Your Call - Homily Reflection - 3rd Sunday OTB

 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012124.cfm

Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen

This is Word of God Sunday. All of us are called to share the word of God, but how are we doing it.

When young, we all dream of what we are going to do when we grow up. My 5 years old grandson will tell you he wants to build things.

In everyday life, a person may be called to health care, emergency response, educators, engineers/builders, business people, farmers or just good parents. No matter if they are called to be astronauts or garbage men, in all aspect of life people make an impact on the people and place around them.

Some hear a call to be clergy, religious, and priests going where God sends them to bring Gods message. Even though, they know God is calling, some go where God sends them hesitantly.

That is true even of God’s chosen prophets. Moses said, “I too old, look at my history, and this is too big a job.”  Isaiah said, “I am a man of unclean lips and unclean people. “ Amos told God, “I am just a farmer. I tend herds and maintain the crops.”  Jerimiah protested, “I’m too young. I can’t speak well” And, even “Lord you tricked me.”

When God calls, we face a crossroad in life. Yet a response to God is a response. The response may be to ignore God and continue as if God does not really matter, or does not really care. Maybe, the response is to believe God does not really exist at all.

The other road is to open yourself to God and respond to the call with a willingness to trust and obey.  If you do this, one leaves their old life behind for a new life. You will not be who you were before. You will be a new person in God and for God.

Even though the Lord calls us to follow him, it is not always an easy road.

God called Jonah and told him to bring a message to the people of Nineveh.  However, Jonah did not like the people of Nineveh.  Nineveh was the Capital of Assyria; the country had recently conquered Israel.

Jonah was at a cross roads in life and had to make a choice. Jonah’s choice was to run away from God.

We know the story. He got on a boat. A storm came up. He told everybody it might be his fault since he was running from God. The crew got scared and threw him overboard. Swallowed by the great fish, a whale, he was in its belly for 3 days.

A person cannot get away from God; even in the belly of a great fish. God saved him making the fish spit him out on the shore near Nineveh. God told him bring my word to the people of Nineveh.

Jonah did as God commanded.  He did it hesitantly. He drug his feet. Nineveh was a great city that took 3 days to walk across. Jonah only made one.

God’s message was heard. The people believed and repented. They responded to God’s word with a willingness to trust and obey. In obedience to God, they repented of their former ways and became a people that was different from the people they had been. The city became a different city and place from the one it had been.

In the Gospel - Andrew and Simon, as well as the sons of Zebedee, James and John, are called by Jesus to “change their ways.” Their ways were not necessarily bad. They heard his words “follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”

They abandoned their nets. Left their boats and families. Almost impulsively, followed Jesus.

It seems an unlikely choice to call these simple fishermen. However, responding to Jesus’ words with trust and obedience, they ceased to be what they were— they became very different people from the people they had been.

Jesus left them the fire of the Holy Spirit. He told them to bring the gospel to the whole world. The people they shared the Word with became different people. The cities and places they visited became different cities and places from the ones they had been.

Friends, Jesus’ call to bring the word of God to all the world was not just for Simon, Andrew, James, and John, but for us as well.

You can ignore the call and continue as if God does not really matter; or does not really care; or does not really exist.  Or, you can respond with love that is a willingness to trust and obey. 

Responding to Jesus’ words with trust and obedience, we become new creations. Grace allows us to turn our life completely to God. To realize the call is to bring the good news of Jesus Christ that can change the people and places around us, and the world.

Be good be holy and preach the gospel in the way you are call to in the way you live your life and love one another. Amen.

Our Response to God - Reflection 2nd Sunday - OTB

 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011424.cfm

Raphael - The Miraculous Draft of Fishes - 

Google Art Project.jpg 

Public Domain - Wikimedia Commons

Praise be Jesus Christ, for ever and ever. Amen.

God is always trying to draw near to us; calling to us in our hearts.  It is true even places like our small community. Baptisms are scheduled. Our OCIA team is mentoring a group of young people at the university.  Today, I had 3 additional inquiries about the sacraments of initiation. This week, Diocese of Shreveport will be hosting Diaconate Inquiry and Discernment meetings.

