Be Not Afraid [12/22/19]

In today’s Gospel, the angel commands Joseph to “Be not afraid” to take Mary into his home as his wife because it was through the Holy Spirit that the child 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 be afraid as He was sending him to speak to Pharaoh on behalf of the enslaved Israelites.  He told Joshua to not be afraid to lead his people into the Promised Land. Throughout the Old 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.

Guadete Sunday-Fighting for Hope [12/15/19]

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.

The Christmas Present [12/25/19]

It was the evening of December 24, 1966. Christmas Eve. And it was snowing. Really hard. They called it a blizzard. It was the last time we had a truly white Christmas in these parts. You can look it up.

There was a six year old boy who spent most of the night either with his hands and face pressed against the window beside his top bunk bed anxiously hoping to see Santa and his sleigh flying through the wildly swirling snow flakes and running to the bedroom of his Mom and Dad with one concern after another.

His concern began a few days earlier when he realized that his home did not have a fireplace or a chimney. This fact did not usually present him with much of a problem, but all of a sudden it became very problematic two days before Christmas. Without a fireplace, without a chimney, how on earth was Santa going to get into the house and put all those wonderful toys under the Christmas tree?  He asked his father about this and good dad that he was, he had just the right answer. His father explained that on Christmas he would leave the above ground outside basement door unlocked so that Santa could come in through the basement and right up the stairs to the living room where the tree was located.  The little boy was greatly relieved. He even thought that Santa would like this method much better than trying to squeeze up and down a dirty old chimney.  His Dad had showed him earlier in the day on Christmas Eve that he had in fact unlocked the basement door which, was about at a thirty degree angle from the ground to the house and closed. He explained that Santa would know that it was unlocked from previous years. Everything seemed to be in place. Soon it was time for him and his five brothers and sisters to go to bed.

But, it was snowing.  And it was Christmas Eve. And Santa was coming! And everyone else was soon asleep. And this little fellow from his window by his bed could see that basement door! He thought sure that if he could only stay awake; he would see Santa and the reindeer and be able to actually watch him come into. Sleep for him was not something that was going to happen any time soon. Or for his Mom and Dad either, for that matter.

Then it occurred to him.  The basement door was unlocked. Any body could get into the house. Robbers could get in. They could steal the toys. His toys!  That was the occasion of his first trip to his parents’ room. His mother calmed his fears very quickly. She explained that it was snowing too hard. It was would be too difficult for anyone to get around that night. There was no need to worry about robbers that night. It made good sense to the young man. He went back to his room, climbed to his top bunk and re-pressed his face to the window pane.

He was peaceful for a while. It was snowing too hard for robbers.  They could never get around in that kind of weather. No one could. But soon it occurred to him that it might be too hard for Santa and his reindeer to fly in this kind of weather as well.  What if Santa could not make it this year? Every one had been saying that they could not remember a storm like this around here, especially on Christmas Eve. It was now time for his second trip to see Mom and Dad.

Again, Mom was able to bring him some peace.  She told him that Santa was used to weather like that. It was always snowing really hard at the North Pole. In fact he probably liked it better that way. That seemed to make sense to him, so back he went to the window pane.

He was sure that Santa would be there soon. But as he looked down at that basement door, he became filled with worry again.  The snow was piling up very quickly on top of the door. He could barely even see it He thought that if Santa did not get there soon he would not be able to open it up because it would be too heavy. Somebody had to do something. Fast.

He ran back again to his Mom and Dad. They assured him that everything would be alright, if he would just go to sleep. They sent him back to his room.

This time he went back to his post on his top bunk in a very concerned state of mind. But he kept his nose pressed to the glass and, before too long, he saw something that he would never forget.  No, it was not Santa Claus. It was not a sleigh. It was not reindeer that he saw. What he did see was his father who had donned his winter gear and was now shoveling the snow off of that basement door so that Santa could get in. His dad looked up at him and waved. Then he opened the door so that his son could see that everything was going to in order for Santa’s arrival.

The next thing I remember is that it was Christmas morning and I was under the tree with all of my brothers and sisters surrounded by Christmas presents. But I don’t remember anything that Santa brought me that night. And if the truth be told, I would be hard pressed to give an accounting of any gift that Santa ever brought me over the years. I do, however, very much remember the gift that my Mom and Dad gave me that night.  (I kind of think that my Mom might have suggested to my Dad that he clear the snow off that basement door.)

