Luke 14:12-14 Feeding Your Faith

Luke 14:12-14  Feeding Your Faith

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On a Sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.  He said to the host who invited him, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends… or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they invite you back and you have repayment.  Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.”

Reading books on prayer is not the same as praying.  Knowledge of God is not enough to fall in love with God.  We must experience God.  How?  It’s simple, extraordinarily simple. 

If I want to increase my faith, then I must take a leap of faith.  The best part about believing is the surprises that come from faith.   

Every morning I reflect on God’s Word:  His Son and Scripture.  I translate the Lord’s words into my words and the Lord’s actions into my actions.  This is my Morning Prayer and daily bread, and this is what I will give to my parishioners and students.  This is how I increase my faith.  This is how I take a leap of faith.

Recently, at a high school retreat, while the kids where in adoration, a student came up to me and asked for some advice regarding a friend.  I told her that she should go back to adoration, look for her friend and surprise her friend by giving her a hug.  She wasn't sure about my advice.  Well, as soon as she left I left. 

The next day, she came up to me and told me what happened.  As soon as she went back to adoration, her friend came up to her and gave her a hug.  She couldn't believe it.  She couldn't believe that the Lord had told her friend what I had told her. 

Her faith grew that day.  It became alive for the first time in a long time.  

When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.  The Lord loves to keep us on our toes, our tippy-toes.  He loves to keep us in suspense.  He loves to throw curve balls at us.  Just when we think we are getting the hang of this Christian stuff, the Lord encourages us, to go one step further, by challenging us.  He loves to challenge our pre-conceived notions by turning our world upside down.  He loves to challenge our love out of love for us.  He does so because, like He told Martha, He wants us to experience the better part; the part about trusting God above all our fears and tribulations and finding the surprise at the bottom of it.   

When was the last time you were surprised by your faith?  If it has been a while, then it means you’re going through the motions:  you're going to Church out of a debt to pay.  It means you're just praying out of an obligation or habit.  And if you're praying out of habit, then you're praying with your mind only and not with your whole body:  mind, heart and soul. 

The commandments are not so much an obligation as they are a prescription.

In today's Gospel, the Lord is not offering us a quick tip to holiness or some “techniques” to rise in stature and in respect.  He is encouraging us to make the most out of life; to learn from the blind, the poor and the crippled.  There is so much to learn outside of school.  There are so many friends to be made outside of my circle of friends.  There is so much more to this world than the places and things I can see, or walk to or buy.  There is so much more to love than my carnal desires. 

There are so many better things in my life than in whom or what I like.

Because of our lack of faith, we have this undesirable tendency to work with the undesirable to make ourselves more desirable.  In other words, we have a tendency to do things for ourselves even when we are doing things for others. 

The Lord is telling us that that is not Christian.

Kids struggle with their faith because they never get a chance to experiment with their faith.  Parents can help their children by encouraging their children to take a leap of faith.   For example, if your child wants to have a birthday party, then encourage him/her to not only invite their friends, but also to invite some people who would never imagine being invited by him/her.   See what happens next.  Try it.  Take a chance. 

If you think about it, the problem with most of our parents and kids today is that they resort to sinning rather than believing.  They are more than willing to take a chance at breaking the commandments (and getting what they want) than take a chance and living by the commandments (and get what God wants).  So they never really get a chance to experience God in their lives or know Him by heart or above all things because they are constantly placing themselves and their fears in His place.

If you want your children to experience God in their lives, then you must show them the Way.  It’s not enough to just teach them "the faith".  Rather, you have to inspire them to His words and actions by your decisions, inspirations, suggestions, mercy, compassion, understanding and unconditional love.  To achieve this, you must continue reflecting on your faith and feeding your faith on God’s word and God’s body.

John 6:37-40 All Souls Day Today

John 6:37-40  All Souls Day Today

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Jesus said to the crowds:  “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”

The Lord loves me just the way I am.  Today, I am reminded that He loves me even more than that. 

