For His Glory!

Blog reStart!

2011-12-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

Lets try this again... I always enjoy writing and sharing why not try and make that my goal. Well lets start by saying 2morrow will be the End of the Year party for the JR High youth team that I teach at my church. Its such an Honor to be the Youth Director of such a great group of kids and the Core team I have are great.

Thinking back this year has been an adventure in itself. Following God and moving where He calls me, is a task so big that the call is so far. To be able to hear it and follow Him is a gift of LOVE between a Father and His son. Which I have loved doing all my life. During this wonderful Season of Christmas and the sharing of the 3rd Week of Advent of JOY; I recall the gifts of love I have been giving.

Just think about how you are preparing for Christ's birth; how do you honor Him? -- can you fully stand up and say that you are READY! ???? Can you fully look at Christ in the Eucharist and understand the TRUE meaning of the birth? The reason of His coming, the dying of the Son to the raising of the Soul? Within the Eucharistic well celebrate that mystery that God has shared, so stop and relax, and listen!

O Come, O Come ... Emmanuel, and let our Hearts be Pure and Bless,

Let all the souls of the Earth sing out, O Come - O Come .... Emmanuel!

Easter Sunday / The Resurrection of Jesus reminds us of the glorious future awaiting us

2011-04-23T23:43:00.002-07:00

We are so accustomed to hearing of Jesus risen from the dead that we could say, “Oh yea…we know all about it” and miss the grace of this holy season of Easter. But think about it, Jesus rose from the dead! Death is not the end. It is only the door to beyond. Let us not allow the resurrection of Jesus to have to fight for room in our lives; let Jesus’ death and resurrection be the center of our lives. We had been waiting for this moment for thousands of years. The Old Testament shows us that history was working out God’s plan but the highpoint in God’s plan for us was the resurrection. Easter is the greatest celebration of the Church. Jesus’ resurrection reminds us that there is life beyond the grave. Jesus’ resurrection reminds us that there is more to each of us than meets the eye, that we have an immortal soul. Although our body will return to dust, our soul will live forever with God.

What is the purpose of life? What is your goal in life? Where is your heart in life? Life has only one ultimate goal, to prepare for the next life, and if you are not preparing for your own resurrection you are like a train that has become derailed. What happens to a train that gets derailed? It goes nowhere. Can you take your house to heaven with you? Then why make such a fuss about your house? Can you take your car to heaven with you? Well then, why become so engrossed in your car? Can you take your bank account to heaven with you? Use your money for the spread of the Gospel. Why are you so busy that you have no time to pray to God every day? It is God you want to meet in the next life, isn’t it? I cannot understand anyone who says they believe in God but do not pray every day. It is a contradiction to say that you believe in God but do not pray.

We have a wonderful future ahead of us. We will be resurrected like Jesus. The end of our second reading today said,

“But when Christ is revealed - and he is your life - you too will be revealed in all your glory with him.” (Col 3:4).

Also think of what we heard in our second reading,

“...the life you have is hidden with Christ in God...” (Col 3:3)

Think of the glorious future that awaits each of us. Paul wrote to the Philippians,

“For us, our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes the Savior we are waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he will transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body.” (Phil 3:20)

Just think of it, you will be transformed to become glorious like Jesus. Do you live like someone who believes in such a glorious future? If you do, surely everything in this world takes on a new perspective, so that, as I said earlier, we do not become possessed by our possessions. And since you will be transfigured, will be glorious like the risen Jesus, why do you not pray for a substantial amount of time every day? Do you see why I say it is a contradiction to say that you believe in God if you don’t pray? The reason we have so many problems is because we don’t pray enough. Pray, pray, pray. Again, what is life all about?

“Our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes the Savior we are waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he will transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body.” (Phil 3:20)

John, in his first letter says something similar,

“My dear people, we are already children of God, but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed; all we know is, that when it is revealed we shall be like him because we shall see him as he really is.” (1 John 3:2)

“Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us, by letting us be called God’s children; and that is what we are”(1 John 3:1).

You were adopted by God as his son or daughter on the day you were baptized. Do you see why I am saying it is crazy to get so caught up in the things of this world and not to pray? That is why in our second reading today we heard,

“...you have been brought back to true life with Christ....you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God.” (Col 3:1)

We died to an old way of life on the day we were baptized, we died to living only for this life. Think of what happened to you on the day you were baptized. You were born again. You became a son or daughter of God.

All the resurrection accounts are different and we cannot reconcile them. In the account from Mark 16 we read, three women came to the tomb. In the account from John 20 this morning, firstly Mary Magdalene and then Peter and John go to the tomb. One of the things all the resurrection accounts have in common is the stone rolled back from the entrance to the tomb. Have you allowed a stone to prevent you from meeting the risen Jesus? Have you allowed the stone of becoming engrossed in what you have and own and what others have and own to block your way to Jesus? You were adopted as God’s son or daughter on the day you were baptized. If you are not living like a son or daughter of God roll away the stone. If you are not happy, that is a sure sign that the stone needs to be rolled away in your life. If you knew the risen Jesus you would have such joy in your heart that you nothing else could give you. Think of our second reading today, “...the life you have is hidden with Christ in God...” (Col 3:3) Think of the total change that occurred in Paul’s life after he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. You must roll away the stone for that. Listen once again to part of our second reading today,

Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on things that are on the earth, because you have died and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. (Col 3:1-3)

God has adopted you as his son or daughter. Thank God for this most wonderful privilege. If you had met the risen Jesus you would certainly know it. If you haven’t yet met the risen Jesus, roll away the stone and meet Jesus.

Easter Vigil / Roll away the stone and meet the risen Jesus

2011-04-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

This is the most blessed and most joyful night of the year as we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. We are so accustomed to hearing of Jesus risen from the dead that we could say “Oh yea…we know all about it” and miss the grace of entering fully into this celebration, But think about it, Jesus rose from the dead! Death is not the end. It is only the door to beyond. Let us not allow the resurrection of Jesus to have to fight for room in our lives, let Jesus’ death and resurrection be the center of our lives. We began our celebration tonight with a service of light, which symbolized Jesus rising from the dead, and bringing light to all of us. The light of Christ has shone in the world scattering darkness forever. We had been waiting for this moment for thousands of years. We heard in the readings tonight an account of the creation of man and woman (first reading) and the liberation of the Hebrews from Egypt (third reading). This was in God’s plan for mankind, but the highpoint in God’s plan for us was the resurrection. This is the greatest celebration of the Church. This night is the most blessed of all as we heard in the Exultet, the Easter Proclamation. Jesus’ resurrection reminds us that there is life beyond the grave. Jesus’ resurrection reminds us that there is more to each of us than meets the eye, that we have an immortal soul. Although our body will return to dust, our soul will live forever with God.

Think of the glorious future that awaits each of us. In the letter to the Romans which we heard tonight Paul wrote that we will imitate Christ in his resurrection (Rom 6:5). Paul wrote to the Philippians, “For us, our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes the Savior we are waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he will transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body.” (Phil 3:20) Just think of it, you will be transformed to become glorious like Jesus. Do you live like someone who believes in such a glorious future? If you do, surely everything in this world takes on a new perspective, so that, as I said earlier, we do not become possessed by our possessions. And since you are promised to be transfigured to be glorious like the risen Jesus why do you not pray for a substantial amount of time every day? Do you see why I say it is a contradiction to say that you believe in God but you don’t pray? The reason we have so many problems is because we don’t pray enough. Pray, pray, pray. Again, what is life all about? “Our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes the Savior we are waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he will transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body.” John, in his first letter says something similar, “My dear people, we are already children of God, but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed; all we know is, that when it is revealed we shall be like him because we shall see him as he really is.” (1 John 3:2) Our second reading at Mass tomorrow concludes, “But when Christ is revealed - and he is your life - you too will be revealed in all your glory with him.”

Why can we expect such a glorious future? Because we are baptized. That is why baptism is so important. When we are baptized we are adopted by God as his very own sons and daughters. In the same letter John says, “Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us, by letting us be called God’s children; and that is what we are.” (1 John 3:1) You were adopted by God as his son or daughter on the day you were baptized. Do you see why I am saying it is crazy to get so caught up in the things of this world and not to pray? Think of what happened to you on the day you were baptized. You were born again. You became a son or daughter of God.

In our New Testament reading tonight we heard Paul tell the Romans that when we were baptized, we left behind our old life. We entered the tomb with Jesus and rose again to new life. (Rom 6:3-4) What he means is that when we were baptized we took on a new lifestyle, leaving sin behind to live a new life with Christ because we became sons and daughters of God.

The three women in the Gospel came to the tomb wondering who would roll away the stone for them (Year B, Mark 16:1-3). Perhaps they hoped the soldiers keeping guard would roll it away for them to allow them anoint Jesus’ body. But when they got there the stone was already rolled away. Have you allowed a stone to prevent you from meeting the risen Jesus? Have you allowed the stone of becoming engrossed in what you have and own and what others have and own be a stone to block your way to Jesus? You were adopted as God’s son or daughter on the day you were baptized. If you are not living like a son or daughter of God roll away the stone. If you are not happy, that is a sure sign that the stone needs to be rolled away in your life. If you knew the risen Jesus you would have such joy in your heart that you nothing else could give you. Think of the total change that occurred in Paul’s life after he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. You must roll away the stone for that. Listen once again to the beautiful invitation from God in the fifth Old Testament reading tonight,

Thus says the Lord:
Oh, come to the water all you who are thirsty;
Though you have no money, come!
Buy corn without money, and eat,
And, at no cost, wine and milk.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
Your wages on what fails to satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and you will have good things to eat
And rich food to enjoy;
Pay attention, come to me;
Listen, and your soul will live. (Isa 55:1-3)

Holy Week - Good Friday / The Passion of Jesus moves us to repentance

2011-04-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

I think it would be fair to say that we cannot even imagine how much Jesus suffered for us. A help at understanding Jesus’ Passion and what he did for us is the movie The Passion of the Christ. Just one detail from that movie that never appears on screen helps us to begin to imagine what Jesus did for us. During the scourging at the pillar there was a shield hidden from the camera put over Jim Caviezel’s back who plays Jesus in the film. But during one blow the Roman soldier missed the shield. The pain was so intense that Jim was not able to cry out, he lost his breath, and the shock was so much that he cut his hands on the chains holding him to the pillar. Afterwards the make-up artist modeled the other wounds on his back on that real wound.

The first reading today, which is a most beautiful prophecy from Isaiah, describes Jesus’ Passion. It highlights Jesus’ sufferings and that it was for our sins Jesus suffered.

The crowds were appalled on seeing him
So disfigured did he look
That he seemed no longer human...

Ours were the sufferings he bore,
Ours the sorrows he carried...

He was pierced through for our faults,
Crushed for our sins.
On him lies a punishment that brings us peace
And through his wounds we are healed...

For our faults he was struck down in death...

By his sufferings shall my servant justify many,
Taking their faults on himself. (Isa 52:14; 53:4-5, 8, 11)

How do we react to Jesus’ suffering for us? We are moved to sorrow for our sins which nailed Jesus to the cross. We are moved to repent of our sins, to turn our backs on sin and walk from the cross as new people. Again details from the movie The Passion of the Christ that do not make it onto the screen show this. Many conversions took place among the actors during the filming of the movie. After they had finished shooting the film they went to a studio to do the voice-overs. When some of the Roman soldiers had to say their lines they were too upset to say anything. A deep meditation on Jesus’ passion moves us, moves to leave sin behind, because as we meditate on Jesus’ passion we see the effects of our sins. A Norwegian neo-Nazi confessed to two bombings after a pang of repentance triggered by watching The Passion of the Christ. Johnny Olsen went to police after watching the movie and admitted that he was behind the previously unexplained bombings against anarchist squatters in Oslo in 1994 and 1995 during a wave of street fights between neo-Nazis and anarchists during which no one died. Olsen was then charged with arson. Also in March 2004 a Texan man admitted to murdering a 19-year-old pregnant woman after seeing the movie. (Both confessions were reported in The Miami Herald on March 29 2004.)

Many passages in the Scriptures remind us that the death of Jesus challenges us to leave sin behind.

For our sake he made the sinless one a victim for sin, so that in him we might become the uprightness of God. (2 Cor 5:21)

He was bearing our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to our sins and live for uprightness; through his bruises you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)

Christ himself died once and for all for sins, the upright for the sake of the guilty, to lead us to God. (1 Peter 3:18)

Therefore, as Paul would say, we crucify sin in us so that Jesus will live in us.

“I have been crucified with Christ and yet I am alive; yet it is no longer I, but Christ living in me.” (Gal 2:19)

“All who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified self with all its passion and its desires.” (Gal 5:24)

Meditating on Jesus’ Passion moves to repent of our sins, to turn our backs on sin and walk from the cross as new people.

Ours were the sufferings he bore,
Ours the sorrows he carried...

He was pierced through for our faults,
Crushed for our sins.
On him lies a punishment that brings us peace
And through his wounds we are healed (Isa 53:4-5)

Holy Week - Last Supper / The Eucharist and Priesthood were born during the Last Supper

2011-04-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today we thank Jesus for giving us the Eucharist and the priesthood. Both the Eucharist and the priesthood “were born” during the Last Supper and the two sacraments of the Eucharist and Holy Orders are so closely linked because without the priesthood we would have no Eucharist. I would like to begin by sharing some thoughts of our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II from his Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday 2004.

Pope John Paul II writes about the priesthood originating during the Last Supper, “At the Last Supper we were born as priests…” (Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday 2004 §1) Then he continues to write about the connection between the priesthood and the Eucharist, saying that priests were born from the Eucharist,

“We were born from the Eucharist. If we can truly say that the whole Church lives from the Eucharist…we can say the same thing about the ministerial priesthood: it is born, lives, works and bears fruit “de Eucharistia.” There can be no Eucharist without the priesthood, just as there can be no priesthood without the Eucharist.” (Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday 2004 §2)

You see priests involved in many different activities. No matter what type of good work a priest does the highpoint of the priest’s ministry is celebrating the Eucharist. It is the most important moment of the day for the priest. And so the Pope writes,

“The ordained ministry…enables the priest to act in persona Christi and culminates in the moment when he consecrates the bread and wine, repeating the actions and words of Jesus during the Last Supper.” (Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday 2004 §2)

Before this extraordinary reality we find ourselves amazed and overwhelmed, so deep is the humility by which God “stoops” in order to unite himself with man! If we feel moved before the Christmas crib, when we contemplate the Incarnation of the Word, what must we feel before the altar where, by the poor hands of the priest, Christ makes his Sacrifice present in time? We can only fall to our knees and silently adore this supreme mystery of faith. (Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday 2004 §2)

The Pope reminds us of the importance to pray for vocations so that priests may never be lacking to the Church. This reminds us of the huge sacrifices that some people down through the history of the Church have made to protect priests during times when they were endangered by anti-Catholic laws. One such person who paid with her life for protecting priests is St. Margaret of York.

Margaret Midleton was born in York, England, around 1556. Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558. The vast majority of English people were Catholic and wished to remain Catholic. When the new queen threatened to destroy the Catholic Church, they shrugged their shoulders and waited for it to all blow over. It took several years for them to realize, when it was too late, that if they wanted to retain their faith, they must be ready to suffer for it. Any similarities with now? The law clearly stated that the Mass was outlawed and the whole population was ordered to attend the new Protestant services. The Middleton family accepted the new religion and the Queen as the head of the church. Margaret married a Protestant, John Clitherow, at the age of 18, and at the age of 21 Margaret once again became Catholic and professed her faith and allegiance to the Pope. Throughout their marriage John paid her fines for not attending Protestant church services and he allowed Margaret to bring up their children as Catholics and was very careful not to know if the forbidden Catholic Mass was being celebrated in his house. John made things as easy as he could for his wife. He was careful to ignore that Father Mush was a frequent visitor and obviously celebrating Mass for Margaret and her friends. Margaret was a loving wife and mother. She was disturbed by John’s protestations of faith in the Queen’s religion but she still loved him dearly. John said that he could wish for no better wife and she had only two faults, “she fasted too much and would not go with him to church.” Her home became one of the most important hiding places for Catholic priests in all of England. The house had a secret cupboard where the vestments, wine and the altar breads were kept. It also had a “priest’s hole” where priests could be hidden. On March 10 1586 the Clitherow’s home was raided. The searchers found everything, where the Mass was celebrated, the vestments, and the altar breads. They carried off the incriminating evidence. By now the Clitherow’s had three children, the oldest was studying in France to be a priest, and when Margaret was taken away from her home that day and thrown into prison her two younger children never saw her again. Subsequently the young boy went on to become a priest and the young girl a Sister. On her third day in prison her husband was allowed to visit her, their last meeting. On March 14 Margaret was brought before the judges in Common Hall in York. Her indictment was read and she was asked how she pleaded. In answer she said, “I know of no offence whereof I should confess myself guilty. Having made no offence, I need no trial.” On the next morning she was taken back to the Common Hall. The judge reminded her that under the law of Queen Elizabeth, when an accused person refused to make a plea and stand trial before a jury, the accused would be sentenced to what was called “peine forte et dure.” This involved the accused lying naked on the stone floor of an underground cell with a door laid over them and heavy stones piled on the door. Further weights were piled on the door until the accused was crushed to death. Margaret refused to make a plea or to stand trial and the judge sentenced that she should be crushed to death for having “harbored and maintained Jesuits and seminary priests, traitors to the Queen’s majesty and her laws.” Ten days later on March 25^th 1586 she was executed by crushing. Before her execution she was asked to pray for the Queen, and she did pray for the Queen, she prayed that the Queen would become a Catholic! The executioners placed the board upon her and the huge stones on top. Within a quarter of an hour she was dead. They left the body under the door from nine in the morning until three in the afternoon. They then buried her body in some waste ground, where they hoped it would never be found. It was Good Friday. She was left beneath the board from nine in the morning until three in the afternoon and they buried her body in waste ground hoping it would never be found again. Pope Paul VI canonized her in 1970 and gave her the title “Pearl of York.” Her home, 26 The Shambles, York, has become a place of pilgrimage visited by thousands each year. She is called a martyr of the Eucharist because she was executed for protecting priests and making it possible for them to celebrate Mass. It is through the faith and courage of people like Margaret in this country also that we are able to celebrate the Eucharist here today.

Both the Eucharist and the priesthood “were born” during the Last Supper. Today we thank Jesus for giving us the Eucharist and the priesthood during the Last Supper. As Pope John Paul II wrote,

(A much fuller account of Margaret Clitherow’s martyrdom is published in the The Homiletic & Pastoral Review

Psalm Sunday The various characters in the Passion represent our sins which led to Jesus crucifixion

2011-04-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

How beautiful is the account of Jesus’ Passion. Because the Passion of Jesus was so revered it is believed the Passion accounts in the Gospels were the first parts of the Gospels to be written. The early Christians were so eager to preserve the account of our salvation that they put the Passion of Jesus in writing quickly. We can understand their sentiments because too venerate Jesus’ Passion.

As the early Christians looked back so many events of Jesus’ Passion took on new meaning. As Jesus celebrated the Passover with the apostles and changed the Jewish prayers over the bread and the cup into different prayers - the prayers we now have during the consecration of the Mass - we can imagine that they wondered what was happening. When Jesus said, “Take it, this is my body” (Mark 14:22), surely it was only looking back afterwards that they realized Jesus fulfilled this at his death on Calvary when he gave his body for us. When Jesus said, “This is my blood of the covenant which is to be poured out for many” (Mark 14:24) surely it was looking back afterwards that they saw this fulfilled at Jesus’ death on Calvary when he poured out blood to form the new covenant for the forgiveness of our sins. That reminds us that every time we come to Mass we come to Calvary where he gives his body for us and his blood is poured out for us. It the same sacrifice on Calvary, not a new one, extended through time to us now.

As we look at the Passion of Jesus so many events take on new meaning for us also. We see a whole host of characters who each had a role to play that eventually led to Jesus’ crucifixion. Once we realize that it was our sins that crucified Jesus we can see these different characters in the Passion representing our sins which caused Jesus to die. Think of Judas. When he met Jesus in Gethsemane he kissed Jesus (Mark 14:45) but it was a deceitful and treacherous kiss. It was not a kiss of love because Judas’ heart was far from Jesus. When we come to Mass we kiss the Lord, especially when we receive him in Holy Communion and as Mass ends we are invited to “Go and serve the Lord” yet how often we sin. We can see some of ourselves in Judas. We can see this in a very public way in politicians who say they are Catholic but yet support abortion. On the one hand they kiss Jesus and on the other they allow plots or support plots against Jesus’ innocent ones.

Peter promised that even if all lost faith in Jesus he would not (Mark 14:49) yet when Peter was in the courtyard of the high priest’s house he denied Jesus three times when he was put under pressure (Mark 14:68,70,71). In the Greek of Mark’s Gospel Peter’s third denial is ambiguous and could even mean that Peter cursed Jesus (Mark 14:71). When we sin, is it not because of a lapse of faith, because our faith is weak? Listen to what Peter said, “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about” (Mark 14:68), “I do not know this man about whom you are talking”. There are some who apparently say now they did not know it is a serious sin to miss Mass on Sundays and Holydays, and some who say they did not know it is a serious sin to have intimate relations before marriage. Just as Peter was forgiven and restored by Jesus we too are forgiven and restored by Jesus when we repent.

The bystanders around Jesus heaped insults on him reminding us of the insults heaped on the Church today.

“Some began to spit on him. They blindfolded him and struck him and said to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards greeted him with blows.” (Mark 14:65)

Jesus founded the Church; he said to Peter, “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church” (Matt 16:18). If we love Jesus, surely we will love the Church. St. Paul tells us the Church is the Body of Christ (Rom 12:4-5; 1 Cor 10:16-17; 12:12-31) and he learned this in a very dramatic way on the road to Damascus persecuting Christians when Jesus asked him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?...I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” (Acts 9:4-5) We see the weaknesses and failures of individuals in the Church, which is an opportunity to pray for them and forgive them and pray that the Church will become what it is called to be, but the Church is a gift from Jesus to us. If we reject the Church we reject Jesus. Jesus said in Luke 10:16, “Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me.”

Some people twisted Jesus’ words and turned his words into a false accusation against Jesus.

“We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands and within three days I will build another not made with hands.’” (Mark 14:58)

Jesus had predicted that the temple would be destroyed (Mark 13:2) but never said he would destroy the temple. In fact the temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. They misunderstood Jesus and made false accusations against him. Today many misunderstand the Church’s teaching and misrepresent it and therefore wrongfully accuse the Church. The Church is a caring mother and all her teaching is given out of love, asking us to look beyond our momentary selfishness to the real meaning of who we humans are - children of God - and encouraging us to live in a way that reflects who we really are, children of God. Even though the people made a false accusation about Jesus destroying the temple it is ironic that at the moment Jesus died the curtain/veil in the temple was torn in two (Mark 15:38) to show that now people had a new way to go to the Father, through Jesus, and not through the worship at the temple. (See Heb 10:19-22) Even though they falsely accused Jesus he was right and even if people misrepresent the Church’s teaching now her teaching is still true.

As the early Christians looked back so many events of Jesus’ Passion meant so much. As we look at the Passion of Jesus so many events also take on new meaning for us. We see a whole host of characters who each had a role to play that eventually led to Jesus’ crucifixion. Once we realize that it was our sins that crucified Jesus we can see these different characters in the Passion representing our sins which caused Jesus to die. Let us remember the love of the Lord for us which caused him to suffer for our sins and let us turn to the Lord in love. May our meditation on Jesus’ Passion this week encourage us to renew our lives with Jesus and leave sin behind to rise with his new life at Easter. This week we are beginning is indeed a Holy Week. Try to keep it as a Holy Week, attending the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday and the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection during the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night.

5th Sunday of Lent / Come out of your tomb, Be Unbound and Set Free

2011-04-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

I sometimes say to couples when I celebrate their wedding Mass that they bring weaknesses and hurts with them to their married life and they are called to heal each others’ wounds during their married life. They are to bring the love of Jesus to each other and help each other to grow to become whom God has called each of them to be. In the same way we may bring with us to seminary wounds, weaknesses and hurts. And we too are called to allow the Lord to work in our lives transforming us so that we become whom he has called us to be. In the Gospel today when Jesus had finished praying he said, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43) Jesus says to each of us also, “Come out of your tomb, come out your bondage. Do not live in the darkness, live in the light. Do not live in fear, live in faith.” When Lazarus came out of the tomb, Jesus then said, “Unbind him, let him go free.” Jesus also says to each of us, “Be unbound and go free. Live with my life. ” (John 11:44)

Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead physically in his body. He had been dead for four days. Jesus had previously raised the daughter of Jairus (Luke 8:41-42,49-56) and the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17) and in the Old Testament Elijah and Elisha raised people from the dead (1 Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:17-37). But nowhere is there an instance of someone being raised from the dead after four days. This is the crowning miracle of Jesus’ ministry. In fact in John’s Gospel it becomes the main reason leading to Jesus’ death. (John 11:45-53) If Jesus can restore a body that had been in the tomb for four days and has begun to decompose he can certainly mend the brokenness and wounds of our lives. Jesus said to Martha,

“I am the resurrection and the life,
Whoever believes in me, even if he dies will live,
And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

Jesus asks the same question of us also, “Do you believe this? Do you believe that I am the resurrection and the life? Do you believe that I can mend all the brokenness and wounds of your life? Do you believe that I not only offer you resurrection in the future but also the fullness of life now in the present?” Jesus proclaims that he is both the resurrection and the life. He promises future resurrection but also invites us to sharenow in the fullness of his life. The resurrection of Lazarus is not just a promise about the future of each of us. It is also an invitation from Jesus to enter into the fullness of his life in the present, right now, and that life will continue in us after death.

“I am the resurrection and the life,
Whoever believes in me, even if he dies will live,
And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

Do you believe that Jesus calls you to enjoy the fullness of his life now? Do you believe that Jesus is now calling you out of any tomb you may be in? Do you believe that even now Jesus is saying to you, “Be unbound and go free?” Let us today accept Jesus’ invitation, let us walk out of any tomb we may be in and allow ourselves to be unbound and go free.

How do we achieve this freedom? How do we get out of our tombs? Notice that Martha and Mary sent a message to Jesus. We too have to send a message to Jesus and we do this by spending time with Jesus in prayer and sharing with him our wounds, hurts and anxieties. One of the psalms says, “I kept it secret and my frame was wasted.” (Ps 32:3) Let us keep no secrets from Jesus but lay all bare before him. That is the only way to the mature relationship with Jesus. The motto chosen by the Catholic Church for the Jubilee 2000 was, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever.” (Heb 13:8) Since yesterday is the same as today for Jesus, as we share our wounds and anxieties with Jesus we ask him to walk back in time with us to that moment of wounding and to heal it. Then Jesus calls us out of the tomb to new life.

Notice that when Jesus received the message about Lazarus’ illness he stayed where he was for two more days. We expect God to answer prayer in our time but sometimes God’s time is different to ours. Also sometimes we may be tempted to despair and say God cannot do anything for me. This is like Martha in the Gospel who objected to the stone being removed. But Jesus replied, “Have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” (John 11:40) Jesus is constantly calling us to new life in him; to come forth from whatever is keeping us in bondage. Sometimes a hurt we thought had been healed in prayer may surface again months or years later. This is a grace from God, God is now inviting us to a deeper healing of that situation.

Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb but Jesus himself did not unbind him, others unbound Lazarus. When you meet Jesus in prayer he calls you out of your tomb, and your spiritual director unbinds you. You must begin the process of sending a message to Jesus like Martha and Mary by spending time in prayer and inviting the Lord into every aspect of your life and then answering his call to come out of the tomb. Your spiritual director will not be able to unbind you if you do not firstly accept Jesus’ invitation to come out of the tomb. Then, with the grace of Jesus, your spiritual director unbinds you and sets you free. But your spiritual director can do nothing if you do not firstly send the message to Jesus and answer his invitation.

