tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90110758509187193432024-02-20T07:28:05.745-05:00One Pilgrim"Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul."
1 Peter 2:11Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.comBlogger229125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-50293149071960374192021-07-15T22:00:00.001-04:002022-02-04T11:53:29.246-05:00Of Looking Back... and Forward<p> <i>So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions
which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
2 Thessalonians 2:15<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Permit me to be a bit
candid and open about some of my thinking.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">There have been a number of
times when I have thought fondly of my time in Protestant Christianity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had many wonderful friends, and, of course,
my dear family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was an ordained
minister and preached the gospel regularly 3 times per week to my
congregation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“But whatever gain I had,
I counted as loss for the sake of Christ,” [Phil. 3:7].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have said before that I did not need to
abandon all I learned as a Protestant when I became Catholic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My Catholic faith simply perfected what I had
previously known.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many elements
emphasized among Protestants are part of Catholic Faith and Catholics would do
well to take note and begin to emphasize them too; things such as genuine conversion
to Christ, a love for Sacred Scripture, a reliance on the power of the Holy
Spirit, boldly sharing the love of Christ with others, and a heart set on the
holiness of heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when I am
tempted to look back and wonder if the Protestants were right and I was wrong
to become Catholic I remember what is written in the passage above.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">St. Paul writes to the
Thessalonians about our common salvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He reminds them that God chose them for salvation [v. 13], and called them
to attain “the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ,” [v. 14].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But how do we do it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How does such a transaction take place?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By holding to the traditions handed on by the
apostles. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Before there was a written,
collated, and circulated New Testament, the early Christians were taught by the
tradition of the Apostles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
tradition was taken from the teachings of our Lord Himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Scripture itself asserts that not
everything that Jesus did was written down [John 21:25], and we know that our
Lord taught the Apostles during the 40 days between His resurrection and
ascension [Acts 1:3].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What did He tell
them?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we believe it is encapsulated in what we
now call Apostolic Tradition, or simply, Tradition.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Contrary to popular
thought, Jesus did not condemn tradition outright, nor did St. Paul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, it was the traditions of men that
were condemned when they had the effect of leading people astray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The divine tradition- passed on from Jesus to
His Apostles, and from them to their successors- has always been highly
exalted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must listen to, and obey,
the Tradition that comes from the Apostles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is the same that is taught to this day by the Catholic Church.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Listen again to what St.
Paul says: “Hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word
of mouth or by letter.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That which came “by
word of mouth” is what we call Tradition, and that which came by letter is what
we now know of as Sacred Scripture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both
are necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tradition keeps us in
line with what our Lord and the Apostles intended by what was written in
Scripture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Otherwise, everything becomes
subject to each individual’s personal interpretation… which is exactly what we
see in the many different denominations of Protestantism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In contrast, St. Peter says, “… no prophecy
of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,” [2 Pet. 1:20].<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">In fact, the Protestant
doctrine that teaches that the Scripture is the sole authority is contradicted
by the Scripture itself here in this passage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rather, the Scripture says that we must obey the traditions of the
Apostles.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This, among many other
things, reminds me that it was indeed the Spirit of our Lord who was leading me
to abandon all I had in Protestantism to come to the fullness of Catholic
faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Herein, I am able to draw closer
to the Lord I love and know Him more intimately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To this I invite all who read this entry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Come, join me in this place where Christ may
be most fully known and all that He taught is kept without any loss or any
addition.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-53653867977848184262021-05-23T02:27:00.003-04:002021-05-23T02:27:56.273-04:00Pentecost Revisited<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b>Pentecost Sunday</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 104; 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13;
John 20:19-23<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">… The time for Pentecost was fulfilled…</span></i><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Acts 2:1<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">We need another
Pentecost!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t mean a rigid
re-enactment of the original.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
certainly won’t happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what
happened in time to inaugurate the Church must be repeated in the heart and
soul of every believer in Jesus Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We must be filled with the Spirit and it must thrust us forth to boldly
bear witness to the death and resurrection of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need another Pentecost, but I’m not sure
we want one.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Pentecost revisited in our
own souls and in our own times means the upsetting of everything that we would
call “normal”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Spirit-filled soul
has no taste or tolerance for the passing pleasures of this present world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All such pastimes are replaced with an
increasing, burning desire to be more with Him. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Church cannot compete with the world when
it comes to entertainment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the world
can never satisfy the soul like the Spirit does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The world needs amusement because it is sin
sick and Spirit deprived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not so the
soul who has discovered the power of a personal Pentecost!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Pentecost revisited means
purity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God will not dwell in a messy
house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we desire the manifest presence
of God in our own souls then it’s time to clean house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sin must go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And along with it, everything that leads us to sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here we must be radical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“If your eye offends you pluck it out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If your hand offends you cut it off.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These were no idle words of our Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He certainly does not mean them literally,
but their spiritual application must be equally as violent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There can be no sparing here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The moment you determine that all sin must go
it will begin to appeal to your sentiment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Remember all the good times we had!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Satan will not be easily plundered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The process will likely be agonizing, but the reward is worth it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Pentecost revisited will
turn the world around us upside-down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
will likely mean the loss of friendships; perhaps even of family
relations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like our Lord, we will find
ourselves despised and rejected of men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What a privilege!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Read the lives
of the saints.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such was routinely their
experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we read their
biographies because they transformed their world rather than being conformed to
it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Pentecost revisited will
mean persecutions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“All who desire to
live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” [2 Tim. 3:12].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So said St. Paul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why do we think he was either in error or we
will be the exception?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the world does
not oppose us it is a certain sign it is because it views us as a friend rather
than an enemy or a threat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember the words
of the demons confronted by the seven sons of Sceva?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Jesus I know, and Paul I know…,” [Acts
19:15].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Spirit-filled soul poses
such a threat to the kingdom of darkness that he is on the Devil’s most wanted
list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Pentecost revisited means
power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While all these things are true
and it may not sound like something desirable, we must see the end the Lord has
in mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter, freshly fired by the
Holy Spirit boldly preaches only days after he was cowering in fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Three thousand souls were baptized as a result.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were struck to the heart and cried out, “What
shall we do?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus, the power of
Pentecost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later Peter and John, going
to the Temple to pray, cure a man lame from birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To read the rest of the Acts of the Apostles
is to be treated to a smorgasbord of the power of God: the sick are healed, the
dead are recalled to life, and the demoniacs are delivered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you for a moment imagine that there would
be any “business as usual” after such demonstrations?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Pentecost revisited means
sanctity and divine intimacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
the goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the purpose for which
we were created; to have the deepest intimacy with God; to be immersed in the
communion of love shared by the Blessed Trinity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">So ask yourself this day, “What’s
holding me back?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What will keep you
from this treasure which has been promised by the Father, purchased by the Son,
and pledged by the Holy Spirit?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
your birthright dear Christian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will you
be robbed like Esau was robbed by scheming Jacob?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The key to experiencing our
own personal Pentecost is twofold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>First, we must divorce ourselves from love of this world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we must reach out to God with the
deepest faith and love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God, who is
infinitely loving and merciful yearns for all His children to enter into this
blessed experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pentecost is not
intended to be a historical memorial, but rather a perpetual reality.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">We read today that the time
for Pentecost was fulfilled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s no
more waiting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is most pleased to
give us this same fullness of the Holy Spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The way forward for us is the same as it was for them- through
protracted prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is, to pray
until we know that it has happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
we see that our life is being transformed and a “new normal” dawns, then we
know we are indeed experiencing our own Pentecost.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Those first disciples
waited ten days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the time of our
Lord’s Ascension when they were instructed to wait in Jerusalem they
waited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They didn’t know for how long
they would wait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they were faithful
and stayed the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How long will it
be until we enter upon our own Pentecost?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We don’t know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we can be sure
the Lord will not be short on His promise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If we wait upon Him in prayer we will certainly be endued with
power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">We need another
Pentecost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But do we want one?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The time is now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Church and the world are waiting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Open your heart and let Pentecost be
fulfilled in you today!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-87263426121482405562021-05-16T06:11:00.001-04:002022-02-04T11:52:38.262-05:00Glory!<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Year B<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Acts 1:1-11; Psalm
47:2-3, 6-9; Ephesians 1:17-23; Mark 16:15-20<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">May the eyes of your
hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his
call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and
what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord
with the exercise of his great might, which he worked in Christ, raising him
from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every
principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not
only in this age but also in the one to come.<br />
</i>Ephesians 1:18-21<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One of my pet peeves is when people refer to the last book
of the Bible as “Revelations”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It isn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It isn’t plural; it’s singular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s Revelation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More specifically, it is The Revelation of
Jesus Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its title is given in the
very first sentence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book isn’t
focused, as many presume, on a series of visions that point to the end of the
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, it is a singular vision
focused on our Lord Jesus Christ in His triumphant glory.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That’s what today’s feast is all about- Jesus in His
triumphant glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it’s a shame that
this day doesn’t get more attention than it does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, it is relegated to almost an
afterthought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps this is because it
is missing from some of the Gospel accounts, and even when it is mentioned it
is only in passing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today’s selection
from Mark almost seems to go by it as it says, “So then the Lord Jesus, after
he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ah, but don’t miss the rest as it concludes, “… and took his seat at the
right hand of God.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Ascension is not merely a way to get Jesus off the stage
in order to continue with the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is the story!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus didn’t rise from the
dead only to die at a later time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
rose victorious and triumphant and then ascended into heaven where He could
take His rightful place at the right hand of the Father, there to await the Day
of His return in power and glory to judge the living and the dead and to
establish His kingdom forever.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the Acts of the Apostles we get a glimpse into the
greatness of this event when we read, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing
there looking at the sky?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This Jesus who
has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have
seen him going into heaven.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Were they
looking with longing because Jesus was taken from them?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or were they looking in awe?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps both, but certainly the latter.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In St. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians we have our
text.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul seems to lose himself in his
own writing as he is reflecting on the great mystery of our Lord’s Ascension
into glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is far above all other
power, both now and forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus has
the name above every other name and it is His name we magnify. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Picture a triumphant king returning to his own land after
conquering his enemies and arriving amidst a great retinue with the trophies of
his triumph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is what we are
observing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re only seeing it from
this side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But heaven must have seen it
the other way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here was our Lord
returning to His heavenly home to take His rightful place which He had occupied
from eternity past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only now He comes
with souls in tow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are the souls
rescued by Him from death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From now on,
the heavenly portal remains open to those who put their trust in Him!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Our Lord’s work of salvation is completed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now He may sit down and reign until every
last enemy is put under His feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Does it seem as if the Lord is reigning?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Has He been reigning over the last year while
the world was turned upside down by the pandemic?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is He reigning now while we, once again,
watch the bloody conflict arising in the Middle East?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Has He been reigning while our streets and
our nation have been torn apart by racial and political strife?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does He reign in the midst of poverty, crime,
illness, tragedy, and death?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer
to all these questions is a resounding YES!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But it doesn’t seem that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Only those with eyes of faith and hearts of love can see it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How do we respond to today’s feast?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, with glorious praise and adoration of
our King!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Second, with humble submission
to His divine authority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Third, with
joyful proclamation of His victory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
finally, with eager anticipation of His return in glory.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For those who regularly pray the rosary you will remember
that the Second Glorious Mystery is The Ascension and that the virtue we recall
is hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hope for what?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hope for eternal glory!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We look up, just like those first apostles,
to recall that our Lord who ascended in glory will return in the same with
power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our Lord has gone to His heavenly
kingdom to prepare a place for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then
let us live like those who are heirs to such a kingdom!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Amidst the alarming headlines of the current day it can be
easy to lose sight of what this day means.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Don’t let it happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As surely as
we celebrated Easter joy, let us celebrate Ascension glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our Lord reigns- now and forever!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now He reigns in the hearts of those who are
His.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But someday He will return- just
like He left- to reign victorious over the nations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, what a day that will be!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to be part of that celebration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t you?<o:p></o:p></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-31323016784128581452021-05-08T19:09:00.001-04:002021-05-08T19:09:31.035-04:00Perfecting Sacramental Grace<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sixth Sunday of Easter<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Year B<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Acts 10:25-26, 34-35,
44-48; Psalm 98:1-4; 1 John 4:7-10; John 15:9-17<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Can anyone withhold
the water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit even as
we have?”</i><br />
Acts 10:47<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Tis the season!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No,
not Christmas; First Communion!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see
the little girls in the pretty white dresses and veils and the little boys in
their suits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a big deal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a very special occasion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Why do we make such a fuss about it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The majority of those who identify as Catholics do not regularly attend
Mass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, they are careful to be sure
their children receive their sacraments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m glad they feel that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
there’s a terrible inconsistency in celebrating something that they show by
their own example is not very important to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This same attitude carries over with other sacraments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Oh, we must have the child baptized; at
least for grandma’s sake!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Of course,
we want our children to receive Confirmation!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But, again, I ask, “Why?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why do
we make such a fuss over something that we ourselves are not practicing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why do we think it’s so important for the
children when we don’t believe it’s important for us?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now, I realize that are a great many people who are taking
this seriously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are practicing the
