Luke 12:49-53 To Light A Fire

Luke 12:49-53  To Light A Fire

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Jesus said to his disciples:  “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!  …Do you think I have come to establish peace on the earth?  No.  I tell you, but rather division.”

People who approach the Bible for the very first time may be surprised to discover that the Church offers us only three basic guidelines for reading it:  (1) Be attentive “to the content and unity of the whole scripture; (2) Read it within “the living Tradition of the whole Church”; (3) Be attentive to the analogy of faith (keep in mind the Creed). 

Take, for example, today’s Gospel passage.  Imagine for a moment if you just read this passage and neglected all the others?  That kind of impression would you have of Jesus?  Isn’t this the problem with some brands of Protestantism?  They tend to memorize certain scriptural verses and build a church around it.  On a very positive note, Protestants devour Scripture, unlike far too many Catholics.

Set the world on fire.  It’s behind me now, but I still remember those days when I needed to make the most difficult decision of my life:  to decide whether or not to leave my family and work and follow the Lord.  Those days were truly the most difficult days of my life.  I can still remember the phone conversation I had with the vocation recruiter.  I was trying very hard to explain to him how it made much more sense to wait one more year and then enter the seminary.  I will never forget what he said:  “If you don’t enter now, you will never enter.”  In my heart, I knew he was right.  I knew I was just feeding my fears and making excuses for my lack of faith.  I was afraid.  I didn’t know what I would do if this crazy “idea of mine” didn’t work out.  I told him I needed some guarantees, a backup plan.  He told me, “Burn all your bridges and don’t look back.”

That’s what the Lord did.  That’s what He knew He would have to do:  “There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!” 

What does it mean to set the world on fire?  Does it meant to leave death and destruction wherever you go like the Nazis did in the 1940’s?  Does it mean to set your pants on fire like the Hippies did in the 1960’s?  [that is, look for every sensual pleasure known to man?].

What does it mean to set the world on fire?  It means to leave a trail of love wherever you go!  It means to set a fire, to question everything, out of love.

Question everything!  I love it (not really) when Catholic billionaires tell simple folks like us that they were “taught” to “question everything”.  They don’t know what they are talking about.  The only thing they ever questioned was what they were taught to question, and that was what their teachers were already “questioning”. 

I find it comical that “those” who question the moral teachings of the Catholic Church came to the same conclusions as those who were teaching them.

How pathetic!  That’s not questioning everything!  That’s just repeating everything!  They are not thinking.  They are just living like a puppet or a parrot! 

You want to know someone who questioned everything?  Look to the Lord.  No one questioned everything like He did.  No one!  And no one ever taught us to question everything like He did.  Remember when He said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Mt 5:43-48). 

Now that’s questioning everything:  everything we ever knew; everything we ever experienced; everything we were ever taught; everything that comes naturally; everything that makes sense; everything that is logical. 

It’s shocking!  No!  It’s actually explosive!  It will start a fire!

If you wish to “question everything”, then start with your own evil and selfish thoughts; start with your lifestyle. Question that.  Question the sins you are committing.  Don’t pretend to question what you have already rejected. 

That’s not questioning.  That’s fibbing. 

The Lord set the world on fire just like he created the world:  With Love.  The Big Bang is an explosion of God’s creative Love.  Forgiveness is an explosion of God’s re-creative love.  The Cross is an explosion of God’s amazing love.  The Resurrection is an explosion of God’s everlasting love.

To light a fire, start by questioning everything!  To keep it going, live by faith!  To make it larger, think logically.  To make it spread, love illogically.  These are not the thoughts of a madman or a liar.  These are the thoughts of our Lord.

Luke 6:27-38 The High Road

Luke 6:27-38  The High Road

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Jesus said to his disciples:  “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

On a day of mourning to remember our fallen heroes of one of the most cowardly and vicious attacks on civilians, Islamists, from around the Middle East, began to surround our embassies (and consulates) and attack and kill our staff.

