The Mother of God

January 1^st is the secular New Year, and yet we celebrate the Blessed Mother, in particular the solemnity of Mary as “Mother of God.”

This idea of Mary as Mother of God begins in Sacred Scripture. When our Blessed Mother visits her cousin Elizabeth we know that a profound mutual sharing in the Gospel took place between them and the children in their wombs leapt for joy. Elizabeth in her joy tells Mary, “And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:43) Lord in this instance is a substitute for Yahweh. The Jewish people would not utter God’s name out of respect, they would substitute Yahweh with Adonai (Lord). In Greek the substitute is Kyrios (Lord). When “L” for Lord is capitalized (in Scripture) that signifies that it is being used as a substitute for God and not for a king or some noble, when it is used for a king or some important person it is then used with the lower case “l.” The biblical foundation showing that Mary is God's mother is set; however there is more that helps us understand this truth.

Calling Mary the Mother of God also protects Jesus’ divinity. We believe that Jesus from the moment of his conception was and always is fully divine and fully human. His two natures were always intact and worked harmoniously. Therefore, since Jesus is always Divine, even while in the womb, Mary must be God’s mother, if she is not, then logically Jesus could not be Divine, how can we separate Jesus’ divinity, whether in Mary's womb or after birth? We cannot, at least without doing damage to the person of Christ. The Council of Ephesus understood this and therefore declared Mary, "Theotokos" the God bearer. However, this debate about Mary would be taken up again at Chaldecon in 451 when Pope Leo I helped define the two natures of Christ.

A better way to explain this is through a logical argument, one given by St. Leo the Great I believe. For example,

All A’s are B’s.

All B’s are C’s.

Hence all A’s are C’s.

This is logic 101. Let us replace the letters with Jesus, Mary, and God.

Mary (A) is the Mother of Jesus (B)

Jesus (B) is God the Son (C)

Hence Mary (A) is the Mother of God's Son (C)

We must remember, however, that Mary is not God’s mother in terms of her being before God or giving birth to the Trinity, she is not God. There is a concept called the internal Trinity and the external Trinity, that which we see is the external Trinity, i.e. Jesus in the flesh and that which we do not see, the hidden God so-to-speak. There is more to it than that, but for our purposes it suffices to say that Mary is the Mother of God in terms of what we see, the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God.

The Church defends Mary as Mother of God because in doing so we are really defending and clarifying who Christ is.

Beyond just the theological understanding is that Mary shares her motherhood with the Church and all of humanity. Jesus gives her to be a mother to us. It is in her life that we find motherhood and faith that knows no equals, a faith that serves as an example to the Church. As a mother she always looked to taking care of her family, as a person of faith she always sought to do the will of God, always saying yes to what God asked of her.

She was asked to be the mother of God not because it was by chance, rather she was asked because of who she was, the perfect example of faith, the new Eve, or what Eve should have been, Immaculate.

We can take courage and comfort because Mary now looks after us just as she looked after her own family, always looking to our good and happiness. Let us make sure then that just like Elizabeth we recognize her and when we ask, “why should this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should visit me,” we will know the answer instinctively, because to be persons of faith it is none other than experiencing a mutual sharing in the Gospel. And that is what we are doing today with the Mother of God.

Fr John

Christmas: In those Eyes

When I was a young boy I would love going to the movies with my dad and we went often. Back in those days the prices for a movie, a matinee for a child was $1.00 and $1.50 for an adult, what happened? Anyway, my dad loved the Italian directors, Franco Zeffirelli, Sergeo Leone, and others, and about half of the movies we saw were in Italian. I loved the Spaghetti Westerns with Clint Eastwood, at this time they were re-showings as they had been released back in the sixties.

I remember the movie “Jesus of Nazareth” when it premiered on TV back in 1977 and my dad’s excitement to see it. He was excited because it was a religious movie which had an unbelievable cast, Michael York, Anne Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine, James Earl Jones, Donald Pleasance, Laurence Olivier, and most of all it was a Zeffirelli film.

Watching that move actually mesmerized me and froze me right in my tracks. I was only eight but I remember being pulled right into the story, I felt as if Jesus were speaking to me, amazing indeed.

Many, if not all of us have seen this film at one time or another. There are many moving scenes throughout. As I reflect on Christmas there is one scene in particular that stands out to me. It’s not when Jesus was born, which would be the fitting scene to incorporate in today’s reflection, rather it was a scene were some Jewish men were crying out to God for relief.

The scene takes place when Jesus was 12 years old and had just been through his bar mitzvah and celebrating it in the local synagogue. Some Roman soldiers had come into Nazareth to commandeer food supplies and resources from the people. In the scene you can see the anguish on the Jewish people as they lived in fear of the Romans who had oppressed them. As the soldiers leave one Jewish man falls to his knees and begins to cry out, “How long O’ Lord until you help us, how long O’ Lord?” Another man says, “The Lord has abandoned us.” Then in the corner the young Jesus looks at the man crying out and it is in that look that says everything to us. I will never forget it, the look was one of compassion and a deep longing to reach out and help. When you watch it - it stirs up tremendous emotion as every fiber of our own being desires to reach out to the oppressed and help them. In Jesus’ eyes you can see love and you can see that He knows it will be Him that saves the people, not from political oppression, but from the oppression of sin, for the Israelite first, who are the apple of his eye, and even for the Roman – the Gentile.

Jesus desired to help, to renew that which was flawed. God comes and breaks into human history, not as someone who comes in pomp and circumstance, but in the quiet, and in humility, and most importantly as one of us. He knows our joys, because he himself experienced them, in his own celebrations of his faith, his family, with his friends. He also knows our sorrows as he himself experienced death, that of Joseph, Lazarus, and his own suffering.

We can take great assurance in the fact that we are never alone, even when we do face difficulty; it is Jesus who looks at us with those eyes, the eyes of eternal love. When we celebrate life, at baptisms, weddings, ordinations, family reunions, parties, life’s accomplishments, it is Jesus who is there right next to us celebrating and joining in with the singing and even in the dancing, the dance of life.

Christ comes into the world to be in relationship with us, to know us face to face, to walk with us side by side. There is no greater gift than for God to not only desire that but to actually do it, and then to leave us with the greatest example of love, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Just awesome!

We honor that gift of God’s life breaking into human history with sharing with one another, the exchange of gifts; we also decorate, put up lights, put up Christmas trees, and everything else that goes with Christmas. It is the biggest birthday party for anyone person in the history of the world. Every light, every tree, and every carol we sing, they are all candles on a birthday cake and the candles are for Jesus, not for his age, but in honor for his love. Therefore, there can never be enough trees, lights, and decorations. The more the better!

