Mt 5:1-12a All Saints

Mt 5:1-12a  All Saints

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When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.  He began to teach them saying:  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted…”

These words have become so common that they have nearly lost their significance.  But they are the nine steps to holiness.

Why am I here?  To be a saint.  Everything else - all other goals - is a waste of time.  Really!  What else could possibly be worth living (and dying) for?  What does it mean to be a saint?  It means to love God above all other things and to love your neighbor as yourself.   It means to say what Christ said, do what Christ did, and live like Christ lived.  A saint is another Christ. 

The saints were normal people that did something about it.  Yes, they were regular people, but they never settled for that. And although they came in different shapes and sizes and from just about every imaginable background, they all shared one thing in common:  they were all sinners.  And here lies the difference between us and them:  they did something about that.  They worked hard not to be more like us, but to be more like Christ.  They desired not to melt in but to stand up. 

St. Paul was a sinner, and arguably the worst of sinners.  St. Angela Merici was a sinner.  So was St. Dominic Savio.  Even Maria Goretti was a sinner.  But they all did something about it.  They really tried to love God above all things and to love their neighbors in an uncommon way.

Someone once told me that if St. Angela were alive today, she would have been a great business woman.  I told them that if St. Angela were alive today, she would have been a holy nun and a great business woman.  Let’s not fool ourselves.  Her vocation, her life mission, her goal in life, her dreams and her drive all came from a love for God.  Yes, she did amazing work for young girls, but she loved God above all other things, even the girls she educated.  Thank God!  Because she loved God, she saw a problem and made it smaller, not bigger.  You see, it’s not enough just to love your neighbor.  It’s not enough to see a problem and want to solve it.   Without God, you may actually end up harming your neighbor and making a problem much worse.  Some of our best intentions have made our lives more dangerous and our problems much worse.  Some of our best intentions have killed our children!

The best ways to solve the worst problems start by loving God above all things; seeing things from His perspective, and solving the problem with His help.

Life is hard.  Life is incredibly hard.  As I wrote yesterday, “we are not as strong as we think we are.”  Everyone faces tough choices in life.  Everyone faces hardships and difficulties.  Most marriages are hard to keep.  Most children are hard to rise.  Most promises are easy to break.  The difference between the saints and the sinners is not the hardships they faced but how they responded to them.

“Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?  …My Lord, you are the one who knows.”  He said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress…”  (Rev. 7:13-14).

A few days ago I spoke to a family I know who live in New York City.  They told me they had prayed to God that He protect them from the storm.  Their home and their lives were spared.  I asked them if they had prayed that God protect the others as well.  They were silent.  Imagine for a moment if their house was the only house standing?  I wonder how they would feel about that?

Blessed are the poor in spirit (humble).  Blessed are they who mourn (those who do not take anything or anyone for granted).  Blessed are the meek.  Blessed are the merciful.  Blessed are the clean of heart.  Blessed are the peacemakers.  Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness.  Blessed are they who are insulted because of the Lord.

Nine steps to holiness.  Nine bridges that lead to God.  Take one each day.

Yesterday, I spoke to a couple that went around the world in 30 days.  It was a very expensive trip.  They were part of a group of nearly fifty people.  They went all over the world.  You would think they would have mentioned the sites they saw.  Instead, the first thing they mentioned to me was an elderly woman who was drunk every day and night.  They told me she made them late, she made them sick, she embarrassed them, she harassed them, she delayed them and she made the trip unbearable.  At a certain moment, the organizers of the trip warned her that if she were late again, then they would leave her behind.

I asked the couple if anyone helped her.  They were confused.  So, I asked again:  “Did anyone try to help her?  Did anyone talk to her or ask her if she was going through some tough times?”  No. 

Yes.  It’s easy to be a bystander.  It's tough be an "upstander"; to stand up.   It’s easy to judge.  It's easy to condemn.  It's a different story to love:  it's called a love story.  That’s the difference between the saints and the sinners.  They wanted to be part of a love story. 

