often, once a person gets what he or she wants, they never come back. 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 in 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.
We can take our cue from the one leper who did, in fact, come back to give thanks to Jesus. He knew what happened to him. He knew what his healing meant for the rest of his life. He truly knew Who healed him. Can you imagine what kind of life he lived after that? Jesus gave us the answer: “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”
Let us consider some ways to learn how to be 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)
” For the grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age…” Although it may be debatable, albeit clear enough, to say that each of us begins our day with both reasonable and unreasonable expectations. We can reasonably expect that the day will have the same amount of hours, there will most likely be enough ups and downs to keep it interesting, and one way or another, it will have an end. Unreasonable or unrealistic expectations, however, sometimes seem to find their way into the fabric of lives and usually involve the behavior of other people. We might, for example, expect another person to change their ways or at least to help us make our day better. This, as we know, is a recipe for deep disappointment.
“When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'” There can be no disappointment when we look at the expectations we can expect from our Lord. He has made us out of love with every ounce of good intention and deep hope that exists in the universe. Therefore, not only can we expect the goodness placed deep within our souls to surface with practice and determination, but we can also expect great help from God to be good and stay that way until He comes again. This means we trust Him with every fiber of our being.
Leave a comment“Many people feel so pressured by the expectations of others that it causes them to be frustrated, miserable, and confused about what they should do. But there is a way to live a simple, joy-filled, peaceful life, and the key is learning how to be led by the Holy Spirit, not the traditions or expectations of man.” Joyce Meyer
“It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.” The Gospel, per usual, does not mince words today. Temptation is hard enough for each of us to encounter as we search for better ways to follow the Lord Jesus, which makes a strong case that we certainly do not need any help from our friends or anyone else, for that matter! However, by extension, think of all the good you can do for one another, especially in our daily routines and casual conversations. We can actually help each other get to heaven!
“Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD? or who may stand in his holy place? He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain.” Clearly, as always when reading the Scriptures, we are presented with an awesome choice to go forward: either we help or hurt. Every relationship can be viewed in this light as well. Is this helping me move closer to heaven or not? This is why wisdom from the Holy Spirit is so critical and pivotal. Life is good. It is better with Jesus in it.
Leave a comment“A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is… A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in.” C.S. Lewis
“Do not be afraid. Go and do as you propose. But first, make me a little cake and bring it to me. Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son.” You can always tell what sort of person you are meeting by the direction the conversation takes concerning what is important right now in life. For some people, there will be a new, certain relationship that takes precedence or a new home, job, or prized possession. Basically, we reveal to others who we are by what we believe is of top priority. How long does it take us to talk about anything spiritual when conversing with others? Now, this is decisively different than talking about religion or politics, subjects which in and of themselves do not have any real conclusions or winners, but it is the value of Heaven and eternal things we are the source of topics we are mentioning here. What is truly central and important should be very obvious to those who know me and also love me. That is because of Whom we have met the Lamb that was slain to set us free forever.
The same is true about what people do with their money. There is perhaps no other greater barometer of priorities than to assess what people believe is worth paying for or purchasing and to what extent. “A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.” When the Lord saw what the poor widow was offering, He knew right away that it was the height of generosity, love, and faith. The good news for all of us today is Jesus can see right through the otherwise misleading and confusing appearances and what truly constitutes value. As we near the First Sunday of Advent, it is clear that we are called to take another look at our lives and see what we have been doing with them thus far. It is a necessary task and one that will bring great peace.
The older you get, the more you realize that life isn’t about the material things, or pride, or selfish ego. It is about hearts and who they beat for.
Leave a commentFeast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome/History and Background: Each diocese has a cathedral. The cathedral church in Rome is St. John Lateran. When Emperor Constantine officially recognized Christianity, he made generous gifts to the Church, one of which was a palace and grounds formerly belonging to the Lateran family. In 324, he added a large church on the grounds. Later, a baptistery was added and dedicated to St. John the Baptist. In subsequent years, the entire edifice became known as St. John of the Lateran Basilica. It is our oldest Church. Despite many fires, earthquakes, and wars, it has survived, thereby becoming a symbol of the endurability of Christianity. The observance of this Feast connects our local Church with the Church of Rome, which is the center of our unity. The dedication of any church recalls the heavenly Jerusalem that all church buildings symbolize.
The Apostles are the pillars of the Church and Christ has given them the spiritual authority to teach and guide, which the Chair, cathedra, symbolizes in every cathedral. All this is seen within this magnificent structure. The people are the Church, the living Body of Christ with many members: that much is clear, but that concept or expression of unlocking the mystery of the Church is not exclusive. We are also a “Sacramental” people who have enlisted art and architecture, literature, and music to embody and describe tangibly, that is, to the touch and all the senses, what great mystery we not only celebrate but also actually see. The church building is not just a tent or skin in which the People of God gather, but in and of itself is of great symbolic and sacramental importance. This is why we celebrate the Feast of the dedication of that first structure in Rome from which all the many millions of structures have been built and dedicated since then.
The Church building is meant to be the Temple. The First Reading from the Prophet Ezekiel describes that. The Psalms, too, were actually composed to be chanted and sung as people made their way to the Temple for worship. Today, just as in the Temple of the Old Testament, there are the areas that are set apart in Catholic Churches where we find the Tabernacle, where the Body and Blood of Jesus is conserved, as the “Holy of Holies,” the living presence of God. This is why we bow and genuflect upon entering this space. It also explains why many make the Sign of the Cross when passing by the Church from the outside. We also have altars predominantly and immediately seen in a foremost position. You see, the church building itself is not just a gathering place or hall. So why is there an altar? Because there is a sacrifice to be conducted. And those sacrifices are offered by priests. So you have the same Temple structure that clearly exhibits the elements that were first established in the First or Old Covenant. The Church, in addition to being a structure that helps gather people, also reflects the mystery of the People as well: Tabernacle, altar, priests, and sacrifice. So when the temple/church building is rightly ordered, then water will be “flowing out ” for the renewal of the world. (First Reading)
The Church building is to symbolize the New Jerusalem. In Revelation, the vision describes a magnificent new heavenly city coming down to earth to be complete and restore all humanity with God at the end of time. Thus, in addition to a gathering space, Church buildings should attempt to draw us into another world, a heavenly experience like the jeweled walls of the New Jerusalem, with sparkling and vivid colors that are filled with signs and symbols of heavenly realities. We see figures of Angels and Saints everywhere in the Church because they are citizens of Heaven, the New Jerusalem, and we join with them in singing praises to God:
This great company of witnesses spurs us on to victory,
to share their prize of everlasting glory,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
With angels and archangels
and the whole company of saints
we sing our unending hymn of praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord…,
The Church building is meant to signal Noah’s Ark. Since the early installments of Church History, the ark was seen as a symbolic type of the Church. In the same way that Noah and his family were spared the destruction of both the spiritual and physical world around them, so too are we safe and saved in the Church, the boat, as it were, atop the waters of Baptism. This is an ongoing occurrence in every age throughout the centuries, and the Church is the ongoing, continual, and steady “rescue mission for humanity.” (Bishop Robert Barron) When we gather for Mass, we remain close together, huddled for the Eucharist, waiting for “floodwaters” to recede and then go out to the world to begin again.
“The Church is like Noah’s ark that was full of both clean and unclean animals. It must have had an unholy smell, and yet it was carrying eight persons to salvation. The world today is tearing up the photographs of a good society, a good family, and a happy, individual personal life. But the Church is keeping the negatives. And when the moment comes when the world wants a reprint, we will have them.” —Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen
It is also very interesting to go back to the Scriptures and examine the orders that God gave Noah to build what is most likely the most popular boat in human history found in Genesis 6:19: “This is how you shall build it: the length of the ark will be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.” For St. Augustine and other early Church Fathers, these dimensions of the construction plan for the ark suggest a human body, specifically, the body of Christ: “For even its very dimensions, in length, breadth, and height, represent the human body in which He (Jesus) came, as it had been foretold. For the length of the human body, from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, is six times its breadth from side to side, and ten times its depth or thickness, measuring from back to front.” The City of God, Book 15
The Church building is meant to symbolize the Mystical Body of Christ. It’s really amazing, when you stop and think about it, so much of both the human and spiritual dimensions of our lives actually happen inside the Church building itself. New life is always being announced with the smell and sound of babies at Baptism, children singing and serving Mass, teenagers are confirmed, marriages are celebrated, and yes, when the circle of life is completed, there we are again, at the Church where it all spiritually began, tearfully saying goodbye and “until we meet again.” It is more than a theater stage or a meeting hall. It is Life.
From life’s start to finish and all the wonderful episodes in between, being Church and in the Church building comprises the place and time in which we hear and experience what some have speculated are three basic sentences that summarize all of Christianity: Please, Thank You and I’m Sorry. And just like the Temple, in both the earthly and heavenly Jerusalem, where there is a convergence of costly, precious, and holy stones, so too, the Mystical Body is made up of living stones — the people who are transformed by Grace, the Word of God and the Food of the Eucharist day after day, age after age. We become that NEW TEMPLE.
Leave a comment“The Church is the Body of Christ, and as such, it is both heavenly and earthly. The Church is the communion of saints, and it includes as members both angels and shepherds – cherubim and seraphim, and you and me.” —Scott Hahn
“What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your Stewardship because you can no longer be my steward.” God gives us resources such as finances and time, talents such as culinary skills or musical ability, and spiritual gifts such as encouragement or teaching. We should ask God for wisdom on how to use those resources and commit ourselves to expend them according to His will so that He may be glorified. This is simply responsible Stewardship.
“Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, beloved.” We have been given much, and God desires us to use what He has given to further His Kingdom and proclaim His glory. It’s what we were created to do. We are living sacrifices, giving the things God has given us in service to others, and in that, we actually find life. Be thankful for what you have. How can we nurture and develop these talents?
Based on the clever and wily steward in the Gospel, let’s take another,
more noble route and consider the following:
1. Be creative
2. Be innovative
3. Think differently and positively
4. When life gives you 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile.
5. Face your past without regret.
6. Handle your present with confidence.
7. Prepare for the future without fear.
“Whoever keeps the word of Christ, the love of God is truly perfected in him.”
Leave a comment“In whatever way you can do so, according to the talents and gifts God has given you, you are to be salt, and light, and whatever part of the Body of Christ you were made to be. You need to tell us what’s going on with you so the rest of the Body (of which you are a part) can work together with you.” Chris Manion
“More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Some might agree with the assertion that a relationship is like a job. You have to work hard to get in it and work even harder to stay in it. Whether or not that aligns with your own experiences with friends and family, one thing is for sure. Love does require work, and some days, it is easier than others. Today, the Scriptures seem to underscore that perception. “Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.” We could even go a little further: the depth and quality of our human relationships have much in common and directly correspond with our relationship with God and He with us.
“In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” We all know how it feels when something is going wrong in a friendship, relationship, or even with a close relative. Nobody is happy, and nobody wins. The days look grim and dark. But imagine how wonderful it feels when we make amends, ask forgiveness, and restore things back to an even better level of love and respect. “Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.” and “Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.” That’s right, rejoice, we have our friend back. Peace has been restored. It is beautiful. And it all comes from the Lord to whom we are called. Let us respond to that today: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.”
Leave a comment“Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.” The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) was the penultimate metaphor of people trying to reach heaven without the assistance of God. That is precisely why they were thrown into a huge and overwhelming state of confusion where no one could understand each other. That scene prepared us for Pentecost and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, which endow us with the potential to understand everyone in their spheres of life because of the presence of Love in their lives. Thus, the reference can be made to the twoer that someone starts to build but cannot finish.
“In the same way, every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.” 10K troops vs. 20K troops? Is this a battle hard to call? The answer is absolutely “no,” but this passage is not about military exercises. It is about the impending confrontation that each of us has with death. Will we be ready? It is time for “peace terms.” Thus, the Gospel of today gives to all of us the specifics of those terms. Before the final call, you and I must be sufficiently detached from this world but at the same time attached to living in the world, walking in the light of truth. How is that done?
Love.
Leave a commentToday, we have the conclusion of the three-part, truth-laden, event-filled description of one powerful dinner attended by Jesus and many other characters that make up Chapter 14 of St. Luke’s Gospel. You may recall that recently, parts one and two were presented: the first involved the man inflicted and cured of dropsy, and the second was about people scrambling for the best seats at the table, partly because of honor and partly because they would be served first. Part three is about excuses and why we make them.
Time for Vocabulary: Concupiscence This term can refer to any intense form of human desire. It comes down to anything that impels us to act or make a choice that is against the use of our reason and rational abilities. Concupiscence was born out of the Original Sin of disobedience and induces us to commit sins. St. John describes three kinds of this craving:
1 John 2:16: “Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, (1) sensual lust, (2) enticement for the eyes, and (3) a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world. Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever.” (numbering mine)
Now, let’s return to the dinner in the Gospel: “A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many…” Here is the image of the banquet again, clearly pointing to the great invitation to live in the Kingdom of God here on earth to live forever in the Kingdom of Heaven. That man who prepares the feast and invites many is Jesus, who came to save the lost in Israel and all of humanity. (“As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” –John 20:21) Jesus sent His Apostles to call and invite but many did not accept: “he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come…’ but one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.”
