Simply Throw Open Your Arms - 31st Sunday OT - C

Simply Throw Open Your Arms 

31^st Sunday OT- C

We should look at our faith with simplicity. I think the story of Zacchaeus is a good one to bring to simple terms. It becomes simple if you know the name Zacchaeus comes from the word that means “clean, pure, and innocent.” So look at the story again:

There was clean, pure, and innocent man in Jericho, who happened to be the chief tax collector and a wealthy man, and he was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way.

Jesus looked up and said, “Clean, pure and innocent man come down quickly, I must stay at your house.”

And he came down quickly and received him with joy.

The crowd grumbled, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.”

The clean, pure and innocent man stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.”

And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house….For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.

No one told Jesus who Zacchaeus was. There was no formal introduction. Jesus saw him and knew him as Zacchaeus, the clean, pure, and innocent man. He didn’t see a tax collector or a sinner; but, instead he saw the person God created and said was good. Jesus said I must come to your house. This was an act of love.

The clean, pure and innocent man received him with joy. In my mind’s eye, I see Zacchaeus throwing open his arms wide and welcoming Jesus into his life. You spare all things, because they are yours, O LORD. I see tears of joy brought by the love and forgiveness Jesus brings to Zacchaeus.

Be like Zacchaeus and seek Jesus. We have to rise above the world around us. Remember that God forgives us. This overcomes everything that is keeping us from God. Throw open your arms and receive Jesus with joy.

People find this hard. People see only sinners. In our simplicity too many think that if God is so great then we don’t matter. To God the whole universe is nothing more than a grain of sand or a drop of morning dew.

Simply, God is so great and so good that we do matter. He has mercy on all, because God can do all things; even overlook people's sins that they may repent.

Simply, as the Catechism teaches: God …, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength.  (CCC 1) The clean, pure and innocent person is seeking to see who Jesus was.

Simply, through baptism, we are born again as clean, pure and innocent children of God so that our God may make us worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him.

Simply throw open your arms and receive him with joy.

Y’all be good, y’all be holy and preach the gospel by the way you live and love. Amen.

Blue Marks - Reflection Healing Service - October 2016

Blue Marks (1 Peter 5: 5-7)

A three year old was spending time with her grandmother when the grandmother discovered the child drawing lines all over her legs with a blue marker.

The grandmother asked “Why are you doing that? Why are you putting blue lines all over your legs?”

The granddaughter answered “Grandmother, I want to have pretty legs like you.”

After that, the grandmother then looked at her varicose veins differently and through the eyes of someone who loved her. (Readers Digest (9/2016)

We are told to clothe ourselves in humility. Most people will try to hide their imperfections. Varicose veins are hidden by pants or something to cover them.

Most people are humbled by their imperfections, illnesses, financial problems, family conflicts, emotional issues, or whatever crisis they face. These marks on our life bring us back from arrogance. Trouble punches a hole in the bubble of pride; no matter how much we try to be in control, we are not in control.

In bad times is when people find their knees. They become humble. They bow humbly before God, turning to Him in prayer. Scripture tells us God shows kindness to those of us who are humble.

Through our prayers, God will lift us up.

God’s will is done: when we pray humbly, when we pray faithfully, and when we pray with expectation. He answers our prayers.

How do we pray like this? Remember the tax collector’s prayer “God have mercy on me a sinner.” Today there is a little different version of this prayer. It is the Jesus prayer. It is a prayer of humility. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”

What are your blue marks? Look at them with the eyes of the one who loves you. Then in humble prayer, “Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you.”  

God have mercy on me, on all of us. Amen

Inhale & Exhale Reflection 30th Sunday OT

Inhale and Exhale

30^th Sunday OT C

I am going to paraphrase a quote from St. Elizabeth of the Trinity.  

As long as my will desires different from the divine will …;

I do not walk in love with giant strides. I am not pure. I am still seeking myself.

Until I reflected on these thoughts of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity maybe I didn’t completely get it. She spoke of a walk in love with giant strides. St. Paul calls it running the race.

