It's a Family Thing - Homily 4th Sunday of Lent C

Readings

Almost everyone has someone they consider family. It can be the nuclear family – father, mother, and children. It can be a family of extended relatives.  Some people’s families are no relations at all, just a circle of people and friends that care with love.

It is these families that influence the person you become. We pray that influence is for the good. Sadly, even in the best of families there can be times of darkness.

As a parent and grandparent, I want my children and grandchildren to know goodness in their life. I want goodness to form their conscious in this world. I try to be an example.

That is why my daughter tells this story. My 5 year old grandson comes in and asks his momma, “How was your day?” She answered “It was good, I cleaned the house today.”

He looked at her, “Even your bedroom?’ She said “Yes,” His answer, “I wanna to see.” And he marches off to her bedroom.

My daughter said that in that moment she saw Bill Goss. The only difference is daddy would have had a trash bag in his hand to make sure the room was clean.

Family always wants the best. Parents want the best for their children. They provide in the best they can. They may struggle with the bills, keeping the electricity and water on, or groceries on the table. But with love, family provides the best way they can.

But, children grow up to become teenagers and young adults. They want to be their own person. All of a sudden parents and grandparents and family may not seem important.

But, family will always want best, even for grown children. It’s a family thing.

It is the same story for the prodigal son.

The father worked hard to provide. He wanted the best for his family. Then his son comes to a certain age and doesn’t need family anymore. So the son asks for everything he has coming to him.

The father gives everything the son asks.

Like so many, the son went wild. He sinned. He let the tempter of hearts, the great deceiver; lead him to the darkness of places he should not have been. Soon, he was in the worst of places. In this place, the son learns his life was not as easy as his father made it look.

The son knows the only place of safety was with his father. The son headed home with his tail between his legs.

His father was an affluent man and probably knew his sons entire story: the women, the drinking, the gambling, and even his having to sleep with the pigs.

Yet, the father still stood there at the top of his house looking for his son to return.

He sees his son coming from a long way off. The father runs to his son. At that time, running was beneath a man. It was not something a respectable man would ever do. Running was for women and children. For men, running was only for battles and war.

Instead, this man running to his son was an act of great love. I can see this man embracing and kissing his son with the greatest of love and tears of joy.

The father instantly forgave his son for losing all that he gave him; because his son was back safe and sound. This serious and just man called out for the largest of celebrations. Because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.

It’s a family thing.

We are all prodigal sons and daughter of our heavenly Father. We are all part of the same family of God, children of one Heavenly Father.

Many times darkness is in us. It is in that darkness that we take all that God has given us and throw it away.  We leave the safety and love of the Father for the world. 

We want to be the good and obedient son; but, we too often find our self in same darkness as the wayward son allowing the trickster of this world to deceive us with sin that leads us a place we never intended.

If we get to that place don’t be afraid to return to the Father with your tail between your legs asking forgiveness.

Our Heavenly Father in his love knows everything about us; all our sins, all our weakness, and all our suffering. He loves us so much that looks for us to return to him. And then he runs to us. He comes to meet us in Jesus Christ to forgive us our sins.

Through Christ, the Father is calling all his children back to himself, back safe and sound. Just like my daughter sees me in my grandson, God sees himself in the goodness in us.

When family gets together in celebration there is always going to be a party. That celebration is for all of us. Welcome back those whose heart was dead of love for God.  Welcome back those who were lost.

At our home in heaven, God is preparing a great party of joy and celebration; because this child of mine was dead and has come to life again; this one was lost and has been found.

It’s a family thing. So… be reconciled to God to never again squander the Father’s love.

Be good, be holy, and preach the gospel by the way you live and love one another. Amen.

Here I Am - Reflection 3rd Sunday of Lent

(Readings)

My friend Deacon Clary Nash tells that he begins each day with this prayer. “Here I am LORD.”

I try to do the same.

When God called out “Moses, Moses.” Moses answered “Here I am.”

God answered Moses the same way. 

Moses asked “what shall I tell them is your name,” God answered “I am who am…. This is my name forever; thus am I to be remembered through all generations.”

The word “am” is the present form of to be.  

"I am who am" means God exists. "I am who am" means God is being. "I am who am" is yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

If we answer, “Here I am, LORD.”  We are answering –  I exist in your being, LORD.

We can only answer with the uniqueness of who we are. It is all we have to offer God.

It doesn’t have to something big. It can be the smallest of talents but as a child of God, it only has to be given with love to touch the heart of those who need.

That is the message of the parable.  The LORD God has planted his being in each of us.

We either bear fruit in the gifts and talents we have as children of God and Christians; or, we do not. Jesus warns us about when we do not.

Each and every person alive can say “Here I am.” But, that does not promise eternal life. If their life fails to be in Christ they may think they are standing secure but should take care not to fall.

