Rejoice Always Even in Suffering

We heard in the Gospel: "the poor have the Good News preached to them."  How do you feel when you hear good news? Of course, rejoicing.  Joy. Today is Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday.

What is the essence of the Good News? How is it summed up? Everyone should know this. It's in the ever-popular John 3:16…we used to see it in sports events. "For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, that whoever believes in Him may not die, but have everlasting life."  Meaning – in Christ, we are going to live forever in the glorious presence of the One who is LOVE… not only after our physical earthly death, but even in the here and now… as both John the Baptist and Jesus said: The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Christmas is about joy. The angel said to the shepherds, “Behold, I bring you good news of great joy . . .” Whatever other enjoyments we may have during this season, the true joy of Christmas comes from the realization that our deepest longings have been met in the divine gift of God’s own self in Jesus Christ… and so – We Rejoice in the Lord!

The Old Testament expresses the joyful EXPECTATION of the great significant thing God will do… as we heard in the First Reading from Isaiah.

The New Testament is full of joyful RESPONSE for the significant thing God has done… Promise has already been fulfilled.  Jesus said: “Go and tell John what you hear and see:  the blind regained their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.”

As Christians, we celebrate the “event” Christmas commemorates. Christmas is about a birth, a birth in this very real world of time and space.  

Meaning -  God, although He is outside of time and space, has come within reach. God is not remote, not out there somewhere. God is “Emmanuel” - - “God with us.” Flesh and blood. One of us.

This good news is the true basis of Christmas joy.  God makes Himself available to us in this desperate troubled world.

Perhaps – as some of you might say: “I really would like to be joyful, but I am hurting too badly.” Maybe you lost a job, lost your home, lost your health or broke a relationship, lost a loved one and this might be the first Christmas without your loved one, … and so you might say: As much as I want to, I really cannot bring myself to be joyful this Christmas.

With all due respect, if that is how you feel, there is something very important – hopefully for you to realize and see – that Christmas joy is not the absence of suffering. The world may define joy this way, but not the gospel. Christmas joy is a mysterious joy in suffering, joy through suffering, joy in spite of suffering. The complete Christmas story involves a cross. Actually, Christmas points to Good Friday and Easter.

Instead of yearning for a problem-free life, let us rejoice that troubles can actually bring us into deeper awareness of God’s presence in our lives.

What we celebrate at Christmas is true every day of the year. God is always coming to us. God is present in all things, even in our suffering. God is at work in all things to bring some unforeseen good even out of sufferings and trials. This is what we see clearly as Christians at Christmas, and this is the source of a very special joy.

As we heard from our first reading - The prophet Isaiah speaks of what God can do with our desolation: “…They will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. They will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee. The desert and the parched land will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song.”

So – Are you in a kind of desert of life, so to speak, right now? Where is your desert, your wilderness? It is there in every person’s life. No one’s life is all rosy and trouble-free. Every life has desert places. The great prophet Isaiah declares that God brings life out of death. God does not just give life. God brings life out of death.  

The desert is a graphic metaphor of what life can become.  Some people are living in a seemingly hopeless situation, where they find nothing but emptiness and an unrelieved dryness and so, they may not respond to sermons or words of encouragement no matter how good they may sound… Admittedly, even the most eloquent words are not enough to console a sorrowful heart.

But - as Christians, we need to continue to proclaim and share the Good News of God’s love, grace and mercy/the Joy of the Gospel… and we are all called to be the prophets of our time.  As Christians, Jesus invites us to follow Him into the desert places of people’s lives and to invest ourselves there… meaning, we are called to share in Jesus’ mission of proclaiming the Good News of God’s love, grace and mercy not only in words but by our very lives. St. Francis of Assissi said: “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.” The power of love can give hope to those in despair.

So – if you are hurting, facing difficulties in life, trust God, for someday, you will discover little streams of water running through your desert… so to speak.  This hope is the source of our joy… joyful hope. And hope in God reminds us that in the end, because everything passes, God will bring all things to joy.

Remember, we have an eternity of trouble-free living awaiting us in heaven.

… something to look forward to… to be excited about.

There is this song – J   O   Y

J  for Jesus; O for Others; Y for You…that’s all the lyrics plus “she bee do bee do” … sang repeatedly in 1950’s dance music.

J  for Jesus – meaning - we need to have Jesus first – as the center of our life… we need to surrender our lives to God; love God first… and discern and follow His will for us.

O for Others… meaning, let us focus on helping others who are in their desert, so to speak.

Lastly, Y for Yourself.  In other words, in plain language, if you want to be happy, make other people happy.

You will discover that those who practice J-O-Y, in that sequence, are the ones who enjoy peace and joy, and that those who practice “me first”, "self first" are always the unhappy and miserable ones.

Jesus, Others and then Yourself… just as Jesus emptied Himself out of obedience to God our Father in order to save us. If we follow Christ, and share in His mission and carry our own cross daily, then we will share in His joyful and glorious resurrection.

Meaning - If we get our priorities right, we will experience true and lasting joy and happiness every day of our life…regardless of any situations we might find ourselves in.

What brought joy and hope in the midst of horrible stories that came out of the Covid 19 pandemic and all the tragedies this past year - are stories of people selflessly forgetting themselves, forgetting their own safety and misery in order to save lives… to help others.

We heard stories of faith and hope…. that God is in control …. That God will bring good out of what seem to be a horrible situation… and it this hope – in God - that allows us to endure challenging crises in our lives.

Advent is all about looking forward – waiting in joyful hope (not wishful thinking) – but joyful expectation – Joyful Waiting - for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in our lives.

On this Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday, let us focus on the joy we have that the Lord has come into the world and will continue to come into our lives to help in all our needs.

Jesus said: Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John.”  My brothers and sisters in Christ, then who is the least in the kingdom of heaven yet greater than John the Baptist?  The Good News is – He is talking about US! You and Me! We are greater than John … because we have Christ IN us.

So – Let us all rejoice always.

Joy to the World and Joy in Our Hearts.  Amen.

God bless…

1st Sunday of Advent: Wake Up, Stay Awake, Be Alert Be On Guard

In Jesus’ time, the problem Jesus faced was NOT that no one was waiting for the Messiah; NOT that NO one was looking for a savior, but the problem was that Jesus turned out to be a different Messiah from what the people were waiting for… therefore, not only that they did not recognize the Messiah, right in front of them; they killed Him.

Similarly – our own concepts of what or who God is could be our own obstacle to knowing and encountering God. We could be blinded by our own concepts and prejudiced ideas of what God is – of Who Jesus is; of how God would come into our lives; of how God works in our lives. The truth of the matter is that people did not recognize Jesus then and they do not recognize Him now. Just as John the Baptist declared: “There is one among you whom you do not recognize (Jn 1:26).

As one author wrote: The world did not recognize Jesus then because:

They were looking for a Lion, He came as a Lamb.

They were looking for a Warrior, He came as a Peace maker.

They were looking for a King, He came as a Servant.

They were looking for their temporal needs to be met. He came to meet their eternal needs.

They were looking for someone to liberate them from Rome, He submitted to the Roman Cross.

AND - It is NOT ONLY in terms of WHAT the Messiah will be like but there were and even in our time, there are still misconceptions as to WHEN and HOW the Lord will come.

The admonition for this first Sunday of the church’s new year is: Stay awake! Keep alert! Be on guard! What does that mean?

Sometimes the Second Coming of Christ is spoken of in the New Testament as a grand, cosmic event in which Jesus will descend on clouds from heaven. Trumpets will sound, the dead will be raised, and Christ will return in glory.

But - Today we have another image of Christ’s coming. In our Gospel, we hear Jesus say that the Lord will come like “a thief in the night.”

Meaning - God comes to us in unexpected, surprising ways. This is actually what we celebrate during Advent and at Christmas.

What the incarnation means for us, God becoming one of us in the flesh, and what we celebrate throughout this holy season, is that God is with us… Emmanuel.

The challenge for us is to be spiritually alert and watchful which is the true meaning of Advent but unfortunately Advent has become an almost routine commercialized season – just a time for parties and shopping for Christmas gifts.

So – How do we “Stay awake! Keep alert! Be on guard!”

That’s the challenge for all of us: Our real worry should not be that the world might suddenly end or that we might unexpectedly die, but our concern must be that we might live and die, ASLEEP, so to speak.

Father Anthony DeMello, a Jesuit priest said: Spirituality means waking up. Most people, even though they do not know it, are asleep, so to speak. They're born asleep, they live asleep, they marry in their sleep, they raise children in their sleep, they die still in their sleep without ever waking up.

Meaning - They never understand the loveliness and the beauty of this thing that we call human existence… never understanding how to be fully alive.

Meaning – People live and die without really loving, without properly expressing their love, and without tasting deeply the real joy of living because they are so consumed by the worldliness, business and busy pressures of living that they never quite get around to fully living.

St. Irenaeus said: “The glory of God is a man fully alive.”

That is why Jesus said: “I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly (in other translation) – to have life to its fullest.” (John 10:10)

You see - being alert, awake, and being vigilant in the biblical sense is not a matter of living in fear of the world ending or of our personal lives ending.

Rather, being awake is a matter of having love and reconciliation as our chief concerns. It is a matter of always being grateful, thanking, appreciating, affirming, forgiving, apologizing, and being more mindful of the joys of living in human community and within the sure embrace of God…every day – meaning – Christ’s ongoing coming by grace into our lives every day… not just at the first coming; not just at the second coming but coming into our lives every day.

We need to be awake spiritually. Again, the end of the world should NOT concern us, nor should we worry excessively about when we will die. What we should worry about is: IN WHAT STATE our dying will find us… meaning – in what state our hearts and our souls will be when we die.

We are called not only to wake up to life, but called also to stay awake, so to speak. We are being reminded of how easy it is to become lazy in our life of faith. We are being reminded that our hearts can become drowsy from “carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life.”

A simple practical illustration - This is also the season of holiday parties especially now that people can gather together again, people are excited… You can pretty much imagine some people standing in front of their closets – anguishing - with the silent cry, looking at all the clothes: “Which one am I going to wear?”

From our Second Reading today, St. Paul also mentioned: “It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep.” He urges the Romans to find a renewed intimacy with Christ. St. Paul – using metaphor drawn from the closet - asks his readers to “put on Christ.”

To “Put on Christ” means to dress our inner being/person, not the outer body, and “to put on Christ” is thus a call to place priority on our relationship with God more than our relationships with the world.

St. Paul encourages us to dress our inner being, our character, our soul with more attention than we give to dressing up our bodies.

St. Paul is telling us to strive to please God, the One who looks upon the heart rather than the face, to dress the soul more carefully than the body. As Thomas Merton observed, “the very desire to please God, already pleases God.” It is our highest calling and purpose.

How do we please God? What are the “garments” – so to speak - of the well-dressed soul? Remember, we cannot serve God or love God without also serving and loving our neighbor. If we would put on Christ, we must “behave properly”.

Meaning - We are to enjoy life but in moderation (“not in orgies and drunkenness”);

We are to enjoy relationships of intimacy but within God’s plan for marriage (“not in sexual immorality or lust”);

We are to enjoy honest and real friendships with companions, with our family members and co-workers (“not in rivalry or jealousy”).

So, what are we going to wear, so to speak, this Advent season? Today is the beginning of our season of introspection, going deep within, of examining our conscience, of renewing our covenant relationship with God and season of spiritual preparation for the coming of Christ whenever and however that might be.

St. Pope John XXIII said that if we live according to God’s will, in communion with Christ, then any day is a good day to die even if death comes like “a thief in the night” because our true home is in heaven – living our lives with eternity in view – recognizing that we are just passing through in this earthly life.

Let us dress appropriately spiritually.

Let us clothe our minds with thoughts of repentance.

Let us wrap our hearts in hope for God’s coming. Let us gird our souls - in glad service of the poor and powerless - for the love of God.

So, my brothers and sisters in Christ, when we stand before our packed closets, filled with clothes, instead of asking “Which of these clothes should I wear?”, may the Christ who was born in a borrowed cave, wrapped only in a few strips of cloth; may Christ who died on a cross wearing even less, - May Christ call us to ask the more important question, “Which of these clothes can I give away?”

God bless…

Learn from the Tragedies, Everything is Passing.

Cycle C - 33rd ORDINARY - NOVEMBER 13, 2022
(based on the Sunday Gospel reading from Luke 21:5-19).

“By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”

We live in such troubled times:

• Thank God – we survived the COVID 19 Pandemic, although it is not totally over yet. 

• We heard about various terrorist attacks which killed at least a hundred people, including many children.

• Many young people died in Seoul, South Korea as a tragic consequence of a sudden crowd surge.

• We hear of heart-breaking news of destructions and the sufferings of countless innocent victims because of the war in Ukraine which has serious global consequences including shortage of food supply for poor countries.

• We hear of natural calamities (hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, fires) during the past few months.

People lost everything they had – including their loved ones.

Having said that - these tragedies, calamities, disasters - point up to one truth: the transient or passing nature of things in this world.  Meaning - Nothing lasts.

Jesus spoke of this in today's Gospel. The disciples were celebrating the beauty of the temple. And Jesus said: "These things which you see shall not be left one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." He was referring to the temple… The truth that Jesus spoke applies to all worldly things . They may last a long time, but eventually, they will all be gone.

Actually, reality check – not to be morbid - not only material things – but everyone – all of us – including our loved ones – are all passing.  We are all just passing through in this journey of life on earth.

And - This realization causes a certain amount of anxiety about the future and it is natural and understandable. The future is full of uncertainty and if we are not careful, we can get so preoccupied with questions about the future, and therefore be filled with anxiety.

The Good News is - Through the Incarnation of God – which we will celebrate next month - God becoming One of us in Jesus Christ, God has entered time and history. Christ sheds light on the future. Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end… and this sets the future in its proper context.  Meaning – we now have this great hope because – in Christ - All things move toward the fulfillment of the plans and purposes of God. The end of our life story and of history belongs to God.

