The Sacred Heart of Jesus

Prayer for the Day

O Jesus meek and humble of Heart, make my heart like unto thine, truly beating and throbbing in the Eucharist!

Reflection

This Homily was preached by Father Edmond Kline in 2005 on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Father Edmond Kline was a former E.W.T.N. Friar who is now a Diocesan Priest in the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas.

Today, Holy Mother Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the 1600’s, Our Blessed Lord appeared to St. Margaret Mary revealing His Sacred Heart and requesting the establishment of the Feast, the Friday after Corpus Christi, in order to make reparation for sins, which offend His Sacred Heart.

In the first reading, Moses told the people, “The Lord set His heart on you and chose you. It was because the Lord loved you and because of His fidelity, that He brought you with a strong hand from the place of slavery and ransomed you from Pharaoh”. Do not these words echo the love of God for us, in the person of Jesus, who set His Heart on us, and chose to free us, from the slavery of sin, and ransom us, from the devil, at the price of His Agony, His Passion, and the piercing of His Heart on Calvary. St. John said, “in this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might have life through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God, but He loved us, and sent His Son as expiation for our sins”.

Today, the Sacrifice of Mass, the re-presentation of Calvary, is the manner in which we come in contact with God, who is love; receive His love, in the Eucharist in Holy Communion; and in which Jesus offers Himself in expiation for our sins.

As one approaches Mother Angelica’s Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, the Child Jesus stands holding in His hand, His Sacred Heart. The giving of His Heart to us represents, the giving of His pure and perfect love in the Eucharist offered for us in the Mass. And this little Child took His flesh and blood from Mary. The tiny Heart of God was formed within her womb, and began to beat for love of mankind, in unison, with her Immaculate Heart. The Blessed Virgin was first to praise, adore and love with grateful affection, the Heart of the hidden Jesus. The body and blood of her Son, including His Sacred Heart, would someday be offered to nourish sinful humanity in the Eucharist, but only to be sacrilegiously and irreverently pierced by ungrateful men, on the wood of the Cross. At the Last Supper, the first Mass, John leaned against the beating Heart of Jesus. He too praised, adored, and loved with grateful affection the Heart of Christ. He heeded the Lord’s words, “Come to me, all you who are burdened and I will give you rest”, and in return He received a meek and humble Heart, to receive the grace, to stand at the foot of the Cross, as He watched love from His wounded side.

However, Judas, the betrayer left the Last Supper, the institution of the Eucharist, to receive 30 pieces of silver; His heart not meek and humble, but prideful & wicked. What ingratitude! What irreverence! What sacrilege! What lack of love, to leave as the Lord God’s meek and humble Heart, is given as food, for eternal life in the Blessed Eucharist.

And today, the irreverence, sacrileges and indifference continue to afflict His meek and humble Eucharistic Heart. Today, the Eucharist is not sold for 30 pieces of silver, but sold on an auction block on the Internet. Today, how many churches find hosts in hymnals, under pews, and even in the parking lot. Today, how many sacristans pour His precious blood into the sewer. Today, how many unworthily and sacrilegiously receive Holy Communion after committing serious sins, without going to confession, such as missing Mass on Sunday, Internet pornography, impurity, contraception, and fornication. Today, how many after receiving the Sacred Host in Holy Communion, do as Judas, and leave Mass without offering thanks to Him, whom out of love, gave His body and blood on the Cross, to become our food in the Eucharist! Today, how many receive the Eucharist, as though it was ordinary food, and not Jesus, the Son of God, who loves us! Pope Benedict XVI, in his Corpus Christi homily, said, “The Risen One, present in the form of bread (The Eucharist), cannot be "eaten" as a simple piece of bread.” The Eucharist is not bread! The Eucharist is not perishable food! The Eucharist is Jesus. The Eucharist is God! The Eucharist is love! It looks like bread and wine, tastes like bread and wine, but it is really and truly Jesus Christ. And within the Eucharist is His beating Heart. St. Peter Julian Eymard said, “The Divine Heart is living and palpitating in the Eucharist.”

St. John said that it was in His love, God sent His only Son as expiation for our sins. Due to the many sacrileges, outrages, and indifference toward our Lord in the Eucharist, Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary, as she adored the Eucharist in a monstrance, and revealed His Sacred Heart. Our Divine Lord said, “Behold this Heart, which has so loved men, so much that it spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify to them its love. In return, the greater part of ingratitude, by reason of contempt, irreverence, sacrilege, and coldness that they show me in the sacrament of love.” On every first Friday, and especially today, on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, our Lord desires, we go to confession, and receive Holy Communion, offering it, as an act of reparation for sins, which wound His Sacred Heart.

We can also, come to love, adore, and praise with grateful affection, the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus in the tabernacle, and in the many adoration chapels. How many holy souls come to adore Jesus for an hour, in the wee hours of the night, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the Eucharistic Adoration Chapels of so many parishes throughout the world.