We are a fallen creature, a very superficial kind of being of the headlines type.  We are magnetic towards negative gossip, sensationalism and depressing news.  We are folks of a somewhat depressing nature.  What makes the news today is what pumps most of our hearts.  Yes, we are good but we are in dire need of purification.

Billions of people have lived on the earth.  Our history books include a tiny fraction of them.  God includes all of them.  He knows all of them.  If our Heavenly Father has the time and ability to count the hair on our head, then He can make count all the lives that were lived.    

Billions of people have been baptized.  Only a fraction of them have been declared saints.  But for every known saint, we know there are millions that are unknown.   For this reason, every November 1^st is a day of celebration, a day for us to celebrate the lives of all the saints in heaven. 

But like every celebration, once it is over, the very next day we must get back to work.  Today, we must pray.  We must pray for all the faithful departed who, with great anticipation, eagerly wait to see the face of the Lord.  We must do only what we can do.  We must care for them and fight for them, and that is a lot. 

Often I think of All Souls Day as a long day in the hospital; that is, a day when family members must make tough decisions and tough sacrifices for their incapacitated brothers and sisters; a day in which their prayers, sacrifices and presence can actually save the lives of their brothers and sisters.  For although their loved ones may be physically present, they are far from them; though they are breathing, they are not quite living. 

In a similar way, the souls of the faithfully departed are in an incapacitated state.  Though they are no longer physically among us, they are not far from us.  Though they are no longer breathing, they are still living.  And just like family members can make all the difference in the world for their sick and injured loved ones, so too we make all the difference in the world for our faithfully departed brothers and sisters.

Let us pray for those who can no longer pray for themselves.  Let us offer sacrifices for those who can no longer offer an acceptable sacrifice for themselves.  Let us love those who can no longer love others.   This is not something weird.  This is natural.  We do it with our dead.  We do it with our heroes.  We do it for our loved ones.  The Lord did not simply die for the living.  He died for the dead as well. 

This is how Christ showed His love.  This is how we can show our love.  We are a family forever.  Heaven may dissolve marriages on earth but only because heaven unites us as brothers and sisters in the one love that is of God our Father and our brother Jesus Christ. 

May the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Luke 13:22-30 Strive

Luke 13:22-30  Strive

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Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.  Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?”

How would you answer this question?  What would you say?  I still remember what a nun said one day in Faith Formation (CCD).  She said, “Everyone goes to heaven.”  Now that I look back at it, I think that was the moment I stopped believing in God.  Although I was a child, I could still think for myself.  And I kept thinking to myself, “If everyone goes to heaven, then why be good?”

Now, if you were taught (other than on Halloween night) about “fire and brimstone”, and that only a few souls go to heaven, then at least you were taught by someone who was a bit more knowledgeable of Scripture. 

Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching.  I do not teach or preach fire and brimstone (at least I don’t think I do).  What I try to teach or preach is what Christ taught and preached:  “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.”

I have met a lot of people throughout my life.  Most of them are still my friends.  They come from different parts of the world; they speak in various languages; they are poor; they are rich; they are married; they are single; they are men; they are women.  Some are dead, most are alive.  But what unites us all together is what we share in common:  suffering.

Life is difficult.  It is really difficult!  It is difficult for me and for you.  Why try to fool yourself?  Actually, why are we trying to fool our children?  Why do we hide from them our failures, faults, weaknesses, difficulties, trials and tribulations?  Why are we stunting their maturity, their growth?

Yesterday, a young mother passed away, leaving her young kids behind.  A week ago, a child was playing a game outside and hit her head against the cement sidewalk.  Today, she still struggles with walking.  A few days ago, a man lost his job and his wife was diagnosed with a rare disease.  They have two grown children in college.  All these things have brought very strong men to their knees.  I know.  I have seen it for myself.

Many will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.  We are not as strong as we think we are.  We really aren’t.  We are not as secure as we think we are, and 9/11 should be a constant reminder for all of us.  We are not as powerful as we think we are, and Sandy is just one of many kinds of storms we will run away from or die from in our lives. 

