Luke 13:18-21 Young and Humble

Luke 13:18-21  Young and Humble

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Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like?  To what can I compare it?  IT is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.  When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.”

Yesterday, I received a card from a couple who have been trying hard and praying hard to have a baby for some time now.  It finally happened.  The card read:  “It’s a baby!”  At first it struck me as odd that it didn’t read “It’s a girl” or “It’s a boy.”  But after a while, I finally got it.  They could care less what sex their child was.  They were just happy to have a baby.

Babies are cute.  People love to be around them.  It doesn’t matter what they do in front of us or to us.  They can burp in our face.  They can poop in our arms.  They can throw up all over our shirt.  It doesn’t matter what they do.  Nothing they say or do could ever wipe away the joy in our heart or the smile from our face. 

But when babies grow up, they’re not so cute.  Why is that?  Why do kids become so ugly?  It has nothing to do with their physical size or physical appearance.  it has everything to do with their selfishness. 

When the Lord describes the Kingdom of God as being the size of a mustard seed, what he is describing is not so much its physical dimensions but rather its spiritual conditions.  The reason why the Kingdom of God is so small and so great is because God makes himself small so as to be great.  It is the reason why the Lord said:  If you wish to be great, you must make yourself small. 

Babies get everything they need and want and even more.  Why?  Because they ask for nothing.   I keep telling our school kids that if they want to get more from their parents they need to stop asking for more.

I know some parents who are very "concerned" about their kids because they never ask for anything.  So what do they do?  They keep giving them more and more.  Their kids know the secret.  One student never asked for a car and got a car.  One student never demanded more freedom and got more freedom. 

Interested? 

The rule is simple:  If you want to be loved, then start loving.  If you want to be great, then start serving.   If you want to receive, then stop asking and start giving.

If you think about it, the Lord does not demand much from us, except to love Him and to love our neighbor.  Oh, I forgot.  He also asks us to give Him our sins so that He can give us His love.

Be subordinate.  In his letter to the Ephesians (Eph 5:21-33), St. Paul challenges Church leaders to be “subordinate to Christ”.  He goes one step further and challenges members of the Church to be “subordinate to one another”.  He then demands wives take a leap of faith by being “subordinate to their husbands in everything.”  But like everything St. Paul writes, he demands that we do what we do just like Christ did for us.  It is not enough to love.  We need to love as Christ loves us.

The Church is a “sacrament” of the Body of Christ.  Christians are a “sacrament” of Christ’s continual presence in the world.  Husbands are a sacrament of Christ’s unconditional love and sacrifice for His bride (the Church). 

There is no demanding in any of these relationships, only giving of oneself and dying to self.  These are the conditions that make all relationships possible, powerful, beautiful, amazing and ever young and new… like a new born baby.

Like a child, the Kingdom of God will grow from a small mustard seed to a burning bush, but only if it remains forever young and humble of heart.

Luke 9:46-50 An Argument Arose

Luke 9:46-50  An Argument Arose

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An argument arose among the disciples about which of them was the greatest.  Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side. 

An argument arose.  The truth can be very embarrassing.  Accepting the truth can be very humiliating.  But the sacred writers were neither embarrassed nor ashamed to hide from their readers their weaknesses; that is, those moments when they thought more like men do and less like God does. 

The disciples were arguing about which of them was “the greatest”.  Now, if they were arguing about such things, then for sure they were comparing themselves to each other.  That is, they were measuring each other up according to their own standards, persona, and imagination.  We all tend to do that a lot.  Even though we “hate” when it happens to us, we love to compare ourselves to others.  And when we do that, not only do arguments breakout, but resentment overwhelms us.    

Resentment is an awful thing.  I know because I have experienced it many times in my life.  I’ve gotten a lot better at it over the years.  It used to take me a year to get other a grudge.  Now, it only takes me ten months!!!

Resentment is awful.  It is a psychological autointoxication.  It is a poisoning that comes from within us; it eats away at our flesh, interior life and interior peace.  Resentment is not caused by anyone other than oneself; it is home grown.  It is a self-inflicted wound that we keep opening up time after time after time.