Pope John Paul II in His Apostolic Letter, Mane Nobiscum Domine, “The presence of Jesus in the tabernacle must be kind of a ‘magnet pole’ attracting an ever greater number of souls enamored of Him, ready to wait patiently, to hear His voice, and as it were, to sense the beating of His Heart.” Perhaps, Jesus is in the Eucharist is speaking to us from the depths of His beating Heart.

My dear friends, Come to the beating Heart of Jesus in the Eucharist! Come to His Heart, and make reparation for the sins of irreverence, ingratitude, and sacrilege! Come and offer Him praise, adoration, thanksgiving and love! Come to the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, and He will give you rest! Come; spend an hour, to receive His love, from His beating Heart!

O Mother of the Heart of Jesus, who gave us His flesh and blood, and His beating Heart in the Eucharist, draw us to your Son, that we may make reparation, crying out in Eucharistic adoration, “May the Heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament be praised adored and loved with grateful affection at every moment in all the tabernacles and in every adoration chapel, of the world, unto the end of time! O Jesus meek and humble of Heart, make my heart like unto thine, truly beating and throbbing in the Eucharist!

God put Abraham to the test. And he puts us to the test as well

Prayer for the Day

Dear Lord,
I don't want to be like the scribes, who never seemed to understand or hear you.  I want You to get through to me. I want to be like those people in the crowd who were awed and humbled, and reverently giving praise to God. Better yet, let me be like the paralytic: forgiven of my sins, and able to get up and walk in Your grace, obeying Your command.  Amen.

Reflection

What do you love most in the world? Is it your spouse, your children, your grandchildren, your friends, your cell phone?   What if God asked you to give it up?  Abraham, our father in faith, was told by God to offer his most beloved son, Isaac, as a burnt offering. Abraham didn’t question God, he didn’t hold back – he trusted in the Lord. (Genesis 22:1b-19)  What kind of trust and faith that must have been! And while God may not be asking us to sacrifice one of our loved ones, we are called to show the same unbreakable trust that Abraham had for our loving Father.

Sin cripples us in a way that any physical ailment would.  It breaks us down and holds us back; it hurts us and it prevents us from walking with Christ.  We are blind when we avoid seeing those who are suffering around us. We are deaf when we hear other people’s cries for help and do nothing for them, and we are also deaf when we fail to hear God when he speaks to us. We can have a broken backbone when we are too scared to stand up for what is right. We can be paralyzed when our sins overtake our lives and make us incapable of acting justly. These physical (and spiritual) ailments limit us and weaken us. But Christ shows us time and time again through the many miracles he performed that he can heal our ailments. When Jesus came to the paralytic lying on the stretcher he said to him, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven,” and then later, “Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” And the paralytic man rose and went home. (Matthew 9:1-8) We too can be healed of our ‘physical ailments’ by confessing our sins to the Lord. Christ’s infinite and loving mercy will heal us from the sins that trap us like a physical ailment.

At times in our lives God is going to call us to do things that are emotionally difficult, but we need to know that God has a perfect plan for us, and that he will never harm us if we put our faith in him. We are called to have the faith and trust that Abraham had in the Lord.  We are called to question: 'do I put my faith in the Lord when difficult situations arise? Do I trust that God would never harm me? And do I have confidence that if God called me to do anything, I would give up everything to answer him?'

Today is a good day to reflect on our sins and how they affect our lives, and how we are called to trust in Christ to forgive us and heal us.

Trying to fight the good fight

Prayer for the Day

Father, I thank You for rescuing me from the falls I take in the course of my life, just as You rescued Peter and Paul from their denials or persecution of You.  Keep reminding me that You are there. Help me fight the good fight in Your Son’s name.  Amen.

Reflection

It’s that time of year again, when we celebrate the solemnity of the great apostles St. Peter and St. Paul, so it is a good time for all of us to reflect on our own faith.

Faith is a gift.

Most of us become aware only gradually of this gift. In our youth we might worship and pray with our family as a custom, as part of our culture. Our relationship with God can grow as we mature and open our hearts to His presence. For some people, this choice to open themselves to God never happens. For many of us, we wax and wane at times, letting other things take priority in our lives. Months and years can go by without our relationship with Christ growing.

I rarely think of St. Paul without remembering several “Road to Damascus” events in my own life.  The most powerful story is the same one I wrote about in my very first post of this blog:

When I was a teenager, and questioning the existence of God (as I am sure most teenagers do), I had dreams of falling from great heights. Just before hitting the ground and certain death, I would wake up in a cold sweat from the nightmare I imagined death would be. The same dream came often and I was spending a lot of time worrying about death. The last time I ever had the dream, I started the fall. An angel appeared next to me and asked why I was afraid. I told the angel I was afraid to die. My angel said “Recite the Our Father with me.” We prayed the Our Father together. I remember thinking that I wouldn’t have time to finish before hitting the ground. But for some reason I had plenty of time. Just as I said “Amen” my angel lifted me up and we began to soar. Then I woke up and instead of being afraid, I was sad the dream had to end! It was such a revelation. Now, two score later, I truly believe that God was letting me know that he is alive and well and waiting for me—I just have to remember to “keep the faith”.

