Mt 9:14-17 Why?

Mt 9:14-17  Why?

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The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?”  Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?  The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them…” 

The Lord was asked many questions.  Thank God!  Otherwise, I’m not sure we would know as much as we know.  We don’t like people asking us questions because we don’t like having our opinions questioned.  And what I have seen in the past is clear:  if I can’t defend my opinion, then I will attack the person questioning it. 

Questions have always helped me to better understand why I do what I do or believe what I believe. Those who ask me force me to be vigilant in my thoughts, words and actions.  I can honestly say that I am a better thinker today because I am a better questioner today.  But remember:  If a good question can lead to a better opinion, so can a good answer lead to a change of opinion.

The Lord was asked by the disciples of John why he didn’t fast as much as the Pharisees did.  Good question.  To understand the Lord’s answer requires that we understand the purpose of fasting.  We fast so that we can get closer to God.  That’s the goal of fasting.  Fasting is a means, not an end.  Fasting allows us to purge ourselves from sin and purify our minds, hearts, and souls from material comforts so that we can get closer to the Lord.  That’s why we fast. 

Understanding this, we can better understand the Lord’s answer.  “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?”  Why in the world would the apostles fast if they are physically close to God?  If you have been invited to the (heavenly) banquet, then why in the world would you fast?  If you are growing, then why stunt your growth?

The Pharisees fasted, prayed and diligently observed the Law.  But did they budge an inch closer to the Lord?  Did their hearts get any softer?  No.  It appears as though they were praying and fasting for the wrong things.

I know a few people who “pray” for clarity and understanding regarding abortion, contraception, euthanasia and gay-marriage.  What they don’t realize is that they are praying not for clarity but for a change in opinion; that is, God’s opinion.  Isn’t the Church’s stance on these issues clear enough?  Isn’t the origin of the Church itself clear enough? 

A few days ago someone asked me why the Catholic Church is so “structured”.  They commented, “Some say it is a sign of weakness; a way to suppress free thought?”  Good question.  I gave them my answer.  “Structure comes from hard lessons learned.  The Church is like a building constructed on solid ground.  There is a lot of order, structure and thought that goes into building a building.  The reasons for it are the fires of the past and the errors of eras gone by.  There is much structure in fire codes these days because of the fires of ages past.  The Church has been through Hell and back.  Do we have to repeat wars once fought or fires once put out?  If we do not appreciate structure, it’s because we do not know the past. 

I always wondered by confessionals were done in boxes that were sealed; that is, where the priest did not have access to the penitent.  Until the 60’s, this was commonplace.  Now, it has been made very clear to all.  This is but one example of an error repeated from a lesson lost.

The Lord loves to bring people and teachings together; brides and bridegrooms; faith and reason; kindness and truth; justice and peace; honest questions and honest answers; fasting and God; Christ and The Church.

Mt 9:9-13 Smiles and Mercy

Mt 9:9-13  Smiles and Mercy

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The Pharisees asked Jesus’ disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”  He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.  Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice.  I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” 

While I was in Hawaii, I saw a man standing at the corner preaching Hell and the end of the world.  Near to him was a little girl singing "Soul Sister".  The man had a crowd of two listening to him.  The little girl had a crowd of nearly a thousand listening to her.  The difference did not go unnoticed to me.  I was standing next to the little girl who was singing to me.

There is no mention in scripture of the Lord ever laughing.  And there is hardly any mention of him ever smiling.  Since we tend to write what we remember (and what we most remember is what we find most unique and shocking), this tells me that the Lord did an awful lot of laughing and smiling. 

Scripture does not retell the obvious; it shares with us the unique and mysterious.  For example, it does not remind us that the Lord breathed, that’s obvious.  Rather, it reminds us of the time when the Lord stopped breathing.  The Evangelists did not wish to share with us that people were dying to see the Lord.  Instead, they recount to us those who were raised from the dead.  We know, for instance, that the Apostles often traveled without food.   They often point this out and in detail. 

