Abraham Had a Knife - 2nd Sunday of Lent

(Readings)

Have you ever watched a river? The river keeps coming, just like life.  

Like the river, life brings different things with it thoughts, emotions, and experiences.

Our thoughts come floating down. Those thoughts say, “Think about me. Think about me. Think about me.”

Our emotions and feelings come down the river. “Feel me. Feel me. Feel me.”  Or maybe it’s an experience of love or tragedy, “It’s about me. It’s about me. It’s about me.”

Some are good and some are bad. All we see is what is on the surface, thoughts, emotions, experiences of love, and tragedy that can bring fear and doubt.  

We don’t see everything, only see what is above the surface, the part we experience. We fail to see what is pushing it to the surface; the good or bad or both.

We live our lives on the surface. It is the same with faith because our life mingles with our faith like the waters of a river. 

It carried the call of God to Abraham.  Not knowing where life and faith would take him, Abraham listened and obeyed. God blessed him.  

Abraham was following God blind. All Abraham saw was what was on the surface. He knew the promise God made: An abundant blessing with descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and sands of the seashore.

 Abraham still had thoughts “Think about me. Think about me. Think about me.” And emotions – “Feel me. Feel me. Feel me.” And, he had life experiences of love and tragedy, “It’s about me. It’s about me. It’s about me.” He was told "Take your only son Isaac, whom you love, and offer him as a holocaust.”

Abraham’s life and faith came at him like a river. Even though he only saw the surface, He followed God in faith until God allowed him to see what was below the surface.

That river of life and faith kept flowing on the path of salvation. Soon, Peter, James, and John and the rest of the disciples are sitting and watching. They’re following one baptized in a river Jordan, the man called Jesus.   

Jesus told them he would go to Jerusalem and suffer, be killed and on the third day be raised. The disciples saw only the surface.

Thoughts - “Think about me. Think about me. Think about me.” Emotions - “Feel me. Feel me. Feel me.”  Experience – “It’s about me. It’s about me. It’s about me.”   

They saw everything Jesus did: preaching, miracles, and casting out demons. They saw the surface and failed to realize what was underneath.

But, they knew something was there. On the surface, the apostles knew Jesus was a man. They knew him as the son of Mary. They knew he lived and shared their everyday life. They knew He was something more.

Jesus took Peter, James and John to pray on the mountain. God opened their eyes to see below the surface. On the mountain, Jesus was transfigured before their eyes. On the mountain, they learned He was the Son of God. They learned He was the messiah. They learned He was God himself.

God the Father repeated the words said at a river: “This is my beloved son, listen to him.”

Stop living on the surface - look deeper.  

The disciples still looking at the surface questioned “what rising from the dead meant.”

Today our faith is no different. Too many want to live life and faith only on the surface. Many forget God said listen to Jesus. That would mean look to see more than just the surface. It means ignore “me thoughts and me emotions and me experiences.”  

Listen to Jesus. Look deeper. Recognize there is good and there is evil. There are thoughts, emotions, experiences, love, and tragedy that bring fears and doubts. 

Abraham had a knife in his hand. The Apostles ran away.

Remember, watch the river in life and faith pray “Here I am Lord.” Our Lord, Jesus Christ who is at the right hand of God will indeed intercede for us. Remember, God is with us. If God is with us, who can be against us?

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

Tied With a Bow - Reflection 1st Sunday of Lend

(Readings)

Julian of Norwich was 13^th Century Catholic Theologian and Mystic. (Link) During a vision of Christ’s pain and suffering, she wondered why sin and evil happened. The world would be better without it.

“But Jesus, who informed me of all that is needed by me, answered and said: ‘It was necessary that there should be sin; but all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.' ”

There has always been evil in the world. In Genesis it is the reason given for the flood:  The earth was corrupt in the view of God and full of lawlessness. The LORD saw how great the wickedness of human beings was on earth, and how every desire their heart conceived was always nothing but evil….

As always, a good and holy person can make a difference. Noah found favor with the LORD. Noah walked with God.

Because of His love for Noah, God saved us by the Ark and efforts of a good and holy man. Noah listened and followed the word of God.

God made a promise to this faithful man and his descendants.  It was a sacred blood promise, a covenant - tied with a (rain)bow.

The Gospel of God was this, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants and every living creature that was with you. There shall not be another flood to devastate the earth

It was necessary, but all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.

But, there has always been evil in the world.

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan.

Jesus overcame temptation and proclaimed the gospel of God:  “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

To fight the evil that is in the world Jesus tells us to repent, to change our minds from the way of thinking of those around us.

But, there has always been evil and lawlessness in the world.  Evil still exist, it is all around us. School shootings, murders, human trafficking and slavery, violence and attacks on human dignity. Evil attacks all of God’s creation.

Evil has always found a way to attack us in the world. How do we fight evil?

