Fr. Tom's Blog

The Feast of the Presentation

2012-02-02T06:51:00.000-06:00

Today, forty days after Christmas, we celebrate the Presentation of Christ in the temple. When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple for the traditional dedication, they found Simeon and Anna waiting there, hoping to see the Christ. Upon seeing Jesus, Simeon prayed to God--

Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.

Simeon recognized Jesus as the Light of the world! Because of this, we traditionally bless candles on this day and celebrate Jesus being our Eternal Light! In fact, some people refer to this holy day as "Candlemas." Some of the candles that we bless today will be used tomorrow, on the Feast of St. Blaise, for the blessing of throats.

Let us look for opportunities today to reflect the light of Christ to those around us!

Faith in Christ

2012-02-01T07:13:00.000-06:00

What is the object of our faith? In the Gospel of Mark 6:1-6, we are told that Jesus could perform only a few miracles because of the people's lack of faith. Interestingly, this Scripture passage makes it very clear that the object of our faith is not miracles, but the Person of Jesus Christ. In other words, we are to believe in the God who can work miracles, not the miracles of God.

In addition to this truth, chapter six in the Gospel of Mark also challenges us to accept Christ as He truly is, not as we think He should be. This is an invitation into an authentic relationship with Christ, where we choose not to put Him in the proverbial box, but rather, we let go of our own preconceived notions, trusting in the truth that has been handed down to us from the Apostles. Another way of saying this is--what is most important is not who we say Christ is, but rather, who Christ says He is through His Bride, the Church. This is the Christ who is the source and fulfillment of our faith!

In what ways do you and I put Christ in a box and limit who He is for us? In what ways do we put more faith in what we want Him to do rather than in who He is?

Catholic Schools Week and St. John Bosco

2012-01-31T06:49:00.000-06:00

How perfect! We are celebrating the feast of St. John Bosco during Catholic Schools Week! Saint John, who lived in the 19th century, was an amazing advocate of educating children in all areas of their lives, including spiritually. Rejecting corporal punishment, Saint John advocated treating children with love and respect, and giving them frequent access to the Sacraments, especially Eucharist and Reconciliation. In a letter that he wrote, Saint John gives encouragement and inspiration to all of us who are involved in the formation of children--

It is easier to become angry than to restrain oneself, and to threaten a boy than to persuade him. Yes, indeed, it is more fitting to be persistent in punishing our own impatience and pride than to correct the boys. We must be firm but kind, and be patient with them.... Let us regard those boys over whom we have some authority as our own sons. Let us place ourselves in their service. Let us be ashamed to assume an attitude of superiority. Let us not rule over them except for the purpose of serving them better.... They are our sons, and so in correcting their mistakes we must lay aside all anger and restrain it so firmly that it is extinguished entirely. There must be no hostility in our minds, no contempt in our eyes, no insult on our lips. We must use mercy for the present and have hope for the future, as is fitting for true fathers who are eager for real correction and improvement.

Today, let's thank God for the gift of Catholic education, which forms the whole child--academically, athletically, and spiritually. Let's pray for the intercession of Saint John Bosco in continuing our mission of education and formation with patience and love.

Bishop's Letter about Healthcare

2012-01-28T18:09:00.000-06:00

Dear friends, as you might have heard, our bishop has recently released a statement regarding the new health care policies being put into place by the government. These are changes that significantly affect all of us Christians and rob us of our religious freedom. Click here to read the bishop's statement, which contains an additional link to more information for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Please keep our country and our politicians in your prayers.

small tO BIG

2012-01-27T06:39:00.000-06:00

God loves to do BIG things through small circumstances! This is probably why Jesus used the image of a mustard seed to describe the Kingdom of God (Mark 4:30-31). A mustard seed is very tiny, yet becomes a significant bush. Similarly, while the Kingdom of God started small (a few Jews in Israel), it is growing into a universal Kingdom! Such growth, like the spreading of the Good News throughout the world, glorifies God.

In what ways have you and I seen God bring BIG blessings out of small circumstances? Here are a few examples that come to my mind--the small boy whose faith got his parents to start going to church again, the handicapped woman whose courage inspired thousands to hope for greater things, and the small church that dared to dream of bringing Christian and encouraging movies to Hollywood. These are all examples of the Kingdom of God growing in our midst!

Institute for Priestly Formation

2012-01-27T06:27:00.000-06:00

For those of you who don't know about the Institute for Priestly Formation (IPF), here is the link to a short youtube video that describes the awesome ministry that they do. I am honored to be an adjunct spiritual director for their summer seminarian program, having had my own priesthood saved and transformed by their ministry. Please keep IPF in your prayers. And, if you're looking for a worthwhile ministry to financially support, this is definitely a great one!

Friendship

2012-01-26T07:19:00.000-06:00

What is a friend? For me, the answer to that question changes with each passing year. Today's feast day gives us an opportunity to deepen our understanding and appreciation of the gift of friendship. Saints Timothy and Titus were friends of Saint Paul. His letters to them in Sacred Scripture offer us a wonderful glimpse into the beauty of a friendship rooted in Christ.

For example, in Paul's second letter to Timothy, he indirectly teaches us that authentic friendship entails gratitude for the gift of our friends, intercession for them, a desire to see them often, joy in knowing them, and a shared faith in Jesus Christ. Saint Paul wrote to Timothy--

I am grateful to God, whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day. I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears, so that I may be filled with joy, as I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and that I am confident lives also in you. (2 Timothy 1:3-5)

Today, let's take a few minutes to share with God our gratitude for our friends.

Whose at the Center?

2012-01-25T06:08:00.000-06:00

Undoubtedly, the conversion of Saint Paul is one of the most spectacular conversions in the history of the Church! We read about it in the Book of Acts (9:1-5)--

Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus,
a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,
"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" He said, "Who are you, sir?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting."

On that road to Damascus, Saint Paul explained that "Christ made me his own" (Phil. 3:12). In that spectacular moment, the center of Saint Paul's life shifted from the Jewish law to Jesus Christ! His conversion wasn't the product of learning theology or philosophy, but rather, it was the product of an encounter with the Living Christ, which left Paul zealous to please Christ in everything. As he matured in his Christian faith, Paul was able to eventually say such bold things as, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (2 Cor. 2:20) and "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1).

Today, as we celebrate Saint Paul's conversion, I invite us to reflect on our own conversion. How did we become a follower of Christ? What used to be the center of our lives? What/Who is the center now?

Who Should We Love?

2012-01-24T06:42:00.000-06:00

There are many people in our lives who are difficult to love. Because of this, we tend to surround ourselves, as much as possible, with those who we find easy to love. We might call that type of love "preferential love." In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus shows us that His love is not preferential love--

A crowd seated around [Jesus] told him, “Your mother and your brothers and your sisters are outside asking for you.” But he said to them in reply, “Who are my mother and [my] brothers?” And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:32-35)

Saint Frances de Sales, who memorial we celebrate today, addressed the importance of our love moving beyond just those who are easy to love in his book The Devout Life. He explained--

Generally speaking, how is it with you as concerning your neighbour? Do you love him cordially, and for God's Sake? In order to answer this fairly, you must call to mind sundry disagreeable, annoying people, for it is in such cases that we really practise the Love of God with respect to our neighbours, and still more towards them that do us wrong, either by word or deed.
Examine whether your heart is thoroughly clear as regards all such, and whether it costs you a great effort to love them. Are you quick to speak ill of your neighbours, especially of such as do not love you? Do you act unkindly in any way, directly or indirectly, towards them? A very little honest self-dealing will enable you to find this out.

May God give us the grace today (and always) to love those who are the hardest to love!

Repentance

2012-01-22T20:03:00.000-06:00

This weekend, I preached on repentance. Here is a link to the homily. I hope all of you have a blessed week (As I type this, there are parts of our state that are getting some very severe weather, so I'm praying everyone will be safe).

Saint Agnes

2012-01-21T06:54:00.001-06:00

Very little is known about St. Agnes except that she lived in the third century and was martyred at the age of 12 or 13. Like Maria Goretti in our own time, Agnes' martyrdom caused a huge stir among the people. Countless men and women were inspired and encouraged by her faith and courage!

One such person who was inspired by the life and death of St. Anges was St. Ambrose, who wrote these beautiful words about her--

A new kind of martyrdom! Too young to be punished, yet old enough for a martyr’s crown; unfitted for the contest, yet effortless in victory, she shows herself a master in valor despite the handicap of youth. As a bride she would not be hastening to join her husband with the same joy she shows as a virgin on her way to punishment, crowned not with flowers but with holiness of life, adorned not with braided hair but with Christ Himself. (Lib. 1, cap. 2. 5. 7-9: PL 16 [edit. 1845], 189-191)

Through the intercession of St. Agnes, may our world be saturated in faith, purity, and courage!
- Posted using a mobile device

Pop-Up Gospel

2012-01-20T07:36:00.000-06:00

Years ago, VH-1 used to show "pop-up" music videos, which featured behind the scenes information about what was taking place in the videos. Today, several television networks do something very similar during movies. As the movie plays, small boxes of additional information pop up on the bottom of the screen. What would these boxes say if they popped up during the Gospel of Mark 3:13-15? Well, let's see!

Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted
and they came to him.

The phrase, "up the mountain" is a way for a Biblical author to tell us that something really important is going to happen!

He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles...

The number 12 is an important Biblical number, going all the way back to the twelve tribes of Israel in the Old Testament. It is often used to represent a "fullness" of something.

...that they might be with him
and he might send them forth to preach...

The word, "Apostle," means "one who is sent." While there were many people who followed Jesus (i.e. disciples), there were not many who He sent out in His name to do ministry.

...and to have authority to drive out demons...

Driving out demons was one of the recognized "marks" of a holy person in Biblical times. Those who had this gift were seen as people to whom one should listen closely. When Jesus gave this authority to the Apostles, He was inviting them to be spiritual leaders who would preach an important message.

Jesus' Popularity

2012-01-19T07:50:00.000-06:00

Most people desire to be popular. We define such popularity as--being liked, admired, appreciated, respected, and honored by others. We feel popular when other people imitate us, ask us for our opinion, and make us the center of attention. However, none of these things are actually part of the definition of being popular. The word, "popular," comes from a Latin word meaning, "belonging to the people."

Based on the Latin meaning of the word, Jesus was very popular. He clearly understood that His life was not His own, but rather, it was for the people. He continually poured out His life for others, letting Himself be spent by the demands of the crowds around Him. Over and over again, "a large number of people came to him," and Jesus ministered to them (Mark 3:8). This is what it means to be popular--not to be the center of other people's attention and honor, but rather, to understand that we belong to other people and let ourselves be spent for them.