Faith and it is for that very reason that it’s so important to them for their
children to do the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank God for
every one who lives it out this way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
they are, unfortunately, in the vast minority.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I propose that for the majority they have adopted a somewhat
superstitious, almost pagan view of the sacraments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They believe that merely to receive them is
to place God in the position of being obligated to grant them access to
heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is certainly not the
case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that is what we are in need of
remembering.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let’s take a look at our first reading from the Acts of the
Apostles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There, we hear the story of
St. Peter being the first to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was huge!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First of all, we find from a few references
in Scripture that Peter held a strong and fierce prejudice against
Gentiles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So for Peter to be convinced
to go to a Gentile home and offer Baptism really took some doing.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It started with a series of visions in which Peter saw a
great sheet lowered from heaven with all manner of unclean animals in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A voice from heaven commanded Peter to kill
and eat the animals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter refused as he
had never done such a thing for these were unclean animals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the voice returned, “What God has
cleansed you must not call common,” [Acts 10:15].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This happened three times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then immediately, three men were at the door
asking for Peter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They wanted him to
come to a Gentile home where their master, Cornelius, a Roman centurion, wanted
to know more about the Faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter
could see the hand of God in it so he went.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When he arrived he began to preach to them about Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cornelius had called some of his friends and
family members to join them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they
heard Peter preach about Jesus they began to speak in other tongues.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Peter immediately recognized that this was the same
phenomena that accompanied the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of
Pentecost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the Holy Spirit had filled
these people then they must have believed in Jesus and that means they needed
to be baptized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so they were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Peter couldn’t have been convinced merely by a good
argument, or even a dramatic display of emotion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter saw the real deal and knew it was God
at work.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We often use the same terminology but we do not always have
the same experience.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We speak of Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and
regeneration in Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We speak of
Confirmation in which we receive the Holy Spirit in power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sacramentally, these things are indeed
happening when they are given.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then
what?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Without a firm intention to put into practice the grace we
have received we are in danger of losing it; or at least losing its benefit.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">God intends that we work out the grace He pours in when we
receive the sacraments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To merely
receive a sacrament and experience no change; and worse, return to “normal
living” as if nothing had occurred is to sin away the grace almost as soon as
we have received it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Someone may have a natural gift for playing the piano.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that alone won’t make him a concert
pianist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He must learn many skills and
devote himself to many hours of practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even after he attains concert pianist level he must continue to
practice, perhaps even more than he ever did before.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is how it works in the spiritual life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God gives us grace in the sacraments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then we must practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must learn how to work out this
grace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It needs to permeate our every
thought and be expressed in our every word and action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even priests or religious are in need of
this, perhaps in some cases even more so.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Baptism gives us new life in Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ Himself stated that He came to give us
“abundant life” [John 10:10].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we
living life to the full?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we filled
with the love, joy, and peace of Christ?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This, and so very much more, are what the Sacrament of Baptism brings
us.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Confirmation brings us into the Spirit-filled life; a life
of love, and power, and deep intimacy with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are empowered to bear courageous witness for Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we doing it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we really living that way?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Holy Eucharist is the very Body and Blood of our Lord
Jesus Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We receive Him into
ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s no more intimate
experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our sins are forgiven and we
are given the grace to live as Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
this way we bring Christ into the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How are we doing that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In each case there is the reception of the sacrament and the
grace that is received.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our lives are
changed in the moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as wonderful
as that is, it cannot remain there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
must put into practice the wonderful grace received in those sacraments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Today, take some time to reflect on the sacraments you have
received.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may not remember your
Baptism, but you were made a child of God there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think about your First Holy Communion and your
Confirmation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think about each time you
receive the Lord in the Holy Eucharist, or receive forgiveness in
Reconciliation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then thank God for His
boundless love and mercy in bringing you into this life of Grace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And finally, determine that with God’s help
you will live this out to the glory of God and the service of all others around
you!<o:p></o:p></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-48165034697367542922021-05-02T09:44:00.002-04:002021-05-02T09:44:54.621-04:00Two Essentials <p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b>Fifth Sunday of
Easter<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b>Year B</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Acts 9:26-31; Psalm 22; 1 John 3:18-24; John 15:1-8<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and
Samaria was at peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was being built
up and walked in the fear of the Lord, and with the consolation of the Holy
Spirit it grew in numbers.</span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
Acts 9:31<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">“The fear of the Lord, and…
the consolation of the Holy Spirit.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is the perfect combination for Christian living and making progress
in the spiritual life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we can see
from St. Luke’s inspired commentary, it was a winning combination then as well:
“The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria… grew in numbers.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is it so?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What is meant by these two terms?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The fear of the Lord stands
in, not for being afraid of God, or terrorized by God, but rather, to have a
deep and abiding reverence for God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also
implied here is obedience to God’s word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The fear of the Lord means that the early disciples knew God, loved God,
and so desired to offer obedient service to Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very much in view is the notion that all of
these things were taught and embodied in our Lord Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The consolation, or
comfort, of the Holy Spirit is the means by which we are reminded that we are
the dear children of God and that His love is ever being poured out upon us and
into our hearts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is how the Holy
Spirit is described in St. John’s Gospel when our Lord refers to Him as the
Comforter who is to come [John 14:16, 26].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is His role.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>St. Paul
teaches us that the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s
children [Romans 8:15, 16].<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">We need both elements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without the fear of the Lord we grow lax and
presume on God’s grace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We exhibit a
familiarity with Him that is inappropriate and harmful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand, without the consolation of
the Holy Spirit we become fixated on rules, forget our roles as sons and
daughters, and never progress to the intimacy with God that He intends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So how do we maintain the proper balance?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Our times of prayer should
be rooted in the Sacred Scriptures and the Tradition of the Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These will continue to reveal God as He is,
and not as we are prone to make Him out to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We will encounter a God of love, but also of justice and holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will be led to see our sins for what they are
and to confess them with a firm purpose of amendment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will learn to rely on His mercy for
forgiveness, and His grace to enable us to live the holy lives to which we are
called.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We should often call to mind the
greatness of God and allow ourselves to be drawn into the deepest adoration of
God because He is worthy of all our praise.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Equally, we should reflect
on our position as the adopted sons and daughters of the great King.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our Papa loves us and longs for us to come to
Him willingly, joyfully, trustingly, and lovingly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Holy Spirit was given to us, first in
Baptism, and more powerfully in Confirmation, that we might know the depths of
this intimacy with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">As long as we maintain these
aspects in balance we can expect to make good progress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if we err on one side or the other we can
expect difficulties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are
experiencing dryness or inconsistencies in your walk with the Lord, check to be
sure both of these elements are intact and in balance.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">If we continue in this way
we can expect the blessing we see in evidence in the Acts of the Apostles
today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can expect spiritual growth
and progress in our own life and fruitfulness as we share these things with
others.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;">So then, let us be careful,
this day and every day, to walk in the fear of the Lord and in the consolation
of the Holy Spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May God add His
grace and blessing as we do so and may we have the joy of seeing the church
multiplied!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-43008522159942782021-04-25T10:03:00.000-04:002021-04-25T10:03:07.198-04:00Of True and False Shepherds<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fourth Sunday of Easter<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Acts 4:8-12; Psalm
118; 1 John 3:1-2; John 10:11-18<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A hired man, who is
not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves
the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is because he works for pay and has no
concern for the sheep.</i><br />
John 10:12, 13<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“It is not pastoral to confirm someone in mortal sin!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So said then Fr. John Corapi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leaving aside the controversy that sprang up
around him, the quote still rings true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It captures in a soundbite what our Lord is teaching us today in the
Gospel.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Today we celebrate “Good Shepherd Sunday”, named for our
Gospel reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This theme is always
taken on the Fourth Sunday of Easter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
say our Lord Jesus is the Good Shepherd is to say many things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It means that He lovingly watches over us and
guides us as a shepherd does with his sheep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It also means He provides for us and protects us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s this latter part I want to focus on
today.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When a true shepherd saw a wolf, a lion, a bear, or
marauders coming to steal or kill the sheep the good shepherd would risk his
life to do battle and drive away the threat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As our Lord points out to us today, the false shepherd does the
opposite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He runs when he sees the
threat because he is a mere hireling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
has not taken the sheep to heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
are a mere means of his income.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, to
put it another way, he is only interested in what the sheep can do for him, not
what he must do for the sheep.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In our day we are desperately in need of good shepherds, be
they parents, teachers, priests, bishops, or theologians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, too often we find that the shepherds
are not interested in truly caring for the sheep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are more interested in their own
reputation, their careers, or gain, be it financial, political, or positional.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There are great moral controversies assailing the faithful
of our day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are in need of our
leaders to issue clear, concise, and concrete statements to safely guide us
through the moral morass we so often face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Catholic Church has repeatedly addressed these issues and her
teaching is incapable of changing since it is the truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Truth is not up for vote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It doesn’t waver at the latest release of
opinion polls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not molded by time
and circumstance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While it may be
applied variously in different contexts and it may be developed into deeper
understanding, it cannot possibly become the opposite of what it always has
been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such moral truths include the
following:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">- That sexual relations are only blessed by God within a
monogamous marriage between a man and a woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Everything outside of this is grave sin and becomes mortal to the soul
of the individual when they enter into it with full knowledge and willful
consent.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">- That said married couples are to always be open to life in
every sexual encounter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The use of
contraception is also a grave evil.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">- That remarriage after divorce constitutes a state of
public and perpetual adultery if the previous marriage or marriages were deemed
valid in the eyes of the Church and the former spouse[s] remain alive.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">- That abortion for any reason is to murder the developing
child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every Christian and others of
good will should work tirelessly for its complete elimination from our laws.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">- That those who are struggling with homosexual attractions
and gender identity must be told the truth of God’s word, which is that He has
created us male and female and that our bodies are part of our identity and God
makes no mistakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore, that His
love is not diminished for those in these situations and they, along with all
other people, continue to reflect the image and likeness of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us pastorally guide them to chastity and
the acceptance of their identity in Christ.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">These are some of the most prominent issues facing us
today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need our clergy and other
leaders, especially our bishops, to be plainly outspoken in these areas to
provide the encouragement and reinforcement necessary to aid us in living out
our calling as a holy people.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let me pause at this point to address our clergy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My dear fathers, we need you to be holy; men
of God, unfazed and unafraid in the face of these moral controversies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I plead with you, guide us safely in the
footsteps of our Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you
praying?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>St. John Vianney, the patron
saint of parish priests, gave himself to hours of prayer and penance for the salvation
of his parish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you doing the
same?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At a minimum, you have taken vows
to pray all of the divine office for the sake of the Church and the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you continuing in that commitment?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition, we need you to undertake a holy
hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both Archbishop Fulton Sheen and
St. Padre Pio exhort you to this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please
heed their exhortation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember the
priority of the apostles, whose sons in the faith you are- “It is not right
that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you
seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint
to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the
word,” [Acts 6:2-4].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Find deacons or
faithful laypeople to handle the administrative duties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shed yourselves of the image that you are spiritual
CEO’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Return to the priority of prayer
and the ministry of the word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For the rest of us, we must be faithful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether we have good and faithful shepherds
or not, we must walk in the way our Lord has given us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will be judged on the basis of our own
souls, not those who led us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be sure
that you can give a good account in that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One final note: in our first reading we hear St. Peter
state, “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name
under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only our Lord Jesus Christ is the way to
eternal salvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us leave to God
what may happen with those who did not overtly believe because they lacked
sufficient understanding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For our part,
let us be quick and faithful to obey what has been given to us, and let us
preach boldly and faithfully this message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It remains the sure and certain means by which we can be saved.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the final analysis, each one of us is called to follow
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, and imitate Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must do so for our own good, but also for
the good of others around us, especially those entrusted to our care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then be good shepherd my friends!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fear not the backlash of an angry world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their castigations and penalties are momentary…
even if they last a lifetime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
face of eternity, even one hundred years of life would be a mere blip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then steel yourself for the battle and
entrust yourself to the true Shepherd of your soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will not be ashamed in the last day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead you will hear the commendation of the
Good Shepherd: “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into your rest!”<o:p></o:p></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-91752121360822991852021-04-18T13:33:00.002-04:002021-04-18T13:33:18.208-04:00Easter Joy<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Third Sunday of Easter<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Year B<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Acts 3:13-15, 17-19;
Psalm 4:2, 4, 7-9; 1 John 2:1-5; Luke 24:35-48<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Why are you
troubled?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And why do questions arise in
your hearts?”</i><br />
Luke 24:38<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Are you still living in the glow of Easter joy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or have the daily routines begun to crowd it
out?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember thinking this Easter
that if what we believe is true- that Jesus has truly risen from the dead- then
what could actually trouble me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
could be too difficult for God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
would I truly have to worry about or be upset about if this is all true?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet, I find that it is easy to return to
the “routine” of daily living and essentially forget that Jesus has risen.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I don’t think I’m alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps you’ve been experiencing something similar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it possible even the first disciples had a
similar experience?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, of course, they still had Jesus
physically with them during these days we now call the Easter season.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Our Gospel today comes from Easter evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Eleven have just heard from the two
disciples who had been on their way to Emmaus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Suddenly, Jesus was with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Naturally, they were astonished and couldn’t believe their eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus gave them incontrovertible proofs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He showed them the wounds in His hands and
feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He allowed them to touch them to
see that He was flesh and bones and no mere ghost, or figment of their
imagination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, He ate some food
in front of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of these
demonstrated that Jesus was physically alive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then He began to teach them the scriptures, just as He had done for the
two on the road to Emmaus.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s here that Luke uses an interesting phrase: “he opened
their minds to understand the Scriptures.” Many of us have heard the
Scriptures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of us have read, or
even studied the Scriptures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it
isn’t until Jesus opens our mind that we really begin to understand them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus goes on to show how the Scriptures
foretold all that happened and then He tells them that, as a result, they need
to preach repentance from sin and faith in Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But let me go back to what He said when He first appeared to
them. “Why are you troubled?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And why do
questions arise in your hearts?” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doesn’t
this also apply to us in our current context?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If Easter joy only lasted for Easter then it is a sign that
we are still in need of pondering its message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If it lasted the week and then faded, we’re further on the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If it waned in the last week then this is an
excellent time to recall the story.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How do we maintain Easter joy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Well, for one, the Church has provided a means by what is
offered to us in the lectionary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each
Sunday we are still considering the resurrection of Jesus or its
implications.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore, our first
reading during all of the Easter season comes from the Acts of the
Apostles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There, we are given first hand
witness to the power of the resurrection and the way it transformed lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Church intends that we should be
encouraged and strengthened by these readings.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But another way we can maintain Easter joy is in
prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we continue to prayerfully
reflect and meditate on these things we can be filled with joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also helps to increase our faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I asked at the outset, if Jesus is alive
then what is too hard for God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Think for a moment, what things are facing us right now that
are crowding out Easter joy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are
the things we need to bring to God in prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And as we do, we need to consider again the impact of the resurrection.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I think in some ways this is scary for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if it isn’t true?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if there’s some other explanation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many critics have proposed such things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could they be right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">These are the things that perhaps go through our minds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or maybe it’s just that, while we believe the
story of Jesus to be true, we’re not sure that He’s willing to work so
powerfully in our lives.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We need to allow the Lord to encourage us in faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, this takes place in prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we pray we can hear His gentle voice
asking us, as He asked those first disciples, “Why are you troubled?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And why do questions arise in your hearts?” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In those moments, don’t be afraid to open up
to what God wants to speak to you or accomplish in your heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allow Him to reassure you, as He did those
first witnesses, that He is truly alive and that nothing is impossible to Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Listen as He once again invites you to
accompany Him on the great adventure of bringing His message into this present
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t be afraid!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Lord is truly risen!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Has Easter joy faded?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Read this Gospel again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let Jesus
show you His proofs for His resurrection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then allow yourself to believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rekindle Easter joy and send your fears and worries packing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not that the Gospel is too good to be
true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">It’s that it’s so good it must be true!</i><o:p></o:p></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-14007140926094524682021-04-10T17:48:00.003-04:002021-04-10T17:48:46.499-04:00Easter Delayed<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Second Sunday of Easter<br />
Sunday of Divine Mercy<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Year B<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Acts 4:32-35; Psalm
118; 1 John 5:1-6; John 20:19-31<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Now a week later his
disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them.</i><br />
John 20:26<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have been asked all week, “Did you enjoy your Easter?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My response has been unequivocal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I’m still enjoying Easter.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m still enjoying Easter because, of course,
it didn’t end with the day but continues through the season.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s quite possible the early disciples were having a
similar experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Basking in the glow
of our Lord’s resurrection, they must have had to pinch themselves to be sure
it was not a dream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of them might
very well have been having this experience except one- Thomas.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thomas was not with them when the Lord appeared to the
rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he didn’t believe their
report.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One wonders if he wasn’t the
least bit curious at seeing the dramatic change in their demeanor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deluded men do not have the mark of
authenticity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These men must truly have
been transformed by their experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Nevertheless, Thomas remains resolute in his skepticism until he can
have solid proof for himself.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I think Thomas gets a bad rap as being dubbed, “Doubting
Thomas”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why isn’t he remembered for
anything else he did?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter isn’t known
as “Denying Peter” and James and John were not always remembered as the “Sons
of Thunder”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fact is that Thomas
manifested heroic loyalty to our Lord before His crucifixion and, once restored
to faith in the story before us today, continued in the same vein, most
famously taking the Gospel to India where he suffered martyrdom.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m thankful for Thomas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His skepticism echoes that of many through the ages who have asked
similar questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s good to know the
whole band didn’t naively go along with the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They asked hard questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They struggled, and they finally came through
to a living faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s how it is for
many of us as well.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Furthermore, who of us wants to throw the first stone at
Thomas?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we so full of faith that we
can’t possibly relate to his position?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
doubt it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, rather I believe we can
all relate to Thomas in many ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
find ourselves in him in his dilemma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some of us have walked where he has walked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve faced trial and tragedy and wondered, “Where
is God in all this?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our faith has been
shaken and we insist on some sign from heaven if we are going to be drawn back
into belief.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But having said all that, there’s something that captures my
attention in this story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s that Thomas’
Easter was delayed by a week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a
tragedy!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This Easter was perhaps the best I’ve had since I entered
the Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it was even better
than that. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What made it so good?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But I strongly suspect it had to do with COVID. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When everything shut down a year ago and we were not
permitted to celebrate Easter in person, it was as if Lent continued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it wasn’t until this Easter that I began
to realize that I was living as if Lent had extended all the way to the current
moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After living more than a year in
that state it was almost incredulous to think that we could celebrate as we
have this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when we could be in
church this year and celebrate the Easter Vigil and watch souls birthed into
the kingdom in Baptism as well as others received into the Church it all came
alive for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most poignant moment of
the Easter Vigil for me was when the Blessed Sacrament was reposed in the
tabernacle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had this sense of “Ah!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s back where He belongs!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It almost brought me to tears.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have thoroughly lived this week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s been glorious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Easter triumph resounds within my
soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thought of having to delay for
another week is agonizing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, this was
Thomas’ experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He couldn’t begin
the celebration until then.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am mindful of the very real possibility that those reading
this, or others close to them, may be in the same situation as Thomas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We celebrated Easter and we ate the food and
visited family and did all the stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But then when it was over we went back to “normal living”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no manifest change in us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no encounter with Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And here we are a week later and not actually
living in the glory of Easter.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If that’s you, my friend, I plead for you to take some time
immediately to ponder the glorious truth of the Easter message: Christ is
risen!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is truly risen- just as He
said!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we really believe that then it
changes everything and nothing is impossible. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At one point this week while I was in prayer I sensed the
Holy Spirit gently chide me, “It’s real, you know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if that’s true, then there’s nothing for
you to worry about.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I have the faith
that a Man was raised from the dead, could I really doubt that anything is
impossible to God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just need to put my
Easter into my experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need to
live out what I say I believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And the same goes for us all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If your Easter has been delayed by a week,
don’t let it be delayed any longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Get
alone with God and shut yourself into your room just like those early disciples
on the first Easter evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then allow
Jesus to enter in and be transformed by His resurrected presence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then find the nearest “Thomas” and announce, “We
have seen the Lord.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-16855100768595801362021-04-05T13:10:00.000-04:002021-04-05T13:10:00.654-04:00Easter Week and Random Thoughts<p> "Christ is risen!" "And has appeared unto Simon. Alleluia!" This is the traditional Easter greeting and response. It's almost like a code or a secret handshake among Catholics. Unfortunately, not even a lot of Catholics know about it. </p><p>I'm thoroughly enjoying Easter; even more than I remember in recent years. I think one of the reasons for it is because COVID deprived us of a genuine Easter last year and it was almost as if Lent extended until this Easter. Finally being able to be back in person and experience the Easter Vigil and see people baptized and received into the Church was so wonderful!</p><p>So in the kindness of my pastor [who is also my boss] we were given today- Easter Monday- as a day off. This allowed me to randomly do some reading on the internet. Here are some things I found.</p><p>I overheard an excerpt from Pope Francis' Easter Vigil homily on the radio while driving home from Mass this morning. I wanted to check it out further. The excerpt that caught my attention was this: <span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"What does it mean “to go to Galilee? To go to Galilee means, first, to begin anew... This is the first Easter message that I would offer you: it is always possible to begin anew, because there is always a new life that God can awaken in us in spite of all our failures."</span><span style="font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"> You can read the whole text here: </span></span></span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/full-text-pope-francis-homily-for-easter-vigil-at-the-vatican. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then I was reading a piece from Jordan Peterson's recent book, Beyond Order: 12 More Rules For Life. He wrote, "</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #191919; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px;">Excess sentimentality is an illness, a developmental failure, and a curse to children and others who need our care (but not too much of it)." I have often thought this, but it helped to have it verified by a professional. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #191919; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px;">Along similar lines I came across this from the National Catholic Register article from April 2, 2021 entitled Why the Negative Is a Positive by Donald DeMarco in which he states, "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 18px;">We are confronted with a clash between truth and sentimentality. In a world ruled by sentimentality, everything is “nice.” It is a utopia in which there is no sin and everyone accepts everyone." </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 18px;">Taking the two quotes together they touch on what to me has been a very disturbing trend and that is that people arrive at what they perceive to be true by their feelings- how it makes them feel- rather than by reason- whether or not a particular premise is logical. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 18px;">And that brings me back to the resurrection and Easter. Christians believe this to be objectively true and that is what engenders the pleasant, joyful, and, indeed, happy feelings that go along with it.</span></p><p><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-36546605216853497032021-04-03T13:14:00.002-04:002021-04-03T13:14:25.500-04:00The Wrong Question<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Holy SaturdayAt the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Genesis 1:1-2:2;
22:1-18; Exodus 14:15-15:1; Isaiah 54:5-14; 55:1-11; Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4;
Ezekiel 36:16-28; Romans 6:3-11; Psalm 118; Mark 16:1-7<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Who will roll back
the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”</i><br />
Mark 16:3<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At last!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is
risen!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alleluia!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let the celebration begin!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have had more than one person remark that Lent seemed
longer last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My response is that it
was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It stretched into May when we were
finally able to return to church and receiving the sacraments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a way, Lent has stretched all the way from
a year ago to this present moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because
we weren’t able to be present for Easter last year it has an extra special
sense to it this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we reflect back
on what we’ve all been through for the last year it gives us a little insight
into what the disciples were experiencing from the Friday of our Lord’s
crucifixion until early Sunday morning.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One of my favorite characters in the Easter story is Mary
Magdalen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s my favorite because she’s
so faithful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She followed the Lord all
the way to the cross, watched as He was buried, and then returned early Sunday
morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None of the apostles were doing
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But she did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And for her faithfulness she is rewarded with
being the first person to see our Lord alive after His crucifixion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such, she became the apostle to the
apostles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was the one bringing them
the good news that He is risen.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But I’m getting ahead of myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For there’s something here that bears
reflection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>St. Mark records that Mary
is accompanied by some other women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
they are approaching the tomb of our Lord they begin to wonder who will roll back
the stone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None of them are strong
enough to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even all of them put
together cannot do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s as if they
realize they’ve had this great idea to come and anoint the body of Jesus but
none of them thought about the very practical reality of how they would get
into the tomb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In St. John’s Gospel it reads a bit different but the
general idea is the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John only
records Mary herself as going to the tomb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When she arrives she sees that it is open and the body of Jesus is gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She naturally suspects the worst and runs to
tell the apostles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter and John run to
the tomb to find it as she said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
leave, but Mary remains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then she meets
someone whom she supposes to be the gardener and assumes he must be responsible
for having taken the body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She asks him
to show her where the body is and she will take care of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is only at this point when the man calls
her by name that she realizes it is Jesus Himself.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In both renditions Mary has a very natural reaction and
quickly searches for an answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
she is only relying on her own understanding and resources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is asking the wrong question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For to the question, “Who will roll away the
stone,” the answer is that it has already been rolled away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God has taken care of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To the search for the Lord’s body she need
only open her eyes to see that she does not need to solve a riddle or a
problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer literally stands
before her.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I think that the Easter story has something to reveal to all
of us in this same way.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We come to this day with our own problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We naturally search for answers according to
our own understanding and resources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
we haven’t really factored God into the equation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even our praying is often rehearsing our own
fears, anxieties, or possible solutions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What we really need to do is simply present the problem to the Lord and
then abandon ourselves to His answer.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sounds simple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it’s
so very difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because we lack faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think about it; if we truly believe that
Jesus rose from the dead then why is it such a struggle to believe that He will
provide a solution for the things we are facing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We have heard the story on this night how God was preparing
for this moment since the dawn of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>God, infinitely wise, knew how it would all come about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knows the same for our circumstances and He
has been planning for the solution for the same amount of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Easter story reminds us that nothing is
impossible for God and that we need to abandon the death and grave of our own
mindset to enter into the new resurrection life that He is bringing us.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What “stone” are you fussing over today?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stop worrying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Lord already has a plan in mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will roll away the stone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when He does there will not be the stench
of death, but the glory of resurrection life!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So go inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take a look
around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“He has been raised; he is not here… He is going before you… there you
will see him.”</i><o:p></o:p></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-46379833554281846032021-04-02T10:42:00.003-04:002021-04-02T10:42:50.574-04:00Caesar or Christ<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Isaiah 52:13-53:12;
Psalm 31; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“We have no king but
Caesar.”</i><br />
John 19:15<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Church places the words above on our lips as we read the
Passion narrative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We- the “crowd”- call
for the crucifixion of Jesus and then place our allegiance with Caesar rather
than with Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always find it very
sobering when we read this portion every Good Friday.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What does it mean to choose Caesar over Christ?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does there need to be such a stark
