John 6:60-69 Are You Shocked?

Saturday of the Third Week of Easter

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Many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?”  Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you?”

They were highly intelligent.  Dzhokhar was a diligent student who dreamed of becoming a great doctor.  He was registered as a student at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.  He was even awarded a $2,500 city scholarship toward college two years ago.  Tamerlan was married.  His wife was half Portuguese and half-Italian.  It has been reported that she converted to Islam in order to appease her boyfriend.  Now, her family states that “she never really knew him.” 

The Tsarnaev brothers, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar, were not loners.  On the contrary, they loved to hang out with people and party all night long.  In fact, the day after they planted two bombs that killed three people and injured over 150, they sent nonchalant twitter messages and spent some time at a party. 

The two fit in so well with the rest of America.  Dzhokhar was even naturalized an American citizen on September 11^th, 2012.  No one ever suspected them to be Islamic terrorists. 

Are you shocked?

Given the news we have heard on the Boston Marathon bombers, it appears as though neither of these two individuals were mentally ill, socially inept, or economically disadvantaged.  Does this shock you? 

So, the question everyone is asking is:  What was wrong with them?  Why in the world would they want to kill hundreds of innocent people?    Why in the world would they take their talents and knowledge and wish to do grave evil with them? 

This morning I spoke to a woman who was very grateful for modern technology.  She credits it with saving her husband’s life.  She said to me, “Technology is wonderful!”  I was about to agree with her, but then I corrected myself and said, “If used in the right way.”

Educated people will not save our world.  Holy people will.  We don’t need more educated people.  We need more holy people.  Does this shock you? 

Science and technology are wonderful, and people market them as if they were some sort of god.  But in the hands of spiritually dead (or ill) people, technology and science become extremely dangerous.  Does this shock you?   

Well, “intelligent” people will not save us or our world.  Holy people will.  And to be more specific, people who live like Jesus Christ will.

Does this shock you?  It shouldn’t!

There were many things that Christ said and did that shocked “the hell” out of people and out of this world.  He was on to something. 

Does this shock you?  It shouldn’t by now.  It should be common knowledge, especially in the face of so much evil.

John 6:52-59 Expose Yourself!

Friday of the Third Week of Easter

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The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?”  Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you…”

Just a few days ago, Margaret Thatcher, the former Prime Minister of England, was laid to rest.  No one had ever seen a politician quite like her:  a woman in a man’s world. 

The daughter of a grocer, Thatcher was a member of the Conservative Party.  Actually, she was a member of its right-wing fringes.  Among Party members, she gradually grew in stature and respect due to her unique and no nonsense approach to politics and politicians.  She was very clear on the issues of the day and very blunt with her opponents.  In fact, she did what no other ever did:  she labeled them. 

Thatcher was unbending on difficult decisions.  She polarized the nation and the electorate.  At first, the crowd hated her; gradually they grew to love her.  They began to see in her what they wanted to see in themselves:  courage, real courage.  

Margaret Thatcher exposed herself to danger and risked everything.  Great leaders expose themselves to danger and risk everything.  They do not allow their emotions to get in the way of their convictions or their beliefs.  They hunt down their fears by exposing themselves.  This is the secret to success and they are willing to go for it.  Leaders know that their words and deeds are meaningless if they are unwilling to risk their very own name and skin.  This is, in essence, what separates leaders from the crowd or the security of anonymity. 

So who is a leader?  I think the answer is someone who is willing to reveal who they really are.   

This is exactly what the Lord did. 

Expose yourself to danger.  In today’s Gospel passage, the Lord took a stand, and literally found himself standing alone.  The Jews quarreled.  His disciples quarreled.  His Apostles were stunned.  The Lord said something that shocked their intelligence and shook their faith to the core.  But in truth, the Lord had broken through a barrier like an aircraft breaks through the sound barrier:  by blasting through it!

“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you.  Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.  For my Flesh is true food, and my Blood is true drink.  Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.”

Today, the Lord separated himself from a cloud of prophets, gurus and self-improvement experts.  He revealed His true mission, without mixing any words.  He revealed His true identity, without ambiguity.  He set things straight:  I have not come into the world just to preach.  I have not come into the world to give to you some moral teachings.  I have come into the world to give you my very life:  body, blood, soul and divinity.   

