Mk 3:7-12 Back Stabbers

Mk 3:7-12 Back Stabbers

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Jesus had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him. And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him and shout, “You are the Son of God.” He warned them sternly not to make him known.

What to do with someone who is jealous of you? Is there any solution to this age old sin that has inflicted humanity since the time of Cain and Abel, and maybe even earlier?

I just finished celebrating Mass at Ursuline, an all-girls school, and I was amazed to see the number of heads shaking in agreement when I told them the obvious: that jealousy is a very ugly sin. I can imagine what these kids go through on the basketball court, in the classrooms and in their friendships! I remember very well my father mentioning to me the jealousies he experienced among colleagues. It would take years for them to bring it to themselves to admit that he was an outstanding teacher.

I have to admit. I never experienced jealousy while in the work force. I know…I was very lucky. But when I became a priest, I found myself occasionally surrounded by jealous people. In one of my first ( and insignificant) positions as a priest, I took it upon myself to make our homely looking school “look” like a private Catholic academy. Through the generosity of many benefactors, I began to buy very beautiful (and expensive) picture frames and personally hung them in our hallways and corridors. I got some flak for that and could never understand why. Then I bought flat screen TV’s and game counsels and built a very modern game room for our students. Mind you, it cost the school absolutely nothing. Then I wanted to do something about our sickly looking cafeteria. I ended up getting to know one of the best architects in the nation who had some incredible ideas for turning our “cafeteria” into a “dining hall”. You would not imagine the grief I experienced when I was told that I needed to slow down to get all of this “approved”. As if improvement required “approvement”! I knew all along what the problem was. It was as clear as can be.

Well, neither personally nor publically was I ever given credit for making any of the above improvements or changes. But what really made me feel disappointed was the fact that I was not alone. It happened to others with even bigger, brighter and better accomplishments. But while some received no credit, others were given formal recognition through our newsletters and e-mails. I mentioned this fact a few years later to my former boss. I waited until he left.

Rather than thinking of the institution or the good of others, jealous people tend to frown upon doers and achievers. After all, they think that when you do “good”, you make them look bad. But it is not true. It actually makes them look very good.

I remember someone else I worked for. He didn’t like honest discussions in our meetings and so he held a strong grudge against me. He would often make decisions that were the opposite of what I recommended. His decisions turned out to be bad for our institution and his job. Later, in private, I told him, “If I had been your enemy, I would have agreed to all your proposals. I was not your enemy. I was trying to be your friend.”

Oh, the sin of jealousy!!! Instead of taking this vice by the horns and turning it into a “virtue” (to improve or motivate oneself), we prefer to sulk in it and sin because of it. St. Thomas Aquinas defined jealousy as unhappiness for someone else’s success. What a great definition! I am sure he experienced a bit of that himself.

Don’t get me wrong. We all struggle with jealousy. All of us, including myself.

In God I trust; I shall not fear (Ps. 56). In today’s first reading, David could have stabbed Saul in the back. He didn’t (Sam 19:1-7). Let us learn from David who experienced the wrath of a jealous King, but preferred to not offend the Lord by killing his lord. Let us learn from our Lord and Savior who experienced the wrath of jealous Kings and men, but preferred to not judge them but to save them.

Jealousy has been around for centuries, since the fall of man. But God has been around much longer and we can definitely trust in Him. May we turn our jealous thoughts into our very own personal improvement plan.

Mk 3:1-6 What To Do?

Mk 3:1-6 What To Do?

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Jesus entered the synagogue. There was a man there with a withered hand. The Pharisees watched Jesus closely to see if he would cure him on the Sabbath so that they might accuse him.

When I was a child, I loved to throw rocks. Children have not changed in the last ten thousand years or in the past forty years.

As director of a school, I often accompany my (middle school) students on their field trips. They loved the Art Museums because they immediately gravitated to the gravel outside! I would often ask myself why all Art Museums and fancy-dancy places had gravel or stones in their gardens and pathways. Didn’t they know how stupid it was to do this, especially when kids are around? And then I remembered that these places were not really set up for children but rather for adults.