dichotomy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can’t we serve both Caesar
and Christ?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the days of the Roman Empire the Caesar was often given
divine status.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allegiance to him meant
more than mere loyalty, respect, or patriotism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It had that of the religious sense about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christians often found themselves in conflict
here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They could obey Caesar as far as
their faith allowed, but they could not pledge allegiance to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was either Caesar or Christ, but not
both.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Jesus taught, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“No one can serve two masters,”</i> [Matthew
6:24].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We serve Caesar when we grant
varying elements of this world the status that belongs to God alone.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When we place all our hope and trust in government we have
no king but Caesar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many are putting all
their efforts into the political arena.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Church’s role is to inform politics, not become aligned with
politicians or political parties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To the
right we applaud a pro-life, pro-family ethic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But we advocate for better policies regarding immigration and capital
punishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To the left we applaud the
championing of the working class but we resist all efforts that oppose life,
such as abortion, euthanasia, or assisted suicide.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When we place our hope in money and material possessions we
have no king but Caesar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such things are
to be used, not the least of which is for the kingdom and the glory of
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We regularly fool ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ignoring Christ’s words to the rich ruler, we
think that we can grow rich in this world and still inherit the kingdom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>True, one could do that- if one was generous
with the riches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when we heap our
goods on ourselves and use our resources only for us we are fooling ourselves if
we think we are His disciples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
possessions rule us, no matter what we say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When we yearn to spend our time in the endless pursuit of
pleasure we have no king but Caesar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
isn’t that God is against us having fun or relaxing, but He is opposed to us
always doing so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Entertainment is a
multi-billion dollar industry because too many of us put our priority
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On this day when we see our Lord carrying a cross and dying
an utterly agonizing and humiliating death on our behalf let us think of the
contrast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If Christ is to be our king it
means a cross in this present world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
means death to the things we’ve mentioned above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But…<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If Christ is to be king it means true peace, joy, and
love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It means the satisfaction of the
soul as we find all the things we innately crave. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is Jesus enduring such agony?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because it is the only means to bring us what
we truly need- union with Him.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">St. Paul wrote, “Far be it from me to glory except in the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me,
and I to the world,” [Galatians 6:14].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As we consider the contrast between Caesar and Christ today may we be
able to say the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-28716250239143323942021-04-01T07:03:00.003-04:002021-04-01T07:03:53.990-04:00The Sacred Triduum: Holy Thursday<p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Holy Thursday<br />
Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14;
Psalm 116:12-13, 15-18; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-15<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He loved his own in
the world and he loved them to the end.</i><br />
John 13:1<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We enter into the Sacred Triduum, the most holy three days
in the liturgical calendar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
preparation in Lent is over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Triduum
stands as its own season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, it
stands as its own liturgy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we have
begun this evening, we will not have a formal closing to the Mass until it is
concluded at the Easter Vigil.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is common for us to think in terms of what we are going
to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But these three days are not
really about us; they’re about Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
about what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s all about Jesus!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only as we have that perspective can our own
devotions have merit and effect.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">St. John tells us that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He
loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>He says this at the outset of the events
of Holy Thursday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our Lord has gathered
with His disciples for the Passover meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here, He will institute the Holy Eucharist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here, He will also institute the holy
priesthood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But before He does either of
these things He does something else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
washes the feet of the disciples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
replicate this in our liturgy, but we often miss the meaning of what is
happening.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be the lowest of servants who would have the job of
washing the feet of guests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the
disciples gathered with their Lord for the Passover there was evidently no
servant to wash their feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would
have been the proverbial elephant in the room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Every one of them must have noted the omission of the servant and
thought that “someone should do something about that”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, of course, no one volunteered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then our Lord took on the duty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He lowered Himself to be the most humble of
servants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It was fitting that it should be so and one surmises that our
Lord knew all along that this would happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Note the text.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This doesn’t
appear to have caught Him by surprise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rather, knowing full well who He is He takes on this duty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The text reads as if it naturally follows.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In performing this duty our Lord shows in a tangible way
what He is about to do- He will not only wash their feet but give His life for
their salvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This action also smacks of Baptism: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter innately senses the incongruity of it,
but fails to grasp its meaning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our Lord
wins him over and washes his feet.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">These events set the tone for the evening and all of the
events that will follow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our Lord will
be the servant of all to the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
will endure the ignominies of the cross and give His life as a ransom for our
souls.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As you watch the Lord go through the events during this
Sacred Triduum insert yourself into the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He is washing your feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is
forgiving your denial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is dying for
your sins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gives Himself- willingly
and joyfully- for your salvation. You are powerless to save yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You cannot earn His holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You cannot gain merit in His eyes on your
own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But He is most willing to reach out
to you and draw you to Himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here,
you can be saved, healed, forgiven, restored, and sanctified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here, you are loved!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Watch as our Lord’s incomprehensible love is on display in
every moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then yield yourself to
this love and allow it to flow through you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Do you realize what I have done
for you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You call me ‘teacher’ and
‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you
ought to wash one another’s feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have
given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should
also do.”</i><o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-25259480339247560662021-03-31T06:14:00.003-04:002021-03-31T06:14:48.372-04:00The Cost of Betrayal<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wednesday of Holy Week<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Isaiah 50:4-9; Psalm
69; Matthew 26:14-25<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“What are you willing
to give me if I hand him over to you?”</i><br />
Matthew 26:15<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Spy Wednesday!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have
you heard of it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many have not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s what this day was traditionally
called.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is named for the fact that it
was on this day that Judas Iscariot went to the Jewish authorities to negotiate
a deal to betray Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why did he do
it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There have been several
speculations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some say it was because
Judas had zealot leanings and was disillusioned with Jesus’ non-violent
approach rather than the military hero for which he hoped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others think that it was because Judas was a
thief and was more in love with money than his own soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some believe it had something to do with the
incident with Mary pouring the expensive oil on Jesus’ feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He just didn’t understand Jesus’ perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scripture is unclear as to motive, but
unequivocal as to action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whatever the
reason, Judas made the decision to betray our Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Scripture is equally clear about what it cost Judas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was paid 30 pieces of silver, which is the
price of a slave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In remorse he returned
the money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then he went out and hung himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scripture becomes rather graphic on this
point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Now this man bought a field with the reward of his wickedness; and
falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. And
it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was
called in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood, </i>[Acts 1:18,
19].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps less clear is the
pronouncement of his end: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">… Judas turned
aside, to go to his own place,</i> [Acts 1:25]. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is “his own place”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it a reference to hell?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quite possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cannot be sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, we see that betrayal of the Lord is
terribly costly.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s the same story from the Garden to the present day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Evil One whispers lies in our ears to
make sin seem so enticing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In that
moment there’s nothing we want more and all reason flies from us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in the end there is remorse and
guilt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we aren’t careful, we can take
the same path as Judas.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Look at Judas’ question again: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>It echoes a question Jesus once asked: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“For what will it profit a man, if he gains
the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for
his life?”</i> [Matthew 16:26].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How much
is your soul worth to you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is its
price?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can it be easily traded away for
temporary pleasure or gain?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We betray the Lord constantly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We choose sin over Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In so doing we become partners with those who
crucified our Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He died for the very
sins we are committing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps we think
that everyone does this, and we can’t help it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But the truth is that we can do something about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can turn to the Lord in the moment of our
temptation and pray for the way of escape which He is willing to provide
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will, furthermore, fortify us
with all the grace necessary to do battle so that we may be victorious.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The saints stand in stark contrast to Judas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They chose the hard road of the cross and
triumphed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we are tempted to walk in
the way of Judas; in the way of betrayal, they remind us that we have another
option.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We are on the cusp of the Sacred Triduum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the perfect time to make our heart
right with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seek Him out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hide nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Tell Him freely of all your sins- and your desire to sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allow His mercy to forgive you, His grace to
fortify you, and His love to envelope you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rise, dear child of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Flee the company of Judas and seek that of the saints.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us take up our cross and follow
Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is going before us to die!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-90229141679901358172021-03-30T06:35:00.003-04:002021-03-30T06:35:32.951-04:00Betrayal or Denial<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tuesday of Holy Week<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Isaiah 49:1-6; Psalm
71; John 13:21-33, 36-38<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Reclining at table
with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified, “Amen, amen, I say
to you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, at a
loss as to whom he meant.</i><br />
John 13:21-22<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Today’s Gospel juxtaposes Judas and Peter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One betrayed the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other denied Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In both cases no one suspected such things
would be done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps, least of all,
those who were doing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Betrayal or denial; which is worse?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly betrayal!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Denial is a momentary lapse of weakness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Betrayal is premeditated and
intentional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is notable in today’s
Gospel that it records there was a moment for Judas when “Satan entered him.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such a thing is not recorded of Peter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We deny the Lord when we have momentary lapses of
weakness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We betray the Lord when we
know what we are doing and we choose it anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Betrayal or denial; are either unforgiveable?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then why does Judas end in suicide and Peter ends in martyrdom as the
first Pope?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One simple reason: Judas in
despair fled from the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter, in
remorse, returned and sought forgiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If Judas had followed the same course as Peter I have no doubt he would
have been forgiven, restored, and gone on to do great things in the kingdom just
like Peter.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How do we respond to the failings in our life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like Peter, or like Judas?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The enemy of our souls will goad you into
sinning and then condemn you for doing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He will at first whisper the lie that it’s no big deal and other
Christians are doing the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then once
you have believed the lie and gone into sin he will scream at you that you are
no Christian and you should just give up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have no doubt that’s exactly what Judas heard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suspect it’s what Peter heard as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But our Lord is so merciful that He is willing to forgive
all crimes against him, no matter how heinous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Murder, abortion, adultery, theft, lies, slander, pornography, and a
host of others are all forgivable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
only sin that is not forgivable is the sin that remains unconfessed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we choose to flee from the mercy of the
Lord and die in a state of mortal sin then we will be lost like Judas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As long as we draw breath, there is no sin
greater than our Lord’s sacrifice to pay for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Love conquers sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Today, especially in this holy season, do not allow any sin
to remain unconfessed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seek out a priest
to make confession.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If that is not
possible, make a perfect act of contrition, which is to be sorry for your sin
not because of its consequences, but because it offends a good and loving God
who deserves all our love and devotion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He is waiting for you- as surely as He waited for Judas and
Peter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t make the mistake of Judas
and flee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Come like Peter to be
forgiven, restored, and filled with grace for the mission for which you were
created and called into Christ!<o:p></o:p></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-8149285963349846392021-03-29T06:49:00.000-04:002021-03-29T06:49:33.230-04:00Be A Mary of Bethany!<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Monday of Holy Week<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Isaiah 42:1-7; Psalm
27; John 12:1-11<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mary took a liter of
costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of
Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of
the oil.</i> <br />
John 12:3<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Six days before
Passover Jesus came to Bethany.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
is Monday in Holy Week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus is staying
in Bethany, a town about 2 miles southeast of Jerusalem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to St. Mark’s Gospel it was here
that the disciples found the donkey He rode on into Jerusalem and they returned
here after the events of Palm Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>According to St. John, Jesus is staying with His friends, Lazarus, and
his sisters, Mary and Martha.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
the same Lazarus who Jesus raised from the dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this is the same Mary and Martha who were
known for waiting and listening at Jesus’ feet [Mary] and being busy with work
and details [Martha].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Something stunning and amazing happens here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mary is so moved by Jesus’ presence that she
does something extraordinary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She takes some
very costly oil and anoints the feet of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then she wipes them with her own hair. The humility and extravagance of
the act are striking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Humility is seen
in her stooping to anoint Jesus’ feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Extravagance is seen in that the oil is very costly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What motivates the action?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was it in gratitude for the restoration of
the life of her brother?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was it
deeper?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did Mary see through eyes of
faith that Jesus was indeed the Son of the living God, the Messiah?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did she understand that He must die?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cannot know what was in her heart and the
Gospels are silent on the issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But her
action demonstrates the deep love of the contemplative soul.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mary is seemingly oblivious to those around her; perhaps
even to the stinging rebuke from Judas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus interprets it in light of the extraordinary events to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Let
her keep this for the day of my burial.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We see in chapter 19 of St. John’s Gospel that such oil, or something
similar, was used in Jewish burial practices as this is what they did for our
Lord when they took Him down from the cross.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let’s return to this moment with Mary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>St. John comments, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure he meant that literally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But let us consider some spiritual
implications.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The word, “Christ”, means “Anointed One”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We who take this name- Christians- become the
anointed ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are anointed literally
in Baptism and Confirmation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But spiritually
it is a reference to our identification with Christ and our anointing from the
Holy Spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then shouldn’t we live
lives filled with this anointing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if
that is the case, could it be said of us that the fragrance of that anointing
fills the places where we are?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As St.
