Twelve Years a Priest

Twelve Years a Priest

Today (August 13th), twelve years ago I was ordained at my hometown parish of Our Lady of Grace.  I remember the day, it was clear, sunny, and hot.  A typical August day, but far from typical for me, my family and friends.  I understood what I was doing as I am sure even those who get married know that they are sure, but you can never imagine the fullness of what it is you are doing on that day.

I could imagine all the moments I would have as a priest, be they moments of extraordinary joy and at times moments of great challenges, and these were moments I could envision even as I lay prostrate in front of the sanctuary.

Even though I had these thoughts I did not see everything they encompassed or had in store.  As I reflect over the twelve years, though not long as say 25, 40, or 50 years, the friendships I have made from my time at Bishop Eustace to now at Holy Family are incredible.  To be blessed by so many wonderful, good and holy people is amazing.  The blessings we receive as priests are numerous:  to preach, to administer the sacraments, to prepare for liturgy, our own prayer life, etc., are all so meaningful and of great import.  However, in those moments relationships are made and are built up.

I understand now, that even though I gave up the possibility of having my own children and being married, as priests we are married to everyone and all are our spiritual children.  Going through seminary I always thought that saying was so cliché, i.e. you get more children by being a priest because everyone becomes your family.  However, as the years have gone by I understand clearer what Jesus said to the Apostles, that since they gave up so much they would be greatly rewarded both here and in heaven, and I can see and experience those rewards already because of you.  To know that you are my friends and there are so many of you, too difficult to count, gives me a profound sense of purpose.

There is no greater thing for a priest than to love his people and know that he is loved in return.  I strive to love all and I pray I will have the same fervor before I leave this earth as did St. Paul did, here are his words, and not only words but something he truly meant and felt, “I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie; my conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness that I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart.  For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh.” 

In my twelve years as a priest I have come to understand these words more and more especially since I have become a pastor.  Everything is about relationships and love.  I have received two great gifts in my life, the first was being ordained to serve the people, the second gift was the people themselves.  My prayer much like St. Paul’s is that I too will be a gift to you to help you on your journey to heaven, for in the end that is our goal, to be with God for all eternity.  Thank you for your prayers, love and friendship it has made these twelve years a priest the greatest joy of my life.   

Belief in the Christian Story: Tolkien and Lewis

Beloved:
We did not follow cleverly devised myths
when we made known to you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . (2 Peter 1:16)

Often atheists will look upon Christianity or any religion for that matter, as a myth, a telling of a story that is not true and at best is just a moral platitude.  I say that the story of Christianity is a true story and that it is history itself, a story that is true, for even the word “true” or “truth” has no meaning without this story, the story of God.

When J.R.R. Tolkien was trying to convince his good friend C.S. Lewis that God existed and that the Bible was not a cleverly devised myth he used the analogy of a prison.  He said to Lewis, in an argument to this effect, “If people from birth were immediately put into a prison with no windows would they ever be able to conceive of anything in their minds outside of the prison?  No, they would not, their entire world and knowledge is contained within the walls of the prison, it would be impossible to think of something outside of the walls.  Unless, indeed there was something outside of the walls, and that – that something gave the prisoners an instinct, a thought, of something greater than what was inside of these walls only.” 

Tolkien’s logic is solid, for how can man think of anything outside of this world\universe, this world – this universe is our prison, if you will.  How is that we can think of God, of heaven of something that exists outside of these walls?  No, we could not!  But since God has made us in His image, we have the instinct, the thought of what’s beyond these walls.

Tolkien hooked Lewis with this argument.  He met Lewis on level ground, two master story tellers, one showing the other the value of story and its beauty to show that all stories are connected to the one story, the story of Jesus. It’s His story (history).  It’s a story rooted in truth a truth we could never conceive on our own, but a truth embedded in our very nature (we are made in the image and likeness of God).

Lewis was a staunch atheist who became a very devout Christian.  He realized that story was not a cleverly devised myth but one that made complete sense.  He not only understood Tolkien’s argument of the prison but He felt something even greater, the power of Christ.  He felt the author of all tell the story through Tolkien, but more importantly he felt the author of all touch his heart and he realized that he was an important character in the story, a prisoner who finally understood why he had these thoughts of something outside the walls, for that thing is God!

Pictured below is early art concept of a Tolkien - Lewis film, I pray it is true :)

Trinity: Perfect Unity and Peace

Brothers and sisters, rejoice.
Mend your ways, encourage one another,
agree with one another, live in peace,
and the God of love and peace will be with you.

This is the challenge St. Paul puts to us today from his 2^nd letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13, verse 1, and following.  When he says, “mend your ways,” he is asking us to be united with one another in purpose, unity, and love.  There must have been some tension or even sin amongst the peoples at that time, there are always squabbles, differences, and fights breaking out among us since the dawn of day and yet St. Paul says, “fix it.”  But not just fix it, but also to encourage one another, agree with one another, and live in peace.

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is One God, united in perfection, a perfect relationship, but also perfect love, therefore the three are one.  In marriage, we hope that the two become one, not just in the flesh but in their love.  There are still two people there but in their perfect love for one another they are one.  An analogy for the Trinity, not a perfect one, but one that helps us to understand the Trinity.  Regarding St. Paul’s challenge, it should also be a model for our unity.