I have yet to hear a single cleric or religious figure of any importance in the Islamic world apologize on behalf of the Muslim people for the September 11^th, 2001 attack on innocent human life.  And yet, while ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, was being dragged (dead or alive we do not know) across the streets of Benghazi, the Administration of the United States of America was quick to apologize for a film attacking the prophet Mohammad and Islam. 

One would hope we were taking the higher road, the more “Christian” road.  But I doubt it.  I seriously doubt it.  I seriously doubt it because we have done everything humanly possible to make ourselves as much as possible a non-Christian nation.  Wake up America!  We are still strong, but for how long?  We are in debt, tremendous debt, a debt that will eventually cripple us.  Our children grow up weak, pale, alone and confused because they live in homes (families) where there is no strong foundation to keep them from sinking; no values or morals holding them up; no absolute truths to keep them grounded; no dad AND mom to building them up; no God to keep them going; no authentic and supernatural love to pick them up!     

We don’t need Muslims to tear our flag!  We’ve been doing it ourselves, and not just symbolically, but really!  We’ve been tearing our nation apart by tearing marriage, family and children apart.  We’ve been tearing God out of our nation.  Can you believe that He was actually booed, for the first time in American history, at a national political party convention?  Individual victories are becoming national defeats!  When an entire classroom cannot pray because one student does not want to pray, that's a national defeat!  When a entire football team cannot pray because one fan does not want to pray, that's a national defeat! 

We've been tearing up our nation for a long time now: “Separation between Church and state!” [RIP] “No prayer or moment of silence allowed in our schools!”  [RIP]  “No religious displays, no Christmas carols, no Christmas greetings on public property!” [RIP, RIP, RIP] 

Do you really think our government is “turning the other cheek”, or “loving” our enemies out of love for God?  Give me a break!  If religion is to play no role in our national affairs, then what drives our government leaders to apologize?  Isn't it a little obvious?  We didn’t apologize because we took the higher road, we apologized because we will do whatever it takes to accommodate our immediate interests.   This is not the world of diplomacy.  This is the world of failed diplomacy. 

Secular countries are weak countries.  Spain is a secular country and as soon as it was attacked by terrorists, it withdrew.  France is one of the most secular countries in the world.  It elected a weak man, a socialist.  And yesterday it passed a law that taxes the rich by as much as 75%!  Why so much?  Well, how else could the government continue to spend even more than it has? 

What egalitarian or parasite wouldn't elect a socialist?  Who wouldn’t elect someone who promises them everything…and for free!  But nothing is for free.  If there is a hand that feeds you, then you better raise your hand in support of that hand!  No one bites the hand that spoon-feeds them. 

The Lord did not speak these words of paradox from a position of weakness.  He spoke them from a position of strength.  When He picked up His cross; when He died on the Cross, He showed the world that He would not compromise, under any conditions or circumstances, His principles, His morals, His values, His teachings, His Father, His God, His mission, His life!

That is what we should be insisting on when we dialogue with our enemies.  We should speak from a position of strength, not of fear!  We should seek to understand while at peace and never when attacked.  We should never give our enemies the impression that violence pays.

It appears as though we deal with our national debt the same way we deal with a crisis in foreign policy:  poorly.  If we do not pay now (or pay attention now), than others will pay.  And boy will they pay! 

Carrying the Cross is paying the price and taking the high road!

Mt 12:38-42 Full of Surprises

Mt 12:38-42  Full of Surprises

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Jesus said to the Pharisees, “An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet…At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here.”

Life is full of disappointments.  And they occur every time we are fooled into believing certain things are superior when in reality they are inferior. 

Yesterday I downloaded an app for my iphone 3G.  I was surprised to learn that I could get books on tape from my iphone!  I looked for one and found one that was free (whoopee!) and had available many of my favorite authors.  I found the book I’ve been trying to read for a while now (G. K. Chesterton’s classic, “What’s Wrong with the World”); I put my earphones on and settled in for what I thought would be a very relaxing and enjoyable evening.  Suddenly, my joy turned to sorrow. 

