Are you the One?

In Matthew’s Gospel today we find John the Baptist in prison - and while there we’re told that he sends his followers to Jesus with what appears to be a simple question - are you the one? Now, out of all the people on the face of the earth, there were probably only two, at that moment in time, who really knew the answer to that question - Jesus of course, was one of them, and the other was His Mother.

But you might of thought that John the Baptist would have also known the answer to that question, wasn’t it the Baptist who spoke these words when he saw Jesus coming towards him to be baptized: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” There doesn’t seem to be any doubt whatsoever in that statement or in the Baptists mind at that moment that Jesus was the one.

And didn’t John testify further saying “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain with him”- so why now - now that he finds himself in prison - does John send his followers to Jesus with such a question - are you the one?

There is a hint of desperation in that question - are you the one - desperation that I think each of us can relate to. John knows that he is in a bad situation - he’s not getting out of prison and its only a matter of time before Herod has him executed. He is desperate and perhaps even beginning to doubt that Jesus is the one - and if Jesus isn’t the one - then who is - and what does all that mean - what purpose then has John’s life served?

Part of John’s doubt certainly springs forth from the situation he finds himself in - he is in prison and facing death - and why - only because he spoke the truth. If God exists, if Jesus was the one - the Messiah - then WHY would they allow this to happen to him? What possible purpose could it all serve?

Perhaps it was also John’s concept of what the Messiah would be or in his opinion should be that caused him to doubt and question whether Jesus was the one. John was probably looking for the conquering king, the warrior who would charge in with his armies and free Israel from their captivity by force.

That wasn’t Jesus. Jesus road into Jerusalem - to face the religious establishment and the Roman authorities - on a borrowed donkey - and the people who followed Him weren’t very rich or powerful or well educated let alone much of an army.

Jesus wasn’t at all interested in power, authority, or fighting - in fact Jesus preached that we should love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. If Jesus was the one - the Messiah, then how did he hope to free Israel from their captivity with this Gospel of love?

What the Baptist didn’t understand then and what we still don’t understand today is what real power is and what captivity means. Jesus came not to free us from Roman occupation or communism or even prison - Jesus came to free us from the captivity of sin - and He did that on the cross - the only weapon or power that can defeat sin - in all it’s ugly manifestations - is love - and we know that there is no greater love than to give one’s life for another.

Physical strength, large armies, aircraft and ships aren't real power because we know that it is in our weaknesses - in carrying our daily crosses - that our faith which is real power - is tested and made stronger. Nations and armies have fallen over the centuries - there is only one kingdom that has stood the test of time - Christ - who still reigns yesterday, today and forever from His cross.

How many of us - good people here today - when we find ourselves in desperate situations like the Baptist found himself, begin to doubt and question if Jesus is the one? We begin to doubt if God does exist and question why if He does exist He would allow such bad things happen to such good people - and in our questioning we begin to loose our faith and fall away from our religious practices.

How many of us today don’t realize that the battle for our freedom - for our salvation is not something fought on some field, it is not something that can be negotiated between countries or governments, it is not something that can be purchased for some dollar amount, or enacted into law, it is not something that can be determined by majority rule or popular opinion - the battle for our freedom for our salvation has already been fought and won - Jesus defeated the captivity of sin on the cross.

Each of us though, to claim that victory - to enter into the splendor of His kingdom, and enjoy the freedom it offers - must choose to follow in His footsteps - we must choose to love like He did - and although we may not understand the way Jesus chose to win for each of us the possibility of everlasting life - by dying on the cross - Jesus tells John the Baptist and each of us today in our Gospel that - blessed is the one who takes no offense in Him. We shouldn’t take offense in Jesus because of the way He chose to usher in God’s kingdom the way He did.

Jesus asked the people in our Gospel today - what did you go into the desert to see - a reed swayed by the wind? Because if that is what you went to see - then you wasted your time - the truth is the truth - it’s not a word it is a person - it’s Jesus Christ - it is unchangeable - it is the same yesterday, today and forever - and those who would dare preach it - like John the Baptist did - cannot allow popular opinion or social pressure to sway them like the wind sways a reed, they can’t allow the possibility of complaints, the threat of punishment, or the fear of death keep them from preaching the truth - John the Baptist didn’t - he preached the truth and was murdered for it.

Jesus testified to the truth and He was crucified for it. Each of us - as followers of Christ - are called to witness and proclaim the truth - knowing that we too may face opposition, insults and persecutions.

So I ask you today what did you come to Church to hear - the priest say that sin doesn’t exist, that Hell isn’t real or that this or that sin really doesn’t matter any more - or did you come to Church to hear the truth preached whether it is popular or not - and whether it hurts or not.

I think there are many here today that want to hear the truth - that need to hear the truth - that is what John the Baptist found - he never worked any miracles - all he did was preach the truth and the people flocked to him in the thousands. And how did that happen - there wasn’t any mass communication - no television, no radio, no internet - but the people - in the thousands - came to hear him talk. It was done by word of mouth - it is called evangelization - those that heard the truth preached went out and told others - who told others - and they flocked to John the Baptist.

We have to ask ourselves - why this parish - isn’t growing - if the truth is being preached here then the word isn’t getting out - we - each of us - aren’t out there evangelizing - sharing the good news of Christ with others. Each of us have to ask ourselves why is it we aren’t talking about Christ to our friends, families and especially strangers. Why is it that this Church isn’t packed full of people thirsty for the truth?

As we prepare ourselves to receive Jesus today - truly present body blood soul and divinity - in the Eucharist, let us rejoice in His love, mercy and compassion; let us ask ourselves which of the truths of our religion challenge us personally and prevent us from going out today and sharing Christ with others - do we truly believe in God, do we believe Jesus is the one, do we still believe in the Holy Spirit and the Holy Catholic Church, Apostolic succession, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting - or are those just words we mechanically say each mass?

As we prepare ourselves today to receive Jesus who died on the cross for our sins we should rejoice in our Savior - but let us ask ourselves which sins continue to hold us in captivity and why it is we don’t claim Christ’s victory over those sins for ourselves so we can go out into the world and proclaim the good news. And, after receiving Jesus today, let us reflect on how well we carry Him out into the world and share His love for us with others.

Teach all nations

Our readings today touch on two issues - the first one, fairly obvious, deals with Christ’s second coming and final judgment - what has been called the end times - the second issue our readings deal with, which isn’t as obvious, is a call to discipleship - how we, as followers of Christ are to live our lives knowing that final judgment is a reality.