Find a new way of thinking. Proclaim the Gospel as Peter did – repent and be baptized. Baptism, which saves you, is an appeal to God for a clear conscience.

Baptism calls us to a new way of thinking, a clear moral conscience found in the salvation of Jesus Christ. Proclaim the Gospel. Repent the kingdom of heaven is at hand, believe in the gospel.

How do we fight evil? Listened and follow the Word of God. Follow Jesus.

Jesus walked with God. Jesus Christ is the word of God. Christ Jesus is God. He is the new sacred blood promise, the new covenant tied with the bow of the cross. He is the promise of eternal life. Christ suffered for our sins, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God.

We will always wonder why there is sin and evil in the world. 

To that answer, Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser, President of the Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio Texas, writes, God, being so unimaginable in love and power, is able to draw good out of evil, happiness out of suffering, and redemption out of sin in ways that we cannot yet grasp.

It is hard to grasp how good can come from the evil we see in the world. Evil blinds us from knowing how truly great God is; but, Jesus Christ is God’s healing against all the sin and evil in the world.

God’s healing transforms human beings and all of creation that groans in the pains of evil in a world awaiting the salvation of God.  Repent and believe in the gospel and all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.

For each of us, all shall be well, tied with the bow of our baptism.

Be good, be holy and preach the gospel by the way your live and love. Amen.

Lent: A Quiet Secret Place - A Reflection to Begin Lent

Readings

Some people make amazing Lenten Penances. Two of my favorites are: I am giving up Facebook for Lent posted on Facebook. Another one, I giving up Coke, I’ll drink Pepsi until after Lent. These are funny but true.

The words that begin most of our Lenten journeys are these: "Remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return," as the sign of the cross is traced on our foreheads.

Calling attention to the temporary state of our body reminds us that Life is not about you, you’re about life.

Lent brings reality and humility to our lives - Life is not about you. "Take care not to perform righteous deeds so that people may see them.” Putting extra effort into a life of faith is great, but, don't advertise. Don’t brag of penance.

Lent is a quiet secret place. Keep secret our self-denial and self-examination. Keep discreet what has been missed and attempts to recover what has been lost.

Remember, you’re about life. Jesus says if you're going to fast, wash your face, look as if you're blooming, and smile - don't let on that it is a struggle.

If it's true about fasting, it's true about giving and praying - silence and study - reflection and meditation - compassion and encouragement - and whatever else helps develop and strengthen our faith.

Faith is not strengthened in outward bragging about our differences. Faith grows in the realization of our inward journey of intention, motivation, love, compassion and more. Inward things found in a good life shared.

These are not look at me - outward differences. Self-denial isn't self-denial if it’s an object of attention. “Do not let your left hand know what your right is doing.” Out-ward talk doesn't contribute to the truth of our inward self.  

If someone says, Deacon I loved your homily! I love it; but, talk does not make me grow nearer to God. Instead, talk feeds my ego; empty talk feeds a life about me.

In trying to live up to those words, actions can become an insincere performance. Growing closer to God is not a performance. So avoid doing righteous deeds just so people see them.

But, Jesus doesn’t say forget about it - 'don't fast' or 'don't pray' or 'don't give alms.' Life is not about you, you’re about life. He says, ‘give alms, pray, & fast.' Do these and more, but don't make a big show. Do these things from a quiet secret place.

Lent is a quiet secret place, maybe in the quiet, we find God.

This Lent be about life and do something. Take something on. Give something up. Give more. “Remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return."

Friends, we are about life; may God bless that life.

Life, Love, and Compassion – Made in the Image and likeness of God (Bishop’s Appeal Sunday)

Readings

(I heard this story on the radio as I was traveling this week.)

 A young mother picks her six year old daughter up from school. The little girl is in tears. Someone was picking on her at school and it totally broke her heart.

Her 3 year old brother is in the car and asks his mom, why is she crying. The mother answered “Someone was mean to her and now her heart is hurting.” The little boy then began to cry as well. The mother asked him, “Why are you crying?”

He answered, “My heart hurts because her heart hurts.”

A simple story that reveals truth; we are created in the image of God. Our inner self is the reflection of that image of God.  The image of God we are to show to the world is our life, our love, and our compassion.

The world screams against this. It doesn’t want us to believe it. There is no scientific study that proves this. Yet, for believers, the only thing needed to prove we are made in the image of God is our faith. Even the youngest of child can realize it.  “My heart hurts because their heart hurts.”

Moved by sorrow and compassion for the lepers suffering and misfortunes, Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him….

For believers, the fact that we are made in the image of God is simply a stepping stone to an awareness of God. Life is not about you; you are about Life.

The Bishop’s Appeal is about life. Bringing life to our family, not only our immediate family, or the immediate family of this community, but the entire community that is the Church in our Diocese, and even the community of the entire world, to which we bring the presence of Christ.

