Mark 11:27-33 Knowing It All and Knowing Nothing At All.

Mark 11:27-33  Knowing It All and Knowing Nothing At All.

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Jesus and his disciples returned once more to Jerusalem.  As he was walking in the temple area, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders approached him and said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things.” 

Not everyone is a doctor, but far too many think they are.  They get on the Internet and research their symptoms and undoubtedly find the worst possible case scenario.  Recently, I heard that over 50% of patients do not take their medicine as prescribed.  We think we know better but the superbugs know it even better. 

Not everyone is the Pope, but almost everyone thinks they are, especially when it comes to marriage and family.  I find it uninspiring, to say the least, how some Catholics consider themselves “infallible” as they speak ex cathedra or ex-married, or ex-remarried or extra marital or whatever.  I know the Pope is only infallible in matters of faith and morals.  But it seems like everyone else is infallible in all matters, especially marriage.  And we listen to them, even though one-out-of-every-two marriages end in divorce.

Not everyone has a PhD, but almost everyone thinks they deserve one. I find it amusing, to say the least, when someone argues with me and their arguments fall short on logic, common sense, and facts.  Do we think we can just blurt out anything?  Unfortunately, yes.  I have had the displeasure to met people who “knew more” about the Crusades than the Crusaders; who knew more about Galileo’s case than the Church and Galileo himself.  I have even met some people who truly think they know the Scriptures better than their sacred authors.  But ask them what such-and-such verse meant in its historical context and they are at a loss.  Unlike the sacred writers, they can quote a bible verse in an instant.  But ask them to quote the verse prior to or after it, they seem to be at a loss not only because they don’t know it but because it refutes what they just said! 

A professor once told me, “My students speak as if they all have a PhD.”  He could say that because he had a PhD; and while someone who has earned a PhD is generally open to learn a thing or two from those who don't; he found it particularly alarming how those who don't apparently have nothing to learn from those who do. 

The Lord did not come into the world to share his opinion or feelings or experiences with others.  He came into the world to be a light shining in the darkness.  The Lord is color blind.  He is not red (a Communist), or green (an Environmentalist), or black (a pessimist), or white (an optimist).  He is Light.  He is the light that shines in the darkness of our souls.  His authority comes not from our approval but from the approval of His Father. 

By what authority are you doing these things?  Some people know more than others; some people think they know more than others.  But how dare any of us try to change, manipulate, distort or twist Christ’s authority or creation around our middle finger?  By what authority are we doing these things?  By our own?  Because we can?  That's probably the only intelligent response I have ever heard.  But to that I say, watch out!  For just as a lie comes back to haunt us, so will any attempt to redefine God's creation come back to strike us.

How can anyone say, “Times have changed” and say it seriously?  Isn’t that obvious?  So why say something so obvious?  Is it to claim something totally false; that is, that “God has changed”, or something more ambiguous; that is, that “man has changed”. 

Yes, times change but does man really change?  Are we not made, as our ancestors, of flesh and bones, and souls filled with grace or sin? Are we not as flexible or as stubborn as our ancestors?  Like centuries ago, some people live to be 100; others for only one day.  And yet, we all seem to speak and act as if we have lived for centuries!  In fact, we live and speak as if we were God himself!  Some things never change. 

But the question is:  Can we change?  Can our world change?  And change for good?

The Pharisees, the scribes and the elders asked the Lord, “By what authority are you doing these things?”  Their suspense was killing them, but ended up killing Him. 

Is the Lord of human origin?  If we say, “We do not know”, then nothing will ever really change for good.  If we say, “Yes”, then everything changes.  And changes for good.

Mk 11:11-26 The Sky’s The Limit. Not Really.

Mk 11:11-26  The Sky’s The Limit.  Not Really.

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Jesus said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.  When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions.”

If you could ask the Lord right now for anything, what would it be?  Think about it and remember, “Ask and you shall receive.”  So, what would you ask for? 

Did you ask for forgiveness?

Christ told his disciples, “When you pray, I tell you, all that you ask for, you will receive it and it shall be yours.”  And then he said, “When you pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that the Father in turn may forgive you your transgressions.” 

There are a lot of good things (very good things in fact) that do not come naturally.  Forgiveness is one of them.  When we seek to forgive we are dying to ourselves. When we seek to be forgiven, we are placing ourselves in harm’s way.  Though forgiving is a very good thing to do, it does not come naturally.  Both these acts of love defy the laws of survival just like a rocket defies the laws of gravity.  To punch through the clouds requires a lot of rocket fuel and thrust.  To punch through Heavenly clouds requires a lot of grace and trust.    Like the sky, asking for forgiveness is one of the toughest things to punch through.  To forgive others is a close second.  Supernatural virtues do not come easily because - simply put - they don’t come naturally. 

