Blossom like the lily (Hosea 14:6)

 

The world is in great need of the love and mercy of Christ.  It’s like a dry and barren land waiting to soak up the gentle rain. We are called, as the gospel says, to be laborers in harvesting the field. (Luke 10:1-12)

We may often feel as though the work of evangelizing and harvesting good fruit for the Kingdom of God is the job for someone else.  It’s so easy to throw our hands up in the air and think, “What can I do?”

Each one of us is called by Jesus in a deeply personal and loving way to go with him into the fields.  Our harvest work might include loving a difficult person more deeply or listening more carefully in conversation, especially when we hear a point of view different from our own.  We can reach out to the many people isolated by the pandemic and ask how they are.  And really listen.

We can turn our attention to the Lord and let Him send us.  Only He knows the mission He has picked for each of us and only He knows what He wants us to harvest.  Our responsibility is to be attentive.  Listen, be open, be ready and be willing.  When we sense Him calling us and sending us, we mustn’t hesitate; instead, we must say “Yes” to His gentle promptings.

We can do this first and foremost through prayer.  The passage in Luke’s gospel says, “Ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”  In other words, we should pray that the Lord sends many zealous souls, ourselves included, into the world to attend to the many hearts that are in need.

We don’t have to trap ourselves in the Church all day and force our minds to do nothing but pray and be holy in order to fulfill God’s command.  In fact this isn’t what many of us are called to do.  We’re called to give our lives to God and to in everything we do give glory and praise to God.  Even the smallest tasks can be given to God.  If we love God through our daily tasks it will become evident to those around us; it’ll spread. 

When we’re studying for a big exam, let’s do it for God.  When we’re exercising, let's do it for God.  When we’re driving down the road, let's do it for God.  Let’s dedicate every task in our entire day to God so that we “shall blossom like the lily” (Hosea 14:6), filled with God’s radiance and love.

Today is the Memorial of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, whose brief and cloistered life in a French convent sent spiritual ripples around the world.  She wrote that each task she took on at the convent was always her way of serving God.  The dirtiest kitchen work, the tedium of the laundry and the routine chores of the chapel were all little ways she saw as doing God’s work.

But her most inspiring “little” acts teach us how she got along with difficult people.  In her convent she lived with several women who had little patience with her.  She was devastated at first and deeply hurt by them.  Then she had the insight to pray for a particular sister who seemed to dislike her intensely.  When Thérèse felt her constant prayers for this nun were not enough, and she decided to do more.

As she wrote in her Story of A Soul, “I tried to do as many things for her as I could, and whenever I was tempted to speak unpleasantly to her, I made myself give her a pleasant smile.” After a while, she reports that her feelings truly began to change, and she began to like this sister more.

One memorable day, the sister came to her with a beaming smile.  “Sister Thérèse, will you please tell me what attracts you so much to me?  You give me such a charming smile whenever we meet.”  Her small acts of humility and service, what she called her “self-forgetfulness,” had turned into love for this sister.

Again, in Luke’s gospel Jesus tells us, “Go on your way.”  He sends us into our everyday life, carrying an awareness that He’s beside us, as we practice our own “self-forgetfulness” by putting the needs of another ahead of our own. 

A commitment to faith

 

Jesus gives three seemingly different responses to three different kinds of people who want to join Jesus on His ministerial journey (Luke 9:57-62).  The first of these is an enthusiast, an idealist. "I'll follow you wherever you go."  And Jesus responds, “You say that now, yes, and I'm sure you mean it now--but you say it without knowing its meaning.  If you can know it’s meaning and still be so enthusiastic, then by all means, join me.”

The second would-be disciple has the obligation of unresolved religious duties.  He has the obligation of burying his father.  To this one Jesus says, “That's another excuse. When you’ve buried him, you’ll find another reason and another reason and another reason, all perfectly good, all proper and all reasonable. And all of these reasons will be serving God in one way or another.  But they’re mere excuses.  Proper religious duty, religious duty that’s alive and well attends to the center not to the edges.”

Finally, a person approaches with the responsibility of familial obligation.  Jesus recognizes the importance of these but emphasizes the importance of serving the Kingdom.  Once you know your duty, once you know what God requires, there can be no going home and saying goodbye.  But interestingly, there is also no need, because serving God doesn’t require abandoning those whom we love any more than taking a job in another city does.  Indeed, serving God is taking a job in another city—in the City of God, which is present to all forever.

While the three responses seem different, the gospel is actually a strong reminder how in deciding to follow Jesus, we have to have a single-minded commitment and focus on our discipleship.  No ifs, ands, or buts.

Our faith demands that we follow the path less traveled, that we listen to the Holy Spirit who burns in our hearts, that we ensure our thoughts and actions are grounded in the commitment to our faith; our commitment to our faith comes first.  And rather than reduce the value of the other aspects of our lives, this commitment above all others actually enriches all other life dimensions.

Our faith in Jesus casts light on every aspect of us, and our relationships.  It allows us to appreciate what is truly valuable, gives us discernment to pursue things everlasting, and enhances our relationship with ourselves and those around us—but only after our commitment to Jesus has to come first—and this must be founded in love.

Touched by angels

 

In John’s Gospel, Nathanael visited Jesus to see if what Philip said of Him was true (John 1:47 – 51).  He discovered that Jesus knew exactly who he was and so he proclaimed his realization that Jesus is the “Son of God”.  Jesus’ response to him reflected the Old Testament account of Jacob’s ladder with, “you will see the heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (Genesis 28:12). 

