John 7:9-11 As The Father Loves

John 7:9-11 As The Father Loves... (Click here for readings)
We have just read (or heard), without a doubt, the greatest commencement speech or farewell speech ever recorded. Christ said to His disciples, "As the Father loves me, so I also love you." Do I grasp what this means? Take a few moments to contemplate the meaning of these words: Like the Father loves me (a love fully immersed in Love and beyond all human limitations), I love you (God loves me as he loves his very own son). Who could ask for more? Who could ask for a more perfect love? Christ loves me as He loves the Father and the Father loves Him. What is this love? Unconditional, unrelenting, unquestionable love. Love that endures all time, bears all things. Love that is piercing and painful, burning yet unconsuming; love that is selfless. This love is True!! What is the difference between kindness and love? Kindness does not worry about the eternal salvation of the other. So kindness avoids causing pain. Love worries about the salvation of the beloved and is willing to accept and endure pain and suffering if that is what it takes for the conversion of the beloved. The Lord loves us as the Father loves Him.

Last night I was discussing atheism with a so-called "atheist". I reminded her that atheism does not offer the world any ideals to life. The Christian knows what it means to love, "to lay down your life for another." This person reminded me of how Christians and others who believe in God have killed in the name of God. I reminded her of our founder, Jesus Christ. I said to her, "If a Muslim slit the throat of an infidel, they would be considered a good Muslim by Islamic Law. If a Christian slit the throat of an evil man, they would be considered a bad Christian by Christian Law. If an athiest slit the throat of a human being, they would be considered hungry by natural law." Christianity does not teach us how to survive but how to live, and to live means to love.

The Lord loves us as the Father loves Him! He tells us this so that our joy may be complete - that Christ's joy may be in me! Heaven completes our joy. Heaven is our final resting place. This world is not home, it is an inn and we are pilgrims. Our joy continues to ellude us in a culture that continues to worship tolerance, pundits, and gallop polls. And yet, the Christian continues to send shock waves throughout the empire when he/she stands up for God.

I heard today that a famous TV sports anchor, Damian Goddard, was fired for defending true marriage. He had sent a tweet defending a friend who was defending true marriage. He wrote nothing offensive, vulgar, or obscene. He wrote, "I completely and wholeheartedly support Todd Reynolds and his support for the traditional and TRUE meaning of marriage." He was fired soon after that. I love what he said immediately after that, "It is times like these when I am so thankful for my Roman Catholic faith. I would be completely lost without it." He told a local newspaper, "In terms of what I said, I stand by it. I'm a devout Roman Catholic. It's not about hate at all!" I love it!!! It's not about hate at all. It's about love and truth, the two and only true God that is able to unite all mankind.

"As the Father loves me, so I love you. Remain in my love!" Yes sir!

John 6:52-59 I Can’t See Him!

John 6:52-59 I Can’t See Him!

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On October 25^th, 2005, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict, answered questions addressed to him by children. His answers reveal to all the world why he is the Pope, a Shepherd, and a priest after the Lord’s heart. He is not afraid to let the children come to the Lord.

A young boy named Andrea asked the following question: In preparing me for my First Communion day, my catechist told me that Jesus is present in the Eucharist. But how? I can't see him!

The Holy Father’s response was beautiful. No, we cannot see him, but there are many things that we do not see but they exist and are essential. For example: we do not see our reason, yet we have reason…We do not see our soul and yet it exists and we see its effects, because we can speak, think and make decisions, etc. Nor do we see an electric current, for example, yet we see that it exists…we see lights. Therefore, we do not see the very deepest things, those that really sustain life and the world, but we can see and feel their effects.

So it is with the Risen Lord: we do not see him with our eyes but we see that wherever Jesus is, people change, they improve. A greater capacity for peace, for reconciliation, etc., is created. Therefore, we do not see the Lord himself but we see the effects of the Lord: so we can understand that Jesus is present. And as I said, it is precisely the invisible things that are the most profound, the most important. So let us go to meet this invisible but powerful Lord who helps us to live well.