The question for us becomes, “are we living in peace with one another?”  This question can be asked on all levels, i.e. is there peace in my family, is there peace in my community, my nation, or in the world?  When we turn on the news, it does not seem that we are in peace, either as a nation or internationally, since we are divided sharply down the middle and we also have great tensions between other nations, is it always the other guy’s fault?  Is America always right, always perfect, never wrong at all?  How about within my own family, am I always right and the other person wrong?  Is it always their fault?  

If there is tension, fighting, divisions, are they always the cause of someone else, or am I responsible for that fighting to some extent?  There can be no peace, no unity, no love, until one humbles themselves, for pride is the root of all sin.  And it is pride that blinds one from their own guilt.  St. Paul’s challenge can only be achieved with the virtue of humility.  God himself became humble when he became man, he humbled himself out of love, love for us, and he was \ is perfect.  You and I are not perfect so we should humble ourselves the more.  Because when we do we know that God of peace and love is with us.

The 13th Apostle

Peter and John and James and Andrew,
Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon theZealot, and Judas son of James. All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

The Judas mentioned here is not Judas of Iscariot, but the beloved St. Jude, patron saint for hopeless causes.  The passage is also interesting that the Apostles were not the only ones in the Upper Room waiting on the gift of the Spirit, but so was Mary, Jesus’ mother as well as some other women and Jesus’ brothers (which refers to cousins).

This image is one that St. Vincent Pallotti, born in Rome in 1795, who became the founder of the Pallottines (Priests and Brothers) and the Union of Catholic Apostolate, a lay organization that devoted themselves to being active apostles in the Church, had used to help foster the concept of Church.  Sometimes when we think of Church we often think about the Church as this building, and rightly so, the Church is found here, but it does not encompass the whole Church.  Sometimes we think of the institution or the hierarchy of the Church, again, rightly so as the magisterium is a vital component of the Church but that too does not encompass all of what it means to be Church.

We also have the people, the everyday people who are all apostles, called by name and sent, just as all of these folks who were mentioned in the Book of Acts.  It lists the names of the eleven because of their role as leaders, bishops.  But it also lists the name of Mary because she is our mother, but it also lists other women and Jesus’ brothers, they were not bishops, but they were part of the Church as will be confirmed when we celebrate Pentecost next week.

This image, this story from two thousand years ago is present right now, this is our Upper Room and Jesus is with us as well as His mother and we are his brothers and sisters, we are his disciples and apostles.  We like them have come to this upper room to devote ourselves to prayer, but also like them when we receive the Spirit to leave from these doors and go out and preach, to bring the Word of God, Jesus to others.  You are the 13^th Apostle!  Jesus has called you by name, because you have entered His Upper Room, now He sends you, so go forth Christian soul and bring the Gospel to all creatures, AMEN!

Passion Sunday: Jesus Stands Silent

And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders,

he made no answer. Then Pilate said to him, 

"Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?" But he did not answer him one word,  so that the governor was greatly amazed.

This is what we heard today from the Passion according to the Gospel of Matthew. It is incredible that Jesus could remain silent in front of his accusers, even though He was completely innocent. We know that even the guilty try to defend themselves, though they should admit their fault\crime. I ask myself often, why did He remain quiet? I think part of the answer is that He knew they would not listen anyway, as St. Thomas More was asked at his trial, “do you have anything further to add,” he simply replied, “to what purpose, I am a dead man.” I also think part of it was Jesus knew what He had to do, and that was go to the Cross, so defending Himself and possibly being proven innocent, as he was, would have defeated the goal, the salvation of humankind. Still I think the biggest reason was to show us an example. An example of what to do when we are accused or even approached in a hostile manner by others.

Jesus’ passion was not just the carrying of the cross and being crucified, He was already crucifying our weakness by His example of always taking the high road even when challenged, accused, was made fun of, ridiculed, and the rest. We have been asking ourselves, “what does Lent mean to us?” In doing so we have taken up little disciplines, made promises, avoided certain foods or beverages, as I have said before, “that’s nice,” but Jesus looks for more than just niceties. He is looking for a humble and contrite heart, and in that humility, He is asking us to do likewise.

How do we respond when we are accused or challenged? Typically, because of our weak human nature, we defend ourselves, even when we are wrong and more so when we are innocent. Sometimes when challenged we have knee jerk reactions and quickly respond. I include myself here, how often have I been corrected, challenged or accused in my life and how quickly I offer retort. Why can’t I keep quite like Jesus? What is this impulse in me in having to respond or defend myself?

I understand that prudence and justice demands we speak up for virtue, goodness and right. Prudence is the virtue to know when to speak, how to speak and why to speak or speak at all. Have we acquired this virtue? Again, human weakness clouds it and we speak when we should not and keep quiet when we should speak. Maybe next Lent we can ask the Lord to help us with the virtue of prudence and coupled with that is humility. Remember that the Lord of the Universe humbled Himself in front of His sinful creatures, unbelievably amazing! Lord, at least during this week of the Passion give me prudence, give me a humble and contrite heart! Help me to nail my weaknesses to the Cross and help me rise with You as a new creature one clothed in the light of holiness, Hosanna to the King of Kings!