What a wonderful invitation Jesus offers us. And in your future ministry you will, please God, extend this invitation on behalf of Jesus to all those to whom you minister. Let us today accept Jesus’ invitation, let us walk out of any bondage in the tomb, be unbound and go free.

“I am the resurrection and the life,
Whoever believes in me, even if he dies will live,
And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

Mid-Week / Jesus our Healer heals us through the Mass and Sacraments

2011-04-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

When you are sick who do you visit to help you get better? You go to your doctor. How do you meet your doctor? You go to the surgery. When do you go to the surgery? The doctor has surgery hours and you go during these hours. There is another doctor, Jesus. He will also help you to get better. How and where do you go to meet him? You can meet him anytime you turn to him in prayer but his special surgery times are the sacraments, especially the Mass.

Mary Ann Cortes, a manic depressive, after seventeen years of treatment enjoyed no improvement but was healed through the Mass. This is her account.

I am coming to know that the Eucharist is the greatest healing sacrament and that every Mass is a healing service. For seventeen years I was in and out of every mental hospital in the region of New Orleans, Louisiana. I was diagnosed as manic depressive and given almost every treatment available to psychiatric patients. The doctors gave up hope of my recovering my mental health, and doomed me to a life of mood-altering drugs. When I went to bed at night I was afraid of waking up to another day of terror. After I was baptized in the Holy Spirit and began to attend healing Masses, I became mentally, emotionally and physically well. Today I am a new person in Christ. I’m not afraid of the morning anymore. In each Mass I unite all that I am with Jesus’ sacrifice. In that union with Him I receive into my being the risen life of Jesus, which transforms me more and more. I identify with Him and receive His life. The more I actively participate in the Mass, the more real He becomes to me. Jesus Himself enters into me and heals from the inside. (Taken from Healing Through the Mass pages 3-4 by Robert DeGrandis, published and copyright 1992by Resurrection Press and used here by permission of the publishers.)

Father Richard Woldum of Los Angeles, California was ordained in 1979. Shortly afterwards he was assigned as hospital chaplain for one year to St Joseph’s Hospital in Alton, Illinois. This is his account.

One morning I received a call to come to the emergency room to see an 11-year old boy named Johnny who was dying. I found him on a breathing machine, his head swollen very large.

Johnny’s parents told me that he had been riding his bike on a gravel road near his home when a truck came flying over the hill and hit him head-on. The collision caused him to be thrown into the nearby field. When the ambulance arrived the medics found his head cut wide open with half his brains scattered in the field. They literally picked up the pieces of his brain, shoved them into his head, and took him to the hospital.

When I asked Johnny’s parents if he had been baptized, they said, ‘No.’ They informed me they attended no church but prayed at home as a family. I asked them if they would like me to baptize Johnny. They glanced at each other as if to say, ‘It couldn’t cause any harm,’ then said to me, ‘Go ahead.’ They also said if I wanted to I could baptize him into the Catholic faith. That night, with the parents and two nurses as witnesses, I baptized Johnny.

The next morning I was doing communion rounds when my beeper went off. Johnny’s doctor wanted me in the intensive care unit. ‘What you do last night?’ he asked in broken English, as I met him outside Johnny’s room. I explained to the doctor, a Buddhist, that I had baptized Johnny (with the permission of his parents) so that he could go to heaven. When I asked him why he was so concerned, he informed me that the boy’s swelling had disappeared. The doctor was still convinced that the boy would die, however; or if he lived, remain a vegetable, never moving, talking or even moving his eyes.

That night Johnny’s parents thanked me for baptizing him. I then explained about the anointing of the sick, and asked if they would like Johnny to receive that sacrament. With their agreement and in their presence, I anointed Johnny.

The next morning during communion rounds the doctor again paged me on my beeper. He met me at the door of intensive care and directed me to Johnny’s room, explaining on the way that he had heard from the nurses that I had again prayed for Johnny.

Then he pointed to Johnny’s eyes and asked, ‘What you do?’ I saw that Johnny’s eyes were moving. ‘It is just the power of Jesus through prayers for the sick,’ I responded. He gave a faintly sarcastic grin and said, ‘It no matter. Boy no talk or move. He remain vegetable.’

It was now the third night, counting the night of the accident. I suggested to the parents that they permit me to give Johnny the sacrament of confirmation. They agreed.

The following morning his legs and arms were moving. The doctor said to me in front of the parents, ‘I no longer in control.’ He was simply unable to explain what was happening. The parents turned to me and said they wanted to become Catholics. I recommended that they wait and see what happened to Johnny before making a final decision.

That evening when I explained to them about the Eucharist, they said they wanted this for Johnny too. I gave him some Precious Blood with an eye dropper. The next morning he was making sounds.

Fr Woldum was away for the weekend and when he returned he continues his account

When I checked in on Johnny upon my return, I learned he had been transferred to the third floor, which was the surgery unit. I went upstairs to see him, fearing that he had gone back to surgery. He was sitting on his bed, talking to his mother.

After his recovery they took another x-ray of his head and found that the part of his brain that had spilled out in to the field had grown back.

When I eventually talked to Johnny’s parents about becoming Catholics, they informed me they would continue praying at home. The doctor in the case started looking into Christianity. Three nurses converted to Catholicism. (Taken from Healing through the Mass pages 13-15 by Robert DeGrandis, published and copyright 1992 by Resurrection Press and used here by permission of the publishers.)

In the Gospel today we heard of Jesus curing Peter’s mother-in-law in Capernaum, and curing many others who were sick. (Mark 1:29-39) Jesus, who healed so many one evening in Capernaum, is willing to heal you too in this Mass and every Mass. The greatest moment for healing is when you receive Jesus in Holy Communion. During those precious minutes when you and Jesus are united very specially ask him in faith for the healing you need, and adore and praise him for all he has done for you. As well as going to your doctor when you get sick, go also to Jesus.

4th Sunday of Lent / Let us wash spiritually in the Sacrament of Reconciliation

2011-04-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

In Vienna in Austria there is a church in which the former ruling family in Austria, the Hapsburgs, are buried. When royal funerals arrived outside the church, the mourners knocked at the door of the church requesting to be allowed in. A priest inside would ask ‘Who is it that desires admission here?’ A guard would call out, ‘His apostolic majesty, the emperor’. The priest would answer, ‘I don’t know him.’ They would knock a second time, and again the priest would ask who it was. The funeral guard outside would announce, ‘The highest emperor.’ A second time the priest would say, ‘I don’t know him.’ A third time they would knock on the door and the priest would ask ‘Who is it?’ The third time the answer would be, ‘A poor sinner, your brother.’

(I found the above story in A World of Stories for Preachers and Teachers: And All Who Love Stories That Move and Challenge pp. 326-327 by William J. Bausch and published by Twenty-Third Publications, PO Box 180, Mystic, CT 06355, USA, © 1988, and used here with permission.)

That true story reminds us of the fact that we are all sinners no matter what our rank in society or Church. Perhaps we don’t think of ourselves very often as sinners in need of God’s mercy. Archbishop Fulton Sheen said that in the past Catholics believed Our Lady was immaculately conceived but now we believe we are all immaculately conceived. Could I ask you to reflect on your attitude to the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Unfortunately sometimes now that sacrament is treated as a joke and joked about. Why would people treat the Sacrament of Reconciliation so flippantly or make it the subject of jokes? Is it because we have forgotten the value of that sacrament? And if we have forgotten the value of the Sacrament of Reconciliation is that because we have forgotten that we are all sinners even if we pretend otherwise? Is what Archbishop Fulton Sheen said true, that in the past Catholics believed Our Lady was immaculately conceived but now we believe we are all immaculately conceived? Another way of asking that question is “Are we blind to our sinfulness and our need of God’s mercy?”

That mention of being blind reminds me of today’s Gospel (John 9:1-41). Jesus healed the blind man. Every miracle of Jesus is meant to teach us something and this miracle of the healing of the blind man teaches us that Jesus came to cure our spiritual blindness. There were other people in the Gospel who could see yet they were spiritually blind. They were the Pharisees. I would like us to ask ourselves is it possible that we may have a blind spot with regard to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and our need of God’s mercy? During this season of Lent may I suggest that we go to the Pool of Siloam to wash our spiritual eyes so that we can see again what the Lord’s call to each of us is. I would like to recommend you to receive the sacrament once a month.

I am firmly convinced that we have no idea of the enormous graces God gives us when we receive the sacrament. One way I like to think about it is that as we confess our sins the blood of Jesus flows over us from Calvary and cleanses us. We believe that during Mass Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary is extended through time to us and in the same way when we receive Jesus’ forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation that forgiveness is flowing to us from Calvary. I believe that in the sacrament we receive not only forgiveness but strength for living the Christian life. This is what Jesus said to St. Faustina about the Sacrament of Reconciliation,

“There the greatest miracles take place and are incessantly repeated. It suffices to come with faith to the feet of my representative and to reveal to him one’s misery and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint there would be no hope of restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. When you go to confession, know this, that I myself am waiting for you in the confessional; I am only hidden by the priest, but myself act in the soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of Mercy. Tell souls that from this fount of mercy souls draw graces solely with the vessel of trust. If their trust is great there is no limit to my generosity.”

Jesus also said to St. Faustina the greater the sinner the greater the mercy.

“Summon all those to confidence in the incomprehensible depth of my mercy for I desire to save all. The well of mercy was opened wide with a lance on the cross for all souls. I do not exclude anyone.”

Jesus said,

“Tell ailing mankind to draw close to my merciful heart and I will fill them with peace. Mankind will not find consolation until it turns with confidence to my mercy and love.”

Jesus also said,

“I desire the confidence of my people. Let not even the weak and very sinful fear to approach me, even if their sins be as numerous as all the sand of the earth all will be forgiven in the fathomless pit of my mercy.”

When we receive the sacrament what we heard in our second reading is true of us,

“You were darkness once, but now you are light in the Lord; be like children of light, for the effects of the light are seen in complete goodness and right living and truth. Try to discern what the Lord wants of you, having nothing to do with the futile works of darkness.” (Eph 5:8-11)

When the funeral of the ruling family in Austria arrived at the church at the third knock the priest would call out again, Once again ‘Who is it?’ The third time the answer would be, ‘A poor sinner, your brother.’ Have we a blind spot with regard to the Sacrament of Reconciliation? If we have, we are missing out on huge, huge graces. Let us go to the Pool of Siloam this Lent and wash and be filled with the light of Jesus who is the light of the world

3rd Week of Lent

2011-03-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

How are we to hear the Word of God unless there is someone to proclaim Him? [Rom. 10:14] Therefore, I proclaim what Jesus has spoken to us today, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to complete His work." [Jn. 4:34] Not only was the food of Jesus to do the Divine Will of our Heavenly Father, but it was also to complete His work, to persevere to the very end.

The Words of Jesus echo our present short-term perseverance. Entering the third week in Lenten Season, we are making every effort to persevere in our fasting, our penances and our prayers so we may obtain the strength that we need to overcome our sinful tendencies. By the grace of God, we shall achieve our personal goals so we may be one with Jesus as He is one with the Father. [Jn. 17:11]

Today's First Reading from the Book of Exodus [Ex. 17:3-7] was a prophetic picture of what was to come through Jesus Christ. It consisted of one of the three events found in the Old Testament that speak of people thirsting for water.

The first event took place in Mirah [Ex. 15:22-7] where Moses turned bitter water into sweet water. The second event, [Ex. 17:3- 7] the one that was read today, took place at Rephidim. Being without water, Moses was commanded by God to take the elders with him and to strike the rock with the staff. Then, miraculously, water came out of the rock. The third event took place at Kadesh [Numb. 20:2-13] where once more Moses was commanded by God to assemble the congregation and to command the rock before their eyes to yield its water. As biblical history tell us, Moses did not trust in the Lord. {Numb. 20:12] Because he struck the rock twice, he was punished and not allowed to enter the promised land.

In view of the above events, Moses was a type of Christ, both providing water to the people. On this subject, Saint Paul tells us, "Our ancestors all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness." [1 Cor. 10:4-5]

Water is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. On this subject, the Catholic Church teaches us, "The symbolism of water signifies the Holy Spirit's action in Baptism, since after the invocation of the Holy Spirit it becomes the efficacious sacramental sign of new birth: just as the gestation of our first birth took place in water, so the water of Baptism truly signifies that our birth into the divine life is given to us in the Holy Spirit. As "by one Spirit we were all baptized," so we are also "made to drink of one Spirit." [1 Cor 12:13] Thus the Spirit is also personally the living water welling up from Christ crucified [Jn 19:34; 1 Jn 5:8] as its source and welling up in us to eternal life." [Jn. 4:10-14, 7:38; Ex. 17:1-6; Is. 55:1; Zech. 14:8; 1 Cor. 10:4; Rev. 21:6; 22:17] (C.C.C. # 694)

Today's Second Reading [Rom. 5:1-2, 5-8] informs us that God's love was poured into our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit that has been given to us through Christ. The Divine love of God assures salvation to those who are justified. Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. [Rom. 5:1] Through peace with God, our reconciliation replaces our alienation that was caused by the disobedience of Adam.

We obtained our peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ alone because "there is only one Mediator between God and humankind" [1 Tim. 2:5] (C.C.C. # 956, 1544, 1546, 2574, 2593) in the Divine Plan of Salvation. No one is saved through his own good deeds. No one is saved by believing in God the Father alone. No is saved by his good friends. Nor is anyone saved by chasing private revelations. Salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone. "Jesus Christ, having entered the sanctuary of heaven once and for all, intercedes constantly for us as the mediator who assures us of the permanent outpouring of the Holy Spirit." (C.C.C. # 667)

"Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it." [LG 14; cf. Mk 16:16; Jn 3:5] (C.C.C. # 846)

Through the one Mediator, Jesus Christ, we have obtained access to the grace of God in which we stand. Consequently, we hope to share in the glory of God. "And hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." [Rom. 5:5] As our faith is a free gift from God, so is our hope. These gifts are beyond ordinary natural powers. Therefore, as our faith relies on God, so does our hope.

"While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." [Rom. 5:6] While we were weak, we were unjustified. We were sinners, incapable of doing anything that could make us right before God. By the grace of God, we received the free gifts of faith, hope and charity that are instrumental in leading us towards salvation through Jesus Christ. (Note: We also need the Sacraments.)

During the Second Reading, Saint Paul said, "Rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die." [Rom. 5:7] Here he corrected himself, showing his sense of humour. Maybe someone would die for a really good person. Maybe a father would give his life for a son. Maybe a man would give his life for his brother or a woman would give her life for her sister. But while such is possible, none of these self-sacrifices lead to salvation. For there is one Mediator between God and mankind, Jesus Christ Himself.

Today's Gospel Reading [Jn. 4:5-42] echoes the First Reading from the Book of Exodus. As we heard, Jesus promised to give us water that will become a spring of water gushing up to eternal life. [Jn. 4:14]

During the reading, we heard that Jesus and His disciples came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. [Jn. 4:5] In case some of you may try to locate the city Sychar, you will not be able to do so. The name "Sychar" is believed to be a corruption of the name "Sychem" (Shechem) which was near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. [Gen. 33:19, 48:22] Shechem is where the bones of Joseph were buried. [Jos. 24:32]

Tired of His journey, Jesus sat on the ground by Jacob's well. [Jn. 4:6] (Jacob's well is located between "Tell el-Balatah" and "Askar.") During that time, while the disciples had gone to the city to buy food, a Samaritan woman came to draw water. [Jn. 4:7-8] Jesus asked her to give Him water. At this point, the Samaritan woman said to Jesus, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" [Jn. 4:9] In those days, it was unheard of for a rabbi to speak to a woman in public, even worst for a Jew to request water from a Samaritan. The Jewish people considered the Samaritans to be unclean, this including their utensils for eating and drinking. Therefore it appears that Jesus was asking to drink from an unclean water jar? Yet, Jesus was not bothered a bit by such scruples.

Knowing the Samaritan woman's hesitation, Jesus told her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." [Jn. 5:10] What is the gift of God that Jesus was speaking about? It was Jesus Himself! But who was Jesus to the Samaritan woman at that moment? All she could see was a thirsty Jewish man who had been travelling.

And what was this living water that the thirsty Traveller was offering her? The Samaritan woman must have understood "living water" to mean running water versus water from a well or cistern water. But is this was Jesus was telling her? In the Old Testament, when a reference was made to "living water," it meant "water of life." It meant Divine vitality, revelation and wisdom. [Jer. 2:13; Zech. 14:8; Ezek. 47:9; Prov. 13:14, etc...]

As Nicodemus literally took the Words of Jesus when he was told that he had to be born again to enter the Kingdom of God, [Jn. 3:4- 6] the woman also literally took the Words of Jesus. Unable to logically understand Jesus, she said, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his children and his flocks drank from it?" [Jn. 3:11-12]

Since Jesus had no means of getting water out the well, where would He get his "living water" from? When considering how great Jacob was in the eyes of God and the people, and that he had no better source of water than the well that was present, how could Jesus offer to give a better water?

To her question, Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." [Jn. 3:13-4]

In Sirach 24:20-1, we read that he who drinks wisdom will thirst again. One could never satisfy the desire for wisdom. But, on the contrary, through the Sacrament of Baptism, the water that Jesus will give, will have the fountain of eternal life within him.

Understanding "living water" to mean never to thirst again, the Samaritan woman asked Jesus for some of it so she would never have to go back to the well to draw water. [Jn. 3:15] What followed was a conversion in which Jesus revealed to the woman that she had five husbands and that she was now living with another man. [Jn. 3:16- 8]

Jesus' reply to the request of the woman for living water was intended to show her that He possessed superhuman knowledge. This provided the woman with sufficient enlightment to perceive that the Words of Jesus must have had a greater meaning. Surprised, the woman said to Jesus, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet." [Jn. 3:19] Now, the woman no longer saw a Jewish man before her, but rather, a prophet.

This provided the woman with a perfect opportunity to settle a long standing controversy between the Jews and the Samaritans regarding the proper place of sacrificial worship. [Gen. 12:7, 33:20; Deut. 27:4] The woman said to Jesus, "Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." [Jn. 3:20]

To this, Jesus responded, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem." [Jn. 3:21] The response from Jesus indicated that soon, it will make no difference who is right or who is wrong. For "the Christian economy, therefore, since it is the new and definitive Covenant, will never pass away; and no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ." [Dei Filius: 3 DS 3008] Yet even if Revelation is already complete, it has not been made completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to grasp its full significance over the course of the centuries." (C.C.C. # 66)

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, "You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him." [Jn. 3:21-22] In other words, in Judaism, God's revelation was safeguarded. But the Samaritans, although they had good faith, they preserved the truth in a distorted form. Salvation came through the Jewish people. The proof was Jesus Himself, He being Jewish. Through Jesus was the fulfillment of the expected Messiah.

When Jesus said that "the hour is coming," He was referring to His glorification, the "hour" when His Church would be instituted. The final sacrifice will have been made, the perfect sacrifice of the Lamb of God.

Jesus said, "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." [Jn. 3:24] These words are echoed in the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians. "The first man, Adam, became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit." [1 Cor. 15:45] Christ is the life-giving Spirit in the sense that His actions are life-giving. God is Spirit in the sense that He gives the Spirit. Equally, God is light and love. [1 Jn. 1:5, 4:8] That is why the believers must worship God in "spirit and truth," in the truth as thought by the Spirit who guides and teaches.

At that moment, the woman indicated that she knew that the Messiah was coming and that He would proclaim all things to the people. [Jn. 3:25] She remembered the Words of God, "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command." [Deut. 18:18] Having perceived that Jesus was a prophet over and above being Jewish, the woman now suspected that He might be the promised Messiah. To this, Jesus answered, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you." [Jn. 3:26] Jesus affirmed the fulfillment of the words spoken through Isaiah, "Therefore my people shall know my name; therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here am I." [Is. 52:6]

During the Gospel Reading, we then heard that the disciples returned and were astonished that Jesus was speaking to a woman. Following that, the woman left and returned to the city, leaving behind her water jar. For she had no more need for it because she had come to the source of living water. Once in the city, the woman invited the people to come and see Jesus who told her everything that she had done. Her words echoed the words of Philip to Nathanael, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote." [Jn. 1:45]

In the meantime, the disciples were urging Jesus to eat some food. [Jn. 3:31] To this Jesus answered, "I have food to eat that you do not know about.

So the disciples said to one another, "Surely no one has brought him something to eat? My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work." [Jn. 3:31-4] It is obvious that the disciples did not understand the full meaning of what Jesus was saying. The words of Jesus summed up His entire career. He came to do the will of His Father who sent Him, even to death on the Cross. In Jesus was found perfect obedience, to the last drop of blood.

The Gospel Reading ended by telling us that the people came from the city to hear Jesus. As they stated, "It is no longer because of what (the woman) said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Saviour of the world." [Jn. 3:42] Not only did the Samaritans come to believe, they also recognized the fulfillment of the Messiah in Jesus.

From today's readings, we are reminded that as children of God, as members of the Body of Christ, we too have been called to do the Divine Will of He who has called us to share in the life-giving Spirit through faith in Jesus and the Sacrament of Baptism. As Jesus was called to complete His work, we too are called to complete our calling through our perseverance in the living faith. To persevere necessitates our ongoing reception of the Sacraments of Confession and the Holy Eucharist as the means of maintaining our righteousness before the Lord God.

With the approach of Easter that commemorates the glorious Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, we now, more than ever, have an obligation to reinstate our holiness through the Holy Sacraments that have been given to us by Jesus Himself. Let us keep this in mind as we enter the Third Week in Lent.

Special / Annunciation of the Lord

2011-03-25T00:01:00.002-07:00

Welcome my brothers and sisters in Christ to today's celebration of the Holy Mass that commemorates the Annunciation of the Lord. Normally this Feast is remembered on March 26 th during the Liturgical Calendar. This year, because March 26 fell on the Easter Vigil, the Catholic Church move it forward to April 4 th. Next year, this Feast should be back on its regular day of celebation.

This special Feast commemorates the moment when the angel Gabriel announced to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she would give birth to the Child Jesus. [Is. 7:14; Lk. 1:26-38] It was the moment when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that the incarnation of God would be fulfilled through her. This was the official announcement that the Word of God would become man.

For centuries prior to the birth of Christ, God's chosen people had been waiting for the promised Messiah. As we heard during the First Reading, [Is. 7:10-4, 8:10] around the years 742 to 715 B.C., God spoke to king Ahaz through Isaiah. King Ahaz was told to ask the Lord God for a sign, any sign that he wanted to have. But king Ahaz refused to ask God for a sign, indicating that he would not put God to the test. Consequently, the Lord God chose a sign of His own to give. God said, "Look, the young woman, is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel." [Is. 7:14] "Immanuel" [Mt. 1:23; Is. 7:14] means "God is with us."

In the Douay English Translation of the Latin Vulgate Bible of 1609 A.D., it states, "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel." This older Version of the Holy Bible states the words "a virgin" versus the words "the young woman" that are found in the newer version of the Holy Bible.

This promise of God that was made to king Ahaz came to its fulfillment at the Annunciation to Mary. The Annunciation to Mary was the formal beginning of "the fullness of time", [Gal. 4:4]. It was the moment when Mary was invited to conceive Jesus in who the "whole fullness of deity" would dwell "bodily". [Col. 1:19; 2:9] (Catechism of the Catholic Church # 484)

The apparition of the angel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary took part in a small town in the mountains of Galilee. There, the angel Gabriel came to the Virgin Mary, a descendant of the royal blood of king David. At the time, Mary who was living in her mother's house, was engaged to be married to Joseph who also was of the same royal blood.

When Gabriel appeared to Mary, he said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee." When Mary heard these words, she was confused because she did not know who the angel was, why he had come, nor the meaning for this kind of salutation.

The exact meaning of the word "grace" in Greek implies more than "fullness"; it implies "instrumentality." It was a calling to the Blessed Virgin Mary to become an instrument of the Lord God. It was a calling that demanded a "Fiat," total submission, unconditional trust in the Divine Providence.

The angel told Mary not to have any fear for she had found grace [favour] with God. Behold, she would conceive in her womb and bring forth a Son who shall be called Jesus. As foretold in the Scriptures, He shall be great. [Lk. 1:32; Ps. 86:10; 96:4] He will be called the Son of the Most High. [Lk. 1:32; Gen. 14:19; Sir. 24:2] The Lord God will give Him the throne of His ancestor David. [Lk. 1:32; Is. 9:7] He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. [Lk. 1:33; 2 Sam. 7:12, 13, 16;] And of His kingdom there will be no end. [Ps. 24:7, 10; 97:1; Gen. 21:33; Dan. 12:7] History tells us today that all these things have come to pass for the glory of God.

From these prophetic words, the Virgin Mary understood the message to mean the announcement of the coming Redeemer. But how could this be since she was a virgin who had vowed her virginity to God? Why should she be chosen among all women to be the mother of the Messiah?

To remove Mary's anxiety and to assure her that her virginity would be preserved, the angel Gabriel told her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and the power of the Most High shall overshadow her. To further support the birth of the Child, the angel informed Mary that her cousin Elizabeth who was of old age, she was presently pregnant and she also would have a child. In response to the angel's Annunciation, Mary gave her "Fiat" by saying, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word."

As was said earlier, the Name Immanuel means, "God is with us." Also, in Hebrew, the name Jesus means: "God saves." When the angel gave the Name of Jesus at the Annunciation, he gave the Lord His proper Name that expressed His identity and His mission. [Lk. 1:31] For God alone can forgive sins. It is God who, in Jesus His eternal Son made man, "will save his people from their sins." [Mt. 1:21] Through Jesus, God summarizes all of His history of salvation on behalf of men. (C.C.C. # 430)

Through Mary at the moment of the Annunciation, Jesus entered the world in His human nature. Through Mary, He became a member of the human race. Through Mary, Jesus was given to the world for the salvation of mankind.

Through Mary, an Immaculate Virgin, Jesus received His human form to become the perfect sacrifice and sin offering according to the Divine will of God the Father. Through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus came an end to the imperfect sacrifices and sin offerings of bulls and goats. For these, offered according to the law, were imperfect in nature.

Now that the former law, the Covenant of the Law, has been permanently abolished, the second, the Covenant of Grace, has been established. And so, by God's will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. For it is not by our own doing or the doing of our best friends, nor by our works or the works of our best friends, that we are saved. Salvation is a free gift that has been given to us through Jesus Christ.

In summary, the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord reminds us to commemorate the moment when the Word of God the Father took human nature upon Himself. We are also called to remember that although Jesus has resurrected and is sitting at the right hand of the Father in Heaven, He remains present with us in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, in the Living Word and in the Holy Tabernacles. There He continuously longs for the moments when all the faithful will manifest their love for Him by assembling before Him in His cherished Temple on earth. My brothers and sisters, our saving Lord, our God, has come and remains with us. Of His Kingdom, there will be no end. "Let us never forget Him!" [Lk. 1:33]

Mid-Week / Jesus is the Promised Messiah Listen to him even as he predicts his Passion

2011-03-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

What a grace for Peter and James and John to see Jesus transfigured. They got a preview of the glory of Jesus risen from the dead and his glory in heaven. It was also a preview of the glory we all hope to share in heaven. This was a very special grace for Peter and James and John.

It was not the only special grace Jesus shared with Peter, James and John. Earlier in the Gospel (Mark and Luke) we read that Jesus only allowed Peter and James and John with him into the house of the synagogue official whose daughter he raised up again (Mark 5:37; Luke 8:51). Later, when Jesus was teaching in the temple, Peter and James and John asked Jesus a question privately and he gave them more teaching (Mark 13:3). In Gethsemane, Jesus took Peter, James and John aside from the others to be near him during his agony (Mark 14:33). So Peter, James and John received many special graces from Jesus.

