(Was a) Deacon's Blog

—Teacher which commandment in the law is the greatest?—
He said to him,
—You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.

My sisters and brothers in Christ,

What follows this statement, —You shall love your neighbor as yourself.— is often the focus of the homily on this Sunday. We focus so much on —You shall love your neighbor as yourself.— that we often overlook the first part, the greatest commandment —You shall love the Lord, your God—. Or we see —You shall love your neighbor as yourself!’ as an equal substitute for loving God.

Of course our neighbor is easy to see, sometimes even to love. Look around you. This Church, this community are filled with your neighbors. You’ll shake their hands at the sign of peace.

But what about God? God is in your neighbor of course, but your neighbor is not God. Nothing on earth is God, or anything in the heavens. God is the infinite and the ultimate. He cannot be contained in anything, not even in everything created. The created can only point to Him.

So my family in Christ, let’s focus on God.

You’ve all heard of the terrible term WMD’s, weapons of mass destruction. Today I will talk about an equally terrible weapon we all carry, IMD’s.

What is an IMD? An IMD is the tool of evil in our life. It is intimidation, manipulation, and domination. It is the set of
tools that evil gives us to make us feel secure in our own power and sense of control.

Intimidation, manipulation, and domination.

Perhaps we use these tools with our spouse, perhaps with our children, maybe with our co-workers or subordinates. Intimidation, manipulation, and domination make us feel secure and in control.

Evil in our lives, the force of evil in the world, leads us to believe that we need power and control. It tempts us, and when we sin, when we acquiesce to the idea that we need to gain knowledge, power, and control by using IMD’s, we discard the greatest commandment. God is not in charge anymore. We are. There is no God. We are not loving God heart, mind, and soul. When we sin we are not loving Him at all.

So what of God? Isn’t He the most powerful, most almighty, most everlasting. Isn’t He the ultimate IMD, the mother of all IMD’s.

No.

When we think of God we think, He can fix it, he can make it better, He has the power. And we disappoint ourselves, because we did not gain power and control over our situation through God’s hands. We didn’t get the power to control and understand what is happening. We didn’t change the outcome.

What does God give us? How does He act? Does He use I MD’s?

Well, He gave us His son, He allowed himself to be brutally killed so we could have everlasting life.

That is why the cross is a stumbling block. It does not represent intimidation, manipulation, and domination. It represents sacrifice, suffering, and love. Jesus did not promise us a honkey-dory existence. He did not promise us a rose garden. When we suffer, when we sacrifice, when we are in pain and need, we are ever closer to Him. When we realize our sin and repent from it, His death on the cross becomes real for us. When we set aside our need for control and put all in God’s hands, then we are Christian.

God gives us Himself in the presence of His Son in this tabernacle. His Son gave us all we need. He did not guarantee us power and control —” quite the opposite. He did however open the doors of heaven to us. He guaranteed our everlasting life. And He left us with the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The point of all this is who do you believe? Do you believe in God, in Jesus Christ, in the Cross and the power of the Holy Spirit? Do we love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind? Or do you believe in yourself and your ability to use IMD’s.

The next time you are tempted, put down the IMD’s and follow the greatest commandment. Love God, that all may be well with you.

In this week’s news:

41 year old actor Nicolas Cage and 20 year old Alice Kim have a new baby which they named Kal-El. That’s right, for those who do not recognize it, Kal-El is Superman’s original Kryptonian name.

My sisters and brothers, my family in Christ,

Today the PNCC celebrates the Solemnity of the Christian Family. A remarkable and righteous celebration of what is good in God’s creation.

Our first reading explains God’s design. He created us in His image. Both men AND women, in God’s image. As a family, in God’s image. How amazing, the all powerful, everlasting, just, God created us in His image. Jesus Christ stood there at creation, the co-eternal Son of the Father, and the Holy Spirit moved across the waters —“ and life was brought forth. Life in the shape of the family is life in God. Jesus came to us as a child, part of a family. Jesus built community around Him in his disciples and Apostles —“ the family of the Church.

Thinking on this is wonderful. It is all warm and fuzzy because we can relate to family. Whether it is nuclear, single parent, or extended, whether our family is represented in our friends, co-workers, in the Church, in a mentoring relationship, our experience of community tells us —“ this is right. This is God’s plan.

