Luke 11:47-54 The Charge

Luke 11: 47-54 The Charge!

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Whenever I give a homily (or a talk) to an unknown audience I am always concerned that I will be interpreted as being too harsh or too “in your face.” But my goal is always to speak the truth and share the truth with those around me. And of course it is not my truth, but Christ’s truth. That is, Christ himself.

Last night I celebrated Mass for over 200 young students. They were excited about starting a new year and starting High School. I focused on harmony: living together; being a family; making friends; loving one another; and committing oneself to the Lord. I asked them, “How will you be remembered? What will your classmates say about you four years from now, ten years from now?”

After Mass, I was greeted with a very warm reception. The Lord’s message had been relayed effectively and positively. “The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” I looked at them and they looked at me. I told them what would become the meat and potatoes of my homily. Later on, most of the students remarked that the point that struck them the most was refusing to be mastered by sin. I too could tell that the message had been delivered well. I told them what all of you who follow my meditations know. I told them the following:

Beware of the greatest temptation that all of us face on a daily basis: to fight evil with evil. You hate me, I hate you. You hurt me, I hurt you. You’re mean to me; I will be mean to you. You don’t love me, I won’t love you. When we are teenagers we call this bullying. As adults, we call it harassment. In the global community, we call it war. This cycle is truly evil because I become the person I hate! Christians cannot fight like this. We fight like Christ: Love your enemies and pray for them. People may drag me all the way to the gates of Hell, but they cannot open the gates for me. Only I can decide to hate and only I can refuse to hate! Refuse to be evil! Never forget in whose image you were created in. If you forget God, then you will forget who you are. If you forget what God did for you, then you will never know what to do. You will end up hating yourself and eventually everyone around you. You will prefer to take your life (or someone else’s) rather than to lay it down. The difference is as vast has Hell and Heaven.

I left Mass wondering if the message was too negative. I left the evening knowing it was much appreciated. “Your word, O Lord, forever stands firm in the heavens: your truth lasts from age to age, like the earth you created” (Ps 119:1).

The challenges we face are always the same. Will I give the Lord today or myself? Will I share the word of God or my words? Will I live my life or Christ’s life through me? Will I be a shooting star that quickly appears and fades away, or a star that shines in the dark, points to the Way and leads us to Him? He alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must renounce himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mt 16:24). This generation is in charge of leading today’s flock and will be charged by the Lord according to his standards. Let us ask the Lord for faith and courage so that he may never be ashamed of those who take his name!

Luke 11:42-46 The Light of Life

Luke 11: 42-46 The Light of Life

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This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other. You must keep his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you today (Dt. 4:39).

It is impossible to mediate on this passage without making reference to the historical event that is taking place, right before our very eyes, in Chile. Thanks to modern technology, we are able to witness the extraordinary rescue of miners, the human spirit of ingenuity, and the grace of God.

“Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life” (Jn 8:12). This is the responsorial psalm of the day, and how appropriate it is. Last night I had the opportunity to spend the evening with a wonderful family and to watch the first Chilean miner to be rescued after 69 days in the depths of a mine that easily could have become their tomb. The tragedy began when over 700,000 tons of rock collapsed on August 5^th sealing 33 men in the lower reaches of the mine. Florencio Avalos, 31, was the first man to emerge on the surface and to breathe his first fresh air after a twenty minute ascent of around 2,050 feet. Family and friends clapped and broke into cheer. His 7-year-old son was present along with his wife and President Sebastian Pinera who told the happy miner, “Very few times have I ever seen a son show so much love for his father.”

Mario Sepulveda, the second man to be rescued, told reporters he had spent the last ten weeks “between God and the devil.” “They fought, God won,” he added.

The ninth man to be rescued early this morning, Mario Gomez, 65, the oldest in the group immediately knelt down in prayer. During their horrific ordeal, the miners continually asked for prayers so that their spirits would not fail them. Their prayers were answered in a way very few ever imagined. They are the only miners to ever survive for so long and at such depths.

