Faith in God's Love- Mercy and the Resurrection

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Grace is getting the blessings we do not deserve... Mercy is not getting the punishment we deserve. That is how God deals with us… out of Love because God is Love.

The Jubilee Year 2025, proclaimed by the late Pope Francis, is centered around the theme of "Hope Does Not Disappoint," emphasizing the certainty that nothing can separate us from the love of God…  which is the reason for our hope… Hope is not wishful thinking. Hope is joyful expectation of the good things to come.

Today, we celebrate the triumph of the Divine Mercy which reminds us of God’s great love for us and His compassion for us.

From the popular John 3:16 –which sums up the Good News:  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

As we heard at the end of the Gospel reading today:

But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

Meaning – the only proper response to God’s love, His mercy and His grace is faith. The gospel story invites us to faith, to make a decision – to make a choice to believe in the Resurrection or not - like the doubting Thomas.

Bishop Barron said: “The Resurrection of Jesus is the be-all and the end-all of the Christian faith. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then all bishops, priests, and Christian ministers should go home and get honest jobs.”

In other words – simply put: If Jesus is not risen, we should all go home now instead of just wasting our time here.

But - if Jesus really did rise from the dead, then He must be the center of our lives. As Thomas said: “My Lord and my God!” – the greatest and the most profound profession of faith.

St. Paul said: “If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain… we are the most pitiable of all people.” (1 Cor. 15:14-19).

As Fr. Glenn mentioned last Sunday, Easter is not just about  recalling a past event; but, it is celebrating a living reality, what is happening now. Jesus is alive in us.  The resurrection of Jesus was not just about Jesus rising from the dead – it is about opening the eyes of faith in His disciples – and opening our eyes of faith.

This is important - You see - God’s love, grace and mercy will not really mean much for us if we do not respond in faith… and have a personal relationship with the living God.

So, the question is: “Does our Easter celebration have any connection with our daily life?

As I mentioned at the beginning of Lent - that during Lent, we were all invited to spend more time in prayer to examine our lives, to discover or re-discover who we truly are, why do we exist, what life is all about and what God calls us to be and to do.

Therefore, our Lenten journey must be transformative. It is not just about giving up something like chocolate or Facebook… not just about simply attending Lenten services.

 There must be transformation in our lives during Lent – and so, at Easter time – which we are in now - we need to ask ourselves – Am I a better person now, am I a better Christian than I was at the beginning of Lent? Have I grown in virtues and obedience to God and trust in God? Have I overcome my sinful habit or habits?  Have I become more like Christ? 

Or was the Lenten season, was the Holy Week - just another Lenten season or another Holy Week that has come and gone? … and that – now - we just continue or resume with the same way of life we had before Lent; hopefully not.

What is Easter telling you?  What does the Feast of Divine Mercy mean for you?  How does Easter and the Feast of Divine Mercy relate to your personal situation now…. think about all your problems, or the things you are worried about or struggling with or what you are hoping for?  What is God telling you? 

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower said:  “If only everyone weak and imperfect like me felt as I do, no one would ever despair of reaching the heights of love. Jesus does not ask for great deeds, He asks only for self-surrender and for gratitude. It is gratitude that brings us the most grace.”

Reality check - admittedly, it is easy to be a person of faith when all is well and wonderful in our lives, when all is going right. But it is not as easy to have faith – it is not easy to feel the presence of God, the Risen Christ, when we are faced with really deep crises, when things go wrong in our lives, very wrong …. like when our loved one gets sick or dies, or when we are afflicted with a serious illness, or when our plans for our lives or our loved ones are shattered… when crisis tears at our hearts…

Too often we are like the disciples who are confused about matters of faith and we struggle with doubts, at times even angry at God and yet Jesus offered his disciples and continues to offer us his wonderful gift of mercy… His peace.

We will doubt to some extent or another, until the time when we see our God face to face. But until then, what are we supposed to do?  Let us recognize and accept and embrace our humanity – that doubting is part of being human - and let us humbly ask God for his grace and mercy.  Doubting does not mean that we have lost our faith.  It simply means that we are being called to a deeper faith.

The truth is – quite a paradox of life, of our faith - we experience the loving presence of God not so much in our giftedness or talents – not when things are going well - but we experience God’s love - more so - in our struggles and brokenness.  In our weakness, we experience the love of God more deeply.

Let us pray that we might have a mature faith, able to grow even through crises… that we might all be included in that phrase the Lord said, "Blessed are those who have not seen but believe."

Let us continue to choose to believe and accept and always remember that God is always gentle, merciful and patient with us more than we can ever imagine…. Remember that we can be honest with God…. That He will never condemn us for questioning and remember always until the day you die: God loves you, God loves us and that God understands our fears and our doubts… 

Easter faith means believing in the power of Jesus’ resurrection. It means believing that it is out of death that God brings life. It means believing that in every human situation there is “a saving possibility.” Meaning – There is no situation that is beyond the redemptive power of God’s love. And so, if you are in a “bad situation” in your life now, do not lose hope. Hold on to faith.

I will close with these excerpts from Pope Francis’ first apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium - The Joy of the Gospel (I quote):

“We need to realize that Christ’s resurrection is not an event of the past. Where all seems to be dead - signs of the resurrection suddenly spring up. Often - it seems that God does not exist: all around us we see persistent injustice, evil, indifference and cruelty. But it is also true that in the midst of darkness something new always springs to life and sooner or later produces fruit.

However dark things are, goodness always re-emerges and spreads. Each day in our world - beauty is born anew.  Human beings have arisen time after time from situations that seemed doomed. Such is the power of the resurrection.

With a power that fills us with confidence and unshakeable hope, the Risen Christ tells us, “Behold, I make all things new.” (Rev 21:5).” (Unquote)

Alleluia!!!

God bless…

“Our Transfiguration"

During Lent, we are all invited to spend more time in prayer to examine our lives, to discover or re-discover who we truly are, why do we exist, what life is all about and what God calls us to be and to do

Therefore, our Lenten journey must be transformative. It is not just about giving up something like chocolate or Facebook. There must be transformation in our lives during Lent – and so, at Easter time – we need to ask ourselves – Am I a better person now, am I a better Christian than I was at the beginning of Lent? Have I grown in virtues and obedience to God and trust in God? Have I overcome my sinful habit or habits?  Have I become more like Christ?  Or is this Lent just another Lenten season that has come and gone? … and we continue with the same way of life we had before Lent; so, hopefully not.

Whatever our past may have been, it is not too late… we can always begin anew.  Even if we do not know what to do with our lives – we have hope.  We have Christ to lead us to fullness of life - if we follow Him… if we imitate Him and therefore rise to new life in Christ.

The story of Transfiguration is a story of Divinity breaking through into  ordinary human experience.

The transfiguration experience of the apostles boosted the apostles’ faith because – by seeing the glory of Jesus – it prepared them so that they will not be overwhelmed by the scandal of the cross… their transfiguration experience was to fortify the apostles’ faith to withstand the coming tragedy of the Passion… by giving them a glimpse of Jesus’ glory and triumph.

In our lives, there are experiences that can break us, to say the leas,t and even challenge our faith in God. Therefore, we need to be reminded that this troubled world is not our final destiny.  The Gospel story of the Transfiguration of Christ gives us a glimpse that there is life after death, there is another world that is just as real as this world we live in….

An occasional glimpse of the other world, of life after death can bring meaning and strength and hope to this present world.

As we heard in the Gospel: “Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with Jesus.”  Moses and Elijah lived and departed from earthly life centuries before and yet, there they were living and conversing with Jesus…sharing in His glory… giving us a glimpse of the eternal dimension… that there is life after death… with transfigured or resurrected body… reminding us that heaven is our true home 

So - can we somehow expect a Transfiguration-like experience, to prepare us – to encourage us to carry our crosses daily in our lives to follow Jesus?  to boost our faith?... to strengthen us and give us hope? 

The answer is, yes; that is what Jesus is preparing for us at this very Mass we are celebrating. Our experience might be greatly different from what Peter, James or John experienced.  There will not probably be any voice speaking from the clouds but our experience can certainly be just as powerful…

Our Eucharistic celebration reminds us that Jesus is always with us… Our Eucharistic celebration is our own Transfiguration experience – divinity breaking through into ordinary human experience - ordinary bread and wine changed into the Body and Blood of Christ… and then we partake of the Eucharist – and then we become what we partake – We are transformed into the Body of Christ… We become what we receive - with the Holy Spirit living in us.  THAT IS WHO WE TRULY ARE!... the Chosen Ones of God.

Of course, that will not happen by some kind of magic.  Our own transfiguration experience will depend on how much faith we bring to the experience… meaning, depending on if our hearts are open… if our minds are open.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that the efficacy of the sacrament – meaning - the grace we receive in the sacraments – like the Eucharist - depends on our disposition – depending on our openness, our willingness to cooperate with the grace of God.

There is a common phrase – “You get out of it what you put into it.” 

Those who get bored during the Mass – others even fall asleep…. Those who say that they get nothing out of the Mass…. They should actually ask themselves this question… What are they bringing into this celebration?  What kind of attitude do they have coming into church, to Mass? 

How much thought and how much preparation did they have or how did they prepare themselves for the Eucharistic celebration? Again, “you get out of Mass what you put into it.”

In just a few minutes, we will offer to God the bread and wine – along with our offerings of ourselves, our struggles, our hopes, our dreams – through Christ, with Christ and in Christ – WHO makes our offerings acceptable to God, our Father.

At the consecration, the Holy Spirit will change our gifts - into the Body and Blood of Christ.  Then - at Communion, when we receive the Body of Christ - Jesus will fill us with his glorious presence.  In that moment we, ourselves, can be transfigured, if you will... because we become what we receive; we become what we eat – We become the Body of Christ… As St. Teresa of Avila beautifully said:  Christ has no body now on earth but yours. Yours are His eyes, yours are His hands and yours are His feet.  Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

That is why at the end of the Mass, we are sent – in the peace of Christ – to be other Christs in the world. …to be the living witnesses and sacraments of God’s love, grace and mercy… That is why at the end, we say: “God in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.”

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1268):  By virtue of our own baptism in Christ, we, too are "a chosen race (just as Jesus is the Chosen One, as we heard in the Gospel). We are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that we may declare the wonderful deeds of God who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.  That is who and what we are.

Peter wanted to stay or extend their stay up in the mountain because as he said: “it is good to be here.”  The same thing with us.  Yes, it is good to be here and join in the Eucharistic celebration and enter into communion with the Lord.

But - after our Eucharistic celebration - we need to go down into the valley, so to speak, of our day-to-day existence – into the ordinariness of our lives – because, in essence, the Mass never ends because the Mass must be lived. 

We do this by living our lives in such a way that we reflect the presence of God in that unique way that we were created to do… that people whose lives we touch – that they experience the love, grace and mercy of God through us.

That is why we need to be united to God in every aspect of our lives and at every moment of our lives.  We cannot give what we do not have.

Realistically, admittedly, at times - we get so bogged down by struggles and temptations in this world and we lose perspective of what life is all about and what really matters, therefore, at times we do not and cannot hear the voice of God anymore with all the worldly noises – and so - we need to get away from the world, so to speak – spend more time in prayer every day – to listen to the voice of God every day… even for a few minutes each day…

Our parish church, St. Catherine’s, is literally on top of the hill – so we can say – this, here is our Transfiguration mountain top – where we worship, pray and receive the Eucharist, the sacraments - to nourish us in our journey of life.  But, we cannot stay here - there are works to be done down in the valley – where we are called to follow Christ – to care for the sick and the elderly, the poor, to strengthen our families, to share the good news, of God’s love.

The Eucharist we celebrate and receive – actually gives us a glimpse and foretaste of heaven - where Jesus and our life comes together. Here is our mountain of Transfiguration. Each Sunday is our Transfiguration Day. Here we bring life and face it with Jesus. Here our life mingles with God’s life. So, how then can you say you are bored during mass or how then can you say you did not get anything out of the mass? Whose fault is it then? 

Here we enter into Communion – God with us and we with God. And then, with Jesus we go down the mountain into the valley and face life for another week. We do this while on earth, until one day, our lives will become totally one with God and share in our future glory in heaven.

Amen.

Pursuit of Happiness

Our Gospel reading is Luke’s shorter version of what we traditionally call the Beatitudes - only four beatitudes mentioned in today’s Gospel - compared to the more popular Matthew’s version which has eight beatitudes. Matthew’s beatitudes are more for spiritual-minded while Luke’s beatitudes are more for carnal-minded – worldly.

In the Beatitudes, Jesus was actually addressing the human pursuit of happiness…. a discourse on the nature of true happiness. In other bible translations, the phrase “happy are you” is used instead of “Blessed are you”.

The word “Blessed” in Hebrew conveys a state of blessedness - to describe the condition of those who are in a right relationship with God, experiencing God’s favor and guidance. This term is not merely about external circumstances but reflects an inner joy and contentment that comes from living according to God's will. Being blessed is more than just being happy in the worldly sense.

The beatitudes seem contrary to common sense. They are actually in conflict with the values of the materialistic and even atheistic society we live in – they are in fact counter-cultural. They are paradoxical just as the Cross of Christ is paradoxical.

And so you might think: What is blessed or to be happy about being poor in anything? Or what is blessed about being sorrowful or weeping? Or what is to be happy about being insulted?

For many – it would make more sense to say "Blessed or Happy are the rich." "Blessed are those who are having fun; blessed are those who are experiencing worldly pleasures, sensual desires completely satisfied." "Blessed are the powerful."

 Here’s what the beatitudes mean from Christian perspective.

Blessed are you who are poor. Poverty or not having actually gives us correct perspective in life. We live in a rich materialistic society with no understanding of the poor and we do not know what to do about it

If you live a life of having – there is a tendency of having no appreciation of what you have… you tend to take things for granted. It is actually important to experience not having.

So, for parents, - especially those who grew up poor or not having – of course, you want to give everything to your children especially those you have been deprived of. But you see, if all your children know is having the things they want, then that is the kind of kids you will raise, kids that expect all the time because they never know what not having is.

The experience of poverty or of not having – help us or teach us to appreciate what we have – then we recognize and understand those who do not have… which leads us to compassion and generosity towards those who do not have because we know what it is like … to be poor or not to have.

It is the same thing with Blessed are those who are hungry – because it is nothing like the experience of hunger which brings about an appreciation of taste… and understanding of those who are hungry.

That is why Lenten practice of fasting is very important – which helps us connect, relate and have compassion towards those who are poor and hungry… that we are moved to help them.

It is the same thing with Blessed are you who are now weeping. That is why we have the Bereavement or Grief Ministry in our parish – led by those who themselves experienced the loss of a loved one… who recognize and understand the sorrow of others and therefore the volunteers are moved to help those who are grieving.