Paul writes to the Corinthians, “We are the aroma of Christ to God among those
who are being saved and among those who are perishing,” [2 Co. 2:15].<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now notice the criticism of Judas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This reminds us that there will always be
critics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And too often they come from
religious leadership where one would naturally count on finding support rather
than criticism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pay it no mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mary didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Extravagant love and
worship are more important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There is a great deal of difference between doing something
to be seen of others and the extravagant love that is so focused on the Lord
that it doesn’t care who sees it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only
we can know our own motives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
criticism of others runs into sketchy territory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we are all focused on worship, we won’t
have time to be critical of others.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You can get put out because the Mass isn’t done exactly as
you think it should be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or you can offer
God the best Mass you are capable of offering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The former is to identify with Judas and the latter with Mary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will freely confess I have too often been
in the Judas camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to be with
Mary!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We should also note that we cannot allow criticisms to keep
us from offering the extravagant worship that is so pleasing to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When our hearts are right and all we desire
is to show Him our great love, this is pleasing to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I find it significant that such an event took place at the
outset of what we now call Holy Week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
think it characterizes the spirit of worship that should be ours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s not fuss about how long the Triduum
liturgies are or find excuses for missing them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rather, let us devote extra time and attention to them and enter with
our Lord into these sacred events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Spend an hour of prayer after the Holy Thursday liturgy, if
possible in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament at the altar of repose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spend an hour- or three- from noon to 3:00
p.m. on Good Friday in prayer and reflection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Attend the Easter Vigil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arrive
early.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spend time in prayer shrouded in
darkness in anticipation of all that is to follow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let your heart be immersed in the deepest
love for Jesus whose heart was so moved with love for us that He gave Himself
on the cross.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let us be a Mary of Bethany- humble, loving, adoring, and
unafraid of the cost of true devotion!<o:p></o:p></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-54857404213196497442021-03-27T16:10:00.002-04:002021-03-27T16:10:29.890-04:00The Death of the Cross<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Year B<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Mark 11:1-10<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22;
Philippians 2:6-11; Mark 14:1-15:47<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He humbled himself, becoming
obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.</i><br />
Philippians 2:8<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It all comes down to this!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We have walked through this season of Lent, which has been
characterized by prayer, fasting, and sacrifices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its culmination begins today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is Holy Week, the most sacred time in
the Church liturgical calendar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
week we will re-live the events that took our Lord from the triumph of His
entry into Jerusalem through the betrayal of one of His own apostles, the Last
Supper, and the horror of the crucifixion into the wonder of the
resurrection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though we know the
end of the story, I invite you to enter into each moment as if you were there;
as if you were living through it for the first time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allow the events of this week to permeate the
depths of your soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will find it
intersecting with what is actually happening currently in our lives.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Today has always struck me as the oddest day of the Church
year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We begin in jubilation and finish
in sober silence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To say it’s an
emotional roller-coaster is an understatement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Why does the Church give us such contrasting viewpoints in a single
liturgy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because that’s what this week
is all about. Today it is laid out for us as a panorama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as we continue through the week we will
enter into the moments making it up.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What did this week mean for Jesus?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knew His death was imminent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From all appearances He longed for this week
and dreaded it at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The writer
of the Letter to the Hebrews says, “For the joy that was set before him [he]
endured the cross,” [Heb. 12:2].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
was the entire reason for His coming to earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His mission culminates here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
it will be agonizing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will be
humiliating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before Easter, there must
be Good Friday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The way to everlasting
life leads through the cross and there is no sidestepping it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If you and I had the same perspective as Jesus would we
embrace our trials and sufferings more?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Would we glory in the cross, knowing it is purging us of the dross of
sin and fitting us to be citizens of heaven?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is where St. Paul’s wonderful hymn in his Letter to the
Philippians comes in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Notice the path of
humility that precedes the path of glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus was in very deed God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yet, He chose to become human.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s a serious step down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
grasp it we would need to consider what it would be like to become an
amoeba.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The step down from divinity to
humanity is much greater than that.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But then, not content with that, our Lord further humbles
Himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He hands Himself over to
men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And not just any men, but the worst
kind of men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The men who will justify
themselves while they commit the most egregious crimes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The men who truly thought their actions were
pleasing to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Again, not satisfied to merely humble Himself to die, but
listen to St. Paul’s language: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">even</i>
the death of the cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is that the
final step in the path of humiliation?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We all know we will die someday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, we may hold onto hopes that we may
die in a way that is palatable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I want
to die peacefully.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I want to die
quickly.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I want to die in my sleep.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I want to die gloriously.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are just some of the things we think to
ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus dispels it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will die in the most inglorious,
humiliating, painful, and agonizing way possible. He will be esteemed as cursed
of God, and He will seemingly die alone and forsaken by both God and men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is the death of the cross.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To what are we still clinging so desperately?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we holding out for some ambition?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some life’s dream or goal?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it for our own “bucket list”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What illusion keeps us thinking that perhaps
we have a better idea than God and that is why we can justify not embracing the
cross in our own lives?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Holy Week is
intended to utterly demolish any such false notions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that is a very good thing.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Again, I invite you to walk through the events of this Week
as if you were living them for the first time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Let it become your prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
are so many things the Lord would reveal to us if we would put aside the props
and distractions of our lives so we can get quiet and listen for His voice.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I guarantee you this: that the joy of your Easter will be in
direct proportion to the degree to which you have embraced the cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is true both in time and eternity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There are too many who are content to simply jump from Palm
Sunday to Easter Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They want the
easy path of least resistance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They want
a cross-less victory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such a thing is
impossible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For this flesh cannot
inherit eternal life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If our sin is not
purged then we will not be ready for heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since that is true, let us endure the agony of the cross in our own
lives- however it may appear- so that we will have the rest of eternity in the
glory of heaven.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">With these thoughts I invite you to join me as we walk with
our Lord through the events of Holy Week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Cling not to the passing adulation of the crowds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sound of their praises will fade away and
before you will lay bare the way of the cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Fear not!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the way of the
Master.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Should not the disciple tread it
still?<o:p></o:p></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-17167051485438231552021-03-20T15:25:00.003-04:002021-03-20T15:25:58.244-04:00Glory!<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fifth Sunday of Lent<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Year B<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Jeremiah 31:31-34;
Psalm 51; Hebrew 5:7-9; John 12:20-33<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The hour has come for
the Son of Man to be glorified.”</i><br />
John 12:23<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Read that verse again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is the time for the Son of Man to be glorified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What would we expect to come next?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We expect the sounding of trumpets, the
angels to sing, and to see a worldwide conversion to Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What do we get?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Talk about the cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus’ point of view was that He would be
glorified by going to the cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I dare
say that is definitely not our point of view.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If I offered to anyone the opportunity to be glorified,
never would they equate that with a public execution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps this is the issue right here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t have Jesus’ perspective.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have often remarked that in the kingdom of God everything
is topsy-turvy from what it is in the kingdoms of this world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here, the last are first, the poor are rich,
the foolish are wise, and the one who lays down his life will live
forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s virtually the opposite of
how we see everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And herein lies
the key to discipleship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ calls us
to “Repent,” which means that we must completely re-think, and re-learn,
everything.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We are approaching the tail end of Lent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next week begins Holy Week and then
Easter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are that close.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there are still lessons to be
learned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Foremost, is that the message
of the cross is not just for Lent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
for a lifetime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lent emphasizes it
because we need an annual reminder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
it is something we are to be living every day.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Why so much fuss about the cross?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sin has marred everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When we were created in Paradise we were intended to be the offspring of
God who lived holy and communed with Him in unbroken fellowship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But after sin entered the world nothing was
as it was intended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now, if we are to be brought back to God, it must be on the
line of the cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must die to our
old life of sin if we are to be raised in the new, divine life that God has for
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This dying must be daily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, it is moment by moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To choose the cross is to deny our sinful
passions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is to bring them to God for
the remedy of His grace, gained through sacrament and prayer.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is the spiritual combat immortalized by the
saints.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here there is glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For as with the combatants of old, the victor
attains glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And our only path to
victory is by way of the cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sin cannot
be accommodated, nor controlled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It must
be crucified.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The death of the cross leads to the glory of the
resurrection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can know both
simultaneously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But our faith only
becomes sight after death; indeed after the general judgment when we are
reunited, body and soul, and enter into eternal glory.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There are no shortcuts here and there is no opportunity for
cheating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The just Judge of all beholds
our every action and knows our every thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Only the one who truly lays down his life will recover it again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Glory!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is that how we
see this closing season of Lent?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t
let these last days escape you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Redouble
your efforts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If there has been failure,
seek forgiveness and mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If there has
been victory, beware arrogance and humble yourself so that God’s grace may
prevail.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us not fear walking with him through this
hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our Lord is our pattern, but He is
also our defender.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He shows the way and
He fights for us as we place our trust in Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If we suffer with Him, we will be glorified with Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let your Lent have its perfect work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then take your lessons and your victories
into Easter!<o:p></o:p></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-32774138986638565292021-03-13T13:03:00.001-05:002021-03-13T13:03:18.114-05:00Rejoice Early!<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fourth Sunday of Lent<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Year B<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">2 Chronicles
36:14-16, 19-23; Psalm 137:1-6; Ephesians 2:4-10; John 3:14-21<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Early and often did
the LORD, the God of their fathers, send his messengers to them, <br />
for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place.</i><br />
2 Chronicles 36:15<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Today is known as “Laetare Sunday”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laetare means “rejoice” and is taken from the
first word of the opening antiphon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On
this Fourth Sunday of Lent we rejoice as we are drawing nearer to the Sacred
Triduum and Easter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our first reading
offers us something unique.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Book of 2 Chronicles tells the story of the Southern Kingdom
of Judah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Throughout their history they
had alternately served the Lord with fervor, or gone after idols with equal
fervor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God continually sent his
prophets to warn the people that they needed to turn back to Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they refused.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, God brought judgment in the form of
the Babylonian Empire who came and defeated the Israelites, leading them
captive to Babylon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That sets the
context for today’s Psalm. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hear the
mourning as they find themselves in a foreign land.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">However, the anger of the Lord does not last forever, and in
time He brought His people out of Babylon to return to Jerusalem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is actually the focus of the reading
today as we hear of the joy of God’s mercy.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">St. Paul echoes this theme when he recounts for us the life
of grace that has been given to us in the 2<sup>nd</sup> chapter of his letter
to the Ephesians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for
us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life
with Christ — by grace you have been saved —, raised us up with him, and
seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s good news!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though, like the Israelites, we had
rebelled against God and were deserving of His wrath, God chose mercy and
offered us His grace so that we could become His children and live eternally
blessed in Christ.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the Gospel we hear that classic verse known throughout
the world, John 3:16: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“For God so loved
the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him
might not perish but might have eternal life.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>Again, we see that God’s love was so
great that He went to every length possible to forgive our sins and grant us
eternal life.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I find this theme particularly prominent in our first
reading when we read that, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Early and
often did the LORD, the God of their fathers, send his messengers to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>This notion of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">early</i> catches my attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Think about what is implied in that phrase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God didn’t procrastinate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He didn’t tend to other things first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He didn’t put this off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the first thing on His agenda day by
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Early in the morning he sent his prophets
to His wayward people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This shows the
priority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it shows with what love
and patience the Lord is willing to deal with us.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Note also as the verse continues we read, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">for he had compassion on his people and his
dwelling place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>The reason God was
so persistent in sending the prophets was that it was His intention to show
compassion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Love drove Him to this every
day.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And how did the people respond?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, we can’t be exactly sure, but the
possibilities range from a yawn of indifference to more willful defiance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What we do know is that the people did not
listen to the repeated warnings of the Lord as given by His prophets.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sound familiar?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who
of us wants to be preached at… especially first thing in the morning?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t want anyone telling us we’re doing
something wrong, or worse, that we will face God’s judgment if we
continue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then as now, the response is
often, “Mind your own business and stop judging me!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t see God’s warnings as a sign of His
compassion and we usually don’t regard His messengers very well as a result.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But if we heed the word of the Lord then we reap the
benefits and blessings He desires to bring us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I suggest that the same phraseology of “early” should characterize our
response.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let’s not put off our repentance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God has given us this season of Lent to be a
blessing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not about our sacrifices
and our penances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s about God’s
mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s receive what He’s offering,
and let’s do it “early”.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How do we do so?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Make
your first priority in your day prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Before you do anything else, begin your day with prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Offer yourself to God, at least for a few
minutes, in prayer every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are
able to attend Mass, then do that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
go “early”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you haven’t been to
confession for a while, go as soon as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Don’t put it off any longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have
you been living in a way that you know does not please God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then change it- today!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go to God and ask His forgiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Receive the mercy which He has offered you “early”
and then go on with His grace to the newness of life He intends.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Our God comes to us “early” so He can offer us His
blessings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we receive them we have
great cause for rejoicing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Laetare!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Rejoice!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For God is coming to us in His compassion, His mercy, and His love!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-75248829212032302212021-03-06T14:40:00.003-05:002021-03-06T14:40:58.434-05:00Is God Angry?<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Third Sunday of Lent<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Year B<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Exodus 20:1-17; Psalm
19:8-11; 1 Corinthians 1:22-25; John 2:13-25<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Zeal for your house will consume me.<br />
</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">John 2:17<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The story of Jesus
cleansing the Temple is both fascinating and puzzling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems so out of line with virtually
everything else we read about Jesus in the Gospels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the same Jesus who taught us the ways
of non-violence and non-resistance; “Turn the other cheek… go the extra mile…
love your enemies… be merciful as your Father in heaven is merciful.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, there can be no question that this
incident also factors into the life and teaching of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What are we to make of it? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Let’s take a look
at the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is recorded in all four
Gospels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is significant and alone
is a reason for further investigation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the other three Gospels this story takes place during Holy Week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John places it at the very beginning of his
Gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Theologians are divided as to
the reason for this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Were there actually
two cleansings of the Temple?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That seems
highly unlikely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps John has placed
the story here for theological purposes even though it likely took place during
Holy Week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That seems more plausible to
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I propose that the story is a way of
pointing to what Jesus would accomplish at the cross, but John chooses to place
it at the outset of the Gospel to demonstrate what Jesus will do throughout His
life and ministry. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">As we look at the
story itself, Jesus enters Jerusalem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
know from St. Luke’s account that Jesus was in the habit of coming here yearly
with his family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When He was 12 we have
the famous story of Him being in the Temple and conversing with the religious
leaders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mark adds a bit of perspective
to the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He notes that when Jesus
entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday He went into the Temple and looked
around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then He left [Mk. 11:11].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This proposes the idea that Jesus was not
merely having an emotional tirade, but rather that it was calculated and
intentional.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">There’s another
very interesting aspect to this story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In our Gospel today we hear toward the end of the passage, “While he was
in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his
name when they saw the signs he was doing.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Matthew’s account says something similar.