Take it or leave it.

As we all know, many disciples left him that day and returned to their former ways of life.  People don’t change overnight, but they can reveal themselves overnight.

Resolution:  To prepare my soul and receive the Lord in the Eucharist this Sunday. 

John 6:44-51 The Bread From Heaven

Thursday of the Third Week of Easter

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Jesus said to the crowds:  “It is written in the prophets:  ‘They shall all be taught by God.’  Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me…Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.  …I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.”

The bread that I will give is my word.  I live on the Word that came down from heaven.  I live on it.  I feast on it.  I depend on it.  Christ’s words bring me peace, courage, determination and meaning.  I don’t know where I would be if it weren’t for His every word.  His words are my legs that get me moving!  His words are my hands that get me working.  It’s true!  I wouldn’t know what to do if He hadn’t said it first.

The bread that I will give is my blood.  As a teenager, I knew very little about my faith.  One day, while I was raking leaves in the front of our property, a woman with her small child approached our front door.  They were Jehovah Witnesses.  I knew very little about them except for the fact that they did not believe in blood transfusions.  I went up to them and asked them what they wanted.  The mom did all the talking.  The child just nodded in agreement.  I have to admit I really didn’t pay much attention to what she was saying, because I only had this blood transfusion thing in my mind.  At a certain moment I interrupted her and asked, “Why don’t you believe in blood transfusions?”  The woman responded by saying that the bible prohibits the drinking of blood and that our “blood” is our “life.”  So I said, “Your life is the same as your blood?”  She, as well as her child, both nodded in agreement.  “Oh…” I said, “So when Christ said 'there is no greater love than to give your life up for a friend', was He actually saying 'there is no greater love than to give your blood for a friend?'" 

The child looked at his mom and said, “Wow that makes sense to me!”   The mom turned and starred at her son.  End of conversation.       

Sin, if left untreated, is an open wound that leaves us bleeding to death.  The Lord is my life line.  He is constantly replenishing me with his life, with his blood. 

The bread that I will give is my flesh.   The Lord is like a great friend who can make his presence felt in so many different ways.  He can speak to you.  He can listen to you.  Or He can just be there for you.  In Eucharistic adoration, you know that the Lord is physically, objectively, literally present in front of you.  You can speak to Him, listen to Him or just plain stare at Him.  You pick.  You choose.  The Lord is there for you. 

Like a good friend, He can speak to you or just plain listen to you.  But most likely He will help you rummage through your memories and share some ideas with you.  He may even pull out a thought for you.  The Lord is our friend, and we all know that friends work in mysterious ways. 

The bread that I will give is my life.  The Lord is Life itself.  He is everything:  shepherd and lamb, priest and victim.  He is Abraham and Isaac.  He is Savior and Servant.  He is God and man.  He is everything in One.  He is Three in One.   

Jesus is the living bread that came down from heaven.  His essence is life.  His life is love.  His love is never ending.  It’s that simple.  It’s as simple as bread.

Resolution:  A Christian is a man of his word, a man of The Word, a man made Word.   

John 6:35-40 Preaching and Seeing

Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter

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Jesus said to the crowds, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

In today’s first reading, Philip went down “to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them…and the crowds paid attention” (Acts 8:1-8).  Wow!  Did you read that?  The crowds actually paid attention to what Philip had to say. 

As a priest and a preacher I know what that means.  It means a lot.  It’s nice to know that people are paying attention to what you say.  But I have to be fair.  When I look out at the congregation and see some people dozing off, I can’t just blame them.  I have to blame myself as well.  I have to blame the messenger, never the message.  That’s important.  That’s being honest.

The problem with Christianity isn’t with our message or our founder.  The problem is with us, the messengers.  We have a tendency to either dilute our message or constrict it. 

I don’t take requests.  Yesterday, I read a message from someone who requested that I not mention the Boston terrorist attack during our school Mass.  Today, a parishioner asked me why I didn’t mention the Boston terrorist attack during the early morning Mass (Note:  there were small kids present at that Mass as well).  I was shocked.  I told this person that I had mention it.  Now they looked shocked.  I guess the parishioner didn’t hear me. J  

You see folks; you can’t always please everyone all the time!  That’s why I don’t take requests, except from the Holy Spirit.   