For information on the painting please see link below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGZR7FaTq7I

5th Sunday of Lent: And Jesus Wept

In today’s Gospel reading from John we have heard an incredible story, that of the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  I cannot even begin to imagine what the people felt when they saw a man who had been dead for four days rise from his tomb.  People must have been in incredible awe, fear, astonishment and every other adjective you can use to describe it.  There are many points of reflection we can take from the story, I wish to focus only on one short verse, “And Jesus wept.”

I have had the privilege for the second time to teach the men who are in formation for the diaconate on the theological subject of Christology.  Christology is simply, the study of the person of Jesus Christ.  The class examines Jesus’ Divine and human nature and how that mystery is presented to us in the Incarnation, the Word of God taking on human flesh.  You can probably imagine the questions that are brought up, some of which are, “when did Jesus know He was Divine?”  “Were His two natures ever at odds with one another, i.e. did he have to suppress his Divine nature to be fully human?”  Some of the mystery rests in the fact that Jesus had to learn how to talk and walk, yet at the same time was holding the entire universe in existence.  Wow, that’s a lot to try and figure out.  Nevertheless, we have made our feeble attempts.  More importantly here, however, for our purposes, I would like to focus on Jesus as human.  Often, we just assume or even take the human nature of Jesus for granted.  When we usually think of Jesus we automatically think of his Divine nature.

Today we see that human nature really come to the fore as Scripture tells us, “Jesus wept.”  Why did he weep?  Some say he simply wept because his friend Lazarus had died.  Some say he wept for the crowds as he could still see that their faith was not fully there yet, they were still clinging to the earthly, only the here and now.  How true is that of all of us.  When a family member passes, we are devastated and rightly so, it hurts deeply when we experience death of the ones we love.  Eventually, however we must come to realize that Jesus takes care of His own!  That our loved one is happy and in the Lord’s presence.  How much do we cling to the here and now, not only for our loved ones but even for ourselves?  Do we long for heaven?  Another way to understand it would be that the crowds were doubting whether Jesus could do anything now and if He had been here earlier He would or could have saved Lazarus.

Jesus shows His human nature by His tears, no matter for what reason He shed them, it could have been for all the reasons I mentioned.  He shows His humanity by crying.  He is truly one of us as St. Paul said, but without sin.  Like you and me, Jesus had to be nursed by his mother, learn carpentry from his father, he shed tears and blood like all of us, he smiled, laughed and cried, He felt pain, He grew tired, He grew physically weak, He grew in wisdom, and He died just like we all do.

In the movie, “The Shack,” the character Mac, who met the Trinity says to Jesus, I find it easiest to talk with you.  Jesus replied, “because I am like you.”  Jesus truly meant that, the only difference is that He never sinned and that He also has a Divine nature, which also reveals itself when He commands Lazarus to rise!

It is good to know that Jesus shared everything we experience.  Knowing that God would become one of us and dwell with us gives us comfort.  Yes, He is our Lord, yes, we pay Him great reverence as the King of Kings, yes, we approach Him humbly, but we can also approach Him as friend, one who weeps right along with us, one who laughs right along with us, one who does everything right along with us.  It is a gift beyond comprehension that God would weep not just for Lazarus, but also for us!

Ash Wednesday and the Season of Lent

Ash Wednesday and the Season of Lent

My dear friends, what is it we Catholics do today?  Today Catholics begin the sacred season of Lent, a period of 40 days (not including Sundays) to the Great Easter Vigil (Saturday before Easter, starts when it becomes dark).  During these 40 days Catholics are asked to abstain and fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.  They are asked to abstain (from meat) on all other Fridays.  More importantly, however, is the total immersion we do in the life of the Trinity, particularly with Jesus and going with Him into the desert for forty days.  This should be a period of more intense prayer, fasting and alms-giving, three virtues the early Church asked Christians to practice in order to become more holy but also to truly enter into the passion of Jesus Christ, especially focusing and reflecting on Good Friday and all that meant for Christ as He endured tremendous suffering.

The desert experience we enter into these 40 days is that we not only experience some dying of ourselves (that sinful part) but also that we rise with Christ on Easter Sunday, that we leave behind in the tomb all those things that hold us back from holiness and come forth in new life, resurrected and clothed in our Lord Savior, where true happiness is found as well as eternal life.  God bless you all this Lenten Season.  Fr. John

The Law Written on My Heart

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.

I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

The Jews when hearing Jesus would have been concerned about his teachings, especially when it came to the Law. He was teaching something that was new, or actually not new, but teaching the law now in its broader understanding, i.e. following the spirit of the law instead of the letter. When hearing this some thought he was doing away with the Law of Moses, actually he was not doing away with it but rather teaching it in its fullness. Allow me to explain.

When Moses gave us the Ten Commandments, he was giving us the Divine Law, law that was from God Himself. The Law in its nature is a teacher, it teaches between right and wrong, between virtue and sin. However, the law is just letters on stone, if the law is to mean anything those letters must be written in our hearts. The second thing Jesus wanted us to understand is that not all things are black and white or cut and dry as they say, rather one must follow the spirit of the law and judge oneself or another according to that common sense-wisdom that comes from the Holy Spirit, i.e. remember the story of King David when he and his soldiers were starving and ate the holy bread which was reserved for the priests alone, objectively by the letter of the law they were sinning, but not by the spirit, because God would give His bread to a starving man, that’s common sense.