We cannot see very far into the future. Abraham Lincoln said “the best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.” Twelve-Step programs for alcoholics prescribe “one day at a time” as the best way to managing the challenges of life. Similarly - Faith must be lived one day at a time.

Jesus’ instruction was that the disciples should live each day fully prepared for the coming of God’s kingdom.  Each day is a gift from God, and we are to live each day to the fullest in service to the world in Christ’s name.

We are not guaranteed years or months or even days… Tomorrow may never come. What we have is one moment in time. It is a treasure because it will never come again. So - what we do with each moment of time is our gift to God.

When people asked Jesus for some reassurance from Him about their future, Jesus gave them one simple response.  Live faithfully now and you will be prepared for whatever the future brings!

Simple practical example – Yes – you are here physically at mass - yet your mind is already pre-occupied thinking about so many other things instead of focusing on the awesome loving presence of God among us and being faithfully present before God.

Again - Live faithfully now in the present moment and you will be prepared for whatever the future brings!

Faithfulness means that we must persevere through the good and the bad, the easy and the difficult times.  Living our daily life in a faithful way means that we choose to embrace whatever comes our way.  We live in each moment without backing away.  It is that faithfulness that will prepare us for the coming events of our lives.

Faith is not a matter of speculating about the future but living faithfully in the present moment reality. We are to live wisely and responsibly, being faithful stewards of our days, our gifts, and our opportunities. We don’t know how much time any one of us has left.

The more important question is this - Have you done your best with the gifts you’ve been given by God?  If not - Then here is good news - You are still alive and therefore – it is no time for idleness. It is time to do the work of God’s kingdom.

The purpose of life – of living - is to find faithful, redemptive, loving ways to give - what we have been given - back to God. And God will make us adequate or prepared for all that lies ahead - - - until the very end.

Jesus is clear and consistent about the future.  He says that it will include the good and the bad.  We will have suffering and gladness.  At times, we will feel extremely full and blessed, and at times we will feel so empty and abandoned.  Jesus is very clear that we will not be able to predict any more than that.  Fear is useless.  All we need is trust… faith in God.

Admittedly, this is much easier said than done. It is easy for us to be overwhelmed by the evils of this world and so we miss the presence of God… and therefore forget that God is in control.  But - Remember – God loves you - God is in control – God is in charge of everything.

Jesus said: “In this world, you will have troubles, but take heart (Do not be afraid), I have overcome the world.  The victory over sin and death and victory over evil has already been won.  We just have to proclaim it. God already sees us in our glorious state.

Think about this - Think of something that you are worried about that might happen in the future… that you are concerned about. Okay – Remember this – If and when that happens – God will be right there and then with you.  So – why worry. Worrying about the future robs us of the grace of the present moment reality.

Again - Only if we live faithfully - in the NOW - will we be ready for whatever the future brings.

We cannot put our trust in wealth, health, possessions, beautiful buildings, in power, in weapons, etc.  Our perseverance in faith, to God and one another, is what will be our saving grace. As we heard in the Gospel, “by your perseverance, you will secure your lives.”

Again – we live in these times of trials and struggles… but we are assured that they, too will all come to pass.  What is being tried is our willingness to be faithful children of God.  So - can we be a sign and source of hope in these times of troubles and trials and uncertainties?  Can we hope, not in the signs of power or material possessions or wealth or health, but can we hope – not wishful thinking – but expectant hope -and can we be signs of faithfulness and love?

Our God is a loving Father.  He has showered us with blessings beyond our perceptions and understanding.  God loves us beyond our wildest imagination.

So - As we get closer to the end of the liturgical year – Feast of Christ the King next Sunday - we are challenged and asked to examine our own lives.  Do we really spend enough time thanking God with our words and actions.  How much time each day do we spend in prayer, how much time do we spend helping others? … instead of being so pre-occupied with self-centered things.

As we come to the table of the Lord – to receive the Body of Christ - to enter into communion with Him and with one another, let us continue to reflect and give real thought to what is happening in the world – particularly those areas where people are suffering.  Let us learn from the tragedies.

May the Lord grant us the grace to set our hearts to what is eternal and everlasting. Amen.

God bless…

Being Prudent, Shrewd and Wise

In our Gospel reading, this is without a question the most puzzling story that Jesus ever told. And the part that makes it so puzzling is the conclusion. If Jesus had ended the story by sternly rebuking the dishonest steward or manager, that would have made it easy for us to understand but Jesus did the exact opposite. He ended the story by commending the manager and even urged his disciples to learn from the man’s example.

The question therefore is: What was it about this man that Jesus found commendable? Obviously, Jesus was not commending the steward for his dishonesty or his selfishness. What then was it?

It is his being Prudent. According to Google or dictionary - To be prudent means – to show care and thought for the future… “looking ahead.” - in other translation: being shrewd (Luke 16:8). – being smart.

The man looked ahead and saw that he was soon to lose his job. Then on the basis of that foresight, he took decisive action and made provision for his future.

That is commendable. Most of us do the same thing. We use our foresight to plan our education, to get good jobs, to make money and to secure our financial future. We save for the rainy days – so to speak. We plan for our retirement. We do our best to prepare ourselves in case of sickness, accident and untimely death. We make every efforts to get ready for them and that is being prudent and wise.

The parable invites us to wonder why we do not apply the same prudence – shrewdness or smartness to the most important areas of life – our spiritual life.

Jesus summarized his appeal with these words: “No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon."

In other words - You cannot give yourself totally to God and at the same time being so attached to the money you have or attached to the desire for the more money you wish you had.

The man in our Gospel story recognized the truth of that. His focus in life was unfortunately money, which became his master so he gave himself wholeheartedly to it. But for us - our goal is godliness, so we should give ourselves wholeheartedly to God… loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

Here's a story: A young man proudly told his elder: I am going to study in the best college and graduate with highest honor.

The elder asked: Then what?

I am going to be successful and make a lot of money.

Then what? - asked the elder.

I am going to buy a big house, get married and have children.

Then what? - inquired the elder.

Well – said the young man: I am going to grow old.

Then what?

Well – (by this time his ego kind of deflated) – the young man said: I guess I am going to die.

Finally – the elder asked: Then what?

The young man was quiet. His vision did not take him beyond death.

Someone said: “All I want to know is where I’m going to die, so I will never go there.”

Today’s parable challenges us to be smart in the pursuit of the kingdom of God just as godless people are smart in their pursuit of selfish goals and ambitions. Jesus uses the example of the smart manager in his master’s business to teach us the need to be smart in the Lord’s service… because that is what life is all about.

Sooner or later we shall all be called upon to render an account of how we have done – how we have managed the blessings we have been given… what we have done with what we have… be it much or be it little.

We should likewise use or apply all our temporal and spiritual resources to gain the only thing that matters in the end: the kingdom of God… to be with God eternally in heaven… our true home… our eternal destiny.

Wisdom is seeing people, seeing ourselves, seeing things, events, reality – as God sees them… seeing ourselves as who we truly are – beloved sons and daughters of God – seeing that our lives here on earth are limited – we are just passing through - and that our true home is in heaven.

We need to pray for wisdom everyday –

• Otherwise, without Godly wisdom, we will not know what to do with our money, power, knowledge, whatever we have. Therefore, we will still find ourselves feeling empty.,, not fulfilled and not truly happy.

We all pray for a long healthy life. So, if God were to give you a long healthy prosperous life – the question is – what then are you going to do with your long healthy life?

The question is: Have we lived our lives totally loving God, with all our heart, with all our being, with all our strength? Above all?

Yes, money, possessions, pleasures are good but pursue them for what they are – fleeting, temporary; they will not last.

Let us not be like the foolish rich man in the Gospel of Luke 12:16-21 – Jesus told another parable about the rich man who planned to build a bigger barn and told himself that he has ample goods laid up for many years; so, he told himself - take it easy, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

So – let us ask ourselves: Have we treated everybody we’ve met with love, care, and compassion – for the love of God?

Have we been working harder to store up treasure in heaven than storing up treasure here on earth? OR

Have we put ourselves, or anything or anybody else ahead of following Jesus in our lives?

The best athletes in the world, who personify perfection, made a lot of sacrifices to be what they are; to win the gold medal or the championship. They lived a very disciplined life, they gave up certain pleasures. For many months and years, they made up the time to exercise and practice because that is how badly they want to win the gold medal or the championship…it is pretty much their life.

The question to us is: Similarly, how much or how badly do you really want to go to heaven? … which is infinitely much more valuable than winning the gold medal or the championship.

The goal of living in God's presence on earth as it is in heaven, demands sacrifice and much discipline… just as what athletes go through – that is how they make it look so easy – after much training and discipline to prepare… and overcoming obstacles and challenges and staying focused on the goal.

At the end of our life, let us hope and pray that we can say what St. Paul told Timothy (2 Timothy 4:7) – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness - which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

1 Corinthians 2:9 - “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him.” We are in for big pleasant surprise if we love God.

How blessed we all are, through Christ, to be the beloved sons and daughters of such a loving God!

Always remember – God loves us beyond our wildest imagination. As Bishop Barron said: God is crazy in love with you – with me – God is crazy in love with us.

And so – let us love the Lord our God above all - with all our hearts, mind, soul – with all our strength. Amen. (so be it).

God bless…

(Cycle C – 25th Sunday – Sept. 18, 2022)

Oh Yeah? So What?

As I have mentioned in my previous homily, someone has suggested that people who listen to sermons, either consciously or subconsciously, respond on two levels. One is: “Oh yeah? and the other is: So what?

The first question: Oh Yeah? means: I am not really sure that what you are saying is true; so convince me.

The second question: “So what?” means: All right, I accept this as truth, as doctrine but what, if anything, does it have to do with my life?

The great Easter message: As Mary Magdalene proclaimed and as the apostles told Thomas: The Lord is Risen! He is Risen indeed.

There is something about our human nature that finds it difficult to believe in the good. We find it fairly easy to believe in the bad. For us, the bad is readily believable. It is easy to believe in bad news, but the good is almost unbelievable. This tendency is of course not a new thing.

In our Gospel reading today, Thomas pretty much displayed the same attitude. The apostles tried to convince him of the reality of the resurrection but he would not believe them because in the scheme of things, such an event was simply too good to be true. If you think about it, we never hear people say “It is to bad too be true.” – we know how bad people can really be… in the news all the time.

Just think of what man did to Jesus; think of the Holocaust, of WWII and just think of the horrific things happening in Ukraine.

In man’s world, especially when someone is trying to sell you something or trying to convince you to buy into an idea, we really have to be very careful, because “if it sounds too good to be true, then most likely it is too good to be true.”

This is a brutal world – to say the least - and living in this world is a risky business. I am not denying that. But I am reminding you and reminding myself that this is God’s world; God is in control and God is active in it. If we keep that in mind, we will face the future, not with despair, but with hope, because in God’s world nothing is too good to be true.

By human standards, Christianity does not make sense. By human standards, it does not make sense that God would become a man; that he would die so that we, you and I, might have eternal life. By human standards, it does not make sense that we can eat his flesh at every Mass; that we can share in his life right now and that we can live in peace, joy and love – forever, regardless of the circumstances; it is just too good to be true by human standards.

So - The continuing challenge for the church is how to encourage people in the faith 20 centuries later, so far removed from being able to see or hear or touch the Risen Christ in the flesh. Our doubts have to be greater than that of Thomas.

Being a true Christian; being a true follower of Christ - is not something that you can "catch" by just hanging around other Christians or by simply attending Catholic school or listening to lectures. So, how do we get this true faith – first hand faith, so to speak, since we were not there to actually see and touch Jesus?

Well, to begin, we need to realize that faith does not come from absolute proof or it would not be faith-it would be 'fact'. In addition, faith does not require actual seeing or touching or anything else for evidence… No!

In the letter to the Hebrews: Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

- Faith is the personal choice that we make whether to completely believe and trust in God or not.

We have to make a choice and the choices are simple - yes or no. There is no middle ground. By not making a choice, you have already made a choice – meaning – it is the same as answering “no” to God. It is either - yes or no – not maybe. So - Make the correct choice. Your eternity depends on it.

People say or think that they need to see proof or signs to believe. In matters of faith - Believe – then you will see… Believe – then you will understand. First, you have to make that leap of faith… so to speak.

The strongest evidence for the resurrection of Jesus is in the lives of those who saw and believed as we can read in the Scriptures: The apostles said: We are witnesses… We ate and drank with Jesus after His resurrection… As we heard in the gospel today: “These are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.”

How about us – who were not there at that time?

You see - We do not have to know how it happened to believe that Jesus was raised from the dead by the power of God. We do not believe in Jesus because of his resurrection. We believe in his resurrection because of what we have come to believe about Jesus.

Meaning – for us - The strongest evidence for the resurrection of Jesus is also in the lives of those who did not see, yet believed.

Across the ages - those who have trusted in the living Christ have experienced for themselves the power of His resurrection… just read the lives and writings of the Saints and Martyrs and contemporary Christians we know and admire.

Meaning – as we live our lives trusting Jesus – in the process - we discover the power of his resurrection. We hear – in our hearts - the word of grace, forgiveness, and new life. We hear of God’s suffering love, love that accepts us in spite of what we are and have done; love that has the power to change us. Through trusting Christ - Enough to follow him - we begin to discover the transforming power of such love in our own lives.

Therefore, when we ourselves say: “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed.” – It is not merely a historical claim. It is actually our testimony to what we have discovered for ourselves in our own lives. We – are - “the blessed who have not seen, yet believe”. We have learned that this is “the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection: out of the grave and into our hearts.

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday. The rays that come from the heart of Jesus remind us of the blood and water that came from His heart. The blood destroys the power that evil has over us. The water revives us – gives us new life in Christ - through baptism.

