In today's Gospel, Matthew 8: 23-27, Jesus gets into a boat with his disciples "and suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but [Jesus] is asleep." Terrified for their lives, the disciples awaken Jesus. "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" Jesus calmly says to them: "Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?" Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm."
Right now, we are dealing with a violent storm, the coronavirus sweeping the country. Thousands are dying across the country every day. Our hospitals in some States are reaching their capacity. ICU beds are at a premium. Healthcare workers are stretched to the breaking point. Last night news claimed that we are at a very dangerous point in dealing with this pandemic. Another news this week stated that the virus is out of control in this country! Also, foreign countries have banned anyone from our country to travel to theirs. "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" Jesus asks to us: "Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?" With the psalmist in today's responsorial psalm, we expectantly bring our plea for the end of this virus to the Lord.
We know that God can, at any point in this horrible experience, get up, rebuke the virus, and save us from further attack! However, we also need to realize that, I think, God expects us to do our part to stop its spread and not expect God to miraculously destroy a virus whose spread we are not willing to stop by appropriate measures within our power! Let us not put God to the test because we are unwilling to discipline ourselves!
Do the harsh words in today's first reading, Amos 3: 1-8; 4: 11-12, apply to us? Yahweh says to the Israelites: "I brought upon you such upheaval as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah: you were like a brand plucked from the fire; yet you returned not to me, says the Lord."
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Sunday, June 28, 2020
Losing One's Life for the Sake of God
In today's Gospel, Mt. 10: 37-42, Jesus says to us "whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." You may have seen the Special Olympic race in Seattle a few years back when, as the race started, a little boy lost his footing and another racer came back to help him. Seeing that, the other six racers returned to the starting line also to help! It was not about winning for those children, it was about helping another little boy who had fallen and scraped his knee and elbow in the process. I also recall seeing, in another racing incident, an example of "losing" and thus finding. A racer falls down during a race and a fellow racer stops to help him. Both lose the race but know what Jesus meant in today's Scripture! The generosity of God to those who put helping others ahead of material gains is beyond measurable now and in eternity!
We see God's generosity working through Elisha in today's first reading. A wealthy woman built a room on the roof of her home and furnished it so that the prophet Elisha, when he visited again, would have a place to stay. Elisha, in turn, wants to do something for this woman and asks: "'Can something be done for her?' His servant Gehazi answered, 'Yes! she has no son, and her husband is getting on in years.' Elisha said, 'Call her.' When the woman had been called and stood at the door, Elisha promised, 'This time next year you will be fondling a baby son.'"
God is never outdone in generosity! How generous am I, are you, in being there for others and giving a helping hand? Would I, would you, do what the one special Olympiad had done to help one of the racers who lost his footing and thus risk losing the race oneself?
Lord, may I have my priorities straight! May I live for You and not for things this world promises when such would replace doing what the Spirit invites me to do.
We see God's generosity working through Elisha in today's first reading. A wealthy woman built a room on the roof of her home and furnished it so that the prophet Elisha, when he visited again, would have a place to stay. Elisha, in turn, wants to do something for this woman and asks: "'Can something be done for her?' His servant Gehazi answered, 'Yes! she has no son, and her husband is getting on in years.' Elisha said, 'Call her.' When the woman had been called and stood at the door, Elisha promised, 'This time next year you will be fondling a baby son.'"
God is never outdone in generosity! How generous am I, are you, in being there for others and giving a helping hand? Would I, would you, do what the one special Olympiad had done to help one of the racers who lost his footing and thus risk losing the race oneself?
Lord, may I have my priorities straight! May I live for You and not for things this world promises when such would replace doing what the Spirit invites me to do.
Saturday, June 27, 2020
The Healing of a Paralyzed Servant
In today's Gospel, Matthew 8: 5-17, a centurion, a Roman soldier, approaches Jesus and asks him to heal his paralyzed servant. When Jesus says that He will come and heal him, the centurion says to him: "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed." And so it is! Every time that you and I receive the Eucharist, believing that it is a personal visit from Jesus, that it is the body and blood of Jesus that we eat and drink when we receive Holy Communion, Jesus comes down and enters our house, the house of our souls. If, like the centurion we believe and ask for healing, we, too, are freed of whatever "demon" has imprisoned us in negative, sinful thoughts and/or behaviors and healed of those "diseases"--physical, mental, spiritual, psychological-- that are depriving us of the energies we need to choose good and avoid evil.
I believe! And I ask the Lord to strengthen my belief, to awaken me to His Presence in the Eucharist, in the Blessed Sacrament that resides in the Tabernacle in every Catholic Church, as well to His Presence in every person, in all of creation, in the universe itself, as God resides in the depth of all that exists in the world, in all that that takes its being-ness from the Being of its Creator.
God be praised! God be exalted! God be glorified in all of His Creation!
I believe! And I ask the Lord to strengthen my belief, to awaken me to His Presence in the Eucharist, in the Blessed Sacrament that resides in the Tabernacle in every Catholic Church, as well to His Presence in every person, in all of creation, in the universe itself, as God resides in the depth of all that exists in the world, in all that that takes its being-ness from the Being of its Creator.
God be praised! God be exalted! God be glorified in all of His Creation!
Friday, June 26, 2020
A Willingness To Be Of Help To "A Leper" In Need Of A Compassionate Hand
In today's Gospel, Matthew 8: 1-4, a leper approaches Jesus, does Him homage, and said to him: "'Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.' He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, 'I will do it. Be made clean.' His leprosy was cleansed immediately."
Lepers were considered unclean and had to warn people of their approach, so as to avoid contact of this highly contagious disease. Lepers were social outcasts, separated from their families and all of society. To push through a crowd and kneel prostrate before Jesus was an extremely courageous act on the leper's part. But there was no way that this man was not going to approach Jesus and ask for mercy: "Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean." Jesus stretches out his hand, touches him and says: "I will do it. Be made clean." Jesus risks becoming a leper! And without hesitation, says to the man: "Be made clean."
At every Eucharist, when Catholics receive the Body and Blood, soul and divinity of Jesus, Jesus becomes one with each one of us and says to you and me: "Be made clean."
To whom, today, have I, have you, stretched out a hand of comfort, of caring, of hope, of faith, and thus restored that person's hope and faith in themselves and in humanity in general? As I reflect upon my past work in the community in which I live, to which persons shunned and ostracized by social prejudice and discrimination have I reached out? To whom in my own family have I stretched out my hands to help in particular struggles, be those emotional, psychological, financial, marital problems that have caused them to be ostracized by family members? Is there someone in my life who has said, or is now saying, to me: "If you wish, you could help me!" Am I listening? Am I hearing? Am I responding?'
Lepers were considered unclean and had to warn people of their approach, so as to avoid contact of this highly contagious disease. Lepers were social outcasts, separated from their families and all of society. To push through a crowd and kneel prostrate before Jesus was an extremely courageous act on the leper's part. But there was no way that this man was not going to approach Jesus and ask for mercy: "Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean." Jesus stretches out his hand, touches him and says: "I will do it. Be made clean." Jesus risks becoming a leper! And without hesitation, says to the man: "Be made clean."