Angels are spiritual beings who assist God with those tasks on earth and in heaven.  In the Book of Daniel we read that, “Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him, and myriads upon myriads attended him.” (Daniel 7:9–10) 

I freely admit that I don’t understand everything.  And I don’t understand anything at all in a perfect manner, and far from it.   And as I get older and see how rich and complex even the most simple things are in their nature and in what they imply, in their role as only a small part of God's creative love for us, I feel less and less sure of being able to adequately express any bit of my understanding whatsoever.

I don’t understand angels.  I see dirt and rocks, moss and flowers, insects and fish and babies, and I can sense a growth in presence, power, and promise in that sequence.  I grasp a part of what human life is and is called to be, and I have no question that Jesus has bridged the upward gap that separates us creatures from rising to and living with His very own Godly life.

I can see where a being somewhat like me might fill a niche in that scheme, a being who is all that I am, and then some, but without a body, a being who is, like God, all at once and not living its existence in creeping moments and incomplete acts.  I mean, I know about angels, but I don’t understand what an angel really is, much less archangels, dominions, and the others.

Depictions of angels can be found in most specialty shops, in catalogs and art stores in the forms of small, medium, and large statues, in pictures, on prayer cards, in garden art and countless other objects. They can be found in stain glass windows and statuary of the great cathedrals of Europe and around the world.  If we’re lucky enough to be blessed with a believing parent, we grow up knowing the guardian angel prayer and hope we haven’t frightened ours off by the time we’ve “grown up”.  

In the Catholic faith there are the nine choir of angels (beginning with the lowest and ascending to the highest rank); Angels, Archangels, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Dominions, Thrones, Cherubim and Seraphim.  On September 29^th every year, the Church celebrates the archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, who are mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments.  

Michael’s name means, “Who is like God?” We have a prayer calling on St. Michael for protection. This archangel is best known for his battle with evil, as in the Book of Revelation. (Revelation 12:7-12)

Gabriel is known as the messenger angel who announced to Mary that she was going to bear God’s Son (Luke 1:26-38).  Gabriel’s name means, “God is My Strength” and is known as the Archangel of Wisdom, Revelation, Prophecy, and Visions.

Raphael’s name means, “Healing Power of God”.  We find this archangel in the book of Tobit (Tobit 12:1-22).  He was sent in an answer to Tobit’s prayers and the prayers of his daughter.  In this book of the Old Testament, Raphael is a companion and guide to Tobit, and heals him of his blindness.

I pass into simple and unconstrained faith concerning the angels’ existence, and I stand astonished at the beauty of God's love for me, love that’s filled with such marvels that not only pass my comprehension but my very imagination.  I live in gratitude that I don’t have to understand the Unknowable One, or any of His creatures or acts, in order to believe and love.

So I revel in being reduced to the simplest child, living in the joy of my Father's love for me, shining in trust, gratitude, and praise.  And so I cherish the angels in all their glory, their simple majesty, the purity of their service, and their delight in always seeing the Father's face.

I celebrate God's love for me, a love that passes now and will always pass my simple and clumsy understanding.

Give and take in 2020

 

For most of this year, we’ve lived and died with COVID-19, with unrest and destruction in our cities, with tension all around us as a nation and world.  Our secure lifestyles, employment, health, education, happiness and so many other things that contributed to the ‘good life’ we enjoyed have been compromised!  As people of faith, believing in a generous, loving God, we should ask, how likely would we be to echo Job’s statement of faith in the wake of this changed and changing lifestyle today?

In the Book of Job, there’s an encounter between the Lord and Satan (Job 1:6-22).  God was confident and proud of His servant Job, his faithfulness and lived faith.  Satan was complaining that the only reason Job was so faithful was because the Lord had given him everything one could ever hope for; healthy children, prosperous crops, ample livestock, all of which made Job a very wealthy and happy man.  Satan believed that Job would renounce God if the tide turned and Job lost everything!  God told Satan to go ahead and reign down tragedy on all the things Job possessed and see for himself the outcome.  Satan took the bait and set about systematically destroying all of Job’s livestock, workers and even his children!  He stopped short of taking Job’s life as God told him not to harm Job.

Job lost all his possessions and his family, but he never lost his faith in the love and generosity of our loving God!  Job could have easily been so attached to his wealth and possessions that he would turn his back on God and God’s generosity.  Instead, as the faithful servant he was, he was able to proclaim, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD!”

In many respects, these past months have brought an awareness of just how blessed we are!  For many of us we enjoy a very privileged life albeit, one we take for granted at times.  Sometimes it seems that we’ve forgotten our sisters and brothers who have so little!  It’s so easy to allow our precious ‘things’ to consume us!

It’s time to focus less on our wants and more on the needs of others.  We’re so preoccupied at times with complaining how inconvenient this pandemic is and longing for everything to get back to ‘normal’.  It’s not too late to buck up, wear our masks, social distance from others, observe the protocols in place in our churches, schools, cities and neighborhoods with less grumbling and dissent.  Yes, it’s been a long seven months and Yes, we want to gather again in large groups to eat, pray, to laugh and cry.  We want to be able to minister to our sick friends and family in person rather than outside their hospital room or home.  We’re tired of ZOOM and want to be together in-person, we want to have the freedom to vacation in far off lands or gather with neighbors for a backyard BBQ.

If we just open our eyes, we can see that the ‘new normal’ has so many graced moments!  The generosity, creativity, tenacity, care, and concern for each other by young and old is truly a blessing.  Educators, pastoral workers, government officials, health care agencies, and many families are working together to provide relief where needed. 