Look, I don’t mind dealing with an AT&T operator from another country.  I wouldn’t even mind dealing with an operator from another world.  But to listen to a book read by a speaker who sounds like a foreign exchange student, well…sorry.  I couldn’t believe it!  Who in the world would ask someone from the Middle East or India to read out loud a book that is already hard to comprehend? 

Life is full of disappointments.  I was very disappointed.

But life can also be full of wonderful surprises when we are fooled into believing certain things or people as inferior when in reality they are superior.

Jesus Christ grew up in an insignificant part of the world and was the only child of an insignificant couple.  He did not receive the greatest education or go off to study at the greatest academies of higher learning at that time.  He was a poor Jewish boy who lived engulfed in turmoil and surrounded by enemies.  Who would have thought…he would be the Savior of the world! 

Something greater here.  Jesus is unique because it is unique to find someone with a type A personality and a type B mentality.  It is unheard of to find someone who is incredibly intelligent and exceedingly humble.  It is unknown of to know someone who is very practical and very romantic.  No one ever expected to hear words of great wisdom from Jesus of Nazareth.  Nor did anyone ever expect to hear him speak words of forgiveness as he died on a cross.  Would you expect a Jew to go out of his way for a Roman centurion, a Samaritan woman or a sinful woman?  Would you expect a Jew today to go out of his way for a Nazi, a Muslim or a Palestinian?  No one ever thought in their right mind that the sinless One would dine with a bunch of sinners; touch sinners; and heal sinners.  No one thought He would ever pick sinners to follow Him! 

Although He left not a single written word, His Word lives on forever.  His Word is eternal.  Many prophets and sages came before Him and have come after Him, but not a single one was able to be Him.  Jesus is unique.  No one has ever been able to be like Him:  to combine love with truth, mercy with sinless, and wisdom with humility.  No one! 

And yet, so many of us have heard of Him.  We’ve even studied Him and yet we have a hard time, a very hard time, imitating Him!  If He was just a man, and we’ve had over two thousand years to be like Him, why is it so difficult to be like Him in all things?  It must be because there is something greater than Jonah [human] here.    

Mt 10:7-15 Hide and Seek

Mt 10:7-15  Hide and Seek

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Jesus said to his Apostles:  “As you go, make this proclamation:  ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’  Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.  Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” 

Without cost you have received.  I was recently asked a question by an Italian reader.  They asked, “Why is it that God makes someone poor?”  Excellent question!  But I’m not sure what they mean by “poor”?    So, I asked them to clarify.  I asked, “What exactly are you saying that God did to make us poor?”  Did He give us money?  No.  Did he ask us to make money?  No.  Did the Lord not give us enough air or space or sky or rain or people?  No.  Did He ask us to live where we did not want to live?  No.  So, how exactly did God make us poor?  Did He give us cities or slums?  No.  Did He not give us enough water, vegetation, animals or minerals?  No.  Did He not give us enough people to love?  No.  So why do we want to blame God for the problems we have created for ourselves?  Why do we try to shift the blame on others, including God?  I do not think that God made anyone poor.  We have done it to ourselves and to others.  We set up systems that (can) fail.  God gave us everything, free of charge.  We decided to claim it for ourselves and charge. 

The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.  Life is short.  No need to worry about death.  It will happen before you know it and before you seek it.  Take it from me, a priest.  Listen to me.  Live your life the right way.  Live your life the holy way.   Do not seek what is temporary.  Do not seek what is already fading. 

Seek first the kingdom of God and everything else will fall into place.

These are the days of mercy.  The Lord seeks the sick, the dead, the tortured, and the miserable.  How does he do it?   Through works of mercy.  The works are not the end of all.  They are simple the strings that are attached to Him; the kite that is held by Him; the fishing lines that are cast off and held by the Great Fisherman.  The Lord strong arms me back to him.   

The Lord is supreme.  He said it himself.  He said, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.  Did He leave any room for anyone or anything else?  No one comes to the Father except through me.  I guess not!  He just shut all the gates around Him!  It appears as though the thread passes through one needle.  Talk about things not being fair!  Could He have said it any clearer?  Could the Lord have made it any more black and white?   Jesus Christ is supreme.  I follow Him because I trust Him.  But I serve Him because I love Him.  And I love Him because He is supreme in an entirely different way:  He serves me!   