They didn’t know everything.  But they did know when to help.  They didn't go blind when someone was going through hell. 

The Saints understood that God’s great and amazing plans (for them) always include lost souls, even when they're on vacation.

Oh Lord, may we never be content with just being who we are, but strive to be more like who you are.  We ask this in your Holy name.  Amen.
 

Mt 18:1-10 Guardian Angels

Mt 18:1-10  Guardian Angels

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The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”  He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven…See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly father.”

This morning, before the children’s Mass, I asked Fr. John if he had a good guardian angel story. 

He did.

My mom was pregnant when she suddenly woke up in the middle of the night and heard a voice inside her telling her she needed to go immediately to the hospital.  She woke my dad and they headed straight out the door and to the local emergency room.  They didn’t know what was going on.  She felt no physical pain, but she sensed immediate danger; danger for her unborn child.  The little voice inside her head was relentless:  "the child is dying".  After a few tests, the doctor rushed her into the operating room.  She needed to deliver her baby at once, by C-section, for her child indeed was having difficulty breathing.  In turns out he had pneumonia and would have died within hours if not delivered and treated.

I asked Fr. John which sibling it was.  He said, “It was me!”

At Mass, I told the children that they should all be smiling.  As soon as I said it, they all started to smile.  I went up to one child and asked him why he was smiling.  He said, “I don’t know.”  It figures!  I shouted back, “You don’t know!!!  You should know.  You should all be smiling for the same reason. None of you could smile if you were not…?”  I was waiting for someone to finish the sentence for me.  They said, “Happy!”, “Loved!”    

“Yes!  Yes!  Of course!” I said, “but none of you could smile or be ‘happy’ or ‘loved’ if you were not…?”  Finally…one child got it:  “ALIVE!”

“Yes!  Alive!!!” 

We all take for granted what we should all be most grateful for.

Angel sent by God to guide me, be my light and walk beside me, be my guardian and protect me, on the paths of life direct me.  Amen!

Unfortunately, we tend to not acknowledge our guardian angels unless they are doing what they are suppose to be doing; that is, protecting us, defending us, and guiding us.  Unfortunately, most of our stories regarding guardian angels are amazingly hairy and scary stories.  I think that’s because we take them for granted and  only notice them when it matters most. 

Fr. John has plenty of stories. 

I do too.

I used to say this prayer to my guardian angel at least three times a day as a seminarian:  in the morning, at midday, and once at night.  Now I say it every time I get in my car.   I say it because I believe in guardian angels.  I say it because I have experienced the power of guardian angels.

I don’t like to fly.  I don’t like heights.  And I know I have mentioned to you, in previous meditations, my disdain for mountain climbing.  Well, while I was in Northern Italy, our religious community would often go on very long hikes up very high mountains.  What made things worse is that we never wore the proper clothes or shoes or brought the proper equipment for this type of hiking.  I remember passing warning signs that read:  “Bring extra food, warm clothes, proper footwear, first aid equipment in case of severe or unexpected weather conditions.”  I learned to stop reading these signs.  They were depressing.  None of us owned hiking boots, none of us had extra food or warm clothes, and yet we would pass these signs singing a Te Deum and hike up mountains covered in snow and ice.  Just thinking about it today makes me wonder how I ever survived.

Actually, I know how.  It was by God’s grace.  It was by the help of the angels and saints!  It was by the prayers of many!

On most hikes, I was in the back of the pack, with the “slow” group.  That’s because I was the least enthusiastic, the least interested, and the least willing to go and it showed.  But one day, on one particular hike, I decided, for some strange reason, to hike with the “fast” group. 

It didn’t take long for us to have inadvertently separated from the “slow” group.  We waited for them but they never showed up.  This was strange since we knew we were in front of them and on the proper trail.  Low and behold, someone called out and spotted them.  They were on the opposite side of us, on a very steep and dangerous cliff, with their hands hugging the side of the mountain.  Somehow they had lost their way and were now walking ever-so-slowly on a ridge that was no more than 3 feet wide.  I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.  My heart went out for them.  And all I could think of was the fact that I was not with them.    All I could imagine was me on that steep cliff.  I would not believe that I was not with them!  I could not believe that on this day, I had decided to do something I had never done before.