May we continue to be people of hope and echo the words of the prophet Job, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD!”

Yes and No or No but Yes

 

“Better late than never!”  “You’re just paying “lip service”.”  “You can talk the talk, but you don’t walk the walk.”  How many of us have heard these sayings at one time or another in our lives?  How many times was it directed at us?

Throughout the Scriptures God gives us great advice on when to change our minds, and when not to.  If we're pretty well secure in habits of virtue, then it's not a good idea to give in to the persuasions of friends who call us old-fashioned or foolish for following the teachings of our parents and childhood religion classes - and act contrary to our principles.  To change because of fear of losing face or being the butt of ridicule could risk God's displeasure, loss of grace, and even loss of eternal happiness.

There's another kind of change, too; the kind of change that may be defined as conversion—from sinful ways to virtuous ones.  For instance, the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 18:25-28) tried to persuade his fellow exiles in Babylon that, as long as they persisted in their sinful rejection of God's commandments, God would continue their exile.  When they refused to change, God allowed the destruction of the Temple as well as the whole city of Jerusalem.  Eventually, they stopped blaming God for their crimes, repented of their stubbornness, and again followed the commandments.

That's the kind of change that also won the approval of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 21:28-32). The first son in the parable stubbornly said "no" to his father's request.  He was ready to risk the father's displeasure and even punishment.  Then, wisely, he began to feel guilty.  He decided it wouldn't kill him to cut short a good time with his friends to work for his father.  We hope that it was really love that made him change his mind.  But even if it was just shame, and maybe a little fear of the consequences of his refusal, he did change his mind.

The entire 18^th chapter of Ezekiel reads like a textbook from a law school.  The sections cover various eventualities, but always the theme is that there’s life for those who choose righteousness and death for those who don’t.  We hear kind of an argument which God, through the prophet, is having with Israel. God isn’t fair?  God reverses this and asks the House of Israel if their ways are the “unfair” ways by their turning from God’s love to serve false gods and their own false sense of what life is.

There’s a secondary theme in Ezekiel as well.  Israel as a collective nation has been addressed often as sinful and have been threatened with total national abandonment or exile.  We find the prophet addressing the question of the individual’s personal freedom to turn from God’s ways and then turn back again.  The father isn’t guilty because of his son’s sin, but only the son.

There are consequences to actions.  Israel as a nation is compared to one person who by choosing wickedness chooses death.  As well, a person who chooses virtuous living chooses life.  God is seen as fair by allowing free choices to worship and serve God or false idols.

The Gospel (Matthew 21:28-32) is one more “stick-it-to-me” parable which was slowly getting Jesus in deep trouble with the religious leaders of his day.  They had seen and heard John and said “no” to and about him and then didn’t change their minds.  John had invited them into the “new vineyard” of which he was the announcer.  While they continued to say “no” to Jesus, tax collectors and prostitutes who in former times had said “no” did change.  They were living their “yes.” 

This is essential Christianity.  The tax collectors, prostitutes in their pasts, and we too have, in our lives, said “no” to God’s call to “Act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with our God.” (Micah 6:8) Perfection is our origin and orientation, but not our practice.

I once had a guy tell me that he didn’t go to church anymore, because there was nothing but hypocrites in there.  I told him there’s always room for one more; he didn’t like that.  I guess I was stepping on his toes a little bit.  We are indeed holy hypocrites; we’ve said one thing and done the opposite.  If we’re to live gracefully into our futures, we’ll have to live gracefully with our pasts.  Hypocrites seem not to be able to admit and live with their histories.   By our believing in Jesus’ call of mercy we admit our having said “no,” but in another sense, we admit Jesus into our present that we might more eagerly go into His “vineyard.”

With us it’s sometimes “yes” and sometimes “no,” but for Jesus it always was, is now, and ever will be, “yes!”  Our futures don’t redeem our pasts; Jesus is the Redeemer.  Our futures will need redeeming as well and Jesus’ “yes!” allows us to walk His ways and not fear our stepping on anybody’s toes nor tripping over our own perfectionistic feet.

So often we say “no” to God’s call, because we hear our fears to trust.  With prayer and reflection our actions reverse our natural fearful hesitations and we do say “yes.”  Trust in God’s love doesn’t do away with our natural timidity.  Even when our actions are a fearful “no” Jesus is the eternal redemptive “yes” which frees us to rise again to go into the Owners vineyard.

Never be afraid to ask!

“Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.  (Luke 9:44-45)

Jesus told His Apostles to “pay attention to what I am telling you.”  And then began to explain He would suffer and die.  But they didn’t get it.  So why was the meaning of this “hidden from them?”  They didn’t understand what He meant and “they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.”

They didn’t need to be afraid.  Jesus wasn’t offended by their lack of understanding.  He realized that they wouldn’t immediately understand.  But this didn’t stop Him from telling them anyway, because He knew that they would come to understand in time.  They understood once the Holy Spirit descended upon them leading them into all Truth (Acts 2:1–31).  It took the workings of the Holy Spirit to understand such deep mysteries.

The same is true with us.  When we face the mystery of Jesus’ sufferings, and when we face the reality of suffering in our own lives or the lives of those we love, we can often be confused at first.  It takes a gift from the Holy Spirit to open our minds to understand.  Suffering is most often inevitable.  We all endure it.  And if we don’t allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, suffering will lead us to confusion and despair.  But if we do allow the Holy Spirit to open our minds, we’ll begin to understand how God can work in us through our sufferings just as He brought salvation to the world through the sufferings of Christ.