God continually calls to us. How do we answer? Our response to God's call is a response no matter if we answer that call or ignore it.

Samuel, dedicated to God by his mother before he was even born, was sleeping on the floor in the temple of the ark of God. When God called out to Samuel. 

Samuel answered, “Here I am.” But, Samuel was not familiar with the LORD because God had not revealed himself; so, he looked to someone else to answer.

Luckily, he had Eli who pointed him I the right direction.

When the Lord revealed his presence, Samuel answered God’s call “Speak for your servant is listening. This young man was ready to serve.

In the Gospel, two were following Jesus because they had heard John tell them about Jesus “Behold the Lamb of God”

Jesus called to them first – “What are you looking for?” That question contains so much.

They had no idea how to answer him so they had this great response “where are you staying?” The two were not familiar with Jesus, because he had not revealed anything to them as yet.

John had pointed these two in the right direction when he told them about Jesus “Behold the Lamb of God”

In an awkward way, we are not sure if they asked the right or the wrong question; but, they did ask the right person.

Jesus does not tell them where he's staying. He says, "Come and see."

Jesus answers those who come to him in faith and with a pure heart. Remember to have faith and ask the right questions. Contemplate what you are seeking. The Lord will give the right answer.

God calls us to know him. God continually calls to us. Sometimes we can get lost if we do not have the right person to guide us,  we can look in the wrong place. When the LORD called out to Samuel, he went first to Eli. Eli pointed him in the right direction.

Andrew and Philip followed John and John pointed them in the right direction.

What is our response to God’s calling to us? Are we looking in the wrong place? In the 2nd letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul tells the church at Corinth that many of its members are looking for God in a wrong place.

Our body is God’s temple. In our body, our heart, our soul is where we respond to God.  In this body, which exists in this world, we are called to respond to God. Our response to God's call is a response. It can glorify God or sin against God.

Remember, we still need directions to the right person. That is the Church. It is the sacraments. It is our answer to God’s call to us.

Do we respond humbly, “Here I am Lord?” Or do we say, God come back later, I’m too busy?  Our response to God's call is a response.

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

Praise be Jesus Christ forever & ever. Amen.

An Invitation to Conversion - Homily - First Friday Celebration Jan 2024

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010524.cfm

Public Domain -
Alessandro Magnasco

Yesterday's gospel  told of how Philip and Andrew left John the Baptist to follow Jesus. When Jesus turned around and asked what they wanted, they answered, “Where do you stay?” Jesus invited them to “Come and see” 

Later, Andrew found his brother Simon Peter saying “We have found the Messiah.”  Although it does not say it in the Gospel, Andrew may have said to his brother, “Come and see!” and he took Simon to see Jesus.

In today’s Gospel, Nathaniel asks Philip “can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip’s answer, “Come and see,” and then he took Nathaniel to see Jesus.

The invitation” come and see” from the Gospel of John points to an invitation to know Jesus that requires something of us. The invitation is not see and come. Philip, Andrew, Simon, and Nathaniel left where they were to come to Jesus. It is about conversion - metanoia - change 

God knows us and knows our heart. Jesus saw Nathaniel coming and knew what was in his heart before Nathaniel was even invited by Philip to “Come and see.”

It took a brief encounter with Jesus for Andrew to bring the message, “We have found Christ!” After only a few moments, Nathaniel stated “You are the son of God, the king of Israel.” 

“Come and see” is both an invitation and a promise. “Come and see,” I will take you to Him.“Come and see.” I will walk with you.  The “come and see” of conversion is contagious.

When a person comes to God through Jesus Christ, they share it with others. They share with the ones they love. They share it with friends. Our conversion shares the peace and joy that the love of knowing Jesus brings to our hearts. Others, who see peace, joy, and love in use, will be intrigued. They will want to know Jesus who offers this.

Come and see by prayer, adoration, in the eucharist, and by love. Come and see God who knows us and draws near to us through Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  He wants us to know him. He invites us to “come and see.”