Within the gift of faith are many smaller “gifts”—like “enlightenment”.  I frequently toggle between my Microsoft Word program and the readings for the next day’s Mass as I’m preparing these blog entries.  I just checked the previous paragraph for spelling and grammatical errors and it occurs to me that  a couple of verses from Psalm 34 (the Psalm said at Mass today) fit in nicely; ”I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” And the Responsorial Psalm is “The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.”  These two verses reminded me again of just how much my Lord loves me and watches over me.

We can see, in the Letters that St. Paul wrote, that once he was converted, he was constant in his enthusiasm for Christ. He said honestly that "I have kept the faith." We know that this was not without huge costs to St. Paul; he was beaten, jailed and shipwrecked during his missionary work. Throughout it all, he did not waver.

Can we say with St. Paul, "I have fought the fight, I have kept the faith"? (2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18)

Life's storms

Prayer for the Day

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom do I fear?

Psalm 27

Reflection

There are many storms in life, some more raging and life threatening than others, but stormy weather nonetheless. We are tossed about in our relationships, workplace, families and school. We are shaken by concerns for our health and that of others. The present economic meltdown has swamped many of us and disrupted our sleep and our employment; war and terrorism, natural disasters and the migration of peoples, all add to the “storms” and “fear” of life. And all the “personal” struggles that we keep inside us test our faith.

When facing these things, we have to ask, “How strong is my faith?” The Apostles’ momentary lack of faith was reassured and refortified by Jesus’ personal presence and actions; they were amazed that Jesus could master the elements (Matthew 8:23-27).  But unlike them, we should not be amazed by the Lord’s actions or Jesus’ presence around and within us because we know Jesus to be the risen one and worthy of our faith, hope and love.

When I sat down to read the Bible tonight, I didn’t have a “game plan.”  Instead, I simply opened the book and decided to read what was there. It was pretty clear that the passage I came upon was meant for tonight’s blog.  It was Psalm 26, in which David prays: “In the Lord I have trusted; I have not faltered. Test me, Lord, and try me; search my heart and my mind.” It is what I hope would be my response when “suddenly a violent storm comes up in my sea of life and the boat is being swamped.”

Our act of faith today is to pray, "My life is in your hands." Some days, that will be said with tears streaming down our faces. Some days, it will be prayed in the presence of so much anxiety and fear. Some days, it can only be the Spirit praying those words within us. But the more days we say those words, the more deeply those words will come from our hearts. It is not so much that we "place" our lives in God's hands; rather, we recognize that our lives are in God's hands.

In our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, we express our faith in God's victory over all sin and death. We express our faith that we can "rest" in that victory - no matter what we are suffering or fearing. We can live with more peace, with more trust, with more hope, and with more risk. Instead of watching out for storms, we can comfort others in stormy weather. We can build communities of faith and hope and courage. We can bring light to the dark clouds of our world - even when just a little faith takes away our fear.

Giving us something to remember Him by

Prayer for the Day

May the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
in the most Blessed Sacrament,
be praised, adored, and loved,
with grateful affection,
at every moment,
in all the tabernacles throughout the world,
until the end of time.
Amen.

Reflection

There is a history-museum quality to our homes. People who love us give us real things to make their real love, memorable and as present as their love can be, seeing that they are not really present with you. They desire to stay while they have to move on. When we take the time to see, touch, taste, or hear them, they, and their love come back to us, and sometimes with even greater intensity than when the gift was given initially. We are invited once more to receive, both the gift, and what was embedded in that “thing”. To those who do not know the history, the “thing” is just a “thing” pretty or tasteful though it is. For those who are embedded in that circle of love though, the “thing” is more than meets the eye.

This might be one way to view the Eucharist, Jesus’ Body and Blood given for us, and given to us within a very simple and human context. There is neither magic here nor something scientifically provable. Jesus came and comes to give us life and here uses bread as the symbol of life. He leaves His friends, as we have to do often and yet He remains to accompany us, in our life’s journeys. He is Someone who loves us, and had to leave for a short while, yet he left behind a silver plate.  The plate offers us a deep experience of being loved when we first received it and now as we receive it again. It doesn’t look or feel like a silver plate, and it can’t be proven.  Not scientifically, but I think it can through that love which we experience perhaps, anew, might be a proof in how our life reveals being so loved. The proof is in the putting on the outside what we have received inside.

St. Paul insists we are all one body when we celebrate - French or Latino, American or African or Chinese, Afghan or Russian - we are all one body - for rejoicing, for loving, and for giving away.  (1 Cor 10:16-17) I think the biggest question for us Catholics, besides firmly believing in the Real Presence, is the question of how much of the Eucharist do we share, as we are asked to at the end of every Mass?

After all, if we really become the Body and Blood of Christ in the Lord and in one another, then selfishness has no place. Of course, we want to savor the Lord's friendship, for some time after receiving Holy Communion, but then we must "go" and "give." We give when we discipline ourselves to answer the pastor's call for help in a parish activity, or when we are patient with our children (even if we have to force a smile and a kind word of correction), or we decide to make time each day for deep prayer with the Lord. Also, we share the Eucharist when we go with our families on a Sunday afternoon to visit an elderly relative or neighbor in the nursing home or hospital.  It's a sermon to our children that they will probably remember even more than Father's carefully prepared homily! Then, there are the big issues of social justice! These are all connected with the Holy Eucharist.