I ask that you remember tonight or tomorrow when you open your gifts with one another to not forget that there is another in your midst taking pleasure and joy in your sharing and he desires nothing more than your happiness, it’s hard to miss him, because when you look into those eyes, you see love, you see sacrifice, and most of all you know you see the Christ – the one who is to come, Immanuel!

Fr. John

4th Sunday of Advent

The promise that God originally uttered in the Garden of Eden to Adam and Eve, “You will strike at his heel, while he strikes at your head,” is ready to begin, to take flesh, and be accomplished. This was accomplished in its essence by God alone, but he asked others to partake in Jesus’ journey, and one such person who partook more than rest was Mary, his mother.

In the first reading from Isaiah and then again in St. Matthew, “they shall name him Emmanuel . . .God is with us” is to be understood not symbolically or figuratively, but literally. Jesus is God! And he will come to us in the flesh, his flesh is from Mary, therefore he is also fully human. He comes to do what we cannot because of our weakness. He will come to repair what we damaged.

The beautiful part of Jesus’ mission is that he does not go it alone. Rather he surrounds himself with community, i.e. 12 apostles, and many other disciples. Jesus is mission on earth, to bring Good News and grace is a mission he allows others to share in.

And there is one person in particular that he allows to share in it more than the rest and that is our Blessed Mother, as I have already mentioned. There would be no Emmanuel without the Virgin’s consent. Just as there was a man and a woman in the Garden that said yes to sin under the tree, so too would there be a man and a woman consenting to grace under the tree when it came to restoring what was broken. Jesus is the one mediator and everything flows from his sacrifice, but nevertheless he allows us to all share in it, and we can see that the Blessed Mother does so in a very profound way.

She is there to say “yes” to Gabriel when asked if she would take on this responsibility to raise the Son of God, she was there in Bethlehem (BREAD) by the manger (ALTAR) when she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, she was there when he was presented in the temple (and a sword began to pierce her heart), she was there at the Wedding Feast of Cana (interceding for us), and finally she was under the tree watching her son give his life for all.

We cannot praise this woman enough for her sacrifices, her faith, and even her love of us. Let us not forget the role the Immaculate Virgin plays during our Advent journey and most of all Christmas day. We journey ourselves to Bethlehem so that we will see Christ lying in the manger, it was Mary who made that journey first so that we too could make it now. In this last week of preparing for the Lord of our own going up to Bethlehem we need to make that journey along with our Blessed Mother, to leave her out of the preparation is to leave out a necessary part that God himself choose for us, and that is Mary’s motherhood of all the faithful. She is there with us, the way we recognize her is to ponder her own life in our hearts. People will do so by praying the rosary, novenas, or some other type of devotion. It should not be considered outdated or something pre-Vatican II, to pray rosaries, novenas, or other types of devotions to our Blessed Lady, since Vatican II itself called Mary, “Mediatrix, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Advocate.” (C.f. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, nn61-62).

We cannot be a community without her, it’s impossible; she is part of the prophecy in Genesis 3:15 which comes to fulfillment once she says “yes” to the angel Gabriel. And from there she is part of every major community movement in the Church, especially during the end of Jesus’ life and the beginning of the Church. We are not isolated from those who have gone before us, they are with us through grace and Mary continues to help us during our journey, she helped her own son, why would she not help us? And finally, Christ never stops giving us gifts, and besides salvation itself he gave us the most precious thing in his life, his own mother from the foot of his cross. “Son, behold your mother, Woman, behold your son.” By Fr. John Picinic

Liturgy of the Hours

Liturgy of the Hours

VESPERS Evening Prayer

St. Joseph's Church

Friday, December 17th @ 7:00pm

Please come out and join us in keeping the day holy. A most excellent prayer especially for reflection as we continue our journey through Advent to Christmas.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

3rd Sunday of Advent

In today’s Gospel it is not just John the Baptist who asks, “Are you the one who is to come or should we wait for another?” It is all of us who have asked that question of Jesus, “Are you really the One?” We ask that question because we want assurance that what we believe in is true and good, but we also ask because of weakness. Jesus, however, is very patience with us in our hardness of heart, in our weakness, and even in our sinfulness. He responds to us the same way he responded to John the Baptist, “the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, etc.” If you notice the response is not an argument on theology, philosophy, or culture, but rather it is based on the greatest of theological virtues, it is based on love.

As we journey through Advent we are invited to live like John the Baptist, to be heralds of the Good News, and to be like Jesus in our bringing the free gifts of healing to others.

Many times people will come to me and express concern that their children or some other close relation no longer attends Church and they want to know what they need to do bring them back. The people who have “left” the Church or have put Church practice on the back burner usually do so because they too have asked the question, “Are you the one who is to come or do we wait for another.” The problem was, is that the question was not sufficiently answered. One may be thinking at this point, “I am not responsible for someone else’s decision to stop practicing that is on them alone.” Someone else asked that question a long time ago as well, he said, “Lord, am I my brother’s keeper?” You bet we are.

The most important part to a person’s ontological question is their inner search and longing for the Christ. The question is answered by our actions first. Words are important, but not as much as actions. The old saying, “Actions speak louder than words” is still true and most effective.

The people who brought me the Gospel, parents, friends, confreres, helped me to see it and live it by what I saw in them, their untiring and joyous disposition of faith and charity practiced on a daily basis.

Even a person like St. Augustine who craved intellectual proofs was in the end persuaded by the actions and life of his mother, St. Monica and by St. Ambrose who so eloquently and courageously defended the faith against those who were trying to destroy it.

Before any discussion on theology can take place there has to be in us a courageous and lively faith, one that can be clearly seen and understood, in order that our lives will be the seed, the water, and the sun for the conversion of others, as St. Paul puts so beautifully wrote way back when in his 1st letter to the Corinthians, and God will provide the growth.

What is also required is patience, for many times conversion or a return to the Church takes time, God forces no one and the process is a journey. The second reading from James instructs us to be patient in all things especially with one another.

In this third week of advent we continue our wait for the Lord, we also continue to wait on others to return home and join us. Some will return on Christmas many who have not been to Church in a while; we need to show them that they belong. It will not happen by a theological treatise we give on the Eucharist, the Blessed Mother, sin, etc., but rather it will happen by what they see. If they see the lame get up and walk, the blind given their sight, the dead raised to new life, then they will return. Bring Christ to everyone in your very persons.

Fr. John

2nd Sunday of Advent

Today we begin the 2^nd week of Advent. We hear in the Gospel of Matthew that John the Baptist preaches, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” This second week is also dedicated to, “preparing ourselves to meet Jesus.”