We share the invitation and promise “come and see.” We are to love one another. By that love, Jesus sends us to invite others “come and see” and then walk with them. 

Reflection 1/2/2024 - Who are you? What is your Purpose?

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010224.cfm

John the Baptist by Anton Van Dyck (public domain)

The people sent Priest and Levites to John and asked him, "Who are you? What is your purpose?"

John could have said he was many things; yet, he said he was nothing more than a witness of one far greater . John's life was not centered on self. He committed his life to changing the world for God as a voice proclaiming the Word.

Who are you?  What is your purpose? These are question to ask ourselves. Each person should examine self, their actions, and desires.  

Is my life centered on self or is it center in Christ?  Is my deepest identity love? Pray about it.

Probably not too many of us will answer that we are nothing. In this world not many will say the thing they live for is the Lord.

Our answer is found in the response to the peoples whose lives we cross every day. As Christian witnesses, our lives must be lived for others just like Jesus'. 

Our answers are proclaimed in choices made in facing everyday worldly situations and circumstances. If we walk with the Lord, we answer with love using the situations and circumstances of everyday life wisely to serve God and others. 

Proclaiming to follow Christ but failing to live a life of love for Christ is a lie. Actions deny Christ as strongly as words. 

Who are you? What is your purpose? 

These are questions to truthfully answer by prayer.  Without prayer, our witness is empty. Without prayer, we stray from God. Pray to be strong enough to witness for one far greater than ourselves. Reflect the light of Christ into the darkness of the world. Be a voice that proclaims the Word of God.

Praise be Jesus Christ, forever and ever. Amen.

Really Sharing Jesus - Homily Christmas Day

 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122523-Day.cfm

Praise Be Jesus Christ, forever & ever Amen. Merry Christmas everyone.

Before I proclaim the Gospel, I bow down to receive a blessing from Father. As I walk to the ambo, I offer my own prayer. As I hold the gospel up, I pray for the Holy Spirit to be upon me in boldness and strength to proclaim the Gospel, and be with me so that my lips will not stumble and my tongue does not trip. I pray the gospel touches each of your hearts.

If I give the homily, I offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the message given me and offer it for God’s glory.

Last night, I gave the homily at the Catholic Campus Ministry's 8 p.m. Christmas vigil mass on short notice. I was tired. It had been a long day and all I had to eat since breakfast was sample taste from the gifts of candy and cookies given to me by so many people. 

I did not offer those prayers before I proclaimed God’s word. I did not thank God the message given me. I had prayed over the scriptures and written down thoughts in my prayer journal. I knew what God had put in my heart. I failed to surrender that message to God.

I knew it. I felt it. I focused on my imperfections.

I know the Holy Spirit was in the message but my pride got the better of me. I became apprehensive afterwards. I became the same way about my message today.

I prayed on it during morning prayers.

I reflected on my homilies over the years. The stories I share. The vessels use to carry my message. I considered how I expressed the truths the Word of God has revealed to me. Maybe the stories of my grandchildren or work or my childhood are a little too much sometimes.

I read the first passage from scripture this morning. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation...” And, I remembered Bishop Duca placing the Gospels in my hands saying, “Receive the Gospel of Christ whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.”

The answer came to me in the profoundness of today’s Gospel, which are probably some of the beautiful scriptures of the Bible.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. 

All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be.

In the incarnation of Jesus, the Word of God meets us where we are. The true light of God came into the world so that we do not have to leave this world or relinquish our humanity to know God.

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. All we are to do is to be open to that light. Receptive to his word. 

The problem can be is that we want the spiritual stuff without the fleshy part. We want that cosmic spiritual picture John paints but truth is God came to be amount us in the reality of the nativity. A stable filled with the smells of the world. We live in this smelly world, which makes the the Word we share real to others.

Those who believe in his name are sent into the world to spread and share the saving power of the Word. To love the Word and share the Word of God we must live it making it concrete and ordinary.

