Mt 22:34-40 God Yes, Church Yes

Mt 22:34-40 God Yes, Church Yes

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“When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law, tested him by asking, ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.’”

In Madrid, the protestors against the Holy Father did quite a few obscene things. You can see for yourself. There are plenty of pictures to view. I am so proud of our Catholic youth. Years of training, probably in front of abortion clinics, have taught them to be gentle in the face of insult and mockery.

At one moment, the protestors of World Youth Day began to shout, “God yes, Church no!” I cannot tell you how old this slogan is. Don’t let the “God yes!” fool you. It has been used by atheists for at least sixty years now. The rational or (deceitfulness) behind it is simple: dismantle that which is visible so as to leave the pious with just an idea, a pie-in-the-sky, which eventually becomes a pie-in-your-face!

The Church is very visible and very solid, her creed and code of conduct is rooted in Christ. She is founded on Rock rather than quicksand. Hundreds of thousands of youth professing their faith in public squares is a very visible and welcoming sign that points to Jesus Christ, to God! The Church is not an idea. It is very human, like humanity, and very divine. When the faithful come together as a community of worshippers, they gather as members of one body, but with only one head, Jesus Christ.

“God yes” is not at all the same as saying “Jesus yes.” “God yes” means absolutely nothing, especially when someone is giving you the finger! “God yes” in this case really means “My god yes.” That is, an individualistic god crafted precisely in my image and likeness. With this god there is nothing to learn! There is no script(ure) to read, for he has done nothing that I wouldn’t or couldn’t do! This thing thinks and acts exactly as I would expect it to do because it exists solely in my imagination and thrives upon my middle finger. This creature has no words of wisdom. There is nothing for it to teach me because “I already know it all!” This god is boring. There are no surprises in store for me. He lives and breathes and has his being as long as I live and breathe and have life within me. This god is similar to the shadows that accompanied men like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and so many others throughout time. There are no miracles of love for me to witness but only tears from darkness, death and destruction.

What did the God of Jesus Christ proclaim? He said, “Love God above all things so that you can authentically love your neighbor as well.” That’s the sign. That’s the surprise. Jesus said, People will know me if you follow my commandments. May the real God please come forward!

Throughout history there have been many attempts by evil men to cover up and bury this real God! Throughout history there have been many attempts to reveal him by simple and holy men and women. The challenge now rests with us. “WE WANT GOD!” was the slogan that members of the solidarity movement in Poland shouted when the Holy Father, John Paul II, first visited his native land. Not long after, they got God because God sent him. He sends us too!

Mt 22: 1-14 Why Catholic?

Mt 22: 1-14 Why Catholic?

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“The Kingdom of Heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son…Many are invited, but few are chosen.”

Last night our youth group invited me to participate in a discussion entitled “Why be Catholic?” The kids were great. They shared with me their religious experiences, good and bad, in school and in Church. What’s clear to me, and what I got out of it, is that it’s not easy being a Catholic today. But I’m just as sure that it has never been easy to be a Catholic anywhere or at any time. Why? Because we’re not called to be human! We are called to be something radically different.

Near the end of the evening, the moderator asked me what I thought. After listening to the kids, I wanted to help them put some structure, some conclusions, to their opinions and conversations. After much discussion, I had not yet heard anyone explain to me why they liked being Catholic. I told them that the question “Why Catholic?” was a good one, but it was like jumping to the final chapter of a book to find out how a story ends. I wanted to start from the beginning. The first question, in my opinion, should have been, “What does it mean to be a human being?”

To be human. To be a human being means to be endowed with certain faculties that enable us to think, to choose and to feel. I can think rationally. I can think how I want. I can choose whatever I want. And for the most part I can feel how I want to feel. This is what it means to be a homo sapiens. But I want to climb up the evolutionary ladder. I want to be more I can be more than just wise. I can be holy. I can be a homo Sanctus!

To be a Christian. To be a Christian means to accept an authority greater than myself. I can accept it because I can believe it. I can see that the Universe is wiser than me. I can accept that the design is not greater than the Designer! To be a Christian means to be better than a human being. It means to believe in Jesus, to choose Him, and to love like Him. In other words, it means to think irrationally - to think it is better to give than to receive, or to love your enemy, or to do good to those who cause you harm. I love it! I enjoy it. That's what makes a Christian so awesome. He is a big surprise to the world! And we desperately need good and beautiful surprises! Instead of doing “my will”, I choose to do “His Will”. Instead of loving myself more than anything else, I choose to love others more than myself. To be like Jesus Christ is what it means to be Christian.