Of course, we all need to be sensitive to our audience when we speak.  However, we need to speak, and speak out nice and loud.  The world needs to hear what we have to say.  It needs us.  It needs Christ.  Believe me when I tell you that people, a lot of people, are very much interested in what the Church and the Bible have to say.  No wonder why over 10 million additional people watched the mini-series “The Bible” each day it was broadcasted.   People want us to highlight the contrast between light and darkness.   

The world still needs our message and our founder!  Why?  Because our world thirsts and hungers for holiness, for Christ.  Our kids thirst and hunger for righteousness.  Why?  Because elementary school kids are no longer immune to crime or terrorism.  They are more and more the victims of it!  And it is increasingly becoming a normal part of their world, just like ice cream and medication.

Where can we hide?  Where can we hide our children?  Nowhere!  Nowhere is safe.  Not even our private Catholic schools, gated communities or beautiful families are safe anymore.  Terrorism has gone main stream.  The days of shock are becoming common and boring.  No one is expecting an end to terrorism but when it will strike next. 

Our kids, our families, our society are increasingly becoming the victims of reality; the reality of sin; the reality of a fallen world.  Finally, the world has fallen upon us!

Now don’t get me wrong.  The real world is not our fallen world, where truth hurts and innocent lives are lost.  No, the real world is Christ’s world, where love reigns and forgiveness is crowned.  What we live in is a reality lost, a “Paradise Lost”, where half of the world’s kids witness explosions, violence and abuse on a daily basis.  We thought that our gated communities were strong enough to block reality from rolling over us.  We were wrong.  It is rolling over us, our false paradise and false paradigms. 

The war on terrorism will not end with the last terrorist (foreign or domestic) dead.  It will end with our prayers and the religious conversion of the last terrorist. 

The fallen world has finally come to America and it hurts a lot.  How we respond to it will determine whether or not heaven remains above us or embraces us.

John 6:30-35 Boston Massacre 2013

Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter

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The crowd said to Jesus:  “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?  What can you do?”

Violence in the name of science should be rejected.  Violence in the name of God should be anathema.

A few days ago I gave a talk to a group of teenagers over at a parish in Fort Worth.  You could see in their eyes this strong desire to know Christ and to love Him more dearly; to understand Him and to learn how His life, death and resurrection could be better lived in their lives. 

What does the Lord’s resurrection mean to you?  The kids never asked me this question, but I could tell it was the number one question on their minds.  They needed an answer and they wanted it from me.  I think I answered it well.  I said it means that everything Christ said and did was true.  Christ's resurrection is the ultimate confirmation and affirmation of His life, and a way of life for us to strive for.

In today’s first reading, we read of St. Stephen’s martyrdom.  How fitting for us to hear these words on a day of national mourning.  As we await more news on the Boston bombing - on who did this and why this happened - we must not forget to pray for the innocent victims and cowardice perpetrators of this hideous crime.

But what is even more important is for us to remember the final words of St. Stephen to his executioners:  “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” 

Is this really possible?  I mean, is this really practical?  Is it practical to pardon those who attack us, hate us and cheerfully mock our dead? 

Well, we need to defend ourselves, that’s for sure.  We will not be led to the slaughter!  We can and must defend ourselves and bring justice to those who must be brought to justice.  But we must also go on the offensive, a different kind of offensive, that is, an offensive that shows the truest face of Christianity.  We need to show the world that the Christian heart is the strongest heart, and that the Christian way of life is the loftiest way of life.  We need to show the world exactly what Christianity can bring to humanity’s broken plate:  Jesus Christ.

What sign can you give?  This is the question the crowd posed to Jesus.  They remembered how their ancestors ate manna in the desert.  Jesus responded to them, saying:  “Amen, amen, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven…I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

As for you, are you not impressed?  Are you still looking for a sign?  A thoughtful process of elimination could help reveal Christ’s holiness and wisdom.

Are you still convinced that “all religions the same?”  Hopefully the answer to this question is becoming clearer and clearer.  Not only are all religions not the same but more importantly, not all founders are the same. 

Can science alone help us to live safer lives?  Again, the answer to this question should be startling clear.  Not only are we not safer today, but we are in constant fear and danger of nuclear, chemical and biological annihilation.  We are playing God without the ability to raise the dead back to life!

