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Christian Witness, Homilies, ,

Reflection for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time 2014

railroad-tracks-divergesmall

Do I have to be
responsible?

Jesus said to his disciples: “Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

There is a very close parallel between today’s Old Testament reading, Epistle, and Gospel. They all speak of a set of inter-related obligations we have as members of the Church. It is our call and obligation to be responsible for our brothers and sisters, to hold them accountable, and to do all of this in the spirit of love.

This call and obligation originate in our baptism. In baptism we are regenerated and made members of the Holy Church, the Body of Christ here on earth. As members and parts of the Body, we are responsible for taking care of the rest of the Body. As St. Paul tells us: But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

This responsibility extends to taking care of the parts of the Body that are sick – not just those who are physically or emotionally ill, but also those who are spiritually ill. This is one of the very hardest things to do, to encounter a Christian suffering in sin and to discuss it with them, to call them back to truth and faithfulness.

How hard is it to visit a sick person? That can make us feel uncomfortable. It reminds us of our human frailty. So much more is there fear in confronting a sinner. Not only is it uncomfortable, it reminds us that we sin and fall; that one day we too may be visited by someone who will call us back to faithfulness.

We must work diligently and pray for the courage to reach out to those who persist in sin, who have fallen away, or who bring division to the Body. This is an obligation of love. When we take up our responsibility we must be very careful so that it does not turn to judgmentalism or arrogance. As St. Paul notes: Love does no evil to the neighbor.

As we pray, we are given the grace and courage to lovingly call to the sick members of the Body to do what is right and to return. We are reassured that just as we act on our responsibility in a faithful manner, others will act responsibly toward us and bring us back when we fall ill with sin.

As we strive to live out our responsibilities, Jesus assures us that He remains with us. This gives us the confidence needed to take the track of loving responsibility.

Christian Witness, Homilies,

Reflection for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2014

17626

All people?
Really?

The foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, ministering to him, loving the name of the LORD, and becoming his servants—all who keep the Sabbath free from profanation and hold to my covenant, them I will bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.

This beautiful text recounts very powerful words to people who believed themselves to be exclusive. This sense of separateness built up in Israel over time – but this was not God’s way or instruction to Israel.

When Israel was constituted as a nation, a concern for resident aliens and foreigners was built into its legal system. The alien peoples received special protection under the law and were to be loved as native Israelites.

They came to or dwelt in Israel for various reasons including for the specific purpose of knowing God. All foreigners sojourning in Israel were counted as its people under the care and protection of God. Those who were joined to Israel through circumcision could join in the Passover. All were expected to honor and follow the laws of the Lord including the Sabbath rest. No foreigner was to be vexed or oppressed. They were to be loved, helped in distress, and have justice in all disputes.

Of all nations only Israel’s law, given by God, contained legislation for the resident alien. When Israel received the Promised Land she was required to purge it of its foreign population. But, foreigners in this context represented those hostile to her – it did not mean complete exclusion. Israel’s entire existence was bound up with being a blessing to all nations.

Various scriptures including Solomon’s prayer at the inauguration of the temple implied that God’s house was a house of prayer for all peoples. Israelite and foreigner could both pray to the Lord. Today’s words from Isaiah re-speak those words as instructed by God.

By the time of Jesus’ coming Israel had become extremely exclusive, and forgot God’s words – to be a blessing and mission to the nations. Jesus’s life is replete with His reaching out to foreigners – they were present at His birth, during His ministry where He interacted, preached to, and healed them. Paul clearly states that in Christ all are called and there is no negative racial, linguistic, or ethnic difference. We are gifts to each other.

Jesus’ call is never to separateness, to dissolution, or hopelessness – but to hope for all people in all circumstances. May God be praised for choosing and loving all!

Christian Witness, Homilies, Saints and Martyrs, , , ,

Reflection for the Solemnity of the Transfiguration

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. — 1 John 3:1-2

Transfiguration IconA Solemnity Fighting Fear

Today we observe the Solemnity of the Transfiguration of our Lord. We read in the 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew: Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.

Jesus chose this moment, before the great struggles, persecution, suffering, and death He was about to encounter, to reveal the blessing of His heavenly Father and His glory in Him. While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

In our time the Holy Church is facing greater and greater struggles. In the Middle East, North Korea, Africa, and elsewhere Christians are actively being persecuted and martyred. Some Christians in our country are losing jobs for their beliefs and face other forms of prejudice. When faced with all this – and we may be in ways subtle or not so subtle – recall this holy day and let us say in confidence that our God is bigger and His promises are more important than anything anyone can do to us. Trust in Him and have NO fear for His promise is that “we shall be like Him!“

Christian Witness, Homilies, , , ,

Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2014

We Have a BIG God

We have a big
God

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We are called to recognize and live the power of God.