In our first reading, from the Book of the Prophet Malachi, we hear the fearless spokesman for God rebuking the people of Israel for their many sins and for their hypocrisy. You have to read more from the book of the Prophet Malachi to discover just what sins it was he was speaking out against, they aren’t in our short reading today - but here they are, I pulled them out for us and as I read them for you think about how applicable some if not all of these sins are today. It appears that:

1. God’s chosen people had become careless and lax in keeping His Laws.
2. Priests neglected their duties and showed partiality in their judgments.
3. People failed to give tithes and offerings.
4. They questioned God’s goodness and His love for them.
5. Divorce was commonly practiced.
6. And, when they came to worship God, they did not enjoy it, they grumbled that it made them weary.

Malachi strongly condemned each of these sins. The prophet words to the Israelites then, and to each of us today, is that those who fear God have no need to fear His justice - but those, the proud and the evildoers - who do not fear God - the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when they will be made stubble. The Prophet Malachi’s warning to the Jewish people then is just as relevant to each of us today - the day of judgment is coming - and we must be prepared.

In our second reading, from the second letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians - we hear St. Paul reminding those who follow Christ that they should not become a burden on anyone, they should, using him as a model, “pay their own way”, support themselves and their families, and if they are unwilling to work then they should not eat. He goes on to say that they should mind their on business and not the business of others.

Some scholars believe that the people St. Paul was addressing believed that “the day of the Lord” (the second coming of Christ) had either arrived or had drawn so close that they need not work to support themselves anymore - but in doing so, they were taking advantage of others; they were placing an unfair burden on the community and abusing the generosity of the Church.

All three of our readings today speak to us about the day of judgment that is coming - and people then as well as today are more concerned about when it will come - we hear in the Gospel that the people asked Jesus “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these this are about to happen?“ - what matters is not the timing of final judgment but the fact that it will come - that each and everyone of us will experience it - some sooner than others.

in each Sunday's Liturgy we recite in the Nicene Creed, we say: "He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. After the Consecration, we say, "Christ has died, Christ has risen, and Christ will come again." And in the Our Father we pray for the Second Coming in the prayer Jesus Himself taught us - we pray: "Thy kingdom come."

Jesus told us that of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven or the Son, but the Father alone and that it will come like a thief in the night - so be prepared.
Final Judgment is a reality and will come - but in the meantime, we Christians have much to do. St. Paul tells us that we cannot idle our time away. Nor can we afford the luxury, as Paul says, of minding everybody's business but our own. Using him as a model we should work - night and day - so as not to be a burden on our families, friends and community.

We should live each day as if it is our last day which means we should always be prepared for our day of judgment - either when we die or for Christ’s second coming - but we should also plan for the future so as not to become a burden - and a simple rule to follow is to remember that we make a living from what we receive but we make a life from what we give.

If we lived each day as if it were our last then death would have no power over us and final judgment would not be something we feared - we would reorder our lives and our priorities and fear and anxiety surrounding death would disappear. To live each day as if it is our last means to live in a constant state of grace - and we can do that by celebrating the sacraments (reconciliation and Eucharist) often; by spending at least an hour a day in prayer or adoration; and by giving freely of our time, talent and treasure.

Each of us can make a difference in the world. We are called to be lights to those around us. We shouldn’t complain and grumble over what our community lacks - we are here to bring to that community what it needs. Where hatred, malice and discord reign we should bring love, pardon and peace. For lying we bring truth and for despair and doubt we bring hope and faith.

Where there is sadness we are called to bring joy - together each of us, as members of this faith community and God’s Church - we are called to be family - it’s not easy - it takes sacrifice and hard work - but we, using St. Paul as a model, should toil day and night to bring about God’s kingdom - in each of our lives, in each of our families, and in our communities.
That is how each of us can make a difference, that is how we become lights shining in this world of darkness.

Now, some might say that the “good news” in our Gospel today isn‘t that “good” - you see we find that in our Gospel reading the second not so obvious challenge our readings lay before us today, each of us are called to be martyrs. We hear that “we will be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and some of us will be put to death - and that all of us will be hated because of His name.”

We may not die physically for claiming Christ as our savior and following Him but we are called to commit a sort of social suicide if you will - to reject the ways of the world - we are called to be in the world but NOT of the world - we are called to die to those things in our culture and society that run counter to Church teaching - only by rejecting those things and becoming in a sense martyrs will we be saved.

Today's gospel and it’s call for us to be martyrs can be frightening if we aren’t living our lives as if today is our last day - as if we will face final judgment tomorrow. The reality is that Jesus demands that each of us give witness, become martyrs if we want to be saved.

It can be frightening because the Lord demands that we stand up for Him, His kingdom and the Christian way of life in a materialistic, self-centered world. It can be frightening because it demands that we accept grief from those who mock us - even if that is our family, relatives and friends. It can be frightening because it proclaims that only by patient endurance can we be saved.

This is the challenge of Christianity. Today is the last Sunday in Ordinary Time and next week we celebrate Christ the King - the last Sunday in the Church year. Jesus gave us the perfect model of what it means to follow Him - He laid down His life so each of us might live - He shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sins and He conquered death on the cross so each of us might live.

Let us pray for the grace to endure any trails and embrace the cross like Jesus did; let us accept the truth that death and sin have no power over us - let us live our lives - each and everyday - as members of God’s kingdom here on earth - then, and only then we will make a difference in this world.

Pray constantly ...

Our readings today speak to us not only about the importance of prayer but also about the power of prayer - about being persistent in our prayer lives whether it be convenient or not, and about faith, about staying the course - no matter what - we are to remain faithful to God who remains faithful to us.

Our first reading is from the Book of Exodus, which is the second book of the Pentateuch - “exodus” is a Greek word that means departure and this book is called the Book of Exodus because the central event in it is the departure of God’s chosen people - the Israelites - from Egypt.

Jesus would have studied and known the Book of Exodus. It tells us about the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt, the birth and education of Moses, his flight into the land of Midian, his encounter with God in the burning bush on Mount Sinai, his return to Egypt to plead with Pharaoh to let the Israelites go, the 9 plagues of Egypt, the institution of the Passover, the passing of the Israelites through the Red Sea, the ten commandments, the golden calf, and the forty years of wandering in the desert. It continues the history of God’s chosen people where the book of Genesis left off.

The time between the crossing through the Red Sea and the arrival of the Israelites at Mount Sinai was three months. It was during this three month period that the people complained that they were thirsty. God commanded Moses to speak to a rock (he struck it with his staff) and water flowed from it for the people to drink. Our first reading today occurs immediately after the rock story.