Jesus affirms that he will not abolish the law, rather that he would fulfill it. You see, you and I can never really fulfill the law to the letter, we fall in sin even the best of us and St Paul reminds us, one sin and the entire law is broken, no one stands justified by one’s self before the Lord, we stand justified through Christ and living his law in our hearts. Always remember we follow Jesus first, a person, then in consequence and even instinct we follow the law as best we can to please him but also to help us grow in holiness, it’s never the other way around.

A good reflection for us this week is to examine the Ten Commandments and to ask ourselves, “Are these laws truly written in my heart?” If not, what can I do to make it so? God bless you, Fr. John

We Have Seen the Great Light

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom
a light has shone.

Since the time of our first parents, Adam and Eve, all of mankind has walked in darkness and dwelt in a land of gloom.  Why does Isaiah give such a sorry interpretation of humanity’s state of life before Jesus?  He does so for three reasons, the first is that we were lost in sin, i.e. we had no way out of it, and we would always be caught in its web.  The second reason is that he is trying to make the contrast very clear, the contrast between having no hope and that of living redeemed.  The third is to show us that it was God himself who came to be among us, “Now this is the message that we have heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.” 1 Jn. 1:5 

This great light that is now shining on us is none other than Jesus himself.  He is the light of the nations, the light of the world, the bright morning star.  So even though we fall to sin we now have a way out, that way out is through Jesus Christ, “If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.  1 Jn. 1:9

Christmas is that time where we share gifts with one another; the gift giving comes from the first gift and the first gift giver, Jesus.  We share because He has abundantly shared with us.  Sometimes, however, the first gift and first gift giver gets lost on us because of everything else that is going on around us, all the fanfare of Christmas.  Please do not misunderstand me, I love Christmas.  I love the lights, the trees, Santa Claus and his little elves, the carols, the seven fishes, exchanging gifts, and all the rest.  Yet, with all of that we are asked to remember the greatest gift otherwise all the other small gifts lose their meaning.  You see the greatest gift does not come wrapped in a box; rather the greatest gift ever given was a little infant lying in a manager wrapped in swaddling clothes, with very few people to acknowledge it in a far away forgotten place called Bethlehem.  That was the very first Christmas, a Christmas that was quiet, solemn, and very intimate.  Remember that as you begin your Christmas festivities, and I am sure they will be lots of fun, remember that quiet place, remember that infant, and the few farm hands who came out to worship him, remember that in your heart while with your family and friends and thank the Lord for giving you the greatest gift you could have ever hoped for:

For a child is born to us, a son is given us;
upon his shoulder dominion rests.
They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.
His dominion is vast and forever peaceful,
from David’s throne, and over his kingdom,
which he confirms and sustains
by judgment and justice, both now and forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Come Down Off That Tree

“Zacchaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house.” 

And he came down quickly and received him with joy.

These are beautiful words from our Gospel today, Jesus commanding Zacchaeus to come down quickly and that he was received in joy.

Zacchaeus, like all of us had a past and maybe some of it was not that bright or filled with virtue.  As a rich man he may have cut corners when it came to his responsibility to the poor, to family, and friends, to society.  Being a man of means and maybe even prestige, he may have used the loopholes of his own day to fudge on his tax returns J or some other type of scheming.

Yet, he was a man much like us in and that he had a great interest in Jesus and because of his height wanted to get a good look at him and climbed a tree so that he could see.  We do the same in our lives, we want to meet Jesus and have Him receive us in joy so we may not climb a literal tree but we may do this or the other thing to get his attention, i.e. a good deed or make a promise.

That beautiful encounter moved Zacchaeus’ heart, not only to conversion but to start living out the commands of Jesus, i.e. love your neighbor.  He does this by generously giving away half of what he had and paying those he wronged four times over.  Grace was moving in him!  Don’t we all want that same grace, a grace that moves us to joy and to love?  We can have it my brothers and sisters, yes its simple, just come down from off the tree, and meet your Savior, the one who wishes to dine with you tonight and in our case in the next 30 minutes or so when we celebrate the Eucharist, let your hearts be filled with joy, the same joy Zacchaeus experienced!

I Have Kept the Faith

I am already being poured out like a libation,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have competed well; I have finished the race;
I have kept the faith.

       These words of St. Paul are haunting as they describe both his present predicament, being under house arrest in Rome, but also his near future, as he can see the end of his life.

       Yet, St. Paul realizes the most important thing, and that is his eternal salvation.  He is looking back on his life of faith and can say with good moral confidence that he has competed well and has kept the faith.  This notion of competing and keeping the faith are signal words for perseverance and if there is one virtue that describes the life of faith the best it would be perseverance.

Looking at St. Paul’s life you better believe he had perseverance, unshakable at that.  After his conversion he waited patiently for the Church to recognize his sincerity, I would imagine in some cases it took his entire life.  St. Paul traveled from place to place which was all done on foot, through some dangerous territory which was filled with brigands, criminals, and marauders.  The towns and cities he entered were not always receptive, as in many places he was arrested, punished either by whippings, being stoned, punched, slapped and spit on.  He also had to win over his Jewish brothers and sisters many of who turned their backs on him.  Finally he was arrested and brought to Rome and it’s amazing he did not die on the way as he was bit by a deadly scorpion and also shipwrecked.