Every day we should pray the prayer to our guardian angel.  I believe in its power.  You should too.

Mt 9:9-13 Something’s Not Right Here!

Mt 9:9-13  Something’s Not Right Here! 

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As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.  He said to him, “Follow me.”  And he got up and followed him.  While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples.  The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 

I said it yesterday and I will say it again today.  The Lord did not spend his entire life performing amazing miracles.  He spent most of his time talking to the brokenhearted.  His mission is our mission.  His advice should be taken seriously:  “They will know you belong to me by the way you love.”   

This morning I celebrated Mass for our Middle School kids.  I told them a story that I have been using (and modifying) for a while now.  I’ve changed some of the names to make it more relatable.  But the story is true in its essence. 

A few weeks ago, I went to breakfast with a couple of moms.  They asked me all sorts of questions about the faith, the Church and about Catholic schools.  They asked me what I thought about one particular Catholic school.  I told them the truth.  I told them that the school encouraged the kids to be the best that they could be; that it offered excellent academics and programs.  But then one mom asked me point blank:  “What do you think is not so good about the school?”  I thought long and hard about it, and I told them:  “Well, they are not as diverse as some of the other schools.”  Of course they were a little shocked to hear that.  But I clarified my point by saying, “They don’t have very many mean kids like the other schools do.”   

I wish you could have seen the look on their face!

Anyone who knows me or has heard me speak knows that I love to grab my audience’s attention by throwing some bait out there, have them nibble on it, then hook them good, reel them in nice and slow, and pound them over the head!  That’s how one religion teacher described my homilies to students.  I’m not sure if that is true, but I do try!

What makes Christ so amazing?  What makes Christ so loveable?  What makes Christ so relatable?  Is it the comfortable lie that he accepts us just the way we are?  No.  Is it the bull that he loves diversity?  No.  Then what is it?  It is the fact that He wants to love me and change me. 

The Lord called Matthew not because He deserved it or because He was worthy of it or because He needed some diversity among the Twelve.  He called Matthew because He wanted to change this young man’s life.  And He was willing to do whatever it took to do so.  He was not about to take no for an answer.  And by the looks of it, Matthew was more than ready to follow the Lord.

Something is not right with today’s Gospel.  The Lord came into the custom’s post.  He saw Matthew.  He pointed at Matthew.  He said to Matthew:  “Follow me.”  And Matthew got up, left everything and never turned back. 

Give me a break!  How unrealistic.  How could this happen!  This never happens!  Unless…unless… Matthew was not happy with his life.  Yes...this could never have happened unless Matthew was more than ready for a change in his life. 

But how could he not be happy?  Didn’t he have all the money?  Didn’t he have the people shaking at their knees?  Yes.  He had power.  He had money.  So what was missing?  Nothing…except one thing; the most important thing:  the Lord.  And that’s why Matthew got up and left it all behind.  He was sick and tired of it all and was finally ready to give the Lord his life.

When will I learn?  When will I finally figure it out?  When will I realize that the Lord must be the cornerstone, the foundation, the columns, the roots and depth of my life?  If not, then I will continue to chase after wild dreams and succumb to horrible nightmares.

Today, if you know a mean person in your life, then call them and invite them to follow you so that you can lead them to Christ.  We need to know more mean people in our lives so that we never forget who we do not want to be, and never forget what we are supposed to do:  love the unlovable and convert the despicable.

“Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’  I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

Mt 25:14-30 Good and Faithful Servants

Mt 25:14-30  Good and Faithful Servants

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Jesus said to his disciples:  “For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

What does it take to get on Christ’s good side?  Trying.

