Sin begins with a Lie, Virtue begins with Truth

In today’s 2nd reading from St. Paul to Ephesians he exhorts us to, “not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption.  All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice.   And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.  So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.”

Often times we are bitter, furious, and angry with one another and in some circumstances even malicious.  Why are we like this sometimes?  As I have said before, all sin begins with a lie.  We lie to ourselves.  This goes for all sin, not just bitterness, fury or malice, but greed, drunkenness, lust, gluttony, jealousy, envy, laziness, pride . . . did I get all 7 deadly sins, anyway you get the point, it does not matter the sin, they all begin with a lie.

Let’s take for example the very first sin, the sin of Adam and Eve.  We know that God had only asked Adam and Eve to follow one rule, one command, besides that they were entirely free.  In the story, which is a marvelous one, the serpent approaches Eve and says, “Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any of the trees in the garden’?”  The woman answered the snake: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, or else you will die.’”  But the snake said to the woman: “You certainly will not die!  God knows well that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, who know good and evil.”  Eve then takes from the tree and so too does Adam, they believed they could be like God, yes, one could argue they were tricked, but they allowed the lie to develop inside of them.  The first lie was when Eve said, “or even touch it,” God never said they could not touch the tree, they just could not eat of it, the next lie was that they would become like gods, they were already like God, yet they wanted to be their own gods.  They fell to the sin of pride, which began with a lie.

We do this as well.  We can take malice or gossip for example.  When we speak ill of another we do not realize that we are sinning, far from it, we actually think we are doing something good, we justify ourselves by believing that we are speaking truth.  The person whom we are gossiping about or even destroying their character we have come to believe a lie in our hearts, the lie is that I am justified in doing so because the other person is a, b, or c.  Therefore I can speak ill of them.  This is a lie, since Jesus always asks that we look for the good in a person first, and that we also look at the log in our own eye before we look at the splinter in the eye of another.

Another reason why we sometimes overly criticize or gossip is because we are actually deflecting our own weaknesses.  In order to deflect my responsibility by examining my conscience I focus on the faults of others and place impossible expectations on them in order not to deal with my own faults which we sometimes suppress and only concentrate on everyone else’s faults.  This is not the way of the Christian; we are always to judge ourselves first and to offer compassion to others.  I think all of us have been guilty of this at least once.

Good, holy or virtuous acts are the opposite, they all begin with truth.  Every time I humble myself, offer forgiveness, kindness, generosity, patience, perseverance, discipline, it begins with truth, the truth which points away from self and points towards God and neighbor, and their good and happiness.  The truth contains outward movements and is connected to goodness, unity, happiness, selflessness, where as lies are connected to evil, darkness, fear, selfishness, sadness, anger.

St. Paul pleads with us, “be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.”  Jesus hands himself over to us in the Eucharist which we will receive soon, in doing that He demands then that what hand ourselves over to each other in love, if not then we receive in vain.  We must pray for each other that we cling to Truth and never to lies

Rest for a While

“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”  This bible verse is used often for those who go on retreats, whether they are silent retreats or directed retreats.  The difference being is that on silent retreats, be they 3, 5, 7 or 30 days long one remains silent for a great majority of time during that retreat were as directed retreats would involve more interaction.  Can you imagine me on a 30 day silent retreat, oh boy! 

Anyway, this verse about being alone and quiet is not just about retreats, though I strongly recommend them.  It is also about making a daily retreat.  Think of where we are in society and culture.  The things that press on us the most are “busyness,” “constant contact,” and “the latest trend.”  All of these take us away from quite moments.

Busyness comes from all the things we need to do or get done.  Today 15 year old's have full schedules and calendars to deal with.  They are up at 6:30am getting ready for school, at 3:00pm practice or club event, 4:30pm dance class or karate practice, 6:00pm dinner, 7:00pm graduation practice, etc.  The same goes for adults, the days, the hours, minutes and seconds are all accounted for and taken up.  No time - not even for 60 seconds of quiet.  Sometimes in this busyness we do not even talk to one another and the days just go by and eventually become a blur.