Take two minutes to tell God what stirs in your heart when you read this Latin understanding of the word "popular." In what way is God calling you into popularity right now in your life?

Jesus Got Angry

2012-01-18T08:02:00.000-06:00

Jesus got angry. There are two Scripture references to Jesus getting angry with people. There was the incident in the temple, when Jesus turned over the money changers tables. In this passage, we are not explicitly told that Jesus was angry, but the description of the scene definitely confirms His anger. The other Scripture reference is Mark 3:1-6, which explicitly states that Jesus looked around at the Pharisee "with anger" and was "grieved at their hardness of heart." In both of these passages, Jesus' anger was not sinful, but rather, it was righteous anger.

We feel "sinful anger" when our expectations are not met. Often, such anger leads to other feelings like resentment and a desire to get even with those who caused our hurt. Righteous anger is different, though. We feel righteous anger when God's expectations are not met. Rather than leading to resentment and a desire to get even, righteous anger leads to deeper love for others and a desire to lead them to God and to holiness. The foundation of righteous anger has to be humility, because without humility our righteous anger will quickly turn into self-righteousness.

When have you experienced righteous anger recently? How did God want to use that anger to help others?

Jesus=Religion

2012-01-17T07:59:00.000-06:00

On January 10th, a young man posted a video on youtube entitled, "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus." In the video, the young man blames religion (presumably Christianity) with being more concerned about following rules than following Jesus. He wrongly assumes that his message is just an echo of Jesus' dislike of the Pharisees' preoccupation with the law, which we find an example of in today's Gospel reading.

In the Gospel of Mark, chapter two, the Pharisees questioned why Jesus' disciples were doing that which was "unlawful," namely preparing food on the Sabbath (i.e. picking grains of wheat). Jesus challenged them to be more concerned with people than with the letter of the law--"The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath" (Mark 2:28).

What the young man in the video seems to miss, is that Jesus did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (see Matthew 5:17). Being a Christian doesn't mean we try to eliminate all of the laws and rules of faith, but rather, that we understand the spirit of the law and let the Holy Spirit guide us through them into an ever deeper relationship with Christ. This was explained very beautifully in a rebuttal video, which addresses all of the popular misconceptions found in the video mentioned earlier. To hear the response, simply click Jesus=Religion

Today, let's take some time to reflect on the rules of our faith--in what ways do they challenge us, encourage us, strengthen us, and convict us? In what ways do they lead us toward Christ? Also, which ones do we tend to stumble over the most?

Deeper, Not Different

2012-01-15T09:49:00.000-06:00

This weekend, I preached on how God often challenges us, through difficulties and struggles, to go deeper, rather than running to something different. I also offered some information about an amazing retreat program for married couples who are struggling in their marriage, called Retrouvaille. I know there are numerous couples in our parish that can benefit from Retrouvaille. The good news is that there is one coming up in Little Rock in just a few weeks!

On an almost completely unrelated note--I just noticed that the next blog entry I post will be my 500th since I began blogging! Good heavens! Anyway--I hope all of you have a blessed and joyful Son-day!

The Envy of the Israelites

2012-01-13T07:52:00.000-06:00

Have you ever been jealous of another person? Or... was it envy? We often use the words "jealously" and "envy" interchangeably, but they are different. In 1 Samuel, chapter eight, we are given a beautiful example of envy. The ancient Israelites were a small nation, but their significance did not come in their size or their political prestige, but rather, it came from their identity as God's Chosen People. However, they became envious of the surrounding nations, who had earthly, visible kings as their leaders rather than an invisible God. They began to grumble and complain--

There must be a king over us.
We too must be like other nations,
with a king to rule us and to lead us in warfare
and fight our battles.

Whereas jealousy is marked with "fear of loss, low self-esteem, uncertainty, loneliness, fear of losing something important, and distrust," envy involves "feeling inferior, resentment of circumstances, motivation to improve, and the desire to possess the attractive rival's qualities." The latter is what the Israelites were feeling; it was the motivation behind their desire for an earthly king.

When we are envious, we are actually giving priority to something or someone besides God, which, as the Israelites learned, can be very dangerous.

Surprise Endings

2012-01-12T07:59:00.001-06:00

Most stories are very predictable--the good guys win. We are so used to this predictability in movies and books that it can be disturbing when real life isn't just as predictable. Yet, Scripture shows us that life is not predictable. For example, in the first book of Samuel, the Israelites battled the Philistines. I expected the Israelites to win. The story makes it very clear that they were not winning, so they went and got the Ark of the Covenant--the Presence of God--and brought it into battle with them. A spectacular win would have been the predictable ending to this story, but instead, we read--

The Philistines fought and Israel was defeated;
every man fled to his own tent.
It was a disastrous defeat,
in which Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers.
[and] the ark of God was captured... (1 Samuel 4:10-11a)

It can be shocking and disturbing when our expectations in life are not met. It can be even more shocking and disturbing when it explicitly involves God--when we expect God to do one thing and He does something different. This can often leave us as disappointed and confused as the Israelites after their battle with the Philistines.

Our response to the unpredictability of life can either be 1) anger, resentment, agnosticism, or atheism, or it can be 2) a deeper appreciation of how God uses everything in life to draw us closer to Himself. In the words of Saint Ignatius of Loyola-- "Everything has the potential of calling forth in us a deeper response to our life in God" (Principle and Foundation).

The Whispers of God

2012-01-11T06:44:00.000-06:00

"Speak, for your servant is listening." Eli told Samuel to make this response to God when he heard his voice being called int he middle of the night (1 Samuel 3). Eli helped Samuel to realize that it was God who was calling him and encouraged him to respond with openness and receptivity.

Every day, God whispers to us. He whispers because that is the volume of intimacy and closeness. An important part of our spiritual journey is quieting the noise in our lives that we might hear God's whisper with the ears of our hearts and respond like Samuel.

Think of a time recently when your heart was moved; what was God whispering to you at that moment? What was He trying to teach you? How was He laboring to love to you? In what way did you respond, "Speak, for your servant is listening?"

Judgmental

2012-01-10T07:50:00.000-06:00

Every day, you and I make dozens of judgements about the people and situations that we encounter in life. Most of these judgements are important and necessary. A few of them, however, actually pigeonhole other people, limiting how God can communicate to us through them. We see this type of judgment illustrated in the exchange between Hannah and Eli. In the first book of Samuel we read about how Hannah was sobbing in the temple, mourning the fact that she was not able to conceive and begging God for the gift of a child. Eli saw her and assumed she was drunk.

As [Hannah] continued praying before the LORD, Eli watched her mouth, for Hannah was praying silently; though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. Eli, thinking she was drunk, said to her, “How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Sober up from your wine!” (1 Sam 1:12-14).

Eli almost missed an opportunity to show compassion to someone who was suffering because he misjudged Hannah. Let's look for opportunities today to accept people and situations for what they are and to hear God speaking through them.

The Epiphany

2012-01-08T06:43:00.001-06:00

"The obedience of the star calls us to imitate its humble service: to be servants, as best we can, of the grace that invites all people to find Christ" (Saint Leo the Great, pope [Sermo 3 in Epiphania Domini, 1-3. 5: PL 54, 240-244]).Have a blessed and joy-filled Epiphany!- Posted using a mobile device

Venial and Mortal Sin

2012-01-07T06:46:00.000-06:00

In the Catholic Church, we often distinguish between venial and mortal sins. We get this distinction from the 1 letter of John, chapter five, which explains that some sins are "deadly" (i.e. mortal) while others are not (i.e. venial).

If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. (1 John 5:16)

Scripture scholars tell us that the deadly sin that John is referring to in this passage is the sin of secession, a form of apostasy, by which a person separates themselves from the Church. In order to determine if a sin is venial or mortal, Saint Thomas Aquinas explained that we have to look at three things-- the act, the circumstance, and the intention. This is known as the Three Font Principle. Through both the guidance of the Church and the discernment of our hearts, we can determine whether our sin is so serious that it has cause a significant fracture in our relationship with God or not.

Some people wonder why Saint John recommends that we do not pray for those who have committed the deadly sin of secession. While I'm no Scripture expert, my guess would be that it's because of the Jewish understanding of sin, which is very communal. In ancient Judaism, if someone was obstinate about serious sin, he or she was expelled from the community so that the community would not suffer God's wrath for that sin. The seriousness of secession might have elicited the same response from John and the early Christian community. On the flip side, the community was encouraged to pray for conversion for those people who were committing lesser sins.

Who has God invited us to pray for recently who might be struggling with the slavery of sin? How is our prayer and compassionate love drawing them more deeply into the Christian community?

Our Identity in the Father

2012-01-06T07:10:00.000-06:00

Our identity is built by many things--our family of origin, physical being, intellect, ego, profession, vocation, friends, hobbies, etc. All of these things help us to have a sense of who we are and they offer us a sense of our value. However, life frequently chips away at our identity. All of those things I just mentioned will, at one time or another, fracture and fail. Our identity will be attacked; we will question who we really are and internal voices will tell us that we are "less than" what we thought we were. It's at such times, that God desires to rebuild our identity in His love.

In the Gospel of Mark, chapter one, we read about the Father declaring His Son's identity over the waters of the Jordan River. As Jesus was being baptized by John, "a voice came from the heavens, 'You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased'” (Mark 1:11). Jesus' identity as God's beloved Son came from God the Father, not from any other person, situation, or thing. The same thing must be true for us; our identity must ultimately come from God, so that when life and other people are making us feel "less than," we can listen to God's quiet voice in prayer and be reaffirmed in the fact that we are His beloved sons and daughters.

What are some of the situations or people who are attacking our identity right now, trying to make us feel "less than"? How is God reminding us that we are His beloved sons and daughters?

Incorruptible

2012-01-05T08:04:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, in my blog, I mentioned my trip to the East Coast in 2006. On that trip, I not only stumbled across the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, but I also got to see my first incorruptible saint!

I showed up for Mass at St. Peter the Apostle Church in Philadelphia and realized that Saint John Neumann was displayed, incorruptible, in a rectangular, glass altar in the crypt chapel. I remember thinking to myself, "He looks better than I do at 7am!" After that trip, I began to learn more about the incorruptibility of some of the saints.

God shows His favor to all of us in different and unique ways. The incorruptibility of some of the saints is one of those ways. The incorruptibility of the saints varies from person to person. Some of the saints have not decomposed at all over many centuries, others have only partially decomposed. Some saints are incorruptible in particularly meaningful ways--like Saint Anthony of Padua, who was known to be an extraordinary preacher and who completely decomposed except for his vocal chords, tongue and lower jaw (how cool is that?!).

Today's feast of Saint John Neumann is an opportunity for us to be mindful of the many ways that God reveals His favor to us. In what way has God shown you that you are His favored, beloved child? What things in life try to convince you otherwise?