Master, you gave me five talents.  See, I have made five more.  Originally, the word “talent” referred to money.  Today, it has been used to represent a gift or an ability given to us by God.    This is what the Lord wanted to convey to his disciples.  They had received the gift of faith.  Now, they were to go out and give it away; give it to all who would accept it.  Are you trying?  Are you really trying?  Do sweat or tears (and occasionally blood) come forth from your effort?  We often assume that if the Lord gave us a talent, then it must be for our own benefit.  But knowing the Lord, and all that he said and all that he did, I don’t buy it.  Rather, I would say that if the Lord gave us a “talent”, it was to teach others a better way of doing things.  The talent was meant to be shared.

Yesterday, I watched on Sci TV a documentary on the Apollo missions.  When the Apollo 11 astronauts returned to earth, after having landed on the moon for the very first time, they took a tour around the world.  They were shocked at how people, from the various countries, would come up to them and say, “We did it!!!”  It was this “we” that first shocked them, but also helped them to put things in a very new and much needed perspective.  It wasn’t the United States that did it.  It wasn’t Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin that did it.  It was mankind that did it.  It was their mothers and fathers that did it.  It was their ancestors that did it.  It was the engineers that did it.  It was the world that did it.  It was God that did it and made it all possible.

Master, I went off and buried your talent in the ground.  Here it is back.  Who is the wicked and lazy servant?  The one who doesn’t even try.  What does it take to get on Christ’s bad side?  Stop trying or don’t even try. 

Go ahead and blame as many people as possible for the state of life you are in.  See if that makes things better!  Make every single possible excuse for your miserable existence.  Create your own pitiful story.  Now, I have no sympathy for British Royalty, but let’s see... Prince Harry didn’t have enough, so he had to go looking for what was missing.  And so in a single day he ruined the family name he inherited.   Queen Elizabeth didn’t have that privilege.  When she was a child, she didn’t have time to party.  She was too busy working as an emergency worker during World War II.  But here comes Prince Charles and then Prince Harry, who received just as much as grand-ma-ma, but considered themselves superior enough to ruin the family name they had nothing at all in doing in building up.  Oh, the price of privilege! 

In today's parable, the servant was scared at his master because he knew his master was a demanding man.  So we are now suppose to believe that it was all the master’s fault. 

How convenient...It’s no longer the student’s fault; it’s the demanding teacher’s fault.  It’s no longer the child’s fault.  It’s the school’s fault.  It’s no longer the parent’s fault, or the husband’s fault or the wife’s fault.  It’s everybody else’s fault!  It’s not that we are spending more than we are taking in; it’s that we aren’t paying our fair share of taxes that got us into the huge deficit we are in.  I get it!!!  Bury your head in the sand and blame everyone for not getting you out. 

I hate to ask this, but what is “fair”?  And why is it not fair today but it was yesterday?

Ugh!!!

The Lord does not appear to be too preferential towards the poor today:  “For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”   To me, it sounds like the Lord is saying, “Where much is given, much is expected.  And where much is lost, an account as to what happened will be demanded. 

If this is true, then anyone can be a wicked and lazy servant, regardless of their social standing.  And anyone can be a good and faithful servant, regardless of their social standing. 

Mt 25:1-13 Ridi, Pagliaccio!

Mt 25:1-13  Ridi, Pagliaccio! 

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Jesus told his disciples this parable:  “The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish and five were wise.  The foolish ones, when taking their lamps brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.”

The wise one is the prudent one, and the prudent one is the one who learns from the past.

I am so glad I stayed awake last night to watch the Republican National Convention (RNC).  Not so much for the speeches or guest appearances and hoopla, but because I had forgotten that Cardinal Dolan would be giving the closing benediction.  I listened intently to what he had to say.  But I must admit, while he was praying, curiosity got the better part of me.  I began to wonder whether the other stations were televising this.  So, I began to flip through the channels.  To my astonishment, all the news channels were televising it, except for one:  MSNBC.    

