Fighting Temptation...Is It Even Relevant Anymore? [2/26/23]

Once again, on this First Sunday of Lent, we hear the story of Jesus being tempted in the desert. Of course, we know He knows that He won a dramatic victory over Satan and that His victory is meant to inspire our own victory over temptation. However, I can’t help but wondering: does anyone ever fight temptation anymore?  I mean, really, does anyone see any value in such an arcane struggle in the present day?  Perhaps I am seeing the glass as half empty, but I do think I have valid reasons to be concerned. We are so affected by the modern culture that I even wonder if we recognize sin any more -the value of trying to stay away from sin – and that is the very reason that Jesus died on the cross! Have we actually gotten to the point where we no longer value trying to stay away from the very thing (sin) from which Jesus came to save us?  Honestly, I am very worried. It would take many books to analyze the negative effects that modern culture has on us, but I can at least mention what I call “the four big lies” by which we are tremendously affected, whether we can admit it or not.  The first lie, or fallacy, is that any action is perfectly acceptable as long as no one gets hurt. This is the old “victimless crime” theory. The problem with this is that there is no such thing. If we commit sin, no matter how “private” someone always gets hurt. It is not okay to hurt ourselves, or God, or anyone else and sin always hurts all three. The second lie is that it is psychologically harmful to deny ourselves of anything that we want-and really, if we want something, we need it; don’t we? Therefore, if I want something, I am harming myself if I don’t act to get it. This kind of thinking is so pervasive that I actually know of multiple cases in which professional counselors tried to explain to the wives of their unfaithful clients, that they had to be unfaithful, or else they would be unhappy! The third lie is that human beings cannot overcome temptation. Therefore, parents should supply their teen children with means of birth control, and provide them with “safe havens” to abuse alcohol because they would not be able to refrain from sex or beer etc.  This kind of thinking denies young people of the human dignity to which they, believe it or not, want to be held. Last, but certainly not least is the lie that because we are living in modern times we need a whole new set of moral guidelines. Because things have changed so much and because we are have learned so much and have become “enlightened,” we simply can no longer abide by the antiquated values of the past. Therefore, no one can be expected to refrain from sex before marriage, self-abuse etc. and certainly we now realize that same sex marriage is to be regarded in the same way as traditional marriage.  What is amazing about this one is that, while we think we are so enlightened, we are not quite enlightened enough to realize that countless cultures bought this lie before us. And guess where they are now?  Well they are exactly where we will be if we also buy it-on the ash heap of history just like the Romans at the hands of the barbarians. You see, the bottom line is this:  there is good, there is evil, there is right there is wrong, and they are here to stay. And human beings are always tempted to sin. But Jesus gives us the means to victory. His lesson is that we don’t have to be slaves to sin. All that we have to do is struggle to resist temptation, and when we fall we turn to Him and keep on striving-and the victory is ours. The only question is does any of this matter to us anymore?

"So Be Perfect, Just as Your Heavenly Father is Perfect" [2/19/23]

“When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one as well.”  You’ll probably never guess who these words of Jesus remind me of, but I do think a number of  you (especially Eagles’ fans) will remember him once I say his name.  Well, they remind me of Ty Detmer, a quarterback who played for the Eagles for a short time in the 1990s. You might also remember his younger brother Koy, who was a third string QB for the Eagles for several years up until about 10 years ago.  Anyway, Ty was a fill in for a short time for Randall Cunningham. And he did make quite a splash for several weeks. He defied the experts who said he was too short to be a successful NFL quarterback for a few weeks winning (I think!) 5 games in a row.  But then, reality set in. His short stature prevented him from seeing over the opposing defensive lines and his passes, which somehow evaded the hands of the defenders for the first several games evaded them no more. It got ugly, real fast. Just like that, he almost could not complete a pass, let alone be competitive in a game.  It all came to a climax during the Monday Night Football game against, who else, the Dallas Cowboys. Ty had beaten them in his previous meeting, but not this time. In one series he was sacked on three successive plays. I forget the score (I know we lost by a lot) but what I do remember is the words of a Dallas defensive linemen which were spoken about Ty after the game. He said that at the end of one of those sacks, as he was literally laying on top of Ty, he said to him, “Rookie, I hope you’re ready for this because we will be coming every play.”  Ty’s response was very simple. He said, “I’ll be here.”   I remember this because I think it gives us a glimpse into what Jesus means when he talks about turning the other cheek.  It’s not about weakness, it’s about strength, it’s about being there, it’s about choosing not to make the same kind of choice that everyone else makes. Isn’t that what Jesus did? Isn’t his death on the cross the ultimate turning of the other cheek?  Isn’t it the ultimate statement of what it means to be there and not being like everyone else?  Remember, Jesus consistently teaches us that we are not to think and behave like the rest of the world does. We are called to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.