The word “resentment” says it all.  It is the “re-sending” or “re-living” over and over again of an aggression committed against us.  It is a horrible mind game.  The aggression could either be in the form of an action or omission or even circumstance.  We feel resentment when someone, either physically or verbally, insults us.  We feel it when others omit us or give us no recognition or credit.  Finally, we can feel a tremendous amount of resentment towards loved ones - God and friends - due to an illness, physical defect or family/economic situation.

The only way to handle these situations is to think clearly and objectively, and by not exaggerating or embellishing the situation or the incident.

Resentment is never positive.  It is always a negative reaction.  Therefore, it isn’t necessarily the offense that triggers resentment but rather my personal response to it.

It isn’t what others do to us or the mistakes that we make that hurt us, but rather our response to it.

Jesus realized the intention of their hearts. The Lord’s response to his disciples was eye opening.  He took a child, brought it next to him and said to his disciples: “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.  For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.” 

If there is ever a time when I should feel “jealous” or “envious” or even “resentful” towards another is when they know how to love more, forgive more and give more than I do.  That’s when I should be jealous and work my bottom off to be more loving, more forgiving and more giving.  I should not be having a competition among my peers on who is the greatest.  I should be having a competition on who can be the smallest; the one who can serve the most, if not all.

I doubt the disciples changed overnight.  It takes hard work, faith, hope and love to change.  But by the looks of it and by the humble examples given to us in scripture, they obviously did change, and change for the better.  They became the apple of the Lord’s eye when they were able to finally unite their will to His STEEL will. 

A weak will or character will continue to play an offense even after a great length of time has passed.  Now is the time to stop the chain of feelings!  Give the Lord your heart and allow him to replace it with His simple heart.  Now is the time to “re-send” over and over again the fact that the Lord is more powerful than any of our weaknesses; more loving than anyone’s insults; more knowing than anyone’s omissions.

The Lord knows me.  He knows everything.  He knows me well.  He created me.   Do not let anyone twist you, break you or even confuse you.  Rather, allow the Lord to be the one that builds you and defines you.   

Luke 7:36-50 Hold Fast!

Luke 7:36-50  Hold Fast!

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A certain Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him.  Now there was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.  Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. 

Something wrong is going on when someone sins.  Something worse is going on when someone sins and calls it a blessing.  But the worst is when someone who does not sin turns away the sinner.

This woman's face was her scarlet letter.  Everyone knew her.  Everyone knew who she was.  Even she knew who she was.  She admitted it.  And she knew what she was doing was wrong.  Ah, if only there were more humble women like this woman...But come to think of it, there probably would be if there were more humble men like the Lord. 

By the looks of it, no sinner ever approached a Pharisee.  I wouldn’t.  Would you?  Would you stretch out your hand at someone who would be repulsed by it?  Would you call out for help at someone who saw you and turned the other way?  Didn’t they know?  Didn’t they just turn away?

No wonder the Lord was harsher with the “sinless” than he was with the sinner.  They were making it so hard for others to enter Heaven. 

The Lord did not come into the world to tell people that everything was okay.  He did not forgive our sins by telling us there was nothing to forgive.  Why do I keep telling people who do me wrong:  “Oh, that’s okay.  Don’t worry about it.  We can all be like that.  No big deal.” 

Sin is a big deal.  And it needs to be dealt with in a small and humble way.  That's the only way to deal with sin! 

As I was coming back to the faith of my fathers, I realized that I needed to go to Confession.  To know Scripture and the sacraments was not good enough.  I had to experience God through the sacraments.  I knew I had to go to Confession.  And it was time to go to Confession.  I had put it off way too long.  Over ten years had passed since my last confession and I had plenty to confess.  Teenage years are tough years.  And the last time I had gone to confession was when I was fifteen years old.  Oh boy!

So I decided to go to a parish that was very, very far away from my home.  None of the priests knew me (of course).  None of the parishioners knew me.  I waited in line like all the other poor sinners and waited patiently for the priest to arrive.  He eventually did and I was shocked!

He was a very old Franciscan monk.  I couldn’t believe it.  He could barely walk.  I thought to myself, “If this man hears my Confession he will die!!!”    But then a different thought began to stir in my mind.  I actually smiled.  I was convinced he wouldn’t be able to hear a thing I said.

