Sunday Reflection: Thirteenth Sunday - Speaking Jesus

Speaking Jesus

Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24; Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13; 2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15; Mark 5:21-43

I have a childhood friend whose father met his mother while stationed in South Korea. He lived in Korea until he was seven. In the Air Force, his father was sent all over the world, eventually retiring at England Air Force Base at Alexandria.

As a child all my friend knew was Korean. His family, friends, and even his father spoke Korean. His mind functioned in Korean.

Moving to the US, he was bullied, mocked, and ostracized. He looked, spoke, thought, and lived different than others. Teachers thought him slow, because it took a while to answer questions. They would ask a question: he would translate into Korean, think about it in Korean, translate his answer to English, and give it. He was seven

One day, a teacher asked him a question and he understood it, in English. The answer came to him, in English.  From that point on, his thoughts were English. He was an American. He was the same person on the outside, still the same face; but, changed on the inside, where his heart was, the way he thought. He was no longer homesick for Korea.

He said his “WHO” had changed.

Forty years later I understand that, it’s like the Gospel. Two people changed. Their “WHO” became Christian before there were Christians.  

First, what does it mean to be a Christian? Being a Christian means that you change on the inside—no longer controlled from the outside. It means your heart has been changed by the presence of God.  Christ is our Lord and Savior. We turn to him in our needs. Christ is the center of our faith.

The woman who had been bleeding for 12 years knew she had to find Jesus. She had heard the rumors. She knew the prophesy and the teachings. She had to touch his clothes. In an instant, she was changed. Changed from the inside, no longer controlled by the outside, no longer controlled by what people saw. The power that came from Jesus healed her and changed all that.

Jesus called her. She ran to him. She fell down before him and confessed. This is someone who believes Jesus Christ is their savior

Jarius, the synagogue official, left what he knew to find Jesus. He put all his faith in this rabbi that people were talking about. The one peopled whisper may be the messiah.

On the outside people saw Jarius the synagogue official who upheld the law of Moses. What they didn’t see was the change on the inside. The faith to know that Jesus was the messiah. It was all made evident in his pleading, “Please Come.”

“Please come” despite the disbelief of others. “Please come“ despite the ridicule. “Please come” even though others say there is nothing you can do. “Please come” words of faith prayed by someone who believes.

Two people came to this man Jesus, the one who overcomes suffering and death. This man is the messiah, the savior, the son of God. This man is Jesus Christ is our Lord and our God.

From the Book of Wisdom we read “God did not make death” and suffering. These came from “the envy of the devil.”  St. Paul says the relief from this envy, “...is by the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ…”

Too many of us still think in in ways that come from “… the envy of the devil.” Thoughts that can bring suffering and death. Maybe we can learn from my friend; better yet, learn from the two people in the Gospel. Stop trying to understand God in human thinking, think Jesus, speak Jesus Christ.

We need to change on the inside, where our hearts are, change so everything we think and speak is in Christ Jesus. Then we are really Christians. 

Sunday Reflection 12th Sunday Ordinary Time - Follow that Boat

Follow that Boat

Job 38:1, 8-11; Psalm 107:23-24, 25-26, 28-29, 30-31; 2 Corinthians 5:14-17; Mark 4:35-41

Such exciting readings; close your eyes you can see the storms and waves. God tells Job that it is He who controls the sea and waves. In the Psalm, sailors call on God to quiet the storm. And in Mark, the words of Jesus “Quiet, be still!” Close your eyes and see that God is in control.

But in the Gospel of Mark we hear, “Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him.”

In the storm, wind, and waves, people may forget this verse. It is not in any of the other Gospels, only in Mark. The Gospel that begins with Jesus’ baptism and immediately put Him in a storm; tempted by Satan.

In Jesus’ ministry, He was constantly under pressure. He was always surrounded by crowds; pressed by a mass of humanity seeking healing and threatened by mobs of those who feared him. He healed the sick, cast out demons, and defended himself to the Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and even his own disciples.

At this point in the Gospel, the crowd was so thick; the only avenue to escape was a boat. He gets in the boat, just as he was, exhausted. So exhausted, he falls asleep on the floor of a fishing boat. Maybe, if he was lucky, he had a smelly fishing net for a pillow. He was so exhausted he was sleeping through the storm.

And other boats were with him. Jesus didn’t dismiss the crowds; he just left and the crowds followed him; trying to be near to him even in the boats that followed him.

Jesus knew the storm with its winds and waves would not harm him, so he slept. The storm was a place of refuge. This storm was an escape from the crowded closeness of the ever-present multitude. The storm was a time of quiet away from the excitement that followed the calm that was Jesus.

We forget this verse, but it is an important part. It’s about the humanity of Jesus.  A weary Jesus is proof of his humanity. We can know he was truly human, because he grew tired and exhausted just like us. Jesus was a man who wept and rejoiced. He felt compassion and even outrage. He did all this because of his human body. It grew tired.