Take a look at the excuses that are presented in light of the new word we learned today, Concupiscence:
“I have purchased a field and must go to examine it.” (3) a pretentious life;
“I have purchased five yoke of oxen and am on my way to evaluate them.” (2) enticement for the eyes;
“I have just married a woman” (1) sensual lust.
Please keep in mind that all these things are good in and of themselves, but remember that these are the “excuses” that are given that are being held up as more important than accepting the invitation of Christ to each of us: “Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God.” The sixth Commandment addresses our need for a pure heart “to see God,” while the ninth describes the struggle with carnal desires and the last Commandment about greed and the preoccupation over possessions.
Given a talent by God is tantamount to being invited to dine with Him in the Kingdom. The First Reading helps focus our attention on how to live day by day using all that He has given us not only to discover His will for us but how to love, and live and build up the Body of Christ: “Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.”
Life begins once Jesus becomes the reason you live it.
“Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also everyone for those of others.” What a challenge to reflect on the Scriptures today! And here is the demanding dare: either we just ignore what society and shopping stores and malls will not allow us to deny about culture and self-worship, or we launch into a hysterical tirade about how EVERYTHING about this society is demonic, satanic, and the most pathetic invitation to open the gates of hell. Really?
Everything great and good begins small and unassuming, which needs our constant attention. It is just like our faith, which must lead us and sustain us into adulthood. Especially into adulthood. This is where we learn that the most frightening things in our lives are often not wearing costumes or doling out candy but are true monsters, large and little, that can rob us of happiness. Jesus loved children, and He does; I believe He loves the child still inside each and every one of us. Go on, smile today. Say a prayer and talk to the Lord, asking for all the treats that He has promised, especially eternal life. God bless the beasts and the children! “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, says the Lord.”
Leave a comment“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.” In 1811, a wonderful hymn was written entitled a question that we could address to ourselves today: “What Wondrous Love is This?” When you think about it, it truly is an amazing question to ask today and, in fact, every day we have life. What kind of magnificent love inspired and propelled God to send His Son Jesus Christ to be born in a filthy manger, live a poor life, and then be crucified for our sins to win and secure a place in Heaven for us? The third verse of the hymn then explodes with the enthusiastic joy of the awareness that is brought to the one who understands this gift and cannot help but be changed forever: “To God and to the Lamb, who is the great I AM, while millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing, while millions join the theme, I will sing!” We can only imagine the scene in Heaven with these beautiful lyrics as background music.
This wondrous, incredible love that rains down from Heaven itself reveals the height and depth of such a love that carries us beyond our life here on earth to an eternal reward and life in Heaven. If and when our response to His wondrous love is returned with even the simplest of faith, miracles abound. Let us move forward in this life with new resolve and new hope. Darkness cannot and will not extinguish what we have been given. We will sing: “And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be, And through eternity I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on, and through eternity I’ll sing on!” This is because nothing is impossible for God. “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
Leave a comment“What [others] most need is to see in you a reflection of what God is like and of the transforming power of the Gospel. Your life can create hunger and thirst for God in others’ lives and can be a powerful instrument in the hand of the Holy Spirit to draw their hearts to Christ.” – Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Today, as many of us already know, is also referred to as the Day of the Dead , and although that may seem remarkably somber and even morbid, it is the truth. Life is good, but it certainly has a beginning and an end with great filler in between, and today, we are called to reflect on the weighty and sobering aspects of its conclusion. The Scripture Readings for today may in fact sound familiar to some because they are the same, in part, of many of the Funeral selections and they are meant to give witness to the mystery of life and death so we may go forward in faith and love. Let’s take a look at a few gems:
“The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.” We are made timely aware of the truth of things as we experience them, that is, that even death, we are with the Lord who loves and comforts us especially in our moments of sorrow. “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.” No matter where our lives take us, the one constant is change which includes the dark day of death but the constant presence is Jesus who never abandons those He loves. “If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.” What a remarkable statement that is being made here! Death is actually something we share with Jesus and because of that, we also share in His victory over death and all the contraptions that accompany our experience of it, especially grief and dark isolation. “And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'” Perhaps the most poignant and pertinent of all the passages comes to us from the Gospel today. We have been given the opportunity to reach out to Christ in each other every day we have been alive. It is as if we have been either depositing or withdrawing from a spiritual bank account filled with love, kindness and generosity. When the bank closes for good, we spend eternity based on the final reckoning. Be hopeful and generous today and pray for those who have died with those you love knowing full well that they one they will be praying for you.
Leave a commentBecause I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.We slowly drove – He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility –We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess – in the Ring –
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
We passed the Setting Sun –Or rather – He passed Us –
The Dews drew quivering and Chill –
For only Gossamer, my Gown –
My Tippet – only Tulle –We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground –
The Roof was scarcely visible –
The Cornice – in the Ground –Since then – ’tis Centuries – and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses’ Head
Were toward Eternity –Emily Dickinson
The set of Scriptures we have today are simply breathtaking and inspiring on the Feast of All Saints and critically necessary for us who are trying to “live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28) in the Lord Jesus without losing hope in the face of all the challenges we face.
Let’s start with the First Reading, which is taken from the last book of the Bible, Revelation. I can’t think of another sacred book more controversial than this one, also known as the “Apocalypse.” This fascinating and mysterious text, ever since it was written, has been the topic of countless theories, teachings, movements, books, commentaries, and more recently, films and multimedia television series, episodes and documentaries. Unfortunately, most of them have strayed from the Theological and Scriptural meaning of the intent of the Apostle John and have clearly done much more harm than good. Because of these wild theories, it seems as if every 10 years or so, people have been trying to predict the end of the world every time a certain number lines up in a particular order or because of the discovery of some ingenious mathematical equation that spells horrible and imminent destruction. Remember the Year 2000 scare? Or do you recall the December 21, 2012 prediction based on some data from an ancient calendar chiseled on some huge stone that would run out of days on that date? People, just get a new rock!
G.K. Chesterton was so right when he wrote, “Though St. John saw many strange monsters in his vision, he saw no creature so wild as his own commentators.” St. John is clearly speaking to all Christians, all over the world, and all over 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.” His great and marvelous vision for us, however, was also shaped by the immense suffering inflicted upon the early Church by the great persecutions of the Roman Empire. The Apostle himself was exiled to the island of Pathos, from where he actually wrote the book of Revelation. It was that same political and military power that was complicit in the death of Jesus, who many thought would be the kind of leader that would overthrow these invaders and give His people a power beyond all imagining. But the real force and strength bestowed on all who would follow the Lord in every age is that, “Beloved, we are God’s children now.” And even though “what we shall be has not yet been revealed,” it most certainly will be revealed in the glorious Resurrection of those who die believing in Christ. “They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.”
This is all beautifully brought together with the proclamation of St. Matthew’s Gospel. As God’s children now and joyfully anticipating our own resurrection, we reasonably ask, “what do we do and how do we act?” Just as Moses in the Old Testament came down the mountain with the Law in the form of the Ten Commandments, Jesus walked up the mountain and fulfilled what the great Law-giver started and mapped out the way to survive “the time of great distress” for each and everyone of us. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, the meek, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the clean of heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted and insulted. The Beatitudes create the blueprint for living a beautiful, Christian life. These eight blessings are at the heart of Jesus’ preaching and respond to the natural desire that we all have for true and lasting happiness. This is how we become saints! “Be not afraid! Open wide the doors to Christ! Do not be afraid to become the saints of the new millennium! ~Saint John Paul the Great. The Beatitudes also proclaim the blessings and rewards that have already been secured for those who love Jesus. Just imagine there’s a place in Heaven for you, and it has your name on it. So once again, Happy Feast Day, everyone.
Leave a comment“If you are what you should be, you will set the world on fire.” Saint Catherine of Siena
Every so often, we are blessed to have the words of our very first Reading offered to us today as we consider where our lives are going in this ever-changing world. “Draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the Devil.” What does that mean, and what can we learn from these powerful messages of the Bible today? Here are a few clear and accessible clues:
We are strongly urged to ensure our speech is not embarrassing or obscene. We are likewise challenged to harbor no hatred or animosity toward anyone, even to those whom we believe, along with the opinion of others, has merited justification for our hatred. And perhaps the most telling of all, live a life of integrity and avoid hypocrisy at every juncture: “But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Imagine just one day of your life when all these are in place! How about one week? One year? One life?
Leave a comment“Masters, act in the same way towards them, and stop bullying, knowing that both they and you have a Master in heaven and that with him there is no partiality.” Today, we are served with one of those excellent morsels that deserve to be placed in the mind’s library, which is suited for memorization if possible. It is one of those deep and lasting promises that are comforting just at the right moments of our lives when things get away from us and leave us sighing in the dust. St. Paul assures us that no matter what happens all around us, everything will find a solution and turn out in ways that we could never have imagined. There is, however, a slight stipulation to all this: what we are about must be accompanied by our love for God and the most sincere desire to follow Him and listen carefully to His will for our lives. We must treat each other as the Lord asks us to act as children of the same Father/Master.
“For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” The one great constant in the universe is change. There can truly be an ongoing debate over this. Just recall the events of life in the last 24 hours. Get ready for change because here it comes! And part of the nature of that change is that it is seldom what we expected. I guess that is what makes life interesting and intriguing at best. However, as believers, we view these shifts in the folds of reality as ways that God’s plan for us is revealed. It is not always easy, but it always leads us to Heaven, where our final destination lies. This is why so many are not comfortable with death because they are not comfortable with change and vice-versa. But somehow, somehow, even without our understanding, things always work out because that is the kind of God we have.
Leave a comment“I believe God is managing affairs and that He doesn’t need any advice from me. With God in charge, I believe everything will work out for the best in the end. So what is there to worry about?”
Henry Ford
It may take the death of someone very dear to us or some horrendous tragedy or life-altering disappointment to finally bring us to the brink of existence to realize that we truly belong to God. Some among 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
3. I can trust my entire life to Him.
These beautiful truths underscore that every human being was, has been, and will be created by God and, therefore, endowed with a unique purpose to fulfill in this life. We could also say it like this: You and I have been given a specific invitation for destiny to accomplish. For us today, the question is, “Can we trust this miraculous purpose or not?” Of course, the answer is “absolutely yes!” No one can seriously claim 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, and furthermore, this is based on such intense and direct love that the Scriptures compare it to marital love and bliss: “Live in love, as Christ loved us. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her.”
“It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.” And today, again, our favorite condiment (at least in the top 5) makes yet another splendid appearance. Apart from being uniquely tasty and earthy, the very fact that the mustard seed is so small yet produces so much is yet another insightful metaphor and comparison about the Kingdom of God in which we long so desperately to live. Great things come in small and unassuming packages.
“It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened.” Anyone who has ever baked bread or loaves knows all too well what happens to the mixture once yeast is added. We can safely assume that very little goes a very long way!
Leave a comment“Your job is not to judge. Your job is not to figure out if someone deserves something. Your job is to lift the fallen, to restore the broken, and to heal the hurting.” Anonymous
“Brothers and sisters: You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God.” This Feast of the Apostles, Sts. Simon and Jude is indeed a great day to reflect upon the intrinsic and deep relationship between what it means to have good, close, and encouraging friends, the freedom it takes to maintain those friendships, and the faith in Jesus that makes us friends with Him. Review once again what Jesus accomplished throughout the New Testament: The depth of love in his heart for friendship gushed over into how he dealt with his enemies: with total and complete mercy. In many ways, you can tell how great a friend will be to the extent that he or she can forgive and show compassion. This is certainly true with everyone the Lord ever met, especially Judas, Peter, and Thomas.
