Similar, Yet Different ( 10/25/15)

I know I have said and written this many times before but I continue to be amazed by what I continue to see and learn from Sacred Scripture even after so many years of prayer and study.  What strikes me this week is that I never noticed how similar today’s Gospel passage is to the one we heard last week.  I also never noticed that today’s passage follows immediately after last week’s passage in Mark’s Gospel.  While they are so different, they begin with very similar words from Jesus.  To both James and John last week and to the blind Bartimaeus this week, Jesus says, “What do you want me to do for you?” To me this means that if Jesus is going to ask both His apostles and a blind beggar what they want Him to do for them then certainly He will ask the same of us.  So, do we know what we want Jesus to do for us?  We should because He is indeed asking.  But there are differences between the two passages as well.  Basically, what we find is that Jesus is the same, but that those who approach Him (i.e. all of us) are very different.  His own apostles, when they approach Him say, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”  The blind Bartimaeus, in contrast, when he becomes aware that Jesus is near cries out, “Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me.”  Which of the two approaches would more closely represent that which we would, or rather we do, take with Him?  And how about when it comes to what it is that we ask of Jesus; is it more like the request of James and John (to sit on either side of Jesus in His Kingdom) or like that of the blind man (to ask Jesus for something that would help him to follow Jesus more closely)?  You see, I suppose it comes down to this: all the characters that Jesus meets are different, just like all of us and all the people we meet are unique but Jesus is always the same.  He always asks us what we want Him to do for us and then gives us exactly what we need.  Different stories.  Different people. Same Jesus.

The Game-Changer (10/17-10/18/15)

Well folks, I feel like I must continue with my message from last week for a couple of reasons, but especially because I feel like I left you hanging out there on a limb.   Actually, I know I left you hanging and I did so purposely. You might remember that last week we heard of the story of the Rich Young Man- the man who came up to Jesus to ask Him what he had to do to gain eternal life.  We are told that in response to the man’s question, Jesus looked at Him, loved Him and said “There is one thing that you lack. Go sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor. Then come and follow Me.”  At Jesus’ words the rich young man “went away sad for He had many possessions.”  So what about us, we who also have many possessions?  Of course it is true that probably the large majority of us would not describe ourselves as rich, and perhaps we are not by today’s standards, but I am not so sure where we are by Jesus’ standards. I do feel pretty confident, however, that Jesus would consider many of us to be rich who do not consider ourselves to be. So, is that it for us; is the “game over?”  I think the Apostles must have feared so. “Then who can be saved?” they asked. Is there something else that we can do; is there another course that the rich young man could have taken, another course that we can take?  I think there is, and I am calling it the “game-changer.”  There is something that we can do that will point us in the direction of Jesus and eternal life that will help us to become a better person, a better follower of Jesus and a better disciple.  First of all, we need to be honest with ourselves and admit that for many of us there is something that at least gets in the way between us and being a better disciple and that is money and possessions. It can become the scorecard, how we measure ourselves and others and we allow it to compete with God for our hearts. Changing this dynamic is the game-changer.  Money and wealth are indeed blessings from God, but that’s just it-they are from God.  What we tend to do is emphasize the gift, and forget about the Giver. I am convinced that there is much about discipleship and life that we will not get right until we get this right.  We begin to trust the gift more than the Giver.  God is the giver and we need to trust Him more than the gift.  The only way to do that is to become true givers ourselves. That is how we build up our trust in Him rather than becoming slaves to the gift. Of course the biblical answer is tithing-giving away 10% of our income to God and to the poor. The problem with tithing is that it even seems so unattainable for us, so like the rich young man we give up. But we don’t have to-and there is no reason for us to do so. We can begin by changing our philosophy around giving and tithing by practicing the “four P’s of giving.”  First we make sure that our giving is planned-we don’t just give to God and the poor randomly and haphazardly, we incorporate it into our budget.  Second, we make giving to God and the poor a priority- we make sure that giving comes first not after everything else. Third, we make our giving a percentage of our income; we need to start somewhere, anywhere, even if we start at 1/2% or one percent or 2%, as long as it is more than what we are giving now. We don’t have to start out at 10% but we need to start somewhere and then promise that our giving will be progressive (our fourth) step until we get there.  Moving in this direction can and will indeed change our lives. It will open our hearts to more authentic worship and will build our faith. It will serve as an investment toward eternal life-it will build up treasure in heaven and all the while it will help us to become the people God wants us to be. Jesus offers the rich young man and James and John the path to true greatness. I am convinced that this where we start.