Just before receiving this special grace of seeing Jesus transfigured, Jesus told his disciples that he must suffer greatly, be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes, be killed and rise after three days (Matt 16:21; Mark 8:31; Luke 9:22). How did they react? Peter (in Matt and Mark) rebuked Jesus for saying this (Matt 16:22; Mark 8:32) and Jesus responded, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” (Matt 16:23; Mark 8:33) The disciples had to learn that Jesus was not exactly the type of Messiah that they were expecting. Instead of being a Messiah to liberate Palestine from Roman domination he told them he would be a suffering Messiah and would be executed. What a shock! That was surely a bit much to take. Immediately following this we read that Peter, James and John saw Jesus transfigured (Matt 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-10; Luke 9:28-36). How they needed this grace now. They had left everything to follow Jesus and he had just told then he would be killed. They needed reassurance, and Jesus did not let them down. They received a huge grace now on the mountain as they saw Jesus transfigured.

Moses and Elijah also appeared and spoke with Jesus. Moses received the Law from God on Mount Sinai and Elijah could be regarded as the greatest of the prophets, certainly here he is a representative of the prophets during Jesus’ transfiguration. So we have the Law and the Prophets, as the Old Testament was often called, with Jesus on the mountain. The Old Testament was pointing forward to Jesus as we heard in that beautiful prophecy of Jesus in our first reading from Dan 7. Now two great figures of the Old Testament, Moses and Elijah, appeared on the mountain with Jesus transfigured, to confirm that Jesus is indeed the expected Messiah. In the opening prayer today we heard,

“God our Father,
in the transfigured glory of Christ your Son,
you strengthen our faith
by confirming the witness of your prophets…”

The Father spoke from heaven and said, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” So the Old Testament and the Father in heaven are now confirming that Jesus is indeed the expected Messiah. Although Jesus had just shocked them by telling them he must suffer and die, this is, in fact, the plan of God for Jesus.

The Father said, “Listen to him.” In other words, “Do not be scandalized at the teaching of my son Jesus about his forthcoming Passion, death and resurrection.” As our preface today says,

“He revealed his glory to his disciples
To strengthen them for the scandal of the cross.”

Will they listen to Jesus? Will they stand by Jesus as he goes to his Passion and death? We know the story. Peter denied Jesus in the courtyard of the high priest and James, like the rest of the disciples, abandoned Jesus. Only John listened to Jesus and was not scandalized by the passion and death of Jesus. In John’s Gospel we read that John went right into the courtyard of the high priest while Jesus was being tried and went all the way to the cross of Jesus with the women. When the crunch came between Holy Thursday night and the first appearance of Jesus on Easter Sunday, Peter and James did not listen, they abandoned Jesus. Their abandonment of Jesus was only temporary, while John remained faithful right during Jesus’ Passion. Later all three of them, Peter, James and John became great witnesses to Jesus. Peter became the first Pope and bishop of Rome. James was executed in Jerusalem by King Herod for witnessing to Jesus (Acts 12:2) and John authored the Fourth Gospel. So the three disciples did listen to Jesus although two of them were temporarily unfaithful during the Passion of Jesus.

Perhaps we are disappointed that Peter and James did not listen to Jesus, did not remain faithful to Jesus, during the time he most needed them. They had seen Jesus transfigured, they heard the command of the Father to listen to Jesus, they had been with Jesus for other intimate moments like the raising of the girl to life again but they were scandalized but the Passion of Jesus. But why should we be disappointed with them? We also have experienced and met Jesus in many ways and sometimes we too let him down.

We meet Jesus in a most intimate way every time we receive him in the Eucharist. It is the time when we are closest to Jesus.
We meet Jesus in the Scriptures as they touch our hearts. Jesus speaks to us now when we read the Scriptures. The Scriptures are not just about the life of Jesus; in the Scriptures Jesus also speaks to us about our lives and in them we meet Jesus as he speaks to us about our lives.
We meet Jesus in a very special way in all the sacraments.
We have seen Jesus in great people like Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa.

But just as Peter and James needed to know after Jesus’ resurrection that he did not hold their abandonment of him against them, we need to be reconciled to Jesus often. We need to meet Jesus in the Sacrament of Reconciliation often because there are times when we do not listen to Jesus, times when we deny Jesus, not in the courtyard of the high priest in Jerusalem, but maybe sometimes in our families, or perhaps where we work, or maybe in our communities. We do not have to be conquered or governed by our weaknesses or sinfulness. Just as Peter, James and John received the special grace of seeing Jesus transfigured and received many other graces from Jesus, we too have received many graces from Jesus to help us become the great people he has called us to be and to witness to him wherever life demands.

The appearance of Moses and Elijah during the transfiguration and the Father saying, “This is my beloved Son” confirms that Jesus is indeed the expected Messiah. The Father commanded, “Listen to him.” John is a model disciple; he was faithful to Jesus to the end. Peter and James for a short while did not listen to Jesus, but just as Peter, James and John became great witnesses to Jesus, we too can become great witnesses to Jesus.

2nd Week of Lent

2011-03-20T00:01:00.001-07:00

How are we to hear the Word of God unless there is someone to proclaim Him? [Rom. 10:14] Therefore, I proclaim what Jesus has spoken to us today, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to complete His work." [Jn. 4:34] Not only was the food of Jesus to do the Divine Will of our Heavenly Father, but it was also to complete His work, to persevere to the very end.

The Words of Jesus echo our present short-term perseverance. Entering the third week in Lenten Season, we are making every effort to persevere in our fasting, our penances and our prayers so we may obtain the strength that we need to overcome our sinful tendencies. By the grace of God, we shall achieve our personal goals so we may be one with Jesus as He is one with the Father. [Jn. 17:11]

Today's First Reading from the Book of Exodus [Ex. 17:3-7] was a prophetic picture of what was to come through Jesus Christ. It consisted of one of the three events found in the Old Testament that speak of people thirsting for water.

The first event took place in Mirah [Ex. 15:22-7] where Moses turned bitter water into sweet water. The second event, [Ex. 17:3- 7] the one that was read today, took place at Rephidim. Being without water, Moses was commanded by God to take the elders with him and to strike the rock with the staff. Then, miraculously, water came out of the rock. The third event took place at Kadesh [Numb. 20:2-13] where once more Moses was commanded by God to assemble the congregation and to command the rock before their eyes to yield its water. As biblical history tell us, Moses did not trust in the Lord. {Numb. 20:12] Because he struck the rock twice, he was punished and not allowed to enter the promised land.

In view of the above events, Moses was a type of Christ, both providing water to the people. On this subject, Saint Paul tells us, "Our ancestors all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness." [1 Cor. 10:4-5]

Water is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. On this subject, the Catholic Church teaches us, "The symbolism of water signifies the Holy Spirit's action in Baptism, since after the invocation of the Holy Spirit it becomes the efficacious sacramental sign of new birth: just as the gestation of our first birth took place in water, so the water of Baptism truly signifies that our birth into the divine life is given to us in the Holy Spirit. As "by one Spirit we were all baptized," so we are also "made to drink of one Spirit." [1 Cor 12:13] Thus the Spirit is also personally the living water welling up from Christ crucified [Jn 19:34; 1 Jn 5:8] as its source and welling up in us to eternal life." [Jn. 4:10-14, 7:38; Ex. 17:1-6; Is. 55:1; Zech. 14:8; 1 Cor. 10:4; Rev. 21:6; 22:17] (C.C.C. # 694)

Today's Second Reading [Rom. 5:1-2, 5-8] informs us that God's love was poured into our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit that has been given to us through Christ. The Divine love of God assures salvation to those who are justified. Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. [Rom. 5:1] Through peace with God, our reconciliation replaces our alienation that was caused by the disobedience of Adam.

We obtained our peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ alone because "there is only one Mediator between God and humankind" [1 Tim. 2:5] (C.C.C. # 956, 1544, 1546, 2574, 2593) in the Divine Plan of Salvation. No one is saved through his own good deeds. No one is saved by believing in God the Father alone. No is saved by his good friends. Nor is anyone saved by chasing private revelations. Salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone. "Jesus Christ, having entered the sanctuary of heaven once and for all, intercedes constantly for us as the mediator who assures us of the permanent outpouring of the Holy Spirit." (C.C.C. # 667)

"Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it." [LG 14; cf. Mk 16:16; Jn 3:5] (C.C.C. # 846)

Through the one Mediator, Jesus Christ, we have obtained access to the grace of God in which we stand. Consequently, we hope to share in the glory of God. "And hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." [Rom. 5:5] As our faith is a free gift from God, so is our hope. These gifts are beyond ordinary natural powers. Therefore, as our faith relies on God, so does our hope.

"While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." [Rom. 5:6] While we were weak, we were unjustified. We were sinners, incapable of doing anything that could make us right before God. By the grace of God, we received the free gifts of faith, hope and charity that are instrumental in leading us towards salvation through Jesus Christ. (Note: We also need the Sacraments.)

During the Second Reading, Saint Paul said, "Rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die." [Rom. 5:7] Here he corrected himself, showing his sense of humour. Maybe someone would die for a really good person. Maybe a father would give his life for a son. Maybe a man would give his life for his brother or a woman would give her life for her sister. But while such is possible, none of these self-sacrifices lead to salvation. For there is one Mediator between God and mankind, Jesus Christ Himself.

Today's Gospel Reading [Jn. 4:5-42] echoes the First Reading from the Book of Exodus. As we heard, Jesus promised to give us water that will become a spring of water gushing up to eternal life. [Jn. 4:14]

During the reading, we heard that Jesus and His disciples came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. [Jn. 4:5] In case some of you may try to locate the city Sychar, you will not be able to do so. The name "Sychar" is believed to be a corruption of the name "Sychem" (Shechem) which was near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. [Gen. 33:19, 48:22] Shechem is where the bones of Joseph were buried. [Jos. 24:32]

Tired of His journey, Jesus sat on the ground by Jacob's well. [Jn. 4:6] (Jacob's well is located between "Tell el-Balatah" and "Askar.") During that time, while the disciples had gone to the city to buy food, a Samaritan woman came to draw water. [Jn. 4:7-8] Jesus asked her to give Him water. At this point, the Samaritan woman said to Jesus, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" [Jn. 4:9] In those days, it was unheard of for a rabbi to speak to a woman in public, even worst for a Jew to request water from a Samaritan. The Jewish people considered the Samaritans to be unclean, this including their utensils for eating and drinking. Therefore it appears that Jesus was asking to drink from an unclean water jar? Yet, Jesus was not bothered a bit by such scruples.

Knowing the Samaritan woman's hesitation, Jesus told her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." [Jn. 5:10] What is the gift of God that Jesus was speaking about? It was Jesus Himself! But who was Jesus to the Samaritan woman at that moment? All she could see was a thirsty Jewish man who had been travelling.

And what was this living water that the thirsty Traveller was offering her? The Samaritan woman must have understood "living water" to mean running water versus water from a well or cistern water. But is this was Jesus was telling her? In the Old Testament, when a reference was made to "living water," it meant "water of life." It meant Divine vitality, revelation and wisdom. [Jer. 2:13; Zech. 14:8; Ezek. 47:9; Prov. 13:14, etc...]

As Nicodemus literally took the Words of Jesus when he was told that he had to be born again to enter the Kingdom of God, [Jn. 3:4- 6] the woman also literally took the Words of Jesus. Unable to logically understand Jesus, she said, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his children and his flocks drank from it?" [Jn. 3:11-12]

Since Jesus had no means of getting water out the well, where would He get his "living water" from? When considering how great Jacob was in the eyes of God and the people, and that he had no better source of water than the well that was present, how could Jesus offer to give a better water?

To her question, Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." [Jn. 3:13-4]

In Sirach 24:20-1, we read that he who drinks wisdom will thirst again. One could never satisfy the desire for wisdom. But, on the contrary, through the Sacrament of Baptism, the water that Jesus will give, will have the fountain of eternal life within him.

Understanding "living water" to mean never to thirst again, the Samaritan woman asked Jesus for some of it so she would never have to go back to the well to draw water. [Jn. 3:15] What followed was a conversion in which Jesus revealed to the woman that she had five husbands and that she was now living with another man. [Jn. 3:16- 8]

Jesus' reply to the request of the woman for living water was intended to show her that He possessed superhuman knowledge. This provided the woman with sufficient enlightment to perceive that the Words of Jesus must have had a greater meaning. Surprised, the woman said to Jesus, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet." [Jn. 3:19] Now, the woman no longer saw a Jewish man before her, but rather, a prophet.

This provided the woman with a perfect opportunity to settle a long standing controversy between the Jews and the Samaritans regarding the proper place of sacrificial worship. [Gen. 12:7, 33:20; Deut. 27:4] The woman said to Jesus, "Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." [Jn. 3:20]

To this, Jesus responded, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem." [Jn. 3:21] The response from Jesus indicated that soon, it will make no difference who is right or who is wrong. For "the Christian economy, therefore, since it is the new and definitive Covenant, will never pass away; and no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ." [Dei Filius: 3 DS 3008] Yet even if Revelation is already complete, it has not been made completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to grasp its full significance over the course of the centuries." (C.C.C. # 66)

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, "You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him." [Jn. 3:21-22] In other words, in Judaism, God's revelation was safeguarded. But the Samaritans, although they had good faith, they preserved the truth in a distorted form. Salvation came through the Jewish people. The proof was Jesus Himself, He being Jewish. Through Jesus was the fulfillment of the expected Messiah.

When Jesus said that "the hour is coming," He was referring to His glorification, the "hour" when His Church would be instituted. The final sacrifice will have been made, the perfect sacrifice of the Lamb of God.

Jesus said, "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." [Jn. 3:24] These words are echoed in the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians. "The first man, Adam, became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit." [1 Cor. 15:45] Christ is the life-giving Spirit in the sense that His actions are life-giving. God is Spirit in the sense that He gives the Spirit. Equally, God is light and love. [1 Jn. 1:5, 4:8] That is why the believers must worship God in "spirit and truth," in the truth as thought by the Spirit who guides and teaches.

At that moment, the woman indicated that she knew that the Messiah was coming and that He would proclaim all things to the people. [Jn. 3:25] She remembered the Words of God, "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command." [Deut. 18:18] Having perceived that Jesus was a prophet over and above being Jewish, the woman now suspected that He might be the promised Messiah. To this, Jesus answered, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you." [Jn. 3:26] Jesus affirmed the fulfillment of the words spoken through Isaiah, "Therefore my people shall know my name; therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here am I." [Is. 52:6]

During the Gospel Reading, we then heard that the disciples returned and were astonished that Jesus was speaking to a woman. Following that, the woman left and returned to the city, leaving behind her water jar. For she had no more need for it because she had come to the source of living water. Once in the city, the woman invited the people to come and see Jesus who told her everything that she had done. Her words echoed the words of Philip to Nathanael, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote." [Jn. 1:45]

In the meantime, the disciples were urging Jesus to eat some food. [Jn. 3:31] To this Jesus answered, "I have food to eat that you do not know about.

So the disciples said to one another, "Surely no one has brought him something to eat? My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work." [Jn. 3:31-4] It is obvious that the disciples did not understand the full meaning of what Jesus was saying. The words of Jesus summed up His entire career. He came to do the will of His Father who sent Him, even to death on the Cross. In Jesus was found perfect obedience, to the last drop of blood.

The Gospel Reading ended by telling us that the people came from the city to hear Jesus. As they stated, "It is no longer because of what (the woman) said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Saviour of the world." [Jn. 3:42] Not only did the Samaritans come to believe, they also recognized the fulfillment of the Messiah in Jesus.

From today's readings, we are reminded that as children of God, as members of the Body of Christ, we too have been called to do the Divine Will of He who has called us to share in the life-giving Spirit through faith in Jesus and the Sacrament of Baptism. As Jesus was called to complete His work, we too are called to complete our calling through our perseverance in the living faith. To persevere necessitates our ongoing reception of the Sacraments of Confession and the Holy Eucharist as the means of maintaining our righteousness before the Lord God.

With the approach of Easter that commemorates the glorious Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, we now, more than ever, have an obligation to reinstate our holiness through the Holy Sacraments that have been given to us by Jesus Himself. Let us keep this in mind as we enter the Third Week in Lent.

Special / Solemnity of Saint Joseph, the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary

2011-03-19T00:01:00.003-07:00

Friends of Jesus, today, we are celebrating the Feast of Saint Joseph, the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Patron of the Universal Church.

Who was St. Joseph? And what do we know about him? Most of what we do know of him is found in the First and Third Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

Based on the content of the Holy Bible, a few months before the Annunciation, Joseph settled in Nazareth. [Lk. 2:4] From the same source, we learn that he was a carpenter, the spouse of the Virgin Mary and the foster father of Jesus. [Mt. 13:55; Mk. 6:3]

When Joseph was engaged to be married to the Virgin Mary, he learned that she was pregnant. Not wanting to cause a public scandal, he was considering to dismiss her quietly. [Mt. 1:19] Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife for the conception of her Child resulted from the power of the Holy Spirit. [Mt. 1:20] Consequently, as we know, Joseph took the Virgin Mary as his wife. [Mt. 1:24]

From this, we are to understand that Joseph was God's choice of a foster father for Jesus. Joseph was a respectable and righteous man. [Mt. 1:19] Based on the teachings of the virginity of Mary, we learn that the relationship that Joseph enjoyed with the Blessed Virgin Mary was a chaste marriage.

As the Holy Scriptures teach us, Joseph endured anxieties in life as we all do. When he went with Mary to Bethlehem to register, "while they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child." [Lk. 2:6] Mary gave birth and laid Jesus in a manger because "there was no place for them in the inn." [Lk. 2:7]

When Joseph took Mary to Jerusalem to present Jesus to the Lord, he heard what Simeon had to say about the Child. Joseph and Mary were amazed at what was being said about Him. [Lk. 2:33]

Then we hear of the trial of Joseph when an angel appeared to him in a dream. Joseph was told to take the Child and His mother and to flee to Egypt and remain there until he was told to leave. For Herod was about to seek out Jesus in order to kill Him [Mt. 2:13] when he heard that a child had been born King of the Jews. [Mt. 2:2] Obeying the angel, by night, Joseph took Mary and Jesus to Egypt. [Mt. 2:14] Escaping to Egypt also served the purpose of protecting the Kingship of Jesus.

The last mention of St. Joseph in the Holy Bible is when Jesus was twelve years old and the family made their annual pilgrimage to the Holy City. This is when Jesus stayed behind in the Temple without the knowledge of His parents. For three days, Joseph went through great anxieties. [Lk. 2:41-8] Not only did he have to cope with having lost his foster Child Jesus, but he also had to support Mary who must have been worrying to the point of not being able to sleep at night. This was a heavy cross for St. Joseph to bear.

Over and above what has just been said, in some Bible passages, Jesus is referred to a the Son of Joseph. [Jn. 1:45, 6:42, Lk. 4:22] This confirms that Joseph was the adoptive father of Jesus.

The Feast of St. Joseph can be traced to the 4 th century in the Eastern Church. This Feast was entered on July 20 th in an old Coptic calendar that is in the possession of the Church.

In 1621, Pope Gregory XV declared the Feast of St. Joseph as a Feast of obligation. In 1726, Pope Benedict XIII inserted the name of Saint Joseph in the Litanies of the Saints. And finally, in December, 1870, according to the wish of the bishops and the faithful, Pope Pius IX declared St. Joseph as the Patron of the Catholic Church.

As is perceived from all these facts, the recognition that St. Joseph received was very progressive in the Church, certainly not equal to the recognition that the Virgin Mary received over the centuries.

Briefly reviewing today's three readings, our hearts perceive other wonders about Saint Joseph. The First Reading speaks of Yahweh being a Divine Father to us as His people. The Second Reading speaks of our spiritual father Abraham. The Gospel speaks of the end of the lineage of our spiritual fathers, Saint Joseph.

From the First Reading and other Biblical passages, we also learn that Saint Joseph was of royal blood. He was a descendant of king David. Saint Joseph was born at a time when the Jewish nation no longer had a ruling king. Saint Joseph was a king without a throne and a crown.

By marrying the Blessed Virgin Mary and through the adoption of our Lord Jesus as his foster child, Saint Joseph surrendered his kingship to Jesus. Through Saint Joseph, Jesus legally became the rightful King of this world, over and above being the King of the Kingdom of God.

I should clarify here that when we are talking of the Kingdom of God, we are speaking of two different Kingdoms.

First of all, there is the worldly kingdom. God has always been the King of this world. He rightfully made Himself King over His people as the Holy Bible teaches us. In the days of Samuel, God's people said, "Give us a king to govern over us." [1 Sam. 8:6]

In response to this, God said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you [Samuel], but they have rejected Me from being King over them. [1 Sam. 8:7] Consequently, God said to Samuel, "Listen to their voice and set a king over them." [1 Sam. 8:22]

Therefore, the Kingship of God the Father over earth was ruled by men chosen by God for a period of time during the days of the Old Testament. The Lord God, who once ruled the earth over His people before the days of Samuel, has once more regained His Divine Kingship through Jesus Christ. Through Joseph who surrendered his kingship to Jesus, this was accomplished.

Regarding the spiritual Kingdom of God, this Kingdom was lost to Satan through the sin of Adam in the Garden of Eden. Following this, Satan became the prince of this world. Through death on the cross, Jesus regained the spiritual Kingdom of God. Speaking of His death, Jesus said, "Now the ruler of this world will be driven out." [Jn. 12:31] As the Book of Revelations tells us, "War broke out in Heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in Heaven. [Rev. 12:7-8]

Under the protection of Saint Joseph, Jesus accomplished His mission on earth to rightfully regain His Kingdom in Heaven through death on the cross. Through the royal blood lineage of Saint Joseph, Jesus accomplished His mission on earth to rightfully regain His Kingdom on earth.

While many of us know very little about St. Joseph, viewing him as an old man who protected the Virgin Mary, there are many hidden mysteries regarding his life. To perceive these mysteries regarding his life, we must ask ourselves, "Why did God choose Joseph and not someone else?" It was because, through Joseph, mankind was about to restore God as the true King, a Kingship that rightfully belonged to Him.

1st Week of Lent

2011-03-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

How does today's celebration of the First Sunday of Lent relate to the creation of man versus Jesus spending forty days in the desert? My brothers and sisters in Christ, both events have to do with temptation! Allow me to explain...

Lent is a season of penance that has been set apart by the Catholic Church in memory of the forty days' fast of Our Lord Jesus in the desert and as a mean of sanctification for her members. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Lent includes forty fasting days. The Lenten Season is a time to fast for the purpose of gaining spiritual strength in order to resist all forms of temptations. It is a time to firmly say, "Away with you, Satan!" [Mt. 4:10]

"Lent is a time to ask oneself a number of questions. Where is life really leading me? Is the hope of eternal life my aspiration? Have I tried to grow in the life of the Spirit through prayer, reading the Word of God and meditating on it, receiving the Sacraments, self-denial? Have I been anxious to control my vices, my bad inclinations and passions, e.g., envy, love of food and drink? Have I been proud and boastful, thinking myself better in the sight of God and despising others as less important than myself?" (Sunday Missal - Prayerbook - Hymnal - 2000, page 669)

By persevering in fasting, penances and prayers, the faithful obtain the strength that they need to overcome their sinful tendencies.

Today's First Reading from the Book of Genesis [Gen. 2:7-9, 16-18, 25; 3:1-7] recalls the creation of our first parents and the entry of original sin into the world.

"The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being." [Gen. 2:7] The first chapters of the Book of Genesis reveal two things to us. First of all, God created the earth for man's use. Before God created man, "there was no one to till the ground." [Gen. 2:5b] Secondly, when man dies, he will return to dust. [Gen. 3:19]

While the outcome of placing man in the Garden of Eden was foreseen, God still created the first man as a unique life form, distinguishing him from all other earthly creations. Adam had a life that came from God. For God breath into the nostrils of Adam the breath of life, and he became a human being. [Gen. 2:7] Placing man in the Garden of Eden was symbolic of Adam receiving Divine blessings. The Hebrew meaning of the word "Eden" is "pleasure." The Garden of Eden was created to be a place of ongoing bliss for humans, they having all of their needs met.

In the Garden of Eden, the Lord God created a number of trees. Two of them had special importance. One was the tree of life, the other being the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. [Gen. 2:9] God commanded Adam to eat freely from every tree of the garden, from all the variety of fruits that flourished, with the exception of one tree. Adam was not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Should he do so, he would surely die. [Gen. 2:16- 7]

In this context, to experience death meant two different things. First of all, to die meant to experience spiritual death. Adam would no longer enjoy the harmony that he previously had with God. Secondly, he would experience physical death, his body turning to dust. [Gen. 3:19] Therefore, the permanent happiness of Adam depended entirely on his obedience, his remaining subject to God.

Knowing that Adam was lonely, God determined that it was best to "make him a helper as his partner." [Gen. 2:18] When God created Eve, it was to complement Adam so that they may become one in the sharing of each other's happiness. Contrary to what some joke about, Eve was not created as a slave to man. Adam did not possess ownership over Eve.

At this phase of creation, Adam and Eve enjoyed an innocent nature. As very young children, about age two or three, who are not ashamed of their nakedness until they are told to cover themselves, Adam and Eve were both naked and they were not ashamed. [Gen. 2:25]

In the midst of this newly created couple, there dwelled the serpent who was more crafty than any other wild animal. [Gen. 3:1] This serpent had a way of distorting the truth. Approaching Eve, he asked her, "Did God says, 'You shall not eat from any tree in the garden?'" [Gen. 3:1] To this, Eve answered, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.'" [Gen. 3:2-3]

While Eve corrected the distortion of the serpent, she added her own distortion of God's Words. She stated that God said, "Neither shall you touch it." God had never said anything about touching the tree, only about eating from it. Here we see how sin begins with the distortion of the truth. Prior to eating from the forbidden tree, Eve had already distorted the Word of God.

Entertaining Eve in the distortion of the truth, the serpent told her that she would not die. [Gen. 3:4] In fact, by eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, she would become just like God, knowing good and evil. [Gen. 3:5] Here we find two deceptions. First of all, the serpent denied that Eve would suffer death, such being the punishment for disobeying God. Secondly, he told Eve that she would be like God if she ate of the fruit.

Here, Eve had to make a decision! Should she believe God who had said that she would die or should she believe the serpent who said that she would not die? Then, should she remain subject to God or should she strive to be like God? Having a free will, she rejected God's truth and decided that she wanted to be like God. This meant eating from the forbidden tree. [Gen. 3:6]

Having done so, she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. [Gen. 3:6] Then suddenly, the eyes of both were opened. They noticed their nakedness, being ashamed of their bodies. Accordingly, they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths to cover themselves. [Gen. 3:7]

Summarizing what happened here, the Book of Wisdom tells us, "But through the devil's envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his company experience it." [Wis. 2:24] Satan, the serpent, envied God's first human creations, the daily personal relationship that they enjoyed with God, the world that had been created for them. By turning their back to God, our first parents became subject to Satan. The devil became the "prince of the world," [Jn. 12:31] the prince of death.

Speaking of Satan to hardened hearts, Jesus said, "You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." [Jn. 8:44]

The Second Reading from The Letter of Paul to the Romans [Rom. 5:12, 17-19] provides us with a greater understanding of the nature of sin. "Paul begins his description of the status of the reconciled Christian by comparing it with man's previous condition before the coming of Christ. It is a comparison of Adam, the first parent, with Christ, the head of the new humanity. But it is not smoothly worked out; for Paul also wants to extol the superabundance of Christ's grace which now reigns instead of Sin and Death which had been in control of man since Adam's time. Just as sin came into the world through Adam (and with it death, which affects all men), so through Christ came uprightness (and with it life eternal). But Paul feels the need of justifying his novel teaching about Adam and breaks into the parallelism to assert emphatically that it was Adam's sin that affected all men. Paul emphasizes the surpassing quality of what Christ did, when it is compared with Adam's influence. Christ, the new Adam and head of a new humanity, was incomparably more beneficent toward man than Adam was maleficent." (The Jerome Biblical Commentary.)