Constant contact, oh yes, that’s the world we live in now, always on the phone – twitter, chats, facebook, text messages, rarely is a cell phone used for phone calls.  This constant contact is always on and running.  It doesn’t matter the time, be it 9am, noon, 6pm or even 3 in the morning.  I remember being out with Fr. Sanjai and Deacon Joe and Deacon Jerry and we observed a family sitting next to us, a family of four and each of them was doing their own thing on their cell phones, they were like zombies, entrenched in the virtual world while missing out on the most beautiful thing they had, each other.

The latest trend, this one just as big as the other two.  I love my Iphone 4, oh, here comes the Iphone 5, got to get it, wait, wait a minute, here comes the Iphone 5c and s, no, no, hold on, here is the latest Iphone 6 and soon and very soon the Iphone 6c and s.  It never ends, but more importantly where does it end for you?

In the midst of all this madness Jesus says to us, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”  This resting is for our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual well being.  We must enter into it, to enter into those moments alone with our God in the peace and quiet.  It is there that we hear his voice clearly but it is also there were two friends simple are in one another’s presence.  Constant contact, busyness, and the latest trends take us away from the moments we all need with God.

I pray you put the phones down, get off the pads and computers, leave the schedule open, and don’t worry about the next big thing, “rather go into your room and pray to your heavenly Father,” it is there or any quiet place that you will find rest.  In that rest we will find that what is truly important is God, neighbor, and happiness, everything else is just fleeting and here one minute and gone the next, just like the latest iphone.

God Bless You, Fr. John 

Words of Great Hope

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him.   In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved.  In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.  In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us the mystery of his will in accord with his favor that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.

This is one of the most positive and reassuring letters we have in the entire New Testament, this letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians.  It has positive elements on three counts, one) we have been blessed, two) we have been adopted and three) we have been redeemed.

This notion of being blessed but also given every spiritual blessing is something we receive at our baptism and confirmation.  Yet these blessings God choose for us from “before the foundation of the world.”  Think on that for a moment.  Before there was anything or at least before creation as we understand it we were already in God’s mind.  God has always loved us.  God has always known us, in some ways we existed in his being.  I know the whole time thing and how we actually may have existed could get confusing, but isn’t nice to know that God blessed us, chose us, and loved us always!  I believe, my personal opinion is that once God created us and we were here (on earth) and He was there (in Heaven) that He loved us so much that even though we may have sinned and the tree of life was removed from our midst He still longed to be with us that He became one of us.

This leads us into the second notion, that we are adopted.  When humanity fell to sin we separated ourselves from the Divine, we wounded our relationship with God, no longer able on our own to fix things if you will.  We became wayward sons and daughters, we became the prodigal son.  We were given our inheritance and then squandered it, through our own fault.  Yet, with all the weakness, with all the sin God did not want to leave us as wayward children, just like a parent will do everything humanly possible to bring back home a lost child.  God does the same, He searches for us always to bring us back home, so that He can be a Father to us and that we will always be His sons and daughters.

The third notion is closely connected to the idea of being adopted as His own and that is that He redeems us.  St. Paul says, “In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.” We are forgiven our sins through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.  It was not that God the Father was blood thirsty, but rather that it would be the greatest act of love that would forgive the gravest act of sins.  Jesus going quietly to the cross and not raising a finger to defend himself and cast into hell his accusers and executioners, which was you and I speaks with a love so great that it reaches to the heavens and restores the tree of life which we sent away through our own actions.  It is incredible that St. Paul uses the words, “in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.”  God is not cheap when He gives gifts, not like very frugal Uncle Harry who gave you a two dollar gift for your Graduation (just kidding Uncle Harry maybe the nicest guy in the word he’s just a little to frugal), no it’s not like that at all, God pours out His gifts in incredible abundance.

