Luke 9: 43b-45 Pay Attention

Luke 9: 43b-45 Pay Attention

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Life is a battle. Every battle has its casualties. In our pacifist mentality of today, many consider the dead the losers, regardless of which side they are on. But every battle is part of a greater war! We are in a great battle because we are in a great war! The sides are being chosen: I can either say “Yes” to God or “No” to him. Maybe is a waste of time. It means that another will decide for me. My Yes means eternal life. My No means eternal death. What battle, what war could be more important, more meaningful and more rewarding than the battle for eternal life!

C.S. Lewis, in the Great Divorce, reminds us that there are only two kind of people in the world: Those who say “Thy Will be done!” and those who say, “My will be done!” There can be no marriage between Heaven and Hell. It is either Light or Darkness; Confusion or Clarity; Freedom or Slavery; Love or Loneliness; Life or Death. The worst thing that could happen to me is not death, but to die on the wrong side.

“I do not think that all who choose wrong roads perish; but their rescue consists in being put back on the right road. A sum can be put right: but only by going back till you find the error and working it afresh from that point, never by simply going on. Evil can be undone, but it cannot ‘develop’ into good. Time does not heal it.” (C.S. Lewis, preface to the Great Divorce)

Qoheleth must have spent hours observing nature and man. He was a wise man, maybe nearing the end of his life. He had eyes to see and ears to hear. But most importantly, he had God to breathe! He understood that life had no taste, no understanding and no endurance if God was not in our midst. For Qoheleth, life is vanity because God is not under the sun, in our midst. This wise man came, he saw, but he could not conquer his words because he lived a few too many years before the Word, the Son of Man, Emmanuel; God in our midst. The Jews were courageous to put a book like this among the sacred writings. This book has just the facts but few answers. Life has no meaning under the sun. But life does have meaning under the Son!

Pay attention to what I say, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” What is good, what is holy, what is beautiful cannot exist on earth. It will eventually be torn down, ripped apart and brutally put to death. The same goes for the Catholic Church. Hell rules the earth. There is no mixing between Heaven and Hell, good and evil, Saints and sinners. “If we insist on keeping Hell (or even Earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell” (C.S. Lewis). The Lord told us himself, I called you from the world and you no longer belong to it. The moment we say “Yes” to God, we are an enemy of the State, of the world. The two cannot live together in peace and harmony. The two were meant to be divorced, forever. Evil will always attempt to turn good into evil, and evil into good. The Lord is asking us to draw the line in the sand. Choose Life! Choose me! Life is a battle, it can be brutal. The Lord warns his Apostles. The Lord warns us. We must choose sides today.

Instead of men being handed over to God for judgment, the Lord allows himself to be judged by man. This is the way of the world. It is upside down. “If you put Earth first, you will find Hell. If you put Earth second only to Heaven, you will find the beginning part of Heaven itself.” (C.S. Lewis)

Let go. Cut Loose. Give more. Forgive more. Love more!

Pay attention.

Luke 9:18-22 Praying Forever

Luke 9: 18-22 Praying Forever

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The Lord prayed in solitude. His entire life was a lonely, ruthless and unforgiving journey towards the Father. His words were often twisted and misunderstood by friend and enemy; his deeds construed as the devil’s making; his life was a balancing act between heaven and hell. Loved one moment, hated the next. My first thought was, “What a waste of time!”

Is this not the eternal temptation, “The Great Temptation”, away from God? Am I not disgusted by sin and even more by the sinner? What a waste of time to heal the sinners…will they not sin again? Why even bother with the lost sheep. They do not even want to be found! They are not worth my time and effort. All they do is continue to poison the flock. No one wants the lost sheep: Out of sight, out of mind. Why take on the lonely and sick? Why cure them? They are pathetic and sick! They attack the medic; go after the friend. Their lives are in constant turmoil because they live an eternal nightmare. They say, “All are out to get me! I have no friends! No one loves me! Yes, because they have no eyes to see, no ears to hear and no heart to give. Their one companion is damage. They seek pain! They seek an enemy! The fruit of their lives are tears. The greatest deceit of all is that they consider themselves the victim. Sin turns the world upside down and around and around and around. What comes around goes around! Vanity of vanities:

“A time to be born and a time to die; a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

A time to lose and a time to keep; a time to love, and a time to hate;

A time of war, and a time of peace.” (Eccl 3:1-11)

The Lord broke the cycle of pain. He became both criminal and Savior; offering and servant; altar and sacrifice; priest and victim. He became friend and enemy; God and man.

