Simply Throw Open Your Arms - 31st Sunday OT - C

Simply Throw Open Your Arms 

31^st Sunday OT- C

We should look at our faith with simplicity. I think the story of Zacchaeus is a good one to bring to simple terms. It becomes simple if you know the name Zacchaeus comes from the word that means “clean, pure, and innocent.” So look at the story again:

There was clean, pure, and innocent man in Jericho, who happened to be the chief tax collector and a wealthy man, and he was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way.

Jesus looked up and said, “Clean, pure and innocent man come down quickly, I must stay at your house.”

And he came down quickly and received him with joy.

The crowd grumbled, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.”

The clean, pure and innocent man stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.”

And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house….For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.

No one told Jesus who Zacchaeus was. There was no formal introduction. Jesus saw him and knew him as Zacchaeus, the clean, pure, and innocent man. He didn’t see a tax collector or a sinner; but, instead he saw the person God created and said was good. Jesus said I must come to your house. This was an act of love.

The clean, pure and innocent man received him with joy. In my mind’s eye, I see Zacchaeus throwing open his arms wide and welcoming Jesus into his life. You spare all things, because they are yours, O LORD. I see tears of joy brought by the love and forgiveness Jesus brings to Zacchaeus.

Be like Zacchaeus and seek Jesus. We have to rise above the world around us. Remember that God forgives us. This overcomes everything that is keeping us from God. Throw open your arms and receive Jesus with joy.

People find this hard. People see only sinners. In our simplicity too many think that if God is so great then we don’t matter. To God the whole universe is nothing more than a grain of sand or a drop of morning dew.

Simply, God is so great and so good that we do matter. He has mercy on all, because God can do all things; even overlook people's sins that they may repent.

Simply, as the Catechism teaches: God …, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength.  (CCC 1) The clean, pure and innocent person is seeking to see who Jesus was.

Simply, through baptism, we are born again as clean, pure and innocent children of God so that our God may make us worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him.

Simply throw open your arms and receive him with joy.

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

Blue Marks - Reflection Healing Service - October 2016

Blue Marks (1 Peter 5: 5-7)

A three year old was spending time with her grandmother when the grandmother discovered the child drawing lines all over her legs with a blue marker.

The grandmother asked “Why are you doing that? Why are you putting blue lines all over your legs?”

The granddaughter answered “Grandmother, I want to have pretty legs like you.”

After that, the grandmother then looked at her varicose veins differently and through the eyes of someone who loved her. (Readers Digest (9/2016)

We are told to clothe ourselves in humility. Most people will try to hide their imperfections. Varicose veins are hidden by pants or something to cover them.

Most people are humbled by their imperfections, illnesses, financial problems, family conflicts, emotional issues, or whatever crisis they face. These marks on our life bring us back from arrogance. Trouble punches a hole in the bubble of pride; no matter how much we try to be in control, we are not in control.

In bad times is when people find their knees. They become humble. They bow humbly before God, turning to Him in prayer. Scripture tells us God shows kindness to those of us who are humble.

Through our prayers, God will lift us up.

God’s will is done: when we pray humbly, when we pray faithfully, and when we pray with expectation. He answers our prayers.

How do we pray like this? Remember the tax collector’s prayer “God have mercy on me a sinner.” Today there is a little different version of this prayer. It is the Jesus prayer. It is a prayer of humility. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”

What are your blue marks? Look at them with the eyes of the one who loves you. Then in humble prayer, “Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you.”  

God have mercy on me, on all of us. Amen

Inhale & Exhale Reflection 30th Sunday OT

Inhale and Exhale

30^th Sunday OT C

I am going to paraphrase a quote from St. Elizabeth of the Trinity.  

As long as my will desires different from the divine will …;

I do not walk in love with giant strides. I am not pure. I am still seeking myself.

Until I reflected on these thoughts of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity maybe I didn’t completely get it. She spoke of a walk in love with giant strides. St. Paul calls it running the race.

Paul running the race with all that was against him. Paul’s race was against those who persecuted him and fought against him – the pagans, the false prophets and teachers. Many times he was alone, no one to stand with him, support him, or defend him.

Paul, I don’t think, met another person who challenged his faith in Christ or who could defeat his theology. His only challenge was his own self, realized in the darkness that tries to take over thoughts and minds.