The Amalekites where a nomadic tribe that controlled the caravan routes between Egypt and Aabia. They made a terrible mistake - the decided to wage war against God’s chosen people - little did they know that they were doomed from the start. Just like the Germans where when they targeted the Jews in what would become known as the Holocaust.
Moses, said to Joshua “Pick out certain men, and tomorrow go out and engage the Amalekites in battle. I will be standing on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”
Joshua was obedient and followed Moses’ command - he had faith in Moses and God - he would be fighting while Moses watched from the hilltop.

As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, the Amalekites had the better of the fight.

Just visualize for a moment, Moses standing on the hill, arms outstretched to God - pleading for deliverance, for victory for his people. Keep that visual in mind during the rest of our celebration today, watch what Fr. _________ does at the altar - he stretches out his arms, raises them to God - pleading for our deliverance and that the gifts we offer be worthy in God’s eyes.

Moses, we are told, grew tired, so a rock was put in place for him to sit upon and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady till sunset - and Joshua we are told - mowed down the Amalikites with the edge of the sword.

The challenge for each of us here is to take a good look at how well we support our religious leaders - our priests, our pastors, the Bishops and Cardinals and ultimately the Pope. How well does the clergy support the Pope? I think it can be said that on both a local parish level and a universal Church level there is a lot of room for improvement in this area - we could support each other better than we do and the clergy could support each other and the Church hierarchy better than they do - if we could stop the politics in the Church, if we could end the backbiting and put a stop to the arguing then just perhaps we would see success, we could see the tide that today that appears to be full of evil and darkness turned back.

Our second reading is from the second Letter of Saint Paul to Timothy - remember that Timothy is the Bishop of Ephesus. Timothy has encounter some problems from the powerful and rich in and outside of the fledgling Church in Ephesus - and St. Paul addresses him as pastor of this congregation.

If you read the entire letter, which is only a couple pages, it takes on the character of a final exhortation and testament from St Paul to the younger Timothy. Paul is portrayed as a prisoner in Rome. The letter reveals that, with rare exceptions, Christians have not rallied like they should have to Paul’s support and it reveals a pessimistic view of the outcome of his case.

It describes though Paul as fully aware of what is going to happen and his faith in God not in human beings for his deliverance. It points to Paul’s preaching of the Gospel as the reason for his imprisonment and offers Timothy, as a motive for steadfastness, his own example of firmness in faith despite adverse circumstances. The letter also suggests that Timothy should prepare others to replace himself as St. Paul has prepared Timothy to replace him.
This letter urges Timothy to protect the community in Ephesus from the inevitable impact of false teaching, without fear of the personal attacks that may result. It recommends that he rely on the power of holy scripture, on the proclamation of the word, and on sound doctrine - without being troubled by those who do not accept him.

Timothy, as well as us, is ever to keep in mind the sufferings of Christ, so that he and we may become partakers in Christ’s immortal life and reign with Him. Timothy, is also to remember St. Paul’s example as to how to live out the life of Christ.

Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures - which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Religious education back then held much greater importance than it does today. Jewish parents and families, and the whole community took religious education very seriously and instructed the children the their faith - and a child’s religious education was seen as the most important thing in their development - because the people back then knew that this life is passing - it is eternal life that is important - and even though learning a trade or making a living is important in this life - it is of little consequence when we focus on our eternal lives.
It goes on to say that all scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, correction, and training - so that one who belongs to God may be competent and equipped for every good work.

St. Paul’s letter doesn’t say that only scripture is useful - God always over provides for us - and it is Sacred Scripture along with Sacred Tradition and the teachings of the Church Magisterium that reveals the totality of God’s Truth - that makes up our deposit of Faith.
Our second reading today challenges us to take a good look at how well each of us knows our faith and what it is we do to grow in our faith - we can’t just focus on sacred scripture, or just on sacred tradition or just on what the Church Magisterium teaches - we have to take all three into consideration. And once we have that knowledge we are to be persistent in proclaiming the word - whether it is convenient or inconvenient; we are to convince, reprimand, and encourage through all patience and teaching.

In our Gospel reading we hear the parable about the dishonest judge - Jesus told his disciples this parable, and he is telling it to us today to express the necessity for us to pray always without becoming weary.

The last verse of the reading however, makes it clear that continual prayer is not what Jesus is talking about here - prayer without faith is useless - we need to remain firm in our faith: faith and prayer go hand in hand.

For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, while it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this wido keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.

Jesus tells us today to pay attention to what the dishonest judge said. There are two lessons to be drawn from parable: if the persistent pleading of the helpless widow is fruitful, how much more then will be the persistent praying of you and I - disciples of Christ - be; and is an dishonest judge yields to the pleadings of a widow, how much more and how much faster will a gracious and loving God yield to our pleading?

The question we are left with is whether or not we will remain faithful to God - when it appears He doesn’t hear or answer our prayers.

Being persistent in prayer isn’t easy. For me personally, it is the right to life, and the fight to end abortion that challenges my faith. How long can the killing of innocent babies go on. It has been 34 years now since roe vs. wade and over 50 million babies have been aborted.

But I trust in God. I trust that those aborted babies are with Him in heaven - I trust that those hurt by abortion will be healed. I keep my eye on God - you see we know already how this and every story ends - God wins - he is victorious in Christ - who defeated death.
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Oct 27th at 10 AM in annapolis

Abba - Father

Today we celebrate Father’s Day. It’s difficult to trace back the origin of Father’s Day – just like it is difficult to pinpoint the origin of Mother’s Day – a number of people argue about when it was that these holidays originated in America.

But, if we use the date on which Father’s Day became an official holiday in the United States as its origin – then that would be June 15th 1924. Since then Father’s day has been celebrated on the third Sunday in June every year. (If we use the same criteria to establish when Mother’s day originated we find that it predates Father’s day – it became an official holiday May 9th 1915).

I found it interesting that when President Calvin Coolidge instituted Father’s Day as a national holiday in 1924 – he said that it was to “establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children AND to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations” – what he didn’t say was that it was instituted to honor fathers for all that they had done for their families.

I find it amazing that President Coolidge had such insight back then and just how applicable those same needs are to fathers today in our society – a society in which the family is under attack – a society in which the institution of marriage is under attack – a society in which women are abused and children are murdered – a society in which the Church – who is supposed to defend those without a voice is often times silent.

Perhaps, even more now than then – we as fathers need to establish more intimate relationships with our children – we as fathers need to step up and face the full measure of our obligations – and we as fathers, when the Church remains silent need to be the voice that cries out for justice – if we truly love our children, if we really want to pass on to them the very best – then we owe it to them not just to care for their physical needs – but to nurture them emotionally, to teach them in the ways of our faith – and to be good examples of what it means to be a Christian father.