Yes, it is human to be afraid. And it is human to doubt. Perhaps we feel horrible at times for doubting Jesus - but you see - His mercy and compassion are stronger than our doubts. Jesus sees, He knows, He understands.

So, I say to you, “Christ is risen! Jesus is risen indeed”. If your response is “Oh yeah?, my answer is: I cannot prove it; you must make that discovery for yourself.

But if your response is: “So what? What now?”, my answer is: Now, if you truly believe; then follow Jesus, the Risen Lord; give yourself wholeheartedly to his way of peace and love, because this is what life really means; this is what life is all about. Jesus is the key to everything.

So, no matter what we are facing in life today, or will face tomorrow, joy or challenge, we look to Jesus; we remember His mercy and compassion, and we join Thomas in saying, “My Lord and My God.” We join St. Faustina in saying: “Jesus, I trust in You.”

Amen.

2nd Sunday of Easter – April 24, 2022 – John 20:19-31

Christ Redeems and Not Rescue

[“Why?” Why, since you loved this man, did you not come to save him from death? Why is it that God seems absent when bad things happen to good people? Why doesn’t God rescue his loved ones and save them from pain and death?

Jesus doesn’t offer any apology or theoretical response. Instead, he asks where they have laid the body, lets them take him there,]

(Audio recording starts here) - sees the burial site, weeps in sorrow, and then raises his dead friend back to life. So why didn’t Jesus rush down to save Lazarus since he loved him?

The answer to that question teaches a very important lesson about Jesus, God, and faith, namely, that God is not a God who ordinarily rescues us, but is rather a God who redeems us. God doesn’t ordinarily intervene to save us from humiliation, pain, and death; rather God redeems humiliation, pain, and death after the fact.

Simply put, Jesus treats Lazarus exactly the same way as God, the Father, treats Jesus: Jesus is deeply and intimately loved by his Father and yet his Father does not rescue him from humiliation, pain, and death. God raises him up only after his death.

This is one of the key revelations inside the resurrection: We have a redeeming, not a rescuing, God.

It took the early Christians some time to grasp that Jesus doesn’t ordinarily give special exemptions to his friends, no more than God gave special exemptions to Jesus. So, like us, they struggled with the fact that someone can have a deep, genuine faith, be deeply loved by God, and still have to suffer humiliation, pain, and death like everyone else. God didn’t spare Jesus from suffering and death, and Jesus doesn’t spare us from them… but He is with us through them.

The Gospel of John, according to scripture scholars was probably written around 90 A.D. – after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem around 66-70 A.D., when Jerusalem fell and was destroyed by the Romans because of the Jewish Revolt

Christians were being persecuted and the people for whom John’s Gospel was written were in essence saying: “Where is the Lord?”

So, to help his audience realize that God’s ways were not their ways and that the risen Christ was in their midst, John, in his Gospel, then tells the story of the raising of Lazarus – which is not only about Jesus’ presence to Martha, Mary and Lazarus, but it is also about the presence of the risen Christ to John’s audience and to us today.

Of all the miracles Jesus did, the raising of Lazarus was the most astonishing to the people of his time. The Jews traditionally believed that the soul of a dead person somehow remains with the body for three days. After three days the soul departs finally from the body, and that is when corruption sets in.

When Martha objected to the opening of the tomb and said, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days" (John 11:39), she was expressing the common view that it was already a hopeless situation. For the Jews - bringing back to life a person who was dead for four days and decaying was just unthinkable.

In a way, we can say that that was why Jesus delayed his coming, to let the situation become "impossible"… before acting on it.

Jesus said that Lazarus’sickness would not end in death, but was for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.

The most important message of the Gospel is that our sickness does not end in death, nor does our death end in death, because Jesus Christ has conquered death.

Jesus said to Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, though he should die, will come to life; and whoever is alive and believes in me will never die.”

Jesus is referring not to physical death, but to spiritual death. Lazarus died again physically later. But Jesus raising Lazarus meant that Jesus has the power over death and that he has power to give life.

With Jesus in our lives, resurrection begins in the here and now, in our life of faith here on earth. For us - Christians, eternal life begins now – in Christ. That belief affects the quality of our life, our perspective in life, our perspective of life – how we see all of creation, how we see ourselves, how we see others.

The great Easter truth is not that we are to live newly after death - - that is not the great thing - - but the great Easter truth is that we are to be new here and now by the power of the resurrection.” With Christ, everything is new. Resurrection is not “everlasting life”. It is not an endless quantity of life. Resurrection is a quality of life that begins in the present… in the here and now.

Our faith tells us that Christ dwells in every member of His body, the Church, that we can find him in the people who gather with us here every Sunday. That is the deepest reason why we need to be hospitable to one another as we assemble for the Eucharist. Having a welcoming attitude towards one another, greeting one another, can help us to connect with one another as One Body, One Spirit in Christ.

As we gather around the table - we encounter Jesus and each other. You see, our Eucharistic table – like our dining tables at home - is the place of intimacy - where all who belong to the household gather – saints and sinners alike – rich and poor – male and female – no distinction - where family, community, friendship, hospitality, and true generosity can be expressed and made real.

When we come to receive Communion, we say “Amen” to the words “The Body of Christ” – which means we believe that we receive Christ himself – body, soul and divinity - the perfect being of Christ….That is true, but our Amen also means we accept the imperfect Body of Christ – we accept each one of us – as sinful as we are - the Body of Believers, the Church – we accept one another – with each others’ faults.

That is why – before Communion - we give or offer each other the sign of peace.

-That is why it is called Holy Communion – Holy = we are set apart – consecrated to be Christs in the World, but not of it - being One with Christ and with one another as the Body of Christ. It was said that at Mass, heaven touches the earth and that we experience a foretaste of the heavenly banquet.

If only people can grasp that. You will be in awe. You will not be bored. You will not leave early.

As one of my favorite song goes – “Surely, the presence of the Lord is in this place. I can feel His mighty power and His grace. I can hear the brush of angels’ wings, I see glory on each face…Surely, the presence of the Lord is in this place.”

As we continue with our celebration, we pray -
“Ever-present Lord, God of life and love – please bless our gathering. Pour out your Spirit on us. Open our eyes to your presence in each one of us; in each and every event of our lives. We ask this as we ask all things, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Our Savior. Amen.

Cycle A – Fifth Sunday of Lent 2022

On Sin of Uselessness

During Jesus’ time, the Jews associated suffering with the person’s sinfulness.

But we heard in today’s Gospel, Jesus said: But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!

While the traditional practice of “giving up something” for Lent or doing acts of penance like fasting and almsgiving are important and praiseworthy, the Lord actually calls us to metanoia – from two Greek words: Meta, meaning beyond ; and Noeo (no e o), meaning to perceive, to think, to understand, to know.

So, the word metanoia means going beyond the mind you now have.

It is a word that describes a transformation of consciousness, a new way of thinking, a new way of seeing… conversion of mind and heart.

In St. Paul’s letter to the Romans (12:2): “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Unfortunately, when the word metanoia was translated from Greek into Latin and into English, the word metanoia was translated to simply “To Repent or To Do Penance” for lack of better word and that is a significant shift in the meaning.

And so – what was originally the call for inner transformation is reduced into feeling sorry for doing something bad or doing act of penance – although they are important – but they must flow from a transformed consciousness… from a changed heart and mind. Doing penance or giving up something for Lent must never become a substitute for a transformed consciousness – conversion.

The word “repent” actually does not do justice to what Jesus actually intended which is far more demanding.

So – on that note: Again – As we heard in the Gospel: Jesus said: But I tell you, if you do not metanoia, you will all perish as they did! And then Jesus told the parable of the barren fig tree.

The purpose of the fig tree is to produce figs. Similarly, you and I are in this world for a reason, a purpose. We have been placed here to produce some positive good.

And - When we fail to do that, we are guilty of sin just as if we had done something bad.

When we hear the word sin and repentance, to most of us, we think of the bad or evil things that should not have been done.

But, our Gospel reading today reminds us that we need to broaden and deepen our understanding of what sin is and what we need to repent of….because sin is also the failure to do that which ought to be done…. Sin is not only something bad that we do, it is also something good that we fail to do. That is the kind of sin we often overlook.

In the letter of St. James: “So, for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, it is a sin.” (James 4:17)

Jesus said essentially the same thing in his parable of the judgment: “Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' (Matthew 25:31-46).

Remember also the parable - Jesus told - about a man traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho. Along the way he was beaten and robbed. Jesus told that story, not so much to criticize the crime but as to criticize the indifference of the two religious – church going people – who just passed by him and did nothing to help.

Yes, we must repent and confess of the bad things we had done and resolve not to do them again. We should repent and stop lying, cheating, stealing, gossiping, speaking profanity and so on. But we must not stop there.

Our repentance must also include repentance for failing to do good.

In the story of fig tree, Jesus is basically saying that we are going to be held accountable and unless we repent of our indifference and idleness, we will wither and perish.

Everyone of us has gifts from God that we can use in His service – time, talent, treasure, knowledge of truth. We may not all be wealthy, but none of us is so poor that we have nothing to share. The point is – we must learn to care; to become giving, loving, sharing people. When Jesus talked about fruitful living, He did not mean only in terms of big and impressive things.

… in fact – Mark 9:41 “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.”

Wickedness is not always in terms of those obvious or seen in the open. Wickedness or being bad could be the neglect of simple kindness.

We live in America, country flowing with milk and honey, so to speak, the land of opportunity and in one form or another, each one of us has been given the privilege (blessed either in terms of money, good home, good education, freedom, healthy body and sound mind….) And we all need to hear the warning of Jesus.

Being privileged or being blessed carries with it a great responsibility… That is the message of today’s Gospel reading. “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” (Luke 12:48).

So, do not be arrogant and do not look down on others who do not seem to be as blessed as you are.

We should always be grateful and be humble about our good fortune.

People say: “I live a clean life… I am not hurting anyone… I pay my taxes, follow rules and regulations… I mind my own business…” Well, that is nice… but the problem is you might not be doing anything good also for anyone”…. sin of uselessness. It is not enough for you and me to be nice and clean and – with no bad record. We must also be good for something…

In the second reading, St. Paul tells the Corinthians, "Whoever thinks he is standing secure, watch out lest you fall down." Meaning – St. Paul warns us against spiritual overconfidence.

The truth is simple: we must fight evil and do good, repent and bear fruit as the gospel says, or we will also suffer eternal perish.

Like the Eucharist – the Body of Christ, our lives must be blessed, broken and shared… like the Blood of Christ – we must be willing to be poured out into loving service of God and others.

Jesus is challenging our hearts and minds to shake up the way we live… metanoia… conversion…

The Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard once wrote: “Ultimately, there is only one sin, and that is the steadfast refusal to be one’s own true self.” Meaning…failing to be who and what we are meant to be by God… and this failure is expressed in doing what we are not supposed to do and not doing what we are supposed to do.

In other words, sin is not simply breaking rules and laws. Sin is failing to be who God created us to be. Sinning means I am failing to be the real me, the true me, the authentic me. Sin is whatever keeps you and me from being who and what God created us to be.

- the behavior or acts or failure to act or failure to do good are actually just outward expressions of what is in a person’s heart – his being.

St. Catherine of Siena – our patron saint – said: "If you are what you should be, you will set the world on fire!"

Imagine, just imagine, what the world would be like if only the so-called Christians are what they are called to be.”

Imagine – as a start - what our parish would be like – what our local community would be like - if only we truly believe the Gospel; if only we really truly live out or actually practice our faith.

On Temptations and Trials

As we all know, a desert is a dry, parched land… The desert – in a manner of speaking – is also that time in a person’s life when everything stable seems to be coming loose, which many people are now experiencing… being unemployed, financial insecurities, health not going well, promises broken, dreams crushed, depression, hopelessness. Have you been there? Are you there now, in a desert time – parched place - of the heart and soul?

The desert is the place of testing. It is in the desert of our lives – when we are at our weakest and are most vulnerable - that we are confronted by the strongest and most seductive faces of temptation.

And it is in such a place, such a desert, that we find Jesus in our Gospel reading today. Jesus is in the desert because the Holy Spirit led him there! You see, our times of testing and trial are not necessarily signs that we have strayed from God, or that God has left us.

The desert can also be a place of intimacy with God… quite a paradox.

Of course – often times we bring some of our sufferings on ourselves by our own failures and sins. But there are times our desert experiences are part of the great mysterious design of God – that we need - for us to mature. God – in His great wisdom – has allowed even seemingly “bad things” to happen – even to good people - but we need to always remember that things happen only to the extent God allows them to happen….

God is in control – we need to always remember that – even when He may seem to be absent or silent at times. God is in control.

… and the fact that God has allowed things to happen, if we persevere and remain faithful, good will come out of our desert experience. That’s how powerful God is.

Pleasant experiences make life delightful. Painful experiences lead us to growth especially in terms of trust in God and compassion and mercy towards others.

And so our desert may not necessarily be the graveyard of our soul, so to speak. God may intend the desert to serve as a kind of incubator of the soul.

Temptations come or appeal to us at areas and times of our lives in which or when we are most vulnerable.

“Satan is the father of all lies…” To avoid giving into temptation – we need to understand its nature – that temptation is very subtle. Meaning - temptation does not come clearly or obviously as a serpent crawling on the ground or as a devil with horns on his head… telling you to do something evil.

The devil knows that we would resist it if we knew it was the devil. The problem is when we are not sure or not aware whether it is a temptation from the devil or not.

What we are tempted to do can seem reasonable, so necessary, even so beautiful – like how the devil put it to Jesus.

Satan told Jesus - “If you are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread.” What is wrong with that? Jesus was hungry himself – after forty days in the desert and Jesus also saw the physical hunger in others and so what is wrong with providing bread to those who are hungry? But Jesus saw through the temptation.

