Lk 19:1-10 Received With Joy!

Lk 19:1-10 Received With Joy!

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Jesus said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy.

Aren’t we all looking for a good friend, someone who will lift me up; someone who will care for me; someone who will make me a better man, a better Christian. A good friend is not easily found.

Well, guess what? You’re it!

“The Lord upholds me! Oh Lord, you are my shield; my glory, you lift up my head. When I lie down in sleep, I wake again, for the Lord sustains me.” (Ps 3:2-6)

I have to tell you; while I was studying in Rome I had many wonderful experiences that I miss today. Some of them came from our annual house blessings. We would go door-to-door, knocking on their doors, and visiting unknown families and homes. We were very often surprised at what we found. Many homes welcomed us with great joy. Some did not. I learned a lot from these visits. I learned not to kid around too much and not to assume anything.

One day, after a few days of visiting homes, I knocked on the door and a little old lady answered. Mind you, I was in my cassock with a roman collar. I could not have looked priestlier, more Catholic than that! As soon as the little old lady opened the door, I told her, jokingly, that we were Jehovah Witnesses. Before I could smile and laugh, she slammed the door shut and never opened it again. The younger seminarian standing next to me looked at me then put his head down and shook it in disapproval. That is an example of a house visit I would love to forget.

But there was another visit I will never forget. We came across a young couple who had recently had a baby. Her unborn baby was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. She was devastated. She kept asking herself and us, “How could this be God’s Will? How could this be happening to me? Why would God allow this to happen?” I had no answers. I did not know what to say. She told us, “I am going to pray day and night that God changes my baby!” I knew that was not the answer, but I didn’t know what to tell her. I left that home feeling empty and useless.

Well, I never forgot this visit. The following year we went back to visit them. I was surprised to see husband and wife smiling and laughing as we entered their home. In their arms was their new born baby. What struck me most was how much light was in the home? Their home seemed so different. Their eyes seemed so much more brilliant. There was joy and love in their home. I thought to myself, “The doctor must have been wrong!” So I asked, “How are you doing? How is your baby?” She told me, “Do you remember how I told you that I was going to pray to every day and night that God change my baby? Well, instead of changing my baby, he ended up changing me! Look how beautiful my baby is!” I looked and saw a beautiful child with Down Syndrome.

What I appreciate most about the Lord is how he reached out to people. He never wrote off anyone. He never gave up on anyone.

Thanks be to God! Just like Zacchaeus, He never gave up on me! Let us always receive the Lord with open arms! Let us always receive His Will, His Passion, His Love, His Mercy, His Providence with faith, hope and love and joy.

Lk 18:35-43 The Blind Leading The Blind

Lk 18:35-43 The Blind Leading The Blind

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As Jesus approached Jericho a blind was sitting by the roadside begging, and hearing a crowd going by, be inquired what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” He shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.”

How quick we are in judging! How quick we are in condemning! May the Lord have mercy on our souls! We are like the blind leading the blind in our negative thoughts and horrible deeds. In our attempt to do justice we put everyone, good and bad, to the sword! We take no prisoners. We walk away and leave all behind: dead or buried alive.

But there is one blind man that led the blind to safety, to life and to hope. He was blessed for he could not be manipulated by sights. He was blessed because he could not see Christ’s humanity; that is, the heavy burden placed upon the Lord’s shoulders, the weariness under his eyes or the dirt under the Lord’s finger nails. Yes, the blind man was truly blessed because he could not see how similar the God-man’s lowliness was to his! If he could, then I believe he would have called out to the Lord like the rest. He would have called not out of respect and adoration but out of curiosity and superficiality.

Thank God we cannot see the Lord. Thank God we are like the blind man! Thank God we can only see Him through the eyes of faith. Thank God we cannot see his humanity. What would we say about Him? What would we call Him? Would we say that He never answers his e-mails, text messages or phone calls? Would we say that He never has time for me, or that He is too opinionated, too high and mighty, too pie-in-the-skyish? Would we harp on Him and say He should “have known better?” Would we track His ratings and follow His blog? Would we wait a His slip up and look for it in National Enquirer?