St. Paul was a man of great perseverance as through it all he always kept the faith, he competed well!  St. Paul went on to receive his crown of glory for his work in the faith.  A question for us is: How much of a model is St. Paul to us?  Do we look to this wonderful saint in our own moments of struggle, especially when the last thing on earth that we want is to carry the cross one more step!  And yet, St. Paul did and he urges us to do the same, his entire two letters to St. Timothy are precisely about that, follow my example.

Being holy and getting to heaven is not easy work, it requires belief, but belief is easy, belief in my mind that is, the hard part is living out that belief each and every day, and not just in the days that we are smiling but even in the days in which we are crying or even at wits end.  St. Paul continues to cry out to us, the great preacher that he was, and says, “Hold on, continue to get up, fight the good fight, become a libation onto the Lord and keep the faith!  Amen!

I took that picture at the Vatican in Aug. of 2005

God Listens and He Answers

Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night?
Will he be slow to answer them?
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.
But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

I love the way this week’s Gospel from Luke ends, it gives us great hope and assurance that God listens to us and even answers us when we pray. Jesus even goes as far as telling us to be as this persistent widow, a woman who was not only persistent according to the story but even had become a nuisance to the judge who was at the point of exhaustion with her therefore granting her what she wished.

We believe as Catholics that God does hear all our prayers and even answers them; however, sometimes the answer is different than the one we had in mind, expected or even asked for.

This past March 19^th, on the feast of St. Joseph my mother suffered a heart attack and two strokes.  Her life remained in the balance.  When I asked the doctor to give me the truth about her condition and possible improvement, he said, “Fr. John, she’s very sick, pray and storm heaven with your prayers.”  Me and my brothers did that and after some weeks and months she began recovering real well and then on July 19^th, just four months later after a bleeding episode she was rushed to the hospital and after a number of tests they discovered colon cancer.  She underwent surgery which was successful and the cancer was only stage two (a) so it was completely contained and there is no need for further treatment besides routine checkups.  Her oncologist told me that if she had not been on blood thinners she would not have had that kind of bleeding episode and the tumor would have likely continued to grow, in a way God saved her through the heart attack.  The oncologist looked at me and send, and surely through your prayers.

Now that these moments are in the past I sit back and reflect on them.  My first thought is, “why did God answer our prayers just the way we wanted, i.e. that my mom would get better and she is?  I think of that in contrast to my father who passed away on the operating table when going for by-pass surgery.  We prayed just as much, our prayers were sincere, we were very much like the persistent widow and yet the outcome was much different.

I can say this, that God heard both the prayers for my dad and for my mom.  He also answered both prayers in His Divine Wisdom and Providence.  Others would just write it off as chance, i.e. one live another dies, the cycle of life, yes to some extent but with God’s hand in nature, always!

However, the question remains, why different outcomes, does not Jesus say, “I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.”  And in another place, “Ask and it will be given to you.”  The best way for me to explain this is not so much from the biblical text but personally once again.

When I took my father to the hospital that morning of November 28^th 2011 I knew that he would not make it, the Spirit of the Lord was speaking to my heart and preparing me.  It was not my distrust of doctors or their competence, I just knew he could not handle it, the feeling you get deep down in your gut where you already know the outcome.  I wanted so bad to turn around and tell him not to go through with it.  But I did not and for a time regretted it as he died some hours later.  When I shared these feelings with my a priest friend he told me, “Thank God you did not turn around.”  He went on to say, what if you had returned home and did not go through with the surgery and your father dies two weeks later on the kitchen floor, or in his sleep or walking outside, would the family have blamed you for not allowing him to have the surgery, how much would you have blamed yourself?  Finally he said, “What if God simply wanted him, are you ok with that, are you ok with God’s will?”  He did not say this to bring me down but to remind me, how much do I trust God and in his promises?

When God took my dad it was for the good as I look back on it now.  He had grown tired, his heart was bad since he was a child, and he prepared himself well to meet the Lord, my wanting him here was based on earthly wants, what I wanted for me, his presence, which was not a bad desire, actually a good one, but faith tells me it is a better desire to be with the Lord. 

Yet I still love the scene from a Man For All Seasons in which Meg, St. Thomas More’s daughter pleads with him to sign King Henry’s divorce decree and he refuses.  She says to him, then you desire to be a martyr.  He responded, “God asks us to pray for the best outcome and to do so always until He answers otherwise, so believe me Meg I will pray and do all I can to avoid this trouble, but if the doors continue to close in front of me and God shows me martyrdom then I will pray that I have the spittle for it. (Paraphrased)

So should you and I, pray always for the best outcome no matter what until God begins to show us otherwise.  My dad prayed that he would live but in the last few weeks when he was getting worse he too could feel it, that he would not make it and his prayers shifted to accepting any death that the Lord would give him and that he would embrace it.  That morning in the hospital he too knew in his gut because I could see it when he looked at me, it was not a look that everything would be fine as we judge fine, but that he was leaving.  Looking back this was not a bad thing, but a good thing and God did answer our prayers, He took my dad home where we all belong, in heaven.  Yet, my time with my father was not over, for even in death we spoke and that is for another time.

So, yes I bombard heaven like the persistent widow and I do so expecting the best outcome until God tells me differently.  Do I always trust implicitly, no, but I do always return to prayer because it is there that God answers me and I hope that you always do the same as well.

