Mk 10:35-45 Pride and Decline

Mk 10:35-45  Pride and Decline

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James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”  He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?”  They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.”  Jesus aid to them, “You do not know what you are asking…to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to you but is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

Most people love the underdog because most people hate their boss. 

It is truly a blessing to work for a boss who is both humble and effective.  Unfortunately, it is a rare thing.  Instead, most people work for someone who is either one or the other, or neither.  If your boss is neither, then chances are he/she is prideful and easily gets jealous. 

Pride is a horrible thing.  It’s debilitating.  It prevents growth.  It prohibits a person from being truly human, for if you have to be “perfect” all the time, then you can’t be human most of the time.  Pride is the source of many headaches.  It is the source of so much stress, of sleepless nights.  After all, if you have to be “right” all the time then it can keep you up all night long.

Jealousy is a horrible thing in the work force too.  It stunts individual growth.  It suffocates creativity in the work force.  It stifles growth for the company. If you do a better job than your boss then chances are you will suffer, and suffer greatly. 

Instead of receiving a pat on the back, you can expect a stab in the back. 

While I was a member of a religious community here in Dallas and worked for one of our schools, I would often seek permission to celebrate Mass at various parishes.  But I was often told that it wasn’t our “charism” to help parishes with Sunday masses.  I knew better.  I knew it would help build better relations with other (diocesan) priests.  I also knew I would meet a lot of wonderful families that might consider sending their kids to our fledgling school.  I was right.  It all came together and our school actually grew in numbers.

When Parkland Hospital asked me to be their chaplain, my religious superior recommended that I use my time in better ways.  I knew better.  I knew that I would meet highly motivated people (volunteers) in the most obvious but unlikeliest of places:  among the poor.  Again, it all worked out.  I met some incredible people and highly successful business men who were willing to help our school grow.  But in the end, jealousies got in the way of it all. In the end it all came to an end. 

The fact that man can be so intelligent, and yet so jealous and prideful, makes God ever more remarkable.  God is remarkable because He is so humble and efficient.  He gets the job done and he gives us all the benefits! 

I have never heard or seen a boss (or an atheist) say or do what God said and did:  “I did not come to be served but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many.”  I have only read these words from Jesus Christ and witnessed it lived out by those who followed Him. 

You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them.  Does the Lord “lord” over his people?  Does the Lord demand He be called “Master”?  He should…but he doesn’t.

I fear that most of us deep down believe that Christ was simply a dreamer; that His way of life is as beautiful as poetry and as impractical as living like a poet; that His way of thinking is great for classroom discussion but totally irrelevant on Wall Street.

 

I have been observing something for a while now.  Correct me if I am wrong.  I don’t want to sound racist, but I need to say something that I have observed for some time now.  I have noticed how Asian immigrants as a group tend to be more respectful towards others than others.  I have also noticed how African immigrants tend to be more cordial and joyful than others.  Finally, I have also noticed how many South Americans tend to work in harder places and in the most humble of places than others.  Now what do all three of these groups have in common?  They all tend to be more humble and capable than others; and as a result, they tend to be more religious than others.

I have noticed how pious Asians are, and it is beautiful.  I have noticed how Africans pray and sing, and it is beautiful.  I have also noticed how South Americans love their saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the crucifix. 

What I have also noticed is the opposite when it comes to Europeans and North Americans.  They tend to be less humble and much bossier.  I think it is because they are less faith-filled than others.  Do you see the connection? 

Our jealousy and pride is directly related to our faith life.  Our faith life is not dependent on God and what He does for us.  Rather, it is totally dependent on how we respond to God in our lives.  Faith is our humble response to God’s enormous gift of life, of redemption and of providence.  A strong prayer life is only possible (and logical) if we are not full of ourselves and can easily give credit where credit is due (share our successes with others).  If we have a hard time doing one or the other, then chances are we will not be able to be believers in Jesus Christ or even followers of His most humble teachings. 

History has shown that the mighty and powerful crumble and fall.  What historians typically write is that poor decisions led to their demise.  What they don’t write is that it was their pride that killed them and their empires. 

Pride in ourselves will be the cause of our decline.  Faith in Jesus Christ will be the cause of our resurrection. 

Luke 12:8-12 Acknowledging God

Luke 12:8-12  Acknowledging God(Click here for readings)

Jesus said to his disciples:  “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.”

Jake Finkbonner is the reason why Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, a Native-American Indian who lived in the 17^th century, will be declared a saint by the Holy Father tomorrow morning in Rome.

In 2006, Jake Finkbonner was so close to death after flesh-eating bacteria infected him that his parents, Donny and Elsa Finkbonner, had last rites performed and were discussing with doctors donating the 5-year-old’s tiny organs. 