What? How? Why?

2012-01-04T07:55:00.000-06:00

In 2006, I took a motorcycle ride to the East Coast. As I rode through Emmitsburg, MD, I came across the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. During the tour of the shrine, I had an opportunity to learn about this remarkable and saintly woman, whose feast day we celebrate today. If you would like to learn about her remarkable life, click here.

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton is noted for telling the sisters in her religious community, “The first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills it; and thirdly, to do it because it is his will.” These wonderful and encouraging words remind us that living our faith is about 1) what we do, 2) how we do it, and 3) why we do it. It is good for us to be reminded of these things, especially in the busyness and confusion of life.

The Name of Jesus

2012-01-03T06:45:00.000-06:00

Today, the Church invites us to remember, in a special way, the beauty and power of Jesus' name. It's an opportunity for us to remember that the power in the name of Jesus does not come from the name itself (which would be magic), but rather, it comes from our relationship with Christ. This is illustrated in the Acts of the Apostles--

Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those with evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” When the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, tried to do this, the evil spirit said to them in reply, “Jesus I recognize, Paul I know, but who are you?” The person with the evil spirit then sprang at them and subdued them all. He so overpowered them that they fled naked and wounded from that house. --Acts 19:13-16

Friendship

2012-01-02T08:31:00.001-06:00

Today, my heart is filled with great gratitude for my friends, those people who have walked my spiritual journey with me; people who I can casually have spiritual and theological conversations with and who challenge me, encourage me, and inspire me. These beautiful people came to my mind as I read a sermon by Saint Gregory Nazianzen about his good friend, Saint Basil the Great. I know his words will be a source of gratitude and inspiration for all of you, as well!

Basil and I were both in Athens. We had come, like streams of a river, from the same source in our native land, had separated from each other in pursuit of learning, and were now united again as if by plan, for God so arranged it.I was not alone at that time in my regard for my friend, the great Basil. I knew his irreproachable conduct, and the maturity and wisdom of his conversation. I sought to persuade others, to whom he was less well known, to have the same regard for him. Many fell immediately under his spell, for they had already heard of him by reputation and hearsay.What was the outcome? Almost alone of those who had come to Athens to study he was exempted from the customary ceremonies of initiation for he was held in higher honor than his status as a first-year student seemed to warrant.Such was the prelude to our friendship, the kindling of that flame that was to bind us together. In this way we began to feel affection for each other. When, in the course of time, we acknowledged our friendship and recognised that our ambition was a life of true wisdom, we became everything to each other: we shared the same lodging, the same table, the same desires the same goal. Our love for each other grew daily warmer and deeper.The same hope inspired us: the pursuit of learning. This is an ambition especially subject to envy. Yet between us there was no envy. On the contrary, we made capital out of our rivalry. Our rivalry consisted, not in seeking the first place for oneself but in yielding it to the other, for we each looked on the other’s success as his own.We seemed to be two bodies with a single spirit. Though we cannot believe those who claim that everything is contained in everything, yet you must believe that in our case each of us was in the other and with the other.Our single object and ambition was virtue, and a life of hope in the blessings that are to come; we wanted to withdraw from this world before we departed from it. With this end in view we ordered our lives and all our actions. We followed the guidance of God’s law and spurred each other on to virtue. If it is not too boastful to say, we found in each other a standard and rule for discerning right from wrong. Different men have different names, which they owe to their parents or to themselves, that is, to their own pursuits and achievements. But our great pursuit, the great name we wanted, was to be Christians, to be called Christians. (Oratio 43, in laudem Basilii Magni, 15, 16-17, 19-21; PG 36, 514-423)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Our Identity

2011-12-31T06:49:00.000-06:00

One of the primary tasks of life is developing our identity. In his book, Discovering Your Personal Vocation, Fr. Herbert Alphonso links the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola with discovering one's identity in God by explaining how the spiritual journey brings freedom to let go of false images of ourselves so that we can more clearly and humbly perceive the unique image of Christ that God has created us to be. Saint John the Baptist is a beautiful example of someone whose spiritual maturity is reflected in his awareness of who he is and who he is not. In chapter 1 of the Gospel of John we read--

A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.... John testified to him and cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’”

How would you describe your identity in God? If you were to rewrite chapter 1 of the Gospel of John so that it reflected your relationship with Christ, what would it look like?

The Holy Family

2011-12-30T07:57:00.000-06:00

Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family--Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Last Wednesday, during his general audience at the Vatican, Pope Benedict provided us with some wonderful words to help us reflect on the gift we've been given in the Holy Family. In the presence of about 7,000 pilgrims, he explained--

The house of Nazareth is a school of prayer where we learn to listen, to meditate, to penetrate the deepest meaning of the manifestation of the Son of God, drawing our example from Mary, Joseph and Jesus. Mary is the peerless model for the contemplation of Christ. She lived with her eyes on Christ and treasured His every word. Mary's capacity to live by the gaze of God is contagious. The first to experience this was St. Joseph, [whose words were] a silent but faithful presence, constant and active.

The Pope concluded by saying--

The Holy Family is an icon of the domestic Church, which is called to pray together. The family is the first school of prayer where, from their infancy, children learn to perceive God thanks to the teaching and example of their parents. An authentically Christianeducation cannot neglect the experience of prayer. If we do not learn to pray in the family, it will be difficult to fill this gap later. I would, then, like to invite people to rediscover the beauty of praying together as a family, following the school of the Holy Family of Nazareth.

Christmas Light

2011-12-29T06:42:00.000-06:00

One of the primary decorations associated with Christmas are lights. We put lights on our Christmas trees, wreaths, and houses. We even illuminated giant inflatable yard decorations! All of these Christmas lights point our attention to Jesus Christ, who is the Light of the World.

The prophet, Simeon, explained Jesus' identity as the Light of the World in his beautiful canticle in the Gospel of Luke, saying--

Lord, now let your servant go in peace;your word has been fulfilled:my own eyes have seen the salvationwhich you prepared in the sight of every people,a light to reveal you to the nationsand the glory of your people Israel. -Luke 2

Jesus is the light by which God is revealed to the nations! Having experienced that revelation, you and I are called to reflect His Light, to walk as children of the Light! John explains this in his first letter, writing--

The darkness is passing away,and the true light is already shining.Whoever says he is in the light,yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness.Whoever loves his brother remains in the light. -1 John 2

Today, as we enjoy the Christmas lights around our home, office and town, let's take a few moments to reflect on what it means for us to have a Savior who is the Light of the World and how He helps us to walk as children of the Light!

Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs

2011-12-28T06:29:00.001-06:00

Murder was nothing new for Herod. During his rise to power, he murdered fifty of the leaders of Palestine, including members of the Sanhedrin. Herod also murdered several of his family members, including his father-in-law, mother-in-law, his first wife, and three of his sons. It was in the context of such hatred and violence that Herod ordered the killing of all male babies two-years-old or younger throughout the Bethlehem area.

These twenty or thirty babies are martyrs--they unknowingly gave their lives for the Son of God. In addition to those babies, I invite us to remember their parents. While the pain the babies endured lasted only a brief moment, their parents suffered the pain of grief for the rest of their lives. They endured their own type of martyrdom, sharing in the experience of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose heart was "pierced by a sword."

Let's pray today for all of the people throughout the world who are hurting and grieving because of the violence and brokenness of our world.

Love, Love, Love

2011-12-27T07:25:00.000-06:00

Several years ago, I was standing in the back of church before Mass and a little girl walked past me with her parents. I energetically asked her if she was ready for Mass. She looked at me and asked, "Are you going to be talking again?" I enthusiastically answered, "Yes!" The little girl rolled her eyes and said, "With you it's always 'Jesus this' and 'Jesus that.'" LOL! While she didn't mean it as a compliment, I'll take it!

Legend has it that Saint John's parishioners used to complain that all he preached about and talked about was love. I can almost hear a little girl saying, "With you it's always, 'Love this' and 'Love that.'" There's a good reason why John the Evangelist preached and wrote so much about love--it's the cornerstone of life and faith. The very essence of God, Himself, is Love, and our deepest identity is a loving desire for God.

Today, as we celebrate the feast of Saint John, let's spend a few minutes reflecting on his beautiful words on Love--

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. -1 John 4:7-8, 10-11, 13-19

God is Not a Bystander

2011-12-25T16:44:00.000-06:00

I just finished posting my Christmas homily. You can read it by clicking here, or listen to it by clicking here. As I was editing the audio recording from the midnight Mass, I was horrified to realize that I added an "n" to the word "emaciated"! I'll blame it on the fact that it was midnight! :)

Have a blessed evening and thanks again to everyone who made our Christmas celebration so special!

The Tiny Christ

2011-12-25T08:32:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas! I want to thank all of the wonderful people who made our Christmas celebrations so special--Paul Vogler and the choir and musicians, all of the men and women who decorated the inside and outside of the church, the liturgical ministers, and the children's choir and hand-bell choir! It was all very beautiful and joyful!

A couple of the "shimmering" moments for me included Communion at the 4:30pm vigil Mass. There were about 1200 people who showed up for Mass and we had to start breaking the Hosts into smaller and smaller pieces, eventually breaking each Host into eight fragments. As the Hosts got smaller, it was like God was teaching me that the Son of God became tiny at the Nativity. As I placed each small fragment in people's hands, it was like laying the Christ-child in the crib of the manger.

Also, at the Midnight Mass, the choir and musicians were AWESOME! There was lots of "shimmering" going on in my heart, especially at the great Amen. The great Amen is the apex of the Eucharistic Prayer and the Mass, yet often, I hear people only mumble the word. However, last night, we kicked things up a notch! We sang the Amen so loud and strong that it reverberated my body! Wow!

Have a blessed and joy-filled day!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

2011-12-24T14:52:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope all of you have a blessed, peaceful, and joy-filled Christmas celebration! May God bless all of us and our families as we remember this most holy event of our salvation!

Just a Day Away

2011-12-23T07:26:00.000-06:00

Preparation for Christmas can often be anything but gracious. The stores are filled with stressed shoppers trying to stretch every penny. The roads are filled with aggressive drivers who don't have enough time to get to their destination. Families are dealing with the stress of seeing in-laws and out-laws. In the midst of such chaos, God gives us a simple and beautiful reminder of the graciousness of this Season--John.

In the Gospel of Luke, we are told that the friends and family members of Zechariah thought he would name his son after himself, but instead he named him, "John." The name "John" means "Yahweh is gracious." An important part of our preparation for the birth of Christ is to remember that God is gracious (courteous, kind and pleasant), and we are called to be the same!

For these next two days, let's allow John's name to set the tone for our Christmas preparation!

Regifting?