To me, this story is as simple as it gets and it is transcendent; it is not limited by time or space. As we make our final preparations for Christmas, let’s make sure that we give our loved ones true gifts. Gifts that they will always remember. Gifts that truly show how much we care.  Remember, it is your loving and caring present that is the most wonderful present. Merry Christmas to all!!

~Father Maloney

Enter the Baptist [12/08/19]

A story is told of a soldier who asked a monk, "Teach me the difference between heaven and hell." The monk said, "You are an obvious coward, not a warrior. Furthermore, I believe you do not know how to use that gun." The soldier was so enraged that he drew his revolver from his holster to shoot the monk. As he prepared to squeeze the trigger, the monk said calmly, "That's hell." The abashed soldier immediately came to his senses and placed his gun back in its holster. And the monk said quietly, "That's heaven." In seventeen days we will celebrate the feast when heaven came to earth as a Child. As a fitting preparation for Christmas maybe each one of us could try in our own way to reproduce heaven on earth in the here and now? Why do we need to wait for Christmas day itself? In today’s Gospel, Matthew tells us John appeared in the desert of Judea preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sins. We like to think that the Baptizer was speaking to hardened sinners. But, actually, he was doing nothing of the sort. The record shows he was preaching not to criminals but to the Pharisees, Scribes, and Publicans. These were, as we like to say, good church-going folk. What he was doing was taking people just like us to task. Basically, although it might be hard for us to imagine, when John speaks about the “brood of vipers” we are on his “vipers list.” John, who is our decidedly unamused mentor this season, commands, "...prove your repentance by the fruit it bears." So what can we do to get off the list? Make friends with someone you're at odds with.  Go to confession. Pick up the phone and talk to somebody you haven't talked to in months or years. Be the first to hold out the hand of reconciliation even though it might get slapped or rejected. Don't turn your head at shady dealings. Be willing to put some of your possessions on the line. Tithe, not out of your excess, but out of your substance. Add up your Christmas spending bills that you chalked up for presents and then slice off 10 percent and give it to the poor. Give evidence that you mean to repent." Great opportunities to help others seldom come but small ones surround us every day. It takes only a minute to be kind, but the prophet reminds us the end result can remain forever and a day.  This Advent let’s put a big smile on the face of John the Baptist and those around us. He sounds as though he just might need it.

Happy Advent Everyone [12/01/19]

When I was about 6 years old my Mom and Dad traveled to Connecticut for the wedding 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 [11/24/19]

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 any thing 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 [11/17/19]

“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 year. 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 is 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 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 even those we cannot.  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” [11/10/19]

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 [11/03/19]

Out on a Limb

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 ? [10/27/19]

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 in 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 [10/20/19]

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 the 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 how 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.

Do We Realize His Gifts? [10/13/19]

In our Gospel reading today Luke tells us of the ten lepers who were cleansed by Jesus, but he describes only one of them as “realizing” that he was healed; the one, of course, who returned to Jesus to thank Him.  We might ask how is it possible for someone who is healed of leprosy not to know that they were healed, but it seems to me that Luke is saying that the other nine failed to do just that. And why does he characterize them that way?  Because they failed to say “thank you!”  Now, I’m not sure about you, but this truly gives me a reason to pause. Luke is pretty much saying that if the other nine realized that they had been healed that they would have also rushed to thank Jesus as a pretty much automatic response. Jesus takes us even a bit further. He says “Were not all ten made whole? Where are the other nine?” It sounds to me as if He is actually wondering if the others were healed at all. Before we go any further let’s consider that, in fact, it is quite possible, even most likely that there is an abundance of gifts that the Lord has sent us of which we are absolutely unaware. But then, that leads me to the next question-if we are unaware of a gift, if we do not realize that it has been given to us, have we received it at all? If Jesus heals us but we are not aware of the healing, are we truly healed? And how can we determine if we truly are aware of and have fully received a gift, a blessing or a healing? I would daresay the best way to make this judgment is whether or not we, like the one leper, run to the Lord in thanksgiving. No other response makes any sense. If we are not constantly giving thanks to the Lord for the many blessings that He continually bestows upon us, we can rest assured that there are many, many gifts that He has sent our way that we have not fully realized and therefore not fully received. Let us ask the Lord to help us to fully realize the many gifts that He constantly sends our way so that we might offer Him fitting glory, praise and thanks.

