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Reflection for the Solemnity of the Humble Shepherds

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“I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, says the LORD.”

In 1906 a Special Holy Synod of our Church was convened and one of its actions was to declare the Sunday after Christmas the Solemnity of the Humble Shepherds.

As the faithful of the Polish National Catholic Church we annually celebrate the example of humble working people represented by the Bethlehem shepherds, the ones chosen by God in Luke’s Gospel to hear the first announcement of Jesus’ birth.

God had exalted these often shunned and discriminated individuals. God had honored their honest and humble work as He sent His Son into the world in such an extraordinarily ordinary circumstance.
This Solemnity was meant to encourage the predominantly immigrant, working class, and poor Church members of that day.

Those hard working and under-appreciated first parishioners were spiritually strengthened to maintain the good fight for a democratic, people’s Catholic church by remembering the example of the Humble Shepherds. They fully understood the humble shepherds who, when prompted by God, went to meet the newborn savior: “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” Then having seen the fulfillment they took action and made the good news known: And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child.

This Solemnity reminds us to maintain our focus. We must listen to God’s word and then we must take action. We must continue to fight against meaningless parades of pomp for the sake of glorifying clergy in carrying out our faith life. Ours is a humble Church, built by the humble, and led by humble shepherds who love Jesus and their people. This is a model of Christian faith, practiced in the PNCC for over 100 years, which other Churches are beginning to find.

On this Solemnity we also particularly remember and pray for our shepherds – the priests and bishops who lead us with love and humility. They listened to the prompting of God and took action – standing before us to make God’s word known so that we might take action. Let us ask God to bless our clergy and to call forth to Sacred Vocations those called by Christ to be the humble shepherds of our congregations. May they hear, listen, and take action.

Christian Witness, Homilies, Saints and Martyrs

Reflection for the Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist

we have seen it and testify to it
and proclaim to you the eternal life
that was with the Father and was made visible to us—
what we have seen and heard
we proclaim now to you,
so that you too may have fellowship with us

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. John, apostle and evangelist.

Born in Bethsaida, John was called while mending his nets to follow Jesus. He became the beloved disciple of Jesus. He wrote the fourth Gospel, three Epistles and Revelation.

The beginning of John’s gospel tells us of the pre-existence of the Word, who by His Incarnation became the light of the world and the life of our souls. His focus on the divinity of Christ and His fraternal love for us are greatly comforting. John knew that Jesus is God among us and that He came with deep love for us, to redeem us and release us from fear and death.

John, with James, his brother, and Simon Peter, was one of the witnesses of the Transfiguration. At the Last Supper, John leaned on the Jesus’ breast. At the foot of the cross, Jesus entrusted His Mother to John’s care. St. John is known to us as “the beloved disciple.” Jesus showed particular instances of kindness and affection toward St. John above all the rest. He was the only one of the Apostles who did not forsake Jesus in the hour of His Passion and Death.

St. John remained in Jerusalem for a long time, later going on to Ephesus, where he founded Churches.

stjohnthedivinedaySt. John was the only apostle who did not undergo martyrdom. The emperors tried to kill him many times. John was brought to Rome and was cast into a caldron of boiling oil by order of Emperor Domitian. He was miraculously preserved unhurt. One of the symbols used to represent St. John is a chalice and serpent (the cup of sorrow foretold by Jesus). It is said that the emperors tried to poison John by giving him a chalice filled with poisoned wine. He prayed over the cup and serpents fell out. He drank the wine unharmed. That is why, on this day, we bless wine in his honor. With all attempts at killing him failing, the emperor exiled John to the island of Patmos.

In his extreme old age he continued to visit the Churches of Asia. St. Jerome relates that when age and weakness grew upon him so that he was no longer able to preach to the people, he would be carried to the assembly of the faithful by his disciples, with great difficulty; and every time said to his flock only these words: “My dear children, love one another.”

St. John died in peace at Ephesus in the hundredth year of the Christian era, or the sixty-sixth from the crucifixion of Christ. St. John would have been about ninety-four years old.

