The Gift and the Power of the Holy Spirit in our Lives

Come, Holy Spirit, Come!  And, indeed, the Spirit came, as we read in the first reading of today's liturgy, Acts 1: 1-11:  "...[S]uddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim!"  A large crowd gathered and were confused "because each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, "Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? Then how does each of us hear them...speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God."

Nothing is impossible for God!  Enabling persons from different languages and cultures and beliefs to hear foreigners proclaim "the mighty acts of God"   is not beyond God's power any more than it was beyond God's power to bring the Son of God into our world in the incarnation, impregnating the womb of a teenage woman with the Son of God taking on human nature through her! And as Jesus walked among us,  He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, restored the health of the sick, cast out demons and  raised the dead to life. And when Jesus returned to the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit, not only to the people in that house or who crowded around that house but to you and me as well!

As Paul says to us in today's second reading, 1 Cor 12: 3b-7, 12-13,  each of us has been given spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit. Paul explains:  "There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit."  Through the Church, that is, in our baptism, confirmation, and the reception of other sacraments, we are given a variety of spiritual gifts, not for our own sake, but for the sake of others. We are entrusted with certain forms of service. The workings we do, and that we see others do, are produced in everyone by the Holy Spirit at work within us.  The Spirit manifests Him/Herself through us for the other person's benefit and, in other people,for our benefit!

And so we pray in today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 104: "Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord, my God, you are great indeed! How manifold are your works, O Lord!...May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lore be glad in his works! Pleasing to him be my theme; I will be glad in the Lord."

Follow Me, says the Lord!

In today's Gospel, John 21: 20-25, Peter, after being instructed by Jesus concerning what Jesus wanted of him, Peter notices John and says to Jesus: What about  him?  Jesus responds:  "What concern is it of yours. You follow me."    It is so easy for us, I think, to put our focus on others, to be concerned about others in ways that distract us from what God is asking of us!  With our attention focused on the issues of other people, on what we think another person should or should not be doing, we distract ourselves from looking within at what in us needs to change, on what attitudes within us are contrary to God's will for us, on motivations that direct us away from being the persons God calls us to become.

"You follow me," Jesus says to us when we are into other people's business.  God may be asking us to be involved in family, church, community projects to which another person is not called. It is not our task to decide what another person's "business" is but it is our task to discern God's will for us. Is something happening in our civic community to which God is calling us? Is something being offered at our parish in which we are being invited to participate? Are there family responsibilities to which God is asking us to devote more attention?  Are we aware of God's call to us personally or are we so into critiquing other people that we are blind and deaf to what God is asking of us personally?

Loving the Lord and being Loved by Him

In today's Gospel, John 21: 15-19, Jesus asks Peter three times:  "'Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?"  Simon Peter answered him, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.'  Jesus said to him, 'Feed my lambs.' He then said to Simon peter a second time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' Simon Peter answered him, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.' He said to him, 'Tend my sheep.' He said to him a third time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, 'Do you love me?' and he said to him, 'Lord you know everything;  you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep'...."

Let us imagine this conversation between Jesus and ourselves:

      "Dorothy Ann (insert your name), do you love me?"
      "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
      "Feed my lambs."

      "Dorothy Ann (insert your name), do you love me?"
      "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you!"
      "Tend my sheep."

      "Dorothy Ann (insert  your name), do you love me?"
      "Yes, Lord you know everything. You KNOW that I love you."
      "Feed my sheep."

I might then ask the Lord: "Lord, why are you asking me this three times?" And his response might be: "Because, first of all,  I notice that you have an tendency to abandon my ways when the going gets rough just as Peter had done in his denials.  Second of all, I notice that you have a tendency to avoid sacrifices and take the easy way out, frustrating yourself in the long run and causing me the pain of seeing you in distress, even though I know that it is the distress that will catapult you into making more life-giving choices.  And third of all, I notice that you have a tendency to insist on being at my side on Calvary when I know that your spirit is willing but your flesh is weak, as was Peter's.  So, you see, I know that you love me but I also know that you need to be challenged in the same way that I challenged Peter. As with Peter, I am teaching you to depend upon me for the graces you need. Calling upon me repeatedly, you will, with Me at your side, feed and tend to my lambs and sheep.