Immediately after the cleansing event, we read there, “And the blind and the
lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them,” [Mt. 21:14].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So both John and Matthew corroborate the idea
of miracles and healing following the cleansing of the Temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luke offers a slightly different perspective
when he notes, “And he was teaching daily in the temple,” [Lu. 19:47]. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taken together, it appears that after the
cleansing of the Temple, Jesus immediately began to teach, to heal, and to
perform miracles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">What should we make
of it all?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">First, let’s deal
with this idea of an angry God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it
some obscure aspect that has been historically and traditionally
misunderstood?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many moderns would say
yes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that dismisses a lot of
information given to us about God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Is God angry?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>St. Paul, writing to the Romans, says, “For
the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness
of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see this illustrated in numerous places in
the Old Testament where God judges individuals and nations- even Israel- when
they remain steadfast in their sins and refuse to repent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see it illustrated in our Lord in this
passage today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we have numerous New
Testament references to the Day of Judgment in which those who remain
impenitent will be sentenced to eternal punishment.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On the flip side, it is worth noting that “his anger is but
for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime,” [Ps. 30:5] and “His mercy
endures forever,” [Ps. 118:1].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How are
we to reconcile these ideas?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">First, let’s do away with the simplistic notion of choosing
one over the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must deal with
the fact that both of these aspects are part of who God is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Second, let’s understand that it is the love
and mercy of God which are more prominent and usual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we humbly seek Him, even in spite of our
many failings, He is ever waiting to forgive and restore us in love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, let us also reckon on the sobering
truth that wrath is part of that equation and it is a part that we do well to
consider.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If there’s no place in your
theology for a God of wrath then you are worshiping a false god.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Why is Jesus angry in the story?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because sin and hypocrisy have invaded the
house of God to such an extent that everyone considers it to be normal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is His zeal for the house of God that
purges it of what defiles and restores it to its intended purpose- to be a
place for the truth and the power of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So then, what is meant by the house of God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I propose three applications.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">First, we are the house of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are the Temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When sin and hypocrisy become normative in
our lives God is angry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is not
necessarily angry with us, but rather He is angry that we have become defiled
and His intention for our lives is marred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Remember, God hates sin in his children for the same reason that parents
hate cancer in their children- because left unchecked it will kill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So God comes in His wrath to destroy the sin
in our lives and restore us to a place where we can hear His voice, learn His
truth, and experience His healing and miraculous power.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Second, the Church is the house of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like Israel of old, we are the people of
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are held to a higher
standard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God expects us to be a holy
people who demonstrate His praise and are the ambassadors of His love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When sin and hypocrisy become normative here
God is angry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He pours out His wrath in
ways meant to purge and purify us so we can be what He intends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I personally believe this is what lies behind
the exposure of the priesthood scandal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Are we listening?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we
repenting?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we cleansing ourselves of
the unrighteous leaven so that Jesus can teach, heal, and show His power on our
behalf?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Finally, the house of God is the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God made this world, and the people in it, to
be holy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But sin has marred God’s
creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While beauty persists, there
is much that mars the creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sin and
hypocrisy have become normative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have
all accepted it and we live with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
worse, we are content to live with it in ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But God is not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only that which is holy will inherit eternal
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God will rightly judge those who
remain impenitent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His wrath will be
revealed in the Day of Judgment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While
many of us find that entire idea abhorrent, the truth is we wouldn’t really
have it any other way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For what if
heaven was just like here?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then who
would want to go?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t we want the
heaven of our dreams where there is no sin, no sickness, no pain, and no
death?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then sin must be completely
purged and that means that those who love their sin more than God cannot go
there.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now, what will we do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I propose a dangerous suggestion: allow the angry young Jewish Rabbi to
come and cleanse your Temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will be
painful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will literally upset all
that you hold dear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But you are
imprisoned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are still bound by sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And our loving God yearns with great zeal to
set us free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let Him in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let Him turn the place upside down… and then
watch as He restores it to right-side up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Watch as He makes your life a place of truth, power, and the awesome
presence of God!<o:p></o:p></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-87399226076488973612021-02-27T15:28:00.003-05:002021-02-27T15:28:42.117-05:00The Transfiguration!<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Second Sunday of Lent<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Year B<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Genesis 22:1-2, 9-13,
15-18; Psalm 116:10, 15-19; Romans 8:31-34; Mark 9:2-10<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jesus took Peter,
James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he was transfigured before them.</i><br />
Mark 9:2<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Every year the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday of Lent
is about the Transfiguration of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Why has the Church chosen this event to showcase at this particular
juncture of the liturgical year?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some
say it is because the Transfiguration took place at this time- about 40 days
before Good Friday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others think it is a
foretaste of the Resurrection intended to provide comfort and hope to the
disciples as the time for our Lord’s death was drawing near.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think there’s probably something in all of
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there’s something else I see
as well that makes me think this reading is very providentially placed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let’s consider the Transfiguration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s happening?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus takes His inner circle- Peter, James,
and John, up on a high mountain by themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No one else is with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Suddenly Jesus appears in radiant white clothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along with him appear Moses and Elijah who
converse with Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Awed by this
unprecedented and amazing sight, Peter offers to worship… all three.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep in mind, this is the man who has just
confessed Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But here he all but loses his mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s when the voice of the Father is heard
from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then there is only Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other heavenly messengers have
vanished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s at this point that Jesus
charges them not to tell anyone what they have seen until He has been raised
from the dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Naturally, the disciples
don’t understand that reference and wonder what it means.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That’s the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is happening?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For a moment heaven comes down to earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The privileged inner circle of disciples are
blessed to see our Lord both in the glory which He had from eternity past as
well as that which is yet to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Nowhere could the teaching of the communion of saints be clearer as the
disciples yet on earth are privileged to hear part of the heavenly conversation
between two of the great saints of the Old Testament and our Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ironically, Peter’s reaction is what people
suspect Catholics are doing when we pray to saints.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, our teaching is informed by this
event that while the saints are alive in heaven they are merely human and not
deserving of the worship which is reserved for God alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this way Christ’s deity is revealed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Whatever Peter, James, and John thought about the entire
event at that moment, it couldn’t help but seal in them the vital truth that
Peter had previously confessed- that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living
God.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I would like to propose that nothing actually happened to
Jesus in this event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was always just
as much divine as He was in that moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But in that moment His disciples were allowed to see it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus was transfigured- meaning He appeared
momentarily in His glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it was the
disciples who were intended to be transformed as a result.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think about it, if they had prayerfully
pondered what they had experienced they could never have been so shaken by the
events that were shortly to transpire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
believe this was our Lord’s intent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But,
of course, He also knew how they would react.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This brings a couple of realities to mind that I think are
pertinent to the matter at hand.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Our Lord has graciously given us His presence in the Holy
Eucharist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, we are in need of
having eyes of faith to see it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an
objective reality, but it only can be seen by those with faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So what do we see?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What we should see is a Man crucified, tattered and torn to
shreds, writhing in agony as He gasps out His final breaths on a cruel
cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For love of us!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is that what we see?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too often I hear us speak of the presence of
the Lord in the Eucharist in sentimental terms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Oh, isn’t it so wonderful?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isn’t
it so peaceful?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could we say such
things while beholding our crucified Lord?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And yet, that is what is before us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The same thing happens at Mass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why don’t we spice up the music or make this
a bit more entertaining like the Protestant services?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because we are being brought before our
crucified Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not a “hand-clappy”
kind of thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too often, we want to
make this about a table fellowship as if we’re attending a spiritual pot
luck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, that’s not what’s
happening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the Holy Sacrifice of
the Mass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Solemnity and sobriety are
what is appropriate.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now, I have painted this in somewhat narrow terms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This isn’t the only sense in which our Lord
is present to us in the Eucharist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Countless saints through the ages have testified to the power and, yes,
the comfort they have experienced in the presence of the Blessed
Sacrament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It need not be seen
exclusively in such stark terms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Nevertheless, that is what it is at its root and we are in need of such
reminders from time to time lest we become too familiar with what is before us
and then begin to become indifferent about it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I propose, then, that each time we are before the Blessed
Sacrament we are experiencing a personal Transfiguration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we have eyes of faith to see it our
experience with our Lord can be just as powerful as that of the disciples on
the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, what will we do
with that experience?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will it have
enough of an impact to take us through the horror of the crosses that God
brings into our lives?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And that leads me to the second sense in which I want to
consider the Transfiguration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
encounter with the Transfigured Lord is intended to transform us into Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our union with Him makes us more like
Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, we should ask the
question: can the world around me see the Transfigured Christ within me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In part, this will depend on whether or not
those around us have eyes of faith; if they are seeking for God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it also calls us to remember that we are
the means through which Christ now makes Himself known to the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us prayerfully consider the ways that Christ,
who is always with us and in us, can be transfigured so as to be seen by those
who are searching for Him.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One final thought- this Transfiguration is intended to
encourage us in our Lenten journey as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While we may experience discomfort in our sacrifices we are in need of
being reminded that the Transfigured Lord is with us in this journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we persevere, we will come out on the
other side into Easter and we will be made a little more like Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we continue in the lessons learned during
Lent we continue forward into a renewed Easter that lasts the rest of our
lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, do not be discouraged
at the outset of our journey… even if you have already failed in some of your
intentions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The road is still before
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Get back up and let’s pick up our
cross and continue to follow Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
leads into the glory of heaven, to the company of saints, and the embrace of
the Father!<o:p></o:p></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-7374648452361059702021-02-21T07:54:00.002-05:002021-02-21T07:54:32.927-05:00Lent and Baptism<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">First Sunday of Lent<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Year B<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Genesis 9:8-15; Psalm 25:4-9; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:12-15<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baptism … saves you
now.</i><br />
1 Peter 3:21<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Do the readings for today seem a bit odd?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First we read about the covenant God made
with Noah after the flood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we read
a cryptic passage from St. Peter about the souls in prison and the efficacy of
Baptism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, we come to the Gospel
where we expect to hear more about our Lord’s temptation in the desert, but
that scene is barely scanned before we have our Lord preaching His first
sermon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is going on?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">First of all, let me say that we typically read about our
Lord’s temptations on this First Sunday of Lent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, in the scheme of the Lectionary-
which provides the readings for Mass- we focus on St. Mark’s Gospel in Year
B.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That Gospel does not have a detailed
account of our Lord’s temptation as that found in either St. Matthew or St.