The more I called them, the father they went from me (Hosea 11:2).  Those who are living take care of the dead.  Those who are healthy take care of the sick.  Those who are enslaved by the devil are liberated by the free. Those who are clean, clean others.  As there is a food chain, so there is a spiritual chain!  What are you waiting for?  Are you breathing?  Are you healthy?  Are you free?  Are you clean?  If so, then get to work!  Fulfill your mission and allow peace to fall upon you.  If not, then go find the Lord.  But please, don’t look for someone that thinks like you.  How boring!  Go out and seek someone that challenges you!  Do you only want to believe what you can understand?  Do you want God to hit in your hand?  How boring!  Go! Look for The Church that is as much understood as it is misunderstood.  Look for The Church that resembles the Lord.  Look for the Church that teaches the same as the Lord.  Get comfortable with the Bible but not too comfortable with The Word.  Comfortable is a word is not found in the Bible!

Seek the Lord and you will find His Church. 

Hint:  They both started roughly the same time. 

Mk 6:1-6a Someone Different

Mk 6:1-6a  Making The Heart Grow Fonder

Jesus arrived to his native place, accompanied by his disciples.  When the Sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished.  They said, “Where did this man get all this?”  …And they took offense at him.  Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” 

A little girl came up to me all excited about her upcoming trip to see her cousins.  The excitement in her eyes brought back memories of my cousins…and how we used to fight like cats and dogs!  I know why she loves (and misses) them so much.  It’s because she never sees them.  That’s the difference!  In my case, I always saw them.  In her case, she never sees them.  You know the saying, “Distance makes the heart grow fonder.”  This saying is as deceptive as it is well intended.  I can’t imagine a wife ever telling her husband, “Leave for a few months so that you can grow fonder of me!”  Instead of growing fonder he may become fodder for the beasts. 

Has anyone ever said to you: “I don’t need to go to Mass.  I pray at home.”  Really?  I don’t believe it.  Again, it might be very well intended but I know it is very deceptive. 

Jesus is truly man.  He does everything we do.  He breathes like us, sleeps like us, walks like us and talks like us.  So of course, his neighbors and childhood friends would never think twice about Him.  After all, He does everything we do.  But when it comes to everything, Jesus seems to do it a little better than we do.  Its’ true!  When He spoke, He spoke in his native tongue, like everyone else.  But unlike everyone else, He put certain words together that no one else had ever dreamed of putting together.  For example, He said, “Love your enemy.”  Love and enemy had never gone together.  And even today, it is held by many to be a symptom of wishful thinking.  Again, the Lord said: “Blessed are the poor.”  Blessed and poor had never gone together.  Who in the world would ever say that?  Well, the Lord did, and He was poor.  Although many people may consider this beatitude as “inhumane” or “insensitive”, I can assure you it is the same people who find it difficult to pass through the eye of a needle.

Most of us would never believe such things, unless we saw it with our own eyes.  Thank God the Lord “believed” such things.  His “belief” made it possible to realize such things, which allowed all of us to see it with their own eyes!

St. Paul’s words today are stunning (not to say unbelievable).  He writes (2Cor 12:7-10), “I am content with weaknesses.” What???  “I am content with insults.”  What???  “I am content with hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ.”  What???  Impossible! 

No, it’s not impossible.  The problem with me (like most of us) is that I wouldn’t believe it unless I saw it!  The reality with St. Paul is that he believed it, before he experienced it, and thus made it possible for all of us to see it and believe it. 

Believing is seeing.  Today at Mass I noticed a beautiful little family in the front row.  They are always in the front row.  But something was different today.  You may not be aware of this, but at St. Monica, we are currently celebrating Mass in the “Old Church”.   The Old Church has no pews or kneelers.  So during consecration, the protocol is for the congregation to sit down.  They can kneel if they want, but almost everyone sits down:  the old as well as the young, the sick as well as the healthy; the rich as well as the poor; the sleepy as well as the wide awake.  Everything is the same.  Everyone is the same.  But when it comes to everything and the Holy One, this beautiful little family seems to have handled it a little differently.  There, in the front row, I saw four little handmade soft cushions come out of nowhere and placed gently on the ground.  When the time came for the consecration of the bread and wine, each member of the family bent their knees on their cushion before the Lord. 