Well, I told him everything.  He listened.  I cried.  He gave me the best advice I had ever heard.  He ended by saying, “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good.”  I answered, “For his mercy endures forever.”

Little did I know that this Confession would be the cornerstone of how I would hear all my Confessions.  [Or at least try to hear all my confessions.]

Little did I know that this Confession would bring be back – heart, mind, body and soul – into the arms of Jesus Christ and to an entirely new way of living my life.

Hold fast!!!  This is the ride of your life!

P.S.  We tend to associate the Lord with a few grandiose miracles.  But what we often think little of is what Christ did the most:  he touched the sick and spoke lovingly to the brokenhearted.  He did what the Pharisees should have done.  He did what we should all be doing.

Luke 6:27-38 The High Road

Luke 6:27-38  The High Road

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Jesus said to his disciples:  “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

On a day of mourning to remember our fallen heroes of one of the most cowardly and vicious attacks on civilians, Islamists, from around the Middle East, began to surround our embassies (and consulates) and attack and kill our staff.

I have yet to hear a single cleric or religious figure of any importance in the Islamic world apologize on behalf of the Muslim people for the September 11^th, 2001 attack on innocent human life.  And yet, while ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, was being dragged (dead or alive we do not know) across the streets of Benghazi, the Administration of the United States of America was quick to apologize for a film attacking the prophet Mohammad and Islam. 

One would hope we were taking the higher road, the more “Christian” road.  But I doubt it.  I seriously doubt it.  I seriously doubt it because we have done everything humanly possible to make ourselves as much as possible a non-Christian nation.  Wake up America!  We are still strong, but for how long?  We are in debt, tremendous debt, a debt that will eventually cripple us.  Our children grow up weak, pale, alone and confused because they live in homes (families) where there is no strong foundation to keep them from sinking; no values or morals holding them up; no absolute truths to keep them grounded; no dad AND mom to building them up; no God to keep them going; no authentic and supernatural love to pick them up!     

We don’t need Muslims to tear our flag!  We’ve been doing it ourselves, and not just symbolically, but really!  We’ve been tearing our nation apart by tearing marriage, family and children apart.  We’ve been tearing God out of our nation.  Can you believe that He was actually booed, for the first time in American history, at a national political party convention?  Individual victories are becoming national defeats!  When an entire classroom cannot pray because one student does not want to pray, that's a national defeat!  When a entire football team cannot pray because one fan does not want to pray, that's a national defeat! 

We've been tearing up our nation for a long time now: “Separation between Church and state!” [RIP] “No prayer or moment of silence allowed in our schools!”  [RIP]  “No religious displays, no Christmas carols, no Christmas greetings on public property!” [RIP, RIP, RIP] 

Do you really think our government is “turning the other cheek”, or “loving” our enemies out of love for God?  Give me a break!  If religion is to play no role in our national affairs, then what drives our government leaders to apologize?  Isn't it a little obvious?  We didn’t apologize because we took the higher road, we apologized because we will do whatever it takes to accommodate our immediate interests.   This is not the world of diplomacy.  This is the world of failed diplomacy. 

Secular countries are weak countries.  Spain is a secular country and as soon as it was attacked by terrorists, it withdrew.  France is one of the most secular countries in the world.  It elected a weak man, a socialist.  And yesterday it passed a law that taxes the rich by as much as 75%!  Why so much?  Well, how else could the government continue to spend even more than it has? 

What egalitarian or parasite wouldn't elect a socialist?  Who wouldn’t elect someone who promises them everything…and for free!  But nothing is for free.  If there is a hand that feeds you, then you better raise your hand in support of that hand!  No one bites the hand that spoon-feeds them. 

The Lord did not speak these words of paradox from a position of weakness.  He spoke them from a position of strength.  When He picked up His cross; when He died on the Cross, He showed the world that He would not compromise, under any conditions or circumstances, His principles, His morals, His values, His teachings, His Father, His God, His mission, His life!

That is what we should be insisting on when we dialogue with our enemies.  We should speak from a position of strength, not of fear!  We should seek to understand while at peace and never when attacked.  We should never give our enemies the impression that violence pays.

