The Peanut Butter all over the Room - 31st Sunday OTB

 Praise Be Jesus Christ forever and ever.

Have you ever asked a question knowing the answer, trying to catch someone saying something wrong? I did it when my children were young.

They were not good at telling a fib. "Did one of you get into the jar of peanut butter?

No, they would answer and had good reasons in the eyes of a child why peanut butter was all over the room.

As the years passed, I learn to read their body language, expressions, and especially their eyes. The eyes can be the mirrors to the soul. It was a good skill to have as they became teenagers.

Although not to same end, the Jewish temple leaders, Pharisees, and scribes were always trying to trick Jesus. Using human truths and laws in a dishonest way to achieve what they wanted.  

What they wanted was to discredit Jesus and they tried to do it all the time.

Once they asked him “Is it right for a man to divorce his wife?” Another time they questioned him “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

Jesus’ answers was to the point. You hypocrites! Why are you trying to trap me?"

Those probably knew the truth about Jesus. Surely they saw the miracles all over the places he went. They recognized in his body language, expression, and words that he spoke with authority. Surely, they could not have looked into His eyes (the eyes of God) and treated Jesus the way the treated him.

But, they were trying to trap him with human law. They were using worldly truth to achieve what they wanted.

Friends most of the time, when we sin we are doing the same thing.  We justify our sin by worldly things.  Many look at human terms, laws, and opinions and ignore God’s truth.

Sin is a terrible thing. However, people think it is no big deal most of the times. It is a small thing. God forgives. The sinner will get over it. Others will get over it.  With that, the sinner abandons God and reason. .

People are trying to trick God, look around, how is that going? 

Human law changes. Politicians and lawmakers will not remain in office. They will not live forever. However, Jesus remains forever. God’s truth remains forever.

The one the world is trying to trick by human law and reason knows our thoughts. The world can never trick God or trap Jesus; even though humanity as tried since the beginning of hiistory.

That is why today’s gospel is a little different. The question of “What is the greatest commandment?” might have been asked to trap Jesus.

Jesus’ answer: The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

That answer open the eyes of the scribe. He saw the truth of who Jesus was in the answer the scribe already knew. The scribe listened to Jesus and looked into his eyes and saw God. The scribe acknowledges the truth in Jesus’ words.

Jesus saw the scribe understood.

Our sin is the peanut butter all over the room. We can never make up a situation where God’s answer and truth is to blame. If we deny it or justify it, sin is sin. Realize, it is of the world. Give to Caesar what is Caesars.

Live by the greatest commandments so that never will the situation arise when we think we can trick Jesus to justify our sin. Everyday, imagine yourself looking into the loving eyes of Jesus and merciful eyes of God.

Living that greatest commandment is to know truth. Knowing truth, never will you question Jesus again.

Be good, be holy and live the greatest commandment by the way you live your life and love one another. 

Praise be Jesus Christ forever and ever. Amen.

I Know That Young Man - Homily 28th Sunday OTB

 Praise be Jesus Christ fore ever and ever. Amen

I joined the PSR classes this morning and heard the teacher asked the class, “what are the rules that God has given us to live by?” She continued, “Does anyone know the answer?”

The class just looks at her. I'm standing behind holding up 10 fingers. Then, she holds up both hands with all her fingers outstretched “The 10…”

One little boy shouts out, “The 10 fingers!!”

Not exactly right, but maybe a good answer - think about it.

God loves us so much he wants to hold us in his loving hands. Those 10 commandments are like the 10 fingers that hold us close to him. The truths of how we are to love him and love each other.

Today’s Psalm proclaims “May the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours; prosper the work of our hands for us! Prosper the work of our hands!

In the gospel today, a young man asks Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus answers him “You know the commandments….”

The young man assures Jesus that he had observed since he was a child.

Jesus loved him, but said, “You are lacking one thing. Go, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."

At that statement the young man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

It is the same place many fail; myself included.

