Where Thoughts Are Born

One of my followers asked me to post where the readings I use come from. He understands that they come from the liturgy of the hours and not just randomly from the bible. The liturgy of the hours is the daily book of Christian prayer. While most think it is reserved for priests and religious, it is the prayer book of the Catholic Church for all Catholics to pray. It includes morning and evening prayer, night prayer, invivatory (upon waking) prayer, mid day and mid morning prayer. That's a lot of prayer! As I deacon I pray morning, evening and night prayer as part of my vocation. The others can be added if I like.
  As far as my posts, some do come from theses readings, but not all. My posting are similar to my homilies. They are more about where I am in my own faith walk right now. Stream of conscious writing is probably a good description. I absolutely believe that God is having a constant conversation with my through the world and others around me, leaving me the knowledge I need to continue to nourish my relationship with God. When I post or preach, I always say these words before I start typing or before I read the gospel, "Father, send your Spirit to work through me and tell them your words so that at least one person might receive your message today."
   God has never failed to answer this prayer.

Does Jesus Just Walk Through?

In Sunday's gospel, after the crowd becomes enraged at the words Jesus speaks proclaiming himself as savior to them, they chase Jesus to a cliff in an effort to kill him. But the gospel ends saying that Jesus just walked right through them. When I was younger that part always confused me. If there were so many people around, how could Jesus just walk away with no one reacting?  Surely somebody would have tried to stop or delay him. But the people are so wrapped up in themselves. They refuse to believe that the carpenter's son can be the Savior thinking, 'after all he is no better than we are.' They are upset that they have seen no healings, miracles or any proof like they have heard others have seen. Pride reared its ugly head. They put themselves before God and God's word. And in doing this, the chance to experience Jesus passed right through their lives unnoticed.
   There is the message! We can get so hung up with our own life, our own needs, our own wants and desires. We can focus so much on the me in everything, and what I get out of it and how does it make me feel better and more satisfied that Jesus might pass right though our lives and we will never know it. The world is full of noise. Evil creates lots of it to make sure it is hard for us to hear God's voice or realize he is present. And society makes sure to tell us to concentrate always on ourselves because we deserve it. But God asks differently of us. God asks us to concentrate on others and in so doing, return the same to our selves. So we need to put the world, our pride, our ego, our self, the noise behind us, and always keep faith and God's ideals before us. Because if we do not,how will we ever know when Jesus passes by?

No God?

I heard someone ranting on the radio this morning. He was going on about how the existence of God can not be proven and how if there was a God, some of the things that happen in this world should not be allowed so there was evidence there that God does not exist. Why does it matter to non believers what we who believe in God's existence feel? Why should they care if fools like us believe in eternal life, God's divine mercy and providence?
I think there is a concern, not for our well being, but for their own. They want justification of their belief and, since they can not really prove their own position either, the justification comes from public opinion. If they can persuade enough people to join their own point of view, then they can rest on that as proof. How do we deal with this? "As for me and my house, we will follow The Lord." Remain steadfast in faith my friends.  - peace.

Crosses

As I drove home tonight I heard something on the radio that made me start to contemplate the weight of the cross. How heavy must the cross have been to hold a man on it and still remain standing? Add to that the condition that Jesus was in. Beaten, bruised. Dragging to the point of exhaustion. Barefoot on an unpaved, uneven, rocky road. Yet Jesus moved on, through His suffering because He saw the glorious resurrection at the other end of the situation. Jesus knew that without His death on Good Friday, there would be no Easter Sunday, no redemption. Sometimes it feels like our own crosses are too heavy to bear. We pray for help. We pray for removal of the burden, we look for a way out. Yet we need to understand that every cross leads to an Easter. Every cross ends in a resurrection. We just need to focus to see it. And we always have help. Jesus understands that we need help. After all, Jesus got help from Simon, so why would Jesus not help us?

Maybe you are at a point in your life right now where you feel the weight of a cross. Maybe you feel like you cannot go on. Maybe you feel like you need relief. Be ready to accept it. It may come in a kind word or gesture that makes life a little easier. It may come in a comforting thought that gives peace to mind and soul even if only for a few moments. But it will come. Jesus has promised to leave us His peace. We need only claim it.

Forgiveness of others, and ourselves.

...... forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Forgiveness is hard. Hard to offer. Sometimes hard to receive. There are two sides to forgiveness. The first is from the point of view of the insulted, hurt or damaged person. We want to hold on to the idea that the other person deserves to suffer because they have made us suffer. We want justice. We want our turn to 'win.' But forgiveness is giving up these feelings. Forgiveness is giving in to the idea that we don't need revenge our compensation. Forgiveness is coming to an understanding of both sides of the situation and being able to let go, not necessarily forget, but being able to put the event behind us.