Fr. Sauer, who performed the last rites on Jake, four days after he cut his lip, said he immediately urged the family and the congregation back on the Indian reservation to pray to Blessed Kateri, thinking that maybe their shared faith and Native American heritage were relevant.

The Finkbonners are Native-American Indians and devout Roman Catholics.  Over the years they have felt a little ostracized by some on their reservation for being Christian.  [There’s a strong movement on most reservations for Indians to return to their ancestor’s spirituality.]  Regardless of it, the Finkbonners didn’t budge.

But every day the prognosis for little Jake got worse.  Donny Finkbonner recalled, “I remember the last day that we met with the whole group of doctors, my wife didn’t even want to hear what they had to say.  She just got behind me and was holding on.”  But rather than bad news, the doctors said the infection had suddenly stopped.  “It was like a volcano that was erupting, and they opened him up and it was gone.  It had stopped.  It was an amazing day.”

It took the Finkbonners several years to realize that the turning point had come a day after a friend of the family – a nun named after Kateri – had visited them in the hospital, prayed with them and placed a relic of the soon-to-be saint on Jake’s leg.

They went back to their calendar and noticed that the day the nun arrived and prayed with them was the day the infection stopped.

The similarities between Jake and Blessed Kateri are remarkable:  Just like the Finkbonners, Blessed Kateri was ostracized by her tribe for having held on to the Catholic faith.  She was badly scarred at the age of four during a smallpox epidemic.  Jake’s illness has left many physical scars as well.  

The doctor’s at Seattle Children’s Hospital told the family they should pray for a miracle.  They were the first to tell them they had no scientific explanation for their son’s healing.

To be a saint does not mean to live like Christ.  It means to live in Christ.  It means it is no longer I who live in me but Christ who lives in me.   I acknowledge the Lord in all the good I do because He lives and breathes and moves in me.  The goal of every Christian is to be another Christ:  a Saint.  Yes, we are sinners.  Yet sinners do become saints.  And history has proven that all saints are made from the same raw material:  sinners.

St. Kateri, pray for us.

Luke 10:13-16 Listen To Me!

Luke 10:13-16  Listen To Me!

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Jesus said to them, “Woe to you, Chorazin!”  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented…Whoever listens to you listens to me.  And whoever rejects you rejects me.  And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” 

Not too long ago, an old man, working at John Paul II High School, told me when he first learned to pay attention.   He had enlisted in the Army and was given a chance at serve in the 101st Airborne Division.   

The Army instructor made it very clear to all the young recruits.  “Men, listen up!  Jumping out of a plane is very serious business.  Pay close attention at all times.  Follow instructions carefully.  If you don’t, you could pay for it with your life.”  As soon as he had finished these words, the men saw a plane flying directly above them.  As the instructor continued to speak to them, the recruits were distracted at what they saw.  Ten men had jumped from the plane.  As they were falling from the sky, one man’s parachute failed to open.  The recruits could not believe what they were seeing.   They watched in horror as the soldier hit the ground at over 100 mph.  They witnessed blood and guts splatter and scatter all over the place. 

It turned out to be just a dummy.  But it was a lesson he said all the dummies learned and never forgot.

Who do I listen to?  Who will I listen to?  Who will I obey? 

The people of Chorazin and Bethsaida rejected the Lord.  Do you understand?  They REJECTED God!  What happens to us when we reject God?  We end up falling from the sky and breaking apart.  We hit rock bottom and fast!  It doesn’t matter how much we have or how privileged we are.  If anything, the weight of our possessions just makes us fall faster!  And the more privileged we are, the more shocked we become!

We all want to be successful in our lives.  But what exactly does it mean to be successful?  That’s an important question.  If you want to live a successful life, then we better know what success means. 

Success is nothing more than holiness.  The holier you are, the more successful you are.  What could be more successful than being another Christ?  What could be more successful than life-everlasting?  What could be more successful than being the man or woman you were created to be? 

So what does it mean to reject the Lord?  It means to reject His Church. 

“Whoever listens to you [my disciples] listens to me.  Whoever rejects you rejects me.  And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”    Wow!  The Lord definitely stands behind his men, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, till death we unite.    

Say whatever you want.  Say to me that you are a very “spiritual” person but not at all “religious”.  Go ahead.  It means nothing.  Say to me that you believe in Christ but not in His Church.  Go ahead.  But know that what you are saying is not at all what Christ said.  “Whoever listens to you listens to me.  Whoever rejects you rejects me.”   