Can the government or “democracy” ensure our safety and liberty?  Hardly, for when terror strikes, our freedoms take a direct hit.  Democracy depends entirely on the will, the mind and the heart of the people.  So when people are frightened, government has our permission to restrict liberty.    

Is education the solution?   Not at all.  The world’s most wanted terrorists are highly educated individuals and most of them come from privileged families.

Then what are we left with?  Isn't it clear?  The most essential, the most obvious and the most important:  Jesus Christ.  He is the solution to terrorism, war and all out evil.  He is the solution to the world’s greatest problems.

Let us pray for the people of Boston.  Let us pray for the victims of this horrific crime!  Let us also pray that those responsible for this terror are brought to justice and shown the Way; the Way from hatred to love, from killing to saving, from vengeance to forgiveness.  There’s no other way to put an end to all this madness.   

At times like this, we need to put our faith into practice and lead by example.   We can do it.  We always have.

P.S.  Picture of 8-year-old Martin Richard, victim in yesterday's bombing.

John 6:22-29 Eat, Work, Sleep, Die

Monday of the Third Week Of Easter

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When the people saw Jesus across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”  Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, 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.”

“One does not live on bread alone.”  So what does one live on?  What makes life worth living? 

Life can be lived in two ways:  With the Lord or without the Lord.  If I choose to live my life with the Lord, then everything I say and do is elevated to perfection.  Nothing is “common.”  Nothing is “routine.”  Nothing is “insignificant.”  Nothing is “boring.”  All my senses are peaked and heightened to the eternal.  All things become new.  All things become Holy.    

Eat.  Jesus said to them, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.  For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them” (cf. John 6:53-56). 

As you can see, even the finest and choicest of eaters are actually settling for crumbs when they deny themselves the meal prepared for them by the Lord.  How sad.  How impolite, for I was always taught never to refuse a poor man’s meal.

Work.  “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”  As I have mentioned hundreds of times before, belief in God is more than lip service.  It is a way of life. 

We work.  We work very hard.  Not all of us enjoy our work.  But I do.  I love what I do.  I love my job not because it is easy or because the pay is out of this world, but because it is meaningful.  I can’t even begin to imagine going back to what I used to do or working for whom I worked for.  I love what I do because it is eternal.  I even love what I do because who I work for is eternal.  I love what I do because I love my boss.  I have a great boss! 

Who do you work for?  Who or what do you live for?  “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life.”  No matter what I do for a living, I can always work for the Lord.  No matter how many business trips I have to make, I can be an Apostle of the Lord.  No matter what you do, deliver His message, whether or not it is convenient or inconvenient.  Even a used car salesman can sell the Lord!    

We know that all things pass away, only Heaven remains.  So Heaven is not only the hope in our lives, it is also the very foundation of our lives, for when all things disappear or turn into dust or smoke, only Heaven remains.

Sleep.  Sleep not only relaxes the body and mind, it also elevates them, for it is only when I fall into the deepest of sleeps that dreams are possible.  Dreams are remarkable, but not always wonderful.    

A few days ago a mom told me that her daughter had a dream about her youngest sibling who wants to be a pilot.  In her dream she saw her little sister’s plane blow up in midair.  When she told her mom and sister about this, the girl asked if she could tell, from her dream, what she was wearing and what kind of plane she was flying.  When her mother confessed her fears, the young girl responded, saying “Why does someone’s bad dream mean I can’t realize my own dream?”

Sleep is essential for a healthy mind and body, but it is also essential for a healthy soul.  Sleep reminds us of our death and resurrection.  Yes, there will come a time when I am no longer; when the world will continue to turn without me.  There will come a time when the darkness overpowers me, but the light shall return and restore me.

Die.  “Unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces much fruit” (Jn 12:24).

This morning I celebrated Mass in a school chapel.  The individual who read the first reading must have been exhausted (probably due to too much studying).  They read today’s inspiring first reading (Acts 6:8-15) as if it were a court document.  They turned St. Stephen’s life and death into a very boring account.  Imagine for a moment if I had read their accomplishments the same way!  Let’s never do unto others what we would never want done to us! 