We wait for Jesus to be born on Christmas, the day he enters into human history. We also await his glorious second coming which will usher in that new kingdom, one where there is no more pain or sorrow, but perfect happiness in God and in one another.

Yet, we still journey here and our preparation continues. The question that often comes up is, “How do I prepare?”

Well, we know how we prepare for the holidays. We save money so that we can go out and buy gifts for the one’s we love. This takes a lot of work, literally, by actually making an income and saving it prudently, and also by going out and shopping for gifts. That can drive a person mad. Then there is the preparation to prepare, for instance, “when will I go shopping, where will I go, and how long do I want to invest in that, etc.”

The Christian life should be no different. We need to put in time; we need to “save,” so that we will find the best gifts, the best discounts, etc. The principles are the same, what you put in is what you will get out. “Some seed produced 30, 60, or 100 fold.”

But getting back to the question of how we should prepare, the first and most important thing in any Christian life is “Truth.” Truth about self. Part of being in relationship with God, part of preparing to receive Him is that we look into ourselves first and be honest with ourselves.

This is very hard, because sometimes the Truth hurts. No one likes to look inside and see darkness of sin, weakness, foibles, addictions, and the whole gamut of vice.

John the Baptist yells out loud if not screams at us to, “Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.” Before we can produce good fruit we need to repent and repentance means looking deep within and dealing with what’s there. The problem is that with sin it sometimes becomes so engrained in us we think we are doing nothing wrong. But deep down inside we know there is a problem, but we build walls around it and we come up with all kinds of reasons to justify behavior even destructive behavior. All sin is addictive, or at least has the potential to become so.

Sinful behavior is not easy to deal with, for it demands honesty and then demands something even further, “Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.”

Am I preaching to the choir? We already come to Church, we haven’t done anything that bad, please father don’t talk about sins, cheer us up. I will, but before that we need to acknowledge something, and that something is that yes we are the choir, because we are all sinners. We are not all in the same place, but we all are looking for healing.

Advent you see is not simply the nice trees, and believe-you me, I love the decorations, the caroling, the food, the presents, but it is also more than that, it is a time of coming clean. Why wouldn’t we want to be made clean by the Lord? Again, I know it’s very hard, but the Lord desires it for us. We will only be as sick as our secrets.

Part of the preparation for Catholics is the sacrament of reconciliation. It is a place to be made clean. Once a person decides not to go to confession, that is already an admission of guilt, one in which the person deceives themselves in thinking they are not a sinner.

John the Baptist was accepted by some and rejected by others. Those who rejected him refused to look inside and deal with the darkness, and there they remained. There were others who accepted what he said and made it a reality in their lives, they decided to be washed that day but too also continue washing themselves in God’s love, and that takes hard work, first and foremost it requires Truth, and it requires it always, anything else is a lie and from the father of lies.

John the Baptist is speaking, yelling out to us, he is coming out from the desert and hollering, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand . . . Prepare the way of the Lord . . . (and) produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.” John is standing waiting for us by the water. Let us go to meet him, for we are children of Truth, we are Christians.

Fr. John

VESPERS - Liturgy of the Hours

Vespers - Evening Prayer

Liturgy of the Hours

Please come and join us for the next three Friday's of Advent for Evening Prayer taken from the Liturgy of the Hours.

Schedule:

Friday Dec. 3rd at 7:30pm in the Little Church at Mullica Hill

Friday Dec. 10th at 7:30pm in the Little Church at Woodstown

Friday Dec. 17th at 7:30pm in the Little Church in Woodstown

The Liturgy of the Hours is the 2nd highest and public form of prayer next to the Mass. It is a prayer that dates back (at least in it's fundamental form) back to Christ and the Apostles, and even before them as the day was held holy by our Jewish brothers and sisters in their visiting the temple to pray at various times throughout the day.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Photo taken by me in Aug. of 2005 of "St. Paul's Outside the Walls"

1st Sunday of Advent: Be Prepared!

Today begins the New Year in the Church. Today we begin our eager and joyful waiting on the birth of the Lord. It is a time of watchful waiting. It is also and more importantly a time of preparation to receive the Lord. Jesus instructs us in today’s reading from the Gospel of Matthew, “To be prepared.”

In life we prepare for many things. Think of the student who prepares for his or her lessons. All of us were students once, at different levels, some present here today are currently students. Being a student is not always easy, but the formula for success is not hard. One word sums up being a student, “Study!” I understand that there are an exceptional few for whom school comes quite easily and not much effort is expended, but for most- the average person, we need to work hard at doing well. So, if I study for 30 minutes before I enter a final exam, the outcome will probably not be good. If, however, I do my assignments, take good notes, and study well the odds of a good and or excellent outcome increase.

Another such example of someone preparing well is the athlete. Again, a very select few are given tremendous gifts and will be successful with very little preparation, but for the most part the typical athlete must put in many hours of practice, watching game film, working on fundamentals, off season conditioning, and all the rest to stay at the top of their game and be successful, if not they will soon begin to drop off.

And it’s not just the student or athlete but this applies to a worker, regardless if you are an employee or if you own the company. The worker who is well prepared is usually also a worker who is diligent, efficient, loves his or her job, and it shows really quick. For the most part they are the ones who advance, while the one’s who complain are usually not well prepared, have not been efficient, and who come to work not for the success of the company but for their own success. There is no magic or difficult formula for success; rather it is simple, “be prepared.” That phrase will usually encompass the rest of what it takes to do well and be found ready to perform and to advance.

If we do all of these things for our earthly welfare, how much more so for our heavenly welfare. If we put so much time and effort in being the “a” student, or the “blue chip” athlete, or even the “exceptional employee,” what are we doing to become a “Saint?”

Our employer is God and His reward to us in being found prepared makes all the earthly rewards combined look like nothing more than dried up leaves flying across the street. God gives us work, school, and any other activity for our enjoyment, and He desires that we do all things well, but to never forget perspective. And the proper perspective here is that God is #1.

Today is our New Year and a great time to make that new resolution to make God #1 in our lives and in waiting for Him to be born not just on Dec. 25^th but every day. When we begin to skip days we miss another opportunity to study, to practice, or to complete our work assignments. When those days begin to pile up, it is then we get that “D” or “F” on the exam, or fumble the football on a crucial play or forget the play that was called, or even find ourselves looking for new employment. This kind of thing sneaks up on us. Yet, the Lord understands our weakness and that is why He gives us opportunity after opportunity to start again, “to become better prepared.” Our opportunity is now, this first day of our New Year. Together let us take it, so that when the Lord arrives He will say to us, “Enter into the eternal banquet, my good and faithful servant!” It is then that we will truly receive the greatest grade, perform the best play ever, and receive the greatest promotion!

