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.

Luke 12:35-38 Stay Alert!

Luke 12:35-38  Stay Alert!

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Jesus said to his disciples:  “…Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.    Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.”

 

I have to admit that I no longer find it surprising when the academic world hides the truth from others; or better yet, when they decide to airbrush the truth away.  Even though the ultimate purpose of our schools is to teach the truth, more and more are caving into political correctness and religious intolerance. 

 

Yesterday, I read the following headline:  Holy Photoshop!  LSU erased Christian football fans’ crosses.

 

Now you may be thinking:  With all the important things going on in the world, why in the world waste a meditation on such a benign subject?  The answer should be obvious by to everyone:  Lying is never a benign issue.  It is a growing problem.  It is what the devil does best.  He is the prince of lies, remember? 

 

It turns out that Louisiana State University (LSU) officials published a photo of “The Painted Posse”, a student led organization that is very much devoted to LSU football and to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  At every home game, these students show their school spirit by painting their bare chests with their school colors and a small cross.  The school officials loved it and posted a picture of them for all the world to see.

 

But when these same kids saw it, they were horrified.  They couldn’t believe what they were seeing.  Actually, they couldn’t believe what they were not seeing:  the little cross.  It turns out it had been airbrushed out by school officials. 

 

It seems to me that these same school officials love the Painted Posse’s spirit …but not the Holy Spirit.  They love the fact that these kids love their school…but not their Savior. 

 

Why did they do it?  Officials responded by saying, “We don’t want to imply we are making any religious or political statements, so we air-brushed it out.”  So…instead of worrying about making a false statement, they worried more about making a political or religious statement.  What a bunch of cowards!  How sickening.  How pathetic.  What liars.  They prefer to distort the truth than to face reality.  These officials are still lying.  They did not have to make any political or religious statement when they published this picture.  All they had to do is describe the picture and state the facts below it.  That’s it.

 

Atheists would love for believers to believe that our nation is abandoning God.  But since that’s not true, they resort to sabotage.  They try to airbrush Christians away.  But in reality, they are airbrushing the truth away and painting for us a better portrait of whom they are and what they will resort to. 

 

Be aware!  Be attentive!  Stay alert!  History tends to repeat itself. 

 

No God = No Heaven, just Hell on earth.

 

Where is God?  Why doesn’t He come to our rescue?  A week ago, our seventh grade students at St. Monica finished reading “Night”, the memories of Elie Wiesel’s experience in a Nazi concentration camp.  I asked the kids if they believed (like Mr. Wiesel) that God had abandoned His people.  After all, the evidence seemed to point in that direction.  The kids didn’t know.  So I asked them some difficult questions:  Why did the Holocaust happen in the 1940’s?  Why not centuries before?  How in the world could the Nazis have gained so much power?  Why was it so easy for Hitler to convince the German people that they were superior to others?  Why did all of this happen in Germany?   

 

They did not know.

 

I continued:  What was going on in the 1900’s?  What were people reading back then?  What did they believe in? 

 

I then wrote on the board four names:  Darwin, Marx, Feuerbach, and Nietzsche.  [It’s amazing how science and philosophy translate into politics and life.]

 

Right before Hitler and the Nazis appeared, and the Holocaust and World War II began, certain theories and philosophies were receiving wide attention and acceptance in Germany.

 

People in Germany were beginning to place their faith in man, in science and atheism.  They were beginning to believe that man should return to the animal kingdom where he belongs; to rule where there are no rules and where only the strongest survive.  They believed in survival of the fittest and preying on the weakest (Darwin).  They believed that religion was the opium of people (Marx) and that there was no need to worry about right and wrong because there was no heaven or hell.  They believed they had finally succeeded in ridding the world of the greatest myth:  God; of killing Him (Nietzsche) and replacing him with His rightful owner:  man (Feuerbach). 

 

And it was all good; In fact, it was “very good”. 

 

Did God abandon man or did man abandon Him?  The kids knew the answer. 

 

God did not abandon man.  Man abandoned Him.  And even today, we continue to airbrush Him out of our lives…out of reality. 

 

"Brothers and sisters: You were at a time without Christ...without hope and without God in the world" (cf. Ephesians 2:12-22).

The Holocaust was not a test of faith.  It was a taste of atheism...and (I think) of things to come.

