The True Goal of Lent: Beyond Sacrifices to Transformation

Here we are on our journey, third Sunday of Lent, and I hope everyone is having a good, strong Lenten season and, God willing, will finish across the finish line stronger than before.

What Does It Mean to Be “Stronger Than Before”?

What does it mean to be stronger than before? Does it mean, “I did it”? I gave up my Coca-Cola. I gave up my cookies.

No. These are just the means to a goal.

The goal is to be another Christ.

The Burning Bush: God’s Passionate Love

In the first reading today from the book of Exodus, we have the burning bush, this passionate, strong, intense fire that the Lord has for us, the love that God has for us.

Fire is the symbol of passion, of intensity.

The fact that God appears to Moses through a burning bush that does not consume means: I did not come into the world to destroy the world. I came into the world to love you.

And I have this passion to love you.
And I want to be a part of your life.

St. Paul’s Warning: Don’t Rely on Yourself

And then in the second reading today from Saint Paul, he reminds us — he’s very determined to tell us:

“Whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.”

Don’t be too confident in yourself, in your own abilities. Trust in God.

We need God in this world.
We need God in my life.

If I’m looking for transformation in my life, I need to have the Lord by my side. I need to have that burning bush right next to me - inside of me.

The Gospel: Repent… and Bear Fruit

And in today’s Gospel, the Lord reminds us: do you think these people are worse than you are? Do you think the horrible things that happened to them is because they were bad people?

No.

He says, unless you repent the same thing can happen to us. 

Then He gives the parable: the gardener plants a tree, it doesn’t produce any fruit. They water it, they take care of it, they nurture it. Finally, the planter says: okay, I’ll let it stand for another year. I’ll give it a little bit more time to produce fruit, to do something.

These are the readings for today.

What Does It Mean to Repent?

What does it mean to repent?

I’ll tell you: yesterday, our children that are preparing for confirmation had their retreat.

I had my whole homily ready, and then all of a sudden, I had to throw everything out the door, because there was something that the children were doing that just inspired me. They all had these little candles (this is one I stole), and they turned them on and they were walking in procession to put these candles next to a cross that we had on the altar.

They were doing it so solemnly turning on their candle. I thought: If it was that easy. If being able to be a light of the world was just a switch at the bottom. If it were just that easy.

Sometimes we can be very cynical. It’s so hard to change. It doesn’t happen easily. I know all of you know that.

A True Story: “Look How Ugly You Are”

Not too long ago, I saw a young lady and she said to me, “Father, do you remember me?”

I’m like, “No.”

She said, “Well, a few years back, I came to you,” and she told me this story. 

I remembered that story. There are some things you never forget.

Almost ten years ago, when she was in high school, she had just changed schools, went to a new high school. She was kind of shy, nervous, awkward - you know, regular teenage girl. She was struggling to make friends.

One day, one of the most popular girls in the school said, “Why don’t you come over to my house? We’re gonna have a sleepover. I’d love to have you there.”

The girl was enthused.

But while she was there, as they were getting ready, they were in the bathroom. She was surprised other girls were there. She thought it was just her and the other one.

While they were getting ready in the bathroom, all of a sudden the popular girl says to her:

“Look at yourself in the mirror. Look. Look how ugly you are. Look how ugly.”

True story.

The girl said, “What?”

“Yeah, yeah — look how ugly. Say it, say it: I’m ugly. Say it.”

And the girl said, “I’m ugly.”

“You see? Even you believe it.”

Aall the other girls were laughing.

When she told me that story… I had to work hard to ask, “What did you do?”

She said: “I prayed.” This little fifteen-year-old girl: I prayed.

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Forgiveness That Doesn’t Turn Off the Light

Recently she told me, “Guess what?”

I said, “What?”

She said, “The girl that did that to me wrote me a letter asking for forgiveness for what she had done to me.”

She wrote:

“Please forgive me. I am so sorry. There isn’t a day that doesn’t go by that I don’t remember what I did to you. I ask for your forgiveness. Please accept my apologies.”

Amazing - that this girl knew who she was. She understood: I am a child of God. I am not going to allow anyone to turn off my light.

That burning bush reminds us that God’s light never dies. God’s presence is always there.

If you think you are so secure in yourself, like St. Paul says, be careful not to fall.

The World’s Rule vs. Jesus’ Strength

How many teenage kids know the rule in high school?

You hate me, I hate you.
You hurt me, I hurt you.
You talk bad about me, I talk bad about you.
You don’t like me, I don’t like you.
You gossip about me, I gossip about you.
You touch me, I’m going to slap you in the face so hard your head will spin.

But the Lord challenges us:

You don’t like me. I will always like you.
You talk bad about me. I will never talk bad about you.
You hurt me. I’m never going to hurt you.

What a difference. What a difference when you are that strong.

You know why that’s strong?