I suspect that the Lord did not speak often.  Why?  Because the Apostles recorded every single parable he said; every single encounter he had; and every single point he made.  This is something we do not do easily, especially with those who lecture us.  What is obvious is who often went missing.  The Lord valued solitude.

I believe the Lord smiled and laughed very often; which means he cried very little.  No wonder, the Apostles were shocked to see the Lord cry at the death of his close friend.  No wonder why it was a memorable moment.  The Lord’s laughter was seen by all, but not his crying.  It must have gotten to the point that his smile and laughter was so common that it was taken for granted.  His crying must have  been shocking.

Many of us can remember the day our father cried.  Not many of us can remember the day he laughed or smiled. 

Mother Teresa laughed and smiled so much that we could hardly tell that she worked with the poorest of the poor.  But when she did cry, it did not go unnoticed.  In fact, it sent shockwaves throughout the faithful.  Why?  Because she didn’t do it often.   

Holy people know how to smile and laugh.  This is important.  And the reason why they know how to smile and laugh is because they do it often.  It becomes such a habit that it hardly gets noticed…like their habit!  The Saints know how to laugh because they know how to love.  And to love means to know how to sacrifice. 

I desire mercy, not sacrifice.  Doesn’t the Lord ask us to make sacrifices?  But now he's telling us that he doesn’t want our sacrifices!  I’m so confused!!!  Which one is it??? 

To show mercy is to show love.  To love requires sacrifice.  It isn’t a question of either or, it is a question of which comes first.  Love always comes first in everything we do.  Mercy is required before an honest-to-God sacrifice can be made!  There is no other way.  If we follow the commandments out of fear of the Lord, then we will never convince a living soul to follow the Lord.  But if we follow the commandments out of love for the Lord, then we will convince all the souls around us.  How will they really know the difference?  By the smile on your face!   

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul…and my lips!

Mt 9:1-8 Life and Love

Mt 9:1-8  Life and Love

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After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town.  And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.  When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.”  At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”

The God-particle.  Brainy scientists just recently discovered the “God-particle”, a sticky field that acts as a drag on other particles.  It explains how elementary particles are imbued with mass.   This historic discovery did not come easy.  It took hundreds of scientists, researchers and engineers to do it and thousands of hours to accomplish it.  It was another “one-small-step-for-man, one-giant-leap-for-mankind” moment.  But let’s not forget: before the brainy scientists were smart enough to discover it, God was smart enough to create it and utilize it.   

When asked if there were any practical results from their research, the answer came back, “Not directly.”   What???  Not directly???  Isn’t this particle responsible for building atoms and making life possible?  Isn’t that practical enough?  I find it amazing how smart people can be so dumb.  Maybe I should give them some slack. Maybe what they were trying to say was that they didn’t know how they could one day control it, manipulate it and twist it for our use…or misuse.  Maybe they were thinking of that rather than how God used it. 

The Christ-particle.  Today’s reading and yesterday’s discovery reminds me of the “Christ-particle”; that grace that drives some friends insane and brings enemies closer together.  Its sticky nature explains just how God can bind us to one another and to himself.  Not only does it give life a fighting chance, it also lifts up the soul and acts as a drag to fighting and war.  This ‘particle’ not only creates life, it also recreates it.

What is it?  Forgiveness.   

The greatest truth ever spoken came from Peter:  “You are the Son of the living God.”  Today, we have the greatest possible ending to a heart wrenching story:  “Take heart, my child, your sins are forgiven.”  But with the greatest love story lived came the greatest attack ever seen:  “This man is a blasphemer!” 

Are there any practical results from the “Christ-particle”?  You bet!  The forgiveness of our sins leads us to Christ’s heart and to a better understanding of what we are.  It is the first fruit of love and is necessary for all human life.  Without it we fight, we destroy, we kill, we die.  But with it, we laugh, we smile, we cry, we grow, we thrive!   It explains how we can live surrounded by a vacuum of evil and death.  It explains how God was able to create beauty in the midst of chaos; how he was able to reconcile all things to himself.