The key thing for us to contemplate is the fact that wine, mixed with water, becomes for us the blood of Christ in the Eucharist. In the Eucharist we engage in an act of “remembrance.” Remembrance, as we often preach, is not a mere memory of what Jesus did at the last supper, but a real and living unity with Jesus’ divine role as our redeemer. We proclaim that we are not just remembering, but in the Eucharist are indeed present at every moment of Jesus’ Divine life. It is why the Holy Mass is the key and most essential celebration we engage in as Christians. We, in that moment, are really present in Jesus life, at the last supper, in His death, resurrection, ascension, and at His return in glory; all in that holy moment. In the Eucharist we live in Jesus and Jesus lives in us. In communion we all receive Him and we are given the grace to live in Him as He lives in us.

St. John knew this. He was completely connected to Jesus, not just because he lived with Him and followed Him throughout His ministry in the cities and countryside of Israel. He was really part of Jesus, and Jesus was in Him, not just as a memory but in reality. John lived the Eucharistic reality of Jesus fully present. When St. John tells us: “My dear children, love one another” he is asking us to live in the reality of Jesus past, present, and future. In partaking of the Eucharist at communion we receive the full reality of Jesus who is in the world and will come again to fulfill all His promises to us. This is the Christian life of love we must have, a life that is eternal.

While John underwent many tortures and exile he never feared. Death to him was nothing. He remained steadfast, even as Jesus was dying on the cross as well as amid all the tortures that would visit him later in life. He knew that his life was not just for the here and now, but for all eternity. We know that too. Like John, nothing can or should separate us from the love of God – Jesus living in us. John expectantly knew that Jesus would return. He lived that reality. Jesus, the eternal Word, our Lord and God, has come and will come again casting out all fear. To John and to us death is no more. Only love and the promise of eternal life in Jesus matter.

Christian Witness, Homilies

Reflection for Christmas

jesushopeforhumanity

For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given. — Isaiah 9:5

Lord Jesus, as we gaze upon You, sleeping peacefully in the manger, we feel a deep peace radiate from You. A holy calm fills our hearts. You have kept Your promise, You are here, with us now.

Lord Jesus, you were not afraid to come to us; help us to be not afraid in coming to You. Give us Your deep inner peace that we might impart joy, hope, and courage to all we encounter. Open our hearts to see You more clearly, receive You more deeply, and follow You more willingly. Increase our capacity to give and receive Your love. May this Christmas Day and Season warm our hearts all year.

Who is Wise?

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.” — Matthew 2:1-2

Millions saw the brilliant star. But only a few Wise Men left the comforts of their homes to find out what it meant.

Thousands, including Herod and the Jewish scholars, knew the Bible had predicted that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. But only the Wise Men went there.

Millions will hear Christmas Carols this season, but only the wise will listen. Thousands will attend special services and Solemn Holy Mass, but only the wise will go to Bethlehem (The House of Bread) and find the Savior.

Millions will read the Christmas story in newspapers, on-line, in the Bible, or in church programs, but only the wise will take action.

What did the Wise Men do?

  1. They had evidence that something important was happening, and they took action.
  2. They sought out and listened to those who had the facts.
  3. They responded appropriately: They rejoiced; they worshipped; they gave gifts.

How can we be wise?

  1. Recognize that the coming of Jesus Christ was a tremendous event and do something about it – take action! 
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.” Luke 2:10-11
  2. Find out the facts. Seek and listen. Go to the Bible or ask those who know Jesus as Savior Our eternal destiny deserves serious thought and consideration. 
[B]ut these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31
  3. Respond! Rejoice, worship, offer our gifts and talants to doing the work Jesus asks of us. Start in repentance of sin and be humble before Jesus Christ, the King of kings, the mighty Judge, the Redeemer of mankind, who loved us so much that He came to die for our salvation. We will be richly rewarded! We too will find Wisdom! 
You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart — Jeremiah 29:13

O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! — Psalm 95:6

We, the wise, have come this Christmas to find Him, the greatest gift. We have recognized that something has happened, sought the facts, and continue to respond. Jesus taught them saying: “Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock” — Matthew 5:2 and Matthew 7:24

Thank you to all who have come to share this Holy Christmas Day in our community. Our community is your community! It is a place where we journey together to follow Jesus, to learn and grow together, and to serve each other and our larger community. A small church, on a small street, with a big and welcoming heart for you. May God bless you in every way.

Deacon Jim and the Parish Committee.

Christian Witness, Homilies,

Reflection for the 4th Sunday of Advent

WhatifLove

“When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.”