Paul stood alone. A person alone runs the greatest race; the race against self, sins, and doubt. Paul was battling what he called a thorn in his side; yet, Paul kept the faith. The reason “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength…” Paul’s race was to completely surrender to the divine will of the Lord.

If our life and faith is a race, then our prayers are our breathing; with these thoughts I looked to Jesus’ parable on prayer.

If it is a race we are running, our prayers are the breathing The Pharisee’s prayers were all inhale. Look at me, look at me, and look at me. I am better than others. I fast twice a week. I pay tithes. He inhaled a boastful prayer of his own ego, all about him, and pulling everything to himself. It was about him. It was a prayer full of I, I, and I. He never exhaled. There was no humility in his prayer.

If it is a race we are running, our prayers are the breathing. The tax collector’s prayer was a a full breath needed to sustain a life. It was a prayer that both exhaled and inhaled. He exhaled his sins, “God have mercy on me a sinner,” and he inhaled God’s mercy. His prayer was not something he did; it was all of him like his breath.

The tax collector’s prayer came from the Holy Spirit. In Romans, St. Paul writes “… we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes….”

The Catechism (CCC 2558) calls “Prayer a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” That sounds like the tax collector’s prayer.

The Pharisee seems to have forgotten the wisdom of Sirach. “The Lord is a God of justice he shows no favorites.” “He hears the cry of the oppressed.” And the one who serves God willingly is heard; … the prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds.”

Many times in a race, we run alone. It is a battle not to seek self but to know the divine will of God in our life. “… that our life be conformed to Christ in the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father. (CCC 2558) 

None of us are pure and without fault.  It is so hard for us to run the race or walk with great strides of love. Realizing these things, we only need to look towards heaven and cry out “God have mercy on me a sinner.”

Embrace God’s will in both trail and joy. Surrender to the love of the divine will “…being poured out like a libation…” Pouring out our ego and replacing it with grace. Fill the self with the faith and truth found in the grace that is God’s love and mercy.

Remember that Prayer is lived. (CCC 2569) Prayer is lived by love. Love allows us to inhale and exhale our prayer. It is the walk in love with giant strides. It is running the race.

Prayer is lived by surrendering to the divine will and call of the Lord. It is not something you do; the surrender must be part of us like our breathing, automatic and constant. Exhale your prayer and love to the world and inhale God’s love and mercy.

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

Don't Grow Weary - Reflection 29th Sunday OT

Don’t Grow Weary

29^th Sunday OT

This week the Deacons of the Diocese of Shreveport had their annual retreat at Subiaco Abbey in Subiaco, Ark.  We had a wonderful time of sharing as brother deacons with our most excellent Bishop Michael. One of the things Bishop taught us on was prayer.

The message on prayer was close to the same one Jesus gave his disciples, “Pray always without becoming weary.” As this week comes to an end, I pray the faith of my brother deacons is persistent and endures. I pray they don’t grow weary and always remain strong in Christ. ”When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

As believers, our prayers and faith should be like the widow’s, persistent. Keep knocking and asking. Be persistent in faith, persistent in prayer, and remain persistent even when the world is against us.

That’s the message St. Paul gives to Timothy. “Be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient.”

It is the circumstance of our world that too many find faith an inconvenience. There are Catholics that don’t believe what the Church teaches. It cramps their lifestyles. So they don’t bother to believe.

My friend Deacon Bill Klienpeter says “It’s third grade theology syndrome (syndrome is my word).” Too many have stopped learning about God and their faith in third grade catechism. So they try to live their adult life on third grade awareness of God.

The truth is that God has never changed and God never will change. To know the truth behind this, we must be persistent and strive to understand. But, many stay stuck in a third grade level understanding and find it hard to endure in an adult life of faith. They grow weary in prayer.

Growing weary and weak because like everything our prayers must be worked out, faith must be built-up. Those strong in faith are persistent and endure. One whose faith belongs to God is competent and strong, because, they have endured. It is enduring faith that is the wisdom of salvation in Jesus Christ.  

It must be a persistent faith. It is the faith our parents shared with us. It is the faith we share with our children. It is our faith we must share with the world. It is faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ expressed by our prayers.

Moses stood on a hill with the staff of God in his hands ….  Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on each side, so that his hands remained steady.

Our prayers are the victorious Staff of God that we hold high. A community of faith makes them strong, makes them persistent, and makes them endure. 

Our community is the Church whose prayers are persistent and endure; a people whose faith endures.