"Just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, so death spread to all, because all have sinned." [Rom. 5:12] Because this biblical passage states that "death spread to all" men, the Council of Trent concluded that Infant Baptism was necessary as part of one's salvation. While an infant cannot sin because it lacks the ability to reason and does not possess the moral knowledge of right and wrong, it is still called to die because it has inherited the Original Sin. Therefore, the death of an infant is not because it sinned, but because it has inherited the Original Sin. But, speaking of those who reached the age of reason, according to St. Paul, death spreads to all, because all have sinned! And I agree with him!

Paul proceeds to say, "Sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law." [Rom. 5:13] What he is saying here is that while sin was in the world from the days of Adam to the day when God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, because there was no law, personal sins could not be counted against the people. Without laws, the people could not be accused of having done evil because they did not violate any precepts. Yet sin was still in the world because of the inherited Original Sin. Death still exercised dominion on the people from the days of Adam to Moses. [Rom. 5:14]

In view of the severity of the trespass of Adam that brought death to the entire human race, the free gift of the grace of God through Jesus far surpassed the outcome of sin. God's favour was far in excess of any mercy that sin could have invoked had Jesus not died for us. There is no comparison between the free gift of the grace of God versus the consequence of one's sin. While one's trespass brought condemnation, the free gift of God brought justification. [Rom. 5:16]

While the trespass of the first Adam brought death the human race, the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness that we have received through the second Adam, Jesus Christ, has brought us life. As the trespass of Adam led to condemnation, the act of righteousness of Jesus had led to justification and life for all. [Rom. 5:18] "For just as by the disobedience of one the many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one the many will be made righteous." [Rom. 5:19]

The "last enemy" to be vanquished is physical death. "For this perishable body must put on imperishable, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.'" [1 Cor. 15:53-4; Is. 25:8] "For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ." [1 Cor. 15:21-22]

During today's Gospel Reading, [Mt. 4:1-11] we heard that Jesus fasted for forty days and He was put to the test by Satan. This reading from the Scriptures provides us with clues as to how we can overcome sin. Matthew 4:1 tells us that "Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness." Where exactly did this event occur, the Holy Bible does not specify the area. One place West of Jericho that is called "Jebel Qarantal," named after 40 days, has traditionally been associated with the mount of temptations. So the possibility exist that this is the location where Jesus was tempted.

After fasting for forty days and forty nights, Jesus was awfully hungry. The forty days and nights may be symbolic of the 40 years in the desert when Israel endured a time of temptations and failure. Now, Jesus, the new Israel, is likewise being tempted in the desert.

In the first temptation, the tempter said to Jesus, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." [Mt. 4:3] To this, Jesus answered, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" [Mt. 4:4]

These Words of Jesus mirror a passage in the Book of Deuteronomy. "He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither quainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." [Deut. 8:3]

In His response, Jesus is indicating that basic necessities should be subject to the revealed Word of God. His mission was not fulfilled by providing for basic needs but rather by proclaiming the Word that is life.

In the second temptation, quoting from the Book of Psalms, "the devil took Jesus to the holy city and placed Him on the pinnacle of the Temple." {Mt. 4:5] Then Satan said to Jesus, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'" [Ps. 91:11-2; Mt. 4:6] To this, Jesus replied, "Again it is written, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" [Mt. 4:7]

Once more, Jesus answered by quoting from the Book of Deuteronomy, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah." [Deut. 6:16] This Biblical response was a warning against rashness. By imposing demands upon God that God has not promised to fulfill, it is saying, "My way Lord, not Your way!" This is not the way that God has chosen to reveal Himself.

In the final temptation, the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed Him all the Kingdoms of the world and their splendour. [Mt. 4:8] There, Satan said, "All these I will give You, if You will fall down and worship me." [Mt. 4:9] Quoting Deuteronomy 6:3, Jesus answered with severity, "Away with you, Satan! for it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'" [Mt. 4:10]

In this last incident, Satan tempted Jesus with a secular messianism, the use of power to accomplish the ends of the Messianic mission. By His response, Jesus placed secular messianism on the level of worship of false gods. Did Jesus not say to Pilate, "My Kingdom is not from this world." [Jn. 18:36]

Jesus also said, "The Kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is! or 'There it is!' For in fact, the Kingdom of God is among (within) you." [Lk. 17:20-1] While the Kingdom of God is a spiritual Kingdom, Satan tempted Jesus to make it a physical Kingdom.

By now, you must have all realized that all of the temptations can be summed up as temptations to power. The first temptation demanded that miraculous power be used to provide for basic material needs. The second temptation demanded that Divine power be used to produce a spectacular "sign" that would compel anyone to believe. The third temptation demanded the use of Divine power to establish a worldly Kingdom of God.

Having entered into the Lenten Season, this is a time for us to review our beliefs and expectations. Do we demand that God provide for our basic needs while ignoring our spiritual needs? Do we impose demands upon God when we pray, ignoring the impact of such demands on our salvation, the impact upon those around us, and even the impact of such demands upon the Divine Will of God? There has to be a balance between asking the Lord for a blessing if it is according to His Divine Will and saying, "Give me, give me, give me!" And, do we have false hopes of a secular messianism, awaiting for what will never come to pass? Are we wasting valuable time that could be applied towards our spiritual growth, our sanctification in Christ?

This week, may we reflect on these things and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us in the truth so we may become as precious pearls to the Lord. And when we are being tempted by the devil contrary to the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church, may we raise our voices and say, "Away with you, Satan!" [Mt. 4:10]

Special / Ash Wednesday

2011-03-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

My brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are entering a new Season, one of penance and sacrifices. Together, we have gathered here to celebrate "Ash Wednesday," the first of forty days of the Lenten Season that precedes Easter.

On this special occasion, we are called to be reconciled to God. Through the sacramental of ashes that is symbolic of penance, we are reminded that we as sinners are but dust and ashes. [Gen. 18:27]

Today, in preparation for the joy of Easter that approaches, we call upon the mercy of the Lord Jesus, asking Him for His blessings and forgiveness. For the Heavenly Father does not want us to die but to live with the risen Christ who reigns forever and ever. As such, through the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, we prepare ourselves to celebrate the death and glorious Resurrection of Christ our Saviour by being cleansed from our sins through a renewal of spirit.

The spiritual practice of applying ashes on oneself as a sign of sincere repentance goes back thousands of years. Frequently in the days of the Old and the new Testament, as we have heard from the readings of the Scriptures during the past year, when someone had sinned, he cloth his body with sackcloth and covered himself with ashes. [Jer. 6:26]

The sacramental that we are observing today arises from that custom, the spiritual practice of observing public penitence.

Church history tells us that the liturgical practice of applying ashes on one's forehead during the Lenten Season goes back as far as the eight century. This was accompanied by different forms of fasting, prayer, sacrifices, charity towards others, etc... The writings of St. Leo, around 461 A.D., tell us that during the Lenten Season, he exhorted the faithful to abstain from certain food to fulfill with their fasts the Apostolic institution of forty days.

As we heard during today's First Reading from the Book of Joel, the Lord God calls upon us to return to Him with all our hearts, with fasting, weeping and mourning. We are told to split apart our hearts, not our clothing.

In the days of the Old Testament, many tore their clothing as a sign of repentance. But, while some tore their clothing, this was an exterior sign; there was no true repentance. Their hearts of stone had not changed! They had not let go of their worldly ways to embrace holy ways. To practice sincere repentance, the Lord God tells us to change our hearts. We are called to examine our most inner self, those evil ways that we have to let go, once and for always.

We must always remember that the Lord God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not punish us if we are sincere and turn away from our sins. God is not a God of punishment but a God of love to those who strive earnestly to walk in His righteous ways.

As the first reading reminded us, our sanctification in the likeness of Christ is not for just a few people. It is for all those who have placed their faith in Christ on the day that they received the Sacrament of Baptism. We are told to assemble the aged, to gather the children, and even the breast fed infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her canopy. This is a very powerful command that includes everyone, of all ages!

This is the time when the ministers of the Church beg the Lord, asking Him on behalf of the people, to show His mercy upon them. This is the time when the ministers of the Church remind the Lord of His promises made to Abraham, our spiritual father, that we will inherit the promised land, the eternal Kingdom of God. The practice of reminding the Lord God of His promises is to draw His pity upon us who are weak sinners. It is so He will not forget us. It is also to ensure that He will not be mocked by those who say, 'Where is your God?' For our Lord God keeps His promises. He will save those who walk in righteousness in daily communion with Him.

During today's Second Reading from the Second Letter to the Corinthians, we heard St. Paul appealing to us on behalf of Jesus to be reconciled to God.

God the Father sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us on the cross. He who was without sin took our place and was treated as a sinner, so we might become righteous in the eyes of God. What a horrible death we deserved, a death that Christ endured for us in Divine love.

The Lord God reminds us that He heard our cries that were raised to Heaven. He has helped us to secure our salvation. Now is the time for us to show our appreciation to the Lord God by walking in His righteousness so we may inherit the salvation that we have asked of Him and which He is granting to us through His infinite love and mercy.

How do we walk in righteousness? Jesus answered that question during today's Reading from the Gospel of Matthew. It is not by continuing in our worldly ways. It is by embracing a spiritual mind so we may mature in Christ by the grace of God the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus warns us against hypocrisy, those who are pious so they may be seen by others. They have received their rewards through those who admired them and praised them for it. For them, there is no reward from God the Father in Heaven. During the Lenten Season, our piety must manifest private time between the Lord God and ourselves. We must experience a transformation of our whole being beyond going to Church. We must walk with Christ in our lives every minute of the day, from the time we rise in the morning until the time we go to bed at night.

Equally, when you sacrifice by giving to the Church or by reaching out to someone in need, your left hand must not know what your right hand is doing. Do it privately and then forget about it. If you give a larger contribution to the Church so you can receive a larger Tax Deductible Receipt at the end of the calendar year, then your right hand knows what your left hand is doing. Your right hand is giving and your left hand is waiting to receive its benefit.

If you decide to increase your time of prayer during the Lenten Season, do not do it at the Church during the busy hours so others will see you. In such a manner, you will receive your reward on earth by those who will praise you for your piety. Rather, go into your bedroom, close the door and pray to God the Father in private so the Heavenly Father may see you in private and reward you accordingly.

If you decide to fast, do not overdo it to the extent that you look weak and sick so the others will notice that you are fasting. Fast to the degree that you can manage, always being cheerful and looking healthy so no one but God will know that you are fasting. Then, God the Father will reward you.

Be reconciled to God! These are the guidelines that the Church has received from God so the faithful may experience true repentance in order to receive Divine mercy and forgiveness.

As you enter the Lenten Season, remember these words every day! Practise them! And I assure you that God shall reward you!

Walk in God's ways.

2011-03-06T00:01:00.001-07:00

Walk in God's way. Yes, my brothers and sisters in Christ, walk in God's way is today's message. Those who walk in the way of the Lord, they shall receive His blessings. Those who oppose God's way, they shall endure His wrath. God's warning is as clear as black and white; there is no grey area.

Today's First Reading from the Book of Deuteronomy reminds us that today is the day to make a final decision. Today, you must decide if you will walk with God according to His Commandments or against God, contrary to His Commandments. This means that teachers must be living models of the Catholic faith, practicing what they preach. This means that Police Officers and Correctional Officers must uphold righteousness and not be the cause of corruption. This means that politicians must live their Catholic faith according to the Catholic teachings. They cannot separate their political life from their private life. In Christ, there is one life, one way and one truth. If one claims to be a Catholic politician, then he cannot support and vote in favour of abortion, divorce and same sex marriage. By doing so, he is saying that he will obey God in his private life but he will be a hypocrite in his public life as a politician, at which time he will go against God. Woe to the hypocrites, for there is no place for them in Heaven!

During the Second Reading, we heard Saint Paul say that he is not ashamed of the Gospel. Equally, we as Catholics should not be ashamed of the Gospel. We should not be ashamed to stand up and be counted among those who practice what God has commanded.

Those who are not ashamed of the Gospel, God Himself justifies. He justifies those who have faith in Jesus, this justification by faith being apart from works. This does not oppose the words found in the Letter of James where it states "faith without works is dead." [Jas. 2:26] It clarifies it!

The one who is saved by faith, by the power of the Holy Spirit, he is impelled to do good works. Doing good works is natural to him. It is not the good works that saved him. The good works are the fruit of his having been justified through Christ. For that reason, we read in the Letter of James "You have faith and I have works. Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith." [Jas. 2:18] If one is justified, the two are present, faith and good works. They cannot be separated because God's justification produces good works within the saved person who has faith in Christ. For that reason, it can be said that "a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." [Jas. 2:24] Justification produces a fruit (of good works) that is absolutely necessary to be saved. If one claims to be saved and he does not display any good works, he cannot be saved. For the fruit of good works in lacking in the person!

The initial description of the Gospel in the Book of Romans makes it clear that the Gospel is not just a message, or a philosohy, or a system of thought to be learned. It is the "story of the cross." [1 or. 1:18]

There are two degrees of faith. It could be said that there is the beginning of faith where one simply believes that he can be saved by Jesus Christ, the Saviour. Then there is a more perfect faith where one grows in the understanding, knowledge and wisdom of God that is manifested through the Catholic Church and its Sacraments.

From the aforementioned, it is clear that man's condition without the gospel is one that calls forth God's wrath. Paul's warning was not just for the Jews and the Greeks. At the time of his preaching, he was primarily thinking of the two historic groups of humanity, the Jews and the Greeks. Yet his absolute formulation also connotes the ideal of "all individuals."

The Christian dispensation is wholly due to the merciful and gratuitous benevolence of God Himself. It is not gained by something within each individual, but is due only to God's benevolent favor. God's mercy and free gift of justification that leads to salvation is undeserved by all, for we are all sinners.

During today's Gospel Reading, we heard Jesus say, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?'"

"Only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven" will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. That is a very powerful statement! There are 30,000 different religions that claim to be the one that has the way to salvation. Yet, there is only One God, one Church, one Body of Christ, one Truth, one Spirit and one Way. Accordingly, there can only be one religion that is the truth and the way, that does the will of the Heavenly Father. There can be only one religion that was instituted by Jesus Christ Himself, one religion that has implemented the Sacraments according to the instructions of the Lord Jesus. There can be only one Church that was commissioned by God to represent Him on earth by the power of the Keyes of the Kingdom of God. Otherwise, the words of Jesus shall echo, "Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you: go away from me, you evildoers.'"

Division is not the fruit of the Holy Spirit; it is the fruit of pride! Those who abandon the faith in order to start their own religion, are they saved? Will they enter the Kingdom of Heaven? Not according to Jesus! Devout invocation of Jesus as Lord and the reception of the charismata of the apostolate do not guarantee that one is a genuine disciple. Paul clearly says that these gifts are vain without love. [1 Cor. 13:2]

The test of the Father is "doing what I tell you." Jesus prayed to the Heavenly Father for Church unity. "Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one." [Jn. 17:11] The words of Jesus are a call and a challenge to action; they are not mere teaching. Understanding them is an insufficient response. The challenge is serious; failure to meet it is followed by catastrophe. "Great is the fall!"

Do not worry about tomorrow.

2011-02-27T00:01:00.002-07:00

My friends, children of the Lord God, do not worry about tomorrow! [Pause].

During today's First Reading from the Book of Isaiah, we heard, "Zion said, 'The Lord has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me.' Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you." [Is. 49:14-15] I emphasize these words, "I will not forget you" says the Lord God.

Here perhaps is the most touching expression of Divine love in the entire Bible. In God's few words, we learn of His Fatherhood. We have a heavenly Father. Not only is He our Creator, but He also wants to be our Father. While we struggle here on earth, awaiting the day when we will be united with the Heavenly Father, we are told in different words that God is watching over us. He has not forgotten us. If we think that He has forgotten us, it is all in our minds.

The second Reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians [1 Cor. 4:1-5] concerns the ministry of the Apostles. We heard the reader say, "Brothers and sisters: "Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy."

Two important words are found in this passage. They are the words "servants" and "stewards." In those days, the usage of these words implied an “assistant", a "helper.” This is the servant who was entrusted with the administration of the house. Paul places emphasis on the inferior position of the “manager” who administers his master’s property, and not his own.

The apostles of Christ’s are His assistants and “managers” of God’s mysteries, charged with preaching Divine revelation, and not their own doctrines. The first and indispensable quality demanded of a manager is trustworthiness, a conscientious devotion to his master’s interests.

Paul continued... “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. I do not even judge myself. I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.”

When Paul made reference to being judged by a human court, he was referring to any human judgment and criticism. The faithful have no right to pass judgment on the Lord’s manager. Only the Lord, not even the Apostles, can judge the faithfulness of his ministry. The Lord will make known His judgment when His presence is made known upon His return on the last day (parousia).

This Bible passage may explain why in the past, so many clergy members have remained silent regarding the sinful behaviour of a small number of priests who caused scandal in the Church. For decades, it was taught that no one should speak about the sinful behaviour of a fellow priest. God alone is the judge.

While some may have embraced that belief, it opposed other teachings that are found in the Holy Bible where it says, "If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive." [Luke 17:3] In similar words, we find in the Gospel of Matthew the following words, "If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector." [Mt. 18:15-17]

Furthermore, the Church teaches that if one remains silent regarding the sinful behaviour of another person, because of his silence, such a person is just as guilty of the sin as the one who committed it.

From these aforementioned passages, no matter our status, clergy member, religious or layperson, let us remember our obligation as Christians to rebuke those who sin. And let us not forget that in some country, criminal behaviours must be reported to the law.

The remaining of today's Gospel Reading [Mt. 6:24-34] has to do with serving two masters.

Speaking to His disciples, Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Disciples, followers of Christ, cannot have a divided loyalty.

In this reading, Jesus reminds the disciples that it is not good to possess wealth and ownership. Material possessions are a false god that demands exclusive loyalty, as God demands it. The claims of material possession must be completely renounced.

Jesus proceeds by saying, "Do not worry." "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”

The meaning of the words "Do not worry" as spoken here mean not to be "overly concerned." Do not be "uneasy about what might happen." Avoid "anxious care." It may be worth noting that the word means more than simple thought or planning. Jesus refers to the kind of worry that leads to a divided loyalty and ultimately as an exclusive concentration on possession. He speaks of the basic need of food and clothing - the person is more important and deserves more attention than the external goods that sustain him.

If one places his trust in Divine Providence, he has no worries. But if he does not trust in God to provide for his future, then he begins to stockpile anything and everything which he believes will benefit him in the future. Such is a false sense of security. It is not the spiritual way to do things.

Jesus continued, “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?”

The example of the birds is proposed as the proper attitude that we should have towards food. This does not excuse one from earning his food; few men, work as hard for their living as the average sparrow. The audience to which these sayings were addressed was largely composed of peasants and laborers. And Jesus says nothing here or elsewhere that invites them to abandon their life of incessant grinding toil. It is not laziness that He is recommending. What He is recommending is that one’s anxiety should not exceed the labor that is required to secure subsistence. It is not the use of the necessities of life that is discouraged, but the accumulation of goods. Accumulation of goods does not prolong the life of the owner as much as a cubit (18-20 inches).

Continuing with the words of Jesus, “And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you — you of little faith?”

To teach the proper attitude that one should have towards clothing, Jesus alludes to the wild flowers, which bloom in profusion on Palestinian hills. These hills are a dull brown color most of the year. The example illustrates the observation of nature and the details of daily life that are typical of the Gospels. Yet this display of bright color, which is indeed an impressive sight, lasts only for a few weeks.

The raiments of Solomon, the proverbial example of wealth in the Bible, did not effectively endure much longer. To make the provision of food and clothing one’s major concern, an object of anxiety, is to live like the pagans who know no dedication except to the accumulation of the goods of this world. The disciples have a prior dedication, the reign of God. If the disciples seek this, God will provide the necessities of life to those who work for them.

This condemnation of one's accumulation of clothing can be compared to those who today, they have a large collection of shoes, dresses, suits, hats, coats, etc... [Pause]

Why does one need so much? [Pause]

Changing the subject, Jesus said, “Therefore do not worry, saying, "What will we eat?' or "What will we drink?' or "What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today."

This verse emphasizes more clearly the principle that the disciples should not be accumulating goods. If savings becomes “accumulation,” it is still subject to the words of Jesus in the previous passages. “Sufficient for the day” are the key words to remember.

The pursuit of wealth has its ups and downs. Many of us try to keep up with the cultural expectations that come from success, security and the fulfillment that is found by pursuing wealth. Other try to keep up with family expectations or feel a need to compete against one or more persons to prove himself/herself more worthy or to receive public recognition. Doesn't the saying go, "The rich are famous." That is until they are broke... and then their friends disappear!

Today, Jesus reminds us who follow Him that we are more important than flowers, than the grass, than swallows. His promise to us is that He will take care of us even more than He does of the plants and birds.

This teaching of Jesus reminds us that we are called to a distinct way of life, not a worldly way but a spiritual way. We are called to trust in God who knows what we need and to believe that God will give it to us. Blessed is he who places his trust in the Lord Jesus!

This week my brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray for each other, that we may receive the gift of faith that is necessary to trust in Divine Providence so we may not worry about tomorrow.

Mid-Week / God's Mercy looks not at our past but looks to our future and potential

2011-02-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

If we take a fresh new $100 bill and fold it up and crumple it and then open it out again what does it look like? It is a mess and is wrinkled. Is it worth $1 now, or $5, or $10? No, it is still a $100 bill and has the value and potential of a $100 bill. When we get crumpled through sin we get into a mess but we still have the same value and potential in the eyes of God.

It is interesting that one of the words in Hebrew for “have mercy” רָחַם comes from the same root as the Hebrew word for “womb.” “Mercy” and “womb” are somehow interrelated in Hebrew and also in Akkadian. Why might this be?

For scholars the connection may a bit of a mystery but when we think of womb we can imagine motherly love, motherly care and it does not take us too long to think of mothers being merciful.
We can also think of the mother’s womb nourishing the child because that child has value and potential. That child will grow. In the womb the child has not yet reached its full potential. The mother’s womb is preparing the child for the future and God’s mercy does hold one locked into the past but looks to the future.

Twice in our first reading from Isaiah today the verb רָחַם is used to describe God’s mercy

He who pities them leads them (Isa 49:10)
The Lord comforts his people and shows mercy to the afflicted (Isa 49:13)

To convey in English that the Hebrew word “womb” comes from the same root as the word “mercy” you might want to translate those verses as

He who wombs them leads them (Isa 49:10)
The Lord comforts his people and wombs the afflicted (Isa 49:13)

When God forgives he does not look at the past but looks to the future and our potential just as the mother’s womb is nourishing the child and preparing the child for the future. No wonder therefore that the description of God’s love which we heard in our first reading, and is probably the most beautiful depiction of God’s love in the Old Testament, uses a motherly image,

Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you. (Isa 49:15)

The prophet Deutero-Isaiah (Isa 40-55) is ministering to the Jews exiled in Babylon who were wondering if God had forgotten them, and Jerusalem also questioned as we heard in our reading,

Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” (Isa 49:14)

So the Lord responds,

Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you. (Isa 49:15)

The word in Hebrew עוּל that is translated as “infant” is more accurately translated as “suckling child.” It shows our dependence on God just as a suckling child is dependent on its mother. It was sin that brought the exile on the Jews but God did not forget them and their dependence on him and in our reading he promised to restore them. When the Jews returned to Jerusalem they were different, they had matured. They no longer ran after idols as they had done before the exile.

When we sin, no matter how crumpled we become, God’s mercy awaits us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Like a mother’s womb nourishing a child and preparing it for the future, when God forgives he does not lock us into our past but knows our value and potential and looks to our future. Just as the Jews matured in the exile and no longer went after idols afterwards, we too can mature during the suffering we bring on ourselves through sin and once we are forgiven no longer go after idols.

The forgiveness of sins by faith.

2011-02-20T00:01:00.001-07:00

Today's First Reading from Chapter 19 of the Book of Leviticus teaches us that the spirit of charity makes it impossible for the spirits of enmity, revenge, and grudge bearing to dwell within us. Charity requires that fraternal correction be made when necessary.

If the spirits of enmity, revenge and grudge bearing dwell in us, then they coexists with the spirit of hatred towards others. If the spirit of hatred is within us, then we are living in sin. The First Reading reminds us not to incur sin through the spirit of hatred because of our behaviour towards one or more persons.

Today's Second Reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians [1 Cor. 3:16-23] reminds us of the division that dwelled in the Corinthian Church during the first century.

When Paul said, "Do you not know that you are God's Temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?", he was speaking of two Temples. First of all, the Corinthian community was a Temple of God, because the Divine Spirit dwelled in it. Secondly, the Holy Spirit dwelled in all those who had been baptised.

Now these two Temples, within the community and within each individual were being destroyed by division. Some of the Christians claimed to belong to Paul, others to Apollos. Who were Saint Paul and Apollos? They were nothing, merely human servants of the Church in the Name of Jesus Christ. In their vain and merely human appraisal of the ministers of the Gospel the Corinthians were displaying their foolishness, judging by the wisdom of the world. No Christian should glory in men, calling himself a disciple of any preacher, to the detriment of the unity of the Church. The ministers of the Gospel are for the faithful, not the faithful for them.

Paul made a very powerful statement when he said, "If anyone destroys God's Temple, God will destroy that person. For God's Temple is holy, and you are that Temple.

Nowadays, there are many who's actions are causing division in the Church. There is the division caused by the followers of Medjugorje who belittle those who do not believe in that alleged Marian apparition. After all, does the Church not teach that it is not necessary to believe in apparitions in order to be saved? Is it not through the Sacraments that we grow in Christ and in His Church, such faith leading to salvation?

Then there are those who reject doctrinal teachings of the Church on matters of abortion, birth control, the death penalty, same sex marriage, etc... They, some of them clergy members and religious sisters, claim there is nothing wrong with these beliefs, such causing confusion within the faithful and finally division. Remember, 'If anyone destroys God's Temple, God will destroy that person."

It is no wonder that Saint Paul said, "Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God." These words come from the Old Testament where we read, "He catches the wise in their craftiness," [Job 5:12] and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile." [Ps. 94:11]

My brothers and sisters in Christ, we belong to Christ, who in turn belongs to God. The Christian dominates the world and its happenings. Through faith and hope, he already shares in the triumph of the Lord.

Today's Reading from the Gospel of Matthew has to do with retaliation versus loving one's enemy.

In the Old Testament, we read,

"If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe." [Ex. 21:23-5] "Anyone who kills a human being shall be put to death. Anyone who kills an animal shall make restitution for it, life for life. Anyone who maims another shall suffer the same injury in return: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; the injury inflicted is the injury to be suffered." [Lv. 24:17-20]

"Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." [Dt. 19:21.]

Making reference to these passages, Jesus said, you have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

The law of revenge was an ancient custom of the Near East that protected individuals by obliging the next of kin to avenge injury or murder or to purchase property to pay the debts of a kinsman.

Regarding Jesus' teachings, we take note,

First, regarding physical violence, it is not to be met with physical violence; it is to be suffered.

Secondly, regarding legal contention (arguments), the disciples are told not to meet legal action with legal action, but to yield what is contested and even beyond what is contested.

If anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well. The garments mentioned are the tunic, a long shirt worn next to the body, and the cloak, a heavier outer garment that protected against cold and rain. These were normally the only two garments worn by the Palestinian peasant.