Reading the Old Testament we see the multitude of tremendous things God did for His people. When they were threatened He gave them victory. When they were small like David He blessed them and gave them the power to slay giants. He led them from slavery and captivity. He caused them to pass through the sea, and He fed them and gave them drink when there appeared to be none.

Reading those accounts we see the power of our God – able to create from nothing, to protect, to lead, to save; Who as Isaiah says feeds us and sustains us, even though we have nothing to offer in return.

All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk!

This big and powerful image of God was ever before the people of Israel. Even so, the people of Israel turned away from God over and over. They sought after the things they thought would give them power, success, and happiness and forgot that He was the only One who could deliver all that and so much more.

Finally, in His greatest and most powerful act ever, the New Testament reveals and witnesses to the fact that God emptied Himself of everything, became man, taught us, healed the sick, raised the dead, and …taking the five loaves and the two fish… gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied…

He then picked up all our sinfulness, fears, and our very deaths and offered them in His body on the cross. In doing that we now enjoy freedom and security in His power and promises.

Our God is big, powerful, almighty, and yet people still turn away, and pull into themselves. They try to find a way to fill the voids in their lives, to solve the problems they encounter, and to seek joy without Him. We must be different!

Our bulletin art says it well: Don’t tell God how big your storm is; tell your storm how big your God is. In God we have the ability to triumph, to overcome, and to succeed. This does not mean earthly success or freedom from life’s strains and pressures. It does mean that when we encounter these things we can stare into them and confidently say – my God is bigger than you and His promises are more important than you. We are called to recognize exactly how big our God is and to place our trust in Him. Take this huge leap of faith and trust. It is very much worth taking!

Christian Witness, Homilies, ,

Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2014

20941

Follow the blueprint
for being in Christ

“O LORD, my God, you have made me, your servant, king to succeed my father David; but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act. I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong. For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?”

We could make much the same prayer as Solomon did. Lord, give me a wise and understanding heart so that I may serve you in the midst of all those around me. Help me to distinguish between right and wrong so as to follow the path Your Son Jesus has set for me.

Solomon was young and wasn’t quite aware of what God had in store for him. He wasn’t aware of God’s blueprint for his life. Solomon made the right choice. He prayed for wisdom – a wisdom that would allow him to build his life on God’s way, according to God’s plan. This gave him confidence in leading and building as ruler of Israel. He prayed to follow God’s blueprint for his life.

If you’ve ever watched a house being built, you know that blueprints are essential. Blueprints contain plans that tells the builders how to assemble everything so that the home is strong, safe, and of high quality. A good blueprint gives a homeowner assurance that the job will be done properly and provides confidence.

Our call is to follow God’s path for us, and to pledge ourselves to following His blueprint for our lives. His blueprint gives us a guarantee – confidence in all we do in Him. By following His blueprint we will succeed. We will be strong, safe, and have high quality lives that last forever. We have assurance that our lives will be lived properly and with goodness. We will judge rightly, with wisdom, and lead many to come to know, love and serve Him. He created a blueprint for each of us with all we need to live a faithful life, a life that draws us closer to Him and leads others to Him.

Following the Lord’s blueprint for us shows us what to do and how we can do it with joy, peace, and trust in both good and bad times – it allows us to overcome all.

God created a blueprint for our lives. When God designed our lives, when He drew our blueprint, He accounted for everything we need to live in Him and with Him. If we build our lives on Jesus as our foundation, if we follow His blueprint, if we are truly wise, we will, like Solomon, ask correctly. Lord, show us the way! It takes time to learn how to follow His blueprint for us. Like Solomon, we must continue to pray for the wisdom to follow His blueprint for our lives and work daily to live it out, to follow Him and live in Him.

Christian Witness, Homilies, ,

Reflection for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2014

3803

We have a
Treasure

He said to them in reply, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

We are rich. We indeed have a treasure. We have built our Church and our local parish in which we participate in and increase our personal and collective treasure. This treasure makes our lives whole and complete. We are filled with true riches that will not fade away!

Our Holy Church expresses this well in the second verse of the Hymn of the PNCC: Unto Thee we built a temple, Which for us became a treasure, Pouring gifts of faith and courage, In it is our hope forever…

Our treasure gives us hope. Our treasure is all we gain through faith. Our treasure both increases in and is expressed by our weekly worship, prayer, study, and outreach to others.