Of course, I didn’t really expect MSNBC to break from their goal of being the nation’s premier humanistic and anti-Christian channel.  It’s hard to deny their cynical, harsh and judgmental attitude towards Christianity in the public square.  Last night, was just another example of that.  I know what you are thinking: Maybe, they were giving their viewers an alternative.  Maybe.  But an alternative to what?  To reality?  To an inconvenient truth?  That a major political party still invokes All-mighty God’s protection and help?  That the Catholic Church continues to be a major player in our God-forbidden society?  That Roman Catholic Bishops are still highly respected in America for their defense of the sacredness of life, marriage and family?

Let us see what MSNBC will do when Cardinal Dolan gives the closing benediction for the Democratic National Convention (DNC).  I have to admit, what I found even more interesting than all of this, is that soon after Cardinal Dolan accepted the RNC’s invitation to pray, he asked the DNC if they wanted him to do the same thing.  They declined the offer, and then immediately reversed their decision once they learned he had accepted the RNC’s offer.  Now that is interesting…

Ridi, Pagliaccio!    [Laugh clown, laugh!!!] 

St. Paul writes, “Where is the wise one?  Where is the scribe?  Where is the great debater of this age?  Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?” 

You bet he has!  And how it makes us laugh at such spectacles.  Not too long ago, I was speaking to a college freshman.  He told me that he is starting to believe that the world was created by accident.  I asked them if he knew what the word accident meant.  He said, “Something that happens by accident.”  I couldn’t believe it...a college student.  I felt pity for him.  So, I helped him.  An accident is an occurrence without an intention.  In other words, it’s like creating something without conceiving it.  Do you really believe this about our world?

Then I got to thinking.  Maybe this explains how art has become an accident; how we have gone from Michelangelo to Jack the dripper! 

Long ago, scientists decided to experiment with nature so that they could control it, do violence to it, twist it and finally subdue it in order to dominate it.  Social engineers have been trying to do the same thing, but to us!  And the results have been exactly the same.  Devastating!  Instead of making our world better, we’ve actually made it worse.  Instead of making man better, we’ve actually made him a lot worse.

Of course it is all by "accident".  They just keep creating without conceiving!  Or better yet, they keep creating by twisting.  Everything they call "new" is nothing more than the old “twisted”.  For example, a homosexual marriage is nothing more than a twisted marriage.  Nasal sex (not to say something already in existence) would be nothing more than twisted sex.  The “new family” is nothing more than a twisted family.  A human clone is nothing more than a controlled man.

We think the world we live in needs improvement.  Ridi, Pagliaccio! 

Stay awake!  Stay tuned!

“The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”  (1Cor 1:25)

Mt 24:42-51 The Lord As A Thief

Mt 24:42-51  The Lord As A Thief

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Jesus said to his disciples:  Stay awake!  For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.  Be sure of this:  if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into.  So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

While meditating on today’s Gospel, I discovered something that I had never noticed before.  The Lord compares himself to a thief:  “If the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake.”    Why a thief?  Why not a King?  That is: “if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the King was coming, he would have stayed awake and prepared a meal, a bed for his guest.”

There are four ways to pass a test:  You can (1) study hard and not question it; (2) cheat; or (3) hope the professor changes the grades; (4) or hope the passing grade is significantly lowered. 

Likewise, there are four ways to live life with God:  You can (1) strive for it; (2) try to slide into it; (3) hope and pray that the Lord changes the rules; (4) hope and pray that the Lord significantly widens the gates of heaven.

 Wake up Americans!  Get up my fellow Christians!

The Lord is a thief!  He is!  Little by little, He takes away the most important things in our life.  Most of the time, He follows a certain pattern.  When we are young, He takes away our grandparents, then our parents, and then, slowly but surely, He begins to work on us.  Little by little, the Lord slides the carpet out from under us.  He takes from us our wealth and our health.  And then, when we are at our weakest moment, He takes our spouse away from us.  Only in death do we part.

Why is He a thief?  Well, how else will I come to realize that He, and only He, is at the end of the tunnel; that He is the beginning and the end; the only thing that matters?  What I may not realize is that the Lord is actually blessing me.  He is actually helping me, helping me to live up to the prayers I say to Him.  For years, I have prayed the Creed.  Do I believe in Him?  He will help me to find out.  Or maybe I have never prayed the Creed.  Do I believe just in myself?  He will help me to find out! 