This week when he spoke to us on prayer, the Bishop taught that prayer is three things. Prayer is faithful. Prayer is not only talking to God but listening to him. Prayer is expectant; pray and expect an answer.

For me, prayer is a love story. It is expressing love for those around you. It is saying I love you to God. Like all great love stories, it is built on faith that is enduring and persistent. Pray always; don’t grow weary. Love and don’t grow weary.

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

God is Not Chained - Reflection 28th Sunday OT

God is not Chained 

(Readings for 28^th Sunday OT)

I read this the other day, “Behind every mistaken understanding of reality is a mistaken understanding of God.” (Richard Rohr) 

The truth of that statement can be found in St. Paul’s words “The word of God is not chained.”  God is not chained to our mistaken reality.

In the first reading, we hear of Naaman. He was a General. He fought for his king and his kingdom. He fought for his Gods. He fought for what he knew. This was Naaman’s reality. Another part of his reality was that he was a leper.

In the Bible, leprosy is a disease that causes the sufferer to experience abandonment, isolation, and being an outcast of society. It’s also a metaphor for sin.

Naaman was a powerful and wealthy man. He looked to defeat his leprosy. He went to his king. He went to the king of Israel. He was looking to the wrong Kings; only the true King can heal, the Lord God most high. God sent Elisha.

Elisha instructed the leper to dunk himself in the Jordan seven times. Can someone say baptism? Naaman thinks this is preposterous; surely there are better rivers in his home country.  Yet, in an act of faith, he washes himself in the river Jordan seven times. He comes out clean.

The healing of Naaman is not just a story of the healing from disease but it is a story of salvation. Now, he knows the true King. Naaman realized that his healing was the work of the true God; but, he still has a mistaken understanding of God.

“Please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth, for your servant will no longer make burnt offerings or sacrifices to any other god except the LORD.

Naaman mistakenly thought to give thanks and praise to God, he had to bring the earth of Israel with him. He chained God down to that one little place.

God is not chained.  Not by place not by time not by person

In the Gospel, ten lepers met Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”

Ten lepers were cured. One returned. Jesus asked, “Where are the other nine?”

The other nine had a mistaken understanding of reality and a mistaken understanding of God. Their reality was to go to the priest to be declared healed instead of giving thanks and praising God. Healing was chained to the priest.

Only one came to our Lord Jesus Christ, to give praise and thanks. The one who realized he had been healed returned, glorifying God in a loud voice. He knew that God had healed him. He fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan.

The word of God is not chained. Not by place not by time not by person.

Naaman and the Samaritan realized not only had they been healed, they had also died to their old lives filled by the leprosy of disease and sin. The healing power of God had cured their leprosy and cured them of their sin. They had been raised up to a new life. 

These things still happen today.

I recently read the story of Juan Perez in the article “When Faith meets Cancer.”  Juan was diagnosis with synovial sarcoma. Even with treatment, most patients survive only 12-16 months. Last spring, Juan traveled to Lourdes at 21 months past his diagnosis. He was looking for a miracle.

He and his wife prayed. They bathed in the spring and sipped the waters. They attended mass and gave thanks and praise to God with 25000 other pilgrims.

It was in the mass that the miracle happened. Perez said, “While I was there, I just can’t explain in the right words. It’s an unbelievable experience. The choir singing. Everybody rejoicing. So peaceful.  When I was there, I just felt that I’d rather have a spiritual healing than a physical healing, to know God better. It helped me.”

To know God better helped me. Juan gets it. He understands his reality and found a little understanding of the mystery of God. Juan received healing even though the cancer may still be there.  

As of the beginning of September 2016, Juan’s cancer had shrunk. God was not chained to the time the doctors said Juan had left.

Juan’s story is witness. Remember Jesus Christ, the word of God is not chained. Not by place not by time not by person.  God is not chained by our reality.

Today there is a mistaken understanding of God. In the mistaken reality of our world, remember the words of St. Paul to Timothy: If we have died with him we shall live with him; if we persevere we shall reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us.

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

Quality v Quantity - Reflection 27th Sunday OT

Quality v Quantity

 27^th Sunday OT

The disciple’s asked Jesus to increase their faith. They had faith, but, only if they had more faith. And Jesus said to them: “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed you could tell that mulberry tree to uproot and be planted in the sea.”

  

It’s not about the quantity of your faith it about the quality.