So what must I do?  

It required years of constant thinking and planning for the space shuttle to lift off.  To get heavenly lift off of our body and soul requires years of constant prayer.  It takes years because praying doesn’t come easily.  And praying doesn’t come easily because it doesn’t come naturally.  And the reason why prayer is hard to do is the same reason why punching through the open sky is hard to do.  There are a lot of forces within us that try to stop us, and one of the most powerful is laziness. 

Laziness.  We made it!  Yes, we made it from non-existence to existence.  We are here!  We have gone from non-life to life.  And “being” is not just anything; it is everything!  And like everything, our very being must be nourished to grow and must learn to fight in order to grow.  Laziness is a force that works against us.  Laziness takes life and twists it back to non-life; it takes fresh fruit and makes it gross.  When we just sit around trying to look pretty we get gross, like that fig tree in the desert with tons of leaves but no fruit.  Something is wrong with this.  Something is very wrong.  It should be producing fruit.  Instead, it’s just standing there looking kind of silly. And right now, we are looking kind of silly.

Isn’t it amazing at how the government has grown in the last fifty years?  Isn’t it amazing at how the government is trying to regulate and moderate everything, even what we eat and drink?  Aren’t you amazed at how much money the government keeps pumping into education, welfare, defense, tolerance and alternative energies and still we have millions of ill-prepared students, millions of unemployed Americans, millions more who hate us, thousands of teens who bully and massacre us, and tons of waste around us?  

Why haven’t we solved these problems?  Because we keep trying to resuscitate a gross mentality; the mentality that “you can do whatever you want” and someone else will handle it.

We’re not seeking to be held accountable and we’re not holding a gun to anyone to be held accountable.  There’s little to no incentive to be responsible.  There’s plenty of back stepping, moving away, walking away and going away that is going on here! 

Everyone is apologizing except those who need to apologize; and everyone who is taking a stand or standing their ground is being kicked to the ground.

Jesus, the Son of God, had to take care of our problems.  He had to lead the way.  He was the first to drive out those selling and buying near the temple.  He was the first to overturn the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling.  He was the first to do it for us.  But he didn’t ask us to stay put or even to walk away.  Instead, he demanded that we pick up our cross and carry it all the way.

We think that prayer is the answer to all our problems.  It isn’t.  It is the answer to all our weaknesses and inadequacies.  Prayer is the way our Lord joined forces and conquered. By ourselves we are inadequate.  This may explain why so many marriages are woefully wrong, our parents and families are woefully inadequate, our children are woefully rude and our society is woefully unbalanced. 

Let’s start thinking, planning and praying.  Let’s lead the way in harm’s way and dying to ourselves for mankind’s sake.  Let’s lift off where the sky is not the limit.  Let's pray like the Lord and get results that are out of this world. 

Luke 1:39-56 When the Lowly Meet the Great

Luke 1:39-56 When the Lowly Meet the Great

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Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.  Mary said, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.” 

She never thought she would get married.  A few months ago, I celebrated her marriage.  When I asked her how she met her future husband, she laughed. 

“I was being set up on a blind date by one of my friends.  I was given my blind dates phone number so we could talk before we met.  We instantly clicked and it wasn’t until I mentioned our date later that I noticed I had dialed the wrong number!  I dialed a 7 instead of a 4.  He said that he didn’t know what I was talking about or who my friends were.  I was so embarrassed I had the wrong number that I apologized and quickly ended the conversation.    Remembering how much I enjoyed talking with him, a few days later I sent him a text message.  He immediately responded and we spent the next eleven hours talking to each other.”

Mary set out and traveled.  Isn’t it remarkable, that after the astonishing events surrounding the Word of God becoming flesh, Mary set out on foot and in haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth?  The simplicity of Mary’s journey is breathtaking when you consider the extraordinary personalities that came to visit her and the great distances they traveled to be with her.  Isn’t it breathtaking…how “the simple one” met “The Almighty One”?  How the two became one? 