This treasure is a secret, a mystery, to those without faith in Jesus. Even if they know a little about it, they miss the true meaning of that treasure when they fail to accept it into to their lives, or if they let their faith die because they do not enrich the soil that faith was planted in.

The soil that must be enriched is our faith lives. We need to enrich that soil regularly in worship, prayer, study, and outreach or our lives will grow shallow and our treasure will be scorched away. We need to pay attention and protect against neglecting our soil or the weeds of the world will take over and choke out our faith.

In the Holy Church, filled by the Holy Spirit, we worship, pray, study, and reach out. Our treasure grows and we become rich.

The treasure we possess and that grows day-to-day, week-to-week, and year-to-year by worship, prayer, study, and outreach is our eternal loving relationship with God. The secret of the kingdom of heaven is that God’s kingdom is a never-ending place of love, forgiveness, and mutual support. It is knowledge that we receive God’s free gift of love – grace – and that if we cooperate with that grace our lives will be enriched, we will advance into greater holiness.

Our treasure comes from the free choice we have made for God. The first disciples had that choice – to follow Jesus or to stay behind, to stay on the path with Him or to fall away. We have chosen to: “Love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind.”

The task ahead, our work, is to increase our treasure. Let us till the soil of our lives with worship, prayer, study, and outreach. Ask for Jesus’ grace of increase. Let us be very greedy for His treasure alone.

Christian Witness, Homilies,

Reflection for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2014

20743

Joined to, Free in
Jesus

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

Our children’s bulletin this week has a puzzle with the following statement and question:

Sometimes you feel tired. Sometimes you feel as if people expect too much of you. When you feel like this, Jesus has some special words for you. What are Jesus’ words? _ _ _ _ to _ _, all you who _ _ _ _ _ and are _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, and I will _ _ _ _ you _ _ _ _.

Can we find rest in Jesus when we labor and are burdened, when life itself seems to be throwing bad things at us? Jesus says so (and of course He’s God), but it seems very hard to find this rest. St. Augustine makes an interesting statement:

And they consider that they who have fearlessly bowed their necks to this yoke, and have with much submission taken this burden upon their shoulders, are tossed about and exercised by so great difficulties in the world, that they seem not to be called from labor to rest, but from rest to labor.

If seems like Augustine is being sarcastic. People take on Jesus’ yoke, yet they get more work, labor, troubles, and are more tired. He went on to give proofs that those who have faith in Christ are not exempted from life’s trials, but overcome them. They overcome them mightily.

One problem is that we think that Jesus’ rest somehow equates to an easy life, to having no worries, to prosperity without cost. Have faith in Jesus and you will win the lottery! Hurray, give me more Jesus! Jesus’ statement is conditional. We have to take His yoke. A yoke is a binding device. It hooks two animals together for the purpose of doing – WORK.

Anyone who has taken Jesus’ yoke, and who is bound to Him no matter what, finds out that God is always asking them to do hard and even practically impossible things.

Jesus’ yoke, being bound to Him and living completely in step with him, means we will not be safe, respected, comfortable, and always prosperous. Jesus’ path is often reckless and risky. Being bond to Him means we give up being bound to other (often easy) things to follow where He leads.

We are called to do what God asks regardless of the cost and trust that God will cover us. The problem is that there is a cost to being bound to Jesus. It may be suffering, not enough money, inconvenience, danger, and even being unwelcome. God may not seem to be covering us. He is! For this is His revelation to us, His “little ones.” Trust that He is in charge, has a purpose, aids us in battle, and gives us victory.

Christian Witness, Homilies, ,

Reflection for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2014

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Jesus is our
hope and way of life

If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God.

This past Friday, at 1am, police were called to our neighborhood. 28-year old Angel Carrion was dead. Killed by a gunshot wound to the chest.

If you read the various news stories you will see different views of what happened. Time Warner News talks about loud parties at the residence, all night partying, mysterious middle-aged figures in black cars, children in the midst of adults doing adult things. Police there all the time. They paint a picture of broken families, broken lives.

WTEN shows a different side of the story. Angel was a father of three, a friend, someone who was brother to those who weren’t even his family. Angel’s childhood friend Jorge said, “He was a good friend. He was a good father. He helped out the community. Nobody is perfect in this world, but he didn’t deserve this.” Other neighbors noted their worry for the children who live here. One neighbor said: “For the kids, it’s going to be scary for them, too, knowing there’s a shooting right up the road.”

We began this year dedicating it to the theme of family. In my annual report I said: “…we do not just come to church to have our needs met. No family exists just to serve one or a few members. The same for the Church – our family of faith is about all its members and our relationship with the head of the family – Jesus. We belong to His family. Our family of faith does not exist to just meet individual needs. We exist to meet the needs of our fellow family members and a world that badly needs to know Jesus.”