Fr. John

Christ the King

This Sunday the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Christ the King. It is an important feast for many reasons two of the most important is that it reaffirms the person of Christ as a Divine person and that the season of waiting will soon be upon us - Advent.

The Gospel text that is used is Luke 23:35-43. This is the passage which contains the famous "INRI" that was in-scripted over the head of Jesus by the Romans. Did we ever wonder what that inscription meant? We basically know it as "Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews." One must remember the Romans had no ulterior motive about Jesus, they put Him to death because of political unrest, the sentence being treason. The Romans could care less whether Jesus called Himself God's Son or made Himself out to be God. However, the inscription INRI means much much more than what is presented in the Roman initials. The Jewish people would have cringed to see it, especially those who plotted Jesus' death.

In Hebrew Jesus the Nazarene (or of Nazareth) King of the Jews would have been Jeshua Hanozri Wumelech Haiehudim. The abbreviated or initialed form would have been JHWH. It could not be clearer, that even while dying Jesus was still revealing Himself to the world as "YHWH," God incarnate. That is why the Jews asked that the sign be taken down, but the Romans refused because they didn't see the Hebrew meaning.

First off, what are the odds that Jesus' name, place of birth, place and time of death, and by the Romans would lead to that inscription being placed at the head of the Cross and that it would read the sacred name of God, "JHWH?" They would be astronomical.

Jesus is truly King of kings. That title may have been used by others, but their message was one of power and control while Jesus' message was about love, forgiveness, and to become more like God.

When we look at the Cross what do we see? Do we see our savior God? Do we see ourselves up on that Cross with Him? When we were baptized that inscription was engraved into us, for we share Jesus' life so intimately we become images of Him. We are not God, but we are like Him, for the very reason that Jesus lives in us through the sacraments. Everything that was His is given to us. If so, let us truly live that inscription so just like the good thief, Jesus will also promise us that kingdom and say to us, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

Fr. John Picinic

The Second Coming

I. Did you ever wait for something, such as

a) To drive (get your license)

b) To graduate high school and college

c) To begin dating, getting engaged, wedding day

d) New job, new car, new house

All of us wait for these moments, things, and persons in our lives. All of them good, but yet there is even something better that we should be waiting for and waiting for it with more expectation and desire, that is the Lord’s return, what we mistakenly sometimes call the end of the world. It seems odd to want something like the end of the world to happen, but it is exactly what the Lord wants us to do.

Since prophecy began we (human beings) have looked to the heavens for the apocalypse, Armageddon, the return of Christ, or the mistaken notion of “the end of the world.” Yet, our worldly desires for the most part prevail and we do not dwell on the Lord’s return, all the things I mentioned before distract us.

Before anything else this notion of the end of the world does not exist in Scripture, when the prophets, apostles, and Jesus speak of the second coming they are referring to a renewal, a major shift, a returning back to what the universe was like before the fall of man, a place of grace without sin, a new heavens and a new earth. One of our major prayers reminds us of this, “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world without end. Amen”

Even though we get caught up in our lives, our interest and curiosity will flare up from time to time regarding the return of Christ. Prophecy and end of the world scenarios have always peeked human interest. Through the 1950’s and up until the late 1980’s we lived through the cold war with Russia. If you remember there was always the threat of nuclear war. Movies, books, media took advantage of it and further fueled the threat of Armageddon. Some religions, such as Jehovah Witnesses predicted the end of the world in 1974, even Christians did such, ones who were prominent radio and television evangelists. It seems that this interest-curiosity has not subsided; we now have the Mayan prophecies regarding 2012 and a major shift in world events. Basically there is a part of us that wants to know, when will Jesus return?

Today’s Gospel from St. Luke affirms our desire to know, especially since the Apostles themselves asked, “Teacher, when will this happen?” Jesus, both in this Gospel and elsewhere makes it clear, “No one knows the day or the hour.” But that should not lead us to shy away from looking forward to Jesus’ return. Jesus tells us not to be afraid but rather, “When these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand." Lk. 21:28

And St. Peter affirms that we should look forward to the Lord’s return, look at how many times he repeats that notion in his second letter, “You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.” 2 Pt. 3:9-15

As Catholics we lean too much towards Jesus speaking symbolically regarding his second coming, we take the passage of, “no one knows the day or hour” too far. Sometimes we are the opposite extreme of fundamentalists who predict dates for the Lord’s return. What we wind up doing is saying things such as, “Jesus’ return means our own death or that these passages mean that we must change.” Both sentiments are true, but Jesus could not be clearer and he repeated himself often regarding a second coming. It will happen! And we will have around about idea when it gets close. Jesus would not leave us in the dark wandering around. It is true we will not know the precise day or hour, but we will be able to feel it and know that it is close. Jesus reminds us that we can read the weather and discern its outcome or what to expect, if we can read earthly signs, then those of us who are God’s children will surely be able to read the signs of our Lord’s return.

The two most important things for us who are awaiting Jesus’ second coming is that we take what St. Peter teaches us very seriously and that is to live holy and upright lives, if we do not we will not only be able to discern the Lord’s return but we will not even be able to recognize him now.

The second thing is, that we must be ready to let go of everything here on this earth, even our very lives and turn them over to God, because if we do Jesus promises us a crown of righteousness. This promise is true and written by St. Paul who was inspired by God. I will leave you with the words of St. Paul.

“From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance. 2 Tim 4:8

Fr. John Picinic

Vacation

My dear friends, I am away until Nov. 12th, will begin posting again on Nov. 13th. If you, however, have a reflection or any questions please send them, thanks...Fr. John

All Saints - An Apologetical Lesson

This coming Monday Catholics celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints. There are other Christians who have devotions to the Saints, such as Eastern Christians, High church Anglicans, etc. And then there are some who do not, i.e. bible evangelicals and fundamentalists. They believe that any devotion to a saint (deceased person) is in direct violation of Sacred Scripture. They believe this for a number of reasons the three most important being One) There is only one mediator between God and man, and that is the man Christ Jesus ( c.f. 1 Tim 2:5). Two) You shall make no image of anything on the earth or the under the earth and worship it, c.f. Ex. 20:4-5, Lev. 26:1.) And three) Once a person is dead there can be no more communication with that person, "anyone who consults with the dead is detestable to the Lord," c.f. Deut. 18:11.

Is the Catholic Church in error then for having devotions to the saints? The answer is a clear no, rather the Church is exercising what is sound, good, and right in the matter of devotion to the saints. Lets look at each of these arguments and see whether they carry any weight.