Today we hear of Joseph as he confronts fear, doubt, and a decision about right and wrong.

The Gospel tells us that Joseph was a righteous man. Now, being ‘righteous’ or ‘just’ as an observant Jew meant that Joseph followed, lived, and abided by the law.

The law laid out the penalty for pre-marital sex and adultery. It was death for both the woman and man involved. Leviticus 20:10 states: “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” Deuteronomy 22:22 states: “If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.”

Since Joseph and Mary were engaged, Mary was legally Joseph’s wife. Mary was obviously pregnant – so in everyone’s mind she was an adulteress. By law Joseph could denounce Mary and she would be stoned to death. Joseph would cast first stone.

Joseph is shamed by Mary’s pregnancy. Joseph went home to think this all over. We can imagine his thoughts, the stress, the anger, the shame, and the hurt. What should he do? The law says put her to death, get revenge, and purify the community. What would happen if he didn’t follow the law?

Before his adopted Son would ever proclaim the value of forgiveness, before Jesus would say, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone,” or “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment” Joseph acted with true righteousness. Amidst the hurt, pain, and conflict Joseph decided against death. He would arrange a no-fault divorce, without admitting or denying paternity of child. This would save Mary’s life.

God would intervene through His angel to give Joseph all of the facts – that there is no human father for Jesus. More importantly, Joseph provides us with an example of true righteousness. This is the kind of righteousness we are called to live.

Death is the penalty for sin. Thankfully, through Jesus’ coming, we have been freed from death. Being freed, Jesus asks us to free others from death. This is not the literal death of the Old Testament imposed by stoning, but the sort of death we impose if we harden our hearts to those who have hurt us.

As Joseph chose true righteousness so must we. When we do, when we forgive as we are forgiven, when we free as we have been freed, we overcome death by love.

Christian Witness, Homilies,

Reflection for the 3rd Sunday of Advent

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“Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you.”

If we have been watching television over the past several weeks we may have encountered a twenty-four days of Christmas programming marathon. Twenty-four days of non-stop Christmas movies and shows. Among the shows we will certainly encounter Dickenson’s “A Christmas Carol.”

As we recall, his former partner, Jacob Marley, first visits Scrooge. Marley is fettered in heavy chains that he drags behind him. He tells Scrooge that he created these chains throughout his life by his lack of charity and love. We immediately understand and connect. We see our sins and failings as heavy chains that bind us, that prevent us from reaching heavenward.

Jesus told John’s disciples: “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.”

In sin we are the poorest of the poor. We are blind. We are crippled. We become deaf to the call of love. We reap the wages of sin, which is death. Amidst all this Jesus comes to save us.

Jesus’ salvation is an ongoing grace in our lives. In Him we find the One who will break the chains that bind us. In Him we find clear vision. In Him we are healed. In Him our ears are opened. In Him we find the guarantee of freedom from death and the hope of resurrection.

Jesus’ offer of salvation requires our cooperation. We have to be willing to lift up the chains that bind us. If we lift them before Him and His Holy Church, and ask forgiveness, He will free us. If we ask Him to hear us in the sacrament of penance, which He entrusted to His ministers, we will be forgiven for: “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.’”

Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would strengthen feeble hands and knees and give strength to the frightened. He would come with vindication – freeing us from the accusation brought about by our sin. He would exonerate us completely by paying the price for us.

Jesus came to save you and me. He came to free us, to take the weight from our shoulders, our hands, and our hearts. He came so in freedom we would be ready to stand before Him at His coming.

Christian Witness, Homilies,

Reflection for the 2nd Sunday of Advent

mandela

By endurance and
encouragement

“Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 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.”

St. Paul speaks of endurance. This week we experienced the passing of a man of endurance. His quote on the front of our bulletin speaks of endurance. Read again his words: “I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.” The quote is taken from Nelson Mandela’s autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, published in 1994.

Mr. Mandela endured years of struggle in the fight for freedom, including 27 years in prison. Imagine yourself as standing up for what you believe, enduring struggles, facing prison – all for what you believe, for offering the promise of freedom to your fellow man. We can all follow in his example because it is the core of Christian faith and action.

