Luke 8:4-15 Only One Kind Of Life

Luke 8:4-15 Only One Kind of Life To Live

Today, the Lord reminds us how quickly we are scattered; how shattered we can become, and how hollow we can live our lives. Christ reminds us of how quickly we can fall out of love with Him. Let us ask the Lord for the grace to take action in order to strengthen our habits and fulfill the Law of Love: Unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it will never bear any fruit. (Jn 12:24)

The Seed that fell on rocky ground

Here is the Christian who is unwilling to put into practice the necessary means for holiness. All of us want to be better. All of us would love to rid ourselves from the slavery of our sins, to free ourselves from earthly attachments. But in practice, in reality, I am unwilling to choose, to embrace, the means that are necessary for conversion. I am unwilling to strike the ground, dig a hole and place the Cross deep within the soil. This is the seed that falls on rocky ground. I hear the word, I am touched by it, but there is no foundation, no way for roots to grow. My heart is as solid as a rock. I am deaf to hear. I still remember, during the time of my conversion, discussing the faith with my friends, knowing all the answers, and drinking a few too many beers and using a few too many choice words to ever make an impact on them. My faith was an intellectual faith – in my head and not in my heart. In this passage, I believe the Lord refers to those who “intellectually” want to change, but in reality offer little for change to occur. There is no will to change. They are deaf to change.

The Seed that fell among the thorns

Here is the Christian who is willing to put into practice the means to holiness but it must be done his way. They have selective hearing. I have the desire to change, to free myself from any type of attachments, but it has to be according to my rules! As Frank Sinatra famously sang, “I did it my way…” This is the song that people sing in Hell. Here is the man who is choked by the world, by all its demands and aggressive tactics because he is still “of the world.” You cannot serve two masters! This Christian tries to, but as the seed begins to grow it is soon attacked by the weeds that surround it. It eventually will die. I cannot accept the Lord on my turf! I cannot accept the Lord on my terms. If you wish to follow me, pick up your Cross and start moving. Give no time for the weeds to grow around you. This is tough. It means leaving behind the possibility of close friendships, intimate relationships and just plain “hanging around”. The work is plentiful, the laborers are few. Pray to the Lord for men after his heart! The serious Christian should have a spiritual director in order to personalize their path to holiness.

The Seed that fell on fertile soil and grew

Here is the Christian who puts into practice the means that are necessary for holiness. This one is ready for a fight! He is ready to follow the Lord, ready to live for the Lord and ready to die for Him. To believe means to accept; accepting means following and following means imitating. This is the only way to yield a bountiful harvest. Believing is not enough, even the devil believes in Jesus Christ. Let us remember the passage with Nicodemus, the “would-be” follower. One foot in, one foot out will NEVER BE ENOUGH! It has to be all or nothing! The spirit is willing, the flesh is not. Poor man, he never put into practice his convictions. There was always something holding him back: the flesh. The desire for comfort, for assurance, for friendship, for companionship, for the easy way out, for the back door, and for the escape route! We must be like Cortez and “burn all your boats!” My only option, with the Lord is this: Embrace the Cross, follow Him, THY WILL BE DONE!

Luke 8:1-3 Seven Demons

Luke 8:1-3 Seven Demons

These demons keep playing with my mind, heart, soul and will! There are seven in total. Seven demons with seven names: Faithlessness. Despair. Fear. Deception. Emptiness. Indifference. Resentment. St. Paul refers to these in 1Cor 15:12-20.

Faithlessness

“For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised, your faith is in vain; you are still in your sins.” The only sin that cannot be forgiven is the sin against the Holy Spirit. That is, the unwillingness to approach the Lord in the Sacrament of Confession. Although he calls me, I do not go. I am chained down by my demon, cast aside by my faithlessness and thrown into a bottomless pit by my pride. Faith is required for salvation. The faith the size of a mustard seed will suffice.

Despair

“If there is no resurrection of the dead, then we are the most pitiable people of all.”

How pitiable I have become. The strongest I should be! What kind of Christian I have become? Despair is the demon that dispels the Cross that comes and goes with Christ. Why do I mock Christ’s words to me, “If you wish to follow me, pick up your cross and come after me?” Hope is the remedy of the blind man who came after Christ even though he was only able to see darkness. Hope is seeing Christ in darkness.

Fear

“Those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.”

I cower over suffering and death. Fight or flight? My demon prefers flight and mocks me in every step I take. Who am I but a vulture who feels secure only when searching out the dead. Fear is the demon that taunts me to search for the living among the dead. He is not here. He is Risen!

Deception

“We are false witnesses to God.”

This demon reminds me that there is a great barrier between sinner and saint; between Hell and Heaven. I cannot overcome the obstacles in my life! They are too great! But the Lord reminds me every single day, “Without me you can do nothing. With me, all things are possible.”