It appears as though we deal with our national debt the same way we deal with a crisis in foreign policy:  poorly.  If we do not pay now (or pay attention now), than others will pay.  And boy will they pay! 

Carrying the Cross is paying the price and taking the high road!

Luke 5:33-39 What To Do To...?

Luke 5:33-39 What To Do To...?

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The scribes and the Pharisees watched [Jesus] closely to see if he would cure on the Sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him…they discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

If you spend some time with someone, you are bound to get to know them.  Once you get to know them, you are bound to get upset with them.  From a distance, they can do no wrong.  Up close and personal, all they seem to do is wrong. 

This is the paradox of friendship.  In order to make a friend, you have to get to know them.  Once you get to know them, you know everything about them.  Once you know everything about them, you can easily get annoyed by them.  That’s why very few brothers or sisters are very good friends.  It’s not because we didn’t get to pick them.  It’s because we got to know them! 

To be a friend means to love a friend.  To love a friend means to forgive a friend.  A friend is not someone you find.  It is someone you forgive.   

This morning I told a group of high school senior girls that the best way to prepare for College life is to invite their little sister back into their room.  What better way is there to prepare for dorm life; for a roommate you didn’t pick!  What a great way to prepare for someone who will snoop into your affairs; complain night and day; and have little to no respect for your property, feelings or ideas.

Friends do not make us better prepared for college life (or life).  Family does! 

The scribes and Pharisees were watching the Lord closely to see if they could accuse him of something, anything.  Boy, that must have taken a lot of work!  It couldn’t have been an easy task.  And there lies the irony of it all:  the scribes and Pharisees were working hard, harder than the Lord, on the Sabbath!

But they couldn’t find anything.  So what to do? 

Rather than looking to be better or holier, the scribes and Pharisees looked for something – anything - to accuse the Lord of.  And the Lord knew it.  That’s why He went along his way and spent very little time with them.  Sure, He talked to them and dealt with them, but He gave very little of Himself to them, and this irritated the hell in them!  While the Lord continued to cure the sick and heal the sinners, the scribes and Pharisees continued to attack Jesus: viciously and aggressively.  They called him names.  They twisted his actions.  They distorted his messages.  In the meantime, the Lord continued doing what He did best.

What do you do when someone does you wrong?  Do you leave them alone?  Do you try to help them?  Or do you strike back in a vicious manner?  We all know what the Lord did.

What do you do when someone doesn’t fall into your trap?  Do you leave them alone?  Do you learn your lesson?  Or do you strike back in a vicious manner?  We all know what the Pharisees and scribes did.

Does name calling or throwing mud at someone’s name or reputation make you a better person?  Does calling someone a bigot, a racist, an extremist or a chauvinist make you feel any better?  Would it have made the Lord any better?  Did it make the Pharisees any better?

There are some people in this world that, regardless of how much you try to help them, will end up attacking you.  Christ knows!  The perfect man experienced it himself.   Would you expect anything different; especially you being imperfect?

Honest people make mistakes and give us a great opportunity to rise above the mud and forgive… just as we hope to be forgiven.    

To forgive someone does not require a lot of time.  Don’t expect too much time to be given.

Mt 18:21-19:1 Making God Evident

Mt 18:21-19:1  Making God Evident

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Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him?  As many as seven times?”  Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times...”

The “absence of evidence” should not be confused as “evidence of absence”.  When someone says that God is not very evident it does not mean he is absent.  It means they should continue asking, seeking and knocking.  If I can’t see God, the reason may very well be because He stands behind me.  It doesn’t mean he is absent from me. 

If I have never had a steak, it doesn’t mean that steaks do not exist.  If I have never been married, it doesn’t mean that marriage is overrated.  If I have been stuck in a lousy marriage, it doesn’t mean that marriage is lousy.  If I rarely ever experienced the warmth of my father or the love of my mother, it does not mean that God does not exist.  If anything, it means that sin exists.