Every day I proclaim to the world that I love the Lord and that I believe in Him.  Now do I trust in Him?  Am I ready to place my life in His Hands?  Life is all about realizing one’s prayers of holiness. Like John the Baptist, will I not be truly blessed when I can unconditionally, unequivocally, accept God’s divine Will and live up to my own prayer: “He must increase, I must decrease”?  John prayed that his “little light” would be blown out.  Did he really mean it?  Would he go through with it?  The Lord answered his prayer for holiness, and the Baptist lived up to it and was blessed.  Now, it is time for us to do the same.

There are plenty who try to cheat their way in life and into heaven.  They are similar to those who spend beyond their means, or try to show that a sinner’s life is really the best life E-V-E-R! Like all those who have gone before them, they will write in their autobiography how they wish they could do it all over again, but without the sinning part.

Today’s extremists either insist on a wide open gate [All are welcomed!], or on a very narrow gate that excludes everyone including themselves.  They attack, without mercy, His Word; His teachers; His followers; His commandments; His laws.  They attack, without mercy, Christ and His Church.  But God’s love and mercy does not discourage “follow me” and “carry your cross”.  Can’t it all be all of the above?  After all, doesn’t it all come from above?

“Stay awake in the hour of the night!” means discover God in the darkness of the world.  “Stay awake” means open your eyes, change your mentality, stop seeking external and visible signs to reinforce your own perception of God’s Will for you.  

“We will know God to the extent that we are set free from ourselves.” (Pope Benedict XVI)

Mt 23:23-26 From the Outside In

Mt 23:23-26  From the Outside In

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Jesus said:  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.  You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.” 

A few days ago, I wrote that “Atheists believe the world goes round and round; that is, it is what it is.  Christians as well believe the world goes round and round, but upside down; that is, it isn’t what it is.” 

Upside down and outside in.  Let us pray for all our moms and dads who continue to kill themselves for the insignificant and deny themselves of the significant.  Let our thoughts go out to all our dads who continue to bust their behind for a fancier car, a bigger boat, a larger paycheck and a better yard but do not lift a finger for their spouse and family.  Let us pray for all our moms who continue to kill themselves for greater glory, greater praise and greater independence but have neglected to care for their spouse and family. 

This is life lived upside down.  This is an exercise in Futility. 

Let us pray for our boys who continue to build their bodies, but not their souls.  For our girls who wish to perfect their bodies, but not their souls.  This is life lived outside in. 

The Sensationalist.  Those who deceive (who love to be bad) love to play God.  They love to turn the truth upside down, as if we were standing on our heads, until it hurts our heads.  In our upside down world we want to be able to tell God what He should do; to tell Him what marriage is, what family is, what love is, what life is all about.  We even want to tell Him what sex is! 

What does it take to be remembered forever?  What does it take to get noticed; to get your name in print?  Be a sensationalist.  Mix some good with a lot more bad.  For example:  If you want to be a big time singer, then it’s important to have a good voice.  But it’s even more important to lose your faith.  If you want to be a political activist, then you should know a little bit of history and take a lot of lessons in singing.  But it’s even more important that you know what to name your band.  It should be something more shocking and perverted than the bands before you. 

Want some to notice you?  Don’t step in Church, step on the Church! 

By the way...If you are starting up your own Church and need a large congregation, then you should know a little bit about the bible and a lot about lighting and music.  Make sure you know that Jesus said he would return, and make sure your people think it's NOW, and you will have a very large congregation! 

Now “flashists” and sensationalists have no place in Christianity.  St Paul asks the community of believers in Thessalonica not to be shaken out of their minds by a “spirit”, or by an oral statement, or by a letter allegedly from one of them to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand.  “Let no one deceive you in any way” (cf. 2Thes 2:3a). 