It is a verse that leads us to discover His divinity. God is in control. Only God could quiet the sea with a word. Only, God brings order out of chaos. Creation obeys the creator. From Genesis, the wind of God swept over the face of the waters and then came the Word.

Just like those in that boat, we face troubling storms. So, we pressed ourselves to Christ, crying out for His protection; expecting an immediate end to our troubles. Yet at the same time, we often don’t understand or threaten disbelief like the Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and even his own disciples.

Jesus said, “Why are you terrified?  Do you not yet have faith?” Jesus did not see chaos in the storm. God doesn’t see chaos, because God is with us.

Have faith.  Follow that boat. “Whoever is in Christ is a new creation.”

His Word to the storms and chaos in our lives, “Quiet, be still.”

Homily Reflection - 11th Sunday Ordinary Time - A People to People Thing

A People to People Thing

Ezekiel 17:22-24  Psalm 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 Mark 4:26-34

It’s amazing how God works to build his kingdom. God plants things in you to share and spread, that’s the source of this reflection.

The readings are about the kingdom of God. Ezekiel speaks of God planting a shoot on a mountain. A prophesy of how God’s chosen his people will stand tall and bear fruit for the whole world.

Jesus tells two parables. One is about scattering seeds. The second is about a mustard seed. These two parables Jesus explains are about the kingdom of God. Let me tell you a story about peace and building of the kingdom of God.

First, the mustard seed:

Fr. Philip Cascia was a small town parish priest at St. Anthony’s Parish, in Prospect, CT. (pop.  8000.) He was an advocate for the homeless.

On a trip to Washington DC to lobby for a bill that addressed the issue of homelessness, he had the opportunity to lunch with several Senators. During their mealtime conversation, Fr. Philip made a joking remark about the peace process, ''We'd do better bringing my Catholic high school wrestling team to Russia than if we tried to sneak in Bibles.”

The Senators held him to it and sent his wrestling team to Russia. Wrestling the best in Russia, they were beaten badly; but they accomplished more for peace than diplomacy had. President Ronald Reagan personally asked Fr. Philip to continue the program.

The mustard seed was planted. The seed became Intersport USA; an international exchange program with high school athletes promoting world peace.

Now, the story of the shoot that God planted:

One of Fr. Philip’s first trips was to Vietnam. Before the plane landed, it was intercepted by military jets and escorted to an air base. Soldiers took Fr. Philip to an interrogation room. They insulted and accused him of being a Vatican spy. The soldiers threaten the priest with the fierceness of the soon to arrive commander. When the Vietnamese commanding general arrived, a new verbal assault began. At the most intense moment, the commander stopped and ordered the guards to leave.

Alone with Fr. Philip, the general knelt and kissed the priest’s hand saying, "My mother always prayed that God send me a priest, no matter where I was. When I saw you get off the plane, I knew you were sent by God."

Fr. Philip heard the general's confession. The soldiers returned and the interrogation continued. In the end, the general allowed Fr. Philip to continue on his journey, and even re-fueled the plane.

God can take the small shoot, like the prayers of an unknown mother of a powerful Vietnamese Commanding General and set them on a mountain.  Like a towering mountain cedar, the general’s faith provided shade and protection.  

This mustard seed and shoot were important to each other, both working for the kingdom of God. Meeting this General allowed Fr. Philip to finish his trip. Intersport, USA touched the world.

This organization allowed the young priest to scatter seeds in all the places God sent him. He made over 130 international trips. He wasn’t a politician or a diplomat; he just scattered the seeds God gave. Seeds that sprouted and grew, yielding fruit.

This peace through sports organization represented the United States and reached out to the world. It was responsible for the first raising of an American flag by the Vietnamese government since before the war. Fr. Philip was the first American to receive a Diploma of Appreciation from the Soviet Union.

It was not just an outreach between countries. Fr. Philip was Christ and the Church touching the world. His relationships helped Pope John Paul II visit Cuba. He was in the room during the meeting between Mikhail Gorbachev and Pope John Paul II.

Fr. Philip once said the realization that “People are people, and this is a people-to-people thing” is what helps bring peace.

A priest in a small parish and unknown to most people, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for planting seeds. They were seeds of peace. They were seeds of the kingdom of God. Seeds that started as a joke but seeds that God made fruitful to grow his kingdom. Fr. Philip Cascia died at the age of 56. 

St. John writes in his 1^st letter “Whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith.”

By our faith and in God’s grace, we have the seed to grow the kingdom of heaven in us. We can plant and nourish it, or scatter it about. Our prayers will nourish the shoots of faith in us and in others. My brothers and sisters, we do all of this by living our faith.  

St. Paul writes “we walk by faith;” “are courageous;” “and we aspire to please God.” In these we share the life we live and the love of Christ.  We scatter the seeds of the kingdom of God; tiny seeds like Fr. Philip’s. Our prayers will nourish shoots of faith, like the Vietnamese mother’s prayers that bore fruit through her son the General.   

Bring peace and the love of Christ to those around us - It’s a people to people thing – the building of the kingdom of God.  