The Lord always prayed during the night and broke the devil’s back. Even the night belongs to the Light! All becomes clear in darkness and solitude for you, my God, are with me always. The world and its allies are sound asleep. Day comes, evening settles, the end of another day. Only God continues to work throughout the night. All creatures great and small need rest. Without it, they cannot see clearly or react lovingly. Jesus did not sleep well. He is not a creature. He continued to work like his Father in creating a better world, a more loving world, a holier world.

Now came the moment to ask the question, Who do you say that I am? How frightening the possibilities. Prayer was absolutely necessary. Should I ask? What will they say? Are they ready for the truth?

Am I ready for the truth? Will I continue to live a life of vanities; a life lived in endless circles: A time for God, a time to run; a time to love my spouse, a time to hate them. A time for Mass; a time for me! A time for Confession and a time to hold on. What a waste of time!

Let us become children of the light: Loving, Forgiving and Giving. This must be the rule of my life because it is the rule of God’s life. There is no longer a time to hate, a time to fight or a time to keep. There is no longer time to lose! Jesus Christ is who He is: The anointed One of God. His enemies are his friends; that is, sinners are his friends; the lost are his friends; the Apostles are his friends. The dead rise, the lost are found and the sick are healed. Now is the time! Now is the time worship Him! FOREVER!

Luke 9:7-9 Herod Looked Perplexed

Luke 9: 7-9 Herod was perplexed!

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I remember, back in my seminary days, enjoying two weeks of vacation in Sorrento. It would take us nearly an hour to arrive to our destination as we literally passed by thousands of olive trees bathing in the Mediterranean sun that would eventually produce some of the greatest olive oil the world has seen and tasted. After a long walk starting in the rolling hills of Sorrento, we began our final descent towards the beach. As we invaded our little portion of the Sorrentine beach (there were roughly 200 of us going down the hill at pretty much the same time) we would almost immediately cause a negative reaction among the people who were enjoying that stretch of land. Most of them would simply pick up their belongings and leave. Others would attempt to sunbathe, but with so many people, and so much noise, they too would eventually leave. I recall one encounter with a rough looking man who was fishing. He looked perplexed. I can understand why. All of us were dressed inappropriately for the beach. We all wore white polo shirts and long slacks. How’s it possible? Slacks on the beach? He asked me, “Who are you?” I replied, “Seminarians...Catholic seminarians!” He thought for a moment but still remained perplexed. He wanted to say something, but was a little hesitant. Finally, he said it: “So, you will never get married.” I answered back, “Correct.” But he still looked perplexed – even more so. Looking around at all the men, he could hardly believe his eyes. SO he asked, kind of sheepishly, “Why? You are so young!” I asked him, “Are you married?” “Yes I am.” I continued, “Well, didn’t you say no to all the women in the world except for your wife?” He answered, “Yes.” I continued, “Well, I said no to all the women too, including your wife.” He looked at me, smiled, and said, “You did well.” He no longer looked perplexed. In fact, he looked kind of envious.

Herod looked perplexed, surprised, maybe even confused. But deep down, he was envious. His life was a teeter totter of constant pleasures and constant frustration; constant bloating of his ego to fill a constant emptiness in his soul; his days were saturated with on-going - 24 hour - entertainment to fend off his nightmarish loneliness. His life was a mess! He envied the mystery of the Son of Man. Christ was a mystery and he was a well read, worn out textbook. Those around him knew what buttons to push, what words to say and what things to do. King Herod was a robot, a lifeless creature that was little by little, inch by inch, being moved and swayed by his enemies, his family and his darkest thoughts. Herod was your typical party animal! Vanity of vanities (Eccl 1:2-11). He kept trying to see him. But how? There were too many masks on his face.