Jesus recognized that “man cannot live by bread alone.” …. That there is a higher and holier purpose in life – which is - meeting the deeper spiritual needs of people… feeding on the Word of God is ultimately infinitely much more important than feeding on bread… more important than focusing life - on material things and satisfaction of sensual desires.

The temptation was also a temptation for Jesus to depend on himself… to use His own power to serve His needs… to rely on his own which we also face in our lives.

The second temptation - The Devil offered Jesus a short-cut (we all like short-cuts) to world power, wealth and honor and glory. Many people want to get rich easily and quickly. The devil tempted Jesus: Why even suffer on the cross?

In dealing with temptations - we need to always remember also – “The end does not justify the means”. Meaning – no matter how noble or good our purpose or goal does not justify how we achieve it. We should only use godly means to pursue our goals in life…- not by any means whatsoever – not by compromising our values, our faith, our relationship with God.

The third temptation – “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you…”

It is a temptation to test God – to use God, to manipulate God – to test God to prove to us that He really loves us or that He is real… making ourselves the center of the universe.... making our lives revolve around our own selves, around our own needs… that even God serves our needs.

We often hear people say – that they try to make a deal with God - when they really want something so bad or when they are in big trouble. “Lord if you do this, or if you save me from this - I will do this and that.” If you let me win the Lotto, I will give half to charity. That is testing God.

In our Gospel reading, it may seem Jesus won his battle with the devil so easily - with little or no effort… It may seem it was so easy for Jesus to do good and to avoid evil.

And so, this is a temptation - we may be tempted to think that Jesus was able to resist the temptation and that He was able to bear the sufferings of his Passion and Crucifixion - because He is God all along. You may be thinking that Jesus knew all along that He was God and that He knew everything that His sufferings would soon be over and then He would be raised from the dead and be glorified…

- but - that is basically saying that Jesus was not really one of us, that he was not really fully human.

But you see - if Jesus did not really fully share in our humanness – if Jesus did not experience being in the dark or being in the cloud of not knowing - if He did not have to deal with uncertainties in the midst of human weakness and sufferings – if that were the case, Jesus would not really be able to relate to our own struggles in this life. We can tell Jesus: “You do not understand, you are not one of us.”

But you see the Gospels actually proclaim that for Jesus - it was actually a real life-and-death struggle with evil. Jesus had a real battle. Jesus really suffered - which means - Jesus can really relate to us in overcoming the temptations and struggles we face in our daily lives...

Admittedly, that is much easier said than done; that is quite too much for our human mind to fully grasp and understand – yet - our faith tells us that Jesus is fully God and fully human at the same time – that blows our mind - and that is why He is the perfect mediator between God and man; the perfect bridge between heaven and earth.

The Gospel is basically telling us that Jesus lived his life in the same strength which is available to you and me.We are called to share Jesus’ absolute faith in a God of love….that God can always be trusted… He will never let us down… He will never leave us alone.

We believe that during Jesus’ darkest hours – Jesus found strength and even peace beyond understanding - because of His absolute trust - strong unwavering faith in God…

And so, the question to us is this: “When trials come to us – when temptations come – which surely will come - may be even right at this moment – Are we going to trust in God, rely on God (as Jesus did) to face the temptations and trials?

We Christians are called to walk with the Lord throughout the journey of our lives, the journey to complete the will of the Father for us. The forty days of Lent remind us of this journey and during Lent – we are invited to examine how well we are traveling towards God.

Let us pray that during this Lenten season, that we grow deeper in our understanding of who we are: Not IF we are “Sons and Daughters of God”, but that - we - truly are - sons and daughters of God… what it really means…

And therefore, as St. Paul said, we may rejoice and give thanks always regardless of the circumstances we might find ourselves in, knowing God loves us because we are His Beloved Children.

Amen.

1st SUNDAY OF LENT – CYCLE C – March 6, 2022

The Text: Luke 4:1-13

On Happiness

Both in his words and in his life Jesus contradicted the common wisdom about what constitutes human happiness. True happiness does not come from wealth or power or pleasure. Happiness comes from seeking the kingdom of God above all human quests. Jesus’ beatitudes are a discourse on the nature of true happiness.

Everybody wants to be happy. Nobody is satisfied to just exist. Something in each one of us longs for something more - a better quality of life; we long for something deeper, higher. This longing is an important part of what it means to be fully human. The problem is in our understanding of where and how do we find true happiness.

In our society, we have access to all kinds of fun, entertainment, excitement, thrills and pleasures this modern age can afford. Businesses have come up with ingenious television commercials telling us that happiness is found in the goods and services they sell. Brilliant advertising tells us that happiness is located in Las Vegas or Cache Creek or Graton or Hawaii or in Disneyland.

The lifestyles of those we call celebrities suggest that happiness is found in excessive wealth and unrestrained permissiveness…lifestyles in which anything goes… people doing whatever they want to do… regardless…

Our economy is fueled and depends upon people wanting more and therefore buying more, spending more…. Consumerism, materialism… trying to find happiness, satisfaction out there.

But, reality check - sooner or later, people realize that what all these voices offer is just temporary pleasure - thrills…just fleeting emotions; not true lasting happiness…too superficial to reach our deepest longings…

I am not saying it is wrong to have fun and have nice material things or pleasant experiences. Life cannot be all work….Simple pleasures of life are important… But we need to get our priorities straight…and focus on what really matters in life… what life is really all about.

Jesus said: "But seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Mt 6:33) …

• Meaning – If our heart belongs to God – our friendships, our relationships, our business and entertainment interests, everything in our life falls into right order around God, the center of our life… God is the Supreme Good… The Summum Bonum.
  

• In Christian philosophy – The Supreme Good is believed to be not just the best thing one could ever have but also that good which contains in itself or brings along with it all other good and desirable things, that which completely satisfies the otherwise insatiable desires of the human heart and God is the Supreme Good.

People think that happiness is situational… meaning… that they can expect to find happiness if only certain external circumstances would change….They think they will be happy when certain situation or event happens…. when summer comes, or after the wedding, or when they get the new job, or new house or new car or when they retire… or when their children are out of the house.

You know what - if we think this way, happiness becomes like a mirage on the highway – continually vanishing as we approach.

In the beatitudes, Jesus is speaking the truth about happiness… which can be found within us – not out there… not depending on circumstances.

One famous spiritual author wrote (William Barclay): “A change in fortune, a collapse in health, the failure of a plan, the disappointment of an ambition, even a change in the weather, can take away the fickle joy the world can give. But the Christian has the serene and untouchable joy which comes from walking for ever in the company and in the presence of Jesus Christ.”

Sometimes we cannot help what happens to us… sometimes things happen beyond our control but we can, however, determine and can control what our response will be… even with this pandemic, we can control how we react to circumstances.

St. Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians and he wrote this while he was in prison and he even thanked them for their concern. He said: “I am not complaining, for I have learned to be content in whatever situation I find myself.” (4:11) Rather than being at the mercy of his circumstances, St. Paul has learned to transcend them… to rise above them.

St. Paul shared his secret: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Christ is the key.

What is the difference between the people whom Jesus calls “Blessed” and those to whom he says, “Woe to you?” Those who are blessed have put their trust in God instead of in the world. Those to whom he says, “Woe to you” – are those who found their joy in the material world.

From our first reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah – so beautiful:

“Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose hope is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
it fears not the heat when it comes;

its leaves stay green;
in the year of drought it shows no distress,

but still bears fruit.”
Wow! What an awesome imagery of the life in God…life in Christ…

You see - we cannot be truly happy without our personal intimate relationship with God – meaning - Fullness of life… true happiness… is the result of redemptive relationship with God and loving relationship with other people… and Jesus Christ is the key. Jesus is fully God and fully human and so through Jesus we can experience both oneness with God and unity with one another… becoming One Body of Christ… children of God, our Father.

Those who are truly happy are those who found happiness not in the tables in the world’s finest restaurants but in the Lord’s Eucharistic table… Holy Communion with God and with one another – through Christ, with Christ and in Christ. True happiness is within the person whose heart has been transformed by the living Christ. That is why St. Paul said: “It is no longer I who live; it is Christ who lives in me.”

Jesus pointed the way to happiness in giving us the two greatest commandments: “Love God with your whole being, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Meaning - Happiness comes to those who forget themselves – Happiness comes to those who have sacrificed all thoughts of happiness for the sake of a higher purpose. We are called to a higher standard of living and loving.

We cannot and should not pursue happiness for its own sake…It has been said: “Make happiness your pursuit, and it leads you on a wild-goose chase.”

Happiness is actually what we discover as a result of pursuing something higher or more noble… which is doing the will of God and loving other people. In basis simple term: If you want to be happy; then make other people happy. Happiness is not the goal of life. Happiness is actually God’s gift to those who have found the true goal of life… which is Oneness with God.

So, the question is: Are you happy? If not, why not?

Personally, when asked, why are you happy, Deacon? I reply "Because God loves me!" That's it! That is the basis of our dignity and worth and hope and joy. God loves us. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

When faced with life’s struggles, I just try to remember how God has been so miraculously good to me and my family, beyond what we could have ever imagined.

You see - until we truly really believe that God loves us, we cannot truly love ourselves and therefore, we cannot truly love others "as we love ourselves"

So, always remember this – you can forget everything I said earlier… remember this till the day you die: regardless of the circumstances or situations you might find yourselves in, ALWAYS REMEMBER: GOD LOVES YOU! GOD LOVES YOU! GOD LOVES YOU!

St. Augustine said: “You created us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you…”

God bless…

On Love

Our second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians - the great reflection on love …is one of the most beautiful passages in all of Sacred Scripture. We often hear it on weddings.

Actually, the reason why St. Paul wrote this was because the community was celebrating the Eucharist – incorrectly.

You see, the early Christians gathered together on Sundays – like we do - in obedience to the Lord's command: "Do this in memory of me." So, they shared a meal just as Jesus shared a meal with his disciples at the Last Supper. During those gatherings, the needs of the community were taken cared of…. Foods were shared in common. They brought enough so that the poor members of the community had enough also
The Eucharist was being celebrated as part of a full meal but things started to break down. Factions and cliques – or exclusive groups - were forming even as the Corinthians gathered to celebrate the Lord's Supper. The rich were bringing good food and drink only for themselves and their friends… while the poor were being neglected and were left to take care of themselves. Come to think of it - this does not seem too different today in some form or another… with all due respect.

So, St. Paul corrected the Corinthians by going right to the heart of what the Eucharist is all about… that…at the Lord's Supper, everyone shared the One Bread of Christ, making the participants one body, one community of love…and he pointed out that the division into factions - with the rich neglecting the poor, even treating them with disrespect or ignoring them as in conflict with the communal nature of the Church…. As Christ called His Church to be.

So, St. Paul talked about Christian community – as we heard from last two Sundays’ second readings also – St. Paul pointed out that the various gifts of the members of the community – wisdom, understanding, prophesy, speaking and interpreting tongues, and so forth – they all flow from the same Holy Spirit.

…One gift is not more important than the other, one member of the community is not more important than another. Together – all - with their gifts - compose the unified or One Body of Christ. Do you see how it also applies to us today?As we heard in today’s second reading, St. Paul emphasized that the gifts of the Holy spirit are useless, meaningless, without love…

Even if you speak in angelic tongues, even if you comprehend all mysteries; even if you give your body to be burned, even if you give a lot to the poor, but if you do not have love, you gain nothing.

St. Paul was basically telling the church how to be church…Eloquent sermons are not enough…. Exercising even radical faith is not enough… even feeding the poor, taking care of the homeless, is not enough…. For the church to be truly church, the Body of Christ, it must express the unconditional love of God, as individuals and as a community.

St. Teresa, the Mother Teresa of Calcutta said it so beautifully:

It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing.

It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.

“Faith, hope and love… and the greatest of these is love.

Sadly, with all due respect, we all have experiences of people who claimed to have great faith or to have knowledge of faith and Scriptures but who lacked love. We all have met people who were so stern, so harsh in their dealings with others…. so rigid in what they thought is proper Christianity, that – instead of people experiencing God’s love through them - they actually drive their children and spouse and friends away from their lives – even turning people away from the Church… people were turned off.

Without love, we, as individuals and as Church, are nothing.

St. Paul wrote: “If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.”

- Meaning – when we die - all our gifts become nothing – only love remains or survives… So, our focus should not be so much on the gifts of the Holy Spirit… they were given to us for us to grow in our faith – in our relationship – in our Oneness with God…. And our ultimate focus must be on living the Love of God – learning to love God not because of what He gives us but loving God and each other because we ourselves have become Love… not a matter of doing or giving but it is a matter of the heart, a matter of Being… being Love as God is Love.

We were created in the image and likeness of God who is Love and so our very nature is to Love… Not so much to be loved…but to love… and Be Love in existence.

God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, God became one of us - human, so that – through Christ - we can become as He is – divine love… we share in the divine life of God.

We heard in the reading: “At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror (meaning -just getting a glimpse of God), but then, face to face – when we get to heaven, we see God face to face - At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.”

That is why - with that awareness and Christian maturity – to which we are all called to - St. Paul said: “When I was a child, I used to talk like a child, think like a child, reason like a child. But when I became a man, I had to put aside childish things.” In other words – calling us “to grow up”…. To grow not just in age but in wisdom… in communion with God…. to go beyond being “minimal” Catholic Christians…. just whatever it takes just to get by.

As Christians, we are called to higher standard of loving.

That’s why St. Paul clarified what love is as we heard in today’s second reading.

It is actually a statement of what is essential for authentic Christianity.

Let me paraphrase: Love is a patient man, a patient woman. Love is a kind man, a kind woman. Love is a person who is not boastful, or rude, or self serving… Love is one who is not quick tempered, or vengeful. Love is a truthful person, a man or woman of integrity. A loving man, a loving woman endures anything and keeps right on loving. No matter what happens, his or her love remains strong.