Thank God we cannot see the Lord. Thank God He no longer walks upon the earth. Thank God He is with His heavenly Father. Thank God He no longer is subjected to us!

Oh fate, how you enjoy twists and turns! Oh God, how you bless the lowly. We are most definitely poorer creatures of God today because we abort the lowly! Once upon a time these children of God were abandoned or hidden from society. Today, they are aborted. And we have become so much poorer – “blinder” - for it. We are “blind-er” to authentic beauty because we no longer see the needy in society or experience their faith, hope and love in life and in God.

Blessed are the lowly, for the Kingdom will be theirs! The crippled came to see Jesus. Their twisted legs saved them and made them followers of Jesus well before those who could walk began to follow! The lepers came to Jesus for cleansing. Their sores saved them and made them clean well before those who claimed to be clean were cleansed from all their sins!

So just like the crippled and the leper, the blind led others to Christ. Their faith helped others to believe beyond sight. In today’s Gospel passage, the blind man helped his brothers and sisters to see beyond their sight; to go beyond the facts and to experience a love superior to oneself! The blind help all of us to see better; that humility is necessary ingredient for surprise! That when you least expect it, something extraordinary can happen through trial and tribulation, suffering and pain, prayer and cries!

Mt 25:14-30 The Talents God Gave Us

Mt 25:14-30 The Talents God Gave Us

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The servant who had received the one talent came forward and said, “Master, I knew you were a demanding person…so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.” His master answered back, “You wicked, lazy servant…Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”

The Church offers us the option of reading the shorter form of today’s Gospel. The problem with that is that it leaves out the punishment given to the “lazy and wicked servant”. Of course we don’t like to hear it, but once in a while, I really think we need to. That is, we all need to hear what could happen to us if we were to allow fear and laziness to grip us all the days of our life. We could very well end up being sent away. Do I realize that I will be held accountable for the talents that the Lord has given me? Do I realize that He expects something back?

What talents has the Lord made available to every human being? What makes us fully human and fully alive? The answer is simple: faith, hope and love. No other creature has these talents. No other creature lives by faith, hope and love. We, Christians, have been given, by virtue of our baptism, the gifts of faith, hope and love. Now, we are called to use them and to multiply them through our spouses and children; our neighbors and friends; the stranger and our enemies.

What does it mean to have faith, hope and love? It means to see beyond our sight (faith), to go beyond the facts, and to give and receive above and beyond ourselves!

Let me share with you a beautiful and delightful example of this. A young mom recently told me that her greatest joy is waking up to her two-year-old daughter’s morning song. It’s a simple song, repeated over and over again, starting around 6:30 am. The mom told me that her daughter is the best alarm clock ever! This tiny child speaks into the room monitor, placed next to her crib, and says (almost sings) the word “mommy” in the sweetest, most elongated manner possible! Something like, “mooooooooooom-my”. She repeats herself until her mommy comes and gets her.

How sweet is that! It is no wonder the Lord told us that we need to have a child-like faith. If you think about it, every morning this little girl is just oozing faith, hope and love. She knows that although she cannot physically see mommy, she knows her mommy is present. Likewise, she has great hope because although mommy is not in the room, she knows that she will come get her. Finally, this little girl knows how to love because she knows for certain that her mommy cares about her more than anyone or anything else.

In a nutshell, this little girl has faith, hope and love. We should have a similar faith in the Lord – a faith that is simple and firm!

Our Lord prepared his disciples well in the virtues of faith, hope and love. On the night he was betrayed, and as the soldiers came to arrest him, he told his disciples – the eleven (Remember, Judas was absent. He had lost his faith, hope and love for the Lord) – something remarkable! Actually, he told them something crazy! He told these eleven lonely and scared men something that we should never forget. He told them, “Do not be afraid. I have conquered the world” (Jn 16:33).