Blessed are you when people hate, exclude and insult you on account of the Son of Man. This is very important to understand.

When we experience hatred, abuse and insults because of our faith in Christ - on account of truth – then we experience what truth it really is – because we hold on to it – then truth has meaning for us because it is important for us that we are ready and willing to suffer for our faith, for the truth.

Until we have to stand for the Truth we really do not have it. Until we have to stand for Jesus, we will not know if we truly believe in Jesus.

Four beautiful beatitudes and there are more in Matthew’s Gospel to reflect on and to live by… because without the experience of the beatitudes – without living the beatitudes - we will not understand life – and without that understanding – we will not know how to live our lives.

Everybody wants to be happy. Nobody is satisfied to just exist. Something in each one of us longs for something more - a better quality of life; we long for something deeper, higher. This longing is an important part of what it means to be human. The problem is in our understanding of where and how do we find true lasting happiness?

The person who has built his happiness – or sense of security - on the size of his bank account, on career advancement or on social or political recognition, - those who built their happiness on the love and affection of others, on comforts, or on indulgence of physical pleasure – that person has built his house on sand… so to speak… it will not stand.

 I am not saying it is wrong to have fun and have nice material things or pleasant experiences. Life cannot be all work …. Simple pleasures of life are important… But we need to get our priorities straight…and realize and focus more on what really matters in life… what life is really all about.

Jesus said: "Seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Mt 6:33)… meaning… do not be afraid that you will miss out because you will not miss out if you get your priorities right.

People think that happiness is situational… meaning… that they can expect to find happiness if only external circumstances would change …. They think they will be happy when certain situation or event happens…. when summer comes, or after the wedding, or when they get the new job, or when they retire.

In the beatitudes, Jesus is speaking the truth about happiness… which can be found within us in the here and now – not out there… not depending on circumstances. We already have everything we need to be happy.

We cannot and should not pursue happiness for its own sake…It has been said: “Make happiness your pursuit, and it leads you on a wild-goose chase.”

Meaning - Happiness is not the goal of life. Happiness is actually what we discover or experience as a result of pursuing something higher or more noble… Happiness is God’s gift to those who have found the true goal of life…. which is doing the will of God and loving other people.

What is the difference between the people whom Jesus calls “Blessed” and those to whom he says, “Woe to you?” Those who are blessed have put their trust in God instead of in the world. Those to whom Jesus says, “Woe to you” – are those who found their joy in the material world – in the satisfaction of sensual desires which is passing away and fleeting.

 Those who are truly happy are those who found happiness not in the tables in the world’s finest restaurants but in the Lord’s Eucharistic table… Holy Communion with God and with one another – through Christ, with Christ and in Christ. True happiness is within the person whose heart has been transformed by the living Christ. … whose heart has become like the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The Beatitudes or blessedness - speak of having faith in God – Faith that is deep enough to find something good in every circumstance, whatever it may be – good or bad. The Beatitudes speak of a JOY which pain, sorrow, grief, loss – and even death itself cannot steal from us.

So, do you see your problems you are going through now or struggles in your life as obstacles to your happiness? Beatitude perspective is to see problems as opportunities to grow in virtue like patience, courage… to grow in holiness… to grow in trusting God more and more for everything.

For Christians, the key to happiness is putting God first in our lives, placing all our trust in God because only God can guarantee the true happiness and peace that our hearts really deeply long for.

 St. Augustine beautifully said: “You created us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you…”

So - Let us know and live the Beatitudes – so that we will be truly blessed – truly happy - that even in the midst of our brokenness – in the midst of life’s struggles and pains - we will continue to celebrate and even give thanks and therefore continue to share our blessedness – continue to be blessings also to others – living a life of true and lasting peace and happiness.

On that note…God bless…

Is It Still Night or Has the Day Begun?”

Today – we commemorate the Presentation of the Lord Jesus in the Temple, forty days after he was born. According to the Jewish Law, the first-born male child of every family should be consecrated to the Lord. So, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple, to offer Him to the Father and to “redeem” or ransom Him back, so to speak, by paying what was required by the law… Mary and Joseph paid at the price paid by the poor.

At the same time, the Law required the child’s mother to offer sacrifice in order to overcome the ritual impurity brought about by childbirth.

Jesus, the Son of God, in essence, is already consecrated to the Lord – not subject to the law of Moses, yet to teach obedience, submits to it.
Mary, who is all-pure, immaculately conceived, yet in humility, still presented herself to be purified. Such is the humility of our God. Such is the humility of the Blessed Mother Mary. They submitted to the law even though they were not bound by it.

The Presentation of the Lord concludes the Christmas season celebration of the Nativity – the Incarnation of God – God becoming one of us in the flesh - and with the presentation of the Lord – with the offerings of the Virgin Mother and the prophecy of Simeon, the events now point towards Easter.

Simeon called Jesus the Light of the Nations including the Gentiles and so the image of Christ as the Light has led to the celebration of light countering darkness, and that is why we have the blessing of candles on this day. This day is also called Candlemas.

In the Eastern Church, this feast is called the Feast of the Encounter – meaning, this is the first encounter of the Old Testament, represented by Simeon and Anna and the Temple, - with the New Testament, represented by the Lord. Jesus is presented in the Temple following the ancient Jewish laws. In the New Law of the Kingdom of God, Jesus' own body would become the New Temple.

The word Christ means “Anointed One”. When we were baptized in Christ, we were also presented and consecrated to God when we were anointed with sacred chrism and became members of God’s Holy People. Like Jesus, we belong to God the Father.

At baptism, we received the light of Christ – and therefore we are also called to be the Light of the World like Christ, light that will guide others on their journey through life.

In the Gospel of Matthew 5:16 – “Let your light so shine before all, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

At baptism, we also presented our children to God. The children that we have are not really ours. They are given to us, in trust, for a time, and we are asked to be mothers and fathers, mentors, guardians, protectors, teachers and friends to our children but they are never really our children. They belong to God.

If we understand this, we will be less inclined to act as owners of our children, to manipulate our children for our own needs.

In the image of Joseph and Mary presenting Jesus in the Temple, we have a wonderful model of husband and wife united in practicing their faith and in raising their child in the faith. Beautiful 

Meaning - as parents, we have the duty and privilege of raising our children in such a way that they grow up to become good and responsible citizens as well as committed children of God.

 The example of Joseph and Mary show us that the best way to achieve this is not just by talking and not shouting at our children but by leading the way and showing them by the example of our own lives.

 Our life is not just for ourselves. We are called to be a gift for others, a gift that leads them to God. This is the greatest thing about our life: We are called to give life… as Mary gave birth to Jesus. We are called to give birth to Christ. We are called to participate in the fruitfulness of God. We give life by enlightening others.

 When is a candle most beautiful? It is when it is lit… when it gives light – the very purpose why it was made.

It is the same with our Christian life… as St. Irenaeus said: “The glory of God is a person fully alive.” – it is when we live our lives for the purpose we were created.

Mark Twain said: The two most important days in our lives are: First – the day we were born. The second is: The day we realize why – why we were born.

As the candle gives light, it becomes smaller – it dies to self – so to speak. It is the same with our Christian life – we die to ourselves as we share the light of Christ with others.

St. John the Baptist said pointing to Christ: “He must increase as I must decrease.” - meaning – we give light to others so that they, too can encounter Jesus Himself – who is the Source of our light – so that others, too may have the light of Christ in their lives.

We help other people come to the light by starting with ourselves by trying sincerely to be united with the One Who is the Light and by not fearing to show people the truth - Jesus is the Truth. The light shed by our lives produces a real effect in souls.

The question to us is this: Can we become more aware that we too are called to be the light of the world - that we too are part of this story of salvation?

Of course, we cannot give what we do not have. We cannot shed light if we ourselves are in darkness … if we do not have Christ in our lives… So do you have a personal relationship with Christ?

One parish minister said: “I am burned out”. Another minister replied: “I did not even know you were even lit.”

Every time we gather for our Eucharistic celebration here in the church, like Simeon and Ana in the temple, the House of God, we encounter Christ, and we recognize Him in the breaking of the bread, our Bread of Life.
… and this is very important to realize – that we also encounter one another. We are a blessing to one another. So, do we see each other as a blessing to one another?The meeting between Joseph, Mary and Simeon and Anna – is a blessing to both generations. Just like our gathering now here in our Eucharistic celebration….
– look around – various generations – the young and the old – and different countries and from different cultures …

- The Youth are graced by the wisdom of the living faith of the older generations and the elders are graced by the trust and promise of the youth.

 Each one of us…. All of us….who gather here in the church for our Eucharistic celebration are a blessing to one another… because we are all beloved sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters in Christ, co-heirs with Christ of the kingdom of God.

There is a story told of a rabbi in ancient times who gathered his students together very early one morning, while it was still dark. He put this question to them: "How can you tell when night has ended and the day has begun?"

 One student made a suggestion: "Could it be when you can see an animal from a distance and you can tell whether it is a sheep or a goat?"

"No, that's not it," answered the rabbi.

Another student said: "Could it be when you look at a tree in the distance and you can tell whether it is a fig tree or a peach tree?"

Again, the rabbi said: "No."

After a few more guesses, the students asked: "Well, how then can you tell when night has ended and the day has begun?"

The rabbi answered: "It is when you look on the face of any man or any woman and you see them as your brother or sister. If you cannot do this, then, no matter what time it is under the sun, it is still night."

Now, turn to the people around you and look on each other’s faces – especially on those faces other than of your family members. Look on each other’s faces.

Now - What do you see? Is it still night? … or has the day begun?

God bless…

Epiphany and Being Christ for Others

You may have been thinking about how blessed those magi were. They were among the first to see the Christ child, and they had the honor of bringing him gifts. Yes - they were blessed, indeed, but – you know what? You and I are much more richly blessed than they were because we know Christ in an even deeper way than they ever did. We were baptized into Christ Jesus; we are one with him. His Spirit poured unto us at our baptism.

Most of us – I wish I could say all of us – most of us will receive his Body and Blood – Christ Himself - in Holy Communion. The magi never did. They never had the opportunity to receive Jesus in their bodies as we do - literally – physically receive Jesus – body, soul and divinity in Holy Communion. You see – that is how much more blessed we are!

Today is the feast of the Epiphany – NOT the Feast of Three Kings – but Feast of Epiphany - which means manifestation. To manifest means to make something or someone easily perceived by the senses especially by the sight and understood by the mind – to make obvious.

The Feast of the Epiphany is NOT about the Three Kings or Magi or Wise Men bringing gifts - it is about God revealing Himself - in the person of Jesus Christ - not only to the Jews but also to the Gentile world – represented by the Magi - which is us – because - God is the God of all creation. God wants everyone to be saved.

There is a beautiful gathering hymn – “All are welcome; all are welcome in this place.”

The beauty of the Catholic Church - is that – that of being catholic, universal. The Church cannot be the Mystical Body of Christ; cannot be God’s living sacrament of His love unless the Church is open to all… welcoming to all.

Our problem is often with people who claim to be Christian, to have “found the Lord” – or who claim to have experienced the presence and love and the power of the Lord in their lives and yet they are uncharitable, impatient and intolerant of others.

You see - if we are intolerant, unkind, impatient, not generous towards others, then others will be denied seeing or experiencing God’s presence in us.

God reveals himself to us - so - we can reveal Christ to others, to be Epiphanies (so to speak) of the Lord for others, to be living sacraments of God’s love; to proclaim the Good News of God’s love by our very lives – the very purpose of our existence, of our life.

We must reveal Jesus to people who do not know him. We must reveal Jesus to people who need to know him better, like our families, friends, and neighbors. I’m sure that all of us can think of people who are the face of Christ to us. We, in turn, must be the face of Christ to others…and reveal his presence to others.

Each of us are called to let the light of Christ shine through us and brighten our own corner of our troubled world… because sadly, so many people live in darkness… with no hope, no peace, no joy; many are not experiencing love… they are wandering from one pointless, frustrating experience to another.

During this Jubilee year 2025 – we are reminded and we are called to be “pilgrims of hope”. Our Christian hope does not disappoint.

As St. Pope John Paul II said: Only in Christ can humanity find hope and so, as Christians, we need to be living sacraments of God’s love – to be other Christs in the world. Christ means anointed – we are all anointed by virtue of our baptism.

People seek for “light”; people want to be happy; they need hope but do not know where to find it. So - it is up to us Christians to show the presence of the Lord to others.

The magi worshipped Jesus and gave him their most valuable gifts. And so, the question is: What would be our most valuable gift that we could give to the newborn Jesus? There is no greater gift we could give than the gift of ourselves… and the question is - What is this life or selves we are offering to God?

A new year is a good time to examine our lives – our selves… It is a good time to look and ask ourselves: Where have we been, where are we in our lives – what have been the focus of our lives? Where are we going – what are we planning to do with our lives?

You pray for a long healthy life… but what are you going to do with your long healthy life? You pray for more wealth or money… but what are you going to do with your money?

Are we better persons today than we were a year ago? Better yet: Are we better Christians than we were a year ago? Are we closer to God?

Do we see a need to change the course and direction of our lives? – Just as the three magi after finding Jesus, after worshipping Him and presenting Him with gifts – as the gospel says - “They went back to their own country by another way…” Meaning – to truly encounter Christ is to be transformed.

In looking at our lives – where we have been –we need to remember - No matter what we have done, no matter how bad we may seem to have been, no matter what the world has done to us, there is always the grace of God. There is always forgiveness available. There is always the possibility of beginning again.

In Christ, we are a new creation.

Yes - We are sinners; and we cannot save ourselves and so, we stand in need of grace. We need a savior.

That is why God became one of us. Christmas celebrates the Incarnation. Incarnation means God becoming one of us in the flesh. Therefore, Incarnation means the coming of help from beyond ourselves… because we cannot save ourselves. We are helpless and we are lost in the journey of life without Christ. The name Jesus – in Hebrew - means: God saves.

The good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that God accepts us as we are, even in our failures and sin. God’s love is greater than our sin. God offers forgiveness and new life; but, we have to do our part. Our salvation lies in accepting God’s forgiveness… in cooperating with the grace of God.

 With Christ – everything is new…He is the Good News of God’s infinite love and mercy. That is why He is the Good News… “new”.

Christmas is a summons – a call - to each one of us to allow the love and compassion of Jesus to become flesh in our lives – so to speak… That is why we hear: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

To follow Christ is a decision we have to make every day – and intentions or making New Year’s Resolutions are not enough. If our goal in life is to be like Christ – to be in communion with God – to be epiphanies of God’s love to others - but – if we go back to the same daily habits of selfishness, self-centeredness, intolerance, dishonesty and compromising our Christian values – we will never be another Christ.