Lesson of Lazarus [9/29/19]

The Lesson of Lazarus

Largely because of my father, from whom I learned many lessons, I eventually learned what I call the “Lesson of Lazarus.”  It came about pretty much when I was in sixth or seventh grade.  At that time my school work came rather easily for me and I rarely had to study or ever had difficulty with my homework.  However, one of my younger brothers was not so lucky.  Studies did not come easily for him and he very often pleaded with me for help with his homework.  Sadly, I almost never willingly gave him help, and if I did help him it was pretty much because my dad intervened and forced me to do so. On one of those nights we were in his room and it was quite loud. He was very upset that I was once again refusing to help him and I was very emphatically letting him know that I had better things to do with my time than to assist him. At that rather untimely moment my father stepped into the room.  To me he said “Boy, get to your room!” and to my brother he said, “Come with me.”  I quickly scurried to my room but soon realized, because the back stairway was very close to my door, that my father and my brother had gone to the kitchen downstairs.  They were down there for a while and eventually I heard my brother laughing!  This made me a bit distraught so I went down the steps to see what was going on and when I got into the kitchen I could not believe my eyes.  My brother and father were sharing a bowl of ice cream!  I was shocked. I blurted out words to the effect that this was not fair, that really my brother was the one who caused the trouble and that I had not done any thing wrong.  Well now I’d thought that I’d really done myself in and that I was going to get it.  But my father simply told me to sit down and said, “Sooner or later you are going to have to realize that life is not so much about the bad things that you didn’t do; it’s about the good things you did do.  Now back to bed and have a good night.”  To me, that is the “Lesson of Lazarus.”  We need to realize that in this parable, the rich man was not condemned for anything he did that was wrong.  He did nothing to Lazarus.  Actually that was the problem. He did nothing for Lazarus either. He ignored him completely and this was the reason for his eternal punishment.  Lazarus teaches us that at the time of our judgment, the Lord is going to be at least as much concerned about the good we did not do than the wrong we did do.

On the Outside, Looking In [9/15/19]

Notice what Jesus does in today’s Gospel. In response to the grumbling of the Pharisees and scribes, He tells the parables the Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, and Lost Son (aka the Prodigal Son).  And what were they grumbling about?  Well, they were upset that Jesus was welcoming sinners and eating with them.  (I guess that in those days all the tax collectors and sinners wore some kind of identifying insignia, since it seems as though everyone knew who they were.)  Any way, Jesus initially compares the “tax collectors sinners” to sheep and coins which are found after a period of time of being lost.  He says that just after a lost sheep is found, the shepherd rejoices, and just after someone finds money that was lost he/she rejoices as well.  He says basically that He is like the one who has found the lost sheep or the lost coin. He simply must rejoice; tax collectors and sinners are returning to Him. Many who once were lost are now found.  But then He turns up the heat significantly with the story of the Lost Son.  Here, He basically tells the Pharisees and scribes (and remember the Pharisees and scribes are us!) that not only is He going to rejoice in the returning home of lost sinners as the father in this parable rejoices once the prodigal son returned home, He tells them that they will condemn themselves if they don’t join in the celebration as well.  Please pay close attention to the conversation between the father and the elder son at the close of the parable.   The father basically says that both he (who represents the scribes, Pharisees and us) and his brother (who represents the tax collectors and sinners), are his beloved sons. He also implies that they have both sinned; they both have rejected His love. (How do you think the Pharisees and scribes liked to hear that?) Finally, He says that they both are invited to join him at the banquet. At the end of the story older brother, like the Pharisees, the scribes, and us, have a decision to make. Is he going to acknowledge that he, like his brother, is also sinful and in need of his father’s mercy and join the banquet or not? And what are we going to do? Are we going to do what we need to do to join the eternal banquet, or are we going to find ourselves as did the older brother at the end of the story-on the outside, looking in?

Costly Discipleship [9/08/19]

So you want to be a disciple, do you? Wonderful!  So you want to follow Jesus, wherever He goes, wherever He may lead you? Well isn’t that special!  At this point I will ask you to pardon my tinge of sarcasm, but I do think that while it is wonderful that probably all of us have a desire to follow Jesus, I do wonder how many of us have actually sat down and thought about just how costly being a disciple actually is.  As we are, perhaps somewhat sadly, just getting past vacation season we know that even going on a short vacation takes a good deal of planning, and effort and also costs a fair amount of money. In the Gospel today, Jesus is telling us that our desire to be a disciple must be much more than a whimsical desire to let Jesus know that we affirm Him.  Jesus is telling us that discipleship is something that involves real costs, real planning and real skin in the game.

