away from the office...will return July 1

Mt 5:38-42 An Eye for an Eye...

I remember when I was a kid actually listening to this reading about an "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." (See Lv 24:19-21) My siblings and I were grossed out by the idea of cutting out an eye.  The teeth we could understand, our teeth when loose were sometimes tied by string to a door knob so they'd fall out sooner. 

It was one of our uncles who finally sat us down and told us that we had misinterpreted what we were hearing.  The idea of was that there should be just compensation for a loss.  If someone steals something then they work it off, or replace the item with something similar of equal value.  If someone wrongfully harms your reputation, then they try to make up for it through honesty and admitting that they had messed-up to those whom they had originally deceived.

Jesus give us this same line from Leviticus today, but adds to it a challenging message of patience, charity and forgiveness: 
"When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one to him as well.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand him your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go with him for two miles.
Give to the one who asks of you,
and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow"

Lk 7: 36-8:3 God so loves us

Have you ever thought about what it would have taken for this woman to enter into the house of this politician and come before an honored guest to wash his feet with her hair and perfumed oil?  A group was discussion this very story and the awe for this woman was great because she had to have been prominent herself, or had connections to be able to bribe her way into the house.  That fact that she was known as a sinner has the implication that perhaps her sin was great and that it was permissible given her position in society.  These are just speculation. 

She kisses the feet of the lord.  She has shown hospitality to a man who is not really welcome as a guest, and one who the host has insulted by not offering the customary foot washing as required by the rules of good hospitality.  She has done all these things with such great love, not simply out of requirement. 

Jesus puts a story of two debtors to Simon Peter, one who owes more than another, and yet both debts are forgiven, who would love more the one forgiving the debt.  Peter answers, the one who had more to be forgiven.  It is amazing the number of people who come to church seeing God who have spent their whole lives apart from him, and how wonderfully he is to forgive their sins as much as one who has always lived a good and righteous life.   We should be happy for each other that we are all called to the Banquet.  We are all challenged to remember that we are all loved equally by our Heavenly Father.  We are challenged to help each other, and not to feel jealous of each other, or be judging if someone is greatly thankful to the Lord for his goodness; it is just their way of acknowledging the gift they have been given.  We have all been given gifts, we just need to look and bring them with us to the foot of Christ and honor and adore him through our gifts.

Mt 5:33-37 Happy Feast of St. Barnabas

We are told of the Apostle Barnabas that he was given the name Barnabas when he have everything to the community in Jerusalem and followed Christ.  Barnabas comes from the Aramaic meaning "Son of the Prophet", but could have also meant, "Son of Consolation or Encouragement." 

In today's first reading St. Paul tells us that Barnabas went to Antioch and when arriving, he "say the grace of God" in the people and encouraged them to be steadfast in their faith to the Lord.  He encouraged them as he encourages us. It is because of his love and teaching this community that he was set apart by the Holy Spirit for special purpose. 

In today's Gospel we are encouraged to speak with a clear tongue and let our words be decisive, a yes to mean yes, and a no to mean no.  Barnabas stayed focused on what he mission and purpose was.  We are encouraged in today's Gospel to stay focused as well and not get clouded with  sophistry and pressures, but to remain simple and be direct in our wants, needs, advice and teachings of the Way.

Mt 5:27-32 Tear, throw away, cut it off

Jesus uses very harsh poignant language in today's reading.  To go against one's very nature is so incredibly hurtful.  In marriage the idea is that two become one.  To commit adultery is to go against one's self, to harm one's self.  True, there is the aspect of marriage of adultery, but one can also look at it as not being true to one's self, which is what calls us to live rightly in communion with God. 

There is a song called Trading My Sorrows by Darrel Evans that  reminds us that we ought to hear the Lord, not in the great sounds of the world around us or the rushing of the wind, but in that still small voice, where the Lord encourages us to be true to ourselves and him by turning toward him, and saying "Yes Lord."  When we do we trade our sorrows and shame for love and forgiveness.  We are not abandoned but lifted up.  The Lord reminds us not to commit adultery, so we must strive not be adulterous toward God by placing things before him, or before our commitment to doing right by ourselves, or others.  At the end of our lives, we don't answer to other people.  No, we meet God alone and have to answer for own words, actions, behavior.  How can we do this if we are pretending to be someone that we're not?  We must be ourselves, the people God intended.  There is great hope in this, and peace.  In being true to ourselves, it will lead us to a deeper connection and unity with the Lord, for it is only in him that we find ourselves.

