Test Your Mattress not Jesus, 29th Sunday OT A

Readings

God has made us for himself.

In the 1980’s Northeast Louisiana University (NLU) had the top ranked School of Construction in the country.  As I travel the region, I meet graduates of this program with successful construction companies. Not too many identify themselves in a tradition of NLU.

One friend of mine with an NLU Construction degree has become very wealthy. He considers himself “a self-made man.”

His office is full of LSU posters, helmets, jerseys, and memorabilia. On one small section of his wall are a football letterman’s certificate, his NLU helmet, two All-American Awards, and a Hall of Fame plaque. No honor and glory is given the NLU tradition that made him. His reasons are business, preference, and choice; besides, it was a long time ago.

For many, the same thing has happened with God and our faith. We forget God has made us for himself. We fail to see the hand of God in all things

Instead, we interpret the Gospel to please us. We choose the parts of Jesus’s teachings that are easy to believe and popular. We choose how we worship God like we choose a team or shop for a mattress. We go to different stores, lie on different mattresses, and check style, firmness, comfort, and popularity. We choose what we like.

Do not confuse the freedom in the world with how we are to worship God. Jesus tells us not to be confused. Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God. We are not to test God.

When we worship, whose image do we see? Worshipping God is not worshipping at the altar dedicated to us.

People choose their altar of worship by the amenities, what is good and comfortable. People choose their churches by.... They have a beautiful new building. It’s the right place to be seen. There’s a coffee bar. Worship is lively and worship means the music. They have things for the kids.

Worshiping God is not about choosing a baby sitter for children or the adults. Worship is to give God glory and honor. Worship is to praise the Lord. God is awesome. He is beyond all even fancy buildings, coffee shops, and hip church bands.

People will say they attend a Bible teaching church and the Catholic Church relies on tradition not the Bible. At every mass more of the Bible is read than at most Protestant church services. Scripture is proclaimed in the first reading, psalms, epistle, alleluia, Gospel, and even the Eucharistic prayers. Consider this truth, the infinite mystery, wondrous grace, and awesome glory of God cannot be contained only in the Bible.

It is found in the tradition of the Church. Tradition is the people of the Church who shared the Gospel and worship before the Holy Bible was put together. Four hundred years of tradition started by Jesus. Tradition lives in the world.

Jesus we know you are a truthful man and you teach the word of God. Tradition is truth that Jesus shared and Paul writes about “the Gospel does not come in word alone, but also in the power and in the Holy Spirit....”

The prophet Isaiah points out that event the even the most powerful and wealthy are not self-made. God has made us for himself; and, all we have and all that we are comes from him and belongs to him.

We can choose our team. We shop for the best mattress. But, we cannot change God. We cannot change the Gospel to fit your beliefs. For those who do, we are hypocrites that test God.

Remember God’s message, “Though you know me not, there is none besides me. I am the Lord and there is no other.”

If shopping is necessary, read the Gospel. Read Jesus’ words. Study the writings from the early Church. Know that God wants us to shine like lights in the world as you hold on to the word of life. Jesus’ Church is faith, love, and endurance for its people and tradition.

Be good, be holy and preach the Gospel by the way you live and love. Amen.

Show Up - Homily Reflection 28th Sunday OTA

(Readings)

Yesterday, an elderly friend called me aside before mass. He was upset. Working hard all his life, he felt he had failed to study scripture as he should have. I told him this homily was for him.

I have known him for over 30 years and the one thing he always got right is that he has always showed up for mass.  

I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. The Lord invites us to his house bad and good alike.

This brings me to the story of a young man I recently met.  

Cody met the love of his life when he was 16 and she was 14. He was Catholic. She was protestant. Her dad didn’t like him or Catholics.

Gathering courage, he asked the father for permission to date the daughter. The father’s said OK, but you must renounce your Catholic faith and join our church.

For the dream of that girl’s love, he left the Catholic Church and joined the family’s protestant church. He said it was a church that taught scripture as prophesies against the Catholic Church.

After college, Cody returned to his hometown to marry the woman of his dreams, the same girl from years earlier. He worked in his family’s business and continued to attend that anti-Catholic church.

As a couple they attended a bible study regularly. They studied the Gospel of John. At John chapter 6, Jesus says “I am the Bread of Life” and God began to speak to Cody’s heart. The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlightens our hearts to know the hope that belongs to our call.

He knew the Lord was calling him back to the Catholic Church and the Blessed Sacrament. Finally, he said to his wife “God is calling me to the Catholic Church and I would like you to come with me.”

Her look was shock. Her mouth dropped open. She began to cry with a response that surprised him, “I feel God is calling me to the Catholic Church.”

Together, they went to Mass and joined RCIA.  The next Easter they entered into full communion of the Holy Roman Catholic Church.

They heeded God’s call to their heart and returned to the Church. By their witness, most of his wife’s family has become Catholic as well. Cody’s story is like the parable Jesus teaches.

The King invites us to the feast. We’re only asked to show up.  

Hate and anger will fight to keep us from the invitation. But show up and the King will protect us. Show up and the Lord provides a feast. Show up and God saves us. God asks us to come.

Show up and share the invitation with others. It’s a call for all believers to bring the truth of the Gospel to the world. That’s our call. That’s how we know the hope that enlightens our heart. 

Don’t worry if you stutter. Don’t worry thinking you’re unworthy. Don’t worry thinking you’re too young. Don’t worry you’ve never memorized a bible verse. 

Remember what is written, I can do all things in him who strengthens me. God will supply whatever your need.

Like the patriarchs and prophets of the Old Testament - Listen to God. Like the apostles and disciples of the New Testament - Sit at Jesus’ feet as the Gospel is proclaimed. Come the supper of the Lamb and bring the invitation to others.