Emptiness

“If Christ has not been raised, then empty too is our preaching; empty, too, your faith.”

The demon of Emptiness confuses me, trips me up, binds me down and holds me hostage. “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” He has not. He has loved me since the dawn of creation! “It is finished.” Yes, when the Lord had nothing else to give; when he was squeezed dry to his bones, he died. My emptiness is easily filled with the love of God. It is His love that filled his Son and raised him up!

Resentment

“If there is no resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised."

This demon is a Hollywood producer. He is the expert in special effects. I re-live over and over and over again the real hurt that once occurred in my life in an imaginary way. The demon of Resentment is an auto-intoxication – self produced and self-inflicted. The only cure is forgiveness. “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do!” I can say this pray with faith and courage for the Lord experienced what I have experienced: horrific pain and suffering.

Indifference

“How can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead?” If there is no resurrection, then there is no meaning in life, no purpose in trials; no redemption in suffering. How can I live my life without meaning and purpose? As Mary Magdalene, Suzanna and Joanna lived, so must I live, “They provided for Christ and the Apostles out of their resources.” I can cast out this demon in one single decision: I can choose to love.

Luke 7:36-50 A Sinful Woman

Luke 7:36-50 A Sinful Woman

Tears are for sorrow. They are also for surprised joy.

There are some among us who live their lives in total darkness. They move in the evening and sleep during the day. They nourish themselves in the darkest of hours and in all the lost places. They are the dead to life, numb to beauty and sickened by sin. They are unknown, with no names, shadows that walk in the valley of tears.

All these years lost in sin had not yet killed all the graces that the Eternal Father had released onto her. She was dying a slow and painful death but could not overcome the fear of destitution. What would life be without money or a warm bed? Now, after so much time - after wrestling with all the devils and ghosts of years gone by - she had overcome the fear and reached a never imagined hypothesis: What would life be like with Jesus of Nazareth?

An adulterous woman, whom many considered lost, had found her way to the Lord. By this time not a single obstacle could dissuade her from falling at the feet of the Lord. She could no longer wait. Her moment had arrived. Hours and hours of back and forth with mind and body had finally come to this conclusion: I must see him. It has to be now!

It seemed to take forever to arrive at the door. The physical distance was insignificant. The moral leap could only be described by one man’s step into fame: “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Her name, her identity is irrelevant at this time. What St. Luke would like to tell his future readers is that this woman is a child of Eve, the whole of humanity! The world is a very small place. We are all united in sin. From time to eternity we are only one breath away; from sinner to saint, only one confession away. The miracle of the Universe is not how vast it is, but how cozy it feels. This step for this unknown woman felt so right and yet was so hard, harder than any steps ever taken before. How easy it is to fall into sin. How difficult it is to seek forgiveness.

The Holy Father, Pope Benedict, was once asked “How many ways are there to heaven?” The Holy Father responded immediately, “As many as there are people.”

As we walk in the valley of darkness and tears, I have no fear for you, my God, are with me. This is the secret. This is the surprise. The Lord walks with those who love him. Our journey to heaven may be as different as the man in China, but if the Lord is my guide, my companion and my Savior, then the journey will always lead me to a joy that is complete.

The sinful woman was surprised by Christ and wept for joy. She had made it home, through the dark, amidst the anguish of devils and ghosts of her past, to a guide that would eventually take her to His Father’s mansion, where there would be no more wailing or grinding of teeth, but an alabaster flask of ointment to bathe her feet and a Father to wipe away her tears.

Jn 19:25-27 Sadness vs. Sorrow

John 19:25-27 Sorrow vs. Sadness

Nowhere in the Gospels do we hear that the Lord or the Blessed Virgin Mary were sad. I should probably look up the definition to see what others say or think in regards to the definition of sadness and sorrow, but the Church today blesses this day as a memorial of Our Lady of Sorrow. Sadness is caused by a self-inflicted wound.  Sorrow is caused by a wounded friend.  Sadness fills our hearts when we drown in our own pain.  Sorrow fills our hearts when we experience the pain felt by others.    Sadness reaches out to close the door. Sorrow reaches out to open the door.  Sadness is caused by one’s own sins.  Sorrow is caused by the sins of others.

Our Lady felt tremendous sorrow because she experienced tremendous love. Sorrow is filled with faith, hope and love. Sadness is filled with emptiness, despair and bitterness. I have seen it best at funerals and how the loss of a loved one is felt. Emptiness, despair and bitterness fill the hearts of those who do not believe. Faith, hope and love fill the hearts of those who say “Until we meet again.”