It will take about 36 hours for the 33 miners to be rescued. Two rescue experts were lowered late last night in order to help the men prepare for the ascent and to determine the order of rescue. Prior to his descent, Manuel Gonzalez grinned and made the sign of the cross as he was lowered to the trapped men. He told the crowd gathered around the man made hole that “We made a promise to never surrender, and we kept it.” Jesus had to descend in order for us to ascend. For someone to be saved, a good man, a holy man must volunteer to lay down his life for another.

The last miner out has been decided. Shift foreman Luis Urzua, whose leadership was recognized for helping the men endure the first seventeen days with no outside contact after the collapse. The men made 48 hours’ worth of rations last before rescuers reached them with a narrow borehole to send down more food.

Let us continue to pray for all the miners and their families. The rescue will not be a success until all the men are safe.

What the world needs badly is good news! Christ is the Good News! My hope is that as the weeks pass and the miners have a chance to share their stories of survival with family and friends, the truth of man’s faith in God’s love will inspire a generation of men and women in renewing their faith and love for the one true Lord of man and history.

The Lord said, Woe to you, Pharisees…you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. One of the few Americans on site stated the risks involved in the rescue operation. So many things can go wrong. He insisted that we should all “knock on wood that this luck holds out for the next 33 hours.”

I prefer to do what the President of the United States recommended, “While the rescue is far from over and difficult work remains, we pray that by God’s grace, the miners will be able to emerge safely and return to their families soon.” Now that is a welcomed sign of true leadership.

Luke 11:37-41 To Be Made Whole!

Luke 11: 37-41 To Be Made Whole

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Let your mercy come to me, O Lord (Ps 119:41a). Let the driving force of your love push away all my fears and anxieties that this day may bring. I had enough yesterday. It took its toll, physically and spiritually. Yesterday would be considered a “bad” day if you O Lord were not by my side. You alone give me strength to rest my head and keep the faith. Evening came, and morning followed – another day has arrived.

The new morning follows with a splitting headache. I can barely remember my name. My body aches, my heart skips and the Lord gives to me another cross to carry. It’s the same cross: more demands, more people in need, more love to give. The voice comes from the darkest places of my being, I cannot do it. I am failing.

Lord, allow me to see you as you truly are: my God. Allow me to see who I truly am: a potential – that’s right – a possible gift of love to the world. Will I give it or not? I must remind myself on a daily basis that life was not meant to be preserved but to be consumed. Consummatum est.

I can easily become a creature of habit and go about my daily routine without any love, without any thought, without any conviction. But the Lord is good to me. He surprises me. “When I am weak, then I am strong!” It is not so much what I do that matters but who I do it for. What am I but a man. What am I when I am a man of God! St. Paul hit the nail right on the head when he wrote, “For in Christ Jesus neither works alone nor faith alone counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” (Gal 5:6)

Faith working through love. What am I going to talk about today? Nothing. What am I going to do today? Nothing. But with faith working through love, I will do something beautiful today, something everlasting: Eternal.

A little bit of housecleaning is on the list for me today. I need to purge from my heart the impurities that cloud my vision, my senses, and my emotions. The inside is much more important than the outside. This is so clear to me and yet I dedicate so little to the more important. Too much time is wasted on the outside, more than an hour a day and barely an hour of meditation for my internal – spiritual – organs that keep my joy, my peace, my happiness alive. The children remind us (me) too well of how important is our spiritual health. I am poor, chaste and obedient; I wear the same un-designer clothing on a daily basis and yet, the kids love it! They love me, rather, they love Him through me. The Lord says, Give! Yes, give it all! Give it to me and you will be clean!

The morning marks the beginning of a new day. I will not allow the devil to have the last word. Give the Lord your words. Give the Lord your heart. Give the Lord all your actions. Give the Lord all your pains, sorrows and suffering. Give to the Lord all that He gives to you with love and faith. Multiply the beauty of the world by serving the last and seeking the First.

Today my life belongs to the Lord. Look for trouble! Get involved! Make a mess of this world and put it back in order!