"Before Man are Life and Death; Whatever He Chooses Shall Be Given Him" [2-12-23]

These words, taken from today’s first reading from the book of Sirach, give me reason to pause.  They also remind me of similar verses that can be found in Scripture. For example, in Deuteronomy, chapter 30 verse 19 we find these words: “…I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live…”   In Joshua chapter 24 verse 15, we find these words: “…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,…as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD…” (This verse is particularly meaningful to me, because it always reminds me of my father, and I chose this passage from Joshua to be proclaimed at his funeral Mass.) So, at least in my mind any way, there does seem to be a theme running through scripture which has found its way into our Sunday Lectionary today.  Within this theme are the ideas of free will, life and death, and serving the Lord.  And remember this, for the ancient Hebrews, life, by definition, was that precisely which proceeded from loving and obeying God.  Therefore, if we choose to serve God, we are choosing life.  Death was defined as the rejection of God.  Therefore, if we choose not to serve or obey the Lord, we choose death.  But we need to understand that our choices affect not only eternity-they affect today as well. If I want to live today, it means that I choose to serve the Lord today.  If I choose not to serve the Lord today, it means that for today I have not chosen life; I have chosen something else, and what follows from that choice will not be the life that comes from God but something else, i.e. isolation from Him- which is the same as death. Remember, what we choose will be given to us, so let’s be sure to choose to serve the Lord and not some other god, let’s be sure to choose life, so that we will live today and throughout all eternity with the Lord.

"You are the Salt of the Earth...You are the Light of World"

These words, of course, are part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. He spoke these words, remember, to the poor, the outcast, to those who were mourning, to the persecuted, etc. He told them that they were blessed and that the kingdom of heaven belonged to such as them. And then He told them that they were salt and light. Now even today, 2000 years after He spoke these words we still appreciate salt and light as valuable commodities. However, I think that we have no idea just how valuable salt and light were to the people of Jesus’ time.  To them, salt was not just something that improved the flavor of food. It also preserved it. Without salt, food would spoil and people would have nothing to eat. Salt was so valuable that it was used as salary for Roman soldiers.  Even today, we need to realize that we can survive without gold but we cannot survive without salt.  Today we have all kinds of light all around us and at our finger tips. In Jesus’ time people literally lived in darkness. Again, try to imagine, how these lowliest of people must have felt when they heard Jesus’ words and know that He is saying them to us as well.  It is truly amazing that the Lord sees us as blessed, as salt and as light. Notice that He does not say, “You are like salt and light,” or “You should strive to become, like salt and light.”  No, He says, “You are the salt of the earth…you are the light of the world.” He makes a definitive statement.  But, then, the more I think about it, the more it sounds like to me that He is giving us a command, more than He is making a statement.  He is commanding us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  He is charging us to be everything that salt and light was to the people of His time.  And this we must do during this season of Ordinary Time so that our light will shine brightly before others and that they may give glory to God.

Blessed are Those Who Know That They are in Need of God...For the Kingdom of Heaven is Theirs [1-29-23]

It is good for us, while we are still in the early weeks of the season of Ordinary Time (or, as I like to call it, the “season of real life”) to contemplate and reflect on the Beatitudes, which we hear today from the Gospel of St. Matthew, since of course they are the centerpiece of Jesus’ teaching for us and for all people of all time.  If we read them with fresh eyes, listen to them with fresh ears, and receive them with a newly opened mind and heart, we will indeed be better able to live these days of Ordinary Time in an extraordinarily good way.  First, it is probably good for us to remember the context in which they were given and to whom they were spoken.  The crowd to which Jesus spoke was made up precisely of those who were poor, who were suffering, who were mourning, who were persecuted, who were hungering and thirsting for justice, etc. and He told them that they were blessed for heaven would be theirs. Imagine what His words must have felt like to people who were seen and treated as the outcasts of society and realize that in hearing them we should feel the same way.  However, He is not saying that we should strive to be financially poor, or to be in a state of mourning or that we should want to be persecuted.  He is saying that if we are wealthy by worldly standards, if we are not hungering for Him, if it does not sadden us if our loved ones are not following Him, and if the world thinks well of us, than we face the ominous peril of being cursed to an eternity without Him because we perceive no need of Him. However, if we recognize our dependence on Him, and not for the things of the world, if we hunger for His justice and mercy, if we mourn for those who do not realize their dependence on the Lord or hunger for His kingdom, and if we stand up for the kingdom in the face of persecution than we are truly blessed. Why?  Because if we live as people who are fully aware of our need for Him, of our true poverty, then the kingdom of heaven is indeed ours.

