Tarnished Scrutiny

1 Cor 2:10b

For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God

God gave us the gift of the Spirit. It is in our conscious that the Spirit tells us what is right and wrong. God gives this gift to everyone, even those who don't believe it is a gift from God.

People don't like being scrutinized . They don't like to be corrected. They don't like being told they are acting wrong. They don't even like being told they are wrong by their own conscious.

We look in the world and ask do the people of the world still have a conscious; can the people in the world see what is right and wrong when there is so much hatred and evil? Yes, it is still there for God and the Spirit will never abandon us.

In the scrutiny of self and God, the enemy hides and tells us lies by what is in the world  Even God's gifts can be tarnished when we have them in our imperfection. A tarnished scrutiny of our conscious polished by the enemies lies that are in the world.

Our spirit brings us truth and goodness that is from God but too many times we see the bright shiny tarnish of evil found in the voice of the enemy. 

Prayer:

Almighty Father, source of truth, send your Spirit into our hearts so we grow in truth for our good and the good of all. Amen.

Thirsting for God

Ps 42:2, 3b

As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, the living God.

People want to be close to God. The only problem is where do they try to find God. Jesus says we are to love God with all that we are.  How many people have you asked who they are?  Not many of them will answer first with "Someone who thirst for God."

They will tell you what they do for a living. They will give you their politics. They may even say rich or poor; healthy or sick; where they live or if they are homeless. Too many times what we've accomplished or what we've got is who we are and that becomes what we worship. It becomes our God.

If we worry about a big house, a nice car, or what everyone else thinks then are we really loving God more than things.

This is our problem in the world. People long for God but are distracted by the world. So they try to satisfy that thirst for God with things.  Pretty soon things become our God. In these things we are never satisfied.

We long for God who satisfies that thirst in our soul.  We can only quench this thirst with God. Go to God daily in your prayers. This is where you find the living God and will be filled with the Spirit. You thirst will find streams of living water.

Prayer: 

Lord Jesus, Inspire us to thirst for you and only you, for you are love. May every action in our lives be inspired by this love in praise of you. Amen.

Carrying the Cross - Homily for 22nd Sunday Ordinary Time

Inspired by writing of  Ron Rolheiser, OMI

 Jeremiah 20:7-9  Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9  Romans 12:1-2  Matthew 16:21-27

Brothers and Sisters,

As Christians we all have a cross to carry. Each of you living your faith is carrying your cross.

But our Cross is not always easy to carry. Two thousand years ago, Jesus told his disciples, " Whoever wishes to follow me, must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." We carry the cross of our faith given to us by Jesus.

It would be a lot easier to carry that cross if it was just a wooden beam.  But, we are also nailed on that cross. Nailed as a,

§       spouse,

§       parent,

§       child,

§       sibling

Nailed with us is,

§       who we are, who we love, who we are attracted to

§       our joys, happiness, hopes, victories,

§       our defeats, troubles, suffering, addictions, pains

Nailed to that cross - all that we are.

This was Peter. He looked at himself and what God was asking him to do, then he had a better idea. Jesus reminded him your are not thinking as God, “deny yourself - get behind me Satan.” The cross is not easy to carry because it is our cross that we carry. Like Peter, it is hard to deny who we are and we drop the cross. Like our Lord, some pick the cross back up and carry on. 

I recently read an article by woman; i’ll use her initials MJ.  MJ is a writer and calls herself a humanist celebrant.  As a humanist she believes in the world and in humanity, but not in God.

MJ is a former nun who worked with Mother Theresa for 20 years in the Sisters of Charity. She writes for a national blog and in a recent post had an article on The Humanist Creed. 

In it she says there is no God, she says that Christians believe in a God who is nothing more than an invisible wizard in the sky that grants wishes.  MJ writes - Jesus was just a man crucified and like you and me that when he died he was dead and no more.  

How could a woman who was a bride of Christ, speak so evil of the Catholic and Christian faith, her former beliefs?  If you read her background, you will soon understand how.

In her story, she outlines she entered the order as a 19 year old.  She was educated and lived in the Mother house of her order in NYC. Here the things of the world started to become more important than her faith.  Her own desires for worldliness allowed her to forsake her vows and the needs of others. In her own words, she outgrew her faith and then she said she outgrew God. 

She dropped her cross. It became too heavy.