The Great Chasm

In today’s Gospel from Luke we hear Jesus say, “Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.”  I always found these to be quite interesting words, especially, “a great chasm is established between us.” 

In the Gospel reading this chasm is described in terms of distance between that of the righteous and that of damned.  In particular in this story it is between that of the poor man Lazarus and the rich man.  The distance, however, is not just in terms of space between them but also in manner of life.

St. Paul exhorts Timothy on this manner of life when he says, “But you, man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith.”  These virtues are at the heart of being a Christian.  The rich man abandoned these virtues, especially the greatest one, love!

Aristotle defined 4 kinds of people, from worst to best, and he labeled them as the tyrant, the incontinent man, the continent man, and the virtuous man.  The tyrant was the man who gave in completely to vice and his passions.  The incontinent man was the man who struggled to live with virtue and often enough falls into vice.  The continent man has many virtues but on occasion will fall into vice.  Finally the virtuous man has achieved all the virtues and either never gives in to vice or if so it would be very rare.  You can see there is a great distance between the tyrant and the virtuous man.  The distance between them rests in manner of which they live.

Ask yourself, “Where do I fall on the scale?”  Am I closer to the virtuous man or Lord forbid, the tyrant?  It is a good exercise for us.  Being a good Christian is not just about lip service, but actually doing and living the faith.  Here is what the Lord says about lip service, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.”  Rather, who is it that enters the kingdom of heaven? Jesus answers,  “the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”  And what is the will of the Father, the answer is found in Matthew 25, “‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’   And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Jesus does not equate virtue with belief only, rather to be righteous one must as St. Paul exhorted us today, to be devout, to have faith, to love, to be patient and gentle, this is the heart of the Christian, if we do all in our power and again as St. Paul says, “Compete well for the Faith,” then yes we will become Aristotle’s virtuous man.  More importantly we will become like the poor man Lazarus, who was taken by angels to the bosom of Abraham and not the tyrant who was taken to torment.  So as you see the chasm is not just about space as in measuring distance, but in measuring righteousness vs. evil.  God bless you, Fr. John

Money Left, God Right, Which Way Will You Choose?

Jesus’ words, “You cannot serve both God and mammon,” has much deeper meaning than just money.  Often times it is translated, “You cannot serve both God and money.”  That is true but it is only one component of what Jesus meant in the entirety of its meaning.

The Gospel deals with the dishonest servant and dishonest wealth.  It goes on to conclude that as Christians we need to be shrewd and prudent in our dealings with the world but more importantly that we always remain virtuous in everything we do and that we also do not become slaves of the world.

Becoming slaves to the world involves the love of money, no question about that, but it also means to lose perspective and that when we do we become slaves of the world, we retreat into ourselves in a very selfish way.  Listen again to the words from the Prophet Amos, “Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land!  “When will the new moon be over,” you ask, “that we may sell our grain, and the Sabbath, that we may display the wheat?  We will diminish the ephah, add to the shekel, and fix our scales for cheating!”  To fix our scales for cheating, cheating against whom and to what purpose?  The cheating is against our neighbor, the poor, the oppressed, the maligned, the marginalized, those who cannot stand up for themselves and the purpose is to be rich, powerful, and full of prestige.

It’s interesting that Amos uses the term, “fix our scales.”  Scales as you know have to do with measuring things out, in this case money but it also has to do with justice, i.e. the scales of justice.  When we hear today’s readings and listen to them, I have to ask myself, “am I always the person that balances the scales fairly?”  Have I ever tipped the scales in my favor through cheating someone else?  It’s interesting that when we hear the readings is how do we process them in our conscience.  Do we always align ourselves with Jesus and somehow always interpret him to be speaking about someone else, i.e. I would never be that mean or sinful.  What if I am the person that Amos is talking about, maybe not in the same degree, but even a little?  Doesn’t Jesus say he who is untrustworthy of little things is untrustworthy in great matters as well?

Today’s Gospel lesson and readings are challenging.  Jesus wants us to tip the scales of justice evenly.  Once we start to tip them in our favor we become those people who love mammon more than God.  We become lovers of the world in the things that are passing, power, prestige, wealth, none of which brings true happiness.  So my good Christian brothers and sisters when dealing with the world remember your scales and to keep them even, do so with prudence, wisdom and most of all with compassion for your neighbors.  God bless you, Fr. John

Recognition, Ambition, and Pride vs. Trust, Faith, and Humility

If there was one single thing you could point to about Jesus’ personality or that which he thought was the greatest trait we could have, it would be humility.  I heard Scott Hahn in a talk once say, “God hates the proud, even when they are right.”

Today’s Gospel was all about taking seats of honor in order to be recognized as being someone important.  The question to ask is, “why would we do that?”  I understand that it is a nice thing to be recognized once in a while just to know you are appreciated and doing a good job in life.  All of us need that, the occasional pat on the back, but what Jesus is talking about is something more than the occasional pat on the back, this is about one’s pride and selfishness.

It is easy to get caught up in life with recognition it usually stems from ambition, an ambition to be something more, not out of a sense of service but to show others how far you have come and even worse to parade it and flaunt it.  We all have to admit that at least in some way we have fallen into this sin from time to time, be it at school when we wanted recognition when in reality we did not deserve it or even if we did, did we humble ourselves when someone else received the recognition.  This may have also happened to us at work when someone else got promoted and we did not.  The examples could go on and on.