Bearing Earnest Witness and the Price Paid

In both the first reading, Acts 20: 17-22, and the Gospel, John 17: 1-11a, both St. Paul and Jesus speak about having completed the work God had given them to do. Paul states his message this way: "'You know," he says to the people of Ephesus, "how I lived among you the whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia.  I served the Lord with all humility and with the tears and trials that came to me because of the plots of the Jews, and I did not at all shrink from telling you what was for your benefit, or from teaching you in public or in your homes.  I earnestly bore witness for both Jews and Greeks to repentance before God and to faith in our Lord Jesus."  Jesus says to His Father:  "Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority over all people, so that your son may give eternal  life to all you gave him....Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I  had with you before the world began. I revealed your name to those whom  you gave me out of the world. ...[T]hey have kept your word. Now they know that everything  you gave me is from  you, because the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me....And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you."

WOW! The confidence of Jesus in His Father and in Himself!  He knew that He had completed the work the Father gave Him to do. And he also knew that the price He'd pay would be eliciting the anger of the elders, the leaders of the nation of Israel, the scribes and the Pharisees: an anger that led to himself being murdered. Jealousy led to the Pharisees, the scribes and the leaders of the nation of Israel plotting His demise. Jesus knew that was happening but that did not deter Him from proclaiming the truth, from revealing the Father's name and doing what the Father would do: heal the sick, raise the dead to life, make clean the leper, dry up the blood of a bleeding woman, make the cripple walk again, cast out demons, speak to women in public and include women in proclaiming the Kingdom, confronting unjust and hypocritical practices. 

Paul, too, did not stop doing the work Christ asked of Him. No matter what Paul encountered--and he tells us that he was beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned and knew that people were out to kill him--he spoke of Jesus, of His resurrection and of the need to repent of their sinfulness and follow Jesus! Who wanted to hear that message? Imagine confronting our leaders with this message or a member of our families who may have strayed! Would we risk our lives, our relationships? We know that many of the apostles  fled after Jesus was arrested--no way did they want to risk the fate that Jesus was facing for standing up to truth and justice, for calling people to repentance.

Do you and I have the courage of Jesus? of St. Paul? Do we do and say what we know we are called to do and say even if the consequences put us in conflict with those who threaten us in any way? If we know that we will meet opposition to speaking the truth and doing what is right, do we still show up for Christ?

Gratitude to Those Who Paid the Ultimate Price for our Freedom

Today we honor all of those men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, those serving in all branches of the military.  Like Jesus, who died to set us free and to share His inheritance with us in heaven, the men and women of the military died so that we here in the U.S. and around the world would know freedom from the violence of war and "inherit" peace, so to speak!

Because of the sacrifices of those men and women who served in our military, we are, on the one hand, free here in the U.S. in so many ways: free to plant our gardens, to play in our parks, to visit our neighbors without fear of losing our lives by the likes of a Hitler or by  leaders who taunt their power by a show of force, a parade of military equipment and hundreds and hundreds of men and women and even children marching  like tin soldiers in front of a country's leader. 

On the other hand, we might ask ourselves:  are we really free? Have we sold our freedom to addictions flaunted as "must haves," or "must dos?"  Have any of us become a slave to consumerism, materialism, relativism, sexism? Are any of us locked into attitudes of prejudice and/or hatred? Have any of us chained ourselves to being judges of others, of being this world's superior cynics, of being superior to others, above others and deaf and blind to those in need?

If any of the above is true,  we believe the words of Psalm 68 of today's liturgy: "God arises; his enemies [and ours] are scattered, and those who hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so are they  [our enemies of any kind] driven; as wax melts before the fire. But the just rejoice and exult before God;  they are glad and rejoice."  Let us "sing to God, chant praise to his name" for the freedoms we enjoy and those who won them for us!  It is God ultimately who has given us a home where freedom reigns, whether that home be our country, our State, or the home in which we are raising our family to serve and worship the one true God. It is God who leads us out of our "prisons," away from that which enslaves us, and protects us from the "Hitlers" of our world!

The Risen, Ascended Christ Seen with Eyes of Faith

In today's first reading, Acts 1:1-11,  Jesus the Christ is taken up into heaven.  He had taught  the apostles up until that last moment when he said to them:  "'...John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit....[Y]ou will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be  my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.' As he said this, he was lifted up, and a cloud took  him from their sight."  Two men dressed in white then appeared to the apostles and asked:  "[W]hy are you standing [here] looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into  heaven."   In Luke 24:49, Jesus, we are told, says to his apostles before leaving them:  "And now I am sending down to you what the Father has promised. Stay in the city (Jerusalem) then,  until you are clothed with the power from on high." We are told in Mark 16: 19, that after he had spoken to them, "there at the right hand of God  he took his place, while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by signs that accompanied it."