Let Your (His) Light Shine [1-22-23]

As we said last week the conclusion of the Christmas Season was not an ending but a beginning; it prepared us to live the season of Ordinary Time, which we are now in and which I like to call the season of Real Life, extra-ordinarily well. And how do we live our real lives extraordinarily well?  We answer Jesus’ call to discipleship in all of its facets. Last week Isaiah taught us that God formed us to be His servants in the womb so that His glory would shine to the ends of the earth.  All throughout this new liturgical season Jesus will be calling people to be His disciples and to let their lights shine; hence the title of our new series. Today the wonderful prophet Isaiah says: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.  You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, as they rejoice before you as at the harvest.”  The people had seen a great light because they had answered God’s call to serve Him, and were now attracting others to do the same.   They were becoming disciples and calling disciples by their very action of becoming disciple.  In the Gospel today we find Jesus doing what He does, calling disciples.  He says to Peter, to Andrew, to James and to John, “Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.”  And that’s what He continues to do today all over the world and right here at St. Aloysius Church in Pottstown, PA.  He is calling us to be His disciples, to follow Him, to learn from Him and to serve Him, so that His light will become our light and others will become disciples as well.  In today’s Gospel it seems as though Jesus might have been spurred into action by the arrest of John the Baptist. Perhaps He thought that He might soon be arrested as well. And today I believe that He continues to call us to be His disciples, to follow and to serve Him. We have been given many gifts and they are meant to be used in service of the Kingdom.  Our talents are not our own; they belong to Him and are meant to be shared. Truth be known, we have an innate yearning within our souls to answer His call and to serve Him. We will never feel completely at peace until we do. So as we move through this season of Ordinary Time, this season of “Real Life,” let’s live it extra-ordinarily well by allowing Jesus to spur us into action in His service. In this way our light; no, His light, will shine.

Welcome to Ordinary Time [1-15-23]

We have just moved from the Christmas Season to the Season of Ordinary Time. That’s why the decorations are down and put away and it is why I’m wearing green. And you know, it’s not easy being Green and for reasons that we shall soon see, it should not be easy to do so. It’s not like we came to the end of the Christmas Season so that we can say “Whew, we made it,” and then coast into plain old ordinary life. No, that’s not it at all; and thank God it isn’t. Actually, the whole purpose of the Christmas Season was to fortify us, energize us and prepare us to live the season of Ordinary Time extraordinarily well. It might be better for us to try to understand this season as the season of “Real Life;” not that the other seasons are not real, but that we need to understand that their purpose is to try to help us put our lives in a proper perspective and to live them in a good and holy way. The purpose of the Christmas Season was to do just that. The overwhelming message of the Christmas Season was that God the Father and God the Son accepted lowly humanity to the point where God Himself took on human form and became one of us. Through Jesus’ Baptism last week, we have all become adopted as brothers and sisters of Jesus and sons and daughters of God the Father. But the story does not end there; that’s where it begins. There is no “happily ever after,” and thank God there isn’t because that would be so boring, now wouldn’t it? Come on now, you know it would be! What happens next is that God accepts us totally and completely as we are, warts and all, and then calls us to follow Him. Today, in our First Reading, Isaiah tells us that the Lord said to him, “You are my servant…through whom I will show My glory.” That certainly is one way of looking at what a disciple is, is it not? We are called to be servants of God, through whom His glory will shine. Isaiah goes on to say he was formed in the womb to be God’s servant so that the people of Israel might be brought back to God. Brothers and sisters, we were all formed in the womb to be servants of God so that others will be brought back to Him. I have to tell you, to me no other purpose in life makes sense, no other purpose has meaning and we cheat ourselves if we settle for less. Nothing will be satisfactory to us, if we don’t realize this purpose. Not even coming to church every week will cut it. Something will be lacking, because God formed us to be his servants. And when we accept our role as His servants, God tells us that we will become a light to the nations, so that His Good News might reach the ends of the earth. Jesus calls us forth literally from the womb to be His adopted sons and daughters, to enter into and to live out the sacrament of Baptism as His beloved disciples. That is what the season of Ordinary time is about. It is when we live out our baptismal call. Welcome!