In today’s first reading, 600 years before Christ, Jeremiah said that god duped him. Following God’s command and being his prophet to the world should have been easy.

But it wasn’t, Jeremiah was laughed at and mocked. I think Jeremiah may have been heading to the same place as MJ; except, Jeremiah did not loose his faith.

Yet, people are carrying their cross even today. They live a faith in the fact that on the Cross - Jesus died for our sins.  And for this, they are being martyred; killed because they follow Christ, and his cross. They are driven from their homes, because they are denying themselves and following their savior who died for them.  It would be so much easier if they didn’t have to carry that cross, if they just dropped it an ran.

It’s not easy following Christ.

It’s not easy carrying your cross. 

If you work for peace, people will call you a coward or unpatriotic.  If you stand up for the poor then you are called naive or something even worse here in Northeast Louisiana - a liberal. 

If you work for peace, like Martin Luther King, Jr. In the United States, or strive for justice like Archbishop Oscar Romero and the martyred religious sisters in central america - Sr. Ita Ford, Sr. Dorothy Kazel, Sr. Maura Clarke, and Sr. Jean Donovan; the enemies of peace and justice will kill you. 

All those who truly carry the cross, pray that God will fill our hearts with love and increase our faith.

We may not realize it, each of us living your faith is carrying the cross. The cross of Christianity is quickly becoming martyred to the humanism and the relativism of the “if it feels good so just do it world.”  

We see it all around us, in some places:

§       Symbols of Christian faith are prohibited in a public square,

§       Christian prayer is prohibited in school, and

§       Saying bless you when someone sneezes, gets you in trouble.

We are laughed at by the stars of the media. They mock us in the public. And in all of this, true loving Christians are accused of hate, bigotry and prejudice.

But those who carry the cross feel like Jeremiah, “your word is a fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones.”  

In the cross that we take up, we are made stronger.

The cross that Jesus bore and we take up is truly a mystery.  It is the cross:

§       By which time is measured, starting with the birth of a baby. 

§       That a teacher named Jesus died on;

o      People organize their entire lives around him even if they don’t believe.  

§       That gives us a deeper understanding

o      Of our God,

o      God’s grace and

o      Our faith. 

§       That is a symbol of our redemption and salvation.  

§       That is the ultimate symbol

o      Of the depth Christian life, love, fidelity, morality, and faith. 

The cross is not and idea like math that follows simplyerules. It is a mystery that is not found in 1 + 1 = 2. It is the mystery of the infinite.  

This is the mystery of God; so deep, that people of the world, who seek understanding in human limitations, cannot grasp it. And, they drop their cross like the humanist celebrant MJ. 

This is the mystery of God; so deep, that people of faith, who seek understanding through Christ, grow in their faith. Their life’s missions becomes to carry the cross, even to their death, like MLK Jr., Archbishop Oscar Romero, the Martyred Sisters in central america, and the Christians in Iraq.  In the cross that they carry they became more, they stand even stronger under their cross.

Do we grasp Jesus’ command to carry our cross?  Can we understand the mystery of God?  Neither is easy to explain. 

Maybe Paul’s letter to the romans explains the carrying of our cross; we become the living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to god. We are transformed. Our minds are renewed, we become more and we begin to understand.

I like to think of our Savior as he walked with his cross.  Walking in the direction God sends us, even if we fall and drop our cross; our gracious God will let us pick it back up.  When it becomes so great a burden, God will send us help to carry it and make us stronger.

Lovingkindness

Psalms 36:7 

How excellent is your loving-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of your wings.

Loving-kindness sounds great doesn't it? Even if we didn’t have it in this verse or the following prayer and all we had was the word loving-kindness, we would know that it was something awesome.

Loving kindness refers to an ultimate type of love. It is kindness motivate by love; no strings attached.  

I am no scholar in belief systems of the world religions or in any other faith. I do know that many of them have the concept of loving-kindness; kindness that is shown out of love. It is found in the different teaching perspectives of Christianity, Judaism, Baha'i, and Buddhist faiths.

In Baha’i and Buddhism, it is something to strive for in perfection. In Buddhism, it is mediated upon so that individual improves the trait in oneself. 

In Judaism, loving-kindness is God’s merciful love.

  

But in Christianity, loving-kindness is God’s love manifest in humanity through Jesus Christ. It is given freely to all people who seek it.