We can’t live on bread alone.  We can’t live on air alone.  We can’t even live alone!  The world is made up of tiny particles.  Man is made up of tiny particles.  But what is truly amazing is how these tiny particles can add up to life and love.

Mt 8:28-34 When Pigs Fly!

Mt 8:28-34  When Pigs Fly!

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The demons pleaded with Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine.”  And he said to them, “Go, then!”  They came out and entered the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea where they drowned…Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district.

Why in the world did the Gadarenes want Jesus to leave their district?  To me that’s even more bizarre than two demoniacs coming from the tombs or an entire heard rushing into the sea!

Why would they want Jesus to leave their territory?  Did the townsfolk get used to the devil?  Were they comfortable with their strange companions?

“Seek good and not evil, that you may live” (Amos 5:14).  As we get further and further away from the truth, the truth will become more bizarre, more intolerant and more uncomfortable than lies.  Lies are very comfortable and tolerable.  They flow like milk and honey. 

Yesterday, Anderson Cooper, the CNN anchor, came out of the closet.  He told well-wishers that he was thankful to God for being gay and for being able to fall in love with someone of the same sex.

I feel justified in speaking about this since Mr. Cooper made his faith in God public while making the case of his sexual orientation public. 

I agree with him on certain points.  I too can fall in love with someone of the same sex, but I don’t need to be gay to do that. 

Love comes from God, that’s true.  And the command to love one another comes from God.  We can love our dad, brothers, uncles, male friends and male cousins as much as we love our mom, sisters, aunts, female friends and female cousins.   But what’s even more commanding from God is the unique and special love between a man and a woman.  Although it is carried out in a much hidden, almost secretive way, it has never been kept in the closet or as a dark secret.  Rather, it has been made apparent and obvious in every single way: By God, by parents, by children and by biology. 

Sure, I can 'feel' loved in many different ways just like I can take a drink in the normal way, through my mouth, or in a very artificial way, through an IV.  I can speak through my mouth, which is the typical way, or I can speak through my throat in a very mechanical way.  I can breathe through my nose and mouth in a very natural and healthy way, or I can breathe through my neck by means of a tracheostomy.  I can do it all, and I can even say that it was all done in the name of love.  But I cannot say it was done in a very natural way.   

Yes, I can use my mouth in a variety of ways:  to drink, eat and speak.  But that doesn’t mean I can drink whatever I want, like poison; or eat whatever I want, like rotten food; and say whatever I want, like filthy lies.  No! In the end, the mouth, like the body, is subject to certain laws.   

In today’s Gospel, the Lord was driven out of a town.  He was politely asked to leave.  It appears as though he was making too much ruckus with all those pigs squealing and all those tombs opening!  Wherever he went, the Lord made a scene.  It was a scene that repeated itself over and over again.  Wherever he went, he turned sinners into saints.  And sometimes they screamed all about it.

Wherever we (Christians) go, we make a scene.  And just like the folks in Christ’s time, very polite (tolerant) people will ask us to shut up and leave.  But unlike the Lord, why do we ask ourselves, “What did I do wrong?”    Oh…this is the reason why Christians are not welcomed!!!  This is the reason why people hate Christians!!!  Really?  Or is it for other reasons!

My dear friends:  Get this into your head.  Once and for all!  Make no mistakes about it.  To be Christian will never mean to be popular.  It isn’t part of Christ’s story which means it isn’t going to be a part of our story! 

To be Catholic will never be a comfortable thing.  We live on the edge.  We speak the whole truth.  We stand up for the dignity and the sacredness of human life.  And anything (ANYTHING!), or anyone (ANYONE!), that tries to eliminate it, cheapen it, or distort it will not be tolerated. 

Christ’s death was not a cheap death.  Life is worth living and dying for.  Life is not cheap to us!

As our society gets further and further away from God (the Truth), we will continue to be pushed further and further into the back and darkest part of society – the gutter.  But in the meantime, the Church is where sinners are welcomed, but sin is not. 