The problem isn’t that we are not strong or secure or powerful enough.  The problem is…we think we are.

So, instead of living more modestly and relying more on family, we think we can live in debt and that our friends or government will always come to our rescue.  Instead of acknowledging the strength and power that comes from religion, we think we can ignore it and solve every single international conflict with high-tech weapons and consumer goods.  We will not.  Our enemies have proven their courage to fight, and their willingness to die.   

We can be much stronger.  We really can, but only if we begin to strengthen our foundations, our “unions”; that is, our marriages, children, families and faith.  If we do, then we will rebuild The Union.

Out of all the lies people have created, and actually believed in, the biggest and longest on-going lie has been this one: Security through possession. 

This security through possession is known by various names:  career, infrastructures, friends, money, savings, investments, eating-right, etc… These are the supposed “lifelines” or means to success, happiness, love and fulfillment. 

Now I know that those who believe it will deny it.  But they actually live by it.  They even say it:  My career is my life.  My friends are my real family.  My dogs are my children.  My money is my guarantee.  My soap opera is my religion.  My savings are my insurance.  Eating healthy and right will keep me healthy and alive.

I think the good news is that if someone can believe in all these lies, then it won’t be difficult for them to believe in the truth; that is, in God.  Reality is on our side.  Reality slaps us back to the truth. 

Strive through the narrow gate.  How about we try something different, something that works, something new but actually old?  Something that costs very little yet produces great results. 

It is not unheard of that a little lock opened the door to a great mansion.  It’s not uncommon to find cheap solutions to complex problems.  Not everything in life has to be expensive.  Instead of our schools investing in therapists and counselors, police officers and in metal detectors, why not create a little bit of time for prayer?  It doesn’t cost a thing!  It’s natural.

If we outlawed prayer in a school just because of one student, wouldn’t it be worth it if it helped just one student?

Faith is not a crutch.  It is a lifesaver!  It does not help us to fall asleep at night; it helps us to get through the day when our days are dark. 

Life is not easy…for anyone. 

Strive.  What?  Strive.  Do something?  Yes, the Lord invites us to strive to pass through the narrow gate.  We are supposed to work for it.  We are supposed to do something.  Strive sounds a lot like try, and the words may actually be related. 

How can we do it if we are not strong enough?  Through Him, with Him and in Him.

What is the narrow gate?  It is a person.  Jesus Christ.   Strive to live your life through Him, with Him and in Him.  And you will find yourself…on His side.

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)

Lk 1:39-56 The Assumption

Lk 1:39-56  The Assumption

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Mary said, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.” 

Often, I hear people tell me that they have a hard time relating to Mary.  I agree with them.  This morning, I was having a hard time as well.  But then I thought to myself, what exactly do I have a hard time relating to?

Just a few days ago, I went to see a couple of movies with some friends.  First, I went to see Bourne Legacy.  This movie was packed with death, murder, lies, chasing scenes, fighting scenes, personal (internal) struggles, commitment, love, betrayal, and intrigue.  The movie ended the good old fashion way:  good triumphing over evil and the hero relaxing with the woman he loves.  I liked it.

Then I went to see Total Recall.  Again, this futuristic movie was jammed pack with war, terror, death, a ton of  running, fights scenes, human (internal) tragedies, struggles, betrayal, love and intrigue.  It too concluded the good old fashion way:  with good triumphing over evil and the hero embracing the woman he loves.      

In both movies, the heroes shared something in common:  some sort of amnesia.  What is interesting is that neither hero ever forgot how to fight.  If we find it hard to relate to these types of movies, it isn’t because we don’t have struggles or difficulties in our life; rather, it’s because we’ve forgotten how to fight.

If we have a hard time relating to Mary, it’s not because she lived the perfect life; it’s not because she didn’t have any struggles or difficulties or even betrayals to overcome.  Rather, it’s because we have forgotten how to fight for someone or something that is worth dying for.  