It all brings me back to how the laws of the Universe can regulate and order all things great and small; the galaxies and my home and life.  As a ray of light comes from Heaven to earth, the angel of the Lord came to Mary.  His warmth filled Mary with the warmth of the Holy Spirit.  All that is beautiful and all that is true brings warmth to all who embrace it.  As electrical forces hold atoms together, the Son of God embraced His mother in a love that could never be separated.  How spectacular it all is when the Laws of the Universe can be translated into something other than numbers!  How amazing it is that a simple virgin could care for, watch over and love the Son of God!  And, as opposite forces attract one another, how the Son of God could care for, watch over and love a world full of sinners. 

Something just doesn’t seem right here.  And yet, it is perfectly right. 

She entered the house.  Today, we celebrate the visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  A visitation is not just a superficial encounter or a casual “visit”.  A visitation brings with it a purpose, a reason.  Mary’s purpose is to bring Love, the Lord, into the world; into the life of another.  Her visit reveals our mission. 

The world is not perfect.  And yet, it should be.  The only reason why it isn’t is because He isn’t in the world.  Now He is.  And now we know why we are too:  to bring Him into the world.   

The womb isn’t safe.  And yet, it should be, for it is blessed to be born humble and small.  The Lord has made it known, through his incarnation and death, that all stages of life, great and small, are blessed; from the womb and the tomb he made a difference and so can we.    

Mary traveled from her home to another.  Her Son would travel from one home to another.  His disciples would travel from one continent to the other.  Throughout the world and throughout the centuries, one woman’s simple journey has been repeated millions and millions of times over.  The Lord continues to call the meek ones to humble the proud ones; to do what He did to make love sincere.

“Brothers and sisters:  Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor…Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer”  (Rm 12:9-16).

All those who surround us, all that revolves around us, all that exists, needs God’s presence and ours too. For when the “lowly one” meets the Great One, all Hell breaks loose and crumbles and fall. 

What is left is simple love.

Mk 11:11-26 Give Us What We Want!

Mk 11:11-26  Give Us What We Want!

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The disciples were on the way, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went ahead of them.  They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.

I knew a young man that often called me when he needed some help.  Often it meant just a word or two of encouragement.  It was good to hear his voice, even if it was out of need.  He was like a son to me and I was like a Father to him.  What I mean by that is he would often ignore the good advice I gave him and proceed to following his own path.  While he was in college, he experienced some pretty intense anxiety attacks and I would remind him, over and over again, “Place your trust in the Lord.  There is no glory without sacrifice.” 

Then the day of his glory arrived.  Right before college graduation, he received a phone call to work at a major company.  He was thrilled and delighted.  Immediately, his status turned from poor college student to wealthy young business man.  With that, the phone calls came to an abrupt end.  Eventually, I learned he was living with his girlfriend (or she was living with him), and that he was spending his money like a wild man.  I found out from his family that he wasn’t going to Church.  He was just enjoying his life; the life he had earned all by himself.  It was all going great, like a fairy tale, until it all came tumbling down, like a Scripture quote.  I never heard from him again until recently. 

It is perfectly fine and right to party, especially when someone’s earned it.  What’s wrong is to forget; to forget reality; to forget who threw the party.  Those who remember are remembered and those who quickly forget are soon forgotten.

Give us what we want.  James and John came to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”  Wow!  Moms and dads, imagine for a moment your precious teenage child coming to you and making this request!  What would you say?  We know what the Lord said.  He bit his tongue and said, “What do you wish me to do for you?”  He knew what they wanted.  It’s what we all want:  Heaven without the Passion; glory without sacrifice.  These were two very confused disciples.  They wanted pure gold without purification; without passing through fire.

We hear it ad infinitum, ad nauseam: “Follow your dreams”, “Be faithful to your heart.” “Just do it.”  Blah, blah, blah. 

If we followed our hearts and were faithful to our deepest desires, we would be three hundred pounds overweight and living in the living room sitting on the sofa.  Who wouldn’t want to hear from their doctor:  “Look, you need to sit down more often, watch more TV, eat more desserts, and enjoy more chocolates if you want to stay fit and healthy.”  Wouldn’t it be great if to exercise meant to sit down; to work meant to relax?  How amazing would that be?  Who wouldn’t love it?  It would be so easy.   It would be like vacationing 48 weeks out of the year and only working for four weeks!

But reality is not what we want; reality is what God has determined for us.  We all want a Christ without a Cross.  We all want Heaven without the Passion.  But the truth is:  The Cross comes with Christ.  Or better, Christ carries his cross. 

Why must everything be a challenge? 