He Walked Away Sad, For He Had Many Possessions (10/10 - 10/11/15)

And so we come upon him in today’s Gospel, the Rich Young Man. And we find that the rich young man is us.  He asks the question that we all ask: “What do I have to do to gain eternal life?”  Don’t we all want to have that opportunity, to ask Jesus straight up and point blank what do we have to do to get to Heaven, because of course, if we only had a clear straight answer, we would do whatever we had to do to assure ourselves a spot there. Or would we?  Do we really want to know what it will take for us to get to Heaven?   Did the rich young man really want to know?  Did he really want Jesus to answer his question? Or would he have been happier if he did not get such a straight answer from Jesus? You see a part of me wonders that maybe he really did not want an answer.  Maybe he wanted to stay in the realm of the intellectual exercise. Maybe deep down there was a fear that Jesus was going to say exactly what He eventually did say but at the same time could not believe that Jesus was going to ask him to sell all His possessions and give them to the poor. Yet he needed to know. He had everything else that he wanted, what did he have to do to “attain” eternal life?  So when he had the chance, he could not stand it any longer and asked the question.  And Jesus looked at him, loved him and answered his question.  But the rich young man went away sad for he had many possessions. Would he have been happier if he hadn’t asked, or if Jesus gave him an answer that would only prolong his line of questioning as he went away? But now he knows what he has to do-sell all his possessions and give them to the poor- but he cannot do that.  So what about us?  If we ask Jesus the question, Jesus would give us the same response. He would look at us, love us and tell us to sell our possessions. And we would probably walk away sad too. So what should we do?  Only we can decide. But if we are not ready to follow Jesus’ answer, then we’d better be ready to live our lives knowing that it is only the love and mercy of God that will get us into heaven and that we cannot attain it for ourselves.

Jesus and Marriage (10/3 - 10/4/15)

I do not mean to shock anyone by writing this but speaking about marriage and divorce is not on any short list-or long list for that matter-of my favorite things to do. And I believe my sentiment is rather typical of other priests as well. But Jesus taught about marriage and divorce and what He teaches is the truth and His truth sets us free. So here we go.  First of all we can be sure that if Jesus is teaching us about anything, it is aimed at our own good and our freedom.  In the case of divorce, Jesus was looking out for the well being of the women and mothers of His day.  Did you notice that at the end of this Gospel St. Mark tells us that “people were bringing children to Him that He might touch them?” Who do you think those people were? Bet your bottom dollar they were the children’s mothers.  Jesus, in His teaching against divorce was standing up for them. In His time a husband could cast aside His wife on a whim-for virtually no reason at all. Jesus was saying that this practice was wrong because the “two are to become one flesh.”  The love that exists between a husband and wife is meant to mirror the love that exists between Christ and His Church. Marriage is not a relationship that is meant to be easily cast aside. You might say “Get real, Father, look around you. It’s just not working out that way.”  It is true that some studies document that nearly half of all marriages will end up in divorce-but that doesn’t mean that it is supposed to be that way or that we or our children are better off because of it. Actually that is why we so much need to hear Christ’s teaching on this subject.  Also we should know that if a couple goes to Church together every Sunday, there is less than a 2% chance that they will be divorced and that if they study scripture and pray together that chance drops to less than one in 500.  God’s teaching works because His teaching is true. I will close with some words of advice from an unknown author for husbands and wives as they strive to live out the vows of their marriage to the fullest degree: "I will do more than belong, I will participate. I will do more than care, I will help. I will do more than believe, I will practice. I will do more than be fair, I will be kind. I will do more than be friendly, I will be a friend. I will do more than forgive, I will love."

ELDAD AND MEDAD WERE NOT IN THE TENT... (9/26-9/27/15)

They were not in the tent with the 70 who received the Spirit.  Yet, they received the Spirit.  “Stop them,” Joshua said.  “Why?” asked Moses.  “Would that all the people shared in the Spirit.” Some man was baptizing in the name of Jesus.  He was not one of the Twelve. “Stop him,” the Twelve said. “Why?” asked Jesus. “He is doing good work.”  We are graced to live in the age of the Spirit.  This wonderful time began when The Father and the Son sent the Spirit upon the world.  He is the Spirit of God; the action of God.  The Second Vatican Council taught that all who are open to God, who are following their consciences are themselves, in fact, members of the Church, saved by Jesus Christ.  Eldad and Medad were not in the tent.  But they were empowered by the Spirit.  Just as the Spirit empowers that husband who had been away from the Church for years, who mocked all things good and holy, but who, when he looked at his first born, said that he needed to change his life.  He returned and returns daily.  He continually asks forgiveness for the time he was away.  Now, he is leading his children to God.  The Spirit has given his life meaning and purpose.  Like Augustine he grieves, “Late have I loved thee.” And like Augustine he has learned that God never stopped loving him. Eldad and Medad may not be in the tent, but the Spirit still empowers them. Just as the Spirit empowers that woman who had two babies by two different men, and an abortion due to another man, and now, through bitter tears and daily repentance, has chosen God.  She works diligently caring for those who still tread the path of death she had been on.  The Spirit is present in the Church.  Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament.  But the Spirit is also present where we, foolish human beings with our feeble attempts to limit God’s power, least expect to find Him.  The men Eldad and Medad were also baptizing in Jesus’ name.  No one can harness the Spirit.  He is God, the action of Love that has been unleashed upon the world through the Gift of the Father and the Sacrifice of the Son.  We thank God today for the wonders of the Holy Spirit, in our lives, in St. Aloysius parish and in the world. 