God wonderfully created the dignity of human nature and still more wonderfully restored it. That real, concrete, and ordinary truth is given to us even in the high cosmic Christological spiritually found in the Gospel of John.

And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.

Spirituality has to be experienced in the flesh. The saving power that is Jesus Christ has be found and experience in the world. The Word comes to the a person’s life in this broken world - as a single person or a member of a family. As a spouse with a large family or a childless couple. The experience as a student or laborer or professional, man or woman, child or adult. In that concrete and ordinary experience of the world the word of God speaks to you.

God speaks to us through the Son, the Word made flesh. For into the nativity of our life, God is perfectly hidden and perfectly revealed.

I have told you about my fears. How many of you have the same and are afraid to share? To overcome troubles pray for the grace of a spirituality filled with an even temper, a cheerful heart, sweetness, gentleness and brightfulness of mind to walk in his light and live by his word. This is really sharing Jesus.

Be good, be holy and in your ordinary and concrete lives in this world – preach the Gospel, the good news of the Word of God to the world.

Praise be Jesus Christ forever and ever – Amen

Merry Christmas.

Rich like Them - Homily Gaudete Sunday

 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121723.cfm

Praise be Jesus Christ – forever and ever. Amen.

This Gaudete Sunday I want to share this story: A rich man wanted his child to see what is was like to be poor. He took him to visit poor rural sharecroppers to see how they lived.

As soon as they arrived, the child felt the difference. He pulled off his shoes and wriggled his toes in the dirt. He made friends with the children and they screamed with joy as they ran across the fields and swam in the bayou. He had cookies made from scratch by smiling lady who laughed a lot and told great stories.

When they left, the boy remembered everything he did. Running everywhere without care compared to only having a back yard at home. In the city, hardly any stars are seen at night; but in the country, more are seen than can be counted. He remembered people living their life with happiness and joy.  

After the family returned to their wealthy world. The father asked, “Would you rather be rich like this or poor like them?” The child answered: “I want to be rich like them.”

Jesus proclaimed 'Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.’

 Who are these poor?  In Hebrew, they were called Anawim? (ann-a-weem) the “poor ones” or the “faithful remnant” The people who remained faithful to God in difficult times. To the faithful remnant, the poor, and the broken heart, God sent Isaiah to prophesize. The poor ones yearning for God sent a man followed John, a voice crying out in the desert.   

The Anawim sang, “Rejoice in the Lord always; everyone rejoice! The Lord is near.”  This Sunday remember Gaudete means, “everyone rejoice.”

Sadly, many people do not know joy. Maybe the reason is that so many in this world have forgotten the 10^th commandment. “You shall not covet.” That sin can bring to the world the opposite of joy, which is suffering.

There is much suffering in the world - poverty, violence, war, disease, and oppression. Covetousness, human greed, makes these things rampant in the world. The most desired things are power, prestige, and possessions.

In the story about the rich father and his son, the father considers the poor as those with less things than him. The world is the same. It considers the poor those without the things the world says they must have. For many suffering is not in being poor, it comes from the sinfulness of coveting things.

This sin can numb a heart and deaden the spirit so one cannot know joy.

The things most covet, desire, and lust after becomes the real passion of a soul. They become the world’s false gods that many worship. These false gods bring false joy.

Most of the time, it is not even a conscious choice. Between here and home, each will be told the worldly things we need many more times than we will be told how much we need each other or how much we need God. This wounds the human heart.

The enemy has always encouraged humanity to put self as the center of the world.  

How often do we hear, “What about my feelings?”

Many pout, “What about my opinions.” And demand, “it must be done my way.”

The world tells us, these things are important. In these things, you will find joy.

But, all of this can bring a person to a place far from God. They oppose true happiness and Godly joy and allow a hardened cocoon of sinfulness to develop around the heart.

From that harden cocoon, many will say, I know Jesus. In that place, many will say they find joy.

After the father and son returned to their wealthy world. The father asked his son – would you rather be rich like this or poor like them? The child answers, “I want to be rich like them.”