Jesus went ahead of them.  Have I forgotten that the world is fallen?  Have I forgotten that not everything makes sense?  Jesus went ahead of his disciples to show them what doesn’t come natural:  confrontation with evil.  We can’t turn back.  We can’t sit still.  There is only one thing left to do:  GO ON!  MOVE FORWARD!  Going to Jerusalem is the Lord’s way of saying keep moving.  The human person was made to move; to keep moving.  It is not necessarily what our hearts desire.  It’s not even what our hands and feet are itching for.  Most of us do not crave to run a marathon.  But it is not a bad thing to do.  None of us are itching for a splinter, but a Cross to carry is not a bad thing to bear.  Most of us are not begging to serve, but to serve is a reminder of the One who served.  The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. 

The world is made up of two types of people:  those who serve and those who do not.  But earthy and heavenly glory is only given to the first.

Mk 10:28-31 The Haves and the Have Nots

Mk 10:28-31  The Haves and the Have Nots

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Peter began to say to Jesus, “We have given up everything and followed you.”  Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, with persecutions, for my sake who will not receive a hundred times more now and eternal life in the age to come.”

We have given up everything to follow you.  I love Peter because he shoots from the hip.  He reminds me of myself; at least, when he is talking like that. 

This comment (which is really a disguised question) is long overdue.  I’m sure it wasn’t just on Peter’s mind.  I’m more than certain it was on the minds of the Apostles from the very beginning, or at least, when things started taking a turn for the worst.  Do you remember the conversation John had with the other Apostles regarding who was the greatest?  Do you recall when James and John asked the Lord to have the privilege to sit next to him when He entered His glory? 

Well, finally, someone spoke up.  Finally, Peter said the unthinkable.  Finally, someone admitted to being “human” and asking “What’s in it for us?”  Is this on your mind as well?  It shouldn’t be! For we already know the answer.

Well that isn’t Christian!  We shouldn’t be asking these types of questions or making these types of calculations!!!  We should be kind and loving and considerate to others simply because it is the right thing to do.  It’s just not right (or Christian) to be asking for something in return. 

What a bunch of nonsense!  What’s not right?  To ask and to receive?  To seek and to find?  To knock and be allowed to enter?  What’s not Christian? To go to Heaven?  To receive an amazing grace?  To follow the Lord who came down from Heaven and made it back up?

What’s wrong with that?  Really!  I’m not embarrassed to say that I want to go to Heaven.  I’m not even embarrassed to say that I forgive only because the Lord forgives me.  I’m not ashamed to say that I’m being kind to someone because I would like to make it to Heaven one day. 

Notice the response the Lord gives to all his Apostles.  He doesn’t tell them to go fly a kite!  He doesn’t even tell them to stop asking these types of questions.  He tells them the truth; that is, that doing what is right is also good, and what is good is always blessed, and what is blessed is to give and receive.

How far are you willing to go?  How much are you willing to let go of?  When I left for the seminary, I really thought that I had given it all away.  But I hadn’t.  I actually shoved quite a few items in my pockets.  I kept my front pockets full of doubts and fears.  I kept my back pockets full of excuses and calculations.  And it has taken a long time to remove most of these things.  It is amazing how they can create so much suffering!

While I was in Italy, I met a wonderful old lady that went to Church every morning.  She was holy except for the fact that she never really believed in God or in Heaven.  As if to encourage me, she would often come up to me and say, “God, if he exists, must really love you!” or “Heaven, if it exists, is just waiting for you!”  I didn’t know what to tell her.  What could I tell her? “Yes…I hope it all exists.” 

What has the Lord revealed to his little ones?  I think it is this:  You get what you deserve and a ton more.  Of course, no one can earn their way to Heaven, but we have to try as if we could.  “Be holy because I am holy, says the Lord and writes St. Peter (Pt 1:16). 

We have given up everything to follow you.  In response to Peter’s “question”, the Lord could have said to him, “And I have given up everything to be with you.” 

Although God created us with beautiful eyes, Christ’s prayer for all of us is that we start observing the world – His Creation - through His eyes.  The world is not made up of the haves and have nots.  The world is made up of those who give and do not.     

Mark 10:17-27 Do Not Go Away Sad

Mark 10:17-27  Do Not Go Away Sad

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As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Jesus looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing.  Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 

Setting out on a journey.  And what a journey it is to live the adventure of life; to live free from doubts and hesitations; to live for a higher purpose; to give it your all and give it quickly; to live each day of your life like a mission given to you, a goal set clearly in your sight, and a purpose driven into your heart; to go and serve; to go and do the Father’s Will for the glory of His name.   