We may not always understand why life is unfolding in certain ways, but we’re asked to "pay attention" to what God has taught us in our youth and as we experience life.  When we "pay attention" to what God has taught us and "pay attention" to what others are saying or doing we’re advised to bring these life experiences to God.  In our prayer, our reflection, our discernment, God will give us  insight, understanding, the ability to forgive, or move in a new direction, if we’re not afraid to ask God to give us what we need and then to "pay attention" to what happens next. 

One woman's answer to Jesus' question

 

It was easy for the Apostles to answer for others when Christ asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”  They appeared to give their responses freely and willingly with great zeal and eagerness to please Jesus.  However, His next question, “But who do you say that I am?” seemed to silence the group, except for Peter who responded, “The Christ of God.” (Luke 9:18-22)

God asks each and every one of us the same exact question, “Who do you say that I am?”  How do you respond to such a personalized question?  Because God works in our lives in very personal ways, we must answer this question very personally and intimately with Him.

As I reflected on this particular question today, I hoped I could answer correctly as quickly and certainly as Peter did, but I found out that I’m too often in the ‘silent’ group.  Some of the questions I asked myself were:

How long have I been in my relationship with God?  Do I really know Him on a personal level?  How well do I know His mind?  Do I know how He works specifically with me in my life?  How does He communicate with me?  What does God’s voice sound like in my life?  We’re able to recognize the speech patterns and inflections of the voices of our loved ones. We’re able to hear their voice and know who they are without seeing their face.  So, can I do this with God?  When He speaks to me, can I recognize the voice of God?  And am I able to point His voice out to others?  And finally, do I point His voice out with humble confidence?  Or is it timidity?

The thought-provoking image in the header today shows one way in which an extremely talented and spirit-filled woman answers our Lord’s question in her own life.  Lissa Romell is the Administrator at St. Vincent Strambi Community in Chicago, Illinois.

Starting today, let’s pray to have the wisdom and perseverance to know the Lord and know how He works in each of our lives, just as Peter did.  After all, “There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for everything under the heavens.”  (Ecclesiastes 3:1-11) And now is that time!

It's only temporary

 

Everything that’s not of heaven is only temporary (Ecclesiastes 1:2-11).  In the long view of eternity, anything that has no lasting value is meaningless, worthless, and we hold onto it in vain.  When we focus on what is temporal, when we base our values on worldly standards, and when we strive only for a more comfortable, easy life here on earth, we can’t see who Jesus really is, we can’t understand His teachings, and the Cross seems like nothing more than an instrument of torture and destruction.

We’re all creatures of curiosity.  We get excited over miracles, and new discoveries fascinate us, but if they don't enhance our relationship with Christ, they only benefit our lives for a short time.  Spiritual discoveries benefit us forever.  King Herod didn’t want to know Jesus where it mattered, in his spirit (Luke 9:7-9).  He didn’t want God's touch to change him.  When we don't let Jesus change us - when we don't give Him the freedom to affect whatever in our lives is temporal - our accomplishments are ultimately worthless and vain.

We enjoy adventure.  Some of us are lucky enough to go on pilgrimages and tours to places of new discovery.  We all look for those mountaintop experiences, but for many of us, it's all temporary.  While the mountaintop brings us closer to God, the time spent there is wasted unless we're eternally changed by it - a change that is evidenced when we’re in the valleys of our lives.

I daresay that the entire world is experiencing such a valley, as it has been for some time now.  It seems like everything’s a problem, and they just keep piling up; the environment, social discord, the pandemic, the list goes on and on.  But we should remember that in the grand scheme of things our problems are temporary, including those that seem unending.  If in our sufferings there's no change that transfigures our soul and radiates Jesus outward, any relief we get from the resolution of the problem is temporary and vain.

“Who is this man about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see Him. (Luke 9:9)

Herod’s question might well be the most important question of our life; to seek Him is the most important action of our life!  “Christ is all and in all.” (Colossians 3:11) “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (Revelation 22:13)   

Not to seek Jesus is to miss the biggest opportunity of our lives.  Not to evangelize the world about Him is the biggest omission of our lives—even, or maybe especially in these trying times.  St. Paul got it right when he wrote,  “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,” (Philippians 3:8).

St Paul’s reflection reminds us of the task before us.  “In whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4)                       

Tested

 Proverbs tell us that “every word of God is tested,” and we should “add nothing to his words.”  In addition, there’s a plea to put “falsehood and lying far from me.”(Proverbs 30:5-9)   The Psalms teach us that “Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.” (Psalms 119:29-163)   In the Gospels, Jesus gives the twelve apostles “power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases” and sends them “to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” (Luke 9:1-6)

As I reflect on these passages, I’m reminded of an event in my life that occurred several years ago.  I was coming out of a restaurant after dinner when I encountered a rather disheveled young man who asked me for a few dollars to get something to eat.  I thought to myself, “Why not? I’ll pay for his dinner then leave.  It’s only about 10 bucks.  Maybe he won’t bother anyone else if I help him.”  I now realize that that was a self-serving excuse to talk myself into doing something I ought to do.  I turned around and opened the door for him saying, “After you, sir.”  He thanked me and we walked up to the counter to pay for his meal.  I told the girl I was going to pay for a meal and a drink for my new-found friend.