Throughout the centuries we have learned so much from St. Paul. In fact, we have so many expressions that can be attributed to him. He was “blinded by the light” as he “came down from his high horse.” Saul, on the road to Damascus, was struck by God’s blazing light. He was blinded out of necessity - so that he could see deeper than his sight could ever take him. He was relying too much on the obvious and not enough on its causes. He did not fall from the force of gravity but by God’s amazing grace. Remember, think deeper. Go deeper. Life comes to us deeper and is much more meaningful than our five senses could ever embrace, swallow or consume.

You cannot judge a book by its cover. Amen. The Eucharist falls into this category. Why do we hold this truth to be self-evident in a book but not in the Bread of life? The Eucharist is so meaningful and so powerful because it is so real. It is the source of scandal because Christ continues to be the source of scandal for many. The Bread that came down from Heaven continues to be the sign of unity - unity in one baptism, one faith, one Lord, and one body and bread – and division, because not all can accept this truth. But for those who can see, we see its effects now in our lives today and in the promise yet to come, life everlasting.

We must all go through our conversion and transformation like St. Paul. His life is the history of all Jews and Christians. He experienced his “exodus”. He left his homeland, his family name, his reputation and his plans and followed the Lord, waiting for instructions. Where it would lead him, only God could tell, and tell he did, to Ananias: “This man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel, and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name” (Acts 9:1-20). And suffer he did, for unseen promises: the conversion of millions to Jesus Christ, and life everlasting.

Let us take leave and follow the instructions of the Lord: “Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.” (Mk 16:15)

John 6:44-51 Taught By God

John 6:44-51 Taught By God
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Yesterday evening I was speaking to a young man who had some pretty serious questions with regards to his girlfriends, our faith and his business. I was surprised about the faith part. It is not surprising that a 20's something young men would be into girlfriends and wealth, but to also be interested in his faith was a pleasant surprise. He told me about himself and afterwards asked me to be honest with him. "Father, am I sinning?" I told him yes, for very obvious reasons. This one was an easy one. It didn't take a theologian to figure this one out. He continued, "If I am sinning, then why would God bless me with a highly successful start up company?" I responded, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God's" (Mt 22:15-22). There is no connection between wealth and God's love! The Lord is not interested in how much money you make or in how much money you have. It has never been a sign of God's favor! Does he not say (Mt 5:45), "The Lord allows the rain to fall on the good and evil?" The Lord is not interested in what you carry in your wallet but what you carry in your heart, soul, mind and body. This is our faith. Everything we have is to be used for good and holy purposes, even money. If the Lord has allowed me to be wealthy, then I am to share it with others. But wealth does not eliminate sin. If anything, it may multiply it. Again, remember what the Lord said, "It is so hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven." (cf. Mt 19:23)

The early Church grew quickly in numbers and in distance. It is remarkable how the Good News was so well received - regardless of national boundaries, ethnicity, social structures or classes, or even intellectual ability. Every day, hundreds were added. Why? What did they know that we have forgotten? Or what did they have that we don't have? What made Christianity so attractive? I believe the answer is quite simple: Christians were different. They lived, talked and worked differently. They were easily recognizable. They did not allow themselves to be absorbed by any empire; not even by the empires of Public Schools, College Campuses, Social Networking, Peer Groups, News Networks, Talk Shows, Websites, Gallup Polls, or Political Parties. The Christians of old were not interested in finding their place in society but rather making it.

They were called to lead and not be led; and they did so in every single aspect of their lives. They looked for opportunities to share their faith, and the Lord provided! They were not loud or obnoxious, sarcastic and crude, vulgar and obscene. They were filled with the Holy Spirit; filled with wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord (cf. Is 11:2-3). They were not Hippies. What is not of the Spirit dies a sudden death. They were not Idealists or Utopians! They were a sign of contradiction. They were patient and strong willed, humble and tenacious.