This element is underscored in the Gospel of today: Jesus knew that one of the friends/apostles He would choose would eventually betray Him, and still, in perfect freedom, he asked Him to follow Him, that is, be His friend any way: “When the day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them, he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles…and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.” The application for us today is simply stunning. In order for love to grow within any relationship, there must be faith in the One who is love and the only One who will sustain that love until eternity, especially for the grace both to forgive and show mercy. What is also remarkable is that love, mercy, forgiveness, and compassion never leave us empty-handed or return with nothing. It is a classic “win-win” situation:
Leave a comment“And friends are friends forever/If the Lord’s the Lord of them/And 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 will gather them from the ends of the world, with the blind and the lame in their midst, the mothers and those with child.” Since the dawn of all the ages, there has been this remarkable and dramatic contest of strength between light and darkness, clarity and delusion, sight, and blindness. These are all eternally wrapped up in our human existence, which by definition means they all have deep, spiritual roots over which our sweet Jesus holds sway. “You are my son: this day I have begotten you…You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” If all this is true, and we all know that it is, then each time we approach the Bible and the treasure lode of wisdom found there, we must address the issue of blindness in our lives and the ongoing resolutions to this plight. The Psalm begins to prepare us for the only solution in sight: “The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.“
For any of us struggling with the day-to-day pull of responsibilities, deadlines, or seemingly endless worries, the Gospel is relief and a miracle, all bound up into one passage of pure magnificence. Let’s take a closer look at this: “Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging.” Blindness of all sorts creates this mindless inertia and apathy within us, which creates an empty life full of taking and no giving. “On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.'” Jesus is always speaking to us, and just the slightest whisper from Heaven can make all the difference in the world. Our only response is to cry out to Him with everything we have in store for our being, to which the Lord promises a response. “And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more.” There will be negative and unbelieving voices in our lives trying to move us away from the battle victory we desire in prayer, but we must not stop or give up. “So they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.” And there will be sane and rational people who believe with all their hearts and minds and who continue to encourage and nourish us with their prayers. “He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.” Bartimaeus, remember, was blind, and throwing off his clothing and springing anywhere could have meant a dangerous physical move, but he trusted with everything he had left to face Jesus, to which “Jesus said to him in reply, ‘What do you want me to do for you?'” This is exactly the point in prayer where we must be solidly aware of our true needs, trust 100% in the Lord, and then ask boldly with faith: “The blind man replied to him, ‘Master, I want to see.’ Jesus told him, ‘Go your way; your faith has saved you.'” Immediately, he received his sight and followed him on the way.”
Leave a comment“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” Mark Twain
“…we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole Body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the Body’s growth and builds itself up in love.” You can always tell a whole lot about a person or, for that matter, a group of people by listening to the conversation. In some cases, the high price of gossip seems to take center stage at any given time, and if we are not careful, we are enveloped in a miasma of treacherous talk that does no good for any of us. We are then painfully reminded that the people who gossip with you will indeed, at a much later and convenient time, gossip about you. This is because, as the Scriptures of the day clearly remind us, we encounter two diversely different kinds of people every day. Those who live in the flesh and those who live in the spirit. What are we to do?
The solution is simple but not simplistic: it is simple in its formation but high on the charts regarding operation and achievement. We must die to ourselves daily, really finding every opportunity to dig deeper and find the ways to true holiness and sacrifice so that we might see Jesus in every situation, especially the difficult ones. In this way, we may find the joy of living the Christan faith in good times and bad, in and out of season. “Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.”
Whether it is the parking space that someone “stole” from you or the lack of recognition for a job well done, take every opportunity, whether unseen or appreciated by those in authority over you, to simply find that time and space to grow your faith and bear fruit. It is truly amazing! Open the possibilities for yourself this very day! You will be very happy you did.
Leave a comment“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” C. S. Lewis
“I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received.” How can we say that someone who is a prisoner is actually in a good place? This would have to be determined by a number of factors such as the prison itself, the prisoner, and of course, the jailer. On this beautiful Tuesday, we have encountered such a mission of understanding and belief that will hopefully expand our notions of faith and to the awesome extent that Jesus loves us. “…with all humility and gentleness, with patience.” The word, “prison” has been defined in some circles as a state of confinement while awaiting trial. In many ways, we could stretch that meaning just a bit and see how life itself can be a sort of prison because we are confined in space and time awaiting the final judgment of all that we have said and done while here on this earth. Thus, while we are “confined” we have been given instructions while we are here. We are to be humble and gentle and as much can be grasped, patient with as many as possible. “…bearing with one another through love.” If we see everyone in our lives as fellow prisoners, then we could find the strength and the power to love because we are all awaiting the same trial. That in and of itself will bring us to unity and peace: “…striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
“I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” But this is not pessimistic in the least. This inner spiritual struggle is what makes us who we are. We get up every single morning to face what it is out here with the ability that God has given us and to give it our very best shot. We already know what we have to do. Start the day by forgiving, loving, and practicing patience. And in all those situations that need extra faith, extra care, and extra patience, we remember the greatest tension on earth and remember that the reward is worth it all.
Leave a comment“Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they’ve started.” David Allen
“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” What is behind the use of setting the world aflame by Jesus in the Gospel today? Keep in mind that the Bible is to be seen as a complete unity, the Old preparing for the New, the New ratifying the Old. When the Lord uses the image of fire, then it is advantageous for us to go deeper into the meaning and purpose, and background of certain words and phrases to truly grasp all the spiritual wealth that is waiting for us, ripe for the picking. Here are but a few:
Exodus 3, the Burning Bush: God is truly present, “you are standing on Holy Ground.”
Ezekiel 1, a cloud of fire: God’s glory is magnificent.
2 Kings 1, fire from Heaven wiped out 50 soldiers: Power over life & death.
Matthew 25, Eternal fire is a destination for devil and demons: Hell is real & horrible.
Acts 2, tongues of fire descend on the 12: The Holy Spirit “enflames” the Church.
Revelation 21, a lake of fire and sulfur awaits the faithless: a second death.
From this small sampling of fire images from the Scriptures, we can safely determine that Jesus clearly wants to purify and cleanse all of humanity, instill a reverent and holy fear in us (awesome approach to God), and establish His Kingdom where there will be both judgment and serious consequences to our responses, both here and now and much later.
“I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Because of His Reign over us and remembering the dire consequences of the refusal to love, there will be division starting in one’s own family, household, and beyond: when the word ‘family’ is used in the Bible, it usually means either the clan or the extended family group, and could very easily include as many as two hundred people or as few as fifteen. Thus, Jesus is describing the essence of a true disciple as one who loves God above all else and is willing to forsake all for Him. He insists that His disciples give him loyalty which is only due to God, a loyalty which is higher than spouse or relatives or circle of friends.
Leave a comment“Be vigilant at all times and pray that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.” Over 30 years ago, there was a ship off the coast of Massachusetts that was reported lost at sea. There were a reported 45 men on board, most of whom were residents of a small fishing town near Plymouth. For the first week, wives, children, and family members set up make-shift camps along the seashore to wait and watch for any signs of recovery. After 10 days, some of those grew tired and even discouraged and began to make their way back to their homes, still leaving a smaller remnant of those who would stay vigilant. Finally, on the 15th day of their disappearance, the vessel sailed back into the harbor, all aboard hungry and tired but certainly safe and alive. It was said that one of the men looked sad as he disembarked. He just shrugged and walked his way to his little cottage of a home, to the surprise of his wife and children. But he still looked upset. “What’s wrong, dear?” asked his wife. “Why weren’t you out there with the other families on the shore when we arrived?” he responded. “We were waiting for you, honey,” came his wife’s explanation. “But you weren’t watching…”
“Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.“ Do you think that’s splitting hairs? Maybe. However, the slight difference in the words can be of dramatic importance when we apply them to waiting for the Lord. Waiting seems to be passive, as if I can have many other priorities or concerns because, after all, “When He comes, He comes, right?“ Watching implies vigilance, continued hope, and deep resolve. Watching is active, ongoing and, yes, life-changing. Let’s be sure. Whether you and I are waiting or watching, it will be the same, Lord. But how will we be different?
God is worth waiting for; His time is always best. Watching for Him makes our hearts ready, open, and joyful to meet Him at any given moment, and that makes a difference in how we live.
Leave a comment“I believe that a trusting attitude and a patient attitude go hand in hand. You see, when you let go and learn to trust God, it releases joy in your life. And when you trust God, you’re able to be more patient. Patience is not just about waiting for something… it’s about how you wait or your attitude while waiting.” Joyce Meyer
“Be vigilant at all times and pray that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.” There are many of us who face a certain dulling routine at work, ministry, school, and even in the depths of family life, for that matter. It is easy to lose sight of the proverbial big picture. There are many who are daily saddled with compassion fatigue, yes, a numbing sadness that makes us long for compliments, someone to notice what we are doing, and maybe, just maybe, someone to thank us once and a while. Sound familiar?
“Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.” The other day I overheard a man in his 60’s, a person who loves to smile and equally what he does at his desk, respond to a litany of heartless demands upon his time even before he was able to sit down. I thought to myself, “Yep! This is the day he loses his temper!” But thankfully, I was wrong. He calmly took his seat, took a very deep breath, and said calmly: “I have only one thing to do today. Follow Him. The rest will fall into place.”
I want to be that man when I grow up.
Leave a comment“Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Several famous people have been quoted as saying that too many people today know the price of everything and the value of nothing. These people would be classified as cynics. The idea that anyone in the “real world” should even consider ethical, moral, philosophical, or cultural values to be on a par with financial or economic ‘value’ appears whimsical, sentimental, or even romantic. Hard-nosed, sensible, rational, practical people know otherwise. It’s all about money, “they” say…But is it really? The words of the Gospel make it very clear to us that God will have the first and last word. “What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?”
The spiritually dead are all around us. They may look alive and have plenty of possessions, even looks and money, but this does not ensure life, especially eternal life. It is precisely the “age of this world” that promotes that misguided philosophy that you are what you have. We do not belong to things. We do not essentially consist of material realities because, in the end, all we will have could never be measured, touched, or counted. Our soul is what is of supreme value.
Greed makes us servants of possessions. We could easily remember this by the quote that, “we can’t be possessed by our possessions.” Yet it happens all around us precisely because people have already decided which God they will serve. Greed makes the false and empty promise that things and possessions can save and bring us to eternal happiness and peace. The best way to avoid all this is to pray in thanksgiving to the One who gives us everything we have. If we keep remembering that all I have comes from God, then I cannot and will not forget how wonderfully generous my God is to me.
Leave a comment“He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.” Socrates
“If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.” Sociologist Robert Wuthnow of Princeton University has explored how it is that people make everyday ethical decisions. Many people, he found, perform deeds of compassion, service, and mercy because, at some point in their past, someone acted with compassion toward them. He wrote, “The caring we receive may touch us so deeply that we feel especially gratified when we are able to pass it on to someone else.” He tells the story of Jack Casey, who was employed as an emergency worker on an ambulance rescue squad. When Jack was a child, he had oral surgery. Five teeth were to be pulled under general anesthetic, and Jack was fearful. What he remembers most, though, was the operating room nurse who, sensing the boy’s terror, said, “Don’t worry, I’ll be right here beside you no matter what happens.” When Jack woke up after the surgery, she was true to her word, standing right there with him.
Nearly 20 years later, Jack’s ambulance team is called to the scene of a highway accident. A truck has overturned, the driver is pinned in the cab, and power tools are necessary to get him out. However, gasoline is dripping onto the driver’s clothes, and one spark from the tools could have spelled disaster. The driver is terrified, crying out that he is scared of dying. So, Jack crawls into the cab next to him and says, “Look, don’t worry, I’m right here with you; I’m not going anywhere.” And Jack was true to his word; he stayed with the man until he was safely removed from the wreckage. Later, the truck driver told Jack, “You were an idiot; you know that the whole thing could have exploded, and we’d have both been burned up!” Jack told him that he felt that he just couldn’t leave him.
Many years before, Jack had been treated compassionately by the nurse, and because of that experience, he could now show that same compassion to another. His experience of an act of loving service enabled him to do the same for another. In the Alleluia Verse for today, Jesus made it clear: “The Son of Man came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. “
To serve another human being without counting the cost, expecting credit, and wanting a reward or payback is not natural; it is supernatural. And for supernatural lives, we are in need of supernatural food: The Eucharist. Jesus Christ, within hours of his death, revealed the very mystery of divine life as it sustains earthly existence when He gave us all of Himself: “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me…This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
Following Jesus and living a Christian life that is authentic and inspiring is much more than having a hobby or belonging to a particular political party. It is even more than having a job or a career. Our faith not only points us to what is eternal but also follows us into that existence. If we live with Jesus here and now, we will enjoy His wonderful presence forever. That is why the Eucharist is essential to the one who understands that this life is passing and Heaven is the only real goal worth living and dying for. “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Leave a comment“You come to me and unite Yourself intimately to me under the form of nourishment. Your Blood now runs in mine, Your Soul, Incarnate God, compenetrates mine, giving courage and support. What miracles! Who would have ever imagined such!” St. Maximilian Kolbe
“I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.” There is an interesting connection among three key elements that Jesus presents to us today: 1) Denial of God, 2) Denial of the Holy Spirit, and 3) Defense of our Faith. Let’s take them in that order:
First, we are clearly told that if we live as if Jesus never came or we never met Him, we should expect the same treatment; that is, He will do the same. Second, if we speak with words of hatred and defiance against the Holy Spirit and surely against God in any way, shape, or form, we are to expect serious consequences. And lastly, if we neither deny nor defy God, Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, but rather live in Him and through Him, then we can and should expect that our very speech, our lives, our thoughts, and all that makes us who we are will be defined by the depth and breadth of our love of God in everyday life. In other words, we will certainly shine.