Being humble is not an easy thing, actually it is quite difficult.  How do I feel when someone is put in the limelight or put up on a pedestal?  Do I rejoice that the Lord gave such to that person or do I become jealous and envious?  The Lord asks me to take the last seat and the one all the way in the back.  What will I do?  Will I go up front so that everyone can see me up there and recognize me?  If so, the Lord will move me to the back, He has a way of making that happen.  Rather I should go to the back and let the Lord move me up front if He wills such.  That takes trust, faith and great humility.  I pray that all of us will have those virtues, God bless you, Fr. John

The Discipline of the Lord

In today’s letter to the Hebrews we read, “My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges.”  Endure your trials as “discipline”; God treats you as sons.   For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline?”  Today we have lost this sense of discipline.  We do whatever we can to run from suffering or pain, it does not matter what that pain is, we try to avoid it.  I would not recommend running towards suffering or wishing it, the suffering I am talking about here is the suffering of discipline.

When I was a young child and teenager it was the teacher, coach, mentor, priest, who was right 99% of the time when it came to me and my friends being disciplined, corrected and even punished by them, not to mention the second punishment we received upon returning home.  It was a very rare occasion indeed when a parent would take the side of the child, basically 1% of the time.  Today, however the pendulum has swung to almost the child or teenager being right 99% of the time and the teacher, coach, mentor, priest, etc. being right only 1% of the time.  Forgive me I exaggerate, but you get the point.

It is as almost that we do not want anyone to feel any pain whatsoever.  We do not want a child to be cut from his or her team during tryouts, or for the child to accept and learn from a failing grade, or for the child to be held accountable among adults.  Isn’t good to allow a child to feel a little humility, some guilt, some wrestling with oneself and others in order to become a more virtuous person from learning from their mistakes.  Anytime a parent complains to a coach about their child’s playing time, or complain to a teacher about a grade or to the priest that their child must receive Confirmation this year even though they have not had Religious Education for three years, only because their friends are receiving this year does an injustice not only to the child but all involved.

God says that He disciplines us and He surely does.  Every time we sin He holds us accountable.  He lets us feel the guilt and even the shame in order for lessons to be learned.  He is also merciful and when we show sorrow and contrition no one is quicker than God to heal and forgive.  But He does not hand out forgiveness and mercy without teaching us first.

If we know that God deals with us that way are we not supposed to deal with each other that way as well, especially with our young people?  Let our children grow up by learning through discipline so that their character will develop and they will go on to be good and accountable people of society.  God treats us that way, that we will be holy and to become holy means nothing less than learning and going through the lessons of life, whether we deserve them or not.  Christ did not deserve the Cross, yet He carried it anyway, we deserve our crosses let us be molded and shaped by them so that we are truly sons and daughters of God, “For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline?”

Play Like a Champion Today

In today’s second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews we heard, “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.” 

These are very motivating words, they are also words of great encouragement.  The words are motivating because they challenge us to persevere in running the race.  Our faith is like a race, for some it’s a short distance race, for others a long one, and still for others somewhere in between.  A race, nevertheless it is.  What does a race feel like, well, it can be tiresome and physically draining regardless of what shape a person is in.  Effort is needed for a race and to run it well one needs maximum effort.  So too with our faith, are we running it well, are we giving maximum effort.

When I began as a coach I realized that to be successful we would have to give maximum effort all the time even in practice.  This could become draining and eventually take its toll so the race if you will would have to have purpose and meaning.  And what race could have more purpose and meaning than that of the Christian life?

Jesus is the one we are running to.  We run to Him in all things, regardless if they be sad moments or happy ones.  Our eyes should be fixed on the prize just like (and with even more) determination than a professional athlete has in winning a championship.

The other motivation is that we are not alone on our journeys.  We obviously have Jesus with us every step of the way, but as the Letter to Hebrews says, (we) “are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses.”  The communion of saints cheers us on.  All of those who have gone before us, from heaven, “send a volley cheer on high.”(Notre Dame Victory March)  Isn’t good to know our loved ones who have gone before us pray for us and that they root for us in all things good.

St. Paul and all the Saints understood that faith was “fighting the good fight,” that fight is synonymous with running a race, there are times when we tire and fall down, there are other times we stop running because it becomes too difficult, there are other times when we run it very well, but that most important thing is that we finish and like St. Paul we to will be able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim 4:7)

Are You Ready?

“You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”  We will meet Jesus face to face in two ways, either through our own death or if Jesus returns right now, are your ready for either one?  My reflection will be not so much with the end of the world, the return of Christ, or the apocalypse, but rather how does one prepare.

Being a former basketball coach, many of you I am sure have either played a sport, may be even coached a sport, and even if you did not you still understand that the athlete must prepare well in order to be successful.  So what does a coach do?  A coach first makes sure that the players buy into the system, i.e. the philosophy, which is accomplished in the first few practices.  Next, the coaches must make sure that the players reach top physical performance and maintain that throughout the season, that is done by drills, drills, drills.  After that the coaches will put in place offensive and defensive schemes, plays, go over all kinds of scenarios and throughout the season will game prepare for each opponent.