Someone said to me today, “Why should I go to confession with a priest that is a bigger sinner than I am?”  I told that person, “Because he would be very gentle to you!  He’ll probably be able to relate to you better than most others.” 

Let's use our common sense.  Is a doctor disqualified for treating patients because he has cancer?  Is a woman disqualified for being a marriage counselor because she is not married?  Of course not!  Is someone disqualified to forgive because they need forgiveness?

What are you trying to accomplish in your life?  Who is influencing you the most?  Is it God?  Is it your family?  Is it your friends?  Is it the entertainment industry?

I’m so sick and tired of hearing Catholic school teachers (and “Nick Junior”) repeat secular old and stale doctrines to our children.  Why do we keep telling children how important friends are when it is their friends that are causing so many of their problems?  Why are we failing to tell our children how important it is to make friends with their siblings? 

Think about it.  Why are so many girls confused about boys?  Because they never speak to the first boy in their life:  their brother (or father)!  Today, tell your daughter to ask her brother a simple question:  “What do guys usually think about?”  Do it.  So that she will finally know the secret about boys (and most men).  What do boys think about all day long?  “Uh…nothing???”  Yes, that’s it!  Boys don’t have anything on their mind, and if they did, it would be gross.  The secret is finally out and your daughter finally knows (and has no further doubts about it) that most boys are narcissists and pigs!  She just found out what her friends will painfully find out; that is, that boys don't care much about anyone or about anything! 

Why do so many boys have a hard time understanding girls?  Because they never speak to the first girl in their life:  their sister (or mother).  But if they did, then they would finally connect two important dots:  that their sister is actually a girl.  Help them mom and dad!  Why don’t we help them?  Tell your boy to ask his sister what she thinks about all day long.  And the secret will finally be revealed.  He will know that they think a lot more than he does, and that they think a lot about their hair, their clothes, their friends, romance, colorful stuff, etc…  Now they know! 

I think the biggest difference between a movie and life is the script.  In a movie people tell you where to go, what to do and what to say.  But in your life, you have the chance to write your own script.  You can determine what you will say, what you will do, and how you will live.  But since no one is an island, you will have to decide who will have the greatest influence in your life.  Who will it be?  Friends or family.  Secular ideals or God’s Word.  School/Country or Church.  My will or God's Will.

Christ speaks.  You decide.  Best of luck.

Luke 7:31-35 Catholics and Politics!

Luke 7:31-35  Catholics and Politics!

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Jesus said to the crowds:  “To what shall I compare the people of this generation?  What are they like?  They are like children…For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine, and you said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’  The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of sinners.’  But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

Everyone is an expert today.  Everyone.  There are very few professions that we still respect.  And by respect, I mean those whom I trust may know more than I do with regards to a specific discipline. 

Now, I still believe in experts.  And I believe in them because I know I can’t be an expert in everything.  I simply don’t have enough time to read up on everything.    

Early this morning I came up with two professions that I thought we still respected: doctors and lawyers.  But as I sit here writing this meditation, I believe I am wrong with regards to doctors.  I think we go to the doctors only as a last resort.  Why?  Because we think we know better.  So, we Google our symptoms; we self-diagnosis; we self-prescribe and then we finally go in to see the doctor.  When the doctor gives us our medication, we end up not following the instructions.  Why?  Because we think we know better. 

The same holds true for God and the Church.  We are like children.  And just like children, we tend to put as much trust in God and the Church as a child puts in the wisdom and experience of his/her parents.  Not much.

So who do we trust?  Superstars!  All kinds of them too:  music stars, actors and actresses, billionaires and their wives, politicians and their children.

I know this is old news but I was taken aback a little by Clint Eastwood’s off the cuff “one-liner” talk (?) or maybe discourse (?) or even "mime" a few weeks ago at the Republican National Convention.  I say “one-liner” discourse because it basically consisted of a bunch of “one-liners”, or more appropriately, aphorisms.  Some of which were incoherent; others which were deliberate; others that missed their point entirely; while others seemed to lead to trivialness and awkwardness.  We forgave him because he was an actor without a script. 

But why was he there?  Was it because he's a famous actor?  That’s it?  So, when did he become an expert in anything other than acting?

John F. Kennedy was the first pope that American Catholics respected and listened to.  When he spoke, it was infallible and ex cathedra!    He could do no wrong!  And when he did, we all turned the other cheek.  While he was running for President, he declared to his worshipers that he would not mix his faith with his politics.  The people listened, cried and then cheered!  He had just declared his first dogma of faith for American liberal-Catholicism. 

And the dogma stuck… up until his daughter’s day at the Democratic National Convention.

Leave it to his daughter, who continues to ride on her father’s coat-tails, to take her very own father’s dogma, of separating faith from politics, and mixing them back together again, but with a different political twist. 