Don’t worry about what to say or how to say it. It will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of God speaking through you.

We have to show up for the King’s invitation. We have to show up to live the gospel. We have to show up to share the gospel. We have to show up for the feast found in the Bread of Life. All are invited the bad and good alike. All God asks is that we show up with right intentions ready for the banquet.

It’s not hard. Show up in small simple of acts.

Last week, a special lady gave me a rosary that belonged to her aunt, a nun. Since it belonged to a religious and was made in Germany, the rosary has a small skull, crossbones, and heart. That evening, examining the rosary my daughter asked, “Was she a Pirate nun?”

It’s called a memento mori (Latin 'remember you must die') and used to reflect on mortality and becoming a better person.

Look at the invitation a rosary and the simple act of showing up gives. A woman showed up with a rosary. I showed up to pray. I showed up at home. My children showed up. You and I have showed up here.  

To show up is our memento mori.  Life on earth is short so be good. Show up for family, church, neighbors, and community. In small simple acts, show up for God.

Show up women in the freedom and dignity given by God. Show up men as God’s champions of justice and right. Show up young people as virtuous and moral witnesses of Christ. Show up; announce our faith, what we believe.

Christ Jesus showed up for all of us even to the cross. The real presence of Christ shows up for us in the Blessed Sacrament.

Show up to know the promise of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Be good, be holy; SHOW UP to preach the gospel by the way you live and love. Amen.

Keep On Keeping On - Homily Reflection 27th Sunday OT-A

(Readings)

What a great week. Monday, we began the celebration of Our Lady of Fatima, the 65^th anniversary of this Parish and the 100^th anniversary of the appearance of the Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Rosary, at Fatima. Every evening, 50 – 60 faithful come for Adoration, a Rosary Novena, and Mass.

Two nights, I celebrated the Benediction. Afterward, someone probably said a special prayer for me “Bless Deacon Bill and help his singing.”  I pray the same and keep on singing.  

For all those praying the rosary, coming to adoration, and attending mass, I pray keep on keeping on. That means to keep doing what you’re doing because it’s the right thing to do.  

During this celebration, Father asked the homily reflections to be on Our Lady of Fatima. After the today’s readings, a homily on the Blessed Mother was obvious, right?

Isaiah tells us about the Lord’s vineyard. Jesus tells us about the vineyard but his parable has a different twist. In both cases there is something wrong in the vineyard.

It seems the vineyard has gotten out of hand. The vineyard is full of bitter grapes or wicked tenants that have forgotten the goodness of the Lord and think only of self.  

As I reflected on this and the Blessed Mother, I remembered growing up the first weekend of October was a special time.  On Friday some schools canceled classes. Football games were not scheduled.  On Sunday, the churches would be empty. It was the opening weekend of squirrel season.

You’re probably asking why I brought up squirrel season. It’s to make a point. An old theologian said “Show me what’s most important to you; I’ll show you your god. “

There is something wrong in the vineyard when hunting season is more important than worshipping God. The vineyard has gone bad when the tenants worship money, power, prestige, sports, television, or even things like prejudice, bigotry, and racism. It is a shame when Disney World has become a modern god because it is what is most important to us.

The harvest has gone sour. The tenants have become wicked. Yet our loving and generous God is still setting his watchman and sending his servants to the vineyard that is the world. Those who love God work to make the vineyard a good place.

But, the world is still fighting, beating, stoning, and even killing his servants.

When times are at their worst, God sends his most vigilant and trusted. One hundred years ago at the beginning of WW1, at Fatima, Portugal, He sent the blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Rosary, with a message to three children Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta.

She told them, pray the rosary daily for peace in the world. She urged us through them- pray a lot, pray for sinners and souls that have no one to pray for them.

The Holy Mother taught the children five prayers. 

One of the prayers: My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee! I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee.

What a great prayer for those wicked servants and sour grapes in God’s vineyard.

They also learned this prayer: Most Holy Trinity, I adore Thee! My God, my God, I love Thee in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Strengthened by the Blessed Sacrament the Lord sends us, his messengers and servants into the vineyard of the world.

I witnessed one such servant this week and a young man named Cody. He came back to the Catholic Church after years of going to a very anti-Catholic Charismatic Protestant Church. To prepare for RCIA, he went to a local shop to purchase a St. Joseph’s Bible.

The sales clerk knew him from the protestant Church and asked why he wanted a Catholic Bible. He explained that the Lord was calling him back to the Catholic Church.

Her response was typical of the problems in the vineyard. “God must be calling you to convert those Catholics.” She went on, “They believe they are really eating the body and blood of Jesus at the Lord’s Supper.”

He answered “I believe the Catholic Church is God’s true Church.”  “I believe in the real presence in the Eucharist. Let me show you in the Bible.” He opened his St. Joseph’s Bible and then he stopped. “Take your King James Bible. Go to John Chapter 6 and start reading where Jesus says ‘I am the bread of Life’ ”

She read saying I thought it was all symbolic. “How did you learn this?”

“Bible Study in the protestant Church,” Cody answered and then he said to me, “Deacon, I may not have converted her put I planted a seed.”

He came back to the Church because “The God that surpasses all understanding had protected his heart and mind in Christ Jesus.”

Cody keep doing what you’re doing, replanting the vineyard one seed at a time.

Remember another prayer, Our Lady taught at Fatima- Oh My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.

She said, pray a lot, pray for sinners and souls that have no one to pray for them.  

Paul wrote it first – Keep on doing what you’re doing. “Keep on doing what you have learned, received, heard and seen. The God of peace will be with you.

In other words, keep on keeping on.  

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