Christians are so lucky, we recognized that loving-kindness is something that exists and is available to everyone. God gives it freely in grace; Jesus Christ brings it to the world.

Prayer: (from morning prayers)
Lord Jesus, We put our trust in your faithfulness and proclaim the wonderful truths of salvation. May your loving-kindness embrace us now and for ever, Amen.

Christian Flash Fiction: Seconds (A Modern Day Parable)

Prompt: Psalm 46:5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Length 0-200 Words

Grand Champion: William Goss – Seconds

Seconds

By WEGoss2

She cried hard about the guitar. The only thing that made it special was it was a gift from her parents. Now, it lay smashed in the corner.

Her parents couldn't afford the guitars at the music store. When they asked for something less expensive, the salesman smirked. Dad looked for a used one, but even second-hand was too expensive. Finally, her mom found one in a mail order catalog that sold off-brand items and factory seconds. The guitar was a factory second but it had a beautiful sound.

The police said it was a random crime. Smashing the guitar had probably been a second thought when they found nothing to steal.

It was broken simply for meanness. 

With that guitar, she offered songs of praise. God had given her a gift and that cheap mistakenly made second was how she shared it.

Showing up at the mission, the pastor heard her story. She asked about a guitar. There was none.

“We would love you to sing without a guitar.“

“My voice is second rate; the guitar hides my flaws.”

“No one will notice.” 

She walked on stage. God’s gift came out. The guitar was the second.

“Who Do You Say That I Am” - A Sunday Reflection

21^st Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A  (IS 22:19-23;  PS 138:1-2, 2-3, 6, 8; ROM 11:33-36; MT 16:13-20)

 

I became a Deacon two months ago, now people are using the title “Deacon.” It is something that I am trying to feel comfortable with. 

People I have known forever. “How are you doing, Deacon Bill?”

People I just met, “I enjoyed your homily, Deacon Bill.”

People who have ministered to me when I was sick or my fellow Knights of Columbus, “We are so proud of you, Deacon Bill.”

Just two months ago, I was plain Bill. 

It has been a change so dramatic that my daughter came up to me after Mass and said, “Am I supposed to call you Deacon Bill?” 

I said “No, to you I will always be your daddy.  So Deacon Daddy will do!”

----------------

Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 

This is a question that people ask today.

Jesus wanted to know who people thought he was as he was preaching, performing miracles, and disturbing the Jewish Priests and teachers. He was looking for feedback from his disciples who were out and hearing the people talk. Maybe he wanted to see was his gospel heard.

Jesus got answers. People thought he was the return of prophets that had come before him. He was the worker of great miracles.  People were in awe, but nobody could answer the question correctly.

But then he asked those nearest him, “Who do you say that I am?”

Simon answered him.  “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.”  I bet there was dead silence after that answer. 

I don’t think Jesus jumped up immediately.  It was something that Peter realized, but nobody else had seen.  Jesus wanted every body to think about it.

Jesus let it sink in!!

Then Jesus replied.  Blessed are you Simon, son of Jonah, you didn't learn this from a man, but learned this from my heavenly Father. 

If we were to take a secret ballot and asked people to write down, “Who do you say Jesus is?” We would get different answers; especially if we were asking people on the street not just Christians. Kind of like Jesus was asking his disciples. Just like then, today we would get so many different answers, even among Christians. 

If we had that ballot today, what do you think would happen?

·   First, different people would have to stand up and give their opinion. There would be some mud-slinging and people talking bad about Jesus. They would take the good things that he did and turn it around: "Let me tell you some things about Jesus."

·   Second, after everyone had stated their opinion, we would take the ballot. Someone would not like the results. They would challenge the results. It would be fought all the way to the highest court.

·   Third, someone wouldn't like the decision. They would continue to talk ugly about who people thought Jesus was, get on the news all they could; maybe, have a young popular trendsetter say that what you believe is wrong. If that didn't work, they would start their own system of followers who said this is who Jesus is.

So how do we answer the question on who is Jesus Christ? Look at the division in Christ’s Church today; so many Protestants and many types of Catholics, so many divisions and divides. We all know how to say who Jesus is; but, it is how we say it that pulls us apart.

It was to Simon Peter that got the answer right. Jesus gave him the keys to the kingdom. These keys are so important. Isaiah said of the one that God gives the keys to the kingdom - will have authority and shall be the father of the people and the land.  

