2 Sm 5:1-3
Ps 122:1-5
Col 1:12-20
Lk 23:35-43
"Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana"
-Groucho Marx
Have you ever thought about time? Like what is it? What is one second? One minute? One hour? What exactly does one second mean and what is it? The old astronomers’ way to measure time was dividing the time it took for the sun to make a trip around the earth… or rather if you subscribe to this Galileo business for the earth to make one revolution. This later proved to be inaccurate because of the changing of days and so the scientists defined a unit of time, a second, to be: the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the Caesium 133 atom. And since I just happen to have a Caesium133 atom at home in my mad scientist laboratory, I went ahead and verified it. They were right. But seriously… time is such an interesting concept because no matter if we measure it by the revolutions of the earth or the oscillations of a caesium atom, time doesn’t work by itself. It’s contingent and requires physical matter, the universe around us to exist. We are either masters of it or slaves to it. We are always either late, on time, or early. It always moves forward, never backward (at least not yet). It moves and ticks away one second at a time. Someone once said, “Time is God’s way of keeping everything from happening at once.” How true it is!
We are in the last week of Ordinary Time. Why is it called ordinary time? Because we’ve been counting weeks at a time, 1st week, 2nd week, 3rd week, up until the 34th week, these are ordinal numbers, numbers in order. But further Ordinary Time from the Latin, Tempus per Annum, “time through the year” reflects a time that is not the special seasons of Lent Easter, or Advent, but normal, ordinary. Is this to say that Ordinary Time is boring or without anything special? No, in these last few weeks of Ordinary Time, I don’t know if you caught the hint, but there’s been some serious scary stuff. It is during this time of the year where Jesus is calling the Pharisees hypocrites, the people needing to be prepared for the end, the doom and the gloom. The end of the world!! The world will end one day, you might think you will live forever, but it’s not going to happen. November is a time we pray for the souls in purgatory: all of those we have known and loved and countless others who have died and gone before us. It is the fate of us all and no one, no one is getting out of here alive. This is really depressing and this is supposed to be a solemnity, a Feast day of celebrating Christ the King!!! But all this talk is depressing, the end, death, gloominess how are we supposed to be happy about the end of the world?
Well what do the readings say? The first reading is about King David. King Saul just died and the Israelites are looking for a new King. “Hey David, you did pretty well back there with Goliath and stuff and you were pretty awesome. You led us to victory and we didn’t all die! We want you to be our King.” The verse that stuck to me was this, “And the LORD said to you, ‘You shall shepherd my people Israel and shall be commander of Israel.’” Why? You have to remember that Jesus hasn’t shown up yet on the scene so the talk of shepherd doesn’t quite make any sense. It does make sense to be a commander of Israel: that means power, authority and everything we think a King should have. But David, being a shepherd boy, knew what it meant to be a shepherd. It meant that he was to watch out and protect and raise them with a special care. So for David, who was to be the greatest King of Israel, the Jewish people, he knew he had to rule with authority and power but also have the heart of a shepherd one that does not abuse the power but looks for the lost ones and brings them back to the flock. That sounds like the definition of a good king to me.
What does the Gospel say? Well if I were to guess what the Gospel reading was going to be for Christ the King what do you think I would pick? Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey, yes, that was the only time He was treated like a King. But no, today’s reading is sad and depressing. It’s the crucifixion! The Church in her infinite wisdom probably did a Google search for “King” in the Gospel and just picked one that used “king”! But this is the worst example isn’t it? It’s Jesus dying on the Cross! And they put a sign on his cross to mock him! “The King of the Jews!” The other “rulers sneered at Jesus and said, “He saved others, let him save himself!!... If you are King... save yourself.” Everybody was yelling at him and making fun of him, taunting him. I don’t know about you guys, but this is not how I want my King to go out. It’s not how anybody wants their King to go out… their leader mocked, scorned, and defeated. Even the criminal hanging there with him is making fun of him! “Are you not the Christ? (The anointed one, the savior?)” Some savior if you cannot even save yourself, how are you going to save us?! Only one guy stands up for Him, a penitent thief Dismas by tradition, and from there we have the touching words, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” He was the first one to recognize 1) his sins and his deserving of punishment 2) that Jesus Christ was truly a King, the Savior and that He had a Kingdom.
Remembering back to the first reading: a King must be the commander of Israel, a leader of a people with power and authority and a shepherd of the people, feeding, protecting, caring, keeping the flock together and out of danger. Comparing the glory of King David rising to power versus the incredibly sad state of Jesus’ death, King of the Jews and we have an interesting picture for our feast of Christ the King. What does this mean?
St Paul to the Colossians writes, “Jesus is the image of the invisible God...in him all things were created… he is before all things… the head of the body, the Church… the beginning the firstborn from the dead….” These are all the things exclaiming the greatness of Jesus Christ. St Paul really brings it home for us at the last part of the reading, “For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things… making peace by the blood of his cross.”
Christ’s Kingship is on Calvary. His throne, the two wooden beams of the Cross. His crown, a crown of thorns. His scepter, the nails in his hand. This is how our King ruled. He ruled by laying down His life for our sake. He reconciled us by His Blood to the Father; He is our mediator to the Father: “I love my people so much that I will put my life down for them. ‘Forgive them, for they know not what they do.’” This is a King beyond all Kings, one that truly lives for His people by His life and He will not stop saving His people until the end of time. It is then that all will come to fulfillment; we will be with Him in heaven in eternity where there will be no more sadness, only complete joy.
My Sunday school teacher used to ask us all the time: if you die the next day, are you ready to see God, have you prepared yourself? It wasn’t to scare us to death, though it might have scared us about death… it was to remind us that as God’s children we should always have our mind and hearts on Him and be ready to meet Him when He comes or we go to Him. Does this mean that we have a life without fun or joy? No it means our joy rests in Him, He is to be our greatest joy and desire. Look at your friends around you. Which ones have the most joy and which ones are the most miserable? You will see that the ones that live in God’s love will truly radiate God’s joy and happiness look for it in others, imitate it and be examples to each other. The ones that are miserable will only look like they are happy; but they will not be joyful.
Therefore, as we are reminded of Christ passion and death, we also remember that He is doing it because He is our King and because He wants us to be “in Paradise.” (as he promised the good thief) We celebrate the Eucharist so that we can be reminded of this and we do this over and over again so that our minds and hearts are filled with His complete act of Love: reconciling us to the Father with His body and blood. We are creatures, bodies and all, we are His creation; we exist in time and time exists because we do. And if we were to die suddenly, if we did not have this Ordinary Time in the Church year to reflect on Jesus’ wonderful gifts, if we had no time at all, we wouldn’t be able to think about and appreciate fully what God has done? Time is a gift for us to use, it is precious and it should be used to order our lives to God. This takes time and it can’t be done instantly. Remember what I said earlier, "Time is God's way of keeping everything from happening at once." Even in the End Times, the Time when Jesus Christ will come again in glory, Christ the King to reign for all time and eternity, we have this precious time to appreciate and remember His Love for us.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Wednesday Reflection, St Leo the Great
From Contrition to Heirs in Hope of Eternal Life
Titus 3:1-7
“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, deluded… hateful ourselves and hating one another.”
When given the task to lead and guide a flock, like St Paul writing to Titus… whether it is faculties forming young seminarians or seminarians in ministry, this verse puts us at a crossroads. This verse is a call to contrition, a reminder, an examination of our sinfulness. We have all had our past whether honorable or shameful. We’ve all had a past, and now we are no longer foolish, disobedient, deluded or anything like that right? We’ve all been presumably converted from those ways right?
Sometimes when we examine ourselves and look at what we’ve done in the past, this can cause some wounds to emerge which can be healthy. Good healthy doses of feeling sorrow, shame, and guilt for past transgressions…. That’s a good Catholic. Is this always healthy? What do you do with that with those wounds?
In the Mass are some peculiar lines that are said, at least they were peculiar to me until someone explained it. The Deacon or Priest may say, “Lord Jesus, you are mighty God and Prince of Peace: You are the Son of God and Son of Mary: You are Word made flesh and splendor of the Father: Lord have mercy, Christ…” There is a statement of joy, a statement about the wonders of God, but then a request for mercy. What’s happening? It’s like daring to step out into nature and seeing the wonders of creation: the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, the Bayou in the back 40, double rainbows - all the way. And you are just struck with its beauty so much that you are moved to a sense of unworthiness, your smallness when compared to his gift: “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man”. God’s awesomeness moves us to repent.
You know, Paul’s instructions for Titus are analogous to our fearless rector to the formation faculties or for the faculties to us: Now don’t forget to “remind them to be obedient, open, not to slander, be peaceable, considerate, gracious to everyone.” And we will be reminding the faithful in the parishes the same thing. I think God was reminding me in this passage that sometimes in serving others, there may be a temptation for us to dwell on our past sins too much: “For you were once foolish, disobedient, deluded, hateful.” There may be so much zeal to protect others from falling that you beat other people over the heads with your sins and sufferings. It’s like some kind of twisted love, trying to love others with your failings. If you have ever seen a movie about military boot camp, sports team, or college fraternities you always see some sort of hazing or initiation before they are accepted. It’s a rite of passage: I’ve suffered, you will suffer, and the people after you will suffer. This pain and humiliation will make you better; and once you’re good enough we’ll accept you. Why are they so miserable that they wanted to inflict that misery on others? Work Order, Music Practice, Formation Fridays – oh yeah that’s seminary. Surely the faculties and seminarians who are so concerned with all things holy would desire for us to be holy too, right? We should be thanking them right? Have an attitude of gratitude perhaps? To make the story shorter: one might say, St Paul is warning us against this kind of behavior in his letter because he doesn’t stop writing: Yes, “For you were once foolish, disobedient, deluded, hateful.” But he continues, “But when the kindness and generous love of God our Savior appeared and through his mercy, through baptism and renewal of the Holy Spirit and not by anything we have done… we were justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.”
The kindness and generous love of God showered down on us causes us to move to contrition. “LORD, have mercy. Because of all the things you have done for me. Christ, have mercy.” Here we are transformed and we have been justified by God. He has given us a mission in this vocation. Our past can drag others into darkness: You can be stuck in that rut of taking out your past sinfulness out on others. Just remember that the penitential rite it is not for us to dwell solely on our sins, but to come to true contrition, receive his abundant love and forgiveness, and be joyful because he is merciful. His kindness and generous love has brought us salvation and now we have great cause for joy because we have become “heirs in hope of eternal life.”
St Leo the Great leaves us with these words: “Sharing in this office [of the priesthood], my dear brethren, we have solid ground for a common rejoicing; yet there will be more genuine and excellent reason for joy if you do not dwell on the thought of our unworthiness.
Titus 3:1-7
“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, deluded… hateful ourselves and hating one another.”
When given the task to lead and guide a flock, like St Paul writing to Titus… whether it is faculties forming young seminarians or seminarians in ministry, this verse puts us at a crossroads. This verse is a call to contrition, a reminder, an examination of our sinfulness. We have all had our past whether honorable or shameful. We’ve all had a past, and now we are no longer foolish, disobedient, deluded or anything like that right? We’ve all been presumably converted from those ways right?
Sometimes when we examine ourselves and look at what we’ve done in the past, this can cause some wounds to emerge which can be healthy. Good healthy doses of feeling sorrow, shame, and guilt for past transgressions…. That’s a good Catholic. Is this always healthy? What do you do with that with those wounds?