And here is the major connection: All three warnings and predictions have to do with the NEXT LIFE. Jesus promises if we recognize Him now on earth, He will recognize us later in Heaven. If anyone repeatedly closes their eyes to God and shuts their ears to His voice now, they will most certainly come to a point where they can no longer recognize God, and thus they see evil as good and good as evil even to that tragic point of that person’s last breath in which they could very well miss any chance of living forever with God in eternity, that is, later. Finally, if our deep trust is with the Lord, His Holy Spirit is promised to us as it was to Abraham and all his descendants as we read in the First reading so that we will never have to worry what to say before this world’s authority, now, or to the Authority of Heaven, later.
Question for the Day: What are the two most important moments of our life?
Now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Leave a comment“I chose you from the world to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.” Everyone has a mission in life. Everyone spends their life searching for that mission, and when one finds it, they hang on for dear life. Others never discover it and live out their days in less than quiet desperation. This is what we can gather from the readings today. The Lord has fashioned us and sent us forward into this world for a definite purpose and that purpose has everything to do with bearing fruit that will last. That means eternal fruit.
“But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it.” This directive is never easy. There will always be those around us who will fight and attempt to destroy the harvest. The First Reading assures each and every one of us that He will be there to strengthen and guide, and yet, even to protect us from the plotting of those who would pull up the wheat instead of the weeds.
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.” We are all called then to respond to this great invitation. Every day, but especially on today’s Feast of St. Luke, presents itself with a new opportunity to spread the Gospel and the message of love and forgiveness that is contained right there all the time.
Leave a comment“Don’t wait for a feeling or love in order to share Christ with a stranger. You already love your heavenly Father, and you know that this stranger is created by Him, but separated from Him, so take those first steps because you love God. It is not primarily out of compassion for humanity that we share our faith or pray for the lost; it is, first of all, love for God.” John Piper
Saint Luke the Evangelist, Pray for us!
“I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.” Everyone has a mission in life. Everyone spends their life searching for that mission, and when one finds it, they hang on for dear life. Others never discover it and live out their days in less than quiet desperation. This is what we can gather from the readings today. The Lord has fashioned us and sent us forward into this world for a definite purpose, and that purpose has everything to do with bearing fruit that will last. That means eternal fruit.
“But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it.” This directive is never easy. There will always be those around us who will fight and attempt to destroy the harvest. The First Reading assures every one of us that He will be there to strengthen and guide, and yet, even to protect us from the plotting of those who would pull up the wheat instead of the weeds.
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.” We are all called then to respond to this great invitation. Every day, but especially on today’s Feast of St. Luke, presents itself with a new opportunity to spread the Gospel and the message of love and forgiveness that is contained right there all the time.
Don’t wait for a feeling or love in order to share Christ with a stranger. You already love your heavenly Father, and you know that this stranger is created by Him, but separated from Him, so take those first steps because you love God. It is not primarily out of compassion for humanity that we share our faith or pray for the lost; it is, first of all, love for God. (John Piper)
Saint Luke the Evangelist, Pray for us!
Leave a comment“Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.” There is a strange occurrence in this journey we call life that happens, not to all, but to some, and for those individuals, it is an experience that is hardly forgettable. It involves the selfish, tireless attempt on the part of the spiritually immature, especially those with little authority, to keep from others what they themselves cannot or will not have. This is what explains, in part, those who seem to make it their life’s work to make other people miserable, especially if they have any perceived power over them. They reason, quite insanely and ineffectively, that if they can not be happy, then no one will be happy. Pathetic. This explains in part why the Pharisees were the virtual enemies of the Lord and, by the matter of extension, of the whole of Christianity, and that is because when one finds the ultimate happiness in one’s relationship with Jesus, the only other response is to share and include as many people with that friendship as possible. The Pharisees and scribes were sort of gnostics who thought they alone had all the precious knowledge necessary for happiness. Wrong again.
“In Christ we have redemption by his Blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.” Unfortunately for us on this great road, the Pharisees still sashay among us with equally morally squalid and foul attitudes of arrogance and condescending acts. But even more fortunately for us, Jesus remains in the world for us to find our way to Heaven with a fullness of mercy and compassion, which, in turn, is ours to share with each other. Find Jesus and share Jesus. This is the core of evangelization and a very happy way of life.
Leave a comment“No matter what has happened to you in the past or what is going on in your life right now, it has no power to keep you from having an amazingly good future if you will walk by faith in God. God loves you! He wants you to live with victory over sin so you can possess His promises for your life today!” Joyce Meyer
“Woe to you! You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.” So, how does Jesus respond to our “old friends” today? Well, to say the least, it wasn’t pretty. Why the harshness of the reaction? That’s what happens when we don’t see how incredibly God is working in our lives or the lives of others. It is the expected consequence when we hide behind the Law and miss the Law-giver in our midst. The people who understand this always rejoice, but the ones who judge and criticize and try to “fix” everyone else except themselves are almost always humiliated. It all depends on the quality of our relationship with the Lord Jesus. This is what is meant by this powerful image of walking over someone’s grave, unknowingly. You think you are in the right, but obviously, someone else is being disrespected.
“If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.” Today, let us first give thanks that Our Lord loves us so much that we are constantly being exposed to the truth in our lives, which is ugly at times but always liberating. Second, let us ask again for the courage to see Jesus in others as we look for Him in our souls. This is definitely the recipe for true happiness.
Leave a comment“Sometimes, you will go through awful trials in your life and then a miracle happens–God heals you. Don’t be disheartened when the people you love don’t see things like you do. There will be Pharisees in your life that will laugh it off, deny that it happened, or will mock your experience based on righteousness they think you don’t possess. God won’t deny you a spiritual experience because you are not a spiritual leader. He loves everyone equal. The only people that really matter in life are the people that can “see” your heart and rejoice with you.” Shannon L. Alder
“For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.” 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 nor place to have an intelligent conversation about these purported benefits, it is safe to say that there is a deep and beneficial connection to our spiritual lives. Using another medical analogy, sin, and selfishness can creep into our lives like plaque upon our gumlines. Following the Lord and being completely honest with ourselves is like floss, which seeks to go deep and eradicate the hidden filth that seems to accumulate without our realizing it. The Psalm today also opens the heart to listen carefully in prayer to the promptings and inspiration from the Holy Spirit: “Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.”
“Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil.” Another crucial part of a spiritual life filled with integrity 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 that 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. This is real, long-lasting, and sustainable freedom. Unfortunately, some people are proud and refuse to admit that some issues and areas need a spiritual detox to clear and eradicate this lack of self-knowledge. Tragically, this leads to growing negativity and self-loathing while keeping them sick and trapped in sinful behavior. The awesome truth about life is that we are sick and need Jesus. Once we accept this fact and invite Him into our lives -in every aspect- the battle is more than half-won as he revealed so beautifully: “Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?”
Leave a comment“The spiritual freedom we seek cannot be found by grasping at, retreating to, or protecting our perceived safe spaces. Our freedom lies in remaining open continuously, not only to Life’s changes but also to the Divine Light within us and others. This is our choice. Although often perceived as a weakness, being open and surrendering to the experience of the present moment is our greatest strength. By authentically living Life in the Now, we submit to Divine guidance where we find the freedom to see everything equally and sacred in Truth.” Peter Santos
“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” What a powerful image we have been given today as we begin a brand new day in walking with the Lord Jesus! 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: “An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.” No website, Twitter account, or Facebook page accomplishes the value and depth of speaking and listening directly with the Lord in prayer, which is strengthened by our daily dose of the Scriptures and Eucharistic nourishment. Let us decide today to make the time and listen intensely to our Master’s voice. He is always ready to start a conversation.
Leave a comment“Listen with curiosity. Speak with honesty. Act with integrity. The greatest problem with communication is we don’t listen to understand. We listen to reply. When we listen with curiosity, we don’t listen with the intent to reply. We listen for what’s behind the words.” Roy T. Bennett
“It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” We have arrived once again, intrepid readers, to one of the most famous of phrases that is quoted by Christians and philosophers alike concerning the improbability of a large beast of burden being able to squeeze through the most tiny of all crevices. The stunning truth behind this wonderful selection has been treated before in these pages and shall be repeated in a condensed form. Clearly Jesus was not actually talking about a sewing needle but rather about a narrow entrance into the city of Jerusalem, a gate known locally as “the eye of the needle.” This gate was so small that a camel could only be brought through with great difficulty, squeezed through on its knees only after all the load of goods to be sold and traded were removed and unpacked from its tired back. It remains crystal clear that only when we are both unburdened and prayerful can we see light at the end of any tunnel presented to us along our spiritual journeys.
So how does one practice a life that is both clutter-free and deeply close to the Lord? “I prayed, and prudence was given me; I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.” Clearly when we ask for wisdom, the Lord is ready to dole it out. Wisdom is an amazing gift that appears when we least suspect it but something that we must continually acknowledge and depend: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.” It is this same wisdom that allows us to draw near to the Scriptures and allow ourselves to be bathed in the light of love and forgiveness and mercy all the while we live and move and have our being: “Indeed the word of God is living and effective, effective, sharper than any two-edged sword.”
Leave a commentThe message for this beautiful Sabbath is simple: start each day by packing and unpacking, making sure you’ve got the right things right where they need to be.
“Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” Although our Gospel passage today is quite small, it packs a punch! It should not amaze any of our readers how many times people use words and have no intention of following through with promises or even do anything more than offer empty compliments that go nowhere. This clearly is not of God or the ideal or natural approach to the great gift of speech and communication that we have been given. The situation in our Gospel of today reminds us, among other things, that actions speak louder than words. Think of the people in your life that you can truly count on whenever necessary.
“For through faith, you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” The selection we have from St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians gives us an even more powerful incentive to practice integrity of speech and action. When we give our word when we make promises, and we extend our trust in the commitments we make, we have the opportunity to confirm who we really are in this world: we belong to Christ!
Leave a comment“People of integrity and honesty not only practice what they preach, they are what they preach.” David A. Bednar
“The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus, ‘He is possessed by Beelzebul,’ and ‘By the prince of demons he drives out demons.'” This encounter that was presented to us today in the Gospel truly relays to us the sense of viciousness and ferocity of the climate into which Jesus Christ (and our King) began His ministry. What we have here is an excellent example of character assassination in the Bible. Jesus addressed the issue in a very beautiful and Messianic way. He confronted evil by the sheer power of his own truth and love and invited those present and us this very day to enter a deeper reflection on the mystery of His Kingdom and the invitation to live there for all eternity.
“Realize that it is those who have faith who are children of Abraham.” You see, when individuals are not aware of the evil within their very heart and personality, they project it onto others whom they believe to be the very existence of evil in their own twisted and malformed perspectives. Because the scribes were blind, they were trapped and looked completely foolish and pathetic. We often despise in others what we despise in our own lives. Make sure Jesus lives and moves and breathes in yours.
Leave a commentGrant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen. St. Thomas Aquinas
“Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit to you and works mighty deeds among you do so from works of the law or from faith in what you heard?” One of the greatest truths and comforting aspects of our journey with the Lord Jesus is that we have been assured time and time again that God listens to all of our prayers all of the time with all the intensity of divine love and immense care for each and every one of us. This is why today we must re-commit and renew our efforts to pray. 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]
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” 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“A beginner must look on himself as one setting out to make a garden for his Lord’s pleasure, on most unfruitful soil which abounds in weeds. His Majesty roots up the weeds and will put in good plants instead. Let us reckon that this is already done when the soul decides to practice prayer and has begun to do so.” Saint Teresa of Avila
As 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 commentOne 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 faith. Such was the case of St. Paul of which we heard in our First Reading describing his conversion from a very evil and destructive past: “You heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.” His conversion was no easy task, and neither was the awesome, even unexpected outcome: “And I was unknown personally to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; they only kept hearing that ‘the one who once was persecuting us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.’ So they glorified God because of me.”