Luke 11:29-32 The Power of Faith

Luke 11:29-32  The Power of Faith

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While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah…”

Last night I had dinner with a wonderful family.  I was happy to see the oldest daughter who was home for fall break.  She’s a freshman in college and loves every minute of it.  I noticed immediately that she was happy, very happy.  So, I asked her if she had a boyfriend.  And with the biggest smile on her face she said “YES!!!!”

I still remember the conversation I had with her right before she left for college.  I told her that she would never have a problem finding a boyfriend.  I’m not sure if she really believed me.  Most kids never believe me.  Actually, most kids never listen to me!  But anyways, I can understand her hesitation.  You see, she graduated from High School without ever having had a “boyfriend”.  She may not have been happy about that, but I sure was.  I know who she is.  She is a treasure - a very beautiful, intelligent and just all-around awesome young lady.  And personally, I was amazed that she got through High School without getting noticed.  I truly believe it was a miracle.

Fortunately, she never changed.  She remained steadfast.  Unfortunately, most girls end up changing, not for better but for worse.   They disavow their morals, values and dignity thinking they will get what they are looking for, but all they end up doing is dying (whenever you give up your morals, values and dignity, you end up losing your true idenitity, you end of dying).  Many kids fall into this trap because they lack faith not only in themselves but in God.

Why do we lack faith in God?  Because most people settle with having an emotional affair with God.  They love God just because they can feel Him.    But that’s not a good enough reason to love anyone, especially God.  If someone gets married based purely on emotions (or due to an emotional affair), then chances are you’ll get divorced squarely on cold facts. 

Faith is not an “emotional affair” with God.  Faith is based on cold facts.  When Jesus told his disciples, “If you wish to follow me, pick up your cross and follow me.”  That means, “If you remain faithful to me, then you will suffer greatly.”  That’s faith!  And that’s the hard cold fact of our faith.   I can accept it or reject it.  If I stay close to God (keep their morals, values and dignity), I will go through Hell.  But in the end, I will be rehabilitated and resurrected.  People will admire me forever!  God will love me forever. 

Give us signs.  I do not follow God based on feelings.  I follow him based on solid evidence.  Sin destroys lives!  Just like the Lord said it would.  Forgiveness re-creates lives.   Yep!  Just like the Lord did.  “If the world hated me, then it will hate you.”    How true it is!  I don’t believe I am hated because I defend marriage, life and morals.  I know it!  And you should too.

Do I realize that my sins – my actions or omissions - can contribute to the collapse of my marriage, the downfall of my family, my church, my friends, my neighborhood, my relationships, my city, my country, my world?  Do I realize the power of just one person and one wrong decision?  Do I realize that my sins destroy my lives and the lives of others?  Does the absent father realize how he is damaging his children?  Does the attention-seeking-mom realize how damaging she is to her children? 

But do I realize that there is something greater here?  As much as my actions can destroy lives, so also my love and God’s truth can rebuild them?

In order for the city of Nineveh to be saved, the inhabitants had to unite behind one man, a foreigner:  Jonah.   Today, Christians are foreigners. 

Evil generations.  Why are we trying so hard to mask sin?  Why are we trying to redefine marriage?  Why did our parents not fight against the legalization of abortion?  Why are we allowing a “culture of death” to overtake a “culture of life”?

Voting should not an "emotional affair".  Voting should be done in good faith.   

Next month, four states will be holding referendums to decide whether or not to protect marriage or redefine it.  All referendums are unfair just as all voting is unfair.  They are unfair because our ancestor will not be voting, and they deserve to vote, for many of them voted before and believed in God, family and country, and sacrificed so much for their state and nation.  It is also unfair because future generations will not be allowed to vote either, but will be forced to live with our disastrous decisions. 

The founding fathers had a chance to rid our nation of slavery, once and for all.  Instead, they voted for less and left it to another President and generation to solve the problem. They should have let us vote for it was a ghastly mistake.  And it cost much more than any of them could ever have imagined.    

Our great grandfathers were so happy when we created the first atomic bomb.  But if they knew then what we would fear today –getting in the hands of terrorists – then maybe they would have considered things differently and considered fighting on.

No one seems to be concerned about an atomic Iran, just like no one back in 1979 thought Iran would be the threat it is today?  Definitely President Carter didn’t.  But if we could have voted back then, then maybe Carter and his staff would have taken a tougher stand when our embassy and staff were held hostage for over a year?  Are we not doing the same with Libya?  Or with the possibility of a nuclear Iran?  Are we not deliberately buying time for ourselves so that others, who can’t vote now, will have to fight later?