In the Mass are some peculiar lines that are said, at least they were peculiar to me until someone explained it. The Deacon or Priest may say, “Lord Jesus, you are mighty God and Prince of Peace: You are the Son of God and Son of Mary: You are Word made flesh and splendor of the Father: Lord have mercy, Christ…” There is a statement of joy, a statement about the wonders of God, but then a request for mercy. What’s happening? It’s like daring to step out into nature and seeing the wonders of creation: the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, the Bayou in the back 40, double rainbows - all the way. And you are just struck with its beauty so much that you are moved to a sense of unworthiness, your smallness when compared to his gift: “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man”. God’s awesomeness moves us to repent.
You know, Paul’s instructions for Titus are analogous to our fearless rector to the formation faculties or for the faculties to us: Now don’t forget to “remind them to be obedient, open, not to slander, be peaceable, considerate, gracious to everyone.” And we will be reminding the faithful in the parishes the same thing. I think God was reminding me in this passage that sometimes in serving others, there may be a temptation for us to dwell on our past sins too much: “For you were once foolish, disobedient, deluded, hateful.” There may be so much zeal to protect others from falling that you beat other people over the heads with your sins and sufferings. It’s like some kind of twisted love, trying to love others with your failings. If you have ever seen a movie about military boot camp, sports team, or college fraternities you always see some sort of hazing or initiation before they are accepted. It’s a rite of passage: I’ve suffered, you will suffer, and the people after you will suffer. This pain and humiliation will make you better; and once you’re good enough we’ll accept you. Why are they so miserable that they wanted to inflict that misery on others? Work Order, Music Practice, Formation Fridays – oh yeah that’s seminary. Surely the faculties and seminarians who are so concerned with all things holy would desire for us to be holy too, right? We should be thanking them right? Have an attitude of gratitude perhaps? To make the story shorter: one might say, St Paul is warning us against this kind of behavior in his letter because he doesn’t stop writing: Yes, “For you were once foolish, disobedient, deluded, hateful.” But he continues, “But when the kindness and generous love of God our Savior appeared and through his mercy, through baptism and renewal of the Holy Spirit and not by anything we have done… we were justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.”
The kindness and generous love of God showered down on us causes us to move to contrition. “LORD, have mercy. Because of all the things you have done for me. Christ, have mercy.” Here we are transformed and we have been justified by God. He has given us a mission in this vocation. Our past can drag others into darkness: You can be stuck in that rut of taking out your past sinfulness out on others. Just remember that the penitential rite it is not for us to dwell solely on our sins, but to come to true contrition, receive his abundant love and forgiveness, and be joyful because he is merciful. His kindness and generous love has brought us salvation and now we have great cause for joy because we have become “heirs in hope of eternal life.”
St Leo the Great leaves us with these words: “Sharing in this office [of the priesthood], my dear brethren, we have solid ground for a common rejoicing; yet there will be more genuine and excellent reason for joy if you do not dwell on the thought of our unworthiness.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Ex 17:8-13
Ps 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
2Tm 3:14-4:2
Lk 18:1-8
“Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed because you know from whom you learned it…” This passage comes from our second reading today, a passage from a letter to Timothy. One of the most beautiful things of our Catholic faith is the handing-on of our faith. This faith which has grown out of over 2000 years of tradition has been true and faithful to God’s desire in our lives. I find it especially beautiful because we have the assurance of Jesus Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Some may ask or think to themselves, “Why should I baptize my child? Shouldn’t I wait so that my child can make his or her own decisions?” I used to be glad that I had the opportunity to choose my faith growing up, but at the same time I wonder to myself, “Why did I have to prolong something so good for so long? I could have enjoyed the grace and blessings of my God and a relationship with God so much sooner!” As St Augustine writes in his confessions, “Late have I loved you! Late have I loved you…”. Scripture and Tradition are part of our rich inheritance, a revelation from God that opens an intimate relationship with Him. And from that rich and abundant life with God, flows our spiritual life into our daily life.
When we meditate on scripture and ponder its meaning, we are pondering the Word of God; we are pondering his self-gift to us. When you read scripture and you do not derive a richness of God speaking to you in a personal way, it is not scripture that is boring, but something is blocking the communication between you and Him. Prayer and scripture are intimately tied together in the times of the day that you take to commune with God. Yes, I know that everyone has their responsibilities in life be it job, family, friends and the like. These are priorities that you have already set and are perhaps difficult to change. But in your life, when given a choice between doing the things that have to be done and the things needing to be done, you will do the things that you want to do because they give you more satisfaction. If you truly wanted or desired prayer and God in your life, then you would make time to make it happen.
When one takes a long and critical look at their own life, they will find the short comings that are easy enough to spot: I could be more holy, I could be nicer, I could pray the rosary more, etc. Within these sins, it is imperative that you examine why or what caused you to commit those sins. God desires a conversion and not a laundry list of sins for confession. You go to the priest for confession not because you want to erase the chalkboard of your soul, but so that Jesus can write how much He loves you and you Him. God desires conversion of heart and in so doing your heart beats not to pump blood but to repeat the sounding love and praise of the Holy Spirit.
As you transform and as you grow in relationship with God, the stories in the first reading and gospel will start to make more sense. The story is very simple: Moses raises his arms for the Israelites to fight against Amalek, and the fight goes well as long as Moses’ arms stayed up. The Gospel speaks of the parable of the widow that incessantly pleads her cause to an unjust judge and by analogy if the unjust judge grants a something out of fear of his own well-being and the persistence of the widow, then surely God Almighty will be able to grant good things to us. Both of these stories at first blush show perseverance of the faith. That is, if you keep at something long enough, you’ll get what you want. Any spoiled kid will tell you the secrets of getting what they want from their parents.
If you want to be or act like a spoiled brat in front of God, be my guest I won’t stop you; it’s his ears you are talking off, not mine. Perseverance is definitely a virtue that is commendable and should be kept up. If you have perseverance you should persevere in it!!!
What I was saying earlier about desires is very important and what separates a spoiled brat and a good kid is easy. A spoiled brat will put on a mask and change their behavior until he or she gets their way. As soon as the objective is achieved, it’s back to acting nasty. However, a good child will change his or her behavior out of love for mother and father and not for the objects or favors desired. And because the good child does this out of love he or she will keep on doing it because it’s a good thing to do. In other words, the spoiled brat remains the same and the good child grows.
When we pray and when we ask God for something, do we pray incessantly while putting on our best behavior until we get what we want? Or do we pray constantly because our hearts and minds are on our Lord and desiring that his will be done?
It goes without saying that persevering in prayer is critical. We pray without ceasing and we lift our arms up like Moses in our daily battles. We assume the position of prayer, hands out extended so that we may lift our prayers to God and receive his blessings in our life. The longer we keep a mind and heart of prayer, the better we will fare in our daily struggles. In order to do so, especially in those times of need, we must cultivate our faith that was handed down to us. We have been given a rich treasure of sacred scripture and the teachings of the Church. Let us use them and take advantage of them. These are filled with rich descriptions, prescriptions, and meditations that enrich our relationship with God and help us to know our Lover better.
As the letter to Timothy says, “…be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.” At the same time we are charged with a mission to grow in faith and to spread the faith down to others. It we truly believe in the goodness of the message of Love in our lives, there would and should be no hesitation to tell others about it. If the Lord has not touched your life in some way, ask for it and desire it. I earnestly desire a deeper conversion in your life as much as I do desire one in mine. As blessed as I may be with the people of God around me daily, I desire even more. The goodness of God in my life can only be given if I grow in relationship with Him each and every day. Let us glory in what He has done for us in thanksgiving to Him for the wonderful blessings in life.
Ps 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
2Tm 3:14-4:2
Lk 18:1-8
“Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed because you know from whom you learned it…” This passage comes from our second reading today, a passage from a letter to Timothy. One of the most beautiful things of our Catholic faith is the handing-on of our faith. This faith which has grown out of over 2000 years of tradition has been true and faithful to God’s desire in our lives. I find it especially beautiful because we have the assurance of Jesus Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Some may ask or think to themselves, “Why should I baptize my child? Shouldn’t I wait so that my child can make his or her own decisions?” I used to be glad that I had the opportunity to choose my faith growing up, but at the same time I wonder to myself, “Why did I have to prolong something so good for so long? I could have enjoyed the grace and blessings of my God and a relationship with God so much sooner!” As St Augustine writes in his confessions, “Late have I loved you! Late have I loved you…”. Scripture and Tradition are part of our rich inheritance, a revelation from God that opens an intimate relationship with Him. And from that rich and abundant life with God, flows our spiritual life into our daily life.
When we meditate on scripture and ponder its meaning, we are pondering the Word of God; we are pondering his self-gift to us. When you read scripture and you do not derive a richness of God speaking to you in a personal way, it is not scripture that is boring, but something is blocking the communication between you and Him. Prayer and scripture are intimately tied together in the times of the day that you take to commune with God. Yes, I know that everyone has their responsibilities in life be it job, family, friends and the like. These are priorities that you have already set and are perhaps difficult to change. But in your life, when given a choice between doing the things that have to be done and the things needing to be done, you will do the things that you want to do because they give you more satisfaction. If you truly wanted or desired prayer and God in your life, then you would make time to make it happen.
When one takes a long and critical look at their own life, they will find the short comings that are easy enough to spot: I could be more holy, I could be nicer, I could pray the rosary more, etc. Within these sins, it is imperative that you examine why or what caused you to commit those sins. God desires a conversion and not a laundry list of sins for confession. You go to the priest for confession not because you want to erase the chalkboard of your soul, but so that Jesus can write how much He loves you and you Him. God desires conversion of heart and in so doing your heart beats not to pump blood but to repeat the sounding love and praise of the Holy Spirit.
As you transform and as you grow in relationship with God, the stories in the first reading and gospel will start to make more sense. The story is very simple: Moses raises his arms for the Israelites to fight against Amalek, and the fight goes well as long as Moses’ arms stayed up. The Gospel speaks of the parable of the widow that incessantly pleads her cause to an unjust judge and by analogy if the unjust judge grants a something out of fear of his own well-being and the persistence of the widow, then surely God Almighty will be able to grant good things to us. Both of these stories at first blush show perseverance of the faith. That is, if you keep at something long enough, you’ll get what you want. Any spoiled kid will tell you the secrets of getting what they want from their parents.
If you want to be or act like a spoiled brat in front of God, be my guest I won’t stop you; it’s his ears you are talking off, not mine. Perseverance is definitely a virtue that is commendable and should be kept up. If you have perseverance you should persevere in it!!!
What I was saying earlier about desires is very important and what separates a spoiled brat and a good kid is easy. A spoiled brat will put on a mask and change their behavior until he or she gets their way. As soon as the objective is achieved, it’s back to acting nasty. However, a good child will change his or her behavior out of love for mother and father and not for the objects or favors desired. And because the good child does this out of love he or she will keep on doing it because it’s a good thing to do. In other words, the spoiled brat remains the same and the good child grows.
When we pray and when we ask God for something, do we pray incessantly while putting on our best behavior until we get what we want? Or do we pray constantly because our hearts and minds are on our Lord and desiring that his will be done?
It goes without saying that persevering in prayer is critical. We pray without ceasing and we lift our arms up like Moses in our daily battles. We assume the position of prayer, hands out extended so that we may lift our prayers to God and receive his blessings in our life. The longer we keep a mind and heart of prayer, the better we will fare in our daily struggles. In order to do so, especially in those times of need, we must cultivate our faith that was handed down to us. We have been given a rich treasure of sacred scripture and the teachings of the Church. Let us use them and take advantage of them. These are filled with rich descriptions, prescriptions, and meditations that enrich our relationship with God and help us to know our Lover better.