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: “O LORD, you have probed me, and you know me; you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar.” The benefits of this leap of faith are then made crystal clear and even more desirable in the Gospel today. The scene there is similar to the many experiences that we have had when we become anxious and worried about too many things. There is sometimes sorrow, then doubt, and sometimes there is darkness. This is certainly true today in the Gospel with the two famous sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha begins with Jesus suggesting that somehow Jesus doesn’t really care or have any interest in her plight: “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?” Although the answer Jesus gave her may seem even more distant and detached, it is full of wisdom and understanding and a call for more courage and faith. “There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” This will be overwhelmingly critical when later in their lives they experience the tragic death of their brother Lazarus and the next conversation Martha has with the Lord takes a bizarre turn when she suggests that all of the tragedies their lives could have been avoided if the Lord had just planned his schedule a little differently. However, before Jesus had a chance to respond to that statement, Martha quickly added that no matter what the reason or course of events, she was ready to make that leap of faith and trust Him with all her heart and mind as to the outcome. Then Jesus reveals why the trusting moment is pivotal for all of us: “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”
Leave a comment“The more you trust Jesus and keep your eyes focused on Him, the more life you’ll have. Trusting God brings life. Believing brings rest. So stop trying to figure everything out, and let God be God in your life.” Joyce Meyer
In an obvious, sincere, and hopeful attempt to avoid any sadness for us as we move forward in our spiritual lives, the Scriptures provide us with an even better reason to continue to work toward a generous, giving heart and a life dedicated to the mercy of our loving Father. And this is wonderfully found in such delightful and poignant details that are found wedged gently within the phrases of the parable that Christ presents to us in the Gospel: That is important when we ask who is the Good Samaritan? To answer that, let’s look at the story: “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.” The words, a man, in Hebrew are the same for humanity. That changes things, doesn’t it? So if the story is about humanity that has been jumped by the evil one, then it is Jesus who is the only One who can help, seeing how the Old Priesthood (the unhelpful cleric) and the Old Law (the Levite) cannot help by themselves. So He approaches the victim, coming down as He did from Heaven in Bethlehem (Christmas), pours wine and oil in the wound (Sacramental Life), lifts the wounded, lifts him upon His own animal (becomes Human through the Incarnation), takes him to an inn (The Church), leaves two coins, (Scripture and Tradition) and then utters those immortal words by promising that He’ll take care of everything “on my way back” (The End of the World, or Apocalypse). So, in a phrase, what does this all mean? The Psalm gives us the words for the prayer that will lead us to lasting joy: “The Lord will remember his covenant forever.”
Jesus gifted us with the parable of the Good Samaritan in response to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Look around everyone at work, school, and in your immediate and not-so-immediate circle of friends and family. There they are. Those who are near to you (nigh) are your neighbors. Be the Good Samaritan to them. Be Jesus!
Leave a comment“The world needs a sense of worth and it will achieve it only by its people feeling that they are worthwhile.” Mr. Fred Rogers.
“That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh.” These familiar passages from the Book of Genesis clearly reveal the truth that humanity is lost without the covenant that was extended to us and ratified in the Gospel. And yet, Christians cannot hide behind precepts and regulations and mount some kind of superior plane or landing from which to judge people and forget that we, that is, all of humanity, are in the same boat. I heard someone say quite directly to another: “Don’t judge other people just because they don’t sin like you do.” The Scriptures explain that the final judgment will be a review of performance, not of privilege. From this perspective, all the promises that we make in this life must be honored, and none more profound than the commitment of love and life that marriage so eloquently capsulizes and expresses. God does not go back on His promises, and neither do we doubt the beauty of promise and commitment.
“Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?'” St. Matthew continues and completes this thought for us by making sure that the Pharisees know that mere possession of laws is no evidence of virtue. Mark Twain once responded to a man who was going to the Holy Land to see where the Ten Commandments were given with, “Why don’t you just stay home and live them? ” Good point, Mr. Clemens. “The worst prison,” St. John Paul wrote, “would be a closed heart,” and this is precisely why you and must know that the Word of God has everything to do with keeping promises and the commitments of love: “Receive the word of God, not as the word of men, but, as it truly is, the word of God.”
Leave a comment“Never close your lips to those with whom you have already opened your heart.” Charles Dickens
William Somerset Maugham was a British playwright, novelist, and short story writer. He is probably most widely known for his novel, The Razor’s Edge. He wrote, “The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard,” in the book’s opening pages. Mr. Maugham once wrote about his mother. She was lovely and charming and beloved by all. His father was not by any means handsome and had few social and surface gifts and graces. Someone once said to his mother, “When everyone is in love with you, and when you could have anyone you liked, how can you remain faithful to that ugly little man you married?” She answered simply: “He never hurts my feelings.” There could be no finer tribute.
Human Love on earth mirrors and foreshadows the Love waiting for us in heaven. That is because it involves a covenant, the same kind of trust-filled, powerfully alive promise that is based on complete and lasting hope, the fruit of complete and tender Love between both God and human beings who enter its promise. In our First Reading, Job understood this with keen and beautifully expressed insight: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be hindered. I have dealt with great things that I do not understand; things too wonderful for me, which I cannot know.” When people entered into that loving promise with God, there was always deep joy present. Only with the help of Jesus Christ can any of us develop the sympathy, understanding, forgiving spirit, and considerate Love that true discipleship and a true, authentic Christian life require. Without that help, these things are impossible. “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.”
Like all things that come from the hand of God directly into our laps and lives, the best is the hardest, and the most difficult yields the most satisfying reward. Some would say that we should all walk boldly through life with an open, broken heart, but we would have to add to that: we shall walk boldly perhaps, even through a burning house, but Love is what moves the universe; it is the source of all life in the One who is Love and who heals the broken-hearted. Homer wrote that “Life and death are balanced on the edge of a razor,” even though he never knew of Christ or was allowed to write about the universal claim of Christianity to have changed the course of human history, I believe he is right. The good news for us who believe and love in this world is that Jesus is on either side of the blade, ready and waiting to catch us.
Leave a comment“I believe that God put us in this jolly world to be happy and enjoy life. Happiness doesn’t come from being rich, nor merely from being successful in your career, nor by self-indulgence. One step towards happiness is to make yourself healthy and strong while you are a boy, so that you can be useful and so can enjoy life when you are a man. Nature study will show you how full of beautiful and wonderful things God has made the world for you to enjoy. Be content with what you have got and make the best of it. Look on the bright side of things instead of the gloomy one. But the real way to get happiness is by giving out happiness to other people. Try and leave this world a little better than you found it and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate you.”
Robert Baden-Powell (last message)
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!” So how does Jesus respond to those living in these New Testament lake towns who should have known better and acted differently? Well, it wasn’t pretty. Why the harshness of the reaction? That’s what happens when we don’t see how incredibly God is working in our lives or the lives of others. It is the expected consequence when we hide behind the Law and miss the Law-giver in our midst. The people who understand this always rejoice, but the ones who judge and criticize and try to “fix” everyone else except themselves are almost always humiliated. It all depends on the quality of our relationship with the Lord Jesus.
“Behold, I am of little account; what can I answer you? I put my hand over my mouth. Though I have spoken once, I will not do so again; though twice, I will do so no more.” Today, let us first give thanks that Our Lord loves us so much that we are constantly being exposed to the truth of our lives. It is ugly at times, but it is always liberating. Second, let us ask again for the courage to see Jesus in others as we look for Him in our souls. This is definitely the recipe for true happiness.
Leave a comment“Sometimes, you will go through awful trials in your life and then a miracle happens–God heals you. Don’t be disheartened when the people you love don’t see things as you do. There will be Pharisees in your life that will laugh it off, deny that it happened, or will mock your experience based on righteousness they think you don’t possess. God won’t deny you a spiritual experience because you are not a spiritual leader. He loves everyone equally. The only people that really matter in life are the people that can “see” your heart and rejoice with you.” Shannon L. Alder
“But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives, and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust; Whom I myself shall see.” Everyone has a mission in life. Everyone spends their life searching for that mission; when they find it, they hang on for dear life. Others never discover it and live out their days in less than quiet desperation. This is what we can gather from the readings today. The Lord has fashioned us and sent us forward into this world for a definite purpose, and that purpose has everything to do with bearing fruit that will last. That means eternal fruit.
This directive is never easy. There will always be those around us who will fight and attempt to destroy the harvest. The First Reading assures every one of us that He will be there to strengthen and guide, and yet, even to protect us from the plotting of those who would pull up the wheat instead of the weeds.
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.” We are all called then to respond to this great invitation. Every day presents itself with a new opportunity to spread the Gospel and the message of love and forgiveness that is contained right there all the time.
Leave a comment“Don’t wait for a feeling or love in order to share Christ with a stranger. You already love your heavenly Father, and you know that this stranger is created by Him, but separated from Him, so take those first steps because you love God. It is not primarily out of compassion for humanity that we share our faith or pray for the lost; it is first of all, love for God.” John Piper
“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Do you want to be the greatest at anything? I can only imagine that in this highly competitive yet entitlement-minded society, people are either trying to get ahead or just exist and coast. Both are extreme ways of living. Some would call this “all-or-nothing” thinking, which has traditionally led many down a dark and lonely path. You see, Jesus changes all that: “Do you want to be great?” He asks. And before answering, Our Lord places right in front of all the readers of the Gospel throughout the centuries, a child. An innocent, loving, trusting child cries when he or she is angry or has acted selfishly.
Trust the Lord; He loves you! And if you need a little more help, guess what? It will be there: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” Did you catch that? Every child has their angel constantly in touch with the Father. You and I were all once children, so we still have them. This is precisely what the Scripture says, and the Church teaches today on the Feast of the Guardian Angels. Name you , angel. Take a deep breath and move forward. Trust Jesus. Now, that’s great.
Leave a comment“Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here. Ever this night/day be at my side to light and guard, to rule and guide.“
“Why did I not perish at birth, come forth from the womb, and expire? Or why was I not buried away like an untimely birth, like babes that have never seen the light?” Our friend Job is not having a good day. Sounds like a couple of mornings for you and me. And that is precisely the point: everyone, every single living soul, will have dry spells, seasons of woe, and days of agony. That never means we have lost the eternal battle to enter into Heaven. It just means that our suffering must increase our strength and resolve to keep going. “Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my call for help.”
The ultimate depth of our prayers must slowly and surely reach the ultimate surrender of everything to the One who made us out of pure love. This sentiment is captured throughout the Scriptures and is echoed brilliantly and with great comfort throughout the Gospels. The rain must fall, but with dawn comes rejoicing because of the very One who died for us.
And how do we know all this is true? Jesus lived it and won for us the crown of victory custom-shaped for each one of us, depending on our own situations and life settings. We also have the example of St. Vincent de Paul, who lifted the poor and hungry and sought to educate the clergy. Suffering will always be with us. This definitely means that we must always seek to understand the deep misery of despair, unite those sufferings to Jesus, and thus reach the other side of glory. Consider this from St. Teresa of Calcutta on the occasion of her first visit to the United States:
“I suppose that some of you are feeling that you would have to buy a plane ticket and travel to India if you were to give effective help to the poor. There is no need. The poor are right here in your own country… In developed nations like yours, there is an abundance of food. But there is often a famine of the heart due to a lack of love. The victims of this famine of love are the new poor. And who are these poor people? They are the people sitting next to you.”
Look around you today. There are others who are hurting. Together, we are going to win this, as Jesus promised.
Leave a comment“Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I go back again. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!” Our Scriptures open up with one of the most memorable quotes ever uttered by the long-suffering and monumentally patient character of Job, who continues to infuse our thinking and day-to-day living with remarkable and helpful insights which we desperately need in this frenetic world. We are speaking here about a healthy, totally God-centered, confident detachment from all the forces of darkness and disappointment that cause us or at least temp us to worry and lose hope as we make our way in our Spiritual lives toward Heaven. This is not always easily accomplished because as adults, we feel very often that we must work for, attain, and operate with “full control” of any given situation.
“Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” And once again, Jesus the Lord crowns these wonderful hopes and dreams for a much simpler, holier, and healthier way of life by asking all of us to recall and relive what it means to be a child at heart. This is quickly to be distinguished from being childish but rather exhibiting an amazing disposition whereby trust in God is the way the day begins and ends. When we receive and accept this portion of our personality and truly learn to live in the moment and be here right now, we will understand why Jesus loved children so much and why He loves us in that very same and innocently trusting way.
Leave a comment“Faith walks simply, childlike, between the darkness of human life and the hope of what is to come.” Catherine Doherty
“If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna (Hell).” These words of Jesus we just heard are hard words to hear. They are hard to think about. They are hard to process. They are hard because Jesus is addressing lust and adultery that cause more emotional pain and hurt families, perhaps more than just about anything else. Nobody wins when a family breaks apart under the horrible weight of painful pretense and broken dreams. Love is such a supreme and yes, even Divine gift, that any alteration or selfishness that enters such a relationship can have the most destructive of consequences.
“Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries. Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you.” We all have endured some of these painful experiences, either directly or indirectly. Yet, it is precisely because Jesus is speaking about these that we simply cannot ignore what he has to say. We live in a world that is broken, and we pick up knocks and bruises as we go through, and if Jesus has something to say about all that, we need to tune in. Love, not lust, is at the basis of our hearts. Truth, not lies, is the very air our hearts and souls need to approach God and one another. When we give our hearts to Jesus, we are asking Him to allow us to love the way He does. Completely. Unselfishly. Purely. This is why daily prayer and the Eucharist are absolutely necessary for this spiritual approach to our human existence. What Jesus clearly wants for us is not natural; it is supernatural and only then we will be happy in this life, waiting for the one that is to come. “Your word, O Lord, is truth; consecrate us in the truth.”