Faith is a wonderful thing. In the first reading we hear that the faithful survive because they believe in God’s justice.  The second reading St. Paul calls faith the gift of God. But these same two readings tell us having faith is hard.

Having faith is hard when we look around to see ruin and misery, strife and discord, poverty and hunger, oppression and war. Keeping faith is hard when we realize the evil of the world. Like the prophet we ask God why evil exists and how long will it go on?

Having faith in Jesus Christ is hard. The world places a stigma on us. We face persecution, suffering, misunderstanding, resentment and hostility because the message of our God is love.

And about our faith, Jesus tells us that it’s not how much faith you have; it’s how strong your faith is.

Eight people attended our healing service this month. They came in faith before the Lord in the sacrament of the altar. They came to pray in faith that God’s healing would touch them. In the darkest time of life, they come to Jesus in faith. They come to Jesus for faith.

We come to Jesus for faith and to have the faith of Jesus.

Jesus had the strongest faith of any man to walk the earth. But even with all that faith, He was afraid. On the cross, He cried out to God the Father, Lord why have you forsaken me.

I remember when my faith was tested, a time I was afraid. It was a test of faith for my entire family and until recently I never really understood that test.

My father was a man of faith. Yet, when he came to the end of his life - he suffered greatly.  He suffered from lung disease. The lack of oxygen caused his brain and thoughts to grow dark and troubled. Almost the entire last year of his life he was on a ventilator. He slowly suffocated.

By his life, my father tried to live as Jesus lived. He taught my brothers and I to have charity for others. He taught us to respect with justice the dignity of every person.

Jesus lived a life of love. But before his greatest trial, Jesus went through a dark time in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus’ life ended in suffering. Jesus hung on the cross and he dried out in despair before his death; death on the cross by slowly suffocating.

My father tried to live like Christ. In his faith, he gave his suffering to Lord. He even died like Jesus.

It was a dark time for me and my family. In the darkness of the world, the faithful believe. We asked why this happened. We asked how long it would hurt. When I was 26, I didn’t have a lot of faith, but my faith was like that mustard seed, a good quality faith taught by my father. My heart didn’t become harden to God in fact it turned to God even more.

Faith leads us to become the unprofitable servants. In faith, we live to teach, preach, and serve in charity. By faith, we respect with justice the dignity of each and every person. We do this not for us, but for our Lord. Faith moves us to share the love of Christ with our brothers and sisters.

By grace alone, we are saved. Grace gives us that mustard seed of faith that does great things. In grace and faith we put on a servant’s apron.

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

He Cares for You - Healing Prayer Serivce

He Cares for You (Reflections of the Healing Prayer Service)

Thanks Dan for Inspiration

God provides great words to touch those who open their hearts. From scripture come these words: Bow humbly under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time he may lift you high. Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you. (1 Ptr 5:6-7)

We come here tonight to pray for healing. In these prayers and words are healing. They tell us of God’s love which is the most awesome healing power there is.

We just need to take that love into our heart’s and return it to God.

It is the fire of God’s love that frees us from our suffering and purges us of our sins. In the fire of God’s love, the light of his grace brings us the strength of hope and the peace of his presence.

It is a fire that burns hot and strong, so we tend to keep at a distance; even those who think we’re religious. Because, the  truth is we try to control everything.

We forget to open ourselves to God’s love and return it. We forget God is our loving Father who cares for each and every one of us. Because we’ve neglected God, we think God has forgotten about us.  

We forget to bow before Him. We forget to praise Him. We forget His mercy. We forget to return His love.

Then we come to a crisis. We get angry and in that anger shout at God. It’s alright to be angry. It’s alright to shout and ask God why. It’s alright because He cares. He loves. He forgives.

It’s alright. Because, in this anger, shouting, and questioning, we recognize that we don’t control everything. Everything is in God’s control.

 From Psalms 62

• In God is my safety and glory the rock of my strength
• In God alone is my soul at rest, my help comes from him. 
• In God alone be at rest my soul, for my hope comes from him

Pray to God and offer him your suffering, your illness, your crisis. Pray to our Heavenly Father for his mercy. Pray to Lord Jesus Christ, the Divine Physician for strength, hope and healing.  Pray to the Holy Spirit to know the peace and joy of God’s presence. Pray for forgiveness. Pray often.

I am filled with joyed when my wife, children or someone tells me “I love you.” I never get tired of hearing those words. That’s our prayers to God, the “I love you” from us to God.