Mt 5:20-26 I Give You a New Commandment

"Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift."

How many of us come to church with a grievance, anger, or annoyance with someone else?  This is such a hard thing to wrap our minds around.  If we come to the church and we have something on our mind keeping us from fully being present to Christ, we should leave our gift at the altar and go be reconciled?  A friend asked whether this meant that we should leave church, or even not receive communion. 

Perhaps this is simply a reminder that we need to put ourselves in order, as it were, to be prepared to be in full communion with God, and that things that creep into our mind will keep us from doing that.  Should we stop receiving communion until we have seen a priest?  It depends, always best to talk to a priest, however, if we are plagued with venial sins, then the Eucharist acts as something to sustain us until we can absolved of our sins through the sacrament of reconciliation. 

The advice that Jesus gives is pretty important too.  He says that we should go and become reconciled with our brother.  When we do this, there is great love that is shared.  Where there is love, there is God, for God is love, and where to or more are gathered in his name, God is there.  So, in a sense, when we reconcile ourselves with others we are living in the present moment with them and with God, in full communion, which is the point of going to the altar to offer our gift, which in both cases is the gift of ourselves.

Mt 5:17-19 Teach me, O God!

I had an interesting experience with a man recently who assured me that I didn't need to follow what the Church teaches or understand fully who we receive in the Blessed Eucharist, as long as I believe in Jesus: that trough His Divine Mercy I shall be saved.    He apparently has been telling others who have no religious affiliation this same message and encouraging them to come to mass and receive the Eucharist.  It made me unsure of myself and wonder if the Church had changed part of what it teaches.  What to do in a situation like this?  I sought a priest.  It is what we ought to do in situations like this unless we are sure of ourselves. 

Today's readings, both the first reading, which is about Elijah showing the people that God is Lord of all; that the pagan god Baal was nothing; and the blessing of the stones representing  the people of the twelve tribes whom he called Israel as part of his altar in order to reconsecrate them to God, and the Gospel reading, we visualize very clearly how God choses particular anointed ones to speak to and lead the people to Truth. In the first reading it was Elijah, and in the Gospel it is Jesus.  We are not all prophets, and when we speak, we ought to be careful if we are instructing. 

Jesus said, "I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law..."  We must be careful when we teach and know what it is our Church teaches.  Our priests study so long to be good servants of God so they can serve us in this regard.  Our Deacon and catechists likewise are trained and continue their own educations in our shared faith order to teach it. 

It is good for all of us to read about our faith, to discern it, and share it.  Together we are the Body of Christ.  Together we teach each other and keep each other faithful.  May we always have the courage to seek out those who have been appointed when we have questions about our faith so that we may continue to grow and be challenged in it, growing ever closer to our Father.  Amen.

Mt 5:13-16 Salt of the Earth

What if in life we took for granted those good things that we do for others?  Would we not care if we did them any more?  Would our acts of charity become meaningless?  Would the love within us dry up?  Would that goodness in us lose its flavor? 

In the US we have been conditioned to use salt alternatives, like mixtures of lemon peel and herbs to flavor our foods.  Recently a friend hosted a Persian meal at his home.  The rice was incredible.  His wife had spent six hours or more making it.  I'm accustomed to using just steamed rice.  The Persian rice was rinsed, soaked for four hours, par boiled, rinsed again, cooked slowly with salt and oil.  The salt was "poured in" as she described in a way that she was not originally accustomed to--it took her twenty years to cook this rice.  Then the heat was reduced and slow cooked until the rice was tender and a hard shell had formed at the bottom.  It was then turned over onto a serving platter so that the hard shell was now on top and the soft rice underneath.  Then toasted pomegranate seeds were sprinkled over the dish.  The flavor of the rice was amazing. 