We are called to be other Christs in the world. Like Mary, we are called to give birth to Christ, so to speak, in our lives.

So, as we put away our Christmas lights and decorations, PLEASE! let us NOT ALSO put away in a box and storage the Spirit of Christmas. Christmas actually reminds us of how life ought to be all year-round. .. life filled with sense of self-giving, joy, peace and hope… regardless of the circumstances we might find ourselves in.

So - Let us pray that in receiving the Eucharist - Sunday after Sunday, and for some - day after day - that we might be transformed even little by little, into Christ… that we become what we receive… the Body of Christ.

At every Mass - the priest would say: “Lift up your hearts.” And we respond: “We lift them up to the Lord.” Let us pray that we all really mean it – consecrating our lives to God - not only in words but to be expressed in our daily lives… that we lift up our hearts to God everyday - and do His will everyday.

At the end of the Mass – when the priest or deacon says: “Go in peace – Glorifying the Lord by your life.” – let us pray that we really mean from our hearts – our response – “Thanks be to God!” and really be living Sacraments of God’s love… that when others see us, may they not see us - but that they may see Christ shining through us.

Wishing everyone: “Holy Grace-filled New Year To All”!

God bless…

Giving the Perfect Gift

A friend posted this on Facebook: “Some families do not need to exchange gifts for Christmas. What they need to do is - they need to: settle old disputes, make peace, forgive one another, seek unity, and healing. That is the real gift.”

Another one: “Do not be angry if you do not receive any gift on Christmas. It is not your birthday anyway. It is the Lord’s birthday.” So, what is your gift to Jesus?

One thing that is always associated with the celebration of Christmas everywhere … even among non-believers - is giving.

For Christians, we celebrate at Christmas the mystery that "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life" (John 3:16)…God loves us so much and we cannot even begin to grasp how much God loves us.

Yes, we find joys in family gathering and the giving of gifts at Christmas, but above all the joys of family gathering and giving is the joy that comes from knowing that God gave us His only Son not to condemn us but to bring us eternal life (John 3:16)…. to show us what life is all about.

… Jesus said: “I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly…”

God gave His only Son for us to share in His Divine Life… to make us more than mere human beings – to make us sons and daughters of God… that is our peace, our joy, our reason for our hope…. That is Christmas 

That is why we should have been and should continue to make time to quiet ourselves during this busy season and ponder that in our hearts like Mary pondered her experience of Christ in her heart.

As children of God, as God gives, so the people of God give, and that is Christmas.

If Christmas is the feast of giving, then the question of what to give and how to give become very important 

Today's Gospel reading helps us to answer some of these questions.

In today's Gospel we read the story of Mary visiting Elizabeth. What gift did Mary bring to Elizabeth? Mary gave Elizabeth the gift of her very presence. And that is the best and the hardest gift of all... which cannot be calculated in terms of money.

At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of the King of kings, the God of the universe coming to our world to share with us our poverty, our misery, our pain. He comes to live with us…. Emmanuel… meaning - God is with us… God is not out there in outer space. God comes to share our human condition. His very presence is the gift… the greatest gift of all. God did not just give us something; God gave us Himself, His very self.

The Eucharist is a constant reminder for us that God is always with us.

It is convenient and easy to send Christmas cards or e-mail or text Christmas greetings… it is easy to give money, it is easy to send a parcel, but to give the gift of ourselves, to make the time to be with somebody, that is the gift that many people long for but do not receive at Christmas.

Another point about giving we can make out of Mary's visit to Elizabeth is that one should give not according to one's convenience but according to the needs of the person receiving. It was not convenient for Mary to travel from Galilee to the hills of Judea…. about 80 to 100 miles requiring four or five days …But as soon as she learned that Elizabeth was six months pregnant, that she needed help, she went in haste and stayed with her for about three months, meaning, until she gave birth. Mary gave to Elizabeth what she needed when she needed it. That is a perfect gift.

The Christmas concept of giving does not need to be anything that we buy…. we do not necessarily have to buy anything… It could be the kind of gift that Mary gave Elizabeth – ourselves – giving ourselves to each other and to God.

In the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 3, there is this beautiful story about Peter and John. They were in the temple for the hour of prayer. At the gate of the temple sit a crippled beggar who asked them for money.  Peter answered: “I do not possess any silver or gold, but I will give you what I have (meaning – his faith in Jesus Christ) …. What was striking was: “I will give you what I have.” That makes sense – just giving what you have.

One thing for certain – you cannot give what you do not have… although nowadays, people spend money they do not have, they use their credit cards so they can give Christmas presents… but I am not going to get into that.

There are a lot of things we would like to give or wish we could give – healing to the sick, and sight to the blind; jobs to the unemployed, homes to the homeless, peace in war-torn countries … Many things we would like to give but we cannot… either because we do not have them or they are not within our power or they are not ours to give.

But still - we still have the joyous privilege of giving. We can give what we have. This is something we all can afford…. How about giving some gladness this Christmas? … as simple as not being stingy with your smile… If you meet someone who seems to have lost his or her smile – smile at him or her...

Do not be a miser or a scrooge with your praise. Do not be too cranky to play with your children. Give something of spiritual value this year. Give someone even a little bit of gladness.

Sadly, Christmas is a painful time for many people. Some would skip it if they could because Christmas reminds them of those who are not present with them this time - - because of war, because of illness, because of separation. For some, this will be the first Christmas without their loved one who has died.

We cannot even begin to imagine the pain they will bear on Christmas, the first time their loved ones will not be with them.

A priest, at the end of his homily during a funeral mass - after trying to say as much comforting and faith-filled words as possible – said: “I wish I have some good news for you that will take away the pain but the only Good News I have for you is Jesus’ resurrection…. and that your loved one now shares in His resurrection…. That is a perfect gift…

And so – let us keep in mind that for some people, the sentiments of the holiday trigger emotions people would prefer to avoid.

So, in our Christmas celebration, let us be considerate and be generous to those to whom life has not been so kind, to those who cannot find in themselves any reason to celebrate and be happy and to those who have no knowledge of the good news of the love of God in Jesus Christ… Who is the reason for the season, the source of peace, hope and joy.

And so - When we visit people this Christmas, let us try to bring some inspiration into their lives, let us seek to bring them closer to God, and let us try to share with them the Spirit of God in us, the Spirit of consolation, of courage, of hope, of peace and joy, just as Mary did….

…But of course, again, like material things, we cannot give what we do not have… We must first have the peace, the joy, the Spirit of Christ in us to be able to share it… to be able to bring Christ to others.

Of course, all of those things entail giving of one’s self, and that is the biggest and the best and the most difficult thing to give.

Listen again to Peter’s words: “I will give what I have.” Why don’t we try that this year? We all have so much to give that someone needs. Christmas is such a grand opportunity to rediscover the real joy of giving.

Christmas reminds us of how life ought to be all year round.

Wishing everyone the graces of Blessed Christmas everyday of your life!!!!

God bless…

What Does Salvation Mean

“All flesh – meaning - all people - shall see the salvation of God.”

What does salvation mean for you? When a person says, “I have been saved by the grace of God through Christ”, - it is theologically correct – but – for many – it may still sound abstract and quite not easy to understand. So, what does salvation mean for each one of us in our daily lives?

The Scriptures made salvation clear and concrete in the life of Christ.

Meaning - Jesus did not just preach or talk about it. He made salvation visible with His life…

Jesus made God - a redeeming, saving, loving merciful God - visible… so that all people could see God and know what God is like… Jesus is the Word of God, the Wisdom of God, the Love of God made visible… Jesus is the “Word of God Who became flesh”…

The doctrine of salvation becomes more understandable when it becomes visible in someone’s life. When you see love in action, you may not really be able to explain it, but you know what it is.

For example - at school - a teacher who cares for her students. She gives extra time to a student who is having difficulty. She comes early or she stays late to help the student who is strugglinh. There is no extra pay. She is not even recognized for what she does. She does not have to do it… but, she is serious about her work and she cares about her students. You may not be able to explain that, but you recognize dedication when you see it.

We can say the same thing proudly about the dedication of our parish ministers and volunteers… for all their sacrifices for our faith community and even beyond our parish including feeding the homeless.

Salvation has to do with people’s character and quality of life. And the greatest need of the church today is for that kind of preaching. People who are real and honest and loving and kind – they make salvation visible, and a visible salvation is the easiest kind to understand.

Not everyone can preach beautiful sermons or deliver lectures, but anyone can make salvation visible… How? with our own lives… just as Jesus did.

Jesus said: “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)

In the Acts of the Apostles, “When the people saw the courage of the disciples, when people saw how they treated one another and others, the people were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus - that they really had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)

St. Paul wrote to the Galatians: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control.”

What is salvation? – it means all these things – having Jesus Christ in your life and therefore having those traits or virtues in your character.

So - When people look at you, when people deal or interact with you – do they sense or experience in you - love, and courage, and patience, and kindness, and self-control? Do they see humility, joy? Do they see someone who is at peace, who is patient, kind, gentle? What do you think? How do you see yourself? … a time for self-examination…

Salvation is not something mystical or magical, but something real and moral.

A life changed by the grace of God is a great image of salvation that people can see and which people can understand and cannot deny.

To illustrate with a story - A new convert to Christianity was asked by his atheist peers about certain details on the life of Christ. They were testing him. He was not able to answer several of their questions about the life of Jesus and they started to mock him.

The convert just said: “I am just a simple man. I may not know all about the details on the life of Jesus, about his miracles, but this much I know. I was an alcoholic, an addict and my life was a mess. I lost my job. I was in poor health. My wife and kids did not even want to be in the same room as I was… but when I surrendered my life to Christ, with Christ in my life, I found new meaning and purpose in my life.

I now have a new job and I have started to work things out again with my family… all by the grace of God through Christ. That’s miracle enough for me.” See! … that is salvation.

So – my brothers and sisters in Christ - what difference did Christ make and continue to make in your life? How is salvation made visible in your life?

One person in whose life - Christ is real - is worth a thousand arguments.

When people look at you and see the joy and peace and serenity that radiates from you, regardless of what you are going through in life, they would like to be like you. They would like to be your friends. They would like to have what you have… spiritually speaking.

And when that happens - then – you can in turn help them by showing them the way… Christ is the Way… like what John the Baptist said: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths,” - so others will also encounter God personally.

The experience of God is like the experience of love. You can tell people all about love - but they will not understand what you are talking about until they themselves experience it… experiential knowledge.

That is why God became one of us to show us God’s unconditional love and how to love and what life is truly really all about. By His life, passion and death, Jesus is the perfect manifestation of God’s love for humanity.

Christ has already come in Jesus of Nazareth – His first coming. Christ will come again at the end of the world which we refer to as His second coming.

And during this in-between time – between the first and the second coming – The coming of Christ is actually happening now – in the here and now - Jesus is knocking on the door of our minds and hearts so that He may enter and make us increase and abound in love for one another and for all… to become more a people of love.

We listen for that knock on the door of our hearts and the question is – Do we allow – are we willing to allow Christ into our lives to become our Lord.

That is what Advent is all about. We are always Advent people just as we are called to be always Easter People.
– we are always waiting in joyful hope for the coming of the Lord Jesus in our lives, whenever, however that might be.

The word Advent is a translation of the Greek word Parousia which means “presence” or, more accurately, “arrival” – meaning – the beginning of a presence, the presence of God…Emmanuel meaning God with us.

God’s presence has already begun and we, Christians are the ones through whom God wishes to be present in the world. Through our faith, hope and love, by our lives - God wants His light to shine in the world… through us. 

We are waiting for Jesus to be fully present in our lives so that hopefully – eventually – by the grace of God - we can say what St. Paul said: “It is no longer I who live but it is Christ who lives in me.”

- Meaning - God’s love, grace and mercy – are more evident in everything we do and say…

- That should be the focus of our prayer, meditations, fasting and examination of conscience during Advent.

“Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight his paths… Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low.” … meaning

– Let us examine what are the distractions in our lives; what are the things that we need to change in our lives to make it easy for God to come into our lives… 

Like Mary, we are all called to give birth to Christ, so to speak, in our lives.

We celebrate the coming of Christ who made God visible for all to see. Now – we are faced with the same challenge of making Christ so real that people can see Christ through us… in the here and now - so that through us, as we heard in the Gospel: “All people – all flesh – every person - shall see the salvation of our God.” AMEN.

God bless…

(2nd Sunday of Advent - Cycle C - Luke 3:1-6)

Who is Your King?

Jesus told Pilate: For this I was born and for this I came into the world - to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

If you continue to the next verse in the Scriptures: “Pilate said to Jesus, "What is truth?" – Pilate’s question – was more of a mockery - because

Pilate has heard so many others claiming the truth.

The late Pope Benedict XVI used this story of Jesus before Pilate and their confrontation to express what is central or at the heart of the Church’s concern – which is - the relationship between Christian Religion and Modern Democracy.

In modern democracy – people – including leaders – think that any group or any religion who claim absolute truth is an enemy of freedom; that it is anti-democratic and therefore that group or that religion has to be eliminated or privatized.

We are experiencing that in our society which is more tolerant of non-Christian values while Christians – particularly Catholics – are always on constant attack.

To many, truth is relative. Truth is whatever people decide it is. And so we hear people say – “Keep your faith to yourself…Do not impose your morality or your visions on us.”

The late Pope Benedict XVI said: “Relativism is letting oneself be tossed and “swept along by every wind of teaching”. We are moving towards a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one’s own ego and one’s own desires.

However, we have a different goal: the Son of God, true man. Jesus is the measure of true humanism. Being an “Adult” means having a faith which does not follow the waves of today’s fashions or the latest novelties. A faith which is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ is adult and mature.

It is this friendship which opens us up to all that is good and gives us the knowledge to judge true from false, and deceit from truth. We must become mature in this adult faith; we must guide the flock of Christ to this faith. And it is this faith – only faith – which creates unity and takes form in love.”

So - for us Christians - To stand for the truth of Christ is to be set apart from others. And that is what holiness is, to be set apart for God.

People say the Church needs to be in touch with the 21st century. But you see – being modern does not necessarily mean being on the side of truth.

Today’s Solemnity of Christ the King reminds us that each of us was born for the same very reason Christ was born: to be faithful witnesses and to testify to the truth. So, the question is: Do our lives testify to the truth? - meaning – Do our words and actions lead others to the knowledge and deeper and greater love of Christ – who is the Truth.

But you see – you cannot give what you do not have. So, do you know Christ personally? … not just know about Christ. If you do not know Christ personally, how can you lead others to Christ?

