Isaiah 55:6-9
Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a
Matthew 20:1-16a
In our Gospel reading today from Matthew we hear the parable about the Workers in the Vineyard. Jesus uses this parable to teach His disciples then and each of us today about God’s justice.
It is our first reading though, from the prophet Isaiah, that prepares us for the message in Matthew’s Gospel – we hear in the first reading that God’s ways are not our ways – “for my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.”
God’s ways – His love, His compassion, His mercy, forgiveness and justice – are complete, they are perfect, they are constant and unconditional – but most of all – they are not (thank God) like our love, our compassion, our mercy, forgiveness or justice - and that is what the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard illustrates for us today.
This parable – found in chapter 20 of Mathew’s Gospel – is linked with the passage immediately preceding it. We find at the end of Chapter 19 Jesus talking with His disciples. This discussion follows the incident of the rich young man, who was a devout Jew who kept all the commandments – but went away sad – because he had many possessions.
The rich young man could not let go of his material wealth. Jesus, using that incident, warns His disciples and us about material wealth as a serious obstacle to eternal life in God’s Kingdom.
The disciples wonder amongst themselves then “who can be saved” and Peter says to Jesus “we have given up everything and followed you – what will there be for us?”
Jesus reassures them that they will have a special place in His Kingdom and that anyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of His name will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life. Chapter 19 ends with the same idea as chapter 20 – that the last will be first and first will be last.
The disciples, just like the rich man, thought that just because they had achieved much or given up much, that they merited more than those that hadn’t achieved as much or given up as much – but we hear in our parable today that God’s justice doesn’t look at how much you have achieved or how much you have given up.
The laborers who came last received the same payment as those that came first. The ones that came first – thinking the way the world thinks – grumbled against the landowner – they thought that “justice” demanded that they receive more than those who came last – because they bore the day’s burden and the heat. But what they had forgotten is that they had agreed to work for the usual daily wage before going off to work in the vineyard and that the landowner had kept his part of the bargain and paid them their fair wage.
The parable describes the landowner going out to get workers for his vineyard several times during a day – first at 6 o'clock in the morning and again at 9, noon and at 3 and 5 o'clock in the afternoon. Each time the landowner assures the workers he will give them a "just wage".With just one hour of work time left, the owner went out once more. He sees men waiting there and asks them, "Why have you been standing here idle all day?" And they replied "Because no one hired us".
They were idle, not because of laziness but because no one had hired them. This parable in general talks about the value of work, the dignity of a person, about the right of an individual to work and the right of those who work to receive fair compensation. But, as usual there is more to this parable than meets the eye and that is an important lesson about God's justice. The incident in this parable – the last workers receiving the same wage as the first –when seen from our conditioned worldview may look like an injustice. But we are being challenged today to take a step back and look at this situation the way God does.
We tend to think that if a person can do more, he is a better person and should receive more for his efforts.
Why, for instance, is there such a disparity between the income of a doctor, a lawyer, a teacher, and a bus driver? Which of these really does more? Is this really just? Why do we look down on those who perform menial on manual labor – are we really better than them? Why is there a stigma associated with being a blue collar worker? Is anybody really worth the ridiculous salaries corporate CEOs, sports players, doctors, lawyers, and politicians make? Their salaries are based more on greed than merit.
We even think that if we do more for God, He will somehow love us more and reward us more. That is very much at the background of today's parable. For many of us, the workers were quite right to grumble against the landowner. They worked longer hours and should have received more money than those workers that only put in an hour received.
But we need to realize that there is another way of looking at this situation. First, by doing more for God and for others does not mean that God will love us more. No matter what we do or do not do God cannot love us more than He already does. He loves us completely and unconditionally just the way we are. There is nothing we can do to make God love us anymore than He already does.
Second, God does not look at how much we do. He looks at our needs. Maybe we too, in assessing the wages people get, should think along the same lines. The workers that came last needed that fair daily wage to feed their families just as much as those that came first.
The “first” in today’s Gospel could be compared to those of us that were born Catholic – just because we have served our Lord longer doesn’t mean we are entitled to anything more than those that have converted to the faith later in their lives. In God’s eyes we are no better than the sinner who says Yes to Jesus even on his deathbed.
And before we continue to side with the grumbling workers, it might help us to remember our own situation. We ought to be very grateful that we have a God whose justice is so clearly unjust in our eyes. He loves Mary his Mother, he loves a Mother Teresa and he loves ME with exactly the same love. Is that just? Is that what I deserve? Should I complain or should I fall down on my knees in humble thankfulness that I am treated so well, that as one of the "last" I get the same treatment as one of the "first"?
This means that no matter how many times I fail, no matter how many times I do wrong, no matter how late in life I come to find Jesus, I am assured of the same welcome that the saints get. This is the "justice" of the shepherd who leaves the "good" sheep and spends hours of his time looking for the single one that wandered far from the flock.
This is the "justice" of the father who organizes a huge feast for the son that has just spent all his father's money on high living and debauchery, when nothing of the kind had ever been done for the dutiful son who stayed at home. We want to be careful about "knocking" God's "justice", especially when we ourselves are so much its beneficiaries.Finally, if this is God's way of acting, then it is clearly meant to be our way also.
Last Sunday's Gospel spoke about the importance of forgiving others and being reconciled with them. We need also to learn how to accept people as they are and not to evaluate them just on what they can do, or because of their status in society or their profession, but simply because they are brothers and sisters who need our love and our care. We need to learn how, as God does, to see people as they are now and not constantly drag in their past behaviors – no matter what they have done.With the help of God, we can learn to understand and to follow his justice. Our ways can become his ways and our thoughts become his thoughts.
Reading and meditating on this parable should result in some change in our “normal” ways of thinking and acting. We should become more like Christ – our ways should be continually growing and evolving, we should be becoming more and more like Christ each and every day – so that our love, our compassion, our mercy, forgiveness and justice become more like His and not like that of the world.
That is what it means to be in the world but not of the world. Each of us are called to let go of those things that the world values and those ways the world calls us to act – and to put on the mind of Christ – to follow in His footsteps – to value the things that He values and to act the way He does. And if we can do this we will find that it is a truly liberating experience. Perhaps that is why, in our second reading from St. Paul we find that he can’t decide whether to stay in this life or to depart and be with Christ in eternity.
Lord, let all that I say and all that I do bring glory and honor to you – and if I live let it be not I who live but Christ who lives in me … Amen!
He Wanted to be Alone
Reading 1 Isaiah 55:1-3
Reading 2 Romans 8:35, 37-39
Gospel Matthew 14:13-21
In our Gospel today we hear that Jesus heard of the death of his cousin – John the Baptist – and He withdrew we are told to a deserted place by himself – he wanted to be alone.
Perhaps because He wanted to mourn the death of His cousin – maybe also because He feared what was going to happen to Him – you see Jesus preached the same message that John the Baptist did – repent – for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
All John ever did was preach the truth – all John ever did was worry about the eternal salvation of others – and what did he get for doing this – he was murdered – what possible hope then could Jesus have that He too would not suffer the same fate.
So Jesus withdrew – He needed some time alone – but we are told that the crowds had followed Him on foot – and when Jesus disembarked He saw a vast crowd – sheep without a Shepard – and moved with pity for them He cured those that were sick.
Even though Jesus wanted to be alone – to mourn the loss of His cousin – to contemplate His future – He realized that when He stepped off that boat that God had other plans for Him. Jesus could have turned around and got back on the boat and left those people on the shore – but He didn’t.
Jesus knew that He needed to be the Good Shepard and take care of those people – who knew that those people needed Him – there wasn’t any time for mourning the loss of John or worrying about what might happen to Him – Jesus realized if not Him then who would minister to those people – without Him they were lost – just like us – without Him, without Jesus in our lives we too are lost. Jesus didn’t turn His back on those people and He won’t turn His back on us either. He is coming to each of us today – in His Word and in the Blessed Sacrament to nourish each of us, to strengthen us.
And just as Jesus did then – putting aside His plans to minister to those people – so too we, as Disciples of Christ, must do, we must put aside our plans our agendas and minister to those in our lives who are in need, who are lost, especially those who don’t know Jesus.
It isn’t always easy in this culture of me, myself and I – in this materialistic world that we live in – it isn’t easy to do that – to put others first, it isn’t easy to share our gifts of time, talent and treasure even though many of us have more than we need. But Jesus teaches us today by His actions what it is that each of us is called to do – to put others and their needs first.
He also shows us that it doesn’t matter how little it is we have to offer – be it five loaves of bread and two fish – or just a little bit of our time, talent, or treasure – God takes what little we may have to offer and multiplies it to satisfy the hungry heart. Something as simple as a kind word, a simple smile, or a quiet prayer for someone can go a long way.
There was a young man – who after graduating from college moved to the west coast to work. Even though he was successful at his work he didn’t make friends easily and soon found himself alone and depressed – far from his family and friends he was isolated. His depression grew and one day he couldn’t handle it anymore and killed himself by jumping off of a bridge. When the police searched his apartment they found a suicide note: if just one person smiles at me today on my walk to work I will not jump off the bridge.
How much does a smile cost? What little each of us has to offer, God will take and work with it to save lives – each of us are called to follow the example Jesus gives us today – to put aside our own needs and concerns – to trust in God – and to serve our brothers and sisters. God will take whatever it is we have to offer and multiply it abundantly to satisfy the hungry hearts.
Who is it in our lives today that needs a kind word, who is it in our lives today that needs a little bit of our time, a simple smile, a quiet prayer or some of our attention – who is it in our lives that we are being called to be Christ to – we must search our hearts, we must take the nourishment we receive here from God’s Word and Jesus’ body and blood and share it abundantly with all those we meet.
And if we do that – in the eyes of the world we might be foolish – but our reward in heaven will be great – Amen!
Reading 2 Romans 8:35, 37-39
Gospel Matthew 14:13-21
In our Gospel today we hear that Jesus heard of the death of his cousin – John the Baptist – and He withdrew we are told to a deserted place by himself – he wanted to be alone.