At every Eucharist, when Catholics receive the Body and Blood, soul and divinity of Jesus, Jesus becomes one with each one of us and says to you and me: "Be made clean."
To whom, today, have I, have you, stretched out a hand of comfort, of caring, of hope, of faith, and thus restored that person's hope and faith in themselves and in humanity in general? As I reflect upon my past work in the community in which I live, to which persons shunned and ostracized by social prejudice and discrimination have I reached out? To whom in my own family have I stretched out my hands to help in particular struggles, be those emotional, psychological, financial, marital problems that have caused them to be ostracized by family members? Is there someone in my life who has said, or is now saying, to me: "If you wish, you could help me!" Am I listening? Am I hearing? Am I responding?'
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Doing the will of the Father, as Jesus Asks of Us
In today's Gospel, Matthew 7: 21-29, Jesus says to us: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do might deeds in your name?' Then I will declare to them solemnly, 'I never knew you. Depart from, me, you evil doers.'"
"Only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven" will enter the Kingdom of heaven, Jesus tells us clearly, not those who boast of prophesying in God's name, or driving out demons in God's name or doing "mighty" deeds in God's name! Hear the boasting! Hear the attention seeking, the "look-at-me attitude!
Am I doing things to draw God's attention and the attention of others? Beware of such pride and self-centeredness! At the gates of heaven, we could hear God say to us: "I do not know you!" Only those who do the will of the Father will enter the Kingdom of heaven. What immediately comes to my mind are the young people who intervened to get food that otherwise would have rotted in farmer's fields and finding a way to get that food to the poor all over the country. I think of the doctors and nurses and medical personnel fighting on the front lines of our "war" against the coronavirus. I think of mothers and father's up several times a night to feed a newborn infant or to tend to a sick child. I think of a spouse taking on the responsibilities of a parents too sick to do his/her share to keep the household running smoothly and to provide meals for a growing family. I think of "essentials workers" doing all they can to protect themselves and their families from the deadly disease that ravages the U.S. "Those who do the will of my Father in heaven will enter the Kingdom of heaven, says the Lord!" And God's will, I believe, is that we do whatever it takes to keep each other safe and whatever is needed to meet the needs of our family members, to share responsibilities that enhances life around us, to reach out, as Christ would reach out, to the poorest of the poor in our midst and sometimes those very persons live in our household!
"Only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven" will enter the Kingdom of heaven, Jesus tells us clearly, not those who boast of prophesying in God's name, or driving out demons in God's name or doing "mighty" deeds in God's name! Hear the boasting! Hear the attention seeking, the "look-at-me attitude!
Am I doing things to draw God's attention and the attention of others? Beware of such pride and self-centeredness! At the gates of heaven, we could hear God say to us: "I do not know you!" Only those who do the will of the Father will enter the Kingdom of heaven. What immediately comes to my mind are the young people who intervened to get food that otherwise would have rotted in farmer's fields and finding a way to get that food to the poor all over the country. I think of the doctors and nurses and medical personnel fighting on the front lines of our "war" against the coronavirus. I think of mothers and father's up several times a night to feed a newborn infant or to tend to a sick child. I think of a spouse taking on the responsibilities of a parents too sick to do his/her share to keep the household running smoothly and to provide meals for a growing family. I think of "essentials workers" doing all they can to protect themselves and their families from the deadly disease that ravages the U.S. "Those who do the will of my Father in heaven will enter the Kingdom of heaven, says the Lord!" And God's will, I believe, is that we do whatever it takes to keep each other safe and whatever is needed to meet the needs of our family members, to share responsibilities that enhances life around us, to reach out, as Christ would reach out, to the poorest of the poor in our midst and sometimes those very persons live in our household!
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Needing God's Intervention
In today's first reading, 1 Kings 19: 9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36, Hezekiah, king of Judah, receives a letter from Sennacherib, king of Assyria, reminding him that Assyria has destroyed any city or nation into whose territory they enter and Judah will be no exception. Hezekiah takes the letter from the messengers, goes to the Temple, lays out the letter to the Lord and says to the Lord: "O Lord, God of Israel, enthroned upon the cherubim! You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made the heavens and the earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Hear the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taught the living God. Truly, o Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, and cast their gods into the fire; they destroyed them because they were not gods, but work of human hands, wood and stone. Therefore, O Lord, our God, save us from the power of this man, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God."
WOW! the wisdom, faith, and surrender of Hezekiah! Like Hezekiah, you and I know that God is God alone. There is no other. Do we, like Hezekiah, when faced with threats of destruction, go immediately to God? Do we spread the situation out before the Lord, knowing that God is listening? As we listen to the news each night, each week, each month, do we go to the Lord and spread out before him the issues that threaten to destroy earth by poisons being put into it because we want
to make billions of dollars in profits? Do we take to the Lord the fact that animals, fishes, and birds of the air are becoming extinct as the results of the air and the water and the vegetation needed for survival being depleted? Do we spread before the Lord the legislative efforts to deprive individuals of their basic human rights to secure jobs that enable them to sufficiently provide for their families' right to education, to housing, to adequate food, to freedom from violence by the very people who are to protect them? Do we spread before the Lord the fact that persons seeking asylum from life-threatening situations in their own countries are being sent back to face abuse and even death? Do we spread before the Lord the ways in which the basic human rights of persons of color, of other sexual orientations and of different beliefs are being challenged in our courts?
What would my list, your list, look like that we take to the Lord in prayer each day on behalf of a suffering, wounded world, a world as in danger of destruction as was the country and the people of Israel. The ways in which we are threatened may be different from real just the same! Are we seeking God's help? Remember, He is waiting for us to be honest with Him about what is going on in the world, not covering it up, and not trying to "fix it" alone--that is beyond our ability. We need God's intervention!
WOW! the wisdom, faith, and surrender of Hezekiah! Like Hezekiah, you and I know that God is God alone. There is no other. Do we, like Hezekiah, when faced with threats of destruction, go immediately to God? Do we spread the situation out before the Lord, knowing that God is listening? As we listen to the news each night, each week, each month, do we go to the Lord and spread out before him the issues that threaten to destroy earth by poisons being put into it because we want
to make billions of dollars in profits? Do we take to the Lord the fact that animals, fishes, and birds of the air are becoming extinct as the results of the air and the water and the vegetation needed for survival being depleted? Do we spread before the Lord the legislative efforts to deprive individuals of their basic human rights to secure jobs that enable them to sufficiently provide for their families' right to education, to housing, to adequate food, to freedom from violence by the very people who are to protect them? Do we spread before the Lord the fact that persons seeking asylum from life-threatening situations in their own countries are being sent back to face abuse and even death? Do we spread before the Lord the ways in which the basic human rights of persons of color, of other sexual orientations and of different beliefs are being challenged in our courts?