But, I bring you a sad message and a call to action. God’s creation is in great danger, and Jesus message, the Gospel, is being threatened at every turn.

The Hollywood agenda —“ pure selfishness. Name your son after a fictional character, carry on the fiction of your relationships, and all the while feed and expound on your own ego. Obviously wrong —“ but we accept it. We even support it in the guise of being open minded and artistic.

The new world order and its affect. We have to respect whatever any individual dreams up, because it is part of their ‘cultural’ imperative. We have to respect each person’s SELF-determination, accent on the self part. Obviously wrong —“ but we accept it. We even support it in the guise of being open minded and democratic.

The ongoing fight to destroy the institution of marriage, to make it something it is not, the culture of death, it’s all ok, it’s my right.

As a matter of fact none of it is right, and it is not ok. It is sin. It is placing man, and mans’ desires before God. It is denigrating God to a philosophical construct at best. It seeks to destroy the Christian family.

Is the Gospel of Christ getting uncomfortable for you yet?

It really shouldn’t matter; for today the Gospel is no more than the philosophical ramblings of a guy named Jesus. He lived a few thousand years ago, talked a lot about love (oh, forget the responsibility and repent part), and he ate and drank with sinners, because he thought sin was cool.

Is this what we believe?

Are we judgmental —“ in fact yes, and we are prejudiced too. We have the ultimate standard to judge by. That is God’s standards as taught to us in the Holy Bible. We have the words and teachings, the example and light of Jesus Christ. And that is the key. Our Church family, our Christian way of life is opposed to the way of the world. The answer to the world’s ways is Jesus. Buddha is not god, nor is Shiva, nor the Great Spirit or Mother Earth, nor money, nor the world.

Jesus Christ is God and unless we can fall before Him in praise and adoration, declaring and believing with every part of our being that He is the everlasting, the Alpha and Omega, the Just Judge and ruler of all, then there is no sense in being here. If he is not the center of our family life, if we as parents are not holding our children accountable for their faith, if we are not modeling the Christian behaviors and attitudes we want to see in our families, our children, and in the world, then we possess no more than an interesting philosophical debate for dinner parties.

This is your call to action. This is your call to, as the title of the homily suggests, be a Christian family —“ a fiery reflection of God’s light. As Christian families, and as a church family, we are called to reflect the light of Christ. To be a light to the world, and to face some hardship in doing so. In the fire of the world’s desires we will be tested and refined. We will be purified for the heavenly kingdom.

Therefore, affirm Jesus Christ as God and live as a Christ centered family. By doing so you will change all that may be hurting you and you will bear witness to Christ before the world.

As a family let us reflect and pray,

Lord, Jesus, today’s psalm tells us that those who fear You and walk in Your ways are happy. Help us to lead exemplary lives as Christians, as Christian families, and as a Christian community. Grant us the grace to resist the promptings and ways of the world for You are all we need. Give us and our world a spirit of responsibility and repentance. Help us to remember that You forgive our sins, and have washed us in Your blood. In all things gather us together, as a family, under the banner of this Church, and grant us the blessings and happiness reserved for those who fear You and walk in Your ways. Amen.

Listen again to the words of Isaiah:

Then he looked for the crop of grapes,
but what it yielded was wild grapes.

What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I had not done?
Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes,
did it bring forth wild grapes?
Now, I will let you know
what I mean to do with my vineyard

My brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,

If you notice, the landowner looked for a good crop. He expected it. He did everything necessary to bring about a good crop. And, he asks a very important question. —Why did it bring forth wild grapes?—

He moves right from the question to the action. —Now, I will let you know what I mean to do with my vineyard—

What’s missing?

We should see it very easily. It is the unanswered question. Where does the blame lie? The landowner asked the question, —Why did it bring forth wild grapes?— Doesn’t he deserve an answer?

Look sir, perhaps it was the soil, the fertilizer, the type of grapes (they’re not right for the climate). Maybe it was the workers or the foreman —“ he had crazy ideas about how you should grow grapes.

What’s missing is the blame. But, Isaiah and Jesus did not have to lay blame. The expected results were known because God is the landowner. He has given every opportunity and every good thing to His people. The people of Isaiah’s time and Jesus’ time are our living, breathing, cautionary tale.