She smiled at me then excused herself and instead of ringing up the sale, she got on the intercom to call the manager.   When the manager arrived, he didn’t greet me but gave me the once-over and said to my guest in an angry tone, “I told you you’re not allowed in here! Please leave!”  Then the manager, without even acknowledging me went back to whatever he was doing before the cashier called him, leaving her to explain to me what was happening.

She said, “I’m sorry, but he was caught in here just a little while ago trying to steal some food.”  I was very tempted to point out that the reason he was stealing food was probably because he was hungry and broke, but I didn’t.  I merely “shook the dust from my feet” (Luke 9:5) and asked her, “Is there somewhere else in this shopping center where we can get this young man a meal?”

She shrugged her shoulders apologetically and shook her head no.  I told my new acquaintance that I noticed some fast-food establishments on the other side of the shopping center and asked him if he would mind if I bought him a dinner at one of those places.  Obviously, he’d never heard the expression ‘beggars can’t be choosers’, because he said, “I was hoping for a Mexican meal.”  I replied that we might get lucky, but I was a little pressed for time, so it would have to be whatever we found.  We started walking towards the restaurants.  He asked me, “You want to walk over there?”  I may have felt generous, but not careless.   Giving a car ride to a total stranger who you know has recently tried to steal and has the smell of alcohol on his breath is not a prudent decision.  I said, “Yeah.  I need to walk off my dinner.”  He replied that he understood, although I could tell that he didn’t.

He asked my name.  I told him my first name.  He introduced himself, but I don’t remember it.  I remember that he touched my shoulder and said something about giving me positive energy or something and asking me if I felt it.  I remember wondering if I had bitten off more than I could chew with this “dinner guest.”  Pun intended.

He asked if I was ‘religious’, and I told him that I’m Catholic.  He grew silent for a few minutes until we got into the restaurant.  When we got to the front counter, he asked the clerk if they had any Mexican food.  “Nope, just hamburgers and chicken sandwiches, French fries and drinks,” came the reply.  He asked me what he should order.  I told him he could get whatever he wanted.  He said, “You’re the only person who has talked to me like a human being or helped me in a long time, and you didn’t hesitate to use your credit card.  God bless you!”  I thanked him and said, “I’m just glad I could help”.   We said our goodbyes and I left him to enjoy what could possibly have been his first real meal in some time.  As I reflected on the episode that evening, I was so filled with gratitude that Christ had let me see Him face to face, and that He had also let the needy young man see Him (in me), as well.

I also thought about the manager of the restaurant that had kicked him out earlier.  Had he followed the “tested words” of the Lord?   Is it possible that what on the surface appeared to be misbehavior (or criminal activity) by the young man was actually an attempt at survival?   It’s tough sometimes, but we must recognize that what we see as bad in others is only the behavior and not necessarily the intention.  Perhaps we can use the Psalm as a prayer for ourselves and for those who don’t seem to follow the words of the Lord.  “Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.  Help me to follow your word, to be a model for others, and to endeavor to understand those for whom your word is not a lamp for their feet. Amen.”

 It’s a good reminder that we need to let our words and actions reveal our hearts and He who dwells in them. 

Claiming our heritage

 

God the Father, through His Son has adopted us into His holy family as Paul says in Ephesians, "In love He destined us for adoption to Himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of His will, for the praise of the glory of His grace that He granted us in the Beloved." (Ephesians 1:3-10)

This adoption makes us all brothers and sisters to each other and to our Savior, all of us children of the Father.  This is precisely what Jesus was saying in Luke: “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” (Luke 8-19-21)   Those of us who hear the Word of God, take it to heart, believe in faith and follow His way are truly His brothers and sisters.   Although it may seem so if we read the gospel literally, in no way was He dismissing His earthly mother and "brothers" since He speaks here strictly in the spiritual sense.

This certainly was a radical change in the religious thinking of His time and the Pharisees who heard this most certainly were angered that He had the audacity to claim a father-son relationship with God, and to include all of His followers as well.  But that’s part of the beauty of God's salvation plan.  He loves us so much that He desires the closest relationship possible with us and has adopted us as His own.

But to belong to the family and claim the heritage of God Himself, Jesus made clear the qualification—"those who hear the word of God and act on it."  It’s a twofold requirement.  We must hear; but hearing alone is insufficient—the word of God is a call to action.  If we hear without acting, we declare our contempt for our Father in Heaven.  However, the word is so compelling that it’s nearly impossible for anyone with any sort of human feeling to hear it and be unmoved.

The actions are different for each of us.  Some will feed the hungry, others will visit the sick or those imprisoned, some will find clothing and shelter for those who lack them.  Some will bake bread and goodies for church fundraisers; others will talk to their friends and those who have no friends.  The world of actions is endless for those who dispose themselves to act.

So while the road is narrow—hear and act—it is also as wide as all of humanity—"love as I have loved you”. (John 15:12)   Love is by far and away the widest of all paths and the freest.  And when we love with God's love, people know it and welcome it—it’s better than shelter and food because it is certainty of our value in the eyes of our Father.

The Bond of Peace

 

St. Paul encourages us to live beyond what separates us, “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:2-3).  In Paul’s letter, the phrase ‘bond of peace’ seems especially important.  A bond joins securely, forms a close attachment that’s not easily separated or broken.  In the context of Ephesians, it seems to be the bonding agent that pulls together Paul’s other characteristics of the Christian life.  It’s strong enough to hold in solidarity the diversity and complexity of human relations that comprise Church – humanity.  What better glue than a warm, soft blanket of God’s peace gently and securely enfolding and bonding us together as we seek to grant mercy to others.