Our histories are sacred, because His presence has been as real as life itself.  Our “Amen” may end the meal, but begin Christ’s dwelling in the sacredness of our lives. It is all simply wonder-full.

A confident, expectant faith

Prayer for the Day

Lord, I am not worthy to receive You, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed!

Reflection

When we pray to Jesus, He hears our prayers.  Sometimes we just don't have faith enough to know that His answer is always the very best heartfelt touch of a loving God.

Today, as in the days of Abraham (Genesis 18:1-15), and as in the days of the Roman centurion (Matthew 8:5-17), we are called by God to have expectant faith. The Centurion's prayer, often like ours, is from the heart and for the good of some great need. Jesus was amazed at the faith of this non-Jewish person. Jesus also knew His own people, how they would like a bigger show of power involved in the healing.

We see each day how God keeps the universe in beautiful harmony, how all the creatures of nature are sustained, how God keeps our human bodies in motion through the beating of our hearts, the coursing of blood through our veins, and the breathing of air into our lungs, all without our even thinking about it.

We are surrounded by God’s miracles each day. We need to come to God with expectant faith for our daily needs, knowing that God’s love for us is infinitely greater than the love of the centurion who wanted his servant to be whole. Trust in the words of the angel to Mary: “Nothing is impossible for God.” (Luke 1:37)

"Thank God"! Praise God!

What a difference between Russia now and the Soviet Union when I was growing up! The last line is what caught my attention!  The fact that the dog protected the child overnight is enough to rejoice over.  But to hear the words "thank God" from a Russian citizen?  They would have been shot in the '70's!

How can I make a difference?



Saint John the Baptist w/ the Infant Jesus--Pretty cool, huh?

Prayer for the Day

Lord Jesus, I pray that I can make a difference in someone else’s life today by pointing them to You through an example of prayer and sacrifice.

Reflection

How many times have we asked ourselves, “How can I make a difference in the world?”  It’s a good and noble question, but to most people I think “making a difference” really means “calling the shots”.  However “making a difference” is not about doing things for recognition, it’s about living in such a way that the things we do – no matter how few or many – are done in a sacred way.

This morning after Mass, on my way to work, I stopped at 7/11 to buy a Diet Coke and something for breakfast.  (I know what you’re thinking; “A Diet Coke for breakfast?”  Hey, you don’t really know me, so don’t judge—haven’t you been reading my blog lately?  Lol)  But I digress.  As I got out of the car, I looked on the ground and there was a broken roll of quarters.  I only saw the wrapper and a couple of quarters, but in today’s economy, why pass it up?  There was actually about $3.50 and I said, “Great, now I won’t have to use my ATM card!”  So I picked up my soda and donut and headed for the front counter.  There was an elderly woman asking the clerk if there would be a charge for using her ATM for a purchase of less than $1.  She explained that she just wanted to buy one banana that she could eat for breakfast on her way to the senior center, but she only had about two cents on her in cash.  I asked if I could buy the banana for her, explaining my luck at finding a sudden fortune out in the parking lot.  She and the clerk agreed I would pay for the fruit.  I asked her if there was anything else she needed, but she said, “No thanks and God bless you” to which I replied, “He always has!” and she went on her way.  Afterwards, I felt as though the whole incident from finding the quarters to helping the old lady had been a test given to me by the Holy Spirit to see if I would share my good fortune.  But at the time, I just felt it was right to step in and help a fellow human being who was having a bit of trouble. 

I was just in the right place at the right time—what a  coincidence, huh?  It brought to mind again my sister-in-law Wendy’s  experience.

Saint John the Baptist’s entire life was a testament to sacred living – his ministry, his speech, even his ascetic life in the desert. All of these worked together to do one thing – give him the credibility and passion to speak with authority about the coming of Jesus, the Christ – to promote the Messiah.

Even the circumstances of his birth and circumcision showed that John was no ordinary person. Had he desired it, he most likely could have garnered a large following for himself. He could even have competed with Jesus for followers. Instead, he promoted the coming of Jesus, preparing the way for Jesus’ triumphal entry into public ministry. And then, when the time was right, he simply got out of the way and let Jesus speak for Himself.

John the Baptist was a great saint, but more than doing great deeds, he earned his reputation by experiencing the presence of the Messiah, and inviting others to share that excitement. He pointed the way to Jesus.

We’ve all had those times where it just doesn’t seem like God is answering our prayers. We pray and pray and pray for him to heal a sick relative, give us the job we applied for, or to give us an "A" on that extremely difficult test we have to take. We have times where we hurt so much that we wonder if God is there. We have times when we feel so alone, we wonder if God is listening. We have times when we are so confused about where God is going with his plan that we wonder if we should believe anymore. Sometimes, we just want to run out into the streets and scream at God, asking why he has forsaken us.