Mary was a fighter.  She knew what it would take to overcome, overpower, and outsmart the evil plans of Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Roman Empire, the Jewish authorities.  She knew what it would take to overcome Joseph’s death, her son’s arrest, crucifixion and death.  She knows it takes her unconditional, real, sincere, hard working heart pumping prayers of love towards her Son and God to save the world.

Mary was a fighter.  Why?  Because everything mattered; everything except for prestige, titles, honors and false glories.  She was more than ready to get down on her knees before ever expecting to be lifted up.

This is our problem.  Not only have we forgotten what it takes (and therefore can’t relate) to be lifted up, but we have also forgotten what matters most:  not my glory, but God’s glory.

Not only do we get furious when we are not recognized for the little we have done, but we want it all without a struggle!       

Parents want their children to be perfect.  Teachers want the perfect children.  Blessed are the moms and dads and teachers that have the imperfect, the crazy, the totally human and defective children.  Blessed are the meek and humble of heart, for they will be exalted! 

Now, if you happen to have the “perfect” children, then I’m sure the Lord will be blessed with next door neighbors that have wild kids!  And if you happened to have the “perfect” classroom last year, then I am sure you will have the “crazy” classroom this year (or at least crazy parents to deal with)!

The struggles, the trials and difficulties you experience with your children are the best way – the perfect way - to show them how much you love them.  Tribulations are the perfect reminders that you cannot do it alone.  They are the perfect road signs that lead us to prayer and sacrifice. 

In every single apparition in which Mary appears, her message is always the same: “Come back to my son”.  Translated, this means, come back to reality; come back to what is important; come back to your senses. 

We would all like a Christ without a Cross, but let’s not forget the two go together.  Something worthy of dying for leads us all the way to glory and our final resting place.

Mk 6:30-34 Get Out of Here!

Mk 6:30-34  Get Out of Here!

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The Apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught.  He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”

“So, what did you do today?”  That’s a simple and very common question spouses, friends and neighbors ask one another.  But what you don’t very often hear is:  “So, how did you rest today?”   

Come away by yourselves.  Americans are known for their worth ethic.  We work harder than most others in the western world.  We don’t have 30 hour weeks; we have 40 hour weeks that are more like 50 hour weeks!    We don’t stop until we drop; we stop until we drop dead.  Most Americans tend to fear retirement because they don’t know what they will do. 

But it seems we are not as productive as we once were.  Even with all the technology in the world, we don’t seem to get much done.  Why?  Because our body, mind and soul are craving for rest, real rest.  Most of us have reached the breaking or turning point; that is, the more time we spend working, the less (or worse) the results are.  I really think that if we want to produce more (or get better) results, then we need more rest.  It may seem funny and bizarre to you, but isn’t funny and bizarre a reaction to something unknown or not understood, like rest? 

Looking back at my meditations, I realize how often I challenge people to get involved in this or start doing that.  We, Christians, are known throughout the world for starting up schools, churches, missions, orphanages, etc…  We have a long standing tradition for being sacrificial with our time, energy, money and lives.  We have a reputation to “kill ourselves” for others.  Pope Benedict sacrificed his retirement for the Church.  John Paul II offered up his life to Mary.  Mother Teresa sacrificed her body for the sick.  There is nothing wrong with “killing ourselves” for others.  But if we don’t rest, we will end up killing others for ourselves! 

Come away by yourselves.  The Apostles had just finished their first real mission trip.  They were back:  excited and exhausted. The Lord knew when he looked into their eyes that they needed a break.  He sent them away.    What happened next is often misunderstood.  What happened next is a great lesson for all of us. 

When the Apostles could do no more, the Lord took over.

Christ sent His Apostles to a deserted place to rest.  When He saw the crowd following them, he did not send them away, nor did He ask His disciples to get back to work.  Instead, the Lord himself dealt with them directly.  He taught them:  “He began to teach them many things.” 

It’s wrong to think we need to save the world.  It is terribly wrong to think we are the Savior of the world.  What we need to do is what the Lord instructed His followers:  “My sheep hear my voice.  I know them and they follow me.”  BINGO!  Rest is a “Come to Jesus moment.”  