Luke 11:29-32 Freedom to Love

Luke 11: 29-32 Freedom to Love

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I have found freedom and I have found meaning. Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. How often do I repeat these words and I find the strength and courage to follow the Way - His Will, the Truth and His Life?

Yesterday was a long day that got even longer. After celebrating the seven o’clock Mass at St. Ann I went to visit a beautiful family nearby and they provided me with a much needed hot meal, fantastic friendship and wonderful conversation. As I was driving home, ready to complete the day with an early evening rest (it was already 11:20 pm), I received a text message from a young student I had first met at the minor seminary. A great young man who is currently a freshman studying Philosophy at the University of Dallas. He wanted to get together and talk. I know my schedule well. It was now or not for a few weeks. I was so happy to hear from him after a couple of years of minimal contact. I asked him if he was getting ready to go to sleep. I should have anticipated his response. After all, he is a College student. “Father, the evening is still young.” I’m not sure if it was the Holy Spirit or the spirit of stupidity but I found myself making a U-turn and telling him I would be at UD in twenty minutes. I think this all began when I watched at least 10 times the latest Don Bosco movie. I really love this Saint and I truly love the youth. But I have to remind myself that I’m neither.

Our conversation was very philosophical. He is searching for the truth and yet cannot find it. He has placed all things in doubt, even his own existence. He is an extremely intelligent young man but I think his studies have led him to think a little too much and to assume a little too little. During our conversation I was reminded of the words spoken by Festus as he interrupted Paul’s defense of the faith. “You are out of your mind, Paul! Your studies are driving you insane” (Acts 26:24). Of course the major difference between Paul and Festus was that Paul had found the truth, first through a revelation and then by reflection. Whereas Festus continued to rely too much on study and not enough on the big elephant in the room: the death and resurrection of Christ and the birth of the Church. The truth is that God has every right to reveal himself to the world. And what he has revealed is the greatest revelation ever to man: God is love. My suggestion to this young man was not to follow the sheep and attend Mass, but rather to begin to love. “If you love, then you will discover God because God is love and we were made to fall in love. That is, we were made to fall in God’s arms.”

If I do not know God and what He did, then I will not know who I am and what I should do. If I do not know who I am and what I should do, then I will end up hating who I am and wishing I was never born. Eventually, I will end up hating myself and all those around me. God is love and we were created to love and be loved. We can never forget the big elephant in the tomb!

We look for signs, but signs will never be enough. They weren’t enough for the Pharisees and the Scribes and they will never be enough for me. We look for wisdom, but we will never be as wise as the wisest of men, or as wise as God. We are finite and He is infinite. We are a bug and he is a Giant. But He became finite so that we could become infinite.

Blessed be the name of the Lord forever. Blessed be His name, Father and Love. We are children of the Light – free to love and to be loved.

Luke 17:11-19 Gratitude that Renews

Luke 11: 27-28 Gratitude That Renews

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The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power (Ps 98:2b). What is the Lord's saving power? His humility.

Lord, cleanse me from self-love.

I have some tough words for today. So I ask that you pray with me, "Create in me Lord, a humble heart so that I may see in you the good and bad that shapes my heart to be more like you. I beg you to fill my heart with the power of humility, so that when I am weak, then I am strong."

A few days ago I gave a talk to a group of eighth graders in regards to bullying. I began my discourse with my customary “Shock Therapy!” The first thing I told them is that all (yes, I used an absolute here), ALL middle school students are selfish! I looked around and said once again, “That’s right, SELFISH!” - full of oneself, full of insecurities, full of entitlement, but definitely not full of grace.

I was amazed at their reaction. All of them, with the exception of one (there always has to be one), sat there, in the room, in silence. Some even began to nod their head in agreement. Only one made a slightly sarcastic remark: “thanks a lot.” I told my beautiful students – they really are beautiful because there is so much potential for good – “You all want to be loved, but you’re not willing to do what it takes to be loved. You’re not willing to love.” I continued, “You all want to be adored. You want people to ask you for your autograph, but you’re not willing to adore them. You want people to recognize your accomplishments, but you’re not willing to recognize theirs.”