There have been far too many individuals who lacked normalcy and made up for it with atrocity.  I recently finished reading a book by Paul Johnson entitled, “Intellectuals”.  It’s an interesting little book that describes in detail (at times disgusting detail) the dysfunctional, immoral, and egocentric lives of some of the greatest “intellectuals” of recent memory.   But what is even more shocking is the tremendous influence these perverted, twisted and confused individuals had on human thought and behavior?  I personally think we point to them because we can use them in justifying our own addictive personalities, lifestyles, sexual promiscuities, etc.  After all, why love Christ who tells me I’m wrong when I can love Marx who tells me I’m right?

It is amazing just how a few individuals could cause an exuberant amount of pain, misery and confusion on the rest of humanity.  

Now if I were to surmise what drove all of them to great sadness or madness and to advocate great evil, I would have to say it was based on the following evidence:  an absence of evidence. 

Evil is the absence of good. 

In other words, since these individuals never experienced a healthy family life, a solid Christian education, love, forgiveness, mercy and compassion, then, based on the evidence (or lack of), they concluded that such things do not really exist. 

God is love.  And the problem with God being love (if there is a problem with that), is that love is evident yet mysterious.  Love is like the sun.  The sun helps us to see clearly everything around us, except the sun!  We can’t stare at it, unless it is clouded over; and then, we can’t see it clearly – as it truly is.

Forgiveness and giving is evidence of love.  If we love, then we forgive and give.  If we do not love, then it remains absent. 

The Lord told Peter, “You must forgive, always.”   The problem with intellectuals is that if there is nothing to forgive, then there is nothing to give.  This only makes the world’s problems even worse. 

 How often must I forgive?  Always.  And this will keep God evident in our world.   

This is how they will know you belong to me (cf. Jn 13:35).

Mt 15:21-28 Acknowledging and Apologizing

Mt 15:21-28  Acknowledging and Apologizing

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At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! ...He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.”  She said, “Please Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”  Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith!  Let it be done for you as you wish.”  And her daughter was healed from that hour. 

I love this reading!  It highlights something long ago forgotten:  faith overcomes hurt feelings; truth trumps false compassion.  If someone spoke like the Lord today…they would be crucified!  Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!  If this incident had been videotaped…oh my goodness!  What would we say about Jesus?  “How dare you speak to a woman like that!  You called her a dog???  You are such a fake!  You are a phony baloney!  You hypocrite!  Now I know what you are really made of!  Now I have seen the real side of you!”

In the Lord’s case we would be wrong in condemning him, just like we were wrong two thousand years ago.  In her case we would be right in justifying her, just like He did, two thousand years ago, in recognizing her tremendous faith. 

I have heard some theologians explain this passage away by saying the Lord had a bad day, or that he was only human.  Or that the Lord did not understand that He needed to save non-Jews.  How horribly ridiculous!  Why can’t we admit the truth? That is, sometimes the truth is painful because our pride gets hurt; and our pride hurts because it is skin deep. 

If someone today spoke like Jesus yesterday they would be crucified, as He was two thousand years ago.  But if someone today spoke like the Canaanite woman of long ago, then they would be glorified, as she was two thousand years ago.  And that’s the problem:  no one speaks like her today!  The problem isn’t with people speaking like the Lord.  The problem is with people responding like the woman.  In other words, very few people have that (her) kind of faith!

This woman’s faith was the size of a mustard seed.  And for a mustard seed to grow, it needs to be fertilized.  And we know what fertilizer is made from:   poop that is thrown at us! 

The Lord grew in stature every time his enemies swung mud at him.  Faith grows in adversity, like it or not.  And most of us don’t like it!  But it’s true:  faith overcomes hurt feelings and truth trumps false compassion.  We love the Lord because, while his foes swung at him, he didn’t swing back.  He didn’t act like those we know.

The man at the window of Chic-Fil-A, and at the center of a growing storm, acknowledges he made a mistake.  Just recently, he apologized for his actions.  The problem with his apology is that it wasn’t immediate.  It was done long after he left the restaurant, posted his video, received a ton of negative press and lost his job.  There is nothing wrong with apologizing.  But do it quickly!  Accept your mistakes.  The sincere of heart do it quickly, immediately.  They react before others can. 