We can’t do it all nor can we do it all the time.  We work for the Lord.  We don’t move hearts to conversion.  We direct hearts to Christ.  We propose; we invite.  The Lord converts. 

“Come to me all you who labor and are heavy burdened and I will give you rest.”   

Moms and dads:  Spend some time alone and in prayer so that you can rest and enjoy your time together.   You will be a better spouse and a better parent if you do.  The same goes for priests and religious:  Spend some time alone and with the Lord so that you can give yourself wholeheartedly and joyfully.

Sometimes our mission is to rest.

Get out of here!  If the Lord’s Apostles needed time to rest, who do you think you are?  

Mt 6:7-15 Why Not Get On Board?

Mt 6:7-15  Why Not Get On Board?

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Jesus said to his disciples:  “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them.  Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.  This is how you are to pray:  ‘Our Father who art in heaven…”

I was recently told by a college student that I needed to get on board with issues such as abortion and gay-marriage.  I politely told the student that to get on board would mean to toss over board everyone and everything I knew, trusted and believed in.  I’m not exaggerating.  How could I reconcile Sacred Scripture with abortion or gay-marriage?  If God created life, is it not always a good thing, a very good thing?  If God conceived of life, could He have not separated it from sex?  Did He have to join man and woman together like listening and speaking go together?  Thank God He did!  Thank God something so beautiful was joined together with something so scary.  Otherwise, would we ever have children?  Would we ever listen to anyone?

Why in the world would I jump ship and get on board the Titanic and sink?  Why would I aim for a glacier when I can navigate an entire ocean?  Why in the world would I jump from a floating log to a slick, neat, catchy, speedy, and stylish but sinking ship?  I know.  I remember.  The Titanic (and all on board) represented the finest of the finest, the re-finest of the re-finest, the best of the best, the mightiest of the mightiest, a marvel of human invention.  But none the less, it ended up being an expensive museum piece at the bottom of the ocean.  Do you remember?

And what happened to the strongest ship, that not even God could sink (remember), could easily happen to the strongest nation that not even under God we can speak!  

To get on board with these issues would mean to be naive again; to trust in opportunists; to turn a blind eye; to be close minded; that is, intolerant of the beliefs and opinions of the vast majority of people on our planet, living and dead, present and past.  It would require that I remove world history from my thoughts.  You see, gay marriage is like no other issue.  There isn’t a single time in human history when gay-marriage was accepted.  There isn’t a single place in human history where gay-marriage was acknowledged.  There isn’t a single religion (not even a tribal religion) in the world that blessed gay-marriage.  This isn’t ‘Catholic bigotry’ or ‘Christian bigotry’.  This is a human reality.  This isn’t an issue that needed ‘time’ to be understood.  It has been understood.  Now, it’s been completely misunderstood.

Babbling like Pagans.  Pagans don’t pray, they babble.  I know.  They speak to me like they pray to God: “You need to get on board right now.”  They speak to me not as experts but as actors:  “I used to play a doctor on TV” …so that makes you qualified to speak to me?  Why does Hollywood raise money for politicians?  Shouldn’t they stick to acting like the Church sticks to humanity?  Shouldn’t they stick to the stage like the Church sticks to the poor and needy?  The Church doesn’t play God…Now playing!!!  The Church prays to God...Now praying!!! 

Maybe that’s the reason why there is such a big difference in opinion between those who go to Church every Sunday and those who never go to Church on Sunday.  Maybe that’s the reason why the "most liberal" tend to be the most atheist and the "most conservative" tend to be the most theist.  