I fear that the true meaning of Father’s Day has been lost – just like the true meaning of Christmas and Easter – these holidays have been secularized, commercialized and compromised. Today it seems as if Father’s Day has become a day to thank our Fathers for all that they have done for us – and there is nothing wrong with that – if indeed our fathers have fulfilled their obligations – if they have done more for us than just give us life. Some might argue that we should be thankful just for the fact that our fathers gave us life – but anyone can father a child – it takes a special person though to be a daddy – it takes a special person to acknowledge their obligations – it takes a special person who is willing to sacrifice – to put their family’s needs first – to die to themselves for their family – it takes a special person to stand up against the tide of a society and culture that tells them differently – that emphasizes self-gratification, materialism, and me, myself and I over the needs of everyone else.

Now one of the problems people say that we face today is that there aren’t any good role models for fathers anymore – and there is truth in that statement. Unfortunately we can’t turn to our politicians or athletes today for our role models, we can’t turn to Hollywood or to the business community or our educational institutions or our military establishment – we used to be able to turn to the Church for role models until the Church lost its voice, until it went silent on these moral issues – and unfortunately not may of us – certainly not the majority of us, can point to our biological fathers as good role models – no there are no good role models today except one – and that is of course, God our Heavenly Father – which our readings speak to us about today, about God’s love and compassion; about His mercy and forgiveness; and about His justice.

Every father today, now more than ever needs to become (if your aren’t already) good role models for our children – we need to model our fatherhood after God’s fatherhood – we need to pass on to our children strong moral values and healthy ways of living based on sound Church teaching – but we can’t pass on what we don’t have, we can’t pass on what we don’t practice – as fathers we need to understand the social issues, we need to understand the Church teachings, we need to practice our faith with our families – we need to become what each of us have been called to become and that is the first teachers of our children in the ways of our faith.

Now maybe your father is that person – (maybe he introduced you to the bible, the rosary, adoration, etc.) maybe he has been and continues to be a good role model for you, and that is great – the world is a better place because of him – but I think, more often than not – the burden of raising our children Catholic falls on mothers more than fathers – I think, more often than not, getting our children to Church falls on mothers more than on fathers. I think more often than not Catholic fathers now days have relinquished their responsibilities and obligations to their wives, why because that is what their fathers did – that is what they learned from their fathers – who learned it from their fathers – and I say that it well passed time to break that cycle.

The primary role of a father today can no longer be that what society says - the “bread winner” – which by the way is the same trap many women are falling into too – families today, where both mom and dad work – it isn’t always because they need the two incomes to make ends meet – it’s because we can’t be satisfied – we want more, and more, and more – providing for a families needs – food on the table, a roof over their heads is one thing – but keeping up with the Jones – a million dollar home – luxury cars – frivolous spending – a family life based on over consumption and materialism can not continue – the father’s role in the family must be focused on living and teaching good Catholic values and faith – NOT being the bread winner and moms you have to get back to being mothers. Now I know that is hard to accept – but it is what it is – if you want to make the world a better place – that is a good way to start.

It is time today for us, to give life to our fathers, especially today when we celebrate Father’s Day. That’s right we need to give life to our fathers who gave life to us – how can we do that – well you heard it said that unless a man be born again he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven – and people didn’t understand that – you have heard it said that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into heaven – and people didn’t understand that – but I say, unless we give life to many of our fathers today, who gave us life, many of them will not enter the kingdom of heaven – because they are already spiritually dead.

We can give life to our fathers – eternal life that is – by reaching out to them – no matter how bad they might have failed us in their obligations – by reaching out with love and compassion with mercy and forgiveness and building the intimate relationships with them that they should have built with us – this is critical because their eternal life might very well be in our hands.

What we have to ask ourselves today is how many of our fathers fall into this category – they maybe attend Mass only on holidays, they celebrate the sacraments infrequently, they know little or nothing about the issues facing society today; they aren’t involved in anything meaningful except those secular activities that interest them. It is those fathers that we as their children must reach out to – it is those fathers we are called to give life to. What greater gift can a child give to a father than to help him to be what he has been called to be? To help him get out the role that society has placed him in and back into the lead spiritual role he was meant to fill in the family. This is one of the ways we can stop the attacks on families – if our children see us take on that leadership role – they too will do the same when their time comes.

There is only one thing that we can give God that He wants and that is our lives – there is nothing more important we can give our biological fathers than our love – and to help them towards eternal life. It is up to us the fathers of today to break this cycle – this culture of consumerism. If our fathers are part of that culture of consumerism we have to pick up that cross and help them; and at the same time we have to focus on our children too – there is no greater gift we can give our children than to demonstrate love, respect and honor for our parents as well as for our wives.

It isn’t easy. If we choose to take that path we must die to ourselves and we will find ourselves up against society. But what life is worth living if it isn’t lived for God – what life is worth living if it isn’t focused on building up the kingdom of God. Our cry must be – “Lord, all that I am, all that I can be, I turn it over to you – and just like we heard in our second reading from St. Paul – if I live it is not I who live but Christ in me – and as for me and my family – we will serve the Lord.” Unless you are willing to say that – unless you are willing to live that – your labor fathers is in vain – and your family may very well be spiritually dead.

It won’t be easy to change your ways – but you must act deliberately because you have slowly been indoctrinated into the secular culture we live in - it may very well be a hard battle – but God is on our side – and there is no power greater in heaven or on earth or under the earth greater than God. He thirsts for our souls – he waits for us – arms open always ready to embrace us no matter what we have done. That is what our readings teach us today.

In our first reading David – who God anointed king of Israel – committed adultery with Bathsheba and then sent her husband Uriah on a military excursion that he made certain would result in his death – just so he could take Bathsheba as his wife. God punished David for his sin but did not take his life.

And in our Gospel reading today Jesus addresses several issues: Jesus demonstrates for us that it isn’t the healthy that need a doctor but the sick – that He didn’t come to save the righteous but to save sinners – which is exactly opposite of what the establish religious order of that time did – they shunned this woman who demonstrated great love for Jesus when she washed His feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.

It was because she demonstrated great love for Jesus that her many sins were forgiven. Simon the Pharisee on the other hand – did not demonstrate any love for Jesus. The challenge for us today as the Body of Christ is – who is it that we shun, who is it that we discriminate against – because Jesus tells us those people are the very ones he wants us to minister too – to bring back to Him.