Being Christians – we find ourselves standing before the Pilates of our time. Jesus said: “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you…You will have troubles - but, do not be afraid, I have overcome the world… “Do not be afraid to be a Christian…

We need to remember – as St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta said: “Jesus said: “I am the Truth” – and it is your duty and mine to speak the truth. Then it is up to the person who hears it whether to accept or reject it…. We are called not so much to be successful; but we are called to be faithful.”

Today we celebrate the end of the Liturgical year - just like calendar end of year – it is time for a special self examination – time for new year’s resolution – so to speak – more so regarding our spiritual life.

So - think about your life last year – around this time a year ago. Think about your life now. Compared to last year, some may have more; some may have less financial net worth. – less money but more debt. Maybe – you are not as healthy physically compared to a year ago… But how about spiritually?

Have you grown spiritually this past year? Can you say – you are a better person now? Better yet – Are you a better Christian or better follower of Christ now – in the true sense of the word? In what area of your spiritual life have you grown better? Or have you gotten any worse?

Or – Are you about the same - just the way you were last year… you have not grown at all. You know - part of life is to grow. When you stop growing – that means - you are dying.

Are you closer to Jesus now than you were last year? OR Do you still keep Jesus at a distance – so to speak - because you are afraid Jesus might upset your life and you are afraid Jesus might ask from you more than you are willing to give? If you are, then you are missing out on what life is truly all about.

So – Which kingdom do you really belong to? Is it in this world? Is it in making money? Is it in being healthy and have a long life, and taking care of your needs and your wants and your desires for worldly pleasures? Or is your kingdom in Jesus Christ – only wanting to do His will.

Is Christ really the king of your life? … of every aspect of your life? When you say: “Christ - the King” – Do you say that on your own or others told you … as Jesus asked Pilate? … or is “Christ the King” just another Sunday Church Feast Day for you … and you serve another king the rest of the year?

For us Christians – Jesus must be our everything – every day, every moment. Jesus is all that matters. Everything comes down to it – when you and I take our last breath here on earth – when our eyes close for the last time – Jesus is going to be the only One that truly matters – our relationship with Him - because Jesus is the key to eternal life… Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life…

 Today’s Feast of Christ the King, we are called to re-dedicate ourselves, to
re-new our commitment to His Kingdom.

We are called to continue to be witnesses to the truth of God’s love, of the Good News in Christ Jesus… to be His living presence in the world by bringing God’s love, grace and mercy, His compassion to others. … that is why we pray… “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” 

We enter into the very busy holiday seasons – Thanksgiving Day this coming Thursday – giving thanks to God especially for giving us His Son Jesus, our Redeemer and acknowledging that everything is by the grace of God.

Advent season starts next Sunday. Like Lent - prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are also important parts of Advent to prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus into our lives… and then Christmas Season – celebrating God’s greatest gift of all – the gift of Himself in Christ Jesus and in turn we are called to give of ourselves in loving service of God and of others.

The challenge is for us is this – that we do not get so hanged up or just focused on shopping and parties – but that we continue to have Christ as the center of all our Holiday celebrations and activities, with His Spirit in us that inspires us to give alms to the poor for the love of God and that we keep Christ in Christmas – the true reason for the season …

…And that, by the grace of God, we face the New Year with Hope in Christ – the reason for our hope… because Jesus is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, The Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the one who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

Amen.

God bless…

Desire For Heaven

So many people today see the purpose of life in terms of getting… getting the most out of life. Someone’s worth is gauged by wealth or possessions. We tend to compare ourselves primarily to those who have more; so, we are jealous. we are envious. Jesus saw this as a dead-end street spiritually.

As has been said: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

When God finished creating all things, God gave man (meaning humanity) the responsibility for what God had created. God made humans in charge of all His creation… that is Stewardship… Stewardship is the proper use of all that God has given us…

Nothing is more characteristic of the life of faith than responsible stewardship. God does not bless us with abundance so that we can be comfortable and grow still more prosperous, but that we are blessed so we can share with those in need.

Stewardship relates to everything, not only money. Knowledge, for example. People know much more now than previous generations because of technology giving us information instantly but the question is: What do we do with what we know? Living here in America – the richest country in the world - land of great opportunities. The question is: What have we made of the opportunities we have been given?

Stewardship also relates to talents, to emotional strengths, to spheres of influence, to everything…including spiritual gifts.
…Even our faith… is also a gift from God.

If we are doing well in life, in terms of wealth or health, knowledge, physical attributes, or even in terms of deeper spirituality – meaning - being more “religious” or more “spiritual” than others – before we look down on others – before we feel so proud – compared to others - we have to keep in mind what Jesus said: “To whom much is given, much is required.” (Luke 12:48)… “Much more has been given to you, much more is expected of you…” - proportionate responsibility.

Yes - admittedly, realistically - basic inequalities exist among people: inequality in circumstances, inequality in opportunities, inequality in abilities. Yes –- it seems Life is so unfair but the Good News is: God is good. In His infinite wisdom – God will make all things fair and just – in His perfect time - and God has all eternity to fix all things.

All of us will be judged in terms of what we have done with what we have been given… It is a matter of what we do with what we have… be it much or be it little….

When we give or share with others – in terms of our time, talents, treasures, knowledge of truth - Let us not compare how much we give or do to how much others give or do – but rather, let us compare how much we give - to how much we have - that we can give - given our situations or circumstances in life….

From our first reading - God sent the prophet Elijah to a widow living in the midst of a severe drought and so the widow had only a small amount of food left. Yet, when Elijah asked for something to eat, she gave him what he asked for, believing that God will provide for her and her son. .. trusting in the providence and generosity of God…and so as we heard in the reading: “her jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry…’
- Until we truly really trust in God’s providence and generosity, we cannot truly be generous because we will always be afraid of running out of blessings to share.

From our Gospel reading, Jesus blessed the poor widow who gave only two copper coins because Jesus knew how much it actually was. It was all she had… compared to those who gave much more but they gave out of their surplus.

The value of a gift is not necessarily based on its quantity. Those who give more does not mean they love God more… it is a matter of the heart… which God looks at. There are people who give but with selfish motives, with their own agenda or with strings attached.

In our Gospel reading - at the heart of Jesus’ criticism of the scribes and Pharisees is their hypocrisy. The message for us is this - We should be careful not to appear good only on the outside. What really matters is what we really are… not about recognitions, not having places of honor. It is a matter of what we are inside…

God knows who and what we really are. As we continue with our Eucharistic celebration – let us ask for God’s grace to be good stewards, to help us live honestly before God, to live honestly and truthfully with ourselves and with other people.

St. Therese of Lisieux said: “The greatest honor God can do to a soul is not to give it much, but to ask much of it.” – from that person. 

In that sense, St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta said:

"I know God will not ask of me more than I can handle. I just wish that He did not trust me so much."

St. Francis of Assisi said: “Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received, but only what you have given – which is - a full heart, enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice, and courage.

In other words, when you die, when I die, we can take not what we have in our hands, but only what is in our hearts.

We all have our own unique personal vocation or mission in life. We are not all called to be another Saint Mother Teresa in her works of charity but we have a lot to learn from her and from the saints. Just to share a few quotations attributed to St. Teresa

“At the end of our lives, we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made or how many great things we have done. We will be judged by: “I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless and you took me in.”

And she also said: “It's not how much we give, it is not about how many good things we have done – but it is a matter of how much love we put in the giving, how much love we put in what we did.”

St. Teresa also said: "We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, being forgotten by everybody - is the greatest poverty. With all due respect, America is one of the poorest country in that sense.

We must start in our own homes, our families to remedy this kind of poverty."

My brothers and sisters in Christ - 100 years from now, we will all be gone from this earthly existence. People will not even know that we even existed – but what is most important is that we all go to heaven… our true home.

Pope Francis said: “We are all called to be saints. To be saints is not a privilege for the few but a vocation for everyone.” We are all called to be saints.

- Truthfully, you see - only saints go to heaven. Most of us – if not all of us will probably die not deserving of going straight to heaven – but - Thank God – in His mercy – there is Purgatory to cleanse us and prepare us for heaven but still – let us live our lives aiming for heaven instead of just aiming for purgatory. You still do not want to go to purgatory. It hurts.

Let that be our desire… that we be “numbered among the saints”, so to speak, in heaven… known and unknown - whom we honored and celebrated last week.

The Saints were sinners and they were as human as we are. As has been said: “All saints have a past and all sinners have a future.” We are all sinners and the Good News is - we have a future - our future is that we will all be saints, we will all be to heaven, right?

On that note – so to speak - In closing, I now invite everyone to join us in singing “When the Saints Go Marching In” – you all know this song.

When we get to that part – “O Lord I want to be in that number” –Please sing it from the heart – let it be a prayer – of your heart’s desire. The most important first big step to becoming a saint is that you “desire it” – that you really want to become a saint… that you really want to go to heaven.

So - Who wants to go to heaven?
That is not just a rhetorical question. Many of you did not raise your hands.
This is a serious question.
So – who wants to go to heaven?
Remember – God will respect your choice.

Let us sing:
O when the saints go marching in
When the saints go marching in
O Lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.
(Repeat)

Something to look forward to.

AMEN.

God bless…

On Hope and Reaching for Something Better

One of the great things about the Sacred Scriptures is that we continually find our own experiences there – we can relate – and we can see ourselves in the stories.

In our Gospel reading today, I think we can say that the blind man Bartimaeus was a man reaching for something better for his life. There are times when every one of us wants to do that, or wishes he or she could reach for something better.

When I was about 30 years old, I had a good job, I was married already with two sons, we just bought a new house, went on vacations – in short, life was comfortable. We regularly went to church. I had my own personal spiritual faith formation program for myself. My world pretty much revolved around my immediate family only.

Then one day, I found myself kind of restless, so to speak and I thought – there has to be more to life than this. I found myself in prayer telling God my realization that there has to be more to life than what I had and I asked God for what he really wants me to do with my life… a gutsy question…

Interestingly enough, soon after that - I was invited to a birthday party and a friend I was sitting next to, asked me if I want to go to a retreat – a Cursillo weekend… a weekend of encounter with self, encounter with God and encounter with others. That weekend kind of helped me sort out things I have been pondering about … and gave me a new perspective of what it really means to be fully human, what life is all about, what we are meant to be… how to be fully alive. As St. Irenaeus said: “The glory of God is a person fully alive.”

That Cursillo weekend got me started in my public life, so to speak and took me out of my comfort zone. I started volunteering in the church – in Hospitality, Word and Eucharistic ministries, Religious Education, Confirmation, Faith Formation Programs and various Evangelization Programs in the diocese and even outside the diocese.

I volunteered at a Christian help center sheltering and feeding the homeless.

In fact, one Christmas Eve, I took my two sons with me to the homeless shelter to help prepare dinner for the homeless and our assignment was to peel a big bag of potatoes but that was one of the greatest Christmas gifts I have given my sons… the experience of serving and we had fun… We had Christmas joy… joy of giving.

Then I found myself signing up for lay ministry formation program in the Diocese, was commissioned two years later and then I was invited to discern a vocation to the Diaconate and by the grace of God, I was ordained in 2000 - four years later as a permanent deacon… a life of service… diakonia.

As the late Pope Benedict XVI said: “We were not made for comfort. We were made for greatness.” … and greatness can be found in service… service of God and service of our neighbors.

So, be careful what you pray for… and I am so glad, to say the least that I asked God the question- is there more to life and what He wanted me to do with my life… I can truly honestly say, more than I can say in words, I am so happy and feel so blessed, to say the least. and I know God is not done with me yet… and so I continue to ask God: “Now, what?” “Where do we go from here?”

I was and I am still a very private person, and I never imagined myself doing public speaking and yet, see, - HERE I AM.

So, I invite you, to ask God that same question… from the very depths of your heart: “Lord, what do you want me to do with my life?” and I assure you, you will never regret it.

There are people who might be afraid to ask that question because they know they have to change and change hurts and they do not want to get out of their comfort zone… Some may even think, that it might take the fun out of life if they get any closer to Jesus… which cannot be any farther from the truth.

As the Scripture says: “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it entered the human heart what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

We can learn from Bartimaeus… in today’s Gospel reading… In Bartimaeus’ heart was a conviction that he was born to some higher destiny than just to be a blind beggar on the side of the road.

That is what I think we need to wish or pray for - that same sense of sacred discontentment or restlessness…. As St. Augustine said: You created us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.

There is so much to be that we have never been. There is so much to do that we have never done. There are friendships to be built, love to be shared, services to be rendered, beauty to be experienced, books to be read, knowledge to be discovered. Regardless of your age, life has only begun. What a tragedy if we should stop and stay and cease to grow when there is so much more beyond us.

In our Gospel reading, when Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was near, he began to shout.

For some reason, the people began to scold Bartimaeus and told him to keep quiet but he shouted all the louder. He held on to his hope, however fragile it might be. If anyone had reason to give up, this man did, but Bartimaeus stands before us as an example of those who refuse to be discouraged.

So, to those of us who labor under burdens that seem too great to bear due to illness, age, poverty or financial concerns, cruelty or injustice, or family or relationship issues, etc. - Bartimaeus is our teacher. He held on to his hope however fragile it might be. He rejected despair as a way of life.Our world needs desperately to hear the Christian message of hope. As St. Pope John Paul II said: “Only in Christ, can humanity find hope.”

Follow Jesus through the pages of the Gospels, and you will find Jesus constantly encouraging people with the vision of a better life. He said to the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more”.

But of course – reality check – Reaching for something better involves an active faith… meaning - It is not going to fall on your lap. In our Gospel reading: “Bartimaeus threw aside his old cloak, sprang up and came to Jesus”… meaning – Bartimaeus did it in active faith – meaning – He gave up his attachment to the things that used to give him security and comfort and in faith, he walked towards Jesus.

Admittedly, at times, we pray and pray and pray and still feel as though God is not listening, but we must remember - we must know that God does hear us and His initial silence - seemingly - is His way of inviting us closer and to a deeper level of faith and prayer... calling us to continue to believe in His great love.

Jesus told Bartimaeus: “Go your way, your faith has saved you”. Immediately, Bartimaeus received his sight and followed Jesus.

Imagine Jesus asking you the same question he asked Bartimaeus – listen with your heart – Jesus is asking you: “What do you want me to do for you? Do not be afraid to tell Him.

We are often cautioned against false hopes; against living in a dream… People say that it is better to face the facts than to be disappointed by false hopes. People say - we all know that the surest way to avoid disappointment is not to hope for anything at all – but that is not good.

But you see - the truth is – God is real - there is a God – God loves us. God is pleased when we come to Him with our every need and that puts an element of hope in every circumstance, whatever it maybe - however dark it might be. If there is a grain of hope anywhere, may we have the grace to find it and hold on to it.

