Mk 12:28-34 You Are Not Far

Mk 12:28-34  You Are Not Far

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“One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?”  Jesus replied, “The first is this:  Hear, O Israel!  The Lord our God is Lord alone!  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.  The second is this:  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher.  You are right…”  …When Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

Jesus said to the scribe, “You are not far from the kingdom of heaven.”  Indeed, he is very close to the kingdom of heaven.  In fact, it is standing right in front of him.   

Jesus is the kingdom of heaven.  Where God is, there is heaven.  Where God is not, there is hell.

Is it possible to love God and hurt Him at the same time?  Yes.  Absolutely.  I experience it all the time and I see it all around me.  A few days ago, a couple asked me to bless their home.  It turned out that the husband and wife were not husband and wife; they were actually boyfriend and girlfriend.  Now, I know they love God.  I saw plenty of crucifixes in their home and images of our Lady of Guadalupe.  But their love for God and for each other is killing Him.  Our sins crucified the Lord.  Remember?

I know a lot of people who love me.  They bake cakes and cookies for me all the time. So they would never imagine in a million years that think their love was actually killing me.  [Just kidding, but you know what I mean.]

The scribe could not have agreed more with Jesus’ response.  He even said to him,  “Well said, teacher.  You are right in saying, ‘He is One and there is no other than he.’  And ‘to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 

It’s so nice to see that they both agreed!  But did you notice how the scribe called Jesus, “teacher”?

The scribe knew the law.  He knew it like the back of his hand.  But he did not apply it well.  For standing in front of him was God, pure love.  Yes, standing in front of Him was the One and only One:  God; standing in front of Him was the best neighbor in the world:  the Messiah, the Savior of the World.  Again, for this reason, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” 

Love God above all things.  How can you love someone you do not know?  Answer:  You don’t.  Instead, what ends up happening, is that you love someone you think you know.  And chances are that someone ends up being you.  The person you say you love but do not know will always be you or the “you” you would like that person to be.  Get it?

“Whoever loves me will keep my word and my Father will love him and we will come to him.”  Let’s never forget the mind boggling journey the Lord made from heaven to earth to stand in front of this man. Now, all he needed to do was to reach out and follow Him.   Would he?  Did he?  I fear he never did since St. Mark never mentions his name. 

How is it possible that someone, so familiar with the law, could not recognize the Lord?  Is this a rare incident?  Hardly.  Unfortunately, this scribe reminds me of a home schooler.  How is it possible that a child who knows his faith inside out doesn’t know God?  [That is, has never experienced God?]

It takes more than just knowing the Lord to love Him.  We start with the Book.  But we can’t end there.  If we do, we will never get near Him. 

Love God above all things, especially your fears.  I have never met an evil person in my life.  Never.  Not yet, at least.  On the other hand, I have met plenty of people, almost all of them Christians, who know the Lord, say they love Him, but live in sin.  Why this internal confusion?  Is it a lack of knowledge or a lack of understanding?  No.  The problem is fear. 

We sin because we are afraid.  We’re afraid of never being loved, and so we settle for less.  We’re afraid of people seeing our mistakes and so we lie.  We’re afraid of getting hurt and so we strike first.  We’re afraid of confronting the brutal truth and so we drink. 

Fear is that one thing we place above God (nearly) all the time.  

Yes, to love God means I must know Him.  But in order to know Him, I must throw myself at Him.  I must set aside my fears and place my life in Him.  How?  By following His commandments!  It takes a leap of faith to follow the Lord’s commandments, especially the two great commandments.  But only then will I experience Him as He truly is:  my Lord and my God, and as an image and likeness of me and my neighbor.   

Then, and only then, will I not be far from Him.

Luke 10:25-27 People Pleasers

Luke 10:25-27  People Pleasers

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There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

If I were to ask a group of Catholic High School students what we must do to have eternal life, I guarantee that most of them (if not all of them) would say, “Do good things to others.”  And of course that would be incorrect. 

Now in our politically-correct charged atmosphere, that is rapidly decaying Christian values and  common sense, my response to such a global-fuzzy-warm-feelings sentiment would not sit very well with most so-called “social justice” advocates of the first-world-in-high-tech (but third-world-in-family-life) nation of America. 

The Lord answered this question, regarding salvation, long ago by posing a simple question to a scholar: “What do you read in the Law [Scripture]?”  The man answered by saying, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”  Christ said, "You are correct."   

Now, in order not to fall into the trap of loving others as we love ourselves, the Lord gave us a criteria.  He said, "Love one another as I have loved you." 