How did they think of that???  Who do they think they are???  Aren’t we all the same:  normal?  Yes.  But while nearly everyone in the congregation can see and bend their knees, this family believed before they could see, which made His presence and their love ever more visible for all to see.

I am a Christian.  I am a believer (I am a priest!).  But it seems to me this family is just a little more Christian, a little bit stronger in their faith, than me. 

Faith in the Lord makes us stronger in every possible sense of the word.  It makes the ‘impossible’ possible.  Faith turns turmoil into triumph; defeat into victory; a thorn in one’s flesh into a source of grace! 

Believing it makes all things possible to see. 

Distance does not make the heart grow fonder.  Not even closeness makes the heart grow fonder!  What makes all the difference in the world, and the heart grow fonder, is a deeper appreciation for everyone and everything that grows around us.

Jesus, the true God and true Man, brings out the best in all of us. 

Just believe and see.

Mt 8:18-22 No Reason To Rest

Mt 8:18-22  No Reason To Rest

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When Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other shore.  A scribe approached him and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”  Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” 

When I read today’s Gospel passage, I immediately thought of how falsehoods make great resting spots.  Sure, I can be, if only for a moment, “whatever I want to be”.  I can pretend to be who I am not.  I can duck and hide in a lie.  I can take cover in an illusion.  I can plant the buck on someone else.  I can keep the façade alive and well.  Why rely on the truth when I can retell a lie?  I can continue to use my past as an excuse in order to win the ear or sympathy of the one I wish to keep close to my chest.   

 “I’m pregnant”.  That’s what an obsessed young teenage girl told her boyfriend.  It wasn’t true, but that’s what she told him.  And for a few months, she took comfort in her lie.  She got what she wanted (comfort in power) and she held on to him for as long as she could. 

“I have cancer.”  That’s what another obsessed lover told their “beloved”.    And for weeks the “beloved” felt tormented by his “insensitivity”.  It all turned out to be a hoax, but the damage was done.  The beloved nearly had a nervous breakdown from all the mind games played.

Foxes have dens, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.  There’s no place to hide in the truth.  And in some ways, there’s no resting in the truth.  Yes, the truth shall set you free, but it will not bring you rest, not on earth at least.  When you expose yourself to reality, you strip yourself of all comfort.  You lay yourself bare.  You open yourself up to ridicule and to scorn, especially from those who have not yet exposed themselves. Like a desert, the truth will subject you to a scorching hot day and a brutally cold evening.

The Son of man had nowhere to rest his head because he had nothing to hide.  I AM who I AM.  Here I am, I come to do the Father’s Will.  He is all that He claimed to be.  No secrets. No hidden agendas. No false pretenses.  He lays bare his soul and strips himself of any human assumptions such as history or culture.  He speaks to all, regardless of gender.  He cures all, regardless of profession of faith.  He loves all, regardless of race or nationality.  He dies for all:  regardless of their worthiness. 

The Lord will not lie to save his reputation.  He will not lie to save his life, his true identity.  He cannot conceal, not even for a moment, his unconditional love for the Father and for all creation.  When he reminds those he healed to keep hush his power, they immediately go off and rally the crowds and antagonize the Pharisees.  The truth seems to hurt as well as heal!

But given the right circumstances (where two or more are gathered in my name), the truth is as illuminating and as shining as the sun (or the Son) and as refreshing and clean as an evening blue sky.

In my years of as a priest, I have found that the homilies that are most effective (and most appreciated) are the ones that lay bare my soul:  the good, the bad and the ugly.  I have found that the young men and women that go on retreats and have the opportunity to share their life story (the good, the bad and the ugly of it), are hugged and appreciated the most.   I have witnessed, either as a confessor or as a recipient of confession, that the more honest the soul, the greater the grace received.