It is true, there is only one mediator between God and man and that is the man Christ Jesus. The Catholic Church upholds this and would correct anyone who did not believe it. It is Christ who achieved salvation, it is Christ who grants it, and it is Christ who presents us to the Father. And yet, Christ does not work in isolation from others, He Himself was a community man. He gathered twelve apostles and many others to carry out His mission. Christ Himself by nature, in His divinity is a community of persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. St. Paul also calls us co-workers in the mission of Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 3:9). What is the mission of Christ? That each and every person come to repentance and be saved (c.f. John 3:16, 2 Pet. 3:9). Any mediation that is shared by St. Paul, for example while he was alive does not take away from Jesus' mediation. St. Paul's intercession on our behalf is a part of Christs' mediation between God and man, for without Christ St. Paul would have no mediation for anyone, again, his only exists because of Christs'.

No fundamentalist would argue that St. Paul could not pray for him or her while Paul himself was alive. If, however, I pushed the fundamentalist in his own argument of 1 Tim 2:5 and taking it literally, then he must agree that no one can pray for anyone since there is only one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, and that includes even mediation done while people are still alive. Therefore, you cannot ask me to pray for you because I would be violating Scripture. You can see how the argument unravels and falls apart when using common sense. The argument, however, is not that I can pray or not pray for you now while I am alive, but rather once I am dead then it must stop. We will pick this up when getting to argument #3.

The second argument rests with not worshipping or making idols or images. This commandment is from God and is eternal. If a Catholic worships anything or anyone beside God Himself they are in grave sin, they are idolatrous. We DO NOT worship Mary or any saint, but we do give them honor and ask them to pray for us. The language that we use can confuse other Christians because Catholics will often say, "I pray to Mary." The Catholic is using a faulty term, even though for the most part they understand it as different than praying to Jesus. When we say we pray to Mary what we mean is that we are asking them to pray for us like I would ask you to pray for me. Statues, icons, and images are only rememberances and aids to prayer. No fundamentalist would throw away their photos of a loved one, but if I pressed them that God says, "No images," even the ones in your wallet, they would look at me as if I were crazy if not mean spirited. Again the argument is misplaced because of misconception. We do not pray to anyone besides God and we do not worship anyone besides God, but, we do remain connected on the deepest levels with those who have gone before us. An image is a neutral thing, it is non-living matter, the commandment of God is not broken by the image alone, but in how I understand the image. I wonder how many fundamentalists have the image of a cross in their church?

This takes us to the final argument. Can we ask those who have passed away to pray for us? The answer is not only "yes" but we should, since the church militant (those saints on earth - us - believers) pray for each other, so too the Church triumphant (those saints who are already in heaven). Why would those who have died cease their prayers for us? Is it that they are more restricted in heaven then when they were on earth? That would make no sense. Also, the Scripture reaffirms that the saints in heaven pray for their brothers and sisters who are on earth still journeying towards heaven, "He came and received the scroll from the right hand of the one who sat on the throne. When he took it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones." Rev. 5:7-8. Those in heaven have no need to pray for themselves, they pray for us. The elders (the saints in heaven) present God with the prayers of those who are still on earth. The context of this passage is affirmed in Rev. 6 where God asks the saints in heaven to wait a little longer for the rest of their brothers and sisters to give witness to the faith.

As Catholics we do not seek conversation in terms of having a medium, soothsayer, or oracle who speaks to the dead that would be sinful and a breaking of the Divine law. We DO NOT speak to dead people, we ask their intercession, which is much different than consulting the dead as we have seen on recent tv shows, literature, and psychic shops. Any dabbeling in numerology, astrology, wicca, etc. are mediums that can open one up to all kinds of evil, the first being a total disregard for the work that the Holy Spirit should be doing in us, i.e. revealing God's Truth to us in our lives. Prayers to the Saints are no different than me asking you to pray for me, the only difference is that they are in heaven.

The beauty of the Saints is that as Catholics we never forget the familial nature of the Church. We are never cut off from one another, in God we remain on the same vine and branches as those who have gone before us, it is the same Church we belong to - the Kingdom of God. None of which could be without Jesus the one mediator holding it all together. None of our prayers would have meaning without Jesus. So, there is only one mediator between God and man, that is Christ, but in His goodness He allows us all to share in it and today we honor those who have done so faithfully, our brothers and sisters - the Saints. Happy Feast Day to all!

Fr. John

picture taken from therosarium.com

Justice and Suffering

Often times people will ask, "Is God a just God?" And from that question a few more naturally arise. For instance, "Why do bad things happen to good people and why do bad people get away with so much?" Sometimes these questions go even deeper and more personal. "Why did my parent, spouse, sibling get cancer and suffer so much, how could God allow that?"

Boy, did I just open myself up to writing not just a reflection but a book or volumes of books on the questions of suffering, I guess I am a glutton for punishment. Yet, they are questions we have all asked ourselves to some degree throughout our lives. Sometimes people will answer piously, i.e., Jesus is with you, or sometimes people will just listen, shake their heads in acknowledgement, because we have been trained as good pastoral ministers to be "good listeners," or we will say very abstract and feel good things like, "I am journeying with you," or "I am here for you." All of those things, the pious, the nonverbal acknowledgements, and the feel good statements are helpful and even appropriate, they are part of the Gospel in and that we assist our neighbor.

The problem is not so much how we minister, but a person's understanding of God in His justice and how He is in relationship with us, not just when we or someone becomes gravely ill, but our relationship with Christ - all the time.

Allow me to explain, the questions we ask of "why do bad things happen or why God allows them" is basically a question that is rooted in my human wants, i.e. I want to live longer or why does my close relative have to die and die this way? In some ways being "rooted" in the earthly cannot be helped, even Jesus Himself looked not to suffer when He asked His Father to take this cup of suffering away from Him if it was His will. And yet, God allows it. What good is there in a man being tortured, humiliated, defamed, and executed? In the earthly sense, there is no good, but in a wider sense of the spiritual, it was the greatest good. By that sacrifice we are all given new life.

As human beings we tend to forget that heaven is better than here. We tend to forget that no one wants to come back after they are gone. It maybe that God does not allow others to come back once they are gone, but nevertheless no one returns. St. Paul himself said, "I'd rather be with the Lord." Why does he say such a thing? Because he realizes that ultimate human fulfillment and happiness can only be with God, to see and experience Him in the beatific vision.

Mostly everyone will agree, that being with the Lord is the greatest, the problems or questions that come are, "why does it have to be so hard to get there?" People suffer in life, not just when they are in the process of dying. Here there is no easy answer to why does it have to be so hard.