This is where we get our craziness from! And Christians have been known to do some very crazy things, like having faith, hope and love in the worst possible time and under the worst possible conditions!

If you are currently going through some tough times in your life, then remember what the Lord told the Eleven - his friends: “Do not be afraid. I conquered the world.” All you have to do right now is remain faithful, steadfast, and loyal through faith, hope and love. As you are navigating through the storm, repeat in your mind, steady…steady….steady…

The Lord said, “Remain in me as I remain in you. Whoever remains in me bears much fruit.” It is by our faith, hope and love that we will conquer evil and stand up for truth. There is no other way! It would be impossible for any of us to find the courage and the strength to stand up for a truth unless we had faith, hope and love. No wonder why so many innocent people decide to strike deals, to plea-bargain, or to admit to something they did not do!

Steady…steady…steady… Increase your faith, hope and love by serving the Lord and following in his footsteps. It will do your body and soul a lot of good!

Lk 17:26-37 When Losing Means Winning

Lk 17:26-37 When Losing Means Winning

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“Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it…Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather.”

It would be hard to imagine anyone ever giving up a life of comfort, privilege, position and recognition for a life of duty, service, and anonymity. The only ones I can think of are the children of the rich and/or famous. By the time they reach their college years, they typically rebel against their parent’s abhorrent and obsessive behavior towards travel, entertainment, shopping and just all-around excess.

In today’s plea bargaining mentality, it would be hard to find someone willing to stand up for themselves, their dignity, the truth or God, regardless of the consequences – regardless of spending almost fifteen years in prison. But it happened.

Dale Lincoln Duke, a Dallas man who served fourteen years in prison for an abuse he steadfastly denied has finally been declared innocent. A simple man by appearance, a soft spoken man when questioned, he received a standing ovation from most in the courtroom. The judge told him that it was her “privilege” to release him.

Mr. Duke had entered a no contest plea to the charge of abusing his seven year old stepdaughter back in 1992. He received ten years’ deferred adjudication. He was sentenced to twenty years in 1997 because he refused to admit to the offense. Although the stepdaughter later recanted her testimony, Mr. Duke was not given another hearing. Finally, last year, Duke’s attorney found evidence that prosecutors in the 1990s had withheld. On November 4^th, Mr Duke walked out of the court room a “free man”. The judge apologized for this travesty of justice, and the prosecutors apologized for stripping this man of fourteen years of his life and most likely his sanity.

Why didn’t he just give in? Why didn’t he just take the easy way out? Because he is a strong and committed believer in Jesus Christ. He believes that Christ is Lord and Savior. He believed justice would be served now or later.

What I have learned in my life is that strength comes from faith; courage from hope; and you can only dream of persevering through trial if you can love God (or someone else) more than yourself. There it is…“Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. Mr. Duke is a hero - a saint. Many others have forfeited this right. Who can blame them! This type of honor, privilege and title can only be achieved through pain, suffering and death to self. “Conquer evil by doing good.” (Rom 12:21) This verse may not be grammatically correct, but it works! It is very irrational and extremely divine! It is out of this world!

Now, will I apply it to my life? Will I hold steady in the truth? Will I stand with the Lord? Will I fight the good fight?

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.” (Ps 23:1,4)

In our current state of negativity, all I want to tell you is that the dead do come back to life! Redemption can happen and it does happen.

“Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand!” (Lk 21:28)

Lk 17:20-25 The Kingdom Among You

Lk 17:20-25 The Kingdom Among You

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Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus said in reply, “The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”

Which of the following do you desire the most: war or peace; death or life; indifference or love; resentment or compassion; infidelity or fidelity; falsehood or truth; fear or faith; despair or hope; prison or freedom; slavery or purity; pride or humility; comfort or righteousness; loneliness or friendship?