The Truth is for man.  The truth is for us.  The truth is very liberating.  There is no place to rest for those who trust in the Lord, who trusts in the truth and who trust in God’s love because there is no desire to stop and hide.     

Mt 7:15-20 Fruit From The Family Tree

Mt 7:15-20  Fruit From The Family Tree

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Jesus said to his disciples:  “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves.  By their fruits you will know them.”

I was really surprised when I saw him.  He was back with his family and they were happy to have him.  After almost two years of “being dead”, the prodigal son had returned to his senses.  Or had he?

I had good reasons to suspect he was up to no good.  But I wasn’t sure.  Then one night, I received a text message confirming my suspicions.  A member of the family wrote and said, “After a beautiful evening spent together, my brother let his true colors show when he asked mom and dad to loan him a ton of money.  They said no.  At that, he burst out the door throwing a fit (and not a few horrible insults) vowing never to return again.” 

I knew it.  Few people change overnight.

Recently, I had lunch with a man who had a problem on his hands.  He allowed his twenty-five-year-old niece to move into his home with his family.  She said she needed some time to pay off her credit card debts.  She promised it would be for only 10 months.  Well, after two years, five vacations, and almost one thousand dollars spent in a single day at the Dallas Galleria, she’s still living with them.  She was ‘visibly upset’ when told she had to leave in two weeks. 

She didn’t need a place to stay.  She needed a good talk and a kick in the pants!

Making good fruit out of bad trees.  For the longest time now, we’ve been trying to produce good fruit from bad trees.  In other words, we’ve been trying to get good results from bad decisions.  It won’t work.  But we keep trying, and our nation keeps spending billions (maybe even trillions) of dollars fixing problems rather than preventing them.  Let me give you one example out of thousands.  Our government will give free bibles to any inmate that asks for one.  But it won't give a free bible to any student that asks for one.  Why is it?  Why are we so backwards?  Why are we so decadent in our religious intolerance?  When did Jesus Christ ever hurt anyone?  When did the federal government ever hurt anyone?  Ooh…ooh…I know…I know!!!

Making good fruit out of a good tree.  Many Americans think that poor people need handouts.  I agree.  But what kind of handouts do they need?  What handouts did the Irish or Italians, or Jews or Chinese or Koreans receive?  Many!! But none from the federal government.  Instead, the government insisted that they get help from family and friends.  And so, knowingly or unknowingly, government strengthened family ties.  You can still see the remnants of this reality when you visit “Little Italy”, “Chinatown”, “Little Havana”, “Irish Town”, “Little Portugal”, “Little India”, “Greek town” “Little Saigon” (or not so little “Saigon Mall”), etc…

For every good the government does, it demands a break in ties (especially religious ones).  Whereas with families, every good they do ties them closer together. 

Rich people keep telling us that they are better off than the poor.  But if you ask poor people what they think, they will tell you that they are better off than rich people, and in many ways.  In fact, the poor will say (from experience) that if it weren't for them, rich people would find life meaningless!  I think they are on to something.  After all, from my personal conversations with our rich and yuppie families, it seems as though their greatest joys come from helping poor people.  In fact, rich kids tell me they find more pleasure in life when they go on missions rather than when they go to Ft. Lauderdale.  They learn more of life's lessons from poor people than they do from their rich parents!  They're envious of how closely knit the families are.  What do poor people think of all this attention?  Are they surprised to hear it?  No.  They can see it for themselves.

A good tree bears great fruit, regardless of whether or not it is a banana tree or an apple tree or an orange tree.  A poor family bears great fruit just as much as a rich one.  Is one better than the other?  In some ways yes, and in other ways no. 

Of course, you can accuse me of never being poor, or being an idiot, a fanatic, a republican, a libertarian.  But strangely enough, the one thing I cannot be accused of is being wrong.  Go visit a poor, but dignified family.  Ask them what they think.  

