Luke 6:27-38 Saving Face By Saving Grace

Thursday of the Twenty-Third Week In Ordinary Time

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Jesus said to his disciples:  "To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you...If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?  Even sinners lend to sinners..."

I love America.  I really do.  But I find myself in a tough situation this morning.  I'm actually agreeing with the Prime Minister of Russia, Vladimir Putin, a former communist and KGB agent, who wrote an op-ed in the New York Times (NYT).

He wrote:  "My working and personal relationship with President Obama is marked by growing trust. I appreciate this. I carefully studied his address to the nation on Tuesday. And I would rather disagree with a case he made on American exceptionalism, stating that the United States’ policy is “what makes America different. It’s what makes us exceptional.” It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.

I have to agree with him.  I cannot believe it, but I find myself agreeing with him!  Oh my goodness! 

And even though many politicians may slam Putin for writing this in the New York Times, they can't seem to slam what he is saying.  Some pundits even go as far as to say that his only interest is to protect his country and her allies.  Of course he is!  I agree with that.  But aren't we as well?  Aren't we interested in protecting America and her allies?   

Exceptionalism.  For us to think that we are better than others because we are more powerful than others and more sophisticated than others is quite absurd.  To think that we are better than others because we are better educated, more efficient and harder working than others would mean to ignore the historical (positive and negative), geographical and geological realities that helped us to be wealthier, better educated and more efficient than others.  It would also mean to ignore the millions of people that migrated (voluntarily and involuntarily) to America.  

The reality is:  we are no better than others in what really matters most:  love of God, our neighbors and our enemies.

Have you noticed how politicians from the left and right have been hitting President Obama?  They're calling him weak, indecisive and amateurish.  

Have you noticed how hard the media is pushing the so-called "Red-Line?"  It almost sounds like they want a war!  They are comparing Syria to Nazi Germany.  They are saying that America has lost its dominance and influence around the world.  They insist that America is no longer a world leader.  

I don't know about you, but what has become crystal clear to me is that saving face is far more important than saving grace.

To you who hear I say, love of enemies.  Is this not the perfect reading for today?  Is it not the perfect reading for every day? 

The Holy Father recently reached out to Vladimir Putin.  He wrote him a personal letter.  In fact, in Putin's op-ed to the NYT, the Prime Minister mentions the pope!  I wonder if the Holy Father's letter inspired Putin to write his letter?  

I think we can safely say that at least one world class leader, in the political and religious spheres, is working actively in seeking a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Syria:  the Pope.  

And not only that.  It turns out that the Pope just penned an editorial in the secular Italian newspaper, La Repubblica.   

The Daily News reports:  "The 2,500-word open letter was splashed on four pages of the liberal daily La Repubblica on Wednesday, under the simple byline “Francesco.” It was a response to editorials by the paper’s atheist founder Eugenio Scalfari, who asked the pontiff about God’s attitude toward non-believers.

Scalfari told the Telegraph that he had no idea that the 76-year-old pope would actually respond. He was even more surprised that Francis had replied "so extensively and so affectionately, with such fraternal spirit."

Just goes to show how far the Vicar of Christ will go in his love of God, of neighbor and to those who so often insult and ridicule religious believers.

I have no doubt that God's saving grace will save lives, save nations and even help people to do an about face. 

It's about time we stop complaining when God (occasionally) intercedes on our behalf.

Luke 6:12-19 Pray and Don't Be Fooled

Tuesday of the Twenty-Third Week In Ordinary Time

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Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.  When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles.

Jesus went to the mountain to pray.  "We the people" are constantly being bombarded by highly influential people with magnificently designed messages crafted to entice us to follow them and their products. 

Today, "We the people" await with much anticipation Apple's big announcement scheduled for later today.  The event could end up costing us thousands of dollars.  Tonight "We the people" await the President Obama's remarks (selling points) as to why we need to bomb Syria.  His remarks could end up costing us millions of dollars and more American lives.  This week we await with much anguish Assad's decision to Putin's proposal.  His decision could cost us our reputation abroad.   Finally this week, we await Congress's decision weather or not to support the President's decision.  Their decision could scare the President's legacy and cost the Democrats the Executive Office.   