Christian Fiction - "Shortwave"

“Shortwave”

 @deaconbillgoss

Inspiration: John 11:51  (NABRE) “He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation”

  

The garbled shortwave broadcast said, “It is over. We hope for a miracle. If you believe in God, pray for us and the whole world.”

*****

The UN medical team had been fighting known pandemics threats (and ones the world never new about) for years. They always helped but not now. People were dying from an unknown.

The first victim on day one grew to victim 22 by day nine. The team came but couldn’t save anyone. Day 34, the village was dead. Day 36, the first team member died, despite protocol and protective clothing.  Day 37, the UN began extreme quarantine procedures.

No help came from governments or the UN. Medical supplies air dropped were no help. The UN Troops enforced quarantine lines by deadly force. Several team members’ lay where they were shot, their friends too sick to retrieve their bodies.

The team tried to contact loved ones; but, all communication was blocked. The outside world was ignorant of the pending world calamity. No reporters or internet or cell phones allowed. But, someone had found a shortwave radio stashed in an empty government building. Just like the one that was their father’s hobby.

A garbled message was broadcast over shortwave hoping someone would hear. Speaking for the team, the leader said weakly, “It is over. We hope for a miracle. If you believe in God, pray for us and the whole world.”

The shortwave radio message was spread by gossip and social media. Prayers were started In bedrooms and at kitchen tables, at churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques. All the dispersed children of God prayed.

*****

Calmly, He walked pass the guards and the quarantine zone. He smiled and spoke to the guards. No one challenged him or remembered what he said. All they knew was His peace. Peace was in His face, words, actions, and His entire being. No one asked any question.

He came with the rising sun at His back. Those who prayed were the first to run to Him. They fell at His feet.

“You believe. See the glory of God,” He said softly and then. “Come to me!”

They rose, alive. First the children came to Him; the innocent always die first. Then those of faith came: religious men and women in the same nursing habits in which they had been buried.  Mothers and fathers came. Those who were left, all that were alive, even those who had not believed came to Him.

His smile was love and hope. He smiled at their faith. He made a gesture, like a short wave. It was full of peace and then He was gone from among them.

Solemenity of Corpus Christi - Chew On It

Chew On It

Exodus 24:3-8; Psalm 116;  Hebrews 9:11-15;  Mark 14:12-16,22-26

I think of all my friends I see at mass, amazingly so different. All of them live in a different circumstance of their life. They come to mass because they believe in Christ.

So ask yourself, what do you believe? What gift did Jesus give to truly let us know him?  It’s something we can touch, something we can have faith in, something that will change us?

A lot of Christians and probably a lot of Catholic Christians would say the Bible. Yes, you can touch the Bible. You can have faith in the Gospel; and, it’s something that can definitely change us. The Bible is a gift from God; but, Jesus didn’t write the Bible.

The gift Jesus left us is the Eucharist; the precious gift of his Body and Blood.

The Eucharist is something you can touch, “He took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.

It is something we can have faith in, “This is my blood of the covenant, which was shed for many,”

It is something that can change us, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord; whoever, eats this bread will live forever.”

Jesus gave us the Eucharist as an outward and visible sign of God’s grace. It was given to us as a celebration in thanksgiving for God grace.

A lot of Christians will say I believe in the Bible, I believe in Jesus; but, it’s hard for me to believe the Eucharist is the true body and true blood of Christ.

It’s always been something hard to accept; this concept of the Body and Blood of Christ. “My flesh is true food my blood is true drink... When many of the disciples heard this, they found this teaching difficult to accept…. Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.” (John 6:55-66) This was the only time Jesus’ followers abandoned because of dogma.

The world is the same way today. We decide if we want to believe. We make a conscious decision to believe Jesus or not. We follow him or leave him. We don’t understand so we take another path. The mysteries of God are hard to understand but we are to trust in the Lord.

It’s easier to believe what the world tells us. It’s said 71% of former Catholics left the Catholic Church for another denomination saying their spiritual needs were not being met. Others left because the Church doesn’t fit their life style. Many want to map out life from a control room in our head, picking and choosing circumstance. Changing God to a god in an image they need.

 Jesus never changed. Jesus never condemns. He just asks us to believe.

I think of all my friends I see at mass, amazingly so different. All of them live in a different circumstance of their life. They come to mass because they believe in Christ.

Read the Bible, open your eyes and open your heart.  The Gospel converted thousands. It was the Good News of God spread by the apostles, disciples, and deacons in the story of Jesus. They told others about the promise of salvation found in his Body and Blood. They did what Jesus told them to do to prove their love. “If anyone loves me he will keep my word.” (John 14:23)  

On this Solemnity of the most holy Body and Blood of Christ remember the precious gift of the Eucharist left to us by Jesus Christ. It is the Good News of Jesus Christ. We can touch and even chew on it. It becomes part of us to change us and that is something we can have faith in.  

Celebrate the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ. “We will do as the Lord told us,” because we love him and keep his word.