The Old Testament is literally the history of the infancy years of the children of Israel. Their growing pains if you will. In today’s first reading, we have the true story of David and Goliath. I think it is safe to say that it is the story of two men, two armies, that still act like little kids in a playground, and that love to play with sticks and stones and other dangerous things. The New Testament is the story of the People of God as adults. Our Lord came into the world to help us grow up!

What to do? What is the law that surpasses all laws? Is it not the law of love?

Love does not mean to forgive and forget. Who in their right mind can forget a wrong that is done to them? What it means is to forgive regardless of forgetting. It means to place your trust in God’s strength which is God’s son, who is our rock!

“Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!” The rock is the oldest weapon in the history of the world. And it is interesting to see how it continues to be used by many. For a Christian, there is only one rock that is allowed to be thrown: the rock that is our Lord and His Church.

Very few turn to the Lord or the Church to solve their problems. They either attack the problem by attacking the person or by running away from them. How many of us would just love to dispatch our enemies like David dispatched Goliath? Yes, knock them down and cut off their heads!

But the Lord invites us to fight evil by doing good. As the Lord was being watched by the Pharisees, to see if he would cure (work) on the sabbath, he asked them a simple question: “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” He asked them this question because he knew the hardness of their hearts. He knew that even on the sabbath, they were secretly plotting (working) to put him to death! He knew the Pharisees themselves were diligently working to accuse Jesus of some – any- wrong doing. But the darkness in their hearts was not enough to hide their plans, and so the Lord revealed their hearts by doing good.

Instead of Jesus condemning the Pharisees to death, like David condemned the Philistine, the Lord turned his eyes, his focus, and his love on the man with the withered hand. Instead of wishing our enemies evil, we need to focus our time and attention on healing their victims. How? By throwing Christ, the rock, at them! By throwing Peter, the Rock, at them! Of course I do not mean this literally. I do not want you to throw a crucifix at someone or a statue of a Saint. What I mean to say is preach the Gospel, the Good News, of the kingdom with enthusiasm, with conviction and resolve. Speak up on the modern day plagues that entrap our friends. Be aware of the hypocrisy of the secular world that loves tolerance and hates God, family and marriage! Do not be afraid to slew sin, to cut its head off as you would a snake, and save the sinner!

The Lord is my rock, my refuge, my fortress, my stronghold, my deliverer, my shield, in whom I trust. Blessed be the Lord my rock who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war! (Ps 144)

Mark 2:23-28 Macaroni and Ministers

Mark 2:23-28 Macaroni and Ministers

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As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry? How he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions? The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.

I need to cut back on family visits, especially when it involves a dinner. Priests know to eat a light breakfast and a light lunch when they are invited to dinner over a parishioner’s home. Why? Because these wonderful people love to treat us like kings! But eating like a king every night can actually make me wonder if these people actually love me or want to depose me!

Out of the well over a hundred meals I have had with families and friends, I can only think of one meal that was very disappointing. It happened while I was fund-raising in the Mid-West. I believe I was visiting a family in Minnesota and they had invited us to have lunch over their home. After one month on the road, eating at fancy restaurants like McDonalds, Wendy’s or Carvel, I was very happy to accept a home cooked meal. When we sat down to enjoy our meal, I was shocked at what I saw. In front of me was a bowl of cold and plan macaroni with corn and chunks of apple mixed in with it. The mom proudly told me, “Father, we fast every Wednesday and Friday. Welcome to our family lunch.” What a holy woman! Far too holy for me! Once again, I had learned a few good and powerful lessons. First, you are not a master! Second, you are a minister. And finally, simplicity encourages humility.

The Apostles were poor men, and never became rich while serving the Lord. They were poor before they followed Him and became even poorer while following Him. This is the one aspect of their lives that never improved. I enjoy pointing this out to all my protestant friends who are ministers. Christ and his Apostles lived a very simple, humble and lowly life. And yet, they actually lived a very meaningful, exciting and exhilarating life. Although the “Catholic Church” is rich in architecture and art, in music and in culture, in truth and in spirit, the Catholic Church is not monetarily rich. Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking that the Catholic Church is rich. After two thousand years of existence, percentage wise, Catholics are at the bottom of the list when it comes to generosity in their weekly contributions. And yet, I am honored to be in a very beautiful Church, with a beautiful new translation of the Roman Rite and wearing beautiful vestments. And none of it will ever be sold! After all, they are not mine to sell. They belong to the parish, to the people, to the faithful. And it is a very good thing.