The Lord feared that we would love others not as we should, but to make us feel good.  In other words, the Lord feared that we could easily end up wanting our neighbor to worship us…just as we worship ourselves. And maybe that's the reason why we rarely ever mention God in any of our "social justice" projects. 

But if we can rise above ourselves, then we can rise above the fray just like the Lord rose from the dead and above all human conditions. 

Christ invites us to rise above human divisions and cultural barriers and promote a movement that places God above all things: all ideas, all customs, all people and all powers!  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is nothing more than the Gospel of Truth and Life in a Culture of death and lies.  

I know I have more in common with some of my Baptist friends than I do with some of my Catholic parishioners.  I know that I have more in common with some public school students than I do with some Catholic school students.  We are related not by titles but by mission.    

A few days ago I walked past a high school student waiting for the bus to take him to a Catholic High School.  He saw me.  I saw him.  I smiled at him.  I waited to see if he would say something.  He said nothing.  In fact, he put his head down. I thought to myself, “There goes another Catholic student who is sick and tired of God and the faith.”  Then, on the same day, I read in the newspaper how a bunch of public school cheerleaders were fighting in court to keep their tradition of writing bible quotes on their banners!  That’s amazing!  But what is even more amazing is that the judge ruled in their favor (at least temporarily). 

How many Catholic schools do you know put bible quotes on their banners, marquees, newsletters, etc…? 

Again, it’s all about what we want to promote:  an unknown God or a well known school; an unnamed God or a name for our school?  Do we have to sacrifice one for the other?

Well, this morning I saw him again.  He stood like a statue in the freezing cold air.  I walked up to him, with my head down and stood in front of him.   I made the sign of the Cross and looked up at my living “statue”.  I pretended to be startled and I told him, “Oh my goodness!  I thought you were a statue of St. Augustine!”  He was shocked.  He smiled and laughed…a little.  He didn’t know what to say.  That’s the unfortunate part.

Sometimes I think our schools, in their drive for academic excellence, cause our students “shell-shock” and confusion with regards to common sense and religious fervor.

The Lord helped a “scholar” to better understand the word “neighbor”.  You would think it would be obvious to such a brilliant man.  But as the war on religion (on what is right, holy, decent and good) continues to ravage America, our youth and our families, you would think that we would be fighting back.  Instead, we have become “people pleasers”.  Worst of all, we think this is pleasing to God.    

St. Paul asks the Galatians:  “Am I seeking to please people?  If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ” (Gal 1:6-12). 

You gotta love St. Paul, since nobody else did. 

We tend to place “freedom” above the Gospel.  But we can see what happens to our youth, our families, our culture and our neighbors when this happens.  What the Gospel tells us and what experience has demonstrated is that freedom without responsibility is a disaster!        

Christians have been given the tremendous responsibility to save America and Americans.  How?  By serving God and help our neighbor.  Let’s not blow it by being people pleasers.

Mk 9:38-48 On a Limb

Mk 9:38-48  Out on a Limb

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Jesus said, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut if off.  It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna…And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna...  Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna.” 

If I had to lose a limb for every sin, then I am sure I would end up with just my earlobe! 

I am not kidding.  And I am not alone.

As we continue to believe that it takes little to no effort to get into heaven, the Lord, in a very dramatic way, reminds us that we do have “a part to give" in our salvation. 

As we continue to “lower the bar” in order to appease everyone, the Lord continues to raise His bar up, ever so forcefully, so that we never take our salvation or His sacrifices for granted.

When I was meditating again on today’s Gospel passage, I asked myself why the Lord exaggerated so much.  But then, I realized he wasn’t exaggerating.  He was being sarcastic.

I will do whatever it takes!  Christ knows us.  He knows us well.  He knows to what lengths we will go to get what we want.  Take for example the young football player who is more than willing to take steroids to get on the team.  “I will do whatever it takes to get on this team!”    And take the not-so-young football player who will take steroids to stay on the team.  “I will do whatever it takes to stay on the team!”    Why do you think the Olympic committee banned performance enhancing drugs?  Because athletes would do whatever it took to win the gold medal! 

We all know young teens will starve themselves to death to get the perfect body!  “I don’t care!  It’s worth it!”  We are just know learning that College students will take ADHD medication or even Alzheimer drugs to stay focused, get the competitive edge and get an A+.  “It’s all worth it…for my career.”  And there are parents (not doctors) who are doing it  for them.