As the letter to Timothy says, “…be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.” At the same time we are charged with a mission to grow in faith and to spread the faith down to others. It we truly believe in the goodness of the message of Love in our lives, there would and should be no hesitation to tell others about it. If the Lord has not touched your life in some way, ask for it and desire it. I earnestly desire a deeper conversion in your life as much as I do desire one in mine. As blessed as I may be with the people of God around me daily, I desire even more. The goodness of God in my life can only be given if I grow in relationship with Him each and every day. Let us glory in what He has done for us in thanksgiving to Him for the wonderful blessings in life.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
2 Kgs 5:14-17
Ps 98:1,2-3,3-4
2Tm 2:8-13
Lk 17:11-19
Today, being Stewardship Sunday or Super Collection Plat Sunday in our parish, I find it very fitting that we have these readings today. What I realize also is that Stewardship – that is, stewardship of time, talent, and treasure – is more than Turkey.
Brothers and Sisters: It’s more than Turkey!
If you all are good Catholics and listened to your Sunday school teacher growing up, you would remember the story of Elisha and Naaman, an Aramean army commander with leprosy. If you aren’t, when you go home today read this short little story. Naaman was a highly esteemed commander of a neighboring country of Israel called Aram, but he had leprosy. Naaman discovers that Israel has a prophet named Elisha who could possibly heal him. He goes to find him carrying with him 10 silver talents, six thousand gold pieces, and ten festal garments – a lot of money in those days – as tribute for the healing. It was like he assumed that he was going to be healed and wanted to pay the healer for services rendered. (I wish it was as simple as that in our healthcare) So he goes to Elisha, with all this money and asks to be healed. You can imagine Naaman, a pagan idol worshipper, expecting Elisha to be a witch doctor with all the strange concoctions of medicines and strange dances, but Elisha is nothing of the sort.
Elisha tells Naaman, “Go and wash sevent times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean.” Badaboom-badabing. No problems. This isn’t strange to us, because we know that Jesus does this kind of thing all the time. But Naaman is incredulous! He leaves angry because he’s expecting Elisha to wave his magical hands and to invoke God to heal him and fix everything, but he’s told to go do something that soldiers should be used to doing, taking baths in rivers. To add insult to injury, he said seven times! (Naaman must have really smelt bad) His servants advise him to do what Elisha the prophet said to do; he does and is miraculously healed.
Naaman is incredibly grateful to Elisha and seeks to pay him for his service. Elisha refuses all these riches. What is interesting is that Naaman asks for two mule-loads of dirt. Taking a step back this is strange; but Naaman wants to worship Elisha’s god instead of the pagan idols in his home country. Gods have territories and so if you take a piece of Israel back with you, you get to have Israel’s god. (Please do not take the hymnals, the tiles, or the pews back home with you. You still have to come to Church on Sunday)
Through this healing, Naaman is converted to believing in and worshipping the true God. This is a beautiful story of thanksgiving and conversion, but most of all the start of a new relationship. You see, Elisha did not accept the payment, which was right on his part, but what he really desired is bringing people to God and that he did gladly. Now by Elisha’s actions, Naaman was forever grateful to God who does wonderous things. And for the rest of his life, he served the Lord.
Jesus too heals lepers in the Gospel today. Ten lepers were healed, but one, the foreigner is the one that comes back to thank Jesus. (This story always reminds me of the scolding I get when I forget to say thank you) Though the other nine did what Jesus told them to do, the foreigner knew who to thank. He was really changed and I am sure his life was never the same after that – worshiping God for the rest of his life.
Both of these stories involve miraculous healings and even in this day and age we see people healed and miracles happening around us. However, we know that the heart of the message today is not just the miracles and healings. They are incredibly great and awesome; especially when you experience them. But it’s not just that; it’s even more!
When the family comes together during Thanksgiving, it’s not really about the Turkey. It’s more than the Turkey!!! It’s about thanksgiving in the midst of family, a relationship! When the family comes together, the family shares in a unique relationship – even in the most awkward of situations. And that’s what it is about: Relationships.
Namaan’s life, because of his leprosy, was miraculously changed and so now had the opportunity to know God. Had Elisha accepted Namaan’s gold, Namaan would not have thought to worship God. Like a contract that accepts this in exchange for that, he has now entered into a relationship, a covenant with God instead, which is lasting forever.
All of us have received the graces and blessings of God daily. By the very fact that we exist, by the very fact that we are here today to worship the Lord, He has blessed. We have been given these wonderful gifts to be used whether it is kindness, generosity, charity, patience, or wealth. These are all God’s bountiful gift to us. We didn’t ask for them, they were unmerited and he didn’t have to give them to us. For those that are not hurting in this economy, it is his favor to you and your hard work in cooperation with Him. For those that can and do teach, serve, and spend time in our various different ministries, these are the Holy Spirit’s gift and favor to you and your hard work in cooperation with Him. I want to thank you all for using them well here in this parish. You are stewards of these gifts and blessings. Like Namaan, we should be ever grateful for God’s wonderful work in our lives. Like the Samaritan leper that came back to Jesus to thank him for healing, we too should know that all thanksgiving, glory and honor, riches and power belong to God.
But if we left it at that; if we just stopped in to Church to say thanks to God using our time and talent and treasure, as good stewards do; if we just stopped there, it would not be enough. At the heart of the message today like I said before: “It’s more than the Turkey!!” It’s more than eating the Turkey, it’s about the relationship of family and the love shared with one another. God gifts you so that you can love the ones around you, love the Church, work for the parish, etc. However, these gifts are not because he wants to use you for your money or for your time or for your talents. You are not simply a tool in the hands of God. You received these gifts because God has loved you first. You for you – He desires an intimate relationship with you.
Jesus Christ came to this earth so that we could come to know His Father, Our Father. Jesus wants us to partake with Him at this Holy Table of Thanksgiving. There’s no turkey here, but there is an offering of His complete self for us, uniting ourselves to Him, with Him and with each other. He wants to share this relationship with Him: together with Him we will die, live, and reign with Him forever and ever.
Ps 98:1,2-3,3-4
2Tm 2:8-13
Lk 17:11-19
Today, being Stewardship Sunday or Super Collection Plat Sunday in our parish, I find it very fitting that we have these readings today. What I realize also is that Stewardship – that is, stewardship of time, talent, and treasure – is more than Turkey.
Brothers and Sisters: It’s more than Turkey!
If you all are good Catholics and listened to your Sunday school teacher growing up, you would remember the story of Elisha and Naaman, an Aramean army commander with leprosy. If you aren’t, when you go home today read this short little story. Naaman was a highly esteemed commander of a neighboring country of Israel called Aram, but he had leprosy. Naaman discovers that Israel has a prophet named Elisha who could possibly heal him. He goes to find him carrying with him 10 silver talents, six thousand gold pieces, and ten festal garments – a lot of money in those days – as tribute for the healing. It was like he assumed that he was going to be healed and wanted to pay the healer for services rendered. (I wish it was as simple as that in our healthcare) So he goes to Elisha, with all this money and asks to be healed. You can imagine Naaman, a pagan idol worshipper, expecting Elisha to be a witch doctor with all the strange concoctions of medicines and strange dances, but Elisha is nothing of the sort.
Elisha tells Naaman, “Go and wash sevent times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean.” Badaboom-badabing. No problems. This isn’t strange to us, because we know that Jesus does this kind of thing all the time. But Naaman is incredulous! He leaves angry because he’s expecting Elisha to wave his magical hands and to invoke God to heal him and fix everything, but he’s told to go do something that soldiers should be used to doing, taking baths in rivers. To add insult to injury, he said seven times! (Naaman must have really smelt bad) His servants advise him to do what Elisha the prophet said to do; he does and is miraculously healed.
Naaman is incredibly grateful to Elisha and seeks to pay him for his service. Elisha refuses all these riches. What is interesting is that Naaman asks for two mule-loads of dirt. Taking a step back this is strange; but Naaman wants to worship Elisha’s god instead of the pagan idols in his home country. Gods have territories and so if you take a piece of Israel back with you, you get to have Israel’s god. (Please do not take the hymnals, the tiles, or the pews back home with you. You still have to come to Church on Sunday)
Through this healing, Naaman is converted to believing in and worshipping the true God. This is a beautiful story of thanksgiving and conversion, but most of all the start of a new relationship. You see, Elisha did not accept the payment, which was right on his part, but what he really desired is bringing people to God and that he did gladly. Now by Elisha’s actions, Naaman was forever grateful to God who does wonderous things. And for the rest of his life, he served the Lord.
Jesus too heals lepers in the Gospel today. Ten lepers were healed, but one, the foreigner is the one that comes back to thank Jesus. (This story always reminds me of the scolding I get when I forget to say thank you) Though the other nine did what Jesus told them to do, the foreigner knew who to thank. He was really changed and I am sure his life was never the same after that – worshiping God for the rest of his life.
Both of these stories involve miraculous healings and even in this day and age we see people healed and miracles happening around us. However, we know that the heart of the message today is not just the miracles and healings. They are incredibly great and awesome; especially when you experience them. But it’s not just that; it’s even more!
When the family comes together during Thanksgiving, it’s not really about the Turkey. It’s more than the Turkey!!! It’s about thanksgiving in the midst of family, a relationship! When the family comes together, the family shares in a unique relationship – even in the most awkward of situations. And that’s what it is about: Relationships.
Namaan’s life, because of his leprosy, was miraculously changed and so now had the opportunity to know God. Had Elisha accepted Namaan’s gold, Namaan would not have thought to worship God. Like a contract that accepts this in exchange for that, he has now entered into a relationship, a covenant with God instead, which is lasting forever.
All of us have received the graces and blessings of God daily. By the very fact that we exist, by the very fact that we are here today to worship the Lord, He has blessed. We have been given these wonderful gifts to be used whether it is kindness, generosity, charity, patience, or wealth. These are all God’s bountiful gift to us. We didn’t ask for them, they were unmerited and he didn’t have to give them to us. For those that are not hurting in this economy, it is his favor to you and your hard work in cooperation with Him. For those that can and do teach, serve, and spend time in our various different ministries, these are the Holy Spirit’s gift and favor to you and your hard work in cooperation with Him. I want to thank you all for using them well here in this parish. You are stewards of these gifts and blessings. Like Namaan, we should be ever grateful for God’s wonderful work in our lives. Like the Samaritan leper that came back to Jesus to thank him for healing, we too should know that all thanksgiving, glory and honor, riches and power belong to God.
But if we left it at that; if we just stopped in to Church to say thanks to God using our time and talent and treasure, as good stewards do; if we just stopped there, it would not be enough. At the heart of the message today like I said before: “It’s more than the Turkey!!” It’s more than eating the Turkey, it’s about the relationship of family and the love shared with one another. God gifts you so that you can love the ones around you, love the Church, work for the parish, etc. However, these gifts are not because he wants to use you for your money or for your time or for your talents. You are not simply a tool in the hands of God. You received these gifts because God has loved you first. You for you – He desires an intimate relationship with you.