In Ex. 22:25-26 the creditor who takes the cloak in pledge is directed to return it at sundown so that the debtor may have covering for the night.

Thirdly, regarding forced labor or service, if anyone forced a slave or a worker to go one mile, that Christian was advised to go with them also the second mile. Today, we can compare that to your employer asking you to work a half hour longer because of a backlog of work that needs to be done. The Christian behaviour would oblige you to work an extra hour instead of a half hour to ensure that the needs of your employer are met.

Fourthly, on the matter of gifts and loans, do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. Obviously, that is if you have the money to lend. If you are truthfully broke, then you cannot lend money to the needy person.

It is difficult to see how the principle of non-resistance and yielding could be more clearly stated. The rationalizations of the words of Jesus do not show that his words are impractical or exaggerated, but simply that the Christian world has never been ready and is not ready now to live according to this spiritual ethic.

Quoting the last paragraph from today's Gospel Reading, it states, "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

The precept of love of one's neighbor is quoted from the Book of Leviticus where we read, "You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord." [Lv. 18:18]

My brothers and sisters, no one needs to be instructed to hate his enemies. But, we do need to be reminded to love our enemies.

The meaning of the word "neighbor" as found in the Book of Leviticus is a reference to one's group or fellowship: one's village or town, one's religion or nation, one's tribe or race. In many languages the same word is used to designate "stranger," "foreigner," or "enemy." The enemy is specified in the Gospel of Matthew as the persecutor, probably a reflection of the experience of the early Church.

The disciples were taught to show the same indifference to friends and enemies that God shows in his distribution of sunshine and rain; in exhibiting this godlike providence they vindicate their title of sons of God.

Love within one's group or fellowship is merely a natural and universal human trait. But by implementing this kind of love, a forgiving love, the disciples were being perfected as the heavenly Father is perfect.

Let us remember this week to "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." Let us pray for each other that we may all have the strength to forgive our enemies so we may be perfected by the power of the Holy Spirit in the most Holy Name of Jesus for the glory of God the Father.

Mid-Week / Seeing Jesus in others

2011-02-16T00:01:00.001-07:00

A beautiful Christian ideal to have before us is that Jesus is present in my neighbor. Jesus is in the person next to me, the person behind me, in front of me, in the person with whom I live and work. One person in recent history who lived this is Mother Teresa of Calcutta. When she was in hospital in 1983 this was part of her meditation, which we could read as a meditation on today’s Gospel (Matt 25:31-46) where Jesus said that whatever we do to others we do to him:

Jesus is the Hungry - to be fed.
Jesus is the Thirsty - to be satiated.
Jesus is the Naked - to be clothed.
Jesus is the Homeless - to be taken in.
Jesus is the Sick - to be healed.
Jesus is the Lonely - to be loved.
Jesus is the Unwanted - to be wanted.
Jesus is the Leper - to wash his wounds.
Jesus is the Beggar - to give him a smile.
Jesus is the Drunkard - to listen to him.
Jesus is the Mental - to protect him.
Jesus is the Little One - to embrace him.
Jesus is the Blind - to lead him.
Jesus is the Dumb - to speak for him.
Jesus is the Crippled - to walk with him.
Jesus is the Drug Addict - to befriend him.
Jesus is the Prostitute - to remove from danger and befriend her.
Jesus is the Prisoner - to be visited.
Jesus is the Old - to be served.

When Mother Teresa accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo in 1979, part of her acceptance speech went like this:

“It is not enough for us to say: ‘I love God, but I do not love my neighbor.’ Saint John says that you are a liar if you say you love God and you don’t love your neighbor. (1 John 4:20) How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your neighbor whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live? And so this is very important for us to realize that love, to be true, has to hurt.”

How can we love like this? Where will we get the power to love Jesus in others in this way as he asks in the Gospel today? (Matt 25:31-46) In a letter to the people of Albania on April 28^th 1997 Mother Teresa gives the key to being able to see Jesus in others. The key to loving others is prayer. She wrote,

“To be able to love one another, we must pray much, for prayer gives a clean heart and a clean heart can see God in our neighbor. If now we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten how to see God in one another. If each person saw God in his neighbor, do you think we would need guns and bombs?”

We may not remember every time we are talking to someone, “Jesus is in this person.” In the parable in today’s Gospel the people were not aware of the presence of God in those around them. That is why in the parable both those to left and to the right of the Son of Man ask, “Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison?” (Matt 25:37,44) Because we do not always think like this Mother Teresa rightly said,

“If now we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten how to see God in one another. If each person saw God in his neighbor, do you think we would need guns and bombs?”

Thinking like this means thinking in a new way, putting on a new mind, letting our brains be washed with the Gospel of Jesus. And as Mother Teresa said, it is through prayer that we will receive the grace to see others with this new mind of Jesus.

When we put on this new mind, the mind of Jesus, then his kingdom is coming in our world. Then Jesus is King of our world.

If your hand should cause you to sin cut it off" Avoiding occasions of sin and overcoming evil

2011-02-13T00:01:00.001-07:00

A woman bought a very expensive dress and when she went home her husband said to her, “When you were trying it on why didn’t you say, ‘Get behind me Satan?’” She said, “I did say ‘Get behind me Satan,’ and when I looked at it from behind in the mirror it was just as nice!”
(unfortunately I do not know the source of this story.)

There is a battle going on in the lives of each of us, a battle going on for the lives of each of us, a battle between good and evil. At the end of that battle in the next life we will either hear Jesus say, “you are mine” or hear Satan say, “you are mine.” Through his cross Jesus has won the battle but it is up to us now to accept his grace and live as those redeemed by Jesus. There are manifestations of grace and manifestations of evil all around us but we can take the side of Jesus in the battle for our lives by overcoming sin and temptation.

How do we overcome sin and temptation? In our Gospel Jesus said,

“if your hand should cause you to sin cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life crippled than to have two hands and go to hell…if your foot should cause you to sin cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell…if you eye should cause you to sin, tear it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell…” (Mark 9:43,45,47)

Of course we do not take Jesus literally, we do not cut off our hands or feet or pluck out our eyes. Jesus was speaking metaphorically. In Palestine at that time it was common to speak in this exaggerated way to make a point (hyperbole). But if something is leading us into temptation and sin then we avoid that. We call this avoiding occasions of sin. When Jesus says to cut off our hand or foot or pluck out our eye if it causes us to sin he is asking us to avoid whatever it is that leads us on to commit sin.

We have to be honest and admit that for some alcohol is an occasion of sin because it leads on to committing sin. I think we could say the same about much of the rubbish that is on our TVs or in print or in other media because it presents various sins as glamorous and it gradually breaks down our defenses and then we think it is OK to sin. It is no wonder that Mother Teresa of Calcutta said referring to the TV, “we have a tabernacle to Jesus in the Church and we have a tabernacle to Satan in the home.” I know of one community of lay Catholics who decided not to have any TV or newspapers in their community. That is their way of plucking out the eye that would lead to sin. In today’s Gospel Jesus did not say anything about the tongue but if he did it would be something like this, “if your tongue causes you to sin cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life dumb than with speech and go to hell.” I know of one cloistered convent in which one of the convent rules is one sister may not talk to another sister about a third lest they say something bad about the third sister. These are the efforts two communities I know have made to avoid occasions of sin. What are you doing to avoid occasions of sin?

Apart from avoiding occasions of sin we can also strengthen ourselves against evil in many ways. We can pray to overcome evil. The greatest prayer is the Mass. During one of his Wednesday audiences in 1983 Pope John Paul said,

“Every Eucharistic Celebration is stronger than all the evil in the Universe. It means real, concrete accomplishment of redemption and even deeper reconciliation of sinful man with God in prospect of a better world.”

Our Lady has repeatedly told us in her apparitions that the Rosary is great weapon against Satan. The first day of the retreat I attended last year (2002) was led by Fr Gabriele Amorth, the chief exorcist of the diocese of Rome, and he told us that once when he was expelling a demon the demon said to him, “every Hail Mary is another blow on my head. If Christians knew the power of the Rosary my power would be finished.” Last year (2002) Our Holy Father Pope John Paul wrote a beautiful letter on the Rosary Rosarium Virginis Mariae encouraging us to pray the Rosary again. Take up the Rosary again if you have neglected it. Let Mary take you to Jesus.

Holy Water is a powerful sacramental that helps protect us from evil. When a priest blesses Holy Water he asks God to protect us from evil when we use the Holy Water. Some of the prayers which the priest may say as he blesses the water are,

“God our Father…we ask you to bless this water, and to give us your protection on this day…protect us in spirit and body, that we may be free from sin and come into your presence to receive the gift of salvation.”

An alternative prayer for the blessing of Holy Water is this one,

“bless this water, as we use it in faith forgive our sins and save us from all illness and the power of evil.”

When Holy Water is blessed, salt may be mixed with it and this is part of the prayer to bless the salt,

“we ask you to bless this salt…Whenever this salt and water are sprinkled drive away the power of evil and protect us always by the presence of your Holy Spirit.”

These prayers remind us of the importance of blessing ourselves with Holy Water and sprinkling our houses with Holy Water.

There is a battle going on in the lives of each of us, a battle going on for the lives of each of us, a battle between good and evil. Through his cross Jesus has won the battle but it is up to us now to accept his grace and live as those redeemed by Jesus. Let us try to avoid occasions of sin and live in the grace of Jesus so that we may hear him say to us at the end, “You are mine.”

Special / Our Lady of the Lourdes

2011-02-11T00:01:00.002-07:00

My brothers and sisters in Christ, welcome to today's celebration of the Holy Mass that commemorates two occasions: first, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, secondly, The World Day of the Sick.

I would like to begin by reading to you from Volume IX of the 1910 Copyright Edition of The Catholic Encyclopedia that was published by the Robert Appleton Company.

Because this Marian apparition originated in France, Our Lady of Lourdes is also known by its French name of "Notre-Dame de Lourdes."

"In the Department of Hautes Pyrenées, France, is far-famed for the pilgrimage of which it is a centre and for the extraordinary events that have occurred and still occur there."

"History"

"The pilgrimage of Lourdes is founded on the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin to a poor, fourteen-year-old girl, Bernadette Soubiroux. The first apparition occurred 11 February, 1858. There were eighteen in all; the last took place 16 July, of the same year. Bernadette often fell into an ecstasy. The mysterious vision she saw in the hollow of the rock Massabielle was that of a young and beautiful lady. 'Lovelier than I have ever seen' said the child. But the girl was the only one who saw the vision, although sometimes many stood there with her. Now and then the apparition spoke to the seer who also was the only one who heard the voice. Thus, she one day told her to drink of a mysterious fountain, in the grotto itself, the existence of which was unknown, and of which there was no sign, but which immediately gushed forth. On another occasion the apparition bade Bernadette go and tell the priests she wished a chapel to be built on the spot and processions to be made to the grotto. At first the clergy were incredulous. It was only four years later, in 1862, that the bishop of the diocese declared the faithful "justified in believing the reality of the apparition". A basilica was built upon the rock of Massabielle by M. Peyramale, the parish priest. In 1873 the great "national" French pilgrimages were inaugurated. Three years later the basilica was consecrated and the statue solemnly crowned. In 1883 the foundation stone of another church was laid, as the first was no longer large enough. It was built at the foot of the basilica and was consecrated in 1901 and called the Church of the Rosary. Pope Leo XIII authorized a special office and a Mass, in commemoration of the apparition, and in 1907 Pius X extended the observance of this feast to the entire Church; it is now observed on 11 February."

"Never has a sanctuary attracted such throngs. At the end of the year 1908, when the fiftieth anniversary of the apparition was celebrated, although the record really only began from 1867, 5297 pilgrimages had been registered and these had brought 4,919,000 pilgrims. Individual pilgrims are more numerous by far than those who come in groups. To their number must be added the visitors who do not come as pilgrims, but who are attracted by a religious feeling or sometimes merely by the desire to see this far-famed spot. The Company of the Chemins de Fer du Midi estimates that the Lourdes station receives over one million travellers per annum. Every nation in the world furnishes its contingent. Out of the total of pilgrimages given above, four hundred and sixty-four came from countries other than France. They are sent by the United States, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Spain, Portugal, Italy, England, Ireland, Canada, Brazil, Bolivia, etc. The bishops lead the way. At the end of the year of the fiftieth anniversary, 2013 prelates, including 546 archbishops, 10 primates, 19 patriarchs, 69 cardinals, had made the pilgrimage to Lourdes. But more remarkable still than the crowd of pilgrims is the series of wonderful occurrences which take place under the protection of the celebrated sanctuary. Passing over spiritual cures, which more often than not escape human observance, we shall confine ourselves to bodily diseases. The writer of this article has recorded every recovery, whether partial or complete, and in the first half-century of the shrine's existence he has counted 3962. Notwithstanding very careful statistics which give the names and surnames of the patients who have recovered, the date of the cure, the name of the disease, and generally that of the physician who had charge of the case, there are inevitably doubtful or mistaken cases, attributable, as a rule, to the excited fancy of the afflicted one and which time soon dispels. But it is only right to note: first, that these unavoidable errors regard only secondary cases which have not like the others been the object of special study; it must also be noted that the number of cases is equalled and exceeded by actual cures which are not put on record. The afflicted who have recovered are not obliged to present themselves and half of them do not present themselves, at the Bureau des Constatations Médicales at Lourdes, and it is from this bureau's official reports that the list of cures is drawn up."

"The estimate that about 4000 cures have been obtained at Lourdes within the first fifty years of the pilgrimage is undoubtedly considerably less than the actual number. The Bureau des Constatations stands near the shrine, and there are recorded and checked the certificates of maladies and also the certificates of cure; it is free to all physicians, whatever their nationality or religious belief. Consequently, on an average, from two to three hundred physicians annual visit this marvellous clinic. As to the nature of the diseases which are cured, nervous disorders so frequently mentioned, do not furnish even the fourteenth part of the whole; 278 have been counted, out of a total of 3962. The present writer has published the number of cases of each disease or infirmity, among them tuberculosis, tumours, sores, cancers, deafness, blindness, etc. The 'Annales des Sciences Physiques', a sceptical review whose chief editor is Doctor Ch. Richet, Professor at the Medical Faculty of Paris, said in the course of a long article, apropos of this faithful study: 'On reading it, unprejudiced minds cannot but be convinced that the facts stated are authentic.'"

Their Cause

There exists no natural cause capable of producing the cures witnessed at Lourdes which dispense an unbiased mind from tracing them back to the particular agency of God. Those who refused to believe in a miraculous intervention sought at first the scientific interpretation of the occurrences in the chemical composition of the water of the Grotto. But it was then declared by an eminent chemist officially appointed to make the analysis and his statement has since been corroborated, that the water contains no curative properties of a natural character. Then the incredulous said, perhaps it operates through its temperature, or the results obtained at Lourdes may be accounted for by the bathing in cold water. However, every one knows that hydrotherapy is practised elsewhere than at Lourdes, and that it does not work the miracle of curing every kind of disease, from cancers to troubles which bring on blindness. Besides, many ailing ones are cured without ever bathing in the basins of the Grotto; this decides the question. Therefore, those who deny supernatural intervention attribute the wonderful results seen at Lourdes to two other causes. The first is suggestion. To this we answer unhesitatingly that suggestion is radically powerless to furnish the hoped-for explanation. Omitting nervous or functional diseases, since they are in the minority among those registered as cured at the Medical Office of the Grotto, and the fact we are now establishing does not require them to be taken into account, we may confine our attention to organic diseases. Can suggestion be used efficaciously in diseases of this nature? The most learned and daring of the suggestionists of the present day, Bernheim, a Jew, head of the famous school of Nancy, the more advanced rival of the École de la Salpétrière, answers in the negative in twenty passages of the book in which he has recorded the result of his observations: 'Hypnotisme, Suggestion, Psychotherapie' (Paris, 1903, 2nd edition). Studying this work, we find also that in the very cases where suggestion has a chance of success, as in certain functional diseases, it requires the co- operation of time, it cures slowly and progressively, while the complete cures of Lourdes are instantaneous. Therefore curative suggestion is no explanation. It is not suggestion that operates at Lourdes; the cause which cures acts differently and is infinitely more powerful."

"There remains the last resource of having recourse to some unknown law and of saying, for instance, "How do we know that some natural force of which we are still ignorant does not operate the marvellous cures which are attributed directly to God?" How do we know? In the first place, if a law of this nature did exist, the pilgrims of Lourdes would not be cognizant of it any more than the rest of mankind; neither would they know any better than others how to set it in motion. Why should this law operate for them and not for others? Is it because they deny its existence and the others believe in it? Moreover, not only there does not exist, but there cannot exist, and consequently will never exist, a natural law producing instantaneously the generation of tissues affected with lesion, that is to say, the cure of an organic disease. Why so? Because any growth and consequently any restoration of the tissues of the organism is accomplished -- and this is a scientific fact -- by the increase and growth of the protoplasms and cells which compose every living body. Every existing protoplasm comes from some former protoplasm, and that from a previous one and so on, back to the very beginning; these generation (the fact is self- evident) are necessarily successive, that is, they require the co- operation of time. Therefore, in order that a natural force should be able to operate a sudden cure in an organic disease, the essential basis of life as it is in the present creation would have to be overthrown; nature as we know it would have to be destroyed and another created on a different plan. Therefore, the hypothesis of unknown forces of nature cannot be brought forward to explain the instantaneous cures of Lourdes. It is logically untenable. As a matter of fact, no natural cause, known or unknown, is sufficient to account for the marvellous cures witnessed at the foot of the celebrated rock where the Virgin Immaculate deigned to appear. They can only be from the intervention of God." In view of the fact that through the powerful intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes, God's healing grace has touched so many souls, both physically and spiritually, Pope Paul II has set aside February 11 as the "World Day of the Sick." In his proclamation, his holiness stated, "I consider most appropriate, indeed, the bestowal upon the entire ecclesial community of an initiative which, as already practised in some nations and regions, has brought forth precious pastoral fruit."

February 11 th serves the purpose of reminding the members of the Church of the healing ministry of the Church. It reminds us of our Christian obligation to attend to the sick and the suffering who are all around us. This day has been set aside to show our gratitude to all those who model after Jesus, the caregivers, the doctors, the nurses, the health care workers, the pastoral ministers, all those who are striving to restore the physical and spiritual health of the sick.

May we always be thankful to God for the gift of Our Lady of Lourdes to the Catholic Church.

Mid-Week / What God has joined together man must not divide

2011-02-09T00:01:00.002-07:00

Most of the pop songs we hear are about love. Much poetry is about love. And in our first reading today we find the first love poetry in the Bible:

‘This at last is bone from my bones
and flesh from my flesh!
This is to be called woman,
For this was taken from man.’ (Gen 2:18-24)

The lonely man in the Garden of Eden had his longing for company fulfilled when woman was created. There is a beautiful statement by St. Bernardina,

‘God did not make a woman out of a bone of Adam’s foot, so that he should tread her underground, nor out of a bone of his head, so that she should dominate him; but he made her out of his rib, which is close to his heart, to teach him to love her truly, as his companion’
(Quoted by Jensen God's Word to Israel p53 note 8).

This natural attraction and longing to spend life together is made holy in the Sacrament of Marriage.

Sometimes we hear people say a certain priest is holy. But those who are married can also rise to the heights of holiness and are called to rise to the heights of holiness. On Feb 12^th 1966 Pope Paul VI said to the Italian Feminine Center,

“Marriage and the Christian family call for a moral commitment. They are not an easy way of Christian life…Rather, marriage is a long path toward sanctification.”

Notice that he said marriage is a path towards sanctification. Marriage is a way to achieve holiness. When we consider some of the advice the Bible gives us about living the Christian life we can understand how marriage can indeed be a path to sanctification. Jesus said that to follow him we must be servants, and marriage is a life of service to one’s spouse and children. St. Paul said there are three things that last, faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love. Marriage is a commitment to love one’s spouse until death. No wonder that Pope Paul VI said marriage is a long path towards sanctification.

Pope Paul VI said that marriage and the Christian family call for moral commitment and are not an easy way of life. Instead of continuing on that path towards sanctification, even from early in Old Testament times, some wanted a way out and so Moses regulated divorce. But in our Gospel Jesus calls for a return again to God’s plan for lifelong marriage and commitment. When our Holy Father Pope John Paul II was in Ireland in 1979 he could foresee that marriage would be threatened in the years ahead and so on the day he left Ireland on October 1^st 1979 he said in Limerick,

“It is true that the stability and sanctity of marriage are being threatened by new ideas and by the aspirations of some. Divorce for whatever reason it is introduced, inevitably becomes easier and easier to obtain and it gradually comes to be accepted as a normal part of life. The very possibility of divorce in the sphere of civil law makes stable and permanent marriages more difficult for everyone. May Ireland always continue to give witness before the modern world to her traditional commitment, corresponding to the true dignity of man, to the sanctity and the indissolubility of the marriage bond. May the Irish always support marriage, through personal commitment and through positive social and legal action.

Above all, hold high the esteem for the wonderful dignity and grace of the sacrament of marriage. Prepare earnestly for it. Believe in the spiritual power which this sacrament of Jesus Christ gives to strengthen the marriage union, and to overcome all the crises and problems of life together. Married people must believe in the power of the sacrament to make them holy; they must believe in their vocation to witness through their marriage to the power of Christ’s love. True love and the grace of God can never let marriage become a self-centred relationship of two individuals, living side by side for their own interests.”
(Homily of Pope John Paul II in Limerick, Monday October 1st, 1979)

In these times when marriage is under attack let us hold high God’s plan for marriage as our Holy Father Pope John Paul II did in Limerick and as Jesus did to the Pharisees in our Gospel. In these times it is easy to lower our sights as happened in Moses’ times, and as some Pharisees did in Jesus’ time. But let us remember God’s plan for marriage, that what God has joined together man must not separate. Marriage is a path to holiness, it is a vocation. I conclude now with a brief reminder of some of what Pope John Paul said about marriage in Limerick,

“Believe in the spiritual power which this sacrament of Jesus Christ gives to strengthen the marriage union, and to overcome all the crises and problems of life together. Married people must believe in the power of the sacrament to make them holy; they must believe in their vocation to witness through their marriage to the power of Christ’s love.”
(Homily of Pope John Paul II in Limerick, Monday October 1st, 1979)

Salt to the Earth and Light to the World

2011-02-06T00:01:00.003-07:00

If a child watches TV for three hours a day by the age of thirteen that child will have seen 8,000 murders and over 100,000 other acts of violence (American Psychological Association). Do you think that people can watch violence on TV without being affected by it? It seems unlikely, doesn’t it? Leading authorities worldwide have confirmed that there is a link between viewing violence on TV and violent behavior. One extreme example was reported in the Daily Telegraph on May 18^th 1995. Stop or my mum will shoot, an action video, was watched by a six-year-old girl who then accidentally shot her grandfather dead with his revolver as she copied a scene from the film. Many opinion polls show that there is massive public concern about the damage being inflicted by TV violence. A Times-Mirror poll in 1993 showed that 80% of Americans believe that television now exerts a negative impact on society. A poll for BBC2 the following year showed that two thirds of the public believe that violence on television is directly linked to anti-social behavior among children. In the same year a poll by the TV Times reported that 59% of parents believe TV violence encouraged criminal behavior. Dr William Belson studied 1565 boys in London and concluded that the link between watching TV and real life violence was as valid as connecting smoking with lung cancer. In fact there are more than one thousand studies linking violence in the media to actual behavior. That is just violence. But what about pornography? There is enormous circumstantial evidence linking pornography and crime. (All the details above and many more are in The Truth about Violence, Pornography and the Media published by theMaranatha Community, Manchester, UK) And that is just the TV. I am sure we could say the same about the Internet and magazines and newspapers. (stories about TV in stories about family)

In view of all these negative and evil influences the words of Jesus in our Gospel today have more relevance than ever. Jesus tells us we are the salt of the earth. What does salt do? Before the days of refrigerators salt was used as a preservative. So when Jesus tells us we are the salt of the earth he is asking us to preserve the world from becoming bad, to put it simply. One of the ways in which we can act as salt preserving what is good and preventing evil is by curbing our viewing of TV. Also for those interested, there are Catholic media associations trying to influence what is broadcast on TV. Lent is about to begin. Why not make a decision to watch only healthy and uplifting material for Lent? I heard someone say our minds are like sponges. They can pick up dirt from all sorts of places. We can wash our minds as we wash sponges by filling our minds with what is positive and uplifting. One person who has tried to fill our minds with what is positive and uplifting is Mother Angelica who in 1981 started broadcasting Catholic TV for just a few hours a day from the garage of her Poor Clare Monastery in the US. It grew and grew and now after more than twenty years is available twenty four hours a day all over the world by cable and satellite. We are blessed to have that channel, EWTN, Eternal Word Television Network. It is a healthy and spiritual alternative to all the violence and other things on TV that people are complaining about and fulfilling the words of Paul in our second reading,

...I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (1 Cor 2:2 NAB)

Jesus said we are the light of the world and we are to put our light on the lampstand so that everyone in the house can see it. So Jesus is saying not only does he want us to preserve the world from deteriorating but he wants us to influence the world positively, to shed light on the darkness of the world. The darkness caused by all the violence and sin on TV certainly needs the light of Christ. You are the best person to shed light on those you meet. What we say and what we do allows the light of Jesus to shine or hides the light of Jesus. We can allow the light of Jesus to shine on those with whom we live, to shine on those with whom we work, and to shine on our parish community. Every parish has many examples of very good people who allow the light of Jesus to shine, people who have put their lamp on the lampstand so that it shines for everyone in the house. As in the Gospel, seeing their good works we praise our Father in heaven for them. There are many unknown charitable acts which allow the light of Jesus to shine, neighbors helping neighbors, family members helping family members. Even though their good works are so often unknown we give praise to our Father in heaven. Those who shine the light of Christ on others by what they say or do are fulfilling the words of Isaiah in our first reading,

“Share your bread with the hungry,
And shelter the homeless poor,
Clothe the man you see to be naked
And turn not from your own kin.
Then will your light shine like the dawn….”

“If you do away with the yoke,
the clenched fist, the wicked word,
if you give your bread to the hungry,
and relief to the oppressed,
your light will rise in the darkness…” (Isa 58:7-10)

To use the words of Isaiah, our world is hungry and poor, naked, and under a yoke as we can see from all the concern and worry about what is broadcast on TV. But for those we meet every day may we be salt to the earth, preserving the world from evil and may the light of Jesus shine through us so that people may praise our Father in heaven and discover as did Paul

...I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (1 Cor 2:2 NAB)

Mid-Week / Presentation of the Lord

2011-02-02T00:01:00.001-07:00

"For my eyes have seen Your salvation." [Lk. 2:30] These are the words that echo the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord that we are celebrating today. The events surrounding this special Feast are found in Chapter 2, verses 22 to 40 of the Gospel of Luke.

As some of you may be aware, the Feast of the "Presentation of the Lord" in the Temple, always observed on February the second in the Roman Rite, is also known as "Candlemas Day" and the "Purification of the Blessed Virgin."

Some may ask, what does "Candlemas Day" means? During the eleventh century, the liturgical calendar required that the First Reading be the Book of Zephaniah versus today's reading from the Book of Malachi. In the Book of Zephaniah, it states, "At that time, I will search Jerusalem with lamps..." [Zeph. 1:12] In harmony with the words of this biblical verse, the faithful of those days participated in a candle light procession. Nowadays, the Catholic liturgy still permits a procession. Using the rite in the sacramentary, the candles are blessed at the beginning of the Mass. For the procession, the priest wears a chasuble or cope.

Now you may wonder why today's Feast is also called, the "Purification of the Blessed Virgin?" In the days of the birth of Jesus, the Jewish custom commanded that a woman who gave birth to a son remain in semi-seclusion for 40 days. Counting from December 25 th as the first day, the fortieth day fell on February 2 nd, which is today's date.