So as we prepare to received Jesus today in the Eucharist let us give thanks for our biological fathers who participated with our mothers and with God in giving us life – who did they best they could to bring us along – let us reach out to them and make our gift to them this day everlasting life;

Let us give thanks for our priests, especially Fr. Gene and Fr. Jon – let us support them when the boldly proclaim Church teaching and thank them for being our spiritual fathers helping guide us along our spiritual journey; Let us ask God our Heavenly Father to help us to be the best role models for our children and other fathers – to help us break this cycle of materialism and this culture of consumerism that families fall victims too.

And let us say Happy Abba Day to God our Heavenly Father – who is merciful and loving; who gave us His only Son who won for us the rewards of eternal life and who teaches us that the most important requirement of fatherhood is just to be there – always watchful, and helpful, nurturing and sustaining – protecting and guiding our children like He does for each of us.

A father was watching his young son trying to dislodge a heavy stone. The boy couldn't budge it. "Are you sure you are using all your strength?" the father asked. "Yes, I am," said the exasperated boy. "No, you are not," the father replied. "You haven't asked me to help you."

Dads, if you say you don’t know where to start or have done the best you can – then perhaps it is time to ask God our Father for His help.

Abba, Father – if it be your will let all that I am, all that I do – bring glory and honor to you – now and forever – AMEN!

Ascension

There is an old story about the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. According to the story, when Jesus reached heaven, his body still showed the wounds of his crucifixion.

His hands and feet still bore the prints from the nails. His side bore the mark from the spear. His back bore the stripes from the whip and his head bore the wounds from the crown of thorns.

When the people in heaven saw these marks, they fell on their knees before Jesus. They were astounded to see how much he had suffered. Then the angel Gabriel rose up and said to Jesus: “Lord, how greatly you suffered on earth. Do all the people on earth know and appreciate how much you went through for them and how much you love them?”

Jesus replied: “Oh, no. Only a handful of people in Palestine know that. The rest have not even heard of me. They don’t know who I am. They don’t know how much I suffered, and how much I love them.”

The angel Gabriel was shocked to hear this. Then he said to Jesus: "How will all the rest of the people on earth ever learn about your suffering and your love?” Jesus said: “Just before I left, I told Peter, James and John, and a few of their friends to tell the rest of the world for me. They will tell as many people as they can. Those people in turn will tell other people. In that way, the whole world will eventually learn about my love for them.”

The angel Gabriel looked even more confused now. For he knew how fickle people are – He knew how forgetful they are and He knew how prone to doubt they are.
So he turned to Jesus and said: “But Lord, what if Peter, James and John grow tired or frustrated? What if they forget about you? What if they begin to have doubts about you? Did you not take these things into account? Don’t you have a back-up plan – just in case?”

Jesus answered: “I did take all these things into account, but I decided against a back-up plan. This is the only plan I have. I am counting on Peter, James and John not to let me down.”

Twenty centuries later Jesus still has no other plan. He counted on Peter, James and John, and they did not let him down. And today Jesus counts on you and me not to let him down.

The feast of the Ascension is one of the most important feasts of the liturgical year. It is the day on which we celebrate Jesus' return to the Father. We might compare the Feast of the Ascension to the passing of a baton from one runner to another in a relay race.

On this day 2000 years ago, Jesus passed the baton of his work to Peter, James and John. They in turn passed it on to the people who came after them. They in turn passed it on to us. And now it is our turn to pass it on to others.

[There is one person here today who deserves special recognition – who deserves our respect and our gratitude – one person who has sacrificed much and who really cares about our spiritual well being – he is a personal inspiration to me – he picked up that baton almost 4 years ago when he was ordained to the royal priesthood of Christ – and he continues today to run the good race for our Lord – that is of course our very own Fr Jon – who celebrates his 4th anniversary to the priesthood this coming Thursday.]

[There is one person here who deserves special recognition – who answered Christ’s call to Shepard His people – who has sacrificed much and works very hard, who really cares about the people entrusted to him – who picked up that baton 34 years ago and continues today to run the race for our Lord – that is of course our very own Pastor – Fr. Gene – who celebrates his 34th anniversary to the priesthood this weekend.]
(applaud) – invite people to the reception outside after Mass.

That baton though has been passed to each of us – we all have a responsibility in God’s plan. But practically speaking, what does this mean? Does it mean going out and preaching about Jesus as Peter, James and John did? Does it mean preaching at street corners or in shopping centers and telling everyone about Jesus?

It could mean this for some of us, but for most of us it means something much more basic and fundamental than this. It means living out Jesus' teaching in our own personal lives. The way to begin preaching Jesus to the world is to begin preaching Jesus to ourselves.

There is an old Chinese proverb that says: "If there is right in the soul, there will be beauty in the person. If there is beauty in the person, there will be harmony in the home. If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation. And if there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.

The way to begin preaching Jesus to the world is to begin living Jesus in our own lives. Once we begin to do this, the message of Jesus will begin to ripple out across the world. And if enough Christians do it, the ripple will turn into a tidal wave, and that tidal wave will change the face of the earth in a way that we never dreamed possible.
This is the message of today’s feast. This is the challenge that today’s readings hold out to us. Jesus is counting on us.

Yes, Jesus has passed on to us the responsibility of completing God's kingdom on earth: namely the work of preaching the Gospel to the poor, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and caring for the homeless. He didn’t leave us orphans though – we do have help – God sent the Advocate – the Holy Spirit – to help us. Each of us have received gifts that are to be used to build up God’s kingdom here on earth.

In his book “The Song of the Bird”, Fr. Anthony de Mello tells this story. He puts it in the first person to give it added impact. He says “On the street I saw a small girl, cold and shivering in a thin dress, with little hope for a decent meal. I became angry and said to God: Why did you permit this? For a while, God was silent and said nothing. That night though he replied quite suddenly: “I certainly did something about it, I made you.”

Fr. De Mello’s story makes the same point that today’s feast makes. On the day of his Ascension 2000 years ago, Jesus passed on to us the responsibility of completing the work that he began on earth.

You and I, in this Church today, share this responsibility. Not one of us is exempt. Each one of us must decide how we can best use the gifts we have been given to carry out our part of this responsibility.

As we honor Jesus today on this feast of his Ascension into heaven, let this be our prayer: Lord Jesus, give us new eyes to see your face in the faces of those who are in need. Give us new ears to hear your voice in the voices of those who cry out it pain. Give us new tongues to tell your story to those who have never heard it. And give us new hearts to share your love with those who have not yet experienced it.