To be a Catholic. Why Catholic? If you want to live your faith in a more radical way, then the only choice is to be a Catholic. The Church invites many, but few are chosen. Few are willing to accept and eat his body and drink his blood! Why? Because it is radical! Few are willing to sell all that they have and follow the Lord! Why? Because it means lifting both feet and stepping out of this world…for good! You can’t get more radical than that! You can't get more “get out of here” than that! To be a pastor in the Catholic Church means to live like a eunuch for the kingdom of God. Is that not radical enough? This is the factory where Saints are made. This is also were the greatest scoundrels lay hidden! This is the place that can either make you or break you.

To be a Catholic means to be a radical Christian. WE are the young men and women that will change the world. WE neither accept the world nor reject it. We simply live here, temporarily.

“Father, I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will. Whatever you may do, I thank you: I am ready for all, I accept all. Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures. I wish no more than this, O Lord. Into your hands I commend m soul; I offer it to you with all the love of my heart, for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands, without reserve, and with boundless confidence, for you are my Father.” (St. Charles de Foucald)

Mt 20:1-16 Envious For Being Generous

Mt 20:1-16 Envious For Being Generous

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A while back, a father of five came to my office with a dilemma. It seemed as though his teenage son was embarrassed of him. Yes! This boy was embarrassed of his dad (and maybe even his large family) because every morning he noticed all the BMW’s, Mercedes, Volvo’s, etc…that were in the drop-off line at school. He told his dad to buy a new car because he was “sick and tired of their beat up 1999 Ford pick-up truck with a crack in the windshield.” This man’s child was attending a private Catholic school that cost over ten thousand dollars a year, per child.

So the man came to my office and told me, “My son is embarrassed of me father. What should I tell him?” I told him, without any hesitation, “Wrap your arm around your son and tell him that you could have any car you wanted if you hadn’t decided to send him to a private catholic school for eight years.” He seemed to like the answer.

In a certain way, this boy was envious that his father was so generous. What he had forgotten though, was that he was the recipient of that generosity.

We, as Americans, are very generous with our time, our money and our possessions. I can truly say that! I have seen it with my own eyes. We are grateful for the blessings we have received, and are more than willing to help others, even though we work hard to make ends meet and most of us only get two weeks of vacation a year.

Unfortunately, the same is not always true in the spiritual realm. We are very generous with our time, our money and our possessions, but not necessarily with the Lord’s forgiveness and compassion. We tend to hold on to grudges as if they were some prized possession. We take time to research or seek out the bad in others, rather than to capitalize on what is good. We hope the best for our neighbor as long as it is within my reach as well.

The Lord today reminds us of who is God. God is loving. He is merciful and compassionate. The Lord is forgiving and giving. He is slow to anger and rich in mercy. There is very little talk in Scripture regarding what God consists of. The same is true for us since we could really give a darn in knowing someone’s DNA. What we really want to know is someone’s heart. The Lord is King of all things, but especially of the spiritual things, the things that matter most.

We, as Christians, not only have the obligation to provide others with “daily bread”, but to provide others with spiritual nourishment. Recent decisions tend to dismiss the second half. It is not a good thing to provide drug addicts with clean and free needles or teenagers with free condoms. It is a much better thing to wrap your arm around them and teach them how to live life according to the Gospel of Life. The Lord feed very few people as he preached and saved the world. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if more people fed the Lord and his disciples than His disciples fed them. People in general know how to live. What they want to know is why they live! The Lord gave humanity the answer.

God our Father, may we love you in all things and above all things and reach the joy you have prepared for us beyond all our imagining. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. (Opening prayer, 20^th Sunday of Ordinary Time)

Mt 19:23-30 Giving Up Your Dreams

Mt 19:23-30 Giving Up Your Dreams

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“Jesus said, ‘Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven’…Then Peter said to him in reply, ‘We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Amen, I way to you that you who have followed me, in the new age…will yourselves sit on twelve thrones. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life.’”

I once considered myself a wealthy man. I still do, but my idea of wealth has changed considerably over the years.

Back in the good old days, while I was working in my fancy office and driving my fancy car, I thought I was living the American dream. And I was! I was living a dream and just a dream…or fantasy or tale. And it is not just American. Over the years, thanks to Hollywood, we have done an awesome job exporting our dream to others. We have shared the wealth by sharing with others our dreams. But the truth is: we don’t live like this; we don’t write our own endings.

One morning I woke up and made a decision that scared me to death. I set out not in search of a dream but of reality. I decided that I didn’t want to fall asleep and dream again. I was tired of being fooled. This great awakening marked the beginning of discovering the real presence of Jesus Christ, a presence more real than most people I knew (and know today).