She was there to win the “Catholic” vote.  She was there as a means to an end;  to use her "Catholic" to get us to believe her "politic".  Her mission was to convince Catholics that they too could be a good Catholic, like her, and also pro-choice, pro gay-marriage, pro everything-that-is-contrary-to-the-faith-handed-down-through-the-centuries.  She tried to erase all doubts by letting the congregation know that this would be pleasing to the "Holy Father"…her father. 

Well, the pope’s daughter spoke and everyone in Rome - I mean South Carolina - listened. 

But what makes her think she is an expert in anything other than being a Kennedy and a failed politician? Could it possibly be her name?  Is that it?

Now, if these individuals are the best the world has to offer me to change my mind or my positions, then I prefer to stay the course and place my trust not in the world or in a family name, but in a successor’s name:  the successor of St. Peter, the Vicar of Christ.  Don’t you find it childish how these individuals dismiss him or ignore him?  I personally find it comforting that the Vicar of Christ is not a citizen of any nation, has no allegiance to any nation, and communicates above the fray.  I find it interesting how so many people would love to convince me that he knows nothing about anything, except being wrong all the time.  I find it befitting that those who criticize him the most know the least about God, Christ, the Church, the faith, history, culture, family and poverty; but know a ton about computers, economics and politics!

In today’s first reading, St. Paul writes:  “When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.”  In other words, when he was a child he used to think and speak as if he knew it all.  St. Paul acknowledges that his childishness went well beyond his childhood years.  What ended it for him was his conversion; that is, when he allowed himself to be a follower of the Lord and governed by St. Peter; when he finally realized that the Church was not a member of him but that he was a member of her. 

Jesus said, “Wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” 

How many people listen to Pope Benedict?  Probably the same number of people who listened to Christ:  very few, when compared to the general population.  But wisdom is not vindicated by numbers; it is vindicated by her faithful children. 

Wisdom has nothing to do with money or last names.  It has everything to do with Christ and His Church.

Mt 22:1-14 It’s My Party!

Mt 22:1-14  It’s My Party!

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Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people in parables saying, “The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.  He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feasts, but they refused to come… The king said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come.  Go out…and invite to the feast whomever you find.’  …The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good, a like.  But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment…The king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, cast him into the darkness outside’…Many are invited, but few are chosen.”

Knowing teens means knowing parties.  I don’t attend any of them, but I do end up hearing a lot about them.  Far too often the parties that end up bad are the parties whose guests go crazy.  When the owner of the house and patron of the party loses control of his/her guests, they end up feeling used.   I invited MY friends to MY party and they trashed MY place and MY party!

The meaning of this parable should be pretty obvious to all who read it:  The Jews are the first to be invited to the Lord’s wedding feast.  After all, they are the chosen people of God.  They are the rightful guests of the feast.  But the Pharisees, the scribes, the elders and the chief priests are doing their very best to (1) Ignore the invitation (and not attend); (2) to get others not to attend; (3) and to get others to trash the party and host as well.  So, the Lord does what anyone would do:  he extends the invitation to all.  The wedding feast will go on, regardless of who is and isn't there.

When I write a meditation, I do not base my reflections solely or strictly on the particular Gospel passage of the day.  I can’t!  I must always keep in the back of my mind the entire Gospels.  Otherwise, I will end up belonging to a different religion after every single meditation!  I find this to be a big problem with far too many Christians.  No wonder why we have over 40,000 different Christian denominations (including the denomination “Non-Denominational”) in our country. 

Wow, for a people who think they know the Bible; they seem to have a hard time knowing Christ.

Our problem with the Bible and Church may very well be the same as that of teens and parties:  We want to crash Christ’s party and make it our own just like teens wants to crash a friend’s party and make it their own!  Or better yet, we want to crash Christ’s Church and make it our own!   

How?  By barging in and creating mass hysteria by taking verses out of context; sliding passages out from under us; taking one word of His and running with it; picking His brain and assuming His thoughts; legitimizing the Lord by modernizing Him; and adding my thoughts to some of His words.

Let’s take, for example, the gospel verse:  “You must be born again…”  Obviously, someone took this in the late 1970’s and ran with it!  Suddenly, everyone was asking you:  “Are you born again?”  And then we have the “born-again” movement…that died an unceremonious death not too long ago.  You don’t hear that one too often, do you? 

Instead of crashing Christ’s Church, we end up defaulting on our own!

There are many more examples out there but let’s put it all to rest for now. 

What’s important to know is that when Christ invites us to his party, we should arrive spiritually and physically cleansed; with an open heart and mind; with proper attire; and open to thanksgiving more than to just complaining.