We will do whatever it takes to be successful, competitive and comfortable.  Even a single mom may end her pregnancy to further her education, reputation and make life just a little less complicated.  "You murdered the one who offers you no resistance" (cf. James 5:6).

Can we blame the Lord for saying what he said?  If you are willing to do all these things for yourself, then why not cut off your hand and foot to get into heaven?  Why not?  Unless…it’s not worth it to you.

What is Heaven worth to you?  Is it worth more than a career, an education, extra playing time, your body? 

The Lord is not against sacrifice.  And He knows we are more than capable of making sacrifices.  His problem is not that we sacrifice; His problem is with why we sacrifice.  When I say “It’s worth it!”, am I not really saying: “I’m worth it?” 

Do I sacrifice out of selfishness or do I sacrifice out of selflessness?

Am I willing to sacrifice my morals, my values, my faith for titles, privileges, and greater fame and fortune?  If so, then the Lord tells us that it is better to lose your hands and feet!

After all, He did. 

Better to lose a hand…lose a foot.  The Lord was not only being sarcastic; He was being prophetic.  He chose His words very carefully.  This morning, when I looked at my crucifix, I noticed how the Lord lost his hands and feet.  On the cross, He is saying, “It’s worth it”, but what He's really saying to me is: “YOU are worth it!”

It’s time to cut ourselves away from our pride, vanity and sensuality.  It’s time to lose the chains of sin. 

If we are willing to do whatever it takes to extend our career; to get noticed; to be successful, then why not do whatever it takes to obtain eternal life?

Better to lose a limb, then to lose a soul.  Better to sacrifice your life than to take a life.  Better to love unconditionally than to live unconditionally.

Luke 8:16-18 You Never Know

Luke 8:16-18  You Never Know

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Jesus said to the crowd:  “No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.”

Early this morning I received a phone call from the emergency line.  It was someone asking what time morning Mass was.  I couldn’t believe it!  This person was calling me on the emergency line for that? “What did you say?” I said.  But before they could repeat the question, I looked at the time on my cell phone.  Now I really couldn’t believe it!  It was 6:20 am and I was still in bed!

On any given day I would have been pretty upset about that phone call.  But this morning, I was extremely grateful.  Why?  Because it woke me up.  I arrived just in the nick of time to celebrate the 6:45 morning Mass.  I couldn’t believe it.

You never know the good you can do.  Take for example the person who called me this morning.  I am convinced they have a lot of faith in priests.  After all, would you call a priest early in the morning on the emergency line just to find out what time Mass is?  I wouldn’t!  I know what kind of person would do something like that:  a humble – very humble – person; a person with a tremendously thick skin and rich faith.

We should all be like that, for you never know just how your faith and goodwill could “save” someone today. 

At the conclusion of today’s Mass, someone came up to me and said, “Father, thank you for being here.  Your homily was exactly what I needed to hear this morning.  Thank you!”  Little did they know how close I was to not being there at all.

You never know the good you can do.  That got me thinking again.  We have been conditioned, one could even say “brainwashed” into thinking that faith is something that should be reserved and privately observed.  What nonsense!

This morning’s call was a wake-up call for me in more than one way.  It reminded me that I am here to feed my sheep, and not to worry so much about feeding anger in the wolves that surround me.

Today’s first reading is from the Old Testament.  It is a classic example of the Old Law:  “Refuse no one the good on which he has a claim…Plot no evil against your neighbor, against one who lives in peace with you…Quarrel not with a man without cause…with one who has done you no harm.”

The Old Law was all about justice.  “Refuse no one the good…HE HAS A CLAIM TO.”  “Plot no evil against your neighbor…THE ONE WHO LIVES IN PEACE WITH YOU.”  Do you see something wrong with this?  Do you see something wrong with being nice to those who are nice to you, and good to those who are good to you?  If you do, then you know the difference between the Old Law of justice and the New Law of love.

Christians are not lambs that live on the safe side.  Christians are lambs that cross to the other side.  They live among the wolves; among their distant relatives.  And this can be very annoying, irritating and considered arrogant by those who live on the other side!  It’s true!  But if one lamb can save one wolf before being devoured by an entire pack of wolves, then it was well worth it.  We know this by our history.  Good always triumphs over evil.  One ray of light is all it takes to break the darkness of the night. 

Far too often we are reluctant to share our faith because we are concerned about “offending” others.  And we feel this way even while the “others” are offending us and gaining ground. 

But the truth of the matter is made clear in Christ’s words and actions.  We are no longer called to have the faith of our Jewish brothers and sisters.  We are no longer restricted by the Law which is found in the Old Testament or in today’s first reading.  We have been set free by the Lord to cross to the other side and visit with sinners, converse with them and save them.