The Magi Returned to their Country by another Way [1-08-23]

I once heard a homily on the radio that was given by a Baptist preacher.  He was very enthusiastically speaking about the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel.  He was focusing on the verse in which it says that the angel knocked Jacob’s hip socket out of joint and because of that he would walk with a limp for the rest of his life.  His point was that, because of His encounter with the Lord, Jacob literally walked differently than he did before. He said that if any one truly had an encounter with the Lord, then pretty much necessarily, they would walk a different way after their encounter with the Lord than they did before.  He also said that this is something that could not be feigned or pretended.  He challenged his congregation to go ahead and try to change the way they walked. His point was that it was nearly impossible to do, unless we have truly been changed by the Lord. And so, on this Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord we celebrate the fact that the Magi visited the infant Jesus as a sign that His birth was a gift to all people and not just the Israelites.  Indeed, this is a wonderful message for all of us. But what strikes me is that they returned to their home country “by another way.”  They did not return home the same way that they came.  Their encounter with Jesus changed them. So, what about us? We also bring ourselves to visit the infant Jesus. Perhaps like the Magi, we even bring Him gifts rather than simply looking for something for ourselves.  But are we going to leave Church the same way we came? Are we going to walk out in exactly the same way that we came in or are we going to return home “by another way?”  If we do not leave somehow differently, somehow changed, then when we came, then I think it is fair to question whether we had a true encounter with Christ. Of course, it does take two to have an encounter-but you can count on this; Jesus is truly here. The only question is, are we?

Need a New Year's Resolution [1-01-23]

I know I have said this many times before but St. Luke’s words in today’s Gospel passage proclaimed for the celebration of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God are among my favorite in all of scripture.  As part of his description of all the wonderful events surrounding the birth of Jesus, he says that Mary “treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.”  These words, I think we can all agree, express a beautiful sentiment.  However, I believe we are making a significant error if we cannot see them as much more than merely sentimental.  To me, they are extremely valuable words of advice that, if we are wise, will apply to our own lives.  We all know that Mary would go on to witness the terrible passion and death of this same Jesus that she held in her arms as she pondered the great mystery of the nativity.  It is my contention that had she not made a conscious decision to “ponder them in heart,” she may not have been able to withstand the prophesied sword that did indeed pierce her heart.  The same is true for each of us.  As people of faith, we believe that God has a plan for us and is leading us according to that plan each and every day.  And each day He prepares us little by little for what is to come.  Therefore, it is essential for us, like it was for our Blessed Mother, to take the time and make the conscious choice to treasure all the gifts and blessings that He bestows upon us along the way, so that we might draw upon them in the future to offer Him fitting glory, thanks and praise.  If we don’t take the time to place God’s blessings in our hearts as He gives them to us we will not be as equipped for the future as God intended us to be.  I don’t know about you, but this seems like a perfect New Year’s resolution to me.

Full of Grace and Truth [12-25-22]

At the very end of the Gospel passage that is proclaimed on Christmas Day, we hear this phrase from St. John, “And the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.” Full of grace and truth; Jesus was, Jesus is, full of grace and truth. His Gift to us, God the Father’s gift to us in the person of His Son is the fullness of Grace and Truth. Grace is favor, grace is help, Grace is God’s favor, it is God’s help. It is a free gift. It is unmerited, it cannot be earned and we can either take it or leave it. Grace is the teacher staying after school to help a student succeed. It is the employer helping the employee to learn a new skill or helping to place him at a different position where he has a better chance to succeed. Truth is reality. It is what is; like it or not. It can be sought or learned, but it cannot be changed, at least not easily. It can be confusing, and not always easy for us to see especially when we refer to the truth regarding ourselves. It can be very painful, but it also can be especially beautiful, liberating and even transformative. Grace asks the question does it help or does it heal. Truth asks is it real, or is it not real. Truth can lead us to the conclusion that everything is not Okay. It can lead to the awareness of sin. Grace and truth are most definitely related and interrelated. Truth leads to grace. Grace insists on truth.  Jesus brought the fullness of grace and truth to every interaction that He ever had in His life.  He always led individuals to face the reality of the situation in which they found themselves but at the same time gave them the comfort of His saving grace. He forgave the adulterous woman of her sin and saved her from those about to stone her but commanded her to go and sin no more.  When the rich young man approached Him and asked Him what he had to do to get to heaven, Jesus looked at him and loved him-but then challenged him to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor. When His disciples were being tossed about and frightened by the stormy sea, He first quieted the sea and then scolded His disciples for their lack of faith.  Jesus never brought either grace or truth; He always brought both grace and truth. We human beings tend to either favor one or the other. Those of us who tend to favor truth might be in fact very much correct but not very helpful. In fact, we might even use truth as a weapon. Those of us who favor grace might overlook offensive behavior to the detriment of one’s own self or others. If we take grace or truth away from a situation the results will be unfortunate; they will not be what God intended. If, however we bring both grace and truth we help ourselves and others to be more healthy, more productive, more attractive and more at peace. In fact, the combination of grace and truth is absolutely irresistible. Maybe we have experienced it with some of our peers. That’s what attracted people to Jesus 2000 years ago, even as a babe in a manger. 