Today is the feast of St. Matthew Apostle and Evangelist and little is known about him, other than that he was a tax collector and in other synoptic gospels referred to as Levi.  The story of Matthew’s call is found in Matthew 9:9.   

Jesus was strolling by some tax collectors and various evildoers one day and turned to one of them and said, "Follow me."  And Matthew got up from what he was doing, presumably retiring from the position forever and started to follow Jesus.  Then a meal with “many tax collectors and sinners” became the occasion for Jesus to define His mission.

Over the objection of the Pharisees to such a gathering, Jesus portrayed Himself as a physician come to care for the sick and colors in this portrait with the pointed remark, “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

The implication is that the Pharisees were self-righteous and so they weren’t capable of responding to Jesus’ call to repentance.  In their own eyes, they had no need for a savior because they became “right with God” through their own efforts.  No need for the doctor here!

How much of our daily energy goes into trying to make ourselves “right with God?”  Like avoiding a visit to the doctor’s office when we are ill (often devising our own treatments), we seem to avoid the Divine Physician as well.  Consider the difference in the attitude of the great saints who know ever more deeply their need for God for the slightest good activity of each day!  We can think of St. Therese who delighted in her own faults and weaknesses as places which would “draw” the love of God toward her in her littleness.

Matthew was a man reviled by all; a man, in all likelihood, mired in sin and in the exploitation of the poor and powerless—in short, a man who had it made in the ancient world.  But such was the power of the voice of Christ; such was the joy of the service of Jesus that at one word from Him, this man was willing to give up everything.

We should recall this each time we drag our feet in one form of service or another.  Each time the Lord asks us to smile at someone, speak to someone, have coffee with someone, feed someone, help in any way that lies within our power; we should recall this man who gave up all to follow Jesus.  He gave it up at a word and left all to be with Jesus.  Surely, we can follow with a service less drastic, with a task much less onerous.  Surely, when we remember what the great saints and apostles sacrificed for us, we can afford the little sacrifice of some of our time.

Like the apostles, we too have been singled out to have a role in furthering the Kingdom of God.  What part we are intended to play may be hidden not only from us, but also from others.  It is, with certainty, a role that God has equipped us well to play.  May we then, like Matthew, accept the invitation of Christ who calls us to be His friend, His evangelist, to spread the Good News.

There's no such thing as a 'zero-sum game' in Heaven

 

"Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near." (Isaiah 55:6)

“The LORD is near to all who call upon him” (Psalms 145:18).

In these days of less social contact, less intimacy with our fellow human beings, less communal worship, and a seemingly greater distrust of one another, many of us long to return to a feeling of closeness of God.  The two Bible verses above tell us that if we long to find Him, we must call upon Him.  God hasn’t disappeared; He doesn’t hide from us.  He’s there, waiting for us to call upon Him; to ask him to be a part of our lives: to be near to us.

Calling upon Him isn’t just a few words, it’s a lifestyle.  It’s a way of living which constantly invites God into our hearts, ever nearer.  We may not always feel God’s presence as we call upon Him, but these verses assure us that if we’re calling upon Him, He’ll be there.  This is hopefully something we won’t easily forget as we continue on our journeys, wherever they may lead.  And it’s never too late to start calling upon Him!

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells the parable about a landowner and the laborers he hires to work in his vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16).  If Jesus was talking about hourly wages and eight-hour days, we might find ourselves sympathizing with the ones who worked all day and yet received the same wage as the ones who only worked one hour.  But the parable isn’t about that.  It’s about the kingdom of heaven.

In the parable, the landowner decides to pay the laborers who were hired last, first.  In his generosity, he pays them the same amount that the ones who were hired first, which causes grumbling among the latter group.  But if we take the “wage” as entrance into the kingdom, there’s no way for one person or group of persons to get “more” of a wage!  If we get into heaven, by the grace of God, there’s nothing more to get.  And even if we get away from thinking about eternal life, how much more can one receive from God than unconditional love culminating in the death and resurrection of Jesus?

But we human beings are tempted to envy, and the desire for some higher status than the next person. Read the complaint that the first laborers made to the landowner: “These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us…”  Over the better part of this year, when the country, along with contending with Covid-19, is looking at race relations and the issue of real equality, I’ve been struggling with trying to understand “White Privilege” and if I ‘enjoy’ its benefits.  I can only use speculation because honestly, I don’t subscribe to the idea of white privilege; therefore, I find it hard to see any ‘benefit’.  So one theory I propose is that some people have what is called a “zero-sum game” mentality.  This mentality often leads people to feel “If you gain, then somehow I lose (“you have made them equal to us”).”

When it comes to the kingdom of heaven, there is no zero-sum game.  There is no limit to God’s love and God’s promise of everlasting life!  There is no limit to the extent God will go to save God’s people!  If you get to heaven before I do, that doesn’t keep me from getting there.  But, again, we human beings put such a premium on status.  But there’s no superiority before God.  As we read in the Old Testament (Isaiah 55:6-9), “God’s ways are above our ways, and God’s thoughts are above our thoughts”.  If we work for real justice and real peace, everyone can win!

We have to be willing to let go of envy and concern about status.  We have to develop and maintain the same generosity of spirit towards others that God has with us, and recognize that another’s gain, especially when it comes to the demands of justice, doesn’t constitute a loss on our part.

God is calling us to work in the “vineyard,” with the promise of the kingdom.  May we accept the call, and welcome others to work with us.