The answers should be obvious. And yet, when we choose to sin, we choose what is so unwise!

“There will be those who will say to you, ‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’ Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.”

How quickly we join the bandwagon! How quickly we wish to be “team players”. How quick I am to jump ship! It never ceases to amaze me how we look forward to the next generation of ideas and things. We are way too quick in throwing away what always worked and seek what is novel, fashionable or trendy, and...does not always work. Our technology has not improved our lives. The computer did not reduce the amount of paper being used. Cell phones did not make us more secure – they made us more dependent. E-mails did not quicken communication – it gave us more junk. The Internet is not a new found treasure trove of information – it is a endless pit of filth and bottomless hole of human gossiping.

Your word, O Lord, is forever! (Ps 119:89a)

Which of the two do you desire the most: war or peace; death or life… Do you to see that one comes from above while the other comes from below? War can only occur when we disobey the Lord’s commandments: Love your enemy. Love your neighbor. Love one another. Life did not come from us. Life comes from above. We did not start this amazing and glorious universe; we only inherited it and only some of it – a part of it – a tiny part of it in terms of time, space and achievements. The only possible way that a divorce could ever occur is if vows were severed, hearts were broken or minds turned inward.

One day I will write a meditation on helmets and condoms. Yes, football helmets and condoms! The football league is re-considering the use of football helmets in games. Critics claim that helmets do not make our players safer because of the way they are using their heads! In other words, because our players use helmets, they have a tendency to tackle with their heads, causing small but constant concussions to the head! If players did not have helmets, then they would never put their heads at risk or put them down when making a play. Rugby players, a pretty tough sport if you ask me, don’t use helmets.

Funny, isn’t it? In theory helmets should protect. But the psychology of a player makes it that helmets can actually be harmful to their health! By using a helmet, they think they are safer than they really are! Get it? Do you understand what I am saying? Now, they same psychology and behavior applies to teens and adults when using condoms. Condoms in theory should make sex safer. But the psychology of a teenager - who, by definition is not an adult, not mature and not responsible – makes it that condoms can actually place teens in harm’s way by giving a false sense of security. No wonder why the number of kids with STD’s has gone up significantly in affluent neighborhoods over the past ten years! Our kids feel safe and engage in risky behaviors. If adults cannot seem to get enough and engage in risky behavior, then imagine our teens?

Our world, our Kingdom is forged by our decisions. Today, the Lord invites us to make wise decisions. And the first and wisest decision we could make is to stop excluding the Lord from our conversations, our politics, our schools and our nation!

We all need to pray the prayer that our Lord taught us, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!” Then, and only then, will our world make sense, our lives be at peace, and our very existence be secured!

Jn 2:13-22 Zeal Will Consume Me

Jn 2:13-22 Zeal Will Consume Me

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The Lord made a whip out of cords and drove the money-changers and those who sold oxen, sheep and doves out of the temple area and said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”

There are many places I spend my day. I spend way too much time in my office; way too much time in my car; and way too much time in the restaurants. There are many things that I do in a day. I spend way too much time working on my computer; way too much time in front of the TV; way too much time eating.

I still remember, while in college, being invited by a close friend to go to Church. I would often tell them, “I don’t need to go to Church to pray to God. I can do it from home and I can do it my way.” Today, I can’t even believe that I said that! In fact, I have to laugh whenever I hear that from my students! I know the perfect answer to their comments: “Why don’t you just admit it: You do none of the above. You don’t go to Church. You don’t pray at home. You don’t care at all.” So, if you ever hear someone tell you that they pray at home rather than go to Church, feel very confident in telling them the truth about themselves. It will do them a lot of good.