I BELIEVE WE CAN FLY (PART I) - 9/19/15 - 9/20/15

To know me is to know that if there is not a song in my heart, there probably is something wrong with me. At a previous assignment, which did not go well for all kinds of reasons, people had gotten used to me breaking out into song at pretty much any time. But after a while I stopped-almost completely.  All kinds of people, even people I didn’t think ever noticed or even slightly amused by my outbursts, would ask me if I was ever going to sing again. Students would come up to me and begin to sing songs that they used to hear from me. I was touched, but it wasn’t quite enough.  Well, indeed, by the grace of God, and by the goodness of so many people who have come into my life since then such as you, the family of Saint Aloysius Parish and School there is pretty much always a song in my heart. Almost, anyway!  For the last several weeks and maybe even months, there is a song that I can’t get away from as I continually think and dream about our school and our parish. Ifyou look at my Pastor’s Corner you will see that I have entitled this talk, “I Believe We can Fly, Part I.”  It is inspired by the title and lyrics of the song “I Believe I Can Fly” by R-Kelly.  Yes, this is Part I and that does mean there is a Part II coming in the very near future. Today myself, and our principal, Mrs. Sarah Kerins will focus on our school and the launching of our 2015-16Annual Fund drive and in the very near future, I will focus on our parish as a whole.  Yes, it is true that what we will be talking about is challenging, and we will be depending very much on you, but remember as I have said before, when I pray to the Lord, I tell Him that I wantit all and I believe we should do the same thing. To do anything less is to limit what He can do. When we say to God that we want it all, meaning that we want all of His blessings, it means that we are submitting to His will and that we trust Him to work it out. Hopefully, as I am speaking to you today, that is the disposition that I am displaying.    Five years ago, St. Aloysius School was being carried along by a 30% subsidy from our parish’s operating budget. That same year, between June and September, our enrollment decreased by over 60 students. This year, our enrollment has increased by 17 over our replacement number from June, and we have welcomed 44 new students and 25 new families and have opened a second pre K 4 class room. One year ago after completion of the first ever Annual Fund campaign your generosity had brought our school to within 6% of effective sustainability, and now after receiving over $163,000.00 from you during our 2014-15 Annual Fund drive, we are within 4% of the goal of sustainability.  This year, our goal of $180,000.00 will bring us even closer.   Our school is virtually at the brink of being able to fly; and as the song says: “If I can see it, then I can do it.”  Folks I can see it; I need you to see it. Before we begin to doubt what we can do, know that because of the generosity of a private donor, we already have over $25,000.00 in our fund for this year. Additionally we have a promise that all new and increased gifts will be matched up to $25,000.00, so please, folks, not only see it, believe it. “If we believe it there really is nothing to it. You will be receiving our appeal letters this week. As you open them, please imagine our school soaring and remember the closing scene in today’s Gospel as described by St. Mark: “Taking a child, He placed it in their midst, and putting His arms around it, He said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”  We are and with God’s grace ever will be, Saint Aloysius.

Thank you everyone.

Upon this Rock I will Build My Ekklesia (9/12-9/13/15)

We have heard today’s Gospel story many, many times and indeed we have given much time, attention and reflection to the questions which Jesus presents to the disciples and to us:  “Who do people say that I am?” and then more pointedly, “Who do you say that I am?”  While doing so is indeed immensely important, we cannot deprive ourselves of the rest of this scene, because it is also of tremendous significance.  In this passage, Jesus does much more than ask questions which forces us to reflect on our eternity.  He prepares His disciples and us for a journey, a message and an announcement that has no end and is just as significant today as it was when He was with His disciples.  He led His disciples on a very long road trip to a very unlikely place to ask His questions, to make His announcement and to deliver His message. It was undoubtedly one of the longest journeys of His life and very probably farther than any of the disciples would have ever traveled on their own accord.  The place to which He brought them was Caesarea Philippi, which was dedicated to the god Pan.  To put it bluntly, the city was known for its wildly hedonistic rituals and was actually referred to as the Gates of Hell by people of its time. People of today might describe this ancient city as “Las Vegas on steroids.” Once Peter had correctly identified Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus was ready to make His announcement: “You are Peter and upon this rock, I will build my church.”   So there you have it, there is His announcement, the announcement for which He took His disciples on a seemingly endless journey to the brink of a den of iniquity to make. But there is more; much more.  Not only does Jesus say in plain words that He intends to build a church He used a word that had never been used to mean “church” before.  He used the Greek word “ekklesia,” which means “assembly” or “a gathering of people with a specific purpose.” When Jesus spoke of “church,” He was not referring to a building. He did not use the word “kirche,” which means a church building at all. He was speaking about an assembly of people who gather for the purpose of worship and ushering in the Kingdom of God.  So what about us, are we about being an assembly of worshipers or are we more focused on a building when we think of Church?  Now before we answer that question lets ponder a little bit. Do we like more structure, or less structure?  Are we neat freaks or are we ok with things being a little bit messy?  Do we want things to be routine and predictable or we good with things being unpredictable and spontaneous?  Are details a big thing for us or not so much?  Are we ready for a mission or do we prefer business as usual? Are we more concerned with pleasing and keeping our nice community that we have in our church building satisfied and content or with the fact that most people who should be part of our “ekklesia,” our assembly, aren’t even here? We need to consider these questions because I don’t think Jesus concerned Himself a whole lot with a well defined structure.  I think He was ok with things being a little bit messy. I don’t think He was all about the staid, the routine and the predictable; I think He was more spontaneous.  I don’t think He ever got trapped in small details, and I don’t think He would ever be satisfied unless His church was continually growing.  Upon this rock, upon these rocks, upon each of you, upon each of us, Jesus wants to build His assembly, His Kingdom, His church, His Ekklesia. Are we ok with that, or does it frighten us a bit?  Well, if it does, perhaps it should.  But, then again, as He did with His disciples, if we are willing to allow Him to use us as a foundation for His Church, He will literally lead us to the gates of Hell to show us that the gates of Hell will not prevail against us.  NBThe thoughts that I have shared in this week’sPastor’s Corner are largely a paraphrasing of pages 3-7 of Father Michael White’s book Tools for Rebuilding.