Because Jesus was that strong.

Can you imagine from the cross: “Forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.”

The strength you must have, the faith you must have, to be able to handle that and never change regardless of the circumstance that you’re living.

Talk about when you know who you are. No one can take that away from you.

Let the Lord Water You and Prune You

In today’s readings, the Lord is saying: let me water you. Let me prune you.

During Lent, the Lord wants to challenge each and every one of us.

Why?

To discover who you are.
To reveal the mystery of who you are.
So that the world can see the light in you.

Don’t lose this opportunity.

It doesn’t have to be negative. It doesn’t have to be only when someone is persecuting you.

Even when you feel inspired by God to do something above and beyond what you ever imagined, don’t turn off the light. Don’t say, “Oh no, that’s crazy.” 

Do you think Moses was some Marvel character? Do you think Abraham was some amazing seven-foot-tall hero? Do you think King David was something? All of them, when they were called by God, there was nothing spectacular about any of them. Nothing. Saint Paul — nothing. Peter — nothing. 

What did they do that is remarkable?

They allowed God to challenge them.

They allowed God to say: you want to know what you’re capable of doing? You want to know who you are? Let me work with you. Let me help you reveal yourself to the world — and to discover who you are.

During Lent, the goal is to keep this light shining bright and allow the Lord to challenge us.

Amen.

"Lord, Save Me From This… So I Can Do It Again" - What Temptation Reveals About Our Soul

Why Would Jesus Need to Be Tempted?

This is our first Sunday of Lent, and what an opener it is for all of us.

Let’s focus on the temptations that the Lord went through. Why would the Lord, who has all divinity in him, be tempted? Why go through this exercise? How could the devil even think he could win? 

Remember, Jesus is God and man. Regardless, maybe there is something about temptation that helps us discover who we are.

The First Temptation: Bread Without Work

The devil says, “If you are the son of God, command the stone to become bread.” In other words, let me give you something that you haven’t worked for. 

The devil always mocks God. The devil always insults God. God says love one another, and the devil will say it’s much easier to hate and much more powerful to hate. I know that’s true. It’s a lot easier to hate someone than to love someone, and to let that hatred last longer than love.

The devil is always insulting God’s plan for us and mocking it.

What does the Lord say? If you want something, work towards it. I gave you a heart, I gave you a brain, I gave you hands, I gave you feet. Work towards it.

The devil likes everything which is easier. What’s easier, tell the truth or tell a lie? Tell a lie. What’s easier, work for something or steal it? Steal.

Does my prayer resemble something where I’m constantly seeking things I don’t deserve? Maybe I need to reflect on that. It’s not intentional, but it’s just part of our fallen human nature. I’m always seeking things, looking for rewards that I haven’t really worked for.

What does Jesus say? One does not live by bread alone.

It’s not the material things. It’s not the luxury that you’re really looking for.

The Real Goal of Education and Life

I’ve been constantly meditating on our ministries here at Mary Immaculate, primarily the school, which is one of our largest ministries. I ask myself, what’s the goal of teaching and educating young people?

So that they go to a good high school? That they go to a great college? That they get a good job? Is that the goal? Is it the material things that matter?

They’re very easy to measure. Ninety-nine percent of our kids go off to do this. A hundred percent of our kids do that. Those are easily measurable.

They are not the goal.

The goal is that we discover who we are and that we know it well. What do we want from our children? That they understand that they are a child of God.

When you know that, you are capable of doing great things. No one in this world is going to crush you.

When you realize that God loves you and that you’re a child of God, you realize the reason why you’re put on this planet, the reason why you have a life. It wasn’t to go to high school or college or to have a job. Those are the minimum, and they are important. But they are not the goal.

The goal is for every child to discover who they are.

“One does not live by bread alone.”

Some of us already got the golden pot. We already got the treasure. We’re all set for retirement. You know better than anybody else, that’s not what makes you happy. Tell the young people.

The Second Temptation: Power at Any Price

“Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to him, ‘I shall give you all this power and glory, for it has been handed over to me. All you have to do is worship me.’ ” 

You can have all the power you want, just do the wrong things.

We see how people in powerful positions can manipulate other people. We can see it where you work.

Let me tell you, growing up my dad would embarrass the cashier at a grocery store if she made or he made one penny of a mistake. “Where did you go to school? You’re such an idiot. You don’t know how to count!”

I would walk away because I was embarrassed.

But let me tell you something. He got what he wanted every single time. Be loud, be obnoxious, be arrogant, and you will get what you want. Get the power you’re looking for by doing all the wrong things and you will succeed. That’s the temptation.

Hey, one life to live it. Power at any expense.

The Third Temptation: Testing God’s Patience

“Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on a parapet of the temple and said to him, ;'‘if you are the son of God, throw yourself down from here. He will command his angels concerning you and they will catch you, support you.’ ”

What’s does our prayer sound like?