I suggest, at the end of the day, before going to sleep, as part of your examination of conscience, ask yourself: Was I patient, kind today? Was I boastful, rude or self-serving today? Was I quick tempered or vengeful today? etc. Use the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Ch. 13… to examine your conscience even before going to Confession.

We, the Church, the Body of Christ – share in the mission of Christ, to bring good news of God’s love, and freedom to those who need them.

Let us not be like the people of Nazareth, Jesus’ home town, as we heard in today’s Gospel reading …who refused to hear Jesus’ message…

We are all called to believe that God fulfills his promises through us….we are the Body of Christ – today, now - if only we allow God to work through us.

We were all also anointed at our own baptism and so now, I invite you to claim as our own profession of faith this passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah which Jesus proclaimed as we heard last Sunday - just in case you did not hear it or remember it and about which Jesus said as we began our Gospel reading today: “Today, this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing,”

Please repeat after me:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me

to proclaim liberty to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

and to let the oppressed go free…”

Amen… meaning – So be it. Meaning - this Scripture passage is being fulfilled also in you and in me today and all the days of our lives.

God bless…

God's love and Christian Marriage

Today is the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. As Father has explained before, any Sunday in Ordinary Time is no less important than the liturgical seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. The word “Ordinary” as used here comes from the word “ordinal” or “numbered” – simply - to mark our Sundays… to organize the readings.

Actually, on Sundays in Ordinary Time – we focus on the mystery of Christ in its fullness – we focus more on the various aspects of our faith, our mission in the world as sharing in the mission of Christ…. Who calls us to live out, to express in our daily lives the messages of the various solemnities of the Christmas and Easter seasons.

So, the question is: Is the message of Christmas clear to us. How is our faith in the resurrection of Christ expressed in our lives; in our attitudes?

Christmas reminds us of how life ought to be all year round. .. life filled with sense of self-giving, joy, peace and hope… regardless of this pandemic or circumstances we might find ourselves in… because Jesus – Emmanuel is always with us – Christ has conquered sin and death….and so we become ourselves the manifestation of the Love of God in the flesh…. for others… the message of the Epiphany.

Epiphany continues beyond the Christmas season.… God continually reveals Himself and His love for us – sometimes in extraordinary ways and sometimes in the ordinary things of our every day lives.

Today’s first reading from Isaiah and the Gospel reading speak about marriage.

The first reading from Isaiah prophesies that God’s love is experienced like the love experienced in marriage, the love of a bridegroom for his bride…

It is difficult for human beings to understand the love God has for us. God loves us, even when we ignore him; even when we do not show the love that we should have for him. So, for the prophet Isaiah, the best way to explain this was to use as an analogy the love that exist in a happy marriage.

That’s why we hear so often the imagery that the Church is the bride of Christ – who self-sacrificingly gave Himself totally for His bride.

When we see a married couple live out their commitment faithfully; when we see that self-sacrificing love of giving self completely to the other, we get a glimpse in that marriage relationship the love God has for us - so complete, so real, so self-sacrificing… which makes their marriage a sacrament in the true sense of the word… a sign, a symbol of God’s love.

… which means - The Lord reveals himself also in the typical, ordinary events of a loving, Christian marriage.

Before I continue, I need to mention that this is not ignoring the witness to the love of God by those who are not married… This is not saying that if you are not married, your life cannot be as godly….

Whatever status in life we are in… whatever vocation we have…. whether it be as a spouse, whether it be as a priest, whether it be as a religious, whether it be as single… whatever it is….our vocation has been given to us to draw us closer to our God…and in turn to be witnesses to the love of God…in our status in life. This is the universal call to holiness….

Today I just would like to focus on Christian marriage in the light of our readings today…and because the concept of marriage, particularly Christian sacramental marriage as a covenant relationship, is in crisis and is in constant attack in our society today. Marriage is being re-defined.

In fact, in my experience, more than half of the parents, often times two out of three of the parents presenting their babies for baptism here at St. Catherine’s are not married in the church.

I baptized one kid yesterday and the first thing I asked the parents was: Are you married and they answered no… How about civilly? The answer was no.

Meaning – many young couples now are either just living together or were married civilly.Somehow, our society presents marriage as a contract as we can see in the movies and many television shows, and in the lives of many celebrities and also within our own families and circle of friends.

Using business language - basically a contract is an agreement of two parties in which both parties receive certain goods or benefit. When those goods are no longer being received, the parties have the right to terminate the agreement. That’s the mentality we see in today’s society towards marriage also. It’s an agreement that can be broken. It’s about what I get, when I don’t get what I want anymore, we can break the agreement.
Similarly, in many cases, when the husband or wife is no longer having their needs met, they end the marriage… as simple as that.

That is why…many people today live together first to see if they will be happy, to see first if their needs will be met and then, when they feel all is well, then they decide to get married.

There was an article in New York times, researchers who expected the widespread practice of ''trial marriage'' to usher in an era of increased marital stability have been surprised by new studies showing that those who lived together before marriage separate and divorce in greater numbers than couples who go directly to the altar.

You might not agree with this, but at least consider this:
If a person enters into a relationship, such as in a “trial marriage”, to see if he or she will be happy, then he or she is more concerned with getting than giving. In those cases, even if the couple eventually decides to get “officially” married, for some it is still impossible to move from that selfish motivation to the Christian motivation which is to give – of one’s self completely.

Marriage is 100/100, not 50/50.

People ask: “But, how is a guy or girl to know that this person is right for him or her if we do not try it first?” What is important and necessary is faith….
Meaning – if you are single and are planning to get married, what is necessary is having Christ in your life, having personal relationship with Jesus, to guide you in your discernment regarding marriage: whether to marry or not, whom to marry, when to get married, where to get married.

When you surrender your life to Christ, he will guide you to do the right thing… to give you the grace to love in a selfless way rather than in a selfish way.
If and when you get married, with Christ in your life, at the center of your relationship, you can love your spouse more than you can humanly possibly love your spouse because it is now the love of Christ that loves your spouse…. And because of the presence of Christ’s love, your house becomes a Christian home; your water becomes wine.

These may all sound too idealistic…. not realistic… but as Christians – we need to continue to have the ideal of a Christian marriage…

The giving of self completely, the sacrificial love of marriage can seem to be impossible. Of course, on our own - it is impossible. But with God - it is not, nothing is impossible with God.

The miracle at Cana of six jugs of water turned into wine (about 20-30 gallons each) is a great image of the generosity of God and His grace…way beyond what we need, way beyond what we can ever imagine or expect. We just have to tap into it. We just have to believe and to trust.

We have the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ, the grace Our Lord offers to us today and everyday for us to be renewed in our commitment… whatever vocation we might be in - to be renewed in offering of our lives to God and to each other – in our families, in our parish, and in our world.

God bless…

Time to Examine Our Lives

We may have been thinking about how blessed those magi were. They were among the first to see the Christ child, and they had the honor of bringing him gifts. Yes - they were blessed, but – you know what? You and I are much more richly blessed than they were because we know Christ in an even deeper way than they ever did. We were baptized into Christ Jesus; we are one with him. His Spirit poured unto us at our baptism.

Most of us – I wish I could say all of us – most of us will receive his Body – Christ Himself - in Holy Communion. The magi never did. They never had the opportunity to receive Jesus in their bodies as we do - literally – physically receive Jesus – body, soul and divinity in Holy Communion. You see – that is how much more blessed we are!

Today is the feast of the Epiphany – not Feast of Three Kings – but Feast of Epiphany - which means manifestation. To manifest means to make something or someone easily perceived by the senses especially by the sight and understood by the mind – to make obvious.

The Feast of the Epiphany is NOT about the Three Kings or Magi or Wise Men bringing gifts - it is about God revealing Himself - in the person of Jesus Christ - not only to the Jews but also to the Gentile world – represented by the Magi - which is us – because - God is the God of all creation. God wants everyone to be saved.

Our gathering hymn is so beautiful – “All are welcome; all are welcome in this place.”

The beauty of the Catholic Church - is that – that of being catholic, universal. The Church cannot be the Mystical Body of Christ; cannot be God’s living sacrament of His love unless the Church is open to all… welcoming to all.

Our problem is often with people who claim to have “found the Lord” – or who claim to have experienced the presence and love and the power of the Lord in their lives and yet are uncharitable, impatient and intolerant of others.

You see - if we are intolerant, unkind, impatient, not generous towards others, then others will be denied seeing or experiencing God’s presence in us.

God reveals himself to us - so - we can reveal Christ to others, to be Epiphanies (so to speak) of the Lord for others, to be living sacraments of God’s love; to proclaim the Good News of God’s love by our very lives – the very purpose of our existence, of our life.

We must reveal Jesus to people who do not know him. We must reveal Jesus to people who need to know him better, like our families, friends, and neighbors. I’m sure that all of us can think of people who are the face of Christ to us. We, in turn, must be the face of Christ to others…and reveal his presence to others.

Each of us are called to let the light of Christ shine through us and brighten our own corner of our troubled world… because so many people live in darkness… with no hope, no peace, no joy; many are not experiencing love…wandering from one pointless, frustrating experience to another.

People seek for “light”, happiness, hope but do not know where to find it. It is up to us to show the presence of the Lord to others.

The magi worshipped Jesus and gave him their most valuable gifts. And so, the question is: What would be our most valuable gift that we could give to the newborn Jesus? There is no greater gift we could give than the gift of ourselves… and the question is - What is this life or selves we are offering to God?

A new year is a good time to examine our lives – our selves… It is a good time to look and ask ourselves: Where have we been, where are we in our lives – what have been the focus of our lives? Where are we going – what are we planning to do with our lives?

Are we better persons today than we were a year ago? Better yet: Are we better Christians than we were a year ago?

Do we see a need to change the course and direction of our lives? – Just as the three magi after finding Christ, after worshipping Him and presenting Him with gifts – as the gospel says - “They went back to their own country by another way…” Meaning – to truly encounter Christ is to be transformed.

In looking at our lives – where we have been –we need to remember - No matter what we have done, no matter how bad we may seem to have been, no matter what the world has done to us, there is always the grace of God. There is always forgiveness available. There is always the possibility of beginning again. In Christ, we are a new creation.

Yes - We are sinners; and we cannot save ourselves and so, we stand in need of grace. We need a savior.

Christmas celebrates the Incarnation. Incarnation means God becoming one of us in the flesh. Therefore, Incarnation means the coming of help from beyond ourselves… because we cannot save ourselves. We are helpless and we are lost in the journey of life without Christ.

The good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that God accepts us as we are, even in our failures and sin. God’s love is greater than our sin. God offers forgiveness and new life. Our salvation lies in accepting God’s forgiveness… in cooperating with the grace of God.

With Christ – everything is new…He is the Good News of God’s infinite love and mercy. That is why He is the Good News… “new”.

Christmas is a summons – a call - to each one of us to allow the love and compassion of Jesus to become flesh in our lives – so to speak… That is why we hear: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

To follow Christ is a decision we have to make every day – and intentions or making New Year’s Resolutions are not enough. If our goal in life is to be like Christ – to be in communion with God – to be epiphanies of God’s love to others - but – if we go back to the same daily habits of selfishness, self-centeredness, intolerance, dishonesty and compromising our Christian values – we will never be another Christ.

We are called to be other Christ in the world. Like Mary, we are called to give birth to Christ in our lives, so to speak.

So, as we put away our Christmas lights and decorations, PLEASE! let us NOT ALSO put away in a box and storage the Spirit of Christmas. Christmas actually reminds us of how life ought to be all year round. .. life filled with sense of self-giving, joy, peace and hope… regardless of this pandemic or circumstances we might find ourselves in.

So - Let us pray that in receiving the Eucharist - Sunday after Sunday, and for some - day after day - that we might be transformed even little by little, into Christ… that we become what we receive… the Body of Christ.

At every Mass - the priest would say: “Lift up your hearts.” And we respond: “We lift them up to the Lord.” Let us pray that we all really mean it – consecrating our lives to God - not only in words but to be expressed in our daily lives… that we lift up our hearts to God everyday - and do His will everyday.

At the end of the Mass – when the priest or deacon says: “Go in peace – Glorifying the Lord by your life.” – let us pray that we really mean from our hearts – our response – “Thanks be to God!” and really be living Sacraments of God’s love… that when others see us, may they not see us - but Christ shining through us.

God bless… Holy Grace-filled Christ-centered New Year to all!

The Presence of God

As we heard in the Gospel, St. Luke mentioned the big names of historical first century Palestinian rulers to emphasize that the birth of Jesus, the Incarnation actually happened at a concrete time and place in history. Meaning -it is not just an abstract idea.

“All flesh – meaning - all people - shall see the salvation of God.”

What does salvation mean? When a person says, “I have been saved by the grace of God through Christ”, - it is theologically correct – but – for many – it may still sound abstract or mystical…

– so - what does salvation mean for each one of us in our daily life?

The Scriptures made salvation clear and concrete in the life of Christ.

Meaning - Jesus did not just preach or talk about it. He made salvation visible with His life…

He made God - a redeeming, saving, loving God - visible… so that all people could see him and know what God is like… Jesus is the Word of God, the Wisdom of God, the Love of God made visible… and the “Word became flesh”…

The doctrine of salvation becomes more understandable when it becomes visible in someone’s life. When you see love in action, you may not really be able to explain it, but you know what it is.

For example - at school - a teacher who cares for her students. She gives extra time to a student who is having difficulty. She comes early or she stays late. There is no extra pay. She is not even recognized for what she does. She does not have to do it… but, she is serious about her work and she cares about her students. You may not be able to explain that, but you recognize dedication when you see it. We can say the same thing about our parish ministers and volunteers.