Imagine how this was for the apostles. For three years they followed Jesus around Galilee--here, there and everywhere--listening to his every word, witnessing His compassion toward those who were sick, crippled, deaf, blind or possessed by demons. He healed all who were afflicted in any way, showing them the compassion and love of His Father and ours, His God and ours.  When the time for his return to heaven arrived,  he left them. Suddenly, Jesus is no longer physically with them. They now need to see and know and hear Jesus with eyes of faith in all of the circumstances of their lives.

As for the apostles, so, too,  for us. We, too, at our baptism and confirmation and at each Eucharist are clothed "with the power from on high"  and are sent forth to bear witness to Jesus everywhere we go, "the Lord working with [us] and confirming the word by signs that [accompany] it."  How and when are we or others or the universe a sign, a sacrament, of God's presence?  When is God's power at work in us and around us and in the universe?  I experience God working through me when I am kind and loving, forgiving and caring, forgiving and reconciling, being a peace-maker, a "creator" of good things that bring hope and comfort, and thus healing, to others.  God's power is working in me when I refrain from gossiping, when I leave unsaid a word others do not need to hear, when I am patient and seek to understand the other person before being understood myself. God is at work in me when I respond to another person's need for love and support in times of difficulty and confusion, fear and despair!  I also see God hidden in the beauty of the universe: the sun, the moon and the stars; the seasons of the year--spring, summer, fall and winter; in wind and rain, ice and snow, warmth and cold; in all of the creatures that roam the earth, fly in our skies and swim in our oceans, rivers, seas and lakes. God is everywhere? Am I looking for God?

Giving Strength to Others by Grace

In today's first reading, Acts 18: 23-28, we are told that Paul "traveled...through the Galatian country and Phrygia, bringing strength to all the disciples."  In my travels or my visits, what do I bring?  Are my visits strengthening for others, that is, has their faith and trust in the Lord and in humanity been made stronger by who I am in Christ Jesus? Do my words and actions reveal my faith and trust in God as Sanctifier, Redeemer, and Creator of us all?  We are also told  that after his arrival in Achaia, Paul  "gave great assistance to those who had come to believe through grace." Do I assist others who have come to believe in Christ Jesus?  The author of this passage also testifies to the fact that Paul established "that the Christ is Jesus" risen from the dead!  Do I believe this? And if so, do I share my belief with others, with family members and other relatives, with friends and coworkers?  If not, why not? What keeps me from sharing my faith in Christ Jesus? Is it that I believe that faith is a private matter? Is it that I believe others will think I'm crazy? Is it that I might not be believed or that I will be scorned?

Lord, forgive me for the times that I refrain from sharing my belief in your resurrection and in  your ascension, that is, that you have come from the Father and are now returning to Him! May I grow in my faith and come to the position of being able to freely, at any given moment, follow the Spirit's lead to give testimony and witness to your resurrection!

Weeping, Mourning and Rejoicing

In today's Gospel, John 16: 20-23, we are again reminded that here on earth we will have times when we "will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; [we] will grieve but [our] grief will become joy. When a woman is labor,"  Jesus says to us, "she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world."   The sufferings of this life that cause us anguish, I believe,  are "birthing" us, if you will,  into the persons God intends us to be.  We might think of suffering as a means of  being "born" into holiness, a way in which God is "birthing" us into the self that resembles God and molds us into our Christ-self!  And if a natural birth is painful, and it is, then, too, is being "born" into our best selves, our God-self.  Suffering could be perceived, I believe, as the "birth canal" into a new self according to God's holy will.

Wanting life to be easy would be as unreasonable as wanting the birth of a child to be easy.  It is not and neither is life lived for and with and through God.  Jesus models for us how to deal with life's difficulties. He shows us how to deal with the traumas of life: being betrayed, being rejected, being ridiculed, being condemned, being impoverished, being bullied,  being a refugee or a stranger in a foreign land, being misunderstood. He even shows us how to deal with death and those causing us "death": "Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing."  And throughout His life up to and including the crucifixion on the cross, I believe, that Jesus often forgave his persecutors, his detractors, and those who scoffed at His teaching, those who hated Him.  Jesus kept His eyes on His Father and spent time each day in communication with Him. May we do the same so that we, too, are able to put things in their right perspective, especially when they cause us to weep and mourn.

Grief Turned into Joy

In today's Gospel, John 16: 16-20, the disciples are trying to figure out what Jesus meant when he said to them:  "A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me.....Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, 'Are you discussing with one another what I said,...Amen, amen, I say to  you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.'" 