The salt was what made the dish.  Too much would have ruined it.  To little and it would not have been memorable.  We are called to pop out our faith in the world just like the salt did in the Persian rice giving it that wonderful invigorating quality.  We are the salt of the earth.  We are the light of the world.  We cannot hide ourselves, but are called to be that element that brings forth the goodness of those things around us just as salt and light do to those things that it is placed around.  In this way, our deeds, our words, will glorify God. 

Mt 5: 1-12 Beatitudes

Have you ever had a week that was so busy, and just when you didn't think it could get any busier, it did?  Perhaps you have even had a week like that, then been thrown a curve ball, like being told your dad had cancer or Alzheimer's or your mom's surgery on her knee didn't go smoothly and they lost her for a few minutes.  It seems like life if filled with curve balls.  Just when we think we're in the clear and everything is going to go our way, they show up.  Why do we think that everything should go our way though?  Why do we think that if we've done what we ought, we should get what we should get rewarded?

Jesus gives us the Beatitudes...those blessing on the poor, meek, and lowly.  They are his challenge to us in a world that prizes star athletes and celebrities more than those who put food on our tables.  He is challenging us today to look again at our priorities and what we hold most dear.  "Blessed are they who are poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God."

This last week I had the blessed fortune of visiting a nursing home.  The patient was trying to be courteous to her nurses, but was suffering a collapsing vertebrate, associated pain in the legs, and a urinary tract infection, but she needed help trying to get into positions that could help her, and it was occurring frequently.  The nurses were trying to courteous and kind, but their patience was beginning to wane.  It was a tough situation.  The thing about it was that they were all trying their best to follow the teachings of the Beatitudes.  It is not easy for them, or for us, in our daily lives. Today let us reexamine ourselves to see where exactly our priorities lie, and if we are truly living as Jesus taught.

Luke 7:11-17 God has visited his people

In so many ways Jesus performed the same miracles as Elijah, so much so that at times, the people thought he was God and other times Elijah returned to his people.    Restoring life to the man who was dead is in line with all of the Gospel that Jesus preached.  He is the Good Shepherd and through him we enter into the Kingdom where he will give us new life.  It is echoed through Jesus' miracles of healing and bringing people back to life. 

In this particular Gospel reading Jesus tells this poor mother and widow not to weep.  He is uniting himself with her in her suffering.  He does that with each of us whether we have lost a loved one, are desperate for our children who may have addictions, are misguided, won't listen, etc.  He is with us in our suffering when we find out that we have an increased chance of Alzheimer's or been told we have cancer or diabetes.  The Lord knows our suffering.  His compassion and love are so great.  "Do not weep." He told the mother.  He is carrying her load with her, just as he carries it with us.  We go through the greatest trials in life, and yet make it through.  It is not because we are great and can do anything.  No, it is because we know that our God is amongst us, visiting us with his love and mercy. 

Luke 2:41-51 Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  We read today of the finding of Jesus in the Temple.  It is the last joyful mystery of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Why do we pray the Rosary?  We pray it to help us focus and mediate on our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Mary leads us to Jesus. 

A parent when they lose a child in a grocery store or a mall becomes this bastion of grief and anxiety and will stop at nothing until the child is found, hopefully safely.  The bond between parent and child is so strong.  Imagine that between mother and child, the child having been part of her for nine months, then the bond that is formed, especially as an infant.  A mother's love has no bounds.  Mary is left tormented and journeys backwards to the temple to find her son.  May she be our inspiration for searching for our Lord.  May we learned to love the Messiah as dearly. 

How calm and assuring he is when they meet.  He promises to be obedient to her.  This is one of the reasons that we believe that she has his ear when we ask her to intercede on our behalf to her son.  He so loves her just as he loves us, but he honors her especially as his mother.

Luke 15:3-7Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: I have found my lost sheep

How cool is it that Jesus will stop at nothing to find the lost, just like a shepherd will go into the mountains and dangerous terrain to find that one sheep who is lost and stuck on a ledge with no way to save himself. 