 And that grain of hope in even the darkest days is always God… in Jesus… who said: “Behold, I am with you always until the end of the age”

Our Christian faith is not about proof. It is about hope.

God bless…

“What Do You REALLY Want From Life?”

I will start with a serious question which requires some serious thinking and perhaps some serious soul searching.

The question is: “What do we REALLY want from life?” … emphasizing the word REALLY.

The things we really want and the things we think we want are often not the same things. We say we want this or that, but when life puts us to the test, it turns out that what we really want is something else… our heart is not where we think it is.

Today’s Gospel reading presents a clear illustration of this strange contradiction. It tells about a man who came running to Jesus, excited, knelt in his presence and said: “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Everything about the scene would suggest that here was a man who knew what he wanted: eternal life with God in heaven, which actually must be our ultimate goal… Heaven is our true home… We are just passing through in this life. Everything in this world is passing.The man came running. He knew where he was going and was eager to get there. He knelt before Jesus – an indication of humility and a willingness to learn. He asked a specific question. Apparently, he had seen a quality in the life of Jesus that he thought he wanted for his own life. He wants what Jesus has.

But, sadly, when Jesus told him how to reach that goal, his face fell; he gave up his search and went back to his old way of living. What he thought he wanted and what he really wanted turned out to be two different things.

That same kind of contradiction can easily take place in your life and mine. And it is usually so subtle that we are not even aware of it. We tell ourselves that we are pursuing some worthwhile goal, when all the while we are actually seeking some lesser goal. This is the reason I asked the question the way I did, emphasizing the word “really”. What do you and I REALLY want from life?

The answer to this question is this: The things that we really want are those things for which we are willing to pay the price that it takes to get them – whatever is necessary to get them.

We tell ourselves and our families and friends that this is our goal. But we never get around to paying the price that it takes to reach that goal. We do not want to pay the price. So, we really need to be honest with ourselves.

The man in the story was rich, powerful, belonged to the ruling class – what we would call a successful man… a unique opportunity to lead a happy and useful life. But in spite of all of that, he had not found the fulfillment that his heart so deeply desired. Then one day, a simple Galilean carpenter told him how he could have the kind of life that he though he wanted. Jesus said: “Sell what you have and give to the poor… after that, come and follow me.”

 The man had been telling himself that he wanted eternal life, true lasting joy and peace… But when he learned the price it would cost him - what kind of living or lifestyle it would cost him, he changed his mind. It turned out that what he really wanted was temporary riches and pleasures of life, because that was the thing for which he was willing to pay the price.

That is the only valid test of a person’s true goals in life. We are willing to pay the price that it takes to get them… whatever is necessary.

Think about it: What is it that you are willing to pay everything for it?

I challenge each one of us today to apply this searching test to his or her own life. It is one thing, and a rather easy one, for you and me to desire some worthwhile goal. It is another thing for us to pay the price that is really necessary to reach that goal.

My guess is that everyone here would profess a desire for improved character and to have better relationships with others. In a broad and general sense, all of us would like to be better people than we were. All of us would like to have happy homes and family life and enduring relationships.

The question is – how many of us, right now today, are practicing spiritual disciplines that lead to strength of character? How many of us are putting the needs of other people on the same level, or even on a higher level than our own needs? To honestly answer those questions is the only way to determine what you and I really want from life. Are you willing to pay the price?

Another way to ponder this serious question: If you and I want the finer things in life, we must pay for them before we get them.

If, on the other hand, we want cheap and shabby things, we can buy them on credit – even if we do not have the money because we want them now and just pay for them later. We live in a society of instant gratification. People live on credit. The man in our gospel story – was faced with two choices – eternal life OR temporary riches and pleasures. Eternal life requires payment in advance, so to speak. Temporary riches and pleasures - he could have immediately.

You and I are faced with the same kind of choices. To the students – if you want an idle and lazy or easygoing life, just fun times, you can have it right now but you have to pay for it later. But if you want to get a good education and graduate – even with honors, you cannot have that today and you must pay the price before you can possess it… by having disciplined good study habits… sacrifice.

If a man wants to express his sexuality by having casual affairs with a number of different women, none of whom he really knows well, he can start today. He can have that kind of life right now and pay for it later.

Remember: You have control over your choices and behavior but you have no control over the consequences of your choices and behavior. Behavior have consequences. Choices have consequences.

If a man wants a good marriage and a good home and family, where love deepens into friendship and grows richer with every passing year, he cannot have that immediately. It can be his – someday, but he must pay for it – by a life of virtues – self-discipline, chastity, before he can possess it.

So, what do we really want from life?

I think the message for us is this: We need to pay for what we want. We need to pay in advance, so to speak – meaning – pay in terms of devotion to Christ and discipline of self – life lived according to God’s will, life of self-sacrifice and self-giving. Then the best things in life can be ours forever and ever.

As Jesus said: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” (Matthew 6:33 RSVCE)

Our wealth – be it much or be it little – addressing especially to those who have much more – remember – that our wealth does not mean that we are more deserving than the poor or than those who have less.

It is unreasonable for us to see everything we have as signs of our own merit. They are not. Every good thing that you and I enjoy are all by the grace of God - gift of God’s grace. And when we fail to see that, as Jesus said: “it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle than for us to enter the kingdom of God.”

There is a saying: “Money cannot buy happiness.” In one sense, it is true. You will not find true lasting happiness in any store or even vacation or pleasurable places. But, if you buy a poor child a new pair of shoes, that purchase is going to produce a double dip of happiness – one dip of happiness for the child and one dip of happiness for you.

Money cannot buy happiness as long as we spend it on ourselves but if we invest it on another, it is a different story. Who says you cannot buy happiness? It all depends on how you spend your money.

God bless…

“Are You For or Against Jesus? Are You All In?”

Our first and Gospel readings today remind us – that in our religious devotions and commitments, we should not place limits on God… and through whom He can work – works of salvation.

From our first reading, Eldad and Medad were not present in the tent with the other 70 elders who received the Spirit. So, the other 70 elders were offended because Eldad and Medad were doing the same work for God that the 70 elders were doing.

Joshua said: “Stop them,”. “Why?” asked Moses. “I wish that all the people were prophets!”

In our Gospel reading - A man was baptizing in the name of Jesus. He was not one of the Twelve. The twelve said. “Stop him”. “Why?” asked Jesus. “He is doing good work.”

The situation between Jesus and his disciples is similar to the one between Moses and the 70 elders in our first reading. Jesus uses the occasion to teach his disciples an important lesson: "Anyone who is not against us is for us" (Mk. 9:40). In other words - Those who are not members of our company or those not within the same religious circle we are in are not necessarily against us. God’s ways have a broader scope than we sometimes think.

Most of us here have been faithful Catholics throughout our lives – “Cradle Catholics”. We have attended Mass weekly from our earliest days. We have lived moral lives and searched for ways that we could serve God in others, particularly in our families. Most of us here do not just go to Church on Sundays, we pray every day. I would like to believe that.

As human beings we fall, we sin, but we also rise up again through the grace of the sacraments - God gave us - through His Church. Most of us here are very happy members of the Catholic Church (I would like to believe that). We see how the Holy Spirit continually works in the Church.

We look at Pope Francis and other spiritual leaders and holy people and see God’s presence in their lives. We witness various charitable agencies and the volunteers like our Mensa Christi volunteers who care for the homeless/the poor and see God working through them.

We believe that the Catholic Church is the original Christian Church. We believe that the Catholic Church has the fullness of the revelation of truth and has the means of obtaining the fullness of salvation through Jesus Christ.

And that is our faith life – the religious world – we live in… but we have to remember that there is another world out there – of non-Christians, non-Catholics, non-believers - different from the faith life or religious world we live in.

And so - we have to be careful. We could be like the disciples of Jesus. They thought they had a monopoly on truth and good deeds - so they tried to stop a man who was performing miracles because he was not of their company, so to speak. Jesus replied in no uncertain terms: “Anyone who is not against us is actually for us.”

He stated the same principle even more strongly in John’s Gospel:” I have many sheep out there that are not of this fold.” Apparently, Jesus did not limit his friends to his circle of close followers, and neither should we.

But how can we call others – and yes – they perform works of charity – how can we call them friends of Jesus if they do not profess his name? How can that be?

The great Catholic theologian Karl Rahner speaks of “Anonymous Christians” – those men and women who are doing the work of Christ without ever hearing his name… this is based/rooted on the biblical view that God is the Creator, the Judge, the Redeemer of the entire universe. The healing and helping love – God revealed in Jesus Christ - is actually also at work in every time and place even through those people who – even without them knowing it - have the courage to embrace and share the love of God…

So what should be our attitude toward those who do not share our faith – who are not of our company, or religious circle? We can be exclusive or inclusive. We can close them out, or we can say with our Lord, “Anyone who is not against us is actually with us.” … for us…

When good people witness charity in us, they find themselves attracted to the Church and to Christ. Universal charity is a great way to attract people to the knowledge and love of Christ.

You see – the Good News is - We are blessed and graced to live in the age of the Holy Spirit. This wonderful time began when The Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit upon the world. He is the Spirit of God. He is the action of God. The Holy Spirit transforms the world by working in the hearts of all good people.

And thus, in the Vatican II document, The Church in the Modern World, the Catholic Church declared that all who are open to God (meaning – not only Catholics but even non-Christians, non-believers ), those who are following their consciences are themselves, in fact, members of the Church, saved by Jesus Christ… even without them knowing it.

Yes - the Spirit is present in the Catholic Church. Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament. But the Spirit is also present where we least expect to find Him… but – again, if we are not careful – we can tend to limit God’s power and love and work of salvation.

No one can harness the Spirit. He is God, the action of Love that has been unleashed upon the world through the Gift of the Father and the Sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.

We thank God today for the wonders of the Holy Spirit, in our lives, in our parish and in our world.

In today’s Gospel from Mark, "Anyone who is not against us is for us" (Mk. 9:40). In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says, "He who is not with Me is against Me" (Mt. 12:30)… kind of the other way around.

Both sayings: “Anyone who is not against us is for us.” And “He who is not with Me is against Me.”

They both deliver the same message: when it comes down to the truth about our relationship with Jesus, the Gospel is never neutral… - meaning – we are all called to be either for Jesus or against Jesus – not maybe – not neutral or not just being on the sidelines, so to speak.

From the Book of Revelation 3:15-16

“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth… meaning – if you are lukewarm - you are in trouble.

As St. Therese of Lisieux said: You cannot be half a saint. You must be a whole saint or no saint at all… We are all called to be saints - only saints go to heaven – and when I say saints – it means not only those officially publicly recognized by the Church – but all people known to God…. People who live their lives according to God’s will.

As Christians, as members of the Body of Christ – there is no such thing as "inactive" members”. There is no such thing as "passive Christians” or "part-time" Christians. Either Yes or No to Christ – Not Maybe. Hot or cold – not lukewarm.

From our second reading from the letter of James - James was not impressed with wealth or fame, and the marks of worldly success were not important to the Christian community. The true friends of God and true followers of Jesus Christ may not possess riches nor social status nor power, but they are those who love justice and act in kindness toward all people… no discrimination, no exclusiveness.

The ultimate test of our Christian discipleship is not what we think about Jesus, not what we say about Jesus, but how we live our lives - what we do about and for and in Jesus. In simple concrete terms: How does our relationship with Jesus affect the way we conduct our lives every day? How does our relationship with Jesus affect our relationships with others – how do we treat others? How do we demonstrate our love for Jesus in the specific, down-to-earth events of our ordinary daily lives?

Jesus has called us out of or from neutrality: "Anyone who is not against us is with us, for us” ... “He who is not with Me is against Me." These words, which Jesus directed to the disciples of His time, are also directed to you and to me every moment of our lives. So, the final question is - Are you ALL IN or out? Are you for or against?

 God bless…

Holy Communion and Being One with Christ

The late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI: "Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction." Meaning - Christianity is not an intellectual system, a collection of dogmas, or a religion of moralism.

It is possible to know all about doctrine, know everything about Jesus and strictly observe religious practices and still not know Jesus… meaning there are people who have relationship only with religion – and they are good at it…but not personal relationship – not friendship with Jesus.4Hopefully – we all reach the point in our lives when we can say – “I believe in God not because my parents told me… not because the Church told me, but because I have experienced God’s love, His goodness and mercy myself.”

--- experiential knowledge of God.

There is not one statement which can capture the full meaning of the Christian experience or encounter with Christ. 

For that reason, the New Testament – the Scripture - speaks of Christ and our relationship with Christ in a number of different ways.  Sometimes, Jesus is the leader whom we follow.  Sometimes the master whom we obey.  At other times Jesus is the example whom we imitate.  At times, the teacher from whom we learn. 

Often– Jesus is presented as the Savior of the world by whom we are saved, and at times as the physician by whom we are healed.

All of these relationships have at least one thing in common.  They are essentially external in nature… meaning – in each of these relationships, Christ and we are related and yet we remain separate and apart,

… meaning – Jesus is outside of us, and we are outside of him.

Actually, we are all called to a deeper, more intimate relationship.  Sometimes the Scripture refers to this as “our being IN Christ”. At other times, it refers to “Christ being IN us.” Those two expressions seems to be used interchangeably.  Both ideas are that we become one with him… Christ lives IN us and we live IN Him.

In any relationship, communication is important – actually, critically important.

Thomas Merton – a Trappist monk and a mystic – said that the deepest level of communication is not communication but communion.  It is wordless… beyond speech… beyond concept… as in Holy Communion….

Jesus said: “I am the living bread come down from heaven.  If anyone eats this bread, he shall live forever.  The bread I shall give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

Jesus’ listeners found it strange and were puzzled by it… many even stopped following him.  They began to ask among themselves, “How can he give us his flesh to eat?” Well - at least they are honest in their response to what they’ve heard.

Jesus heard their questioning, but Jesus refused to put it any other way in his language.  In an even stronger statement, he said: If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.  My flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink.

So – How about you?  What is your own reaction when you hear these words of Jesus

In a way we can say, you and I are probably not as greatly shocked by these words of our Lord, at least not as severely as his original audience – people of Jesus’ time - because we are at a considerable advantage… because of our position in history. 

Meaning - we have heard these words over and over again.  They are not new to us.  We hear them in the context of the Eucharistic Celebration… we know that Jesus clearly had in mind our Eucharistic banquet.  He was offering himself – his body, his blood, his very life – as spiritual food for all who would receive it… under the appearance of bread and wine… but transubstantiated into His Body and Blood at consecration.

If you are struggling with this belief, pray to God about it… spend more time before the Blessed Sacrament.