Are you waking up each morning and setting out on a journey like this?

The Lord died.  The Lord rose.  The Lord ascended to Heaven.  The Lord sent the Holy Spirit upon His Apostles.  And now, He is waiting for your reply.  So much has been done.  So much has been given.  So much is expected.  What will be the very specific and unique fruit of the Holy Spirit produced from your life?  How will you make Salvation history?

Sell what you have.  It is not uncommon to die for a cause.  People have been doing that for centuries.  And far too many have done it for fool’s gold.  What is uncommon is to give up fool’s gold – material wealth - in order to die to this world and conquer it. 

Today, we celebrate the men and women of our armed forces.  We don’t honor the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the Fuhrer, or Il Duce, or for Islamic terror.  We honor our men and women who served our country well and in the good our country did and continues to do. 

I know a young man who shocked his multi-millionaire dad the day after his graduation from Georgetown University.  He told his father that he was going to enlist in the Marines.  His father could not believe it; and though he failed to change his son’s mind, he at least convinced him to join the officer’s training program which he did.  To everyone’s surprise, this young cadet scored in the 60percentile.  In other words, 40 percent of the young men in the program scored higher than he did!  Amazing, considering the fact that he graduated from Georgetown with nearly a 4.0 GPA.

Why are we surprised to hear such valor and bravery among young men?  Don't they have the most to lose?  Why are we surprised to hear of young men and women willing to lay it all down just for ajust cause?  Why in today's world does it still matter?  Because regardless of the times and what politicians say, uncommon valor and uncommon bravery still retain their definition of old. 

Some things never change.  Some things will never change.  Some things must never change. 

Over the years, I have had the grace (but not necessarily the pleasure) to experience a sort of divine confirmation in the vows I made before the Lord.  What apparently seemed so crazy so long ago and to so many has been confirmed, time and time again, as supernatural.  Teens have helped me to see more clearly and more dearly.  Like finding a needle in a haystack, I can find beauty in hidden little things which are overlooked by teens but not out of their reach.  I know how to laugh at myself; something few adults would dare do to themselves.  Why?  It’s obvious.  If you wish to be great, then you must climb.  But with the Lord, we know,  if you wish to be great; you must descend. 

The rich will become poor.  The poor shall become rich.  Through the vows, I know how to find wealth while others play bluff.  I can perceive beauty where no eye has ever conceived.  I find relief and a deep sense of approval when the elderly reaffirm the decision I made that came forth from outside of me.  Their simple nod on their sick bed is confirmation, “You did well in your state of life. All things turn to dust.  Only heaven remains. Well done.” 

 Believe me when I tell you:  It is not crazy to be poor, chaste and obedient.  It is not.  In fact, it is crazy to not be poor, chaste and obedient to God and/or your spouse.  It is crazy, absolutely crazy, to be rich and miserable.  It is crazy, absolutely crazy, to be poor and miserable.  What is not crazy is to be fulfilled; and the best way to be fulfilled is to be rich in the Lord (to live for the Lord) and poor to material things (to give rather than receive). 

He went away sad.  I want only what I need: nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.  What do all men and women need?  God.  What can all men and women do without?  Sin.  Live life like this and you shall not go away sad as the rich young prince did; rather, you will go away from this world as the Apostles (and brave young soldiers) did:  with honor, joy and at peace.

John 20:19-23 Pentecost

John 20:19-23 Pentecost

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On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you…As the Father has sent me, so I send you…Receive the Holy Spirit.  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

“I’ve done more now with one hand than I ever did with two.”  These are the words of a wounded Iraqi veteran.  They make no sense, no sense at all, unless you take into account the human spirit. 

“I’ve forgiven the person who harmed me the most.”  These words make no sense, no sense at all, unless you take into account the Holy Spirit.

Yesterday morning, I scanned through the DaMN (Dallas Morning News) and was surprised to see a beautiful photograph, in the Metro section, of a Euless student with cerebral palsy.  This year is a very special year in this young man’s life.  This year, he will achieve a goal he set out to accomplish.  This year, he will graduate from Trinity High School. 

But what struck me more than his goal was the smile on his face and the contagiousness of his laughter.  The photograph, on the front page of the Metro section, brilliantly captured the moment; not the moment that he graduated, but the moment of his laughter and smile, a smile and laughter that makes no sense, no sense at all, especially to so many high school teenagers.