God is found outside the hardened cocoon of self. To know Jesus and to find true joy requires a move to a place beyond the self-centeredness of this world. Then you will be able to feel the difference. Like the boy, pull off your shoes and wiggle your toes in the dirt. Test everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil.  

You cannot truly know joy if you covet the passions dictated by the world. To know joy, we must recognize a pure Godly joy –trust in it, believe in it, and pray unceasingly. Rejoice heartily in the LORD, in God is the joy of my soul….

Joy is not in the love of the false gods of power, prestige, and passions. Love only the one true God. In God’s love is where the human heart can find true and profound joy. The joy that comes from the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire, which strengthens us - The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me…, my spirit rejoices….

The poor and faithful remnant are rich in the joy found in God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “I want to be rich like them.”  

Be good, be holy and in this advent season everyone proclaim the good news -   “Rejoice in the Lord always; everyone rejoice! The Lord is near.” 

Praise be Jesus Christ forever and ever. Amen

Considering What We Must Do - Homily 33rd Sunday OTA

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Praise be Jesus Christ – forever and ever.

When I was in about 2^nd grade, my dad had a Rambler American Station Wagon. It had a pushbutton transmission. I would watch him every day get in the car, start it up, and push the button to put it in drive.

It was the most fascinating thing for an 8-year old boy. I wanted to do it. Every day, I would watch him get in the car, start it up, and push the button to put it in drive.

I decided it was something I must do. I just needed the right opportunity.

At that time, my dad was pastor at Gorum Baptist Church. It was a small country church. There was no indoor plumbing, but an outhouse on either side of the church. One side was the lady’s outhouse. One side was the men’s out house. No real parking lot, just a sand and gravel yard for parking.

One Sunday, I had to use the outhouse. I saw the Rambler sitting there. Dad was busy leading the service. Mom was busy keeping my brothers from fighting in the pews as my dad preached. Everyone was inside worshipping Jesus. I can still hear the hymn they sung, “What a friend we have in Jesus…..”

Surely, Jesus wouldn’t mind if I did that one thing that I knew I must do.

So, I did everything I say my dad do - get in the car, start it up, and push the button to put it in drive.  I couldn’t reach the gas pedal or the brake, so the old wagon just idled forward. And, I ran over the outhouse.

I would like to assure you, no outhouses or station wagons were harmed in the making of this tale.

A friend asked me if I had a good homily to go with that story. I said “When it is right, the Holy Spirit will give me one!” Then I read Fr. Joseph Tetlow’s book “Handing on the Fire,” in it he writes, “What we are asked to do is keep His Commandments and accept the things we must do that His spirit confronts us with at every stage of our life.”

What are the things I must do?

It is an insight that goes hand in hand with my outhouse story. What is it that I want and what does God want. I don’t think Jesus really wanted me to run over the outhouse.  

It is also reflects the reading from the gospel - the parable of the talents. It is a parable that means something special to me.

The master of the house prepared for a journey and told his 3 servants to take care of his household and possessions until he returned. To one he gave five talents; to the 2^nd - two; to a third, one. The man gave to each according to his ability.

The one who had been given 5 talents was a obviously a very gifted and wise person. That servant was experienced. He probably had good people skills and was a wise businessman with a keen eye for the deal.

That servant knew he must do something.  The servant took the talents, put them to work, and returned the original talents with an additional 5 talents.

The master replied, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.'

The second servant was given 2 talents. That servants abilities were probably not the same; but, but still good and useful gifts. The master of the house knew this and gave the servant the talents and freedom that would benefit his gifts.

That servant knew he must do something.  With the gifts that servant had, he were able return the original talents with an additional 2 talents.

And the master replied, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.'

Then there was the 3rd servant. The master gave only 1 talent. The master still had expectations of that servant based on their talents and gifts. Maybe this servant was younger or not as experienced in this type of endeavors. But the master of the house recognized the servants gifts and talents and wanted the servant to do something.  

However, this servant could not accept the things they must do. The servant went off to hide his talents. The servant produced nothing, brought the talent and said - Here it is back.'   