Meaning - Not only can we learn from Jesus and model ourselves after him. We can also partake of him in the Eucharist.  We can feed our souls on “the living bread” until Jesus’ life is incorporated within us.  His thoughts become our thoughts. His feelings become our feelings. And on the deepest, most difficult level, his commitment become our commitment… we share in His mission.

Christ can live in us, and we can live in him. His life can be intermingled with our lives until there is no more distinction.  Jesus said: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him”… and join the life He shares with the Father.  This life-giving relationship is at the heart of our Eucharistic experience…. Still, admittedly, quite hard to really grasp with our human mind.  The Eucharist is such a profound mystery.

In his letter to the Galatians (2:20), St. Paul wrote: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  It is a picture of total intimacy to which we are called to – a complete sharing of life with life.

Think about this – the person you love lives within you.  Think of your parents – we can say – their values, their spirit being alive in you. If you are married – your spouse is part of who you are – and -  you are part of who your spouse is.

That is what Jesus want the Eucharist to do for us.  Through the Eucharist, Jesus lives in us. Jesus and I become one in eating His Body and drinking His blood.  Two lives become one… when we partake of the Body of Christ.

Jesus said: “As the Father is in me and I am in the Father”… so that we will all be One in all things.

Jesus has given himself to us without reservation.  He did not hold anything back.  He gives us his flesh to eat and his blood to drink.  When we receive Him, we, in turn, give ourselves completely to him.  He knows everything about us – the worst as well as the best.  Yet he accepts us just the way we are.

And so - this opens for us - the way to that deeper and more intimate dimension of Christian experience in which we are no longer separate from Jesus and therefore, we not only follow Christ, but now, there is this togetherness in which we commune with Jesus…. if only people can truly grasp and understand the grace/gift of God we receive through the Eucharist.

Just as salt can be dissolved in water until the two become one, so Jesus’ personality can be absorbed in our personalities, slowly but surely changing the quality of our living…. That is eternal life on earth as it is in heaven.

The question is:  In what ways does our own faith, our own relationship with Jesus - is revealed in our lives – in how we live? – expressed in our daily life?
St. Augustine said: We become what we receive – the Body of Christ.

That is why as you approach the table of the Lord to receive Holy Communion, make your greatest effort to be in the present moment reality with great reverence, fully aware that you are about to receive Jesus: body, soul and divinity;  and are about to

enter into communion with Him… that is why you are supposed to bow before receiving communion, and you are not bowing to the priest or deacon or minister, but you are bowing to the Lord of Life… our bowing as a simple humble gesture of reverence, gratitude, respect, honor, surrender and love.

We are invited into Holy Communion – a life-giving union with Christ because life is difficult, to say the least…our journey towards heaven is difficult… and so we need to be nourished by His Body and Blood – by his life – by his Spirit – to keep us going – and that we must commit to live our lives every day unselfishly like Christ.

That is why at the end of the Mass, we are commissioned to “Go in peace glorifying the Lord by your life” – go out into the world and be signs of Christ for others…to bear the image of God like Christ… to be the living sacraments of God’s love, grace and mercy as Jesus is.

We must also become the bread of life for others, through Christ, with Christ and in Christ.

Amen.

God Bless

“Jesus is the Bread of Life and So Must We”

John’s Gospel is about signs pointing towards Who Jesus really is.

Our Gospel reading from John Chapter 6 began last Sunday - with the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. The day after the miracle, - as we heard in our Gospel reading today - the people kept following Jesus and Jesus told the people that they were following Him not because they were excited about what Jesus had been teaching them. They were following Jesus because of the miracles and that He fed everyone.

Do we love God – for Who God is – or do we love God because of His blessings… because we are afraid not to receive His blessings if we do not serve Him or love Him or if we do not go to Mass. Of course, we miss out on God’s graces if we do not go to Mass… but is that your only reason – to get something? Do we seek the God of consolations or do we just seek the consolations of God?

It is like being nice to people, thinking that - we “love them” because they are nice to us, because they do things for us, because of what we get out of the relationship… which really is NOT true love. That is not kindness – that is business.

Let us ask ourselves – Why do we follow Jesus? Why are we Christians and why do we go to Mass?

Jesus was aware of people’s physical needs – so, he demonstrated His concern for them -- he cured the sick… and he fed them… but His purpose was something deeper and more than food for the body… Jesus wanted to do more than give people food to eat. He wanted to give them a new relationship, a new life, salvation, eternal life…. Better understanding of what life is all about.

So he began to talk about spiritual needs - as we heard in the Gospel – he offered himself as the bread of life – to raise their aspirations beyond worldly needs but the people had little or no interest in that kind of talk…

That is why if you read the rest of chapter 6 of John’s Gospel, the people found his teachings too much for them to accept – So, as the Scripture says… ‘they returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.” …because his teachings are just not what they expected…. not in their agenda…That is still happening today…

So – what are we looking for in life? What are our expectations as followers of Jesus – AND - What does Jesus expect from us? - both ways - This is as it should be. In our relationship with Jesus, He can be trusted to keep His part of the bargain. But - We need to be reminded of our part… what we are called to be and to do

First – what are our expectations as followers of Christ?

At times, much of the religious frustration and failure of our day are the by-product of false expectations. Many people, it seems, have come to Christ and the Church in search of something that is not there, something that Jesus never promised to provide.

In following Christ – admittedly, we expect something that would make life a little easier… at least.

Somehow, somewhere, we have gotten the idea that faith in God – following Christ - is supposed to solve our problems, free us from our daily struggles, and eventually eliminate suffering. We seem to forget that it did not work that way even for Jesus. Jesus never expected His Father to shelter him from the harsh realities of life. Faith for him was never like a shield. For Jesus, his faith – his relationship with His Father was, instead, a source of strength that enabled him to face up to life with all of its cruelty.

Meaning – similarly – for us - that means that we should think of our relationship with God, following Christ, not so much in terms of comfort or convenience but should be in terms of courage and strength, and trust – trust in God… believing in Jesus whom He has sent.

Jesus’ purpose is not to make life easy enough for us to handle, but Jesus’ purpose is to make us strong enough to be able to handle whatever life may bring.

That - with Christ in our lives - we can confidently go through life’s journey with hope – even with peace and joy – even in the midst of life’s struggles; the life of Christ in our lives nourishing us, his presence giving us the ability to look beyond the present with our eyes focused on our ultimate goal which is - eternal joy/eternal life with the Lord in heaven… not focused on passing perishable things of this world.

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

Jesus as our Bread of Life means nourishment for our soul, joy in our sorrow, strength in our weakness. It means community, family, friendship with Jesus. Jesus as the Bread of life means Jesus in the Eucharist, in the Scriptures, in the church, in life itself. Jesus Christ means all of these things…Jesus is all in all… for those who believe…

Let me just focus on Jesus in the Eucharist – the Source and Summit of our Christian life - Jesus being present - body, soul and divinity in the Eucharist under the appearance of bread and wine.

Jesus does not intend only to take care of the physical needs of those who followed him. He desires to satisfy the deep hunger for eternal life and mercy only found in communion with God.

We come to Church, we receive Holy Communion, not because it is the rule of the Church – not because it is an obligation - but because our journey through life is difficult, to say the least… and so we receive communion because we need food for our soul for the journey. The Lord gives us this food. He is our food. He is the Bread of Life… to keep us going.

We need Christ in the Eucharist to become the Christ-like people we are called to be. When we receive the self-giving love of Jesus in the Eucharist - being strengthened by the real bread of life, then - it becomes possible for us to “truly love God and others” … because it is now the love of God – the love of Christ that loves others - meaning – ourselves becoming what we partake, becoming what we eat - … we become the Body of Christ… for others.

Now – what does Jesus expect from us? As we heard the people in the Gospel asked Jesus: What can we do to do the work that God wants?

In receiving Holy Communion, it is very important to realize and understand and to remember that the Body of Christ does not nourish us spiritually by simply receiving it – by just going through the motions – because it is a Catholic thing to do. I am saying this with all due respect - it is so sad to see people come to receive communion and you can see in their faces, their eyes, their demeanor that they are just going through the motions and have no clue – no reverent awareness of Who it is they are about to receive.

What is necessary - is that - we must believe… As we heard in the Gospel: Jesus said: “This is the work of God – that you believe in the One He sent.” To believe in Jesus is not just believing intellectually as who Jesus is – but believing Jesus grounded in a profound relationship with Him.We must have the proper disposition when we receive the Eucharist… We must have the awareness, the faith in whom we receive… that we truly enter into communion with Christ Who is present Body, Soul and Divinity - with our whole being – with Jesus as the foundation of our life.

Holy Communion means also - that we enter into communion with one another – that is why we offer each other a sign of peace before Communion – because - to truly believe and receive Christ and be nourished by him – by his life – by his Spirit – it is important that we be united in worship around the Eucharistic table.

We must also be bread of life for others… We must also be the source of hope, courage and strength for others… for one another.

Like Christ, like the Eucharist – our lives must also be blessed, broken and shared… Like the blood of Christ, our lives must be poured out in loving service of God and our neighbor.

That is why at the end of the mass – like the apostles – we are sent into the world – “Go in peace – glorifying the Lord by your life.”

We reply - Thanks be to God.

 God bless…

Compassion and Disappointments

Our first reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah refers to the people of Israel who were suffering from a lack of leadership through corrupt or negligent rulers who were supposed to be their shepherds but ruled them cruelly and harshly. So, the flock were scattered, so to speak to become the prey of all the wild animals. No one searches for them and no one looks for them… a sad state of affairs.

We hear the promise of the prophet Jeremiah that the God of Israel will raise up shepherds for those who need them and will raise up One who will save Israel and lead with wisdom… referring to Jesus – the Good Shepherd and referring to us – His followers, who claim to be Christians… called also to be good shepherds of God’s people.

A shepherd is someone who guides, who takes care and who gathers together.

Think of the people who have guided you and cared for you? If someone comes to mind, take a moment today to give thanks for them… pray for them. They were good shepherds for you.

Equally, are there are people you know who are in search of guidance and direction? If so, remember them; maybe include them in your personal intention for this mass; and pray for their well-being.

The first reading and our Gospel reading call us to reflect on what it means to be a shepherd… a good shepherd.

From our Gospel reading, the disciples had been sent out to the towns and villages, to preach about the Kingdom of God. And when they returned from their mission, Jesus gathered them and told them to come away and rest awhile. However, the people saw them going, and they all hurried to the place on foot, reaching it first before Jesus and his disciples.

Jesus was moved with pity for they were like sheep without a shepherd.

The word “pity” actually fails to capture the intensity of Jesus’ emotion as the word used in the Greek and Hebrew text… Something is lost in the translation to English.

The Greek word used is a very forceful term to signify an expression of the total personality at the deepest level. It actually refers to an emotion that moves a person to the very depths of his or her being….the seat of the deepest emotions. … it was not an ordinary pity or compassion that Jesus felt.

The Hebrew equivalent word expresses a deep and tender feeling of compassion, like the feeling we have when we see our loved ones in sickness or suffering; when we see our dear ones suffering or those who need our help.

That is how Christ responds to us, and He bids each one of us to, ‘Go and do likewise.’” As disciples of Jesus we are called to be as compassionate as Jesus is compassionate, and that is a constant challenge for all of us… because there’s always this tendency or temptation for us to stand aloof … even indifferent… and we tend to think: “That is not my concern. It’s other people’s job. There are other people who will take care of the person in need or of the situation.”

Jesus is moved to the very depths of his being because the people were like sheep without a shepherd… they do not know where to turn or whom to turn to.

Jesus knows, deep in his own heart, what a terrible thing - to feel the loneliness and not having any direction or any center to your life and to be lost. And Jesus reaches out to that…

 As Christians, baptized in Christ, we are all called to share in the mission of Christ – we are all called to be good shepherds also – and to proclaim the Good News of God’s love, grace and mercy – not only in words but by very lives… in our every day ordinary lives.

 When we share the love of God with others – at times we have to lay aside our plans because there is something more important - and that is people in need, people in need of being reached out to, accepted, cared for.

As we heard in the Gospel reading - when they got to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw the people and therefore He and His disciples have to lay aside their plans to rest a while, because something more important was there, and that is - people in need, people in need of being reached out to, accepted, cared for.

People are more important than plans, people are more important than the future – meaning - the people who are here and now with us – they are more important. We must make them understand that we value them, we care about them.

God works through people - through us - and so God hopes that we ourselves will give ourselves to the interruptions, and be like Jesus: a man of compassion, a man who listens, a man who cares, a man who heals by his listening.

And this is what changes the world… with the world we are living in now with so much darkness and violence and hatred; not so much the preaching, but the living with people in the ordinariness of everyday life, with its ups and downs, its confusions and all its problems.

The more that we try to be like Jesus, the more the Kingdom of God is preached to all the world… even in our small corner of the world because we become the presence of Jesus… people experience the loving presence of God through us - in our lives.

As has been said: “People will listen to and hear the Word of God if they first experience the love of God”… and “People do not care what you know or how much you know unless they know that you care.”

Preaching the word of God is not a matter of knowing what we are supposed to know and believe.

 It is allowing the kindness and the love and the caring of Jesus that you and I experience ourself in our own life and have in our hearts – in turn - to reach from your heart into everybody else’s heart… because the Kingdom of God is the presence of God with His people… as Jesus did – Jesus let His people be filled with a kind of kindness as Jesus always felt from His Father.

It is in the interruptions in our plans in our daily lives, and the little things that put us off very often and admittedly which annoy us - paradoxically, actually – often times - it is through this little things in our ordinary life that the Kingdom of God is revealed.

 Why? Because love is expressed through the small things in life.

If we are to preach the love of God, all we have to do is pay attention to the interruptions in our life, and we will find that God will lead us to an understanding of how people are touched, because this is what Jesus did.

The critical question is: How do we react when our plans do not work out? Things do not always happen the way we plan them. So, how do we react?

Most of us are inclined to react negatively whenever something we want is denied us or something we do not want is forced upon us.

That negative kind of response completely overlooks the fact that in this world – disappointment and disruption of our plans - go with the territory, so to speak… it is a fact of life.

In other words, in this life - we had better learn to expect the unexpected. We want one thing; we get another.

One of the most foolish things we can do is to waste our time resenting and resisting this universal reality. Jesus could have done that but he did not.

But you see - Jesus did not just passively resign himself to the inevitable.
He did not just endure the disappointment. He used it… for good.

He used the adversity and put it to work.

 We can take our disappointment and use it to accomplish something good in ourselves and in our world. We cannot always decide what life does to us, but we can decide how we respond to life.

God bless…

Finding Strength in Weakness

From our gospel reading: The people of Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown, they had their own fixed ideas as to how God works and as to how the Messiah would come - and the one they knew as the carpenter, Jesus - Mary’s son, simply did not fit their expectations or understanding of the Messiah when he comes.