It's what attracts us to Him now and what will attract us to Him forever.  Ultimately, in Jesus, grace and truth are one and the same because the ultimate truth of our faith is the grace that God the Father sent His only Son so that we might be saved through Him.  That is God’s Christmas gift to us.  So, what about our Christmas gift to ourselves, to those we love and to the world?  How about if we ask ourselves, how we might bring a little bit more grace to the world and how we might bring a little bit more truth as well?  And then let’s pray about how we might bring them both together at the same time.  Wouldn’t that be a wonderful Christmas present for us to present to the world?  Imagine each one of us more effectively truthful while at the same time more beautifully gracious.  Merry Christmas, everyone!

Be Not Afraid [12-18-22]

In today’s Gospel, the angel commands Joseph to “Be not afraid.” to take Mary into her home as his wife because it was through the Holy Spirit that the child had had conceived. An angel told Mary to “Be not afraid” as she was about to become the mother of Jesus. God told Abraham to not be afraid as he left the land of his forefathers to go to “a land that the Lord would show him.” He told Moses to not to be afraid as He was sending him to speak to Pharaoh on behalf the enslaved Israelites. He told Joshua to not to be afraid to lead his people into the Promised Land. Throughout the Testament, there are countless examples of the Lord exhorting, prophets, heroes and heroines, and the people as a whole to “Be not afraid,” as they faced all kinds of obstacles and challenges. In the New Testament, we find Jesus pretty much doing the same thing. Time and time again, He commanded the people to whom He was ministering to “Be not afraid.” As a matter fact, the phrase “be not afraid” is the most common phrase found in the Old Testament. It is also the most common phrase found in the New Testament. We are commanded to “be not afraid,” many more times than we are commanded to love one another. Certainly, we need to consider this fact as we ponder the Lord’s message to us. He understands us as beings who are very much fearful of the unknown. He knows that we must overcome our fear if we are to fulfill the mission He has given us and find true peace. He knows that if we do not face our fears we will not be able to truly love ourselves, others or Him. We might say that He understands that living in fear is not living at all. And so, at least partially in order to help us conquer fear once and for all, He sends to us His son as a babe in swaddling clothes in a manger. So my dear friends, “Be not afraid!” That is the message of this Fourth Sunday of Advent and of the Lord throughout salvation history

Gaudete Sunday - Fighting for Hope [12-11-22]

That’s what John the Baptist is doing in today’s Gospel. He is fighting for hope. He finds himself in a position not all that different from positions we have found ourselves in before and will find ourselves in again, or in which we may find ourselves right now. Just, like the song says, “flyin’ high in April; shot down in May,” John was just last week doing what he was called to do and this week he is in prison.  He is now fighting off depression and fighting for hope. Now, if this can happen to this man, who Jesus calls the greatest who ever lived up to that point in time, we should not be surprised when it happens to us. And how does Jesus respond? He gives John a challenge and an invitation to hope. Through his disciples, Jesus asks John what he hears and what he sees. That’s what Jesus always does with us as well. He challenges us to see the miracles that He provides for us. If we fight to see them, than we have hope. But we have to desire it and we have to fight for it. We have to act on that desire.  In the movie the “Shawshank Redemption” the two main characters, who just like John the Baptist found themselves in prison, fought for hope throughout the entire movie. Actually what they did was follow a three step program that kept hope alive for them throughout their struggle.  First of all, they clearly identified their desire.  We must do that.  Secondly, they approached their desire with confidence. We must do that also.  We must answer God’s call in our life with confidence and the faith that He is with us always. Finally, they worked on it incessantly. They were not surprised by opposition or obstacles. They expected them and fought and persevered through them. They lived as if freedom would be theirs. They knew that freedom would not just happen. At the very end of the movie Morgan Freeman’s character says this: “I find I am so excited I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head…” Folks, with these words couldn’t he be describing a child hoping for Christmas Day? That’s the way we should be in hoping for our miracles. He goes on, “…I think it’s the excitement only a free man can feel, a man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope I can see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.”  We must hope. And we must fight for it.