Mt 17:14-20 Fire and Water

Mt 17:14-20  Fire and Water

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A man came up to Jesus and said, “Lord, have pity on my son, who is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water.”

A lunatic.  What better way to describe a sinner.  A sinner is not someone who has fallen from God’s grace; the sinner is someone who has elevated his reason to the height of disgrace.  Like the lunatic, he believes way too much in himself. 

Recently, we have seen plenty of cases of reasonable “lunatics” in the news.  About a month ago we saw one in Colorado.  Less than two weeks ago, we saw another in Wisconsin.  But there are many more lunatics out there that we dare not speak of, for their lunacy has become a part of our society.  For example: The abortionists; who care so much for the women, that they cannot care at all for their children, and in a single day can end the life of a dozen young souls.  The animalists: who elevate the dignity of every-single-conceivable-living being except the human being.  The pacifists:  who will excuse the terrorist but not the soldier. The liberal politicians: who believe human rights come from the government and not from God or nature.  In fact, they never define human rights because they are too busy redefining human rights. 

I could go on and on, and I will.

The music/Hollywood artists:  who inspire millions to “go for it” but only end up “falling for it”.   [Most kids would be shocked if they only knew that David Bowe, Lady Gaga, Madonna and Janet Jackson did what they did not because they believed in it but because they could make a living out of it].  The fashion designers: who take no responsibility for teen abuse but alone have inspired millions of children to be immodest with their bodies and starve their bodies.  Not only do their clothes cost a fortune, but the therapy required to heal their victims is outrageous!  The atheists:  who seek the benefits of a Godless society while ignoring the results of a Godless society.  They ignore their handiwork just like they ignore God’s handiwork.   

Often he falls into fire, and often into water.    Lunatics are caring and careless; hot and cold.  You may even say the lunatic is constantly in hot water!  Like the lunatic, the sinner knows what he is doing.  He may be sick, but he’s not sick enough.  He may throw himself into the fire but he always ends up in the water.  Yes, the lunatic loves to play with sin because it is interesting; it sparks curiosity.  Sin, like fire, is sensational, thrilling and exciting.  When the sinner gets too close to the fire and burns himself, then he can always jump into the lake of saving grace. 

O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you?  Why do we have the problems we have today?  Why do we continue with as many problems as before, but with a much more expensive twist to them?  The Lord’s answer holds true today:  Because of our little faith. 

Christianity is the remedy for all the world’s problems because Christ is the answer to all our problems.  The Lord is the antidote for the lunatic.  May the Lord grant us the strength and courage to profess our faith as radically as those who undercut it! 

Fire is quenched with water; sin is released by grace; hatred is destroyed with love; pride is baffled by humility; prisoners are freed by forgiveness; lunatics are healed with faith.

“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed…then nothing will be impossible for you.”

Mt 14:22-36 Walking On Water

Mt 14:22-36  Walking On Water
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When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea they were terrified.  “It is a ghost”, they said, and they cried out in fear.  At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”  Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”  He said, “Come.”

These past few days I’ve been on vacation in New York and have had the opportunity to watch some of the Olympics.  I love the sportsmanship, competition and of course, the victories.  What I don’t enjoy are the commentators.  They can be very annoying, especially when they give their opinions.  I’ve noticed a pattern in their comments:  that if a team is winning it’s because they are very confident in themselves, and if they are losing it’s because they’ve lost all their confidence.  God forbid they are losing because they didn’t work as hard as the other team.  God forbid it’s because they never expected a challenge. 

I don’t know about you, but I remember busting my behind in College to get good grades.  I didn’t bust it because I was confident in myself; I busted it because I lacked confidence in myself.  Thank God!    I also remember some students waiting till the last minute to study for a test because they thought it would be easy.  I began to see a pattern:  those who thought the test would be easy scored low; those who thought it would be difficult, scored high.

Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on water.  His problems began when he had far more confidence in the power of the storms (and wind) than in the power of the Son of God.  There are two correct ways to read this Gospel:  either Peter sank because he had more confidence in himself than in God or because he had more confidence in what others were saying and doing and less confidence in what God says and does.

It’s bad enough if we only listen to ourselves.  It’s worse when we only listen to what others have to say.  What we need is balance and order:  first God and everything else will fall into place.  We need to place much more confidence in God, our Creator and redeemer; the One who has proven, time and time again, the love He has for us.

I love myself because the Lord first loved me.  I believe in myself, because I believe in God.  I trust in myself, because I first trust in the Lord.  If I can do some good, it’s because the Lord taught me what is good. 