What would my list, your list, look like that we take to the Lord in prayer each day on behalf of a suffering, wounded world, a world as in danger of destruction as was the country and the people of Israel. The ways in which we are threatened may be different from real just the same! Are we seeking God's help? Remember, He is waiting for us to be honest with Him about what is going on in the world, not covering it up, and not trying to "fix it" alone--that is beyond our ability. We need God's intervention!
Monday, June 22, 2020
God at Work in the World and within Ourselves
In today's first reading, 2 Kings 17: 5-8, 13-152, 18, the king of Assyria occupied the Israelite's whole land, attacked Samaria, which he besieged for three years. The Israelites were deported the to Assyria. We are told that this "came about because the children of Israel sinned against the Lord, their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt, from under the domination of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and because they venerated other gods....Though Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and seer, 'Give up your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes, in accordance with the entire law which I enjoined on your fathers and which I sent you by my servants the prophets,' they did not listen, but were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who had not believed in the Lord, their God....[T]he Lord put them away out of his sight. Only the tribe of Judah was left."
We are being beseiged by the coronavirus and are being warned that the disease is on the up-rise. Are we listening? Or do we simply dismiss the warnings as foolishness? Do we downplay Covid-19 or simply deny it: "Stop testing," our leaders say. If one of our children's temperature were rising to a dangerous level, would we simply say: "Stop taking the child's temperature. He/she will be okay!
Not only do we need to look at how we are responding to the threat of a serious physical illness but how are we responding to the spread of serious spiritual illnesses: racism, sexism, immorality, passing of unjust laws or support of unjust laws; engaging in acts corruption or supporting or denying corrupt actions; engaging in slander against our neighbors, being jealous of others and so on.
Closer to home, how am I, how are you, growing in holiness? In what ways are we spreading God's love, God's justice, God's mercy, God's compassion, God's forgiveness? Am I looking for God's Spirit at work in the world, especially in its "dark" places where sin seems to be getting the upper hand? Am I looking for God's Spirit at work within ourselves, directing our every move?
We are being beseiged by the coronavirus and are being warned that the disease is on the up-rise. Are we listening? Or do we simply dismiss the warnings as foolishness? Do we downplay Covid-19 or simply deny it: "Stop testing," our leaders say. If one of our children's temperature were rising to a dangerous level, would we simply say: "Stop taking the child's temperature. He/she will be okay!
Not only do we need to look at how we are responding to the threat of a serious physical illness but how are we responding to the spread of serious spiritual illnesses: racism, sexism, immorality, passing of unjust laws or support of unjust laws; engaging in acts corruption or supporting or denying corrupt actions; engaging in slander against our neighbors, being jealous of others and so on.
Closer to home, how am I, how are you, growing in holiness? In what ways are we spreading God's love, God's justice, God's mercy, God's compassion, God's forgiveness? Am I looking for God's Spirit at work in the world, especially in its "dark" places where sin seems to be getting the upper hand? Am I looking for God's Spirit at work within ourselves, directing our every move?
Saturday, June 20, 2020
Pondering All Things in One's Heart
In today's Gospel, Luke 2: 41-51, Jesus' parents and Jesus, then 12 year's of age, go up to the Temple for the feast of Passover, as they had done every year. Following the festivities, Mary and Joseph got into separate caravans--probably one for the men and the other for the women. Both think that Jesus is with the other but at the end of a day's journey they are unable to find him so they return to Jerusalem. After three days of searching, they find him in the Temple listening to the teachers and asking them questions. The teachers are astounded by Jesus' understanding of the Scriptures. Upon finding their son, Mary says to Jesus: "'Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.' /and he said to them, 'Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?' But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart."
Imagine Mary and Joseph's anxiety. I can easily imagine Mary and Joseph asking themselves the following questions: What could possibly have happened to him? Is this what the prophet Simeon warned me about, namely, that a sword would pierce my heart? Is Jesus in some kind of trouble? Is he in danger? Did some one, in fact, kill our son?" These questions, I think, would have been normal thoughts for Mary and Joseph! And how does Mary respond to Jesus' answer to her question of why he ever did such a thing to them? She does not scold Jesus but ponders all of this in her heart!
As a parent, I would have been angry with Jesus! I would have exerted my parental authority and placed consequences upon him. She does no such thing! She reflects quietly upon her son's choice to stay behind to listen to the teachers and ask them questions. And she herself meditates upon his questions: "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" She "digs" deeper into the situation. There is a letting go on Mary's part, a surrender to her Son's Father and hers! She lives her faith and trust in God, who called her to be the mother of His Son!
May you and I learn fro her!
Imagine Mary and Joseph's anxiety. I can easily imagine Mary and Joseph asking themselves the following questions: What could possibly have happened to him? Is this what the prophet Simeon warned me about, namely, that a sword would pierce my heart? Is Jesus in some kind of trouble? Is he in danger? Did some one, in fact, kill our son?" These questions, I think, would have been normal thoughts for Mary and Joseph! And how does Mary respond to Jesus' answer to her question of why he ever did such a thing to them? She does not scold Jesus but ponders all of this in her heart!
As a parent, I would have been angry with Jesus! I would have exerted my parental authority and placed consequences upon him. She does no such thing! She reflects quietly upon her son's choice to stay behind to listen to the teachers and ask them questions. And she herself meditates upon his questions: "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" She "digs" deeper into the situation. There is a letting go on Mary's part, a surrender to her Son's Father and hers! She lives her faith and trust in God, who called her to be the mother of His Son!
May you and I learn fro her!
Friday, June 19, 2020
The Sacred Heart of Jesus: A Heart on Fire with Love for Us
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a Heart inflamed and burning with love for you and me! Lord, may my heart burn with love for you and for my fellow human beings, men and women of all races, of all cultures, of all nationalities! I give you my heart, Lord, when it is "hot" and when it is "cold" or "lukewarm." I give you my heart, not because I feel like it but because I will it. I will that my heart be engulfed in yours, embraced in your love and mercy. I pray with the psalmist of today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 103: "Bless the Lord, O my soul; all my being, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul; and forget not all his benefits." Right now, burdened by the oppression of the coronavirus and the restrictions put upon us to keep us safe from contracting this lethal disease, it is easy, Lord, to forget all of your benefits! They exist even when I do not acknowledge them or even when I am totally unaware of them, like the sun behind clouds or shining on the opposite side of the world, where it is daylight hours right now!
Lord, in today's Gospel, Matthew 11: 25-30, you say to all of us: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." We do come to you, Lord. We place all of our burdens in the center of your Heart aflame with love for us. Teach us your meekness and humility, Lord, especially when we want to rebel against the reality of this day's world: its being ravaged by the coronavirus, its people of color being gunned down even when the life of a law enforcement officer is not in danger, a world in which violence is erupting during peaceful demonstrations and encouraged by leaders of our country.