Jesus Christ came to this earth so that we could come to know His Father, Our Father. Jesus wants us to partake with Him at this Holy Table of Thanksgiving. There’s no turkey here, but there is an offering of His complete self for us, uniting ourselves to Him, with Him and with each other. He wants to share this relationship with Him: together with Him we will die, live, and reign with Him forever and ever.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Hab 1:2-3; 2:2-4
Ps 95:1-2, 6-7,8-9
2Tm 1:6-8, 13-14
Lk 17:5-10
“If you’re looking for faith, you’re not going to find it here!!”
If you have come here today, come to Mass with the expectation that you are going to get some faith, you may be disappointed. If you have come here today, dragged yourself out of bed, dragged your children out of bed (kicking and screaming), and expected to get a sudden surge of faith, you may be disappointed. “Uh-oh, I think Father has left the reservation. Don’t we come to Church to get faith?” The apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith. What was his reply? Whatever it was, it certainly was not what they were expecting. Jesus replies, “If you have the faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” And then he goes off into another analogy about a servant coming in from the fields and meeting his master. Jesus neither increases the faith of the apostles nor does he tell them how to increase their faith. “If you have the faith the size of a mustard seed…” tells them how big their faith needs to be, but it doesn’t increase it. I had to google mustard seeds to see how big they really were. They even have pendant necklaces with mustard seeds so that you can wear it around your neck. I don’t know how that is supposed to increase your faith. (Sorry if there’s anyone that does have one, I hope it helps.)
What about the second part of the Gospel? “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’?” What does this have to do with faith? The master expects the servant to serve him well even after a hard day’s labor. And is the Master grateful? Heavens no! The servant is doing what he is expected to do and should not be rewarded for it! Say you are sitting at a nice restaurant and your waiter gets to your table and sits down right next to you. I have to admit it’s a bit awkward to me. No offense to the waiter, but normal convention dictates that I sit with my friends or family and the waiter stands and takes the order. I’m sure the waiter is a really nice person and if I needed a companion to dine with me I would enjoy it very much, but he’s supposed to be serving at table. My point is that the servant has a specific role as servant and when the servant, or the master for that matter, steps out of his or her respective role, it confuses things. Nobody expects you to get up from your meal and start bussing other people’s tables; and even if you did the other employees would not know what to do with the tips. With the understanding that the servant and master are to be doing their respective duty, Jesus tells the apostles to say, “We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.” The apostles, at this point, I imagine are quite confused. “If you’re looking for faith, you’re not going to find it here!”
What were the apostles expecting? Were they expecting Jesus to close his eyes, say a few magic words, and for them to suddenly start seeing with the eyes of faith? Were they expecting him to push a button transforming them into perfectly loving people? If Jesus does indeed speak the truth, the answer is there.
Let us look at the reading today from the Book of Habakkuk. It is a short book, only three chapters, but contains a beautiful prophecy. In it, the prophet is crying out to and questioning God for the calamities that had fallen on Israel. He receives an answer in the second chapter, “The rash one has no integrity; but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.” God is telling the people to have patience, not to be rash. There will be a time when things will come to fulfillment, even if it is late, it won’t be too late. Continue to be faithful, continue to be just, keeping the commandments, and live daily in God’s goodness. As one of my professors would say, “We gotta keep on keeping on.” It is an assurance that things will be well and to persevere, even if the present does not seem to show it.
As Paul’s letter to Timothy also reiterates as well, “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control…. Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.” Paul writes in the beginning to “stir into flame” that which Timothy had already received. The coals of his faith are growing cold and it is up to him to stir the coals into flame. Despite all the trials and mishaps that Timothy may be experiencing, Timothy must keep on his ministry and not shy away from it. The graces that come from the Holy Spirit, his bond with the Apostle Paul and his faith and love in Christ Jesus are his fuel to fan the coals into flames of zeal.
The answer, my brothers and sisters, to the apostles’ question is simple: Perseverance in your love. Spouses know that there will be difficult times in marriage, but what keeps the fidelity and love alive is a conscious choice daily to persevere. The same is in our relationship to Our God. We must daily commit to love him with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our bodies. This is done daily like the first and second readings tell us. We must have patience, we must use the gifts that God has given us and work daily with an assured hope that the Lord will come to our aide. We must use the wonderful gifts of the sacraments, Holy Scripture, prayer, and the support of our brothers and sisters to stir up our faith. I said at the beginning, “If you are looking for faith, you’re not going to find it here.” And what I meant by it is this: It took faith for you to come here and believe that you are actually performing a work of thanksgiving to God. It took faith for you to even believe that a God exists and to share that with others. It will take faith to believe that the Eucharist that we celebrate and the food and drink that we consume is not bread and wine, but the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ our Lord. The faith should already be in you, however dim it may be. The Mass stirs the coals of faith into flames of love and charity. The Mass only takes and transforms what you bring to the table. If you come here with unbelieving faith, chances are you are going to leave with unbelieving faith. But even a grain of faith will transform one to move mountains and trees. God can and will transform it, but you have to have something there for him to work with.
But what of the Gospel, for us to continue to wait at the master’s table after toiling in the fields; and Jesus’ last words for us to say, “We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.”? My brothers and sisters, when we can say those words with the true humility, recognizing with heads bowed that we are truly unworthy to receive him. When we can do that, we will lift our eyes to the altar of God here before you, and see his loving eyes and his welcoming arms extended out - an invitation to sit at his table with him and partake in the holiest and most sacred of meals that you will ever consume.
Ps 95:1-2, 6-7,8-9
2Tm 1:6-8, 13-14
Lk 17:5-10
“If you’re looking for faith, you’re not going to find it here!!”
If you have come here today, come to Mass with the expectation that you are going to get some faith, you may be disappointed. If you have come here today, dragged yourself out of bed, dragged your children out of bed (kicking and screaming), and expected to get a sudden surge of faith, you may be disappointed. “Uh-oh, I think Father has left the reservation. Don’t we come to Church to get faith?” The apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith. What was his reply? Whatever it was, it certainly was not what they were expecting. Jesus replies, “If you have the faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” And then he goes off into another analogy about a servant coming in from the fields and meeting his master. Jesus neither increases the faith of the apostles nor does he tell them how to increase their faith. “If you have the faith the size of a mustard seed…” tells them how big their faith needs to be, but it doesn’t increase it. I had to google mustard seeds to see how big they really were. They even have pendant necklaces with mustard seeds so that you can wear it around your neck. I don’t know how that is supposed to increase your faith. (Sorry if there’s anyone that does have one, I hope it helps.)
What about the second part of the Gospel? “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’?” What does this have to do with faith? The master expects the servant to serve him well even after a hard day’s labor. And is the Master grateful? Heavens no! The servant is doing what he is expected to do and should not be rewarded for it! Say you are sitting at a nice restaurant and your waiter gets to your table and sits down right next to you. I have to admit it’s a bit awkward to me. No offense to the waiter, but normal convention dictates that I sit with my friends or family and the waiter stands and takes the order. I’m sure the waiter is a really nice person and if I needed a companion to dine with me I would enjoy it very much, but he’s supposed to be serving at table. My point is that the servant has a specific role as servant and when the servant, or the master for that matter, steps out of his or her respective role, it confuses things. Nobody expects you to get up from your meal and start bussing other people’s tables; and even if you did the other employees would not know what to do with the tips. With the understanding that the servant and master are to be doing their respective duty, Jesus tells the apostles to say, “We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.” The apostles, at this point, I imagine are quite confused. “If you’re looking for faith, you’re not going to find it here!”
What were the apostles expecting? Were they expecting Jesus to close his eyes, say a few magic words, and for them to suddenly start seeing with the eyes of faith? Were they expecting him to push a button transforming them into perfectly loving people? If Jesus does indeed speak the truth, the answer is there.
Let us look at the reading today from the Book of Habakkuk. It is a short book, only three chapters, but contains a beautiful prophecy. In it, the prophet is crying out to and questioning God for the calamities that had fallen on Israel. He receives an answer in the second chapter, “The rash one has no integrity; but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.” God is telling the people to have patience, not to be rash. There will be a time when things will come to fulfillment, even if it is late, it won’t be too late. Continue to be faithful, continue to be just, keeping the commandments, and live daily in God’s goodness. As one of my professors would say, “We gotta keep on keeping on.” It is an assurance that things will be well and to persevere, even if the present does not seem to show it.
As Paul’s letter to Timothy also reiterates as well, “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control…. Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.” Paul writes in the beginning to “stir into flame” that which Timothy had already received. The coals of his faith are growing cold and it is up to him to stir the coals into flame. Despite all the trials and mishaps that Timothy may be experiencing, Timothy must keep on his ministry and not shy away from it. The graces that come from the Holy Spirit, his bond with the Apostle Paul and his faith and love in Christ Jesus are his fuel to fan the coals into flames of zeal.
The answer, my brothers and sisters, to the apostles’ question is simple: Perseverance in your love. Spouses know that there will be difficult times in marriage, but what keeps the fidelity and love alive is a conscious choice daily to persevere. The same is in our relationship to Our God. We must daily commit to love him with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our bodies. This is done daily like the first and second readings tell us. We must have patience, we must use the gifts that God has given us and work daily with an assured hope that the Lord will come to our aide. We must use the wonderful gifts of the sacraments, Holy Scripture, prayer, and the support of our brothers and sisters to stir up our faith. I said at the beginning, “If you are looking for faith, you’re not going to find it here.” And what I meant by it is this: It took faith for you to come here and believe that you are actually performing a work of thanksgiving to God. It took faith for you to even believe that a God exists and to share that with others. It will take faith to believe that the Eucharist that we celebrate and the food and drink that we consume is not bread and wine, but the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ our Lord. The faith should already be in you, however dim it may be. The Mass stirs the coals of faith into flames of love and charity. The Mass only takes and transforms what you bring to the table. If you come here with unbelieving faith, chances are you are going to leave with unbelieving faith. But even a grain of faith will transform one to move mountains and trees. God can and will transform it, but you have to have something there for him to work with.
But what of the Gospel, for us to continue to wait at the master’s table after toiling in the fields; and Jesus’ last words for us to say, “We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.”? My brothers and sisters, when we can say those words with the true humility, recognizing with heads bowed that we are truly unworthy to receive him. When we can do that, we will lift our eyes to the altar of God here before you, and see his loving eyes and his welcoming arms extended out - an invitation to sit at his table with him and partake in the holiest and most sacred of meals that you will ever consume.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Resiliency and Cockroaches
Eccl 1:2-11
Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17bc
Lk 9:7-9
Seminary has tough demands on life, like waking up for 6:30 Mass and Morning Prayer. I’m not a morning person and sometimes it is a last second scramble to get into the chapel on time, especially if I wake up late. One time, I was really late and didn’t even have time to put on my glasses by the nightstand, I just ran to my sink, washed my face, and myself together as best as I could with the few precious seconds I had. In my rush, I realized I stepped on something with a crunch. I froze. I didn’t want to look because I was late and I didn’t want to look because I had a sinking feeling I knew what it was. I was hoping against hope that it wouldn’t be what I thought it was: a cockroach. But it was. When I had a brief moment as I was putting on my socks, I looked down and there it was a big huge cockroach smooshed against the carpet. I didn’t clean it up, I just left it there because I was late. I rushed out the door and into the chapel. An hour and a half later, I came back to find that it was gone and with it, the feeling of safety against a vengeful cockroach… I really hate cockroaches.
“John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?” Herod, who represents the world, is puzzled and perplexed about this man Jesus and his followers. “I thought I smashed that cockroach, why on earth is it still moving and where did I go?!” Resiliency, this cockroach has had a few million years of evolutionary survival going for it and all I had was my haphazard foot.