But the fact of the matter is this: God does care. God’s plan for our life is so much bigger and more powerful than our mind can comprehend. Says the prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you” (Jeremiah 1:5). Surely the God who formed us in the womb, who knows how many hairs are on our head, also knows the purpose for our pain. He is answering our prayers- just according to his plan, not ours.

Zechariah experienced years of unanswered prayers before he was gifted with a child. We are called to be like Zechariah. We must ask what we want, but pray for what is right. We must accept the way things are meant to be. There is a reason why we experience the pain, suffering, and anticipation, though it may not be clear. Even when we are feeling hurt, confused, and alone; when we question whether there is a God willing to intervene for us, we must trust that he will.

So when we feel we are in a spiritual rut, that our lives are just filled with mundane tasks, perhaps we could benefit by asking ourselves, “What is the most credible and authentic way that I can do that next task?”  Even something as mundane as stopping at a 7/11 to buy a Diet Coke can start us on the road to “making a difference.” 

Leave it to the son of a carpenter to know about foundations

Prayer for the Day

Lord, help me to do Your will today, by carrying out Your commands! Then when trials and hardships come to me, my faith in You will stand firm, like a house built on rock.

Reflection

When I read Jesus' teaching in Matthew 7: 21-29, I can't help but think of the story of the Three Little Pigs; it must be all those cartoons I've been watching with Lily.  Obviously however, Jesus had a much deeper meaning.  I'll try to make some sense of it.

If the threat of disaster where to come our way, would we be ready to meet it and overcome it? The kind of foundation we build our lives upon will determine whether we can survive the storms that are sure to come. Builders usually lay their foundations when the weather and soil conditions are at their best. It takes foresight to know how a foundation will stand up against adverse conditions. Building a house on a flood plain, such as a dry river-bed, is a sure bet for disaster!  Jesus, Who knew the Scriptures inside and out (remember, He is the Word) likely had Proverbs in mind when He told His disciples that “a wise man builds his house upon a rock”. When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.  (Proverbs 10:25)  

Just before that, He gave them (and us) a warning: We may fool humans with our speech, but God cannot be deceived. He sees the heart as it truly is — with its motives, intentions, desires, and choices (Psalm 139:2).

There is only one way in which a person’s sincerity can be proved, and that is by one’s practice. Fine words can never replace good deeds. Our character is revealed in the choices we make, especially when we must choose between what is true or false, and good orevil.  Do you lie, or cover-up, when disclosing the truth will cause you pain or embarrassment? Look at this man's story, for example.  A true person is honest and reliable before God, neighbor, and oneself.  Such a person's word can be taken as trustworthy.  

If we make the Lord and His Word the rock and foundation of our lives, then nothing can shake us or keep us from God's presence and help.

What have you done for me lately?

Prayer for the Day

“Lord, you are my hope! I give you all my circumstances, good and bad, and I look beyond them to your merciful gaze. I trust that your love will make me more than a conqueror today!”

Reflection

Have you ever bent over backwards, possibly even spent weeks in doing so, to do the best job you can for your employer and maybe even increased customer satisfaction or profits only to have him say, “That’s great, but what have you done for me lately?”  What is your reaction?  Is it frustration and antipathy, or do you forgive him for his callousness and continue on, because of your loyalty to the customer and the company?

After the Lord promises him a great reward for his faithfulness, Abram’s first reaction is to complain. He says in effect, “What good are all these promises? You still haven’t given me a son.” (Gn 15:2) He was so caught up in what he didn’t have, he couldn’t see the big picture about Who God is and His faithfulness to His chosen people, or that God was about to fulfill His promises to him.

Abram wasn’t the only one in Scripture to complain to the Lord. There is also Job, who spent all day every day complaining and challenging God to justify himself. What about Jeremiah, who got so frustrated at one point that he cried out: “You duped me, O Lord!” (Jeremiah 20:7).  Even Peter—the prince of apostles—who asked Jesus: “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?” (Matthew 19:27). Each time, God was patient and showed just how much He loves us by remaining faithful and reliable.  Not one of these people was ever left abandoned.

We too may feel the need to ask God tough questions and even complain about the way we feel He is treating us. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. God wants us to feel free enough to tell Him what’s on our hearts, even when we think He has let us down. He knows it’s better for us to be open with Him than to keep all our complaints bottled up until they sour our faith. Only as we open up to Him as Abram did will we find the real answers we are looking for.

Sometimes, faith does require us to keep pressing on with the Lord, even if we are disappointed. At other times, it means simply living every day while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the “perfecter” of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). He will get us through, despite our doubts and frustrations.

Share your faith, but don't give it all away

Prayer for the Day

“Thank You, Jesus, for promising to be with me to the end of time.  Thank You for laying down Your life for me.  Help me to be faithful to You today, as You are faithful to me.”

Reflection

I have written a lot about the “Golden Rule”—“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  It’s an important lesson; maybe the most important lesson in the entire Scriptures, but the paragraph just before this one is what caught my attention this morning:

Do not give to dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you.  (Matthew 7:6)

So what is “Holy”?  What are our “pearls”?  Who are the “dogs”?  The “swine”? 