2011-12-22T06:57:00.001-06:00

spiritual detachment... holy indifference... regardless of the words we use, it's not easy for us to let go of the things and people we love. It is not easy to recognize that everything in life is a gift to us that we are called to offer back to God. Hannah understood this and had the courage to do it! She offers us a beautiful example of spiritual detachment.

Hannah had prayed constantly for a child. She finally conceived and bore a son, Samuel. After he was weaned, she brought him to the church. She saw the holy man, Eli, there and said to him, "Excuse me, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here near you, praying to the LORD. I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD” (1 Samuel 1:26-28). We are then told that she left her son with Eli and God.

Are there any things or people that you and I are clinging to? What does it mean for us to regift them to God?

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Our Beloved is Coming!

2011-12-21T06:40:00.001-06:00

The Season of Advent is filled with a great variety of anticipation. We await the arrival of family members for Christmas, gifts, special meals, and time off from work or school. The Scripture readings that the Church offers to us today remind us that our anticipation for the arrival of these things is meant to be a mere reflection of our anticipation for the arrival of our Beloved, Jesus Christ.

Hark! my lover--here he comes
springing across the mountains,
leaping across the hills.
-Song of Songs 2:8

Mary set out in those days
and traveled to the hill country in haste...
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
-Luke 1:39

Our Beloved is coming! Our God, Who is Love, is leveling every obstacle in order to make a way to be intimately near us!

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Exceeding Our Expectations

2011-12-20T07:06:00.001-06:00

About eight years ago, I asked Deacon Joe Kramer if he would build a small stand to put the monstrance on during Eucharistic Adoration so that people could better see the Blessed Sacrament. I knew that Deacon Joe enjoyed woodworking. He agreed to make the stand, so I gave him a description of what I thought would work. When Dc. Joe brought in the finished product it was similar to what I described to him, but much better. If he would have simply made what I asked him to make, I would have been very grateful; however, when he showed me the amazing stand he had made--a stand far-exceeding my expectations-- I found myself grateful and humbled!

In the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke, we read the story of the angel Gabriel announcing the child Jesus. Gabriel explains that the Child will fulfill the expectations of Israel, but also, exceed those expectations. The former fills us with gratitude, while the latter fills us with humility!

In what ways have you experience gratitude for God fulfilling your expectations in life? In what ways have you been filled with humility when God surpassed your expectations?

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Original Christmas Rap

2011-12-19T20:19:00.001-06:00

Here is an original Christmas rap written by four of our youth group members (Brandon Cathey, Seth McCammon, Bryce Colford, and Josh Moody). Great job, guys! To hear the song, click here.

Entering the Final Week

2011-12-19T06:50:00.001-06:00

Thank you, Dc. Chuck, for preaching this weekend! The theme of your homily went very well with my upcoming Christmas homily!

As we enter this final week of preparation for Christmas, I am praying in a special way for those who have lost loved ones; the holidays can be such a painful time for those who are grieving. I am also praying for my brother priests; many of them just finished several very busy weeks, with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Have a blessed and peaceful Monday!

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Prescripture

2011-12-16T16:24:00.002-06:00

This morning, I preached at the Children's Mass on the use of Sacred Scripture in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I've posted an audio version of it on my website. You can access it by clicking here.

Have a blessed day and a wonderful 4th Sunday of Advent!

Simplicity and Service

2011-12-15T06:52:00.001-06:00

One of the brothers who founded the world-famous Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, Dr. Charlie Mayo, once had a guest from England stay at his house. Being from the upperclass in England, the guest would place his shoes outside of his bedroom door every night, expecting that a servant would polish them. Doctor Mayo did not have such a servant, but he did not want to embarrass the guest, so he polished the shoes himself every night.

This is a beautiful example of Saint John the Baptist's simplicity and service. Jesus spoke to the crowds about John, saying--

What did you go out to the desert to see—a reed swayed by the wind? Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine garments? Those who dress luxuriously and live sumptuously are found in royal palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. --Luke 7:24b-26

Some of the greatest people we will ever meet in life will be people of simplicity and service, not power and prestige.

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Faith in Action

2011-12-14T06:30:00.001-06:00

Actions speak louder than words. When John the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus to ask, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" Jesus' answer showed the importance of actions over words--

Go and tell John what you have seen and heard:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear, the dead are raised,
the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
-Luke 7:20-22

This is a beautiful reminder to all of us that our faith in not something we simply profess, but rather, it is something we live. I'm reminded of the quote attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi--"Preach the Gospel always and everywhere and only use words when necessary."

In what ways can we put our faith into action today?

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Our Lady of Guadalupe

2011-12-12T06:56:00.001-06:00

Mary the dawn, Christ the Perfect Day;
Mary the gate, Christ the Heavenly Way!
Mary the root, Christ the Mystic Vine;
Mary the grape, Christ the Sacred Wine!
Mary the wheat, Christ the Living Bread;
Mary the stem, Christ the Rose blood-red!
Mary the font, Christ the Cleansing Flood;
Mary the cup, Christ the Saving Blood!
Mary the temple, Christ the temple’s Lord;
Mary the shrine, Christ the God adored!
Mary the beacon, Christ the Haven’s Rest;
Mary the mirror, Christ the Vision Blest!
Mary the mother, Christ the mother’s Son
By all things blest while endless ages run.
Amen.

“Mary the Dawn” Words: anonymous poet; The poem now exists in its edited form by the Dominican Sisters of Summit (1972).

Happy Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe!

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An Introduction to Discernment

2011-12-11T20:15:00.001-06:00

I want to thank the awesome ladies who took care of lunch today in the dining facility! Shelli Dominic organized a great group of women who generously gave of their time and energy to provide food for the talk on discernment. Thank you!!!

On that note--I just finished uploading this weekend's homily, "An Introduction to Discernment," and the follow-up presentation.

Have a blessed week!

Jingle Bells by IC Choirs

2011-12-10T21:54:00.001-06:00

YouTube Video

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Does God's Will Change?

2011-12-10T06:30:00.001-06:00

Does God's will change? It can be very difficult, maybe even impossible, for us to understand how God's will and our freewill cooperate. We want to avoid, however, the two extremes of 1) believing that God's will is so permanent that it leaves no room for our freewill, which is called predestination, and 2) believing that God really doesn't have a will for us and we should just do whatever we want to do. Thankfully, the New Testament gives us an alternative to these extremes.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus explains how God's will had to be revised--

As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” Then the disciples asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He said in reply, “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased." --Matthew 17:9-12a

Placed in the context of Malachi 3:1 and Matthew 11:10, we see how Jesus was explaining that-- 1) John the Baptist was, indeed, the spirit of Elijah who had "come to restore all things" according to God's will, but that, 2) human sin prevented that from happening, and that the people "did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased." Therefore, God's will was appropriately adjusted.

While such a change in God's plans might concerns us today, the Scripture scholar, Douglas Hare, explains that it did not seem to bother early Christians--

The New Testament writers are not squeamish about acknowledging that God must sometimes adjust promises to circumstances. Human sin may necessitate a "midcourse adjustment" in God's grand plan. --Interpretation: Matthew, pg. 201

Our response to such insight should be a renewed zeal for casting off sin and taking time to discern God's will (which I'll be preaching on this weekend!).

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Letting God Out of the Box

2011-12-09T07:06:00.001-06:00

Our spiritual lives are marked with a series of moments when we let God out of the proverbial box. These important moments come when we realize that our image of God has been, for the most part, a projection of our own ego. Such a "god," tends to think the way we think, say what we want him to say, and do what we desire him to do. He also tends to support our prejudices and accept our disordered desires. This is the situation that Jesus described in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter eleven--

Jesus said to the crowds: "To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, 'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.'"

Rather than having a god who is just a projection of our own ego, who dances when we want him to dance and sings when we want him to sing, we are invited to embrace the One, True God, revealed in Jesus Christ. Not only did Word become flesh in order to die for us, but He came to show us the Father, so that we could let go of our false and/or wounded images and conceptions of God and come to a truer, more life-giving experience of God. Jesus explained this in the Gospel of John, during His conversation with Philip--

Philip said to [Jesus], “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." -John 14:8-9

In what ways have we projected our own ego onto God? In what ways do we put Him in a "box"? What would God look like if we let go of our image of Him and allowed Him to give us a new image?

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Sleep-Number Bed or Yoke?

2011-12-07T06:37:00.001-06:00

People today are exhausted, yet they are having a hard time finding rest. I know this because there are countless commercials on television selling sleep aids--special beds, herbal pills, and prescription drugs. These commercials testify to the fact that so many businesses have downsized their staff but not their production; workers today are doing 60 hours of work in 40 (or 80 hours of work in 60)! In addition, families are busier than ever--adult children are the caregivers for their aging parents and young parents are the chauffeurs for their children's countless extracurricular activities.

There are fewer words that need to be heard in our world today than the ones Jesus spoke in the Gospel of Matthew, "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

When Jesus originally spoke these words, He undoubtedly was thinking about the 613 Jewish laws that were crushing the people's spirits. However, His words are appropriate for us today in a different way. They invite us to frequently re-prioritize our lives to ensure that we are primarily yoked to Christ, the source of our authentic rest and re-creation.

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Wandering Sheep

2011-12-06T07:18:00.001-06:00

Jesus loved to shock people in order to get them to look at things in a new way. The parable of the shepherd and sheep in the Gospel of Matthew is intended to shock us! In chapter eighteen, He says--

What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. --Matthew 18:12-13

This passage is shocking because it doesn't make logical sense! Who would logically leave ninety-nine sheep to search after one that may or may not even be found?!
Jesus and the author of the Gospel of Matthew are trying to shock us into understanding two important points- 1) God's love is not logical, it's extravagant; He always searches for us, and 2) it is our responsibility to model God's extravagant love in searching out those who have wandered away from our community--especially Christians who are struggling in their faith and the practice of their faith.

Two great ways we can put this Gospel reading into action is to 1) spend time in prayer reflecting on the parts of ourselves that have wandered from God and 2) personally invite someone to church this weekend who we know has wandered away.

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A Shepherd for the Sheep

2011-12-03T07:02:00.001-06:00

"At the sight of the crowds, [Jesus'] heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36).

Today, we celebrate the memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, one of the first Jesuits and an amazing missionary. He had a passion for ensuring that people would have a shepherd-- someone to teach them their faith. He often skipped sleep and even his priestly prayers because of the demands of the crowds who begged him for more teaching and instruction. He described the great missionary need, writing--

We have visited the villages of the new converts who accepted the Christian religion a few years ago.... The native Christians have no priests. They know only that they are Christians. There is nobody to say Mass for them; nobody to teach them the Creed, the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Commandments of God’s Law.