Let us remember what Jesus also tells us in today's Gospel, namely, that all "things have been handed over to me by my Father." The world is in Jesus' hands and that truth gives us reason to not lose hope in the good things to come!
Lord, in today's Gospel, Matthew 11: 25-30, you say to all of us: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." We do come to you, Lord. We place all of our burdens in the center of your Heart aflame with love for us. Teach us your meekness and humility, Lord, especially when we want to rebel against the reality of this day's world: its being ravaged by the coronavirus, its people of color being gunned down even when the life of a law enforcement officer is not in danger, a world in which violence is erupting during peaceful demonstrations and encouraged by leaders of our country.
Let us remember what Jesus also tells us in today's Gospel, namely, that all "things have been handed over to me by my Father." The world is in Jesus' hands and that truth gives us reason to not lose hope in the good things to come!
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Seeking, Desiring a Spiritual Inheritance
In today's first reading, 2 Kings 2: 1, 6-14, Elisha prepares to return to heaven and instructs Elijah, his constant companion and the one trained by him in the ways of the prophet, to stay behind and not follow him to the Jordan, where he will depart this life. Elijah emphatically says in response: "I will not leave you." Before departing, Elijah says to Elisha: "'Ask for whatever I may do for you, before I am taken from you." Elisha answered, 'May I receive a double portion of your spirit.' '...[I]f you see me taken up from you, your wish will be granted, otherwise not!'" Elisha witnessed Elijah's going up into heaven. When he could no longer see him, he "gripped his own garment and tore it in two." In grief he cried out: "Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?" He then struck the waters of the Jordan River with Elijah's mantel that had fallen from him as he "went up to heaven in a whirlwind." The water "divided and [Elijah] crossed over."
Elijah and Elisha, obviously, had an incredible relationship with each other! And in the end, Elisha asked, not for material advantages, but for "a double portion of [Elijah's] spirit," the spirit of a man whom he highly admired and respected and from whom he learned to serve the Lord above all and in all circumstances! May the relationship that you and I develop with Jesus be as strong as what Elijah and Elisha enjoyed with each other. And may we seek a spiritual inheritance, spiritual gains, from the Lord, not unnecessary material ones. May we yearn for Jesus' spirit as much as Elisha yearned for Elijah's.
That yearning will only develop in us to the extent that we know Jesus, spend time with Jesus, seek Jesus and cling to His words recorded in the Scriptures! To what extent am I, are you, doing that?
Elijah and Elisha, obviously, had an incredible relationship with each other! And in the end, Elisha asked, not for material advantages, but for "a double portion of [Elijah's] spirit," the spirit of a man whom he highly admired and respected and from whom he learned to serve the Lord above all and in all circumstances! May the relationship that you and I develop with Jesus be as strong as what Elijah and Elisha enjoyed with each other. And may we seek a spiritual inheritance, spiritual gains, from the Lord, not unnecessary material ones. May we yearn for Jesus' spirit as much as Elisha yearned for Elijah's.
That yearning will only develop in us to the extent that we know Jesus, spend time with Jesus, seek Jesus and cling to His words recorded in the Scriptures! To what extent am I, are you, doing that?
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
God's Infinite Mercy and Justice
In today's first reading, 1 Kings 21: 17-29, King Ahab is confronted by the prophet Elijah about his killing of Naboth so as to take possession of his vineyard. He committed this abominable crime by following the evil intent of his wife Jezebel. The Lord instructs his prophet Elijah to communicate how justice will be served him and his wife Jezebel. The Lord says to King Ahab through his prophet: "'In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, the dogs shall lick up your blood, too'....Against [the queen] Jezebel, too, the Lord declared, 'The dogs shall devour Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.'" Hearing his just punishment, King Ahab repents: "He tore his garments and put on sackcloth over his bare flesh. He fasted, slept in the sackcloth, and went about subdued. Then the Lord said to Elijah...'Have you seen that Ahab has humbled himself before me? Since he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his time. I will bring the evil upon his house during the reign of his son.'"
Evil does not go unpunished, no matter how cunning the evil person is or his or her accomplices are! Not only that, no matter who commits hideous crimes, there will be a reckoning. In this case it was the King and Queen of Israel, Ahab and Jezebel. Neither are you or exempt from doing evil, no matter our rank in life or the level of our education, no matter our race or heritage, not even our age! Satan is at work and perhaps the more educated, the higher our positions, the more accomplished we are, the greater the risk of falling into Satan's traps. Why? Because it might be easier for us to deceive ourselves, think ourselves above the law! Pride in us may blind us to the evil in which we are engaged and may deafen us to a conscience poisoned, perhaps, by power and control of others "under" us.
Like King Ahab and Queen Jezebel we need prophets, men and women of God, like Elijah to communicate God's justice. Like King Ahab, we need the humility to accept God's message of justice, no matter by whom it is delivered, repent of our sinfulness, and beg for God's mercy! We also need the humility of the good thief who recognized that Jesus who was dying beside him, accused of crimes He never committed, was the only one who could save him and so said to Him: Remember me in your kingdom! In that moment, among others during His life time, Jesus reveals the overwhelming mercy of His Father and says to the good thief: "This day you shall be with me in Paradise." Let us turn to the Lord, knowing that our salvation depends upon that kind of humility and God's infinite mercy!
Evil does not go unpunished, no matter how cunning the evil person is or his or her accomplices are! Not only that, no matter who commits hideous crimes, there will be a reckoning. In this case it was the King and Queen of Israel, Ahab and Jezebel. Neither are you or exempt from doing evil, no matter our rank in life or the level of our education, no matter our race or heritage, not even our age! Satan is at work and perhaps the more educated, the higher our positions, the more accomplished we are, the greater the risk of falling into Satan's traps. Why? Because it might be easier for us to deceive ourselves, think ourselves above the law! Pride in us may blind us to the evil in which we are engaged and may deafen us to a conscience poisoned, perhaps, by power and control of others "under" us.
Like King Ahab and Queen Jezebel we need prophets, men and women of God, like Elijah to communicate God's justice. Like King Ahab, we need the humility to accept God's message of justice, no matter by whom it is delivered, repent of our sinfulness, and beg for God's mercy! We also need the humility of the good thief who recognized that Jesus who was dying beside him, accused of crimes He never committed, was the only one who could save him and so said to Him: Remember me in your kingdom! In that moment, among others during His life time, Jesus reveals the overwhelming mercy of His Father and says to the good thief: "This day you shall be with me in Paradise." Let us turn to the Lord, knowing that our salvation depends upon that kind of humility and God's infinite mercy!
Sunday, June 14, 2020
"I am the living bread come down from heaven," Jesus tells us in today's Gospel!