The Book of Leviticus tells us, "The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the people of Israel, saying: If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven (7) days: as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Her time of blood purification shall be thirty-three (33) days; she shall not touch any holy things, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed." [Lev. 12:1-4]

When the days of her purification are completed, (7 + 33 = 40) whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. He shall offer it before the Lord, and make atonement on her behalf; then she shall be clean from her flow of blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, male or female. If she cannot afford a sheep, she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement on her behalf, and she shall be clean." [Lev. 12:6-8 and Exo. 13:11-13; 22:29; Numb. 18:15-16; Deut. 15:19]

Therefore, the Blessed Virgin Mary's Presentation of the Lord to the Temple was executed in obedience with the precept of the Law. She redeemed her first-born from the Temple and she was purified by the prayer of Simeon the righteous in the presence of the prophetess Anna. [Lk. 2:22-36]

While today's readings echo both, the Presentation of the Lord to the Temple and the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, in its wisdom, the Catholic Church deemed it more praiseworthy to place emphasis on the Feast of the Lord Jesus.

As previously stated, today's First Reading was taken from the Book of Malachi. [Mal. 3:1-4] This reading was prophetic in nature. While speaking to the prophet Malachi, God said that He was sending His messenger to prepare His way. And the Lord that the people were seeking would suddenly come to His Temple. [Mal. 31; Mt. 11:10; Mk. 1:2; Lk. 1:76, 7:27]

Continuing with the same reading, it states, "But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?" [Mal. 3:2; Joel 2:11; Rev. 6:17] "For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap;" [Mal. 3:2] "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness." [Mal. 3:3; Tit. 3:14]

These words echo the words of Jesus Who Himself stated that He would be the cause of division. Jesus said, "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." [Lk. 12:49-53]

On the same matter, John the Baptist stated, "I baptise you with water for repentance but One who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry His sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and will gather His wheat into the granary; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire." [Mt. 3:11-2]

Jesus "gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for Himself a people of His own who are zealous for good deeds." [Tit. 3:14] "For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctified those who had been defiled so that their flesh was purified, how much more will the Blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God." [Heb. 9:13-4]

Our sanctification was constantly on the mind of Jesus. It was on His mind during His ministry. And it was on His mind when He prayed after the Last Supper. In His words, while praying to the Father, Jesus said, "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." [Jn. 17:17] "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself so that they also may be sanctified in truth." [Jn. 17:19]

Our purification, our sanctification, had its beginning when we received the Sacrament of Baptism. First came baptism by water; then followed our baptism by fire, our sanctification by the power of the Holy Spirit. "For indeed our God is a consuming fire." [Heb. 12:29] Those who believe and submit themselves to the guidance and teachings of the Holy Spirit, they will be saved. Those who reject the grace of God, they will be lost forever. Naturally, having a free will, as Jesus foretold, some family members will welcome the grace of God while others will reject it.

Today's Second Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews [Heb. 2:10- 11, 13b-18] teaches us that Jesus had to become like His brothers and sisters in every respect. To bring us to glory, Jesus was made our source of perfect salvation through sufferings. [Heb. 2:10] As we suffer in life, He suffered for our sake. Jesus was rejected by most of His own people. And He was even accused of being possessed by evil spirit. All of this He wholeheartedly endured for us.

"The one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters, saying, 'Here am I, and the children whom God has given me.'" [Heb. 2:12-3]

As our Saviour, so that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, Jesus emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. [Heb. 2:14; Phil. 2:6] Through this tremendous act of love, He freed all of us who were held in slavery by the fear of death. [Heb. 2:15]

When Jesus came into this world, He did not come to save the angels. He came to save the spiritual children of Abraham, all of us who believe in Him. [Heb. 2:16; Rom. 4:12]

For the sins of the people, Jesus made the perfect sacrifice of atonement to God, the self-sacrifice of every spark of life that was within Himself. As a merciful and faithful High Priest in the service of God who has been tested by what He has suffered, He is now able to help us who are being tested. [Heb. 417-8]

Today's Gospel Reading [Lk. 2:22-40] is summarized by the words of Simeon. "For my eyes have seen your salvation." [Lk. 2:30] When the time had come for the purification of the Virgin Mary in accordance to the Law, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord God. For it was written, "Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord." As required by the Law, Mary and Joseph offered the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. [Lk. 2:22-4; Lev. 12:6- 8]

At the Temple, they met Simeon, a righteous and devout man who longed for the consolation of Israel. [Lk. 2:25] Filled with the Holy Spirit, it had been revealed to Simeon that he would not die until such time as he had seen the Lord's Messiah. [Lk. 2:26]

As we heard earlier, guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the Temple; and when Joseph and Mary brought in the Child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took Jesus in his arms and praised God, saying, 'Master, now You are dismissing Your servant in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a Light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.'" [Lk. 2:27-32]

These words acknowledged the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecies of the prophet Isaiah. "Through You I will make a Covenant with all peoples; through You I will bring Light to the nations." [Is. 42:6, 49:6, 52:10]

"Then Simeon blessed the Holy Family, saying to Mary, 'This Child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed - and a sword will pierce your own soul too.'" [Lk. 2:34-5] In other words, Jesus would be the cause of division within families, some accepting Him, others rejecting Him.

Also present at the Temple was the prophetess Anna, the daughter of Phanuel. When she saw Jesus, she began to praise God and to speak about the Child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. [Lk. 2:36-8]

These events confirm to us that Simeon and Anna, both being filled with the Holy Spirit, were chosen by God to meet Jesus and to affirm that He was the promised Messiah. Now both, having met the Lord of their salvation, could go in peace.

Equally, we as members of the Catholic Church that is led by the Spirit of Christ, have also met in our lives the Lord Jesus, our Redeemer. Therefore, when we depart after the celebration of the Holy Mass, it can be said that we too go in peace

The Beatitudes were lived perfectly by Jesus

2011-01-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

What should I do to follow Jesus? Am I living as a disciple of Jesus? How can I decide what Jesus would expect of me in certain circumstances? We could say that following Jesus begins firstly in our mind, in our attitudes, and then flows over into our actions. In the Beatitudes Jesus teaches us the attitudes of a Christian. In the Beatitudes we do not have specific guidelines for every specific situation we encounter but Jesus gives us the underlying attitudes that should inform the decisions we make in our concrete and specific situations.

Some might say that the Beatitudes are too idealistic and impossible to live fully. While Jesus is the only one who has perfectly lived these Beatitudes because none of us is yet the image of Jesus we are called to be, we all aspire to image Jesus, to be his disciples, so we aspire to live the Beatitudes. The more we live the beatitudes the closer we are to Jesus. Certainly Our Lady also lived the beatitudes fully, but like all who do so, it was as a result of the grace of Jesus. Pope Benedict XVI, in a homily in 2006, expressed it this way,

In truth, the blessed par excellence is only Jesus. He is, in fact, the true poor in spirit, the one afflicted, the meek one, the one hungering and thirsting for justice, the merciful, the pure of heart, the peacemaker. He is the one persecuted for the sake of justice. The Beatitudes show us the spiritual features of Jesus and thus express his mystery…To the extent that we accept his proposal and set out to follow him - each one in his own circumstances - we too can participate in his blessedness.
Homily of Pope Benedict XVI, November 1, 2006

To help us reflect on the Beatitudes let us look at Jesus living these beatitudes in some specific situations in his life and let us look at his teachings which reflect these Beatitudes.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 5:3)

We see Jesus poor in spirit, relying on the will of his Father, in Gethsemane when he said,

Not my will but yours be done.

and when he said,

My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work (John 4:34).

Jesus teaches this beatitude when he says,

...unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 18:3-4)

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Matt 5:4)

When we understand mourning as sorrow that God’s will is not recognized and grieving over sin, we see this beatitude in the life of Jesus as he drew near Jerusalem and was troubled because it would not recognize that its Messiah had come,

…he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes…” (Luke 19:41-42)

Jesus teaches this mourning for sin when he urges repentance,

those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them - do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! (Luke 13:4-5)

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (Matt 5:5)

When we understand “meek” in the sense of non-violent resistance and not returning violence for violence we see Jesus living this beatitude when one of the temple guards struck him during his Passion and Jesus answered him,

“If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” (John 18:22-23)

We hear Jesus teaching meekness,

You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. 'But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow. (Matt 5:38-42)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. (Matt 5:6)

Jesus hungered for righteousness and therefore much of his ministry was directed to the underprivileged; he said to the disciples of John the Baptist,

Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. (Matt 11:4-5)

Jesus was known as a righteous person even by Gentiles; Pilate’s wife said,

Have nothing to do with that righteous man. I suffered much in a dream today because of him. (Matt 27:19)

Jesus encouraged righteousness in his teaching; he told the Parable of the Pharisee and Tax-Collector to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. The Pharisee prayed in the temple,

‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity-- greedy, dishonest, adulterous-- or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former… (Luke 18:11-14)

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. (Matt 5:7)

We see Jesus living this beatitude when he forgave his crucifixioners,

Father, forgive them, they know not what they do. (Luke 23:34)

Forgiveness featured many times in Jesus’ teaching, both God’s mercy and our need to forgive each other. The shepherd leaves the ninety-nine sheep to search for the lost and when he finds it he rejoices;

…in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance. (Luke 15:7)

Peter asked Jesus,

“Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” (Matt 18:21-22)

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Matt 5:8)

We can understand pure in heart as broader than chastity and meaning being true to one’s vocation. We see Jesus living this beatitude when he resisted the devil’s temptations in the desert,

“Get away, Satan! It is written: ‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.’” (Matt 4:10)

Jesus taught the importance of purity of heart when he said,

No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62)

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matt 5:9)

Jesus lived this beatitude during his arrest in Gethsemane when one of the disciples,

struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said in reply, “Stop, no more of this!” Then he touched the servant's ear and healed him. (Luke 22:50-51)

Jesus taught his disciples that he alone is the source of true peace,

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. (John 14:27)

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matt 5:10-12)

We see Jesus living this beatitude in his Passion when he was persecuted and falsely accused. In Matthew we read,

The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus in order to put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. (Matt 26:59-60)

In Luke we read,

(Even) Herod and his soldiers treated him contemptuously and mocked him, and after clothing him in resplendent garb, he sent him back to Pilate. (Luke 23:11)

Pilate then summoned the chief priests, the rulers, and the people and said to them, “You brought this man to me and accused him of inciting the people to revolt. I have conducted my investigation in your presence and have not found this man guilty of the charges you have brought against him, nor did Herod, for he sent him back to us. So no capital crime has been committed by him. (Luke 23:13-15)

Jesus taught his disciples to expect to be persecuted because they were his followers,

If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. (John 15:18-19)

Following Jesus begins firstly in our mind, in our attitudes, and then flows over into our actions. In the Beatitudes Jesus teaches us the attitudes of a Christian. While Jesus is the only one who has perfectly lived these Beatitudes because none of us is yet the image of Jesus that we are called to be, we all aspire to image Jesus, to be his disciples, so we aspire to live the Beatitudes. The more we live the beatitudes the closer we are to Jesus. I conclude again with the words of Pope Benedict XVI,

Mid-Week / St. John Bosco

2011-01-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

As Catholics we often make pilgrimages, and often times those pilgrimages take us to places where saints are buried where we honor their memories, seek their prayers, and where we recommit ourselves to the imitation of Christ following the example these saints have left us.

Today, this has been reversed – we haven’t gone on pilgrimage, but Saint John Bosco has! Today, the only Saint who has been given the title “the father and teacher of youth” visits us. We honor his relics – the hand which in life he used to bless countless numbers of people, especially the poor and abandoned children he befriended; in doing so, we ask that God bless us, that he give us some of that same spirit which inspired John Bosco to love those whom others considered unlovable. His mission was the poor, marginalized and abandoned youth – to the throwaway kids of his time. This mission continues all through the world through the work of the Salesians – priests, brothers, sisters and lay collaborators. And, even if we are not Salesians, we also pray that Don Bosco inspired us with the Salesian spirit to be more committed to the young people of our time, especially those who because of poverty, the breakup of their families or the lack of immigration status risk becoming “throwaway kids” of today.

The gospel today – the parable of Lazarus and the nameless rich man – is particularly instructive. Lazarus dies ignored by the rich man. You might say that even though Lazarus slept on his doorstep, the rich man didn’t even see him. And often times, we suffer from the same spiritual myopia – the poor kid, the troubled youth, the homeless or runaway teen often live next door to us, if they don’t live at our doorstep, yet we don’t see them. Here in South Florida, we have young people being trafficked for sexual exploitation – and we don’t see them. Here in Florida and the throughout the United States, we have thousands of young people who have grown up in this country without immigration papers and we can’t get our representatives and senators in Congress to pass the Dream Act. How often do we let the poverty that surrounds us become invisible?

Don Bosco saw them – and he reached out to them and befriended them. They say that he often had dreams that helped him to discern where God was calling him. As a child, he dreamt that someone who seemed like an angel told him: “You will have to win these friends of your not with blows but with gentleness and kindness. So begin to show them that sin is ugly and virtue beautiful.”

This was the beginning of what he called his “preventive system” of education – which emphasized reason, religion, and kindness, a system based not on punishment but on love.

As Pope Benedict told young people a few years ago in the run-up to a celebration of World Youth Day, “Love is the only force capable of changing the heart of the human person and of all humanity by making fruitful the relations between men and women, between rich and poor, between cultures and civilizations”.

Don Bosco knew this and he lived this. Not only did he love those kids, those kids knew that he loved them.

The lives of the saints – like the life of Don Bosco – should be for each of us not merely some pious stories that we recall just to make us feel good; the lives of the Saints should be a daily challenge for each of us, a challenge to our complacency, a challenge to the easy compromises we make to the demands of Christian living, a challenge to the spiritual myopia that prevents us from seeing the Lazarus at our doorstep.

Let me end by quoting from a message given by Pope John Paul II a few years before he died.

“…How can we exclude anyone from our care? Rather we must recognize Christ in the poorest and the most marginalized, those whom the Eucharist – which is communion is the Body and Blood of Christ given up for us – commits us to serve. As the parable of the rich man, who will remain forever without a name, and the poor man called Lazarus clearly shows, ‘in the stark contrast between the insensitive rich man and the poor in need of everything, God is on the latter’s side’. We too must be on this same side.”

May the prayerful intercession of St. John Bosco put us also on Lazarus’ side, on God’s side.

Leave the Boat and build up God's Kingdom

2011-01-22T00:01:00.001-07:00

The call the disciples received in our Gospel today to leave the boat and the fishing is remarkable. Can you imagine what Zebedee said on the day when his two sons went home and said they were packing it all up to join Jesus of Nazareth? I think if we were flies on the wall in the house on that day we would be embarrassed! We are not all called in a similar fashion but I would like to see our Gospel today as a reminder to us to make room for God in our lives, to work for his kingdom. Even though you don’t give up your livelihoods, you are called to be disciples. I have heard some people say that they spent the first half of their lives building up their careers and it was only during the second half of their lives that they made room for God. I will never forget when someone shared with me that they had wasted their life until they attended my Scripture course. Some people receive the grace to realize that there is more to life than career, that God also needs time in our lives. It could even happen in the life of a priest. I heard of one priest saying that he had spent ten years after his ordination building up his own kingdom and then he began to work to build up God’s kingdom. The call in today’s Gospel to leave the boat and the fishing is a reminder to make room for God every day, to build up God’s kingdom instead of building up our own kingdom. When we do then we are the better for it. Then the prophecy in our first reading and Gospel is fulfilled in our lives also:

The people that lived in darkness
Has seen a great light;
On those who dwell in the land and shadow of death
A light has dawned. (Isa 9:1)

When we leave the boat and the fishing every day to make room for God, to build up his kingdom in whatever way we do it, then those who live in darkness see a great light, and light dawns on us. That reminds me of a true story I have previously told you.

In 1982 an article appeared in Reader’s Digest about an advertising executive. In spite of her successful career, she felt an emptiness in her life. One morning, during a breakfast meeting with her marketing consultant, she mentioned that emptiness. “Do you want to fill it?” her colleague asked. “Of Course I do,” she said. He looked at her and replied, “Then start each day with an hour of prayer.” She looked at him and said, “Don, you’ve got to be kidding. If I tried that, I’d go off my rocker.” Her friend smiled and said, “That’s exactly what I said 20 years ago.” Then he said something else that really made her think. He said “You’re trying to fit God into your life. Instead you should be trying to make your life revolve around God.” The woman left the restaurant in turmoil. Begin each morning with prayer? Begin each morning with an hour of prayer? Absolutely out of the question! Yet, the next morning she found herself doing exactly that. And she’s been doing it ever since. The woman is the first to admit that it has not always been easy. There have been mornings when she was filled with great peace and joy. But there have been other mornings when she was filled with nothing but weariness. And it was on these weary mornings that she remembered something else that her marketing consultant said. “There will be times when your mind just won’t go into God’s sanctuary. That’s when you spend your hour in God’s waiting room. Still, you’re there, and God appreciates your struggle to stay there.”

Our Gospel reminds us that every day we are called to build up God’s kingdom, not just our own. When we do, to use the words of our first reading, then those who live in darkness will see a great light, the yoke weighing on them, the bar across their shoulders and the rod of their oppressors will be broken. A light will dawn on us also.

Mid-Week / "Neither do I condemn you; Go and sin no more"

2011-01-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

We do not think often enough of how precious and special each one of us is in the eyes of God. Our reading from Ephesians (1:3-14) reminds us that we were chosen in Christ before the world was made. Imagine, before the world was made each of us was in God’s plan, even before the world was made. We were chosen by God. Just think about it, you were chosen by God. We were marked out for God as his sons and daughters. And it was when we were baptized that we became sons and daughters of God. Since we are chosen by God it is only natural to want to live lives that reflect the love of God for each of us, that God chose us. What a pity that most of what we see on TV, much of what is in the soaps, does not reflect who we really are, chosen by God. Watching soaps and many other things on TV leaves one with the question, have they any idea of who we really are?

The reading reminds us also that it is through the blood of Jesus that we gain our freedom, our salvation. (Eph 1:7) Someone had to pay the price for our sins and Jesus paid that price. During every Mass we offer Jesus once again to the Father to pay that price on behalf of us. Since we have been saved through the blood of Jesus think of how precious and valuable each of us. You are worth the precious blood of Jesus. That is how much you cost because Jesus shed his blood for you. You are worth the precious blood of Jesus because Jesus shed his blood for you. Sometimes we hear people say “It’s my body and I can do with it what I want.” Our bodies have been purchased for God by the precious blood of Jesus. When we know our worth and value we cannot say “It’s my body and I can do with it what I want.” Instead we recognize that we have been chosen by God and that we are worth the price of Jesus’ blood and that our vocation is to be holy and faultless.

The reading said we were stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit. (Eph 1:13) We first received the Holy Spirit when we were baptized. It is as if God put a stamp, a mark, on us and said, “Now you belong to me. This stamp of the Holy Spirit I put on your at baptism is to show that you belong to me.” That stamp of the Holy Spirit on us since baptism is to remind us that as sons and daughters of God we are heirs of God and so we will inherit from God our Father. What will we inherit? Eternal life. Our reading about God’s plan for us reminds me of a beautiful line in Jer 29:11 also about God’s plan for us. It goes like this:

“I know the plans I have in mind for you – it is Yahweh who speaks – plans for peace, not disaster, reserving a future full of hope for you.”

But unfortunately we do not always live up to God’s plan for us. Sometimes we follow our own agenda instead of God’s agenda. We follow our own plans instead of God’s plans. That is what sin is. It is saying “No” to God’s wonderful plans for us. Sin is when I decide what is right and wrong instead of letting God decide what is right and wrong for me. Having hurt our relationship with God and disobeyed God’s plans for us we have come here tonight to be healed. We have certainly come to the right place because Jesus is only one who can heal us from sin.

Remember during his ministry all the times he healed sinners. Jesus does not condemn us when we sin but he asks us to turn away from sin and follow him again. To the woman caught in adultery Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you but go and do not sin again.” (John 8:11) Jesus does not condemn you but asks you not to sin again.
Remember in Luke 7:36-50 when Jesus was at dinner in the house of Simon the Pharisee. A woman came in who had a bad reputation in the town. She poured her tears over Jesus’ feet and dried them with her hair. The Pharisees who were at the dinner with Jesus were thinking to themselves that Jesus didn’t know what kind of woman she was or otherwise he would not have allowed her to touch him. Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Her sins, her many sins must have been forgiven her because she has shown such great love.” (Luke 7:47)
When Jesus was passing through Jericho (Luke 19) he went into the house of Zacchaeus who was a chief tax-collector (Luke 19:2) and therefore regarded as a very big sinner because the tax collectors only passed on to the Romans a fraction of the taxes they collected for Rome. We can easily imagine that Jesus would have had dinner in his house. (Luke 19:5) The people of Jericho were very annoyed with Jesus but he said to them, “The Son of Man has not come to call the virtuous but to call sinners to repentance.” (Luke 19:10)
When it came to choosing disciples Jesus didn’t always choose those with the best reputations. One of those he called was a tax-collector (Mark 2:14). Depending on which Gospel you read he is named either Matthew or Levi. He gave a dinner in his house for Jesus after Jesus called him. Like what happened in Jericho we can imagine that it must have irritated many people. So it is no wonder that a rhyme was made up about Jesus which went like this:

“Behold a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” (Matt 11:19; Luke 7:34)

So have no fear in approaching Jesus to tell him your sins tonight. He is a friend of sinners. He has not come to call the virtuous but to call sinners to repentance. Not only that but in Heb 4:15 we read that Jesus was like us in every way except sin. Jesus was tempted in every way that we are but he did not sin. So Jesus understands our trials and temptations. We normally think of Jesus suffering temptations only during the forty days in the desert but in fact Jesus suffered temptations all during his ministry although he did not sin. There is a very telling statement during the Last Supper in Luke’s Gospel (22:28). Jesus said to the disciples, “You are the ones who have stood by me in all my trials.” So Jesus suffered many trials, all during his ministry. Remember the time when Peter told Jesus not to go to Jerusalem to suffer his Passion. That was a temptation from Satan and Jesus said, “Get behind me Satan because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.” (Mark 8:33) So Jesus had many trials, all during his ministry. He was tempted in every way that we are though he did not sin. He understands your trials and does not condemn you but asks you to go and sin no more, so have no fear in approaching Jesus to tell him your sins.

Why do we have to tell our sins to a priest? Why not tell our sins directly to God? When we are sick the surgeon operates on us. Sometimes God does heal dramatically without medical intervention but normally God works through the hands of a human surgeon. It is the same with forgiveness. God works through his human instrument of forgiveness who is the priest. Jesus said to Peter, “if you forgive sins they are forgiven and if you retain sins they are retained.” (John 20:23) Jesus has given to priests the power to forgive sins.
After surgery one of the questions we ask sometimes is “Did they get it all, did they remove it all?” because we know that if they didn’t remove it all we won’t be well. It is the same when we confess our sins. If we do not confess all we will not be healed. Don’t go home tonight still holding on to something. Have all your sins forgiven tonight, don’t hold back on telling some sins. You will feel the better for it afterwards by having told all your sins.
How are our sins forgiven? Through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. We are not saved by anything we do. We are saved only by Jesus. When we confess our sins the blood of Jesus flows from the cross over us and washes us clean.
The priest gives us penance. It is not that God needs our penance. God does not need our penance. We need our penance. If a child does something wrong the child is punished to learn a lesson. We need penance for our good. If we are suffering from guilt, penance is a way to heal our guilt.

You are aware of the revelations of Jesus to a holy nun in Poland, Sr. Faustina, now St. Faustina, about his Divine Mercy. This is what Jesus said to St. Faustina about the Sacrament of Reconciliation, confession,

As we go now to confess our sins I want to conclude with two beautiful passages from Scripture about God’s mercy. The first is from Isaiah 1:18

“Come now, let us talk this over,
says Yahweh.
Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red as crimson,
They shall be like wool.” (Isa 1:18)

The second passage is from the last book of the Bible, Rev 3:20 and it is Jesus who is talking,

“Look, I am standing at the door knocking. If one of you hears me calling and opens the door, I will come in to share his meal, side by side with him.”

Can You See Jesus in the Crowd?

2011-01-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

A wise man was once asked ‘Why, of all things, did God choose the humble thornbush as the place from which to speak with Moses?’ The wise man replied: ‘If he had chosen an oak tree or a chestnut tree, you would have asked the same question. Yet it is impossible to let you go away empty-handed. That is why I am telling you that God chose the humble thornbush - to teach you that there is no place on earth bereft of the Divine Presence, not even a thornbush.’

Edited form of story in A World of Stories for Preachers and Teachers: And All Who Love Stories That Move and Challenge by William J Bausch page 321, published by Twenty-Third Publications, PO Box 180, Mystic, CT 06355, USA, © 1988 and used here with permission.)

We think of Jesus as the Son of God and Messiah. But yet if you met him and no one had pointed him out to you, you wouldn’t know he was Jesus. Twice in our Gospel today John the Baptist says, ‘I did not know him myself.’ (John 1:31,33) John said, ‘he who sent me to baptize with water had said to me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest is the one who is going to baptize with the Holy Spirit.’” The descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove on Jesus was the signal for John. The Pharisees were listening to John speaking and they did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah, so John said to them, ‘Look there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.’ The Father pointed Jesus out to John, and now John pointed Jesus out to the Pharisees. Because Jesus was so normal you would not pick him out from the crowd. Part of Isaiah which we understand as foretelling Jesus reads like this;

“He had no form or charm to attract us,
No beauty to win our hearts;
He was despised, the lowest of men,
A man of sorrows, familiar with suffering,
One from whom, as it were, we averted our gaze,
Despised, for whom we had no regard.” (Isa 53:2-3)

Yet this man whom you wouldn’t pick out from the crowd was the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world and to whom we could understand the Father speaking these words of our first reading, “You are my servant...in whom I shall be glorified…I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” (Isa 49:3,6).

When Jesus comes he does not throw his weight around so we might miss his coming if we were expecting great things. I think Jesus comes in a similar way today, as a humble lamb, and because Jesus comes in so many ways today as a humble lamb we might miss his coming unless some John the Baptist pointed out and said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.’ Vatican II acted as a John the Baptist telling us that Jesus comes to us in four ways when we gather here for our Sunday Mass:

Jesus comes in the word of God in the readings, in the Eucharist, in the congregation and in the priest (Sacrosanctum Concilium 7).

When the readings are being proclaimed, God is speaking to you. If a line from the text strikes you we normally understand this as God speaking to you.
In Holy Communion Jesus comes to you in the fullness of his body, blood, soul and divinity.
Jesus is present in the congregation because where two or three are gathered in his name he is present in their midst (Matt 18:20).
And Jesus is present in the priest who offers Jesus to the Father just as Jesus offered himself to the Father on the cross. Jesus comes to us in four ways when we gather here for our Sunday Mass: in the word of God, in the Eucharist, in the congregation and in the priest.

In which one of those four ways would we find it most difficult to see Jesus present? Is it in the Word of God in the readings because they are from a culture that is so different to ours; in Holy Communion because it looks like a thin white wafer of bread; in the congregation because we know the faults and weaknesses of some people present; or in the priest because we wonder about his sincerity after recent scandals and because we can see his faults and weaknesses too?

When Jesus came you would not pick him out from the crowd, he had to be pointed out by John the Baptist. When Jesus comes now too in these four ways, in a certain sense you would not pick him out, he has to be pointed out. This is how I would point out the presence of God in these four ways.