Luke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, this is all there is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the Church in her wisdom has given us
another insight into the ethos of this season we now call Lent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s explore.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It doesn’t require much investigation to discover that what
the readings are keying on is the topic of Baptism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is Baptism in view on the First Sunday of
Lent?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let me borrow from one of my
favorite Church Fathers to help answer that question.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">St. Justin Martyr was a convert to the Faith from paganism
in the second century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was a
philosopher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in his pursuit of truth
he encountered the Christians and when he heard of Jesus he knew he had found
that for which he had always been searching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>St. Justin recounts for us a part of the custom of the Church of his day
regarding Baptism: “As many as are persuaded and believe that what we teach and
say is true, and undertake to be able to live accordingly, are instructed to
pray and to entreat God with fasting, for the remission of their sins that are
past, we praying and fasting with them,” [First Apology ch. 61].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>St. Justin tells us that entrance into the
Church was no mere formality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was
a period of instruction and trial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
needed not only to profess the faith, but demonstrate that they were living
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only then could they be
baptized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there was a period of
prayer and fasting that preceded it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That period was likely only a couple of days back then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But note that the entire church joined with
those preparing for Baptism in their fasting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is the basis for what we now call Lent.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Lent is the preparation period for Easter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But more specifically, it is the time of
prayer, fasting, and preparation for those who are to be baptized and receive
their initial sacraments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our praying
and fasting should, in great part, be connected to being in solidarity with
those preparing for entrance into the Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Therefore, today’s readings have Baptism in view to direct our attention
to the fact that this is what our Lenten disciplines are all about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then this raises the question: why is
Baptism so important?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s all the
fuss about anyway?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let’s take our first reading as a starting point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We come in at the end of the story about the
great flood that destroyed all life on earth except the 8 people and the
animals in the ark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The church, in its
mystical tradition, has always seen this story as being about Baptism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those who were saved were those in the ark-
those who believed God and obeyed Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The ark is seen as a type of the Church- it is the means Christ has
given for the salvation of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Through the Church the message of salvation is preached and the
sacraments are administered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those in
the ark were saved through water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Water
drowned and destroyed the ungodly elements and left only those in the ark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the same way our sins are drowned and
destroyed in Baptism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">St. Peter says that Baptism now saves us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He goes on to say that it is not merely
getting wet that matters, but rather that the interior disposition is
transformed as intended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But this all
happens in Baptism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Baptism does what it
symbolizes; it washes, it renews, it brings new birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Baptism our old life of sin is buried and
we begin a new life in Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We issue
forth from the font as brand new babes in Christ, even if we were a lot older
at the time.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is with all this in mind that we come to the Gospel where
we hear our Lord call to us all, “This is the time of fulfillment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kingdom of God is at hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Repent, and believe in the gospel.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lent forms the time for repentance; the time
to deal with sin and take the proper steps to put sin away out of our
lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Easter will begin the time of
faith; where those newborn in Baptism will begin their life of faith in our
Lord Jesus Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the time of
fulfillment!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">With all this in mind, what should we be doing during this
holy season of Lent?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">First, let us recall our own Baptism and the vows we made,
or that were made on our behalf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
promised to renounce Satan, and all his works, which are all manner of sin, and
all his empty promises, or the many ways that Satan makes sin look
alluring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We promised to turn our back
on all those things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we keeping
these vows?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we avoiding all sin, and
even the near occasion of sin?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we
prone to take another drink, another look, or anything else that can
potentially draw us back into the world of sin from which we were saved?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Remember Lot’s wife,” our Lord told us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“No one who puts his hand to the plow and
looks back is fit for the kingdom of heaven.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then we vowed to believe in God: Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, the Holy, Catholic Church, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of
the body, and life everlasting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we
living in communion with God according to the teaching of His Church in view of
death, judgment, and eternity?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Second, let’s renew our baptismal vows in heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us offer penance for our failures and
thanksgiving for our victories. Allow this Lenten season to “reboot” you to
what it was you were from the beginning- from Baptism.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Third, offer prayers and sacrifices for those preparing for
their Easter sacraments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep them front
and center in your attention.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Finally, draw near to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What does He have for you in this 40 day journey?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Get alone with Him and ask Him that
question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then listen for His
answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-7110112288600794322021-02-14T07:52:00.000-05:002021-02-14T07:52:54.873-05:00The Exam<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Year B<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Leviticus 13:1-2,
44-46; Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 11; 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1; Mark 1:40-45<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He shall be brought
to… the priest.</i><br />
Leviticus 13:2<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Can there be any doubt as to why the Law was completely
incapable of being the means of salvation in light of today’s first
reading?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think about it- put yourself in
the place of a leper in that time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
had to be physically ostracized while you were slowly and painfully dying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you were in public you had to cry out,
“Unclean, unclean,” so that others could get away from you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps some may see parallels to the current
situation, but it was so much worse than that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What’s more, this all came about because God said it should be done this
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A leper in the Old Testament very
much felt the abandonment of both people and God.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Why was it so?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps because of the very primitive understanding of medicine and that
the only way to keep such a plague from wiping out the entire race was by such
extreme means.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But one begins to sense
something else taking place as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
isn’t hard to see that leprosy stands in for sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What leprosy does to the person, or the
community, physically sin does spiritually.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now flash forward to today’s Gospel reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus encounters a leper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than follow protocol, the leper seeks
out Jesus because he believes Jesus can heal him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But watch the way that Jesus chooses to heal him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Moved
with pity, he stretched out his hand, <br />
touched him, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you see it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The leper was supposed to avoid touching
anyone or allowing himself to be touched.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Law stated that anyone touched by someone or something unclean became
unclean themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in this case
it’s reversed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than Jesus
becoming unclean the man becomes clean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But note that in both Leviticus and the Gospel the process
culminates with a visit to the priest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was the priest who was to examine the individual to declare him
either unclean or clean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, here’s the
interesting part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Law was specific
about the process for declaring someone unclean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This happened frequently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was equally clear about the process for
declaring someone clean. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t have
any recorded cases of this actually happening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It may have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it would have
been rare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only in this case with Jesus
would the priest actually be seeing a time when he could declare someone who
was unclean to be clean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God made
provision in the Law for something that would not happen for thousands of years
until Jesus came.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s this idea of going to see the priest that I want to key
in on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keeping in mind that in the Bible
leprosy stands in for sin, the application should be obvious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are in need of regularly seeking out our
priests to be examined so that we can be made clean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is what the Church offers us in the
Sacrament of Reconciliation, or what is more popularly known as Confession.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Catholic Church teaches that the priest is made <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">in persona Christi</i>- in the person of
Christ- at his ordination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such, he
carries Christ’s authority when he does certain things such as say the words of
institution at Mass, thus bringing about the Body and Blood of Christ, as well
as announcing the forgiveness of our sins in confession.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we go to tell the priest our sins we are
telling Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the priest gives us
counsel we should receive it as from Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And when he pronounces our sins are forgiven Jesus is saying that
through him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For confession to be all it is intended to be the person
must take some time to prayerfully examine himself to see where he has
sinned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then he must bare his soul to
the priest who is like a spiritual physician and will give him some thoughts
and advice to help in his ongoing battle with sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But such an examination need not wait until
we are receiving the sacrament.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">St. Ignatius of Loyola had as a key part of the spirituality
he taught the regular, daily, examination of one’s own soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each night one lays himself bare before God
to evaluate where he experienced God’s grace and triumphed, or where he failed
and fell into sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then he confesses his
sins to God and asks for the mercy of forgiveness and the grace to do better
the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This daily examination
kept one close to God and enabled him to find victory over sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let’s return to the Gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus tells the man healed of leprosy to go show himself to the
priest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s ironic is that he has
already done so since Jesus is the great High Priest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While going to a priest in confession is
helpful, and even necessary in some cases, we have the opportunity to go to Jesus
each day and allow Him to examine us so that we can be made clean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem is that we too often want to hide
our sins… as if our Lord does not already know all about them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are only fooling ourselves; and we do so
to our own detriment.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Socrates is credited with saying, “The unexamined life is
not worth living.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would heartily
agree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God does not intend that we
should do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, He invites us to
come to Him often so that we may be examined and we may be healed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Dear friends, we are on the cusp of Lent when our minds
naturally turn to such things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why
wait?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us be diligent today to find a
place where we may lay ourselves bare before our great High Priest, our Lord
Jesus Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There, let us tell Him
all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is willing that we should be
clean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let Him touch you… and be made
whole.<o:p></o:p></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-80295753684277610922021-02-06T19:55:00.003-05:002021-02-06T19:55:37.719-05:00The Heart of God<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Year B<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Job 7:1-4, 6-7; Psalm
147:1-6; 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23; Mark 1:29-39<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Let us go on to the
nearby villages that I may preach there also.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For this purpose have I come.”</i><br />
Mark 1:38<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Come with me on a day in the life of Jesus as recorded by
St. Mark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day in question is a Sabbath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It begins in Mark 1:21, from last weekend’s
Gospel reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus enters a town
called Capernaum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the hometown of
Peter and Andrew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While they are at the
synagogue a man who is demon-possessed begins to cry out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus rebukes the demon and delivers the
man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then they leave the synagogue and
go to Peter’s house where Jesus heals his mother-in-law of a fever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Word gets out and they bring all kinds of
people who are ill and demon-possessed and Jesus heals the sick and drives out
the demons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This must have taken a good
portion of the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So after a full
day of ministry Jesus finally gets some rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Does He sleep in the next day?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He rises early and goes out
to a solitary place in order to pray.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus must have been exhausted, yet he rises a great while
before dawn without an alarm clock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How
did He do it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why did He do it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what can we learn from it?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">First, how did He do it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The only reasonable answer is that He simply did what He was accustomed
to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus must have had a long
standing habit of rising very early in the morning to pray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It makes sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If He spent His adult years until roughly 30
years old as a carpenter then the early morning hours before dawn would be one
of the only times He could count on the peace and quiet necessary to have deep,
unbroken communion with His Father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
that’s true then Jesus simply did what He had always been doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Second, why did He do it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He did it because this was His favorite part of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He didn’t live to be adored by the
crowds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He didn’t relish the awesome
displays of His divine power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He eagerly
anticipated every moment He had to commune with the Father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember how hard it was to sleep on
Christmas Eve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if you went to
Midnight Mass and you were so tired you couldn’t even remember going to bed,
yet you woke eagerly in the morning because you anticipated the gifts you were
going to receive on Christmas morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
believe it was something similar that got Jesus up each morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He couldn’t wait to see what His Father had
for Him on that day.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What do we learn from it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We learn the priority of seeking God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Furthermore, we begin to see what it is to seek the heart of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you don’t already have a consistent habit
of rising early for prayer, this would be a great time to start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why early morning?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because you’re fresh and at your best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because no one is likely to call or
text.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It offers the best opportunity to
quiet yourself and plunge deep into the abyss of the loving heart of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sounds great in theory, you say, but what if
we’re not used to getting up early?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ah,
there’s a simple solution to this problem, known to every military drill
sergeant: force yourself to get up at the hour desired, no matter how
early.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the end of the day you will be
plenty tired and fall asleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then the
new pattern takes root.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To seek God first thing in the morning says nothing is more
important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a great way to put
things in perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the day holds
unpleasant surprises you are already fortified with the grace gained from
prayer rather than scrambling to find some on the fly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you wait until the middle of the day it
will be too difficult to extricate yourself from the day’s business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if you wait until the end of the day you
are normally too tired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus prayed at
both the beginning and the end of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While that would be a great habit, beginning with prayer at the opening
of the day is a good place to start.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But that’s not all we can learn from this Gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the disciples go to look for Jesus and
finally find Him, He offers this statement: “Let us go on to the nearby
villages that I may preach there also.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For this purpose have I come.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus demonstrates that someone who routinely seeks the heart of God
demonstrates the heart of God to others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There’s a restless, chaotic pace to St. Mark’s Gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He reveals Jesus as someone constantly on the
go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not because He is a “Type A” personality, but
because there are more people who need what only He can offer.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Did you notice how often St. Mark mentioned the demon-possessed
in this one day?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus encounters a
demoniac at the synagogue [vv. 23-26].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He delivered numerous people from demons that arrived at Peter’s house
[v. 34].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And He goes on to the other
towns where He drives out demons in those areas as well [v. 39].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why does Jesus heal the sick and drive out
demons?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because He is demonstrating the
Gospel He is preaching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus doesn’t
just talk a good game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He backs it
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Gospel is good news because we
can be set free from sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And to prove
it we see Jesus taking on the effects of sin- sickness and demonic activity.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As members of His body we have a vital role to play in our
world today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are charged with bringing
His Gospel to the nations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a
daunting, and quite honestly, impossible task.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, that is why we need to grasp the first part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In prayer we seek and apprehend the heart of
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And from prayer we bring the heart
of God into this world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If there’s no
prayer, there’s no ministry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re just
a faint echo of the voice of God, or worse, we become an obnoxious noise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prayer is what makes the difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Daily moments spent in His presence, being
filled with His grace transform our meager efforts into miraculous
moments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sick are healed, the
oppressed are set free, and the sinner is saved and made fit for the kingdom of
heaven.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m tired of watching the devil win the battles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He only wins by default- when we don’t show
up!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we’re immersed in Christ- which
happens through daily, consistent prayer- there’s nothing that can stop
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">No matter how crazy your life is right now I invite you to
find this place of prayer- this desert place where we encounter the Father’s
heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was vital for Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s imperative for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here, the craziness stops and the peace of
God reigns supreme.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Have you found this place?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Let’s go and seek Him there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
when we’ve been there, let’s listen for the places He wants to send us… to
bring His heart into the world!<o:p></o:p></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-34163318558091527462021-01-30T18:11:00.002-05:002021-01-30T18:11:39.421-05:00The Voice of the Lord<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Year B<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Deuteronomy 18:15-20;
Psalm 95; 1 Corinthians 7:32-35; Mark 1:21-28<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I will raise up for
them a prophet like you from among their kin, and will put my words into his
mouth; he shall tell them all that I command him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whoever will not listen to my words which he
speaks in my name, I myself will make him answer for it.”</i><br />
Deuteronomy 18:18, 19<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A funny thing happened on the way out of Egypt…<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It sounds like the beginning of a joke, but it’s actually a
very sad story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For 400 years the
Israelites had been enslaved in Egypt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Finally, they were liberated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God
had instructed Moses that he was to lead them to Mount Sinai where Moses had
first encountered God in the burning bush and was called to be the deliverer of
Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story was pretty glorious at
that point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were the plagues
capped by the death of the firstborn and then the glorious parting of the Red
Sea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when they got to Sinai something
very significant happened.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We read about it in the 20<sup>th</sup> chapter of Exodus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God came down upon the mountain to meet with
His people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they were afraid and
pleaded with Moses that he would be their spokesman and that they would not
need to endure the terrifying experience of God’s presence and voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was just the beginning of the trouble.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They chose to put distance between them and their God when
God wanted to draw them nearer in intimacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Having separated themselves from God in this manner it was a short step
to return to idolatry and build a Golden Calf [Ex. 32] or even disbelieve God
altogether and refuse to enter the Promised Land He had prepared for them [Num.