Perhaps because He wanted to mourn the death of His cousin – maybe also because He feared what was going to happen to Him – you see Jesus preached the same message that John the Baptist did – repent – for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
All John ever did was preach the truth – all John ever did was worry about the eternal salvation of others – and what did he get for doing this – he was murdered – what possible hope then could Jesus have that He too would not suffer the same fate.
So Jesus withdrew – He needed some time alone – but we are told that the crowds had followed Him on foot – and when Jesus disembarked He saw a vast crowd – sheep without a Shepard – and moved with pity for them He cured those that were sick.
Even though Jesus wanted to be alone – to mourn the loss of His cousin – to contemplate His future – He realized that when He stepped off that boat that God had other plans for Him. Jesus could have turned around and got back on the boat and left those people on the shore – but He didn’t.
Jesus knew that He needed to be the Good Shepard and take care of those people – who knew that those people needed Him – there wasn’t any time for mourning the loss of John or worrying about what might happen to Him – Jesus realized if not Him then who would minister to those people – without Him they were lost – just like us – without Him, without Jesus in our lives we too are lost. Jesus didn’t turn His back on those people and He won’t turn His back on us either. He is coming to each of us today – in His Word and in the Blessed Sacrament to nourish each of us, to strengthen us.
And just as Jesus did then – putting aside His plans to minister to those people – so too we, as Disciples of Christ, must do, we must put aside our plans our agendas and minister to those in our lives who are in need, who are lost, especially those who don’t know Jesus.
It isn’t always easy in this culture of me, myself and I – in this materialistic world that we live in – it isn’t easy to do that – to put others first, it isn’t easy to share our gifts of time, talent and treasure even though many of us have more than we need. But Jesus teaches us today by His actions what it is that each of us is called to do – to put others and their needs first.
He also shows us that it doesn’t matter how little it is we have to offer – be it five loaves of bread and two fish – or just a little bit of our time, talent, or treasure – God takes what little we may have to offer and multiplies it to satisfy the hungry heart. Something as simple as a kind word, a simple smile, or a quiet prayer for someone can go a long way.
There was a young man – who after graduating from college moved to the west coast to work. Even though he was successful at his work he didn’t make friends easily and soon found himself alone and depressed – far from his family and friends he was isolated. His depression grew and one day he couldn’t handle it anymore and killed himself by jumping off of a bridge. When the police searched his apartment they found a suicide note: if just one person smiles at me today on my walk to work I will not jump off the bridge.
How much does a smile cost? What little each of us has to offer, God will take and work with it to save lives – each of us are called to follow the example Jesus gives us today – to put aside our own needs and concerns – to trust in God – and to serve our brothers and sisters. God will take whatever it is we have to offer and multiply it abundantly to satisfy the hungry hearts.
Who is it in our lives today that needs a kind word, who is it in our lives today that needs a little bit of our time, a simple smile, a quiet prayer or some of our attention – who is it in our lives that we are being called to be Christ to – we must search our hearts, we must take the nourishment we receive here from God’s Word and Jesus’ body and blood and share it abundantly with all those we meet.
And if we do that – in the eyes of the world we might be foolish – but our reward in heaven will be great – Amen!
Work in Progress
Reading 1: Wisdom 12:13, 16-19
Reading 2: Romans 8:26-27
Gospel: Matthew 13:24-43
The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand – rejoice!
In today’s Gospel Jesus uses three parables to describe what the kingdom of heaven is like and how it is we are called to be to help bring about that kingdom.
In the first parable, about the weeds and the wheat, Jesus tells us that the world was created good – just like the good seed that was sowed in the field – everything in this world – each and every one of us – all those that came before us and all those that will come after as – were or will be created good.
But we know that this world isn’t always such a good place – we know that each of us aren’t always such good people – sometimes though we are the wheat – when we make the right choices – and we bear good fruit – but sometimes we are the weeds – when we make the wrong choices – when we sin and maybe cause others to fall into sin.
But we are – just like this world, just like this country, just like this church – each and every one of us are – “work in progress”. And the good news for us today is that God knows that, He realizes that we are work in progress, that we might not always make the right choices – and that it might take most of us our entire lifetimes just to get it right – but our Heavenly Father is patient, He is compassionate and He gives us our lifetimes and the graces we need to change our hearts – to repent – and He loves us so much that He gives us the freedom to make those choices for ourselves.
So we can’t let the bad things or the bad people of this world get us down – and we have to guard against judging or condemning others. Each of us has to do what we can to make this world a better place – you and I have been called to be something special – we have been called to be the wheat that turns weeds into wheat – we have been called to be Christ to those who don’t know Him – to those in darkness we have been called to be lights – now that might mean fixing things that are broken in our lives, or fixing things that are broken in our relationships – or reaching out to those that don’t even know Christ.
Some days we may be good, who knows we might go weeks or months or even years doing good – avoiding all serious sin and temptation - but then for some reason, when some temptation comes along – or when we face some anxiety or difficult time in our lives – we might fall again into serious sin.
Does that mean that we are bad people – no – does that mean that we are human – yes. When we fall into sin we have to remember that God has a plan – the He loves us no matter what we have done.
One thing I have come to believe is that sin – all sin – is the result of a lack of love. You could say that another way – God as we know is love – sin then is the result of a lack of God in our lives. If our hearts are full of God, if our hearts are full of love then there will be no room for sin in our lives.
When we sin, when we or those around us choose to do wrong – it is because of a lack of love – a lack of love from the people closest to us be that a family member, a friend or even a stranger. But you can’t force people to love you – and often times the love we are looking for just isn’t there – it is those times that we need to turn to God and not to sin – God will fill those holes in our lives – those gaps caused by rejection or indifference – He will fill those holes with His perfect and unconditional love.
And as Christians our goal then should be to become as Christ like as possible - because this world we live in – the short lifetimes we have been given – we will encounter good and with bad people – each of us – at different points in our lives may be that bad or a good person.
And it is the other two parables that Jesus gives us today that explain the importance and the difference that just one person with just a little bit of love in their hearts can do in this world – what a difference just one Christian can make. You have probably heard it said that all that it is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing – well each of us has been call to action.
We hear in the other parables that the affect of a little bit of yeast impacts the entire loaf of bread – just like a little act of kindness or love can change the heart of a person or a community or even an entire country. We also hear that the tiniest seed can become the largest of plants and home to many creatures. Each of this have witnessed these parables in our lifetimes in the lives of Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul.
Each of us are called to do the same – maybe not on the same grand scale as Mother Teresa or Pope John Paul – but each of us in our own way in our communities, social circles and our families – are called to be wheat – to love.
No act of kindness goes unrewarded and no act of evil goes unpunished – we are called to be the yeast in our society – it is true that none of us are saints yet – but each of us are on our way to sainthood – each of us are work in progress – we are called to be the random act of kindness in our world – we are called to give of our gifts of time, talent and treasure to all who we meet. We are called to love and sacrifice. Then and only then will we know and enjoy the kingdom of heaven.
My brothers and sisters – the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand but the harvest is great are the workers are few – let each of us this day go out into the fields and do our parts to make this world a better place.
Reading 2: Romans 8:26-27
Gospel: Matthew 13:24-43
The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand – rejoice!
In today’s Gospel Jesus uses three parables to describe what the kingdom of heaven is like and how it is we are called to be to help bring about that kingdom.
In the first parable, about the weeds and the wheat, Jesus tells us that the world was created good – just like the good seed that was sowed in the field – everything in this world – each and every one of us – all those that came before us and all those that will come after as – were or will be created good.
But we know that this world isn’t always such a good place – we know that each of us aren’t always such good people – sometimes though we are the wheat – when we make the right choices – and we bear good fruit – but sometimes we are the weeds – when we make the wrong choices – when we sin and maybe cause others to fall into sin.
But we are – just like this world, just like this country, just like this church – each and every one of us are – “work in progress”. And the good news for us today is that God knows that, He realizes that we are work in progress, that we might not always make the right choices – and that it might take most of us our entire lifetimes just to get it right – but our Heavenly Father is patient, He is compassionate and He gives us our lifetimes and the graces we need to change our hearts – to repent – and He loves us so much that He gives us the freedom to make those choices for ourselves.
So we can’t let the bad things or the bad people of this world get us down – and we have to guard against judging or condemning others. Each of us has to do what we can to make this world a better place – you and I have been called to be something special – we have been called to be the wheat that turns weeds into wheat – we have been called to be Christ to those who don’t know Him – to those in darkness we have been called to be lights – now that might mean fixing things that are broken in our lives, or fixing things that are broken in our relationships – or reaching out to those that don’t even know Christ.
Some days we may be good, who knows we might go weeks or months or even years doing good – avoiding all serious sin and temptation - but then for some reason, when some temptation comes along – or when we face some anxiety or difficult time in our lives – we might fall again into serious sin.
Does that mean that we are bad people – no – does that mean that we are human – yes. When we fall into sin we have to remember that God has a plan – the He loves us no matter what we have done.
One thing I have come to believe is that sin – all sin – is the result of a lack of love. You could say that another way – God as we know is love – sin then is the result of a lack of God in our lives. If our hearts are full of God, if our hearts are full of love then there will be no room for sin in our lives.
When we sin, when we or those around us choose to do wrong – it is because of a lack of love – a lack of love from the people closest to us be that a family member, a friend or even a stranger. But you can’t force people to love you – and often times the love we are looking for just isn’t there – it is those times that we need to turn to God and not to sin – God will fill those holes in our lives – those gaps caused by rejection or indifference – He will fill those holes with His perfect and unconditional love.
And as Christians our goal then should be to become as Christ like as possible - because this world we live in – the short lifetimes we have been given – we will encounter good and with bad people – each of us – at different points in our lives may be that bad or a good person.
And it is the other two parables that Jesus gives us today that explain the importance and the difference that just one person with just a little bit of love in their hearts can do in this world – what a difference just one Christian can make. You have probably heard it said that all that it is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing – well each of us has been call to action.