In 2007, over 90,000 young girls and boys underwent plastic surgery.  They did it not to correct any life threatening problem or an objective defect.  They did it because they were being bullied by classmates.  Just recently, one young lady has been appearing on TV over and over again, giving free advertisement to an organization that does such deeds.  Her mother defended her daughter’s decision because she was being bullied in school.  Kids would often make fun of her ears, calling her “Dumbo”.  When a reporter asked the young girl how she looked (after her surgery), she said she had no regrets:  “I look beautiful, this is exactly what I wanted, I love it.”   

I thought she wanted the bullying to stop. 

Hm…I have a feeling this young girl will learn a very hard lesson.  In our world full of sinners (bullies), the only way to stop a sinner is not by believing them, appeasing them or seeking their approval, but by converting them by showing them who you will believe. 

I fear for this young girl.  Her classmates may stop calling her “Dumbo”, but what will stop them from calling her “Plastic face”?  And then…what will she do?  What will her mother do?

In my opinion, this was a great victory for the bullies; and a tremendous defeat for common sense.

My fear is that this is the beginning of a new market.  Already so many of our elementary school kids get their teeth whitened, false nails fastened, and hair colored.  Why?  Because someone in their class did it first.  Actually, some parent, in their class, allowed it first.   Slowly, but gradually, these common procedures will expand to different areas of the body and become less expensive, more attractive and a nightmare for good parents and children and a victory for business and overly confident parents that see what bullies see:  “imagined defects” in their children. 

The day will come when a child is bullied for not having had plastic surgery!   Children will demand to have the “perfect” ears, “perfect” nose, “perfect” skin tone, “perfect” chin, “perfect” chest, etc…

I am not exaggerating; this is our pagan history.  A new emerging market is just waiting to win acceptance and it will.  A new business, based on a false sense of compassion, will emerge from all this publicity, forcing younger and young girls and boys to submit to the driving winds of false “perfection” and a false sense of confidence.

The “cover girl” for this organization has another thing coming if she thought that the bullying would come to an end.  Bullies will come to an end, when we come to our senses and faith.

I could wear contacts.  I refuse to do so.  I consider wearing glasses as a great way to showcase something no one likes to show:  my weaknesses and failings.

This is what we need to see.  This is what the Lord wants us to see.  This is the beginning step towards walking on water. 

Mt 13:47-53 Good and Bad Fish

Mt 13:47-53  Good and Bad Fish

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Jesus said to the disciples:  “The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind.  When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets.  What is bad they throw away.  Thus it will be at the end of the age.” 

I don’t think anyone would disagree with me if I said that there are all kinds of people in the world.  But what if I were to say that there were good and bad people in the world?  Would you still agree with me?  And, to make things a little more complicated, what if I were to tell you that quite a few bad people think they are actually good and very few good people who think they are bad (These people are generally dead and known to us as canonized Saints)? 

Now, in order for any of this to make sense, we have to define what it means to be bad.  So, who is up to the task?  Who would like to do it?  Should we submit ourselves to God and His Word or should we act like our ancestors and decide for ourselves?  Will we submit or will we vote?

Is the President of Chic-fil-A a bad person (or citizen) or is he a good person when he said, “I THINK we are opening up God’s judgment on our nation”?  Is the President of the United States a very bad person or a very good person when he voted, as a Senator, in favor of partial birth abortions?  Do we still need to figure this out or has God already decided?  Can we know what God thinks or is it still an uncracked (and very convenient) mystery? 

We are all sinners; there’s no doubt about that….I think.  Actually, there is…if you speak to an atheist.  Since they deny the existence of heaven and hell then it means they deny the existence of sin and grace.  You can’t have hell if you cannot sin.  You can’t have heaven if you can’t receive grace.  Although they deny the existence of sin, they don’t deny the existence of criminals.  Although they deny the existence of hell, they don’t deny the prisoner in solitary confinement.  Although they, along with Nietzsche, have moved beyond good and evil [N.B.  That’s the title of a book written by Nietzsche], society has not.  That’s good.  Even if we write about going beyond good and evil, we still seem to be able to give concrete examples of good and evil.  Funny!

As for Christians, I think I can safely speak for everyone when I say that we are all sinners.  But although it may be safe to say we are all sinners, it is not very safe to point it out to anyone.  And so, in a very silent way, we inadvertently perpetuate sinners to continue to sin and to be blind to sin. Yesterday, I watched on OWN a program regarding the work that nuns do in the United States.  One order works very hard at taking good care of male and transgender prostitutes.  They feed them, cloth them and make sure they get proper health care.  But, I didn’t notice any of the good sisters speaking to them about how bad it was for them.  Maybe, I just missed that part, but I thought for sure I saw the entire program.  