I have not stopped since the day I arrived. I conscientiously made the rounds of the villages. I bathed in the sacred waters all the children who had not yet been baptized.... The older children would not let me say my Office or eat or sleep until I taught them one prayer or another. Then I began to understand: The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.
(E Vita Francisci Xaverii, auctore H. Tursellini, Romae, 1956, Lib. 4, epist. 4 [1542] et 5 [1544])

God continues to provides shepherds for His sheep-- men and women with a passion for sharing their faith in word and action. May the intercession of Saint Francis Xavier increase our missionary zeal and our desire to care for God's sheep!
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Listening Deeply

2011-12-01T07:08:00.001-06:00

It's easy to fall into the practice of listening half-heartedly, which quickly leads to misunderstanding and/or procrastination. For example, sometimes when we're on the phone with someone, we will multitask and not give the person on the other end of the line our full attention. Or, when our parents tell us to do something, we will half-heartedly listen to them and quickly forget their instructions.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus invites us to take listening very seriously. He says--

Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. -Matthew 7:24-25

Listening deeply and intently to others, including Christ, means that we are fully engaged with them and that we are willing to respond. Is there anyone in our lives right now that we've had a hard time listening intently to? Are there any situations in which we've ignored those who have been place in authority over us or situations when we've procrastinated? Let's pray for a deeper gift of listening and responding.

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Saint Andrew-Apostle and Protoclete

2011-11-30T06:57:00.001-06:00

In Pope Benedict's book, The Apostles, he shares some important things about the Apostle, Andrew, whose feast day we celebrate today. Saint Andrew is known, especially in the East, as the "protoclete," or the "first to be called," since he was the first Apostle, and there are three specific passages in the Gospels that give us some insight into his Apostleship.

In the Gospel of John (6:8-9), we read about the multiplication of the loaves and the fish. It is Andrew who points out to Jesus that the boy has some loaves and fish. Pope Benedict explains that this gives us a glimpse of Andrew's practicality and awareness.

Next, in Jerusalem, Jesus taught that the Temple wall would not be left one stone upon another. Andrew's response to His teaching was to ask the question, "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign when these things are all to be accomplished?" (Mark 13:1-4). Andrew teaches us that it is okay to ask Jesus questions, but that we should be open to receive some answers that may surprise us.

Lastly, in the Gospel of John, Andrew and Phillip, the two Apostles with Greek names, serve as translators to the Greek crowd as Jesus teaches them about how "unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat" (John 12:23-24). Andrew obviously understood the depth of this teaching as he demonstrated his faith by offering his life thru martyrdom (on a crucifix in the shape of an "X").

May Saint Andrew, the Protoclete, pray for all of us as we continue our journey of faith.

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Dealing with Change

2011-11-27T21:26:00.000-06:00

Well, we survived the introduction of the new translation of the Mass in English!!! This weekend I preached on how we can deal with change in a healthy and holy way, namely by finding meaning in the change through our relationship with God. I also suggested that we spend some time in prayer with the new prayers of the Mass. Here is a link to the text copy of my homily, which also has some meditation suggestions at the end.

Have a blessed week!

Protecting the Heart

2011-11-26T07:43:00.001-06:00

In the Gospel of Luke, chapter twenty-one, Jesus warns us, saying, “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life..." (Luke 21:34). What does it mean for us to protect our hearts from becoming "drowsy"?

The Greek word that is used for "heart" in this passage is καρδία (pronounced "kar-dee'-ah," the root of the English word "cardio"). The word καρδία can refer not only to our physical heart, but also to the center and seat of our spiritual life-- the soul or mind, as it is the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, and endeavors.

Jesus, then, is inviting us to guard the very center of our being and the seat of our spiritual lives! He specifically invites us to protect our hearts from two things-- sin ("carousing and drunkenness") and earthly preoccupations ("anxieties of daily life"). These two things numb and disorder our thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, and endeavors.

What is the biggest threat against the wholeness and holiness of your heart right now in your life? What virtue or grace do you desire from God in order to better protect your heart?

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A THANKSGIVING PRAYER EXERCISE!

2011-11-24T08:17:00.001-06:00

I hope all of you have a blessed Thanksgiving day filled with gratitude, football, and pumpkin pie!

Many families have a tradition on Thanksgiving Day of going around the dinner table, taking turns offering words of gratitude for what God has done in their lives. This is a beautiful tradition, but I'd like to offer a small, but awesome, twist to it. We find it in the Gospel of Luke, chapter seventeen, which reads--

One of [the lepers], realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
"Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?"
Then he said to him, "Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you."

There are two important "movements" in this story--the leper's gratitude for what Jesus had done for him and Jesus' gratitude for the leper returning to give thanks.

At your dinner table today, take time to let everyone share two things-- 1) what they are thankful for, and 2) what Jesus is thankful for about them. For example, I am thankful that God has entrusted me with my Bride, the Church. Jesus is grateful for my joy.

Something important happens in our hearts (i.e. "shimmering") when we reflect, not only on our gratitude, but also, Christ's gratitude for us!

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Longing for Heaven

2011-11-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

Holidays can be very difficult for those who have lost loved ones. I am particularly aware of those who are mourning the loss of family members as we approach Thanksgiving.

In addition to preparing for Thanksgiving, we are in the last week of the Church calendar and the daily Scripture readings invite us to reflect on the end times and Jesus' Second Coming.

As I reflected on these two realities--our grief and the Second Coming-- it occurred to me that both can stir up in our hearts a deep longing for eternity. The grief we feel, especially during the holidays, at the death of loved ones, as well as the reality that Jesus is coming again, draw our hearts past the things of this world and help to set our hearts on eternal realities.

Let's pray in a special way today for those who are mourning the loss of loved ones. Also, let's pray that God will increase our desire for Jesus' Second Coming.

Was He Talking to Me?!

2011-11-19T06:58:00.001-06:00

The single-most frustrating aspect of public speaking and debate is the fact that those who need to hear a particular message are most often the very ones who fail to understand it or accept it. Jesus experienced this reality many times, including in the Gospel of Luke, chapter twenty.

"Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to [Jesus]" about the resurrection of the dead (Luke 20:27). After Jesus brilliantly defended the truth of the resurrection of the dead, we are told that, "Some of the scribes said in reply, 'Teacher, you have answered well'" (Luke 20:39). It's important to note that Jesus was trying to teach the Sadducees, but only the scribes truly listened to His message.

The Sadducees did not have room in their theology or their egos for Jesus' answer, therefore, they did not grow theologically or spiritually. If you and I want to grow theologically and spiritually, we must constantly let ourselves be stretched and challenged by the ideas and teachings of others. There is great virtue in humbly approaching everything we read and hear with the question, "How is this speaking to me and challenging me?"

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Joy and Reverence

2011-11-18T07:35:00.001-06:00

God's work in our lives invites us to rejoice; His presence in our lives invites us to be reverent. When our rejoicing is void of reverence, it becomes mockery, and when our reverence is void of joy it becomes scrupulosity.

Throughout Sacred Scripture, we are given teachings and examples of the importance of our worship including joy and reverence. For example, in the first book of Maccabees, chapter four, we learn that "Judas and his brothers and the entire congregation of Israel decreed that the days of the dedication of the altar
should be observed with joy and gladness." They joyfully dedicated their new worship space with, "songs, harps, flutes, and cymbals."

In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 19, we read about the people who were making a mockery out of the temple. Jesus drove them out, saying, "It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves." They were neither joyful nor reverent.

The most acceptable worship we can offer to God is a beautiful combination of joy and reverence!

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The Other Neighbors

2011-11-17T07:47:00.001-06:00

Our world grows smaller every year--not physically, but socially. Various forms of media have brought the cultures and conditions of people from all around the world into our living rooms and invited us to action.

Today we celebrate the memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, the patroness of Catholic charities. She is a beautiful example of someone who looked beyond the boundaries of her own comfort and condition in order to see the needs of others. As the daughter of the King of Hungary, and the wife of royalty, she could have easily surrounded herself with the luxuries of royalty and ignored the poverty and sickness of the people outside the palace walls. Instead, she let herself be poor--wearing simple clothes and bringing bread to the hungry every day. Her life reminds us that it is not our "station" in life, our age, or our physical location that defines who our neighbors are, but rather, love.

Today, there is an inescapable duty to make ourselves the neighbor of every individual, without exception, and to take positive steps to help a neighbor whom we encounter, whether that neighbor be an elderly person, abandoned by everyone, a foreign worker who suffers the injustice of being despised, a refugee, an illegitimate child wrongly suffering for a sin of which the child is innocent, or a starving human being who awakens our conscience by calling to mind the words of Christ: 'As long as you did it for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it for me' (Matthew 25:40)" (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 27, Austin Flannery translation).

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The Murder of Seven Sons and Their Mother

2011-11-16T07:18:00.001-06:00

Last weekend, I preached on "motives." The perfect motive for our spiritual lives is authentic love--our desire to give ourselves completely and unconditionally to God because He first loved us. We find a beautiful example of such radical love in the second book of Maccabees (2 Macc. 7). It is the story of the martyrdom of a mother and her seven sons. They refused to worship false idols and eat impure meat. We can see their complete devotion to God in the mother's encouragement to her youngest son--

I beg you, child, to look at the heavens and the earth and see all that is in them; then you will know that God did not make them out of existing things; and in the same way the human race came into existence. Do not be afraid of this executioner, but be worthy of your brothers and accept death...

The mother encouraged her son to let his love for God be the one and only motive for making his decision. How different will today be for you and I if we choose to let authentic love be the motive for every decision we make?

Our only desire and our one choice should be this: I want and I choose what better leads to the deepening of God's life in me. -Saint Ignatius of Loyola

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Helping Others to See Christ

2011-11-15T07:18:00.001-06:00

It might very well be the most famous tree in the world. When I was on a pilgrimage in Israel, our tour group went out of its way in order to see a 2,000-year-old sycamore tree in Jericho. Why? Because this tree (or one similar to it) helped Zachaeus to see Jesus.

Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus... (Luke 19)

That ancient tree is a constant reminder that you and I are called to help others to see Jesus. While the tree physically raised Zachaeus, you and I are called to spiritually and emotionally lift people up--to encourage them, inspire them, comfort them, and challenge them--that they might come to see Jesus more clearly and know His love more personally!

Let's look for at least one opportunity today to be like that sycamore and help others to see Christ!

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Motive

2011-11-13T15:50:00.000-06:00

I finished posting my homily this weekend on "Motives." I had a great weekend! I really enjoyed the retreat with the CCM students--they were AWESOME! I also had the privilege of celebrating two Baptisms today. Of course, it goes without mentioning that the Razorback win was GREAT! Unfortunately, my beloved Eagles could not pull off the win this afternoon (again...).

