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.

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!

From Whence Does Our Work Originate

In today's first reading, Acts 5: 17-26,  the Sadducees threw the Apostles into prison out of jealousy.  They were furious that the Apostles' popularity was spreading and that they were having success in witnessing to the resurrection of Jesus and the spreading of the faith!  No way were they going to allow this to happen, if possible. They did not realize that the origin of the work of the Apostles was of God, not of human orig

From whence does my work and yours originate?  Is it of God or am I/are you functioning merely from a human perspective?  If of God, the results will prove its origin. When I am functioning merely from a human perspective, it is easy to become jealous of another or to react angrily when the results of my work are not what I expected or wanted. However, if I am allowing the Spirit to lead me and I am doing that which the Lord is asking of me, I will experience what the Apostles experienced: "prison" doors become unlocked! Those unlocked "doors" may be the doors of my heart or of the hearts of others!

Let us remember, as we pray in today's responsorial psalm: "The angel of the Lord encamps around those  who fear [reverence] him, and delivers them. Taste and see how good the Lord is; blessed the [one] who takes refuge in the Lord," as did the Apostles.

Salvation: Believing in Christ Jesus

In today’s first reading, Acts 16: 22-34, we read about Paul and Silas being arrested, beaten with rods, and chained to the prison floor.  God intervenes. The prison doors are blown open by an earthquake and the chains that securely restricted Paul and Silas’ movements are shattered, pulled right out of the cemented floor.  Frightened of the punishment that would be inflicted upon them, the jailers decide to kill themselves. Paul and Silas stop them. Falling down before them, the jailors ask:  “What must we do to be saved?” Paul and  Silas respond:  “Believe in the Lord Jesus.”

Each of us, from time to time, find ourselves chained, that is unfree to act justly, to love tenderly, to walk humbly with his/her God (Compare Micah 6:8).  Sometimes, we engage in actions which we would not otherwise do or refrain from actions which we would, when free, do. In other words,  at times  we are no different from the jailers  who beat Silas and Paul with rods and chained their feet to the prison floor.  Whom, I ask, have I beaten, not with rods, but with words? Whom, I ask, have I put in chains by my efforts to control them, by  denying them their rights to be respected, loved, and honored when I did not have the courage or, for some reason, did not feel free to speak up for them when others were treating them harshly or speaking unkindly about them or about to impose their will upon them unjustly?

“What, Lord, must we do to be saved in those situations?”  The answer is the same that Paul and Silas gave to the jailors. We need to believe in the Lord Jesus and His power to set us free. If we do believe in Jesus, then, we need to bring our situation to the Lord. Yes, we need to describe what is going on within and around us that is depriving others and us of our freedom to act in accord with God’s holy will. God’s will is our peace, our happiness, our wholeness, our holiness, our becoming one with Him and with one another in love.  When we invite Jesus into our reality, then, and only then, as in the case with Silas and Paul, will we be set free.