Devine Mercy Sunday

We hear in John’s Gospel today that the disciples were hiding behind locked doors “for fear of the Jews” – I used to think that they were a bunch of cowards for hiding – maybe some of you might think so too – but now I believe their actions where justified. They had every right to be afraid – they had just witnessed their teacher – Jesus – lynched and crucified by an angry mob set loose by the Jewish leaders.

I am certain that they feared for their own safety – they had every reason to believe that the Pharisees that had plotted against Jesus might very well now be plotting to have them killed too – and why not, even though they deserted Jesus and ran away, they were still His disciples – and as such they were a potential threat to their religious authority – just like Jesus had been.

Stepping back – just for a moment though – from the disciples hiding in that room for fear of the Jews – it is interesting to compare the events that took place in Jerusalem that Passover week – to the events that take place in each of our lives – a little less than just two weeks ago Jesus and His disciples triumphantly entered Jerusalem – and today Jesus is dead and His disciples are in hiding.

Isn’t that just like our lives sometimes? Everything can be going along just fine and then out of the blue something bad happens to us – we find out we lost our job, or a friend has cancer or someone we love has accidentally died or committed suicide – and it shakes us to our very core – and our faith is tested – perhaps we question why God if He is so good would allow such a terrible thing to happen to us – perhaps we question if God even exists and whether we were foolish to believe in Him. How quick we are to doubt, how little is our faith – that when the going gets tough and our faith is really put to the test – we would doubt – perhaps it is the strength of our faith that is the only difference between us and the saints.

There is a saying that there aren’t any atheists in foxholes – that when our lives are in danger we cry out to God – but when something bad happens to us – instead of crying out to God, we tend to cry out AGAINST God – why God if you are so good did you let this happen to me – well there’s your answer – look and mediate on the cross and what happened to God’s only Son – that is your answer.

Being a good practicing Catholic – being a saint even – is no insurance policy against bad things happening to us or our loved ones – for it is in our trials and tribulations that our love, that our dedication, that our integrity and our faith are truly put to the test – anyone that has been married for any amount of time realizes that it isn’t all just a bed of roses and that is why the marriage vows include “in good times and in bad – in sickness and in health” because bad things do happen and the only solitude and strength we can experience is not in a weak faith – but in a strong faith – the disciples hiding in that room weren’t cowards – but their faith was weak. So the first question we have to ask ourselves today is – how strong is our faith?

Isn’t it interesting how when things are going good we tend to take life (our health, our loved ones, even our freedom or the price of gasoline) for granted and perhaps forget to give thanks to God for all the many blessings in our lives? We let our guards down and for some reason we think we are or should be immune from the bad things in life. And we begin or continue to take all our blessings for granted and think of them as things we are entitled too. Perhaps if we appreciated more the blessings in our lives we could then be better able to cope with the bad things when they do come along – perhaps we wouldn’t then blame those bad things on God.

The disciples in that room were afraid, but they weren’t cowards – their heads were spinning from the events that had taken place that week, and that they didn’t know what to do. They didn’t understand that Jesus had to die and then rise again – and their faith in Jesus was shaken and that they might have been on the verge of going back to their old ways of living and livelihood – disappearing if you will – becoming once again just another face in the crowd – members of the silent majority – safe and sound back in the places that the world had originally set out for them before this Jesus came along and upset their lives.

Maybe that is how some of us feel sometimes when it isn’t popular to be Catholic – maybe we just want to disappear into the crowd and not be noticed – maybe we are reluctant to speak up or stand out. But we can’t hide anymore than those disciples could.

What the disciples didn’t realize was that they had been called, what they didn’t realize was that they had been set aside, that they no longer belonged to this world but they belonged to Christ – and that He is a jealous God who thirsts for our souls.

They didn’t realize that it was God’s plan that His only Son would be rejected, that He would be convicted, and that He would be crucified – what they didn’t realize though was that God’s plan for Jesus didn’t end there on the cross – Jesus would die and be buried, He would conquer death, He would rise again, and He would be exulted – that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend – of those in heaven and on the earth and under the earth.

What they didn’t realize was that Jesus had made them a part of all that – there was no turning back for them – and what we have to realize today is – that through our baptism each of us have been made a part of that too, each of us have been called to be a part of God’s plan for salvation – and there is no turning back for us either.

Oh we can hide like the disciples did – we can reject Jesus like Judas did that is exactly what the world would have us do – but we belong to Him – we have been called – we have been anointed – we have been set aside – and if we give our lives over to Him – though His death and His resurrection – we can share in God’s glory and peace and experience His kingdom forever – and just like the disciples who received the Holy Spirit – we too have received it – God is with us – and we can do great things – but only if we give ourselves to Christ and let Him work through us.

In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostle – those guys who were hiding in the room for fear of the Jews – who after encountering the our risen Lord and after Christ breathed on them and they received the Holy Spirit – found the courage and strength to go out into the world – even when their lives were in danger – and proclaim Christ crucified – we find that they worked many signs and wonders among the people in His name – and that through their actions – great numbers of men and women were added to their numbers – the second question we need to ask ourselves today is how many people have we added to our numbers?

In some ways we have it much easier than the disciples did – we know how the story ends – it is all recorded for us in the Bible – but not the disciples, they were living it, it was all unfolding before their eyes. So I can kind of understand why they (the disciples) acted the way they did – what I can’t understand though is why those who call ourselves Christian today act (or fail to act) the way we do.

Perhaps that is why – though the doors were locked Jesus appeared to them – to strengthen them for their mission – to give them the courage and resolve they needed to break out of that room and their fear. Perhaps that is why we gather around His table and feast on His body and blood – to strengthen us – to give us the courage to make a difference in the world and NOT just be part of the world.

“Peace be with you” He said – knowing their troubled hearts – it is the same thing He says to us when we experience trouble in our lives – “Peace be with you” – we may not understand why things are happening they way they are – like the disciples didn’t understand why Jesus had to die – and God our Father doesn’t want us His children to worry or experience anxiety in our lives.

But like a good Father He knows that a greater good will come out of whatever bad it is we are experiencing, whatever cross it is we are given to carry a greater good will come out of it.

And He says to each of us “peace be with you” – know that I am with you always and I am waiting for you and that one day you too will be in heaven with me – be courageous – be stouthearted – let your lights shine no matter how bad the circumstances may be so that those around you who don’t believe in me may stop their unbelieving and believe – so those that who haven’t seen me like the disciples did may believe in me though your actions, through your love and your faith – for we know blessed are those who believe and have not seen.

My brothers and sisters we are called to be courageous and faithful in the face of life’s difficulties – we are called to be courageous and faithful in the face of personal danger and persecution – we are called to be courageous and faithful even in the face of death itself.