Leave a comment“Live life to the fullest. You have to color outside the lines once in a while if you want to make your life a masterpiece. Laugh some every day. Keep growing, keep dreaming, keep following your heart.” Albert Einstein
“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years approach of which you will say, I have no pleasure in them.” The older we get, the more life comes into focus, then, mysteriously, out of focus again. Strange thoughts, indeed, but inspired by the reference in the Gospel where it seems that knowledge and understanding are withheld along this journey we call life. You see, each level and step of our lives produces enough experience and memory to grasp certain realities that beforehand we could never understand. Take death, for instance. Some are horribly tragic and others, although they may sting, are somehow soothed with the passing of time and other births. It is clear that meaning is withheld for something better later on.
“But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.” The real wisdom will arrive when we stop asking questions and be completely amazed and enthralled with the One who brought everything into light. Knowledge of the world is one thing, but trust in the Lord Jesus dispels even the need to understand things and be ready to live in His presence all the days of our lives. We then can finally understand and appreciate the words of the Psalm of today: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.”
Leave a comment“A genuine faith resolves the mystery of life by the mystery of God.” Reinhold Niebuhr
“There is an appointed time for everything and a time for everything under the heavens.” This passage from the Book of Ecclesiasticus reinforces the claim that there is an overall, far-reaching providential care that always accompanies our walk in this life and that by trusting this assertion, we can be assured of great peace and the seeds of a happy and fulfilled life. No longer can we ask with the air of disappointment and despair, “Why do all these things happen to me?” By trusting in the heavenly care God has for us and the ultimate sacrifice paid by His Son, Jesus, we do not ask, “Why me?” but rather, “What now?!”
“But who do you say that I am?” This larger-than-life question that yields magnificent results is found in only one and basically rudimentary position. Who we think Jesus is surpasses any philosophy or self-help mantra in existence. Once we realize who He is, we will come to find the most wonderful peace and happiness ever imagined because we will have discovered why He came. He came for me!
Leave a comment“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” Leo Tolstoy
“And he kept trying to see him.” The ravaged conscience of Herod the Madman was apparently no match for the bright celestial light emanating from Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You see, the insane and inane king thought he had calmed his evil heart by beheading John the Baptist, but that was not going to happen. “John, I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?” This is why it is of tantamount importance to remain in the state of grace and always in deep spiritual and prayerful communication with the Lord. We must be persistent in this way because, eventually, our own hearts will not rest until they rest with Jesus.
“What profit has man from all the labor which he toils at under the sun?” The First Reading substantiates this thought and direction by reminding us that all things will pass, and the vain and proud things we attempted to accomplish will amount to nothing in the greater scheme of things. What we need today and every day we are allowed to breathe is wisdom. Persistence and trust in God during our spiritual lives will yield eternal benefits and help form us into true, loving people. We must never give up or surrender. The prize is too great and awesome.
Leave a comment“The art of love is largely the art of persistence. ” Albert Ellis
“Every word of God is tested; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” What our First Reading underscores is both quite simple and beautiful: The ultimate depth of any of our prayers must slowly and surely reach the ultimate surrender of everything to the One who made us out of pure love. This sentiment is captured throughout the Psalm of today and is echoed brilliantly and with great comfort throughout the Gospels. The trials must befall but with dawn comes rejoicing because of the very One who died for us: “The law of your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces.”
“Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.” And how do we know all this is true? Jesus lived it and won for us the crown of victory which is custom-shaped to each one of us depending on our own situations and life settings. We also have countless examples of Saints like St. Vincent de Paul, who lifted up the poor and hungry and sought to educate the clergy. Suffering will always be with which means that we must always seek to understand the deep misery of despair, unite those sufferings to Jesus, and thus reach to the other side of glory. Consider this from St. Teresa of Calcutta on the occasion of her first visit to the United States:
I suppose that some of you are feeling that you would have to buy a plane ticket and travel to India if you were to give effective help to the poor. There is no need. The poor are right here in your own country… In developed nations like yours, there is an abundance of food. But there is often a famine of the heart due to a lack of love. The victims of this famine of love are the new poor. And who are these poor people? They are the people sitting next to you.
Look around you today. There are others who are hurting. Together we are going to win this. Jesus promised.
Leave a commentAre You My Mother? is a story about a hatchling bird. His mother, thinking her egg will stay in her nest where she left it, leaves her egg alone and flies off to find food. The baby bird then hatches and does not understand where his mother is, so he goes to look for her. As he lacks the ability to fly, he walks, and in his search, he asks a kitten, a hen, a dog, and a cow if they are his mother, but none of them are. This quaint and well-known children’s story helps us remember the nearly same kind of question hurled at Jesus in the Gospel today. People thought that since the Virgin Mary and other close family members were asking for Him, Jesus would respond immediately; however, His response was nearly puzzling on first impressions: “He said to them in reply, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.'” We could repeat with the cute story the same question in an entirely different and mesmerizing context, “God, are you my mother, my brothers, sisters, family?” The answer, however, is as mystifying as it is clarifying: “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” You see, it is not the family tree replete with flesh and blood nuances and connections that brings us closer to God, but our fidelity to what He says and following what He does.
“Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands. Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds.” All of us want family, and we seek security in one way or another. We need intimacy to discover our place in the world and make a healthy connection with others, especially with God. What is the foundation of such levels of relationship? Fidelity and obedience. We feel and exist closer to the Lord the more we follow Him and live in the light of His love starting with our desire and success to forgive even the deepest of pains in this life, especially betrayal. Interestingly enough, the way the little short story ends and the way our own lives will find their conclusion are very similar. In the children’s book, the little bird dramatically returns to its nest just as his mother returns. The two are reunited, much to their delight, and the baby bird recounts to his mother the adventures he had looking for her. Imagine your own homecoming to Jesus in Heaven and all the stories you’ll share as you spend a lifetime looking for Him, too. “To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.”
“Of course, God does not consider you hopeless. If He did He would not be moving you to seek Him (and He obviously is). What is going on in you at present is simply the beginning of the treatment. Continue seeking with cheerful seriousness. Unless He wanted you, you would not be wanting Him.” C. S. Lewis
Leave a comment“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.” With age, I hope I can see the world much more clearly. There are a good number of people that I love and cherish dearly and while there are a good many others that have seemingly dropped out of my life, there is a definite pattern that has emerged that deepens respect and admiration for all the people who have populated my life. I have loved them because they have shown me Jesus. Their ways of handling death, disappointment, fun, friends and family have all slowly formed a clear picture of character that is unmistakably the mark of one who truly loves God. Imagine how the crowd in today’s Gospel must have felt when they heard that they must live their lives in the light of truth before the world! What goes through your mind?
“Plot no evil against your neighbor, against one who lives at peace with you.” Today, no matter what you have to face or confront or carry, keep these thoughts of the Scriptures alive in your heart. Perhaps you could ask yourself, “Who do people see in me?” If we can honestly say that others have seen or heard the Lord in something we said or did, then we can sleep calmly and without fear.
Leave a comment“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle. “St. Francis of Assisi
“Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to his own words, God will take care of him.” Our Scriptures open up with the Book of Wisdom, which continues to infuse our thinking and day-to-day living with remarkable and helpful insights which we desperately need in this frenetic world. We are speaking here about a healthy, totally God-centered confident detachment from all the forces of darkness and disappointment that cause us or at least temp us to worry and lose hope as we make our way in our Spiritual lives toward Heaven. This is not always easily accomplished because, as adults, we feel very often that we must work for, attain, and operate with “full control” of any given situation. “You ask but do not receive because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”
“Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” And once again, Jesus the Lord crowns these wonderful hopes and dreams for a much simpler, holier, and healthier way of life by asking all of us to recall and relive what it means to be a child at heart. This is quickly to be distinguished from being childish but rather exhibiting an amazing disposition whereby trust in God is the way the day begins and ends. When we receive and accept this portion of our personality and truly learn to live in the moment and be here right now, we will understand why Jesus loved children so much and why He loves us in that very same and innocently trusting way.
Leave a comment“The child is in me still and sometimes not so still.” Fred Rogers
“I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received.” How can we say that someone who is a prisoner is actually in a good place? This would have to be determined by a number of factors, such as the prison itself, the prisoner, and, of course, the jailer. On this beautiful Tuesday, we have encountered such a mission of understanding and belief that will hopefully expand our notions of faith and to the awesome extent that Jesus loves us. “…with all humility and gentleness, with patience.” The word “prison” has been defined in some circles as a state of confinement while awaiting trial. In many ways, we could stretch that meaning just a bit and see how life itself can be a sort of prison because we are confined in space and time, awaiting the final judgment of all that we have said and done while here on this earth. Thus, while we are “confined” we have been given instructions while we are here. We are to be humble and gentle and as much can be grasped, patient with as many as possible. “…bearing with one another through love.” If we see everyone in our lives as fellow prisoners, then we could find the strength and the power to love because we are all awaiting the same trial. That in and of itself will bring us to unity and peace: “…striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
“Go and learn the meaning of the words; I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” On this great Feast of St. Matthew, this particular phrase from the Gospel describes and determines the attitude of the “jailer” in our little analogy of this Reflection. God has placed us here on earth “in confinement,” and Jesus will come one day to lead us out of this existence to another, which is complete and eternal freedom. In the meantime, then, we are to concentrate on living, acting with, and living in mercy. Showing mercy to each other is indeed a pledge and promise that mercy will be shown to us.
Leave a comment“Teach me to feel another’s woe, To hide the fault I see; That mercy I to others show, That mercy show to me.” Alexander Pope (from The Universal Prayer)
“Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources.” This Gospel passage is interesting because it is another mention in the Gospel of Luke where we hear about demonic possession. The ancient world believed that the air was thickly populated with evil spirits which sought entry into everyone. Often they did enter through food or drink. All illness was caused by them. The Egyptians believed there were thirty-six different parts of the human body, and any of them could be entered and controlled by one of these evil spirits. There were spirits of deafness, of dumbness, of fever; spirits that took a man’s sanity and wits away; spirits of lying and of deceit and of uncleanness. It was such demons that Jesus exorcised here.
“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” However dramatic or dark, this topic of confronting evil and evil spirits is good for each and every one of us because every day is a challenge and struggle to live this life and walk this walk. We live in a world where darkness and terror can overcome us unless we hold the Light of Christ within us; we will indeed be swallowed up in despair. Thus, the battle of light and darkness is not just outside of us, it is also within us. And we have Jesus, especially in the Eucharist, to help us move forward in faith. Evil is not sustainable because it has already been defeated. It is now up to us to join the winning, victorious team.
Leave a comment“Be careful when fighting against evil that you don’t become evil yourself. ” Marty Rubin
“I am reminding you, brothers and sisters, of the Gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand.” St. Paul makes it very clear most emphatically in his Letter to the Corinthians that humanity is lost without the Gospel. And yet, he warns all of us Christians that we cannot hide behind precepts and regulations and mount some kind of superior plane or landing from which to judge people and forget that we, that is, all of humanity, are in the same boat. Clearly, we have no right to judge other people just because they do not sin like we do. St. Paul explains that the final judgment will be a review of performance, not of privilege. From this perspective, everyone stands on an equal footing with each other, and thus, we cannot realistically condemn others without condemning ourselves.
“Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both. Which of them will love him more?” St. Luke continues and completes this thought for us by making sure that the Pharisees know that mere possession of laws is no evidence of virtue. Mark Twain once responded to a man who was going to the Holy Land to see where the Ten Commandments were given with, “Why don’t you just stay home and live them?” Good point, Mr. Clemens.
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” “The worst prison,” St. John Paul wrote, “would be a closed heart,” and this is precisely why you and I must know the difference between judging and admonishing. Arrogant judgment condemns because it is motivated by pride; admonishing the sinner liberates because it is motivated by love. Each produces very different results: “So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little.”
“If you judge people, you have no time to love them. St. Teresa of Calcutta
Leave a comment“We played the flute for you, but you did not dance; we sang a dirge, but you did not mourn.” Unfortunately, there are many around us who hear the refrains of hope and salvation that you and I hear but continue to go forward blindly. We must pray for each other constantly until that day that we all see clearly what Christianity and following Jesus really means and what greatness in Heaven and eternal life is just waiting for us. Today, you and I must be that voice, that speaker, to announce the Good News: Jesus Christ is Lord!
“Love is patient, love is kind.” Life has a lot to do with listening. Think of all the different sounds we hear every single day. We listen for important announcements and information that we deem pertinent to us. We also listen to the voices of those whom we love. So does God: What we hear during this great adventure following the Lord is the call to get real with our lives and with each other. There are many other voices shouting out at us all year long. Only one voice matters: “But I shall show you a still more excellent way.”