We hear in the other parables that the affect of a little bit of yeast impacts the entire loaf of bread – just like a little act of kindness or love can change the heart of a person or a community or even an entire country. We also hear that the tiniest seed can become the largest of plants and home to many creatures. Each of this have witnessed these parables in our lifetimes in the lives of Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul.
Each of us are called to do the same – maybe not on the same grand scale as Mother Teresa or Pope John Paul – but each of us in our own way in our communities, social circles and our families – are called to be wheat – to love.
No act of kindness goes unrewarded and no act of evil goes unpunished – we are called to be the yeast in our society – it is true that none of us are saints yet – but each of us are on our way to sainthood – each of us are work in progress – we are called to be the random act of kindness in our world – we are called to give of our gifts of time, talent and treasure to all who we meet. We are called to love and sacrifice. Then and only then will we know and enjoy the kingdom of heaven.
My brothers and sisters – the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand but the harvest is great are the workers are few – let each of us this day go out into the fields and do our parts to make this world a better place.
The Harvest is Abundant
Reading 1 Exodus 19:2-6a
Reading 2 Romans 5:6-11
Gospel Matthew 9:36-10:8
In our first reading today from the Book of Exodus, we hear that after God had delivered the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt – He wanted to establish with them a new covenant. The basis of this new covenant was to be the Israelite’s deliverance out of Egypt which God had already fulfilled.
What is interesting is that God didn’t first go to Moses and say if you get your people to agree to follow my commandments then I will free you from your slavery in Egypt. God doesn’t coerce us into following or loving Him.
God we find, fulfilled His part of this new covenant BEFORE the Israelites even agreed to uphold their part of the bargain. You could even say God fulfilled his part of this new covenant even though He knew that the Israelites would fail to keep their part of the bargain – even though, He knew that these chosen people – who He elevated above all nations – would one day crucify His only Son.
Now you don’t have to be a lawyer or even a good businessman to know that you just don’t do something for someone before they agree to do something for you – be that pay you a certain amount of money or give you a certain amount of things in return. I mean it is just “common sense” isn’t it – if you do something for somebody before they agree to terms you don’t have any guarantee or recourse that after you have provided your part of the bargain that they will honor their part of it – and why should they.
You don’t do that sort of thing that is – if you think like man does. Our first lesson today then is to always remember that God’s ways are not our ways – and the only way we can hope to understand His ways is to change our hearts – to die to ourselves and put on the mind of Christ.
There was more though to this new covenant than just deliverance from slavery. The Israelites, if they hearkened to His voice, would participate in a special relationship with God – He would be their God and they would be His people.
They would be a nation of people set aside, raised up, elevated above all the other nations of the world – they would be the object of His preferential love, protection and care. God demonstrated to the Israelites His desire and His commitment to enter into this new covenant with them by delivering them out of Egypt even BEFORE they agreed to fulfilling their part of the covenant – which we are told was that they were to hearken to His voice – obey His commandments – which as we know are the 10 Commandments that He gave to Moses – and if they did that, if they hearkened to His voice – if they obeyed His commandments – not only would they be the object of His preferential love and attention – they would become a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.
God didn’t say if you obey My commandments you will avoid all pain and suffering or that you would not experience temptation – because it is only in those difficult times and temptations that our love for God is truly tested.
This covenant that God wanted to enter into with the Israelites was one that would require them to lead moral lives in a world that has no morality – in a world that teaches the exact opposite of what God teaches – that we should love our enemy and pray for those who persecute us – if they could do that if they could die to themselves and follow His commandments then their very lives would show people that they belonged to God and that justice and peace, love and compassion are the only things that will lead to true happiness in this world. God chose the Israelites to be a holy nation – a beacon to the world – a living testimony – proof that we can lead moral lives in this sinful, corrupt and fallen world.
The good news is that God doesn’t give up on us – He remains faithful even though we fail time and time again to keep His commandments. In our second reading today from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans we hear a similar story. God in our first reading fulfilled His part of the new covenant delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt BEFORE they agreed to their part of the covenant – and in our second reading we hear again that God’s ways are not our ways: Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world but to save it – Christ we are told died at the appointed time for the ungodly, for sinners, for His executioners.
God once again proves His love for us in that while we were still sinners He sent His only Son to die for us – so that IF we change our lives – IF we repent, then we can and will be saved by the blood of Christ shed for each of us on the Cross, shed to save us from the slavery of sin and for our salvation and we will enjoy everlasting life in heaven – but the choice is ours to make – even though Christ thirsts for the salvation of our souls – He wants us to come to Him by our own free will.
God had chosen the Israelites to be His people and in our Gospel we hear Jesus instruct his twelve apostles not to go into pagan territory or enter into a Samaritan town – He told them to go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Fortunately for us, this covenant relationship God wanted to have with the Israelites was extended also to the pagans. St. Paul himself, who in his early days, when he was known as Saul, persecuted Christians, but after his conversion experience on the road to Damascus became the Apostle to all nations.
And now each of us, just like the Israelites, has been chosen by God – to be part of a nation of people who share in a special relationship with Him. Each of us is called to live moral lives – to be lights shining in this dark world. To sacrifice, to give back to God everything we have received from Him. Each of us is called to be His disciples – 2000 years later – after Jesus sent out His first apostles, today He sends you and I – and the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.
Bringing light into darkness and hope in despair is not a vocation for priests alone. We are instructed at the end of Mass to "go in peace to love and to serve the Lord" which sounds like missionary work. In the most literal sense, a missionary puts their life on hold to go into other nations and serve the Lord by serving those in need. But we are all missionaries in our own neighborhoods, our schools, our workplaces; and as the first and foremost in our homes.
Fathers – you have been called to a special vocation – you are to be the first teachers of your children (God’s children) in the ways of our faith. Together with your wives you are called to bear witness to the faith by what you say and do.
As we prepare to celebrate Fathers’ Day we should reflect a bit on what a father is.
Today I’m afraid that there are a large number of people who can no longer relate to the reality or the concept of a father. This was not always the case as most marriages never suffered from the ravages of divorce. Many individuals today do not have the benefit of a father at home, or even in their life to any extent. 50%+ of marriages, including Catholic marriages, end in divorce. Single parent families are painfully common.
A child needs a father and a mother, male and female, to receive the fullness of nurturing, love, and support. One parent can try heroically to fill both roles, and do quite well, but it is never the same as when mom and dad fulfill their respective roles.
A father, along with a mother, obviously collaborate with God to bring life into existence.
You will never know the eternal joy of Heaven without your father and mother saying yes to life. A father protects and supports his family. If evil in any form threatens his family a father must engage that evil and protect the family. This is true most of all spiritually, but also physically, emotionally, economically, and morally.
Dad has to fight many a battle to win the war of the salvation of the souls of his spouse and children. If dad doesn’t even know there is a war, where would that leave his family? How many sleepless nights fathers have had had worrying how to provide for mom and the kids? How many days he has come home from work bone tired, trying to provide a life for the family better than he had? How many deaths has he died agonizing over the welfare of each of his children?
Remember your father this Fathers’ Day. Pray for him, alive or deceased. While you are doing this, hopefully through a day started with the Holy Eucharist, remember your priests, who are truly fathers in the spiritual sense.
They too have expended a lot of “blood, sweat, and tears” trying to insure the well-being of their spiritual children. Without the priest there is no forgiveness through the sacrament of Reconciliation. Without the priest there is no strengthening through the sacrament of Confirmation. Without the priest there is no anointing of the sick. Most of all, no priest no Eucharist—the Source, Center, and Summit of the Church’s life.
Let’s pray for our fathers, both biological and spiritual, this Fathers’ Day, and every day. We need them, for the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.
Reading 2 Romans 5:6-11
Gospel Matthew 9:36-10:8
In our first reading today from the Book of Exodus, we hear that after God had delivered the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt – He wanted to establish with them a new covenant. The basis of this new covenant was to be the Israelite’s deliverance out of Egypt which God had already fulfilled.
What is interesting is that God didn’t first go to Moses and say if you get your people to agree to follow my commandments then I will free you from your slavery in Egypt. God doesn’t coerce us into following or loving Him.
God we find, fulfilled His part of this new covenant BEFORE the Israelites even agreed to uphold their part of the bargain. You could even say God fulfilled his part of this new covenant even though He knew that the Israelites would fail to keep their part of the bargain – even though, He knew that these chosen people – who He elevated above all nations – would one day crucify His only Son.
Now you don’t have to be a lawyer or even a good businessman to know that you just don’t do something for someone before they agree to do something for you – be that pay you a certain amount of money or give you a certain amount of things in return. I mean it is just “common sense” isn’t it – if you do something for somebody before they agree to terms you don’t have any guarantee or recourse that after you have provided your part of the bargain that they will honor their part of it – and why should they.
You don’t do that sort of thing that is – if you think like man does. Our first lesson today then is to always remember that God’s ways are not our ways – and the only way we can hope to understand His ways is to change our hearts – to die to ourselves and put on the mind of Christ.
There was more though to this new covenant than just deliverance from slavery. The Israelites, if they hearkened to His voice, would participate in a special relationship with God – He would be their God and they would be His people.
They would be a nation of people set aside, raised up, elevated above all the other nations of the world – they would be the object of His preferential love, protection and care. God demonstrated to the Israelites His desire and His commitment to enter into this new covenant with them by delivering them out of Egypt even BEFORE they agreed to fulfilling their part of the covenant – which we are told was that they were to hearken to His voice – obey His commandments – which as we know are the 10 Commandments that He gave to Moses – and if they did that, if they hearkened to His voice – if they obeyed His commandments – not only would they be the object of His preferential love and attention – they would become a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.
God didn’t say if you obey My commandments you will avoid all pain and suffering or that you would not experience temptation – because it is only in those difficult times and temptations that our love for God is truly tested.
This covenant that God wanted to enter into with the Israelites was one that would require them to lead moral lives in a world that has no morality – in a world that teaches the exact opposite of what God teaches – that we should love our enemy and pray for those who persecute us – if they could do that if they could die to themselves and follow His commandments then their very lives would show people that they belonged to God and that justice and peace, love and compassion are the only things that will lead to true happiness in this world. God chose the Israelites to be a holy nation – a beacon to the world – a living testimony – proof that we can lead moral lives in this sinful, corrupt and fallen world.