This past Saturday, Pope Francis held a prayer vigil in St. Peter's square.  The hastily scheduled event brought together well over 100,000 people.  In attendance were representatives of the world's religions and nations.  In essence, The Holy Father brought the world together.  He did it through a prayer vigil.

Does prayer work?  You bet it does! In fact, as soon as the event was over, Secretary of State John Kerry, a "Catholic", made a diplomatic blunder:  he gave Syria and Assad an escape route.  This blunder may actually have turned out to be a blessing for Assad, Putin and Obama.  After all, the President is not getting the support he needs from Congress or from the American people.  Putin can save a friend and ally.  Assad can save himself and his power.

This "diplomatic blunder" may actually have turned out to be an "answer" to our prayers, to Assad's predicament, and to the President's "red line."

How's that for the power of prayer!

Don't be fooled.  After reading St. Paul's letter to the Colossians, I think his words are more applicable today then they were when he first wrote them.  He writes:  "See to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy according to the tradition of men, according to the elemental powers of the world and not according to Christ" (Col 2:6-15).

No one captivate you with seductive thoughts and elemental [physical] powers.

I believe the Holy Father insisted on a day of fasting and prayer because it was much easier for him to reach Jesus than to reach Obama, Putin and Assad.  Talk about a trio of amateurs!

People have hard heads.  Do not fool yourselves.  These world leaders went to the best schools "according to the tradition of men" (Col. 2:8).  Obama studied at Harvard University and is a lawyer.  Assad is a medical doctor and studied in England.  Putin studied law and economics at Leningrad State University.  He is a lawyer.   

So much for education alone solving the world's problems.  If anything, it's continually creating more world problems!

Power, greed and pride run deep in human beings.  What does it mean to be a human being?  Just about anything you can imagine.  

The Twelve.    Out of a large group of followers, the Lord called Twelve men to follow Him more intimately.  The fact that God wishes to work with us (and work with small groups of us) means the Lord respects us.  He respects the free will He gave to us.

Will we follow the Lord more intimately?  The world desperately needs more people like St. Francis and Pope Francis.

Here are some inspiring articles for you to read today.

Luke 6:6-11 Words And Numbers

Monday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time

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On a certain Sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught...The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the Sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him.

Ever feel like you're being watched?  That people are just lying in wait for you, waiting for you to make one "mistake" and blow it out of proportion?  That's how the Lord must have felt.  That's how we all feel when those with a preconceived notion of us attack us virulently.

I know the feeling.  I'm sure you do as well.

Pharisees and mathematicians.  There's more in common with them then meets the eye.  Pharisees judged things according to the law, and the law was written in black on white.  It was black and white.  Math teachers judge answers according to what's on the paper, and the answer is either right or wrong. 

Pharisees made a living off of the printed word.  Mathematicians make a living off of the printed number.  Both professions are extremely limited in their understanding of things.

Mathematicians crunch numbers into formulas and equations.  That's their field of expertise.  And when they attempt to associate a number to something, then chances are they have already gone beyond their field of expertise.  That's why mathematicians do not necessarily make good sociologists, psychologists, politicians, theologians or philosophers.  Outside their abstract world, numbers mean nothing more than a numerical value.  In fact, a number could be the correct number but generated from the wrong formula or equation.

The Pharisees were good at knowing the letter of the law.  They knew it by heart.  But when they tried to associate God's law with flesh and blood, they failed miserably.  In fact, they ended up crucifying God to it!  That's why Pharisees did not necessarily make good theologians, philosophers or psychologists.  Outside the abstract world of paper and pen, laws meant nothing more than just a means of judging people.  In fact, they could be completely right in their findings but completely wrong in their judging. 

Then the Word became flesh.

Jesus Christ is the Word of God made flesh.  The Law no longer is stagnant.  It walks.  It no longer is etched in stone but written in flesh.  The Law has a heartbeat.  It has a personality.  It has taken on life.

Life.    The Word took on life.  The Law embraced life.  The Infinite became finite. 

The Word of God can relate to us.  He is one of us.  

Jesus said to the Pharisees, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?"

Guess what happens to people who live only in the abstract world; who live in the world of letters and numbers?   They lose their mind.  They lose a sense of life.  In fact, their words (and numbers) take on a life of their own and they end up doing more harm than good:  [The Pharisees] became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus."

The problem with mathematicians, as well as with Pharisees, is that no two things (people included) are exactly the same.  And when they treat them as such, then they have lost touch with reality.