We do not drive the Lord away.  We make pigs fly! 

Now that's Independence!

John 20:24-29 Don’t Let The Word Go By

John 20:24-29  Don’t Let The Word Go By

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Thomas, one of the Twelve, said to the other disciples, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 

She looked like she was sixty.  She walked very slowly and with a cane.  She spoke with a raspy voice.  The poor thing slept outside all night long.  She was looking for help.  She was looking for a meal and a place to stay.  I asked her how long it had been since she went to Church.  That’s when she finally looked up at me and said, “I stopped going to Church when a priest told me that if I didn’t change my ways, I would go to Hell.” 

I told her, “He was right, wasn’t he.” 

She was just forty-two years old.  I couldn’t believe it.  But after years of drug and alcohol use, this poor lady was living life in hell.  Her pain was unceasing.  At times she felt like her body was on fire.   Instead of quitting the Church, she should have quit her sins. 

The priest had told her the truth, and so she took it out on the Church.  Though we can be the subjects of our liberty, we will always be captives of the truth.  No matter how hard we try, we will never be able to free ourselves from the truth; that is, free ourselves from God!  Blessed John Henry Newman once wrote:  “Our strength is this world is, to be the subjects of the reason, and our liberty, to be captives of the truth” (Loss and Gain)

Seeing is believing. Life can be very long and miserable, especially when it is lived in sin.  Is this so hard to believe?  Is it so hard to believe that there is a right way and a wrong way to live life? I don’t need anyone to convince me of what will lead me to heaven or to hell.  I don’t need any convincing, especially when I can see it for myself! 

So how do we go so wrong?  How do we get ourselves into a horrible mess?  My guess is that we are easily fooled by the tiniest portion of the whole truth; that is, we are fooled by “the moment”.  “The moment” is the part of truth we can see and easily believe.  It is also the part that gets us into trouble.

When we grasp “the moment”, we tend to throw ourselves at it not realizing that it can actually sink us for good.  For example, we see the glamour of evil and believe it, and are mastered by it, and only later terrorized by it. 

When children see the glamour of the stage, the fans and the young artist, rock musician, actress or model on it, they are easily mesmerized by it.   What they don’t realize is what we have all seen before; that is how the final production; the last call; the final farewell is given and received.

Believing is truly seeing…Why just limit life (or sight) to “the moment”.  Why not believe in what we cannot immediately see?  We believe a lot of things we can’t see.  Why not believe in God’s Commandments?  Why not take them to heart?  Is it so hard to believe in the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?  Is it so hard to take what we have seen in the past and project it into the future?  Haven’t we seen enough to help us believe? 

I have often heard parents tell me, “They’re just kids”.  I know that!  Don’t tell me the obvious.  But why trust in just "the moment".  Kids grow up and either they become a parent’s joy or a very serious pain in the neck.  Don’t let them mess around with sex, pornography, drugs or alcohol.  Do you need to see in order to believe?  Can you believe before you see? 

One week later…Thomas missed “the moment”.  But in reality, he “missed the point”.  While the world went by and revolved around the sun, the Word went by and the Apostles revolved around the Son.  Thomas was in hell…at least for one week.  He neither believed in what his friends had seen or in what the Lord had said.  His past experiences with the Lord meant nothing.  His past errors in judgment meant nothing.  A priest should have told Thomas, “If you don’t change your ways, you will go to Hell”.  Thomas was living in hell!  He was a doubter and his doubts had finally caught up to him.  He always had a hard time putting together the whole truth (the past, the moment and the future).  Doubts are like missing pieces of a puzzle or like time gone missing.  By now, he should have been able to fill in the blanks.  Instead, he wasted a week in his doubts.  The Lord helped him.  The Lord appeared to him. 

“Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed”.  Why?  Because they have seen the whole truth and nothing but the truth:  Jesus Christ. 