Today we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Feast of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ. In today's Gospel, John 6: 51-58, Jesus says to us:"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." Jesus is the Bread of my life, the Sustainer of my life, the Nurturer of my life, the Strength of my life, the Hope of my life, the Giver of all life! "Unless [I] eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, [I] do not have life within [me]. [With those who] eat Jesus' flesh and drink of His blood[I] have eternal life [and will be raised on the lat day]," Jesus tells me in today's Gospel.
May you and I not ever walk away from receiving this Bread of Life and cup of eternal salvation, the Blood of Christ, which is the Eucharist offered at every Catholic Mass or Liturgy. "My flesh," says Jesus, "is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I am him/[her]. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. [I am] the bread that came down from heaven. ...[W]hoever eats this bread will live forever."
Hidden in that tiny wafer of bread is the God of the Universe, the Cosmic Christ, the One who rose from the dead, taking power away from the violence of death by His resurrection and ascension into heaven. Jesus transformed suffering by entering into it and continues to do so today when you and I suffer in any way! When you and I, for instance, hang on the cross of a terminal illness, an ugly divorce, the death of a loved one, the destruction of property, of rights, of truths that we hold dear, Jesus hangs on that very cross with us!
God is not afraid of suffering but walks with us into those places that are dangerous for us, scary for us, and abusive to us. God is right there, giving us strength, wiping our tears, and holding us in His compassionate embrace! He weeps with us and cries out in pain with us! He knows how difficult it is to be treated unjustly, as was His only begotten Son sent into the world to show us the way to the Father, to reveal the Father's love for us! Yes, the Holy One, the Creator of all, knows and cares and says when the priest hold up the Sacred Host: "This is my Body given up for you; my blood poured out for you! Take and eat; take and drink!"
May you and I not ever walk away from receiving this Bread of Life and cup of eternal salvation, the Blood of Christ, which is the Eucharist offered at every Catholic Mass or Liturgy. "My flesh," says Jesus, "is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I am him/[her]. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. [I am] the bread that came down from heaven. ...[W]hoever eats this bread will live forever."
Hidden in that tiny wafer of bread is the God of the Universe, the Cosmic Christ, the One who rose from the dead, taking power away from the violence of death by His resurrection and ascension into heaven. Jesus transformed suffering by entering into it and continues to do so today when you and I suffer in any way! When you and I, for instance, hang on the cross of a terminal illness, an ugly divorce, the death of a loved one, the destruction of property, of rights, of truths that we hold dear, Jesus hangs on that very cross with us!
God is not afraid of suffering but walks with us into those places that are dangerous for us, scary for us, and abusive to us. God is right there, giving us strength, wiping our tears, and holding us in His compassionate embrace! He weeps with us and cries out in pain with us! He knows how difficult it is to be treated unjustly, as was His only begotten Son sent into the world to show us the way to the Father, to reveal the Father's love for us! Yes, the Holy One, the Creator of all, knows and cares and says when the priest hold up the Sacred Host: "This is my Body given up for you; my blood poured out for you! Take and eat; take and drink!"
Saturday, June 13, 2020
God Is Our Inheritance
In today's first reading,. Elisha encounters Elisha as he is plowing a field with twelve oxen. He throws his cloak over him. Immediately, Elisha leaves the oxen and runs after Elijah, saying to him: "'Please, let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, and I will follow you.' Elijah answered him, 'Go back! Have I done anything to you?'" Elisha left him and went back. He slaughtered the twelve oxen and made a meal for his parents before saying goodbye and, following the prophet, became Elijah's attendant.
In the responsorial psalm, Psalm 16, we say to the Lord: "'You are my inheritance, O Lord...my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot. [You, O] Lord, counsel me; even in the night my heart exhorts me. I set [You,] Lord ever before me; with [You] at my right hand I shall not be disturbed; therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.'"
With that confidence in the Lord, Elisha leaves everything and follows the prophet Elijah. With that confidence, Jesus leaves the glory of heaven to come to earth and, later, leaves his mother Mary and sets out on his ministry to the poor and needy and shows us the way to the Father. That same confidence in His Father reveals itself in how Jesus responds to the scribes and pharisees and leaders of His people who turn against Him, hating Him to the point of seeking His life. With that same confidence, Jesus carries His cross to Calvary and is put to death by the leaders of Israel. Jesus trusts His Father through His life and death and God, His Father, in turn, grants Him victory over death. He raises Him from the dead and is glorifies Him at the His right hand forever. Death has no more power over Him, our inheritance!
"You are my inheritance, O Lord!" That is as true for you and me, as for Elisha and for Jesus and for Mary and all of the saints who have gone before us! Do I live in that knowledge? Do I live believing that God "holds fast my lot," that God is "my allotted portion and my cup," that God is always ready to "counsel me"? Do I live with the knowledge that God "is ever before me," that God is with me, walking beside me, taking me "by my right hand"? Do I face the end of my life joyfully, confidently, as Jesus did, believing that I will not suffer corruption but will we taken up into heaven, to an imperishable inheritance, as was Jesus, Mary and all the holy ones before me--those made holy by the body and blood of Jesus?
May it be so, in Jesus' name!
In the responsorial psalm, Psalm 16, we say to the Lord: "'You are my inheritance, O Lord...my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot. [You, O] Lord, counsel me; even in the night my heart exhorts me. I set [You,] Lord ever before me; with [You] at my right hand I shall not be disturbed; therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.'"
With that confidence in the Lord, Elisha leaves everything and follows the prophet Elijah. With that confidence, Jesus leaves the glory of heaven to come to earth and, later, leaves his mother Mary and sets out on his ministry to the poor and needy and shows us the way to the Father. That same confidence in His Father reveals itself in how Jesus responds to the scribes and pharisees and leaders of His people who turn against Him, hating Him to the point of seeking His life. With that same confidence, Jesus carries His cross to Calvary and is put to death by the leaders of Israel. Jesus trusts His Father through His life and death and God, His Father, in turn, grants Him victory over death. He raises Him from the dead and is glorifies Him at the His right hand forever. Death has no more power over Him, our inheritance!
"You are my inheritance, O Lord!" That is as true for you and me, as for Elisha and for Jesus and for Mary and all of the saints who have gone before us! Do I live in that knowledge? Do I live believing that God "holds fast my lot," that God is "my allotted portion and my cup," that God is always ready to "counsel me"? Do I live with the knowledge that God "is ever before me," that God is with me, walking beside me, taking me "by my right hand"? Do I face the end of my life joyfully, confidently, as Jesus did, believing that I will not suffer corruption but will we taken up into heaven, to an imperishable inheritance, as was Jesus, Mary and all the holy ones before me--those made holy by the body and blood of Jesus?
May it be so, in Jesus' name!
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Am I Substituting the Finite for the Infinite?