Talking to some converts, I can honestly say that the Church in America still draws thousands of converts to the faith because of our ancestors - the early Church Fathers, the lives of the Saints, the holy men and women of our past. We are still riding high on their coattails! How sickening it must be for the Saints to witness a brother or sister, in the faith, attending Mass and living like a pagan! How St. John Vianney, St. Francis de Sales or St. Ignatius, men who did so much to reform the priesthood, must be rolling in his grave for the selfishness of their brother priests! How saddening it must be for the Blessed Virgin Mary to witness one of us receive her son in the Eucharist and desecrate it by our sins! She would never have allowed a neighbor to hold her baby if they were bent on harming him.

Our eldest brothers and sisters ate manna in the desert and died. Our brothers and sisters ate the bread of life and lived the fullness of the faith. We are called to be different and to be proud of our difference. We are a part of this world but no longer of the world. We have no one on earth to impress. What is to prevent my living the faith? Myself?

May we make of our lives something greater than ourselves. May the Lord bless us by yielding fruit that will endure forever. May we never bring shame to ourselves or to our Christian name. May the Lord give us the strength and courage to never copy the behavior and customs of this world, but allow him to transform us into a new being; changing the way we think and live our lives, for we are His and have been taught by Him. Amen. (cf. Rm 12:2)

John 6:35-40 Bread For Life

John 6:35-40 Bread For Life
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Christ is what maintains, sustains, enriches and satisfies life on earth, and life itself. Without Him life is brutal. Just take a look at that part of the world that still does not know that Jesus Christ is Lord. Without Him, we are forever thirsty and hungry. Life becomes confusing, I am unbearable and those around me are depressing.

"Whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst." The Lord offers it all, his whole being - words, deeds, his life, body and blood, literally and spiritually. God loves me and He will not lose me. "I will not reject anyone who comes to me." It is a mystery. Whoever arrives to Christ cannot leave without Him. Everyone who believes in the Son has eternal life. The last shall be first: prostitute, tax collector, murderer, pedophile, rapist, drug addict, abortionist - He shall reject no one. It is a mystery. I cannot even imagine this! So much harm but much more grace! They are the ones that make the greatest converts - if only they convert.

Saul was present. Saul was consenting. Saul was trying to destroy the Church; entering house after house and dragging out men and women (Acts 8:1b-8). What is so amazing about the early Church is that they were praying for this man, for his conversion. The prayers of the faithful are powerful! We tend to forget this. We say to one another, "I will keep you in my prayers" but do we really? I tend to believe that very few of us do. I know I say it all the time, but then I find myself neglecting to do so, and it is one of my most sacred duties: to pray for others! Not too long ago I went to bless the home of a young couple. As I was making my way around the house, blessing each room, I was pleasantly surprised to see a prayer list posted on the refrigerator door. I was second on the list, underneath Usama Bin Laden. I was happy to make the list, even if my name was so close to the other. I always said that if I had not become a priest, I probably would have been a terrorist!

"Let all the earth cry out to God with joy" (Ps 66:1). This is the Will of the Father: that all who see the Son may have eternal life. Come, all who are lost, forgotten, bruised and abused. All who are abusers and addicts - come to the light, confess your sins, acknowledge your crime, seek forgiveness, start anew, make reparation, repair the damage, fix the problem, do penance and sin no more, for the Lord rejects no one no more! Let all the earth cry out to God with joy! I'm forgiven! I no longer need to carry the cross of my past. "Come and see the works of God, his tremendous deeds among his children. How tremendous are your deeds!" Tremendous literally means - trembling, earth shattering, earth shaking! If I have yet to experience that in my life, if I don't see it, then I still do not know God. And that's okay. There is still more to go! Always! Till the end of my life! But I cannot just know God; I need to experience Him along the way.

It is time to go and approach the Lord in praise, thanksgiving, and in prayer; with our hearts trembling. It is no longer a mystery! Christ calls me in the deepest portion of my heart. His heart calls out to me! The image of the Sacred Heart has one hand pointing towards His heart and the other hand pointing towards my heart. He longs for me! I fear, I tremble before the Almighty Lover! I shall fear nothing! He is the one who goes and looks for me. How can I fear? Confession - the Sacrament of resurrection, of rebirth, of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is the best means to come back to life, wash your hands and face and feet and come to the table where the Lamb awaits his guests.