The world counts Mr. Mandela a hero because of his endurance, the encouragement he offered; for standing up in the face of oppression. Through his endurance he brought freedom to his people. Not only did he endure for freedom, but also for a spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness in the midst of political and social change.

Think on these things – freedom, forgiveness, peace, and reconciliation. Our Fathers in faith, Paul, Peter, the other apostles, the saints and martyrs throughout history and even to our day endure prison and persecutions enduring to offer the hope and encouragement of scripture, the promises of Jesus to all.

We are called in this Advent season to reconnect to our call, to endure and to encourage. We call called to strengthen our faith and to offer the deliverance foretold by Isaiah and delivered by Jesus: Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, but he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted.

Let us live like Paul and Peter, like Mr. Mandela, calling all to learn, to be encouraged through scripture, to live in harmony and mutual support in the Christian community. Together in Christ we offer the world what we have – the message of true and eternal freedom, endurance, encouragement, reconciliation and forgiveness.

Christian Witness, Homilies, ,

Reflection for the 1st Sunday of Advent – A – 2013

IMG_2350

Yesterday, Today,
and Always

“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.”

In the Holy Mass we participate in doing something extraordinary. When Jesus left us the gift of His body and blood and said, do this in memory of Me He gave us an explicit command to do what He had done that night.

Each of us has a special role in carrying out the Eucharist. Our gifts and sacrifice in the form of the bread and wine we offer is changed into Jesus’ body and blood by what the priest does during the Eucharistic prayer. Jesus’ role as servant is exemplified in the work of the deacon who serves at the altar. Each of our roles is essential. Jesus didn’t do any of what He did alone, but in the midst of community.

Jesus didn’t want us to just remember what He had done. Memory is fleeting and can fade with time. Rather, in asking us to carry out the same action as a family, to live the roles He exemplified, we are part of Jesus’ yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

In the Eucharistic moment we are at once transformed and present with Jesus at His birth and in His ministry. We are there at the Last Supper, at the foot of the Cross, His burial, His resurrection, His Ascension, and at His return.

How amazing it is that we are there with Him, that we can be so very close to Him.

We might think that this is enough. Certainly Jesus’ coming was that moment in time where our redemption occurred. We, who have accepted Jesus into our lives, have received His assurance of salvation. We have been justified. Yes, but greater things are yet to come.

This Advent, this day, is the moment we must be awake and ready for that greater thing. Those greater things are the miracles we bring to the lives of others by our ministry and by the proclamation of Jesus’ word. Faith and salvation will come to them through us as St. Paul tells us: [by] what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ.

The greatest thing yet to come, our greatest hope, is that day of Jesus’ return in glory. We cannot know, or even predict when that day will be, but it will come. We are already part of that always and this season of preparation is our moment to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand.

Christian Witness, Homilies, ,

Reflection for the Solemnity of Christ the King

21691

My Lord and King
remember me

Let us give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light. He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

It is said that there are 3 kinds of people: Those who MAKE things happen; Those who WATCH what happens; and Those who WONDER what happened.

In today’s Gospel we read of these three sorts of people.

The Roman soldiers, the Chief Priests, the Pharisees, and the other leaders thought they had all the power. They could MAKE anyone die on the cross, and today it is Jesus along with two thieves. They considered themselves as the powerful movers and shakers. They were wrong.

Others stood by to WATCH. There was Mary, the other women who supported Jesus, and John. And, there were the thieves hanging there with Jesus. We could say that they were watching too – they had little choice.

One thief thought he could MAKE things happen. If he could mock and taunt Jesus enough, maybe there would be a grand miracle and he could go on his merry way freed from certain death. He too was wrong.

The other thief wasn’t going to stand by and just WATCH. He was not going to MAKE things happen either, at least not of his own accord. He reached into himself and found the exact kind of humility that REALLY MAKES things happen. He found the strength to place his trust in this Man, hanging next to him, badly beaten, bloody, humiliated, and dying. He saw through the blood and gore to the right and true. He saw that this Man was not just a man; rather He was God’s Son, the Messiah, who MAKES everything happen, Who will save him completely and forever.

That thief reached out in humility. He saw Jesus as the promised King whose power would free Him from death in sin to eternal life. “he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’”

People have stood by for centuries WONDERING what happened. Caught up in sin and hopelessness they have looked at this scene and have failed to trust or find humility before their King Who MAKES all things possible. They have failed to ask Jesus to remember them.