Never give up

 

Some people are good at taking care of plants and planting gardens.  Before many people could afford a landscaper and a gardener, planting a garden and taking care of plants was a family affair.  My mom and dad would plant roses that survived and thrived.  On the other hand they would plant vegetable gardens year after year, and never had a bumper crop.  We always managed to have some home-grown vegetables, but not consistently.  One year it would be tomatoes, another year, carrots and yet another year, onions.  After the planting of the seeds, they were constantly weeding and watering them.  It was hard work, especially for my dad after a full day of labor at his day job.  But he never gave up.

Today I reflected on Jesus’ telling of the parable of the sower to a big crowd of people who followed him.   We’re familiar with it: a farmer sowed seeds in a field that fell on different parts of the ground, the path where he was walking, places where not all of the rocks had been removed, some places where not all of the thorns had been weeded and the good ground that was well prepared. (Luke 8:4-15)

The disciples needed an explanation, and Jesus gave it to them. Not all seeds will produce a good harvest.

The Gospel ends with these words, “But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart and bear fruit through perseverance.”

It doesn’t take a lot of education or deep thought to see that Jesus is really talking about us as the rich soil of good ground that receives the seed (the Word of God) for harvest.  But it’s these last words that should leave us wondering whether we truly embrace the Word of God when we hear it, not only embrace it, but embrace it generously.

The letter to the Hebrews describes the Word of God in this way: “Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)   We can’t hide from the Word of God, from its saving power and its call to conversion.  It penetrates us to the core when we’re ignoring it, turning our back on it, trampling it underfoot.  It fills us with love and resolve when we embrace it generously.  It’s our Salvation!

Especially in these extraordinary times, we need the grace of perseverance, to hang onto the Word of God when words of despair and powerlessness consume us, choke us with the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life.  After all, the Word of God is the Word made Flesh, Jesus the Christ.  He is our Lord and Savior!

We're a diverse group of people

 

Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.

Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources. (Luke 8:1-3)

When we look at the people who accompanied Jesus every step of the way on His mission of proclaiming the Good News, we find an extremely diverse (in that day and age) group that came from many backgrounds.  Of the Twelve, there were fishermen (and business owners, as they owned their own boats) [Matthew 4:18-22], a tax collector [Matthew 9:9-13, Mark 2:13-17, Luke 5:27-32], a ‘zealot’ (another word for  ‘revolutionary’, or possibly a politician) [Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:16-19, Luke 6:14-16, Acts 1:1-13], and a thief [John 12:6].  Of the others mentioned in Luke we have a prostitute, those cured of demons and other ailments and the wife of a member of the court of King Herod. They came from every walk of life, from the outcast and poor, to the rich and privileged.

Part of what I love about Jesus is that He made God more "reasonable."  When we imagine Jesus moving from town to town, proclaiming the liberating good news of the coming of God's Kingdom, we see Him travelling with the Twelve, and with a group of women who had been healed by Him and by some women who bought food for them along the way.  It's supposed to be a surprising image because men, especially "religious" men were not supposed to be seen in public with women.  Just being with people who were sick or who were sinners (often considered the same) would mean that a person would be unfit for worship.  I love how Jesus just shatters the possibility of thinking that God could support those kinds of prejudices.  Maybe that’s why the women were so very faithful to Him.  When almost all the apostles fled, it was these women who were there with Him all the way to Calvary.  It was Mary, "from whom he drove seven demons," who is, according to John’s Gospel, the one Jesus first called to proclaim the good news of the resurrection to His apostles (John 20:14–17).

Luke also says there were “many others who provided for them out of their resources."  These people, regardless of their place in the social structure of the time, provided for the Lord with whatever resources they had.  It’s really no different today.

The Church around the world comes from all walks of life, some rich, some poor, and we’re all called to provide out of our resources.  In my opinion, there are two lessons to be learned from this gospel.  First, we’re called to care for the Church and also each other.  Second, in the eyes of our Lord, we’re all equal and as such, we all receive of His love and gifts equally.

It would probably do us all well to ask ourselves some questions, and ask for any graces available through our examination of conscience:   With whom do we journey down the road?  Do we just hang around a group of "like-minded" people?  Do we avoid people who are "not well" or who are obvious "sinners"?  Are we a healer or a divider?  Do we cling to old wounds, old categories, self-protective ways of thinking and living?  What are our attitudes toward women (if you’re a man) or men (if you’re a woman), really?  How far away do we stay from the "untouchable" people in our faith community, our city, our world?  How many of the choices of our daily lives place us in solidarity with the people Jesus befriended?

Let's all remember the next time we see someone who "just doesn’t fit in" that God sees things differently and His desire is for us to see all as loving and loved people who are made in His image and likeness, and therefore carry the imprint of the Most High Himself.

Judging leaves little time to love

 

St. Luke recounts a story of vivid and illuminating contrasts between two extremely different people who respond to Jesus in distinctly different ways (Luke 7:36-50).  First, there was a Pharisee named Simon who invited Jesus to dinner.  Then there was a woman, whose name we never learn; all the gospel tells us is that she was “known in the town to be a sinner,” a description that’s led many scripture scholars to conclude that if she wasn’t a prostitute, she was certainly sexually promiscuous.  The woman obviously wasn’t invited to the dinner, but nothing—not even the whispered comments and disapproving stares of the guests—would keep her from getting to Jesus; in fact, her desire to be in the presence of Jesus was so strong it was as if nobody else was there.  Down on her knees before Jesus, she began to cry.  She used those tears to wash His feet and her hair to dry them.  She then kissed Jesus’ feet and massaged them with oil.  The woman did all this with such focused determination it was as if she had rehearsed the scene in her mind many times before.  In the presence of Christ she opened her heart, repented of her sins, and performed exquisite acts of contrition and love.