In today's first reading, 1 Kings 19: 20-39, Elijah challenges the 450 prophets of Baal to stop straddling the issue of who they will follow. He said to them: "If the Lord is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him." Given no answer from them, Elijah challenges them to offer a sacrifice to Baal and he will offer a sacrifice to the Lord. Each is to prepare the sacrifice, placing it on an altar but not setting it on fire but are to call upon their deity to sent down fire to consume the sacrifice.They will then know who is God. The prophets of Baal called upon Baal from morning until noon and nothing happens. "They even slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom" when sacrificing to Baal. Still nothing happens. "[T]here was not a sound, no one answered, and no one was listening." Elijah calls the prophets of Baal over to him and he, in turn, prepared a sacrifice to the Lord, saying: "'Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things by your command. Answer me, Lord! Answer me, that his people may know that you , Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to their senses.' The Lord's fire came down and consumed the burnt offering, wood, stones and dust, and it lapped up the water in the trench....[A]ll the people feel prostrate and said, 'The Lord is God! The Lord is God!'"
As with the 450 prophets of Baal, God also challenges you and me to stop straddling the issue of who we will follow! God alone, as we pray in today's responsorial psalm, "is [our] allotted portion and cup, [God] it is who hold[s] fast [our] lot[s]." Do I, with the psalmist, "set the Lord ever before me"? Or do I seek other things as my "allotted portion and cup", looking to God-substitutes to "hold fast my lot"? God, the psalmist says, "will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in [God's] presence." However, I may be frantically and obsessively seeking "fullness of joys" in places and persons, in things and substances that are incapable of quenching my thirst or hunger for God. That insatiable thirst and hunger for a relationship with God can only be satisfied by God, and God alone! What efforts do I make each day to quench my thirst and hunger for the Almighty, the Holy One, the Ultimate Love above all loves?
As with the 450 prophets of Baal, God also challenges you and me to stop straddling the issue of who we will follow! God alone, as we pray in today's responsorial psalm, "is [our] allotted portion and cup, [God] it is who hold[s] fast [our] lot[s]." Do I, with the psalmist, "set the Lord ever before me"? Or do I seek other things as my "allotted portion and cup", looking to God-substitutes to "hold fast my lot"? God, the psalmist says, "will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in [God's] presence." However, I may be frantically and obsessively seeking "fullness of joys" in places and persons, in things and substances that are incapable of quenching my thirst or hunger for God. That insatiable thirst and hunger for a relationship with God can only be satisfied by God, and God alone! What efforts do I make each day to quench my thirst and hunger for the Almighty, the Holy One, the Ultimate Love above all loves?
Tuesday, June 9, 2020
Sharing of the Little We Have
In yesterday and today's first readings, 1 Kings 17: 1-6 and 1 Kings 17: 7-16, we read and reflect upon the ways in which God cared for his prophet Elijah during a famine in his land. In yesterday's reading, God directs Elijah to inform King Ahab that, at his word, there will be no dew or rain in the country for "these years." And then the Lord directs Elijah to leave the area, saying to him: "Leave here, go east and hide in the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan. You shall drink of the stream, and I have commanded ravens to feed you there." The brook where Elijah was hiding ran dry, so the Lord directed Elijah to move on to "Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have designated a widow there to provide for you." The widow he encounters is collecting sticks to make a last meager meal for herself and her son, as she only has a small amount of flour and oil. Following this meal, she and her son planned to wait to die. Elijah asked not only for a drink of water but also for a bit of bread and promised her that the "jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth." She shares the meager means she has and, sure enough, the jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, as the Lord had foretold through Elijah.
God took care of His/Her prophets and also takes care of you and me, of all of His/Her children. What amazes me is the faith of Elijah and of the widow. Elijah has neither food nor water to drink and his Creator and Caregiver provides both, using both animals and a fellow human being to provide for Elijah's need. The faith of the widow is also incredible. She and her son are facing death and only have enough flour and oil to make a meager meal for themselves, much less for Elijah. Yet, she shares with the prophet, who guarantees her that her flour and her oil will not run out "until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth." And she had enough supplies for a whole year!
No matter how little we have, when we share of that little, we always have enough for ourselves! We may think we have no energy to do one more thing and we do that one more thing and we have energy galore! We may think we have nothing to give another person and find out that the little we give--our time, our love, our support, a smile, a greeting--is more than enough! Our willingness to give of the little we have may be all a person needs to bear the burden of loneliness, the heaviness of depression or the weight of acute grief.
God took care of His/Her prophets and also takes care of you and me, of all of His/Her children. What amazes me is the faith of Elijah and of the widow. Elijah has neither food nor water to drink and his Creator and Caregiver provides both, using both animals and a fellow human being to provide for Elijah's need. The faith of the widow is also incredible. She and her son are facing death and only have enough flour and oil to make a meager meal for themselves, much less for Elijah. Yet, she shares with the prophet, who guarantees her that her flour and her oil will not run out "until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth." And she had enough supplies for a whole year!
No matter how little we have, when we share of that little, we always have enough for ourselves! We may think we have no energy to do one more thing and we do that one more thing and we have energy galore! We may think we have nothing to give another person and find out that the little we give--our time, our love, our support, a smile, a greeting--is more than enough! Our willingness to give of the little we have may be all a person needs to bear the burden of loneliness, the heaviness of depression or the weight of acute grief.
Sunday, June 7, 2020
The Trinitarian God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Today we celebrated the feast of the Blessed Trinity--The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit--three persons, one God! In today's first reading, God revealed her/himself when Moses went up to the Mountain at God's command. "[T]he Lord stood with Moses...and proclaimed his name, 'Lord.' Thus the Lord passed before him and cried out, 'The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.'" Immediately Moses fell to his knees and said to God: "If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along in our company. This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own." God is our Creator, our parent. Which parent, when a child, no matter what kind of wickedness he/she might have gotten involved in, does not, with open arms, receive back a child as his/her own. God, I believe, is no different. As a parent-as a mother/father God, God cherishes us, welcomes us back as His/Her own.
May you and I never forget God's words to Moses: I am "a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity." God is kindness. God is graciousness. God is fidelity. When you and I say that of any other person, we truly mean it and know it! This is a person we are not afraid to approach, especially when we have done wrong, are filled with shame and are afraid! The person we know to be kind, rich in mercy and faithful to us is the person we seek out. God is that person!
In the second reading, 2 Cor 13: 11-13, St. Paul prays for us with the words: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you" : the Trinity be with us all!
In the Gospel, John 3: 16-18, John reminds us that God so loved us that He sent His only begotten Son to the world to save it, not condemn it, thus emphasizing that God is "a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity" that that She not only wants to "come along in our company," but wants to be one of us, a human being like all of us except sin. Truly the Son became one of us, not to condemn us but to show us the Father's mercy and then send us the love of the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit, to bring us to all truth!
Wow! what an awesome God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one with us and with all of creation!
May you and I never forget God's words to Moses: I am "a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity." God is kindness. God is graciousness. God is fidelity. When you and I say that of any other person, we truly mean it and know it! This is a person we are not afraid to approach, especially when we have done wrong, are filled with shame and are afraid! The person we know to be kind, rich in mercy and faithful to us is the person we seek out. God is that person!