Praise God, offer Him all our suffering. Give our pain to the Lord Jesus Christ who suffered for us. Our Heavenly Father brings grace, peace and joy, because as the scripture tells, He cares for you.

Where That Came From - Reflection 26th Sunday OT

Where That Came From   

26^th Sunday OT

Being a preacher’s son, one Sunday a month we'd go to a member of the church’s home for Sunday dinner. My mother would give out instruction: mind your manners, eat one bite of everything on your plate, and never ask for seconds.

My brothers had problems with the first two, my problem was the third. It never failed that the chubby little boy would be asked. "Would you like seconds? There’s plenty were that came from." I would stare longingly at a second piece of fried chicken and say “No mam, I'm full.”

Later, we would go to my grandparents’ house. My grandfather always had a pack of Wrigley's gum in his shirt pocket. If there were more grandchildren than gum, he would tear the sticks so everyone would have a piece. He would give it all out and say “That's all I have, there’s no more where that came from.” No matter how many times he divided a stick of gum, it was more than enough. We’d be happy with all he had. 

“There’s more where that came from,” is a modern phrase. When Jesus preached his parables, people believed abundance and good things were limited. They only knew, “There’s no more where that came from.” People who had things were favored by God.

The only thing in abundance for the poor was misery. Illness and suffering were thought to be divine punishment. To improve one’s stations in life was unthinkable. If a person gained something they were suspected of taking it from someone else. That’s why the shepherd looked for his one lost sheep and the woman searched for her one lost coin.

In this world of rich and poor, the rich controlled everything. The rich were blessed by God and the poor and suffering received divine justice for a sin they or their ancestors had committed. The poor survived on the generosity of the rich. The Law of Moses instructed the rich to share their good fortune by alms to help the less fortunate.

This brings us to the story of the rich man and Lazarus. In a world about the powerful, wealthy, and beautiful people, it is a story with great irony. To see only beauty, the world ignores the people it considers unimportant or nameless like the poor and suffering.

The irony of this story, it is the successful we don’t know; but, we learn the name of the poor and suffering, Lazarus. Christ is the paradox that puts a name to the nameless and brings beauty to those the world has thrown away. Though He was rich, he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. Rich and abundant is His grace, mercy, and love.

God did not condemn the rich man. The world saw him as a favored by God. The rich man condemned himself by forgetting his God given responsibility of caring for the poor. He created an abyss between himself and the poor and suffering.

He lived in opulence all his earthly days. In that, he created a chasm between himself and Lazarus. He ignored the poor and suffering man not even offering scraps from his table. His destiny of torment began at the door that separated the two on earth and grew to a great abyss in the next.

The difference was who stood on the favored side.

In life Lazarus was a forgotten person. No one even cared enough to “shoo” the dogs away. He lived on the poor side of the door; yet, he never begged or asked the rich man for anything. After death, Lazarus was received in the bosom of Abraham, a table of righteousness filled with God’s love, grace, and mercy. 

After death and in torment, the rich man begged. 'Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.'

Lazarus is a precursor image for Christ raised from the dead; but, Lazarus did not preach repentance. Christ preached repentance and sends his disciples with the same message.

The message for us is don’t chase the riches of the world. Instead, “Pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith.”

This is mercy. This is love. Rich and abundant is His grace, mercy, and love. Like my grandfather's piece of gum, in his grace He gives us all.

Pursue Christ’s abundance. “Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called…” We are his disciples. As Christians, we took his name. Go out to learn the name of the poor and suffering. With great love, bring His riches. The Lord will give us all. If your goal is to love, give all that you have.

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

Put Your Feet in the Right Place - Reflection 25th Sunday OT

Put Your Feet in the Right Place  
25^th Sunday OT

On vacation with my parents this week, I visited the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park in Hodgenville, Ky.  At this park is a large monument at the place of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. A grand set of stairs in the hillside leads to a large granite and marble structure. Inside is a humble cabin not much more than an arm’s span wide and three arm’s spans long.

The only problem, scientist have discovered it's not old enough to be Lincoln’s birth cabin. Yes, it sits on the spot of the original cabin; the land belonged to Thomas Lincoln, Abe’s father, but it is not the cabin. 

The National Park Service calls it a symbolic birth cabin. It all started with plan to make money. Visit the park to learn the whole story. It's kind of like the stories we hear today.