"Taste and see the goodness of the Lord" (Ps 34:8); His bread for life!

John 6:30-35 Believing Is Seeing

John 6:30-35 Believing Is Seeing
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It's called "cherry picking". That is, when I enjoy the fruits of another's labor. The crowd demands a sign: "What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?" How relevant are the Lord's words to Thomas when he says, "Blessed are they who believe and do not see." I love it! But these words from the Lord still rub us the wrong way, they run contrary to our nature, our way of life - of knowing - and yet, the Lord makes so much sense. We put a lot of things in our mouth! Sometimes our foot! God knows what goes in, but we know what goes out!

Lord, I want to believe!...but on my terms. Seeing is not believing. Seeing is a fact. You don't believe in a fact, you admit it. Christ does not do "show and tell." He tells and then he shows. He does what the Father does. Jesus tells his disciples, "In three days I shall rise" and then he shows them his hands and his feet. The effect is "out of this world." The crowds know perfectly well the feats God performed for his people. The God of Jacob, the God of Israel, and the God of Abraham told his people that they would be free one day. And then he did it: in the crossing of the Red Sea, the journey through the desert, the bread that came down from Heaven. He promised and then he delivered. But not on their terms. It would so limit the hands of God, the adventure and their conversion. What the Lord's distracters do not seem to remember is the struggle between God, Moses and his people (Moses being in the middle).

The Lord made a promise to his people: "I will be your God and you will be my people." The Lord made another promise, to Abraham, "Count the stars if you can, this is how many will your descendents." Abraham could not even have imagined such a gift. And so it is. Today, billions of people, more than half the world, consider Abraham to be their father in faith! Believing is truly seeing. The Lord makes promises and the Lord keeps them. The only condition is that it must be His time and His way. And it's okay! "He never lets go of the ones He loves." Is this not his track record?

The Lord said, "I will be with you till the end of time." Really? "Where two or more are gathered in my name, there am I among them." How can this be? In spirit? No. In heart and mind? No. Physically? Yep! How? Are you not up there and we below? No. Wait. I don't get this? How then? In the breaking of the bread. In the Eucharist. Believing is Seeing. It was not Moses who gave you the bread, but my Father who gives you the true bread that comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world. I am the bread of life.

Come down from the Cross and then we will believe. Seeing is not believing. For seeing demands from God that we control him and if we know anything about God, he is not controlled! He will not be controlled. But that's okay. We can expect the greatest surprise!

In the Eucharist, the Lord gives us "our daily bread." This is His prayer. This is His request. And the Father answers His prayer. From there the miracle does not end. The transformation of wheat and wine transforms the one who receives it; a simple human being becomes another Christ. It seems to work. The Saints can attest to it! Those who spend time in front of the Blessed Sacrament and are daily communicants appear to handle daily struggles better than most.

John 6:22-29 Only One Way to Live

John 6:22-29 Only One Way to Live

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“Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!” (Ps 119:1ab)

During my religion class, I asked the students a very simple question: What must I do to get to Heaven? I heard all the answers one would expect: “Be nice.” “Be tolerant.” “Be respectful.” “Be happy!” “Treat the planet as if it were your mother.” None of them are close to the correct answer.

We know that the Catechism of the Catholic Church is divided into three parts: What Catholics Believe; How Catholics Pray and How Catholics Live. In other words: Creed, Cult, and Conduct. The parts are in this order for good reasons. I cannot worship a God I do not know and I cannot live the proper life if I do not know what I should ask for and who I should pray to. The Catechism is not a complicated book. It appears to be a thick book, but it is not a dense book. Why do we need a Catechism? Because we are complicated and the Church helps us to untangle the complications of our sin. It is worth referring to on occasion.