One part of the answer to the question is because we love so fiercely. We love our families and friends, we also love life. Jesus gave us the instinct to survive so that we would not lay down and die before our time. He gives us the grace to love others so that we will be for others more than ourselves. All of this comes with a price, because when they suffer, we suffer. Yes God could have made it easier, but then there would be no love and I wouldn't think twice of someone else or myself. That type of existence is lower than animals.

I also believe and believe strongly that nothing is in vain, there is a purpose for everything under heaven, even when someone suffers what we consider to be be unjust suffering. Sometimes we do not understand the why, and sometimes the answers are long in coming, but everyone's suffering is redemptive in value, both to the person suffering and those who suffer with them. St. Paul said, "I have been crucified with Christ . . . I make up what is lacking in Christ's sacrifice." We are joined to the Cross with Christ, on that Cross it is hard and even unbearable, but He did not suffer alone, we were there, and when we are put on our Cross we are not alone, Jesus goes up with us. The Cross does not last forever, when we breathe our last, then the stone rolls away and we enter into Light, again not alone, but with the man who was on the Cross with us.

Never an easy answer to suffering, but one thing I know for sure, we are NEVER alone, we have our families and friends, and most of all God guiding and supporting us through the last sacrament, death itself. Baptism really come full circle!

Father John Picinic

Picture from the "Passion of the Christ"

Perseverance in Prayer

I want to share a story with you from my early childhood, one that will shed some modern day light on today’s Gospel from St. Luke about being persistent in prayer.

Many times when we go shopping at various stores, outlets, and malls we can’t help but to notice that young children will nag at their parents to get them what they like. Children will remain persistent until either two things happen, 1) they get what want or 2) they get a reprimand or scolding.

Like me all of you may have had this experience when you were young and many of you have also experienced it as parents. I remember one such event that stands out in my own life. It was a trip to Toy’s R Us. I don’t remember exactly what for, but once I knew I was going along it was like I died and went to heaven.

I was about 9 or 10 ten years old at the time and I wanted a better bike, I had a long seat Schwinn or Huffy and it was time for a nice motor cross chrome molly mongoose with alloy spikes, forks, and the whole nine. You can tell I was into bikes. Well, we got to the store and I couldn’t sit still. It seemed like forever by the time we got to the bikes. That is when I began my little spiel for the bike. My mother was not ready to go there and she said, “Not now, maybe for your birthday.” “But ma,” I said, “All the kids have better bikes, mine is old and I like this bike.” “Not now,” she said. Not good enough for me, I wanted that bike so I started to lay the old fashioned kid’s guilt trip on the parents trick, for instance, “My friend's parents get them bikes, why don’t you get me one?, etc. etc.”

At this point I will either get the bike or get a scolding and sharp reprimand. Well it was the sharp reprimand, but the seed of guilt worked. I did not get the bike that day. And for a kid everything rests in the moment, no bike equaled an eternity of misery. But I did get the bike, a couple of weeks later. My mom went to get it and surprised me. Boy was I a happy camper. I loved the bike and rode it everywhere and showed it off to everyone.

Well, not two weeks into having the bike I rode it to the local hangout, a deli-arcade to meet up with some friends. I left the bike unattended for just a few moments and that’s all it took for someone to get on it and steal it. You can imagine what I felt like when I came out of the arcade. I was devastated. My mom called the cops and they kept an out for my bike, but never found it. I was miserable, because now I had no bike; we gave away or threw out the old one.

I remember praying that God help me find the bike because I wanted nothing more than that bike. I prayed and I prayed, day and night, the same way I nagged at my mother, I now nagged at God. About two weeks went by and still no bike, no answer to my prayers. I remember going to the park one day and still being sad. There was camp going on and some kids were playing basketball, a sport I really had no interest in, never even really shot a basketball before then, just baseball up until then. So, I went and checked out a basketball from the camp house and went to shoot around to kill some time. As I began to shoot around I began to be more enthralled with the ball and the rim. I wound up staying for a couple of hours shooting from all directions trying to figure out the best way for the ball to go in the hoop.

After that day I began to play more and more and became obsessed a little with the game spending hours every day practicing and playing. I forgot all about the bike and many years later I realized that my persistence in prayer was answered by God, maybe not exactly as I wished, but in a way that was better for me than having a bike.

Basketball did wonders for me, it taught me discipline, character, team work. It brought me to teaching, coaching, and touching many young people’s lives through a simple kid’s game. Prayers are answered, we just have to listen and we also have to remain persistent in our asking.

There are two lessons to my story and the Gospel, they are the same. One) we must have total reliance on God. Both the widow and I could not procure what we wanted on our own, I needed my mother to get the bike and the widow needed the judge to deliver a decision regarding her case. The same goes for our needs in life, we need God totally and in every way. Once we think we can begin to store up things on our own is when life comes crashing down on us. Two) we must never give up asking for what we need, though we must be open to a different answer. In my case the bike was not as important as basketball and even though I prayed hard for the bike, God answered differently.

God will answer us when we ask questions of Him. He will answer, but we need the faith and an open heart to say yes to the answer he gives. God answered the widow with a just decision, he answered a little boy with a basketball, and I know He also answers your prayers, how do I know this, well very simply, you are here and you are praying right now. God bless you.

Fr. John Picinic

Every Sunday

Reflection for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

All ten lepers were healed, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him may not perish, but may have eternal life,” (Jn 3:16) but not all ten returned, “Some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep. And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and it produced no grain. And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold." He added, "Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear." (Mk 4:4-9)

Every human being is loved by God and Jesus went to the Cross for the whole world, and yet some stray. Some do not come back to offer praise. All of us have strayed in life and it is God’s grace that finally breaks through if we so want it to. The story of the ten lepers can be paralleled with Church attendance. I know for many I will be preaching to the choir, but I still think it necessary and good to remind all that we should strive to be that one leper who returned and not only returned once, but all the time.

The story of the seed is much like attending mass. Some come all the time, “they produce a hundred fold,” others come often, “producing thirty and sixty fold,” others come much less often and get caught up in the world, i.e. soccer tournaments, field hockey, baseball, weekend getaways, vacations, family reunions, rest, and a slew of other reasons (excuses). What we easily do as humans is that we make up the rules for God. For instance, “little Johnny has a soccer game, he can’t miss, his team needs him, and he has practice the night before so we can’t even make the evening vigil mass, God understands.”