Leave a comment“Too often, we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. ” Leo Buscaglia
“Do not weep.” Today, the Scriptures give us what may appear two very different topics and issues to examine and apply to our spiritual lives. However, after some considerable time resting with each of them, one from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians and the Gospel from St. Luke, there is, in fact, a very deep and moving connection. Let’s begin:
“Now you are Christ’s Body, and individually parts of it.” The first selection is all about the qualifications and characteristics of living as parts of the Body of Christ. To be effective and integral in this awesome life of ours, that is, the very hand of Christ to all, there must be two areas of life that are solid and sincere for every one of us: Our own family life and our particular world view, that is, the understanding of human nature and how Jesus seeks even today to redeem it. Let’s look at three pitfalls in this life:
1. There is the desire for prestige. When anyone realizes how awesome this life is and wants to be here for others, prestige will be the last thing that should enter the equation. A true servant does not want the approval of everyone, just God.
2. There is the desire for position: Those in this life are not thinking of those around them but only themselves. This is selfish.
3. There is the desire for importance: Anyone trying to make sense of this life and expecting constant thanks and recognition has clearly lost the mark. If anyone gives only to gain something out of the giving for themselves, it has unfortunately undone anything good that was attempted, especially comforting the afflicted.
This is fundamentally crucial because the world that desperately seeks Jesus’s face must address and manage the relationship between love and fear. Perhaps our point of departure could be the investigation of their opposites. Many believe that the opposite of love is hate, but the opposite of love is really apathy. Apathy has been described in several places as the lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern—simply put, “not caring about anything or anyone.”
What about the opposite of fear? A person who is unafraid has the assurance that there is no real basis for fear. We could call that confidence or true acceptance of how things are. That does not mean that we do not experience the emotion of fear, but rather, we confront it with assurance no matter how we feel. The great General Patton said: “All men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty.”
Let’s hold on to those thoughts as move to reflect on the meaning of the Gospel today: “Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.“ Anyone who wishes to follow the Lord, serve His Church, and comfort the mourning and suffering must have their heart in the right place. Otherwise, the world will just continue suffering and, even worse, fall pathetic prey to the wolves of the world.
We face storms every single day. Sometimes they take the form of horrible traffic jams, excruciating headaches, disappointments at work and in our relationships, even “life or death, “do or die“ situations. It’s dark and terrifying. So are we afraid and why? If the opposite of fear has to do with having God “in us,“ then perhaps the remedy for you and me not only has to do with seeing and experiencing Jesus walking on the stormy water towards us but also getting up, shaking off the emotional baggage and walking toward Him as well. This is why Jesus came and called and keeps calling gallant and selfless people to serve the Gospel, wipe the tears from our faces, and live.
Perhaps He is calling you.
Leave a comment“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” Here, halfway through the month, we are greeted and challenged by this very familiar phrase from the Scriptures, which are recalled during the Sacrifice of the Mass right before the Body and Blood of Christ are to be received. The term “under my roof” refers primarily to the authority that one is called to acknowledge and respect when living or even visiting someone else’s home or abode. At the core of all courtesies known to us is the deference and dignity we show to those whose homes we enter, that is, while we are “under their roof.” What is at issue for us today is that of authority or, in other words, the power to achieve something great.
“And Jesus said to the centurion, ‘You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.’ And at that very hour his servant was healed.” We have, in fact, witnessed something great happen as the Gospel continues: a miracle! Perhaps we could say that the centurion told Jesus that He did not have to come under his own roof but rather, the centurion had to submit and believe and trust by living in the Kingdom, virtually, under God’s roof. When each of us lives our lives so completely in trust in the wonderful grace that God provides, with the ultimate assurance that all is well and all will be well, we, too, will have our own miracle right under our own roof.
Leave a comment“God will always give us more than we deserve.” St. Padre Pio
“I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.” As simple as it sounds, the real way to face all of the troubles of life lies squarely and assuredly in the total awareness that God is in complete control of our lives and has provided for each and every eventuality that will befall us. One of the most memorable homilies I have ever heard was the same one our pastor preached every New Year’s Eve and Day. He reminded us that in the upcoming year, we will have our worst day and our best day, and the good news for all of us was this: God is already there for both!
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” All this is great news for us who wish to follow Christ all the way to Heaven. It also addresses the quality of carrying the cross that we have been assessed and given. Some of us like to complain or make things worse when we suffer, which is not usually a good witness to the Gospel. When we face powerlessness in this life, perhaps we could review a few possible approaches to our walk with the Lord in hopes of making our Christian journey the best it can be:
Calm Down: The appearance of powerlessness almost always creates a ripe breeding ground for anger. We can’t do anything about a certain situation, so we turn to the only things we have control over, which are our emotions. Anger is a volatile and perhaps the most destructive of all the vices. Unbridled, it can destroy us.
Discover Your Own Real Motivations: Why do we want justice? Is it really revenge? Justice is a virtue; revenge is a perversion of justice.
Consider the Source: Who lied about us? Who has besmirched our reputation? Whenever we hear praise or harsh criticism, we must first consider its source. What someone says about us is never more important than the one who said it.
Weigh Carefully the Consequences: This is where prudence rallies into our discussion. Will I bring more attention to myself and my emotional spasms?
Wait: Remember, Jesus waited three days after His brutal murder to set things straight. Waiting and watching are deep spiritual exercises that separate us from the beasts of this world. My Italian friends put it best when they say, “Let God handle the need for revenge. He is much better at it.”
Leave a comment“We all have a cross to carry. I have to carry my own cross. if we don’t carry our crosses, we are going to be crushed under the weight of it.” Jim Caviezel
What is the mystery of suffering? Maybe we should begin with the penalty for complaining. It did not go well for the people in the First Reading: “We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you.” The problem was simple: they forgot how good God had been to them and just focused on the things in the present moment without giving thanks to the One who always cared for them. Thus, the Psalmist made it clear to them and us what we must all do: “Do not forget the works of the Lord!”
None of us like to suffer. We avoid pain and discomfort. Our whole society and culture are seemingly built around the basic premise that we must avoid all pain. The problem, however, is simple and tragic. No one can avoid suffering. No one can escape death. The simple message of today is this: Life is not a question about whether or not you will suffer; it is a question of HOW. We who believe in Jesus know the answer to that question. We suffer WITH Him so we can RISE with Him. “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.”
Again, this awakens the thoughts we continue to raise in these Reflections. Which path will I take today? Whose promise will I place my entire trust in?
Leave a comment“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
“You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.” Today, we are being treated with a very famous morsel of Scripture quotes that most people have heard, even if they have never read anything else in the Bible. Perhaps much of its popularity is due in part to the widespread experience that everyone has with this issue. We could ask ourselves what is truly the problem with hypocrisy? When someone condemns the sinful behavior of others and then engages in the very same behavior, we seem to lose it, or at least, some of the time. It is objectionable to realize that someone is not practicing what they are preaching, but it goes much deeper than that: a hypocrite is trying to convince us that they are more holy, righteous, and moral than the rest of the people. This is what makes it so hateful and repulsive on practically every level imaginable.
“If I preach the Gospel, this is no reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been imposed on me, and woe to me if I do not preach it!” 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. Today, let us carry Jesus deep within our souls so that we do or say nothing that would displease him. This is the challenge and fruit of being loving people who love God and our neighbor. It is truly an exciting adventure.
Leave a comment“Truth without love is brutality and love without truth is hypocrisy.” Warren W. Wiersbe
It may take the death of someone very dear to us or some horrendous tragedy or life-altering disappointment to finally bring 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. In our First Reading, St. Paul was one of those trusting God-fearing individuals. Yet, he was also ready to beg forgiveness for straying from the fold: “Thus, through your knowledge, the weak person is brought to destruction, the brother for whom Christ died. When you sin in this way against your brothers and wound their consciences, weak as they are, you are sinning against Christ.” 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 people trust the Lord with everything they have and acknowledge 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 do not see it, the closer we come to fulfilling the destiny God has invited us to follow.
Leave a comment“The more you know yourself, the more patience you have for what you see in others.” Erik Erikson
“For the world in its present form is passing away.” Some of the most inspiring opportunities for remarkable growth come when we feel sad, lonely, or grieving. And yet, there are so many among us who despise these moments and become angry, saddened, or even despairing. While these are the normal phases or stages of human life and dealing with longing and disappointments, we simply can not remain there too long lest we lose sight of the battle or journey of life. Grief can be a test as long as we do not make a lifestyle.
“Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied.” Here again, we have words of comfort and wisdom when we face the tests of life. God calls us to a deeper walk with Him every single day. Sometimes, that takes the form of sadness or disappointment, and sometimes, it is just the plain tiresome pace of life we encounter. No matter what form it takes, we are tested because that is the price of joy, and if we want wisdom, we welcome this particular kind of test. Rejoice today: He has called you!
Leave a comment“From dark clouds we get precious water. From dark mines we get valuable jewels. And from our darkest tests come our finest blessings from God.” Unknown
” …but now you have had yourselves washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” Once again, we are served with a most profound invitation to not only receive Christ, to walk with Jesus but also to be so rooted in the Lord that nothing will shake the confidence we are promised to have in Him. Along with this awesome invite, we are to surround ourselves and even bathe in complete and unadulterated thanksgiving and gratitude. Now, that is a recipe for happiness all day long!
“Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all.” What may be a little different in today’s presentation of the Scriptures is this dramatic detail, which should readily be imagined with all the images we can muster. If we sought to touch Jesus with everything we’ve got, we can be assured that our days, really our entire lives, would show a great difference practically immediately. This will especially show in the way we treat our friends, our enemies, our fears, and our pain.
Leave a comment“Sometimes to destroy the monsters that we face, we have to come against them in the same way that they have come against us. But if I do so in the power of God, I might have come against them in the same way, but I have come against them with a very different kind of power. And in that sense, nothing is the same.” Craig D. Lounsbrough
“On a certain sabbath, Jesus went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the Sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him.” In the Gospel today, especially in light of the traditional honor of work on this Labor Day, we witness yet another pathetic example of hypocrisy taken to its unusual conclusion. Clearly, these people were as close as a dead oyster. The scribes and Pharisees would rather a man suffer with a horribly deformed hand than be cured on the Sabbath. This is because they prefer to maintain a deformed view of reality, and others suffer because they do not fit into their constructs and mindsets. You see, the Sabbath is much more than law, but truly a gift of God’s care for all of us. He rested on the seventh day not out of fatigue but to show how a fruitful life should be lived, with enough time for re-creation and renewal. Our redemption from sin and death is truly the work of God and not us. He has literally “done all the work.” Now, for this glorious break, He wants us to enjoy it!
You and I, unfortunately, tend to rush through our busy week, maybe offering God a fleeting wave or a passing prayer. Sunday, the Sabbath, however, calls us to true and thought-out decisions with real intention. We are simply to stop all the other things we had to do or must do or have to do, and spend quality time with Him and focus attention on Him. When we decide to obey, that is, listen to the Fourth Commandment, we become aware of the astounding and comforting truth that we belong to God. It is not the Sabbath that we worship but the One who has initiated the Sabbath as we swim in a sort of memorial in time, a useful tool to help us focus our attention on our awesome destiny. It has a great chance of avoiding spiritual withering within us and awakens the great promise of our Faith: “Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough? Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened.”
On all Sundays, try to remember this Reflection. Consider taking a different approach to the Sabbath and letting God be at peace with you and for you. Cut out any unnecessary activity and focus on your hope of Heaven. Then perhaps we may truly appreciate St. John’s blessing for us, as cited from his Gospel in the Alleluia Verse of today: “My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me. “
Leave a comment“A life built upon Sabbath is contented because in rhythms of rest we discover our time is full of the holiness of God.” Shelly Miller
“Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared.” There are literally hundreds of idioms that exist in the English language (and others as well) that use the word “open.” This should give rise to the belief that there is something very basic to the action of being opened or opening something which the Lord is trying to communicate with us today through the gift of the Readings. The Lord’s door is always open for us to walk through as He invites us to be and remain open with Him. “The LORD gives sight to the blind; the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.” With open arms, the Lord holds us so that we may see the beauties and the treasures that are right here in the open. This would assume, at least in part, that our world may be shut to His will, and we may have even shut down our hopes and desires to find God in every life situation that we encounter.
“Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?” In our profound Second Reading, He asks us to have an open mind, keep our options open, and come out into the open to learn about the love He has for each of us. This is often blocked by our selfish inclination to judge, condemn, and openly criticize that things we do not understand or do not wish to understand. Sometimes, disappointments in life cause this feeling to flourish, and we are reminded today that when one door shuts, another one opens.
“He looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’— that is, ‘Be opened!’ — And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.” With eyes wide open, we open the door to so much grace and divine love that opens the way to happiness, holiness, and health. Open your hearts to Christ today in a way that you have never before. Let His presence fill you on this beautiful Sabbath and leave the door open for more growth and holiness.
It is an open-and-shut case.