Salvation has to do with people’s character and quality of life. And the greatest need of the church today is for that kind of preaching. People who are real and honest and loving and kind –they make salvation visible, and a visible salvation is the easiest kind to understand.

Not everyone can preach beautiful sermons or deliver lectures, but anyone can make salvation visible… How? with our own lives… just as Jesus did.

Jesus said: “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)

In the Acts of the Apostles, “When the people saw the courage of the disciples, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus - that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)

St. Paul wrote to the Galatians: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control.”

What is salvation? – it means all these things – having Jesus Christ in your life and therefore having those traits or virtues in your character.

When people look at you, when they deal or interact with you – do they see in you - love, and courage, and patience, and kindness, and self-control? Do they see humility, joy? Do they see someone who is at peace, who is patient, kind, gentle?

Salvation is not something mystical or magical, but something real and moral.

A life changed by the grace of God is a great image of salvation that people can see and which – people can understand and cannot deny.

To illustrate with a story - A new convert to Christianity was asked by his atheist peers about certain details on the life of Christ. He was not able to answer several of their questions about the life of Jesus and they started to mock him.

The convert just said: “I am just a simple man. I may not know all about the details on the life of Christ, about his miracles, but this much I know. I was an alcoholic, an addict and my life was a mess. I lost my job. I was in poor health. My wife and kids did not even want to be in the same room as I was… but when I surrendered my life to Christ, with Christ in my life, I found new meaning and purpose in my life.

I now have a new job and I have started to work things out again with my family… all by the grace of God through Christ. That’s miracle enough for me.”

So – my brothers and sisters in Christ - what difference did Christ make and continue to make in your life? How is salvation made visible in your life?

One person in whose life - Christ is real - is worth a thousand arguments.

When people look at you and see the joy and peace and serenity that radiates from you, regardless of what you are going through, they would like to be like you. They would like to be your friends.

And when that happens - then – you can in turn help them by showing them the way… like what John the Baptist did: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths..,” - so others will also encounter God personally.

The experience of God is like the experience of love. You can tell people about love - but they will not understand what you are talking about until they themselves experience it… experiential knowledge.

That is why God became one of us to show us God’s unconditional love and how to love and what life is all about. Jesus is the perfect manifestation of God’s love for humanity.

Christ has already come in Jesus of Nazareth – His first coming. Christ will come again at the end of the world which we refer to as His second coming.

And during this in-between time – between the first and the second coming – The coming of Christ is also happening now – in the here and now - Jesus is knocking on the door of our minds and hearts so that He may enter and make us increase and abound in love for one another and for all… to become more a people of love.

We listen for that knock on the door of our hearts and the question is – Do we allow – are we willing to allow Christ into our lives to become our Lord.

That is what Advent is all about. We are always Advent people just as we are always Easter People. – we are always waiting in joyful hope for the coming of the Lord Jesus in our lives, whenever, however that might be.

The word Advent is a translation of the Greek word Parousia which means “presence” or, more accurately, “arrival” – meaning – the beginning of a presence, the presence of God.

God’s presence has already begun and we the faithful are the ones through whom God wishes to be present in the world. Through our faith, hope and love, God wants His light to shine in the world… through us.

We are waiting for Jesus to be fully present in our lives so that hopefully – eventually – by the grace of God - we can say what St. Paul said: “It is no longer I who live but it is Christ who lives in me.”

Meaning - God’s love, grace and mercy – are more evident in everything we do.

That should be the focus of our prayer, meditations, fasting and examination of conscience during Advent. It is not Christmas yet; it is still Advent – otherwise, Christmas will be meaningless.

Like Mary, we are all called to give birth to Christ, so to speak, in our lives.

We celebrate the coming of Christ who made God visible for all to see. Now – we are faced with the same challenge of making Christ so real that people can see Christ through us… in the here and now - so that through us, “All people – all flesh – every person - shall see the salvation of our God.”

AMEN. God bless…

Being Good Stewards of God’s Creation

Homily on “Being Good Stewards of God’s Creation” based on the Gospel of

Mark 12:38-44

We were all created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26) and so – the question is - Do our lives reflect God’s love, grace, mercy and generosity?

When people hear the word stewardship – the first thing that comes to mind is - Oh! the parish is asking again for donations particularly money. Stewardship does relate to money, of course… but Stewardship relates to everything. Stewardship is recognizing our responsibility to God for everything we have including our lives.

When God finished creating all things, God gave humanity - the responsibility for what God had created. God made humans in charge of all His creation… that is Stewardship… Stewardship is the proper use of all that God has given us…

Knowledge, for example. People know much more now than previous generations because of technology giving us information instantly but the question is: What have we done with the knowledge that we have?

To those of us, who by the grace of God were able to migrate here in America – land of great opportunities. The question is: What have we made of the opportunities we were given?

Stewardship also relates to talents, to emotional strengths, to spheres of influence, to everything…including spiritual gifts.

…Even our faith… is also a gift from God.

If we are doing well in life, in terms of wealth or health, knowledge, physical attributes, or even in terms of deeper spirituality – being more “religious” or faithful than others – Caution: before we look down on others – before we feel so proud of ourselves– compared to others - we have to keep in mind what Jesus said: “To whom much is given, much is required.” (Luke 12:48)… “Much more has been given to you, much more is expected of you…”

This is quite a challenging and maybe troubling news or challegne to many of us who have received so much more of almost everything… As a saying goes - trouble the comfortable… so that they comfort the troubled. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

God does not bless us with abundance so that we can grow still more prosperous, but God expects us to share the abundance we have received with those in need. Let us pray that we live in love and generosity – as God has been so generous to us.

We find the best in ourselves when we dare to give boldly and generously.

Yes – admittedly, basic inequalities exist among people: inequality in circumstances, inequality in opportunities, inequality in abilities. So – it is not fair to compare people including ourselves with other people.

Yes - Life is not fair at times but God is good all the time.

We might not find fairness and justice in this world during our life but have this as a basis for your hope: God has all eternity to make all things fair and just for everyone… so, do not lose hope… if you are struggling.

Again - All of us will be judged in terms of what we have done with what we have been given… It is a matter of what we do with what we have… be it much or be it little….

Yes – many of us live in difficult times of financial crises because of the pandemic, but our first reading serves as a great reminder for us. God sent the prophet Elijah to a widow living in the midst of a severe drought and so the widow had only a small amount of food left.

Yet, when Elijah asked for something to eat, she gave him what he asked for, believing that God will provide for her and her son. .. trusting in the providence and generosity of God…and so as we heard in the reading: “her jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry…”
Here’s a story as another way to understand or to look at stewardship – as an illustration:

There is this great mountain in an ancient kingdom. The king issued a challenge to all his subjects who lived on the sides of the mountain. On a certain day they are to climb the mountain to the top. There will be a reward for the winner.

Obviously - there is a basic inequity here. Some live very near the top of the mountain, while others live near the bottom. Those living near the bottom don’t have a chance of getting to the top before everyone else.

But you see - the king did not say that the reward was for the person who reached the top, or for the person who reached the top first.

At the end of the day of the climb, the king will give the reward to the person who climbed the farthest from wherever that climber started.

As we get closer to the end of the Liturgical Year – in two weeks – we will celebrate Christ the King – we will be reminded more and more about the end times…when we will have to give account of what we have done with our lives, with what we have been blessed with.

Our readings do not specifically talk about it but they are pointing to how we are going to be judged. "Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets…(yet), they devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation."

On the other hand - Jesus blessed the poor widow who gave only two copper coins because Jesus knew how much it actually was. It was all she had… compared to those who gave much more but they gave out of their surplus… it is just their extra.

The value of a gift is not necessarily based on its quantity. Those who give more does not mean that they are more generous or that they love God more… because it is a matter of the heart… which God looks at. There are people – with all due respect - who give generously but with selfish motives, with their own agenda or with strings attached.

When you show kindness and if you expect something in return, that is not kindness, that is business…

People see our actions. God sees our intentions.

At the heart of Jesus’ criticism of the scribes and Pharisees is their hypocrisy.

Here’s the message for us - We should be careful not to appear good only on the outside. What matters is what we really are… not about recognitions, not having places of honor… not about receiving honor.

It is a matter of what we are inside… God looks at the inner motives of the heart. God wants us to be as generous as He is – in the true sense of the word…. Not only in terms of time, talent and treasure but God wants us to be generous also in terms of patience with others, forgiveness, sympathy, mercy.

Remember: The happiest people are not those who have everything but those who give everything they have.

Fr. Jerry Orbos beautifully said: As we grow older, our main goal in life must not be happiness, but Godliness; not reputation, but character; not wealth, but virtue; not fame, but faith; not the approval of men, but the approval of God, the Creator, the Source of all that is good.

God knows exactly who and what we really are. As we continue with our Eucharistic celebration – let us ask for God’s grace to be good stewards, to help us live honestly before God, to live honestly and truthfully with ourselves and with other people.

God bless…

Greatness Is Having A Heart To Serve

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said: “The world offers you comfort; but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.

In the Gospel, Jesus was not really concerned about his disciples’ desire for greatness. He actually prepared them for greatness; but, what Jesus was concerned about was their wrong or erroneous ideas about what it means to be great.

And so, Jesus contrasted between greatness in the eyes of the world and being great in the kingdom of God. In this world, the greatest people appear to be those who are being served, those who rule over others. In the kingdom of God, however, the greatest are those who serve others.

Let us start with our family… The important question is this: Are you in your family to serve or are you in your family to be served? … Your answer to that question is critical as to what happens with your family…

But, we also need to realize that there is a substantial difference between how people usually understand or define what a servant is and how Jesus used the word “servant”…. Meaning … just because one serves another person or just because one is a servant does not mean one is already great in the eyes of God.

Similarly, just because one is poor here on earth, it does not mean he automatically will go to heaven or just because one is rich, it does not necessarily mean that he will have a hard time going to heaven… because it is all a matter of attitude and intentions…. a matter of what we do with what we have – be it much or be it little given our status in life.

In terms of being a servant, the difference is in the servant’s motivation and attitude… because admittedly there are those who serve but for the most part, they have had little choice about their roles in life… Given the choice, they would rather not serve…It is just unfortunate for them as they feel…they just found themselves to be in such a situation/position – serving others - because of circumstances… but it was not their choice.

Meaning - It is not enough to do the right thing but it is important to do the right thing for the right reason. Let us ask always ourselves: why do we do what we do?

What does Jesus mean then “to serve” and at the same time also being great in the kingdom of God? It means to put the needs of others ahead of our own. True love means willing the good of the other. It means to freely willingly choose to be servants, and to make the choice gladly, knowing it is the way to fullness of life and joy….

To truly serve means to serve, not out of sense of guilt – not out of sense of desire for reward but true service means serving others out of love…. For the love of God - rooted in our personal relationship with God, rooted in love.

Jesus himself is the greatest example who came “not to be served but to serve ”…being obedient to the Father…willingly and humbly giving himself up to death – even death on the cross.

What Jesus showed us is not a new way of serving, not a new way of doing things, but a new way of BEING. It is being in communion, being one with the Father.

Christ himself did nothing of himself. He said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, a son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees his father doing; for what the Father does, his son will do also”(Jn 5:19) - meaning - the entire ministry of Jesus depends upon his remaining in and belonging to the Father…. And Jesus is inviting/pointing us into this same personal intimate relationship with the Father, the Source of Life… the Source of all that is good.

Just as Jesus remains in the Father in His missionary work, Jesus told his disciples and is telling us: “Whoever remains in me…. Will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.”

You see, even if what we do can be seen as good Godly Christian service, but if it is not according to God’s will for us and others but according only to our own personal selfish agenda, we can do more harm than good to ourselves and to others.

Always remember: People see our action; God sees our intention… what is in our hearts.

If we are not in communion with God and therefore if we fail to live in His grace and if we just trust and rely on our own efforts, if we rely just on our own understanding of reality… Christian life can become extremely frustrating and difficult… if we do not have the Spirit of Christ in us…

…and therefore, if we do not have Christ in us, we will find NO joy, no strength in serving and therefore we will find ourselves burning out easily… which could lead us to resenting our being servant and in our ministry, we will find ourselves and people will notice our being “grouchy” and consequently affecting how we serve others and therefore we could even turn people off or away from Church, and even God.

But if we are in communion with God, then we will know what to do, to whom to do it, when to do it, how to do it, effectively and even effortlessly – joyfully, gladly. There is no such thing as a sad saint.

People say: “I serve the poor because I see Christ in them…” You know what? Actually, if we are One with Christ, He will take us to the poor….and we will serve them as Christ serves them… Christ ministering to Christ… what an awesome reality. It is now the love of Christ that loves them through us.

St. Therese of Lisieux said: “I know that when I am charitable, it is Jesus alone who is acting through me and the more closely I unite myself to Him, the more I will be able to love all.

In the Gospel, Jesus asked His disciples and He is asking us – Can we drink His cup. Jesus suffered, was crucified, died out of love for us.

In our Eucharistic celebration, as we eat the bread of life – Are we willing to accept the consequence of eating the Bread of Life? …. When we say Amen to the Body of Christ - Are we willing to be also the Bread of Life for others?…Are we willing to say amen to whatever God calls us to… as disciples?

Yes, the closer we follow Jesus, he will take us to where we would rather not go; He will takes us to serve even those people we do not even like and whom we would rather not serve.

These are the paradoxes of Christian life. If you want to be full, you must empty yourself. If you want to live, you must die to yourself. If you want to be free, you must be a slave to Christ…

And…Obedience to Christ results NOT into submission but it results into likeness, being other Christs in the world….

Jesus said: “Know the truth and the truth will set you free.

St. Pope John Paul II said: “True freedom is not freedom to do whatever you want to do – but true freedom is to do what you ought to do.” … to be what you are meant to be…free to Love… because God is love.