The Acts of the Apostles were written for a reason: to give witness to the energy, enthusiasm, courage and heroic virtues of the Apostles. Life would not be easy for those who wished to follow the Lord. In fact, it would be dangerous. They lived on the run, in a hurry, because they knew their time was limited. Not limited due to age or health, but due to rocks, sticks and swords. These men and women, who did not have our Basilicas, Cathedrals, or established institutions, worked in the vineyard of the Lord by planting the seeds of faith that would eventually bear much fruit.

But we must never forget. Their actions are not their actions but the actions of the Lord. “The Christian knows that any good he does comes from Christ inside him. He does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity)

What must I do to get to Heaven? Believe in the One and only savior, Jesus Christ, and allow him to live, breathe and work in and through you! When working with teenagers, who are so worried about peer perception, feeling good about themselves, I ask them a simple question: What is more important: Feeling good, looking good or being good? I am pleased to announce that all of them will say, “Being good.” They all have Him inside of them! It is just a matter of getting Him and letting Him live!

For this reason, the Lord told the crowd that was following him after the multiplication of the loaves, “I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” The Eucharist is essential for good living. It is the way, the truth and the life that keeps us good, holy and alive. Without it, it is impossible to have the Lord inside of me. “The glory of God is a man fully alive!” (St. Augustine)

What must I do? “Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”

The Gospel of the Lord!

Luke 24:13-35 Only One Way To Go

Luke 24:13-35 Only One Way To Go

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“Lord, you will show us the path of life” (Ps 16:11a)

It is truly remarkable how Peter can raise his voice, speak with confidence and authority and proclaim the Good News to all, including those Jews who were directly responsible for the Lord’s passion and death. Just a few weeks ago he was willing to defend the Lord with his sword but not with his words. He could pull out his sword but could not stick out his tongue! It was and still is easier to die by the sword than it is to die for the Word.

Here I stand, nearly twenty-one centuries later. I am more than able but still unwilling to proclaim the Good News to all my brothers and sisters – those who continue to be responsible for the Lord’s passion and death. Fear grips me; the unwillingness to be put to shame holds me tight. A noose is constantly held around my neck, loose enough to breathe but tight enough to squeeze the life out of me.

This is the life of the Christian who takes one step forward and two steps back. I hate to say this but even two steps forward and one step back is not good enough. How can I manage? How can I live a life where I am constantly questioning myself, my decisions, my life, my God, my mission? It is horrible! A life full of doubts is painful. It hurts so much to smile at the camera. There are too many muscles to control when driven by fakeness.

But we manage by creating an illusion – the illusion of mastery. At the beginning of the twentieth century, man was so full of himself, more than ever before. The god of optimism had been revealed! The fountain of youth – Science! - began to produce its most potent fruits. Science would solve all our problems. Science would help us to master the elements and force them to obey our commands. The world would be broken like a horse, the reigns held tight and man would ride upon it into the Son-set, forever. God had been replaced by Technology, and man was its creator.

But that was not the case. Immediately, war broke out, the First World War stood as a horrific reminder to all the fake doctrines of progress. We had not progressed. We had not defeated man's pride. Instead, it was lavishly feeding on the living. Indeed, after the senseless butchery of the First World War, a level of mass mayhem entirely disproportionate to its rather obscure causes, it seemed that mastery has a shadow side, a negative component that grew in direct proportion to the acquisition of mastery itself. (Wilfred McClay, The Illusion of Mastery)

The disciples on the road to Emmaus were downcast. They were looking for all the wrong things. Their futile cry, “We had hoped that he would be the One” may be translated to “We thought that we could control Him” or “We thought that God could be managed.” No. The disciples were looking for answers, for meaning, for purpose and for hope. Instead, they found Jesus who is the answer to all of life's tough questions. Once they realized who He was, He disappeared from their sight but not from their presence, for He is always present in the bread, the Eucharist. They turned back only after they received Him.

In this case, there was only one way to go: BACK. And sometimes progress means going back! It meant encountering the rest of the Apostles and experiencing the source of true joy and optimism, together.

Heavenly Father, give me the strength and courage to remove the noose of sin around my neck so as to take a leap of faith that leads me closer to you. Amen.