This is the reason for so many teenagers getting into so much trouble. This is the number one reason why teenage suicides are on the increase across the nation: They want to be loved, but are unwilling to love. They are not willing to do what it takes to be loved: Forgive and Give. Most kids simply don’t know. It’s not part of the public school curriculum. So, in a very perverse way, they prefer to take their life rather than to lay it down.

There are many among us who are no longer teenagers but continue to live the teenager nightmare of bullying. They continue to look for love in all the wrong ways and places. The Lord taught us that tremendous love is paid for at a tremendous price. If you want to be loved by all, then you have to give it all.

At the end of my discourse and discussion with the kids, I received many requests for my autograph! It was a happy ending. It was a good day that day. They were all very grateful to me for being very clear and honest with them. Then I realized something. It is so easy to be grateful towards people who build us up. It’s not so easy to be grateful to those who tear us down in order to build us up stronger and better. But when I can see through my pride, when I allow this to happen, I am definitely on the road to recovery, to renewal.

St. Paul tells us, “This saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him; we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him. If we deny him he will deny us. If we are unfaithful he remains faithful.” The Lord scourges the sinner; the Lord heals the sinner. The Lord chastises the sinner; the Lord loves the sinner. Let us be grateful for the bouquet of flowers and for the slap in the face. Both are necessary for the salvation of man.

Several hundred people were divided into three different groups. One group was asked to record their daily events in a dairy. Another was asked to record unpleasant experiences. The last group wrote down on a daily basis what they were grateful for. The results: The last group had higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination and energy.

I wonder how many in the last group were grateful for tough or difficult experiences. Maybe not today, but later on those in the third group may wish to modify their list. We cannot always understand everything at that very moment. I will forever be grateful to those in my life that knocked me down and built me up. All roads lead to Rome. All roads lead to Christ. All roads lead to truth and love. It is in the “good times and the bad times” that I discovered the source of joy and happiness: Loving, Forgiving and Giving. My vocation.

Lord, open our hearts to a heart like yours, a humble heart. Help us to accept the good that unites us to you and the bad that brings us back to you. All glory, all honor is yours Almighty Father forever and ever. Amen.

Luke 11:27-28 Blessed Are They

Luke 11: 27-28 Blessed Are They

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Among all the crowded confusion and chatter in this not-so-crowded world, there is one who speaks softly and carries no big stick! While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts that nursed you!” Yes, it makes so much sense. Why should Mary not be the first among the beatitudes? Did Elizabeth not say it first, “Blessed are you among woman and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus?” Blessed indeed are you, Mary, who carried the Lord and was chosen by Him to be the Mother of God. So why does the Lord pause, take notice, and respond with a rebuttal? Why should we honor Mary?

“Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

What does the Lord love? I can tell you from my experiences in the confessional that he loves a humble heart. A humble heart is a trusting heart. This rule of thumb is simple: If I can confess all my sins, then I can correct them! If I can admit my failings then I can fix them. This is such a hard saying, who can accept it but the meek and humble of heart?

There is so much to cover up in our lives: so much pain to “morphinize” and so many scars to wrap up. The danger is that we end up covering ourselves so well that we become mummies. The masks that we wear on a constant basis may change according to our situation, circumstances and individuals, but they are still masks and they still cover like armor the soft spots of our wounded flesh and soul. I am no psychiatrist, I couldn’t even spell the word if it weren’t for spell-check, but if the Lord gave me any type of understanding as a priest, it would be to understand the drama, the reality and truth, of sin and blessing. Why all this? For Christ’s sake!

“Let it be done to me according to your word.” Mary heard the Word, kept the Word and observed the Word for all of her life, including the years before and after the 33 years of her son’s earthly life. She is blessed because she heard, believed and observed all that her son asked and lived. Her last words, recorded in Scripture should be our last words recorded in the morning and at night time, “Do whatever he tells you.” This is godly advice from a holy woman. Mary's holiness is a humility that allowed her to trust and to believe that "The Lord is greater than I."