Jesus gives us the same message.  Our life here on earth is short--eighty years if we are strong, the psalmist says to us.  Our time here on earth is brief. And, from time to time,  it is filled with weeping and mourning, while the world around us rejoices.  We will grieve for a time but our sorrow will be turned into joy, just as Jesus' was!  Much of Jesus' life was filled with grief: the grief of the loss of His foster father, the grief of being rejected by many, by having chief priests and leaders of His people plotting to kill Him, the grief of others walking away from Him when He spoke of the Eucharist, that is, of eating His Body and drinking His blood. That was too much for many of His disciples.  He endured being accused of blasphemy when He spoke of being one with His Father. Jealous of His growing popularity and of the crowds following Him, the chief priests and leaders found a way to destroy Him, that is to have Him crucified as a criminal to the State of Israel. Yes, Jesus wept and mourned over Jerusalem while the world around Him rejoiced. His grief was turned into joy at the resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday. Our grief will also be turned into joy when we, too, like Jesus, return to our Father in heaven!  May we have the courage to endure until the end of our lives, believing in Jesus, trusting Jesus and loving Jesus beyond all else that is!

Searching for God and Finding Him

In today's first reading, Acts 17: 15, 22-18:1, St. Paul enters the center of a pagan culture, the Areopagus.  He does not outright challenge the Athenians for being worshipers of idols.  He walks around looking at all of the shrines in the area and discovered one that said "To an Unknown God."  He then says to them:  "What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.  the God who made the world and all that is in it, the Lord of heaven and death, does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything. Rather it is he who gives everyone life and breath and everything. He made from one the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth, and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions, so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from any one of us us. For 'In him we live and move and have our being....'"  Paul  then goes on to invite the Athenians to repent and speaks to them about Jesus and his resurrection.  Hearing the word "resurrection,"  many of the Athenians walked away, having nothing to do with Paul.

How often are you and I not seeking God but not knowing that we are engaged in that search.  That which we believe will "save" us does not, in fact, and so we increase our obsession and/or our addictive consumption of more and more of that which we think will be the answer to our problems. Our all-consuming search for God-substitutes takes possession of us! We continue looking outside of ourselves for God, not realizing that "in him we live and move and have our being."  Nor do we open up the Scriptures or sit silently in our churches or "drink" in the beauty of nature--a "sacrament" of God's presence--or engage consistently in self-sacrificing love for our spouses, our children, our community members. 

In some cases, persons who misplace their hunger for God onto material things, onto food and drink, onto one relationship after another and another and another also avoid participating regularly in the liturgical celebrations of their parishes, where, at every Mass, at the consecration of the bread and wine,  the Paschal Lamb offers Himself to the Father and gives Himself to us as food in the Holy Eucharist, a food that will truly satisfy our longing to be one with the Lord, will give us a peace that the world cannot give and will save us from falling for Satan's lies that we can be like gods if only we do this or that, secure this or that, possess this or that, acquire this or that and so on and on and on--a lie Adam and Eve fell into!

Lord, you alone are God and there is no other! And, yes, in You I live and move and have my being. You are enough for me.  Without You I can do nothing and am nothing. Without You I would not exist.  May I become comfortable with no-thing-ness and rest in You alone! 

Believing in and Trusting the Lord Jesus!

Today's first reading, Acts 16: 22-34, recounts the attack on Paul and Silas, who were beaten with rods and thrown into the "innermost cell" of the prison and their feet secured to a stake.  Around midnight Paul and Silas are praying and singing hymns to the Lord when suddenly a severe earthquake shakes the foundation of the jail. "All the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose."   Awakened, the jailer thought that everyone escaped and was about to  kill himself when Paul shouted: "Do no harm to yourself; we are all here."  The jailer rushed  in to where Paul and Silas were and said: "'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' And they said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved.'"   

What do you, what do I do, when things go terribly wrong?  Pray and sing hymns to the Lord? Paul and Silas were totally into God, so to speak!  They certainly were not feeling sorry for  themselves and, in no way, took on the victim role.  Their faith in God remained unshaken!  They remained focused on Jesus and His resurrection; they faced their sufferings as Jesus Himself faced the crucifixion, believing in the Father's power over evil!  "All the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose."

What about us?  Right now, during this coronavirus crisis and the restrictions imposed upon us, do we find a reason to praise and give thanks to God?  Are we reaching out to the Lord for strength to endure and to grow in our faith and trust? Do we believe that God is seeing us through this crisis and that we will come through this as stronger individuals, our faith and trust unshaken? Or are we blistering mad because we cannot do what we would like to be doing and are we into seeking someone or something to blame?   If we choose to remain focused on Jesus and believe in His Presence among us, we will witness to the fact that God takes us by the hand and walks with us through this maze.  Furthermore, the door of our hearts will remain open to grace and the chains of hopelessness and frustration will not have a grip on us.