Today, no one seems to be concerned about the national debt.  Maybe it’s because those who will pay for it aren’t alive to vote on it. 

The power of faith.  The one who has faith does not live for today.  They live for eternity.  They don’t vote for today.  They vote for their children and tomorrow.  They do not sacrifice their children.  They sacrifice themselves.  Respect God.  Respect Life.  That’s the power of faith.

Luke 10:25-27 People Pleasers

Luke 10:25-27  People Pleasers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mt 19:3-12 Marriage And All Things Decaying

Mt 19:3-12  Marriage And All Things Decaying

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mt 12:1-8 The Theology of Picking up Wheat

Mt 12:1-8  The Theology of Picking up Wheat

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Jesus was going through a field of grain on the Sabbath, His disciples were hungry and began to pick the beads of grain and eat them.  When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the Sabbath.”  …He said to them, “If you knew what this meant, desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men.  For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” 

Atheism is a horrible disease.  It strips and starves the human person of real sacredness.  By all accounts, it is a disease that is affecting more and more Americans, just like heart disease.  The consequences are devastating.  Weren’t we supposed to be better off without faith, hope and love; without Christianity?  Weren’t we supposed to be more merciful by being more rational and practical?  Wasn’t education supposed to end all forms of discrimination and indiscriminate killing?

This morning I turned on the radio and heard about another massacre.  It happened in a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado.  I don’t want to sound alarmist, but Colorado seems to be a hotspot for homegrown terrorists and massacres.  Not far away from Aurora is a small town called Columbine.  Sound familiar? 

An anonymous writer left a comment this morning regarding this tragedy.  They said, "I guess God's the only one who knows why a man would massacre at least twelve people watching a batman movie." 

After taking two trips to Colorado, I'd like to give my two cents for what it's worth.   I swore I would never go back:  way too secular for me.  Not that every family is secular.  No.  But it’s become a Mecca where good secular couples go to raise small secular families.  That’s unfortunate, when you consider the space and natural air and beauty that surrounds that place.  Colorado has become the secularist’s idea of heaven on earth:  great skiing, amazing scenery, small families, lots of wealth, and lots of ways to enjoy the pleasures of life.  Paradise on earth. 

But something is terribly wrong in “paradise”.  For some reason, people feel like they need to pick up a gun to create holes to fill their own.  Call me crazy, but I have a hunch that the individual that carried out this atrocity was intelligent; not a "nutso" but a "sicko".  And this was his sick (diseased) way of doing it.  When the human body (heart, mind, body and soul) is stripped and starved of all sacredness, it will look at other means to fill the emptiness.

Secularism (Atheism) has brought three things to America:  A leaner, meaner and wealthier population.  Really!  I’m not kidding!  Families are “leaner” and “wealthier” than ever before:  “leaner” in the sense of fewer kids; “wealthier” in that they have more money to spend on them.  As a result, kids are “fatter” and “needier” than ever before:  “fatter” not only physically, but in the sense that they get all that they want; “needier” in the sense of never being satisfied with what they have!  That’s where the “meaner” part kicks in.  That’s when the disease strikes at the heart, mind, body and soul. 

Call me crazy, but this is what I see.  I see 10 million children in Africa starving to death.  I see 10 million children in America starving themselves to death.  The child in Africa can be cured with simple food.  The child in America requires a team of experts to be cured.  A bag of food costs pennies.  Therapy costs thousands of dollars.  Do we wish to replace a cheap problem with a very expensive problem?  Most third world nations don't.

Intelligence does not increase one’s worth.  Wealth does not make a life more valuable than another.  Atheism’s creed and mission is simple:  There is no God.  This world is an accident.  Man is an accident.  Man is an animal.  Man has no soul.  “Go throughout the country and spread the depressing news.”   And the news is getting through: LOUD and CLEAR.  Actually, it’s busting through the walls like bullies and bullets.

On the other hand, Christianity offers the world a creed that is vibrant and refreshing.  Life is sacred.  Why?  Because God is Life.  Man is sacred.  Why?   Because God became Man.  Material poverty is sacred.  Why?  Because the God-Man embraced poverty.  He, along with his followers, picked wheat.  Humility is uplifting.  Why?  Because God chose to be humble and chose the humble.  Forgiveness is not weakness.  Why?  Because God forgave and rose from the dead.     

The Lord taught his Apostles to live like Him:  to be honest, to be poor, to be humble, to be merciful; to pick wheat, share it with others, and never lose sight of the sacredness and dignity of life itself.