The woman in the crowd placed too much emphasis on the physical, the maternal aspect of Mary’s role in salvation. That would mean the exclusion of all women and of course all men. Yes, she cared for, nurtured, and bathed the Lord. She is an outstanding mom. But she is a wonderful Mother, a role model for all Christians because she contemplated what she did not understand and placed all these things within her heart. Mary’s love for the Lord surpasses all of the natural bonds of motherhood. Everything that the anonymous woman said was true, but there is more here than meets the eyes. She was neither Jew nor Greek, slave or free person, male or female, she was all for Christ: One for all and all for one!

Mary carried her son in her womb, and also in her heart, soul and mind. She nursed her son with her breasts, but also with her eyes, her lips, her love, her devotion and her fidelity. She was a disciple of the Lord and carried no sack, no money bag and no walking stick. Mary spoke softly and carried no big stick, except for one in the shape of a cross. Not a physical cross but a heavier one.

As we have just learned, our struggles and blessings are not always physical, but they are definitely real. Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it. If you think about it, life could not be any easier than this. It is amazing how you and I mess it all up!

Luke 11: 15-26 They Tested Him

Luke 11: 15-26 They Tested Him

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Life is a battle. Every day is a struggle. EVERY DAY is a struggle. If I do not pray, then I am fighting with both hands tied behind my back. I will lose. I will cave in. I will die. I will easily forget why I am here. Why am I here? The answer is shocking: to be another Christ to the world. And maybe my world right now consists of taking care of my newborn baby, staying close to a dying relative, being faithful, loving to my spouse, devoting my life, money or talents to a particular mission or apostolate. It could be all of the above too. If I do not pray, then I will make some horrible decisions. I will be confused as to what I must do. I will not follow the Lord’s shadow but rather my own. Or worse, I will follow someone else.

This morning I woke up and found the following messages: “Good morning Father! I hope you have an awesome day…Help save or change someone’s life today.” And another: “Thank you Father for talking to me yesterday, I had the most amazing day today. God is good all the time. Have a blessed day…” Of course they are not always so loving and so inspiring. But must we not accept the good as well as the bad from God? Of course! The Lord is an expert in taking the bad and converting it, transforming it, into a good. He can do it in any situation and he can do it through me, with me and in me; in the unity of the Holy Spirit. All glory and power is yours Almighty Father, forever and ever.

Today, I will be tested. I can be sure of it. The angels of heaven and hell, light and darkness, good and evil are already gathering to do battle on earth. Waves of evil will sweep across the earth. Waves of love, mercy and compassion will fill the earth. I will hear the voices of the angels telling me to do this or to do that. I will be thrown into the arena. I will hear the shouts from the crowd gathered to watch the enormous spectacle. I will either bear witness, either to weakness or to power. Today will either be a test or the real thing! I may die or I may live. I may return unscathed or brutally beaten. But no matter what, I will never return the same. How I fight will determine how I live, how those around me live, how the next generation remembers me and how I am remembered by the Lord. For this reason, I pray “Lead us not into temptation.”

“A house divided cannot stand.” The devil loves to divide and conquer. He loves gossip, chatter, nonsense. He despises honor. He enjoys spreading fear and rejection. He loves broken friendships, dishonest friends, selfish friends, and self serving individuals. He loves those who do not trust, do not commit and do not serve. He loves the ones that depend on themselves. He loves Independence Day. He invites all of us to cut the strings that tie us to the Lord and wrap them around a tree, like Judas. “Cursed be everyone who hangs from a tree.” (Gal 3:7-14)

The Lord promises us what he promised Abraham: Through you shall all the nations be blessed. And it happened. Will it happen through me? This is why life is a battle. The lines have been drawn: Life or Death, Heaven or Hell, Good or Evil. “Cursed be everyone who does not persevere in doing all the things written in the book of the law.” The Law and God are very clear. We don’t want to hear these words. Unfortunately, they do not come from me. They come from God.

Today, let us go out of our homes and into our field of battle with a loving heart, a gentle heart and a heart made of steel. I will accomplish what the Lord demands from me or die trying.