The good news is that God doesn’t give up on us – He remains faithful even though we fail time and time again to keep His commandments. In our second reading today from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans we hear a similar story. God in our first reading fulfilled His part of the new covenant delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt BEFORE they agreed to their part of the covenant – and in our second reading we hear again that God’s ways are not our ways: Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world but to save it – Christ we are told died at the appointed time for the ungodly, for sinners, for His executioners.
God once again proves His love for us in that while we were still sinners He sent His only Son to die for us – so that IF we change our lives – IF we repent, then we can and will be saved by the blood of Christ shed for each of us on the Cross, shed to save us from the slavery of sin and for our salvation and we will enjoy everlasting life in heaven – but the choice is ours to make – even though Christ thirsts for the salvation of our souls – He wants us to come to Him by our own free will.
God had chosen the Israelites to be His people and in our Gospel we hear Jesus instruct his twelve apostles not to go into pagan territory or enter into a Samaritan town – He told them to go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Fortunately for us, this covenant relationship God wanted to have with the Israelites was extended also to the pagans. St. Paul himself, who in his early days, when he was known as Saul, persecuted Christians, but after his conversion experience on the road to Damascus became the Apostle to all nations.
And now each of us, just like the Israelites, has been chosen by God – to be part of a nation of people who share in a special relationship with Him. Each of us is called to live moral lives – to be lights shining in this dark world. To sacrifice, to give back to God everything we have received from Him. Each of us is called to be His disciples – 2000 years later – after Jesus sent out His first apostles, today He sends you and I – and the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.
Bringing light into darkness and hope in despair is not a vocation for priests alone. We are instructed at the end of Mass to "go in peace to love and to serve the Lord" which sounds like missionary work. In the most literal sense, a missionary puts their life on hold to go into other nations and serve the Lord by serving those in need. But we are all missionaries in our own neighborhoods, our schools, our workplaces; and as the first and foremost in our homes.
Fathers – you have been called to a special vocation – you are to be the first teachers of your children (God’s children) in the ways of our faith. Together with your wives you are called to bear witness to the faith by what you say and do.
As we prepare to celebrate Fathers’ Day we should reflect a bit on what a father is.
Today I’m afraid that there are a large number of people who can no longer relate to the reality or the concept of a father. This was not always the case as most marriages never suffered from the ravages of divorce. Many individuals today do not have the benefit of a father at home, or even in their life to any extent. 50%+ of marriages, including Catholic marriages, end in divorce. Single parent families are painfully common.
A child needs a father and a mother, male and female, to receive the fullness of nurturing, love, and support. One parent can try heroically to fill both roles, and do quite well, but it is never the same as when mom and dad fulfill their respective roles.
A father, along with a mother, obviously collaborate with God to bring life into existence.
You will never know the eternal joy of Heaven without your father and mother saying yes to life. A father protects and supports his family. If evil in any form threatens his family a father must engage that evil and protect the family. This is true most of all spiritually, but also physically, emotionally, economically, and morally.
Dad has to fight many a battle to win the war of the salvation of the souls of his spouse and children. If dad doesn’t even know there is a war, where would that leave his family? How many sleepless nights fathers have had had worrying how to provide for mom and the kids? How many days he has come home from work bone tired, trying to provide a life for the family better than he had? How many deaths has he died agonizing over the welfare of each of his children?
Remember your father this Fathers’ Day. Pray for him, alive or deceased. While you are doing this, hopefully through a day started with the Holy Eucharist, remember your priests, who are truly fathers in the spiritual sense.
They too have expended a lot of “blood, sweat, and tears” trying to insure the well-being of their spiritual children. Without the priest there is no forgiveness through the sacrament of Reconciliation. Without the priest there is no strengthening through the sacrament of Confirmation. Without the priest there is no anointing of the sick. Most of all, no priest no Eucharist—the Source, Center, and Summit of the Church’s life.
Let’s pray for our fathers, both biological and spiritual, this Fathers’ Day, and every day. We need them, for the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.
The Most Holy Trinity - Mystery and Model
Life in general is full of mysteries – there are things that we can never hope to fully understand nor explain and our Catholic faith is no exception – it too is full of mysteries – for example when we pray the rosary – depending upon what day of the week it is, we meditate on either the Luminous, the Joyful, the Sorrowful or the Glorious mysteries – we find 20 different mysteries of our faith just in praying the Rosary – but there are also more mysteries of our faith than just those found in the Rosary.
Today we celebrate what the Catechism of the Catholic Church calls the central mystery of our Christian faith and of our Christian life - the Most Holy Trinity – it is our belief that there is one God and that this God of ours has three divine natures – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We start and end our liturgies – in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit – we baptize as Jesus instructed his apostles to do – in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit – and we profess our faith in the Creed when we say that we believe in God the Father, His only Son – our Lord and savior – Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
The Most Holy Trinity is not just something we dreamed up – it is through divine revelation – God revealing Himself to us in the person of His Son Jesus Christ – that the Most Holy Trinity is revealed and made known to us.
Paraphrasing St. John of the Cross, the great Doctor or our Church, “God our Father spoke but one word in the eternal silences of the Trinity, his eternal Word: Jesus. He has no more to say.”
Today we celebrate what the Catechism of the Catholic Church calls the central mystery of our Christian faith and of our Christian life - the Most Holy Trinity – it is our belief that there is one God and that this God of ours has three divine natures – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We start and end our liturgies – in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit – we baptize as Jesus instructed his apostles to do – in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit – and we profess our faith in the Creed when we say that we believe in God the Father, His only Son – our Lord and savior – Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
The Most Holy Trinity is not just something we dreamed up – it is through divine revelation – God revealing Himself to us in the person of His Son Jesus Christ – that the Most Holy Trinity is revealed and made known to us.
Paraphrasing St. John of the Cross, the great Doctor or our Church, “God our Father spoke but one word in the eternal silences of the Trinity, his eternal Word: Jesus. He has no more to say.”
Jesus Christ is the Word of God. All of the words found in the Bible, all of the words in the Church's official teaching…all of it can be distilled, condensed, and synthesized into one word: the Word who is Jesus. This is the substance of our faith. “He who has seen me has seen the Father,” Jesus says.
In order to better understand and accept the mysteries of our faith we need to understand just what divine revelation is:
This revelation of God the Father to us in the Person of his only Son is divine revelation simply and accurately put. This revelation is transmitted to us in a Trinitarian way. There is one God. There is one Word of God. However, we know that God, although One is three divine Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Wherever one Person of the most holy Trinity is there the other two must be due to the absolute unity of the Trinity.
Drawing an analogy from this Trinitarian theology, God's revelation to us is one and three. There is but one Word transmitted, but it comes to us in three essential modes. The Word of God is transmitted to us in an oral way and a written way, however, when you have any word or words there must be an authentic and authoritative translator of the word(s), otherwise there is only personal opinions, misunderstandings and ultimately chaos.
Jesus Christ, while on the earth as the “Son of Man”, taught orally. He said and did many things, and as St. John says that he doubted that the world could contain enough books to write it all. Jesus did not write a book, although the Bible surely has God as its primary Author.
Hence there are two main wellsprings of revelation: an oral one and a written one. The oral teaching of Jesus Christ given to the Apostles and handed on by them under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit—the apostolic kerygma—has equal weight in the Catholic Church with the written word of God, the Bible.
This oral mode of transmitting God's revelation is called “Sacred Tradition.” Either the written word or the oral must be authentically and authoritatively interpreted. This is done by the Magisterium of the Church.
The Magisterium of the Church, or “teaching office”, is the Holy Father and all of the bishops united to him in teaching the substance of the faith given to us by the Father through his only Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit. God our Father reveals himself to us in the Person of his only Son. This revelation is transmitted in an oral way, Sacred Tradition and a written way, the Bible. Both are interpreted authentically and authoritatively only by the Magisterium of the Church.
So, Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture (the Bible), and the Magisterium of the Church are so intimately integral that no one of them can subsist without the other two. Just as God in fact would not be God if He were only Father, or only Son, so too God's revelation to us is not authentic unless it is in fact the revelation of the one God transmitted to us in a Trinitarian way: through Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and authentically and authoritatively interpreted by the Magisterium of the Church.
Mysteries, however – like the Most Holy Trinity – challenge our faith. For those whose faith is weak – no explanation of these mysteries will ever be sufficient – for those whose faith is strong – no explanation of these mysteries is necessary.
The reality is that unless we accept these mysteries like a child – we will never enter the kingdom of God. Too many people today want to rely on science and what can be scientifically proven or they want to rely on popular opinion or even worse many people want to water down our beliefs and Church teachings. These things – science and popular opinion – will never explain the mysteries of our faith.
Fortunately for us we hear in our first reading that our God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity. So when we do doubt these mysteries – which we all do at times, when we stray from the truth and fall into sin – which we all do – our God is merciful and kind – always waiting for us – always willing to accept us back – and why is this – because the Father gives glory and honor to the Son’s sacrifice on the cross by forgiving the repentant sinner – and this is all possible only because His Son purchased our salvation by accepting death on a cross.
In our second reading St. Paul reminds us how we are to live – in peace with one another – we are to mend our ways, we are to encourage each other and agree with each other and live in peace – and if we do this – if we live that way then God will be with us. We have to ask ourselves does that describe how we live – do we live in peace with one another – do we mend our ways – do we encourage one another?
The Most Holy Trinity in light of our second reading then becomes more than a mystery – it becomes a model for each of us – a model of love. The love that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit share is the same Love we are called to share with them and each other. For we know that the greatest commandments are: We are to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, with all our minds, and with all our strength and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus also gave his disciples and us a new commandment – love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples – if you have love for one another.
In our Gospel we hear of God’s great love for the world – so great is His love that He gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but have eternal life. Only those of us that have lost a child have but a faint understanding of what our heavenly Father sacrificed for us sending His only Son for us to the cross.