Hollywood has done an incredible job convincing so many people that to be a saint means to live a boring life. Whereas, if you want some thrill, some excitement, some adventures, then you have to break the rules. After all, that’s what they are there for. Hollywood has done a fantastic job in creating a big lie.

Herod’s life was filled with things: money, sex, alcohol, power and people. Today, it would be pornography, hook-ups, alcohol and drugs, cars and facebook! And yet, all the people were not talking about him. They were all talking about Christ. 7,000,000 people didn’t show up to see a rock star back in 2000. They came to see an old man dressed in white whose name was John Paul II. The Tetrarchs of today ask, Why? What about me? Look at me? Who is this man? What does he want? What can he give to you? The answer given will always refer to Another. I come to bring you Christ! I come to bring you true Love! I come to bring you Hope! I come to bring you Home!

Pope Benedict on his journey to England was asked by a reporter how the Church can appear more attractive. His answer was stunning and shocking. “A Church which seeks above all to be attractive is already on the wrong path, because the Church does not work for herself, she does not work to increase her numbers and her power. The Church is at the service of Another. She serves not herself, not to become strong; rather, she serves to make the announcement of Jesus Christ: the great truths, the great powers of love and reconciliation which appeared in Him and which always come from the presence of Jesus Christ.”

The reporter looked perplexed.

Luke 9:1-6 Take Nothing With You

Luke 9: 1-6 Take Nothing with You

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Take nothing with you. This is an invitation by our Lord to begin detaching ourselves from the things that hold us down, and begin attaching ourselves to the things that build us up. You have no need of money, food, stick or sack – commodity or security. The Lord says, I am your only need.

I know. I know what I am saying. I know that it is much easier to say it than to live it. I know that it sounds utterly ridiculous, naïve - you name it, radical and extremist. “Foxes have dens and birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Lk 9:58).

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?...So do not worry. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Mt 6:25-33)

Each day has enough trouble of its own. Amen! Each day is a battle that must be fought and can be won! Evil cannot enter the world unless I allow it to. I may be tempted all day long, but I do not have to succumb to the temptation. The devil is always seeking entry into God’s world – his creation, but he must pass through me. I will not allow myself to be used by him. I will not allow myself to bow down to him. I will heed the advice of Christ to "seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be handed onto you." I am to cloth myself in Christ, nourish myself with Christ, and carry my cross with Christ.

Isn’t it amazing how the only thing that people will ever remember us for is how we loved? That is, how we imitated God who is love? Everything works its way back to Him. He is truly the beginning and the end. He is my beginning and my end – goal, objective, purpose.

The Twelve had to learn the hard way. They had to literally abandon all for the One who is all. Is it any different for us? I don’t think so. I think the Lord wants us to love Him and our neighbor unconditionally. To do so still requires a radical approach, like St. Francis who stripped himself in public and was followed and loved by a multitude. Detachment from worldly goods can only be achieved if there is attachment on what is above! True love can only be given if true Love is received. Who I am is directly related to Who He is to me. The Twelve began to walk, to preach, to cure, to live life because they kneeled, listened and experienced a life that was lived to the full in Christ Jesus.

What will make me happy? Love more. Forgive more. Give More. This is the secret to life. This is the life of Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Take nothing more and give nothing less.

Matthew 9:9-13 I Desire Mercy

Matthew 9:-9-13 I desire Mercy

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I desire mercy. This is God speaking! What does God love? Mercy! What does he desire? Mercy! Oh, my goodness! Is this the “message that continues to go out through all the earth?” (Ps 19:5) If we are who we claim to be, then the answer must be a resounding and confident “yes.” The world needs us, even if they don’t realize it. We bring good things to life!