How do we answer the question? Simon answered in faith and answered it so well that Jesus gave him a new name, Peter, Rock. That’s the way we need to answer the question, with our faith and so well that Jesus Christ will change our name.

Through the Church, we know how to answer the question. Maybe as Catholics, we forget to share our answer. Jesus told the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. Two thousand years later, some of us are still following this request.  

As Paul says, “For from him and through him and for him are all things.” This is how we answer the question, “Who do we say Jesus is?” We answer it so that everything we do is from him and through him and for him.  And the most important thing to remember is that Jesus is love. This is the the song, “They will know we are Christians by our Love.”  

When the question is answered in the right way, then our name will be changed. We will not longer be Bill, or Deacon Bill, or Deacon Daddy.  We will be Christians.

Who do you say that I am?  We can answer that by who we are and how we live and how we love.  Then, they will know we are Christians by our love which is from him and through him and for him. 

Remember, it has been 2000 years. People are still asking the question. We need to share that Jesus is the Christ. The world needs that message. The world needs His love.

Flash! Friday: Before (A Modern Parable w/A Pirate and a Dragon)

150 word story (10-word leeway) based on the photo prompt and prompt arrogance.

Before

by WEGoss2

(Vibria is one term for a female dragon; a drake is a male dragon)

I am the pirate, riding a vibria of the Jolly Roger breed. She was a dragon majestic in her double wings, showing crossbones that darkened the sky and shadowed the ground. Seeing the lowly running in our silent passing, I grew in self-told confidence swooping from above to riches.

I first noticed a change in the static of her skin and the temper of her flame. Then, in the distance was her champion. He was magnificent, a dark irradiant Jolly Roger drake. I would master him. In my arrogance, I knew he would be mine. 

I set a trap of legends using vibria as bait. 

Now I sit abandoned in solitude, a pirate without the vastness of the sky. I am marooned by my greed. Seeking the dragon’s freedom for myself, I was defeated by my arrogance and the beasts’ love.

“I have been to the sky’s horizon. A lower horizon will be easily plundered, I am the pirate,” pondering the significance of reality and my newly grown beard.  

Why Don't We See the Face of Jesus

Proverbs 3: 5-6: Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths.

This has been a week of violent protest in Ferguson, Missouri. These protest are just a symptom of all that is going on in a world full of hatred, bigotry, and prejudice. Sometimes these bring the inevitable result, violence. The problem is that in situations like Ferguson, all the hate and bigotry is flowing in both directions and then added to by those outside in heaping doses.

We need to be mindful of God; to remember and follow Jesus’ example. If we truly love as Jesus loved and truly forgive as God tells us to then no Christian person should be a bigot or racist. It is sad to say that some people who identify themselves as Christians also have no trouble identifying themselves through their actions and words as bigots and racists.

To be heard in the world, people cry out for justice and recognition of their dignity. This cry is given in the common voice of this world. A voice full of violence and hateful actions. This is the voice that the world wants to hear. It is the voice that is best amplified by the media. Those whose dignity has been stolen (Black, Asian, Middle Eastern, White, Homosexual, Heterosexual, Poor, Disabled, Ill, Female, Male) will put out a voice to the world in a manner that it can be heard. People have trouble hearing the voice of love, the voice of peace, and the voice of justice.

This can be a problem. As Christians, God tells us what is right and Jesus tells us how to treat each other. We learn of justice through our faith. It is sad that as Christians, we fail to tell others what is right and just. We fail to hear God speaking to our hearts. We fail to understand the words of Jesus Christ. We are not to judge others, but should speak to the the world on justice.

If we truly saw the face of Jesus one another then there would not be riots but understanding. There would not be violence but discussions on issues. There would not be bigotry, racism, and prejudice in either direction but the reality of seeing Jesus in others, no matter what our differences are.

Hatred, bigotry, and prejudice are acts of violence. They are violent acts against God; inconsistent with the belief that God created human kind in His image. God is not white, black, yellow, red, green, purple, or any mixture. Jesus was born a man; yet, now one knows exactly what he looked like. But,in these, we try to make him a mirrored image of ourselves. Jesus Christ's Gospel of love has spread to the entire world. In this world, too many have sinned against His name by narrowing this love to their personal agenda.