God we are told did not send Jesus to condemn the world even though He knew the world would condemn His Son – Jesus doesn’t have to condemn us – when He confronted sinners what did He do – He forgave them their sins and told them to go and sin no more – because sin is what separates us from God. Jesus doesn’t have to condemn us because we do that to ourselves – we make the right or the wrong choices during our lifetimes and in those choices we either turn towards God or away – God doesn’t condemn us – He only asks that we believe in His Son – and if we truly believe in His Son we will repent and change our lives and make the right choices and have eternal life. That choice is up to us and when we stand in judgment it is not God who will condemn us but our very actions – all we will be able to do is say yes Lord.
On this Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity – we have to ask ourselves – do we believe the mysteries of our faith and do we love each other as we are called to do – do our actions reflect our belief and that love? Each of us are called to radiate love – love is supposed to be the identifying element or trademark of a Christian – how well do we live up to that commandment – love each other as I have loved you.
May each of us come to know the love and wisdom of our Heavenly Father; May each of us reflect the humility, obedience, and sacrifice of our Lord and Savior – Jesus Christ; May each of us participate in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit;
And may God bless us – in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit – AMEN!
Christ Our Hope
Acts 6:1-7; Peter 2:4-9; John 14:1-12
We all know that Jesus had 12 Apostles and that one of them – Judas – betrayed Jesus by turning Him over to the Pharisees. Judas, realizing that he had betrayed innocent blood and learning that Jesus was to be crucified – committed suicide.
After the death, resurrection and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ – but before Pentecost – the coming of the Holy Spirit – the eleven remaining disciples of Jesus returned to Jerusalem. It was in those days that Peter stood up among the disciples and proposed the election of a new apostle to take the place of Judas.
We all know that Jesus had 12 Apostles and that one of them – Judas – betrayed Jesus by turning Him over to the Pharisees. Judas, realizing that he had betrayed innocent blood and learning that Jesus was to be crucified – committed suicide.
After the death, resurrection and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ – but before Pentecost – the coming of the Holy Spirit – the eleven remaining disciples of Jesus returned to Jerusalem. It was in those days that Peter stood up among the disciples and proposed the election of a new apostle to take the place of Judas.
So they put forward two men who had accompanied them during all the entire time Jesus was among them – beginning with His baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist.
The eleven disciples then prayed and said “Lord, you know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two thou hast chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside” – then they cast lots and the lot fell on Matthias and he was enrolled with them and the apostles were once again 12. Thus began the practice of Apostolic Succession that continues to be practiced to this day and has brought us Pope Benedict the 16th.
When the day of Pentecost came, the 12 were all together in one place and suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
The apostles no longer afraid or intimidated began to preach to the people themselves, and they started the Catholic Church. There was a lot of work to do.
People came to them with gifts; others came asking for healing, or for food. Soon, the apostles were so busy organizing the people that they had no time for personal prayer to teach them anymore.
We hear in our first reading that the Hellenists complained because their widows were being neglected – so the Twelve called together the entire community and suggested that they put forth 7 reputable men – filled with the Spirit and wisdom – and that these men would be appointed to take care of the poor and responsible for organizing the people.
Thank God they realized that they needed help – thank God that they realized preaching the Word of God – caring for the spiritual health and wellbeing of their flock was more important than organizing the people or fund raisers. These seven men they selected were the first deacons of the church. The apostles ordained them as deacons by praying over them and placing their hands on the heads. And thus began the practice of ordination which continues to this day too.
Saint Stephen was one of the first seven deacons. He began to serve the poor and preach to the people about Jesus. More and more people joined the Christians and even a large number of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
The high priests of the temple were jealous of Saint Stephen's successes, and accused him of blasphemy. They took him in front of a judge, just like they had done to Jesus. At the trial, Saint Stephen kept on preaching and teaching his accusers about Jesus.
He told the judges that they were hard-hearted murderers of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. When the crowd heard this they became so angry that they stopped the trial, dragged him outside and began to throw rocks at him. As they were stoning him, Saint Stephen forgave them and asked God not to punish them for their crime. Then he said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." and died.
Saint Stephen, a deacon, was the first Christian martyr, the first person to die because he loved Jesus so much that he wouldn't stop talking about Him, and he wouldn’t compromise the truth – he refused to give into their threats and pressure – even if it would cost him his life – why – because it is far better to die in Christ than to stand in judgment having denied Him.
What each of us has to ask ourselves today is how bold are we – at home, at school, at work – with our friends and with our family, with strangers – how bold are we in today’s society – when people look at you like you are crazy when you talk about your love of God – how bold are each of us when it comes to publicly proclaiming our love for Jesus?
How bold are we to stand up for the truth – no matter what the consequences may be? And how ready are we to forgive those who hurt us – especially those that have persecuted us?
Our second reading from the First Letter of St. Peter contains some of the most reassuring verses in Holy Scripture. We are called living stones and to let ourselves be built into a spiritual house – to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices.
Each of us are called a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people that the Lord claims for His own – called to proclaim the glorious works of the one who called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light.
Each of us is precious in the Lord’s eyes – each of us is invaluable and God our Father cherishes us, we are highly esteemed, and our Father loves us. He loves us not because of something we have done, we don’t have to do anything to merit or win His love – he loves us in spite of everything we have done – the good and the bad. But why? Why are we so precious in the eyes of God?
I think parents have some insight into the answer to this question. Why parents do we love our children, why are they so precious in our eyes? Is it because of something they did – I don’t think so – I know that I love my children just because who they are – my children – not for what they have done or failed to do.
The first time I held each of them in my arms – even before they had a chance to do anything – I loved them. Before they were born – as I placed my face against the womb – I loved them. As I pressed my ear to hear their heart beats or held my hands to feel them kick – I loved them – before they were born I knew I would give my life if necessary for them. And that is what good parents do for their children – they sacrifice.
Certainly, now that they are older, I am proud of all of their accomplishments – but I don’t love them anymore than I did – certainly over the years they have done things that hurt me – but I don’t love them any less. They are and always will be my children.
I love them because they are my children and God the Father loves each of us for who we are – His children. You have heard it said before, if we – who are wicked and sinful – love our children and give them what is good – how much more does our Heavenly Father love us and wants to give us what is good.
No matter what we have done – no matter how good or how bad we have been – God loves each of us.
God created us to demonstrate His unconditional love for each of us and so that we could demonstrate to the world our love for Him. Jesus came so that we might enjoy life more abundantly and He died on the cross so that we might live and have eternal life.
But as we know and hear in our reading today – Jesus is the rock that the world rejected – yet He has become the cornerstone of the New World and each of us are called to be living stones – to build up His Church where His Holy Spirit lives and breathes.
Jesus – the great High Priest – who was rejected by the world, thrown out of the temple, and crucified on the cross – counts on each of us, as members of His royal priesthood – to carry on the priestly presence of our Lord by making God present to others and others present to God.
Jesus is the Light of the World, the light which dispels all evil, washes guilt away, restores lost innocence, brings mourners joy, casts out hatred, brings us peace and humbles earthly pride.
Each of us are called to be lights of the world - called to bring hope and light to a world living in fear and darkness.
And that is another reason why we are so precious to God – because He sees His Son Jesus at work in each of us when we boldly proclaim His gospel of life.
Jesus suffered much during his passion and today His Church – each of us – suffers both from without and within the Church – especially when we stand up for the truth or when we proclaim the Gospel of Life.
Each of us, as God’s children, must be aware of our individual dignity as well as the dignity of all life. We must treat ourselves, our bodies and each other with the respect a child of God deserves. And when we are tempted – when the world tells us that it is OK to do this or that – we must remember that dignity and turn away from popular opinion and the culture of death and make the right choices.
It’s not easy – but we hear in our Gospel reading today that in our Fathers house there are many rooms and that we know the way – and the way is Jesus. Jesus is the way and the truth and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through Him. To see Jesus is to see God; to hear Jesus is to hear God and to follow Jesus is to know where we are going – and that is home to the Father.
This week America was blessed – Our Holy Father – Pope Benedict XVI – the successor of Peter – the Vicar of Christ – visited our nation. And his message was simple – Christ is our hope.
In a world today that seems to be off track and out of control – Pope Benedict demonstrated for each of us – as he met with President, as he addressed the bishops and cardinals; as he addressed the 45000 people at Nationals stadium; as he spoke to the people at Catholic University, the press and the United Nations, the 26,000 youths at St. Joseph’s Seminary in New York and the 57000 people in Yankee Stadium today – he demonstrated for us that Christ is our hope – that Christ is our rock – that no matter what – Truth and Love will prevail. That His Church is built upon a rock and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
That was his message and each of us must take that message and make it our own. No matter where we are or what the consequences may be we must proclaim Christ is our hope. With the eyes of the world on him – Pope Benedict did not waver against political or social pressure – he didn’t compromise our beliefs or water down Catholic teaching. No one should do that.
We can give in to the pressures and temptations of this world – many good Catholics have; We can compromise our religious beliefs and practices – for many good Catholics have been led astray by blind guides and theologians – OR we can choose to follow Christ – who is the way, who is the truth, who is the life and who is our HOPE.
As we prepare to receive Our Lord Jesus Christ – truly present – body, blood, soul and divinity – in the Most Blessed Sacrament of Love, let our prayer today be that the Holy Father’s visit become the spark that ignites a renewed faith within the Church and within each of us; let our prayer be that each of us standup for those who don’t have a voice, that each of us will boldly proclaim the Gospel of Life, that each of us will willingly share our of Love of Christ with all we meet – we ask this through Christ our Lord – AMEN!
A National Treasure
Seniors – a natural resource and a national treasure
Reading 1 Genesis 12:1-4a;
Reading 2 2Timothy 1:8b-10;
Gospel Matthew 17:1-9
We hear today, in our first reading from the book of Genesis, that the Lord spoke to Abram – God told Abram that it was time for him to pack up his family and all of his belongings and to move to a new place.