Like plants that are pruned at the stem, like newly planted crops with blades of green piercing through the dead soil, or the gleam of metal shining through after a hard polish, so are we as Christians called to a resiliency that would trample over death. Plants are incredibly beautiful as they are growing, the life is literally budding out of the stem and there is a sense of promise and hope. And each day they grow as if they had never been hurt or cut before. A beautiful tabernacle tarnished age does not looses its shine because of oxidation and is covered up. But a few hard moments of polish and elbow grease will reveal the inner beauty of the precious metal in no time.
Miracles are an interesting phenomenon. They are a mystery of a temporary bending in the laws of nature that seem to pass beyond reason. Like it is said at the beginning of the Song of Bernadette, “For those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe, no explanation is possible.” Miracles seem to draw a line in the ground, to separate the believer from the skeptic. Especially in the life of St Pio, it was not enough for the devil to harass and torture him nightly; he was constantly harassed and persecuted by Church leaders and skeptics, people that were supposed to be on his side. The naysayers will say that his stigmata was self-inflicted. Scientists will say that he could not survive the blood loss. The skeptics and atheists would say that he is just drawing attention to himself. These are the Herods, the ones that in the face of a miracle say: “John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?” The atheists and scientists believe they have discredited and have gotten rid of this Jesus by finding excuses and ways to disprove a miracle. They think they have it all together to smash a stained-glass miracle with the sledgehammer of reason. But the light still shines through, the green still buds out, and the flower petals still open. Truth will reign, resilient.
St Pio himself covered his wounds with gloves cut at the finger tips to hide his “embarrassment.” His holiness, his very person would not have himself displayed like a circus act or a museum piece. He desired above all to humbly minister to the people, despite the miracles and in spite of his detractors. He felt completely unworthy to receive the wounds of Christ and asked they be taken away. He wanted not the attention of the miracles but used them as a gift to bring people to God. His miracles were unstoppable because they exuded all that was good and all that was holy, a resilient Truth. St Pio was silenced, accusations were made, and his miracles exploited, but being a man of God he lived his life in complete adoration to God.
When seeing those gloves of St Pio, I am reminded of Christ’s hands on the cross, the hands of a priest. St Pio’s gloves covered the wounds that would bleed constantly like Christ’s hands on the cross. The blood that Christ poured out from his hands flows out of the immense love he has. Hands that are meant to hold are now given as a gift to his people. The gloves had to be changed constantly because the flow of blood never stopped. Like Christ, his love for us poured out now in the Precious Blood never stops. It soaks through and permeates anything that tries to stop it and anything that tries to contain it. Why? Because of the resiliency of the love and truth that comes from Christ. The love and care in the anointed hands of a priest should likewise be ever flowing, never ceasing, never stifled. They should be tired at the end of the day from working, but regenerated the next in holding Christ’s body and blood in the celebration of the Mass. If Herod beheaded John the Baptist, covering the light of Christ out of scorn of Truth, St Pio covered his hands out of the reverence for the Truth.
Let not the prodigies of St Pio cover up the Truth, but reveal the resiliency and perseverance of the faith in following Jesus Christ. In the face of persecution and detraction for being a believer of God and a follower of Jesus Christ, may we be unabashed at living our lives as a constant witness of his good graces and infinite love. And if the miracles of St Pio are not enough to satisfy your desire for awe and wonder for God, turn your mind below to the brave cockroach that would live to fight another day and terrorize a poor seminarian.
Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17bc
Lk 9:7-9
Seminary has tough demands on life, like waking up for 6:30 Mass and Morning Prayer. I’m not a morning person and sometimes it is a last second scramble to get into the chapel on time, especially if I wake up late. One time, I was really late and didn’t even have time to put on my glasses by the nightstand, I just ran to my sink, washed my face, and myself together as best as I could with the few precious seconds I had. In my rush, I realized I stepped on something with a crunch. I froze. I didn’t want to look because I was late and I didn’t want to look because I had a sinking feeling I knew what it was. I was hoping against hope that it wouldn’t be what I thought it was: a cockroach. But it was. When I had a brief moment as I was putting on my socks, I looked down and there it was a big huge cockroach smooshed against the carpet. I didn’t clean it up, I just left it there because I was late. I rushed out the door and into the chapel. An hour and a half later, I came back to find that it was gone and with it, the feeling of safety against a vengeful cockroach… I really hate cockroaches.
“John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?” Herod, who represents the world, is puzzled and perplexed about this man Jesus and his followers. “I thought I smashed that cockroach, why on earth is it still moving and where did I go?!” Resiliency, this cockroach has had a few million years of evolutionary survival going for it and all I had was my haphazard foot.
Like plants that are pruned at the stem, like newly planted crops with blades of green piercing through the dead soil, or the gleam of metal shining through after a hard polish, so are we as Christians called to a resiliency that would trample over death. Plants are incredibly beautiful as they are growing, the life is literally budding out of the stem and there is a sense of promise and hope. And each day they grow as if they had never been hurt or cut before. A beautiful tabernacle tarnished age does not looses its shine because of oxidation and is covered up. But a few hard moments of polish and elbow grease will reveal the inner beauty of the precious metal in no time.
Miracles are an interesting phenomenon. They are a mystery of a temporary bending in the laws of nature that seem to pass beyond reason. Like it is said at the beginning of the Song of Bernadette, “For those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe, no explanation is possible.” Miracles seem to draw a line in the ground, to separate the believer from the skeptic. Especially in the life of St Pio, it was not enough for the devil to harass and torture him nightly; he was constantly harassed and persecuted by Church leaders and skeptics, people that were supposed to be on his side. The naysayers will say that his stigmata was self-inflicted. Scientists will say that he could not survive the blood loss. The skeptics and atheists would say that he is just drawing attention to himself. These are the Herods, the ones that in the face of a miracle say: “John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?” The atheists and scientists believe they have discredited and have gotten rid of this Jesus by finding excuses and ways to disprove a miracle. They think they have it all together to smash a stained-glass miracle with the sledgehammer of reason. But the light still shines through, the green still buds out, and the flower petals still open. Truth will reign, resilient.
St Pio himself covered his wounds with gloves cut at the finger tips to hide his “embarrassment.” His holiness, his very person would not have himself displayed like a circus act or a museum piece. He desired above all to humbly minister to the people, despite the miracles and in spite of his detractors. He felt completely unworthy to receive the wounds of Christ and asked they be taken away. He wanted not the attention of the miracles but used them as a gift to bring people to God. His miracles were unstoppable because they exuded all that was good and all that was holy, a resilient Truth. St Pio was silenced, accusations were made, and his miracles exploited, but being a man of God he lived his life in complete adoration to God.
When seeing those gloves of St Pio, I am reminded of Christ’s hands on the cross, the hands of a priest. St Pio’s gloves covered the wounds that would bleed constantly like Christ’s hands on the cross. The blood that Christ poured out from his hands flows out of the immense love he has. Hands that are meant to hold are now given as a gift to his people. The gloves had to be changed constantly because the flow of blood never stopped. Like Christ, his love for us poured out now in the Precious Blood never stops. It soaks through and permeates anything that tries to stop it and anything that tries to contain it. Why? Because of the resiliency of the love and truth that comes from Christ. The love and care in the anointed hands of a priest should likewise be ever flowing, never ceasing, never stifled. They should be tired at the end of the day from working, but regenerated the next in holding Christ’s body and blood in the celebration of the Mass. If Herod beheaded John the Baptist, covering the light of Christ out of scorn of Truth, St Pio covered his hands out of the reverence for the Truth.
Let not the prodigies of St Pio cover up the Truth, but reveal the resiliency and perseverance of the faith in following Jesus Christ. In the face of persecution and detraction for being a believer of God and a follower of Jesus Christ, may we be unabashed at living our lives as a constant witness of his good graces and infinite love. And if the miracles of St Pio are not enough to satisfy your desire for awe and wonder for God, turn your mind below to the brave cockroach that would live to fight another day and terrorize a poor seminarian.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Dare We to Presume His Mercy
Ex 32:7-11, 13-14
Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19
1 Tm 1:12-17
Lk 15:1-32 or 15:1-10
This is where it is all at today: “I will rise and go to my father.” One cannot rise and go if they have not yet fallen first. “De profundis clamavi ad te Domine!” – Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! Unfortunately, it only seems that it is only in the very depths, in the dark valley, and in the very deepest pit that one realizes that they are not in Kansas anymore and that they are in a bit of trouble. For us that are not in the pit, it is almost silly for us to even imagine that one would voluntarily climb into the pit and land himself into such a mess. Why would anyone want to put themselves in so much trouble? It makes no sense. And yet time and time ago we somehow find ourselves one moment okay and the next moment in a pit of seeming despair wondering what the heck just happened.
It is very easy to see Saint Paul’s joy and gratitude in his letter to Timothy. Saint Paul, a scholar of the Jewish Law was quite zealous in following the orthodoxy of Judaism. He was exemplary in his adherence to the law to the point of persecuting those that would skirt from it, especially that young upstart sect of Judaism, the ones who call themselves Christians. His predecessors had put their leader Jesus to the death for blasphemy and his followers just didn’t seem to know when to quit. He approved the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and was on his way to Damascus to round up some more Christians for trial. Before he knew it, he was struck blind and his eyes were opened. He realized his error and discovered himself not defending God, but persecuting him.
There was an instant conversion from his ways. No longer was he a persecutor of Christians, but he became an Apostle, one that was sent out to bring others to the faith, a true follower of Jesus Christ. Paul’s letter is a testimony of how God had shown him how deep he was in the pit and how much he needed the Lord. “I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant, but I have been mercifully treated… the grace of our Lord has been abundant, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” He was shown mercy, though he was not deserving of it. He rose out of the pit when he called to God for help and assistance; and with joy did the Father receive him. One cannot but see the joy leaping off the pages of scripture, his excited-ness for what has happened in his life.
The first reading on the story of Moses on Mount Sinai is another side of God. At first glance, it would seem that this reading has nothing to do with Paul’s or the Gospel. What we hear is God’s anger and wrath against a people who have only just been saved in a miraculous journey THROUGH the Red Sea to have these people start worshipping strange gods and going into drunken partying. Who wouldn’t be angry in this kind of situation?!!? “These ungrateful people!! I have shown you everything, given you a new life, and you slap in the face by worshipping other things…” We would not be the least surprised to see God smiting these people down in anger. But Moses, who for a man who says he does not have the gift of gab does pretty well here, assuages God’s wrath and calms him down. The irony of it all is that it is Moses who actually gets angry at his people in God’s stead.
In God’s goodness, we find his loving mercy. The greatest joys are when the seemingly impossible has been made possible. Jesus’ parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin are great examples of how God desires to seek out the lost. All that matters to him is not so much that you sinned against him, but that you have been reconciled. The first two parables that Jesus tells is of someone that goes out of their way to seek the lost. The shepherd ABANDONS the other ninety-nine to go for the one lost sheep. The woman searches the entire house to find that one lost coin. In these two parables, it is God who goes actively looking. However in the parable of the Prodigal Son, there is a difference. You will notice that it is the longest of the three for a reason. Whereas the first two parables have God searching out for the lost, the last parable has the Father waiting on his prodigal son to come back. The golden thread that runs through the parables is the rejoicing in the end; what was once lost is now found. There is genuine joy in heaven and from the Father, when one is reconciled with him.