The Law that now governs us is found written in the heart of Jesus Christ.  It is the Law of Love and Light.  The Lord commanded his followers to shine everywhere.  He invited them to be a BIG TARGET; to let people know where you are, where you stand, what you believe in!  And even though the vast majority of people will do whatever it takes to take you out - to blow you out - so be it.  It is still important that you keep the light burning where it can be seen by all and for as long as you can.   

And don’t forget:  like the empty tomb, even a blown out candle can be an eloquent witness to the lasting power of Jesus Christ.

Mt 19:3-12 Marriage And All Things Decaying

Mt 19:3-12  Marriage And All Things Decaying

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Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” 

If you live in Dallas, you know for yourself that the roads in and around the city are a mess.  Recently, I had to drive a friend to the airport (DFW airport) and I was delayed for an hour due to all the construction (or reconstructing) surrounding it. 

While I was waiting, I had this simple reflection:  Nothing in this world stays pristine.  All things tend towards decay.  Roads…no matter how much cement and rebar we use, even our roads and bridges decay. 

I got to thinking about what I had just realized.  I couldn’t think of a single thing in this world that does not decay.  Humans decay, animals decay, plants decay, fruit decays, roads decay, even stones decay!  All things decay. 

Nothing lasts forever.  Not too long ago, I went to the home of an elderly couple.  They had been married for almost 60 years and they wanted me to bless their home of nearly 45 years.  As we went in and out of the house, I noticed something in the middle of the yard.  It was hardly recognizable and almost entirely covered over.  At first it looked like some ancient structure from centuries ago.  Before I could say anything, the elderly gentleman remarked:  “When I first moved into this house, I wanted a place outdoors where the family could eat and relax.  So my sons and I dug for days to remove all the grass, weeds and dirt in this place.  We covered it with plastic, purchased a ton of gravel and sand, and bought over four hundred bricks.  When it was all said and done, we had a beautiful outdoor patio and lush garden.  Now, as you can see, time has taken its course.   Gradually, little by little, the earth has reclaimed it and covered it.” 

The same holds true for more abstract manmade things such as nations, empires, cultures and civilizations.  All civilizations decline, so expect the same from western civilization.  All cultures decline, so expect the same from our neo-pagan culture.  Even all religions decline, so expect the same even from Christianity.  But what makes Christianity different from all other civilizations, cultures, institutions and religions is that it expects to decline, just like her founder, and to rise again, just like her founder.  This is what makes Christianity so different.

When man tries to save a dying institution, he redefines it.  When God tries to save a dying institution, he resurrects it.  Family is a dying institution in America.  So what do Americans do to save it?  We redefine it.  The hardworking student is a dying breed in America.  So how do we save him?  We redefine him.  Marriage is a dying institution in America.  So, what do we do to save it?  We redefine it. 

But when Christ spoke about marriage He didn’t redefine it, He resurrected it.  The Lord elevated a decaying and dying institution by bringing it back to its originality.  He chipped away all human inventions, innovations and redefinitions and brought it back to its essence and beauty.  He stressed the forgotten fact that marriage was between one man and one woman.  This went against the Jewish custom and tradition of a man having more than one wife.  Then, he moved on to declare that divorce was unacceptable (unless the marriage was unlawful; and in that case, it would not be a marriage at all).  That’s it.  Pure and simple.  Beautiful and remarkable.

Some would argue that Jesus made marriage less appealing by making it more restricting.  But I would argue that He didn’t make it less appealing; instead, the Lord made it more meaningful and beautiful.  He did not place an undue burden on spouses; he placed an overdue burden on divorce.  He gave women the equality that not a single modern day feminist ever gave them. Instead of demanding that women have the same right to divorce as men, he gave women equality with men by demanding that men not divorce their wives but be faithful to their wives; just as He is to His bride, the Church. 

Christ declared marriage what it truly is:  a symbol of the covenant between God and his people.  Marriage comes from God’s covenant, like our “father” comes from our Heavenly Father.  We did not give God his name; He gave man His name.

Some things decay simply because we allow them to.  Marriage should never decay (or require redefining) because marriage comes from God, and God is love and love never fails.  Unfortunately, we tend to take the easy way out of an institution’s problem by taking the core out of the institution.  We tend to listen more to what people have to say rather than what God has to say.

Receive the word of God, not as the word of men, but, as it truly is, the word of God. 

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 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!