God’s mercy is not some superficial blubbering nonsensical self-affirming affirmation lesson building session or some self-esteem hugging ritual. No! Rather, it is a life-changing radical call from God to depart from our old ways and come follow Him. To begin again! To live! To love! To redeem!

How often do the Saints speak of divine mercy? All the time! How often do the apparitions or messages from Mary refer to her beloved Son’s mercy? Always! Why? “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” He did not come into the world to call the righteous but sinners. For this reason alone, the Lord attracted so much attention: positive and negative. For this very reason, he was very much loved and very much hated. He continues to be a sign of contradiction. “Hate the sin, love the sinner!”

Let me say it now: A sinful man will never be a happy man. Never! When we were children we would think that sins were playful things, adult things, things that were restricted only to adults and their laws. But as we got older, we began to sense a loss of freedom, a sense of hopelessness as our sins took root and began to grow faster, more powerful and more aggressive than I could ever bear. Sin has no limits as it begins to kill its prey, as a parasite begins to starve its host. Who can I turn to? Who can help me?

The crowds began to swell in number when Christ would appear in a village or town. The people knew they had a friend, someone who loved them. For the first time in their lives, they received something that no one had ever given to them: understanding, compassion, mercy and love. They actually felt as if they belonged to the human race! They felt human once again because they were loved once again. The tax collectors and sinners were experiencing a change in heart because the heart of God had touched their hearts. Does God really love me? The answer is a resounding, “yes” and even in my mess because he can see through the messiness of sin and darkness.

Here is the mystery. Why does God even bother? Why not just pass me by, insult me, judge me now and get it over with? Why doesn’t He just be God? The only answer I have to this is…because He loves, and love is crazy! It knows no limits, just like sin, but its effects are everlasting. “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good. His mercy endures forever!”

Could the Lord not have passed up Matthew? He could have. But love is crazy and in some ways, Christ was crazy. He assembled a team of men that were good, bad and ugly. Only a Father could love such a band of brothers. And yet, here we are two thousand years later, heeding the call and calling out the sinners who, in turn, heed the call and call out the sinners. The Lord called sinners and turned them into saints who call sinners to become saints. Who would have imagined us, one day, standing among the Saints?...but only our God.

In Caravaggio's image of Matthew being called by Christ, we see light shining behind the Lord and penetrating the darkness. He points to Matthew who in turn points to himself in disbelief and asking, You mean me? You want me? You love me? Don't you know who I am? The rest is history - salvation history.

Luke 8:16-18 A Request From God

Luke 8:16-18 A Request From God

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What would life be like without God in my life? Impossible! Unbearable! A tunnel with no light at the end of the tunnel!

God is the light at the end of the tunnel because he is the end, the purpose of my life here on earth. When we cannot see God in the midst of darkness, we must power up the generator: Prayer. Prayer, reflection and meditation allow me to see some light while I make my way out of the darkness and into His wonderful light. He truly brings all good things to light!

Suffering makes us cower, roll up, and hide. When I suffer the last thing I want to do is talk to or be around people. But the Lord and the Saints (his brothers and sisters and Mother) think differently. When they suffered, they suffered for the glory of God. They did not suffer in light of their sins. Rather, they suffered in light of the sins of others. This is the cross I must carry. We cannot forget that the only Cross the Lord does not want us to carry is the cross of our own sins. That Cross, He will carry, be nailed to and die for. Being a Christian – like Christ - means I must carry the sins that others place upon my shoulders.

The birth of Christ meant The Light placed in a vessel, a human vessel. When the time came, The Light was placed on a crucifix and continued to burn brightly. Those who saw this light would see The Light. The Roman centurion saw the light and believed, exclaiming, “This man was truly the son of God.” St Paul saw the light, while persecuting Christians, and fell to his knees and asked, “Who are you?” The voice cried out, “I am Jesus, the one whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:3-9). Gentile and Jew would come to believe.

Christ is the light of the World. Whoever comes to see this light will have the light of faith. Many men and women have come to see the Light while looking at the crucifix. Constantine saw the cross and was converted. Francis listened, as the Lord spoke to him from his Cross, and rebuilt the Church. The Saints came to see The Light while looking at the crucifix. The mystery of the Crucifix is that it reveals the Son of Man as he truly is: the Son of God.