We love to do experiments, especially bogus ones.  We love to shoot a bullet through a watermelon to see what result it will have (like we don't know).  When it comes to social engineering experiments, we do the same thing.  Just like an atomic bomb, we drop an idea from the sky (as if the earth was one gigantic lab) and cut and run before we can wait and see.  Most of us will be dead before we see the consequences of our brave new ideas.  We haven't got a clue what to expect or what we will get.  We are a lot more cautious and careful with our environmental decisions than we are with our marriages, families and children.  A farmer knows that if he plants an apple seed, he will get an apple.  If he plants an orange seed, he will get an orange.  It would be ridiculous for the farmer to expect an apple tree from an orange tree.  But for some strange reason we think if we redefine marriage, family and even children, then we should get better than great results on our children and families.  Hmmm.  Interesting. 

What do you think we will get the day we have the best schools ever, the best technology ever, the best government ever, the best social programs (like health care and social security) ever?  What do you think we will get if we spend 1 trillion dollars more on public school education and teachers salaries?  What do you think we will see if we spend 1 trillion more on fitness centers and weight loss clinics?

You know what I think?  Without strong families, strong marriages and a strong faith, we will get the same results you get from a bad tree:  bad fruit.

Money can buy a lot of things, but it can’t produce a loving and faith-filled family.  In fact, it tends to spoil them rotten. 

John 19:31-37 Sacred and Scary

John 19:31-37  Sacred and Scary

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One soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out.

Last year I thought Katy Perry was the greatest.  Her hit single, “Firework”, inspired me so much that I used her lyrics in one of my sermons (for teens) and went out to buy her CD.  But then my world (that revolved around her) began to crumble.  I saw her video and thought it was so unoriginal; you know, politically correct.  In fact, I was thinking of making a spoof out of it.  The final blow came when I heard the rest of her songs.  That’s when I decided to throw the CD in a dumpster.  I was devastated (not really). 

A few nights ago I saw a preview for Katy Perry’s documentary, “Katy Perry:  A Part of Me.”  In the short preview, she made a comment that I’ve heard a ton of times and is commonly used in today’s pop culture.  She said, “I’ve made mistakes in my life but I don’t regret any of them.”  Now I know that Katy Perry is a musician, not a philosopher or theologian, but every word she speaks is as if she were a guru, a monk, a rabbi or a sage for millions of teens.  Yes, every word, from her insured lips, will be repeated a thousand times from the young lips that look up to her and would gladly follow her.  So what exactly did she mean by what she said?  What mistakes did she make but not regret?  Is it even possible (logically speaking) to call something a ‘mistake’ if you don’t regret it?  I don’t think so.  I asked myself what it would sound like if I listed my mistakes and did not regret them.   “Let’s see”, I thought to myself, “I’ve used people in my life, but I don’t regret it???  I’ve lied to people in my life but I don’t regret any of it???  I’ve broken people’s hearts but I don’t regret any of it???   Remember…she said “I’ve made mistakes” (errors in judgment) not “choices” or “options”. 

Who knows…maybe in her documentary she will clarify what it all means.  But I think we can assume for now what it means because we’ve heard this before.  We’ve all heard this before; it’s been repeated for centuries by many world leaders in various languages.  We can translate it.  It means, “I’ve made mistakes in my life, but what really matters is I’ve become what I wanted to be.”  Yes, a lesson for all our youth:  “Do whatever it takes to get what you want.”    This is what it’s all about.  Look at me…I’m a hit!  I’m a celebrity!  My opinion matters!  The lights shine on me!  The fans wave at me!  The music plays for me!  Yes, I’ve made mistakes in my life but I don’t regret any of them.”  I realized my dream (at the expense of the truth, of others, of my innocence) and that’s all that matters.

They all go down the same:  they all go down.  When she is dead, she will be remembered.  If death happens suddenly, she may very well take with her a few of her fans.  If it takes years, then just like any other 95 year-old performer: she will be remembered mostly by her bed-ridden fans. 