The sensationalist is full of it; that is, full of sin.  He tends to crave more of that which is sensationally sinful than that which is sensationally true.  He tends to be drawn towards sensationalism, like temptation and to crave it like a drug. 

In reality, what is truly sensational is what we call “common”.  An apple falling from a tree is just as sensational as a rover landing on Mars.  Both were designed.  Both serve multiple purposes.  Both carry out functions that are truly remarkable.  But the apple falling from the tree far out functions, out performs and far exceeds (or far out-seeds) all rovers combined. 

Predicting the end times and preaching about it have always been a great source of revenue for many denominations.  We love what is sensational.  And we are always scanning the horizon for the next sensation to happen.  We live for it, and when we are through with it, we look again to satiate our appetite; looking for the next sensation, which is typically more daring, thrilling, appealing and appalling. 

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement and good hope through his grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word.  (cf. 2Thes 2:17)

Christian prayer is not sensational; it is very straightforward. 

Mt 23:13-22 Woe to you, you hypocrites! Wow!

Mt 23:13-22  Woe to you, you hypocrites!  Wow!

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Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites…You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.”

Woe to you…you hypocrites…you blind guides!  Can you believe that Jesus said this???  Wow!!!

I’ve said it before and I will say it again.  We, as Christians, tend to think that the closer we are to God - the more blessed we are - the less we will suffer. This is total nonsense!  Christ is not in heaven because he is on vacation!  He is in Heaven because He leads us.  He does not rest in heaven; he coordinates precise tactical strikes on the hearts and minds of men.   Christ is no pacifist.  He did not go AWOL.  He did not earn his purple heart long ago; He earns it every single day.  What you did to the least of my brothers, you did it to me.

God is sacred; Christianity is sacred.  But it’s not just about Him.  It’s also about us!  Life is sacred; marriage is sacred; family is sacred.  All other definitions are fiction.  All other definitions are an appeasement; an affront to Christ’s sacrifice and death.  Did the Lord die in vain?  God forbid!  Did He die and shake hands and agree to disagree?  Never!  Then why do we do this to Him?  Why do we make pretend that there are far more important matters than life, marriage and family?  Are we to believe that Christ’s death was an exaggeration?  He didn’t have to go that far.

Those who attack the sacredness of life, marriage and family do not have any difficulty in ridiculing, insulting and degrading those who think differently.  Oh well, aren’t you guys suppose to forgive us?  It’s amazing how selective is their memory and knowledge of Christianity.  Yes!  We are!  But we will not roll over and play dead.  We forgive you… for you know not what you are doing.  Let us not forget that it was Christ who forgave His enemies.  Let us not forget that His enemies never asked to be forgiven.  We know that by what they did next. 

Let’s not be hypocrites or blind guides.  Where did we ever get the idea of hiding in our Churches; preaching only to the choir; of playing dead; of not speaking out; of negotiating with sin?   

Christ was not a diplomat.  He died because he would not negotiate or surrender.  The Lord was not a weak man.  He conquered death!  All of us put him to death and He rose from the dead.  When we learned of what He did, some of us switched sides; some continued along party lines.  Once upon a time, you could tell a Christian from a non-Christian by what they were willing and not willing to do.  Those who were willing to sacrifice everything but their faith, honor, principles, morals and values were the Christians.  Now, you have Christians who are willing to sacrifice their faith, honor, principles, morals and values but not their homes, careers, income and/or status. 

The Lord never told his Apostles to mingle and mix with the latest trends; to go unnoticed; to not stand out.  Not even when all appeared lost did He call for a truce, or an evolving of ideas.  On the contrary, the Lord put his enemies on notice.  He declared all out war for the salvation of souls.  He declared it in the upper room on the night he was betrayed.  He declared it as He was nailed to the Cross.  He declared it when He said, “Do not be afraid.  Go throughout the world…”

He is looking for a few good men.  As soon as he can find a special operator that is willing to fight and die for Him, He will send Him.  This is the truth.  All other ideas of the ideal Christian are simply nonsense!  Or better yet, from the devil’s headquarters.  The devil would love for us to call off the attacks on abortion.  He would love for us to retreat on marriage and family.  “Let’s have a little respect here for people’s privacy, shall we?”  “You shouldn’t be protesting in front of our clinic doors.  Where are your manners?” 