Why was the sabbath made for man? Because we need to rest. But more than that, we need to reflect! God created the world in six days, and then he reflected. Man works in the world for six days and on the seventh, he falls asleep! You see, we rarely ever reflect or meditate! No wonder why we are quick to judge, and judge poorly. On the other hand, humble people do not judge quickly or poorly. They take time to seek what is hidden and not so obvious. We live constantly dependent on outward appearances. The Lord judges not by appearance or from lofty stature but looks into the heart. We need to learn how to do the same.

May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, enlighten the eyes of our hearts, that we may know what is the hope that belongs to our call.

Mk 2:18-22 Doing Better Than I Deserve

Mk 2:18-22 Doing Better Than I Deserve

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The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People came to Jesus and objected, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?”

On Valentine’s Day, 2002, a beautiful young girl named Katie Kilpatrick was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. In 2003, she was diagnosed with an inoperable tumor wrapped around her pulmonary artery. Nonetheless, on January 15^th, 2005, at the age of 21, she married her high school sweetheart. Five days later, she died.

To fast or not to fast, that is the question. The Lord answers the question with a question: Would it be proper for people attending a wedding feast to fast? The answer is obviously “No!” In other words, why would you ever go to a wedding and crash the party by looking sad and gloomy?

Ladies and gentlemen: we need to get with the program. We need to start celebrating our life! We need to celebrate the presence of our God! We are his guests and have been invited to dine at his table and participate in his joy. Life is beautiful, regardless of all the difficulties, tragedies, drunks and party poopers that go with it.

Just a few days ago I was speaking to a wonderful friend of mine and somehow or another we got on the subject of gratitude. This good friend of mine has gone through some very tragic loses and so recently spent a few days with some childhood acquaintances. While they were going down memory lane, she recalled how her friend’s father, from his wheelchair, would always respond to the question, “How are you doing?” with the statement, “I’m doing much better than I deserve.” As a child, it didn’t mean much. As an adult, it has meant the world to her.

Words have a way of changing our lives. They can be both beautiful and powerful. Think for a moment of the first time someone said to you, “I love you.” Ladies, do you remember the impact your boyfriend had in your life when he said, “Will you marry me?” Or the impact you had in his life when you said, “Yes.” Think for a moment when your fiancé said, “I do.” These words have stood the test of time because they come from God and were meant to be used! These words change lives forever! No wonder the Son of God is also referred to as The Word! No wonder why God created the World with his Word, for his Word have a way of creating something from nothing.

“The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart” (Heb 4:12).

How true! How true! Which also means the devil, true to its form, will love to distort the word of God and bombard us with nonsensical and disheartening filthy talk.

The disciples of John heard him say, “This is the lamb of God.” Samuel heard God say, “Samuel, Samuel!” These words forever changed their lives. Once upon a time I heard the Lord say, “Go and baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And I will be with you till the end of time.”

Obedience, sacrifice and love. Which of these three are most highly favored by God? The answer is: It’s a three way tie. They all go together. Without obedience, there can be no sacrifice. Without sacrifice there can be no love. Jesus sacrificed himself out of obedience to the Father. And he did so not blindly, but lovingly. He did it all out of love.

It is no wonder the Lord constantly refers to weddings whenever he needs to make himself better understood. After all, we all want to be loved, and now we just need to remember that we are doing better than we deserve!

John 1:35-42 Finding God Starting Today

John 1:35-42 Finding God Starting Today

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John was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.

“How can I find God in my life?” This is a question I receive almost on a daily basis. It is a consequence of our personally long years of public school education, our very public “keep your religion to yourself” coco-washing ideology, and our separation of Church and State idiocracy.

Does man really need to search for God? Is God hiding? Has God run off? Have we scared him to death?

Without a doubt, the greatest challenge that we are facing today is a current of thought known as secularism. This current of thought promotes a way of life as if God did not exist. It reduces God to the private sphere – to a sentiment – as if He were not an objective reality but an imaginary friend, a dream, a figment of our imagination.