Just as Jesus did, reach out and touch someone…

The appeal supports our seminarians. Young men who have found the image of God in themselves and have pledged their life to Christ, to the Church  and to you and me for the next  40-50-60 years.

It is with compassion and love we take care of the retried and infirmed priest. These are men that have been part of our lives. In love and compassion, they have embraced us celebrating marriages, burying our loved ones, hearing our confessions, and sharing with us the Eucharist.  Supporting these men who gave their life to God and to us is a necessary responsibility.

This appeal brings the love of God through Christ to assisting the Poor (CC and SVdP), prolife ministries, and developing a strong catechist program for our children, new believers, and even us seasoned soldiers of Christ. We should never forget the importance of our Catholic Schools, the Catholic Connection, and Hispanic Ministries which are supported by this appeal.

The Bishop has identified these programs are the life blood of the Church. It is providing for our family in life, love, and compassion. “My heart hurts because their heart hurts.”

My brothers and sisters we are called to imitate Christ. Just as Jesus did, reach out and touch someone…

In the gospel the leper realizing his healing in compassion and love the man went away and told the whole matter. He spread the report abroad. When we share our life, love, and compassion through the Bishop’s appeal we spread the whole matter to those who need it.

I end all my homilies with these words “Yall be good yall be holy and preach the gospel by the way you live and love,” and this weekend that includes sharing. Amen.

Share Your Faith - Homily Reflection 5th Sunday OT

(Readings)

Church attendance is falling. In 2014, the Pew Research Group said that of the 32% who identified as baptized Catholics, 41% are no longer practicing. In 1965, 35% of the children born in the US were baptized Catholic; in 2014 only 18%.

This is true in one way or another in every denomination.

How do we stop this? Listen to what the scriptures tell us today. They tell us about preaching the Gospel. They tell us about sharing our faith. They show us that we evangelize in everything we do.

Paul writes, “If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been imposed on me and woe if I do not preach it.”

Most of you may say I can’t do that.

In a meeting with Vicar General for the Diocese, Fr. Rothell Price, earlier this week, I apologized for my failures as a deacon. He said, “Deacon I have it on good authority you are a good deacon. Not perfect, there was only one that was perfect, but a very good deacon.”

Thank you all, it could have only come from you; but, let me tell you the secret of being a deacon. It is living your life and seeing God in the everyday and telling that experience to the world. It is the same for all of us. I’m just ordained.

If we live our faith then evangelizing the goodness of Jesus Christ in our life is not an option. Living a Catholic Christian life and being alive in your faith is sharing the good news.

Most active Catholics evangelize. It is prayer with and for others, visiting the sick, and visiting strangers. It is inviting people to mass or parish activities, speaking well about the Church, the parish, the priest, and even your deacon.

In all these scripture readings about preaching (Job’s words of lament, Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, and Jesus telling Simon let us go so I may preach for that is the purpose I have come) most will overlook the evangelizing and sharing the gospel of the mother in law.

Simon Peter’s mother in law was sick with fever. Jesus took her hand and helped her get up, and immediately her fever was gone. She waited on them.

She got up and preached to everyone by her everyday life. And, the story spread. It spread fast; by evening the whole town was gathered at the doorway of Simon Peter’s house.  Everyone was looking for Jesus.

Everyone was looking for Jesus because of the mother-in-law’s story and how Jesus touched her life. She fed Jesus. She fed all those who heard her story. She continued to serve Jesus by sharing her story over and over and over.  The mother in law was preaching the gospel and winning people over to follow Jesus before Simon, Andrew, James and John even realized the truth about Jesus.

Sharing your personal story about God in your life is preaching the gospel. It is the simplest form of evangelizing: telling how you were sick or sinful or lost; telling how the Lord came to you; telling how Christ took you by the hand and raised you up.

Sadly, most only want to hear the bad in life. If all that is heard is the part of Job’s story saying “man’s life on earth is drudgery.” And “I shall not see happiness again.”  Not hearing the good news, many surrender to misery.

This is happening. Less and less people sit in the pews.

Less and less people are in the world praising the Lord.

Less and less know our God who is good and gracious.

Less and less people are sharing stories giving glory to Gold and telling of His presence in their life.

Now is our time to preach. Now we must share and witness the Gospel by our lived lives and experience. We must share so others will say that reminds me of a time in my life. Tell the story of Jesus in your life so others can see Jesus in their life.

The truth is that like Job’s not all stories are going to be happy; but, people need to see God even in their suffering, just as Job did.

In our world, church attendance is falling and people deny faith and belief.  

My friends, it is for us all to preach the gospel. Share your story. Share your beliefs. Win over as many as possible to save at least some.

Do this by sharing our faith: Being good, being holy, and preaching the gospel, telling your story by the way you live and love. Amen.