If you are looking to be in Christ and to exists in God’s will answer “Here I am Lord.“

We can begin everyday with that prayer. To be good, be holy and preach the gospel by the way you live your life and love another. Amen.

Stand Firm - Reflection 2nd Sunday of Lent

Readings

Abram put his faith in God.

For that act righteousness, God promised Abram, he would be the father of many, the father of nations with descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. So numerous, they would be impossible to count.

Abram made a covenant with God.

Despite all his faults, Abraham stood firm in his covenant with God. And despite all their faults, many of Abraham’s descendants remain faithful to God

That is an amazing thing. Those of us are parents and grandparents realize that no matter how hard we try to raise our children to live the life that we expect them to have it doesn’t always work out.

We hope they have the same faith, the same beliefs, the same values, and true morals and just causes; but, sometimes we can be disappointed.

Our children are their own persons. They live their own life experiences.

From their experiences of God and others and the experiences of life, they become who they are. And yes, we who are the parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles and influencers in their life are in that make up as well. We compete with all these other things.  

That is the place the apostle Paul was coming from as he preached to the Philippians. Brothers and sisters conduct your selves after the model of us, after the model of true believers, after the models of the followers of Christ.

Paul stated many conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ. There god is their stomach. Their glory is shame.

Their God is what they find in this world.

Paul tells believers: stand firm.

The change needed to change the world’s impact on our lives is something more than this world. A true change is a personal experience of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Just like the experience of Peter, James, and John. These three men have been with Christ, his disciples; they were the inner circle. They lived at the heart of his teaching. They knew what he believed.  

They knew who he was; but it took this transfiguration to really bring home to them that Jesus was more than just a mere man. He was more than just a Messiah that would bring civil revolution to the world.

When the cloud descended upon the mountain, the face of Jesus changed. The way these three men saw Jesus changed.

Jesus was filled with the light of God, the light of the Christ. And a voice from heaven said this is my beloved son in whom I am proud, do as he says. They were in the presence of the living and incarnate God.

These three men witnessed the most marvelous event were afraid when the cloud descended and the heard the voice of God.  

They stood their ground.

What about us?

Today people experience God in ever day miracles and small ways. Every breath we take, every day we live, and every person we love. In all the things that make our small little world livable in this infinite creation, people fail to give credit to God.

We give credit to the gods of our stomachs. People regard these miracles and gifts the results of our own labors our own talents.

And then there’s a crisis or devastating illness, we search for something greater than the small everyday miracles and demand more. We turn to God ignoring all He has done for us and ask for instantaneous miracles.

No miracle is impossible for God.

But our lack of faith can make it impossible for us to realize the existence of these miracles. God’s miracles go unnoticed.

In these times, we must stand firm.

Instead, some will question God. God didn’t grant the miracles we demand.

Miracles can happen in an instant, but most miracles happen over a lifetime or generations or over the course of history.

The greatest miracle is God coming into a person’s life. The miracle is the presence of peace and joy in the time of crisis. It is the miracle of Jesus, Emanuel God is with us.

Build in our hearts a place for the one true God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Open our hearts to the light to come. That is the greatest of miracles. It is the answer to the question.

Friends during this season of Lent prepare a place for the Lord.

He will change us. We will come to conform to his glorified body. He brings us closer to him so we may all stand firm in the Lord.

Stand firm, for other's see God in our lives and the examples of our lives and our love. Through our lives He can live in others.

Stand firm, be good,  be holy and preach the gospel by the way you live and love one another. Amen.

The Battle of the Word - Homily 1st Sunday of Lent - C

(Readings)

Studying the gospel this week, something stuck in my mind. It was a rhyme from my childhood. Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

Our mother’s taught it to us when we were young. My mother gave those words to a little boy picked on by older kids.

Since this rhyme stuck in my mind, I knew there was more to it, so I googled it. I couldn’t find the origin. I did find that it was part of an article in The Christian Recorder Magazine during Lent in March 1862.

The article’s words were - Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.  And it added this - True courage consists in doing what is right, despite the jeers and sneers of our companions.

This is a great message for this Lent.

The truth is that words will never harm us; but, the Word of God will save us;  …if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Many will profess this faith but they lack courage. They are afraid of words others will say. It becomes a battle of words.

The gospel shares the greatest battle of words found in the temptation of Christ.  It is the Battle of the Word; a battle between the Word of God and the words of temptation of the Devil.

After 40 days of fasting in the wilderness and filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus was tempted by the Devil.

The Devil taunts Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, prove it!” The Devil tempts Jesus with pleasures of the body and riches, power, and glory.

The devil was tempting Jesus, testing God, and the Devil failed.

The Devil failed because he has no power over God and the Holy Spirit. When you and I confess Jesus Christ and are filled with the Holy Spirit, the Devil has no power over us. In that, we can find courage.

All the Devil has is words; but words are all it takes for those afraid of the opinions, jeers, and sneers of this world. Words are all it takes for temptation to overtake the weak. Look only to the leaders of our country.