His master said to him “You wicked, lazy servant!”

This parable does have a special place in my heart because I remember my Dad reflecting on the parable. He would have been 96 last week. It was the parable read at my dad’s funeral. I remembered my dad’s life, dedication to his family, church and these words -- “well done my good and faithful servant! Come share your Master's job.”

That same parable came back to me years later as I lay on a ventilator in ICU. I was dying. God put in my heart something closer to what the third servant heard. “Have you done what I asked - you wicked and lazy servant!”

With this in mind, I get anxious considering the things God asks of me. These are the things I must do that God has asked of me at the different stages in my life. However, prayer and study has allowed me to grow in this parable.  

We are to use what we are given for God’s purposes. We are to invest our lives, not waste them. We are to accept the things we must do.

The servant who received one talent did nothing with what he was given. He didn’t listen to what his master asked of him. He listened to his own ego and heard his own fears.

Many are guilty. They fear  the think I have little or no gifts and what I do will not amount to much. They hide their talents away ashamed and fearful. Nevertheless, Proverbs tell us we will be rewarded for our labor, even the most simple things done with great love.

Like each of us, the 3 servants were given opportunity to serve. Just like us, they had to face those opportunities differently. No two people have the same gifts to the same degree. Our gifts differ, according to grace given.

You can’t glorify God being the world’ greatest artist if you don’t have not been graced with the gift of artistic ability.

However, God does give us the gifts we need for the work God wants us to do.

·     The gifts of the Holy Spirit - wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.

·     The gifts of everyday life - our skills, abilities, family connections, social positions, education, and experiences.

God does not endow people with identical or necessarily equal gifts. God does not expect identical or necessarily equal results from everyone's work. God does desire us to do things we must do with the gifts we are given. 

The things we must do are keep His Commandments and accept the things God confronts us with throughout our life. Each of us has the gifts (talents) and opportunities to work for God’s kingdom in this world. As we enter Advent, be like those servants and live with anticipation of the Lord’s return, doing what we must do.   

Don’t miss the opportunity.

Be good, be holy and follow Jesus, preaching the good news of His kingdom to the whole world.  Praise be Jesus Christ forever and ever, Amen.

What Should I Wear? - 28th Sunday OTA

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101523.cfm

Praise be Jesus Christ for ever and ever. Amen.

I am not a fashion plate. Growing up, I was a big boy (husky). My family struggled financially. My clothes were from Grants, Kmart, or Howard Brothers. During the winter, I may get a pair of cheap boots or tennis shoes for school and a couple of flannel shirts. By summer, my jeans would be full of holes so they became cutoffs. Mom would take out her sewing machine to make shirts. Every now and then, there would be a new package of pocket t-shirts. My parents dressed my brothers and I to the best of their ability.

Today, I still have trouble dressing myself. Getting ready for mass, my stole gets twisted under my dalmatic. I put things on backwards. In fact, the last time I served Bishop Malone, he said, “Someone please help deacon, he seems to be having trouble.”

I cannot dress myself. Someone has to help. When I was young, it was my parents. Now, it is my wife!

That brings us to this parable about the wedding feast.

It is surprising to many the King invites everyone. Some people would say that this means everyone goes to heaven. In fact, Jesus teaches that the Kingdom of God is open to everyone. But, the truth found in this parable is that many are called, few are chosen.

The king was preparing the wedding feast for his son. He sent his servants out to bring his invited guests – but they did not come. The servants were once again sent out with the message, “I have prepared my dinner, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.”

Some invited guests ignored the servants and went about everyday business. Others seized the servants, mistreated them and then killed them.

The king was furious and sent troops to destroy the murderers. He then instructed his servants to invite anyone they found; both good and bad people to fill the hall at the wedding feast.

Many are called. Everyone is invited. The Kingdom of God is open to everyone.

It was a custom in those days for the host of the wedding—in this case, the king—to provide garments for guests. The garments would be the same, nice non-discreet robes that hid the person’s status so everyone was looked as equals.