Testifying to the Spirit of Truth

In today's first reading, Acts 16: 11-15, Paul and his companion sailed from Troas to Samothrace and then on to Neapolis and Philippi, where they looked for a place to pray and met Lydia, a woman who worshiped God. As she listened to Paul, "the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying."  She and her whole household were baptized and she then invited Paul  in to stay with her family. and he did so! Jesus says to us in the Gospel, John 15: 26-16: 4a, "When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify...."

Paul and his companions testified to Lydia and she and her family, in turn, to Paul and his companions. You and I, also, have been sent the same Advocate in our baptism, our confirmation, in the Eucharist and in all of the ways that we love others and ourselves and provide nourishment for one another, be that physical, spiritual or psychological "food".  On the strength of the One sent by Jesus, we are empowered to do for others what Lydia and her family did for Paul and his companions.

Jesus tells us that He has sent the Advocate to us so that we also "may not fall way" when hard times come upon  us, when, in particular, our lives are threatened by unbelievers, by those who "will think [they are] offering worship to God" by seeking our lives.  You and I might not be in danger of being martyred. However, there are dangers in our world that threaten the life of our faith, our trust in God, our love for others and for ourselves.  There are forces in the world that erode our confidence in doing good, in giving of ourselves to others for their own sake, in reaching out to the needy, the oppressed, the marginalized of our society.  To go against these forces, we need the Advocate, sent "from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father" and who testifies to Christ!

God Remains with Us Always!

In today's Gospel, John 14: 15-21, Jesus speaks about His returning to heaven. He ascend to His Father and send us the Holy Spirit, "another Advocate to be with [us] always, the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees me nor knows him. But," he says to us, "you know him, because he remains with you and will be in you. I will  not leave you orphans; I will come to you. In a little while," he says to  us, "the world will no longer see me, but  you will see me, because I live and you will live. On that day,  you will realize  that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you."


What a promise! And how real! All around us and within us new life is emerging every day. We wake up renewed from sleep! Our life has been restored during sleep!  We wake up with new energy, a new zest for life, a new hope, new faith, deeper love because "another Advocate" has been sent to us in the Spirit, a "Spirit of truth" and life whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees the Spirit of God nor know God's Spirit.

How do we grow in knowledge of God's Spirit within us and around us? By spending time in solitude, seeking God's face within and around us and in others and in the events of our lives;  by spending time in prayer and in reflection upon the Scriptures--the Holy Bible--and the Scriptures of our lives and of the events of our lives!  God is in both and in all of life, hidden from the naked eye, from the eyes that simply look at problems and how to solve them without bringing them to God or asking for God's help!

Let us remember that Jesus is in God the Father and you and i are also in the Father, as St. Paul tells us: We live and move and have our being in God. Let us also remember that Jesus dwells in our very being itself and if Jesus dwells there so, too, does God and Father and God the Spirit, as they  are one in love and truth and life!

The Power and Source of Faith

In today's first reading, Acts 14: 5-18, Paul and Barnabas flee to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe, as they are about to be stoned in Iconium for witnessing to Jesus' resurrection from the dead.  In Lacaonia they come upon a man crippled from birth. Looking intently upon him, they see the depth of his faith. So  they say to him:  "'Stand up straight on  your feet.' He jumped up and began to walk about."  Those who witnessed this miracle say about Paul and Barnabas: "The gods have come down to us in human form."  Paul and Barnabas have their hands full in their efforts to convince them that they are not gods but human beings just like them. In the responsorial psalm we pray:  "Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name give glory because of your mercy, because of your truth."

The questions this passage puts before us are many.   1) When others look at us, do they recognize the depth of our faith or do they see its shallowness? When I am "crippled" by whatever--for instance, I could be crippled psychologically or spiritually by the restrictions put upon us by this corona virus-- do others see the shallowness of my faith, that is, that I have begun to doubt the good intentions of those imposing the restrictions?  And that I have begun to doubt that God cares? Or that I have begun to doubt that I have the ability to make a positive difference in my own life and the life of others in the way I handle the challenges before me?    2) Or do others see the depth of my faith,  as Barnabas and Paul  saw the faith of the crippled man?  Do I stand straight and tall in the face of the challenges of remaining positive and proactive? Do I trust that I will make it through this trying time and come out stronger? Do I believe that good will come out of this difficult time and that I have the power to make good things happen right now and right here?  3) When others want to credit me for something I did by the grace of God, do I take the credit or give the "glory" to God?  4) Do I recognize when "the glory" is misplaced and put on me when it belongs to Another/another?