We may not know many secularists but we have all been influenced by them. For the secularist, reason is the measurement of everything. For the Christian, reason is the window to reality. For the secularist, the truth is what we know. For the Christian, the truth is reality. Therefore, the secularist loves to separate truth from good, truth from beauty, truth from freedom. “Do whatever you want!” is their Battle hymn of the Republic.

So, what can I do to help others find God in their lives? It is very simple. I do what Christ did with the intelligent sinners, the blind, the lepers and the crippled. I help them see. I help them walk. I help them recover. What does this mean? It means to live your life as if you were never forced to ignore God in your school or in your work place. It means to keep your religion as you would keep your head and share your faith as you would share your thoughts, a pizza, a pie or a hug.

It means to speak of every individual not in the imaginary terms of a computer or machine but as an image and likeness of the Creator.

It means to respect the world we were given and stop acting as if it belonged to us. It means to stop naming lands as nations but as the City of God. It means to believe much more in God’s creation than in men’s inventions! Never forget that boundaries are men’s inventions and wars are men’s occupations. I hear it said very often that religion creates wars. What poor logic! It's like saying the well-fed start wars! After all, only they have the money and strength to fight; the starving and poor do not! So think twice about feeding the poor! If you are not convinced, then consider this: Only men have started wars. So are we to stop having male children! Finally, consider this. If we had only been more environmentally conscientious early on, how many wars would we have avoided if we had demolished and abolished all trees! Think of all the lives we would have saved if we had no wood for clubs, spears or arrows!

If you want to find God in your life, then take off your mask and stop hiding your face with sins. Stop boasting. Stop sinning. Stop stepping on others to “do whatever you want” but start living the Gospel truth: “Treat your neighbor as yourself.” Is this not the best way to end all wars? To love one another? Who said this first?

Think of every life as a confirmation of the Big Bang Theory. Yes, every life as coming from nothing; every life as an explosion of love. Think of every decision not as a movement of molecules and atoms but as moment of free will. Think for as long as you can of every night, every day, every stream and every river as brush strokes on a painting. Think of every mountain, every valley, every tree and every beach as an Art Gallery. It’s easy if you try. Go ahead and think of every building as mound of junk; every home as a Church; every child as a baby seal; every family as peddles of the same flower. Do you see how it all makes sense? Think of every prayer as an Amendment to our Constitution or the soul speaking through dreams.

Think of your Columbus as our Jesus, surrounded by distracters and doubters. And our God as your America, just waiting to be discovered, for not all things have been discovered, but one day will.

Mk 2:13-17 Awakening from Déjà Vu

Mk 2:13-17 Awakening from Déjà Vu

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As Jesus passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at the customs post. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed Jesus.

Christianity is a very powerful religion because it is the only religion that combines two truths that contract each other: it combines logic with illogic. The Lord is sinless, blameless and radiant. Levi is sinful, blameful and spent. And yet, the Lord walks right up to Levi and invites him to follow him. The two team up. How bizarre!

Would any of us invite a criminal into our home? Would any of us hire a thief to work for us? Of course not! But instead of our Lord saying “Congratulations” I think he would say, “What a tragedy!” Have we forgotten? Have we succumbed to amnesia? Have we not been called by God to turn the thief into the good thief? I am worried. I am worried that the “calling of sinners” - singular and unique to Christianity – is gradually disappearing from our Church. It has already disappeared from our society. We no longer rehabilitate criminals. We keep them far, far away, which marks them for life and hold them to despair. God forbid that this should become the practice of the Church! The calling of sinners is a hard doctrine to accept and embrace; and yet, the calling of sinners is a gentle reminder of our own failings and call from the Lord to follow Him. It is a sort of déjà vu that we must wake up to.

To love the unlovable. God works his wonders gradually, slowly and methodically. In today’s first reading, we read how the prophet Samuel chooses Saul to be the first King. “Kish had a son named Saul, who was a handsome young man. There was no other child of Israel more handsome than Saul; he stood head and shoulders above the people.” (Sam 9:1-4)

It is not hard to love someone that is handsome, charming and tall. He’s the obvious choice, right? Unfortunately, these same characteristics are still used today in appointing individuals in leadership positions. I know! Trust me! I have seen it with my own eyes! That’s probably why I was always overlooked.