It is truly a time for celebration.  Not only because we are grouped together and united in Christ, but also because our own worries and anxiety for that one is now calmed because of the Lord.  We usually think about the lost sheep in relation to the Good Shepherd.  We sometimes tend to forget its relationship to the others.  When we have someone we know leave the Church, or be sucked into dangerous ruts in life, whether depression, drugs, alcoholism, or self destructive behaviors, don't we worry and become anxious for them?  Prayer is the key.  Prayer can change so many things.  Unconditional love, but a firmness of knowing when we can help and when we can't.  Sometimes things are too great for us alone, and we need to trust in God to intervene.  That is where our Lord comes to us or others as the Good Shepherd.  We need to remember that he is there, and if we need his help, we need only ask--be prepared for him to respond in ways that we don't expect.

Mark 12:28-34 Love God and Neighbor

Ubi caritas Deus ibi est.  God is here where there is love.  Do you believe?

The love of Christ joins us together.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church (2012) reminds us that “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him…for those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren.  And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

What good do we try to do united with God in love?  How is he calling us to be fashioned in the image of his son, today, in our own lives?  Yes, we should follow the commandments.  Jesus challenges us to go beyond them and let love completely rule us when he gives us his new commands: 

The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind,
and with all your strength. 

And

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

In the first reading today St. Paul is giving St. Timothy, his spiritual son and dear friend advice on leading his community.  Yesterday we were reminded by St. Paul that strength of God “comes in the form of power, love and self-control.”  Each of us knows the power of love.  We each know what we would do or are capable of for those we love.    How many of us have sacrificed time, sleep, or greater personal sacrifices for those we love? 

Paul shares with Timothy his sacrifices and sufferings.  In them is a great love for God and for others.  Because we are united in Christ we know that the Word must be shared for love of each other, to help each other to receive eternal salvation in the life of the world to come.  God is love.  Where to or more gather in his name, there is love.  In giving of ourselves, we give love to others, and in giving we receive.  In these two commands given to us by Jesus is the Way to Eternal Life.  In visiting with those in jail or homebound or talking with the homeless, love is the root of what they want:  that tender word; a holding of their hand; that look into their eye; that appreciation of who they are, not what they’ve done; that restored dignity. It is not difficult to share the Gospel of Christ.  St. Paul reminds us that this “word of God is not contained.”  How could love ever be contained?

(CCC 2011)  “The charity (or love) of Christ is the source of all our merits before God.  Grace by uniting us to Christ in active love, ensures the supernatural quality of our acts and consequently their merit before God and before men.  The saints have always had a lively awareness that their merits were pure grace.” Let us pray in the words of St. Terese of Lisieux,

“Father… I want to work for your love alone…In the evening of this life I shall appear before you with empty hands, for I do not ask you Lord, to count my works.  All our justice is blemished in your eyes.  I wish then, to be clothed in your own justice and to receive from your love the eternal possession of yourself.  Amen.”

Mark 12: 18-27 He is not God of the Dead, but the Living

It is easy to get caught-up in today's Gospel in the passage about the woman and her multiple husbands who die leaving her childless, and the Sadducees asking, whose wife is she?  Perhaps we have all wondered about heaven and the way it is portrayed, wondering the same thing.

Jesus cautions us to not become misled: that we know the scriptures and we know the power of God.  "Our God is not God of the Dead, but the Living."  May we take comfort in that.  Wherever we go and have breath, our God is with us.  Jesus tells us elsewhere, "I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord; whoever believes in me will never die." 

If we live in Christ, in the Way, which is the path to eternal life, we shall never have to die.  How difficult is it?  When we focus on the temporal world, like wondering whose wife the woman will be when she gets to heaven, that is focusing on the world around us.  We are given St. Paul as an example to us to live in Christ, to be fully alive and focused on the next world.  This does not mean that he lived in the next world only, no, but that he was grounded in the next and it helped him get through the tough times in this world when he was persecuted, had to travel, worked long days, had to give talks in front of strangers, had to mediate in disagreements between friends, had disagreements with the administration of the church, etc.  He kept his focus on our living God, encouraging us all to do the same.  He wrote:

"For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel
with the strength that comes from God."

"He saved us and called us to a holy life,
not according to our works
but according to his own design
and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,
but now made manifest
through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus,
who destroyed death and brought life and immortality
to light through the Gospel.."(2 Tim 1:6-12)