The problem with “Rachael”, the young lady working at Chic-Fil-A, is that she didn’t want to meet with her bully immediately.  I read that she needed some time.  That’s unfortunate.  Like I said before, only she could turn her story into a Gospel passage.

What makes Christ’s acknowledgement (of the Canaanite woman’s response) so beautiful is that it was done immediately, before any reactions, before any commentators, before anyone had a chance to run with the story.  This is what made his comments sincere.  This is how we know he was not insulting this woman; rather, He was putting her to the test. This is why Saint Matthew kept the story alive.  And what makes the Canaanite woman’s faith so beautiful is her immediate, unwavering response of faith.  Her faith, in the Lord, would not be shaken, regardless of what He called her.

How strong is your faith?  What gets in the way of our faith?  Answer:  our feelings.  We place feelings over faith; sentimentalisms over facts.  The Lord never told a sinner, like we do: “Don’t worry about it”, or “So what?”, or “Who cares”.  He told them the truth; He told them “Sin no more” and then immediately forgave them.  He didn’t accept everyone; He loved everyone - sincerely, not superficially - by the skin off his back. 

As a young man, I once felt offended by what a priest told me.  I would not feel insulted by what a priest told me today, unless it was contrary to the teachings of the Church!  If a priest tells me that I am a sinner, do I need to remind him that he is one too?  If he tells me that what I did was awful, do I need to remind him of the awful things that priests have done?  It’s all pride and very little faith.

Christ challenges each and every one of us.  Priestly vows are just as difficult to live as spousal vows.  But as hard as they are, they make us who we are.  And we know what Christ wants for us is exactly what he was looking for from the Canaanite woman:  an increase in unconditional faith and love.

Mt 13:31-35 A Seed of A Different Kind

Mt 13:31-35  A Seed of A Different Kind

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Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds.  “The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field.  It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.  It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’”

I believe it is an American proverb:  “When it rains, it pours.”  It’s not always a bad thing, especially when half the nation is in a terrible drought. 

Yesterday evening I returned home after having spent the weekend in Mexico City.  It was a long day of travel that only got longer.  Of course I was thrilled to be there.  It was the first wedding I ever performed in Mexico.  It was the first wedding I ever performed in which the bride and groom were former students of mine.   Although it was an honor and a privilege to be with them and their families, I was ready to get back home. 

American Airlines flies non-stop from Dallas to Mexico City.  They have four or five flights a day every day.  But yesterday, my flight (and only my flight) got cancelled.  I couldn’t believe it!  I had beat Montezuma’s revenge; I had beat the traffic; I had survived the roads; I had beat getting mugged or robbed.  Like Spirit Airlines, American Airlines could offer me nothing except an early morning flight the following day.  I was furious!  I left the airport bitter and got the first cab I could find.  

As I was heading back to the Hotel (the one I had just checked out of) the traffic became unbearable.  Bicyclists appeared in every direction.  Since the driver couldn’t get near the Hotel, he asked me to get out and walk ten blocks from the Hotel.  I couldn’t believe it.  With a bag in my hand, I began the walk.  I still left him a tip. 

When I got to the Hotel, I sought out a friend of mine.  He is a Platinum member with American Airlines.  He got on the phone and Viola! …I had a ticket in my name for one of the evening flights out of Mexico City.  Let’s not fool ourselves:  money talks.  I’m sure some poor guy is scratching his head wondering how “he” made a mistake that cost him his seat.

I went back to the airport, and without thinking twice, I checked in my bag.  Afterwards, I realized that I had left my prescription sunglasses in one of the outer compartments.  I thought to myself, “Oh no, I hope they don’t get crushed.”

I (along with my bag) made it back to Dallas. Better late than never.  While I was driving home, I noticed an object in the middle of the road.  I couldn't avoid it and ended up hitting a piece of an 18-wheeler’s tire.  I heard a horrible noise as I drove away.  It turns out the front bottom of my car is damaged.  I will need to get that fixed.

When I made it back to my house, I opened up my luggage to check and see if my sunglasses had survived the journey.  I opened the case and discovered that the glasses were gone.  I couldn’t believe it.  Actually, I could…and I did.  I began to do what most people would do.  I began to think horrible thoughts about people; generalize an entire nation; think of ways to get back at them; imagine what I would do the next time, etc.