While I was a seminarian in Rome, I always wanted to altar serve for the Pope. The Vatican would always open their door to seminarians from various congregations. The Legionaries of Christ were always be invited to serve for the Christmas Eve Mass. The Vatican invited; our superiors chose the men. Two months before Christmas, I told my superior that the only gift I wanted this year was to serve for the Holy Father. I had never served for him and soon I would be ordained a priest. It was my last chance after being in Rome for over five years. While I was enjoying my Christmas Eve dinner, my superior came up to me and whispered in my ear, “Have you ever had a chance to serve for the Holy Father?” My heart skipped, I smiled and said, “No! Never!” Then he said to me, “Oh, ok” and walked away. I was never asked to serve.

The legacy of Saul lives on!!! It was a lesson the Lord wished to teach his rebellious children!

Christ is never referred to in scripture as being handsome, charming and tall. His greatness comes from above and he speaks with authority by loving the unlovable and changing their lives.

I am sure you have heard it said, "You can believe whatever you want." But it is not true, for reality hits us square in the face. This morning I was looking for my cufflinks. I could have sworn I put them on my night table. But they were not there. I looked around and at a certain moment I thought that maybe someone had stolen them! And then I found them. They were somewhere else. I never remembered putting them there, but I must have. In theory you can believe what ever you want, but you will be dead wrong to believe that there is something greater than Love or that Love can be expressed by something other than sacrifice.

We have to wake up from our amnesia and remember who the Lord invites: sinners. We are all sinners and we have all been called.

Mk 1:40-45 Being Different

Mk 1:40-45 Being Different

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They came bringing to Jesus a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him, “Child, your sins are forgiven.”

There are two ways for human beings to learn: through logic (the best way) or through punishment. Animals only learn the hard way. Some people, no matter how hard you try, just have to learn the hard way. The Jews often learned the hard way. In today’s first reading, we find something not at all surprising: a rebellion against the Lord. “All the elders of Israel came in a body to Samuel and Ramah and said to him, ‘Appoint a king over us, as other nations have, to judge us.’” (Sam 8:4-7)

History not only repeats itself through nations, but with individuals as well.

The children of Israel were acting like babies! “We want a king! We want to be like everybody else! We have a right to be like all the other kingdoms? Give us a king because everybody else has one and we want to be like everyone else!” Sound familiar?

“I want an ipod, an iphone and an ipad just like everybody else. Everybody has an iphone, an ipod, an ipad!!! Why can’t I be like everyone else???” Or, “Everybody is going to the party! Why can’t I go? Why can’t I be like everyone else?”

I find it shocking what God tells Samuel. He says, “Give them whatever they want.” Why in the world would God say that? This is like a teenager’s dream come true; to have a parent say to them, “Do whatever you want.” I really think our teenagers envy parents of other children that give them whatever they want. “Mom, can I go to a party tonight where there are no chaperones?” “Sure honey, do whatever you want!” “Thanks mom, you’re the best!” And now God, our Father, is saying this to them!

Sometimes we have to learn a lesson the hard way. The reason why Israel did not have a King is because God was their King. The chosen people were not rebelling against Samuel. They were rebelling against God. And God, like it or not, allows us to walk away from the room, from a life of grace; from home.

Today, I told the children at Mass. Listen to the people that love you the most. God is one of them! He is actually at the top of the list.

When I was a teenager, I was so envious of one student. His name was Bob. I always thought he had the best parents in the world; he always got what he wanted! He got to go out with girls when he was in middle school; got to go to parties on weekdays; got to watch R-rated movies when he was underage; got to do so many things that I never had a chance to do. On his eighteenth birthday, his parents got him a motorcycle. Two months later, he was dead. I don’t blame him so much for it but rather his parents who seemed to have been blind to the fact that Bob was immature, irresponsible and easily influenced by others.

The paralytic man in today’s Gospel is one tough guy. He could give a damn what the crowd thought; he could care less what the four men carrying him thought. He didn’t seem to mind breaking through the roof of his neighbor’s home, and the Lord didn’t seem to mind him either. It appears as though the Lord respects not only the humble, but the individuals who stand up for something, even when they can’t stand up at all!

We all have this great desire to be just like everyone else. How boring! How modern! Let us pray for our parents and children to go against the current; to rise above the crowd; to trust in those who love them the most; to love their individuality, and to love God above everything else.