Angel and his family, this neighborhood, its children are part of that world that needs to know Jesus. They know Him through us. In us they should see faith in Jesus’ saving power. In us they should see the joy that comes from a life that takes all the good we, and men like Angel do, to the next level through unity with Jesus. Jesus died for all. To free all from sin. As Angel’s friend Jorge said, “Nobody is perfect in this world.” In all of our imperfection the world has to know that Jesus is there for us, to save us, to raise us up. He is in this neighborhood, calling us to reject sin and grab His promises – life without end even in tragedy.

In Jesus we are bound together – parishioners, Angel, his family, this neighborhood – a bond so strong that no sin, even murder, even tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or sword can harm us. In this bond, in the life we have in Jesus, let us offer hope to our neighborhood and all who so need Him Who is our hope and new way of life.

Christian Witness, Homilies,

Reflection for the Sunday in the Octave of Corpus Christi 2014

Eucharistic-Adoration

I am not an
object!

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.

In any good relationship we see the other person for who they are – first and foremost a human being. We look beyond appearance, beyond the externals, beyond our personal desires and wants (what we can take from or get from that person) and recognize their value. We treat that person with respect and honor and want to be with them. We want to be with them because they offer their humanity and respect in return for the humanity and respect we offer.

As Christians we easily see the sin of turning others into objects. We also know the problems inherent in pursuing things as solutions to problems or as an end in themselves.

During the 8 days that began Thursday, June 19th we particularly honor and commemorate Jesus’ gift of His body and blood in the Eucharist. Our minds and hearts are called to adore Jesus in this precious gift. However, we must be very careful to keep the reality of Jesus before us.

When the Church was new, the Apostles and all those who knew Jesus, who lived and ministered alongside Him, who were taught by Him, recognized His reality.

In the centuries that followed Christians recognized the reality of Jesus in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. When they recalled Him saying: “Do this in remembrance of Me,” they actually heard: “Do this and be one with Me.” For them, the celebration of the Eucharist every Sunday was an active encounter with the reality of Jesus. These Christians were one with Jesus at every moment of His eternity, His earthly life, and His return in glory. They were with Jesus in the past, present, and future. All this was found in the Eucharist. They saw, felt, and lived the reality of Jesus and the promise He gave: Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. He was with and in them and they knew it. They realized that by participating in the Eucharist and receiving Holy Communion they were with Him and each other forever.

Later, and for many reasons, the people of the Church stopped seeing the Eucharist as an encounter with the reality of Jesus. Certainly the Church never lost faith in Jesus’s real presence in the signs of bread and wine, but the Eucharist became more an object, a memory limited three days in Jesus’ life. The Body and Blood were adored, but as an object. Our obligation is to take this Solemnity and every Sunday as a call to re-encounter the reality of Jesus who remains with us now and forever.

Christian Witness, Homilies,

Reflection for the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity 2014

Living-Room-Main

Get on the couch
with Us

Brothers and sisters, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the holy ones greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

If you look at the picture at the top you will see a couch with three seats and the words: “The Living Room.” This is symbolic of our One God and the three Devine Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and the real focus of this Solemnity.

If we were to try to explain the nature of God as One in Three Divine Persons we would be wasting our time. Many saints have offered analogies to explain the Trinity. The Councils of the Church have set forth great Creeds that proclaim our understanding of God. We can simply proclaim our belief and understanding of God’s nature in those Creeds and avoid the frustrations of over-thinking. Today, let us stand in faith, accepting God’s revelation of Himself as One and Three Divine Persons, and profess our Creeds with confidence. What has frustrated the minds of others has been given to us by faith.

This Solemnity is about the ‘living room.’ Ecclesiastes 4:7-8 tells us: Again, I saw vanity under the sun: a person who has no one, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business.

This reflection and Paul’s words to the Corinthians are about living Godlike lives. We could have the most perfect living room (at least to those looking in from the outside) but if we are alone or apart, if people can only look in, we are not living God’s life.

Ecclesiastes goes on: Two are better than one… though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him. A threefold cord is not quickly broken. This and Paul’s words are practical instruction on what life in God is really about. It is about faith expressed by living as God intends us to live, modeled on His own Divine Life – an eternal, beautiful, peaceful, truthful, rejoicing, and just life lived together. When the Holy Trinity looked at what they had made they declared: “It is not good that the man should be alone.” Jesus did not live alone, but gathered a community of disciples, and of course was always one with the Father and Holy Spirit.

Strength and the best in life come from living together in the living room created by and modeled on God. There are many seats – we must not sit there alone.

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