To top it all off, I think I got Montezuma's revenge.

If we were to take today’s Gospel and turn it upside down we would get a very good description of the Kingdom of hell.  Yes, the Kingdom of hell is like a very small seed that a person took and planted in your field.  It is the smallest, yet when full-blown it can quickly grow and spread into the greatest of plants.  It consumes everything around it and leaves shade to hide. 

Those who are possessed by hatred, resentment and bitterness can quickly consume the good people that are around them.  Not a single living creature would dare come near or even think of dwelling or resting  upon them.    

Hell has a tendency of spreading like a wild fire in the midst of a drought.  Hell begins for plenty of good reasons.

Christ entered where no man dared come near to.

But as there are many good reasons to hate, there are plenty of good reasons to love and be loved.  “It was not you who chose me, says the Lord, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last” (cf. Jn 15:16).

The Lord had plenty of good reasons to hate.  That reality is what makes him so much more remarkable.  A weak man knows how to hate.  It takes a very strong man to know how to love.  We have the model in Jesus Christ.  “Do not forget God who gave you birth.” (Dt 32)

Moments like the one I had above are moments that test our patience and our faith.  It's good to have moments like these.  It helps us to see just how much spiritual progress has been made.

Christians are called to be seeds of a different kind: of Christ’s kind and of Christ’s kindness. 

We grow were least expected. 

Mt 10:1-7 Some of the Luckiest People In The World

Mt 10:1-7  Some of the Luckiest People In The World

(Click here for readings)

Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness…He sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.  Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Their names are listed for all the world to see:  Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, Thaddeus, Simon and Judas Iscariot.    But what’s in a name, if it isn’t backed by another name?  What makes their names “special” if they are not backed by the only name in which there is salvation, Jesus Christ?  For this reason alone Peter is The Rock and Judas is The Betrayer.

Their names are forever remembered because they are forever associated with the Eternal One.

They came from nowhere.  Most of them lived in extreme poverty.  Almost all of them had no formal education.   And yet, we often think of the Twelve has having been privileged; as if they had received an additional Sacrament, a secret Sacrament, that no others had received.  But that is wishful thinking.  It’s convenient for me to think this way; it allows me to lower the bar; keep the expectations to a minimum.

  Who needs expectations?  After all, they can only disappoint. 

Sean Covey wrote the book, “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.”  The book was highly effective…for him.  When we think of highly effective people, we think of successful people.  And when we think of successful people, we think of money.  What we should think of is holiness.  What we should think of are the “Seven Sacraments of Highly Effective People” by Jesus Christ.

What the Apostles received, I received.  Of course these men were blessed.  They walked with the Lord; they talked to him.  They actually saw miracles take place by Him.   But so did Judas. 

What the Apostles received, I received.  But what they did with it makes all the difference in the world.  They took it and ran with it!

Go to the lost sheep of Israel.    This was their first assignment.  They were asked to go rescue those caught up in the hurricane.  The Lord wanted to shock his Apostles and to shock his people.  They went for maximum exposure.  They went straight into action and right at the problem: the lost sheep of Israel; the Jews who were lost and needed to be found.  Today, we would call them fallen away Catholics who are lost and need to be found.

Often I am asked by hot headed yet well intended Catholics to pound hard and drive home in my homilies hot button issues to Sunday Catholics.  But if their heavy handed tactics don’t make much of an impression on me, it will definitely not impress many of them. 

My homilies are nothing like my blog.  Why?  Because they are not the place or the way to go about discussing hot button issues to fallen away Catholics.   Most people will think it is out of fear.  They insult me.  But what is there to fear?  That we are rejected?  We already are!  The reason why you won’t hear priests discuss contraceptives or gay-marriage directly from the pulpit is because it is not effective.  Since our Catholic schools failed to teach our children these issues; since CCD failed to teach them anything; since families failed to teach them the faith, then everyone thinks it’s the priest that must clean up the mess in Mass!  So now, after all this failure, well intended Catholics want us to discuss all the things that should have been taught at home, on the weekends and in our schools should now be taught in Mass, en masse!  No! 