Why won’t I get on board?  Because those who share with me their latest quip or their latest pet project almost never share with me the objective facts.  They will never mention a word from The Word.  They won’t dare go down History Lane.  They won’t dare touch a fact.  And these are the facts:  We have more Amendments to protect our freedoms than ever before.  We have more Laws written in our books regarding equal rights than ever before.  We spend more money on education than ever before.  And what are the results?  Take a look.  Is this what we can expect when we protect a particular class of individuals:  Arrogance, vulgarity, profanity, entitlement, insults and outright threats?   We go from one extreme to the other.  Only recently have actors and actresses spoken with such eloquence and drama with regards to the beauty of marriage; that is gay-marriage, while most hoped we forgot how they once bashed marriage as an institution all together.  Why the change of heart?  The ACLU will protect individual liberties but not religious liberties.  They will go the extra ten miles to protect one atheist student but will not go the extra mile to protect a single Catholic school or university.   Why the change of principles?  In creating a paradise for our children we have created a living hell for their parents and bus drivers.  Why the change in roles?  And yet, with ‘all our progress’, we have more kids killing kids; more kids on meds; more parents on meds; more immaturity than ever before. 

The institutions we once protected, supported, and defended have become victims to babble...or Babel...or Babylon. 

All because some don’t pray.

Mt 6:1-18 A Good Reason For Hiding

Mt 6:1-18  A Good Reason For Hiding

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Jesus said to his disciples:  “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.  When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do…But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret.…”

“There is one thing I ask of the Lord, only this do I seek:  to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”  (Ps 27:4)

Everything we do is for a reason.  Everything.  There is a reason why we sleep, eat, play, work, fight, starve, get sick, wear clothes, listen to music, talk, walk, etc... And if there is a reason for everything we do, then maybe it’s not so stupid to think that there is a reason for everything.  Maybe the reason for the sun is the earth?  Maybe the reason for the earth is the same reason to stick a playground in a park: to play in a special way.  Given all this, I don’t think it is unreasonable to think there is a good reason why good things happen and bad things occur.  I wouldn’t even say it’s silly to think that the same reason we live is the same reason God is who He is:  Love.

Everything is done for a reason, but not everything is done for the right reason.  God, who sees all things, sees a man’s reason for He sees a man’s heart and soul.  God, who is hidden, sees what is hidden and repays the man who is pure of heart.  If there is something we know about God, it is this:  He loves a humble man.  We know it because deep down inside of us, we love them too.  There is only one runner that can beat a first place winner:  the humble runner.  There is only one man that can finish last and win first place:  the humble man.  “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see the face of God.”  No one beats a humble man because no one humbles a humble man.  The humble man reveals himself every time he hides himself. 

Does the Lord work in hidden ways?  He does.  He prayed alone, hidden from his own.  He fasted alone, hidden from the world.  He rose from the dead, hidden by the tomb.  But although God hid himself by becoming a man, He also revealed himself by becoming a man.  God loves hidden things, like lovers love to hide things.  Parents love to hide things as much as children love to find things. Children love a surprise party as much as their parents love to hide one.  There is a time to hide and a time to reveal, but whatever we do, we must do it for the glory of God.  We must remain humble.  Through His humility, the Lord was able to remain in his humanity while revealing His divinity; He matured as man and remained childlike as God.  He was comfortable in His skin as He revealed His Sacred Heart.   
Just like God raises himself when He lowers himself, the humble man reveals himself when he hides (dies to) himself. In all things, God is glorified when a man is fully alive.

“What is done in the dark always comes to light”.  This is true for the bad we do as well as the good we do.  The Lord is not asking us to be humble by hiding our faith, our hope and our love.  Rather, He is asking us to share our faith, our hope and our love always, sometimes hidden, sometimes out in the open, but always in remarkable and humble ways.  I have seen many things in my life as a priest.  But just like love, I have never seen humility fail.

This morning I celebrated Mass in our makeshift chapel.  To the right of our ambo, mounted on the wall, is a glass and marble slab with the names of donors etched in it.  Is it wrong to be recognized?  No.  Is it better (holier) to remain anonymous?  No.  (Believe me; I know plenty of people who wish to remain anonymous for not so anonymous reasons.  One reason is so as not to be disturbed by other needy organizations).    

It is good to be generous.  It is good to be anonymous.  It is even good to be recognized.  But what is even better, the greatest, is to be humble.  In all things, may God be glorified! 