Please don’t ever sell yourselves short or be too hard on yourselves.  I know there is such a thing as Catholic guilt and in small doses and in the right mind frame that’s not always a bad thing, but if guilt drags you down you allow Satan to win.  God does not speak to us in terms of guilting (no such word) us into submission rather God speaks to us as beloved children.  Allow me to close as I opened so that you can once again hear the beautiful words St. Paul was so inspired to write and let these words be your hope.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him.   In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved.  In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us. He

Understanding Marriage

As you are well aware the Supreme Court last week issued a ruling that all 50 states must allow people of the same gender to marry one another, under the marriage equality act.  I cannot get into how or why the Supreme Court decided such; I am not a Constitutional lawyer.  As Americans we obviously hold to the Constitution and consider ourselves good and faithful servants of this great nation.  However, our fist allegiance is always to God, everything and everyone else comes second.  I am reminded of the beautiful words of Saint Thomas More prior to his execution, “I am the king’s good servant, but God’s first.”

With those words of Saint Thomas More, words by which we should all live, we as Catholics, as Christians oppose the ruling of the Supreme Court on two grounds, marriage as understood within our theology and also in our basic and fundamental understating of Natural law.

Many people have accepted the Supreme Court’s decision, even Catholics of good reputation.  They have done so by separating the idea of civil marriage from that of sacramental marriage and by forming a slogan, “love is love.”  Dealing with the slogan or rally cry first, yes it is true, no one can judge the love between two people regardless of sex, that is why and in the context of Pope Francis words when asked about homosexuals he responded, “Who am I to judge.”  I agree with Pope Francis we are not to judge, but rather hold to the dignity and sacredness of every human person regardless of sexual orientation.  With that being said we do as a Church have to address when civil laws are contrary to the Natural or Divine law.

Let’s have a look at what we as Catholics consider a sacramental marriage.  From the Catechism: 1601 "The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament."

Marriage finds its origin in the book of Genesis and it was instituted by God for two purposes, for happiness and the possibility of procreation.  We understand the meaning and the purpose of marriage from the biblical and catechetical perspective.  What about civil marriage, since that is not performed as a sacrament why do we still oppose same sex couples marrying one another civilly?

We oppose it because the institution of marriage comes from nature and ultimately from God.  Our understanding of marriage has always been between one man and one woman and has been so long before the Constitution was written.  The natural law is that law by which we can determine the order of things, understanding things in their nature and purpose, and knowing the difference between good and evil, i.e. right and wrong.

If someone tries to redefine something contrary to natural law we should be able to see that it is so, contrary to what it should be.  Let’s look at an easy example.  We all know that murder is wrong, for it is a grave injustice done to another human being.  Is murder wrong because we have decided so or is it wrong in its very nature regardless of how I may understand it?  You see, a madman may believe murdering brings him happiness and he may argue, “Who are you to determine what is good or bad for me?”  We are not determining what is good or bad for you, you should know that almost instinctively since that is what the natural law prompts in each of us.

With our understanding of marriage being ordained by Divine precept and something that flows from the natural law or nature itself, both created by God, then we must oppose anything called marriage that does not meet the criteria of happiness and the possibility of procreation, since marriage is life giving and same sex couples cannot meet the second criteria.

Folks must also be very careful not to throw around such slogans as “love is love or live and let live.”  If you take love is love to its logical end you will see it is highly problematic.  For instance what happens when one man or one woman wants to marry multiple partners or if siblings related by blood wish to marry, does love is love still qualify?  Live and let live is contrary to the Gospel as we are not our own but have been purchased at a price, a ransom has been paid for us, therefore we are the Lord’s and responsible to him.  We are also not to remain silent when people are in error or if they are in sin.

Again, I am not judging the love that people have for one another and I am not an expert in the sociological and biological understanding of homosexuality.  Again like Saint Thomas More, “I think none harm, I wish none harm, I do none harm.”  But in good conscience I cannot accept same sex marriages.  My understanding of the institution of marriage is shaped by our Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and what I can understand through the observation of nature.