The Vocation of Mothers and of All Women

Today is Mother's Day. We celebrate the woman God destined to bring each of us, men and women, into the world. Each of us is a word of God, as Jesus is the Word of God.  As I reflected on my mother and who she was for my siblings and me, the following came to me in a dialogical prayer with my mom:

"Happy Mother's Day, Mom! Thank you for mothering me to this very day."

"You are welcome, Dort. And thank you for being a spiritual, caring and loving mother to so many children, big and small, young and old.  In your work as counselor you mothered many!  Thank you!"

"You are welcome, Mom.  Mom you taught us to serve others, to help others, to care, to provide for other people's needs. Mom, you gave us strength, love, faith and confidence!  Thank you!"

"You are welcome, Dort! Do not lose faith. I know you struggle with how the Church has treated women and even how Mary's culture treated her.  Be not discouraged.  As a disciple of Christ, as a baptized Christian, you are sent to bring Good News to others, to proclaim Christ's resurrection, to open the Scriptures as much as any priest ordained by a bishop. You are asked to carry our your baptismal vocation without the public recognition given to a priest. Your vocation as a woman was  confirmed  by Jesus, who called women to spread the Good News and to proclaim the resurrection--in fact the first person to proclaim the resurrection was a woman."

"God does not will that you live out your call in the public eye but privately. Your vocation  to proclaim the Good News, to share your faith in Christ Jesus, to bring others to Christ--the call of every priest ordained by a bishop--was  given to you at your baptism.  Cherish your call, Dort, to do as Mary, the mother of Jesus, did,  that is  to bring Jesus to the world, and also to do as Mary Magdalene did, proclaim the Good News of Jesus' resurrection.  Proudly, carry out the role God has ordained for you as a woman. The baptismal call to proclaim your faith and to share the Good News is as real and as needed as the call a priest receives in his ordination by a bishop!"

"Thank you, Mom, for these words of wisdom!  You certainly brought Jesus to me by your works of faith and love and hope in Christ Jesus; and you brought me to Jesus! In every way as a mother you lived out the call you received at your baptism!   Thank you!"

"You are welcome, Dort! I love you!"

"I love you, too, Mom!"

God at Work in the World and in our Lives

In today's Gospel, John 14: 7-14, Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father. Jesus replies:  "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father....The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves....Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these...."

Jesus asks you and me the same question: "Dorothy Ann ((insert your name), have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me?"  He also reminds us that the "Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves."

Look around and see the works that the Trinity is doing through our physicians and nurses and other healthcare workers. Look around and see the work God is doing through gardeners and farmers. Look around and see the work God is doing through parents and grandparents caring for their little ones who are dependent upon them. Look around and see the work God is doing through teachers, counselors and mentors and all those in human services, in retail professions and any career by which our lives are enhanced!  Look around and see the Trinity at work caring for all of creation: the birds that fly in our sky, the fish that live in our oceans and seas and rivers, the animals that roam the earth. "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me?"

"The Word of Salvation Has Been Sent" (Acts of the Apostles: 26)

In today's first reading, Acts 13: 26-33, Paul reminds us that the "word of salvation  has been sent" to us.  Truly the Word of salvation  has been sent to us in the form of a life restored through the night. God, our Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier, has sent us the Word that contains fullness of life, the Word that brings us joy, and peace, and love; the Word that strengthens us physically, psychologically and spiritually; the Word that enlightens our thoughts, awakens our hope and renews our love.This Word of salvation saves us from hopelessness, lovelessness, weariness, corruption, deception, lethargy, selfishness, stinginess!  Any attitude or disposition that drains us of our energy to do good is transformed by the Word of salvation!

As I reflected upon this phrase--"the word of salvation has been sent"--my thoughts  focused on every day life under the restrictions of the coronavirus.  Here at our assisted living/nursing care facility we have all been asked to stay in our rooms while the staff serves us our meals and does whatever they can do so that we experience the truth of Paul's statement.  Even under the restrictions that each of experiences, we are called to be instruments that create a healthy environment, one in which those with we come in contact know that they are loved, cherished, appreciated.  Every day you and I are called to contribute to life's fullness, to bring love and joy and peace and hope to one another!  We know that the choice is ours to make a difference in each other's life, a difference between light and darkness, hope and despair, love and apathy, faith and doubt in humanity's goodness!  What choices are you, am I, making? What choice will I make today, especially when the "chips" are down?