Ephphatha!

We are loved.  If there was any message that Jesus wanted His disciples, and us, to hear and understand, it is that we are loved.  We are loved by God.  We are loved by Jesus, the Eternal Image of the Father.  Jesus healed the deaf man not just as a sign of the coming of the Messiah, as it certainly is, but as a sign of the love that God has for each of us.  He heals us.  The healing may be physical or psychological, but it certainly is spiritual.  He sees beneath what the world has proclaimed as success, as prosperity.  For true prosperity is found in the account of the soul, not in the bank account.  But none of His healings are an ending-they are a beginning.  Jesus heals us not only as a sign of the Kingdom to come, not only as a demonstration of His love for us, but also because of His great love for everyone.  We are called to spread His love to others.  Ultimately that is what justice is-the spreading of God’s love from ourselves to the rest of the world.  If we do not spread God’s love we are practicing injustice.  So Saint James tells the early Christians and us that we need to treat each other for who each of us is, not for what we have.  We need to extend to others the dignity that is their God-given right.  It is how we extend the healing love of the Lord.  God sees the goodness of every person.  He sees His image and likeness in every person.  He also sees how that image can be clouded, hidden behind a door of pain.  And Jesus came and said, ‘Ephphatha, be opened!”  He heals because He loves.  He heals because He wants us to be the vehicles of His healing for others. As my mother would say His healing love for us is “not for nothin,” we need to do something useful with it.  If His love ends with us, then our story will have a very sad ending.  

TRUE RELIGION

People of God, we are called to focus our energies on others, not on ourselves.  This was the problem with the Scribes and Pharisees in today’s gospel.  They focused their energies on themselves as an expression of religion while they ignored the needs of those around them.  As a result they became spiritually arrogant hypocrites.  The word hypocrite takes its origin from the Greek words, hyper meaning beyond, and crisis meaning criticism.  The Scribes and Pharisees thought that they were so good that they were beyond criticism.  Their focus was on themselves and their exact literal following of the Jewish laws.  They did not have love in their hearts for others.  They disdained the everyday people as worthless rabble.  Their method of following God could not bear fruit because they were more concerned with themselves than with finding God in others.  It is pretty easy for us to fall into that same hole.  Sometimes we forget that conversion is a process, not a static event.  The beauty of our Catholic faith is that it is profoundly realistic.  It recognizes that we are human beings tempted to make bad as well as good choices and in continual need of having our path to the Lord refined and even restored.  We believe that the Lord established the sacrament of penance for forgiveness, because of our tendency to fall into sin.  The problem with the Pharisees is that they gradually established and practiced their own religion – a religion that came from themselves and not from God; a religion that allowed them to give themselves positions of righteousness and to disdain anyone who did not meet their standards of practice.  They forgot what true religion is.  And what is true religion?  True religion is this: looking after widows and orphans in their distress and keeping ourselves free from the temptations of the world, etc.  People of God, let’s be sure that we faithfully practice our religion, but let’s first be sure that our religion is true.  

Because Jesus Said...