The secret to today’s feast is to value and cherish your parish Church. It is the house of God. It is the temple of God’s glory. It is a home for the strong and mighty and the broken-hearted; the high-flying and the downtrodden; the rich and famous and the neglected and the invisible. It is not only the people, the administrators, the priests or the ministries that make a parish special, holy and welcoming. It is the beauty of the steeple, the sights, the smells, the spaces, and the silence that make it a home away from home. In Church, we are at the cutting edge of heaven. I can rest here. I can enjoy some peace in my busy day; some silence in my noisy day; some sights other than the virtual world. The Church is not only a home, it is an oasis.

While I sit or kneel, I know that I am not alone for in front of me is the tabernacle, the Blessed Sacrament. I can stand or prostrate myself before the crucifix. I can clasp my hands in front of the Saints of heaven and of God that make the Church a family. I have my Lord, my Savior, my best friend, my brother; I have my blessed Mother. I have all my brothers and sisters, all the angels and saints. I belong. I am someone. I am loved.

The Baptismal font reminds me of where it all began; where I became a member, a believer, a child of God – a son of God. It’s true. I am not just flesh and blood, but also soul and divinity. I am special. I have dignity. I have a room reserved in my Father’s mansion. No one, absolutely no one has the right to take that away from me. Grace was poured upon me. I was bathed with light. I was clothed in white. I was anointed for the fight.

Also, conveniently located in the back, are the Confessionals. They are located next to the baptismal font for a reason: to remember. Baptism is genesis; Confession is neo-genesis! It is the way to a new beginning - grace restored, love renewed and life regenerated. Tears are poured and stains from sins are removed. This is where Jesus comes to life, the Gospel is re-lived, the parable of the Prodigal Son is repeated, lives are changed, families are restored and homes are rebuilt. Home Sweet Home!

When was the last time I invited someone to my house?

“I have chosen and consecrated this house, says the Lord, that my name maybe there forever.”

Lk 17:2-10 Nothing Short Of Amazing!

Lk 17:2-10 Nothing Short Of Amazing!

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Jesus said to the Apostles: “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’? Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat…You may eat and drink when I am finished?’’ Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants, we have done what we were obliged to do.’”

The person you marry should always be better than you. Now wait! Who could possibly be better than me? Answer: more people than you think!

Not too long ago I spoke to a highly intelligent and beautiful college student. If you think about it, this combination should be a one-two punch: a knockout! But men are highly intimidated by highly intelligent women and so dating was not a very common occurrence in this young lady’s life. I told her, “Thank God!” She didn’t seem to appreciate my comment.

Not only is she intelligent and beautiful, but she is also virtue filled. She has been looking and waiting for Mr. Right for years! So what happens to us when we think there is no one out there that could possibly love us? We tend to lower our standards. We tend to believe that “I’ve got” the problem; that I am doing something wrong.

Well, against her parents’ wishes and against her better judgment, she began to date a “wanna be” actor and college dropout who began to verbally abuse her and manipulate her love. She tried desperately to make the relationship work because he gave her so much time, attention and affection. [Moms and dads, if you ever wonder why your daughter keeps on dating “losers” then this might help explain a great deal of the problem.]

Thank God, in the end, it all came to nothing. She left him and the “our-love-was-made-in-heaven” love story ended. She went back home and is back in college. Today, she is much wiser, much holier, and the better for it.

Do I seek a love that is inferior to you, my God? Do I seek a love that is easy going, easy believing and easily misleading? Do I fall for a love that makes me feel good or be good – be better? Do I seek a grandfather or a heavenly father?

The Lord is my master, my boss, my King and my God. But he is much more than that. He is my best friend, my cheerleader, my number one fan! My best friend and Lord is, in a spiritual way, my spouse, my lover. He wishes that the two of us would become one.

God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him.

What are we obliged to do? Be humble! I repeat: be humble! How could we not accept His love? The Lord is greater than you and me. The Lord is more loving than you and me. The Lord is more desiring than you and me. He makes us better men! He makes us better friends. He makes us better lovers! It is nothing short of amazing! Granted, it is not a love that comes easy, but it is worth all its weight in gold.

“I will bless the Lord at all times!” (Ps 34:2a)