I am sure more discussion will follow as the above issue continues to be discussed.  We must be able to speak frankly with one another and not be afraid of political correctness, and yet we must remain respectful of each other.  Homilies will eventually follow that address sacramental marriage.  I did have a presentation on marriage here at the parish some months ago but that was mostly based on covenants and the discussion moved more towards annulments but maybe I need to have an open forum discussion on the understanding marriage as an institution in light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision.  Please pray for me, Fr. Sanjai, Deacon Jerry and Deacon Joe as we continue to teach the sacred Truths of our faith and that we do so always in keeping with the sacredness and dignity of each human person.  God bless you all, Fr. John

Be of Good Couage

Brothers and sisters:
We are always courageous,
although we know that while we are at home in the body
we are away from the Lord,
for we walk by faith, not by sight.
Yet we are courageous,
and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord.
Therefore, we aspire to please him,
whether we are at home or away.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
so that each may receive recompense,
according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil. (2 Cor. 5:6-10)

Today’s 2nd reading from St. Paul to the Corinthians reminds us that we are to always be courageous in the Lord and our aspirations should always be to please Him.  St. Paul’s courage is awe inspiring, especially in light of his troubles, being arrested, beat, tortured and eventually martyred. Tradition has it that he slept like a newborn babe and that the guard had to wake him on the morning of his execution. We are not sure if that is true but it would not surprise me given what we know of St. Paul from his letters and testimony by others.

St. Paul had this courage because of his complete surrender and trust in Jesus. That courage even caused a deep longing in him to rather be with the Lord then continue here on earth, but if it was God’s will he remain then so be it. For many of us we can always think of one or more reasons to continue to stick around here in this life for just a little longer.

When we think about our own aspirations in life, what we aspire to it is usually earthly things, i.e. will I advance at work, will I ever own my own business, will I be successful, will I have a nice home, etc. Its not that these things are bad, but what are the real reasons for me desiring them? Do I desire them along with the Lord? Is the Lord part of those plans? Have I brought those desires to the Lord? Or have those aspirations nothing to do with the Lord?

Finally, “we must all appear before the judgment seat of God.” Wow, that could be a little scary. There will be no opportunity to try and defend oneself, i.e. squirm our way out of it. All will be revealed, every action, thought and word along with their motivations - all will be laid bare. Makes one think doesn’t it. But here also we are to have courage, courage in our Lord that our love for Him and our neighbor will be enough. Here our ultimate trust is required that when all is laid bare that I can still surrender completely to my Lord’s will and not my own.

We have the opportunities each day to please our Lord and the commands he left for us are not burdensome but rather simple and only two of them so that there can be no excuse on our part. Therefore love the Lord your God with all you heart, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. AMEN!       

Trinity Sunday

St. Augustine describes the Holy Trinity as, “God is love, Jesus is the lover, and the Holy Spirit is the love shared between them.”  It is a nice analogy; it is one that helps us reflect on the power of love and its depths.  Yet, the Trinity is not the easiest thing to wrap your head around.  The basic teaching about that Trinity is that we believe in one God in three persons, each person is their own person and each person is God.  Each person is not simply a manifestation of God, but is God and each still remains their own person.  What we can’t wrap our head around is the fact that we are talking about distinction and unity all in the same sentence.  We understand the distinction, i.e. there are three persons, we even understand what unity means, i.e. One God, but when you put the two together difficulties arise because it goes beyond our capacity to fully understand.  Much like saying God is in control but we continue to have free will or it is God who saves us but we still participate.

The easiest way for me to understand the Trinity is to compare it to marriage or a family that is perfectly united.  Please do not misunderstand me, no analogy will ever perfectly describe or explain the Trinity nor can human relationships ever be 100% perfect, since human relationships are faulty due to our sinfulness and weakness, and yet we must try to understand it since it is the most important tenet of our faith.