Brood of Vipers? [12-4-22]

So now we have arrived at the Second Sunday of Advent. Does anyone know what that means?  Perhaps we can come up with several responses to this question, but there is at least one answer of which I know that will always hit the nail on the head. The Second Sunday of Advent always marks the entrance of John the Baptist onto the scene of salvation history.  And what are the first words that he utters according to today’s Gospel readings?  He calls the Pharisees and Sadducees a “brood of vipers.” Please now, remember what I have said so often about the Pharisees and Sadducees-for all intents and purposes they are us. Also remember that the Pharisees and Sadducees were among the faithful church going people of the day. They would have essentially been known by society as “the good guys,” and I am sure we would be considered among the good guys of our day.  So why, in his first words, does the Baptist refer to the good guys as a brood of vipers? By the way, does anyone know what a viper is?  Among the definitions found in the dictionary are the following two: 1. a snake with hollow fangs that it uses to inject venom into its victims when it bites, 2. an offensive term for someone who is considered to be malicious, treacherous or ungrateful. Which of these would you rather be?  Well, at least as I see it he refers to them (and to us) as a brood of vipers, because he believes that they simply presumed that they would be saved.  You might say that John was the first in the Kingdom of God, who railed against the entitlement culture, and that the entitlement culture is nothing new. So, what about us-do we sometimes fall into the rut of kind of just going through motions of practicing our faith, and more or less presuming that we are entitled to salvation? I know one thing; I would not want John the Baptist to answer that question. This Advent, let’s allow him to wake us up out of our spiritually dull routine and watch with joyful hope for the coming of our Savior.  Let’s not give John any reason to think of us as a brood of vipers.

Happy Advent Everyone! [11-27-22]

When I was about 6 years old my Mom and Dad traveled to Connecticut for the wedding of one of my mom’s cousins. They took my youngest three brothers with them but they brought me and my oldest two sisters to stay with my Aunt Helen while they were away. I really enjoyed my time with my Aunt Helen and fondly remember that weekend as a very special one.  Although I had visited her many times before and many times after that particular visit, all of my encounters with her after that one seemed always to point back to that one. I can remember even looking forward to some special time in the future when she and I could again share a time that was as special as that one. My memory of my relationship with my Aunt Helen causes me to reflect on our collective relationship with Jesus. We, as the human race, shared a special time with Him in which He actually walked the earth with us.  Ever since then all of our encounters with Him both point us back to that special time and at the same time cause us to look forward to that special time in the future in which we, collectively and individually, will be with Him once again.  That’s what Advent is all about. During this special Season we are called to reflect on the three “comings” of Christ: His coming to us as our Savior in the past, His coming to us in prayer, word and sacrament in the present, and ultimately, His Second Coming at the end of the world.  With this mindset, let’s “dive” into this joyful season knowing that Jesus, out of His great love for us, came to us in the past, comes to us each and every day, and will come to us again.

Solemnity of Christ the King [11-20-22]

For a number of reasons, I often say that this month presents us with a wonderful opportunity to move into a very reflective frame of mind. The change of the seasons, the colder weather, the shorter days, the celebrations of All Saints, All Souls and Thanksgiving all come together and call us to take a closer look at our relationships with the world, with those who have gone before us, with each other and with God.  Today’s Solemnity of Christ the King indeed provides us with a wonderful opportunity to bring these thoughts to a kind of conclusion.  As we ponder our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and King of the Universe we can focus on His purpose and ours.  Jesus was sent by God the Father to open the gates of Heaven so that we might spend eternity in Heaven with them. Indeed, we and all those who have gone before us are or will be defined by where we are on the path to Heaven. The souls in hell are those who have refused to accept the love, the grace and the mercy of God and in so doing have rejected Heaven. You might argue that you don’t believe in hell because why would a loving God create it and why would He send anyone there?  The answer is that He didn’t and He doesn’t.  As far as the existence of hell I certainly believe in it and I can tell you why. It’s because you can see it on earth. Just look around. We don’t have to wait until we die to choose to get there. The saints (the Church Triumphant) are those souls who are in Heaven. The souls in Purgatory (the Church Suffering) are all those souls who are experiencing a purification in order to be prepared for Heaven and who depend upon our prayers to get them there. And, finally there are all of us (the Church Militant) who are striving to conform our hearts, minds and souls to the Lord so that we might share eternity in Heaven with Him.  And so, as we conclude this month and prepare to begin the beginning of another liturgical year on this Christ the King Sunday, we once again ask the question, “So, how do we get to Heaven?”   Well, the short answer is that we can’t and that there is nothing that we can do to get us there.  Have a good day!  Just kidding; sort of.  But it is the truth; we can’t do anything to get us into heaven, at least not by ourselves, and you might say that that is bad news. But there is good news. And the Good News is that we are not alone.  God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe, to us to make it possible for us to get into Heaven.  Through the sacraments (especially baptism) and through faith in Him the gates of heaven are opened for us.  What we do with our lives as we strive to live the virtuous life is all about developing our character which is the only thing about us that we can take to Heaven.  That’s what this life and even Purgatory is about.  What Jesus does for us is God the Father’s gift to us.  The development of our character is our gift to Him.  Jesus Christ the King shows us how to do that and gives us the grace to make it possible.  So, how do we get to Heaven?  Well you might say it’s like this.  I remember quite clearly that my Father was very much uncomfortable with the fact that as we grew up we could, well leave the house.  He could not sleep until we were all back from wherever we felt compelled to go.  I used to think that if he could he would build a fence around our property that would keep us in.  Forever.  Remember God is our Father.  He wants all His kids to be home.  Accordingly, He does everything He can, short of taking away our free will to get us there-including sending His only Son to die on a cross.  That is the message of the Solemnity of Christ the King and the end of the Church’s year.  And so, with the season of Advent we begin.  Again.