It was one of those moments that I will never forget, although I admit I do not remember many of the particulars.  It was January of 1990, and myself and my third theology classmates were taking our comprehensive examinations.  They were something we had to get through on the way to our greatly hoped for diaconate ordinations the following May.  There was a written component and an oral component.  For the oral exam we were allowed to choose an area of concentration.  Not surprisingly most of the fellows chose their particular areas based on their interests and where they felt most comfortable and knowledgeable, or which professors who would be questioning for the particular fields.  On that basis a number of men refused to concentrate on the area of moral theology because the department chair, who would be the lead questioner, was very intimidating to us.  But me?  Well, I chose to go against the grain; I was young and brash and cocky.  I told everyone that this professor did not scare me and that I was going the way of moral theology and that was that.  However, when the moment finally came when it was time for the oral exams I found myself re-evaluating my thought process.  I had been sitting in the waiting area for two hours, my scheduled exam time had passed by an hour and a half ago, and three very distraught classmates had come out of the exam room, basically saying that their experiences had been “brutal”.  Of course, at this point I was wondering why I ever put myself in this situation but there was nothing I could do.  Finally the door opened, I went in and sat down, and answered the first question.  I guess I did okay because there was no follow up.  Then came the second question, which I cannot remember at all, but I do remember that I swallowed hard and tried to form an adequate answer.  I began by saying, “Because Jesus said…,” but I was immediately stopped by the intimidating professor who said, “Excellent! You are absolutely correct.  So much of Catholic moral teaching comes down to the fact that it comes from the words of Jesus Himself.  We do not need any more of an explanation than that.  Well done have a wonderful afternoon.”  I couldn’t believe what had just happened but I was in and out in less than 3 minutes!  I guess they needed to make up for lost time.  So I was spared the “brutal” experience of a number of my peers for whatever reason—and I learned a valuable lesson, the same lesson that the disciples were trying to learn in the Gospel today.  They were learning that Jesus Himself was the Bread of Life and if they ate of this bread they would never die.  And the reason they were supposed to believe this was because, “Jesus said…”  They did not need any further explanation and neither do we.

*Photo of Father Maloney circa 1991

Are We Wise or Will We Be Deceived??

Once again, I am afraid I do not know the source of the following story but I was reminded of it by today’s First Reading: One day while walking down the street a highly successful person was tragically hit by a bus and she died. Her soul arrived up in heaven where she was met at the Gates of Heaven by St. Peter himself.  “Welcome to Heaven.  What we are going to do is let you have a day in hell and a day in Heaven and then you choose where you want to go.” And with that He put the executive in an elevator and it went down to hell.  The doors opened and she found herself stepping out onto the putting green of a beautiful golf course.  In the distance was the clubhouse and standing in front of here were all her friends—fellow executives that she had worked with and they were all dressed in evening gowns and cheering for her.  They ran up and kissed her on both cheeks and they talked about old times.  They played an excellent round of golf and at night went to the clubhouse where she enjoyed an excellent steak and lobster dinner.  She met the Devil who was actually a really nice guy (kinda cute, as he always is) and she had a great time telling jokes and dancing.  She was having such a good time that before she knew it, it was time to leave.  Everybody shook her hand and waved goodbye as she got on the elevator.  The elevator went way, way up back to Heaven and she spent the next 24 hours there.  She lounged around on clouds playing the harp and singing.  She had a great time and before she knew it her 24 hours were up and St. Peter came and got her.  “So, now you must choose your eternity,” he said.  The woman paused for a second then replied, “Well, I never thought I’d say this, I mean, Heaven has been really great and all, but I think I had a better time in hell.” When the doors of the elevator opened she found herself standing in a desolate wasteland covered in garbage and filth.  She saw her friends were dressed in rags and were picking up the garbage and putting it in sacks.  The Devil came up to her and put his arm around her.  “I don’t understand,” stammered the woman, “yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and a clubhouse and we ate lobster and we danced and had a great time.  Now all that’s here is a wasteland of garbage and all my friends look miserable.” The Devil looked at her and smiled.  ‘Yesterday we were recruiting you, today...you’re staff.”  Wisdom is listening to whatever Jesus says, whether or not we can understand it and staying away from the Devil, no matter how attractive the spread he puts on for us might be.

Will We Ever Stop Complaining?

Jesus words to the Pharisees in today’s Gospel made me think of the following little reflection that I had come across some time ago.  To the best of my knowledge the author is unknown. “I woke up early today, excited over all I get to do before the clock strikes midnight.  I have responsibilities to fulfill today.  My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have.  Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.  Today I can feel sad that I don’t have more money or I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.  Today I can grumble about my health or I can rejoice that I am alive.  Today I can lament over all that my parents didn’t give me when I was growing up or I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born.  Today I can cry because the roses have thorns or I can celebrate that thorns have roses.  Today I can mourn my lack of friends or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships.  Today I can whine because I have to go to work or I can shout for joy because I have a job to do.  I can complain because I have to go to school or eagerly open my mind and fill it with rich new pieces of knowledge.  Today I can murmur dejectedly because I have housework to do or I can feel honored because the Lord has provided shelter for my mind, body and soul.  Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped.  And here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping.  What the day will be like is up to me.  I get to choose what kind of day I will have!” 