Paul running the race with all that was against him. Paul’s race was against those who persecuted him and fought against him – the pagans, the false prophets and teachers. Many times he was alone, no one to stand with him, support him, or defend him.

Paul, I don’t think, met another person who challenged his faith in Christ or who could defeat his theology. His only challenge was his own self, realized in the darkness that tries to take over thoughts and minds.

Paul stood alone. A person alone runs the greatest race; the race against self, sins, and doubt. Paul was battling what he called a thorn in his side; yet, Paul kept the faith. The reason “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength…” Paul’s race was to completely surrender to the divine will of the Lord.

If our life and faith is a race, then our prayers are our breathing; with these thoughts I looked to Jesus’ parable on prayer.

If it is a race we are running, our prayers are the breathing The Pharisee’s prayers were all inhale. Look at me, look at me, and look at me. I am better than others. I fast twice a week. I pay tithes. He inhaled a boastful prayer of his own ego, all about him, and pulling everything to himself. It was about him. It was a prayer full of I, I, and I. He never exhaled. There was no humility in his prayer.

If it is a race we are running, our prayers are the breathing. The tax collector’s prayer was a a full breath needed to sustain a life. It was a prayer that both exhaled and inhaled. He exhaled his sins, “God have mercy on me a sinner,” and he inhaled God’s mercy. His prayer was not something he did; it was all of him like his breath.

The tax collector’s prayer came from the Holy Spirit. In Romans, St. Paul writes “… we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes….”

The Catechism (CCC 2558) calls “Prayer a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” That sounds like the tax collector’s prayer.

The Pharisee seems to have forgotten the wisdom of Sirach. “The Lord is a God of justice he shows no favorites.” “He hears the cry of the oppressed.” And the one who serves God willingly is heard; … the prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds.”

Many times in a race, we run alone. It is a battle not to seek self but to know the divine will of God in our life. “… that our life be conformed to Christ in the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father. (CCC 2558) 

None of us are pure and without fault.  It is so hard for us to run the race or walk with great strides of love. Realizing these things, we only need to look towards heaven and cry out “God have mercy on me a sinner.”

Embrace God’s will in both trail and joy. Surrender to the love of the divine will “…being poured out like a libation…” Pouring out our ego and replacing it with grace. Fill the self with the faith and truth found in the grace that is God’s love and mercy.

Remember that Prayer is lived. (CCC 2569) Prayer is lived by love. Love allows us to inhale and exhale our prayer. It is the walk in love with giant strides. It is running the race.

Prayer is lived by surrendering to the divine will and call of the Lord. It is not something you do; the surrender must be part of us like our breathing, automatic and constant. Exhale your prayer and love to the world and inhale God’s love and mercy.

Y’all be good, y’all be holy and preach the gospel by the way you live and love. Amen.

Don't Grow Weary - Reflection 29th Sunday OT

Don’t Grow Weary

29^th Sunday OT

This week the Deacons of the Diocese of Shreveport had their annual retreat at Subiaco Abbey in Subiaco, Ark.  We had a wonderful time of sharing as brother deacons with our most excellent Bishop Michael. One of the things Bishop taught us on was prayer.

The message on prayer was close to the same one Jesus gave his disciples, “Pray always without becoming weary.” As this week comes to an end, I pray the faith of my brother deacons is persistent and endures. I pray they don’t grow weary and always remain strong in Christ. ”When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

As believers, our prayers and faith should be like the widow’s, persistent. Keep knocking and asking. Be persistent in faith, persistent in prayer, and remain persistent even when the world is against us.

That’s the message St. Paul gives to Timothy. “Be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient.”

It is the circumstance of our world that too many find faith an inconvenience. There are Catholics that don’t believe what the Church teaches. It cramps their lifestyles. So they don’t bother to believe.

My friend Deacon Bill Klienpeter says “It’s third grade theology syndrome (syndrome is my word).” Too many have stopped learning about God and their faith in third grade catechism. So they try to live their adult life on third grade awareness of God.