It's What It's All About [11-13-22]

“By patient endurance you will save your lives.”  That’s the strategy Jesus gives us for life on the penultimate Sunday of the Church’s He makes it clear that we will face wars, insurrection, death destruction, persecution, etc. etc. and through it all, the way to secure our lives through perseverance. It’s how to win the prize, it’s how to win.  It’s how to be successful.  It’s how to save our souls. It’s what Jesus did when He came to earth. It’s what He did throughout His public ministry. It’s what He did while He was being scourged at the pillar and while He struggled on the way of the Cross. Finally, it’s what He did on the Cross. He persevered and thus saved His life and our lives too. It is the hope and the example He gives to us. It means that we might witness the crashing down of our places of worship, our societal value of structure, of our very way of life. It means that we will be persecuted for our faith, that there will be times that we will have to stand alone for our faith, that those closest to us may be the ones ridiculing us. It means that we may have to endure every hardship we can imagine and those we cannot besides in order to keep our focus on Jesus and that we do so in order to remain true to Him and to ourselves. That’s what patient endurance is, it’s always remaining who we are and preserving ourselves because of it. That’s what Jesus did on the Cross; He saved us through His perseverance. He gave us the secret.  It means being ready to accept martyrdom if being true calls for it. Patient endurance-it’s what it’s all about.

Don't be A "Sad You See" [11/06/22]

This week Jesus is challenged by the Sadducees, who did not believe in eternal life, so they were “sad, you see!” You see, if we don’t believe in God, if we don’t believe in His message, if we don’t believe in the Resurrection, if we are not living out our discipleship in a day in/day out fashion we can really be nothing else but, well, sad; whether we know it or believe it or not.  Doing what God wants us to do is how we find peace.  Disciples will give priority to those tasks which are of God and will proceed to do those things in a resolutely determined way. In doing so, he/she will experience a sense of accomplishment and peace because he/she will discover that the things that are supposed to be getting done are getting done.  All these things, the poor Sadducees were not doing. Their goal was not the cross, they did not believe in Jesus, they did not believe in the Resurrection, and they were not faithful to the moment in which they found themselves.  Here they were in the presence of Christ and what did they do?  They asked a stupid, inane question.  Now of course none of us would ever do that, right? None of us would ever come into Church and have a question or a concern that has nothing to do with our path to the Cross, now would we?  But in any event, we always should give our questions and concerns that test. Are they keeping us on the path, or are they taking us off?  And we should make sure that our questions, comments and remarks do not cause others in any way to veer off their paths. We all should be helping each other to live in a way that keeps us focused on our path to Jesus and we should not allow anyone else to pull us off our paths either.  No one can rob us of our peace unless we let them do so. Do not let the small stuff hinder us, and remember like the book says, it is almost all small stuff.  If we let the small silly stuff get us off track, then we are going to hear the same answer that Jesus gave to the poor Sadducees.  They were trying to trap him, they were trying to get him off His path, but one of their many problems was that their agenda was different than His. Jesus says to them, “God is a God of the living and not of the dead.”  In other words, “If you are not in moving towards me, you are not really living. If you want to live, then come and follow Me down the path.”  He is saying that for us to be truly alive we need to be disciples of Him who follow Him to the Cross. Remember, the path to the Cross is the path to life. When we step off that path we are not living. So, let’s stay on the path and let’s not be a “Sad You See.”