As I see it the bottom line is this: we will always have the opportunity to complain but we really never have anything to complain about.  Why? Because every day of our lives we can receive the bread that Jesus gives us, the bread that gives us eternal life.  As long as we continue to choose to complain, it has to mean that we just don’t get it. 

Bread for the Soul...Want Some?

Beginning, last week we have been taking a five week break from the Gospel of Mark and spending time in the Gospel of John on the teachings of Jesus we call the Bread of Life.  Last week we read about the feeding of the 5,000 and what it could mean to us today.  Today’s Gospel is a continuation of the loaves and fishes story we began last week.  Jesus has fed the crowd and amazed them by His miracles.  After that miracle and a day of teaching, Jesus and the apostles went away across the lake to get a little rest and privacy, but the people who had witnessed the miracle went searching for Him and found Him on the other side of the lake.  Instead of being angry with them, Jesus continues to teach them.  He tells them first that it wasn’t the signs and miracles that attracted them, as much as the fact they were being fed.  He says that they should be less interested in filling their bellies with food  that quickly disappears, and instead, look for spiritual food, Jesus replies that all they must do is believe in the person God has sent.  It is in this context that Jesus is the bread of life.  God has sent Jesus with all the spiritual food that a person will need, so that Jesus Himself can be seen to be that food.  They then ask Him for signs so that they can believe in Him-even though He had just fed the 5,000! Jesus refers to the manna that God gave to the Israelites through Moses as a comparison but goes on to say that through Him , God is not only giving them bread for their bodies but bread for their souls as well.  And this is where I think it might be good for us to pause.  We, like those people who chased Jesus across the lake because of His wonderful miracles, have followed Him to Church today.  But do we know why?  Is it for something that will last or something that will fade away?  Actually, Jesus will give us both, but He longs for us to long for that which is eternal. 

Are We Smarter than a Little Jewish Boy?

Sunday Readings here.

The hero of today's Gospel is a little Jewish boy. 

He proved himself not only to be smart enough to pack a lunch but also to be among the rarest of individuals. He was willing, after packing his lunch, to give it away.  However, in doing so he once again proved his intelligence because he gave it to Jesus.

You might say that he made a very shrewd investment. He went home with 12 baskets of leftovers after the huge crowd had had their fill.  Because he gave the little he had, we are talking about this miracle to this day.  Let us not forget of course that it was Jesus who mentions that this exhausted mob must be hungry, showing once again that He is interested not only in life after death but also life before death.  He looks towards His disciples to be problem solvers and that’s how this little fellow was found.

Jesus did not embarrass the little boy and his meager offering. He accepted his gifts with ceremony and gratitude. Can you imagine the look on the boy’s face as Jesus starts to share his food with the crowd, and especially as he saw that his lunch never ran out? Maybe Jesus held him up in His arms for the crowd to see. Somehow or other, I think there are some lessons to be learned here.

The next time you are asked for something you feel you cannot give, remember this Jewish boy and think again. Even if your gift is small, know that Christ will receive you and your gift with open arms and do amazing things with it. He will literally use it to feed the world.  But if we hoard the little that we have, we just might prevent Christ from performing one more amazing miracle.  If we find ourselves worrying about whether we have enough money perhaps we should remember this child, and ask ourselves if maybe our worry is a sign that we need to give more away and see what God might do with it. The psalmist says “a child will lead us,” but I leave you with this question, “Are you smarter than a little Jewish boy?”

- Rev. Joseph Maloney, Pastor 

Christian Leadership

Sunday Readings here. 

It seems to me that the readings for this weekend reflect on leadership and the fact that we human beings are very much in need of it.

We may not like to admit it, but if we are without leadership we will tend to pretty much flounder around like sheep without a shepherd. We have a great need to come together and to unite around someone who can articulate a unified vision or purpose.  The trouble is that not all visions, even though they may be passionately and clearly articulated, are good for us.  History is filled with examples of people flocking to leaders who are far less than perfect. So the question than becomes what are the qualities that we should look for in a leader. 

Of course, my answer is going to be that first and foremost we should look to Jesus and the type of leadership that He employed. We don’t have to look too closely before we easily conclude that Jesus is among the greatest leaders of all times, but was very different from Adolf Hitler, who is indeed also an example of a powerful leader.  Of course, Jesus is different than Hitler in many ways- perhaps primarily in his example of Christian Leadership. 

Christian leadership is different than any other kind of leadership. It is not based on power; it is based on invitation.  It does not feed off propaganda; it thrives on truth.  It does not oppress or place burdens on people; it sets them free and calls them to rest.  Christian leadership is based on truth, love, freedom, caring, and service.  The Christian leader puts people first, and is willing to sacrifice himself for them. Other leaders do exactly the opposite.  And the bottom line, and for me this is what it’s all about, is that Christian leadership is the most effective kind of leadership.  Don’t think so? Well then let me ask you two questions. Where is Adolf Hitler?  Where is Jesus?  The trouble is that Christian leadership is rarely ever practiced. And it is something to which we are all called by virtue of our Baptism and Confirmation. Yes. We are all called to be leaders. Christian leaders. So how about if we try it sometime?  Let’s live a life that is based on truth, freedom, service, love, and caring, and see what happens.