To die is not only a rite of passage but the transforming of one’s life into one’s fruits.  Christ’s death brought life to His Apostles.  It also brought flesh and blood to His words and actions.  St. Stephen, filled with grace and power, brought life to Christ’s words.  He worked great wonders and signs among the people, but his greatest feat was his death (his sacrifice) for the Lord.  It meant he truly believed, valued and appreciated every word that came forth from the mouth of God.

Resolution:  One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

John 21:1-19 Obeying God Through Peter

Third Sunday of Easter

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When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”  Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”  Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”  He then said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”  Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”  Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.”  Jesus said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”  Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”  Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

Just a few days ago I read the latest issue of the radical newspaper, the National Catholic Reporter (NCR).  I thought after so many years, I would have mellowed out regarding my opinion of it.  I was wrong.  I was just as disgusted with it a few days ago as I was when first read it, nearly twenty years ago, at Nazareth College in upstate New York. 

But what perfect timing to relate this newspaper with today’s Gospel passage.

Jesus took him aside.  I think that most of the lay staff at NCR honestly believe that they are not only infallible in matters of faith and morals; but above all, above God, especially when it comes to the outcome of a conclave and Council.  I am most certain of the former, for one of their “reporters” (“ideologists” would be better term) wrote that she actually “cried” when she learned that Pope Benedict had been elected. 

How funny and stupid. 

By actually admitting to this (and publishing it), she demonstrated two things:  a profound lack of faith in the Holy Spirit (in God); and a strong belief that men (people) are stronger than God! 

Talk about a lack of faith!

For NCR and company, the last great Pope was Blessed John XXIII.  For them, he was the last Pope to be inspired by the Holy Spirit!  And although they have made Blessed John XXIII out to be their hero, I do not believe he ever made them out to be his.  And although they claim to have been inspired by him, there is nothing to suggest that he was ever inspired by them. 

By all accounts, NCR has made it clear that Pope John XXIII’s greatest achievement was to die; and to die before the end of the Second Vatican Council.  How else could they so confidently finish his sentences?  How else could they routinely tell us what he truly wanted to accomplish!  How else would they be able to tell the world that the “spirit of the Council” had been hijacked? 

But by who?  By God?  Did God hijack His council???

No one hijacked the council.  It was inspired by God and completed by God.

It was the Lord who decided who would start the council and finish it.  It was the Lord who would decide who would be Pope and who would be the next Pope.  After all, if the Holy Spirit inspired John XXIII, did she not inspire Paul VI?  Well then, who do they claim hijacked the council?  They say it was stubborn old men, but all the fingerprints point to God! 

Peter said, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:27-32).  Hence, NCR is wasting all their money, their ads, their time and efforts in storming the gates of Heaven rather than the gates of the Vatican or Hell (depending on how NCR really views her).  Why aren't they going after the source of the problem!  They shouldn’t be fighting the little guy.  They should be going after the big “FISH”! 

Instead of writing articles denouncing Vatican policies, they should be praying novenas and denouncing God's policies!  They should be praying the rosary to end the ban on gay "marriage", but they don’t.  They should be signing up and doing perpetual adoration to change God’s mind with regards to abortion, but they don’t! 

They could be fixing this "injustice" sooner rather than later, and fix it for good! 

Look at history.  How often has the Vatican been sacked?  Many times, and only to rise again!  Com’on you folks over at NCR!  The problem isn’t with the Church, the problem is with God! 

But I must warn you, Salvation History appears to be against you.  If you recall, the Chosen People of God were constantly back stabbing and murmuring against their great leader, Moses.  So what did he do about it?  Did he relinquish his role?  Of course not!  Did he open his decisions (which were actually God’s decisions) up to a vote?  Of course not!  Imagine if he did.  The people would be back in Egypt working on pyramids! 

Instead, Moses stayed the course, stayed on track, and kept driving his stiff-necked people closer and closer to the Promised Land.  He led a group of conceited, undeserving, selfish, arrogant and obnoxious people to God.  He did that.  Christ did that.  And the Pope does it as well.  Not much has changed.   

Blessed John XXIII died before he could see the end of the council.  I do not know what he would have done, but I do know what God did, and I find it ridiculous for anyone to claim that the outcome would have been different if John XXIII had lived longer. 

What a lack of faith!  What a lack of coherency!  What a lack of trust and humility!

Resolution:  Lord Jesus, I trust in You and in your Rock!