In the first reading, greedy people take advantage of the poor by cheating them out of their wages, out of food, and even take advantage of their lives. We will diminish the ephah (a bushel) add to the shekel (used as balance of scales) and fix our scales for cheating! We will buy the lowly for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals; even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!”

They wanted the Lord’s Day to be over so they could continue their cheating. They wanted the festivals of the Lord to end to continue their dishonest ways. They are just going through the motions of prayer and worship.

The gospel parable asks if we are doing the same. Are we honest stewards of God’s mercy? Do we share from our bounty with those less fortunate or are we cheating God?

Jesus came to teach us to love, to care for the poor, the less fortunate, and those in need. Paul re-enforces Jesus’ message by bringing this ideal of a new life. We are to offer supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings for everyone. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.

I like the fact that St. Paul asks us to pray for the poor and lowly sinners who are Kings and those in authority. These are poor for the love of Christ.

This is a great idea in our time's of politics and issues. It is a great idea when political platforms are built on legalized killing of the unborn and rail against Christ and His church. Our countries founding ideals and thoughts are not understood and twisted to become a rallying cry for unrest. The messages we hear are poor for the love of Christ.

Abraham Lincoln said, “Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” I think that is what God is asking us to do. Put our feet in the right place and stand firm. Stand firm in God’s mercy and be good stewards.

This week the USCCB posted “As we prepare for our national and local elections, may our political engagement be guided by our Catholic faith.” Don’t just go through the motions. Don’t be symbolic Catholics. “Put your feet in the right place and stand firm!”

Pray for the poor and lowly who are our country’s leaders. Pray our leaders are not greedy people. Pray they are not just trying to take advantage of us. Pray they become good stewards of all that they are entrusted with in positions of authority. Pray for those poor for the love of Christ.

Abraham Lincoln wrote “I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.”

Pray for everyone. Lift up the less fortunate, the lowly, and the outcasts. Be good stewards of God’s mercy, which is the grace and love in Christ we share. 

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

Lost! A Reflection 24th Sunday OT-C

Lost!   (Link - 24^TH Sunday OT)

Many people watched the TV show “Lost.” According to one of the show’s creators, it was about “people who are lost in their lives. Then, they get on an airplane, crash on an island, and become physically lost.” (Lost)

Sounds like Exodus. The Israelites' lives were lost. They left Egypt, crashed into God, and then got lost in the desert. Moses left the people for just a little while and they crashed into God. They got lost. They turned from the way pointed out to them; they made a molten calf and worshiped it.

God tells Moses “I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are.” God said the people were stiff necked, stubborn, and obstinate. In the narrative of Exodus, God was upset with the people; He was broken-hearted. Did they get what they deserved? No, they got what God gives: Forgiveness. 

You would think they learned a lesson. Not so. They continued to be this way; refusing to change. They continued to get lost, a stiff-necked people sinning against God. God forgave them again and again and again.

I think Jesus parables are about stiff-neck people. Look at these parables in a different way; see the lost from a different perspective. They tell of those who turned aside from the path shown to them.

We know the parable of the lost sheep. But, the shepherd is lost, stubborn, and foolish to leave 99 sheep unprotected to go after one stray. The sheep becomes the false god the shepherd chases. The greater good of 99 are left behind.  

We know the parable of the lost coin. Yet, tear apart your house and forget others for a single coin, you’re lost, stubborn, and on the wrong path. The coin becomes the false god the woman worships forgetting all else.

Both, shepherd and woman turned aside from the way pointed out to them. Their molten calf is worldly things like the sheep and coin. Jesus words hint that something has become lost, yet God the Father, welcomes and forgives. The grace of our Lord is abundant. They return to the right path; there is a great party.

The Israelites, shepherd, and woman were lost worshiping things of this world, things of men. We have the same in our houses, cars, clothes, and our things. We can be a stiff-necked people, worshipping man-made things in this world  that turn us from the path and purpose God has revealed.

The prodigal son worshiped the things of this world.  The son demanded his inheritance, left home, and the love of his father. He chose the things of the world, which he saw as “freedom.”  But “freedom” is not what he found. He found lost.

Defeated, the son returns to his father’s house. The father runs to meet his son. He embraces him and prepares a feast of welcome. Did the son get what he deserved? No. He got what his father gave: Forgiveness. 

We can become lost in our lives; physically lost in the sin of the everyday world. Lost in our stiff-necked stubbornness and sin, do we get what we deserve? No, we receive what God our Father gives us: forgiveness.  We are reconciled to Him in Christ.