There are some priests that try to do it.  It looks like it works.  But it does it from the pulpit?  Are they successful in filling the pews by attracting the faithful from all over?  Have they brought the unchurched to church?  Have they found the lost?  What we know that works is one-to-one relationships.  What we know is successful are Catholic families that teach the faith to their children; Catholic schools that teach the faith to their students; Catholic ministries that bring the faith to others. 

What must the priests do for the lost sheep of Rome?  They must have a child-like heart. 

Express hope in sadness.  Share a laugh with the truth.  Teach the truth and show mercy and forgiveness.  Write your thoughts down and share them with others.  Pope Benedict’s homilies are not the same as Pope Benedict’s encyclicals.  John Paul’s mega gatherings full of laughter and smiles were not the same as John Paul’s staff meetings full of agendas and concerns.  We must always be Christ-like to others.  Know where is the best place, when is the best time and best way to give Jesus Christ.  Know when to be Christ-like by being child-like.  Know when to be Christ-like by being martyr.  Know when to be Christ-like by being a leader!

Joy is essential in converting the hearts and minds of fallen away Catholics.  If I look sad, gloomy, cheerless and distressed over issues the Church faces, then I have given more power, more authority and more weight to the bad news than to the Good News; more ammunition to my enemies than to my best friend, Jesus Christ; more credibility to the devil than to our Savior.  No one in their right mind will ever be convinced of my faith by the gloom on my face!  Instead, look at Jesus:  determined in his distress; cool under duress; loving and forgiving when we transgress; joyful and peaceful in his success.    

“Glorify the Lord with me, let us together extol his name.  I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears…Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and you faces may not blush with shame.  When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him.”  (Ps. 34:2-7)

The luckiest people in the world are the holiest!  Let's show it.

Mt 9:1-8 Life and Love

Mt 9:1-8  Life and Love

(Click here for readings)

After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town.  And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.  When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.”  At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”

The God-particle.  Brainy scientists just recently discovered the “God-particle”, a sticky field that acts as a drag on other particles.  It explains how elementary particles are imbued with mass.   This historic discovery did not come easy.  It took hundreds of scientists, researchers and engineers to do it and thousands of hours to accomplish it.  It was another “one-small-step-for-man, one-giant-leap-for-mankind” moment.  But let’s not forget: before the brainy scientists were smart enough to discover it, God was smart enough to create it and utilize it.   

When asked if there were any practical results from their research, the answer came back, “Not directly.”   What???  Not directly???  Isn’t this particle responsible for building atoms and making life possible?  Isn’t that practical enough?  I find it amazing how smart people can be so dumb.  Maybe I should give them some slack. Maybe what they were trying to say was that they didn’t know how they could one day control it, manipulate it and twist it for our use…or misuse.  Maybe they were thinking of that rather than how God used it. 

The Christ-particle.  Today’s reading and yesterday’s discovery reminds me of the “Christ-particle”; that grace that drives some friends insane and brings enemies closer together.  Its sticky nature explains just how God can bind us to one another and to himself.  Not only does it give life a fighting chance, it also lifts up the soul and acts as a drag to fighting and war.  This ‘particle’ not only creates life, it also recreates it.

What is it?  Forgiveness.   

The greatest truth ever spoken came from Peter:  “You are the Son of the living God.”  Today, we have the greatest possible ending to a heart wrenching story:  “Take heart, my child, your sins are forgiven.”  But with the greatest love story lived came the greatest attack ever seen:  “This man is a blasphemer!” 

Are there any practical results from the “Christ-particle”?  You bet!  The forgiveness of our sins leads us to Christ’s heart and to a better understanding of what we are.  It is the first fruit of love and is necessary for all human life.  Without it we fight, we destroy, we kill, we die.  But with it, we laugh, we smile, we cry, we grow, we thrive!   It explains how we can live surrounded by a vacuum of evil and death.  It explains how God was able to create beauty in the midst of chaos; how he was able to reconcile all things to himself.

We can’t live on bread alone.  We can’t live on air alone.  We can’t even live alone!  The world is made up of tiny particles.  Man is made up of tiny particles.  But what is truly amazing is how these tiny particles can add up to life and love.