Someone once reflected, “Lord save me from this so I can do it again.”

The temptation that God saves me from my stupidities. Why? So I can do it again. Lord don’t let anybody know. Why? So I can keep doing it. I can keep doing it.

Throw yourself. In other words, screw up and God will catch you.

What does the Lord say? You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.

Don’t test God.

Why These Temptations Matter

Why are these temptations? Because temptations are always a shortcut to a counterfeit. Sometimes we can be perfectly content with the counterfeit. Temptations don’t allow us to experience what we are capable of achieving. That’s it.

When I cheat at school, I’m never experiencing that I’m more than capable of handling this. I’ve actually had a student once say to me, Father, if I didn’t cheat I would fail.

I told them, you don’t know what you’re capable of doing. It requires hard work.

The Lord was in the desert for 40 days. Why? He was God. He didn’t need to be there to discover what he is capable of achieving, or realize the fullest potential of who he is.

The Saints Who Discovered Themselves Through Hardship

If you notice, my brothers and sisters, some of the greatest saints discovered themselves through forced stillness.

St. Ignatius of Loyola spent nine months in a hospital after suffering a war injury. He was a soldier. He wanted to be a career soldier. And instead, spending nine months in the hospital, what happened? He became a soldier for Christ.

When you reflect and you meditate on your life, all of a sudden things that you never imagined you could do and the people you could serve becomes as clear as day.

St. Francis of Assisi was imprisoned for one year during battle. Before that, he was a soldier and a knight from a wealthy family.

That one year he called a grace of God. It turned his life completely around. He rejected all the stupid things he was fighting for. Look at what he did with his life.

Your Call This Lent: Time for Prayer

At the beginning of Lent, this is the first Sunday, these temptations remind us to spend time in prayer and discover who you are. It is never a waste of time. Never.

Don’t ever feel guilty spending time in prayer. Don’t ever feel guilty taking time to reorient your life and see a clearer path to move forward in your life. It is not a waste of time.

The devil says no, there’s so much to do. Get going. You only have so many days of your life. Why would you waste it? Come on.

The reality is, take time to pray and clear your mind. Take time to get away from the distractions.

During this Lent, when you’re driving, turn off the radio. Turn off the music and think and reflect.

It’s scary, the results that can come from that. But in the end, I guarantee you, it will clear your mind and give you a clearer path of how to move forward.

Amen?

Amen. 

The Two Commandments That Will Transform Your Life

The Honest Struggle

I cannot honestly say I love the Lord with all my strength, as tragic as that may sound. Because of all the things that I do and say and think, I cannot honestly say, “I love you, Lord, with all my strength.”

We can say. I love you, Lord, You are my strength.

What are the Commandments? Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, body, and love your neighbor as yourself. Or as Jesus changed, Jesus changed that second commandment. He said, love one another as I have loved you. He made it even tougher. Today we’ll stick with the first one, the first version.

Wisdom and Wasted Time

Before we begin, while I was reflecting and meditating, I was thinking of that comedian, Nate Bargatze. He does these skits on SNL where he plays George Washington. They’re hilarious, and they’re clean.

Anyways, in one of his shows, he says, “you know, when I was 20 years old, my friends would call me up and say, hey, let’s go out. Yeah, let’s go anywhere. I don’t care. Let’s just go. Like, we’ll set the town on fire. Let’s go, let’s do it.

And he says, but when you’re 30 years old, then you say, where are we going? What time are we coming back? I’m driving separately.

Then when you’re 40, you’re like, why did you even call me?”

Why does that come to mind? Because Lord, if I could just have the wisdom I have today at my age that I could have had when I was in my 20s, I would not have wasted so much time pursuing so many different things, like my career, my money, my possessions, all these things.

Fill me, Lord, with your wisdom.

Sooner rather than later, you want to do a great service to your children and grandchildren? Tell them over and over: The things that you pursue in this life, money, career, possessions, big house, big pool, they’re not going to make you as happy as you think.

Love God with all your heart, mind, body, and soul. Love your neighbor as yourself. This is our core belief.

The Daily Gut Check

Gut check it every day. Ask yourself, how am I doing? Be honest with yourself, how am I doing?

Because today, it’s easy to say, I believe in God. But it can be very shallow. Because if we believe in the Christian God, it means a commitment for life. It means committing your life to what?

But Jesus did not hide it. Jesus made it very clear. Pick up your cross and follow me.

So it’s a commitment to picking up your cross. It isn’t a commitment to having an easy life, to avoiding any difficulties, or any challenges, or any pain and suffering. It means to commit yourself to being something very important in this world.

So there are three points, three points I want to make.

Work-Life Harmony, Not Balance

The first one, it almost sounds like the two commandments sound like this work, ever hear of this work-life balance? This is really trendy now, right? Work-life balance. Balance the two. As if one is opposed to the other.