God's blessings in the Life of the Israelites and in Our Own lives

In today's first reading, Acts 13: 13-25,  Paul speak to the people in the synagogue of God's works among the Israelites.  The following actions are pointed out to us: 1) God chose the ancestors of the Israelites, 2) God exalted the people, 3) God led them through the wilderness, 4) God put up with them in the desert, 5) God gave them their land as an inheritance, 6) God provided judges for them, 7) God gave them Saul as a king, 8) God removed Saul, as he violated the covenant, 9) God raised up King David, testifying: "I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will carry out my every wish"  and, finally, 10) God brought Israel, and us, a savior, Jesus, the Christ.

WOW! Every one of those statements about how God blessed, provided for, guided and sustained Israel is true of how God works in  your life and mine!  We have been chosen and exalted in our baptism and the other sacraments we receive, including the signs (sacraments) of God's presence in our daily lives.  We have been and are led through the wildernesses and deserts of our own lives, including the present "desert" caused by the coronavirus. And, yes, God puts up with us in the difficult times of our lives when what comes from us is mostly complaints against God and others. Furthermore, however,  God has given us and holds for us an inheritance in heaven. God provides judges for us to restore justice in the lives of those deprived of such and He raises up leaders for us--our own parents, grandparents, surrogate mothers and fathers, teachers, counselor, mentors, friends--men and women after his own heart who will carry out every wish coming from God.  And yes, He has brought us a savior, Jesus, the Christ!

Can it get any better? For me, no! For you?

His Commandment Is Eternal Life

Today's Gospel, John 12: 44-50, speaks of the union of the Son and the Father. Jesus says:  "Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain  in darkness."  He reminds us that He did not speak on His own: "...[T]he Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. So what I say, I  say as the Father told me."  

The Father sent Jesus. He also sent you and me. And for the same reason: that we would be light in the world in which we live.  And, if light, then others with whom we interact do not live in the darkness, either.  Furthermore, by seeing us in action, others, if living a life of faith, see the Father and the Spirit and Jesus working through us, unless, of course, we are involved in works of darkness, that is sin.

Jesus also makes a significant statement when He says that He knows that the Father's commandment "is eternal life."  God's commandments, the formal ones given to us through Moses, and those given to us through the Holy Spirit directing us to do good in the world are "eternal life"  for us, as well, and for those who benefit from the good we do in word and in deed! That peace that you and I experience throughout the day, I believe, is a peace that comes from heaven and is a piece of heaven here on earth!  We tasted "eternal life" in those  moments!

Winter in Jerusalem!

In  today's Gospel, John 10: 22-30, we are told that the Feast of the Dedication was taking place in Jerusalem and that it was winter!  Jesus attends this feast and is asked by the Jews, as he walked about the temple area, how long he would keep the people in suspense of who he actually is!  Jesus responds very directly: "I told you and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name testify to me. But you do not believe...." 

To believe in Jesus and in the works that He does, one's heart needs to be open, not frozen, not cold!  Would Jesus say that it is winter for me, that is, that I am cold, inattentive to His words or to His works, especially to the needy and poor, to those who are vulnerable and who need assistance, to little children who needs someone to show and express their love for them, who need someone who will play games with them and help them with their homework and who need a daily structure that keeps them feeling safe and secure?  If I am "frozen," and need to "warm" up to Jesus and to His teachings, Jesus might say to me:

Dorothy Ann, (insert your name), pay attention to My Words in the very core of your heart!  I speak to you there every day and often throughout the day. I also "unthaw" your frozen heart so that you can feel other people's pain. I remove the "cataracts" from your eyes so that you see what I see and the "wax" from your ears so that you can hear me speaking to you through others and through the events of the day!  I cherish you being my partner in the good I do all day long in every person's life and in appreciating all of nature and the graces I shower down upon you every day! 

If I am cold and inattentive to others, they might say to me: "You never have time for me!" "You don't call me!" "You ignore me!" "You don't offer to help with preparing meals or doing other household chores!" "You are "glued" to the internet, the TV, your electronic gadgets!"  "You  are more into  yourself interests than into anything that interests the kid or me!" "You are not willing to give an inch!"

If I, if you, are going to leave "winter" behind, what do we need to be willing to change?

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, Promises to Lay Down His Life for You

In today's Gospel, John 10: 11-18, Jesus says to us:  "I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd  lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep...."