There are two major problems with this type of reasoning, one) this one being less important, “really, an eight year old will make that much of a difference?" Are we talking about some important Division I college event or pee-wee soccer, and regardless of level of competition it should not make a difference. I usually use my Tim Tebow story here. Tim Tebow now plays for the Denver Broncos, he played his college career at Florida in Gainesville. He won two national championships, one Heisman, and runner up for two other years for that same trophy. He is probably the greatest or one of the greatest college football players ever and he never missed a Sunday service unless sick or injured. If little Johnny is better than Tim Tebow than by all means take him to practice. The second reason) and much more important, why would you ever deny yourself the Eucharist and prayerful union with your brothers and sisters who make up the Body of Christ?

Which seed do you want to be? Which of the lepers do you want to be? I know I probably won’t win many fans with this reflection, but as priests we are not here to win fans, but souls for Christ. Do I make myself out to be better than you, no indeed, for as far as sinners are concerned I feel like St. Paul, not that I am as holy as he was, but more like him in need of God’s mercy, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these I am the foremost. But for that reason I was mercifully treated, so that in me, as the foremost, Christ Jesus might display all his patience as an example for those who would come to believe in him for everlasting life.” (1 Tim 1:15)

Therefore, since we are in the same boat, let us strive to be that one leper who came back to offer praise. Looking forward to seeing you this Sunday and "Every Sunday." Peace of Christ.

Fr. John P. Picinic

Bible Quotations taken from NAB

Image from http://www.pollencards.com/art/350507/Jesus_withe_the_one_leper_who_returned_to_give_thanks

Help My Unbelief

It is said that St. Thomas Aquinas, a great scholar and doctor of the Church, would pray, "Lord, help me in my unbelief." Hard to imagine that the man who wrote volumes on God, a good part of them discussing God's existence, would have need of such prayers. I argue not only did St. Thomas Aquinas need such prayers, but you and I as well.

In today's Gospel Jesus tells us, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the seas,' and it would obey you." (c.f. Lk. 17:5-10, NAB) Is Jesus being serious, how can I uproot a tree or make a mountain move? EXACTLY!

Once the slightest hesitation occurs in our thoughts or our belief, then the tree and the mountain will stay in place. For example, I may be looking for employment in an economy that is moving downwards making it real difficult to land a job. I may even pray that the Lord help me and all those looking for work to find it. However, the economy is so bad that I know it's going to take a very long time. This little bump, hesitation, doubt is enough to keep me and the tree in place.

One may argue, "You have to be realistic, when the economy is this bad, it's almost impossible to find a job." Remember man that this may be impossible for you, but with God all things are possible.

The interesting thing, and the comforting thing as well, is that we are all in the same boat, i.e. looking to increase our faith, both a man like St. Thomas Aquinas and us as well. We are in good company.

Jesus, however, does not stop with just having faith in this passage, does he? No he goes on to tell us what we must do or be like when we have faith that can move mulberry trees, and that is, we must always be diligent, obedient, and ready available servants, expecting nothing in return. You see, once we expect something then pride sneaks in and even complacency. Do we deserve anything from God? Does He owe us something? This kind of thinking is contrary to faith. It also separates us from God in the sense that we believe that something is ours by right and not by the free gift of God.

It is true and right that God respects and loves us, but we have nothing over Him. We cannot dictate what is owed to us. This is the trap the Pharisees fell into, believing because they did a, b, c, and d, that God would reward them. We do a, b, c, and d because we love to and expect nothing in return, we do our work simply for God's sake and for the assistance we provide to our neighbors.

You may think that kind of faith is tough and you are right, it is tough, but maybe that's why the mulberry tree is still where it is.

Fr. John Picinic
Picture is of Abraham being shown the stars found at http://www.wmcwels.com/clipart/024.gif

Reflection on Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings"

This week I'd like to do something a little different then my regular routine of reflecting on the Sunday readings. Just a few days ago I entered into a good conversation with a friend concerning J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings." Many of you are most likely familiar with these books or at least have seen the movies. Doing a little research on the books one soon discovers that it is the 3rd most printed\sold book\s of the 20th century, behind the Qur'an and the Bible. The book\s have had such a huge impact because they in a very creative way tell a parallel story of the human journey and more importantly a history of salvation.

If one were to read "The Lord of the Rings' or watch the movies one would not understand everything since Tolkien wrote an entire historical back drop to the books, which today can be found in "The Unfinished Tales," and "The Silmarillion." Though this should not give one pause to read the books or watch the movie, one will understand enough without the back drop, but in case you become interested there are backdrop stories available.

Getting to the point there were two scenes in the book that my friend and I discussed. The first one was when Gandalf confronted the Balrog on the bridge of Khazad-dum. Gandald stands up to the demon of Morgoth and seemingly defeats him. While on the bridge Gandalf strikes the bridge making it collapse. The demon goes down with it. Gandalf then turns to rejoin his companions and the moment that he does such the demon sends up his whip and snatches Gandalf by the leg and sends him hurtling down into the great chasm below.

Why did Tolkien insert this into the story, was it simply to provide more action, more intrigue, or suspense? Yes to all of them, but more importantly I believe he was making a statement about vigilance. Just when we believe that we have defeated evil is when evil will catch us off guards. One must remain ever diligent in virtue, being on guard vs. vice. If we turn around too soon or forget it, that is when the whip snatches us and pulls us into the chasm of darkness and emptiness. Tolkien's point is subtle because we can miss it due to the action and suspense. However, the symbolism of virtue and religion in that scene is well done, much like a bible story.

Another scene we discussed was when Gollum ripped the ring off of Frodo's finger at the edge of Mt. Doom. He begins to dance near the edge in his jubilation of finally getting the ring back. In doing so he comes too close to edge and slips into the molten lava below. Even as he begins to sink into the lava he has no regard for himself, but rather does all he can to save the ring, eventually both sink and are melted away. Mordor and Mt. Doom are symbolic of hell and evil. Mordor = Murder, Mt. Doom = hell, this can be deduced symbolically from the imagery and language used by Tolkien to describe this desolate, dark, and lifeless land. But more importantly to our point is that Gollum entered into this hell, God did not force him to go. This speaks to my point from last week's reflection on Heaven and Hell. Gollum was so given to the ring and the evil that it held that he would rather see the ring survive even while his body burned, the same could be said for those who sentence themselves to an eternity in hell. God does not send anyone (even Gollum) to hell, rather people, if they choose to do so, go there of their own accord.

The greatest point of Tolkien's story is the ending, the redemption if you will. After the long struggle of carrying the cross, of so much loss, end unbelievable endurance of those committed to the struggle of good vs. evil finally prevail. Everything is made new again, the world lives in peace and undergoes a transformation, not much different then Jesus defeating evil and making all things new.