The Word became flesh and lived among us.   All things take on (new) meaning when they are associated to Jesus Christ.

Luke 14:25-33 Hating People Out Of Love

Twenty-Third Week In Ordinary Time

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Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, "If anyone comes to me without hating father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple."

Did the Lord get your attention?

Did I get your attention with my provocative title?  I'm following in Kenneth Cole's footsteps.  Actually, I'm not.  I'm trying to follow in Christ's footsteps.

Hating Father and Mother.  The Lord knows how to get our attention.  He can be very provocative.  He's good at it.  He has to be.  After all, so many people are trying to get our attention. 

Christ's moment has arrived.  Success is just around the corner. The crowds are getting bigger.  He's getting noticed by everyone.  Imagine the scene above:  a great crowd has gathered around Him.  Tons of people are "following" Him, not on twitter, not on Facebook, but live, in person and on the world's stage.

So what does the Lord do with all these people?  He scares them. 

I'm sure the Apostles must have been looking at each other, shaking their heads in disbelief and asking, "What is he doing?  Why is he saying these?  He's ruining everything!  They're all gonna run away." 

Some things never change. 

What do Mega Churches and small churches have in common?  Well, as they start getting larger (or smaller),  they tend to stop talking about controversial issues and start creating excuses for our sins.  After all, we don't want to lose anyone, right?  We Are Church, right?  They begin to sound more and more like the world.

This morning I read in the newspaper an advertisement for a very large church in Dallas.  Their pastor is promoting a new series of talks revolving the second coming of Jesus Christ. The ad starts off with a quote from Billy Graham.  It reads:  "The second coming of Jesus Christ is the most neglected teaching in the church today."

Well, maybe there's a reason for that.  Maybe it's because no one knows when it's going to happen.  Even Jesus said He didn't know.  In fact, He said, "Only the Father knows."  Which is another way of saying stop worrying about this and begin to prepare for your unexpected and untimely death. 

Let me tell you what are the least talked about themes in the Church today:  personal sin and culpability, homosexuality, no-fault divorce, teen promiscuity, pre-marital sex, pornography, contraception, abortion and child abuse in general.

Now I'm not saying these things should be preached at every Mass.  No.  What I am saying is that they need to be discussed in our Catholic ministries, especially in our Catholic schools and youth and family ministries.

Why don't we like to talk about these things?  Because we are afraid to.  Church teachings run countercultural.   But the real reason why is because we don't want to scare people away.

This morning, a gentleman from our Church got up and invited his fellow parishioners to come to an upcoming event.  His speech was excellent [I'm going to go].  But then he said something that got me thinking about today's Gospel.  He said that "the food will be great and the meeting will be short."  It's true, it's all true.  But not all events will be this easy.  Not all activities and/or memberships will be this comfortable.

Being a Christian has never been an easy thing.

Imagine for a moment if Jesus sold "our cross" - the cross we must carry - as something light and small?  My dear friends, whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.  Don't worry, it's light and retractable.

The message Christ has for us today is not new.  In fact, it is quite old.  What's new is the way He delivered it:  with brutal honesty and transparency.  "If anyone comes to me without hating father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple."

To put it more boldly, He told the vast crowd: It's not all about you or about the most precious people in your life.  It's about me.  It's all about me.  Put me first, and I will put you and the most precious people in your life first. 

Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me more than these?"  This question was asked after the Lord's resurrection and after Peter's third denial.  Peter responded:  "Lord, you know everything.  You know that I love you."  

The irony of it all is that if we love God "more than these" (more than mother, father, brother, sister, children, etc...), then we will end up loving "these" better than before. 

In our decadent society, where God is relegated to the back of the line, we see a disturbing trend among teens and grown adults:  we see a disregard for human life,  a lack of respect for parents and the elderly.  There is an increase in domestic violence, infidelity and child abuse.  The suicide rate among teens still remains way too high. 

Discipleship is not to be taken lightly.  It doesn't come easy.  Vast crowds are not to be expected in Churches.  Unlike Hitler youth rallies, souls will not be coming to Jesus en masse.  Rather, salvation comes one prayer at a time, one soul at a time.