What I love about Jesus Christ is He is so different.  When He went down, He actually rose.  He rose from the grave, in popularity, in significance, in meaning, in every single possible sense of the word.  He died and the world gradually fell in love with Him.  Why?  What’s the difference?  What makes Christ so much different from all the rest? It's obvious:  His life.

The Lord did not realize his life-long dream; He realized his life-long nightmare. 

Most of us would run at the first hint of our nightmare coming true.  Instead, the Lord stood his ground.  Cost whatever it cost, He would not betray His Father, His dignity, His mission, His humanity, His divinity.  What led the Lord to his death were not his feet or his brains.  It was his heart.   It was and still is His Unconditional Love for us.  Only this kind of love goes a long way, passes the test of time and reaches all people. 

The Lord did not live to realize his dream; the Lord lived so that we could realize our dreams!  He did not come into the world to be loved; He came into the world to love.  If you are going to love, then make it Unconditional and realize your worst nightmare!

Unconditional love is shocking and scary.  It translates as "be another Christ".  This means I will love as the Lord loves me; that is, “It doesn’t matter how many mistakes you’ve made in your life.  As long as you repent (regret) and ask for forgiveness, then you will make it big!"         

This is the sacred heart of Jesus.  It's sacred and scary. 

Mt 5:1-12 Sky Is Not The Limit

Mt 5:1-12  Sky Is Not The Limit

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When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.  He began to teach them, saying:  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” 

I just finished talking to a group of children doing Vacation Bible School at St. Monica.  This year’s theme is:  “SKY” – Everything is possible with God. 

Sky’s the limit.     Not really and not true.  And those who teach it - our teachers, our parents, our mentors - are wrong in saying it. All Christians should know this and all Christians should avoid it.   What’s so wrong about this is exactly what makes Christianity so special: The Beatitudes. 

Christians make all things possible because they bring God to all possible things.  The Lord spoke in paradoxes for a reason:  to teach others that the sky is not the limit; that is; our vision is not His vision; our heights are not His heights; our lives are not our lives; our destiny is not our destiny.  Jesus gave the world His Word; he gave the world the Beatitudes, and then showed us The Way to put it all into practice.   

Unfortunately, too many people live very boring lives because they were taught and told to believe that the sky’s the limit.  They were taught to think, speak and live in non-paradoxical ways.  For example: We were all taught that if you want to win a race, then you must come in first place.  But the early Christians were taught that you can still win a race by coming in last place.  That’s not boring!  Now I know what you are asking: “How do you do that?”  If you don’t know, then check out my meditation, “Missing Link”.  That’s just one example of how to lose a race and win.  There are many other ways to do it, as many as there a people.  How many ways are there to Heaven?  As many as there are people!

The sky is not the limit, but we must stay within the limits.  To live The Beatitudes requires that we live The Commandments.  If you wish to be great, then you must remain small.  Here is another paradox.  If you wish to reach the highest heights, then you must stay within your limits.  If you wish to love man, then you must first love God.  Otherwise, we will see what we have always seen:  WAR. 

In Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.  In the Acts of the Apostles, we read how the disciples of the Lord were first called Christians.  Notice something?  They did not call themselves Christians.  Instead, it was the non-Christians that called them Christians.  It’s one thing when you call yourself a Christian.  It’s another thing when people say, “You’re a Christian.”  Do you see the difference?  What do people call you?  Would they even know that you are a Christian?

The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.  Have you revealed yourself to your neighbors, to your boss, to your family?  Have you revealed His saving power?  Have you invited someone to Church?  Have you invited someone to go to Confession with you?  The Lord has commanded his disciples to “go, and teach all nations.” 

Why limit yourself with the title of “volunteer” or “helper”.  How boring.  What about something not so secular, something different, something not so sterile, or lukewarm, or boring.  Why not something more radical, more thrilling and exciting?  Why not a little bit of persecution or insult or injury upon injury?  “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, for your rewards will be great in heaven.  Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  Thus they persecuted me before you.” 

To be a Christian means to be another Christ.

The earth, the sky, the solar system, the universe, the win, the raise, the bonus, the marriage, the family, the title, the awards, the achievements are not the limit. 

Being a Christian is.