My Dear Theophilus - Reflection Ascension Sunday/7th Sunday of Easter

Readings: Ascension & 7^th Sunday of Easter

My Dear Theophilus: There are those who say to we live in a post-Christian world and brag the God we love and know in this world is dead. They seemed to be a little confused. He was dead for three days; but, he rose again.

That’s a big shock; for the world, it’s unbelievable. Just like it was that day on Mt. Olivet, “They saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.”

That is what’s wrong in the world, even with many who call themselves Christians. They see Christ in the world all around; they simply refused to accept it! They refuse to give glory to God. Doubt and unbelief robs them of joy.

What is it they are to believe? Maybe, it’s in the power of God’s love in the calamity of this world.

Maybe, its Jesus words, Father, they believe the words you gave to me and that I have given to them. They accepted them and understand I came from you, and they have believed you sent me.

It’s a shame to live in a world where Christ is not the loudest message and is often unheard. Instead all hear the message that God is dead. Sometimes, those calling themselves Christians are not sharing Christ’s love. Non-believers see hidden behind a label of Christian an ideology of bigotry, hate, and fear mongering detrimental to freedom and scientific thought. It’s too bad the world sees jaded ideology not true theology. It’s too bad the truth that is the freedom of God’s love is hidden by false truths.

My dear Theophilus, how do we get the truth to the world? How do we tell a post-Christian world the love of Christ?

He knew that for us to do this, He had to ascend into heaven. 

Jesus commanded us three things: Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

Then Jesus promised, I am with you always, until the end of the age. And in another scripture, Jesus says, I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me…

Terrorism spreads across the world. Violence and death grows on the streets of our city. These portray a world that accepts God is dead as people are killed for hate.

Sadly believers die. By the witness of martyrdom, they bring the love of Christ to our community, our city, and our world. They tell the world God is not dead. Their lives are lived as witnesses to the ends of the earth.

My dear Theophilus, we live in a dangerous world, just like those who first believed. But hear the words of angels, "Why are you standing there looking at the sky?” Lover of God show that we believe.

Start in our neighborhoods. Go and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and teach them to observe all Jesus commanded. There should be no doubt by our witness that Christ is alive. There will be no doubt by our teaching that Christ rose from the dead and will come again.

Live in the joyful presence of the Holy Spirit, pray for the world, that the eyes of hearts be enlightened, and all will know the hope that belongs to his call.

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

The Orphanage - Reflection 6th Sunday Easter

Readings

Charles Dickens wrote the classic Oliver Twist. If you’ve read the book or seen the movie, you know how the hungry young orphan, spoon in hand comes forward at the orphanage workhouse and asks, “Please sir can I have some more.”

Think about the disciples, Jesus is telling them he is going away. They have not had their fill. “Please give us some more.”

Jesus promises I will not leave you orphans.

If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows him. But you know him, because he remains with you, and will be in you.

People of the world say they believe in God; but, they don’t need religion. They proclaim that they have faith, but they don’t live it. They are spiritual but they don’t believe in the Holy Spirit.They do not know him.

We create our own orphanage by starving ourselves of true spiritual food, by forgetting God.

The Father does not forget us, His adopted children. Christ does not abandon us. We were sent the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. This is the truth of the Christian faith, One God, the Holy Trinity.

Jesus tells us that those of the world cannot accept this because they don’t see him and they don’t know him. For worldly reasons, we forget our heavenly Father. We abandon Christ. We don’t know the Holy Spirit. One reason is the worldly do not understand God.  

I met a Muslim person that told me Jesus couldn’t be the son of God, because God did not have relations with Mary. This is an anthropomorphic opinion of the creator of all things. It is not just Muslims that have this opinion.

Anthropomorphic means that we as humans give human characteristics to things that are not human. Why do we make God like us? God is not human. We cannot understand the mystery of God. It is only humanity that we think we understand. It is an easy reality for us. We see it. We touch it. It does not require faith.We try to understand God in the same way.

Because of the absence of faith and the lack of the Lord Jesus Christ in their hearts, the worldly ask those who believe for explanations. Why do you believe? How is it that you believe? Why do you have faith? Why do you do good things?

Believers celebrate the resurrection. The resurrection is the reason we believe. It was Jesus promise and He fulfilled that promise. So we trust his words and believe His promises. This is faith.

But worldly don’t believe what they can’t see. They put human limitations on Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God the Father. They forget God. The worldly know only the reality of human existence.

The worldly say they are spiritual, but they don’t know the Holy Spirit. If truly spiritual, they would know the one the world does not see. They would know the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is in the Christ. Christ is in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is in the Father. The Father is in the Holy Spirit. Christ is in the Father. The Father is in Christ.

If the worldly were spiritual they would know the Church Christ left for us. If spiritual, they would know those sent by the Holy Spirit, proclaiming the Christ. They would know the Church of Peter, John, and Phillip guided by the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. Christ promised He would be with the Church always.  

The worldly do not want to accept these truths of God. Running away from God and the Church, the worldly make the world they live in an orphanage.

In the story of Oliver Twist, we learn that good will survive against the evil of the world. Jesus promised, I will not leave your orphans.