In the second reading, 2 Cor 13: 11-13, St. Paul prays for us with the words: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you" : the Trinity be with us all!
In the Gospel, John 3: 16-18, John reminds us that God so loved us that He sent His only begotten Son to the world to save it, not condemn it, thus emphasizing that God is "a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity" that that She not only wants to "come along in our company," but wants to be one of us, a human being like all of us except sin. Truly the Son became one of us, not to condemn us but to show us the Father's mercy and then send us the love of the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit, to bring us to all truth!
Wow! what an awesome God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one with us and with all of creation!
Saturday, June 6, 2020
Fulfilling our Ministry Here on Earth
In today's first reading, 1 Timothy 4: 1-8, Paul says to Timothy, and to us: Beloved: I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching...[B]e self-possessed in all circumstances; fulfill your ministry."
We proclaim the word by word, by deed, by our very lives, that is, lives of integrity. We live a life of integrity when we consistently follow Christ and His messages in the Gospel, when we live by faith, when we love God with our whole heart, our whole soul, and our whole mind and our neighbor as ourselves and do all of this when "convenient and inconvenient." Paul asks us to be "self-possessed", that is in control of our emotions, our thoughts, our actions and not act out in anger or jealousy or revenge or greediness, covetousness, or avarice, in sexual excess or lust. We are asked to be patient, kind and loving, caring and forgiving, understanding and compassionate!
Am I, are you, aware of when another person need for encouragement or need to be reprimanded for making choices contrary to their baptism into the life and death of Christ? On the other hand, am I, are you, open to needing to be encouraged to make right choices or our need to be reprimanded for going astray?
Later in this passage, Paul says that he is "being poured out like a libation, and [that] the time of [his] departure is at hand." Confidently, he says: "I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but to all who have longed for his appearance."
What to you, what do I, want to be able to say when our departure from this earth is at hand? If we stay on the course that we are now o, will we be able to say: "I have competed well; ...I have kept the faith...[A] crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord...will award to me on that day" when I enter eternal life?
We proclaim the word by word, by deed, by our very lives, that is, lives of integrity. We live a life of integrity when we consistently follow Christ and His messages in the Gospel, when we live by faith, when we love God with our whole heart, our whole soul, and our whole mind and our neighbor as ourselves and do all of this when "convenient and inconvenient." Paul asks us to be "self-possessed", that is in control of our emotions, our thoughts, our actions and not act out in anger or jealousy or revenge or greediness, covetousness, or avarice, in sexual excess or lust. We are asked to be patient, kind and loving, caring and forgiving, understanding and compassionate!
Am I, are you, aware of when another person need for encouragement or need to be reprimanded for making choices contrary to their baptism into the life and death of Christ? On the other hand, am I, are you, open to needing to be encouraged to make right choices or our need to be reprimanded for going astray?
Later in this passage, Paul says that he is "being poured out like a libation, and [that] the time of [his] departure is at hand." Confidently, he says: "I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but to all who have longed for his appearance."
What to you, what do I, want to be able to say when our departure from this earth is at hand? If we stay on the course that we are now o, will we be able to say: "I have competed well; ...I have kept the faith...[A] crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord...will award to me on that day" when I enter eternal life?
Friday, June 5, 2020
The Gift Scripture Is for Us on our Journey to God
In today's first reading, 2 Timothy 3: 10-17, Paul reminds Timothy, and us, that all "Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work." The Scripture is the Living Word of God and no passage returns to God without doing the work for which it was sent to accomplish within my spirit self! Scripture, the Word of God, is also a two-edged sword that can cut to the marrow of my bones, removing falsehood, pride, prejudice, hatred and any other evil that is hidden in the deepest dark areas of my being. And, yes, it has the capabilities of equipping me "for every good work" that I am sent here on earth to do in Jesus' name.
Do I have the courage to sit with the Scriptures each day, allowing God to transform me into the person I am meant to be or to remove obstacles to grace that may exist in my being without me even being aware of their existence?
Do I have the courage to sit with the Scriptures each day, allowing God to transform me into the person I am meant to be or to remove obstacles to grace that may exist in my being without me even being aware of their existence?
Thursday, June 4, 2020
The Prison or Chains of Racism
In today's first reading, 2 Timothy 2: 8-15, Paul is speaking to Timothy, and to us, from prison , asking us to "[r]emember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my Gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory." As a prisoner, as one in chains, Paul "died with Christ" and therefore now "lives with Christ in eternal glory."
Remembering Jesus Christ gave Paul the strength that he needed to endure being treated like a criminal. The Christ who strengthened Paul in prison and in chains is the same Christ who helps our black brothers and sisters who suffer the "chains" of discrimination and false imprisonment. Let us remember that any person, of any color, who dies with Christ "shall also live with him." Any person who perseveres with Christ, "shall also reign with him" (2 Timothy 2: 8-15). In verse 15 of chapter 2 Paul, who now lives and reigns with Christ in eternal glory, asks us to be "eager to present [ourselves] as acceptable to God, a [laborer] who causes no disgrace, imparting the word of truth without deviation." Our black brothers and sisters and brothers and sisters of any color do just that as well as we white people do! In the words of today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 25, "may God guide [us] in [this] truth and teach [us]" what we need to know to eradicate racism in this country but, more importantly, in each of our hearts, for God alone is our savior! And let us remember, in the words of this psalm, that all "the paths of the Lord are kindness and constancy." So if we are kind to all people, we are then on the path of the Lord and, if not, we are on the path of the Evil One.
Remembering Jesus Christ gave Paul the strength that he needed to endure being treated like a criminal. The Christ who strengthened Paul in prison and in chains is the same Christ who helps our black brothers and sisters who suffer the "chains" of discrimination and false imprisonment. Let us remember that any person, of any color, who dies with Christ "shall also live with him." Any person who perseveres with Christ, "shall also reign with him" (2 Timothy 2: 8-15). In verse 15 of chapter 2 Paul, who now lives and reigns with Christ in eternal glory, asks us to be "eager to present [ourselves] as acceptable to God, a [laborer] who causes no disgrace, imparting the word of truth without deviation." Our black brothers and sisters and brothers and sisters of any color do just that as well as we white people do! In the words of today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 25, "may God guide [us] in [this] truth and teach [us]" what we need to know to eradicate racism in this country but, more importantly, in each of our hearts, for God alone is our savior! And let us remember, in the words of this psalm, that all "the paths of the Lord are kindness and constancy." So if we are kind to all people, we are then on the path of the Lord and, if not, we are on the path of the Evil One.
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Our Holiness and our Salvation!
In today's first reading, 2 Timothy 1: 1-3, 6-12, Paul gives Timothy, and us, the following message: "..I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control....He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began, but now made manifest through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel..."