Simon saw it all quite differently, though.  Instead of being moved by the woman’s actions, he arrogantly assumed she could never be more than the sinner she had always been.  As far as he was concerned, she could never be forgiven, she could never be free.  But Simon not only judged the woman, he also judged Jesus.  He denounced Jesus as a religious impostor because anyone truly of God would never allow himself to be touched by such a notorious sinner.  Thus, before the end of the evening, Simon looked down both on the repentant woman and Jesus who forgave her.  Both fell short in his eyes.

The problem wasn’t with Jesus or the woman, but with Simon’s seeing.  Pride had so twisted his vision that he completely missed what was happening before his eyes.  But that’s the way it goes when we’re so busy judging that we never have time to love.

In this current time of suffering, tribulation, and an abundance of sin, we should take the time to ask our God for forgiveness, to love one another and to offer our hand in taking evil and converting it to a good. Forgiveness can change a life.  Forgiveness will make a transformational change in a life.  Now is the time to take this opportunity to forgive someone close to us (or even someone we barely know, like certain politicians or other notable celebrities).  If each of us today forgives one person, the world can be transformed.  How easy is that?

Something to strive for

To be a Christian is to, as St. Paul says, "strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts."  And the greatest, he says, is excellence in love. Whatever we do without love is pointless.  Saint Paul is adamant when he writes, “Love never fails.”  We strive for the greatest of spiritual gifts, but Love is “a still more excellent way.”  When all else fails – tongues, prophecies, knowledge, even faith – and we can be certain they will, Love still remains. (1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13)

Faith without love isn’t real faith.  Because God is love, and whatever we do without Him is pointless.  Believing in Him and loving Him without also loving all whom He loves (which is everybody, no matter how bad of a jerk they are) is an insufficient faith.

How well we love is measured by how much we care about the people who make us unhappy -- those who reject us, hurt our feelings, or give us reasons to fear them, or those who put obstacles in our spiritual walk or oppose us in other ways. (Hey, there's no one who is easy to love all the time.)  And yet we care about them.  Right?

To be a mature Christian, we have to put aside the childish ways that Paul speaks of.  Children handle bullies by running away in fear.  Or they withdraw into a depression and hide in fantasy worlds.  Or they complain about how cruelly they were treated, bad-mouthing the bully every chance they get.  Or they find ways to retaliate and inflict revenge.

Mature Christians handle bullies by running to God for the healing of our wounds and the soothing of our aches.  We learn from His Word how to righteously protect our hearts without isolating ourselves.  And we find ways to love others in the very moments when they’re behaving as enemies, even uniting ourselves to Jesus on the cross when it's time for that.  Remember, even Jesus sometimes walked away (Matthew 8:18, Matthew 12:14-15, John 8:59, John 10:39-40, John 11:53-54 to cite a few).

To refuse to love bullies until they treat us nicely is to break away from our union with God.  Saint Paul lists some of the ways that we do this: impatience, unkind behaviors, jealousy, pride and pomposity, making ourselves seem better than others, rudeness, insisting on our own way, being quick-tempered, brooding over how we've been hurt, rejoicing when something bad happens to those who were bad to us, refusing to bear all things including unjust treatment, rejecting what the Bible and Church teachings say about unconditional love, forgetting to hope for Christ's victory, and quitting when our love for others doesn’t produce the results we want.  Sounds like everyday life in American politics, doesn’t it?

Jesus gives us a simple definition of Love in the Gospel: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)   Love is the surrender of all we hold dear and all we have, the surrender of our very selves.  As Saint Paul says, it never fails; rather, it builds up and brings all things to fulfillment, to perfection.

This seems quaint, clichéd perhaps, and repeated often in our society, although not with the fervor Saint Paul had in mind; and this repetition can dull the impact.  It can become the background noise to a wedding, the verse on a Valentine’s day card, or the syrupy lyric in an over-tuned song.

This isn’t, though, what Saint Paul has in mind here.  Look back over what he says about Love—not just the part about being patient and kind, but the whole treatise.  Love is what makes speech not just a clashing cymbal.  It’s what gives meaning to prophecy and to works of charity and self-sacrifice.  Our faith may be enough to move mountains but, without Love, it’s nothing.   Love is what takes us from the present things to the greater things; Love is what will bring us to full and perfect knowledge.  Not faith.  Not good works.  Love.  How radical that sounded in the First Century!   And how radical it is even today!

The invitation for us is, and always has been, to critically examine what we do in our lives and why we do those things.  And to ask if we do them as loving responses.  And, whatever our response, does it come out of a place of Love?  Do we offer good works out of Love for those we serve?   That is, do we stand with them as brother and sister?  Or are we doing it out of some sense of obligation, to win an award, or just habit?  Do we insist upon an orthodoxy in faith and belief out of Love for God, or out of a desire to be correct?

None of the things Saint Paul compares to Love are bad things.  And life would be far worse off if we lost any of them.  Yet, in the absence of Love, they can and do grow twisted and gnarled.  All words become clashing cymbals without the Word of Love to guide them.  And so we are invited to a deeper sense of Love in our lives.  To strive for it.  To be guided by it.  Love never fails.