Like the people of Nazareth who refused to listen to Jesus’ message and failed to recognize Him as the Messiah – we tend to see only what we want to see…. hear only what we want to hear.

The danger is - if you are so fixated on seeing only one thing, you are blind to see everything else…. Or, if you are so firmly believing in or strongly supporting an idea or theory or tradition – the danger is you can become inflexible and therefore unwilling to open your mind and change your beliefs.

Our beliefs affect our attitude and our attitude affects our behavior and our actions.

So - Pray to God for wisdom every day. Wisdom is considered the first and the greatest of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Wisdom is the ability to see and understand things, ourselves, others, understand our situations from God’s perspective and use that truth to glorify God.  It is important to have accurate perception because accuracy of perception leads to accuracy of response especially to the call of God.  It makes a whole world of difference. So, pray for wisdom every day.

God is a mystery.  What we believe about God affects how we pray, affects what we pray for and consequently affects how we treat others.

Problems and conflicts in relationships arise often times because – we react to what we think instead of what is reality… which might be different from what we think.

At times we tend to be judgmental of other people including our spouses, family members and friends and much more so towards other people.

The greatest enemy to faith can simply be “familiarity”: meaning – as Jesus experienced – it is the refusal to believe that God’s presence - and prophetic instruments of that presence - could come to us in so familiar a person as the person next door, so to speak.

An important lesson to learn here: Our growth in spiritual life is shown in our ability to recognize God – recognize His Presence - more and more in the ordinary everyday life and events and in ordinary people… at times through people we do not even like or least expected to bring the good news to us… or help us

We all have a tendency to be so bogged down with our own concept of what the minister of the Lord - should be like - that we miss the Word of God.

We say, “That priest or deacon or church leader who talks about scriptures and talks about being kind and charitable, does not appear to me to be very kind.” And so, we tend to NOT listen to any truth that they may have proclaimed. But you see - truth is truth, whether it is proclaimed by a saint or a sinner.

Think of your family members or friends. Maybe, there were times you refused to listen to them and therefore ignored what they were trying to telll you because of your pre-conceived idea of that person and so you might have missed out on the truth or good news…. On the other hand, maybe you can remember instances in your life when you were pleasantly surprised of the outcome because you listened to someone you least expected to come up with a great idea.  Quite a paradox.

The second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians speaks about another intriguing paradox – finding strength in weakness.

Paul discovered during a time of personal suffering that God can often accomplish more in the world through our times of weakness than in our times of strength.  It is a strange reversal of our normal thinking.

We do not know the nature of his physical suffering, but whatever it was, St. Paul prayed again and again that God would heal him. Humanly speaking, it would have made more sense for God to heal Paul, so that he could return with full health to the task of spreading the Gospel.  But in this case, for reason wrapped up in the mystery of God, God did not heal Paul of his illness.

God told Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”  That was not the answer Paul sought.  But it is the answer by which Paul faced his illness, learned to live with it, and continued to serve Christ.

For Paul, suffering brings about humility. St. Paul points out that to ensure he does not develop a spiritual superiority, God gave him a “thorn in the flesh”, so to speak.

Our personal thorns in the flesh – maybe chronic illness or ongoing trials in life - can be certainly painful, and at times even impossible to bear.  However, God uses these thorns in our lives to display His power, to sustain us and use us. When we are young, all of us think we can be anything and do anything in life.  However, as we grow older, admittedly, we grow more and more in our awareness of our limitations.

The challenge is to have faith - and continue to trust God for the work He’s doing, even when we do not see it or understand. 

St Augustine, said: Believe that you may understand. St Anselm, agrees with St Augustine. Anselm wrote: I do not seek to understand so that I may believe; I believe so that I may understand.

Therefore, we need to ask God for the strength to endure and to remain faithful.

God does not rescue us from all our weaknesses, but rather God wants us to rely on His strength in our weakness.  It is when we accept and embrace our weaknesses and rely on God’s strength that we can say that we are truly strong, for then it is God’s strength working through us, and not our own strength. 

God did not heal St. Paul of his disease. It maybe the same answer God is offering to your unanswered prayer today. God is just answering you in a way you did not ask for, did not seek, and do not want.

Think about it:  Could it be that despite your crippling illness, or distressful family situation or whatever bad circumstances you find yourself in now - that God will use you?

In other words: Could it be that your suffering is meant to serve some higher purpose?

Maybe so.  If so, then learn to trust in the grace, and the sufficiency of Christ, who Himself chose to serve God in the weakness of the cross rather than seize the power of legions of angels to defeat the Romans and the misguided Jewish leaders.

If we unite and offer our suffering with the suffering of Christ, then our suffering becomes a participation in God’s work of salvation, our suffering becomes redemptive and therefore our suffering has meaning and purpose.

St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta said: “You will never know that Jesus is all you need until the day Jesus is all you have.”

Yes - Pleasant experiences make life delightful… but - Painful experiences lead to growth.

If in this life we knew or experience only success and only pleasant experiences, there would be no possibility of developing character, gratitude, or wisdom. Suffering is a part of God’s creation, not as punishment but suffering  is essential to soul-making.

Deep unspeakable suffering may be called – in fact - a baptism, a re-generation, initiation into a new state of being.  Of course, it does not mean that we pray for suffering or that we are expected to enjoy our suffering, but we are called to endure our suffering in the assurance that God will use it for good.

In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul said: “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Amen.  God bless…

Does God Care?

The Gospel reading reminds me of a very moving scene of Pope Francis - in front of a rainy St. Peter’s Basilica, before an empty square - as the world  grappled with the spread of the coronavirus. Pope Francis delivered a homily of hope - based on the same Gospel reading we have today.

The Pope said: “Just as it happened with the disciples, we too are faced with a “darkness… Thick darkness has gathered over our squares, our streets and our cities; it has taken over our lives… We find ourselves afraid and lost.”

Even among the faithful, many asked the same question as the disciples did: Why does it seem God is sleeping? Doesn’t God care that we are perishing?

The Pope said that it is “a time of choosing” …  people have a chance to “choose what matters and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary from what is not.”

By the grace of God, we can say with gratitude, we are here – alive and well - we survived the pandemic although sadly many of us lost family members and friends.

The question is – as survivors - did we learn anything from our Covid pandemic experience?  What did we learn? Because - What a wasted experience - if we did not learn anything at all or if we did not change for the better especially in terms of our perspective on what really matters in life…. what life is all about.

The big question is: Are we better persons today; better yet - are we better Christians – are we better followers of Christ - today than we were before the pandemic especially in terms of our relationship with God and with one another?

With all the violence and all kinds of problems in our society today, wars going on now in many areas of the world – with social media - even talking about the world being on the brink of World III,.. again, as Pope Francis said before the pandemic: we are faced again with a “darkness… we find ourselves afraid and lost.”

On a personal level - You might be going through personal darkness right now: personal illness or your loved ones being sick; problems in relationships, financial problems, problems with addiction, etc.

Does not God care about what we are going through?

The most serious questions about God - come not from theory – or intellectual pursuit or discussions - but from tragedy.

When we are caught in a storm from which there seems to be no escape, then the question becomes real and relevant:  Does God care? Does He even exist?

Do not avoid that question and do not be ashamed of it.  Those disciples would never have become the men that we so greatly admire today without that experience when they doubted but had the honesty to say so.  That kind of struggle has always been a vital part of great living and of great faith.

Look at it this way:  When a person raises that question – Does God care? – that person is at least facing the realistic facts.

We live in such a tragic world, and that if we are going to believe in God at all, we must hold that faith in the midst of tragedy. Does God care? That question is not disrespectful to God.

I do not think there is such a kind of easygoing faith in God that never wonders, that never struggles, that never doubts.

We must recognize that faith has always risen to its height in times of adversity and trials.

The unexpected storm, that almost sunk their ship, played a vital role in the lives of those early disciples.  Without it, they would not have been driven to doubt.  They would not have wondered if the Lord cared. They would not have learned that the Lord actually, really cares… they would not have had experiential knowledge of the power and love of God.

The reading ends with another kind of question, not a question of doubt, but a question of awe and wonder.  The disciples were saying to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

Similarly – we can say: “Who then is this – whom even Covid19 obey?” Yes, the scientists, medical professionals, the authorities, we all did our part so we can be where we are now.  But the bottom line – Everything is by the grace of God. Thanks be to God!

But of course, COVID 19 and other viruses still exist with all the new variants. Hatred and wars, illnesess, violence, evil still exist.

Jesus said: “In this world, you will have troubles; but take heart, I have overcome the world”.

We commonly think that people are most inclined to believe in God when life is beautiful and easy. But that is not supported by the experiences of the great believers.  Look at Jesus, our Lord himself.  Yes - He saw His heavenly Father in the flowers of the field and the birds of the air. 

But that was not the place where Jesus’ faith reached its height.  That happened at Calvary where doubt was strong and faith was hard. It was at Calvary, on the cross that Jesus wondered why God had forsaken him.  But it was also there that Jesus calmly spoke His final sentence, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”

As long as you and I live in this world, we will – at times - continue to find ourselves in darkness of the soul – as saints call it - and we ask God:  Where are you?  Do you care?  Do you hear me? We will probably never get finished with that question. 

But the very experiences that cause us to ask that question - will be the same place where we find our answer.  It is a strange paradox, but then again, faith reaches its height in the midst of adversities or trials.

But - of course, we do not pray for adversity in our lives to deepen or strengthen our faith. The fact is – sooner of later – life will bring trials to us - it is the reality… fact of life.

Perhaps you are currently passing through some rough waters, so to speak - fearful that conditions might get worse, and not knowing - how you will manage if they do. Maybe you are even now at the end of your wits and your strength, and wondering if anybody cares that you are drowning in your misery, so to speak.

Our Gospel message today is a great continuation of last Sunday’s Gospel message - on trusting God – God is working although we do not know how.

… but the truth is - God is in control and always at work.

We need to remember this:  Things happen, even bad things, happen only to the extent that God allows them to happen – God’s permissive will. And if God, allows even seemingly bad things to happen, God has the power to bring good out bad things that happen in our lives.  God loves us.

But you see - God is more concerned with calming the storms inside of us - in our hearts – in our minds - than with changing things in the world around us …. The sudden furious storms outside of us may be overwhelming but it is what is going inside of us – storms of doubt and unbelief that can pose the greater threat to our lives.

Our first reaction to a crisis is to want God to change our external circumstances, for God to save us from bad situation we are in - but usually, the change that matters is not the rearranging of the world outside of ourselves, but the transforming or conversion of our hearts. … How we experience the world about us is largely determined by the condition of our souls.

The calming of our inner seas, so to speak - comes primarily through our faith in the trustworthy nature of God’s love… as revealed in Christ Jesus. 

Today’s gospel does not solve the problem of pains, sufferings and adversities we face in our lives.

We are grappling here with a profound mystery, and the gospel leaves us with an image that helps us see into the mystery - the beautiful image of Jesus WITH us, His head on the cushion, asleep in the stern –a picture of peace and serenity even in the midst of storm - meaning – Jesus is in our boat, so to speak – God is present in our lives; Jesus is within us, IN us, even in the midst of the storms of life to give us peace and serenity and hope.

Like the disciples - when we are fearful and overwhelmed by the waves or storms of life – the question is: where do we place our faith? Do we focus on the power of the wind and the waves, or do we place our faith in the One whom even the wind and the sea obey? Such a faith does not mean certainty; it means the courage to live with uncertainties of life and of our faith.

Such a faith “does not mean having the answers, it means having the courage to ask the questions and NOT let go of God, as God does NOT let go of us.”

Be at peace.

Wisdom and The Eternal God Lives In Me

One of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit is wisdom. Wisdom is considered the first and the greatest of the gifts.

Wisdom is the ability to see and understand things, ourselves, others, our situations from God’s perspective and use that truth to glorify God. Even if you are the most knowledgeable of all people, if you have no wisdom, you will not know what to do with what you know. Same with wealth and power - without wisdom, you will not know what to do with them and therefore, you might do more harm than good.

It is important to have accurate perception because accuracy of perception leads to accuracy of response especially to the call of God. It makes a whole world of difference. So, pray for wisdom every day.

Let me share with you a few stories or modern-day parables. If you have heard them already before – take it as a reminder - to further explain - why we need the Holy Spirit of God – the gifts of the Holy Spirit – for accurate perception and understanding of reality, of God and of what life is all about.

A man walking through the forest saw a fox that had lost its front legs for some reason and the man wondered how the fox managed to survive. Then he saw a tiger come in with game in its mouth. The tiger ate its fill and left the rest of the meat for the fox. The next day God fed the fox by means of the same tiger. So, the man began to wonder at God's greatness and said to himself, "I too shall just rest in the corner with full trust in the Lord and He will provide me with all I need."

He did this for many days but nothing happened, and he was dying, almost at death's door – so to speak - dying - when he heard a voice say, "O you, who are in the path of error, open your eyes to the truth! Follow the example of the tiger and stop imitating the disabled fox.”

You see- we need to constantly discern God’s will for our lives… what we are called to be - and do… by listening to the Holy Spirit within us – by living a life of prayer, by our obedience to Jesus’ teachings.

So – the question is: Are you using the gifts you have given in loving service of God and others? Can others experience God’s loving presence, His love, grace and mercy through you?

Are you a taker or are you a giver?

Let us pray for a generous spirit so that we can give of ourselves, our resources, time and talents to make our world a better place for others

There was this eagle’s egg that somehow ended up in a chicken farm. The chickens knew that they must protect and care for the eagle’s egg, so an old hen volunteered to nurture and raise the large egg.

One day, the egg hatched and a beautiful eagle was born. Sadly, however, the eagle was raised to be a chicken. Soon, the eagle believed he was nothing more than a chicken. The eagle loved his home and family, but his spirit cried out for more. While playing on the farm one day, the eagle looked to the skies above and noticed a group of mighty eagles soaring in the skies. "Oh," the eagle cried, "I wish I could soar like those birds."

The chickens roared with laughter, "You cannot soar with those birds. You are a chicken and chickens do not soar." That is what the eagle learned to believe. The eagle, after time, stopped dreaming and continued to live the rest of his life like a chicken.

The moral of the story: You become - what you believe you are… you become what you think you are.

We need to ask ourselves: Who am I? Whose am I? Who are We? What are we?

Today – we celebrate Pentecost Sunday, Feast of the Holy Spirit – Who guides us to all truth, Who reminds us of who we are – we are the beloved sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Christ, therefore, co-heirs to the Kingdom of God… We are the Body of Christ; we are His Church; we are the temples of the Holy Spirit. That is what and who we are…

The truth is - “In Christ, there is no such thing as an ordinary life.” As the late Pope Benedict XVI said: “We were not made for comfort. We were made for greatness.” … to soar like the eagle, so to speak.