We have come up with our own Commandments and we respect them much more than we do God’s Commandments.  For example, the first and greatest “Civil” Commandment is this:  Don’t ever talk about religion.  We are very, very good at that.  Unfortunately, only Christians are very good at that.  While we say nothing, others are saying something and making a difference in the world.  The fastest growing religion in the United States is Islam.  It has grown by 66% in the past ten years.  America isn’t less religious; America is less Christian.

I’ve only seen small portions of the Olympics.  I watched the opening games that presented a very concise and elaborate history of England.  It seemed like they got everything except the important part; that is, the Christian part; the tremendous influence that Christianity had on its survival and history.

Yesterday, NBC (CNBC, MSNBC, etc…) did their very best at hiding one athlete’s faith.  They presented a short documentary on the life of gymnast John Orozco.  I have to admit, they did an awesome job at keeping this young man’s faith a secret.  Throughout the entire interview, John was wearing a rosary around his neck.  NBC went to great lengths at never showing the rosary cross in front of his chest.  How deceitful they were in their camera angles and image lengths to keep the cross hidden from viewers.  You would almost think it wasn’t there.  But it was, and what it did was convince me more than ever at how hard this news station works at giving the impression of how unimportant faith in America is. 

When did a rosary or a cross become a bad thing?  When did abortion, gay marriage and euthanasia become a good thing?  Answer:  Roughly the same time.

Have we gone beyond good and bad?  No.  We’ve just done a much better job at handling the bad and hiding the good.  But yesterday, there were tons of cars in the drive-thru windows of a Christian restaurant.  And all the politicians and all their bullies, could not stop the good Christian families nor drive them away. 

Mt 10:34-11:1 Getting Things Straight

Mt 10:34-11:1  Getting Things Straight

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Jesus said to his Apostles:  “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.  I have come to bring not peace but the sword.  For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

I know what you are thinking:  “Boy father…I must be holy.  I am definitely against my mother-in-law.  All day long I’m arguing with my daughter.  I must be doing something right!”

Not exactly.  Am I arguing with my family for God’s glory or am I arguing with my family out of pride?  Am I suffering because of my sins or am I suffering because of my Lord?  The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life.  The first is fruitless; the second is very fruitful. 

The Lord invites division not to confuse or harm us, but to heal us.  He takes the pieces of the puzzle we hastily put together and separates them and rearranges them in their proper places.  The Lord’s sword is his hand that re-places things poorly placed.

The Great Commandment.  The Lord has a way with words.  He loves to say the same things over and over again but in new and exciting ways.  Is this not our challenge?  Do we not face a communication problem with the Good News?  The Good News is sometimes shocking but always surprising! 

Christ says, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.”  Really???  Isn’t that a bit selfish or egotistical?  Yes, if you ignore everything the Lord says and does!  This saying may be shocking but it isn’t any more surprising than God calling us “friends”.

If God comes first, everything else will follow.  If we love God our Father, then we will learn to love our father.  If I show affection and devotion to Our Lady, then I will be able to show affection and devotion to any lady.  If I respect the Lord my brother, then I will respect all my siblings.  Our day has significance only if it is one step closer to our glory.  The enormity of my sins can be measured only by the scandal of His Cross.  All things may be connected to each other, but if they are not connected to God, then all things fall apart. 

When I love God above all things, it ensures that I will love the things of God, and that will help me to grow in my love.  For example, sex is good, but love is even better.  Living together with the person you love is good, but making a promise to them (marriage) is much better.  God said “It was good” when he created the animals.  But he said “it was very good” when he created man.  To live like a human is good.  To live like a Saint is better.

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  I have always had a hard time understanding the first part of this paradox.  How does someone find their life and lose it?   Was the Lord referring to the rock stars or movie stars who “find” or “realize” themselves at the tender age of sixteen and lose it all (or desperately try to maintain it through performances in Las Vegas) by the age of fifty?  It may very well be.  Or was the Lord referring to those who hold on for dear life and have a hard time letting go for heaven’s sake?  Maybe.      

We should not hesitate in giving our Lord His just place, for we shall receive our just reward.  Jesus said to his Apostles: “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”  Perfect plan.  Perfect design.  Perfect order. 

Life is all about putting things in their proper place and getting things straight.   Let’s do some life cleaning.

Mk 6:7-13 Making The Right Connections

Mk 6:7-13  Making The Right Connections

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Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits.  He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick – no food, no sack, no money in their belts.  They were, however to wear sandals but not a second tunic.    

No food, no sack, no money.  Thank God the Lord allowed them to wear sandals.  How generous of him!