Yet, the king sees a man without the wedding garment provided to him. Not wearing the garment was disrespecting the king and his son.  And, when he was asked why he had disrespected the King, the man had no excuse. “He was speechless.”

The King ordered his servants to bind the man and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

The Kingdom of God is open to everyone. Many are invited. Few are chosen. Many choose not to be chosen.

The Hall is ready. The food is on the table. The invitations to the wedding feast are sent.  You all look nice … but are you dressed in the right garment?

The few who are chose will be clothed by God. If we truly desire heaven, trust God has sent us wedding garments.  Isaiah wrote my soul shall be joyful in my God; he clothes me with the garments of salvation, and covers me with the robe of righteousness.

God the Father has sent all we need in Jesus Christ.  Gal. 3:27- If you are baptized into Christ  you have been clothed in the righteousness of Christ. His righteousness becomes ours; His salvation becomes ours. Rom. 12:5 - We are one body in Christ.

Christ is the fine linen of righteousness. Col 3:12 - “Put on as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience”.  

Being clothed in Christ transforms our relationship with God by transforming us. That is in total contrast to living a life of disrespect and disobedience to God like one not dressed in the wedding garments. One not clothed in Christ.

In this parable, the wedding banquet represents heaven and darkness foreshadows hell. Those judged unworthy of the feast will be cast into the darkness where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

An atheist asked this question - Christians believe God created all this. They believe they are made in the image of God. They say there is a heaven and hell. If Christians believe all this is true, why do they not live that way?

That atheist is asking, “Why are Christians not clothed in Christ?” The answer is they choose not to be. God has sent to everyone – the good an the bad - a heavenly garment of righteousness to put on.

If people went to heavenly banquet dressed in their everyday life and choices, some would be in trouble.

Over my lifetime, many people have helped me dress. First, it was my parents. Then, it was my wife. Many of you have straightened my collar or untwisted my stole. Over the years, a beloved community of family and friends has helped me ready myself in Christ.

Friends, I pray you help each other put on the righteousness of Christ. Help me dress for that heavenly banquet and I pray I can do the same in you.

Friends, clothed in the righteousness and love that comes from Christ, share the good news and promise of heavenly banquet. Wear God’s glory for the world to see. 

Many are invited; few chosen. Praise be Jesus Christ, for ever and ever. Amen.

We all need a Parachute - First Friday of October 2023

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100623.cfm 

Imagine we are on an airplane about to crash.  Luckily, there is a parachute for everyone. The person handing out the parachute says, “Jumping out of a plane is very serious. Pay close attention at all times. Follow instructions carefully. If you don’t, it will cost your life.” 

We would pay attention and be mindful of the instructions! Even if we had to go to someone else to hear them.

Jesus is reminding those around him to pay attention and be mindful. Even if they have to get His gospel from his disciples. Listening to them is like listening to him.

The Church, which is every one of us, are the disciples that spread the good news of Jesus Christ today. His words are true today, “Anyone who listens to you listens to me; anyone who rejects you rejects me. And those who reject me reject the one who has sent me.” Jesus will always be faithful to his disciples.

The Church, each of us, must always be faithful and mindful of Christ. People look to those who are believers to see Christ. Pay attention and be mindful for God will always allow himself to be found by those who seek him.

Yet, we exist in a shameful world. Many, including our leaders, have sinned in the Lord's sight. They reject God and desire the devices of their own wicked hearts. Seeking self-realized gods to justify what is evil in the sight of God.

That is why so many see this world as a plane about to crash.

There is hope in Jesus Christ. Hope manifest in believers by faith that claims as our only glory the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is our lifesaving parachute.

It is a faith shared by believers in living a life that is loving, respecting, and lifting up others. Disciples bringing Jesus in everyday life to family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and even strangers. Disciples share the lifesaving grace that is Jesus Christ.

The world needs that parachute.

Pay close attention. Be serious in sharing Jesus. Follow His instructions. If you don’t, it could cost someone eternal life.”

Friends, be mindful of Jesus, live the good news by sharing the promise of Jesus with the whole world. Amen.