God is Holy.  Our faith in Him must therefore be holy.  Our faith is the greatest “pearl” I can think of.  The “dogs” and “swine” must be those who willfully, knowingly, deny the gift of faith, and in fact go out of their way to ridicule it. 

When we forget our faith (“throw it to the dogs”) and get pulled in by the forces of the world, we are “throwing our pearls before swine”, and we risk losing the gift altogether.  This is what we have to safeguard against.  Our best defense is a good offense.  The best offense is to know the love of Jesus and to share that love with our neighbor.  There will be those who are not receptive to the message.  This is not to say we should not try to evangelize those who do not know Jesus.  Rather, it is that we need to realize that there will be some who simply don’t want to hear His voice through us.  In this case, it is simply better to walk away and let the Lord turn their hearts toward him through our prayers, or we run the risk of being “devoured” or “trampled” by them and the ways of the world, rather than walking in the light of Christ.  

On removing planks

Prayer for the Day

“Lord, today I renounce my judgments of others.  Please help me to see everyone through Your merciful eyes.”

Reflection

It was a great day today!  I was able to attend Mass first thing in the morning (ALWAYS the high point of my day!), visit Mom and take care of those few things that she needed attending to, and have dinner out with Marilyn, Alicia & LilyBug, and Sarah and Tony.

I had an experience during the consecration of the Holy Eucharist at Mass this morning that I am still trying to figure out.  When I was preparing to receive my First Holy Communion about 50 years or so ago, we were taught that when the Host and Chalice containing the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ were raised by the priest, we were to bow our heads in respect then look at the “accidents” and confirm our belief in their Divine Essence by “beating” our chest 3 times while proclaiming, “My Lord and my God!”  I have done so ever since---until today! 

Father Joe lifted the Host high over his head and I beat my chest, proclaimed “My Lord and my God!” as I always do.  For some reason though, when the Sacred Blood in the chalice was raised, instead of making a fist and beating my chest, my hand involuntarily made the Sign of the Cross and I proclaimed, “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.”

The more I think about it, I realize the Holy Spirit might be reminding me that Jesus is present Body, Blood, Soul and DIVINITY in the Eucharist—a Divinity shared by all 3 Persons of the One True God.  I’ll have to check with Father to see if I may be off theologically, but it’s the only explanation I can come up with.

 After the early dinner, I still had time to drive to Fresno so I can get a fresh start to the new week at work.  And of course, a two-hour drive means lots of time to think and pray and try to come up with a reflection for today’s blog.  And, because I was low on fuel, the Holy Spirit provided me with a topic.  (How does He DO that?)

As I arrived in Fresno on fumes, I realized I would have to find a gas station quickly.  The first station was right off the freeway.  As I slowed down to make the turn into the station, I saw a man on a bike just sitting at the pumps.  I immediately formed an opinion in my mind that he was up to no good, and I would just be asking for trouble—or Heaven forbid, a handout!—if I pulled in, so off I went to the next available service station.

Do not judge. This is such a simple command given to us by God, but so difficult for us to follow. As I reflect on my days I like to think that I don’t judge others and that I am always doing the best I can to truly love my neighbor. Many times I would probably even say that I make it through a day without judging anyone else. But then I stop and think, realizing that speaking words to a person isn’t the only way to judge someone. I can easily get caught up in thinking the wrong things about my neighbors, whether it is judging them for the way they dress, dwelling on a past incident, or maybe just stereotyping someone. There are so many ways that I find myself falling short of loving others.

I find it very important to take time to find what is wrong in my own life that I need to take care of. It can be so easy to see what another person might be doing wrong, but if I continually point out the faults of others, I have no time to realize that I need to fix things about myself as well.

Mother Teresa certainly said it best when she said we can’t love others if we are judging them, and God has called us to love everyone. Knowing this, the decision to not judge should be easy. We either choose to obey or disobey God and by loving others, we love him. I know I certainly don’t want to not love God and disobey. I know many times I think that if I don’t put thoughts into words it isn’t as bad, but God knows our thoughts. I certainly want to do my best to think about my thoughts and make sure that what I think about others is how I can love them as Christ would.

So I thank You, Lord for allowing me to hear Your Holy Spirit twice today so that I can learn how to be a better disciple.

It always comes down to Love

Prayer for the Day

“Thank You, heavenly Father, beloved Lord Jesus and gracious Holy Spirit, for Your amazing love. How incredible that You would give so much just for us. We praise You for revealing Yourself to us and for filling us with Your grace. Lord, we praise and glorify You!”

Reflection

A bigger mystery than the Trinity to me, as I sit down to write this reflection is, “what am I going to write about the Trinity?”

There is the story of a bishop officiating at a Confirmation, who asked the young people to explain the Trinity.  One kid from the middle of the church stood up and mumbled something quite inaudible.  The Bishop kindly remarked, “I didn’t understand that.”  The lad spoke up louder, “You’re not supposed to, it’s a mystery.”  Indeed, the Church has wrestled for centuries with all manner of ways to understand a “Three-Person” God.  The mystery of one God is enough, but three persons?  That requires more faith than words to explain!