The cautionary tale has three components.

The first caution is that we must know that we have been given every good thing. The Gospel is our instruction book. The Body and Blood of Jesus Christ is our food and strength. And, within us, we have the constant, unconquerable desire for God. God, thank you for these gifts. They are all we need. Caution! Remember that God gives us all we need.

The second caution is that we must trust. Maybe our life situation is not exactly to our liking. Maybe our family and friends are less than we expect. Maybe we have experienced tragedy and sorrow. Maybe everything is honky-dory and we are successful, rich, blessed, and happy.

Regardless, of the circumstances, can we place our complete trust and faith in God? Jesus gave us the instruction, not a blade of grass withers or a bird falls from the sky without His Father’s knowledge. God, our trust is in you alone. You are the center and purpose of our life, not just in the big picture, but every minute of every day. Caution! We better trust in God alone.

The third caution is that we must act. Frankly, you need to be a radical. We are not here to adjust to our environment or to make compromise, but to deliver all and everything to Christ the Universal King in accord with His teaching and that of the Church.

—Teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you—

When you wake in the morning, give thanks for the gifts of the day. For food which is real food unto eternal life, for the Word, for the Gospel. Give thanks for your joys and your sorrows. In your next breath, resolve once again to place your full trust, your full faith and credit in Jesus Christ.

The world will not take kindly to you as a radical for Christ. Our Lord promised us, —You shall be hated by all for my name’s sake— But, caution! Act in accord with Christ and His Church.

We can believe Jesus and we can learn from these cautions, trusting in the reward He promises, or we can heed his admonition.

—Therefore, I say to you,
the kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”

Let us reflect and pray.

Lord, grant us your grace. We ask only for this, for you love us completely and give us all we need. We thank You for what you give us. Inspire us to thank You more and more. Give us the grace to put You first and to fully trust in You. Do not let us be tempted to lay blame but inspire us to act in union with You and Your Church.

Amen.

We begin this Sunday morning, the last day of this year’s Polish Fest, in the most right and proper way. We begin with Holy Mass. This is the fourth time our Parish has organized this festival.

We present Polish—“American culture, music, and food. We also present ourselves, here, before Jesus Christ, as one people. We hold out a history of the Polish people that is marked by both great victory and bravery and by terrible tragedy.

Shakespeare could not have written a better history. Of course we do not need Shakespeare alone, for we have Mickiewicz and Sienkiewicz.

For nearly 1,040 years, faith in Jesus Christ and His gospel has kept us together and kept us strong. Even in the worst of times we knew that the blood of martyrs would be the seed of our continuing faith. We heard the words echoed in today’s psalm:

—He guides the humble to justice,
and teaches the humble his way.—

As a community, here in the Capital Region, our Parish has stood for 85 years as a beacon of Christ’s light. The Words of God is preached, the sacrifice is offered. The Body and Blood of Jesus Christ strengthens us. We hear the words of Paul:

—If there is any encouragement in Christ,
any solace in love,
any participation in the Spirit,
any compassion and mercy,
complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,
united in heart, thinking one thing.—

So we stand together as a community of faith. We witness Christ to you, through our Polish hospitality. Polish hospitality brought to you by Poles, Polish-Americans, and Italian-Americans, people of Irish, French, Caribbean, African, and Hispanic decent. People from every nation and culture united in Christ and honoring the rich Polish culture that has given so much to the world. We offer you our beloved customs, which have their roots in the Polish civilization, nurtured for over a thousand years.

And today, instead of the usual organ music, we are accompanied by the Eddie Forman Orchestra, wonderful musicians joining with us to praise Jesus Christ with joy and gladness.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters

Every Holy Mass is a mass of thanksgiving. We thank God for all the goodness which he gives to us, His love, mercy, and peace. We thank God for these three days of Polish Fest. We thank Him for the talent of the Eddie Forman Orchestra and for their contribution to making this a truly special liturgy.

On behalf of the parish, I personally want to thank all those who visited us during the last three days, all our guests, friends of the parish, those from other parishes.