The difference is known by one’s interest. The Saints never experienced sadness regardless of where they were, what they were doing, and how they died. They experienced sorrow many times over because they experienced too many times the loss of a loved one. Even our Lord grieved at the loss of his friend Lazarus. He grieved not because he didn’t believe his friend would rise from the dead. Rather, he grieved because he knew his friend had suffered and his suffering had caused sadness (despair) to fill the air. An act of faith would be demanded before any miracle could be accomplished. Both Martha and Mary came to believe.

Another Mary, the Mother of God, at the foot of the Cross, had always believed that her Son would rise from the dead. Still, a sword would pierce her side and a crown of thorns be placed upon her head because the Lord was “flesh of my flesh and bone of my bones.” Salvation history is the re-creation of man and woman.

Mary endured all these things in her heart because her heart was full of love. If we read the words of St. Paul in his canticle of love and apply them to the life of Mary, we can see how Mary was filled with sorrow, but never emptied by sadness.

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

Lord, may I never fall into the spell of sadness which is a poor man’s excuse for seeking attention. I know that I am more than capable of injuring myself to pity myself. May I never seek pain in order to be needed, appreciated or loved. Take away from me the selfishness of self-love, the emptiness of self proclaimed worth and the shallowness of bitterness. Open my heart to see the needs of others, and no longer my need to be seen, so that I may never experience sadness but sorrow.

Jn 3:13-17 Lift High The Cross and Fall In Love

John 3:13-17 Lift High The Cross And Fall In Love

“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal 6:14). What remarkable words. What a remarkable feat! St. Paul does not boast except in one thing: that he has become dead to the world and the world to him. No wonder why it took centuries for Christianity to spread throughout the world. To become dead to the world is like becoming dead to home. But the world became too small for St. Paul as it did for his Master, where there was no room for him in the world. How did St. Paul arrive to shaking the sand of the world off his feet?

“Imitate me for I Imitate the Lord” (1Cor 11:1)

St. Paul traveled because the Lord traveled. The Apostle met people in the half-way of their lives because the Lord met them half way, between confession and conversion, sinner and saint, fullness of the faith and cafeteria-style Christians. The Lord plans to introduce himself and the cross to each and every one of us, either with a bouquet of flowers or a crown of thorns. Be prepared for you do not know the hour when the Lord will come to greet you! Do not cast away the Lord! “Do not forget the works of the Lord!” (Ps 78:7b) The wrath of God is Hell! But his mercy will bend the most stubborn of knees and cleanse the filthiest of tongues. The Lord’s mercy endures forever! St. Paul’s Gospel is the Gospel of hope. He brought hope to the children of a lesser god. His message was well received because he lived the message. To die to the world does not mean to not love the world; it means to place the world at your feet. Christ did not hate the world, he loved it. He loved his own. He loved his enemies. He loved. Sin is a reduction, a filtering of pure love. It becomes visible in the sign of the Cross. Just today we read in the newspapers how a baby was found aboard an airplane and left in the bathroom trash can. Baby and trash can; Christ and Cross. Can anything be more contradictory than that? St. Paul did not boast in his own crosses or in his own works. He boasted in the cross of our Lord, and the Cross that Christ carried is the loss of innocence in the world: To take what is good and turn it into evil.

Obedience to the Lord unto death

Christ became obedient to death, even death on a cross. To die to oneself means to avoid sinning, this means to love unconditionally. Recently, I heard from a couple I had counseled a few years back about the use of NFP. This is the message they sent me. I think it is fitting for today’s feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.

We're writing you this morning to say hello after several years, but also to send along our prayers. In the Fall of 2005…you gave us a few pre-marital talks as we prepared for our wedding. We have always looked back fondly on the help you gave us that Fall, and on your great preaching in the school chapel. We especially like to remember your advice about how to think through the prudential considerations that go along with NFP and openness to children: I asked you once, "Father, what do we need to take into account with NFP? How do we know when it's right to avoid pregnancy?" My wife had been feeling some anxiety about this, looking ahead to our married life. You answered, "You know, I think you should just pray, have a baby, and see what happens. God will take care of it. I mean, people have been having babies for centuries, in caves, in famines--and this is America! You'll be fine." Looking back on this, we realize we had a different kind of marriage prep than most couples get these days! And here we are, five years later, with 3 sons to show for it. Deo gratias.

They sent me a beautiful picture of their 3 sons. Deo Gratias!

Today we exalt in the Holy Cross of Christ! That love can never be reduced because of personal needs or fears. Thank you Lord for giving us a deeper understanding of the heights, depths and widths of love – unfiltered love in the sign of the Cross.

Lk 7:1-10 Risk

Luke 7:1-10 Risk

“Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again!” (1Cor 11:26b) Is this not the most bizarre proclamation? Why does the Church ask us to proclaim the death of Christ until he comes again? Why does St. Paul preach “Christ crucified” in which he knows perfectly well is a scandal for the Jews and foolishness for the Gentiles. Why? Because deep within the wood of the cross do we find the love of God for us. WE ARE SINNERS!