Those aren’t easy things to do – but here is the hardest – when our “natural” instinct might be to think of ourselves – we are called to think of others – to put them first – and we can only do that when we put Jesus first in our lives.

Oh I know it isn’t easy being courageous – life can be very hard – my wife and I lost two children – we lost our first son to cancer when he was just 18 months old; we lost a daughter who died prematurely six months into my wife’s pregnancy; we lost my wife’s parents who treated me like the son they never had and taught me what it meant to be family; and recently I lost a sister – our lives like I’m certain many of your lives – have been filled with painful loss – and my childhood wasn’t the best either – I came from a poor family (but that in and of itself didn’t matter) the most vivid image I have of my childhood though is of my mother standing over me pounding me with her fists into the floor – life can certainly be hard – very hard – but we can rise above all of it if we focus on the blessings God has given us and if our faith in God is strong.

Yes our son died at 18 months old – but at least we had him for 18 months and at least I had the honor and privilege of holding him in my arms as he died; yes we lost a daughter before she was even born but God gave us three other healthy children – and one of those, our daughter just had a beautiful baby girl; and I might have had a rough childhood but at least I had my wife’s parents for a period of time who taught me what family was all about and today my wife and I have the opportunity and means to provide for my parents in their time of need.

Life can be hard – and if you haven’t experienced any hardship in your lives yet just be thankful and be patient – sooner or later you will. Being Catholic does not exempt you from hardships. And when something bad happens don’t run and hid – run to the cross – look and mediate on it – then questions like why God did this have to happen are answered. Being Catholic can help you get through the hard times.

Life is hard – but Jesus didn’t leave us orphans – “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” and He breathed on them and said “receive the Holy Spirit”.

I had the honor and pleasure of serving as the Deacon at the Confirmation masses Bishop Mitch Rolzanski did yesterday – 106 of our young teenagers were confirmed in our faith. And as Bishop Mitch made the sign of the cross on their forehead with the sacred chrism he said “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit” and then he said “Peace be with you” words very reminiscent of our Gospel passage today. Each of us has been sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit and we are called to share those gifts to make this world a better place and God wants each of us to share in His peace – in the good times and in the bad.

Now Jesus could have admonished His disciples for abandoning Him just when He needed them most; He could of called them cowards for hiding in that room when they should have been out teaching and baptizing people in His name – but He didn’t – He demonstrated to them then and to us today His divine mercy and forgiveness – no matter what you do – even if you reject me He says – I will love you and I forgive you.

Often times though we don’t feel that God could love us because of the many bad things we have done – but we hear today in our Gospel some beautiful words – “whose sins you forgive are forgiven them”.

In that statement is contained the sacrament of reconciliation – no matter what we do, no matter how far we stray from Him – He is not only waiting but watching for us to come back to Him – He stands there – arms outstretched – waiting not only to embrace us – but to forgive us – to restore us to our place of honor in His Holy family – Jesus is teaching each of us today what it means to be part of His Holy family – He is giving us a model of forgiveness for each of us to base our family life on.

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday and in his Easter message Pope Benedict spoke powerfully about divine mercy. He admitted that in the face of so much pain, evil and injustice, it is sometimes difficult to believe in God. Especially when we see children suffering as victims of war and terrorism, sickness and hunger, partial birth abortion - it puts our faith to the test. How could a world created good be so bad?

Because we are sometimes tempted by unbelief, the pope said, we should be grateful for the disbelief we hear today in the Gospel by Thomas. Jesus answered his unbelief by showing him the wounds in his hands and his side: "Christ” the pope said, “has taken upon himself the wounds of injured humanity." The Holy Father concluded with these words: "The Lord...has countered the arrogance of evil with the supremacy of his love."

God's love - his Divine Mercy - places a limit on human evil. It is his response to the mystery of innocent suffering. The Divine Mercy image, which we have today in our sanctuary, has rays of light coming from the wound in Christ’s heart. The rays have two colors: red and white. The white refers to water and baptism and the red to the blood He shed for us and the Eucharist – the two great sacraments by which we receive His divine mercy.

There is nothing we need to fear or doubt – there is no power in the world greater than the power that is not only behind each of us but in each of us – today – no mater if your young or old – today more than ever than before – each of us needs to stand up for Christ – and not just when it is convenient – each of us needs to boldly proclaim not only with our words but with our very lives that no matter what comes our way Jesus rules in our hearts – that is how each of us can make a difference in this world – that is how we can bring others to Christ.

That’s it – it is finished. Whether you realize it or not, through the grace of God I poured myself out here in hope that it might make a difference in your lives. I thank God for all the blessings in my life and offer up to His glory all that I am and all that I do. And for those of you who say, you know Deacon Nick that is all well and good what you said – but I’m a good Catholic – I believe in God and I go to church – but I’m not a religious fanatic – all I can say is that I thank God that those 11 men who were hiding in that room didn’t say the same thing – all I can say is I thank God for the opportunity He has given me to speak to you, and all I can do is remind you that we have been called to be bold, we have been called to be courageous, to be outspoken – to be fanatics for Christ. And if because I say these things you think I’m foolish and a fanatic then praised be Jesus Christ for allowing me to be His servant.

Let us ask the Holy Spirit now to come and renew the face of the earth and let us pray: Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion-inexhaustible, look kindly upon us today and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to your holy will, which is love and mercy – AMEN.

Heaven or Hell

How many people here today want to go to Heaven? (Let me see your hands) I know I do – looks like we all do – and why wouldn’t we want to go to heaven – if there was such a thing as a dumb question that may well be it.

But let me ask each of you this question though and you don’t have to raise your hands for it – how many people here today do what we hear in the Gospel – how many of us love our enemies, how many of us do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us, pray for those who mistreat us?

It wouldn’t surprise me if a number of people here today could and would put their hands up because it isn’t impossible – it may well be counter culture to love our enemies – it is a radical idea to pray for those who mistreat us – it is Jesus Christ – and it is possible – as He hung dying on the cross what did Jesus ask His Father for – for mercy for each of us – “forgive them Father, for they know not what they do”.

Jesus demonstrated for us on the cross divine forgiveness and mercy – it is what each of us, as the Body of Christ, are called to do – we are called to be merciful and we are called to be forgiving – especially when the person we are dealing with doesn’t deserve (in the eyes of the world) our mercy or our forgiveness. Why – because that is how our Father in Heaven is – merciful – even though we don’t deserve it – and it is Jesus, who stands at the right hand of his Father and pleads for mercy for each of us. If Christianity is a superior religion, the way to show it is not by endless arguments and debates about the true religion but by the superior moral conduct of Christians.