Admittedly, at times - we get so bogged down by struggles and temptations in this world and we lose perspective and we do not and cannot hear the voice of God anymore with all the worldly noises - so - we need to listen to the voice of God… even for a few minutes each day… in prayer.

Jesus said, 'If you hold on to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:31-32)
- Free for what? - Free to be the person God meant us to be. That is when we will be truly happy.

Pentecost is not the commemoration of a historical event. Pentecost is the affirmation of the reality of the living God in our lives… the presence of God’s Spirit within us.

A little girl was asked: “Is God big or small?” She replied: “God is so big that the entire universe cannot contain Him… but God is so small that He lives in my heart…” - That is the truth…

We have heard and have been taught many times that the Holy Spirit that filled St. Peter and the other apostles on first Pentecost Sunday is the same Holy Spirit poured unto us at our baptism… but we have heard it so often - that we no longer feel the impact of its meaning. But - think for a moment - what an awesome thing it is to say, “The eternal God lives in me.” The Spirit of Christ is in me. God did not just give us gifts – God gave us His very life… so, we can share in His divine life.

 So - Please say with me: “The eternal God lives in me.” (Repeat) It think it will do us good to keep repeating this phrase to ourselves… and to continue to reflect on this reality… It will be great to remind ourselves of this everyday….

 … May be – say the phrase at the beginning of each day… Because this is a life-changing realization, life-changing awareness - if we truly accept it and truly believe it…. “The eternal God lives in me.” The Risen Christ is in me.

 It is an incredible thought, but it is the unmistakable message of Pentecost.

 Gifts come with a mission.

 In the Gospel, Jesus said to his disciples: “Peace be with you” – and as Pope Francis said: “that is not a greeting, not even a simple good wish - it is actually a gift… of true peace and of Mercy…

 Jesus did not blame them for abandoning him but instead - He said “Peace be with you” .... because the apostles needed to hear those words of forgiveness for themselves for their own failures as disciples…. So that – in turn – having experienced the mercy and forgiveness of God - they can announce the Good News of God’s mercy – the Good News of the forgiveness of sins – so that forgiveness will flow through them - to others – to the world.

 “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” – Jesus is telling that same thing to us.

The Spirit of Jesus has been given to us not just for ourselves but for a world that longs for love, that longs for meaning in life.

There are people out there – maybe the people sitting right next to you – in front of you or behind you - starting with our own family members - longing for an experience of God, longing for the Spirit of Jesus. They are seeking people who know God… who know not just about Jesus... but who know Jesus
- and who walk in His way…

There are people and probably you may know some of them - who in the way they live their lives, others can see the fruits of the Holy Spirit… - People see in them: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

People are looking for people who not only know about justice and compassion but they are looking for people who are just and compassionate.

The great work that began on first Pentecost Sunday continues through us. Remember that the Holy Spirit is IN US. He will reveal to us His wisdom to you and me a little bit at a time, allowing us to grow into holiness at just the right pace…uniquely for each one of us.

And so – we pray: “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of us - your faithful - and enkindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth, THROUGH US!!

 AMEN.

(Pentecost Sunday – Cycle B –
May 19, 2024 – Jn 15:26-27; 16:12-15)

Homily for Feast of Hope - Feast of Ascension and Mother’s Day

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus to heaven – Jesus leaves our earthly space to enter the fullness of the glory of God in heaven – taking our humanity with Him. Our humanity enters heaven for the first time.

Jesus – true God is also true man – and with human body is in heaven and we can look to recognize our future before us.

We must continue to believe what is beyond belief, hope in that which is more than we can understand.

The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus is a celebration of the Christian hope, a Feast of Hope… our hope to share in Jesus’ Resurrection

The Blessed Virgin Mary was the first to do so given her sinless state when the Blessed Mother was assumed into heaven body and soul…  that is also what awaits us… to be with Mama Mary in heaven, body and soul.

What Jesus has already accomplished in His Resurrection - is what we look forward to in hope at the end of time.

When Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead, every human body will rise, will endure the final purification and transformation, and will share in the new and resurrected state in which the faithful will be able to stand, body and soul, before the Most Holy Trinity and experience the fullness of the Beatific Vision forever.

If we live in Christ, if we die in Christ – then we will rise in Christ.  Let us continue strive and live our lives with Christ as the center and focus of our lives.

Jesus ascended into heaven. But He did not leave us. Just before the Lord ascended, he promised that he would be with us always until the end of the age… meaning when Jesus ascended to heaven, it does not mean He went up to heaven miles and miles away up there.  Jesus is actually closer to us in more intense presence… more than we can ever imagine.

Like the apostles, we have been commissioned to go out and preach with our lives that Jesus lives… bear witness with our every day life…

… that Jesus is risen indeed and we look forward to share in His resurrection.

After Jesus ascended and sent the Holy Spirit, the small group of disciples proclaimed Jesus Christ to the world. And Christ worked through them. And He worked through their successors. Now, Jesus works through us.

Proclaiming the gospel means far more than teaching articles of faith…

Proclaiming the Gospel means making the presence of Christ a reality in the world.  People do not become Christians through of the words of Christianity. People become Christians through the presence of Jesus Christ in us – working through us  … People experience God’s love, grace and mercy through us.

The Lord our God has given us the Spirit of Christ so that God can be with every believer and every congregation in the world.  We are grateful that Jesus went away – went up to heaven so to speak - so that our faith will grow strong in his service. 

St . Teresa of Avila said it so beautifully:

Christ has NO body now on earth but yours.

Yours are the eyes with which he looks with compassion on this world.

Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world.

Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good.

Meaning – To All Christians, the Baptized, Christ has no physical body now on earth but yours, mine. We are the Body of Christ.

God is calling every single one of us to participate in His saving work and to use the gifts we have been given… in loving service of one another for the love of God who laid down His life for us.  Admittedly, to be a Christian is not easy – not a bed of roses, so to speak … does not exempt us from pains and sufferings… but God promised that He will be us through pains and sufferings.

Jesus said: Pick up your cross daily and follow me.

Romans 8:17 “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Do not be afraid to suffer.

When struggles or pains in life happens, we must see them as a means to a much greater good. Just as the pains of childbirth lead to the gift of a child, so the pains of bringing forth God’s will in our lives will lead to the presence of God Himself.

Patient endurance is a virtue that is especially important. For example, the pain  of overcoming an addiction, or the struggle of praying when we don’t feel like praying, or the struggle of forgiving someone who hurt us are all examples of pain turning into blessings. Joy is found in every difficulty we endure for the Kingdom of God.

Every experience we have unites us with Christ. But the joy is not always our first experience. It is only experienced when we patiently endure the situation we are facing.

Let us see them as a means to a glorious end. Endure the “labor pains”, so to speak, of the purification and mission God is calling us to by looking beyond the difficulties we initially experience so that we will see the end result that awaits us.

Let us pray that we patiently endure the crosses in our life and give us hope to see that from them God will bring forth the good fruit of eternal joy.

Talking about “labor pains” and “pains of child birth” and “making the presence of Christ a reality in the world” - Today, we celebrate Mother’s Day.

There is an old Jewish proverb that goes, “God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.”  Mothers are the embodiment of God’s love. 

A mother’s love is unconditional. Our mothers love us whether we are beautiful or ugly, smart or dull, able-bodied or handicapped; whether a success or a failure in society, whether we are grateful or ungrateful.

All these qualities of a mother’s love are for us a foretaste of God’s tender and untiring love for us. And this is what we are celebrating today.

We are celebrating mothers because through their hands God cares for us when we are in need; through their mouths God speaks to us words of consolation when we are heartbroken; through our mother’s heart God pours out to us his unconditional love that never gives up on us.

Today we acknowledge and appreciate our mothers and we say, “God bless you mothers.”

Of course, we cannot and should not forget spiritual mothers because the fact of life is that there are women who cannot be literally mothers – because of one reason or another… and so we also pray for them because they have been and they are so motherly in their own way.

Happy Mothers’ Day!

God bless…

What is True Love?

Imagine for a moment Jesus is speaking to you. What feelings arise in you as you hear Jesus say, “You are my friend,” and as you hear him say “I love you”? How does that make you feel?

Do you truly believe God loves you?  Until you truly believe that God loves you, the truth is - you cannot truly love others. We can only truly love from our own experience of the love of God.

On the other hand – Do you truly love God? But you see - love of God and love of neighbor are inseparable, they form a single commandment.

“If anyone says, ‘I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (1 Jn 4:20).

- meaning - love of neighbor is a path that leads to the encounter with God, and that closing our eyes to our neighbor also blinds us to God.

Only if we love and serve our neighbor - can our eyes be opened to what God does for us and how much God loves us.

Pope Francis said: “True love is not the love of which soap operas are made of.”

The word “love” has become one of the most frequently used and misused of words and people attach quite different meanings on the word love.

We hear people say they fell out of love. We have to wonder – were they truly in love to start with?  Maybe, they are not willing or ready to make the sacrifice as true love is.

As we heard in the readings today, for St. John - true love is found not in the way humans usually love but in the way God loves.

Jesus is the perfect manifestation or visible expression of God’s love.

God proved his boundless love for us in the fact that God loved us even before we were deserving of God’s love.   (Romans 5:8) – Christ died for us while we were still sinners…. even when we were unlovable - Jesus died for us… as expiation or atonement for our sins.

To truly love is to give ourselves to the one we love, to give ourselves to the people we truly love. Loving means more than being kind, more than being nice, more than being sympathetic or compassionate. True love means giving one’s self. True love is love in which the self is given.

Love is willing or wanting the good of the other… even our enemies.  You want your enemies to convert instead of revenge.

Humans often love because they want to receive something back, even as simple as simply feeling good in the other person’s company.

Often, before humans love they ask themselves, “What is in it for me?” What is in it for me in this relationship?

Human love has limits beyond which it will not go… but the love of God is unconditional – has no boundaries – no limits – is constant and trustworthy

Jesus said: This is my commandment: love one another as I love you… no longer “love one another as you love yourself” because at times we do not even know how to love ourselves… that is why Jesus said: “Love one another as I love you.”

For us to be able to love as Jesus commanded, something must happen to us on the inside... we must have Christ in us.

We must have Christ as the true center of our life… which will utterly transform us because in this loving relationship we have with Christ – the love will flow forth from us affecting every action we do and every relationship we have. With Christ in us - It is now the love of Christ that

loves others; it is now the love of Christ that forgives others.

Only Christ living within us can enable us to live as Christ lived, to love as Christ loved. 

So – the question is – what sense or signs do you have that Christ is truly living in you or present in your life?  Would others know Christ is in you when you meet them - when you deal with others? Are you someone people are comfortable with or at peace when you are around them or are you someone people are irritated or annoyed when you are around?

True love is more than a fleeting emotion.  Jesus did not say, “love each other if you feel like it.”  Love is a matter of the will.  It is not a feeling. It is a choice.  A daily choice. 

Again - Loving our neighbor as Jesus loved us is possible only by the grace of God. With Christ in our lives, if we are in communion with Christ, we can love even the person whom we do not like or even know.

We do not have to life everyone, but we have to love them.

We have been chosen to work for the Kingdom of God. As we heard in the Gospel: “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you to go forth and bear fruit,” We have to realize that - because we have been chosen, we have to have rules for a way of life that is truly Christian.  We have to deny our immature desires for the sake of the infinitely greater good of the Kingdom of God.

This seems to be just a concept – so, to better understand - Some concrete real life stories and examples may help. 

A young boy, fourteen years old, gets his first after school job working in his grandfather’s little store.  After a few months, his grandfather felt confident that the boy could be left to handle the store alone for brief periods of time.  The store was in a quiet neighborhood. But during one of the few times when the boy was alone the store was robbed.  And the boy was shot to death. 

A few days later the robbers were captured.  That was the same day as the boy’s funeral. A news reporter interviewed the grandfather and told him that the police caught the murderers.  Then he asked him if he wanted the men to receive capital punishment – death penalty.  The grandfather looked shocked at the question.  “I cannot wish that,” he said, “I am a Christian, I am not permitted to revenge.”  Christianity imposes limits.

You are aware that Saint Mother Theresa of Calcutta was often asked why she spent so much time and energy helping people who were going to die anyway, and most of them not even Christian.  Her answer was that she had no choice.  She was a Christian, committed to serving Jesus, because Jesus identified with the poorest of the poor.

You may not have heard the story of Princess Alice, the second daughter of Queen Victoria of England.  The princess married and had a child, a baby boy.  When the child was four, he came down with a terrible disease at the time called black diphtheria.  It was highly contagious.  There was no cure and no hope.  The doctors and nurses told the princess that she had to stay away from her son.  Her own health was frail. 

One day as she stood at the door of her little boy’s room, she heard him whispering to a nurse, “Why doesn’t my Mommy hold me and kiss me anymore?”  That was more than Princess Alice could bear.  She then did what any loving mother would do.  She ran to her son’s bed, hugged him and kissed him.  She had no choice.  She had to show her love.  He needed her. Within weeks, she came down with the same illness.  Both mother and son were buried together.

The choice of love demands that we accept limitations on our lives and even pain and suffering in order to love as Jesus loved.  Parents respond to their baby’s cries in the middle of the night.  They have no choice if they really love their child.  But that choice takes sacrifice.  This is the meaning of true love. A teenager listens to a friend’s story who is having difficulties with his family.  The other teen needs an ear that understands.  The first teen would much rather be listening to music, or playing video games, but has no choice but to be present – to listen – to his suffering friend. Christianity demands it. 

A retiree spends a few hours each day with an elderly neighbor.  He would rather be fishing or golfing, but he has no choice but to visit the homebound neighbor. 

An auto mechanic repairman – helped this traveling family whose car was stuck – and it was already after the garage’s hours so the poor folks can get on the road and get their kids to bed.  He would rather be with his own family, but he is a Christian, he has no choice. And on and on… and you probably have your won love stories to share – stories of loving sacrifice. Millions of little routine daily sacrifices make the greatest life there ever was - a reality in our world.

Love, the true love of Jesus, imposes limits on us.  Love is sacrificial.  When we look at the cross, we realize the life that we have been chosen to lead. Jesus said: “Pick up your cross daily and follow me.”  We have been chosen to make Jesus’ life a reality.  He died for others. So, are we willing to die to ourselves for the love of God – to serve our neighbors.

To put it very simply.  If we have been chosen by Christ, and we have, then we have to accept His way of life, the way of limits, the way of sacrificial love.

Amen.

God bless…