Have a blessed Sunday evening and I'll hopefully see many of our high school students at the CYM meeting tonight at Immaculata Hall (6pm--food, fun, service)!

Pastoral Care and Administration

2011-11-10T07:23:00.001-06:00

Every vocation is full of surprises. When I was in high school, I thought that choosing priesthood would mean that I could skip college and that I would never have to go to confession again. Imagine my shock when I found out that priesthood required EIGHT years of college and even MORE FREQUENT confession! Another surprise I encountered in the priesthood was the administration.

In seminary, I received no training on the administrative aspects of Diocesan priesthood (and there are many of them). We were not trained on how to hire, manage, and fire employees. We are not trained on how to budget for and oversee multi-million dollar institutions. Because of this, there are many priests who either choose to ignore their administrative duties or they do a very poor job. Pope Saint Leo the Great, however, is a wonderful reminder that the gifts of pastoral care and administration do not have to be exclusive of one another.

Saint Leo the Great beautifully combined a deep care for his people with a sensible administration of the resources and people who were entrusted to his care. His feast day today reminds us to pray that God will provide, not only good shepherds, but also, good administrative leaders.

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Prepare Me to be a Sanctuary

2011-11-09T12:28:00.001-06:00

Today we celebrate the Feast of the dedication of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome. It is the most important of all of the church dedications that we celebrate in the Catholic Church because St. John Lateran is the home basilica of the bishop of Rome, the Pope. Our celebration reminds us that we are to be like the basilica-- beautiful and holy sanctuaries for God! Saint Caesarius of Arles expressed this beautifully in one of his sermons, writing--

Whenever we come to church, we must prepare our hearts to be as beautiful as we expect this church to be. Do you wish to find this basilica immaculately clean? Then do not soil your soul with the filth of sins. Do you wish this basilica to be full of light? God too wishes that your soul be not in darkness, but that the light of good works shine in us, so that he who dwells in the heavens will be glorified. Just as you enter this church building, so God wishes to enter into your soul, for he promised: I shall live in them, and I shall walk the corridors of their hearts (Sermo 229, 1-3: CCL 104, 905-908).

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Apostolic Availability

2011-11-08T07:49:00.001-06:00

One summer, I worked as a chaplain for UAMS Hospital. This required me to be "on call" one day every couple of weeks. During my "on call" time, I was required to stay at the hospital overnight, wear three emergency pagers, and be able to arrive at the trauma center quicker than the doctors. It was a radical form of availability.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus calls the Apostles into a radical form of availability, too. He does this in the form of a parable, saying--

"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?"
Would he not rather say to him,
"Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished?"

The servant was "on call," and needed to put his master's interests and needs before his own. This is a beautiful image of

apostolic availability

, where we ignore the temptation to ration our service to God, but instead, we are ready to respond to any and every request He makes. This requires a mature spirituality, since immature motives will not be sufficient to sustain such radical availability.

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2 Important Events

2011-11-05T14:48:00.000-05:00

There are two important events coming up that many of us will want to attend:

1) The Closing Ceremony for the "40 Days for Life" Fall Campaign will be Sunday Nov. 6th at 5pm at #4 Office Park Drive, Little Rock. There will be prayer happening there throughout Sunday afternoon, so drop by whenever you can! If you have any questions or if you need directions, please call Susan Tanner @ 501-690-2262, or go to www.40daysforlife.com/littlerock

2) Nationally known speaker, Roy Petitfils, M.S., C.I., a counselor who specializes in working with young people, will be speaking to three different groups next weekend. The schedule is below. Please make plans to attend--this guy is AWESOME!

Group I:
WHEN: Thursday, November 10 at 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: Catholic High School for Boys, 6300 Fr. Tribou St., Little Rock.
WHO: All parents in the central deanery
WHAT: Discussion on “What Your Kids Want You To Know (But Don’t Tell You)…and why

Group II:
WHEN: Friday, November 11 at 4:00 p.m.
WHERE: Christ the King Ministries building, 2nd floor, 3900 N. Rodney Parham Rd., Little Rock
WHO: Priests in the Central Deanery

Group III:
WHEN: Saturday, November 12 from 9:00 am - 12:00 noon
WHERE: Christ the King Ministries building, 2nd floor, 3900 N. Rodney Parham Rd., Little Rock
WHO: All educators, catechists & youth ministers in the Central Deanery
WHAT: Presentation on the new skills needed to effectively share faith with today’s teens

Marriage and Celibacy

2011-11-05T06:35:00.001-05:00

The complimentary natures of the two vocations, marriage and celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom, can be seen in several ways. First, their connection is revealed in the fact that when one of these vocations has come under attack in history, so has the other. In other words, when we find a growing ignorance about the sanctity of marriage, we also find a growing ignorance about the sanctity of celibacy; when the responsibilities of marriage are taken lightly, so are the responsibilities of the celibate vocations.

Another wonderful indication of their complimentary nature can be found in Saint Paul's writings. Saint Paul had become friends with a married couple, Prisca and Aquila, because of their common work in tent-making and their common love for Christ. It is obvious from Paul's letters that his friendship with this married couple was very life-giving for him. Whenever he got the chance, he was forwarding his greeting to them--

"Greet Prisca and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus,
who risked their necks for my life,
to whom not only I am grateful but also all the churches of the Gentiles;
greet also the Church at their house." -Romans 16:3-4

As a celibate priest, I have found that there are few things more life-giving for my vocation than friendships with married couples who excel in their love for Christ and the Church. Undoubtedly, this was Paul's experience with Prisca and Aquila!

How have the vocations of others helped you to live your own vocation more faithfully?

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Charles the Steward

2011-11-04T06:47:00.001-05:00

Stewards are people who are entrusted with something and challenged to protect and care for it. They don't own the thing that is entrusted to them, but it's, in a sense, on loan to them for a while.

God has called all of us to be good stewards of every single gift and blessing we've received. In the Gospel of Luke 16:1-8, we read the story of a steward who had done a horrible job but was trying to make up for it. The Master commended him for his diligence. If we want to see a great example of stewardship, we can look to today's saint, Charles Borromeo.

Living in the 16th century, Saint Charles "took the initiative in giving good example. He allotted most of his income to charity, forbade himself all luxury and imposed severe penances upon himself. He sacrificed wealth, high honors, esteem and influence to become poor. During the plague and famine of 1576, he tried to feed 60,000 to 70,000 people daily. To do this he borrowed large sums of money that required years to repay. Whereas the civil authorities fled at the height of the plague, he stayed in the city, where he ministered to the sick and the dying, helping those in want" (AmericanCatholic.org).

From his childhood, Saint Charles was grateful for the many gifts he had been given--his intelligence, his family, his political and religious connections--and he used all of it in a way that glorified God and blessed other people. He was an amazing steward of God's gifts!

What do we consider our greatest gifts? In what concrete and practical ways do we experience being stewards of those gifts?

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Her Name Was "Papa"

2011-11-03T07:01:00.001-05:00

After the book, The Shack, came out, several people expressed their disapproval to me. They explained that they found the image of God in the book to be distasteful. For those of you who haven't read it, God the Father is presented as a large black woman named, "Papa." Personally, I found her to be a wonderful character who challenged me to break away from my own preconceived notions about who God should and should not be. Jesus does a similar thing in the Gospel of Luke, chapter fifteen.

The Scribes and Pharisees in Jesus' time obviously understood God to be very demanding--requiring us to "get our act together" before we humbly approached Him. Jesus refuted this image and offered a new image for God the Father--He is like a humble shepherd who is willing to leave everything in order to find one lost sheep; He is like a woman who searches diligently for a lost coin.

Who is your God? Is He a demanding perfectionist who is perpetually disappointed in your inability to meet His expectations? Or, is He a gentle Shepherd who would not give up on finding you? Or, is He a boisterous black woman named, "Papa," who loves to laugh and cook?

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Spiritual Closeness

2011-11-02T06:42:00.001-05:00

Not long after I arrived at Immaculate Conception, I preached on the theological significance of Purgatory. If you didn't get a chance to read it, you can access it here. Today, on the Feast of All Souls, I want to take a different approach to praying for the dead--spiritual closeness.

Death, by it's very nature, attempts to bring a very real and tangible "distance" between those who survive and those who died. When Jesus conquered death for us, He opened up the possibility of our being spiritually close to those whom we have loved and lost. The two great paths to this spiritual closeness include--the Mass and private prayer.

The Book of Revelation describes heaven as an eternal banquet where all of the saints are gathered around the Lamb of God. Our celebration of the Mass is a participation in that eternal banquet. Therefore, we believe that everyone in heaven is truly present with us at every Mass. Our relatives and friends are with us as we celebrate the Mass. The celebration of the Eucharist becomes the single-most significant event that we share with them.

We can also be spiritually close to our deceased relatives and friends through private prayer. Prayer is a conversation with God and sometimes, it can be appropriate and very beneficial for us to invite into that conversation someone who has died. Some people like to do this in the form of writing a letter to their deceased love one; others prefer simply talking to the person and to God during the prayer time.

Praying for the dead reminds us that we are still in relationship with them, and the Mass and private prayer can help us to build that relationship and find consolation in our grief.

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All Saints

2011-10-31T17:29:00.001-05:00

Today we celebrate the Feast of All Saints. It is a time for us to remember the saints and to honor them for their willingness to be excellent disciples and examples of Jesus Christ. Yet, our honor does nothing for them, but rather, it is for us. Saint Bernard explained this in one of his sermons, writing--

Why should our praise and glorification, or even the celebration of this feast day mean anything to the saints? What do they care about earthly honors when their heavenly Father honors them by fulfilling the faithful promise of the Son? The saints have no need of honor from us; neither does our devotion add the slightest thing to what is theirs. Clearly, if we venerate their memory, it serves us, not them. (Sermo 2: Opera omnia, Edit. Cisterc. 5 [1968], 364-368)

Saint Bernard then goes on to explain exactly how honoring the saints benefits us. First of all, it inspires in us a deep desire to be with them in heaven. It also stirs up a desire for the eternal happiness that the saints already enjoy. I would add a third benefit to honoring the saints--a call into intercession.

The saints are a constant reminder to us of the importance of intercession. Just as they intercede for us, we are invited to pray for one another and for those who have gone before us in faith (which we do in a special way on the Feast of All Souls).

Today, as we remember and honor all of the Saints, let's be mindful of the desire and longing that their intercession, example and place in heaven stirs up in us!

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The Grace in Sin

2011-10-29T06:49:00.001-05:00

I remember a professor in seminary teaching us that even sin can be an avenue of God's work. His comment made me mad. This seemed to go against everything I knew about sin, namely that sin was to be hated and abhorred! It was only after many years of priesthood and prayer, that I came to understand and appreciate that professor's wisdom. It's a wisdom that Saint Paul himself knew and taught.