What our reading doesn’t tell us is that Abram was 75 years old when God told him to pack up his belongings and move on – and most people if not all people, that age, would be more than a little hesitant to pack up their belongings and their families – to journey out into the wilderness and leave behind the comfort and security of their home and the land where they grew up for an unknown place.
Let’s face it – at seventy five years old most people today really don’t want to be bothered let alone asked to completely start over – at that age we want to sit back and enjoy the fruits of our life’s labor – maybe do some fishing or play a little golf – but that is not what God had in mind for Abram – and maybe that’s not what God has in mind for each of us as we grow older too.
Maybe for most of us it takes a lifetime before we are spiritually mature enough to listen to God. Maybe for most of us we have to go though life doing it our way until we finally realize that only by doing it his way will we find true and lasting happiness. Maybe for most of us it takes us a lifetime to get our priorities straight and put God first in our lives.
Maybe it is our twilight years that can be the most productive years of our lives for the Lord – helping Him build up His kingdom here on Earth – what a challenge to most of us – what a shift in the way we have been socialized into believing – just when the world is telling us we can settle back and enjoy retirement, that we can turn the reigns over to the younger generations, that we have done our jobs – that we are entitled to take it easy; maybe when the world is telling us that we don’t matter any more – and our bodies or minds are telling us we can’t do this or that anymore – maybe God is telling us today that it isn’t time to settle back, that He wants us to redouble our efforts.
I think if there is one lesson you take home today it would be a good one if you always – always – question the things that the world tells you – that the world wants you to believe – that our seniors aren’t “valuable” anymore, that they aren’t productive – maybe not in the worlds eyes But certainly not in the eyes of God.
Certainly it is true that seniors have more time on their hands because they have retired from full-time work – they have more time than the rest of us who are still working and maybe still focused on the wrong priorities – still believing it is more important to build up our earthly kingdoms – that it is more important what the world thinks of us than God does – that achieving worldly titles, power, and material things matter.
I think one of the challenges of today’s readings asks our seniors to take a look at what they do with their time. Do you give it back to God? Do you become one of His prayer warriors? Do you continue or hopefully increase your efforts to nurture your faith and the faith of those around you?
When this world is telling you that you don’t matter anymore, when your families perhaps may turn away from their responsibilities to support you, when you feel that you are inconvenient for them or a bother – when you feel isolated or alone – when you feel your mind and your strength diminishing – God is telling each of us that as we grow older – He is with us through it all – the good times and the bad – He is telling us that age doesn’t matter when it comes to doing His will – that He will give us the blessings and the strength we need to accomplish His plan for our lives no matter how young or how old we may be.
Seniors don’t believe the world – you are not a burden – you do matter – you are indeed a natural resource IF NOT a national treasure – but you can be certain that satan wants you to believe the opposite – he realizes your value and he wants to discount and discredit it – he doesn’t want you taking the free time you have now and giving it to God.
Our first reading today and Abram’s response should be lesson if not an inspiration to all our seniors today – God needs each and every one of us to fight the good fight, to build up His kingdom and age doesn’t matter.
It shouldn’t be a surprise though that Abram – even though he was past retirement age, even though he didn’t know where he was going or how long it would take to get there, even though he knew that the journey would be dangerous and difficult – it shouldn’t be a surprise though that Abram went as the Lord directed him – why – BECAUSE – we hear in our first reading that the Lord our God, the Great I AM – the Creator of heaven and earth – of all that is seen and unseen – actually SPOKE to Abram – they had a conversation.
What a blessing – what reassurance – to have God actually speak to you – to tell you what it is that He wants you to do with the life He has given you – isn’t that something each of us would like to experience – to have God speak to us – and then to tell us what it is He wants us to do with our lives?
But even stepping back from the reality that God actually spoke to Abram and told Abram what He wanted him to do with his life – the more amazing thing is that Abram had no doubt after God spoke to Him that all this isn’t just some story or make believe – that God really does exist – and isn’t that also something that each of us wonder at times about – whether God really does exist? Wouldn’t each of us like to know – beyond a shadow of a doubt – that God does exist and that it is not true what the world says that the cross will make a fool out of you?
It is no wonder that Abram did what God told him to do – Abram knew that God would be with him on that journey – he knew that with God behind him he had nothing to fear what laid before him – God told Abram that he would make his name great and that he would bless those that bless him and curse those that curse him.
Wouldn’t that be amazing – if God would actually spoke to each of us – but tell me, what would you do – how would that change your lives? Would you be willing to cast out into the deep – to start all over again like Abram OR would you worry about whether or not the world would think you crazy and not believe you – would you allow the world to keep you from doing God’s will?
Our second reading from St. Paul to Timothy, continues to talk about serving the Lord – we hear that each of us are called to “bear our share of hardship for the gospel” – that following Christ will not be easy in this world but know that God is with us through it all – even though it may seem at times that He isn’t – God gives us the blessings and the strength we need when we need it to do His will.
Each of us, who wonder what it is God wants us to do with our lives can find the answer in this passage – God chose each of us, not according to our works or deeds we are told – not based on any merit of our own – but according to His own design and the grace bestowed on each of us in Christ Jesus BEFORE time began – before we even existed, each of us were chosen, chosen to live “holy” lives – each of us are called to turn away from sin and the world and to be faithful to the Gospel.
We are to be faithful to the Word of God – Christ destroyed death and brought life and immortality to us “though the Gospel” – the work of Christ on earth may have been completed on the cross – when He said “it is finished” – but the life-giving effects of His work are ongoing in the proclamation of His Word that we hear each week.
There are two main parts to the Mass we celebrate – the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. We are first nourished on God’s eternal word and then we are nourished by His body and blood – then we are to take Christ – who we received in Word and in the Eucharist out into the world.
Each of us called here to this supper – are to proclaim His death – to preach Christ crucified – that is just another way to say that each of us – no matter how young or old we may be – are called to evangelize. One of our Eucharistic Acclamations after the Consecration of the bread and wine is “When we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim your death, Lord Jesus, until you come in glory.”
When we gather around this table we are participating in an act of love, each of us here are to reflect the love of Jesus towards each other – each of us here are to radiate the love of Christ – poured out for us on the cross. If we gather around this table and we really don’t care about each other, if we really don’t care about the plight of the homeless, the poor, or the immigrant or the elderly – then our Eucharist and our celebration of it is meaningless.
In our Gospel reading today we hear the story of the transfiguration – we are told that Jesus’ face "shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light." Jesus was showing Peter, James and John what he would look like after his resurrection. He’d appear transformed, in His glorified body.
Then we are told that "A bright cloud cast a shadow over them” and that from the cloud came a voice that said, “this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."
The first thing that phase “listen to him” reminded me of was the wedding feast in Canna – where they ran out of wine and Jesus’ mother said to the servants – “do whatever he tells you to do”. Well today we hear the same message but it is God our Father who is telling each of us to “listen to him” – to do whatever he tells us to do.
There can be no doubt in Peter, James and John’s minds any more that Jesus, this carpenter from Nazareth, is the Messiah, the Son of God and that we need to listen to him. Just like Abram in our first reading who talked with God – Peter, James and John heard God’s voice.
These disciples had been with Jesus as he cured the sick, drove out demons, made the cripple walk. They had heard Jesus tell stories and parables, and they knew that he spoke with an authority greater than any prophet. Now, God tells them and us very clearly today that, "this is my beloved Son” and we are to “listen to him."
On one side of Jesus, there was Moses, who represented the Law – the Ten Commandments; on his other side was Elijah, the great prophet. Moses and Elijah link Jesus with the traditions of the Jewish faith (or, Old Testament). On Mount Sinai, Yahweh had spoken to Moses face to face and coming down from Mt. Sinai, the face of Moses was radiant with a light so bright he had to cover his face with a veil. Now, Christ himself radiated that same light of God. The message to His disciples and to us today is that Jesus speaks with authority greater than that of Moses; Jesus is the law and the commandment He gave us is that we are to love one another as He loved us.
Elijah had been the first great prophet of Israel – he was able to call down the power of God when he needed it - but Jesus is the new prophet, a prophet that not only preaches with authority – but a prophet who is the Word – a prophet who has the power because He is the Son of God.
Jesus stands with Moses and Elijah, but He transcends both of them and we are to make no mistake, a cloud appears and God tells us that this is His "beloved Son” and we are to "listen to him."
But in order to “listen to him” we have to make time in our lives. If all we do to “listen to him” is to go to Mass once a week – then the world has an unfair advantage – there are 168 hours in a week and if we are only giving God just one of those hours then God isn’t getting through – we won’t hear Him speaking to us.
There are many good ways to let God in – to open ourselves to hear Him – but we have to change your priorities – we have to sacrifice perhaps some of our personal time – we have to make an effort – we have to take the initiative we have to knock and the door will be opened. Just practicing our catholic faith – praying the prayers the Church has given us – the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Rosary – adoration – are excellent ways to grow closer to God and can be said anywhere at any time.
Opening our hearts to one another – but especially to those who can not repay our kindness is another way to nurture our relationship with God. When we listen with a heart of compassion and not with our ears then we will begin to radiate the love of Christ.
We can also hear God speak to us in spiritual reading – we should prepare for Mass by reading and mediating on the readings we will hear at Mass every week; we should read and meditate on the bible; we should read books on the lives of the saints; read the catechism of the Catholic Church and it’s never too late to get involved in the why catholic program, then once we are nourished on God’s Word we are called to share what we have heard and what we have learned with others.
God does want to speak to each of us – just like he spoke to Abram and just like the disciples heard him on the mountain – the question for each of us today is what are we doing to turn out ears to God – to hear Him speak?
Are we listening? Do we follow our Catholic faith close enough to hear when God talks us? Do we live the sacramental life of the Church, do we regularly come to Mass, do we turn to God each day in prayer? Do we listen to the prompting of our heart? Do we do some spiritual reading, so that we might be inspired? God often times speaks to us through those that we come into contact with every day – we just have to be open to hear God’s voice coming through them.