Out on a Limb [10/30/22]

The more I think about Zacchaeus, the more I am convinced that Zacchaeus is us.  I know that I’ve also said similar things about the Pharisees and Sadducees-whenever an evangelist tells us that Jesus was talking to them, we need to understand that He is also talking to us. I believe that the same is true with Zacchaeus. We should see ourselves as Zacchaeus and apply all the words that Jesus says to, and everything He does for Zacchaeus to us.  Indeed, Jesus does want to have dinner with us-at the eternal banquet in Heaven. And we are so much like Zacchaeus.  We all have our baggage; we all have something-our sins, our history, the unfriendly crowds-that we allow to hold us back. But there will come a time when Jesus will be passing through; there will be opportunities for grace like the one experienced by Zacchaeus in which we will realize that Jesus has been there all along, waiting to share His life with us.  What would we do right now, if Jesus told us He wanted to have dinner at our house, how would we prepare?  Would we do what Zacchaeus did, would we make a spectacle of ourselves would we put ourselves on a limb, for Jesus sake?  Would we beg forgiveness, would we make up for our sins four times over, would we give the Lord a tithe of our possessions? How will we prepare for our eternal banquet with Jesus? Whatever it might be we can be sure of this: there is something that we have to do for Jesus in order to fully experience that wonderful transformation, that new birth that Zacchaeus experienced in today’s Gospel.  We have to do what Zacchaeus did.  We have to put ourselves out on a limb. And we can be sure that if we do just that, He will not leave us hanging there, He will welcome us with open arms.

Holier than Thou? [10/23/22]

Well folks, I’m afraid that today’s Gospel reminds me of another conversation that I had with my Dad (actually, with my Mom, too).  I can remember that when I got old enough to do so (whenever that was and whatever that means), I found myself making judgments about people in our parish congregation.  You see, a little bit of real and/or perceived knowledge in the hands of a self-righteous individual with a strong sense of right and wrong can be very dangerous-for others, yes; and for him or herself as well.  Much to my chagrin, I would be punished for saying things about people which were clearly (at least in my mind) known to be true.  Sometimes I would say things to my parents like, “Can you believe that Mr. and Mrs. So and So did this or said that the other day, but there they were in Church looking all holy and everything anyway?”.  That kind of talk certainly did not do well with them and I pretty much always paid the price for it.  But they also taught me a lot about, things like how it’s wrong to judge, and that I should only worry about keeping myself on the right path and not whether or not someone else was on the right path in my opinion. My Mom and Dad said things to me like, “Do you think those people are looking at us and saying the same things about us as you are saying about them?” and “Well, I guess that means that Church is only for the good people, and that bad people should not go to Church at all?”  After a while and after many questions and statements like that, I finally got the point that I was neither quite as righteous nor as smart as I thought I was.  Now, I know that it’s tempting for us to fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others, especially when we think that we are of a higher stature than someone else. But, please try to remember what Jesus said. He said, “You must be perfected as your Father is perfect.”  Therefore, the next time we feel a temptation to compare ourselves to someone else, let’s be sure that we don’t compare ourselves to other people, but to God.

Persistence, Persistence, Persistence [10/16/22]

There is at least one thing we can say for sure about the widow in today’s Gospel parable. She was persistent.  Of course, it is clear that through His parable He is teaching us that He wants us to persevere and persist in prayer. He does not want us ever to think that we are bothering Him. He wants us to resolve to never give up in bringing our prayers of petition to Him. In fact, and I know have said this before (just last week perhaps!) that the scriptures teach us that only fatal mistake that we can make in the spiritual life is to give up. I firmly believe that if we persevere in trying to live a life of faith according to the will of God, we will get to Heaven. That is the task before us and part of that task is being persistent in our prayer.  Jesus is also teaching us in this parable that He listens to our prayer, that He responds to them, and that He allows Himself to be changed by them.  This to me is a very important point because there are those who argue that our prayers do not change what God is going to do; they just change us. I do very much agree that we are changed by our prayers and that the more we pray sincerely, the more our minds and hearts are conformed to God’s holy will, but I do not believe it ends there. I believe that one of the points that Jesus is making in this parable is that if even the unjust judge in the parable allows himself to be changed by the persistent widow, how much more will a loving God allow himself to be changed by the prayers of His beloved children? Those who disagree with me will say something like, God is eternal, He knows all things, and He knows the future. Therefore, our prayer doesn’t change him; it only changes us.”  My response would be something like this, “Well then, how do you explain this parable? Is Jesus only kidding?  Further, while I cannot explain how or why an all knowing, omnipotent Lord could ever allow Himself to be changed, by mere humans, I also don’t understand why or Jesus allows a piece of bread to become Him, but I believe it.”  Therefore, my friends, pray without ceasing, and trust that our loving God, if it is best for our salvation, will allow Himself to be changed by the prayers we pray.