May you and I stir into flame the gift of God given us in baptism, in our love for one another, in any of the sacraments, in prayer, in solitude, in reflection upon the Scriptures, in our being grateful and drinking in the beauty of creation and all that is in it. May this gift of God be set aflame by our efforts to erase racism, sexism and any other "ism" that blurs our vision and blocks us from being open to God hidden in all people of any color, in all animals, birds and fishes and in the universe itself. Every living being contains the Source of life, God the Creator of us all. God breathe His life into anything and anyone who exists!
Each of us is called to holiness! Our striving to be holy is a grace and whatever progress we make in being like Christ in our world is because of the gift of God given to us in baptism, confirmation, the Holy Eucharist and any other vehicle through which God's love flows into us, men and women of all races, all religions, all states of life, all cultures and nationalities on the face of this earth!
Let us remember that we are saved and made holy "not according to our works but according to [God's] own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began...." God's work is eternal. It is continual, day and night! Our holiness and our salvation is God's plan from the beginning of the world and will persist until that day when life here is no more!
May you and I stir into flame the gift of God given us in baptism, in our love for one another, in any of the sacraments, in prayer, in solitude, in reflection upon the Scriptures, in our being grateful and drinking in the beauty of creation and all that is in it. May this gift of God be set aflame by our efforts to erase racism, sexism and any other "ism" that blurs our vision and blocks us from being open to God hidden in all people of any color, in all animals, birds and fishes and in the universe itself. Every living being contains the Source of life, God the Creator of us all. God breathe His life into anything and anyone who exists!
Each of us is called to holiness! Our striving to be holy is a grace and whatever progress we make in being like Christ in our world is because of the gift of God given to us in baptism, confirmation, the Holy Eucharist and any other vehicle through which God's love flows into us, men and women of all races, all religions, all states of life, all cultures and nationalities on the face of this earth!
Let us remember that we are saved and made holy "not according to our works but according to [God's] own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began...." God's work is eternal. It is continual, day and night! Our holiness and our salvation is God's plan from the beginning of the world and will persist until that day when life here is no more!
Tuesday, June 2, 2020
Creating Something New
In today's first reading, 1 Peter 3:12-15a, 17-18. St. Peter says to us:
"Beloved: Wait for and hasten the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire. But according to his promise we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
"Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace. And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation.
"Therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, be on your guard not to be led into the error of the unprincipled and to fall from your own stability. But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory now and to the day of eternity. Amen."
My heart is comforted to be reminded that "we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." As of late and throughout the history of the U.S., we have seen such horrible injustices toward men and women of color and all peoples who are not white. Unrighteous behaviors and racists attitudes have gripped the country for eons! What people throughout the U.S. are asking is that this stops! Let us not wait until "the heavens [are] dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire." Righteousness must begin now by us here in the flesh! God, I believe, is being patient with us! But let us not become complacent! Now is the time of salvation! Now is the time to repent of our racist attitudes, our mistreatment of black men and women! Now is the time to stand up to racism, to confront it within ourselves if it exists there! May this be the moment going forward that no one tolerates police brutality or brutality from anyone! The violence must stop: verbal, physical, sexual, spiritual! Enough is enough!
May each one of us take seriously St. Peter's call that we "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ." Only then will we stop racism, sexism, and any other "ism" that violates every person's right to be treated with respect, to be loved and cherished as a child of God and who, no matter the color of one's skin, is, in the sight of God, God's beloved child, one with whom God is madly in love.
"Beloved: Wait for and hasten the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire. But according to his promise we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
"Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace. And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation.
"Therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, be on your guard not to be led into the error of the unprincipled and to fall from your own stability. But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory now and to the day of eternity. Amen."
My heart is comforted to be reminded that "we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." As of late and throughout the history of the U.S., we have seen such horrible injustices toward men and women of color and all peoples who are not white. Unrighteous behaviors and racists attitudes have gripped the country for eons! What people throughout the U.S. are asking is that this stops! Let us not wait until "the heavens [are] dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire." Righteousness must begin now by us here in the flesh! God, I believe, is being patient with us! But let us not become complacent! Now is the time of salvation! Now is the time to repent of our racist attitudes, our mistreatment of black men and women! Now is the time to stand up to racism, to confront it within ourselves if it exists there! May this be the moment going forward that no one tolerates police brutality or brutality from anyone! The violence must stop: verbal, physical, sexual, spiritual! Enough is enough!
May each one of us take seriously St. Peter's call that we "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ." Only then will we stop racism, sexism, and any other "ism" that violates every person's right to be treated with respect, to be loved and cherished as a child of God and who, no matter the color of one's skin, is, in the sight of God, God's beloved child, one with whom God is madly in love.
Monday, June 1, 2020
"Where are you," God asks Adam
Today we celebrate the feast of our Blessed Mother as Mother of the Church. Today's first reading, Gen 3: 9-15, 20, gives us the story of Adam and Eve's disobedience to God's command not to eat of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the Garden. After his disobedience, "the Lord God called to the man and asked him, 'Where are you?' [Adam] answered, 'I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.' Then [God] asked, 'Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat?'"
"I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid myself." How often do you and I not hide ourselves from God. Following a moment of disobeying the Spirit, we know that we have done wrong, feel ashamed, and, frequently, attempt to hide in shame of our wrongdoing! Not only that, like Adam who blamed Eve and Eve who blamed the serpent, we look for someone or something to blame rather than accepting our responsibility upfront by saying "I sinned, Lord," or to another person confronting us "I'm guilty of what you are accusing me..
Note, too, that God came looking for Adam. God knew and cared! God also looks for us when we disobey, not to condemn us but to bring us to the truth, as the truth alone sets us free! God desires our freedom. God wants us to come out of hiding! We need our energy for doing good. Hiding zaps that energy!
Also, note that shame or feeling naked comes from doing wrong! It is not other people shaming us but the act of wrongdoing in itself shames us. The shame comes from within, not from without. What a gift put within us and calling us back to being upright with God, ourselves and others! Why? Because God loves us, redeems us and sanctifies us when we stray from the right path!
"I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid myself." How often do you and I not hide ourselves from God. Following a moment of disobeying the Spirit, we know that we have done wrong, feel ashamed, and, frequently, attempt to hide in shame of our wrongdoing! Not only that, like Adam who blamed Eve and Eve who blamed the serpent, we look for someone or something to blame rather than accepting our responsibility upfront by saying "I sinned, Lord," or to another person confronting us "I'm guilty of what you are accusing me..
Note, too, that God came looking for Adam. God knew and cared! God also looks for us when we disobey, not to condemn us but to bring us to the truth, as the truth alone sets us free! God desires our freedom. God wants us to come out of hiding! We need our energy for doing good. Hiding zaps that energy!
Also, note that shame or feeling naked comes from doing wrong! It is not other people shaming us but the act of wrongdoing in itself shames us. The shame comes from within, not from without. What a gift put within us and calling us back to being upright with God, ourselves and others! Why? Because God loves us, redeems us and sanctifies us when we stray from the right path!
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