He lets us know that He is quite demanding. The disciple must put Jesus first, even before family. The disciple must pick up his/her cross and follow Jesus straight to Jerusalem. Remember, Jerusalem? That’s the place where prophets go to die.  The disciple must be able to renounce his/her worldly possessions and put them to the service of Jesus and His Kingdom. Of course, that means that before any one proclaims that he/ she truly wants to be a disciple, he/she must first sit down and determine what the costs are, because they are real. He is not trying to chase us away or dissuade us, but He doesn’t sugarcoat it and pretend that discipleship is something that it is not. More than anything Jesus wants us to follow Him to and past the Cross to the resurrection, but we will never be able to accuse Him of false advertising. So, do you still want to be a disciple? Wonderful!

Conduct Your Affairs with Humility [9-01-19]

This command, which is given to us by the author of the book of Sirach, truly and succinctly sums up the message of today’s readings.  Therefore, it is good for us to reflect what humility is, what it is not, and how it calls us to live.  Obviously, the virtue of humility calls us to make sure that we do not do anything that cultivates within ourselves an attitude or even a pattern of behavior that somehow we are better or superior to any one. We need to be careful here, because we may have a tendency to conclude rather hastily that we indeed are not displaying any kind of arrogance or condescension. I say this because one of the few indisputable facts that I believe I have correctly discerned in my fifty-six years of life is that we human beings seem to have an amazing ability (no matter what we tell ourselves) to compare ourselves favorably with others, especially in the sphere of morality.  (How is that for modeling humility?)  Neither, however, does humility mean that we should see ourselves as lesser than others. That is another pitfall into which we can fall. We are all equal in the eyes of God. Of course, practicing humility means that we do not brag about any talents or special abilities that we might have, it means that we understand that they are gifts from God.  On the other hand humility does not mean that we display a false modesty or that we deny the gifts that God has given us.  Humility demands that we recognize all that we have for what they are-gifts from God to be used for the benefit of His Kingdom. Whatever gifts we have-and we all have gifts; (no one is off the hook!)-are to be recognized acknowledged and developed by us and generously used for the betterment of others. Humility is responsible stewardship. We are not to boast about our gifts or hide them under a bushel basket. Humility is the ability to see the world and everyone and everything in it as God does -with complete and utter clarity- and then to conduct our affairs accordingly.

Fire and Ice (8/14/19)

I am sure that a good number of us might find ourselves a little bit unsettled by Jesus’ rather strong language in the Gospel this Sunday.  Many of us probably would not be expecting Jesus to say that He has come to set the earth on fire or that He was coming to establish division rather than peace, but that is exactly what He says today.  On the other hand we probably simply expect Him to be full of mercy and love and forgiveness, and certainly He is just that. We have become so very accustomed to the stories of His miracles and His many mighty deeds as well as His teachings, His parables, and His proclamation of the Good News, that the language of today’s Gospel may be a bit startling. But, then again, that is perfectly Ok if His word does jolt us a bit because that is exactly what it is supposed to do. Today’s Gospel reminds us that Jesus did not come into the world because everything was just fine with the world, but precisely because every thing was not. If everything was the way it was supposed to be, there would have been no need for Him to come into the world at all. He came into the world to change it, to make things right and to confront and challenge what was not right with it. Of course, whenever the status quo is challenged, there is discord. Let’s face it, we do not like change. We can tend to lull ourselves into thinking that Jesus never did intend to bring anything like fire or brimstone because He was just an all around “nice” guy. But that kind of understanding of Jesus would not be correct. Not that there is anything wrong with being nice-being nice can be a nice thing to be. But, if all we are is “nice” in the face of sin and injustice, I don’t think we will do as well as we would like on Judgment Day.  Sometimes we have to confront evil; sometimes we have to breakout of our own comfort zones and disturb the comfort of others. And sometimes, Jesus’ words and teachings will be at odds with our own practice and put us in opposition to others, perhaps even our own family members, etc.  There is no Beatitude that says “Blessed are the nice.” While we should always approach life with a pleasant disposition, we cannot be “nice” no matter what. Like, Jesus, every now and then, we likely will have to set a fire on the Earth for the sake of the kingdom.