Everyone who is married or wishes to marry dreams of and hopes for the perfect marriage and all marriages are perfect to some extent, all couples have shared those moments in which they were truly one, “the two shall become one flesh.”  In those moments of great intimacy, friendship, and love two people do become one in thought and spirit, they are inseparable.  Both can anticipate the other’s thoughts and movements, a bond exists that becomes unbreakable.  In these moments the person does not lose their individuality, they remain who they are but are also one in just about every respect.  Sounds like a beautiful marriage indeed, and yet I am sure and I hope you who are married have experienced this many times.  As Christians we are called to this same relationship with Christ where we become one with Him in every respect.  I mention all of this to try and get a glimpse into the Trinity.  All three are perfectly united, all three are always their own persons but at the same time they are also always one.

The theology of the Trinity is important, as faithful Christians we must not shy away from trying to understand it and trying to explain it to others, but what is more important is that we try to live our lives as a model of the Trinity, striving to be in perfect unity and community with one another.  Divisions among us can separate families, cause siblings not to speak to one another or old and good friends to part ways.  The Trinity is perfect communion of relationships between three persons, we are made in God’s image and likeness therefore we too are called to have that unity with God and each other.  Knowing the Trinity is one thing living like the Trinity is another and that living like the Trinity is based and rooted in love.  I will leave you with what St. Paul charged his followers with, I like his “THREE” theological virtues they make a lot of sense and at least in a small way remind us of the Trinity, “And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing . . . So faith, hope, love remain, these three;  but the greatest of these is love.”

Pentecost: All Kinds of Gifts and Callings

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.  To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” 

When the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and all of those gathered in the Upper Room gifts were given to all and the gifts differed.  All received the same flame of faith the one gift, but within that gift was also given purpose and direction.  Within each one’s call came some aspect or aspects of ministry in order to continue the building up of the Church.

Many are given the gift of the married life, others are given the gift of solitude and prayer, much like a hermit or cloistered nun.  Others are given the gift of ordination.  Those are the calls to vocation and within those calls the Holy Spirit gives us the gifts and talents that are needed to grow personally but also to assist in the building up of the body of Christ.  St. Paul says in another place, “But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.  And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ . . .” Eph 4:7,11-12

If we all had the same gifts the church and even the world would be a boring place.  In my years of seminary and in ministry since ordination I have come to find that people offer their gifts and services in many ways.  Being a theology student for a long time I thought that the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit was learning about our faith, about those who delved into the eternal mysteries with vigor and every ounce of their energy.  So, theologians and doctors of the Church like St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Teresa of Avila, John Paul the Great became my heroes, the ones with the greatest gifts.  I viewed all the other gifts as having a lesser place.  However, in my prayer, my reflection on St. Paul’s teaching on the Church and what I have witnessed as a priest has taught me otherwise.  There are many gifts each and all of them having eternal value.  One of St. Paul’s letters opened my eyes to this way of thinking and belief, “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.  Some people God has designated in the church to be, first, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers; then, mighty deeds; then, gifts of healing, assistance, administration, and varieties of tongues.  Are all apostles? Are all prophets?  Are all teachers?  Do all work mighty deeds? Do all have gifts of healing?  Do all speak in tongues?  Do all interpret?  Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.” 1 Cor 12:27-31

The gifts he mentions here I have personally witnessed in so many folks that I have been able to serve and serve along with.  I have seen it when people come together to help the poor both through their resources and time which we do here at Holy Family through our giving to the House of Charity and also in the ministries that we have that help those in need.  I have seen it in those who have given so much of their time to help build this parish up, countless hours and countless prayers and all done with a spirit of humility and generosity.  I have experienced in the confessional when people cry out for God’s mercy in their longing to be holy and one with God.  These are all mighty gifts given to build up the individual but also to build up our Church, here in our parish, in our diocese, in our world.

Pentecost is the receiving of tongues of fire and those tongues then enlighten in us an eternal flame to go forth and preach the Good News.  Some do this in healing ministries, others in ministries to the poor, others in service to their parish, others in prayer, others in teaching the faith, others in preaching, and some in total witness in giving their lives literally to Christ as martyrs.  We have all been given gifts on Pentecost at the birth of the Church today we are reminded of those gifts.  I pray you know your gifts and that as a good and faithful servant you return them back to the Body of Christ in order for the Church to continue to grow and multiply, not just in number but in holiness, Amen.