People call themselves Christian because they want to be like Christ. If they are anything but accepting and loving of another person, then they need to examine themselves as Christians. Our identification with Christ today exist in a world that is full of us, so we loose our way in being a Christian. We need to ask are we showing the world the face of Christ in us or are we reflecting the ugliness of the world. Eventually, everyone will stand in love before Christ. Maybe we will not find him because we are looking for ourselves. 

Prayer:  God our Father, Heal the broken, re-unite those separated, and enrich us through your eternal wisdom. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Aunt Man's Dresser - Christian Flash Fiction Contest -

Length: 500-750 Words Prompt: Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their hearts, yet so that man can’t find out the work that God has done from the beginning even to the end.

Aunt Man’s Dresser

By WEGoss2

Uncle Chaise and Aunt Man owned the store where people bought their coffee, flour and sugar after the big war. People paid by signing their tab. Most folks tried to square up with Uncle Chaise when the saw mill paid, at the end of summer when the cotton came in, or in the winter when the trapping was good. Most people could never pay off what they owed completely. Uncle Chaise, though, never forgot to tell them how much they owed him.

Aunt Man was a big woman. Uncle Chaise had brought her back to the hills when he was sent home from the Army. She spoke with a funny accent and said she was from Yonkers.

When we were little, all the kids thought that maybe Aunt Man was a man. She was bigger than everyone else, especially Uncle Chaise. She could unload the delivery truck from the wholesaler and handle a 50 or 100 pound sack of commodities just as good as the teamster. 

Aunt Man loved children and adopted all us kids as nieces and nephews; but, she never had any of her own. Many days Aunt Man would be loading or unloading pickups or wagons dressed in overalls that stopped just above her ankles, a work shirt, and barefooted. She had the strength of a man but great big bosoms.  When these two were combined together they would engulfed even the most restive youngsters, two or three at a time, in giant hugs that smelled of sweet sachet and sour sweat. Then she’d reach down into the big pockets of her overalls and give out penny candy. You always felt so good after the candy and that big old sweet and sour hug.

When she was at home she was always dressed like the finest and most beautiful of ladies. Every weekend, she would be at mass early for confession. Uncle Chaise was never there. Afterwards, the smell of her cooking would fill the hills to be enjoyed by the priest and a lucky neighbor or two.

Her house had the nicest furniture and was always clean just like the grand hotel in town. She did all this for Uncle Chaise. He was sometimes a really mean man. But outside, they always appeared happy. They always had so much compared to everyone else. The only difference was that in the back of Aunt Man’s eyes was a look of sadness. Unlike the sharecroppers, loggers, and the trappers who worked so hard and lived ragged lives for the little they had; but, always had a smile deep inside. 

All the old ladies said, “If Man only had some children. She wouldn't feel so alone.”

Then one day, after 17 years of marriage, Uncle Chaise ran off with a white trash woman from the community down on the lake. Uncle Chaise and the woman never came back. 

Men folks said “Chaise always like the bottle and had the wondering eye. That big woman must have finally just got tired of it and ran him off.”

Women folks said something different. Gossip was usually about how that big stand-up dresser where Aunt Man kept her Sunday clothes and sachets went to missing. She always kept that dresser polished with bee’s wax. After Uncle Chaise and that woman went missing, she had to hang everything on a nail for the longest time until her sister sent her a new dresser from Yonkers. One time she said Uncle Chaise got mad and smashed it with an ax.

Aunt Man continued to run the store. Seems it was her money that bought the store in the beginning. She tore up a lot of families’ tabs the year Uncle Chaise went missing. Her hugs were still full of strength, bosoms, and sachets, just not as sweaty. She now wore an apron with pockets full of penny candy. She changed the sign with the name of the store.  It’s now called by her Christian name: Emmanuelle Grace’s Store.

Rumor has it that someone saw Uncle Chaise and the woman drunk in a honky-tonk on the Bossier Strip.  No one knows for sure. Aunt Man doesn’t seem too worried and she’s lost that sadness in her eyes.

Aunt Man still comes to mass early every week for confession even to this day. The Church has new sacramentals. Gossip says that dresser was big enough to hold two bodies. Only God, the priest, and Aunt Man know the truth.

-----------------------------------------------------------

P.S.

As an adult, I found Uncle Chaise's grave in the cemetery. I still can't help but wonder, "Is he buried in a pine box or a cedar dresser?"

A Dog's Life - Homily Reflection - August 16/17, 2014

 A Dog’s Life (Is 56:1,6-7;Rom 11:13-15;29-32; Mt 15:21-28)

My Brothers and Sisters, I am speaking to you Gentiles.