The truth is that God has never changed and God never will change. To know the truth behind this, we must be persistent and strive to understand. But, many stay stuck in a third grade level understanding and find it hard to endure in an adult life of faith. They grow weary in prayer.

Growing weary and weak because like everything our prayers must be worked out, faith must be built-up. Those strong in faith are persistent and endure. One whose faith belongs to God is competent and strong, because, they have endured. It is enduring faith that is the wisdom of salvation in Jesus Christ.  

It must be a persistent faith. It is the faith our parents shared with us. It is the faith we share with our children. It is our faith we must share with the world. It is faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ expressed by our prayers.

Moses stood on a hill with the staff of God in his hands ….  Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on each side, so that his hands remained steady.

Our prayers are the victorious Staff of God that we hold high. A community of faith makes them strong, makes them persistent, and makes them endure. 

Our community is the Church whose prayers are persistent and endure; a people whose faith endures.

This week when he spoke to us on prayer, the Bishop taught that prayer is three things. Prayer is faithful. Prayer is not only talking to God but listening to him. Prayer is expectant; pray and expect an answer.

For me, prayer is a love story. It is expressing love for those around you. It is saying I love you to God. Like all great love stories, it is built on faith that is enduring and persistent. Pray always; don’t grow weary. Love and don’t grow weary.

Yall be good yall be holy, and preach the gospel by the way you live and love. Amen.

God is Not Chained - Reflection 28th Sunday OT

God is not Chained 

(Readings for 28^th Sunday OT)

I read this the other day, “Behind every mistaken understanding of reality is a mistaken understanding of God.” (Richard Rohr) 

The truth of that statement can be found in St. Paul’s words “The word of God is not chained.”  God is not chained to our mistaken reality.

In the first reading, we hear of Naaman. He was a General. He fought for his king and his kingdom. He fought for his Gods. He fought for what he knew. This was Naaman’s reality. Another part of his reality was that he was a leper.

In the Bible, leprosy is a disease that causes the sufferer to experience abandonment, isolation, and being an outcast of society. It’s also a metaphor for sin.

Naaman was a powerful and wealthy man. He looked to defeat his leprosy. He went to his king. He went to the king of Israel. He was looking to the wrong Kings; only the true King can heal, the Lord God most high. God sent Elisha.

Elisha instructed the leper to dunk himself in the Jordan seven times. Can someone say baptism? Naaman thinks this is preposterous; surely there are better rivers in his home country.  Yet, in an act of faith, he washes himself in the river Jordan seven times. He comes out clean.

The healing of Naaman is not just a story of the healing from disease but it is a story of salvation. Now, he knows the true King. Naaman realized that his healing was the work of the true God; but, he still has a mistaken understanding of God.

“Please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth, for your servant will no longer make burnt offerings or sacrifices to any other god except the LORD.

Naaman mistakenly thought to give thanks and praise to God, he had to bring the earth of Israel with him. He chained God down to that one little place.

God is not chained.  Not by place not by time not by person

In the Gospel, ten lepers met Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”

Ten lepers were cured. One returned. Jesus asked, “Where are the other nine?”

The other nine had a mistaken understanding of reality and a mistaken understanding of God. Their reality was to go to the priest to be declared healed instead of giving thanks and praising God. Healing was chained to the priest.

Only one came to our Lord Jesus Christ, to give praise and thanks. The one who realized he had been healed returned, glorifying God in a loud voice. He knew that God had healed him. He fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan.

The word of God is not chained. Not by place not by time not by person.

Naaman and the Samaritan realized not only had they been healed, they had also died to their old lives filled by the leprosy of disease and sin. The healing power of God had cured their leprosy and cured them of their sin. They had been raised up to a new life. 

These things still happen today.

I recently read the story of Juan Perez in the article “When Faith meets Cancer.”  Juan was diagnosis with synovial sarcoma. Even with treatment, most patients survive only 12-16 months. Last spring, Juan traveled to Lourdes at 21 months past his diagnosis. He was looking for a miracle.