Finally, I heartily thank all those who worked so hard and sacrificed so much in preparing for the Polish Fest. This glorious festival is the crowning achievement of their many months of hard work.

In closing, May the Almighty God bless all of us gathered here, our families and relatives, and our whole community.

Safety and Security, Prayer and Trust

To the common person these words would seem to be, at a minimum, opposites.

As a country we are very self reliant. It comes from our immigrant roots. None of our families started out here in the United States. Some may have been here since the time of the pilgrims. Some may be new immigrants or second or third generation Americans.

No matter how far removed we are, we still have that immigrant, go-it-alone, get-it-done ethic. We are a nation of great pioneers. The last U.S. nickel I looked at honored Lewis and Clark. Pioneers, explorers, and national heroes surround us.

This terrible disaster which has befallen our country has brought out that pioneer spirit. We listen to those who, in the face of the disaster, wish to rebuild. They are shining examples of self assurance and a determined, resilient attitude.

Levees, flood walls, security systems, alarms, police, the government, guns, sprinklers, and a long list of other things can be purchased, paid for, installed, and relied upon, all in the name of safety and security, all in the name of self reliance. We are Americans and we can do it.

You and I have come here today to pray. An odd notion really, in the face of self reliance. Some people might look and say: —They’re asking an invisible man for help?—

But for us it is not a one-up event. Prayer and trust in God is our way of life. It is our safety and security. These are our roots. We love an honor our grandparents and great grandparents. They had courage and strength, even in the face of incredible odds. However, theirs was not a misplaced or self assured courage and strength. It was the courage and strength that came from prayer and trust. By prayer and through trust in God they always knew, no matter what, that they had safety and security.

This terrible disaster, which has befallen our country, has brought out faith, especially today. Of course there are those who question and doubt God. There are those who cannot see God because of hatred. There are even those who will pray today and forget God tomorrow. But the vast majority of us are turning to God today as we do every day. We turn, for a brief moment each day to pray and remember. It is right that we do it today. It is right that we do it every day. It is right that we tell everyone we know, and the whole world, that safety and security on human terms is fleeting. Safety and security through prayer and trust in God is everlasting.

In the 16th Chapter of the Gospel according to St. John Jesus says: —Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone. But I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”

Jesus trusted in the Father even in His darkest hour and reassured His disciples to have faith.

Let us collect ourselves and place our faith in God, today and everyday.

On the second Sunday of September each year we celebrate a special feast day, the Solemnity of Brotherly Love. This Solemnity was established at the Church’s Chicago Synod in 1914.

1914 was a busy year, filled with memorable and historic events. In 1914 the Ford Motor Company announced an eight-hour workday and a minimum wage of $5 for a day’s labor. President Woodrow Wilson signed the Mother’s Day proclamation. And, in June of that year the Archduke of Austria, Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were killed, starting World War I. The stage was also being set for the Armenian and Assyrian genocides.

In December of that year Bishop Hodur, the clergy, and the laity, including fifteen women, gathered to democratically debate and vote on matters concerning the church. It is interesting to note that our church, the PNCC, enfranchised women before they had the right to vote in the United States.

In the midst of a growing and struggling church, and in the midst of dramatic world events, these delegates carried on the Polish and American democratic tradition. They faced difficult debates about the Church’s mission, rules of celibacy, the election of Bishops, and relationships with other Christian churches.

With all of that, our Church continued in its positive, life affirming, hopeful, and brave way, and declared a Feast of Brotherly Love. In the light of war, love. In the light of hardship and struggle, love. In the light of heated debate, love.

On this day we remember the two greatest commandments of God. We are to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus said to the lawyer, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” The lawyer said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” At the end of the parable of the Samaritan Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

In this time of national trouble and uncertainty, remember our brave Bishop Hodur, remember those dedicated clergy, and the men and women who came together. In the face of a changing world and a struggling Church, they placed their faith in God. In the same moment, they took up the call to brotherly love. They remembered what Jesus said to each of them.

Each and every one of us is called to do the same for your brothers and sisters here, for those along the gulf coast, and for all we meet. Take up the task each and every day, and show compassion and love toward others. Without faith, goods works are empty. With faith, good works bring Christ to all. Love God and love your neighbors —“ as Jesus said, —Go and do likewise.—