It seems like a lot, but to be well prepared it has to be done.  At this point, game time, the coaches hope that all the pieces are working, that every player has done their part and worked hard, if not the team will suffer loss and even embarrassment.  We prepare not only for sports, but the actor prepares diligently and will practice, practice, practice, until they think they are the character they are playing so that when it’s time to act in front of the camera the finished product is magnificent.  The musician will do much of the same, as well as the manager of a company, the worker in the work force.  One must prepare to do anything well, be it sports, acting, music, work and even school my young friends, “A” grades are not given out for free.

So too goes for our Christian lives.  We must prepare well.  But again, how?  We prepare well by living the virtues, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, by attending mass and the reception of the sacraments, by living out the beatitudes and most of all the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love.

We can practice these virtues and ways of life throughout the entire day.  It begins as soon as we wake up and right before we go to bed.  St. Paul said, “Pray always.”  He meant that we are to always have a disposition towards Christ no matter what you are doing that way if it is time to leave this world even unexpectedly or if Jesus returned right here and right now then we would not caught off guard, but like a good sentinel Jesus would find us keeping watch at our post.  God bless you, Fr. John

Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Maturity, Self Discovery and Purpose

In today’s first reading from Ecclesiastes we heard, “For what profit comes to man from all the toil and anxiety of heart with which he has labored under the sun?  All his days sorrow and grief are his occupation; even at night his mind is not at rest.  This also is vanity.”  These words at first seem quite negative and one could look at life as a monotonous drudgery of events which are filled with pain and sorrow.  However, the author, whom old rabbinic tradition believes was King Solomon, was only trying to describe stages of life, the things we go through.  Indulge me for a moment as I offer a reflection on the latest Star Trek film, “Beyond,” in particular the character of James T. Kirk.

In the reboot of the films we see all the old characters, Spock, Bones, Scotty, and Kirk.  In this last film, “Beyond,” they did a real nice job of developing Kirk’s character.  Spoiler alert, stop here if you are going to see the film, though I won’t be giving away any major plot lines.  It has been three years since Kirk has taken command of the Enterprise as her captain.  When he first became captain and they were beginning their six year mission he had great excitement in his heart, he could not wait to get out there and explore, to find new life and civilizations and to boldly go where no man had gone before.  However, as the days and weeks went by he began to feel the weight of everyday boring tasks, issues with crew, the ship, and the responsibilities of a being a captain.  You could see in his eyes that it was not what he signed up for.  Yet, that was not his only issue.  He was also trying to fill very big shoes, that of his father, George Kirk who saved many of the lives on his own ship and then sacrificed himself by going down in his ship to save others.  His father became a legend and a hero.  He had also replaced another revered former captain of the Enterprise, Captain Christopher Pike, who was one of Star Fleets finest officers.

Captain Kirk was not only dealing with the everyday toil, as Ecclesiastes points out, but he added to his own worry by putting himself in the shadow of his father and even that of Pike, and he wondered if he could ever become his own captain. 

In reality James T. Kirk did become his own captain, he just couldn’t see it.  He had already saved his own crew twice and one time saved the earth, but because of his own self conceived expectations and living in the shadow of others it would take a grand moment of self realization to see his own worth and the beauty of being a captain.  As the film progresses he begins to realize that he is his own man, his own captain, with gifts and talents and purpose that were given to him and he begins to mature and learn about himself and his role as a captain.  At the end of the film he is offered a vice-admiral job, which he turns down because it’s a desk job, his simple response in all Kirk style was, “what’s the fun in that,” he began to see himself for who he really was.

I think our friend King Solomon was not much different than our fictional friend, Captain James T. Kirk.  I guess there are a lot of responsibilities that come with being a captain of a ship, but imagine the responsibilities of being a king, the everyday work and toil, the constant worry of keeping your people safe, financial issues, food issues, and on and on.  I am sure Solomon had grown weary from time to time.  I am also sure like Kirk he too had to grow out of his father’s shadow.  King David probably the most revered king in human history, how would you like to follow that!  And yet, it was not David who built the Temple but Solomon and just like his father he too ruled for an entire generation with God bestowing on him incredible wisdom.  I am sure that Solomon began to realize his own purpose as he too matured, but during that maturation process he felt as he said, “all things are vanity.”  

He spoke a truth we all feel from time to time, we say it in such ways as, “what’s it all for, or “is it all worth it?”  All of us have been Kirk, all of us have been Solomon, and how may you ask, simply because we all share the same human nature.  No matter what, we too must mature and work through the sometimes minutiae of life realizing that in doing so we are building up our own characters, we are finding ourselves, and sometimes even getting out from under the shadow of others.  You may have had that big brother or sister in your family who could do no wrong, the Mary's of the world and you may have been the Martha of the world, the one who is anxious and worries and is told, your sister chose the better part.  You may be in a job where it seems like the same thing over and over again, you wake up, you go to work, you come home you work more and then go to sleep.  The every day grind which may seem like a bad thing while we may feel it from to time time is actually a good thing as the Lord is preparing us, molding us, shaping us to be better at whatever it is we do.

God has a purpose and wonderful plan for each and every one of us.  So yes, at times it will seem like vanity, but when we grow and come to realize God’s work in us and others, like Solomon we will be able to rest after we build the temple God desires us to build, whatever that temple may be or like Captain Kirk realize, this is where I am supposed to be, I am the captain of the Star-ship Enterprise, and boy that is a lot of fun!