St. Anselm had it right a long time ago when he wrote, "I don't understand so that I can believe; I believe so that I can understand." Just believe Jesus' teaching that there is a Holy Trinity. From there, let's look at our heart's experience of God's beauty, His wisdom, His mercy, and His limitless love. It's as though someone were to ask you, "Do you believe in sunsets, or mountain tops, or starry nights?" We'd tell them, "Just go out and watch a sunset - just go up and sit on a mountain top - just go out on a warm summer evening, lie on your back, and gaze up at a sky filled with stars!"

God the Father is like a beautiful sunset, soothing and quieting my soul. God the Son is like a lover - forgiving and tender, feeding my hunger, satisfying my desire. And the Holy Spirit is like a hot scorching fire, a whirlwind of inspiration, stirring me to intense Praise and Dynamic Action.

The beauty and poetry of the Holy Trinity dwells in our souls through Baptism, since Jesus affirms that He lives in us. Since He lives in the Father and in the Spirit, all three Persons dwell in us with the Power of Love, so that we, too, may love all our brothers and sisters with the power of the Holy Trinity.

It always comes down to Love, doesn’t it?  After all, as St. John writes, God is Love. (1John 4:8)

Tomorrow is another day

Prayer for the Day

Father, free me from my cultural blind spots. Increase my trust in You and Your providence.

Reflection

Jesus said: “do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself” (Mt 6:34). Jesus encourages His disciples, and us, to not get caught up in the clothes that we are wearing, the food that we are eating, or even the place in which we are living. What matters most is the fact that God will provide us with what we need. He is the one that will satisfy our hunger when it is time; He is the one that will provide us with our clothes. Jesus is tells us to not focus on the little things, but rather focus on life as a whole. God is in our life and we need to grasp the idea that He is always there to satiate our thirst.

His encouragement leads me to look at my life as a whole and focus on the gifts that God has provided me with: My wife, my kids, Lily Bug, Mom and the rest of my family and friends and for all of the little things in life that mean a lot to me.

So today, no matter what day it is that you are reading this, is a good day to focus on the gifts that God has already given us and realize that He will always be with us every step of the way. Realize that God, whether we are aware of it or not, is providing us with the little things in life that make each day unique to us. Because each day is a unique gift of God’s grace, we must cherish His gifts as they last. This simply-stated idea should be with us every morning when we wake up. When we think ahead, we are distancing ourselves from the present and the gifts that God has provided for us this day. Whether that is rain or sunshine, family or friends, we should always be appreciative for His gifts and remember to remain present in every aspect of our days. 

An ocean of meaning

Prayer for the Day

Father, I offer You this day. Help me to put You first as I move through it.  May every minute become something beautiful for You.

Reflection

My entry a couple of days ago related a recent experience in the confessional booth.  Even though it was in jest, I remarked that I was afraid I would be given a thousand “Our Fathers” for penance.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized that in reality, that would be a GOOD thing, because much too often I fail to take the time to really think about what I’m saying when I am praying!

Most of us probably learned the Lord’s Prayer as a child, when the meaning of its words could not be fully grasped. Now, when we hear “Our Father, who . . .” we immediately slip into autopilot, mouthing the familiar words, but with our minds too often wandering elsewhere.  Well, today I thought I would do something different.  Want to join me? 

Pause now, and simply say those two words aloud: "Our Father."

They are just two little words, but oh, what an infinite amount of meaning they contain! Enough meaning to fill an ocean! 

When Jesus taught His followers to begin their prayer to God by saying "Our Father," He chose not to say "My Father," or "Your Father," but "Our Father." He was uniting Himself with His disciples as their human brother. He was completely human, in solidarity with the human race. One of us.

Going on to the second word, Jesus did not say "Our God," but "Our Father." That form of address put His followers - including us - into an amazing relationship with almighty God. We have been taught by the Son of God to address God as Father. We are children of God! Isn't that truly awesome?

By these two words - Our Father - Jesus shows us as His followers that we are part of His eternal family, which makes a whole new intimate relationship with God possible.

Because Jesus taught us to call God "Our Father," a beautiful door has opened for us leading straight to God. What an awesome privilege to open it and walk through it!

It takes quite a bit of reflection to realize that despite the words we’re saying when we say the Lord’s Prayer, in our hearts often we are not really asking God to do anything. “Ask” is the operative word here. It’s important to recall that, in the New Testament, the word we translate “pray” almost always means “ask”. Prayer is not just a pious act; it is a request. When Jesus says “this is how you are to pray”, the words might be better translated as “this is what you are to ask God for.” Thus it makes particularly good sense to note that Matthew introduces the Lord’s Prayer by quoting Jesus on what not to ask for – food, clothing, shelter. God knows we need those things and has provided a world that, if we tend it right and help one another, meets those needs. No, Jesus says, ask God to do what only God can do – bring about God’s kingdom – now, in our world – a kingdom characterized by forgiveness.