In today’s first reading, we read of how proud St. Paul is with the Christians in Thessalonica.  Their faith is flourishing; the love they have for each other keeps growing; their endurance in the face of persecution and affliction is a model for others.  He considers their suffering as evidence of the just judgment of God.

Do you still believe that your trials and tribulations are proof that God does not exist or is absent?  Give me a break!  We know the apple does not fall far from the tree.  If they persecuted me, then they will persecute you!

St. Paul traveled to the ends of the earth to make one convert.  St. Monica traveled across the sea to convert her son.  Why did they do it?  For love of God and neighbor.  How did they do it?  By imitating Jesus Christ.  And both were very successful in accomplishing their mission.  And both paid a heavy price for it.

Let’s not make the Lord’s death (or St. Paul’s and St. Monica’s) in vain.  His death was meant to inspire us all.

Mt 23: 1-12 Heavy Burdens To Carry

Mt 23: 1-12  Heavy Burdens To Carry

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Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.  Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example.  For they preach but they do not practice.  They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry…”

Do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example.   Some months ago, the Italian media began publishing hundreds of personal memos and letters by high ranking prelates working in the Vatican.  This scandal, known as “Vati-leaks”, is the stuff of soap operas.  It paints a horrible picture of some the personalities working closely with the Holy Father.  Not a few of these Cardinals and Bishops appear to be solely interested in advancing their careers.  Of course, these individuals (and documents) have become a source embarrassment and distraction for the Church, the Holy Father and the entire people of God.  Recently, the Holy Father called the entire Roman Curia together to blast them for their selfish ambitions and personal desires for personal gain.  In a nutshell, the Pope told them:  When you were invited to work at the Vatican, you were not invited to be served by others, but to serve others.  You are not here because you earned it.  You are here because you were called.  Get to work!

We really shouldn’t be scandalized by what is very human.  It’s very human to blame others for my failures.  It’s very human to point the finger at others.  It’s perfectly normal to make excuses for one’s incompetence. What’s remarkable - rather stunning - is that the Lord did not tell his disciples that the Pharisees were evil men; or that they preached evil things.  In fact, He told them that they preached what they were supposed to teach (the truth).  But they didn’t practice what they preached; or better yet, they didn’t preach what they practiced.  There’s a novelty for you! 

And by not doing so, they added extra burdens on sinners!  They isolated the open sinners from the hidden sinners.

They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry.  I have noticed that kids always love it when I tell them personal stories about myself, especially of my past mistakes.  They love it because they never ever expected it.  Actually, they love it because they can relate to it.  My hope and prayer for doing so is that they can relate to it in confession!  That is one of my goals during a retreat:  to get to confession and to get others to go to confession as well.

I don’t know about you, but I have noticed how the lines for communion are always much longer than the lines for confession.  I think it’s because we are far more inclined to let others see our good side than our bad side.  And this is the problem.  It’s not always a good thing.  According to today’s Gospel, the Lord’s problem with the Pharisees is not that they not perfect, it’s that they cannot relate to sinners, even though they are sinners themselves.  They tie up heavy burdens hard for others to carry because they tie their burdens upon the shoulders of others.  In other words, what makes it harder for me to carry my burden is if I think I am the only one carrying any burden at all!  If I pick up at how everyone around me is receiving communion, chances are I WILL TOO!  If I notice someone crossing their arms and receiving a blessing, I will be more inclined to do the same.

We can make ourselves more accessible (and more relatable) by making ourselves more transparent.  It’s not easy.  It’s no fun.  It’s not without its risks.  But it will end up being a bit relaxing for others.  What happens when someone opens up their heart to another?  The others follow.  And even more will eventually follow.

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.