While speaking to someone today in spiritual direction, a man made a very good observation. He told me that when he goes to the English speaking Mass, almost everyone receives communion. When he goes to the Spanish speaking Mass, almost no one receives communion. Why is it? His answer was “ignorance.” My answer was “culture.” We Americans feel entitled to everything. We believe we should get whatever is available to us. Why shouldn’t I receive Communion today? It’s being handed to me! But in reality, we deserve nothing!

A centurion had a slave. He was valuable to him. Some elders approached Jesus and told him that the centurion “deserves to have you do this for him.” You see…he has helped us build a nice synagogue. He is a major player! He is great benefactor! You help me, I help you. You scratch my back, I scratch your back. Got it? But if we have learned anything from Christ, it is precisely this: He doesn’t count the cost. He doesn’t heal the ill slave because he was valuable to its owner nor does he help the owner because he helped the people of Israel. He heals the servant and converts the sinner because they are both in a miserable condition. They all need a Savior. We all need a Savior! We are all dead to sin. What make the words and deeds of the centurion special, remembered throughout the world in the liturgy of the Mass, are his humility and his willingness to risk it all: his reputation, his position, his honor.

“Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.” Who am I to complain to the Lord? From the very beginning of salvation history the Lord chose his people, elected them, prepared them and allowed them to escape from the slavery of Egypt to the Promised Land of Israel. The Lord did everything! The Jews did nothing, except what the Lord commanded. “Go here, and he goes; Come here, and he comes.” The centurion understood this well. Authority is to be respected. For this reason, Christ said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” This Gentile abstains from stepping onto sacred ground. He abstains from receiving the Lord for he knows he is unworthy of the Lord. He respected the Laws of Israel and their customs, especially in regard to the treatment of Gentiles. He does not go to the Lord because he does not presume anything. He goes to the Lord with a meek and humble heart, and because of this, he receives the fruits of his faith. He receives the health of his slave and recognition from the Lord. Christ does not enjoy the company of those who boast in his name, and neither do we.

Lord, I am truly unworthy to receive you. My life has been a life of taking more than of giving. Jesus meek and humble of heart! Heal and open my heart to be more like your heart! Amen.

Being vulnerable to the Lord may appear risky at times. But it is definitely a risk worth taking. It is only then that the miracles begin.

Lk 15:1-32 I Am In Love

Luke 15:1-32 I Am In Love

Some time ago I was traveling nearby Chicago and I contacted a young lady who is very dear to me; like a daughter, to see how she was doing. I hadn't seen her for a while and I told her that I would be driving to the airport with a family and hoped to see her before leaving Chicago. She was excited to receive the text and asked if she could go to confession before I left. I thought it would be impossible, but God knows better! I let her know that I would be arriving at the airport and would have an hour before my flight. This young lady went out of her way to get to the airport, pay for parking (she said it only cost a dollar! I told her she would have to confess that lie), and wait patiently for my arrival. Before I knew it my cell phone battery was dying and I could no longer communicate with her. But it wasn't necessary, she had found the terminal and I had found her. I saw her immediately! She, as well as I, was over flowing with joy! I thought to myself, "She went through all this trouble; all this expense; all this just for a confession!" She made my week, my month and dare I say it, my year! I can truly understand the words of the Lord, "Behold, there will be more rejoicing over one repentant sinner than for the ninety-nine who are in no need of repentance!"

Who among us could ever deny the fact that we are sinners? The Lord calls all of us to confession, conversion and communion! But not all respond to the immense joy that awaits us! Confession is the opening of one's heart to the brutal facts of who I am and what I have done! It can be very mathematical, almost analytical, but it is a necessary first step in witnessing firsthand the Hand of God in my life! The Lord calls me to conversion; to turn around; to "rise and return to the Father's house" which will eventually lead me into the Father's arms! How I am in need of God's constant love and mercy! How I need to know that there is someone out there that will not judge me but love me even more than before! The Gospel tells us today that there was a feast with hugs and kisses! The feast for us is the Holy Mass!

This young lady left the airport and decided to attend Mass. It had been a while since she had gone. What she heard that day was today's readings. It shocked her! She sent me a text afterwards that read:

"So the readings were about the one repentant sinner."

I replied: "Isn't that awesome! Kind of makes you think how God loves you. The Mass was just for you!"

"You really think God would have a Mass just for me?"

"Yes! I do! Was it not a miracle that I was in Chicago today, that I heard your confession, then you went to Mass, and then you heard these readings? I know that it sounds impossible to your ears but I know in my heart that God loves you!"

"You are crazy but I trust you for now."

Yes, it does sound crazy: that the Lord would have a feast just for me, a sinner, who lost everything except his way back to the Father's house.