The better way of looking at it is this work-life harmony.

Whatever you do in your life, you have to be passionate. Do what you feel passionate about. Do it, don’t worry about how much money you’re gonna make. Just do what you love doing.

I love being a priest. Is it hard? Yes. Am I happy every day? No. If the bishop would give me six months of vacation, I will take it. But do I love what I do? Yes. And am I passionate about what I do? You can tell. 

If you want to do another favor to your children and to your grandchildren, tell them. You have to do your passion.

Why are these two the great central core of our belief, of our values? Because if you love God with all your heart, mind, body, and soul, then that is going to give you the strength and the joy and the passion to love your neighbor.

When you finally decide to love your neighbor and to help those who are in need and to give an encouraging word or support, when you start doing something for others and it makes you feel good and passionate and loving, and wow, my life is full of meaning and fulfillment, then it’s going to bring you back to the first one. You’re going to say, thank you, Lord, for giving me this opportunity to serve you.

The two feed off of each other. It’s not work-life balance. You don’t say, “OK, how much am I going to love you? How much am I going to give to you?I need some for myself.” No. It really helps to go 100% in both. You’re going to feel what we all want to feel, like we’ve made a difference in this world, that I am here for a reason.

What You Can Control

We are talking about love. 

God isn’t asking us, go and make someone a saint. Go and give someone a job. Go and make someone who’s poor rich. No. You know why? I can’t do that. I can’t make decisions for other people.

Just between us, the Catholic schools, they have this model, saints and scholars. That is the biggest nonsense. Saints and scholars, really? How can I make someone a saint? It depends on them as well. What can we do as a Catholic school that they were loved. I can control that. Because if someone doesn’t love the children, you’re out. But how can I make it that everybody, every student is a saint or a scholar? It’s impossible. How can you have a vision statement that you can’t control?

Anyways.

We’re talking about love. Do I love God? Do I love what I am doing? This is the gut check. Do I love God? And do I love what I’m doing?

This is a reminder that if I don’t, okay, stop wasting your life and stop wasting your time.

Love Penetrates the Unknown

Love is profound. It penetrates the unknown. This is the second point.

Love, the reason why God uses love so much is because, you know why? Because love penetrates the unknown.

I saw this graph. Imagine a big circle. At the very edge of the circle, there’s a line that goes through it. Just at the very edge. It just clips a small piece of the circle. In it, it said, the circle represents what people are going through in their life. The little piece that’s cut off by the line is what you understand about it.

Isn’t it odd that all we see is the outside of people when all the decisions are made from the inside? Isn’t that odd?

What does it mean? It means I’m not here to understand everything. I’m here just to love. I’m here to help.

Love is profound, it’s not shallow. It is what covers a multitude of sins. Love covers the unseen. It covers the unknown. It makes a huge difference. It helps us to open people up to be able to share their experiences.

When you feel loved, what do you do? What’s the first thing that you do? Can I talk to you, please? Here, do you have five minutes? Can I share something with you?

Love opens the heart.

The Laws That Govern Our World

In this world, in the mechanical, physical world, we are governed by the laws of physics. That’s it, the laws of physics. We’re not gonna get to Mars unless we have the proper thrust, the proper equipment, the proper technology, the proper aerodynamics. You can pray all you want, but you cannot get to Mars if you don’t do it and respect the laws of physics. That’s for the physical world.

For the spiritual world, you will never have harmony and peace unless you respect the laws of God. Love God above all things and love your neighbor as yourself. We will never achieve the harmony and the peace that we are looking for if that doesn’t happen.

The Church as the Soul of the World

What is the church? In this modern age of the 21st century, the church is so archaic and so old, and why doesn’t it modernize, and why doesn’t it have a little cafe latte spot in my pew?

Why doesn’t Father come out with smoke and all the lights and all the show and all that stuff? This is boring. If you go out to that other place there, you know, they got the music, they got the lights, they got the entertainment, they got the kiddies corner over there for the playground.

I’ll tell you why. The church is in the business of serving people.

Why don’t you talk about politics? We are here to help people in politics have a soul. Our mission isn’t to create a political party, the Catholic Church party, or the Christian party.

Our mission as a church is to serve people, to give everybody a soul, to give the doctors a soul, to give the politicians a soul, to give the scientists a soul, to give the engineers a soul, to give the military a soul, a Christian soul. To form others.

The church is the soul of the world. If you think about it, the church is called to be the soul of the world. That matters more than any latte.

Conclusion

This is our core belief. Love God above all things, and love your neighbor as yourself.

Check it every day, check it every day. Pursue it with all your might. Pursue it, because if you don’t, you’re wasting your time. Pursue it all the days of your life.

Surround yourself with people you love and take them on that ride, regardless of how old you are.

Amen?

Amen.