Enough of me, do yourself a favor if you have not read or seen "The Lord of the Rings," get moving, you will not be disappointed.

Fr. John
image taken from fanpop.com

Heaven or Hell

Conversations about who has to be in hell will at times come up, at family gatherings, with friends, at fellowship meetings, etc. These conversations, questions, or even matter of fact statements come out of our desire to see that justice is done. There are the more “grey” type of decisions on judgment when it comes to the more ordinary examples of people who lived in grave sin, i.e. being cold in their faith, living in greed and corruption, or living in adultery. With these types of examples people will not make up their minds on where a soul has gone to, since many people have committed grave or mortal sin to some degree in their lives. But when it comes to the people who live in total debauchery, i.e. terrorists, tyrants, criminals of the worst kind we can with greater ease punish them to an eternity of hell.

One such example is Adolf Hitler. What is factual and what we know objectively is that the man was a grave sinner, the blood of his victims still cry out from the ground reminding us of the atrocities that were committed by this man and those who followed his orders. No question, the man was a war monger, directly responsible for genocide, political crimes, and many other acts of evil. So when people speak of Hitler, it is easy to say he is in hell.

Another example would be terrorists, especially the ones who attacked us back on 911. How can persons that carry out such evil, plots of terror, and end innocent lives in the name of God not be punished and given a sentence of eternity in hell?

And finally the most used example is that of Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Jesus and had him handed over for thirty pieces of silver. Judas compounded his sins; he began by stealing from the money bag, then lying about it, then betraying the Savior and for money. Not a good record of virtue.

To make myself clear, these acts are despicable and downright evil. However, it is not my place, nor yours to make eternal judgments, not now, not ever. "What are you saying father that these people could be in heaven?" My answer is the same answer given today by St. Paul, “This is good and pleasing to God our Savior, who wills everyone to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth.” There is no exception clause that follows that statement, St. Paul does not say, “Except for the worst of sinners.”

One reason we do not put people in hell is already answered, we must desire what God desires. God desires that all be saved so too should we, unless we know more than God or have made ourselves God. St. Peter in his second letter also affirms what St. Paul wrote to Timothy. “The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard "delay," but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

Does this wishing and desiring on God’s part and on our part guarantee that all are saved? Maybe, maybe not, because we have not been to hell we cannot say with absolute certainty who is there or who is not. The official teaching of the Church is that there is a hell and that the possibility exists that people can sentence themselves by their own free will to that eternal separation from God.

The second reason just as important as first reason, if not more important is that all eternal judgment is reserved to Christ alone. “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life. Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to his Son the possession of life in himself. And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man.” (John 5:24-27) And just to make sure that we do not miss the point from Matthew 25:41-46, “Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.' Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?' He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." In both these passages it never hints that you and I have the authority to make eternal judgments except Christ alone. And to make the point absolutely clear I will quote St. Paul from his letter to the Romans 10:8, “But the righteousness that comes from faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will go up into heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down) or 'Who will go down into the abyss?' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead)." But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we preach), for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

I do not want to inundate you with biblical passages, but in summary from Jeremiah who writes, “Who knows the human heart more than God?” The answer, no one! Jesus taught that there is a hell and that people can choose to go there as is clear from many of his statements throughout the Gospels. If there is no hell then there are no consequences for sins nor does justice exist. The thing for us to remember is that our only business concerning eternal judgment is that we pray and work towards everyone getting to heaven, and more importantly having a relationship with Christ.

I began with St. Paul, allow me to finish with him. Before St. Paul’s conversion he was responsible for killing innocent people. He did everything in his power to crush Christianity and end the movement. He went out and found believers and had them executed, St. Stephen being one of them. He even allowed for false witnesses to enter into the hearings therefore creating a kangaroo court, giving St. Stephen no possibility of a fair hearing. I wonder where we would have had Paul going to, either heaven or hell before his conversion? If Paul, a murder or innocent blood, allowing for false testimony concerning someone’s life, could be converted I wonder if the same could be said of everyone, or at least that they have a chance. If they have no chance, then naturally we believe that sin is more powerful than grace. If they have a chance, than naturally and truly, grace is more powerful than sin! Which do we believe?

Fr. John Picinic
Image taken from http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.arielmarquez.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/judgement
Biblical quotations taken from USCCB website NAB translation

The Prodigal Son Returns

How often have we read and heard the story of the Prodigal son? Quite a bit I would guess. And yet, every time we do read it or hear it the Holy Spirit helps us see something new.

I believe the story itself is the thesis of the entire salvation history story. In the beginning the prodigal children move away from God, i.e. the fall of Adam and Eve. After the fall they seek to return to their Father, i.e. the People of God repenting of their sins and wandering and returning home.

Jesus tells the story because he wants everyone, and I repeat, "everyone" to understand that they wander off the path and need to return. In the story he's making this point to the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes. In our own day he is making that point to us. You see, the older brother represents the group of people who believe they are righteous, and they may very well be, but they too stray. In this story the older brother strays because he has made himself judge, arbitrator, and jury when it comes to determining his brother's acceptance back to the family. He takes this position because he has been living rigtheously since childhood and his brother has not.

This story is relevant for us today because sometimes we become the older brother. When we hear the story there is a natural tendency to see ourselves as the younger brother, and that's ok since we admit our faults when we do that. It is rare when we see ourselves as the older brother, but we do.

There are times that those of us who do attend mass, help out quite often in the Church, who pray regularly, and that do many other things will at times make harsh remarks about those who do not attend mass, who do not pray as much as we do, etc. They are the younger brother. What would we do if someone was accepted back into the Church and then the priest held a party for that someone who was living the type of life that young man in the Gospel story was living? Would we rejoice or would we be upset, since we have been doing the work the whole time and the priest rewards this person who was living in debauchery? What if we have been working in the parish for 30 years and never were given a party and then all of the sudden here comes the sinner returning home and on that very day a celebration takes place. You can see why the older brother was unhappy. We are that older brother sometimes whether we admit or not.

Though the older brother is upset the great thing here is that the Father loves them both, the Father tells the older son, "Everything that I have is yours." He loves both of his sons. That is a metaphor for God loving all His children regardless if they have strayed and returned home or if they have been with Him for a long time. The story also shows the eternal patience God has for all of us. I mean really, who else could put up with us so patiently?

The story was told 2,000 years ago though it is still relevant for us now, because when Jesus told it He was telling an eternal story, the thesis of mankind's relationship with God and God's with us, a story of straying away from Him, but also a story of returning home!

Fr. John Picinic

Picture of "The Prodigal Son" is by Rembrandt and found online