You would be amazed if I told you how infrequently teenagers smile and laugh.  This young man’s smile was the biggest and brightest smile I have seen this entire year.  Congratulations to him!  Not for achieving a once in a lifetime goal, but for achieving a life time of smiles!

Oh, how the wise are fooled; and fooled to the point of embarrassment.  I work with teenagers all the time.  When they are not asked to the prom, they wish they were dead.  When they don’t get the car of their choice, they consider themselves the most unfortunate.  Although I’m surrounded by teens all day long, I almost never see them smile. 

It seems to me that it is simple to graduate from High School.  And it is.  It’s easier now than ever before.  But what seems to be so complicated, so difficult, and nearly impossible for a teenager to do is achieve a smile on their face.  It makes no sense, no sense at all, if they have so much, and yet no smiles to show.

Lord Jesus, you appeared before your unfaithful apostles hidden in a locked room out of fear of torture and death, and said to them, “Peace be with you…As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  These words make no sense, no sense at all, unless you take into account the Holy Spirit and Salvation History.  We know what they did.  We know how they did it.  And we are amazed!

I’d like to teach the world to sing… Well, I hate to say it, but it already knows how to sing.  In fact, the world sings quite beautifully without me.  For this reason, it sings in perfect harmony.  But what song are we supposed to sing in perfect harmony?  Why don't they tell us?  Why keep us all in suspense?  The reason is:  they don't know. 

The Lord has a song he would like us all to learn to sing:  “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful people and enkindle in them a fire of your love.” 

“No!  No!  No!”  You say.  Let’s instead write a song about teaching the world to sing.  Let’s go round and round in a lunatic’s circle without being specific about anything.  Let’s use cheap thoughts and cheap talk to keep the world chattering while it’s faltering.

Let’s tell people, “You can be whoever you want!”  but let’s never tell them how to go about doing just that.  Let’s tell the world that we can be free!  But let’s not tell them exactly what we mean by that.  Let’s tell them that we can be free from Commandments, morals, values, religion, but let’s not tell them that they will destroy their lives, their families, their reputation and dignity.  Let's not tell them that they will lose their freedom to the slavery of sin.   

Last night I saw a commercial featuring an anchor woman advertising her own TV program for Memorial Day.  It’s all about recycling and it’s all about how “I can save the planet”.  I thought to myself, “How can we save the planet when most American’s don’t even know the name of their next door neighbor?"  How are we going to save the planet when we haven't even solved the problems St. Paul mentions in Galatians:  "immorality, impurity, lust, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like" (Gal 5:16-25). The commercial ended by saying, “This program will change your life.” 

I’m sorry.  But do actors and actresses, anchors and anchoress really think that we are that naïve?  I guess they do.  Is the billion dollar business of “saving the Planet” secularism’s way to give us something to live for? 

Our schools across the contrary have carried the “Save the Planet” banner for years now.  I think it is just a distraction, a distraction to us from them.  I think what they are trying to say is this:  “We may be near the bottom of the world’s list when it comes to math, science and reading scores, but at least we are the first in self-esteem and saving the planet.”  So am I to think that the more ignorant we are, the better we will be at saving our planet?  I don’t get it.  I’m not buying it.  These ridiculous campaigns brought to us by Exxon and Chevron that “WE AGREE!”, etc… to “Save the Planet” is a sort of “plan D” to make us feel better about ourselves after having failed miserably to “Save children”, “Saving families”, “Saving our country”, “Saving our school system”, “Save our souls.”

Lord, breathe on us so that we may receive your Spirit! 

What songs should we be singing?  What words should we be saying?  Today, at Mass, we sang “America, The Beautiful!” by Katharine Lee Bates (1913).  I was struck by the words from the third verse: 

O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife,

Who more than self their country loved,

And mercy more than life! 

America!  America! 

May God thy gold refine

till all success be nobleness,

And ev’ry gain divine!

We don’t ever seem to get to this verse.  We don’t ever seem to get to the very bottom of things.  You would almost think that it was a conspiracy. 

What does the world really need?  The world needs songs and prayers with words of forgiveness and giving; songs and prayers about humility and patience; songs and prayers about family and respect; songs about life and mystery; songs about lives won and lives lost.  What the world really needs is songs and prayers to God.

Come Holy Spirit!  May our songs of praise and words of prayer have the weight of meaning and be directed towards The Father and The Son.  May the world be enriched by the gift of your Spirit of love.  May the world learn to sing a song and smile along.  We ask this in Christ’s name. Amen.