God the Father said, "This is my beloved Son, listen to him." What voices do we listen to, noises of the world or the gentle whisper of God?
If there is one thing our readings tell us today it is that we are never too old to do God’s will – just when we might of thought God was done with us we find out that it was really us who were done with God.
As we prepare to receive Jesus – God’s beloved son – let us reflect on how it is we make time to listen to Him.
Reading 1 Genesis 12:1-4a;
Reading 2 2Timothy 1:8b-10;
Gospel Matthew 17:1-9
We hear today, in our first reading from the book of Genesis, that the Lord spoke to Abram – God told Abram that it was time for him to pack up his family and all of his belongings and to move to a new place.
What our reading doesn’t tell us is that Abram was 75 years old when God told him to pack up his belongings and move on – and most people if not all people, that age, would be more than a little hesitant to pack up their belongings and their families – to journey out into the wilderness and leave behind the comfort and security of their home and the land where they grew up for an unknown place.
Let’s face it – at seventy five years old most people today really don’t want to be bothered let alone asked to completely start over – at that age we want to sit back and enjoy the fruits of our life’s labor – maybe do some fishing or play a little golf – but that is not what God had in mind for Abram – and maybe that’s not what God has in mind for each of us as we grow older too.
Maybe for most of us it takes a lifetime before we are spiritually mature enough to listen to God. Maybe for most of us we have to go though life doing it our way until we finally realize that only by doing it his way will we find true and lasting happiness. Maybe for most of us it takes us a lifetime to get our priorities straight and put God first in our lives.
Maybe it is our twilight years that can be the most productive years of our lives for the Lord – helping Him build up His kingdom here on Earth – what a challenge to most of us – what a shift in the way we have been socialized into believing – just when the world is telling us we can settle back and enjoy retirement, that we can turn the reigns over to the younger generations, that we have done our jobs – that we are entitled to take it easy; maybe when the world is telling us that we don’t matter any more – and our bodies or minds are telling us we can’t do this or that anymore – maybe God is telling us today that it isn’t time to settle back, that He wants us to redouble our efforts.
I think if there is one lesson you take home today it would be a good one if you always – always – question the things that the world tells you – that the world wants you to believe – that our seniors aren’t “valuable” anymore, that they aren’t productive – maybe not in the worlds eyes But certainly not in the eyes of God.
Certainly it is true that seniors have more time on their hands because they have retired from full-time work – they have more time than the rest of us who are still working and maybe still focused on the wrong priorities – still believing it is more important to build up our earthly kingdoms – that it is more important what the world thinks of us than God does – that achieving worldly titles, power, and material things matter.
I think one of the challenges of today’s readings asks our seniors to take a look at what they do with their time. Do you give it back to God? Do you become one of His prayer warriors? Do you continue or hopefully increase your efforts to nurture your faith and the faith of those around you?
When this world is telling you that you don’t matter anymore, when your families perhaps may turn away from their responsibilities to support you, when you feel that you are inconvenient for them or a bother – when you feel isolated or alone – when you feel your mind and your strength diminishing – God is telling each of us that as we grow older – He is with us through it all – the good times and the bad – He is telling us that age doesn’t matter when it comes to doing His will – that He will give us the blessings and the strength we need to accomplish His plan for our lives no matter how young or how old we may be.
Seniors don’t believe the world – you are not a burden – you do matter – you are indeed a natural resource IF NOT a national treasure – but you can be certain that satan wants you to believe the opposite – he realizes your value and he wants to discount and discredit it – he doesn’t want you taking the free time you have now and giving it to God.
Our first reading today and Abram’s response should be lesson if not an inspiration to all our seniors today – God needs each and every one of us to fight the good fight, to build up His kingdom and age doesn’t matter.
It shouldn’t be a surprise though that Abram – even though he was past retirement age, even though he didn’t know where he was going or how long it would take to get there, even though he knew that the journey would be dangerous and difficult – it shouldn’t be a surprise though that Abram went as the Lord directed him – why – BECAUSE – we hear in our first reading that the Lord our God, the Great I AM – the Creator of heaven and earth – of all that is seen and unseen – actually SPOKE to Abram – they had a conversation.
What a blessing – what reassurance – to have God actually speak to you – to tell you what it is that He wants you to do with the life He has given you – isn’t that something each of us would like to experience – to have God speak to us – and then to tell us what it is He wants us to do with our lives?
But even stepping back from the reality that God actually spoke to Abram and told Abram what He wanted him to do with his life – the more amazing thing is that Abram had no doubt after God spoke to Him that all this isn’t just some story or make believe – that God really does exist – and isn’t that also something that each of us wonder at times about – whether God really does exist? Wouldn’t each of us like to know – beyond a shadow of a doubt – that God does exist and that it is not true what the world says that the cross will make a fool out of you?
It is no wonder that Abram did what God told him to do – Abram knew that God would be with him on that journey – he knew that with God behind him he had nothing to fear what laid before him – God told Abram that he would make his name great and that he would bless those that bless him and curse those that curse him.
Wouldn’t that be amazing – if God would actually spoke to each of us – but tell me, what would you do – how would that change your lives? Would you be willing to cast out into the deep – to start all over again like Abram OR would you worry about whether or not the world would think you crazy and not believe you – would you allow the world to keep you from doing God’s will?
Our second reading from St. Paul to Timothy, continues to talk about serving the Lord – we hear that each of us are called to “bear our share of hardship for the gospel” – that following Christ will not be easy in this world but know that God is with us through it all – even though it may seem at times that He isn’t – God gives us the blessings and the strength we need when we need it to do His will.
Each of us, who wonder what it is God wants us to do with our lives can find the answer in this passage – God chose each of us, not according to our works or deeds we are told – not based on any merit of our own – but according to His own design and the grace bestowed on each of us in Christ Jesus BEFORE time began – before we even existed, each of us were chosen, chosen to live “holy” lives – each of us are called to turn away from sin and the world and to be faithful to the Gospel.
We are to be faithful to the Word of God – Christ destroyed death and brought life and immortality to us “though the Gospel” – the work of Christ on earth may have been completed on the cross – when He said “it is finished” – but the life-giving effects of His work are ongoing in the proclamation of His Word that we hear each week.
There are two main parts to the Mass we celebrate – the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. We are first nourished on God’s eternal word and then we are nourished by His body and blood – then we are to take Christ – who we received in Word and in the Eucharist out into the world.
Each of us called here to this supper – are to proclaim His death – to preach Christ crucified – that is just another way to say that each of us – no matter how young or old we may be – are called to evangelize. One of our Eucharistic Acclamations after the Consecration of the bread and wine is “When we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim your death, Lord Jesus, until you come in glory.”
When we gather around this table we are participating in an act of love, each of us here are to reflect the love of Jesus towards each other – each of us here are to radiate the love of Christ – poured out for us on the cross. If we gather around this table and we really don’t care about each other, if we really don’t care about the plight of the homeless, the poor, or the immigrant or the elderly – then our Eucharist and our celebration of it is meaningless.
In our Gospel reading today we hear the story of the transfiguration – we are told that Jesus’ face "shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light." Jesus was showing Peter, James and John what he would look like after his resurrection. He’d appear transformed, in His glorified body.
Then we are told that "A bright cloud cast a shadow over them” and that from the cloud came a voice that said, “this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."
The first thing that phase “listen to him” reminded me of was the wedding feast in Canna – where they ran out of wine and Jesus’ mother said to the servants – “do whatever he tells you to do”. Well today we hear the same message but it is God our Father who is telling each of us to “listen to him” – to do whatever he tells us to do.
There can be no doubt in Peter, James and John’s minds any more that Jesus, this carpenter from Nazareth, is the Messiah, the Son of God and that we need to listen to him. Just like Abram in our first reading who talked with God – Peter, James and John heard God’s voice.
These disciples had been with Jesus as he cured the sick, drove out demons, made the cripple walk. They had heard Jesus tell stories and parables, and they knew that he spoke with an authority greater than any prophet. Now, God tells them and us very clearly today that, "this is my beloved Son” and we are to “listen to him."
On one side of Jesus, there was Moses, who represented the Law – the Ten Commandments; on his other side was Elijah, the great prophet. Moses and Elijah link Jesus with the traditions of the Jewish faith (or, Old Testament). On Mount Sinai, Yahweh had spoken to Moses face to face and coming down from Mt. Sinai, the face of Moses was radiant with a light so bright he had to cover his face with a veil. Now, Christ himself radiated that same light of God. The message to His disciples and to us today is that Jesus speaks with authority greater than that of Moses; Jesus is the law and the commandment He gave us is that we are to love one another as He loved us.
Elijah had been the first great prophet of Israel – he was able to call down the power of God when he needed it - but Jesus is the new prophet, a prophet that not only preaches with authority – but a prophet who is the Word – a prophet who has the power because He is the Son of God.
Jesus stands with Moses and Elijah, but He transcends both of them and we are to make no mistake, a cloud appears and God tells us that this is His "beloved Son” and we are to "listen to him."
But in order to “listen to him” we have to make time in our lives. If all we do to “listen to him” is to go to Mass once a week – then the world has an unfair advantage – there are 168 hours in a week and if we are only giving God just one of those hours then God isn’t getting through – we won’t hear Him speaking to us.
There are many good ways to let God in – to open ourselves to hear Him – but we have to change your priorities – we have to sacrifice perhaps some of our personal time – we have to make an effort – we have to take the initiative we have to knock and the door will be opened. Just practicing our catholic faith – praying the prayers the Church has given us – the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Rosary – adoration – are excellent ways to grow closer to God and can be said anywhere at any time.
Opening our hearts to one another – but especially to those who can not repay our kindness is another way to nurture our relationship with God. When we listen with a heart of compassion and not with our ears then we will begin to radiate the love of Christ.
We can also hear God speak to us in spiritual reading – we should prepare for Mass by reading and mediating on the readings we will hear at Mass every week; we should read and meditate on the bible; we should read books on the lives of the saints; read the catechism of the Catholic Church and it’s never too late to get involved in the why catholic program, then once we are nourished on God’s Word we are called to share what we have heard and what we have learned with others.