It would be so much easier if the Lord had told us to hate our job instead of our family; to hate our boss instead of our spouse; to hate our teenage son or daughter instead of our newborn child; to hate our cell phone provider, homework, school, politics, spinach, an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend instead of our own life.  We could nod our heads so easily and say, "Been there.  Done that.  I'm good."

Instead, the Lord is inviting fine young men and women, among the vast crowd, to a higher calling, purpose and duty: to love beyond those dearest to them; to love Him above themselves. 

Yes, by loving Him above all things, we will learn to love all these things far better than we ever loved them before.

Ask what you can do for your country. Sound familiar?  It should.  These words echo Christ's words.  Like Christ, our nation asks of our finest young men and women to sacrifice what they hold so dear to them, especially during times of war, and often, against the wishes and amidst the tears and begging of loving mothers, fathers, fiancés, spouses and children to stay home and not go. 

This "love-hate" relationship can also be found in many teenage novels, where to save the life of the beloved, love must be called off and the beloved must be convinced (often at the price of the truth) that they are no longer loved. 

Whoever does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.

Do you love me more than your most beloved treasures?  If so, then you will love them more than you ever loved them before.

Luke 5:33-39 A New Operating System

Friday of the Twenty-second Week In Ordinary Time

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Jesus said to the Pharisees, "No one pours new wine into old wineskins.  Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined.  Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins."

Note:  I gave this meditation this morning at Ursuline Academy's all-school Mass.

Something big is soon coming out.  The new iPhone will be announced on September 10th, 2013.  The world is waiting and watching.

Last month, apple announced a new operating system to go with it:  the iOS7. 

The two - hardware and software- will soon become one.  They were made for each other.

New wine and new wineskins.  You don't put old wine into new wineskins.  You just don't do that.  If you do, the new wineskins will burst.  Similarly, you don't put a new operating system into an old phone.  If you do, the old phone will burst.  [I know, my iPhone 3 is constantly crashing.]  Instead, you put a new operating system in a new phone. 

The Holy Spirit is our new operating system.  How does it work?  Just like Jesus Christ! 

We are the Lord's hardware, his handiwork.  The old operating system didn't work well for us.  It wasn't meant to.  It was too simple, and we are not simple.  In many ways, it was limited to "Thou shalt not..."  The code was harsh:  "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth."

The old operating system was simply a preparation, a prototype, to the much more complicated operating system that was to come; the one that we could handle and that was really built for us. 

Come Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is here.  It is our new and everlasting operating system.  She is a beauty, exactly what we need.  We were built for her.  And even though she is thousands of years old, she continues to surprise, challenge and inspire us.

She is forever young, forever new and forever wild.  

As an old iPhone will burst with a new operating system, so we too will burst with the wrong operating system; that is, driven by poor self-image, a bad attitude, and/or an unhealthy lifestyle.

Ariel Castro burst!  When his reality changed, he didn't change with it.  Instead, he burst! 

When you are faced with unrelenting difficulties or horrific news do you burst? When your reality changes for the worst, do you burst?  You shouldn't.  Christ never burst.  If anything, he sustained all things, survived all things, and succeeded in all things.  Why?  Because his operating system was based on love.

We need to get rid of the old operating system.  We don't need to sin to have a good time; to be happy; to be rich; to be famous; to be popular; to be loved; to be influential; to laugh; to smile; to be powerful; to be accepted; or to be in control.

We don't need to use war to obtain peace.  We don't need to bomb to restore order.  These ideas are all from the old operating system.  They have been tried.  They have been tested.  They have all failed.

There are so many forces that are out of our control.  Faith and love are not out of our control.  We have free will.  We can choose to believe and to love.  No one can take that away.

What is shocking to me is that love is in my control.  This is shocking because God's essence is Love, and God is out of my control.  But because of the Holy Spirit, I have been given the grace to participate in God's love, to contribute to it, and to share it with others.

"It is no longer I who live in me, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal. 2:20).   

Out with the old.  In with the new.

Luke 5:1-11 The Net In Our Lives

Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

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Jesus said to Simon, "Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch."  Simon said in reply, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets."

While I was preparing for this morning's Mass, I centered my heart and mind around today's liturgy.  I reviewed the readings I had read last night and opened up a small spiral notebook to review the prayers of the faithful (intercessions). 