How about that? I can call all of you brothers and sisters; even though we are Gentiles, who don’t look alike.  Our skin is different. Our hair is different. Our eyes are different. We speak differently. I am Native American, German, Welch, French, Irish, Spanish, and those are the ones I am aware. Some of us may be more pure in our ethnic composition than others. 

This is what we see in the Gospel. This Gospel is written for a Jewish audience and it is full of their prejudice. The Canaanite woman comes to Jesus and he calls her a dog. Harsh isn't it. The disciples didn't want her around. She was a Gentile. To the Jewish people those not of pure Jewish blood were dogs, impure and not worthy to be considered, period, no further discussion.

Jesus says in reply, "It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs."

This one phrase is the whole purpose of the readings today. God's love is for everyone. In Isaiah, the prophet praises the foreigners who are faithful to God.  Paul preaches to the Gentiles hoping that their faith will make the Jews jealous and thus save some of them.  

I don’t know if any of us are from pure Jewish roots. We are all probably gentiles. We are like this Canaanite woman. If we had been calling out to Jesus, the disciples would have told Jesus to send us away. If any one of us had been there instead of her, we would have been the one called a dog, not worthy of what is offered on the master’s table. 

Ready to take the scraps that fell from the table, the Canaanite woman never gave up. She argues for Jesus’ mercy. Her faith stands out. Jesus sees her great faith. Her daughter is healed.

Its harsh to be called a dog or is it? Let’s look at the life of a dog. One thing about a dog is they are persistent. You could say that dogs never give up. That’s probably how dogs became our companions.

Dogs followed early people.  They survived off scavenging the scraps from the hunts and what people left behind. Pretty soon, the first dog got brave enough to come close and beg for scraps. It probably didn’t get the scraps at first; yet, it kept coming back. The dog never gave up and was probably chased off more than once. Eventually, the human gave in. and dogs and humans have been inseparable ever since.    

According to one source I read, the Greek word for dog in this passage is not a mangy old stray street dog, but a loved puppy or pet. If a dog is loved, it has a pretty good life. They still beg for scraps but we feed them nutritious food. When they are dirty, we give them a bath, and they sleep in comfort knowing they are loved and protected. 

I think Jesus knew this woman’s faith even before she spoke. He was not denying her, but showing her faith to all those with him. The disciples wanted to send her away maybe because they were full of bigotry and prejudice for anyone who was not Jewish. Then Jesus acted like them; Jesus responded like them, and I think he laid a giant guilt trip on them. The food is for my Children the lost sheep, why should I give it to you. The answer: because she has faith.

God doesn't see us as dogs. We are his children, the ones who the food is for. The bible says that those led by the spirit of God are children of God; and, that we are God’s adopted children through Jesus Christ. Look around us. We who are so different but can still be called brothers and sisters. He has always loved us, Gentile or Jew.

I’d like to end with a ta-dah moment. Think about this – Would being the dog in God’s family be that bad?  If we were this dog, we would be loved. We would be bathed and made clean in the waters of baptism. We would eat scraps that fall from his table; the food of eternal life, the Eucharist. And, we would sleep in comfort safe in Jesus’ love.  

If we were dogs we would always be loyal, obedient, and loving to God.  

Living a dog’s life in God’s house would really not be so bad; but, we are his children and that’s even better.

A MARINE’S STORY - HOMILY REFLECTION – 19TH SUNDAY – ORDINARY TIME

Brothers and Sisters, I am so happy to be able to bring the homily reflection today. God brought me a story & I knew I was to share it with you.   

It is the story of a young man who joined the Marines right out of high school.  Our hero’s name is Hal. Hal knows Jesus and went into the military to go to school afterward to become a minster.  

Hal was sent to Afghanistan.  He is a decorated soldier; He has been in fire fights and has seen the face of the person trying to kill him.  

When you ask him about his experience in Afghanistan, this is what he shares:   

Hal was assigned with three other Marines to stand on top of a building & observe – looking for things different than normal, people who were out of place or unusual events and taking notes and sounding the alarm if necessary. This duty was for 24 hours straight; then, the marines would be relieved to eat and rest.