St. Paul writes, “Christ Jesus came to save sinners.  Of these I am the foremost…. so that in me …, Christ Jesus might display all his patience for those who would come to believe in him for everlasting life.”  God saves us and calls us to him despite what we have done according to His own purpose and grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus. (2 Tim 1:9)

Heavenly Father may all who are lost chasing things of this world return to you, know your abundant grace and forgiveness, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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

Jesus' 4 letter Word - Hate - Homily Reflection 23rd Sunday OT

Jesus said Hate – 23^rd WeeK  OT

My grandson turned three Saturday. I watch him learn about Jesus and how to say his prayers. He loves to dip in fingers in the fount and make the sign of the cross. I am so proud of him and his parents for their faith.

I love that little boy. I love my children, both my daughters, son-in-law and future son-in-law. God blessed me with a beautiful wife that I love so much. I love my parents, my mother- in-law, my brothers, brother-in-law, and all my extended family. I thank God for such a wonderful family.

God has given me another family, all of you. I am blessed. I love my church family. Every week, I try to write a reflection or preach a homily that expresses Christ’s love. 

This week these are the words of the Gospel: “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”

How am I supposed to understand such a hard thing?  It takes a lot of praying.

During my praying and reflection, I realized some things.

First, I’m not a theologian. Another is that in a perfect world, those words would go away. They make me, the weak Christian disciple, uncomfortable.  But, comfort was not why Jesus came. That’s why he said those words.

I realized both love and hate are forms of passion. They are the opposite ends of the spectrum, but both are passion. The absence of passions of love or hate is indifference not caring at all.

Love is the passion for everything that you consider good and beautiful. Hate is the passion for the things you do not consider good and beautiful.

The sin in most of us is that good and beautiful is found in ourselves, our thoughts and beliefs. We love what we consider to be like us and hate what we consider not like us. And in these “We love to hate!”

Look around us. Conservative, progressive, and liberal politicians are at each other’s throat. If a representative of one says something, the others attack with hate. They attack with passion detesting everything the other represents.

During a psychological evaluation in Deacon Formation, you’re asked your thoughts on repulsive situations. I asked, “Who could find those outrages acceptable?”  The answer, “For some there is no wrong in these situations. They would boast of them.”

I want to make this clear, I am not saying that conservative, progressives, and liberals are all wrong, but what is their passion? Wisdom tells us, “the corruptible body burdens the soul.”

That is why we are to look deeper when Jesus said hate. What is within our grasp we find with difficulty….”

Think of the parable. What kind of builder starts to build a tower without a good foundation and supplies to finish the work?  What kind of leader goes to battle without making sure his forces are strong enough?

Jesus’ teachings are culture changing. He was against the status quo. He was against what were the normal expectations of the world. Jesus calls his disciples to a passion against the worldly thinking represented by father, mother, spouse and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life.

Jesus is calling those who follow him to be more. He asks his disciples to have a strong foundation and the stamina to battle against those who will oppose them.

Jesus' disciples are to be a tower standing true and tall for others to see like their family, community, and all of society. The disciples are to be an example and have the strength and stamina to denounce self and proclaim Christ. To be an example so the paths of those on earth can be made straight.

St. Paul is a true disciple of Christ. He writes as true disciples, we change. This was his message to Philimon and Onesimus. St. Paul tells them to have passion for what is of Christ not the norms of the culture and society of the times.  

What are the norms of our times: hate speech, prejudice, bigotry, attacking the dignity of others, and even violence. Jesus is none of these things. These deny the image of God in other human beings. Do not fall to these passions!

One of my favorite verses is from the first letter to the Corinthians:  The kingdom of God depends not on talk but on power.

Jesus asks us to have a passion against worldly things. To have passion for all that is good and all that is good is Jesus. This passion is not found in talk, but by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This Sunday, Mother Teresa is recognized by the Church as a saint. Once, Mother was asked, “How did she continue?

In my words, she was asked: How did she remain a disciple; how did she stand tall; how did she have the strength and stamina to denounce self and proclaim Christ?

She answered “Just Pray.”

I am not a theologian but I like that answer. I am a disciple. I try to be the tower but I often fail. It is by Christ Jesus, my redeemer, that in spite of my weaknesses I have strength.

Then, it came to me. I have so many people I love so much because I love him so much.

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