We renew our assurance that Jesus will MAKE things happen in our lives, things that bring us goodness, rest, peace, and freedom from sin. We cannot just WATCH, nor should we WONDER. We must be that 4th kind of person – the men, women, and children of FAITH who ask and are assured.

Christian Witness, Homilies,

Reflection for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

day_of_the_Lord

Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch, says the LORD of hosts. But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.

Waiting for Godot is a play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for the arrival of someone, named Godot. Godot’s absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, has led to many different interpretations. Mary Bryden observed, “The … God who emerges from Beckett’s texts is one who is both cursed for His perverse absence and cursed for His surveillant presence. He is by turns dismissed, satirized, or ignored, but He, and His tortured Son, are never definitively discarded.”

Malachi prophesied that the day of the Lord was coming. He lived about 445 years before Jesus was born. Thirty more years would go by before Jesus began His public ministry. Today’s gospel shows Jesus to be 33, in Jerusalem, and days away from His sacrificial death on the cross.

Throughout Jesus’ ministry many who followed Him had a level of self-assurance that He would free Israel from earthly captivity. When Jesus refused to be proclaimed an earthly king many lost faith in Him. They never saw that He was there to free them from a much greater captivity. They missed the day of the Lord. They deceived themselves.

Jesus said that no matter what: “See that you not be deceived.” Complacency is the way we deceive ourselves. Waiting in vain is deception. Waiting and missing “it” is deception.

We deceive ourselves when we sit around speculating on the “last day.” Rather than waiting for God we have to go out and seek Him. We have to follow His word, walk in His path, and bring others to share in fellowship with Him. We must live in Him and proclaim with the wisdom He gives us through His teaching: His day is today!!!

Research has shown that, when a fire alarm rings, people do not act immediately. They talk to each other, and they try to work out what is going on. They stand around – waiting. Do you remember your last fire drill? Instead of leaving fast, people wait. They wait for more clues – the smell of smoke, or advice from someone they trust. So often those who wait end up dead.

We can trust Jesus. The fire alarm is going off every day. We needn’t worry about the fire itself, but rather whether we have listened to Him in the midst of the fire and are on the path to life. Walk toward life, do not sit and wait. Recognize today as the day of the Lord.

Christian Witness, Homilies, Political, ,

Reflection for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

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We often wonder
what if?

But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. We are confident of you in the Lord that what we instruct you, you are doing and will continue to do. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ.

The Sadducees confronted Jesus intent on embarrassing Him so they could prove their political point of view. The party of the Sadducees believed that there would be no resurrection of the dead. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection.

The conflict over the resurrection was one of several between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They had a conflict of class, wealthy versus the poor, priests and aristocrats versus ordinary people. Another conflict was cultural, between those who favored Hellenization and those who resisted it. The Pharisees emphasized the importance of the Second Temple with its rites and services, while the Sadducees emphasized the importance of other Mosaic laws. They differed too on the Torah and how to apply it to Jewish life, with the Sadducees recognizing only the written Torah and rejecting oral tradition. The historian Josephus tells us that the Pharisees had the backing of the common people.

The problem of political and philosophical conflicts – as we know – aren’t limited to the times of Jesus. It even rears its ugliness in conflicts between Christians. When will the end come, what will it be like, how should the Church be organized, who should lead, how should we worship…? It goes on and on.

Each political point of view tries to provide the answer to “what if.” They try to ease our wondering and our wandering, but their answers are not the truth. Jesus is the truth. Unfortunately neither the Pharisees nor Sadducees saw that – their politics got in the way. We still fail when we seek answers to “what if” from politicians and the world even though the answer of Jesus is within our grasp.

The Maccabees were certain. They knew that surety in God was more important than the “what ifs” of today. They suffered and died, not asking “what if,” but saying, “I know.” the mother who, seeing her seven sons perish in a single day, bore it courageously because of her hope in the Lord.

For us there can be no reliance on politics. We needn’t question “what if,” but rather need to stand strong and sure. Jesus never promised more questions but promised absolute certainty to His faithful – life everlasting.

Take confidence in the way of the Lord. Do not wonder “what if.” Be sure only in Him Who guides us, is faithful, and gives us the answer we need.

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