13, 14].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is why they wandered for
40 years in the desert until all of the disbelieving generation had died.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is with all of this in mind that we come into the middle
of our first reading today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deuteronomy
means “Second Law” and it is likely a “sermon” in which Moses is preparing the
present generation to enter into the Promised Land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He reminds them of how they had refused the
Lord before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he also hints at
something that was beyond any of them.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you
from among your own kin;<br />
to him you shall listen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is exactly
what you requested of the LORD, your God, at Horeb<br />
on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let us not again hear the voice of
the LORD, our God, nor see this great fire any more, lest we die.’”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, we know this refers to our
Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the people could not endure
to hear God speak from heaven in such a dramatic fashion He chose to become
human like us so that we could hear Him speak in that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, note what Moses says as he
continues: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kin,
and will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I command
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whoever will not listen to my words
which he speaks in my name, I myself will make him answer for it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">God was saying that when He came among us in the Person of
Christ He would teach us perfectly all that we need to know and we would have
the obligation to obey Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With this in
mind, note what is said in today’s Gospel.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus comes to the synagogue in Capernaum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He teaches “as one having authority and not
as the scribes.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To illustrate the
point, St. Mark records a moment when a demon-possessed man was delivered by
Jesus’ word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were in awe to see
what power and authority He wielded.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But of course, not everyone who heard Jesus obeyed what He
said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scribes and Pharisees, as a
whole, did not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And there were a number
of people who didn’t believe even though they saw His miracles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same is unfortunately true of many today.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We have the words of Jesus recorded in Sacred
Scripture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition, we have the
living word of Christ spoken through the Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These two harmonize to remind us of all that
Christ has taught.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But too often we
don’t listen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like the Israelites, it’s
too easy for us to run from the uncomfortable word of God and choose our own
idols instead.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What has Jesus said?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Take, for instance, the “hard saying” from John 6: “Truly, truly, I say
to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you
have no life in you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Church tells
us this refers to the Holy Eucharist and compels us to attend Mass where this
gift is given to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, many people
reject this teaching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even many
Catholics refuse to go to Mass because they have “better things to do”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Or how about Jesus’ teaching on marriage, and divorce: “God
made them male and female.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For this
reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and
the two shall become one flesh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So they
are no longer two but one flesh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder… Whoever divorces
his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her, and if she divorces
her husband and marries another, she commits adultery,” [Mark 10:6-9, 11-12].<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then there are all those things taught in the Sermon on the
Mount: “Love your enemy… turn the other cheek… go the extra mile,” and so many
other things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deuteronomy tells us that
we have an obligation to hear and obey these words and that if we don’t we will
answer for it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But it doesn’t stop there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If we, like the Israelites, have distanced ourselves from God so that we
do not hear His voice then we cannot discern what He is saying to us on an
individual level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cannot discern our
vocation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cannot walk in His
will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cannot enjoy His blessings,
resist temptation, or avoid sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are
left powerless to aimlessly wander and flail in a misguided attempt to try to
be “a good person”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s so much
more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that’s why God wants us to
draw near and listen for His voice.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Church is suffering greatly because of this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In our second reading St. Paul speaks of the
consecrated life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have all but
disparaged it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“That’s fine for others,
but not for us… or our children.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Parents don’t, as a whole, encourage their sons and daughters to
prayerfully consider the priesthood or the religious life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They want grandchildren.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have mistakenly thought that money,
positions, careers, and things are so much more fulfilling than a life
dedicated to the Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be sure, God
will call many to Holy Matrimony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But He
is also calling many to Holy Orders; much more than are responding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We must counter what happened so long ago at Sinai.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cannot be afraid to hear the voice of the
Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He only longs to draw us close in
intimacy and to bless us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Further, He
would then enlist us to be co-laborers with Him to bring His blessings into the
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why are we so afraid?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Dear friends, let me exhort you with the antiphon from our
Psalm: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So many blessings await you as you open up to
hear from heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And more, so many
blessings await the world around you as you respond in obedience to that
voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t be afraid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t make the choice to let others be your
spokesmen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Draw near and let God speak
to your heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is great grace to
be had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Healing will flow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the peace, joy, and love for which we
crave will at last be ours!<o:p></o:p></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011075850918719343.post-29986640961483435642021-01-23T23:36:00.001-05:002021-01-30T18:17:39.087-05:00Metanoia!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Third Sunday in Ordinary Time</b></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">
Sunday of the Word of God<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Year B<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Jonah 3:1-5, 10;
Psalm 25:4-9; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“This is the time of
fulfillment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kingdom of God is at
hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Repent, and believe in the
gospel."</i><br />
Mark 1:15<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Years ago I heard a talk in which the preaching of Jonah was
being described.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was rather humorous
and went something like this: “If you saw a man belched up on the shore by a
great fish, he comes out of the water with his hair withered, his skin bleached
from the gastric juices in the fish’s stomach, his clothes half digested, and
seaweed wrapped around his head and this man stood in the middle of town and
said, ‘REPENT,’ what would you do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d
repent!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That must have worked pretty
well in real life because scripture tells us that the entire city of Nineveh
repented.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jonah is the envy of every
evangelist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a mere 8 words- “Forty
days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,” – he brought the entire city to its
knees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wouldn’t that be great if that
was happening in the major cities of America!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Repentance gets a lot of bad press.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We picture sweaty television evangelists or
fire-and-brimstone-preachers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oddly
enough, neither of those images is how I picture Jesus and yet He’s the one
issuing the call to repentance in today’s Gospel.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We celebrate the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time today, but we
also celebrate a new emphasis as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In 2019 Pope Francis declared this day to be the Sunday of the Word of
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its intention is to remind us of
the crucial role of scripture in our faith and in our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is something to be recalled, not only on a
day, but throughout our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the
daily reading of scripture is not already part of your life then today would
make a great opportunity to begin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
you do you will quickly discover that the world view of the Bible is
drastically different than that of our modern times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There we encounter this idea of repentance on
virtually every page.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The word “repent” comes from the Greek word, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">metanoia</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It literally means to have our mind changed,
or transformed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it’s much more than
a mere change of opinion, or even outlook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It affects everything we do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>True
repentance is characterized by a drastic 180 degree change in our lifestyle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we repent we leave behind the sinful
practices we had previously and we take up godly practices that have been
unknown to us before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The transformation
is noticeable and we may find that not everyone is thrilled about the change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may mean the loss of friends, prestige,
positions, or even close family relations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But it’s worth it!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In addition to the Ninevites we have the first apostles as
examples of this metanoia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simon,
Andrew, James, and John were all fishermen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then one day Jesus called and they left everything and followed
Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Talk about a radical change!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While most of us will not be called to just
up and abandon our jobs, we are called to be open to the radical changes Christ
wants to bring into our lives if we are to truly be His disciples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>St. Paul gives us a picture of this from our
second reading.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The early Christians believed the Lord would return in their
own lifetime to judge the living and the dead and to establish His
kingdom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no sense in getting
bogged down with the affairs of this world when the world to come was so
close.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the perspective
underlying Paul’s cryptic statements from 1 Corinthians 7:29-31: I tell you,
brothers and sisters, the time is running out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>From now on, let those having wives act as not having them, those weeping
as not weeping, those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not
owning, those using the world as not using it fully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the world in its present form is passing
away.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Even though Christ has not returned for 2,000 years and we
recognize that it could be many years before He does, yet we are called to have
the same perspective as those early Christians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since no one knows the day or the hour of our Lord’s return we are
always to be ready.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means that we
should treat this world as it is… passing away, and we should put our time and
efforts into the world that is yet to come and that will endure forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are called to be long term investors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“This is the time of fulfillment,” our Lord says.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that He has come into the world the
fullness of the Father’s plan is here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Before, there was reason to labor in the things of this world, but now
there is not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So should we just throw
caution to the wind and wait for the Lord’s return?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By no means!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, we are in great need of a correction in our priorities.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As modern Americans most of us have no concept of true
poverty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nor are we aware at how
extravagant our own lifestyles have become.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are immersed in our sports, activities, and gadgetry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our careers can easily become our gods as we
run off chasing the idols of fame and fortune.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is the way of the world, not the way of the Word- our Lord.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So what should we do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Listen to the words of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“This
is the time of fulfillment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kingdom
of God is at hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Repent, and believe in
the gospel.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Repent is the first
step.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faith is the second.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In repentance we turn away from the perspective of this
fallen world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In faith we turn toward
the perspective of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Believe in the
gospel”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not faith in faith, or
faith in hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is faith in the
gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is the gospel?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That God was in Christ reconciling the world
to Himself [2 Corinthians 5:19].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
reconciliation is intended to return us to the original intention of God; that
each person would live in love and share equally so that there was no
need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are to use the things of this
world to further the kingdom of heaven… the souls of our neighbors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are not intended to just accumulate more
stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The old adage that “he who dies
with the most toys wins” is false.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
truth is that he who dies with the most toys still dies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the only things he will take with him are
the things of heaven… souls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we
invest in souls we invest in eternity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Feel like you’re on a treadmill endlessly trying to keep up
with the mad pursuit of something vaguely called “happiness”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re not alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when we hear the call of our Lord- a call
echoed throughout scripture- we gain the perspective necessary to make
changes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only in Christ can true
happiness be found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when we, like
those first disciples on the seashore, abandon it all to follow Jesus, we will
find true joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My dear friends, let us
heed the call of the Master and recklessly run after Him who promises eternal <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">living</i> through the gospel!<o:p></o:p></p>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07425878975572498479noreply@blogger.com0