Mt 8:18-22 No Reason To Rest

Mt 8:18-22  No Reason To Rest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mk 5:21-43 Whatever It takes

Mk 5:21-43  Whatever It takes

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When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.  One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.  Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, “My daughter is at the point of death.  Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live.” 

What would you do?  What would you do to say the life of your daughter or son?  I know what I would do.   I would do whatever it takes to save their life.  I know it. 

But not really…and thank God for it!

If I was in a hot air balloon with my friends and a hole suddenly appeared and we were losing altitude.  Yes, I would do whatever it took to save my life BUT… I would not throw one of my friends overboard.  I would not do what goes against my beliefs and my God.  If God wants me to die, then so be it.  I won’t give up, but just like another life, I will not throw overboard my principles, morals, values and dignity in order to extend it.  I will treat my principles as if they were another human life because they are worthy of my life and death. 

Jairus would do whatever it took to save his daughter’s life, but he would not sell his soul.    He would give his heart for his baby girl but we would not rip the heart out of his neighbor’s little girl.  He wouldn’t do that, even if it was humanly possible.  He would do what he could as long as it respected the Lord, his dignity, his values, his morals, his principles.  For this reason, he turned to Jesus. 

When we turn to the Lord we get closer to the Lord.  It doesn’t mean we’ve given up or given in.  It means we won’t play God.

No matter how desperate things get, I will not throw away my principles.  I know there will come a time in my life when I can go no further, out of love for God, and will have to place my life and my trust in His hands.  I know there will come a time when I have to say: “Thy Will Be Done!”

We can do all sorts of things that are humanly possible.  But we should never do everything that is humanly possible.

We often overhear teenagers say, “I’ll do whatever it takes for him (her) to be my boyfriend (girlfriend)!”  Really?  How pathetic!  I mean, don’t they realize that every boy and girl loves a challenge?  There’s a song out there (not on the Catholic radio station!) that is very popular with our teens, but sends a very strange message:  “So here’s my number, just call me…maybe?...Cause all the other boys love to chase me…so here’s my number, just call me…maybe?”   

So…what will you do to get noticed?  Will you throw yourself at him?  Do the shorts need to get any shorter to get noticed?  (I really don’t think they can!) 

If you want to be noticed, then don’t do what others do.  Don’t be so desperate.  Don’t be so pathetic.  Since “all the other boys chase you (except for the one that’s worth something to you), then maybe he doesn’t seek your number but something else.  Maybe it’s time to do something different.  Don’t throw your number out there, but rather your beliefs, your convictions, your soul, your morals, your values and your dignity, and I promise you…just maybe, you’ll be noticed… by all the right guys and girls!     

July 4^th is coming up.  It is a time to reflect on the principles that drove our nation to Independence.  When George Washington was close to defeat and was experiencing mass desertions in his forces, a mystery man appeared:  Thomas Paine.  He’s an interesting fellow.  As soon as the revolution began, he appeared.  As soon as it was over, he disappeared.  He was a writer and what he wrote made all the difference in the world for young a nation in crisis.  In fact, George Washington ordered that Paine’s essay be read to all his troops.

“These are the times that try men’s souls.  The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.  Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered…”

The worst thing that can happen to a soldier is not that he dies for his country, but rather he dies for the wrong country.  People pay tribute and give honors to those who died for truth, freedom and love.  People feel great sadness for those who died for lies, slavery and hatred (Nazism, Fascism and Communism). 

Jairus was ready to do whatever it took to save his daughter’s life.  But he was not going to sell his soul.  The Lord was ready to do whatever it took to save us, but not if it meant betraying His Father.  The Apostles were ready to do whatever it took to save their life, but not if it meant betraying their Lord. 

The Catholic Church has been fighting for affordable health care for centuries.  It is ready to do whatever it takes for every single American to have it, but not at the expense of a single human life, and not at the expense of cheapening human life.  We believe in the sanctity and dignity of every single human being:  born and unborn.  This is a principle that is very much worth fighting for.  This is a principle that we are very much ready to die for.