“And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”

Mk 11:11-26 The Sky’s The Limit. Not Really.

Mk 11:11-26  The Sky’s The Limit.  Not Really.

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Jesus said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.  When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions.”

If you could ask the Lord right now for anything, what would it be?  Think about it and remember, “Ask and you shall receive.”  So, what would you ask for? 

Did you ask for forgiveness?

Christ told his disciples, “When you pray, I tell you, all that you ask for, you will receive it and it shall be yours.”  And then he said, “When you pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that the Father in turn may forgive you your transgressions.” 

There are a lot of good things (very good things in fact) that do not come naturally.  Forgiveness is one of them.  When we seek to forgive we are dying to ourselves. When we seek to be forgiven, we are placing ourselves in harm’s way.  Though forgiving is a very good thing to do, it does not come naturally.  Both these acts of love defy the laws of survival just like a rocket defies the laws of gravity.  To punch through the clouds requires a lot of rocket fuel and thrust.  To punch through Heavenly clouds requires a lot of grace and trust.    Like the sky, asking for forgiveness is one of the toughest things to punch through.  To forgive others is a close second.  Supernatural virtues do not come easily because - simply put - they don’t come naturally. 

So what must I do?  

It required years of constant thinking and planning for the space shuttle to lift off.  To get heavenly lift off of our body and soul requires years of constant prayer.  It takes years because praying doesn’t come easily.  And praying doesn’t come easily because it doesn’t come naturally.  And the reason why prayer is hard to do is the same reason why punching through the open sky is hard to do.  There are a lot of forces within us that try to stop us, and one of the most powerful is laziness. 

Laziness.  We made it!  Yes, we made it from non-existence to existence.  We are here!  We have gone from non-life to life.  And “being” is not just anything; it is everything!  And like everything, our very being must be nourished to grow and must learn to fight in order to grow.  Laziness is a force that works against us.  Laziness takes life and twists it back to non-life; it takes fresh fruit and makes it gross.  When we just sit around trying to look pretty we get gross, like that fig tree in the desert with tons of leaves but no fruit.  Something is wrong with this.  Something is very wrong.  It should be producing fruit.  Instead, it’s just standing there looking kind of silly. And right now, we are looking kind of silly.

Isn’t it amazing at how the government has grown in the last fifty years?  Isn’t it amazing at how the government is trying to regulate and moderate everything, even what we eat and drink?  Aren’t you amazed at how much money the government keeps pumping into education, welfare, defense, tolerance and alternative energies and still we have millions of ill-prepared students, millions of unemployed Americans, millions more who hate us, thousands of teens who bully and massacre us, and tons of waste around us?  

Why haven’t we solved these problems?  Because we keep trying to resuscitate a gross mentality; the mentality that “you can do whatever you want” and someone else will handle it.

We’re not seeking to be held accountable and we’re not holding a gun to anyone to be held accountable.  There’s little to no incentive to be responsible.  There’s plenty of back stepping, moving away, walking away and going away that is going on here! 

Everyone is apologizing except those who need to apologize; and everyone who is taking a stand or standing their ground is being kicked to the ground.

Jesus, the Son of God, had to take care of our problems.  He had to lead the way.  He was the first to drive out those selling and buying near the temple.  He was the first to overturn the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling.  He was the first to do it for us.  But he didn’t ask us to stay put or even to walk away.  Instead, he demanded that we pick up our cross and carry it all the way.

We think that prayer is the answer to all our problems.  It isn’t.  It is the answer to all our weaknesses and inadequacies.  Prayer is the way our Lord joined forces and conquered. By ourselves we are inadequate.  This may explain why so many marriages are woefully wrong, our parents and families are woefully inadequate, our children are woefully rude and our society is woefully unbalanced. 

Let’s start thinking, planning and praying.  Let’s lead the way in harm’s way and dying to ourselves for mankind’s sake.  Let’s lift off where the sky is not the limit.  Let's pray like the Lord and get results that are out of this world.