He and his wife prayed. They bathed in the spring and sipped the waters. They attended mass and gave thanks and praise to God with 25000 other pilgrims.

It was in the mass that the miracle happened. Perez said, “While I was there, I just can’t explain in the right words. It’s an unbelievable experience. The choir singing. Everybody rejoicing. So peaceful.  When I was there, I just felt that I’d rather have a spiritual healing than a physical healing, to know God better. It helped me.”

To know God better helped me. Juan gets it. He understands his reality and found a little understanding of the mystery of God. Juan received healing even though the cancer may still be there.  

As of the beginning of September 2016, Juan’s cancer had shrunk. God was not chained to the time the doctors said Juan had left.

Juan’s story is witness. Remember Jesus Christ, the word of God is not chained. Not by place not by time not by person.  God is not chained by our reality.

Today there is a mistaken understanding of God. In the mistaken reality of our world, remember the words of St. Paul to Timothy: If we have died with him we shall live with him; if we persevere we shall reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us.

Y’all be good, y’all be holy, and preach the gospel by the way you live and love. Amen.

Quality v Quantity - Reflection 27th Sunday OT

Quality v Quantity

 27^th Sunday OT

The disciple’s asked Jesus to increase their faith. They had faith, but, only if they had more faith. And Jesus said to them: “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed you could tell that mulberry tree to uproot and be planted in the sea.”

  

It’s not about the quantity of your faith it about the quality.

Faith is a wonderful thing. In the first reading we hear that the faithful survive because they believe in God’s justice.  The second reading St. Paul calls faith the gift of God. But these same two readings tell us having faith is hard.

Having faith is hard when we look around to see ruin and misery, strife and discord, poverty and hunger, oppression and war. Keeping faith is hard when we realize the evil of the world. Like the prophet we ask God why evil exists and how long will it go on?

Having faith in Jesus Christ is hard. The world places a stigma on us. We face persecution, suffering, misunderstanding, resentment and hostility because the message of our God is love.

And about our faith, Jesus tells us that it’s not how much faith you have; it’s how strong your faith is.

Eight people attended our healing service this month. They came in faith before the Lord in the sacrament of the altar. They came to pray in faith that God’s healing would touch them. In the darkest time of life, they come to Jesus in faith. They come to Jesus for faith.

We come to Jesus for faith and to have the faith of Jesus.

Jesus had the strongest faith of any man to walk the earth. But even with all that faith, He was afraid. On the cross, He cried out to God the Father, Lord why have you forsaken me.

I remember when my faith was tested, a time I was afraid. It was a test of faith for my entire family and until recently I never really understood that test.

My father was a man of faith. Yet, when he came to the end of his life - he suffered greatly.  He suffered from lung disease. The lack of oxygen caused his brain and thoughts to grow dark and troubled. Almost the entire last year of his life he was on a ventilator. He slowly suffocated.

By his life, my father tried to live as Jesus lived. He taught my brothers and I to have charity for others. He taught us to respect with justice the dignity of every person.

Jesus lived a life of love. But before his greatest trial, Jesus went through a dark time in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus’ life ended in suffering. Jesus hung on the cross and he dried out in despair before his death; death on the cross by slowly suffocating.

My father tried to live like Christ. In his faith, he gave his suffering to Lord. He even died like Jesus.

It was a dark time for me and my family. In the darkness of the world, the faithful believe. We asked why this happened. We asked how long it would hurt. When I was 26, I didn’t have a lot of faith, but my faith was like that mustard seed, a good quality faith taught by my father. My heart didn’t become harden to God in fact it turned to God even more.

Faith leads us to become the unprofitable servants. In faith, we live to teach, preach, and serve in charity. By faith, we respect with justice the dignity of each and every person. We do this not for us, but for our Lord. Faith moves us to share the love of Christ with our brothers and sisters.

By grace alone, we are saved. Grace gives us that mustard seed of faith that does great things. In grace and faith we put on a servant’s apron.

Yall be good, yall be holy and preach the gospel by the way you live and love. Amen.