The theology of the Cross is a mystical well of revelation and conversion. The more we study the Cross, the more we understand and come to believe in the Son of God. “For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.” Sacrifice brings about suffering, which brings conversion of heart and mind. We believe in God because he sacrificed and suffered for us. In other words, we believe in God because he loves us.

Let us not be afraid to sacrifice for others; suffer for others; to love one another. Let us allow the Lord to remove us from the security that exists from under our bed, and to place us upon a lamp stand, where the Lord will ensure that it is never consumed but burns bright for all eternity and for all the world to see.

Luke 16:1-13 Cheating the Devil

Luke 16:1-13 Cheating The Devil

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Throughout the history of the Chosen People, cheating was an on-going plague. But the prophets of old considered the trampling of justice upon the widows, the orphans, and the poor a downright scandal. How could the children of God be so dishonest? “We will diminish the ephah, add the shekel, 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!” But, “the Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob; Never will I forget a thing they have done.” (Am 8:4-7)

We tend to cheat the wrong people or the wrong things. We tend to cheat out life with depression; love with lust; forgiveness with bitterness; sacrifice with sadness. Today, the Lord gives us the parable of the dishonest steward. He lifts him up to the status of a prudent man, an entrepreneurial man! How can this be? What is the Lord asking of us? Simple. Jesus wants the children of the light to be more prudent, more industrious, than the children of this world. He wants us to cheat the devil! Christians are not called to play fair with the devil. They are called to cheat the devil! We do not tango with the devil, we CRUSH the devil. Feelings of fear, frustration, despair, loneliness, emptiness, sadness, bitterness, hatred, resentment and anguish are all sentiments that are brought about by sin. That is, a separation of my life from God’s life; a separation of my will and God’s will. The Lord does not want us to be broken. He wants us to lift up our hearts to Him! The devil tries to crush me and when I allow him to do it, when I fall into his trance, I dance with him. We are not called to dance with the devil, we are called to step on his toes!

Today, crush fear with faith; frustration with patience; despair with hope; loneliness with prayer; emptiness with generosity; sadness with sorrow; bitterness with mercy; hatred with love; resentment with forgiveness; and anguish with sacrifice! We do not play by the devil’s rules, we cheat! This is the one time we are allowed to cheat and the Lord is giving us permission.

Yesterday I was late in hearing confessions. Four parishioners left before I could hear their confession. They lost out. The devil won! He got the last word instead of the Lord. They should have waited. But the devil plays his game and we go along with it. Do not be tempted by the devil to walk away in self-righteousness when the Lord is delayed in arriving. He gave us too many parables in regard to this.

One late evening I was shopping at the local supermarket and as I approached the checkout I noticed that the cashier was a severely deformed man. When I noticed him I gasped. I felt horrible for him. Instead, he began to talk with me, ask me how my day went. He joked with me, laughed and wished me well. I couldn’t believe it. He was happier than I! Instead of feeling self-pity, bitterness or despair for himself, he was enjoying life, and enjoying it to the full. He was cheating the devil and living life worthy of a child of God. The next morning I went to the bank, and as I was waiting in line a man came into the bank. He had no vocal cords and a hole in his esophagus. He was speaking through a hand held “electrolarynx” and he made his presence very much known and heard. While everyone in the bank was in shock, this man walked confidently, greeting everyone, and headed straight for me. I pretended to be occupied. He asked me how my day was going and I responded as naturally as I could, as if there was nothing different about him. Then he asked me if I was a minister. I told him I was a Roman Catholic priest. He told me to keep up the good work and to have a great day. Instead of feeling anguished he was cheating the devil with his enthusiasm and joy!

I could go on and on and on…We Christians are called to never give in to the temptations of the devil which shortens life and tampers with our attitudes. We are called to be children of the light, who cheat suffering and death with forgiveness and love! Just like our Master did, and we can only serve one Master.