Brothers and Sisters, it is time to drop the idea of the wrathful and vengeful God. He truly desires us to reconcile with him and our neighbors. The first reading only serves to further that point. Does one really think that you can change God’s mind? His mind is already made up! He wants us to goto him and not another. How many of you have given the silent treatment to someone else? Or have stopped talking to someone because of an argument or disagreement? What happens? Nothing. Nobody is helped, nobody feels better, and the emotions start going septic. There is no room to advance the conversation, there is no room to reconcile or make amends, to ask for forgiveness or mercy. Moses’ reasoning only succeeds because of this reason: if God were to indeed smite his people, he would be stopping the conversation; the constant desire to call his people into relationship with him. Therefore, in an act of mercy that is greater than just ending the lives of the Hebrew people in fire and brimstone, he allows them a period of conversion, a period to realize who truly loves them. The Lord gives his people space to come back to him.
The prodigal son is no different. The Father does not follow his son into foreign lands chiding his son at every turn, but he waits patiently and forgivingly that there is always a home in his heart for his lost sons and daughters. In the way for us, he waits in anticipation for us to finish our prodigal journey. Unless you live a life of perfect charity and prudence, you are and will always be his wayward children. We must realize the times that we are in the pit of despair or on the path to self destruction. It may be the little things or it might be big things. We must be ever vigilant to protect our spiritual lives from sin and to seize the opportunities of charity, lest we suddenly find ourselves in the pit. As the saying goes, “If one day you realize that you are far away from God, who moved?”
And like Saint Paul, who has known the darkness and the sinfulness that he has partook, he comes back in full zeal to vouch for the reconciliation of God, his mercy and forgiveness. His testimony is a witness to us: “If I, the greatest sinner in the world (which we know is not true)… If I the greatest sinner in the world, can be forgiven and raised up despite my many foibles still, everyone else can too!!” Let us take heed to Saint Paul’s testimony because he truly is one of us who has gone to hell and back. He’s come back to tell us that there is a way out. He’s not only done so with zeal, but he does it with a joy unlike any other.
Fortunately as followers of Jesus Christ, if we find ourselves in a place we shouldn’t be and stuck in darkness of despair, we must cry from the pit, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!” “I will rise and go to my Father.” While we still live and breathe there is still an opportunity for mercy. We know that if we go to him with a penitent heart, a heart that is contrite and desires to reconcile with the Father once again; if we ask for forgiveness, we know that he will forgive us – we have only to ask. We know this to be true, that once the shepherd finds the sheep and the woman the coin, there will be great rejoicing in heaven. When the Father sees the son as but a speck on the horizon, the Father will run to the son and welcome him with great jubilation. There is no fault too great, no sin too heinous that falls outside of God’s mercy. The only sin that he cannot forgive us is the sin of denying him the privilege of welcoming us back into his loving arms. I ask you this: Dare we to presume his mercy?!
Ex 32:7-11, 13-14
Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19
1 Tm 1:12-17
Lk 15:1-32 or 15:1-10
This is where it is all at today: “I will rise and go to my father.” One cannot rise and go if they have not yet fallen first. “De profundis clamavi ad te Domine!” – Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! Unfortunately, it only seems that it is only in the very depths, in the dark valley, and in the very deepest pit that one realizes that they are not in Kansas anymore and that they are in a bit of trouble. For us that are not in the pit, it is almost silly for us to even imagine that one would voluntarily climb into the pit and land himself into such a mess. Why would anyone want to put themselves in so much trouble? It makes no sense. And yet time and time ago we somehow find ourselves one moment okay and the next moment in a pit of seeming despair wondering what the heck just happened.
It is very easy to see Saint Paul’s joy and gratitude in his letter to Timothy. Saint Paul, a scholar of the Jewish Law was quite zealous in following the orthodoxy of Judaism. He was exemplary in his adherence to the law to the point of persecuting those that would skirt from it, especially that young upstart sect of Judaism, the ones who call themselves Christians. His predecessors had put their leader Jesus to the death for blasphemy and his followers just didn’t seem to know when to quit. He approved the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and was on his way to Damascus to round up some more Christians for trial. Before he knew it, he was struck blind and his eyes were opened. He realized his error and discovered himself not defending God, but persecuting him.
There was an instant conversion from his ways. No longer was he a persecutor of Christians, but he became an Apostle, one that was sent out to bring others to the faith, a true follower of Jesus Christ. Paul’s letter is a testimony of how God had shown him how deep he was in the pit and how much he needed the Lord. “I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant, but I have been mercifully treated… the grace of our Lord has been abundant, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” He was shown mercy, though he was not deserving of it. He rose out of the pit when he called to God for help and assistance; and with joy did the Father receive him. One cannot but see the joy leaping off the pages of scripture, his excited-ness for what has happened in his life.
The first reading on the story of Moses on Mount Sinai is another side of God. At first glance, it would seem that this reading has nothing to do with Paul’s or the Gospel. What we hear is God’s anger and wrath against a people who have only just been saved in a miraculous journey THROUGH the Red Sea to have these people start worshipping strange gods and going into drunken partying. Who wouldn’t be angry in this kind of situation?!!? “These ungrateful people!! I have shown you everything, given you a new life, and you slap in the face by worshipping other things…” We would not be the least surprised to see God smiting these people down in anger. But Moses, who for a man who says he does not have the gift of gab does pretty well here, assuages God’s wrath and calms him down. The irony of it all is that it is Moses who actually gets angry at his people in God’s stead.
In God’s goodness, we find his loving mercy. The greatest joys are when the seemingly impossible has been made possible. Jesus’ parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin are great examples of how God desires to seek out the lost. All that matters to him is not so much that you sinned against him, but that you have been reconciled. The first two parables that Jesus tells is of someone that goes out of their way to seek the lost. The shepherd ABANDONS the other ninety-nine to go for the one lost sheep. The woman searches the entire house to find that one lost coin. In these two parables, it is God who goes actively looking. However in the parable of the Prodigal Son, there is a difference. You will notice that it is the longest of the three for a reason. Whereas the first two parables have God searching out for the lost, the last parable has the Father waiting on his prodigal son to come back. The golden thread that runs through the parables is the rejoicing in the end; what was once lost is now found. There is genuine joy in heaven and from the Father, when one is reconciled with him.
Brothers and Sisters, it is time to drop the idea of the wrathful and vengeful God. He truly desires us to reconcile with him and our neighbors. The first reading only serves to further that point. Does one really think that you can change God’s mind? His mind is already made up! He wants us to goto him and not another. How many of you have given the silent treatment to someone else? Or have stopped talking to someone because of an argument or disagreement? What happens? Nothing. Nobody is helped, nobody feels better, and the emotions start going septic. There is no room to advance the conversation, there is no room to reconcile or make amends, to ask for forgiveness or mercy. Moses’ reasoning only succeeds because of this reason: if God were to indeed smite his people, he would be stopping the conversation; the constant desire to call his people into relationship with him. Therefore, in an act of mercy that is greater than just ending the lives of the Hebrew people in fire and brimstone, he allows them a period of conversion, a period to realize who truly loves them. The Lord gives his people space to come back to him.
The prodigal son is no different. The Father does not follow his son into foreign lands chiding his son at every turn, but he waits patiently and forgivingly that there is always a home in his heart for his lost sons and daughters. In the way for us, he waits in anticipation for us to finish our prodigal journey. Unless you live a life of perfect charity and prudence, you are and will always be his wayward children. We must realize the times that we are in the pit of despair or on the path to self destruction. It may be the little things or it might be big things. We must be ever vigilant to protect our spiritual lives from sin and to seize the opportunities of charity, lest we suddenly find ourselves in the pit. As the saying goes, “If one day you realize that you are far away from God, who moved?”
And like Saint Paul, who has known the darkness and the sinfulness that he has partook, he comes back in full zeal to vouch for the reconciliation of God, his mercy and forgiveness. His testimony is a witness to us: “If I, the greatest sinner in the world (which we know is not true)… If I the greatest sinner in the world, can be forgiven and raised up despite my many foibles still, everyone else can too!!” Let us take heed to Saint Paul’s testimony because he truly is one of us who has gone to hell and back. He’s come back to tell us that there is a way out. He’s not only done so with zeal, but he does it with a joy unlike any other.
Fortunately as followers of Jesus Christ, if we find ourselves in a place we shouldn’t be and stuck in darkness of despair, we must cry from the pit, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!” “I will rise and go to my Father.” While we still live and breathe there is still an opportunity for mercy. We know that if we go to him with a penitent heart, a heart that is contrite and desires to reconcile with the Father once again; if we ask for forgiveness, we know that he will forgive us – we have only to ask. We know this to be true, that once the shepherd finds the sheep and the woman the coin, there will be great rejoicing in heaven. When the Father sees the son as but a speck on the horizon, the Father will run to the son and welcome him with great jubilation. There is no fault too great, no sin too heinous that falls outside of God’s mercy. The only sin that he cannot forgive us is the sin of denying him the privilege of welcoming us back into his loving arms. I ask you this: Dare we to presume his mercy?!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Life of Vocation to the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Rom 8:28-30
“We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Cliché as it is, we are here in this seminary for a reason. We have all, in some way; felt a special call, not simply the universal call to holiness, but a unique one that at the same time triggers in us a conflict between our complete unworthiness for such an office, and yet an overwhelming gratitude to God who has seen fit to call us to serve in such a special way. And as I ponder my own vocation story, I see the many interventions, nuances, signs in my life which has given me affirmation to this calling. I am sure that you have sat in this chapel many a morning, mostly with eyes glazed over, but at times with an intense wonder of what God has in store in this vocation.
As you have heard from your formators, perhaps at times ad nauseum and responding back with glazed eyes, the root of the word “seminary” is “seed”. As God has seen fit to purposely “plant” us here in the seminary with a purpose; he “planted” Mary, immaculately conceived in St Anne’s womb, predestined with a purpose. As Mary was conceived and gestated in the womb for nine months, seminary formation also requires, for some, a gestation period of nine years. From conception to birth, something is growing and transforming inside: cells dividing and multiplying, tissues into organs, and organs into systems; We also start seminary as somewhat of a disordered mess of a human person (some more than others) and the process of formation develops us into integrated men, hopefully functioning and bonded into a united presbyterate. The Birth of Mary is obviously a significant milestone in her life, one that shows the fruition of nine months gestation. Likewise, ordination to the priesthood shows the fruition of formation, ready to serve the people of God. However a milestone, by definition does not only mark an end to something, but also a beginning to something else. As a man, though ontologically changed towards perfection, is by no means perfect as he is; but continues to grow to reflect that ontological reality.
Most importantly to the feast is that the birth of Mary marks one step closer to the coming of Christ and one step closer to the restoration of the fallen human condition. In my meditation upon why we celebrate the Birth of Mary, I have to admit I kinda got lost. I started to go into an infinite regression of celebration: if we celebrate the birth of Mary as being closer to the birth of Christ and salvation, why don’t we celebrate the birth of her parents, the birth of her grandparents, etc?! And similarly for the celebration of feasts: Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve’s Eve; All Saints’ Day and All Hallow’s Eve, and All Hallow’s Eve’s Eve. Though I cannot speak for the other celebrations, I see that the celebration of Mary’s Birth is the celebration of the New Eve; as Christ is the New Adam, Mary the New Eve as foretold in Genesis 3:15. And so today we celebrate the Eve of Eve’s, marking the coming of Christ and redeeming mankind to his original self.