Hal said the three other young men were having a hard time. One young man’s father had died. It was very dishearting for him being away from his mother and siblings. The second young man was having trouble with the expereinces of battle.  He was depressed and guilty.  The third young man received a “Dear John Letter.”  His wife said she didn’t love him and had found someone else. She asked for a divorce. 

The only way that Hal knew to help his friends was praying with them. So they prayed together at the end of each duty. They prayed for strength, guidance, and for peace in the fear and chaos they were living.

The duty they were assigned was miserable.  They stood in full uniform in 110 degree heat or hotter; they could not take off any protective equipment, or jackets, helmets, or gloves. They could not sit down. His duty officer would even punish them for lifting the goggles to wipe the sweat from their eyes.

At the end of the duty shift, the Marines knees would be swollen and stiff; it was painful to climb down the stairs from the roof. They would be hungry, dehydrated, tired and drained.  After eating, the friends would come together to pray. 

One evening after they had gone to bed, because of his pain, Hal couldn’t sleep; he lay there in despair, praying cried out to God. “Why am I here? Why am I suffering? What purpose is all of this? What did I do to deserve this?”

Does anyone remember that Today’s Psalm says – God proclaims PEACE?  A voice, clear like someone standing next to him said “Look at your fiends, you are here for them.”  God answered Hal.

Hal sat up and looked around. “Did Anybody else hear someone speak?” Nobody did.

In the Gospel, Jesus puts his apostles in a boat at night and sends them off. In the boat with waves, wind, and dark the apostles faced fear. They struggled in the storm without Jesus; so afraid that they cried out.

Many of us live in fear and troubles realized by uncertainty:  Our jobs, family responsibilities, bills, illness, and deaths. Some of us have faced the fear and chaos of war and violence. 

Human life is a drama of fear and trouble. We go through it in the little boats of our lives; either alone or with those close to us. And sometimes because of the world or our own stubborness and pride, we do this without Jesus.

Elijah saw the strong wind, earthquake, and fire – noise and chaos; but, God stilled them when he came in the whisper. We live in a world where all the noise of the world, does not let us hear God speaking to us.

The disciple’s were so afraid they thought they saw a ghost.  The storm was throwing the boat around and in the middle of the storm; Jesus came walking on the waters.  Jesus didn’t quiet the sea; he didn’t quiet them when Peter tried to come to him. Jesus came to them in their fear.  At frst the disciples saw a ghost, the disciples saw only their fear, and they didn’t see Jesus.

This is the same in our lives.  Too many times all we see are our Ghosts.  No faith, only our fears and torubles - the strong wind, waves, earthquakes and fire. We lose sight of God. We don’t hear him. We don’t see him in our lives.  We only see ghosts and the storm.

But, faith is not found in ghosts; Faith is found in Jesus words; It is I; or more correctly translated: I am.

Jesus is real, Christ is alive, and Jesus Christ is our salvation, our redeemer, and our strength. In Jesus we are able to face the fears and chaos of life. He comes reaches out for us and pulls us to his saving love.

Ask Hal! Ask Me!  This is our faith that we are to witness. Jump out of the boat like Peter and go to Jesus.

Even the strongest can stumble; our fears can get the best of us, our troubles pull us down. But Jesus doesn’t leave us; He comes in the storm, catches us, pulls us back up and then gets in the boat with us to calm our fears and the chaos.

The young Marines were all in the boat; being tossed about in the fear & chaos and that surronded them.  Hal knew that Jesus was walking on the water towards them. Hal jumped out of the boat and ran to Jesus.  he did this in the prayers with his friends.  He fell in his doubts, fears, & troubles. Hal stumbled in the despair of his situation. Jesus reached out his hand and pulled him back, calmed his fears, and got in the boat.

This story was about a young marine.  But if we change the situation and circumstances; it could be any of our lives. 

Our relationship with God in Jesus Christ is our faith. It is in faith we pray and God speaks to us; It is in our faith that we ask Jesus to come to us.

Answering our prayers, God speaks to us in the quiet of our hearts.  Or maybe, like Peter or Hal or even some of us, Jesus comes with a strong hand, grabs us & pulls us back up. 

One thing to take away from the Gospel is that our storms may be long and hard & Our storms don’t always end right away.  But, there is always one greater than us with us when we fear and doubt. It is the one who is here when we are in trouble brings peace.

Jesus Christ is here. Christ is waiting on you to believe in Him. He is waiting to change your life to bring us peace.  Leave the boat and come to him.