If you turned on the news Ash Wednesday, many of our nation’s political leaders had ashes on their foreheads. Ashes would have been a great example if they realized they were sinners. It would have been a great example if they wore ashes to repent for falling for the temptations of the Devil.

But sadly, most only hear the words of the Devil’s empty promises for pleasure, riches, power, and glory. Our leaders, who say they are Catholic and lawmakers who say they follow Christ, fall to temptations.  

And, they wear their ashes. They disrespect the Eucharist, receiving the body and blood of Christ and in the next instant champion the killing of the innocent.

The faithful ask how they can do this. Remember, even the devil admitted Jesus was the “Son of God.”

Our leaders say they are against abortion but can't tell another what to believe. Misguided by the devil, they believe their words are courage.

Instead, they are words that pierce the side of Jesus once more. They crucify Christ, The Word of God, again and again.

True courage consists of doing right despite the sneers and jeers of the world. It is proclaiming Christ, the Word of God, again and again. Christians must have true courage.

Like the courage of Jesus who told the Devil “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test."

We see this test in politicians and our country’s leaders. But also, it is in us. The words of temptation may not be as big; but, all people can put the Lord our God to the test by their words and deeds.

Inside each of our hearts is a battle between the Word of God and the words of temptation of the Devil. People don’t want to hear the Word of God. They are afraid of what others will say. 

Remember a mother’s advice. Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Words never harm us unless we fall for the temptation of the Devil’s words.

My friends, if we confess Jesus Christ and are filled with the Holy Spirit, the Devil has no power over us.

Instead have courage.

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

We are the Church - Homily 8th Sunday OTC

(Readings)

Recently, my company has required every person in our department take a basic skills course. Most of us have years of experience. Many have advanced degrees and a multitude of professional certifications.

The experienced folks complete the training. However, the younger people complain. They don’t need to be reminded of what they know. Maybe it’s good for the old folks; but for them, it’s a waste of time.

It’s amazing how people tend to blame instead of recognizing their own weaknesses and negativity.

The wisdom of experience tells us that a person can get lazy. Short cuts become habits. True knowledge is corrupted by personal opinion and opinions of others.

So, the company asks us to re-learn, refocus, and re-dedicate ourselves. We are to be the best and truest representation of our profession and the company.

It is a good idea.

It is a good idea in our life of faith.

For many, it’s been years since we completed catechism. Look around, many are experienced in our faith.  We know and see every day how the devil in this world is trying to corrupt us.

People of faith are bombarded by the right or wrong of others. Secular views encourage us to bad habits in our faith. We become lazy in practicing what we believe. Even our knowledge of the Catechism has become corrupted by our own opinion and the opinion of others.

Yet, we are all here at mass in faith to worship the LORD. Most of us could teach being Catholic and Christian. Our faith is verified by our experiences in this life.

But whether we realize it or not, we may be tainted by the world or by our habits and laziness. From that damaged place, the world criticizes the Church. It critiques the log that is in our eye.

It criticizes the leaders and clergy in their human sinfulness, and even the institution. The world criticizes us, which in truth is where the criticism probably belongs.

We are the Church.

People tend to blame ever thing else that is the Church instead of recognizing our own shortcomings, weaknesses, and negativity. Deacon Bill Goss is a face that people can put on the Church, but Deacon Bill Goss is not the Church.

I realize many shortcomings and weaknesses as a Catholic Christian.  I constantly fight the negativity that I see in myself and the world.

We share this; we who are the Church. 

This Church is everyday Bill(s) and Janet(s) and Paul(s) and Mary(s), Catholic Christians that are single people, spouses, parents, grandparents, children, siblings, friends, neighbors, volunteers, employees, and so many other things.

Since the Church is each and every one of us, I challenge you to go back to re-learn, refocus, and re-dedicate yourselves to our faith. We must be the best and truest representation of the Church if we are to bring the Church to the world.

This may be what Jesus was telling us in the parable, "Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher.”

If you think you know everything about Church, faith, or God; your god is too small.

Each and every one of us should consider this wisdom of Sirach in taking our faith, putting in the sieve of the Catechism, shake it, and see what husks appear.  

Maybe, we will see what the world has put in us. Maybe we will remember what God asks of us. So we can “be firm, steadfast, fully devoted to the work of the Lord”

Just because we need to improve does not mean we are not good; instead be humble enough to recognize we may be part of the problem.  Every tree is known by its own fruit.  The fruit will show the care it has had.

If our love, our faith, our hope, our church settles for the status quo where will the world be, where will the church be, and where will we be?

This Wednesday is the beginning of the Lenten season, go to mass, go to confession, go to retreats or study groups to re-learn, refocus, and re-dedicate our lives to God.

Masters or doctorates or fancy degrees are not required, only a loving heart.

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