- Rev. Joseph Maloney, Pastor 

Evangelism Yesterday and Today

Sunday readings here.

If you ask me, evangelism today should be just like the evangelism that we hear about in today’s Gospel.

First, as followers of Christ, we need to understand that we are sent out. We can't simply sit comfortably in our pews, we are called to go work in the field. Second, we need to be humble. The disciples took nothing with them: no bread, no bags and no money. We need to leave our baggage behind and simply invite people to the banquet.  Third, we need to understand that evangelism is all about invitation, and not at all about coercion. Jesus says, "If people don't accept you, shake the dust off your feet and leave." He didn't say to stand and argue with them. He didn't say to condemn them to hell.  He told them to spread the Gospel, sow the seed, and let God do the rest.  Finally, we are to evangelize with compassion. We are not to threaten people with an eternity in hell, or look for reasons why they are bad people and back it up with selected biblical verses.  It is wrong to bash people over the heads with the scriptures and hope for conversion through osmosis. Rather, we are to kindly meet people where they are. We are to use only words that heal and never words that hurt. 

Still, even if we follow all these pointers, our efforts will fall short if we don’t fully understand who we are and what we are about when we set out to evangelize. Why do we come to church? Why do we call ourselves Catholic? Why do we believe that our faith is better than any other? Yes, we need to be evangelists; but we need to understand why we are here in the first place. That doesn't mean we have all the answers, but it does mean that we have better answers than, "Because I've always gone to church, etc." We need to know what draws us, what excites us, what comforts us. And when we know that, and when we truly live the faith in which we profess belief, then and only then, will we be ready to invite others to join us.

- Rev. Joseph Maloney, Pastor 

Keep the Faith

Sunday Readings here. 

There is a story told of a new preacher who came to town, who very quickly developed a reputation for being a very inspiring, enthusiastic preacher who shared his faith joyfully each week. Soon his Church was bulging with new worshipers. Many came back after lengthy absences, many who had never worshiped before were received into the Church, and some even came from other churches. 

There was something so real about his preaching. It was very lively and upbeat, and it was also very solid, authentic, and never watered down. He shared with his congregation that he had a dream of converting everyone in town, and then in the county, and then in the state and beyond. For a time it all seemed so possible. People even talked about the need for a new larger church building. But then, gradually, after a while, things changed.

People changed. Their practice of the faith changed; their beliefs changed. Many of them stopped going to church; after a while it seemed as though everything had changed; but there was something that had not, and that was the preacher. He did not change at all.

He continuously preached the same content in the same way with the same fervor and enthusiasm even though his congregation had now dwindled to just a handful of people. One of his helpers finally began to ask him, how he could keep it up, how he could still so enthusiastically preach about converting the world when there was hardly anyone left in his church.  For quite some time the preacher ignored the question, but one day he did respond.  He said that of course he noticed that his congregation had diminished almost to the point of nonexistence, and that some time ago, he began to realize that maybe he wasn’t going to convert the world.  He said, “Maybe it is true I will never convert the world, but I am going to continue to preach God’s message with the same fervor and the same zeal as ever. Just because I am not converting the world does not mean that I will ever let the world convert me.”

And he continued preaching in the same way until he died.  Some people who used to listen to him preach, out of respect did come to his funeral. They acknowledged that although they eventually went a different way, they never doubted that when they were in his church, that a prophet was among them. So what about us?  We are all called to be prophets, to be witnesses to the truths that come to us from God. Ultimately, we cannot control what other people do with the message we present to them with our lives. All we can do is to make sure that we keep the faith. Therein lies the victory.

- Rev. Joseph Maloney, Pastor 

Our Compassionate Savior

Sunday Readings here. 

There are two ways that we can consider today’s gospel reading.

We can and should look at these healings from the viewpoint of our own needs and those of our family and ask the Lord for healing. That is certainly valid. “Ask, and you shall receive,” the Lord said. We can ask the Lord and receive His care.

The second way we can and should also look on these healings from the viewpoint of the Lord. We are called to be followers of Christ. We are called to love as He loves. We are called to have compassion for the hurting. We are not called to judge the cause of their pain. We are called to care for them. And yet, sadly, some of us will say that a person’s condition is his or her own fault and then move on and away from them.

So many see the cause of the sickness and not the sick people. Do those sick due to their own sinfulness merit less care from us than other people? Of course not. At least, not if we are followers of Christ. Some people may now be sick, but have always been difficult. These are the relatives, neighbors or business associates we are required to see and to endure. And now they need our help. It is not easy putting up with their comments. It is easy to ignore them. Yes, they may be a pain, but they also may be in pain.