What in the world is the Lord thinking?  Why is He doing this?  Is He punishing them?  Does He want to make their life miserable?  What’s the point?  What’s the connection between Jesus and material poverty?  What lesson does the Lord want his Apostles to learn?  Does He want them to learn how to rely on themselves and not on Him or just the opposite?  I think the answer is pretty clear:  Our Lord wants them to trust in Him. 

Christ could have talked all day long about trust.  He could have preached about it until he was blue in the face.  But eventually, His Apostles would have to experience it, and the only way they would ever experience His security, His authority, His power is if they left behind their personal securities, authority and abilities. 

It worked.    They all came back better than ever.  They understood the connection.

We are constantly connecting ideas and people together.  Sometimes we do a good job at it; sometimes we do a very lousy job at it.

Imagine moms and dads this scenario.  You pack your kids up for school.  You drive them to school and then one of them realizes that they left their lunch money or lunch, or homework, or P.E. uniform at home.  Now imagine what would happen if you told him, “Honey, I’m sorry but I will not go back to get them.”  What would your child think of that?  What connection would they make?  Would they think, “I get it.  It finally comes out.  You hate me, don’t you?”  If they think that, they would be making one big bad connection.  The truth of the matter is totally different.  You won’t go back not because you don’t love your child, but because you need to teach your child to be more responsible.  That’s the real connection!    

Make the connection.  If we wish to have a greater connection in our life with Christ then we must trust in his commandments, his love, his pruning, his love, his authority.  Take it step by step.  Acknowledge God before others.  Live the faith faithfully.  Bear fruit.  Be blessed.  This is how I ended yesterday’s meditation.  This is where I would like to pick up on today’s meditation. 

To have a blessed life does not mean to have an easy life.  That’s a very wrong connection that far too many of us have made.  On the contrary, to be blessed means to accept an invitation to follow and imitate the life of Jesus Christ; that is, to be a participant in salvation history; to take an active role in salvation and redemption.  Will it be easy?  Ask the Lord.  Make the connection.  Did the Lord experience hardships or suffering?    Yes.  So will I be surprised or shocked if I experience the same?  I shouldn’t be, if I made the connection.   

If you pray will you be successful?  Yes, but not in the way you think.  Too often we connect success with money and power.  In fact, we often associate a rich person as “blessed (by the Lord)” and a poor person as “cursed (by the Lord)”.  That’s a very wrong connection to make.  We are not believers in the “prosperity gospel”.  Take a look and tell me which of the Twelve Apostles turned out to be a millionaire?  We need to be careful of the connections we make.  Bad connections ultimately lead to bad decisions.  Success, “Christ style”, means life after death; glory after crucifixion; recognition and praise after suffering; steadfastness and determination in the midst of confusion and aggression.  

If I die like Christ, I will rise like Him.  If I live like Christ, I will suffer like Christ.  If I love like Christ, I will be more like Christ.  Make right connections today, not only with regards to the Lord but also in regards to your marriage and family.

This morning I heard that 18% of all children in the United States are obese.  Interesting…but then the announcer said that 80% of all children in the United States are on a diet.  The conversation quickly turned to parents taking responsibility by ensuring that their children eat properly and exercise regularly.  But I didn’t get the connection between bad food and so many kids on a diet.  The problem is not with what’s in the refrigerator.  The problem is what’s in the bedroom!  If only 18% of children are medically obese but 80% of our kids are on a diet then the problem is not with what’s in the refrigerator.  The problem is what are our kids watching?  I know what they are seeing (or reading):  Seventeen Magazine, Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, etc…  Our girls are “reading” magazines full of digitally modified bodies of teens!  No wonder over ten million girls have eating disorders.  Make the connection!  Get rid of the magazines!

Teenage texting is another area that needs to be addressed.  Parents pat themselves on the back because they think they solved the problem by giving their child unlimited texting.  Bad connection.  Instead, what they have done is create the illusion of unlimited time; that they have all the time in the world to waste.  50,000 texts in one month is nothing but a waste of time; which ultimately leads to a waste of a life.  That's really the right connection.   

For months there has been a debate whether or not football helmets make football players safer.  The purpose of helmets was to protect our players from head injuries.  Wrong connection!  Instead of making them safer, it made them more reckless.  It made them think they were invincible!  Maybe the same lessons learned on the football field can be applied to teenage sex.  Instead of encouraging our kids to engage in “safe sex”, we may have actually taught them to engage in reckless sex.   Good connection!

They say the truth hurts.  Bad connection!  What we really should say is the truth sets us free because Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  What really hurts is not the truth but rather our pride. 

Jesus never hurts.  Great connection!