In Paul's letter to the Romans, he explained that the sinfulness of the Jews was a path of grace, writing, "Did [the Jews] stumble so as to fall? Of course not! But through their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles... their transgression is enrichment for the world..." (Romans11:11-12a). This was just a more specific way of repeating his earlier message, "Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more" (Romans 5:20b).

Understanding our sin as an avenue of God's grace does not, of course, mean that we try to sin more. What it means is that we come to appreciate what God is trying to show us in our sinfulness. For example, our sins can be avenues of humility, as we come to realize in a deeper way that God is God and we are not. They can also teach us what God wants to heal within us (especially painful memories). Sins can also be "roadsigns" pointing toward what we most deeply desire.

The Jesuit author, Anthony de Mello, obviously understood this theology of sin, because he encourages us to, “Be grateful for your sins. They are carriers of grace.”

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The Cornerstone and Foundation

2011-10-28T06:29:00.001-05:00

Today we celebrate the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, two Apostles and Martyrs. They remind us that our faith is "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone [literally, "cornerstone"]" (Ephesians 2:20, emphasis mine). In ancient building construction, the cornerstone was similar to today's blueprint--it set the stage for the entire building plan. That one stone needed to be solid and perfectly cut in order to give the proper direction to the rest of the building. The foundation was then constructed off of the cornerstone. It was the second most important part of the building, ensuring, for example, that it did not get washed away in a flood.

Every aspect of our faith rests upon Jesus Christ, our Rock and Cornerstone, and upon the Apostles who laid the foundation for the Church! Let us remember them with great gratitude and joy today!

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Jesus' Desire for Us

2011-10-27T07:27:00.001-05:00

In December of 1998, I went on a pilgrimage to Israel. I have many great memories of the various places that we visited, but one particular place that really touched my heart was a small, tear-sharped chapel on a hill overlooking Jerusalem. This small chapel is dedicated to Jesus' lament over Jerusalem, which we read about in the Gospel of Luke--

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were unwilling!" -Luke 13:34

It is important that we don't minimize Jesus' lament it Him being disappointed that the Jews were not doing what He wanted them to do. No, Jesus' lament is so much more; it is an expression of His deep longing for us to know His love and mercy. It is a manifestation of His insatiable desire for us!

Let's take a moment today to take a few deep breathes and hear Christ say to us, "Many times I yearned to gather [you to myself]..."

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God In All Things... Good In All Things

2011-10-26T06:48:00.001-05:00

"God is in all things." This is one of the major teachings of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Of course, he is not implying some sort of pantheism, but rather, he is simply rephrasing the words of Saint Paul--

"We know that all things work for good for those who love God" (Romans 8:28a).

In other words, every event, whether difficult and painful or easy and joyful, has the potential of leading us to God. Our response to love God in all things opens our hearts to understand how God is present in each situation and how He is laboring to love us in those particular situations. Another way of saying this is--God can bring the ultimate good (i.e. drawing us closer to Him) out of every situation if we're open to receiving His love.

Take a moment today to share with someone a difficult situation in your life and let them know how God is using that situation "for good for [you] who love [Him]."

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Yeast

2011-10-25T07:21:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I was unpacking things in my kitchen and ran across some bread mix. When I realized that I had all of the necessary ingredients, I began to make a fresh loaf of bread. While it was baking, I looked at the Scripture readings for today and read--

Jesus said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed [in] with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened" (Luke 13:20-21)

This passage had a lot of meaning for me since I had just finished measuring out ingredients and noticed the small amount of yeast necessary in making dough rise.

As an agent for making bread rise, yeast emits a gas (carbon dioxide), which cannot be seen, but softens the dough by creating pockets of gas and causes the dough to expand. This is a beautiful image of how God works through us. He enjoys using us as instruments-- agents-- of, conversion and growth in others. This is never be violent, but rather, always motivated by love. In this way, God invites us to be hidden agents, like yeast, spiritually softening those around us and expanding the Kingdom of God. Often, this has less to do with what we say or do, and everything to do with the presence of Christ in us.

What is one moment today when God allowed you to be yeast?

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Sabbath Rest

2011-10-24T08:25:00.002-05:00

Amidst the busyness of life, it is good for us to be reminded of the importance of Sabbath rest. Keeping holy the Sabbath isn't about a particular day, nor should it be yet another thing that must be accomplished, but rather, it provides a beautiful balance to the hectic pace of life and allows us to encounter God in the quiet. Saint Francis de Sales reminds us of this, writing--

You should learn to like a real material solitude... It is well for you to retire sometimes within your own chamber or garden, or wheresoever you can best recollect your mind, and refresh your soul with good and holy thoughts, and some spiritual reading.... [Jesus Himself recommended this when He] said to [His disciples], “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile (Mark vi. 30, 31)."
by St. Francis de Sales
The Devout Life

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Unity and Community

2011-10-23T09:46:00.000-05:00

I firmly believe that the only way we can live the two great commandments of love is through our participation in the Body of Christ, the community of faith. This weekend, I explain the Scriptural basis for my belief. You can access it here.

Thank all of you for your prayers. My gout is feeling a little better today after a trip to the ER last night for addition meds. :)

Have a blessed Son-day and faith-filled week!

Understanding Suffering

2011-10-22T06:54:00.001-05:00

There is a tendency for people of all religions, including Christianity, to try to understand suffering as a universal consequence of sin. There's something psychologically comforting about a God who punishes the bad and rewards the good. This was the mentality of many of the Jews in the time of Jesus. He confronts their inadequate theology in the Gospel of Luke, saying, "Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them? do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means!" (Luke 13:4-5a).

If we choose to accept Jesus' teaching that suffering cannot be equated to sin and success cannot be equated with righteousness, then most people think that there is only one other answer to suffering--that God doesn't care. This is a popular belief today. It is usually the real reason for people's professed atheism or agnosticism. Suffering causes many to assume there is not a God or that God is very disinterested in what happens here on earth.

A third answer, however, can be found in the writings of St. Ignatius of Loyola. In his "Principle and Foundation," Ignatius explains that every blessing that God gives and every suffering that God allows is an opportunity for us to chose that which leads us closer to God. In this way, God is glorified in everything, including suffering. Saint Ignatius explains--

We should not fix our desires on
health or sickness,
wealth or poverty,
success or failure,
a long life or short one.
For everything has the potential
of calling forth in us
a deeper response to our life in God.

Our only desire and our one choice
should be this:
I want and I choose
what better leads to the deepening
of God's life in me.

- St. Ignatius as paraphrased by David L. Fleming, S.J. from the
beginning of the Spiritual Exercises

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Fired Up!

2011-10-20T07:49:00.000-05:00

Jesus' words in chapter twelve of the Gospel of Luke can be confusing. We know that Jesus is the "Prince of Peace," yet He says, "I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division" (Luke 12:49, 51). It's important for us to realize that Jesus is not throwing away His title of Peace, but rather, He is teaching us about the importance of not being lukewarm.

In the Book of Revelation, God tells the people of Laodicea, "Because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:16). This is what Jesus is saying the Gospel of Luke. He desires that we be fired up in our faith. He desires that we hop off of the proverbial fence and make a choice, an act of our will, to give ourselves to Him completely! The natural consequence of this will be division simply because there will be others who are lukewarm and don't share in our zeal and passion for the Gospel.

It's important for us to note that being fired up for Christ does not mean beating other people over the head with the Gospel. It does not give us an excuse to be obnoxious. Rather, our zeal must be rooted in prayer, humility, and a deep love for others.

The Gospel of Joy

2011-10-18T06:34:00.001-05:00

Today, we celebrate the feast of the author of the "Gospel of Joy," Luke. The Gospel of Luke has been called many things over the years, such as the Gospel of-- mercy, universal salvation, prayer, the Holy Spirit, and the poor. But, the title that I like the most is the "Gospel of Joy."

It can be difficult today to find joyful Christians. It seems that the faithful have fallen into the same trap as the world--looking for happiness in the fulfillment of our expectations, and as Msgr. Scott Friend has said, "Expectation always leads to desolation." In other words, if we base our joy on whether or not things happen the way we wanted them to happen, then we will rarely be happy. Instead, our faith in Christ, as well as the Gospel of Luke, remind us that the path to joy is meaning. In this way, no matter what happens to us in this life, we prayerfully look for Christ to reveal Himself in it, which, in turn, gives it meaning and brings us great joy.

What is one thing right now in our lives that is robbing us of joy?

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We Belong to God

2011-10-17T06:55:00.001-05:00

I hope all of you had a blessed weekend. Mine was very nice. I had the privilege of celebrating the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Tim Wald. Then, I was able to stay for the dedication of the "Chapel at Christ the King," by Bishop Taylor. It was a beautiful and moving Mass. Here's a pic of the chapel-

I enjoyed the Masses at IC this weekend and preached on our belonging to God. I hope to post the homily on my website Monday night. I am also going to try to post the last few RCIA classes.

Today is the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, whom I briefly mentioned in RCIA class last week. Here is an excerpt from his letter to the Church community in Rome, written on his way to be martyred--

Let me be food for the wild beasts, for they are my way to God. I am God’s wheat and shall be ground by their teeth so that I may become Christ’s pure bread.... For though I am alive as I write to you, still my real desire is to die. My love of this life has been crucified, and there is no yearning in me for any earthly thing.... I no longer take pleasure in perishable food or in the delights of this world. I want only God’s bread, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, formed of the seed of David, and for drink I crave his blood, which is love that cannot perish.
(From a letter to the Romans by Saint Ignatius of Antioch [Cap. 4:1-2; 6:1-8, 3: Funk 1, 217-223])

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Invaluable

2011-10-14T06:43:00.001-05:00

Several years ago, I made a rosary to be auctioned off at a parish festival. The woman in charge of the auction asked me how much the rosary was worth and I gave her the total cost of all of the parts. When I showed up at the auction, I glanced at the bidding sheet next to the rosary and under "worth," the woman had written "invaluable." I remember feeling overwhelmed with pride and joy that someone thought that something I made was invaluable. How must God feel when you and I realize that we're invaluable?!

Chapter twelve in the Gospel of Luke begins with the author of Luke giving us some of Jesus' favorite sayings and lessons. We are told that He spoke them specifically to His disciples, those closest to Him. One of these lessons can be summarized as-- remember that you are invaluable.

This lesson is very crucial because our understanding of our true value is an important step in our journey with Christ. It's only when we realize our inherent worth that we can move from seeing our lives as deficient and needing to be "fixed" by Jesus, to seeing our lives as blessed and full of gifts to offer to Jesus for the service of others.

Let's take a few minutes today to let God remind us that we are invaluable to Him (not because of what we have done or can do, but by virtue of our being His creation).