God does want to speak to each of us – just like he spoke to Abram and just like the disciples heard him on the mountain – the question for each of us today is what are we doing to turn out ears to God – to hear Him speak?
Are we listening? Do we follow our Catholic faith close enough to hear when God talks us? Do we live the sacramental life of the Church, do we regularly come to Mass, do we turn to God each day in prayer? Do we listen to the prompting of our heart? Do we do some spiritual reading, so that we might be inspired? God often times speaks to us through those that we come into contact with every day – we just have to be open to hear God’s voice coming through them.
God the Father said, "This is my beloved Son, listen to him." What voices do we listen to, noises of the world or the gentle whisper of God?
If there is one thing our readings tell us today it is that we are never too old to do God’s will – just when we might of thought God was done with us we find out that it was really us who were done with God.
As we prepare to receive Jesus – God’s beloved son – let us reflect on how it is we make time to listen to Him.
Christian Unity
Our readings this weekend aren’t much different from other weekends in the sense that our first reading from the Old Testament and the Gospel reading from John really complement each other very well – in our first reading we hear the prophet Isaiah talk about the coming of the Lord’s servant – the Messiah – who will be a light to all nations and in our Gospel reading we hear John the Baptist testify that Jesus is the One – the Son of God – this is all good – all the prophecies of the Old Testament are fulfilled in Jesus Christ – but it is in our second reading today – from St. Paul to the fledging Church in Corinth – we hear dissention and disunity have already crept into the Church.
Unity – or more accurately – disunity has been a problem our Church has faced and continues to face - The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity began Friday – believe it or not, the 100th anniversary since the first such celebration in 1908.
Unity – or more accurately – disunity has been a problem our Church has faced and continues to face - The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity began Friday – believe it or not, the 100th anniversary since the first such celebration in 1908.
Our first reading is from the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah was just one of the many Old Testament prophets – he lived about 700 years before Jesus was born. His book contains so many prophecies regarding the coming of the Messiah and His kingdom that he is often referred to as the “Messianic” prophet – the prophet who was chosen to reveal God’s plan for our salvation – the Messiah.
Isaiah was sent to prophesy to Judah and Jerusalem and he told them many things about the coming Messiah:
1. He told them that the Messiah would be born of a virgin; that he would be a wonderful child; that he would be of the family of David; and that the spirit of the Lord would rest upon Him.
2. He told them that the Messiah would be proceeded by a forerunner – John the Baptist – one sent to prepare His way; he told them that the Messiah would be anointed to preach good tidings, to bring light to those living in darkness and that he would not “advertise” himself in the streets – but suffer on our behalf.
3. He also told them about the new kingdom – that it would precede from Jerusalem; that it would be a kingdom of peace; that it would include the Gentiles; and that it would last forever.The amazing reality is that Isaiah revealed all these things and more centuries before Jesus was born – and they all came to pass in the lives of John the Baptist and Jesus.
John the Baptist – the forerunner that Isaiah prophesied, was given the graces needed to fulfill that unique calling – just like each of us – called to be followers of Christ are given the graces we need to fulfill our purpose our unique role in building up God’s kingdom; we hear in our Gospel passage today John the Baptist reveal what he knows:
First, Jesus is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world. Secondly, even though Jesus was born after John, He existed before John and ranks ahead of John. Thirdly, John proclaims that he saw the Spirit descend from heaven and remain on Jesus. Fourthly, Jesus is the One Who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. And finally, Jesus is the Son of God.
Each of us needs to know who Jesus is if we want to be His disciples. We need to know what His mission is if we want to be good disciples. A good disciple is one that not only follows the Gospel of Jesus but also helps others to hear and follow it.
Who then is this Jesus? We see him in our readings today in two different roles that of our Lord and also as our Servant. Today's Gospel speaks about Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist. As Jesus approaches, John announces to some of his own disciples: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
Why is Jesus called by this strange title, the Lamb of God? It refers back to the origins of the great Jewish feast of the Passover. God, through Moses, had been urging Pharaoh to let God's people – the Israelites - leave Egypt. God had sent a series of plagues against Egypt to help convince Pharaoh to let the Israelites go - but each time Pharaoh reneged on his promise to do so. The final and most terrible plague involved the slaying of every firstborn child in Egypt.In order that the Israelites might not suffer this punishment, they were told to sacrifice a lamb and smear the doorposts of their houses with the blood of the lamb. When God's angel of death struck, he passed over the blood-painted houses of the Israelites and their children were spared. They had, in effect, been saved by the blood of the lamb.
Pharaoh acknowledged defeat and finally said he would let the Israelites go. Once again though Pharaoh went back on his word and sent his army after the Israelites – and his army we know was destroyed in the Red Sea.
On the night before the Israelites left Egypt though, under the leadership of Moses, they had a final meal which included the eating of the sacrificed lamb. The lamb then becomes the sign and symbol of the liberation of God's people from slavery and oppression. This great event of the Exodus, the Going Out, was and is commemorated in the Passover meal which Jesus celebrated with his disciples at the Last Supper and which is still celebrated today by Jews worldwide.
But for us - and this is John the Baptist's meaning – Jesus – who he called the lamb of God – is the new sacrifice that brings freedom and liberation from the oppression of evil and slavery of sin. He sacrifices himself to take away our sins. Through his death he liberates us so we too have the opportunity to share in eternal life.
It is no coincidence that Jesus' sacrificial death took place at the Passover. He is the Lamb who both sacrifices himself and is sacrificed to liberate us. Jesus can do this because he is at the same time our Lord and our Servant. Because he is our Lord, he can take away our sins; because he is a servant, he willingly lays down His life for each of us.
But there is more – he is not only our servant, he is our friend. As he told his disciples at the Last Supper, the greatest love a person can show is to sacrifice one's life for one's friends and he insists that his disciples are his friends not his servants. Even more, Jesus said that He is our Brother and dying on the cross He gave each of us His mother.
And yet, we find Jesus standing in the river water, together with many sinners. He is God but he has come to serve us, to love us, to liberate us, to mingle with us, to be one of us. And he asks each of us to work with him in the exact same way – we are called to be in the world but not of the world – we are called to be in the world and to serve the world, to serve all as brothers and sisters – but we are to turn away from all sin and evil. This isn’t easy – it is a radical counter culture lifestyle – and it can be done. Each of us have been given the gifts and graces we need to fulfill our roles in God’s plan for salvation.
The First Reading also speaks of Jesus as servant. "Israel, you are my servant." The Lord "formed me in the womb to be his servant." And what is the work of this servant? His work is to "bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him..."
But that we hear is not enough as Isaiah continues: "It is too small a thing that you should be my servant “JUST” to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel. I will give you as a light to ALL the nations that my salvation may reach to ALL the ends of the earth."
Jesus would be the Light to the whole world. He wants every single person to experience His salvation. He wants every single person to enter the Kingdom of God. He wants every person to experience the truth, the love and the freedom of the Gospel. So many people today are slaves to sin – and it doesn’t have to be that way. The mission of Jesus is to bring all the people of the world back to God, their Creator, their Beginning and their End.
The mission of Jesus is also our mission. We cannot be good disciples of Jesus if we are not also good apostles. To be a good Christian we must become good evangelizers. Our duty is not only to save our own souls and "go to heaven". Our duty is also to share our gifts and our faith with others, to help them to know Jesus and His Gospel, and to experience directly the love of God through each of us.
Where can we do this? First in our homes with our families and friends, in our work places, schools and neighborhoods, in our cities and homeless shelters, outside abortion clinics and in our prisons and hospitals – all of those and more are easily within our reach.
It is however, our second reading today that explains why things are the way they are today. The body of Christ suffers today the same thing the early Church in Corinth did – disunity. And this attack on unity is not so much from outside as it is from inside of the Church.
I don’t know about you, but I can say without hesitation that the world today is not a better place than it was when I was a child.
In our second reading St. Paul appeals to the Church in Corinth that has suffered from disunity – he pleads with them to be one in Christ as Christ is one in us. It is easy to list the many issues facing Catholics today that we, the body of Christ do not agree on:
· Abortion, the death penalty, euthanasia and stem cell research
· Celibacy and the ordination of women to the priesthood
· Contraception, cohabitation, same-sex marriages, and homosexuality
· We disagree on reverence and the true presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and proper dress ….
It is no wonder that in our Church today, that in our society, and in our world where such basic fundamental issues debated – that suffering, injustice, and evil reign – and we the body of Christ called to be lights in this dark world stand by helpless because we can’t agree on the issues – because we either disagree with refuse to follow Church teaching.
Until we come together – and face the truth – the truth that this world nailed to a cross – until we accept the fact that we can’t fix the problems that our Church and our world face today ourselves, until we get down on our knees and surrender our agendas and our lives to Christ – until we say like John the Baptist said “I must decrease as He must increase” – things will not change.
The only thing each of us can do is what John the Baptist said – repent – things don’t have to be this way; they can be better but before the world changes our hearts must change – each of us need to become the change we want to see in the world - we can only win this battle one person at a time – one church at a time – but that takes unity and strong leadership. Now undoubtedly some will say that I am being negative and pessimistic – but I think I am being honest.
There were many great prophets in the bible the greatest of which was Jesus. As Jesus carried His cross a large crowd of people followed Him including many women who mourned and lamented Him. Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children, for indeed the days are coming when people will say, “Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.”
If I raise my voice, if I speak out – it isn’t for me or my glory but for His glory – it isn’t for me but for our children (His children) – what future are we giving them?
Each of us can make a difference – each of us can help bring unity back into the Church. Search your hearts and then your relationships – where is it that you can make a positive difference – where is it that you can bring unity and true Christian fellowship?
Tuesday – January 22 marks the 35th annual march for life – an opportunity for the body of Christ to come together and let America know that we won’t be silent anymore. Let us pray today that God will help each of us to work together with Jesus to establish his Kingdom in the whole world and especially in that part of the world where we live out our daily lives.
I conclude with Paul’s words to the Corinthians: to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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