The greatest joy in the world, true happiness, lasting happiness, fullness of life is reserved for those who are like Christ, who have the heart to serve

So, my brothers and sisters in Christ, if you want to live a great life, if at the end you want to be remembered as a great man or great woman, be a servant which is our highest calling and the very meaning of our lives.

Saint John of the Cross said: “In the twilight of life, meaning – at the end of our earthly life, God will NOT judge us based on our earthly possessions and human successes or achievements, but God will judge us on how well we have loved.'

God bless…

True Greatness

There were these two guys who saw each other at a gathering. The first one said: “O Henry, you have changed! You were tall but now you seem short. You were light skinned and now you are dark. You were kind of skinny, I remember but now you have gained weight. You changed the color of your hair.” The second guy said: “I am not Henry. I am John”. The first guy said: “You even changed your name.”

- That is what we call a mind-set… prejudiced, pre-conceived idea – because no matter what the first guy saw and heard, he was still convinced of what he thinks.We are all like that at times – our minds are so set – in other words, “closed-minded” - that no matter what others tell us – no matter what we see or hear – we do not see or hear anything else except what we want to see or hear and this can lead to dangerous misperceptions of reality – therefore of others… often times resulting to conflict. We react to what we think not to what is reality.

Even in our relationship with God, this prideful attitude manifests itself in trying to force God into our own pre-conceived ideas of how God should operate and that God must adjust Himself to our way of being and acting and thinking… but the Scripture says, the truth is: God’s ways are not our ways.

Our concept or our beliefs about God, what God is, who we are before God; our concept of what life is all about - affect or influence how we see ourselves and others and therefore they affect or influence how we treat others.

Our beliefs affect how we interpret everything. Our beliefs affect our attitude which affects our behavior which develops into character and which shapes our life and therefore affects our destiny.

Accuracy of perception leads to accuracy of response.

That is why it is important for our eyes, our minds, our hearts to be open to the truth. As Jesus – who Himself is the Truth – said: “Know the truth and the truth will set you free.” …. Free from illusions… from prejudice…from blindness… from deafness…free from slavery to sin… Therefore - Free to be the person God meant us to be…. Free to live the life God intends us to live…free to enjoy God’s grace……Therefore, free to love… our true nature… according to God’s will and purpose.

Wisdom is seeing reality, our situations, as God sees them. Wisdom is seeing ourselves and others as God as sees us and as God sees others. That is why we need to pray for wisdom everyday.

The goal of our lives is conversion of our hearts and minds and to be in communion with God… to be one with God…to have the Spirit of Christ in us… to have the mind of Christ … to be in touch with reality, to be in touch with the Truth.

The apostles, even after three years of listening to Jesus’ teaching about service, humility, and true love – when they saw big crowds following Jesus and when they saw his miracles… his growing reputation, they concluded that following Jesus will ensure for them a similarly successful and mostly pleasant life. They concluded and therefore expected that Jesus would raise an army, free them from Roman rule, build a kingdom like King David… so, they started talking among themselves as to who among them is the greatest or the most important. They were already positioning themselves.

That was why when Jesus told them about his death and rising from the dead – it is beyond their concept - they could not understand it – they were so busy entertaining their own ideas…As we heard last week – Peter rebuked Jesus for talking about being killed and so Jesus, in turn, rebuked Peter saying: “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Jesus has been teaching them about the necessity of suffering and service and all they can think about is power and prestige. So, Jesus corrected them by teaching them the basic principle of discipleship. “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all, and the servant of all” (Mk 9:35)… which blew the minds of disciples… This is in complete contradiction with the ways of the world.

Jesus wants his disciples to be great but his definition of greatness is different from worldly definition….

So, Jesus took a child and He placed the child in their midst. Jesus showed his disciples how they should see themselves. Be like a child—not seeking power nor prestige, - not lording it over anyone…

Jesus said: “I have come not to be served but to serve…. Students are not greater than their master…” - which means - His disciples, which means - US – we need to realize that we are all also called to serve… the key to true happiness and fullness of life - which is the way - we could have the best place in the kingdom of heaven.

You know what the Pope calls himself – “The servant of the servants of God.”

Life of service is not just for priests, deacons and religious – it is for all of us. That is why at the end of the Mass… we are sent …in peace … to glorify the Lord by our very lives by loving and serving the Lord in others. We are called not just to be good people – we are supposed to be good for people.

Jesus told his disciples and is telling us that greatness is found in service…especially of the poor – We are called to take care of people like a child – The child represents those who are helpless – poor, alone, neglected - young and old… those who seem insignificant to the world… those who can do little or nothing for us, those who cannot pay us back in return for our good deeds for them

So, are you ready to receive Jesus in the ones who need your help?

Greatness is in emptying ourselves – dying to our ego, our pride – and letting God work through us… being instrument of God - so others can also truly live and experience God’s love through us….We are all called to do this continually.

Every day, every moment of the day you and I are called to consider others over ourselves. Every day we have to resist the temptation to self-centeredness, self-absorption, selfishness. We are to resist the temptation to put ourselves before others.

Every day we are called to be the Presence of Jesus, to be other Christs in the world for others… to be the instruments of God’s love, grace and mercy so God can communicate His goodness… through us.;

Again – the goal of our lives is to be in union with God… beginning now – eternal life is at hand – it begins now - in this life… As we pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

(Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B - September 19, 2021)

Are You Listening?

A man walked into a bar and he noticed a guy sitting at the bar with a banana in his ear.

The man thought to himself: “Should I tell him? No. It is none of my business…

But - he could not help it… so, he approached the guy

“Sir, you have a banana in your ear”. The guy said: “What?” The man repeated: “You have a banana in your ear.”

The guy said: “Young man, you have to speak louder, I have a banana in my ear.” (I will connect that to my homily later.)

When Jesus healed the deaf man, the man’s speech impediment was also cured. The inability to hear and the inability to speak frequently go together. There is a spiritual parallel here. Until we have heard the truth, we cannot live by the truth; therefore, we cannot speak and proclaim the truth…

We are all called to be great witnesses to the truth – to the love of God… to the goodness of God - in spite of what is happening in the world… in spite of the darkness and sufferings we experience or see.

Pope Francis said: "In these dark months of the pandemic, let us listen to the Lord as he invites us to begin anew and never lose hope." "It is always possible to begin anew, because there is a new life that God can awaken in us in spite of all our failures."

Listening is one of the most psychologically courageous things we ever do in our own normal personal relationships… simply because listening – real listening – involves seriously entertaining the ideas of the other person. That entails the risk of having to change our minds in response to what we hear.

That is true in our own personal relationship with God. If we truly listen to God, it leads us to repentance; it leads us to conversion of mind and heart – metanoia.

We all want to hear good news. The word Gospel means Good News. So, if the Good News of our salvation through Jesus Christ is really good news, if that is the truth, why are not people hearing it? Why are they not listening? What is it that makes people deaf to the goodness and mercy of God – therefore – people are being mute and not being able to speak of God’s love, grace and mercy …. not only with words but by their very lives?

The past several Sundays, we reflected on Jesus as the Bread of Life and that in our Eucharistic celebration, we become what we partake – we become the Body of Christ – The question is: Did we listen to what God was telling us?

Are we now being bread of life for others… Are we also the source or instruments of hope, courage and strength for others… especially in these hard times…

Do people see the transforming impact of going to Mass and receiving the Eucharist in your life? …that they want to have what you have.

We live in a very secular and even atheistic society. Kids are growing up with very limited exposure to the Scripture and the teachings of the Church… and what makes it worse - the parents do not send their kids to religious education…and on top of that - the parents do not talk to their kids about their faith at home…

So kids grow up and grow old – as the parents do – with all due respect - without good understanding of their faith…. I am not talking about just understanding religion – but understanding what it means to have faith – to have a personal relationship with God and His presence in our lives

Just a Side Note: Here at St. Catherine’s, we have a great religious education program we are proud of. Please take advantage of them and encourage your kids, particularly those going to public schools, to attend religious education. Registrations are still being accepted for the coming program year. (End of my side note)

Some people are deaf to the good news – the Word of God - because they are not in the habit of reading, reflecting and meditating on the Scriptures. As St. Jerome said: “Ignorance of the Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”

On the other hand, there are people who also are deaf to the good news because they think they got it all figured out. We hear people say: ‘O, I have been to so many Bible Studies; I have read the Bible so many times…front to back…I have been to Catholic schools and Catholic universities; have been to so many retreats, etc. - and so, they think they already got it all figured out about God and everything about the mystery of our faith.

They are like the scribes and Pharisees who were deaf to the voice of God and were blind to the true presence of God – standing right in front of them, right before their eyes, in their midst. They failed to recognize Jesus because of their prejudiced pre-conceived idea of what the messiah should be like and how God works.

Some of us are deaf to the good news because they refuse to hear…. with fingers in their ears… so to speak…like the guy with a banana in his ear.

This is the most difficult of deafness of all to cure. It is NOT the inability to hear; it is NOT the lack of opportunity to hear; it is the refusal to hear.

Some people have selective hearing – they hear only what they want to hear – in other words – we call them - Cafeteria Catholics – those who pick and choose and obey only certain teachings of Christ and His Church – whatever suits or fits their lifestyle and preferences.
Some people refuse to hear the challenge of the Gospel because they think they might have to change, and change for them is unbearably painful and they do not want to give up their bad habits or attachments

They are afraid that if they get any closer to Christ and live by His teachings – it will take the fun out of life… they will miss out on the “good” things in life. They cannot be any farther from the truth. What they fail to realize is that Life in Christ – having an intimate personal relationship with Christ – always listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit - actually leads to true joy, lasting peace and happiness and fullness of life… regardless of the circumstances surrounding one’s life.

Let me end with this story: There was a young girl, wearing ragged clothes, barefooted. Her companions were making fun of her. “You’re a Christian, aren’t you?” They taunted her. “If God loves you, why doesn’t God take better care of you? Why doesn’t God tell someone to give you a pair of new shoes, nicer clothes, better place to stay, enough food, so you do not go hungry?” The girl seemed puzzled for a moment. Then, with tears in her eyes, she replied, “I think God does tell people. But they are not listening.

My brothers and sisters in Christ – God continues to speak to us in so many ways. Are we listening?

The deaf man in today’s Gospel represents all of us, all believers. Apart from the grace of God, we are all deaf, to God’s word.

May the Lord break open our deafness so that we can truly be attentive to those whom the Lord has placed in our lives

Using the words prayed over us at our own baptism:

May the Lord Jesus who made the deaf hear and the mute speak, grant that we may receive His word with our ears and profess the faith with our lips, to the glory and praise of God, our Father. Amen.

Ephphatha! Be opened!

Jesus As The Bread of Life and In The Eucharist

The day after the miracle of feeding the 5,000, the people kept following Jesus and Jesus in essence told the people that they were following Him not because they were excited about what Jesus had been teaching them. They were following Jesus because of the miracles and that He fed everyone.

And so - we need to ask ourselves – Why do we seek the Lord? Why do we follow Jesus? Why do we come to Mass? Why are we here?

Do we love God – for Who God is – or do we love God because of His blessings… or because we are afraid not to receive His blessings if we do not love Him or serve Him? What are our intentions?

Jesus was aware of people’s physical needs – so, he demonstrated his concern for them -- he cured the sick… and he fed them… but His purpose was something deeper and more than food for the body… Jesus wanted to do more than give people bread to eat. He wanted to give them a new relationship, a new life, salvation, eternal life…. He wanted to give them a better understanding of what life is all about.

So, Jesus began to talk about spiritual needs – he offered himself as the bread of life - to raise their aspirations beyond worldly needs but the people had little or no interest in that kind of talk…

That is why if you read the rest of chapter 6 of John’s Gospel, the people found his teachings too much for them to accept – So, as the Scripture says…they “returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.” …because his teachings are just not what they expected….Not in their agenda…so to speak.

That is still happening today…

Many people, it seems, come to Christ and His Church in search of something that Jesus really never promised to provide... and so - not being satisfied – not having their expectations met – not hearing what they want to hear – or hearing what they do not want to hear - they “murmur like the Jews in disbelief” - they drop out of church… and they turn their attention and time to something else.

So – what are you looking for in life? What are your expectations as followers of Christ?

Let me share a few thoughts:

First of all - in following Jesus – admittedly, we expect something that would make life a little easier… at least.

Somehow, somewhere, we have gotten the idea that faith in God – following Jesus - is supposed to solve our problems, free us from our daily struggles, and virtually eliminate suffering. We seem to forget that it did not work that way even for Jesus. Jesus never expected His Father to shelter him from the harsh realities of life. Faith for Jesus was never like a shield. For Jesus, his faith – his relationship with His Father was, instead, a source of strength that enabled him to face up to life with all of its cruelty. Life is hard. Life is unfair.

Meaning – similarly – for us - that means that we should think of our relationship with God, of following Christ, not so much in terms of blessings, comfort or convenience but should be in terms of courage and strength, and trust – which is what God wants from us – to trust Him. Jesus’ purpose is not to make life easy enough for us to handle, but His purpose is to make us strong enough to handle whatever life may bring.

And that - with Christ in our lives - we can confidently go through life’s journey with hope – even with peace and serenity and joy – regardless of the circumstances we might find ourselves in; the life of Christ in our lives nourishing us, his presence giving us the ability to look beyond the present with our eyes focused on our ultimate goal, which is eternal joy with the Lord in heaven… not focused on passing perishable things of this world.

Hopefully, this past year and a half of pandemic reminded us that everything – and everyone, including our loved ones - will pass. Even this pandemic will pass. Even beautiful things and great experiences regardless of how intense the sensual pleasures might be… they, too will pass.

Jesus said: Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.