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

Living Stones - Reflection 5th Sunday Easter

(Readings)

I knew God was calling me. I felt it in my heart; but, it was not me who said I should be a deacon. It was the members of my faith community who chose me, calling me to this ministry. Brothers, select from among you reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom. I’m working on the wisdom.

I prostrated myself in front of the altar with 15 other men to give my life to God and his church. Family and friends were there with me. The voices in the Cathedral rose in the litany of the saints. The people sang - “Pray for us.” I knew I would not be in this journey alone.

We come to him, the living stone rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. He will build us like living stone into a spiritual house.

God is calling us - all different with human weakness and imperfect. In these faults, we are to be like Christ Jesus, living stone built up into a spiritual temple to praise God in all we do.

We do this by being obedient to the faith.

Like Jesus, as living stones we are to bring God’s good lovingkindness to the world. We do this by living the beatitudes. We bring God’s good lovingkindness in the corporal works of mercy: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit prisoners, bury the dead, and give alms to the poor. This is good lovingkindness.

Like Jesus, as living stones we are to proclaim the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said as you come to a town: Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’ And another time, As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.'

Heaven is near us. The Kingdom of God is in what we do in the world today. We do this in faith by giving our lives to God, living every day in his presence, and living a holy life by the example Jesus gave us. I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

To be a living stone remember these words of Jesus "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. Because I am in the Father and the Father is in me. People should see Christ in us in the world; living the gospel and sharing the love of Christ with all those we meet.

On that ordination day, I prostrated myself on the floor with living stones in Christ around me. Living stones were praying to build me up my spiritual temple. Living stones were singing to the saints and to Christ –“Pray for us.”

Each of you is a living stone, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people announcing the praises of the One who calls us out of darkness into His wonderful light. Living stones built on the foundation of the living stone the world rejected.

Living stones made by being a person of good lovingkindness, being holy and preaching the gospel by the way they live and love. Amen.

Follow Me - Homily Reflection 4th Sunday Easter

(Readings)

To live life is not a static thing, it’s dynamic. Being dynamic, we get off track. Let me give an example.

This week, there was a Tri-Council Leadership meeting with Our Lady of Fatima, St. Lawrence, and Christ the King. The president of the OLF council said, “Let’s go around the table and introduce ourselves and ministries.”

Then, he looked at me. I was sitting at the head of the table, I thought he wanted me to speak, so I jumped in and introduced myself.

But, that’s not what he wanted, he just looked at me.

I think back on it, I was like a young sheep, the gate was opened, I ran through it jumping and kicking in excitement, away from where I should be. But, our good pastor pulled me back in.

Picture all 6'3", 300+ pounds of me running, jumping, and kicking like a young sheep.

Don’t take this as an insult but you’re all sheep. Sometimes, sheep won’t make good choices. Sheep are stubborn. Sheep follow the crowd. Sheep become lost.

People are like sheep, I know that I am. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, has patience with all my sheep like faults. That’s why I need the Good Shepherd.

A shepherd calls to his sheep “follow me.” Jesus called his disciples with the same words: “follow me”

That’s what a good shepherd does. He leads. The flock follows. They follow with faith, totally trusting their safety to His care.

As for me, Jesus is my shepherd and I follow where my shepherd leads. My faith knows the Good Shepherd is totally on my side. My faith trusts where the Good Shepherd leads and knows that where He leads is good. He gives peacefulness inside me. He restores by soul. He guides me in right paths and gives me courage so that I fear no evil. The Lord is my shepherd.

He leads us to the waters of baptism.  Repent and be baptized, every one of you, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Baptism and the Holy Spirit allow us to hear the shepherd’s voice as he calls his sheep. We will recognize his voice because we are his sheep.

He calls each by name. The shepherd recognizes us and we recognize him.  

We may still misunderstand His voice, ignore it, resist it, fight against it, and get lost in the stubbornness of sin. Yet, in moments of wholeness or in times of trouble, we hear His voice. It rises within us.

Jesus said, “I am the gate for the sheep.” No matter how many times we butt our stubborn heads against the gate, the gate does not go away. By its protection, we have the chance to learn and change. We come to Jesus.

The gate is there to protect us and the good shepherd to watch over us.

Jesus said, “I am the gate,” the gate that protected us by his own life. Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd,” the Good Shepherd that defended us by his own life.

For our sake, He gave his own life. The Father has made both Lord and Christ this Jesus whom you crucified. We had gone astray like sheep because of sin; but, we return to the Good Shepherd. By his wounds we are healed and made free from sin, to live for righteousness.

To live life is not a static thing, but dynamic. Because it is dynamic, we get off track. We go astray like sheep. Like young sheep when someone leaves the gate open, we want to jump and kick and have fun. We can be like sheep that think they see better grass on the horizon, go to it, and become lost.

Sheep need a good shepherd:

•  A shepherd with a strong constant voice;
•  A shepherd concerned with what’s best for his sheep; and
•  A shepherd that seeks out the lost.  

Each of us needs a good shepherd --The Lord is my shepherd.

It’s not an insult to be called sheep, when Jesus is our Good Shepherd. If I learn to recognize his voice and follow where he leads then goodness and mercy shall “follow me” all the days of my life.

My brothers and sisters, if you know Christ, it will be the same for you.

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