The good news is that God freely extends forgiveness to us, but we have to cooperate with that gift.  The Church’s mission is to extend that forgiveness to everyone and in every age – not the Church as organization so much as we, its individual members; the entire people of God. It is precisely that mission that runs like a central theme throughout John’s gospel, from the Baptist’s description of Jesus as “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” to Jesus’ final words to His disciples on Easter night “As the Father has sent Me so I also send you . . . whose sins you shall forgive are forgiven them . . .” God’s life in us – in God’s church – is what enables us to do that. That is what we are to ask for.

God’s forgiveness is extended through us. It’s just that simple. We just have to ask . . .

We can't listen if we're talking

Prayer for the Day

“Speak, Lord, You’re servant is listening”(1Samuel 3:9)

Reflection

When I was a young man, I was anxious to get ahead—to be as successful as I could be.   Following the example set by my father and my brothers before me, I determined the best way to get anywhere was to simply do the job I was paid to do, in the best way I knew how to do it.  That has been my plan ever since my first day on a job and it continues today.   And it has served me well. 

I never actively pursued my career in retail management; I just sort of ‘grew into it’.  Those in authority over me noticed my work, even though I didn’t do the job to be “seen” and I certainly didn’t “blow trumpets” to be heard.  I simply did what I was supposed to do, when I was supposed to do it.  And if I couldn’t get it done in the time allotted me in the course of a shift, I would many times take my work home with me and finish it there, where I would not be distracted  by the incidental “noise” of business.  Success and monetary rewards followed as a consequence of just doing the right things at the right time.  My father and his generation used to call it “keeping my nose to the grindstone.”

I think this is what the message of Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 is all about.  We don’t go to Mass or perform our works of mercy (either spiritual or corporal) to be seen in hopes of being rewarded with the Beatific Vision of our Lord, we do these things out of love for God and to help Jesus bring hope to those who are hope-less and weak in their faith.  Jesus is telling us that this is the work we have to do.  We should strive to be pious, not pompous.  And while prayer in community is powerful (there is NO stronger form of prayer in Heaven or on Earth than the Mass), we are also told by Jesus to go to our inner room, close the door and pray to our Father in secret.  This prayer is akin to taking the “work” (“prayer”) home with us that we couldn’t finish “on the job” (at Mass). 

“Going to our inner room” is not necessarily meant to be taken literally.  It could mean that, and if it helps you to pray more fervently, go for it.  I personally think it means that we should try to pray from the heart, rather than simply with the intellect.  I can say a Rosary while sitting in front of the television and get distracted, making my prayers “vain and repetitious” or I can turn the TV off and meditate on the life of Christ as the prayers are intended and our Father who sees everything  and hears everything will hear me, no matter how silently I mouth the prayers.

Or, I can go to the church and sit in front of the Blessed Sacrament and just listen to what Our Lord wants to say to me.  We sometimes forget that prayer is a conversation with God.  A conversation implies that one party speaks while the other listens.  If our prayers don’t include time for a response from God, how will we know what He is asking of us?

I’m going to try a little harder to speak less and listen more.  How about you?

It's hard, but necessary to forgive if you truly want to live freely

Prayer for the Day
Dear God, please help us to learn how to become ever more loving and forgiving, both when it is enjoyable and easy as well as when it is painful and seems impossible. Amen.

Reflection

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father…” (Matthew 5:44-45)

This Gospel is probably one of the toughest to live out.  Love is not something given to someone because of anything they have done or not done but because of who he or she is: a child of God. Jesus tells us that God loves all his children, the good and the bad, by giving them both the rain and the sunshine, and, as St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 8: 1-9, Jesus showed us this love by becoming poor for us so that we could become rich. His message shows us that love for all is essential to being God’s children and that he does not expect any less from us than to show that love to others.

Of course, this is challenging because it seems to go against our natural desire. This is the genius of Jesus’ call, though: we are called to move beyond ourselves to become like him. I can’t offer recommendations on how to implement this practically for you, my readers: our different experiences, dispositions, and outlooks are so varied that we probably already know areas in our life that we need to work on in order to be more loving, and each of us probably knows best the people and counsel that can help us achieve this goal. In any case, the theme among them is the call to be children of our Heavenly Father through loving all, even our enemies, just as he did.

Perhaps today we can think about who in our lives we have found difficult to love, pray for, and forgive.  

Did you ever have an “uh-oh!” moment?  One where you knew you were in for it?  Or thought you were? 

I was in the confessional recently making a good confession (I hope) and the priest, in persona Christi, was preparing to give me my penance when a phone rang!  It wasn’t mine!  Father apologized and said, “I’m sorry, I have to take this!”   His voice sounded urgent, and I thought, “It’s probably the Lord, Himself, calling in my penance.   Father was probably going to let me get off light—maybe an Our Father or two, and now I’ll have a million Our Fathers to say!”  

But, knowing how busy priests are and understanding that the person on the other end of the phone might have a life or death issue, I simply said, “That’s OK, Father.  It’s a sign of the times and you have a whole flock to minister to.”

He very quickly ended the call, apologized again, and picked up where he left off.  I’m relieved to say I didn’t have to say even close to a million Our Fathers.
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And, lest I forget--June 14th is my father-in-law's birthday.  He would have been 97 years old this year!  Rest in the peace of Christ, Frank.