Jesus as our Bread of Life means nourishment for our soul, joy in our sorrow, strength in our weakness. It means community, family, friendship with Jesus. Jesus as the Bread of life means Jesus in the Eucharist, in the Scriptures, in the church, in life itself. Jesus Christ means all of these things…Christ is all in all… for those who believe…

Jesus is the Bread of Life that satisfies the deepest longing of the human heart… Jesus is the Summum Bonum – the Supreme Good.

Let me focus on Jesus in the Eucharist – Jesus being present - body, blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist under the appearance of bread and wine. When we come to Mass and receive the Eucharist, we experience a foretaste of heaven.

We come to Church, we receive Communion, not because it is the rule of the Church but because our journey through life is difficult, to say the least… and so we receive communion because we need food for this journey of life. The Lord gives us this food. He is our food. He is the Bread of Life.

Christ gave his disciples, and He still gives us, His body to eat… the “bread of life,” the food we need to eat often to keep us going… till we get to heaven.

We need Christ in the Eucharist to become the Christ-like people we are called to be. When we receive the self-giving love of Christ in the Eucharist - being strengthened by the real bread of life, then - it becomes possible for us to “truly love God and others” … because it is now the love of Christ that loves God and others - meaning – ourselves becoming what we eat … the Body of Christ… for others.

In receiving Holy Communion, it is very important to realize and understand and to remember that the Body of Christ does not nourish us spiritually by simply receiving it – by just going through the motions – because it is a Catholic thing to do. What is necessary - is - we must believe… we must have the proper disposition – we must have the right attitude - when we receive the Eucharist… We must have the awareness, the faith in whom we receive, Christ himself… that we truly enter into communion with Christ…

…And that we also enter into communion with one another – that is why we greet one another with the sign of peace before communion - because - to truly believe and receive Christ and be nourished by him – by his life – by his Spirit - means that we must commit to live our lives every day unselfishly like Christ.

We must also be bread of life for others… We must also be the source of hope, courage and strength for others… especially in these hard times.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI wrote: I quote: “Ultimately, the Church draws her life from the Eucharist, from this real, self-giving presence of the Lord. Without this ever-new encounter with Christ, she would necessarily wither…

You cannot touch the Body of the Lord again and again, without being affected by him and challenged by him, being changed and led by him.

… Christ genuinely shared himself out, gave himself with the torn-up bread, so that his life might be ours: that is the incredible event that occurs ever anew. Herein lies the great significance of the Eucharist and it is quite real.” (Unquote) …

… Meaning – Christ is wholly completely truly really present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist.

St. Thomas Aquinas said so beautifully: When we approach the Eucharist, four of our senses fail us because the bread looks, smells, tastes and feels like bread. We can only trust one of our senses – and believe what we hear: the Word of Jesus which the priest repeats at every Mass: This is My Body. This is My Blood.

Amen.

Bread of Life

Homily on “The Bread of Life” based on the Gospel of John 6:1-15:

During this current liturgical year – Cycle B – for our Sunday Gospel readings, we read from the Gospel of Mark but beginning today until August 22 nd with the exception of Sunday, August 15th, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, the gospel readings will be from the gospel of John chapter 6 – to guide the Church to reflect more intently on the mystery of the Eucharist, the Bread of Life.

The Bishops of the United States have proposed a Eucharistic Revival for the

Catholic community in the United States. Preparations are being made to begin the revival in 2022-23, culminating with a Eucharistic Congress in 2024-25.

Of the seven sacraments - the Eucharist occupies a unique place as the "Sacrament of sacraments": "all the other sacraments are ordered to it as to their end." …meaning – the other sacraments prepare us to receive the Eucharist.

Vatican II tells us "The Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian spirituality." (, no. 11; cf. , no. 1324)… meaning - the Eucharist as our starting point to go out into the world of daily life and it takes us back home to the Eucharist after our journey in the world… so, Source and Summit - that is why it is called the Bread of Life.

Therefore, Bishop Soto wrote to the priests and deacons, the pastoral leaders in our Diocese and I quote:

“We are now inviting the faithful to renew a love for the Eucharist and rekindle a desire to unite ourselves with the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus.

The Sundays dedicated to the reflection on the sixth chapter of John provide a good opportunity to teach about the mystery of the Eucharist and encourage more devotion to this Most Blessed Sacrament.

Research has shown that many Catholics do not appreciate the mystery of the

Eucharist. They do not grasp being present to the Lord’s Last Supper and kneeling at the foot of the Lord’s cross on Calvary as we offer the Mass.

They do not recognize the real body and blood of the crucified Christ under the appearance of bread and wine.

Many members of our community may still be hesitant, or some may even be

indifferent to returning to the Sunday Sacrifice of the Mass.

The Eucharist also offers us the path to a greater communion of mind and heart in this fractious time (fractious meaning troublesome or unruly time) for society and the Church.” - Unquote

The bishop suggested a theme for each Sunday and the theme for this Sunday is: The Eucharist as the Sacrament of Charity… meaning – as we heard in the Gospel - Jesus feeds the hungry crowd with an abundance. Jesus’ generous charity to us must in turn lead us to concrete acts of charity also towards others.

So – let me start with this - In the Gospel: “When the people saw the sign He had done (he healed the sick, raised the dead, cured the leper, made the deaf hear and the blind see), they said, “This is truly the Prophet, the one Who is to come into the world…”

During these past year and a half with the pandemic and all the other crises, we might have expressed this to God ourselves in frustration – we can imagine people needing or “demanding” God to give more visible signs of His reality and loving presence so we will have deeper and stronger faith…and continue to hope in spite of the darkness brought by the pandemic … which has taken over our lives… We found ourselves afraid and lost.

We lived with a lot of pain and unresolved tensions… that is why very often now we see or hear about people being so impatient and violent and being uncivilized. We experience the pain of sickness, various kinds of personal and professional failure, humiliation, heart breaking losses of loved ones, every kind of disappointments.

Someone has said that an atheist is actually someone who cannot be patient enough with God. There is a lot of truth in that. Patience with God is perhaps our greatest struggle in our faith.

Throughout the Israelites’ forty years in the wilderness, God gave them bread from heaven—without fail. Every morning, they woke to a fine covering of manna on the ground, just enough food for the day. Then, just to be safe, God gave them a double portion on the day before the Sabbath so that they would not have to work on the day of rest. Imagine how moving this must have been for the Israelites. They could trust that God would take care of them—and that he would do it in such a dramatic way!

But over time, the Israelites started complaining… they began to grow tired of the manna (Numbers 11:6). It was the same food, day in, day out, and they lost sight of how wondrous a gift it was. They lost sight too of what their lives would look like if God had not been so gracious to them.

Similarly - How easy it can be for us, as well, to lose sight of the gift that Jesus gives us in the Eucharist – the Bread of Life. After all, we believe that at every Mass, no matter what else happens, ordinary bread and wine are TRAN-SUBSTANTIATED into Jesus’ sacred Body and Blood. Day in, day out, year after year, the same miracle happens on countless altars throughout the world.

On one level, it’s understandable that receiving the Eucharist can become routine for us. We might even begin to lose sight of how special it is. Don’t let that happen! Don’t ever lose faith in what Jesus can do for you through the Eucharist! Before God gave them the manna, the Israelites faced the very real threat of starving to death in the harsh wilderness of Sinai. Similarly, if we didn’t have Jesus’ Body and Blood to nourish and empower us, we too would be lost in the desert of this world. We too would have little hope of reaching the promised land of heaven.

So treasure this gift of the Eucharist. At every Mass, be sure you call to mind what it is – WHO it is - that you are receiving. Let the truths behind the Bread of Life bring you to the altar with a new openness to God’s power and grace.

According to Cardinal Herni de Lubac, Jesuit theologian, after the words of consecration, the most sacred word of the Mass is: “Go” at the end of the mass… reminding us that after having been called out of the world and into the Mass, into the company of angels and saints, having feasted on the Body and Blood of Christ, having been changed and transfigured, we are sent to return to the world on a mission. We must GO to let the life of Christ within us – out - in order to renew the face of the earth… through us.

The celebration of the Eucharist should increase our love for one another and remind us of our responsibilities toward one another. We have a responsibility to share the Good News of Christ not only by our words but also by how we live our lives.

Instead of demanding for signs from God – let us realize that we are called to be the Signs – living Sacraments – of God’s loving presence – to be instruments of His love, grace and mercy for others.

Like Christ, like the Body of Christ – our lives must also be blessed, broken and shared…

Like the blood of Christ, our lives must be poured out in loving service of God and our neighbor.

Every night before we go to sleep, as part of our examination of conscience, we should reflect and ask ourselves: “Was I a taker or was I a giver today?

God bless…

17 th Sunday in Ordinary Time – July 25, 2021

Gospel Reading: John 6:1-15

Are We Religious, But Not Faithful?

In spite of Jesus’ great proclamation of the kingdom of God and the miracles Jesus performed as we heard in the Gospel readings these past weeks like the calming of the sea, the healing the woman hemorrhaging for 12 years, raising the daughter of Jairus from the dead, driving out demons from those possessed, still - Jesus experienced rejection because of discrimination or prejudice because He was the carpenter and they know his family so well as we heard in the Gospel today. In short, he was just too ordinary.

The rejection Jesus experienced reminds us that Jesus shared our humanity in ordinary ways. … but He remained faithful and continued to trust in His Father…

What He cared most about - is to be pleasing to God… being faithful to His Father in heaven and doing the Father’s will.

As God called Ezekiel and Paul as we heard in our first and second readings, Jesus called his disciples, and us –His Church – not so much to succeed as the world defines success, but to be faithful and to trust in God.

St. Paul in our second reading was told when he asked to be healed: “My grace is sufficient or enough for you for my power is made perfect or more obvious in your weakness than in your strength.”

Whether strong or weak these days, remember the counsel of St. Theresa of Calcutta: “You will never know - Jesus is all you need - until the day - when Jesus is all you have.”

… And during the past year and a half many people realized that – hopefully. Reflecting on our experiences during the past year and a half during the pandemic: The question is – Did we learn anything at all from our experiences and are we now much better persons, are we now much better Christians – as individuals and as a community - as we were before the pandemic?

Do we now have a better perspective on who we are - what really matters in life… what life is all about …. particularly in terms of our relationship with God and with one another?

Our Gospel story actually calls us to self-examination – as individuals and as a community… to see if we are faithful to the mission Jesus has given to us - His Church. The purpose of the Church, our mission is to carry on the ministry of Jesus, to continue his work in the world.

Looking at St. Catherine of Siena faith community, is Jesus also going to be amazed at our lack of faith as we heard in the Gospel?

Yes, we are religious… but are we faithful? – in terms of downreach, outreach and upreach. Let me explain those three terms.

First – in terms of down-reach. … The word down in down reach does not mean we look down on the poor because we are the ones who help them. But - down reach in the sense of – being like Jesus who came down from heaven, so to speak. He humbled himself to share in our humanity so we can share in His divinity.

Jesus’ mission is to reveal God’s love to all people, to the greatest and to the least. No one was too lowly to be loved.

John the Baptist, from prison, sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you really the Messiah, or should do we start looking for someone else?” Jesus said, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.”

This was Jesus’ work. Jesus said that someday we will have to answer for whether or not we have fed the hungry; did we clothe the naked, have we visited the sick, and did we reach down to the needy. “Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these, you have done it to me.” Jesus was not just interested in “saving souls.”

He was also interested in redeeming lives, making people whole here on earth. This is the work he left to his church... to us.

So, how is our down reach?

Second, how about in terms of out-reach. So what is out-reach?

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth.” He said, “You are the light of the world.” Like Jesus, our mission is to gather and unite the People of God. The church of Jesus Christ is a family. We are a family here. It is not only that we are called to recognize each other as brothers and sisters, it is also that we are called to invite other people into this family… to reach out to others.

The “good news” of the gospel is that there is a place at God’s table for everyone… saints and sinners alike - all are invited to enter – to join the family. The church is to open its arms as widely as Christ himself does, and to be as inclusive as the love of Christ.

So – how has been our outreach?

Thirdly – how about in terms of up-reach…as in “we look up to heaven” - the worship of God.

Father Glenn mentioned at the start of the mass that the greatest way America can celebrate the Fourth of July is in thanksgiving and worship of God. In God we trust.

Although – I mentioned down reach and outreach first – actually our first mission is not down-reach, not out-reach. Our first priority is the worship of God.

Why? Because until we have met God in worship, we have nothing to bear witness to. Until we have experienced the Word of God in worship, we have nothing to say. Until we have received sacramental nourishment in worship especially in the sacrament of the Eucharist, we have no power to love or to serve.

That is why – as we re-open please invite your families, relatives and friends to come back – come home to the church to join us in the worship of God.

Jesus gave an important warning to His disciples – to us. He cautioned that if we ever attempted to live our Christian life apart from an intimate relationship with Him, even if we might exert great effort for the kingdom of God, we would discover that we would not produce any significant results. Jesus said that it is not our activity that produces fruit, it is our relationship with Him that matters.

We are always reminded – particularly the clergies - that if we are struggling in our ministries – we need to re-examine our prayer life… and it goes for all of us. If you are struggling in life, re-examine your prayer life.

Let us ask ourselves, do we have a relationship with Christ or relationship only with our religion. Do we personally know Christ or do we know only about our religious practices and what we are supposed to believe?

Is coming to mass still just an obligation for you – a Catholic thing to do – or is it rooted in your own personal relationship with God – to give thanks and praise and worship to` God.

There might be other ways to measure the faithfulness of a church to her mission in addition to down-reach, out-reach, and up-reach.

Pope Francis said: The Catholic Church must be reformed to create a more missionary and merciful church.”

Again - Our calling is not so much to succeed, certainly not by the world’s standards. Our calling is to be faithful, and the Lord who calls us goes with us every step of the way.

The Lord accepts us just as we are.

Jesus said: “Teach them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20).

God bless… and God bless America.