What did I give up? I gave up sin, nothingness, and received blessing upon blessing. I exchanged hours of small talk for hours of honest dialogue. I replaced marginal friends with authentic friendships. Instead of taking care of myself, I understood that taking care of others was pleasing and good.

I thought I had given up the world. In reality, I had just given up on my own little world; in my self-confidence. And in exchange, I received Christ’s confidence in place of my own. I can honestly say that I have escaped from la-la land; from the dream of a perfect world and I am currently out of the “matrix”. I no longer indulge in the “Kool aid” of wishful thinking or in the idea of political saviors.

I thought I had given up on the finer tastes and smells of the world. I thought I would be left alone. Now, I crave for some time alone. I crave for silence, for prayer, for meditation and for the Lord’s senses. I wish to see as he sees and to feel as he feels.

Of course there will be moments when we all wish to fall asleep again; to seek that which does not exist; to go after the mirage. But I know from where these moments originate, and were they lead. They are just wishful thoughts caused by selfish thoughts. These moments are best described as circular thoughts or driving inside a cul-de-sac. This is one way we make the world appear so small.

Lord Jesus, you did not come into the world to make your followers rich, famous or successful. Rather, you said to your followers to be last, for the first shall be last and the last shall be first. Grant us Lord the grace to rise (as you did) from our slumber, and to share with others the reality of your life and love. We ask this in your name. Amen.

Luke 1:39-56 The Assumption of Our Lady

Luke 1:39-56 The Assumption of Our Lady

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The early Church members painstakingly took time to remember their dead and to bury their dead. They were devoted to those who had lived their life according to the Way. Devotion to the martyrs, to the saints, began from the very beginning. Bones, hair, and any religious relic would be preserved in meticulous detail and astonishing care. Even today’s hoarders would be surprised at how the Christians loved their Saints! Not even the threat of persecution, Roman persecution, could or would stop their devotion! What was for sure is that the dead would not leave this earth without their shrine, their memorial, or a simple tombstone placed upon their grave. The faithful would not allow their memory, their possessions or their bodily remains to disappear.

For this reason we have ancient bones, ancient tombs, and even ancient relics from the Lord’s crucifixion. We have pieces of his cross. We also have a large piece of the Good thief’s cross. We have some thorns and nails used by the Romans during Christ’s beating and crucifixion. Under the main alter at St. Peter’s basilica in Rome, we find the remains of St. Peter. We have the tombstone (and the bones) of St. Paul that are located underneath his basilica just outside of Rome (St. Paul outside the walls). These are not some pious comments that I make. We are not talking gibberish. We are talking about facts! These findings are based on scientific archeological research.

There is no longer any debate.

There is another fact that should not go unnoticed. Like Jesus, we have no remains belonging to Mary. We have no tombstone, no bones, no hair, and no precious relic belonging to her person. Like Jesus, Mary, the Mother of God, the Mother of our Savior Jesus Christ, the Mother of the Church, the Mother of all the Apostles, the Queen of Heaven and Earth, did not die. There is no basilica dedicated to her where her tomb rests below. There are no signs that Mary ever died. There is nothing documented in the early Church that would even second guess this remarkable fact. She fell asleep and was assumed into Heaven.

On November 1^st, 1950, Pope Pius XII solemnly declared: “By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”

Today is Mary’s feast day. Let us celebrate her birthday into Heaven. God’s glory is best revealed through his faithful followers, his saints. Mary is not just one of them; she is the model of all of them! She accepted her son, The Son, at an early age. She set aside her fears, her doubts, her name, her reputation to follow the love of her life. She did so faithfully, never looking back, never second guessing, and never assuming anything. She spoke little and did much. Although her heart was made of flesh, her will was made of steel! She may have been tiny in height, but she remains a giant in faith! She accepted her son; prepared her son; gave her son and followed her son till his death. The Lord would not allow her to go through a second death. Her tears were enough to convince her Son that she had had enough!

Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Mt 15: 21-28 Quick Way To Increase Faith

Mt 15: 21-28 Quick Way To Increase Faith

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“A Canaanite woman came and called out to Jesus, ‘Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!’ But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her. The Lord’s disciples came and asked him, ‘Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.’ He said in reply, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ He said in reply, ‘It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.’ Then Jesus said to her, ‘O woman, great is your faith!’

I thought it appropriate to write down this Gospel passage. Although we meditated on this not too long ago, the Church considers it worthy to do so again and this time on a Sunday so that more can hear it.

Once in a while I will run into someone who thinks that the Gospels were fabricated. They think so because Jesus appears so perfect, too perfect, in them! Well, He is of course; He is God. But let us never forget that there are some pretty hard sayings from the Lord throughout scripture, sayings that could easily make us doubt. I often use the above scripture passage to make my point. It would have been so easy for the Apostles to simply have ignored this incident. How easy it could have been for the Apostles to change Christ’s words so that he didn’t appear so harsh! And yet, here it is. We have this incident in print!