Leave a comment“The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” The Gospel of today points us to a condition of spiritual infection that is all around us. The pettiness and the self-inflated importance of the Pharisees remind us of those who have and exercise authority over us but are under the lure and seduction of power on every scale, which is immense depending on the degree of power one possesses. The abuse of authority has inflicted great harm upon individuals and societies and has harmed the possibility of peace and forgiveness in our world. Jesus cuts through the very heart of the problem in the Gospel today, which should ring loudly in every one of us no matter what state of life we occupy. He is the Lord of the Sabbath, of our days and nights, and of all authority that ever existed over human beings.
“Even if you should have countless guides to Christ, yet you do not have many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.” One of the basic and forgone conclusions we can draw from all of this is quite simple: Everyone has a God. There is a single place at the center of the human heart, and there is only one entity that can dwell there. If it is not God who has been revealed to us by his Son, Jesus, then something or someone else is in that space. It can be power, fame, money, or any other hidden vestige of selfishness, but it is certainly not the One True God whom we adore and love. No, to find complete happiness in this life that will last, even forever, we must fall in love with God.
Leave a comment“To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.” St. Augustine
“…for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God.” As we have seen so many times before, Jesus often uses concrete and dynamic images to illustrate his point. He was certainly the Master Teacher who constantly made teaching memorable and easily understandable. Likewise, by drawing from examples of everyday life, Jesus, even today, helps his hearers to connect the Gospel with their ordinary experiences.
“Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins.” How should we understand Jesus’ reference to wineskins? We are used to buying and storing wine in bottles. In the time of Christ, this was possible but impractical. Glass was a precious material and was usually produced in small quantities. Bottles could not be transported easily, and being a costly material, they would require too much care for the average home. At the time of Christ, liquids would be stored in clay jars or containers made of animal skin. The latter was particularly convenient for transportation, as they could be carried easily, were lightweight, and would occupy less and less space as the liquid was consumed. Wineskins required a modicum of care, given that after a period of use, the leather would become worn and could easily rupture, especially if filled with un-fermented (“new”) wine.
Jesus uses this image to teach us about the new covenant that he inaugurated. You see, a complete and total conversion is necessary to “drink the new wine” of salvation and maintain the level of fidelity and love of God to move forward in life. Without proper care, our souls, too, can become like old, thin wineskins, weakened by sin and spiritual sloth. What would be the point, say, of taking a nice, hot shower after a full day of outdoor labor only to put on the same clothes? Sounds impractical, doesn’t it? The same is true with our souls. They require vigilance and care. Today’s great news is that the Lord is always at hand, offering us his grace through the sacraments to repair what is broken, strengthen what is weak, and fortify what is healthy.
When have you been open to the Holy Spirit today?
When did you sense strength in your soul?
How did you fight fear with faith?
“Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool, so as to become wise.” In both the Old and New Testaments, the references to being saved and delivered from the power of darkness are many and significant. The reference to fishing as a way to understand our call in this world to spread the Gospel and dispel the forces of evil and fear is also plentiful. The fact that most Apostles whom Jesus called to found and build the Church were fishermen is not a causal reference. There are profound reasons that make this quite significant for our understanding of the Bible and of the Church itself. This also has implications concerning our own individual call to be good and faithful followers of Christ in this world. Let’s explore a few of them:
1. Fishing takes patience: Good things, like waiting for the fish to bite, take time, which is certainly the case with our spiritual lives. Overcoming harmful habits and unhealthy attitudes means that we should be patient with ourselves first before evangelizing our family and friends.
2. Fishing requires humility: The proverbial description of “the one that got away” and the exaggerated size of the alleged near-catch humorously illustrates the need for humility out on the water and for every Christian in the world. For the followers of Jesus, there are no more bad days, but certainly, some days are better than others.
3. Fishing involves a team of people: Keep in mind the kind of fishing that is referenced in the Scriptures. It is not the sole figure on the lake with one rod waiting patiently for the long-awaited prize for supper. No, rather, the kind of fishing in both the Old and New Testaments involved using nets, large nets, that required a team of people to bring in the haul. This is clearly good when we think it takes a community gathering of one mind to effectively bring the Gospel to a displaced and broken world.
4. Fishing feeds people: In early Christian churches, the Greek word for fish (ichthus) came to be interpreted as a sort of code word for the name of Jesus. You see, when you take the first letter of each Greek word, “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior,” they spell “ichthus.” Although we cannot be sure when this identification first began or where it was first introduced, the fish has certainly become a standard Christian symbol. Perfect. We fish for Jesus, we fish with Him, and we bring Jesus to hungering and starving people; all the while, we become closer and closer. “‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.’ When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.”
Leave a commentEach of us woke up this morning and began this day with literally a million possibilities for how our lives would unravel as each minute ticked away. For some, it was a bright and glorious beginning, while for others, problems made their way onto our patch almost immediately. One thing is for certain, however, and that is we all have the same Shepherd: Jesus. We are, in fact, His own loved ones: “For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” Every single moment of every single day, we belong to Him, and He is always watching over us. That’s the kind of love He has for us, which is why we can echo the words of the Psalmist today in the very depths of our hearts: “Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield, For in him our hearts rejoice; in his holy name we trust.”
In the Gospel today, Jesus’ healing of the fever ravishing Simon’s mother-in-law and his confrontation with the demons tells us all right here and right now that He has the power and the love to do the same for each one of us wherever we are, in whatever station of life.
These particular Scriptures call out to do a number of things today:
1. Acknowledge He is present to you
2. Lift and present to Him all the matters and people you have to confront today, especially sickness
3. Believe both in His power and love
4. Wait patiently
Perhaps we could say today that we have good news and bad news. The bad news is that we must confront sickness and evil on a daily basis with numbing regularity. The good news is that we are not alone in these confrontations. We carry with us the One who has defeated both now and forever.
Leave a comment“Overcome evil with good, falsehood with truth, and hatred with love. The message isn’t new, but we haven’t learned to live it yet.” Peace Pilgrim
“Jesus rebuked him and said, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm.” 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 which call us to make choices:
“We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God.” 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.
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.
Leave a comment“Peace is not the absence of conflict; it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.“ Ronald Reagan
There is a remarkable juxtaposition, a type of literary set of bookends in our Readings of today. In the First Reading, we find tremendous confidence in knowing that if we die with the Lord, He will never forget us: “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” However, 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 because they allowed doubt and tragic unbelief to stifle and cloud any hope of a miracle in their midst. How can anyone be so blind with Jesus right in front of them?
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 in 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 we can start seeing the Lord truly present in our lives:
“Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites…” The discussion about tradition and traditions is a tricky thing. By definition, these elements are literally “handed down” from one group, one culture, one generation to another. The only difference is where they truly emanate, and the only way to distinguish between what is merely human and what Divine tradition (from God) is found in the nature of revelation itself. How do we really know what is just a human custom from a true article of belief that is from the Lord and true everywhere at all times?
The Gospel tackles this question head-on with the quoted words of Jesus from the prophet Isaiah: “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.” Here is the danger: if we hold human traditions as if they come straight from God, we are guilty of idolatry. If we take Divine Revelation and treat tradition as if it were a simple custom, then we straddle into the land of apathetic disbelief. Divine Revelation has two sources, Scripture and Tradition: God’s Word, which is written, and His teaching, which is oral. The Church as Sacrament of Salvation must make these distinctions clear and navigate us through the centuries. This is why Jesus established the Church, and that is why they must have all three elements intact: Scripture, Tradition, and the Teaching Authority of the Church. This is how we stay focused until we are with God forever and say for all eternity, “Incline my heart, O God, to your decrees; And favor me with your law.” 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.
Leave a comment“Prayer does not change God, but it changes the one who prays.” Soren Kierkegaard
“A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one, he gave five [5] talents; to another, two; to a third, one–to each according to his ability. Then he went away.” In the Gospel that we are given on this great Sunday, we hear of the many talents that God administers to the world. It seems from the very notable parable that the most he gave was five, as in the five senses. Let’s take a new and interesting look from this perspective:
Talent One: EYES gift of sight: Think of the ability to see and comprehend the world around us and God’s presence in it.
Talent Two: EARS gift of listening: Think of the ability to remain quiet in front of a sunrise or sunset, a friend who is telling us about their day and life, and before God in prayer.
Talent Three: NOSE the gift of smell: Think of the ability to appreciate the fragrance of this created world and be soothed by the texture of nature’s aromas.
Talent Four: MOUTH gift of speech: Think of the ability to communicate and heal with words that are formed in your mind and expressed with your heart.
Talent Five: TOUCH-our effect on others. Think of how wonderful it is to be held, to accept the congratulatory handshake or the firm and reassuring pat on the back. Good touches warm the heart.
We cannot bury these talents any more than we can hide from the expectations that are thrust upon us. The lessons are irrefutable. First, this parable teaches us that success is a product of our work. God always gives us everything we need to do what he has called us to do. In the mystery of this awesome human life, we are not all created equally with the same gifts and talents. None of us can render judgment on any other. We work for the Master, not our own selfish purposes, and for that very important and critical reason, we will all be held accountable.
Leave a comment“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, “I used everything you gave me.” Erma Bombeck
Question: What is the difference between smart, clever, intelligent, and wise?
Answer: You’d better know if you truly want to be happy.
Being smart helps you answer difficult questions; clever people know how to think outside the box and come up with interesting solutions to problems; intelligence adds figures and remembers dates and other important life skills. Wisdom, however, is what allows the human person to access everything they need to get to Heaven. Huge difference. “We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.”
There is a very interesting detail in the Gospel today about the lanterns/torches that the prescribed wise and foolish virgins are sporting. You see, they were supposed to greet the bridegroom when he emerged with his bridal group of friends and family: “The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.”
Since this event normally took place on the bleakest of nights, there was a huge precaution: to ensure that there would be no looters or dangerous thieves to crash the procession, the bridesmaids had to be holding fire in the lamps to distinguish them from non-participants of the wedding banquet. The faces of the wise bridesmaids were recognizable. They were adequately prepared for the big moment and had plenty of oil. The wise among us are equally so. They are ready, waiting, and prepared for Jesus to come again. But what about the foolish ones? They were clearly unprepared and ran out and had to leave the post to buy some more. What do they look like?
Five Types of Fools:
1. The juvenile fool opens the mind to any passing thought and lacks discernment
2. The senseless often says ridiculous things, gets caught, is challenged, and then is angry
3. The lustful fool makes choices based mostly on pleasure while becoming unreasonable
4. The angry fool creates his/her truth and hates anyone who challenges it.
5. The incurable fool thinks they are fooling everyone else and wants to drag as many fools down with him/her.
What’s in your lantern?
Leave a comment“Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” This is truly an amazing Gospel that we have today. It describes the death and martyrdom of John the Baptist, who occupies a number of wonderful categories, including cousin to Jesus, the Last Prophet, and an outstanding voice that calls us all to listen and be ready for the greatest news we could ever receive. The Readings make this an even more thought-provoking Saturday and first day of the month as we recall how great it is to love the Lord and follow Him with every fiber of our being. John would later express this very same desire when he stated that he himself should decrease while Jesus must increase. Once we come to realize and accept our purpose here on earth, our lives are much simpler and have the potential for even greater holiness.
“Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip.” The place of John the Baptist could never be overplayed or misunderstood. He forms one of the most significant members of the cloud of witnesses that helps us all look intently at Jesus and never let that focus stray. For the many of us who are giving all we have to be the best we can be and please the Lord, we are heartened by the fact that God always prepares the way for us to find Jesus and stay ever-so-close to Him in this life and the next. Our call is to let Jesus increase in our lives, and our selfishness decrease. With the help of the Holy Spirit and the wonderful Eucharist, success in this field is within our reach. The death of John the Baptist reminds us that following the Lord also has a deep price that sometimes people are unwilling to consider or offer. But in the final analysis, we want to be counted among those who are faithful, loving, and true to our calling.
Leave a comment“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, “I used everything you gave me.” Erma Bombeck
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth.” So how does Jesus respond to our “old friends” to So how does Jesus respond to our “old friends” today? Well, to say the least, it wasn’t pretty. Why the harshness of the reaction? That’s what happens when we don’t see how incredibly God is working in our lives or in the lives of others. It is the expected consequence when we hide behind perceptions, correctness, and the Law while missing the Law-giver in our midst.
“May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.” The people who understand this can always rejoice because they know themselves, they love the person God sees, and they seek to be as patient with others as possible. But the people who judge and criticize and try to “fix” everyone else except themselves are almost always humiliated. It all depends on the relationship. Today, let us first give thanks that Our Lord loves us so much that we are constantly being exposed to the truth in our lives, ugly at times, but always liberating. Second, let us ask again for the courage to see Jesus in others as we look for Him in our souls. This is the recipe for true happiness and remarkable clarity.
Leave a comment“You can speak with spiritual eloquence, pray in public, and maintain a holy appearance, but it is your behavior that will reveal your true character.” Steve Maraboli
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.”