The other side is seeking forgiveness. It is when we have done something wrong or hurt someone and realize our mistakes. We can seek forgiveness, but forgiveness is only easy from God, because God continually offers it. Forgiveness from others may not come easily, may take time to be offered, or may never be offered. I have an experience where even though I can see I made a mistake, and I have sought to apologize and seek forgiveness, it has never been received or offered. We can't make others forgive. We can only pray and hope that someday our sorrow and apologies for our actions will be received. We can hope. We can pray. I have lost contact with the persons in my situation. I am not sure if I sought contact they would ever accept any apology still. So I continue to pray, that one day, we can put the events behind us, and move on to new ground. 

I am sure we all have these situations. Lost friends. Family without contact. Relationships that have died. Continue to pray for these people. If forgiveness does not come in this lifetime, perhaps when we are with the Father, His forgiveness will bear give life to our forgiveness.

I ask everyone to pray tonight for all those suffering from any affliction or recovering from any surgeries. I have been in receipt this evening of news about cancer and the need for surgery for a loved one, about seizures affecting another, and recovery for a friend. It seems everyday we hear of rampant disease, cancer taking another victim, life being complicated by sickness and distress. We need in these times to join together and call out to God for His mercy and aid. Remember the words of the centurion in the Gospel of Matthew, "But the centurion said, "Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed." We are not worthy of God's goodness, yet He sends it freely. This never ceases to astound me. How can we, beings who make such mistakes as war, greed, crime, be loved by God unceasingly? Gods love is truly amazing. It is in God's love that we find peace, healing, comfort. And we can ask for this love over and over again because God constantly offers it. So pray tonight that God's love and mercy reaches all those who are in need. And what we give, will be returned to us one hundred fold.

Wisdom

READING Wisdom 7:13-14

Simply I learned about Wisdom, and ungrudgingly do I share—
her riches I do not hide away;
For to men she is an unfailing treasure;
those who gain this treasure win the friendship of God,
to whom the gifts they have from discipline commend them.

What exactly is wisdom? It seems this is a subjective topic. We refer to wise decisions, wise moves, wise sayings, but the quality of the 'wiseness ' is based on the view of the person making the declaration. Wisdom from God leaves no such subjectiveness open to us. God's wisdom keeps us on the path of light, rather than darkness. God's wisdom helps us to look past desire to need, past lust to true love, past greed to charity. God's wisdom is not our wisdom, and we really do not understand the difference until we have experienced it. Have you ever done without something you really wanted, only later to find out that you really never wanted it and you are just as happy without it? God's wisdom at work. Open yourself today to god's wisdom. Whatever decision or hurdle or yen is before you, stop and ask God for guidance. It is in these moments that we gain the treasure of wisdom.

Next Preaching Assignments

I preach next weekend at two masses here at St Joseph in Garden City, NY. The first mass is the 5:00 PM mass on Saturday evening. The second mass is the 10:00AM mass on Sunday in the school auditorium. I have never preached at that mass before. Lots of children. Should be fun.

Faith

READING 1 Peter 1:3-5

Praised be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
he who in his great mercy
gave us new birth;
a birth unto hope which draws its life
from the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead;
a birth to an imperishable inheritance,
incapable of fading or defilement,
which is kept in heaven for you
who are guarded with God’s power through faith;
a birth to a salvation which stands ready
to be revealed in the last days.

Tonight's reading again addresses our brevity upon the earth. The encouragement is here to look ahead to our share in the eternal kingdom, bolstered by the promise of God's powerful protection through our faith. I can understand that sometimes it feels we have been abandoned. Sometimes we question God's plan. Why would God allow the death of a loved one to happen? Why would God allow planes to be flown into the World Trade Center towers? Why would God allow children to suffer disease? Many more questions abound. But these are questions we can not answer. We can reason that they are all connected to our freedom to chose right from wrong through the gift of free will, but it does not answer to God's purpose in these events. We can languish in these thoughts with no answer, but that's what draws us away from God. 

      We are asked to place all trust in His plan, regardless of how hard that might be. This may anger us. This may cause us to question God's existence. But again, what does it mean to have faith?  Faith does not seek evidence. Faith does not try to reason. Faith is simple. Faith is belief. How can we believe? Jesus told His followers that unless they were like children, they would not enter the kingdom of the Father. I believe He meant our faith. Children have great faith. They believe without seeing and trust what they have been told. That is the faith we strive for. So recover your youth. Be a child again and truly believe.......and all will be yours.

- peace.