Jesus didn’t care if the woman had a situation which would have caused the temple priests to call Him defiled. He didn’t care if curing a person would get Him in trouble with the authorities if that cure was on the Sabbath. He didn’t care of He had to drop everything and rush to the bedside of what the world would see as an insignificant little girl, enduring mockery in the process.

So, what we have in our Gospel today is defiled lady, a dead child, and a Compassionate Savior. His care, love and healing were far more powerful than the prohibitions of Jewish law, far more powerful than the forces of nature, and far more powerful than the forces of death. Jesus is only concerned about those who hurt and who need His healing. How can we be any different and still call ourselves His followers?

- Rev. Joseph Maloney, Pastor 

Saint Aloysius…Pray for Us!

Sunday readings here. 
 
Alright folks, we have arrived at this most significant week; this most important week in our life as a parish- the week of the Feast day of our patron saint, Saint Aloysius himself.  

If you don’t mind my saying, I remember five short years ago, when I first arrived here at Saint Aloysius Parish, and I did just happen to move in on June 21 (which is Saint Aloysius’ feast day, and I do not believe in coincidences!), I instantly made up my mind that we were going to mark our parish feast day with a novena, with Forty Hours and a parish feast day celebration.

I am very happy to say that at the end of my fifth year, because of the tremendous support of all of you, we now have a wonderful, at least “mini tradition,” of celebrating our Feast Day with Forty Hours devotions and a parish festival. We begin today with our annual novena to Saint Aloysius. On Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon, June 20 and 21, we will be holding our parish Feast Day Food Festival in Begley Hall.  I humbly ask that you participate in our Festival. Please stop in and enjoy our ethnic cuisine or hamburgers/hotdogs etc.  

Also, our Forty Hours celebration will take place on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday evening, June 21-23 at 7 PM.  The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed after the morning Masses on Monday and Tuesday until the evening services at 7 PM. Please find time to come and adore the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and pray for our parish through the intercession of Saint Aloysius!  On Tuesday evening we will venerate the relic of Saint Aloysius and process down Hanover Street toward King Street with the relic, our Saint Aloysius statue and the Blessed Sacrament before returning to church for the closing Benediction. After the Benediction there will be a light reception in our Gathering Center.  

Our preacher this year will be Father Christopher Moriconi, who just celebrated the first anniversary of his ordination and who serves as parochial vicar at St. Eleanor’s Parish in Collegeville. Fr. Moriconi will preach at all the Masses, including the Vigil Mass next weekend. Every one, and especially our First Communicants, and Altar Servers (dressed in their communion attire, and their albs) are strongly encouraged to participate and walk in the procession. Of course, it promises to be a tremendous celebration of who we are….SAINT ALOYSIUS!  Do not miss it!

- Rev. Joseph Maloney, Pastor 
 

We Are Not Alone

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) 

Sunday readings here.

My guess is that many of us have found ourselves at one time or another in our lives facing very difficult circumstances, obstacles, or challenges. 

Maybe you are in the midst of one of those chapters in your lives right now.   Maybe you’ve felt like, or you feel right now that there is no way you can ever see yourself coming through whatever it is you were or are facing. Maybe during those times you have had people say something to you, something that you know was meant to be a word of consolation, but those words did not do much consoling. Maybe you have heard those words from close friends, family members or even from priests or religious, and maybe you’ve even said those words to others yourselves because you did not know what else to say. 

The words that I am talking about are certainly well intentioned, but they ring hollow, and they probably accomplish more for the one speaking them than they do for the one hearing them.  What are those words? “God does not give you anything that you can’t handle.”  A lot of us have heard those words, haven’t we?  Probably a lot of us have spoken those words as well.  I know that I have spoken them, as a priest to people who were in need of consolation, but not for many years now.

Why? Because my life experience has taught me that they are simply not true, or at least they are not completely accurate.  I have learned over and over again that God does indeed present me with challenges, with situations, with problems etc. etc. that I cannot handle by myself.  He does so all the time. And why does He do this? Well, I cannot say that I have the absolute answer to this question, but I will offer two of my best thoughts.

First, let’s honestly look at things in our lives that we have handled completely by ourselves. How did they turn out?  Did they turn out the way we wanted them to? More importantly, did they turn out the way God wanted them to?   Secondly, and I think this is an even better explanation, God wants to be our strength.  He wants us to come to Him always and especially in times of great pain, distress and confusion, because He knows that is what is best for us.

To make those words true we need to say something like this: God does indeed give us challenges that we cannot handle by ourselves, but we are never by ourselves.  He is always there, ready to walk with us side by side, hand in hand to share our pain and burdens with us and even to provide us with Himself as nourishment along the way. That’s what we celebrate today, on this Solemnity of Corpus Christi: that Jesus is always there for us, as close to us and essential to us as food and drink. “Take and eat, this is my body; take and drink, this is my blood which will be shed for many.”  He does indeed give us challenges that we cannot handle alone, but we are never alone.

-Rev. Joseph Maloney, Pastor