Now I know you have heard it said that we are to “love our neighbor” and today Jesus says we are to “love our enemies” – and some commenting on these commandments describe them as opposite ends of a continuum – love your neighbor on one end and love your enemies on the other end, and they say that it is the cross that joins those two commandments together and makes them possible – but I say those two commandments – love your neighbors and love your enemies – are one and the same.

When Jesus said we are to love our neighbors as ourselves He didn’t say our neighbors are only those people who love us – today He qualifies for us that our neighbors are anyone and everyone – but especially those who hate us or persecute us – we are to love them, we are to forgive them and we are to pray for them. Each of us are called to be supernatural, to be radical, to be counter culture.

“If we love those who love us – what credit is that to us – even sinners love those who love them AND if we do good to those who do good to us, what credit is that to us – even sinners do the same.”

Another popular phase taken from our Gospel reading today is a fundamental moral principle found in virtually all major religions and cultures – what is commonly referred to as The Golden Rule – “do to others as you would have them do to you”. This should not be confused with the saying “an eye for an eye” because that is not what Jesus commands us to do today – we are to be merciful and not extract even our due retribution or justice on those who mistreat us – as Mahatma Gandhi once said: “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”.

Some have commented that the Golden rule should be “treat others as they expect to be treated” – but I say to them we should treat others in a manner BETTER than they expect to be treated, BETTER than we expect them to treat us” – then we can be certain that we will always be fulfilling Gods commandment to treat others as we would have them treat us.

We all know what it is that we want, we want to spend eternity in heaven with God – and we who hear the Word of God today, know what we are called to do, we are called to be Christ in this fallen world, we are called to be examples of Christian mercy and forgiveness – when the world cries out for vengeance – we are called to cry out for mercy – when the world silences and mistreats those who have no voice in our society (the poor, the immigrants, the unwanted pregnancy) – we are called to cry out for justice – we are called to be lights in the darkness – do not be afraid – let your light shine, follow Christ to the Cross – when the world practices random acts of violence we are called to random acts of kindness; when the world experiences senseless killing – we are called to senseless giving; and as the world practices materialism and self-centered living – each of us are called to self-sacrificing giving.

Love your enemies and do good to them – and your reward will be great and you will be children of God – because He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked – we too must do the same. There are three ways we can practice mercy – our actions, our words, and our prayers.

The good news today is that our God is kind and merciful and I believe each of us here today will see each other in heaven, not because we are saints now or because I know your hearts, each of us will be in heaven one day because I know His heart and it is merciful.

So as we prepare ourselves to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist today – let us remember the words we pray at every Mass – forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us – let us ask ourselves do we really want God to forgive us the way we forgive others?

God puts us where He needs us.

Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

We hear in Luke’s Gospel today that Jesus had returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit and that God was with Him. Jesus we are told taught in their synagogues and was praised by all and the news of Him spread throughout the whole region.

What we hear today takes place after Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan when the Spirit like a dove descended upon Him. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

What we hear today takes place after His 40-days in the desert where He had been tempted by the devil; and it takes place also after the wedding in Cana where Jesus performed His first miracle changing water into wine.

What we hear about in Luke’s Gospel today is the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry. He came to Nazareth where he had grown up to announce the beginning of His public ministry. And what was His ministry: to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

Each of us is here today in the power of the Spirit and God is with us too. We have been baptized into His death and resurrection and into His Church. Each of us is called to be the salt of the earth and a light of the world. Perhaps it is time then for us to start our earthly ministries too.

About 20 years ago I began my earthly ministry – I performed my first miracle – I restored sight to a blind man. I know what you are thinking – is he serious? Did he just say he performed a miracle and restored sight to a blind man? Next week we will hear the rest of the fourth chapter of Luke’s Gospel. We will hear the same people who praised and spoke highly of Jesus this week say “but isn’t this the carpenter’s son?” How can He say such things its blasphemy and they will drive Him out of the town.

So how is it I can say I restored sight to a blind man? You are probably thinking – isn’t this our deacon, how can he say he performed a miracle and restored sight to a blind man it’s impossible. But before you run me out of Church let me explain.



I have worn glasses almost all my life and as you all well know periodically those of us that wear glasses have to get our eyes checked and our prescriptions updated. Such was the case 20 years ago, I had gone to the optometrist and had my eyes checked and ordered a new pair of glasses. A couple weeks later we received a call that the glasses I ordered had come in and were ready for pick up. So we loaded our kids into the car, our daughter was around 4 and our son 2, and drove over to the doctor’s office.

My wife waited in the car with our children as I went in to pick up my new glasses. The office was crowed. There was a young family there. I could tell by the way the husband was dressed that he worked in construction and I could tell by the dirt on his clothes, his arms and his hands that he worked hard to support his family. His wife was balancing a baby on her hip and the young father held their other child, perhaps 3 years old in his arms.

Although they were talking quiet between themselves I heard that he had broken his glasses that day and could not see without them. They were at the doctor’s office to see if his glasses could be repaired – but they were damaged in such a way that they couldn’t be fixed. His eyesight was so bad that he couldn’t work without glasses. They were there to see if his glasses could be repaired because they couldn’t afford a new pair. I could sense their desperation.

I didn’t say anything to them; nobody in the office did, although I am certain we were all aware of the gravity of their situation. I picked up my new glasses and went out to the car. I explained to my wife what I heard and asked her if she would mind if we paid for his new pair of glasses.

Please understand we weren’t rich. I was in the military and we had two young children ourselves, but I know what it is like to be in a desperate situation like that family was in. My wife, God bless her, has always supported me. She didn’t hesitate. We quickly counted the money out from our wallets and she took it to them. They never knew who we were, the money we gave them was a gift, and we never saw or heard of them again. That young father got his sight back that day.



Jesus proclaimed the fulfillment of God’s plan and promise in Himself when He said “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing”. Well today this scripture passage is fulfilled again in our hearing. We can make Christ’s vision for this world come true. The Spirit of the Lord is upon us. He has anointed us and given us His gifts of wisdom, understanding, knowledge, steadfastness and courage. We can continue Christ’s ministry if we put aside our differences, accept our commonly shared humanity, and live as members of one human body.

This is what our second reading from Corinthians talks about: as a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, we were all given to drink of one Spirit. And now that we are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it, each of us has been given unique gifts. We must remember the gifts that we have been given are meant to be shared.


God puts us where He needs us.

You make a living from what you earn, you make a life from what you give.