Vanity of Vanities or Hakuna Matata? [8-04-19]

This might seem a little strange to some of you but the readings for today make me think of Disney’s movie, “The Lion King.”   There is a particular scene in the original production that has always been a point of reflection for me ever since I first saw it.  I will try to recreate it for you, and hopefully a good number of you will remember it.  I’m sure you will remember in the movie when young Simba has to flee the kingdom of his father and run for his life into the jungle.  Eventually he meets up with his soon-to-be new friends, Timone and Pumbaa, and at least for a while has a rollicking good time.  He was almost able to forget about his father’s death and the terrible evil forces that were controlling his homeland. Almost; but not quite. Right in the middle of his time of “Hakuna Matata,” the messenger from his father’s Kingdom, (Zazu, I believe) finds him and tells him how bad things have become and calls him to come back and fulfill his rightful role as the Lion King. At this point we have the scene of the nearly full grown Simba  looking into the oasis, and seeing his father’s face as his own reflection.  Simba realizes in this solemn moment that as much as he would love to stay and continue to enjoy the “good life” with his fun-loving friends, the only real life for him was to fulfill the mission for which he was born. In fact the “good life” was not really life at all but only an illusion-like the illusion spoken about in today’s first reading and by Jesus in the Gospel about the folly of spending so much time building up treasure for oneself on earth only to come to life’s end without ever being able to use it. We need to try to make sure that we are not living by such foolish values, especially because it is so easy for us today to get caught up in the illusion of living the good life. Ironically it is the one who spends himself hoarding earthly treasure who ends up with nothing. By the same token the only way that we can be sure that we can keep all that we have been blessed with on earth through all eternity is to give it away before it’s too late.

Thy Will be Done [7-28-19]

Many things about my father (may he rest in peace) used to drive me absolutely crazy.  One of those things was the way he prayed and forced us to pray.  Every night during May and October he would drag all 11 of us into the living room to pray the rosary, without ever really giving us a reason why.  It’s amazing how many of us would be asleep by the time we were finished.  And many, many times throughout the year he would force us to come together to pray for things that he thought we needed, but what really got the best of me was the way he would always begin the prayer. He would always start out by saying, “Lord, if it be Your will, we ask that …,”and finish by saying, “…please give us what we need to accomplish your will.”  To me that just did not make any sense.  Isn’t the whole point of prayer to ask God for what we want and need and not what He wants?  Why would we ask Him for His will to be done? Usually I didn’t say anything because I was a little bit afraid of him, but his manner of prayer did cause me to stew in frustration. Then one day during the summer when I was about 12 years old I had enough and I had to say something. He had called us together to pray for our crops (we were farmers).  He prayed as follows, “Lord, if it be your will, could you provide us with rain so that our corn might grow and sun so that our freshly cut hay might be dry for baling?”  To me just that did not make any sense. He was asking for sun and rain at the same time for adjoining fields. I got my nerve up and said, “Dad that does not make any sense! You asked for it to rain and to be sunny at the very same time!”  In response he said something that I will never forget. He said, “But son, that is exactly what we need. We need rain for the corn and sun for the hay.  What would you have asked for?”  At that moment and to this day, I have no response and have learned a great lesson from his wisdom. And you know what else?  When we pray the Our Father, we are basically praying in the same way that my father always prayed. We are praying that God’s will may be done and that we may have what we need to accomplish His will. My father was right again. It’s still enough to drive me crazy…sometimes!

Do We Ever Really Listen? To Any One? [7/21/19]

Jesus said to Martha, “Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her.”  I am sure we can all relate to how Martha must have felt as she saw Mary relaxing with Jesus. We might think, at first glance, that Jesus’ response demonstrated a lack of appreciation for Martha’s legitimate efforts, but it would be good for us to look at this situation from Jesus’ perspective.  Martha indeed was presenting him with a wonderful gift in preparing his meal for Him, but Mary was also presenting him with a wonderful gift. She was listening to Him. Martha could have chosen to sit with Him and listen to Him as well, but she did not, and although Jesus was grateful to her, He was also grateful for the choice that Mary had made.  Imagine how Jesus must have felt after speaking to so many people so much of the time. He must have often wondered if any one ever really listened to Him or if any one ever truly understood what He was saying.  How often does it feel like, although we have to talk to a lot of people, we have truly been listened to?  And how do we feel when we have actually had the experience of truly being listened to?  I think that we would pretty much all agree that the experience of being listened to is one of the most positive experiences that any one can ever have.  And so, here was Mary, listening to Jesus.  Of course, Jesus was not going to deny her of this opportunity. Nor was he going to deny Himself of the gift she was giving to Him. He probably needed to be listened to as much as he needed to have nourishment-and so do we, and so do the people we love, and the people who are around us.  Jesus needed someone to listen to Him, He needed Mary to listen to Him, He needs us to listen to Him and we need to listen to Him.  That is one of the main lessons of today’s Gospel: to listen to another human being is no small matter; it is a command of Jesus. To listen is to give a rare gift, to listen is to validate, to listen is to show someone that they matter, to listen is to show that we care, to listen is to heal, to listen is to love. 

In Christ,

Fr. Joseph L. Maloney