Since I've been here, I haven't found them to be very inspirational.  In fact, I've found them to be very ideological.  I'm not very happy with that.  The individual who has written these intercessions (his name will remain anonymous), apparently has a bone to pick with the Church and her doctrines.  In social settings, he would be known as a left-wing or progressive Catholic.  In my mind, he is a lost puppy.

I read through many of them and noticed that when the Church celebrates the memory of a female saint, this author often includes at least one female specific intercession.  For example, "Let us pray that the rights of women and girls may be upheld and honored."  But when the Church celebrates a male saint, he includes no specific prayers for men. 

This is so childish.  Don't we need to pray for everyone, not just women?

In today's Gospel passage, we read how Jesus called Simon to leave behind everything (and everyone) and follow Him.  For obvious reasons, this Gospel is used a lot during vocational retreats.  But when I read this morning's intercessions, I couldn't believe my eyes:  not a single intercession was written for priestly vocations!  Instead, the author prayed for "fishers" (notice:  he didn't use the term "fishermen") and all laborers, and that they may prosper.

There's nothing wrong with praying for "fishers" and laborers.  But lets also pray for priests and religious men and women as well!

When our prayers are laced with ideology and impishness, they become useless and foolish. They are like useless nets, cast from the wrong side of the boat and into shallow water. 

Simon and his nets.  Simon used a net to catch fish.  The Lord used the Truth to catch Simon. 

Nets are very useful, if they are made and used properly.  They can help us catch what we are seeking.  But if our net is strung together with lies and grudges, with certain preconceived notions and opinions, then all bets are off. 

Christ was successful because He was honest.  God is honest.     

Pope Francis recently tweeted, "Let us pray for peace in Syria."  An atheist that goes by a certain username tweeted back:  "Can't have peace while religion teaches its followers hatred for other faiths and non-believers."

It is worth noting that the only negative or hateful responses to the Pope's initiative came from atheists.  It is also worth noting how this individual completely ignores hate-filled religious bigots (like Richard Dawkins) who are atheists.  One need not go far in history to note how the most notable (and most influential) atheists (Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao-tse-tung, Kim Jung-um) have been on the losing (or wrong) side of history.  It's worth noting how these atheists advocated everything except peace.

Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing.  It took a lot of faith for Simon to - once again - paddle his boat out into deeper waters and - once again - cast his net into deep waters.  But because of his faith in God, he did it.  And because he did it, he discovered the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.

The only net Simon ended up tearing that evening, was the one between him and Jesus; the one preventing him from being a Saint.

Lk 4:38-44 Gazing At The Stars

Wednesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

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At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place.  The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him, they tried to prevent him from leaving them.  But he said to them, "To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent." 

Jesus went to a deserted place.  It was time to get away. 

Where do you go?  Where is your deserted place?  For the Lord, He would often get away early in the morning.  He would go alone.  He would often go to the mountains.  Being alone is an important part of getting away.  Doing it early in the morning is essential.  Seeing things above sea level is a good idea. 

Do you have a place to go.  If not, then start thinking about one.  I know some families that have built a chapel in their closet!  Interesting...

But if it were up to me, I would build a small "observatory" on my roof.  I would have a bed, a chair, a desk, and, of course, a telescope up there.  If I had children, I would allow them to spend the night up there; one person at a time, to reflect on the heavens and to mediate on life.  I guarantee you they would finally learn how to think and how to pray.  I am certain the child that came down from there would be different from the one that went up there.  They would be transfigured.  A beautiful glow would surround them.  Their eyes would be awakened to the enormity and complexity of life.  Their wisdom would go beyond their age.  Their young faces would disguise their adulthood. 

Find a place today.  It's so important to get away. 

Proclaim the Good News.  The Good News is the Truth, the Truth of Jesus Christ.  The mystery of our existence has been revealed to us by Jesus Christ.  We were created in the image and likeness of God who is Love.  Is there any wonder why our greatest desire is to love and be loved?   Not anymore!  Now it is time for us to go deeper in this Truth.

The Lord is waiting to be discovered.  He's made it so easy for us to find Him.  Like the stars at night, He is the light in the midst of our darkness.  He is standing in our way, waiting for us to take notice of Him in the presence of our friends, neighbors and even strangers.  

Let's take some time out of our busy schedule to get away, to be alone, and to meditate on the stars in the heavens that are a dim reflection of his children on earth.