I recently completed the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. One thing the retreatant must do is recognize their poverty. A poverty found in the times failed in life by their sins. Times separated from the riches of a relationship with our heavenly Father.

The way to recall and reflect these times is prayer. “I prayed and prudence was given me; I pleaded and the spirit of wisdom came to me.”

It was a hard to pray about all the times I hurt God. One friend said after he started this exercise, he wanted to run and hide from God because of his sins and the hurt he had brought to God and others. Truth is “Nothing is concealed from him; everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.”

As I reflected, one thing coming upon my heart seemed trivial; but, as I contemplated, it became profound.

In high school, all the football players had a secret spirit booster. These boosters put up signs and spirit posters. They gave treats on game day. My senior year, a sophomore made me cookies every week.

She was a sweet girl but not a good cookie maker.

The day came when our secrete spirit booster was revealed. I was a senior, a football player; but, I had no idea how to interact with girls. When I meet her, my awkward response was – “you can’t make very good cookies.”

I was that young many who came to Jesus. His failure was he couldn’t let go of his possessions. All his stuff was more important to him than eternal life, a relationship with Jesus, and God.

Jesus telling him “give all that you have to the poor and come follow me” was Jesus telling him – “love God with all that you are and love your neighbor.” The pride of the young man for all his earthly possessions would not let him do it.

Pride is the source of most sin. Pride has us put our things before God. It is putting loving our things before loving our neighbor. In my pride I told someone who spent many nights making cookies for me - you don’t make very good cookies. I didn’t treat her the way God wanted me to treat her. I think back about how my pride hurt her.  

As I reflected on it, I saw that same pride in all my sins.

Every one of us, if we look at our sin, will see our failures are the same as that one who approached Jesus. It may not be monetary wealth, but it is something we see as riches. They are the things we put before God and loving others.

"Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings it is impossible, but not for God.  All things are possible for God."

By the greatness of God, his mercy, and his sacrifice - our sins we are forgiven.

I recently read: “Faith without religion is like breathing without air.”

So remember, come to mass and pray every day to draw closer to God. Recognize, we are sinners. Partake of the sacrament of reconciliation. Come to Jesus in Eucharist to have eternal life.

Friends, come and follow Jesus. Be good, be holy, and preach the Gospel by the way you live your life and love one another.

Praise be Jesus Christ for ever and ever. Amen.

Scruples - Memorial of St. Therese & 1st Friday

 

Today is the Memorial of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, the Little Flower of Jesus. She is remembered for the simplicity and practicality of her faith, the little way. But, in the simple practical faith she practice was plagued by scruples, which is guilt and anxiety about moral or religious issues. Mental health professionals define scruples is a moral or religious obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD).

Maybe, more people should have guilt and anxiety on moral and religious issues.

Sometimes, it takes hardships for people realize their faults. The Jewish people realized theirs during the Babylonian captivity. The prophet Baruch wrote – “Justice is with the Lord, our God; and we are flushed with shame”

“We neither heeded the voice of the Lord, our God, nor followed the precepts the Lord set before us.”  “… each went after the devices of his own wicked heart….”

The lack of a moral compass or a religious base can lead to a wicked and harden heart. God told us through Moses and Jeremiah that people are hard hearted. Isaiah wrote about insensitive and hard hearts. Daniel wrote about arrogant hearts.

In the gospel of Mathew, Jesus speaks about hearts that have become dull. The King James Version of the bible, the words are “The hearts of the people is waxed gross”

Sadly, today many lack scruples.

So many people’s hearts are hard about so many different things. Hearts are waxed gross. Faith has become dull. A lack of scruples allows people to hear but not understand and to see but not perceive.

One political leader’s remark on their Bishop’s statement against abortion was “I’m just don’t agree.”

Consider what Jesus told his apostles, “Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me - whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

If today you hear his voice - harden not your hearts.

St. Therese, little flower of Jesus, pray for us.