John 15: 18-21 If you belonged to the world...

"Religion causes war and hatred.  We should just get rid of it altogether. Ban it, outlaw it, make it illegal."  This is what I often hear from people who blame religion for wars.  Isn't it true though that there are other reasons like money, control of oil pipelines, trade routes, overpopulation, need for food, etc.?   

"How stupid can you be?  You're just being brainwashed.  These things that you're believing aren't true.  Who says there is a god?  Some guy who died thousands of years ago...and the joke is on you."  This is an example of something said by one co-worker to another, who was actually trying to keep her religion a secret until the instigator asked everyone in the office what religions they practiced. 

Persecutions happen every day, everywhere, to everyone.  Religious persecutions are sometimes the worst.  Even today there are groups who would deny the Holocaust.  More recently John Kerry, representing the US State Department (on March 17, 2016), condemned the genocide of Christians and other religious entities (Yazidis and Shi'a Muslims, etc.) by Daesch in Syria and other places. The work force can also contain its own form of religious persecutions, even if the religious faithful is not outward about their faith, it is still felt. 

Our faith no matter what religion we are is a part of us as unique individuals.  It colors our world.  It is our hope in our faith that drives us to God, and the life of the world to come.  Our world religious have coexisted for a very long time together.  Listening to each other we find that collectively they promote a moral way of life, a path to peace, a path to heaven.  We are reminded in the Gospel today:

"If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own;
but because you do not belong to the world,
and I have chosen you out of the world,
the world hates you."

No matter how terrible the news on tv or the internet, let us try to remember we are ambassadors of Christ.  May we pray for our enemies, and be slow to anger.  May our gaze be always cast to our hearts to that divine tabernacle of our souls where God beckons us to sit at his knee during our persecutions, and let his love and compassion be our comfort.  Let us also take our persecutions and offer them as a sacrifice for those in need so that we may better imitate Christ. (Lk 14:27 & 1Peter 2:19-22)

Luke 4:14-22a Scripture Fulfilled

Have you ever gone away from family for awhile and returned home to meet everyone again for a reunion?  Suddenly despite how our experiences may have changed us, we are put right back into our  familial stereo types and expectations.  Have you considered if you were there within the temple seeing the son of the carpenter, one of your old playmates, or a cousin suddenly take up a scroll of Isiah, read it, and ending by stating that he was the fulfillment of the messianic passage.  How would you react?  You'd been taught to wait for the Messiah, and here is a person you know saying he is the Messiah.  Luke tells us, "All spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth." 

The first letter of St. John reminds us that all who love God also love one begotten by him, namely his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.  In doing so we love Christ and each other as Christ taught us.  If we do not love each other, then don't we lie when we say we love God?  It is sometimes hard to love each other.  Hurt, deception, and killing can stop us and make it difficult to love each other.  A man mentioned yesterday that it is difficult to love because he can't forgive.  In the course of the liturgy he realized that he and we are being called to forgive.  Sometimes that first step to forgiving is praying for those who have hurt us, he realized.  Let us endeavor to take those small first steps that will unite us in love with Our Father in Christ.