Jesus is saying to you, to me: I know you just as the Father knows me and He knows the Father!  That is knowledge of our whole selves--body, mind and spirit!  It is knowledge of all of our weaknesses, all our temptations, all of our strengths, all our desires, and of whatever motivates us throughout the day! And not only does He know what is going on for us, He also knows how to help us through the issues that overwhelm us, trouble us or darken our ability to see clearly what is God's will for us. He also knows what gifts of the Holy Spirit we need to manage the difficulties in ways that strengthen our faith, our trust and love of  God, others and self!   It is also clear that Jesus knows when "wolves" are threatening our well-being--body, mind and spirit. And He is not afraid! If necessary, He will put His life on the line for us and did so, once for all!

Could there be a better Shepherd to guard our souls, protect our bodies and prepare our minds to know when "wolves" are approaching and which path to choose by which we will be safe? Absolutely not! Never! No way!

The Lord is My Shepherd; I Shall Not Want

Today, the feast of the Good Shepherd, we pray "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall no want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. He guides me in right paths, for his name's sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil, for you are at my side with  your rod and your staff that give me courage."

What more do I want or need?  Nothing!  My shepherd is the Lord. Like any good shepherd, the Lord is always on the watch to be sure that I am safe from evil, from enemies, from those who seek the ruin of my soul!  I belong to the Good Shepherd and to no other. I know God's voice and God knows mine! Each day, God leads me to bountiful "pastures," and to "life-giving waters" that refresh me, strengthen me, purify me,  make me whole and empower me to bear fruit that will last eternally!

The dark valleys are not dark because God goes before me and is the light that guides me to right paths.  God walks beside me, carries a rod, lest any threatening "animal" approach me, and immediately hears my cry for help when I am in trouble and need His help!

Today, 63 years ago, my mother was approaching death, a time when each of us will need God's help.  At the time of my writing this, my mother had less than 24 hours to live here on earth. As she approached the gate of death, God was with her. For her, and us, He is the gatekeeper of the gate to eternal life, as Jesus tells us in today's Gospel, John 10: 1-10:  "Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep.....Whoever enters through me will be saved..."  Sixty-three years ago on this day, the gates to heaven were opened by Jesus, who called by mother by name as she approached those gates.  "The gatekeeper open[ed the gate for my mother, she heard] his voice,...and [was led into heaven]...."     It was her time to enter eternal life and live with God forever in a place free of sin, a place of infinite love and incredible beauty and undeniable justice and everlasting peace.

My faith tells me that my mother was given a glorified body when she entered heaven.  And just as Jesus, given a resurrected body was able to bi-locate and enter any room, even if the doors were locked, so, too, I believe, my mother can be with me and with all of her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great, great grandchildren whenever she so chooses. All of those living on the other side of the grave and part of the Church Triumphant, I believe, are with us, to help us in this valley of tears, this valley of darkness. Though we do not see them with our physical eyes, they are still with us, helping us as we encounter difficulties here on earth!  They tell us what Peter tells us in the second reading of today's liturgy (1 Peter 2: 20b-25):  "If you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps...."

May I, and you, follow Jesus in this way and know that our loved ones who have gone before us are with us to help us in any way that we need help to live by faith!

Granted the Privilege by the Father to Come to Jesus

In today's Gospel, John 6: 60-69, Jesus had just said to his disciple: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world."  A significant number of his disciples said to themselves: "'This  saying is hard; who can accept it?'"  Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to them:  "'The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.'  Jesus  knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him. And he said, 'For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by  my Father.'  As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer walked with him."


Lord, you are telling me that the words you speak to me are Spirit and life. I discover that truth when I am open to your words and when I follow the way that you point out to me. I also discover the truth that I enter a "desert" when I walk away from you and do not choose the path to which you are directing me.

          Know, Dorothy Ann (insert your name), that I am grieved when I see you walking away! My 
          heart, then, aches for you and I wait for your return always!

Jesus, I am truly sorry when I cause you pain! Forgive me.

         I do, Dorothy Ann (insert your name).

Father, loving God, thank you for granting me the grace to come to you, to Jesus, to the Spirit.

         You are most welcome, Dorothy Ann (insert your name).  You are my beloved daughter (adapt             this to yourself) in whom I am well pleased. I delight in you. I cherish you. I love to watch the             efforts you put into your search for me. I love it as much as I loved watching Mary Magdalene             looking for me in the empty tomb. I am never far off when you look into places where I am not--
         am not, that is for you but might be for another person.

Thank you, Jesus. And thanks, so much, that you are never far away from me! Thanks for delighting in me, for cherishing me, for being pleased with me, for watching me always!  Lord, please help me that I may continue to follow you, to listen for your voice and when hearing it