As the many titles for Mary go, their end is not Mary but Jesus; for she points to him who has raised her up. She is the “Star of the Sea” for sailors lost. For the sailors are not sailing towards the ever stable north star, but rather the star is the guide to navigate them to a safe harbor, a heavenly end. She is the “Morning Star”; the brightest star in the east, drawing our wonder and heralding the sunrise, an early type for Christ and the coming of a new day, a new beginning. And therefore Mary’s birth heralds the eminent coming of salvation and is the preeminent example for mankind in her fiat, an example for us to live life as she did, as a simple handmaid for the Lord.
Before we were in the womb, he knew us. And he has destined us by setting the course of events in our life. Our lives, like Mary, were set for a particular purpose. He gently calls us, not to force our hand (even if at times it seems that way), but he asks for our cooperation. It does not take a genius to realize that when we cooperate with God and work in his good graces, good things do indeed happen. We take joy and delight in serving the Lord in this particular vocation. Certainly at times it is difficult, like St Joseph. Faced in a difficult position, an angel comes to him in a dream and tells him to stay with Mary because she will bear the Son of God. When we serve the Lord in the way to which he has called us, we should have confidence in his providence and his goodness for we know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
In this feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, be reminded that her birth came about through a gestation, a period of growth, and started from an act of Divine Intervention. And in our lives, through an act of Divine Intervention, we have been planted in this seminary for a period of growth and formation. That as Mary’s birth is the fruition of growth, our ordination to the priesthood is also a fruition of our formation and discernment. That her life and merit did not stop at just being born but continued onwards – her life was in complete imitation of the Love of God and always directed towards the glorification of her savior; that our lives may also be, like Mary and through her intercession, in complete imitation of our Love for him who has called us to call others to him, bringing him the greatest glory.
Rom 8:28-30
“We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Cliché as it is, we are here in this seminary for a reason. We have all, in some way; felt a special call, not simply the universal call to holiness, but a unique one that at the same time triggers in us a conflict between our complete unworthiness for such an office, and yet an overwhelming gratitude to God who has seen fit to call us to serve in such a special way. And as I ponder my own vocation story, I see the many interventions, nuances, signs in my life which has given me affirmation to this calling. I am sure that you have sat in this chapel many a morning, mostly with eyes glazed over, but at times with an intense wonder of what God has in store in this vocation.
As you have heard from your formators, perhaps at times ad nauseum and responding back with glazed eyes, the root of the word “seminary” is “seed”. As God has seen fit to purposely “plant” us here in the seminary with a purpose; he “planted” Mary, immaculately conceived in St Anne’s womb, predestined with a purpose. As Mary was conceived and gestated in the womb for nine months, seminary formation also requires, for some, a gestation period of nine years. From conception to birth, something is growing and transforming inside: cells dividing and multiplying, tissues into organs, and organs into systems; We also start seminary as somewhat of a disordered mess of a human person (some more than others) and the process of formation develops us into integrated men, hopefully functioning and bonded into a united presbyterate. The Birth of Mary is obviously a significant milestone in her life, one that shows the fruition of nine months gestation. Likewise, ordination to the priesthood shows the fruition of formation, ready to serve the people of God. However a milestone, by definition does not only mark an end to something, but also a beginning to something else. As a man, though ontologically changed towards perfection, is by no means perfect as he is; but continues to grow to reflect that ontological reality.
Most importantly to the feast is that the birth of Mary marks one step closer to the coming of Christ and one step closer to the restoration of the fallen human condition. In my meditation upon why we celebrate the Birth of Mary, I have to admit I kinda got lost. I started to go into an infinite regression of celebration: if we celebrate the birth of Mary as being closer to the birth of Christ and salvation, why don’t we celebrate the birth of her parents, the birth of her grandparents, etc?! And similarly for the celebration of feasts: Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve’s Eve; All Saints’ Day and All Hallow’s Eve, and All Hallow’s Eve’s Eve. Though I cannot speak for the other celebrations, I see that the celebration of Mary’s Birth is the celebration of the New Eve; as Christ is the New Adam, Mary the New Eve as foretold in Genesis 3:15. And so today we celebrate the Eve of Eve’s, marking the coming of Christ and redeeming mankind to his original self.
As the many titles for Mary go, their end is not Mary but Jesus; for she points to him who has raised her up. She is the “Star of the Sea” for sailors lost. For the sailors are not sailing towards the ever stable north star, but rather the star is the guide to navigate them to a safe harbor, a heavenly end. She is the “Morning Star”; the brightest star in the east, drawing our wonder and heralding the sunrise, an early type for Christ and the coming of a new day, a new beginning. And therefore Mary’s birth heralds the eminent coming of salvation and is the preeminent example for mankind in her fiat, an example for us to live life as she did, as a simple handmaid for the Lord.
Before we were in the womb, he knew us. And he has destined us by setting the course of events in our life. Our lives, like Mary, were set for a particular purpose. He gently calls us, not to force our hand (even if at times it seems that way), but he asks for our cooperation. It does not take a genius to realize that when we cooperate with God and work in his good graces, good things do indeed happen. We take joy and delight in serving the Lord in this particular vocation. Certainly at times it is difficult, like St Joseph. Faced in a difficult position, an angel comes to him in a dream and tells him to stay with Mary because she will bear the Son of God. When we serve the Lord in the way to which he has called us, we should have confidence in his providence and his goodness for we know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
In this feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, be reminded that her birth came about through a gestation, a period of growth, and started from an act of Divine Intervention. And in our lives, through an act of Divine Intervention, we have been planted in this seminary for a period of growth and formation. That as Mary’s birth is the fruition of growth, our ordination to the priesthood is also a fruition of our formation and discernment. That her life and merit did not stop at just being born but continued onwards – her life was in complete imitation of the Love of God and always directed towards the glorification of her savior; that our lives may also be, like Mary and through her intercession, in complete imitation of our Love for him who has called us to call others to him, bringing him the greatest glory.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Twenty-Third Ordinary Sunday, Cycle C
The Tower and The Army
Wis 9:13-18b
Phmn 9-10,12-17
Lk 14:25-33
A few years ago, I was at a reception after the ordination of one my diocesan brothers. It was a happy occasion and a good opportunity to meet lots of old friends and family of friends. And I was having a conversation with one particular woman, talking about my life as a seminarian and sharing a little bit about myself. I mentioned that my parents emigrated here from Taiwan and that I was born and raised in Dallas and we never moved since. The woman, perhaps reflecting upon her own children and what would be her fate in the future, happily exclaimed that it was good that I would be in the same place where my parents lived and I could visit them often. I, in my nervousness and in an attempt to show off how well I knew scripture said, “Whoever comes to me without hating his father and mother… cannot be my disciple.” I immediately realized that I had probably scandalized this poor woman and probably lost any support in her sons being priests in the future.
So what does this scripture passage really mean for us? Why does Jesus, the savior of the world, tell his followers that they must hate their father, mother, wife, children, brothers and sisters? Why does he go to such an extreme? And how are we to respond to that? I think another seminarian put it best when he said that the Bible is like one of those iTunes license agreements where everyone just skips down to the end and clicks on “Agree” having really no idea what they are getting themselves into. What ARE we getting ourselves into?
The situation running behind St Paul’s Letter to Philemon is a unique one in the scriptures. Put simply, Onesimus is a runaway slave and has found the faith as he cared for Paul in prison. Paul writes this letter urging Philemon, a professed Christian, to free Onesimus from slavery and to treat him as a brother. Let us take a perhaps deeper look at this passage, one that would be more pertinent for us today. In particular when Paul writes, “I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary. Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, more than a slave, a brother…”. What if you received a letter from God saying something like that? God does not force our hand in anything; he invites and gives us an opportunity to commune with him. “…I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary.” This passage is so beautiful in that God loves us so much that he desires for us to choose him freely. And not only that, he realizes that at times it is not Onesimus, the slave, that is away from us, but rather that we have sent our Lord Jesus Christ away from us. He was serving us and loving us and we sent him away to be crucified, but we also know that absence makes the heart grow fonder; we truly miss him and need him. And so again, God the Father sends his Son Jesus Christ to us so that we can welcome him back, not as one whom we sent away and crucified, but as a brother that is especially loved by the Father. How beautiful is that?
Don’t worry…I haven’t forgotten our difficult Gospel. As we cherish the depth of how God calls us through Paul’s Letter, let us reflect upon what Jesus’ words in the Gospel. The radical message of going so far as to hate your family and your own life in order to follow Christ, is not taken to be literally; but at times this has been the case, not by volition, but rather by circumstance. Though I have had the blessing of my family supporting my vocation, I know quite a few people who have had to reject their family’s wishes in order to pursue the religious vocation. I know people whose family has been torn apart because of the faith. This happens more than we realize and yet I believe that we are justified in pursuing the One we love. However, this does not mean that all charity goes out the window. Jesus does not call us to purposely call our parents just to yell at them. No, your faith requires you to act with love and charity.
What is particularly interesting in the Gospel are the two examples that Jesus gives that does not seem to fit the first part of his message. Where the first part seems to refer to having zeal in being a disciple and the second seems to be talking about logistics: How much money and resources do I need to build this tower or that house? How many troops do I have and what kind of supplies do I have? Can I build this tower? Can I win this war? What does being a disciple, a follower of Jesus Christ, have to do with charging into battle or building tower defenses? Perhaps our Church has some wisdom in calling us here on earth: the Church Militant, ready to hate and fight right? building defense, going to war? But let us first “sit down” and take another look before we run off and grabs our guns.
In these two analogies, I see that we are indeed preparing for a battle, but not one of a physical nature, but a spiritual one. The tower that we are to build is for defense, yes, but more so to guard our hearts against temptation and evil. The beautiful words of St. Paul telling us to receive the faith given to us and to believe in the Gospel, spurs a zeal to get into the fight right away and take on the world. But the tower the Jesus speaks of building is one of a spiritual fortress. What is our foundation and what are our building materials? A life filled with the Sacraments, intellectual studies, and a life of deep prayer. Our First Reading from Wisdom tells us of the Holy Spirit, sent to us as counselor. We don’t know God’s intentions and what his plans are, but we keep fast to him and the things that are above. The Psalm today reads, “In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.” We hide in him and go to him for safety, for defense against evils in the world. He is our rock and fortress; and we do not build those towers standing by themselves but within the fortress of God’s Kingdom on earth, the Catholic Church. Therefore, Jesus is telling us what we have to do to build this fortress properly. Our lives must be in proper order: fueled by an incredible zeal to do the Lord’s bidding, we must pace ourselves so that the tower we build is complete and sturdy; so that we can house the Holy Spirit in us.
And what of the king marching into battle? It does no good for us in this world as it stands to stay in our towers for the rest of our lives. We have good news to share and evils to fight. After we build our towers, our defenses, we go to war!!! It’s time to fight back, we go on the offensive!!! That is not to say that we should BE offensive to other people, but that we go to evangelize, spread the Gospel, and expand the Kingdom of God that is already upon us. The enemy is out there; whether it’s non-believers and unbelievers, corruption, materialism, injustice, or the devil himself, the enemy is out there in the world. We must prepare physically, intellectually, and most importantly spiritually. The time and resources building the army of evangelization is not unlike the time and resources spent on building the tower of spiritual refuge. Both require a zeal tempered by prudence and right judgment, the Holy Spirit of Wisdom.