Although written by humans we believe the books of the Bible are inspired, God speaks to us today through the Bible.
It requires faith to believe that Jesus is present in this white bread but as I told you in the past (Homily for Corpus Christi), on many occasions the bread or wine has physically changed so it actually looked like flesh and blood.
If someone in the congregation is a nuisance to us, think of Jesus,

“He had no form or charm to attract us,
No beauty to win our hearts;
He was despised, the lowest of men.” (Isa 53:2)

If it is difficult to see Jesus in the priest, remember what we read in the Letter to the Hebrews about Jesus the High Priest, ‘Since all the children shared the same human nature, it was essential that Jesus too shared in it…It was essential that Jesus should in this way be made completely like his brothers so that he could become a compassionate and trustworthy high priest’ (Heb 2:14,17).

You would not expect God to speak to Moses from a thornbush. You would not pick Jesus out from the crowd if he were not pointed out to you. In case we miss Jesus in the crowd, Vatican II points out four ways in which Jesus is present when we gather for Mass: Jesus is present in the Word of God in the readings, in the Eucharist, in the congregation and in the priest. Let us be humble during this Mass so that with faith we will see Jesus present in these four ways because if we cannot pick Jesus out from the crowd, the only way we will be able to see him will be by faith.

Mid-Week / Baby Jesus, the Wise Men, and Herod

2011-01-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

We imagine ourselves in the presence of baby Jesus, and Mary and Joseph. We are surprised to see men of eastern appearance come. They see baby Jesus and fall on their knees. They offer him homage and give him presents of gold, frankincense and myrrh, gold because Jesus is king, frankincense since Jesus is divine and myrrh prefiguring his Passion. They tell us about the star and about Herod who knew nothing about Jesus’ birth. After their stay they set out on their return journey eastwards but not via Jerusalem since they want to avoid Herod. After their departure we spend time with baby Jesus. Baby Jesus, we do not have gold, frankincense and myrrh to give you but we can give you our love. Let our love be your manger. For a moment now let us love baby Jesus.....

Baby Jesus, even while you were only a little baby you experienced both acceptance from the wise men and rejection from Herod. The wise men and Herod had two opposing attitudes, searching for God and being closed to God. Baby Jesus, we see that the wise men were blessed in their search for you by finding you. We are searching for you too, we want to come ever closer to you. Help us to draw ever closer to you and if we are closed to you like Herod, help us to open so that we can find you. Let us ask Jesus to help us in drawing closer to him.....

Baby Jesus, not only had the wise men and Herod different attitudes to you, they also had different attitudes to life. The wise men were generous, Herod was selfish wanting to hold on to his throne. The magi gave you gifts; Herod killed all boys under two years of age. The wise men were willing to put energy and goodness into life, Herod wanted to get all he could from life. The magi who sacrificed to put into life were happy, Herod who took all he could from life was unhappy. Baby Jesus, help us to foster a healthy attitude towards life, giving and caring, instead of grasping, and being selfish and possessive. Let us pray now asking Jesus to help us develop ever more wholesome attitudes towards life.....

The magi were blessed. They were given the guidance of a star. In the darkness of this world we have all been given help on our journey to God; the beauty of nature, the Word of God in Sacred Scripture, Spirit-filled witnessing and preaching, the faith of others and our own faith. For a moment let us thank God for giving us stars to lead us to him.....

When the wise men arrived in Jerusalem, it seems they no longer had the guidance of the star, otherwise they would not have had to ask Herod for advice. Sometimes we too feel as if we’re in the dark, like the magi. Sometimes what or whom we relied on is not there any more. Sometimes we see only darkness around us. But we know that you are there, Jesus, and that eternal life awaits us even if sometimes in this world there is no star for us. Lord, in our moments of darkness without a star, help us not to give up but to keep searching, hoping and praying because that would be the best way forward. Let us pray now for strength to remain steadfast when there is no guiding star.....

Prayer for Death and Comfort

2011-01-08T14:11:00.000-07:00

We have gathered here not so much to talk about all those that were shot but to pray for them. We believe that our prayer here can help the many that were shot today. We know that prayer is powerful and we believe that we can help the departed by praying for them. The best gift you can now give to all those is to pray for them. There is no better gift you can now give. There is nothing that you could now do that would be more helpful and beneficial to them, but pray. When we lay a wreath in someone’s honor the flowers will wither but the prayers we offer for someone will never wither. Prayer has lasting value.

That reminds me of many things we do during life. We do many things during life that in a sense, in the light of eternity, are a waste of time. What really matters in life is putting God first. Jesus said in our Gospel that he is the Way, the Truth and the Life and if we are not living our lives in union with Jesus then we are not on the way and if we are not on the way we are lost. On one occasion Jesus said, “Seek the kingdom of God first and all these other things will be given you as well.” When we do that, when we seek the kingdom of God first, love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves, then we are on the way, and not wasting our time.

Baptism of Our Lord

2011-01-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

I remember during my first year studying theology in St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland, (1986-87) one of the lecturers teaching us about the importance of baptism. The Berlin Wall or Iron Curtain had not yet fallen but I remember the lecturer saying that President Mikhail Gorbachev had been baptized and our faith tells us his baptism must make a difference. His grandmother had him secretly baptized by a Russian Orthodox priest. His grandmother/mother put an icon of Jesus on the wall in every room in the house. Gorbachev’s father was a staunch Communist and put a picture of Stalin next to each picture of Jesus. Three years later when I was studying in Rome the Berlin Wall fell on November 9^th 1989. Then on December1^st 1989 I went to St. Peter’s Square and watched President Gorbachev being driven into the Vatican to meet Pope John Paul II. The two met and spoke in the Pope’s private library for seventy minutes. That is the power of the Holy Spirit received at baptism. Baptism counts. Baptism makes a difference.

Our Gospel account today of Jesus’ baptism reminds us of our own baptism. Why did Jesus ask John for baptism? Baptism is for the forgiveness of sins and Jesus did not need forgiveness. No wonder that in Matthew’s account John objects to giving Jesus baptism, “It is I who need baptism from you, and yet you come to me.” But Jesus insisted on being baptized showing us his humility. All of Jesus’ followers would be baptized and so Jesus too wanted to be baptized to show his unity with all of us. A new family was formed at Pentecost, the Church, and baptism was the means of entering the Church. Jewish children were not baptized, Jewish boys were circumcised 8 days after birth and girls had a naming ceremony but the followers of Jesus would be distinguished by baptism.

What difference does baptism make to us? When Jesus was baptized the Father spoke and said, “You are my Son, the beloved; my favor rests on you.” When we are baptized the Father says over each of us, “You are my son/daughter, my beloved; my favor rests on you.” Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit when he was baptized in the Jordan and we are anointed with the oil of chrism during our baptism and like Jesus we receive the Holy Spirit also. Let us listen to some of the instructions for the newly baptized in Jerusalem in the early Church.

“Now that you have been baptized into Christ and have put on Christ, you have become conformed to the Son of God…since you share in Christ, it is right to call you ‘Christs’ or anointed ones… You have become ‘Christs’ by receiving the sign of Holy Spirit…When you emerged from the pool of sacred waters you were anointed in a manner corresponding to Christ’s anointing. That anointing is the Holy Spirit… Christ was anointed with...the Holy Spirit…and you have been anointed with chrism because you have become fellows and sharers of Christ…But be sure not to regard the chrism merely as ointment…When the Holy Spirit has been invoked on the holy chrism it is no longer mere or ordinary ointment; it is the gift of Christ…It is applied to your forehead and organs of sense with a symbolic meaning; the body is anointed with visible ointment, and the soul is sanctified by the holy, hidden Spirit.”
(Office of Readings for Friday of the Easter Octave)

Those were beautiful words from the instructions given in the early Church in Jerusalem reminding the newly baptized that after baptism they share deeply in the grace of Jesus. Vatican II in the 1960’s has once again reminded all the faithful that they share in the priesthood of Christ. During baptism when the child is anointed with the oil of chrism part of the prayer for the anointing is, “As Christ was anointed Priest, Prophet and King, so may you live always as a member of his body, sharing everlasting life.” Because of our baptism we are all united in Jesus. That is why Paul in his letters makes statements like, “there is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, you are all one in Christ.” (Gal 3:28) While all the baptized share in the priesthood of Christ, only those who are ordained priests in the Sacrament of Holy Orders can administer the sacraments.

So what is your vocation since baptism? Your vocation is to represent Jesus to the world. Because we fail we ask for mercy at the beginning of every Mass. I conclude with some of the instruction to the newly baptized at Jerusalem.

“it is right to call you ‘Christs’ or anointed ones… You have become ‘Christs’ by receiving the sign of Holy Spirit…When you emerged from the pool of sacred waters you were anointed in a manner corresponding to Christ’s anointing.”

Mid-Week / A Meditation

2011-01-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

God desires our love so much that he sent his son Jesus, Love Himself, to invite us to be his people. The angel Gabriel asked Mary to be the mother of Jesus. During the nine months while Jesus was growing in Mary’s womb, that first great Advent in preparation for the first Christmas, Mary acted as Jesus’ footsteps; he went everywhere she chose. Mary was his food, his warmth, his home. Her breathing was his breath. Jesus became human in Mary and wants to be allowed into our lives also. Our love for him will be his manger. Let us pray in our own words during the pause that our hearts may be good homes for Jesus, that this Christmas we may be his manger by making room for him as Mary did.....

Gabriel had a beautiful message for Mary, that she would conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit and give birth to Jesus, who would be the Son of God (Luke 1:31-32). God has an invitation for us also. Just as Mary was Jesus’ feet, breath, and shelter during his first nine months, we are invited to give shelter to Jesus by allowing him into our lives. Just as Mary took Jesus with her everywhere she went during those first nine months, we are invited to take Jesus with us everywhere we go so that it will be Christmas for everyone we meet. Let us thank God for this wonderful invitation to us.....

Mary found the angel Gabriel’s message difficult. She said “how can this come about since I have no knowledge of man?” (Luke 1:34) Maybe we find it difficult to believe that God could have such a great plan for us, to bring Jesus to others and bring others to Jesus by becoming more and more like Jesus and living his values. We are aware of our limitations and weaknesses and maybe sometimes we find it hard to believe that we could do much for God. Maybe sometimes we wonder about the meaning of life and are stunned to think that God values us so highly and that we could make the lives of others more meaningful. If we have fears and doubts, let us share them now with God.....

The angel Gabriel reassured Mary telling her that nothing is impossible to God and as a sign told her that her cousin Elizabeth though old was now six months pregnant. (Luke 1:36-37) Because our faith is weak, sometimes we need reassurance just as Mary did. Let us remember the words of Paul “We hold this treasure in pots of earthenware so that the immensity of the power is God’s and not our own.” (2 Cor 4:7) So it is OK to feel like an earthenware pot. It is not we who will do anything good, but God. It is God’s power working in us which will transform us to be more like Jesus and bring others to Jesus. God always chooses the weak to show that it is God who is at work. So let us not fear. All we have to do is say “Yes” to God and God will do the rest. Let us tell God now that we will not worry about our weaknesses and limitations but that we will trust in him and find our reassurance in him.....

Mary responded, “You see before you the Lord’s servant, let it happen to me as you have said.” (Luke 1:38) Mary did not have to do anything, just let God do the action. It is the same for us. All that is necessary for us is to allow God dwell in us. Every time we say to God, “You see before you the Lord’s servant”, God comes down from heaven again, there is another Christmas and the place where we are is another Bethlehem. Let us pray now for a moment, telling God that we are his servants, asking God to let it happen to us as he has said.....

The angel left Mary. She was on her own now, or so it seemed. In fact she was not really on her own, God was with her and in her. It is like that for us too sometimes. God calls us, we answer and then we feel on our own. But we are not really alone because God is with us. Let us pray now asking for help to continue responding to God’s call even when we think we’re on our own because we are not in fact on our own, he is with us.....

Mary, you were the first to make room for Jesus. But Jesus himself said the most important thing you did was to be his disciple, your importance was that you were his follower; he said “my mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” Mary you were the first to be a disciple and follower of Jesus. We are all called to be disciples and followers of Jesus. You are our model. Let us ask Mary now to help us be good disciples of Jesus, that like her we may be a servant of the Lord, so that the Word may become flesh and dwell among us this Christmas.....

Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit and Mother of God

2011-01-01T00:01:00.002-07:00

We are waiting for and looking forward to the celebration of Christmas. In our Gospel Mary and Elizabeth were also waiting and looking forward to the births of Jesus and John the Baptist. On this last Sunday before Christmas our thoughts turn to Mary as she carried Jesus in her womb.

As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting the child in her womb leapt for joy. All the action takes place when Mary greets Elizabeth who was now an old woman even though in the culture of that time the elder came before the younger. When Mary spoke the Holy Spirit came on John the Baptist in Elizabeth’s womb (see Luke 1:15) and he leapt for joy. It was the moment when John the Baptist was cleansed of original sin. Mary was the Spouse of the Holy Spirit since the Annunciation when she conceived Jesus of the Holy Spirit. Now when Mary visits Elizabeth the Holy Spirit shows the importance of Mary, his Spouse, by cleansing John the Baptist of original sin and John the Baptist leaps in Elizabeth’s womb. I have heard one person say the Holy Spirit is boasting about Mary his Spouse.

(It is interesting that modern medical science has shown that by twenty-five weeks the baby in the womb has the ability to hear like that of an adult and can discern the moods and attitudes of its mother. Only three people were born without original sin and we celebrate their birthdays; Jesus on Dec 25th, Mary on Sep 8th and John the Baptist on June 24th. Jesus and Mary were conceived without original sin but John the Baptist was cleansed of original sin while in the womb.)

When Mary spoke, the Holy Spirit came on Elizabeth and on John the Baptist in Elizabeth’s womb. St. Louis Marie de Montfort, who wrote much about Mary, tells us that when we have Mary we will also have her Spouse, the Holy Spirit:

“When the Holy Spirit finds his Spouse in a soul, he flies to that soul, to communicate himself to it, to fill it with his presence, in proportion as he discovers there the presence and the fullness of his Spouse. One of the major reasons why the Holy Spirit does not now work blinding wonders of grace in our souls is that he does not find in us a sufficiently strong union with Mary his indissoluble Spouse.”
(True Devotion to Mary Part 1, chapter 1, article 2)

So when we have Mary in our lives we will also have the Holy Spirit, just as the Holy Spirit fell on Elizabeth and John the Baptist when Mary spoke. So we can say that the closer we are to Mary the closer we are to her Spouse, the Holy Spirit, and the closer we are to God. Mary leads us to God and when we have Mary in our souls the Holy Spirit comes to us.

Mary in cooperation with her Spouse, the Holy Spirit, became the mother of Jesus. Elizabeth asked, “Why should I be honored with a visit from the mother of my Lord?” Elizabeth described Mary as the “mother of my Lord” but our more common expression is Mother of God. Some people misunderstand the meaning of the title Mother of God. When we describe Mary as “Mother of God” we do not mean that Mary is the mother or source of the Trinity and we do not mean that Mary is the source of Jesus’ soul or that his divinity came from Mary. Yet Christ was both human and divine in one person; he had both human nature and divine nature (see Col 2:9). He was not two separate persons but one person with two natures so therefore we can say that Mary was the Mother of God. It is the same with every mother here. Every mother here gave a body to her child but that child’s soul came from God. Yet when we talk of someone being a child’s mother we never specify or distinguish and say the mother is the mother of child’s body but not of the child’s soul. Likewise the child says, “Hello, mother” and does not say, “Hello, mother of my body.” In the same way we call Mary the Mother of God because Jesus had human and divine nature in one person. Mary is even described as Mother of God in Scripture, in our Gospel today when Elizabeth asks, “Why should I be honored with a visit from the mother of my Lord?” And the word that Elizabeth uses for ‘Lord’ (κυριος) is a word that is used for ‘God’ in the New Testament so there can be no confusion. It is the same word that Jesus uses when he describes himself as ‘Lord of the Sabbath.’ (Mark 2:28)

So no wonder that Elizabeth says to Mary, “Of all women you are the most blessed and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” These inspired words have now become part of that beautiful prayer which we call the ‘Hail Mary.’ Mary was Mother of God once but continues to be mother for all time, mother to each of us bearing fruit in us and Mother of the Church bringing new life to the Church. St. Louis Marie de Montfort wrote,

When Mary has implanted her roots in a soul, she produces…wonders of grace which she alone can produce, because she alone is the fruitful Virgin who never has had, nor ever shall have, her equal in purity…”

So let us spend time in prayer with Mary that she may implant her roots in our souls, and produce wonders of grace which she alone can produce and that her Spouse, the Holy Spirit, may fly to us and fill us with his presence. We can understand why Pope John Paul II was very much influenced by the writings of St. Louis Marie de Montfort and took his motto “Totus Tuus, O Maria,” “I am all yours, O Mary,” from St. Louis Marie de Montfort. The best way to spend time with Mary is by praying the Rosary, the prayer which she has told us in so many places is so dear to her and which is very powerful.

When Mary spoke, the Holy Spirit came on Elizabeth and on John the Baptist in Elizabeth’s womb. When we have Mary in our lives we will also have the Holy Spirit, just as the Holy Spirit fell on Elizabeth and John the Baptist when Mary spoke.

“When the Holy Spirit finds his Spouse in a soul, he flies to that soul, to communicate himself to it, to fill it with his presence...”
(True Devotion to Mary Part 1, chapter 1, article 2)

May we spend time in prayer with Mary that she may implant her roots in our souls, and produce wonders of grace which she alone can produce and that her Spouse, the Holy Spirit, may fly to us and fill us with his presence.

Mid-Week / God’s Plan for the Family - a Reflection of God’s Love

2010-12-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

At this time of year when families are re-united again and as we celebrate The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we reflect on what it is to be a family. The family is the basic unit of society and the Church. It is in the family that we first learn to communicate, and that we learn what is good and bad. It is in the family that we learn what love is because it is in the family that we first receive love. It is in the family that we first learn to forgive and to pray. It is in the family that we first learn about God and Jesus and Our Lady. It is in the family that we learn to value ourselves and to value everything else, picking up our values from what is said and unsaid by our parents. Our family forms us for many years to come. The future of humanity depends on the family because it is through a family that we all come. There are many attempts to destroy the family in our times and if the family will be destroyed in western society, the western world will crumble because all humanity comes through the family. There are many attempts today to redefine the family but they do not reflect God’s plan for the family.

Is our family fulfilling God’s plan for our family? We desire our families to be the best possible families for our children so that they may get the best possible start in life. It is important to reflect on how our family fulfils God’s plan because the family we grow up in influences us for the rest of our lives. When families reflect God’s plan they are mighty. What is God’s plan for the family? What does Jesus say about the family? In Matt 19:4-6 Jesus says,

“Have you not read that the Creator from the beginning made them male and female and that he said: This is why a man leaves his father and mother and becomes attached to his wife, and the two become one flesh? They are no longer two therefore, but one flesh. So then, what God has united, human beings must not divide.”

These are very clear words from Jesus on God’s plan for the family. It is a man and woman who become one flesh and what God has united man must not divide.

What else has God revealed to us about his plan for the family? In the letter to the Ephesians we read that husbands are to love their wives as much as Christ loved the Church (5:25). How much did Jesus love the Church? He loved the Church so much that he died for the Church. That is how much husbands are to love their wives according to the letter to the Ephesians; husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the Church. The letter also says husbands are to love their wives as much as they love their own bodies (5:28). And then the letter goes on to say something beautiful, it says the love of husband and wife for each other is a reflection of the love of Christ for the Church (5:32). So husbands and wives, is your love for each other a reflection of the unselfish love of Christ for the Church? That part of the Letter to the Ephesians is a beautiful description of God’s plan for the family.

What else do we know about God’s plan for the family? What about parents and children? Again the same letter to the Ephesians states, “Children be obedient to your parents in the Lord - that is what uprightness demands.” (6:1) Children, do you always love your parents? Sometimes we are given the impression that the fourth commandment has been rewritten and now states that parents are to obey their children. Then the letter goes on to say, “Parents, never drive your children to resentment.” (6:4) So once again we find beautiful words in the Letter to the Ephesians about God’s plan for the family.

If our families are to be families reflecting God’s plan for our families then they will also be families that put God first. So do you turn off the TV every night to pray together as a family? The letter to the Colossians (3:16) says, “Let the message of Christ in all its richness find a home with you.” If faith in God is not what motivates a family, that family is starting with a disadvantage. Put Jesus in the center of your family, “Let the message of Christ in all its richness find a home with you.”

So as we read the Scriptures we see that God has revealed a great deal to us about his plan for the family. Today we celebrate The Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph. When the Father sent Jesus to us to reveal his love and to show us the way to him, Jesus did not fall out of heaven as a fully-grown adult. Jesus came as a member of a family, The Holy Family of Nazareth. God chose a family to show us how all families are to find their way to him. We pray that our families fulfill God’s plan because that is the only way to be happy families.

At this time of year when families are re-united again it is good to reflect on how our family fulfils God’s plan because the family. What is God’s plan for the family? Jesus tells us that a man and woman become one flesh and what God has united man must not divide. The Letter to the Ephesians reveals much to us about God’s plan for the family. Husbands are to love their wives just as Christ loves the Church; in fact their love is to be a reflection of Christ’s love for the Church. Children are to be obedient to their parents. The Letter to the Colossians reminds us to put the message of Christ in the center of our homes and lives. What a mystery of God’s love and grace families are. The love in a family is really a reflection of the love of God. The vocation of families is to show God, to let God’s light shine through. I would like to conclude with beautiful words from Pope John Paul II last year (2001) on the vocation of families to be signs of God’s love,

“Family, believe in what you are; believe in your vocation to be a luminous sign of God's love”….Family, be for the people of our time a “sanctuary of life”. Christian family, be a “domestic church”, faithful to your evangelical vocation.
(Message of John Paul II to the Pontifical Council for the Family on the 20th anniversary of the Post-Synodal Apostolic ExhortationFamiliaris Consortio, 22 Nov 2001)

Sunday in the Octave of Christmas - year A

2010-12-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

The Holy Family of Nazareth, Jesus, Mary and Joseph are put before us by the Church this weekend as a model for our families. We call them “The Holy Family” but that does not mean that they did not have problems. Just as every family has to face problems and overcome them, or to put it another way, has to carry a cross, so also The Holy Family had to carry crosses. Their many crosses come to mind as we read the Scriptures.

We can easily imagine how misunderstood both Mary and Joseph must have been when Mary conceived Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Their story would never be believed.
Even Mary herself had it very rough early in the pregnancy when Joseph was planning to divorce her before the angel intervened in a dream.
When the time for Jesus’ delivery came it took place in an animals’ shelter since Bethlehem was already so crowded.
Then the family had to flee to Egypt as refugees because Jesus’ life was in danger due to Herod, in much the same way as refugees from war-torn countries are now entering many western countries.
Mary and Joseph suffered the awful experience of losing Jesus for three days when he was twelve years old and the only satisfaction they got from him was that he had to be about his Father’s business.
We do not hear of Joseph any more so we presume that before Jesus began his public ministry in Galilee Joseph had died - The Holy Family suffering the greatest pain of all families, the pain of bereavement and separation through death.
Jesus’ public ministry must have taken its toll on Mary. Simeon had predicted in the Temple that a sword of sorrow would pierce Mary’s soul. We can imagine one such occasion as we read in Mark 3:21 that when Jesus returned to Nazareth one day his relatives came to take him by force convinced that he was out of his mind. Not a very pleasant experience for any family, no matter how holy.
There was also the pain caused by the rhyme made up about Jesus: “Behold a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners” (Luke 7:34).
And there was the growing hostility to Jesus by the Jewish authorities that must have caused huge pain to both Mary and Jesus, especially as it became increasingly obvious that Jesus would have to pay for his mission by dying.
The saddest moment of all came when Mary watched her son die on the cross.

What kept The Holy Family together and sane throughout all of these trials and crosses? The answer is ‘Love for each other and God’. Jesus’ love for Mary and Mary’s love for Jesus, and the love of both of them for God the Father. We can see Jesus’ love for his mother when he was dying on the cross and was worried about leaving her behind so he asked his close friend and disciple John to look after her, saying to Mary, ‘Woman behold your son’, and to John ‘behold your mother’ (John 19:26-27). What holds our families together also in times of difficulty is love and forgiveness. It is love which triumphs in the end, even if for a while love may have to take the form of some honest talking. When discipline needs to be given, if it is not given in love it is reduced to abuse. If ever our families fail in any way, it is because of a lack of love on someone’s part. Whenever our families are successful, it is because they are places of love.

I believe that the greatest threat facing families now is simply that we don’t spend enough time together. We are so busy working, or socializing, or watching TV that we have less and less time for each other. What a pity. There is a story about a solicitor who lived a considerable distance from her elderly father. Months had passed since they had been together and when her father called to ask when she might visit, the daughter detailed a list of reasons that prevented her from taking the time to see him, e.g., court schedule, meetings, new clients, research, etc., etc. At the end of the recitation, the father asked, “When I die, do you intend to come to my funeral?” The daughter’s response was immediate, “Dad, I can’t believe you’d ask that! Of course, I’ll come!” To which the father replied, “Good. Forget the funeral and come; I need you more now than I will then.” As I said, I believe one of the greatest threats facing families now is simply that we do not spend enough time together. Spending time together with the family is a way of showing our family that we love them. When we love our family we want to sacrifice ourselves by spending time with them, and all the more so when we realize that by not spending time with them we are depriving them of our love and hurting them.

Just as the holy family survived all its crises through love for each other and faith in God, let us pray during this Mass that our families will conquer all difficulties through love for each other and faith in God.

(I found the story in the second last paragraph above in A World of Stories for Preachers and Teachers: And All Who Love Stories That Move and Challenge by William J. Bausch (page 335) and published by Twenty-Third Publications, PO Box 180, Mystic, CT 06355, USA © 1988 and used here with permission.)

Christmas Day

2010-12-25T00:00:00.001-07:00

" In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

" All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

" The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

" And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. "

Homily:

" In the beginning was the Word... "

On this Christmas Day 2010, I would like to comment on this gospel as Saint John did in his first epistle. For, as you doubtlessly know, in addition to Saint John's gospel, we have also preserved three letters by the Apostle, letters that the Church has recognized as canonical, that is to say inspired by the Spirit of God.

The first and longest letter was written by Saint John as an introduction to, or explanation of, his gospel, which is difficult to understand at times. Today, in the gospel, Saint John speaks to us of the Word. It is not the word "be", or the word "have", or even the word "sing", etc... It is the Word of God, the Son of God.

In his first epistle, Saint John explains to us that the Word is the Life of God, inasmuch as it is the living Word of God: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life... we proclaim to you." (1 Jn. 1:1-3)

" ... and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God."

"The Word was God." The Word is God. The Word is always God. But it is the Word of He who speaks this Word, it is the Word conceived, begotten, by He who speaks it, by He who conceives it in himself, by He who begets it. The Word is begotten as a Son by the Father, who is God. The Word is with He who begets it eternally, He who speaks it always: the Father. The Word was with God, the Father. The Word is always with the Father!

" All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made... and the world was made through him... "

The world was made through him. "Ipse dixit et facta sunt." "He commanded and all was created." (Ps. 148:5) At the Word of the Father, all was created. In everything that exists in the universe, we find a trace of the Word of the Father. There is no being on earth or elsewhere that cannot tell us something of the Word of the Father. Everything, through the Word, leads us to the Father!

" And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. "

Not only did the Word of God want to leave a trace of himself, of his image, in all of creation, but he, the Word, the Son of God, also wanted to be the Word of God in human form, capable of being heard and understood by those like him, the men and women of the earth! The Word of God became flesh, in order that we might be able to communicate with the Father, in the Spirit!

" But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. "

By a free gift of God, through faith and the grace of God, we can become children of God, sons of the Father, sons begotten in the only Son! Each Eucharist offers us this opportunity: may the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, who conceived the Son of God according to the flesh, also be the Mother of us all, in order that we might be begotten to eternal Life with the Father!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

"In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirin'i-us was governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

"And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

"And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, «Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.» And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, «Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!»"