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A Loved Sinner

2011-10-13T07:06:00.001-05:00

Saint Paul's letter to the Romans is an amazing letter! The overall theology of the letter can be summarized in this--we are all loved sinners, cherished by God and saved through Christ! Paul recognizes that we "all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God," (Rom. 3:23) yet, "while we were still sinners Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8).

The Newsboys wrote and recorded a very simple song that I feel captures the theology and spirituality of Paul's letter to the Romans. The song is entitled, "You Are My King (Amazing Love)" and you can hear it on youtube by clicking here. It's important for us to frequently let our hearts rest in the awesome reality of God's generous, undeserved mercy and love!

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A Loving Rebuke

2011-10-12T07:04:00.001-05:00

"Woe to you!" Throughout the Gospel, we read about Jesus' confrontation with the Pharisees and scribes (ex. Luke 11:42-46). It's obvious that Jesus is rebuking these religious leaders and challenging them to spiritually grow-up. Such Scripture passages are a beautiful reminder to us of the importance of our intention.

Jesus' words of rebuke would be inappropriate if He used them for personal gain or if He used them to be mean. The former would be egotistical and the latter would be bullying. However, when we read Jesus' words in the context of His eternal love for the scribes and Pharisees, they take on a new meaning. We understand them to be words meant for their eternal benefit; words meant to lead to the conversion of their hearts.

It's important for you and I to be aware of the motives behind our words, as well. The ultimate goal, of course, is that all of our thoughts, words, and actions (even our rebukes and challenges) will be motivated by love for God and others.

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Being Part of the Solution

2011-10-11T06:47:00.001-05:00

Some people have the gift of being able to notice a problem and discern a solution. Such people can be an amazing blessing for a family, business, church, or community. They aren't very common, however. Instead, we find many people who are good at pointing out problems and who never even think of prayerfully discerning solutions. Such people tend to be self-absorbed, critical, and pessimistic, which is a good description of the Pharisees that Jesus frequently encountered.

In chapter eleven of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus confronted the Pharisees, saying, "Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you" (Luke 11:39-41).

The reason that Jesus challenged the Pharisees to "give alms," was because such giving moves a person from simply being self-absorbed, critical, and pessimistic to discerning a solution that blesses another person.

What have we been critical about lately? Have we taken time to prayerfully discern a solution? Is God inviting us to be a part of that solution by giving of ourselves?

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Spiritual AND Religious

2011-10-09T12:48:00.001-05:00

I just finished posting my homily from this morning on my website. I hope all of you have an awesome afternoon and get to enjoy this beautiful weather (maybe on a deer stand). :)

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To Know You, Jesus

2011-10-07T06:31:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I visited the students at Immaculate Conception School and shared with them a beautiful song entitled, "To Know You," by Casting Crowns. The song reminds us that our lives have changed because we know Jesus Christ. I asked the students to give me some of their own personal examples. They said things like, "I wouldn't go to church if I didn't know Jesus," "I would go to a different school if I didn't know Jesus," "I wouldn't know about the rosary without Jesus," and "We wouldn't go to heaven without Jesus." Knowing Jesus changes everything about our lives. And, as Casting Crowns points out, "To know You [Jesus], is to want to know you more."

Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Rosary. The Rosary is a beautiful way for us to get to know Jesus more. The rosary is a style of prayer that invites us to use repetitious prayers to "time" our meditations on the life of Jesus Christ. In this way, the rosary is like an ancient stopwatch leading us into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

Today, I invite us to pray the rosary from the perspective of letting it help us to get to know Jesus better.

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The Gift of the Holy Spirit

2011-10-06T07:16:00.001-05:00

In an episode of the television show, The Office, one of the characters, Pam, gave her husband, Jim, a very meaningful Christmas gift. Instead of buying him something, she used her artistic talent to create a comic book featuring him and the things he loves in life. Pam gave Jim more than something material, she gave him the very gift of herself through her artistic talent.

In the Gospel of Luke, we read that God desires to give all of us the gift of Himself. The Holy Spirit is God. When we experience the Holy Spirit in our lives, we are experiencing the very life of God in us. The Holy Spirit is the greatest gift we can receive.

"If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
(Luke 11:13).

Let's take time today to ask for this amazing gift!

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Saint Francis of Assisi

2011-10-04T06:38:00.001-05:00

This afternoon around three o'clock, I am going to bless people's pets in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. This is a common practice in many churches, and it highlights the love that Saint Francis had for all of God's creation. However, we would never want to reduce the example of Francis' life to a lesson in loving animals.

Saint Francis lived in Assisi Italy from 1182-1226 A.D. As a young man, he felt led by God to live Christianity in a radical and total way. He left everything behind and lived a life of complete poverty and obedience. He went about the countryside preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ to anyone who would listen to him.

Today, we live in a world of minimalism. We frequently try to find the minimal that we need to do in order to "get by." Consciously and unconsciously, we ask ourselves questions like, "What's the least I can do at work and not get fired?" "What's the minimum studying I can do and still pass my class?" This often spills over into our spiritual lives with questions like, "What's the minimum I can do in order to get to heaven?"

The life of Saint Francis of Assisi invites us to shrug off the cloak of minimalism and embrace a radical and total dedication to Christ. While we might not be called to live the Gospel the exact same way Francis did, we are all called to live it with complete dedication and zeal!

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Vacation Pictures

2011-10-03T21:03:00.000-05:00

I just finished posting pictures from my vacation. You view them by clicking here. Tom Jakobs took much better pictures and is going to send me copies of them, as well as copies of the videos he filmed with his helmet cam. I'll post some of those in the near future.

Have a blessed week!

Home

2011-10-01T13:09:00.001-05:00

I'm back home after a great vacation! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!

The trip ended up being around 4,000 miles and brought me to a state I had not ridden the bike to-- Utah. I particularly enjoyed southern Colorado and southern Utah. Now that I've been to Utah, I can color in that state on my vest. Here are the states I've ridden to so far:

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Day 11- Tucumcari, NM

2011-09-29T19:33:00.001-05:00

We rode about 550 miles today from Sedona, AZ to Tucumcari, NM. The last half, from Albuquerque, was grueling-- LOTS of wind!

We are waiting for a shuttle to take us to a restaurant for dinner (we want to give the bikes a rest).

We celebrated Mass this morning for the repose of the soul of Zach Engel, and we will probably celebrate a vigil Mass this evening so that we can hit the road early.

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Day 11- Part 1

2011-09-29T15:20:00.001-05:00

Okay... Here is the highlight of the day, maybe of the month! LOL!

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Feast of the Archangels

2011-09-29T07:35:00.001-05:00

Today is the Feast of the Archangels-- Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. One of my favorite homilies from Saint Gregory the Great is about these three angelic saints. Here's an excerpt from the homily. Enjoy!

The word “angel” denotes a function rather than a nature

You should be aware that the word “angel” denotes a function rather than a nature. Those holy spirits of heaven have indeed always been spirits. They can only be called angels when they deliver some message. Moreover, those who deliver messages of lesser importance are called angels; and those who proclaim messages of supreme importance are called archangels.

And so it was that not merely an angel but the archangel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin Mary. It was only fitting that the highest angel should come to announce the greatest of all messages.

Some angels are given proper names to denote the service they are empowered to perform. In that holy city, where perfect knowledge flows from the vision of almighty God, those who have no names may easily be known. But personal names are assigned to some, not because they could not be known without them, but rather to denote their ministry when they came among us. Thus, Michael means “Who is like God”; Gabriel is “The Strength of God”; and Raphael is “God’s Remedy.”

Whenever some act of wondrous power must be performed, Michael is sent, so that his action and his name may make it clear that no one can do what God does by his superior power. So also our ancient foe desired in his pride to be like God, saying: I will ascend into heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of heaven; I will be like the Most High. He will be allowed to remain in power until the end of the world when he will be destroyed in the final punishment. Then, he will fight with the archangel Michael, as we are told by John: A battle was fought with Michael the archangel.

So too Gabriel, who is called God’s strength, was sent to Mary. He came to announce the One who appeared as a humble man to quell the cosmic powers. Thus God’s strength announced the coming of the Lord of the heavenly powers, mighty in battle.

Raphael means, as I have said, God’s remedy, for when he touched Tobit’s eyes in order to cure him, he banished the darkness of his blindness. Thus, since he is to heal, he is rightly called God’s remedy. (Hom. 34, 8-9: PL 76, 1250-1251)

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Day Ten- Sedona, AZ

2011-09-28T18:07:00.001-05:00

After celebrating Mass this morning for the repose of the soul of Tom Bennewise, we left Springdale, UT and rode 300 miles to Sedona, AZ to see the red rock. It's very beautiful and the town has kept with the theme of the red rock by having red sidewalks, medians, etc. It's quite gorgeous! Here are a couple of pics:

By far, the most interesting part of the day was when we met Kev and Lorraine Hatchett, who have been riding their motorcycle in a continuous trip since Jan. 2009! Here is a pic of them an their BMW 1200 GSA:

WOW!!! That's a LOT of stuff!!!!
It sounded like they have been pretty much around the world. Their website is: www.takingthelongwayhome.co.uk

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Day ?... Nine?... Springdale, UT

2011-09-27T22:35:00.001-05:00

After watching the sun rise over the mountains, we had a nice breakfast at the B&B and then celebrated Mass.

Our first stop of the day was Bryce Canyon National Park, which was beautiful and, apparently, very popular! Here is a pic:

It was an 85-mile ride to Zion National Park after lunch.

No sooner were we in the Park than we saw a herd of Big Horn Sheep (you have to look REALLY close):

In the park, we left the bikes and took a free shuttle tour and hike:

Here is the tarantula we encountered:

Here's one last pic from our hike:

Wow, here's the view from the deck of my hotel room!

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Day Eight- Escalante, UT

2011-09-26T20:29:00.001-05:00

This morning began with Mass offered for the repose of the soul of Karen Howe.

Then we had breakfast at the Two Rocks Cafe. I had a breakfast sandwich with fried Indian bread, eggs, pepper jack cheese and green chilies. It was AMAZING. Here's a pic:

We wore off the calories with a ride to Monument Valley (the monuments are behind the bike):

Then we ended up on HWY 261, which turned to gravel and climbed up to the top of the Mesa with switchbacks and no guardrail. It was insane! This pic does not do it justice, but check out the GPS pic below it!

Next was Lake Powell:

We ate a late lunch at Cafe Diablo, rated by the New York Times as a place to eat before you die (seriously)! It was GREAT!!!

After lunch, we had the best two hours of riding EVER! HWY 12 goes through Dixie National Forest and then a National Park with amazing roads- twisties, canyons, major elevation changes, etc.!

We arrived in Escalante, UT, in time for sunset.

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