In conclusion, St. Paul presents a hopeful message of beginning a new life with Christ and with that kindled zeal, we set out to the Lord’s bidding. We ask for the Holy Spirit to guide us in prudence and wisdom. We want to build a tower of refuge and an army of evangelization and we cannot do so without seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit, having a deep spiritual life of prayer, and desiring an intimate relationship with Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament who feeds us and sustains us in the coming days.
Wis 9:13-18b
Phmn 9-10,12-17
Lk 14:25-33
A few years ago, I was at a reception after the ordination of one my diocesan brothers. It was a happy occasion and a good opportunity to meet lots of old friends and family of friends. And I was having a conversation with one particular woman, talking about my life as a seminarian and sharing a little bit about myself. I mentioned that my parents emigrated here from Taiwan and that I was born and raised in Dallas and we never moved since. The woman, perhaps reflecting upon her own children and what would be her fate in the future, happily exclaimed that it was good that I would be in the same place where my parents lived and I could visit them often. I, in my nervousness and in an attempt to show off how well I knew scripture said, “Whoever comes to me without hating his father and mother… cannot be my disciple.” I immediately realized that I had probably scandalized this poor woman and probably lost any support in her sons being priests in the future.
So what does this scripture passage really mean for us? Why does Jesus, the savior of the world, tell his followers that they must hate their father, mother, wife, children, brothers and sisters? Why does he go to such an extreme? And how are we to respond to that? I think another seminarian put it best when he said that the Bible is like one of those iTunes license agreements where everyone just skips down to the end and clicks on “Agree” having really no idea what they are getting themselves into. What ARE we getting ourselves into?
The situation running behind St Paul’s Letter to Philemon is a unique one in the scriptures. Put simply, Onesimus is a runaway slave and has found the faith as he cared for Paul in prison. Paul writes this letter urging Philemon, a professed Christian, to free Onesimus from slavery and to treat him as a brother. Let us take a perhaps deeper look at this passage, one that would be more pertinent for us today. In particular when Paul writes, “I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary. Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, more than a slave, a brother…”. What if you received a letter from God saying something like that? God does not force our hand in anything; he invites and gives us an opportunity to commune with him. “…I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary.” This passage is so beautiful in that God loves us so much that he desires for us to choose him freely. And not only that, he realizes that at times it is not Onesimus, the slave, that is away from us, but rather that we have sent our Lord Jesus Christ away from us. He was serving us and loving us and we sent him away to be crucified, but we also know that absence makes the heart grow fonder; we truly miss him and need him. And so again, God the Father sends his Son Jesus Christ to us so that we can welcome him back, not as one whom we sent away and crucified, but as a brother that is especially loved by the Father. How beautiful is that?
Don’t worry…I haven’t forgotten our difficult Gospel. As we cherish the depth of how God calls us through Paul’s Letter, let us reflect upon what Jesus’ words in the Gospel. The radical message of going so far as to hate your family and your own life in order to follow Christ, is not taken to be literally; but at times this has been the case, not by volition, but rather by circumstance. Though I have had the blessing of my family supporting my vocation, I know quite a few people who have had to reject their family’s wishes in order to pursue the religious vocation. I know people whose family has been torn apart because of the faith. This happens more than we realize and yet I believe that we are justified in pursuing the One we love. However, this does not mean that all charity goes out the window. Jesus does not call us to purposely call our parents just to yell at them. No, your faith requires you to act with love and charity.
What is particularly interesting in the Gospel are the two examples that Jesus gives that does not seem to fit the first part of his message. Where the first part seems to refer to having zeal in being a disciple and the second seems to be talking about logistics: How much money and resources do I need to build this tower or that house? How many troops do I have and what kind of supplies do I have? Can I build this tower? Can I win this war? What does being a disciple, a follower of Jesus Christ, have to do with charging into battle or building tower defenses? Perhaps our Church has some wisdom in calling us here on earth: the Church Militant, ready to hate and fight right? building defense, going to war? But let us first “sit down” and take another look before we run off and grabs our guns.
In these two analogies, I see that we are indeed preparing for a battle, but not one of a physical nature, but a spiritual one. The tower that we are to build is for defense, yes, but more so to guard our hearts against temptation and evil. The beautiful words of St. Paul telling us to receive the faith given to us and to believe in the Gospel, spurs a zeal to get into the fight right away and take on the world. But the tower the Jesus speaks of building is one of a spiritual fortress. What is our foundation and what are our building materials? A life filled with the Sacraments, intellectual studies, and a life of deep prayer. Our First Reading from Wisdom tells us of the Holy Spirit, sent to us as counselor. We don’t know God’s intentions and what his plans are, but we keep fast to him and the things that are above. The Psalm today reads, “In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.” We hide in him and go to him for safety, for defense against evils in the world. He is our rock and fortress; and we do not build those towers standing by themselves but within the fortress of God’s Kingdom on earth, the Catholic Church. Therefore, Jesus is telling us what we have to do to build this fortress properly. Our lives must be in proper order: fueled by an incredible zeal to do the Lord’s bidding, we must pace ourselves so that the tower we build is complete and sturdy; so that we can house the Holy Spirit in us.
And what of the king marching into battle? It does no good for us in this world as it stands to stay in our towers for the rest of our lives. We have good news to share and evils to fight. After we build our towers, our defenses, we go to war!!! It’s time to fight back, we go on the offensive!!! That is not to say that we should BE offensive to other people, but that we go to evangelize, spread the Gospel, and expand the Kingdom of God that is already upon us. The enemy is out there; whether it’s non-believers and unbelievers, corruption, materialism, injustice, or the devil himself, the enemy is out there in the world. We must prepare physically, intellectually, and most importantly spiritually. The time and resources building the army of evangelization is not unlike the time and resources spent on building the tower of spiritual refuge. Both require a zeal tempered by prudence and right judgment, the Holy Spirit of Wisdom.
In conclusion, St. Paul presents a hopeful message of beginning a new life with Christ and with that kindled zeal, we set out to the Lord’s bidding. We ask for the Holy Spirit to guide us in prudence and wisdom. We want to build a tower of refuge and an army of evangelization and we cannot do so without seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit, having a deep spiritual life of prayer, and desiring an intimate relationship with Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament who feeds us and sustains us in the coming days.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Sophomoric Post
Well that's a tough one. It takes forever after that first post to get to the second.
Some ideas for myself
Phantasmic Angry Nuns
Discontent among ranks => failure of uniformity and universality.
"I told you so"
Some ideas for myself
Phantasmic Angry Nuns
Discontent among ranks => failure of uniformity and universality.
"I told you so"
Thursday, February 4, 2010
KISS Principle - Keep It Simple (is) Stupid
It usually takes an impetus of some sort to really propel me to do anything. I guess that’s a law of physics of some sort. But these past two days have brought to light something that has been on my mind: simple liturgy.
With the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, it should be celebrated with great solemnity and even has rubrics for a grand procession or a solemn entrance. In the seminary, we had the opportunity to do it and we did the best we could with what we had. I looked forward to it in the parishes. Unfortunately, like most feast days it was met with these words: “let’s just keep it simple this year”.
These words of “keep it simple” were repeated quite a lot in the sacristy that day, which really makes me wonder. Was it really overly extravagant last year or the year before? When was this feast ever celebrated to its fullest prescription? It certainly seemed like a feast that enjoyed such solemnity to the point of having liturgical rubrics prescribed. Yet with deference to the people in this day and age, we take the options that will cause the least complaints and will be the least cumbersome for the people that have to work in the real world. Feast days have been moved, abrogated, and chipped away because it would cause undue burden on the faithful. Heaven forbid that a “work of the people” would actually involve work!!! In some ways, it almost seems as if we were apologetic about taking up people’s precious time. What kind of hypocrite would I be if I preached about pausing for time with God and then rush through the Mass as if there were more important things to do in this world?
To take the simplest route, the path of least resistance preserves the essential and removes the “extra” stuff. It would be acceptable in extraordinary circumstances where the “extra” stuff could not be done without great difficulty. I think this route would be taken when one has not properly prepared. But next year, who knows what “keep it simple” will mean? As this maxim repeats each year, something will be lost: a lighted candle here or a blessing there. In the past these were “essential”, but now a simple action will suffice as “essential”. Since man is a creature of habit, he will continue to “keep it simple” until even the essentials of the liturgy have eroded away.
When the prevailing attitude and approach shuns ornamentation, there will be decline in the sense of the sacred transcendent and an increased effort on the part of the believer to put meaning and value into the thing. That prevailing attitude was a reaction against the “more is better” attitude. So now: “more LESS is better”; which naturally reduces to nothing in the end. Well, I think the reaction against the “more is better” is really a misunderstanding and oversimplification of what ornamentation really was.
Ornamentation to architecture and liturgy is to accentuate the essential, not to occlude it. It is not the simplistic view of dumping as much as possible into something to make it better. Rather, the ornamentation is the fruit of what comes from the essential. To “get back to the essentials” would only undo what was done only to have it be redone again later. Stripping things down to the essential elements, scrapping off any ornamentation that grows, is to reject the faith that has caused the ornamentation to flower in the first place. In “keeping it simple”, how far can you go before the “it” is no longer kept?
With the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, it should be celebrated with great solemnity and even has rubrics for a grand procession or a solemn entrance. In the seminary, we had the opportunity to do it and we did the best we could with what we had. I looked forward to it in the parishes. Unfortunately, like most feast days it was met with these words: “let’s just keep it simple this year”.
These words of “keep it simple” were repeated quite a lot in the sacristy that day, which really makes me wonder. Was it really overly extravagant last year or the year before? When was this feast ever celebrated to its fullest prescription? It certainly seemed like a feast that enjoyed such solemnity to the point of having liturgical rubrics prescribed. Yet with deference to the people in this day and age, we take the options that will cause the least complaints and will be the least cumbersome for the people that have to work in the real world. Feast days have been moved, abrogated, and chipped away because it would cause undue burden on the faithful. Heaven forbid that a “work of the people” would actually involve work!!! In some ways, it almost seems as if we were apologetic about taking up people’s precious time. What kind of hypocrite would I be if I preached about pausing for time with God and then rush through the Mass as if there were more important things to do in this world?
To take the simplest route, the path of least resistance preserves the essential and removes the “extra” stuff. It would be acceptable in extraordinary circumstances where the “extra” stuff could not be done without great difficulty. I think this route would be taken when one has not properly prepared. But next year, who knows what “keep it simple” will mean? As this maxim repeats each year, something will be lost: a lighted candle here or a blessing there. In the past these were “essential”, but now a simple action will suffice as “essential”. Since man is a creature of habit, he will continue to “keep it simple” until even the essentials of the liturgy have eroded away.
When the prevailing attitude and approach shuns ornamentation, there will be decline in the sense of the sacred transcendent and an increased effort on the part of the believer to put meaning and value into the thing. That prevailing attitude was a reaction against the “more is better” attitude. So now: “more LESS is better”; which naturally reduces to nothing in the end. Well, I think the reaction against the “more is better” is really a misunderstanding and oversimplification of what ornamentation really was.
Ornamentation to architecture and liturgy is to accentuate the essential, not to occlude it. It is not the simplistic view of dumping as much as possible into something to make it better. Rather, the ornamentation is the fruit of what comes from the essential. To “get back to the essentials” would only undo what was done only to have it be redone again later. Stripping things down to the essential elements, scrapping off any ornamentation that grows, is to reject the faith that has caused the ornamentation to flower in the first place. In “keeping it simple”, how far can you go before the “it” is no longer kept?
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
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