Homily:

"In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled."

Today we celebrate the birth of the Savior of mankind: Jesus, the Son of God incarnate! This feast day was chosen by the Spirit of God to coincide with the day when light triumphs over darkness. Indeed, for several days, usually from the 21st to the 24th of December, nights are of an equal length, but after December 25th, the length of the night gradually decreases, giving way to a longer and longer day. It is the sign of the triumph of God’s Light over the darkness of sin! Remember that the angel said to Joseph, before the birth of Jesus: "She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." (Mt. 1:21)

If the material world is in concordance with the spiritual events of the coming of God’s Son, then the political world of the time of Jesus is also in concordance with his coming into the world. It is in accordance with an express order from the Roman emperor of that time, Caesar Augustus, that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. Certainly the emperor didn't explicitly want Jesus to be born in Bethlehem, but his authority here represents that of Jesus’s Father, and therefore this order from the emperor shows God's intentions. Didn't Jesus say to Pilate, shortly before his death: "You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above." (John 19:11)

If Joseph and Mary had remained in Nazareth, Jesus would have been born in a clean and suitable house, in a place that had been adequately prepared to receive him. Instead, it was necessary for him to be born in a stable, probably in a cave, near Bethlehem! What a Mystery! It is the Mystery of obedience! Yes! Jesus came to earth in order to accomplish the will of his Father, and he did not hesitate to fulfill his mission, from the very day of his birth! There was no place for him at the inn! He comes into the world in order to save it, and the world doesn't want him! "He came to his own home, and his own people received him not." (John 1:11)

Jesus is the king of the universe and of the entire world! And yet, in accordance with the order of an earthly king, Caesar Augustus, whose empire encompassed all the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, Jesus had to be born in poverty and rejected by his people. All of Jesus' life would follow this pattern. Even though he entered Jerusalem in triumph on Palm Sunday, it was these same Jews who, having acclaimed him as king on that day, disowned him publicly on the Friday of his death, by choosing the emperor Caesar instead of their own king, the descendant of David, Jesus Christ: "Pilate said to them, «Shall I crucify your King?» The chief priests answered, «We have no king but Caesar.»" (John 19:15)

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, «Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!»"

Behold the court of the great king of the universe! They are the angels of Heaven! When the material world refuses to render glory to its Lord and Master, then it is beings of the spiritual world who come to serve him and glorify him! Jesus received their help during his life, when he prayed, especially on the day before his Passion: "«Father, if thou wilt remove this cup from me: but then, not my will, but thine be done.» And an angel appeared to him from heaven strengthening him." (Luke 22:42-43) But it is especially at the time of his arrest that Jesus spoke of the angels who could have intervened on his behalf: "Jesus said, «Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?»" (Mt. 26:52-54)

Christmas is a feast of joy! The angel said so to the shepherds: "I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." But this joy is that of the Resurrection! He whom we welcome within us today is the risen Christ, he who died and rose again for us! There is no heavenly joy that is not the joy of the Resurrection: our heavenly joy is that which we feel after having undergone the trails of the Cross with Christ! May Mary, the Most Holy Mother of God, bring us the joy of Heaven!

Mid-Week / Meditation and Reflection for Advent

2010-12-22T05:00:00.001-07:00

Advent is not only about preparing for the celebration of Jesus’ birth at Christmas. We live between the first coming of Jesus when he was born at Bethlehem and his Second Coming at the end of time when he will come as Judge of all. Advent is also a time for us to reflect on the Second Coming of Jesus. So Advent is concerned with the two comings of Jesus; our preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth and our preparation for his Second Coming. In three of the Eucharistic Acclamations we profess our faith in Jesus’ Second Coming:

Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

Dying you destroyed our death,
rising you restored our life,
Lord Jesus, come in glory.

When we eat this bread and drink this cup,
we proclaim your death, Lord Jesus,
until you come in glory.

In the Creed which we profess every Sunday we proclaim:

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

In both Eucharistic Prayer III and Eucharistic Prayer IV just after the consecration at Mass, the Body and Blood of Jesus is offered to the Father as we await the Second Coming of Jesus,

Father, calling to mind the death your Son endured for our salvation,
his glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven,
and ready to greet him when he comes again,
we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and living sacrifice.
(Eucharistic Prayer III)

Father, we now celebrate this memorial of our redemption.
We recall Christ’s death, his descent among the dead,
his resurrection, and his ascension to your right hand;
and, looking forward to his coming in glory,
we offer you his body and blood,
the acceptable sacrifice
which brings salvation to the whole world.
(Eucharistic Prayer IV)

During the early part of Advent (until December 16^th) the Church asks us to reflect on the Second Coming of Jesus, and not just to reflect on it but to prepare for it. That is why on the first Sunday of Advent each year we read excerpts from a chapter in each of the Gospels where Jesus predicted the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD but which we may also see referring to his Second Coming,

For as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. In (those) days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be (also) at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left. Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.
(Matt 41:37-44 NAB First Sunday of Advent Year A)

Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’
(Mark 13:33-37 NAB First Sunday of Advent Year B)

There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.
(Luke 21:25-28 NAB First Sunday of Advent Year C)

The readings of the first Sunday of Advent each year invite us to watch for the Second Coming of Jesus and the readings of the Second Sunday of Advent invite us to prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus. That is why each year on the Second Sunday of Advent the Gospel is John the Baptist asking us to prepare a way for the Lord. And on the third Sunday of Advent each year we can detect some of the readings encouraging us to be patient for Jesus’ Second Coming.

In the early years after Pentecost the Church believed the Second Coming of Jesus would be only a matter of years away. Many are of the opinion that St. Paul, early in his ministry, believed the Second Coming of Jesus would be so soon that he himself would not die before it occurred. Many believe this is what Paul meant when he wrote to the Thessalonians,

We who are still alive for the Lord’s coming will not have any advantage over those who have fallen asleep. At the signal given by the voice of the Archangel and the trumpet of God, the Lord himself will come down from heaven; those who have died in Christ will be the first to rise, and only after that shall we who remain alive be taken up in the clouds, together with them to meet the Lord in the air.(1 Thess 4:15-17)

But as time went by the early Church gradually began to realize that the Second Coming of Jesus would not be as early as originally expected. Therefore it became important for the Church to have written records of Jesus so the Gospels were composed.

Why did the early Church long for the Second Coming of Jesus and why are we invited now to reflect on it and long for it during Advent? Jesus’ birth at Bethlehem, his death, and resurrection are not yet the final victory over evil. The final conquest of evil will take place when Jesus comes again as Judge. Jesus’ Second Coming will complete what Jesus began with his birth in Bethlehem, his death and resurrection. It will bring the fullness of salvation to the world. Therefore in the early Church they longed for Jesus’ Second Coming and we are invited now to reflect on it and long for it during Advent.

God is present with us throughout all of history but the Second Coming of Jesus and the General Judgment will show all of history leading to God’s final purpose and goal. At the General Judgment we will see how God’s plan for all of history worked itself out. There are two ways of looking at history. You can look at history as a secular historian or you can look at history with the eyes of God. For example, how do you look on the Second World War? The result of mad man named Hitler? That could be one secular view of the war. There is another way to look at it. When Our Lady appeared to the children at Fatima on July 13^th 1917 during the First World War she said,

“…if men do not cease offending God, another and more terrible war will break out during the Pontificate of Pius XII. When you see a night lit up by an unknown light, know that it is the sign God gives you that he is about to punish the world for its crimes by means of war, hunger and persecution of the Church and the Holy Father.”

That unknown light occurred on January 25^th 1938 and meteorologists called it the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. This is just one example of two ways of looking at an event in history. At the Second Coming of Jesus and the General Judgment we will see all of history leading towards God’s goal and purpose. The final conquest of evil will take place when Jesus comes again the second time as Judge which is why we look forward to it.

So the Church invites us to long for and prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus. How do we prepare for it? Let us place God first in our lives and love our neighbor as ourselves. Let us cleanse our hearts from sin. The second reading during the first three Sundays of Advent each year has much encouragement to prepare our hearts and lives as we await the Second Coming:

And do this because you know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand. 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, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and licentiousness, not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.
(Rom 13:11-14 NAB First Sunday of Advent Year A)

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God.
(Rom 15:5-7 NAB Second Sunday of Advent Year A)

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not complain, brothers, about one another, that you may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates.
(James 5:7-9 NAB Third Sunday of Advent Year A)

I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus (Christ). God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
(1 Cor 1:4-9 NAB First Sunday of Advent Year B)

The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard "delay," but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out. Since everything is to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought (you) to be, conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire. But according to his promise we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.
(2 Peter 3:9-14 NAB Second Sunday of Advent Year B)

Rejoice always.
Pray without ceasing.
In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit.
Do not despise prophetic utterances.
Test everything; retain what is good.
Refrain from every kind of evil.
May the God of peace himself make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Thes 5:16-24 NAB Third Sunday of Advent Year B)

Now may God himself, our Father, and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones.
(1 Thes 3:11-13 NAB First Sunday of Advent Year C)

And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
(Phil 1:9-11 NAB Second Sunday of Advent Year C)

Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
(Phil 4:4-7 NAB Third Sunday of Advent Year C)

Advent is not only about preparing for the celebration of Jesus’ birth at Christmas. We live between the first coming of Jesus when he was born at Bethlehem and his Second Coming at the end of time when he will come as Judge of all. Advent is also a time for us to reflect on the Second Coming of Jesus. The final conquest of evil will take place when Jesus comes again as Judge. Jesus’ Second Coming will complete what Jesus began with his birth in Bethlehem, his death and resurrection. It will bring the fullness of salvation to the world.

Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

May our love for each other may increase more and more as we await the coming of Jesus.

4th Sunday of Advent

2010-12-18T00:00:00.001-07:00

We are all busy preparing for Christmas. A lot of preparation had to be made for the first Christmas also by Mary and Joseph. They had to prepare by saying “yes” to God’s plan for the birth of Jesus. Today our Gospel focuses on the preparation made by Joseph for that first Christmas.

It was a most difficult preparation for him. At that time Jews were betrothed one year before they got married. When a couple were betrothed to each other one year before marriage they were then legally united but did not live together. A year later the wedding ceremony took place and then the couple came to live together. During the year before marriage after they had been betrothed, Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant. What suffering he must have endured. The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary asking her to be the mother of Jesus and she said “yes.” Joseph too, like Mary, received a visit from an angel asking him to agree to God’s plan for Mary. The angel reassured him saying that the Holy Spirit was the father of Mary’s child. Our Gospel today says, “When Joseph woke up he did what he angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home.” Just as Mary said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let what you have said be done to me”, Joseph also did likewise when he obeyed the angel. Elizabeth said of Mary, “blessed is she who believed the promise made her by the Lord…” (Luke 1:45) and the same could also be said of Joseph, “blessed is he who believed the promise made him by the Lord…” What consequences the actions of one couple, Adam and Eve, had at the beginning of the Old Testament and what consequences the actions of another couple, Mary and Joseph, had the beginning of the New Testament. Every time you say “no” or “yes” to sin you are affecting many others. What consequences our actions can have on thousands and millions of others.

Marriage and virginity are two signs of the love of God for us and we see both of these united in the first couple of the New Testament, Mary and Joseph. Joseph is a model of chastity. There has always been a tradition that Mary had an ambition to dedicate herself exclusively to God in virginity. Pope John Paul II refers to this in his exhortation Redemptoris Custos (Guardian of the Redeemer) about St. Joseph. How could Mary combine this wish with marriage? The Pope says they were combined through the virginal conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit. In our times, sin is glamorized on TV and in magazines so much that people have come to accept sin as normal. The chastity of Joseph and Mary is a challenge to our times when the sanctity of marriage and fidelity to one’s spouse for life are no longer respected.

Although Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus, he was a true father to Jesus. When Jesus was found in the temple, Mary said to Jesus, “Your father and I have been looking for you.” (Luke 2:48). We can imagine the love and affection between Joseph and Jesus, and between Joseph and Mary. We can imagine Joseph’s pain at the poor circumstances of Jesus’ birth. We can imagine the pain that he must have suffered when Simeon told Mary that Jesus would be a sign that would be opposed and that a sword would pierce Mary’s soul (Luke 2:34-35). We can imagine the pain Joseph suffered when he had to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt for safety to preserve their lives.

What gave Joseph the strength to endure all the trials his vocation brought him? It was obviously his life of prayer that gave him the strength to be obedient to God’s call to him. He was a just man, a man of honor as our Gospel today tells us. (Matt 1;19) He had to have been a man of deep faith to fulfill his high calling. There is no record of him being present on Calvary so we presume he had died before Jesus. We can presume that this man of faith had Jesus and Mary present with him as he died. That is the way that all people of faith would like to die, in the company of Jesus and Mary.

In 1870 Pope Pius IX declared St. Joseph Patron of the Universal Church. He said,

“in the same way that he once kept unceasing holy watch over the family of Nazareth, so now does he protect and defend with his heavenly patronage the Church of Christ.”

Pope Leo XIII prayed to Joseph in this way,

“Most beloved father, dispel the evil of falsehood and sin...graciously assist us from heaven in our struggle with the powers of darkness...and just as once you saved the Child Jesus from mortal danger, so now defend God’s holy Church from the snares of her enemies and from all adversity.” (Oratio ad Sanctum Iosephum, contained immediately after the text of the Encyclical EpistleQuamquam pluries).

In Joseph’s role as Patron of the Church he is indeed defending her from the snares of her enemies. This true story illustrates this. In the early 1980’s a woman visited the Convent of the Religious of St. Joseph at Bessillon in France where Joseph had appeared. She was expecting her fourth child and was very ill. The doctors told her the only way she could survive was to have an abortion. They even told her it was her duty since she already had three children to mind. She went to a priest who told her to go to Mass for nine consecutive days at St. Joseph’s Convent in Bessillon. The child was born at full term with no defects and she has given birth to another two boys since then. (I found the story in The Glories of Saint Joseph published by Traditions Monastiques, France, pages 79-80.)

St. Joseph is Patron of the Church. He had to make preparations for the first Christmas, to submit to God’s plan in faith. As we prepare for Christmas we can turn to Joseph asking his help so that we can prepare our hearts in faith to be worthy mangers to receive Jesus.

Mid-Week / The blind Receive Their Sight

2010-12-17T02:21:00.000-07:00

"The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them." [Mt. 11:5] Today's celebration of the Third Sunday of Advent continues to prepare us for the coming of the Lord Jesus among us. During this special time of Advent, we are called to embrace a holy mind so that we may perceive for the benefit of our spiritual growth the true spiritual meaning of the Words of God that we have just heard.

The First Reading from the Book of Isaiah [Is. 35:1-6a, 10] echoed the anticipation of God's chosen people. The people believed that God would come and save them from their worldly suffering. To them, God's coming was perceived as a second Exodus.

In their perception of the coming of the promised Messiah, the people visualized a transformation of the physical world where the entire creation would rejoice. They envisioned blooming deserts that would manifest the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. [Is. 35:1-2]

They visualized a revived people under the leadership of an eternal King who would arrive to save them and avenge them. Once more the weak hands and feeble knees would be made strong. Those who are physically blind, they would see again. Those who are deaf, they would hear again. [Is. 35:5]

Today's First Reading and the Gospel of Matthew both mention that "the blind shall see." [Is. 29:18-9, 35:5-6, 61:1; Mt. 11:5; Lk. 7:22] Among the hundreds of prophecies in the Old Testament that foretold of the coming Messiah, there was one outstanding prophecy that would distinguish the promised Messiah from the false prophets. It was His ability to give sight to the blind.

That is why when John the Baptist was in prison and he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the one to come or if they had to wait for another, Jesus answered, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight..." [Mt. 11:2-5] Because the people were worldly minded, Jesus provided physical miracles as a sign that the prophecies were being fulfilled through Him. At the same time, the meaning of the blind receiving their sight did not have just a physical meaning, but also a spiritual meaning. This spiritual insight would come to the people after the glorious Resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

Returning to the First Reading, God's people waited for a Redeemer who would bring them out of their exile, something similar to what was experienced in the Exodus from Egypt. What God was revealing to them was a different Exodus, salvation through Jesus Christ.

The Second Reading from the Letter of James [Jas 5:7-10] reminds us to be patient until the coming of the Lord. In those days, it was the common belief of the people that Jesus would return anytime, "anytime" meaning during the life of the generation that lived in the days of the Lord. [1 Thess. 2:19; 4:15; 2 Thess 2:1, etc.; Mt. 24:3; 2 Pet. 1:16, 3:4, 12; 1 Jn. 2:28] Awaiting the glorious return of the Lord Jesus, some of the faithful had sold everything they owned and gave the money away. Others had quit their jobs and sat around, just waiting.

Regarding this deception, St. Paul told them, "As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here. Let no one deceive you in any way: for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless on is revealed, the one destined for destruction..." [2 Thess. 2:1-3]

While we must be prepared for the coming of the Lord, at the same time, we must not allow ourselves to be deceived by false prophets. For "about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." [Mt. 24:36]

In the meantime, we must bear our crosses by persevering in our suffering, suffering through the ordinary trials of life and suffering through outrageous injustices such as the persecution of Christians. Both have their merits and bless us with graces according to our sufferings. No matter what we suffer, like the farmer who patiently awaits for the earth to produce the precious crops, we too must be extremely patient. May the Lord strengthen our hearts in holiness that we may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of Jesus with all His saints. [1 Thess. 3:13]

While awaiting the coming of the Lord, may our gentleness be known to everyone. For the Lord is near. [Phil. 4:5] May we not neglect to meet together, encourage one another, all the more as we see the Day approaching. [Heb. 10:25] "For yet 'in a very little while the one who is coming will come and will not delay.'" [Hab. 2:3; Heb. 10:37]

In the First Letter of John I read, "Children, it is the last hour! As you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. From this we know that it is the last hour." [1 Jn. 2:18] Who are the antichrists? Regarding the Antichrist deception, number 676 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us:
"The Antichrist's deception already begins to take shape in the world every time the claim is made to realize within history that messianic hope which can only be realized beyond history through the eschatological judgment. The Church has rejected even modified forms of this falsification of the kingdom to come under the name of millenarianism, especially the 'intrinsically perverse' political form of a secular messianism."
In other words, when someone claims that Christ is returning to rule for a thousand years on earth, his claim is an Antichrist deception. The eternal Kingdom of God is not of this world. [Jn. 18:36]

The Second Reading reminds us not to grumble against one another, so that we may not be judged. For the Judge is standing at the doors. [Jas. 5:9] These words echo the Words of Jesus, "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get." [Mt. 7:1-2]

While we frequently remember the saints and martyrs as our models of suffering and patience, we should not forget the prophets of the Old Testament who spoke in the Most Holy Name of the Lord and who were murdered because of it. [Jas. 5:10; Mt. 23:29-32; Acts 7:52]

Today's Reading from the Gospel of Matthew [Mt. 11:2-11] related the event when John the Baptist sent messengers to Jesus. No one is really sure as to why John the Baptist sent the messengers. Was he experiencing a moment of doubt while in prison? Was it because he too was waiting for a worldly kingdom and he was being impatient with Jesus who was taking forever to overthrow the Roman Empire? Surely, hearing in prison what the Messiah was doing, [Mt. 11:2] it must have been confusing for John the Baptist. After all, he had no reason to believe any different than the Jewish people who were awaiting a worldly kingdom.

Jesus was asked, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" [Mt. 11:3] To this He answered, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them." [Mt. 11:4-5]

Let us take a moment to review the spiritual meaning of each part of this response.

(1) "The blind receive their sight." When Jesus spoke of the blind receiving their sight, He was speaking of their enlightment to spiritual matters. We learn this truth from the Holy Bible when the Apostles asked Jesus how come He spoke in parables. To this, Jesus answered, "To you has been given the secret of the Kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables: in order that they may indeed look but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven." [Mk. 4:10-2] For those who have hardened their hearts, it is not meant for them to understand spiritual things.

(2) The lame walk. Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him." [Jn. 14:6-7] Without Jesus, we are lame. We fall in all our undertakings. We walk in the darkness. With Jesus, even though we may suffer for a while, we can still walk because we have a blessed hope.

(3) The lepers are cleansed. Leprosy is a symbol of the state of our souls when we live in sin. Covered with horrifying stains, we are not worthy of being in the presence of the Lord. But through the Sacrament of Confession, we can be cleansed. Did Jesus not say to His disciples, "'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.' When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.'" [Jn. 20:21-3]

(4) The deaf hear. As the blind see, the deaf hear. Those who have hardened their hearts, they do not hear anything. This is especially truthful of those who reject the grace of God, therefore sinning against the Holy Spirit. [Lk. 12:10] For them, it is not what God wants. It is what "I want!" They have placed their will above the Divine Will of God. Those who are sincere in their search of eternal life, they hear the voice of the Father in their hearts. And everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, they go to Jesus. [Jn. 6:45]

(5) The dead are raised. The dead are those who have no life in them. They walk the path of darkness. Jesus taught the way that one must follow to obtain the resurrection of life. It is through the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." [Jn. 6:53]

(6) The poor have good news brought to them. The poor are the sincere who seek the truth, the way and the life through Jesus Christ. Jesus said to His disciples, "Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned." [Mk. 15:15-6] Therefore, the poor are also those who are baptized, the Sacrament of Baptism being their admission into the Body of Christ.

Jesus is the Good News, the Light of the world. "The true light, which enlighten everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God." [Jn. 1:9-13]

These were the teachings of Jesus. Those who embrace a spiritual mind, they understand these Words. They submit themselves to the Divine Will of the Lord in obedience and servitude. They are among the blind who have received their sight. For they know the promise of the Lord for those who persevere to the end. "See, I am coming soon; My reward is with Me, to repay according to everyone's work." [Rev. 22:12]

3rd Week of Advent

2010-12-11T00:10:00.000-07:00

There is a birthday card which reads on the outside, “Sweetheart, you are the answer to my prayers!” Then when you open it, it reads, “You’re not what I prayed for exactly, but apparently you’re the answer!” I read an article some time ago which is rather disturbing if it is true. It stated that there are more family rows at Christmas than at any other time of the year because people have unrealistic expectations of Christmas and when they are not fulfilled tension results and then fuses blow leading to family rows. I hope that is not true.

I was reminded of those examples of unfulfilled hopes by the question of John the Baptist in today’s Gospel, “Are you the one who is to come, or have we got to wait for someone else?” John the Baptist’s hopes in Jesus seemed not to be fulfilled. He was in prison because he preached the word of God, the truth about marriage and life-long fidelity to one’s spouse. We can easily understand his question, “Are you the one who is to come, or have we got to wait for someone else?” Like John we too sometimes feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. Through no fault of our own we find ourselves in some difficulty or fix. And we wonder where is Jesus. And we too feel like sending messengers to him saying, “Are you the Messiah? Are you going to help me or will you leave me helpless?”

Jesus sent back the messengers to John the Baptist with this reply,

‘Go back and tell John what you hear and see; the blind see again, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised to life and the Good News is proclaimed to the poor; and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.’ (Matt 11:4-6)

That is Jesus’ message to us also. Look around you and see the presence of God despite the difficulty you are in. Look around you and see the blind seeing again, the lame walking, lepers being cleansed, the deaf hearing, and the dead being raised to life. When we look around in our own diocese we see those words being fulfilled in the very powerful healing ministry of some priests of our diocese. A person in my last parish received a letter from a friend in another part of the country about being cured of cancer through the healing ministry of one the priests of our diocese. Events like that give us courage. Remember the last line of the message Jesus sent back to John in prison, ‘happy the man who does not lose faith in me’. When we are in prison like John, between a rock and a hard place, in some difficulty or fix, let us continue to trust and pray and not lose faith in Jesus. Let us continue to pray. Prayer is always answered somehow, somewhere, even if not in the way we expected. Keep sending messengers to Jesus looking for an answer to the problem. And we will get an answer, even if not what we expected. But let us keep trusting in God.

When our hopes are dashed let us turn to Jesus. He is the answer to all our hopes and dreams. He will not let us down. Cardinal Basil Hume wrote of St Thérèse of Lisieux,

“In 1987 I visited St Thérèse’s cell in the Carmel of Lisieux. By the door of her cell, scratched into the wood, she had written, “Jesus is my only love.” That was not written in exaltation but in near despair. She was thus crying out to her Beloved that even when she experienced nothing but absence, emptiness, darkness, she clung to the assurance of being loved and carried in his arms. That is faith at a heroic level – that is trust, clinging to God when everything in our experience would seem to contradict his very existence, or at least his love for us.”

The following was found written on a cellar wall in Cologne (Köln) after World War II,

I believe in the sun even when it is not shining.
I believe in love even when I feel it not.
I believe in God even when he is silent.

Happy the man or woman in prison who does not lose faith in Jesus. Happy the man or woman stuck between a rock and a hard place who does not lose faith in Jesus. Happy the one who does not lose faith in Jesus.

Mid-Week / A Baby Changed Everything on Christmas Day

2010-12-07T14:05:00.000-07:00

A Baby Changed Everything on Christmas Day

Music by: Faith Hill

Summarized by: M.J. Leyden

“Teenage girl, much too young

Unprepared for what’s to come

A baby changes everything”

A baby that was born in a dirty, cold and gross Stable that was to save the world, because the Inn had no room for a mother and her child.”

A girl that was so scared to accept a small gift; that would turn into the biggest Christmas gift to the world. Not knowing what was going on, said Yes and the whole plan started!

“Not a ring on her hand

All her dreams and all her plans

A baby changes everything

A baby changes everything”

Her future husband and parents very upset with the news when they found out, where to turn – where to go? – She never lost her faith or why the dream of the greatest gift would be born.

“The man she loves she’s never touched

How will she keep his trust?

A baby changes everything

A baby changes everything”

Never married how do you explain it? How do you continue to deal with the looks the talks? How – How can you trust again? – Those are the questions, it’s not a trust; it’s a test, can you trust what has happened?!.

“And she cries!

Ooh, she cries

Ooh, oh”

She is scared, scared of what is coming, what and how to raise him – the greatest gift to the World! She is scared.

“She has to leave, go far away

Heaven knows she can’t stay

A baby changes everything”

Must think, she has to leave and visit family and to understand what has taken place and why her! There is trouble coming, they must leave, they pack – they say goodbye and leave. They are scared.

“And she cries!

And she cries!

Oh, she cries.”

“Shepherds all gather ‘round

Up above the star shines down

A baby changes everything”

They travel from far away to see this gift. They follow a star so bright only one in the sky – the only one for millions of miles away the One that glows. They are poor – the gift born in a Stable for all the nations to have and love and not just the rich, but the poor of the poorest!

“Choir of angels sing

Glory to the newborn King

A baby changes everything

Everything, everything, everything”

The star so bright in the star filled sky on a cold night – a baby cries for the first time and the World all bows in HONOR as the sky is filled with Angels singing praises of thanks to the baby.

“Hallelujah, Hallelujah,

Hallelujah, Hallelujah”

The world is in tears of joy and happiness for the greatest gift was born; we are all kneeling and smiling.

“My whole life has turned around

I was lost but now I’m found

A baby changes everything, yeah

A baby changes everything”

The Lord of Lords was born in a cold, stable – a Stable made for animals and not the King of the World. My life was changed when I was born under His love and was blessed with many friends and family. I, the sheep was lost and my Shepherd found me – leaded me back to the flock. He continues to find His lost sheep and brings them home to the flock.

We should be all kneeling in His honor and give Him a place in our homes; it was for Him that we have a place at His table.

What a true gift in a season made of Love, Faith, Hope. “for unto mankind … the King of Kings was born … you will call Him … Emmanuel.”