Imagine for a moment this incident being published in the New York Times? Rather than Jesus, imagine for a moment the Holy Father having said this to some poor and desperate woman? Ah, the reactions! The scandal! The insults!

Pope John Paul II did not have a problem apologizing to the world on behalf of the Catholic Church for the mistakes of some of her past members. I think he had hoped that the mea culpa would have caught on throughout the world. But Turkey has not apologized to Armenia. The Jews have not apologized to the Palestinians. The British have not apologized to a host of nations from the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The Japanese have not apologized to China or Korea. Russia has not apologized to Eastern Europeans. The United States has not apologized to African Americans or the unborn.

I have never heard a politician compliment his opponent; answer a question, or that did not have the solution to a national problem (the solution being themselves!). Who would vote for a humble politician? Most likely everyone; which would end politics for good, and that’s a good thing for then we would start having statesmen and not politicians.

What is the quickest way to increase your faith? Make yourself small, smaller than a mustard seed, so that the seed of faith appears larger than life, your life! It’s not easy to do, that’s for sure. But it is the quickest way to empty oneself and allow the Lord to fill in the space.

The woman in today’s gospel is a remarkable woman. God loves to glorify his saints. He loves to place the spotlight on others. I believe He did so because he wanted us to know that it can be done. Really! You can make yourself small. You don’t need to have all the answers. You don’t need to always know what you are doing or what the outcome will be. You don’t need to have it all planned out. Things don’t always have to go your way. You don’t have to be so confident in yourself; so rational in your behavior; so rigid as rigor mortis!

Trust in God. Place your trust in God. We place our trust in sprouts, or spinach or turkey meat and get Salmonella poisoning! We place too much trust in others and in our own opinions.

No one has ever gotten sick from the Eucharist. No one has ever died from too much God.

Lord, you came into the world to be with us. You died on the Cross so that one day we could be with you. May we never doubt your amazing love for us! We ask this in your name. Amen.

Mt 19:13-15 Children And Jesus

Mt 19:13-15 Children And Jesus

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“Children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ After he placed his hands on them, he went away.”

Of course we are all God’s children. Even the very old are God’s children. But the Lord does hold a special place in his heart for those who are beginning the great adventure, the great blessing, of life.

If I could do it all over again… If I knew back then what I know now…

During this week, over half-a-million youth are arriving in Madrid for World Youth Day (WYD) 2011. It is the largest number of pre-event registrations ever for WYD. Over five thousand registrations are coming in every single day!

Youth from all over the world will descend upon a very secular city in a very secular (socialist) nation. Youth in Spain have been decimated by left-wing politicians who continue to chisel away traditional values and morals that are based on Christian ethics. These bureaucrats, through legal maneuvering and educational reforms, continue to dummy down the history and role of Christianity in a nation that for over four hundred years was overrun by Moors. They continue to dummy down generations of students. The results have been devastating: drugs, vulgarity and lewd behavior are common among High School and College students. There is little respect for the elderly; hardly any respect for the family; and violent attitudes towards the Church. We have been warned that there could be violent demonstrations during the Pope’s visit.

The irony to all of this is that these anti-papal demonstrations will bring out the very best of our Christianity youth. Christian youth, unlike many of their parents, are not afraid to kneel down in front of abortion clinics, or in front of papal protestors. They are not afraid to look someone in the eye and smile. Those who believe in Jesus Christ do not burn effigies. They do not waste their time vandalizing stores and torching buildings in order to seek justice! Those who believe in Jesus Christ are a blessing to society; a treasure to behold; a pearl waiting to be found!

These youth have come from all over the world – geographically and demographically. They come from broken families, solid families and dysfunctional families. They come from a Catholic past, a non-catholic past, and an anti-catholic past! They give visible witness to the amazing things that God can do once the human soul is handed over to its maker; once the tender soul asks that all important question, “What would you have me do, Lord?”

If I could do it all over again… If I knew back then what I know now…

What do I know now? I know that young people seek an idol. They seek the idol right in front of them rather than the God that is deep inside of them. And for this reason, we right them off. But what they are really telling us is that they seek happiness, a lover, a hero, a role model – someone to look up to! Often, way too often, we write them off as being selfish and naive. By doing so, we allow them to “search and destroy themselves”, forgetting that Christ is insisting on adults to “let the children come to me, and do not prevent them.”

Young people want to be heard, invited and challenged. There is a God who can do all three things!