The Fulfillment of the Isaiah Prophecy

This morning's readings at mass should be very familiar to regular church goers and those who know the scriptures. The readings all focus on the mission of following Jesus. The gospel passage has Jesus in his home town, at synagogue, reading from the prophet Isaiah, "The spirit of The Lord is upon me..."
As was custom, after the completion of the reading, the proclaimer would then offer a reflection on what was read. Jesus amazes the  crowd with His reading and then proclaims, "Today this passage is fulfilled by your hearing." Jesus was announcing that He was bringing the good news of God to God's people, but for us it may mean something different. If we have truly heard the passage. If we truly believe that Jesus is Messiah and Savior. If we truly believe that we are followers of His way, then we are the fulfillment.  The second reading is Paul's discourse on the Body of Christ. How we are all parts of the same body working together to fulfill God's kingdom. So if we are followers, and we have heard, then we are to fulfill the plan. We are to live our lives differently than the world with our focus away from ourselves and, instead, on those around us.
     Now society continues to make this a hard task. Society wants us to focus on ourselves and buy the latest gadget even if it is unnecessary. Or buy the more luxurious car, even if we don't really need it. There is nothing wrong with having these things, but we need to assist others with our own works and donations and society would rather we spend our money to make profits for others rather than provide for those who never reap the profits. It's not easy. I have gotten caught up in it and then, afterward, I wonder why I did it. The answer is simple. The way to heaven is a narrow road and we all try to walk it. The other road is much easier to stay on. As long as we keep trying to walk the narrow path, we will find, through the strength and guidance of the Spirit, that it becomes easier. So keep trying. Remember, we have been promised that we will never be abandoned. If we have heard the message,this is fulfilled.

The Scriptures are always Relevant

No reflection just yet as I am headed out this morning to assist at early mass, but I did want to share this. The other day I wrote that the scriptures constantly relate to our life and we can just open the bible, and the reading will be relevant. Toady is an example. Last night I reflected on death. Here is today's morning reading from the liturgy of the hours:

READING Ezekiel 37:12b-14

Thus says the Lord God: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and have you rise from them, O my people! I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land; thus you shall know that I am the Lord. I have promised, and I will do it, says the Lord.

No coincidences here. God is responding.

A good friend lost his father today. Death, as Hollywood  says differently, never takes a holiday. Death is a reminder to us of how fragile our lives are and how brief our time in tHis world really is. I sometimes wonder if, when I am gone, will I have really changed this world in any way? I think each of us considers this when we are faced with a death. We consider our own situation and we ponder why death has to exist at all. Jesus reminds us that death is not an end and the Christian belief allows so to look past death to a new life. Without our faith, death takes hold of us and makes life meaningless. After all, what difference would it make what I believe in if there was nothing after this? A wise philosopher once said, 'If I believe there is no God and I die and find there is a God, I will be lost. If I believe there is a God and find that there is no God, I may have believed wrongly, but I will have not lost anything. If I believe there is a God and there is a God, I will be rewarded. So I believe there is a God.' Now that may be hedging our bets, but I believe because of the Ressurrection. I believe because after over 2000 years, believers still exist. I believe because I have experienced Jesus in my life. I believe because I believe death can ot be an end. We are individuals with so much life, ow can that just disappear?

Live Jesus in our hearts forever!

This morning's reading reminds us the "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." It is amazing to me how the words of Jesus apply to life in anyplace on the planet at any time. A priest friend of mine once proclaimed Jesus the world's greatest philosopher. Christ's parables  and interactions relate to human conditions that continue to exist until today, as well as our human nature, not just to the people of Israel 2000+ years ago. It is because of this divine nature of His teachings that we can open the bible randomly to any page on any day and read a passage and find it will apply to a situation currently in our life. Try it. I doubted the first time I heard this, but it is true. This is a testament to the fact that Jesus is ever present in our lives from before we were born (just a twinkle in mom and dad's eyes), throughout our lives and with us when this life is complete.
   So how can we not proclaim Jesus as savior? Constantly guiding us on the true path of peace and love, Jesus rescues us from the fears, worries and downfalls of this life and gives us the strength and desire to go forward confident that one day we will be rewarded. Without this belief, how can life be worthwhile? 
  -Peace.

It was a tough week at the St Edmunds, where I teach. In keeping the winter break alive after superstorm Sandy, the school had midterms and classes at the same time. (Usually we just have a midterm week, no classes) This was tough on the students who had to study for three midterms on the same day. It is also tough for instructors who have to juggle teaching with grading these exams. Life is like that. It throws curveball after curveball, daring us to hit it out of the park. It is during these times that we need our God. Strength  from the Spirit, and guidance by God's grace, allow us to meet these everyday challenges head on. But we can't hit the pitch without practice. Our practice for hearing Gods word, is prayer. how often should one pray? Like reconciliation, we can pray as often as we feel necessary but I would suggest, at the very least, morning and evening prayers. Begin the day asking for God's blessing. End the day, thanking God for all the day brought. I have prayed morning and evening since I was ordained. To be truthful, it was missing in my life priorto ordination. I lost this practice for several months a while back, and once I began again, I relaized that I had been lost for those months. Tonight...... pray. Quietly with no words if you like, or silently with prayers you were taught as a child. Or just converse with God. His line is never busy. peace.

So I preach next week at two masses, one regular mass and one family mass. Now the homily process really starts. I have been looking at the readings for next week and they are not too easy for children. Jesus' hometown chases him to a cliff wanting to throw Him off for not doing any miracles for them, but Jesus walks right through them and leaves. They don't see Him. I want to link this story with how we are sometimes so caught up in life, that we never realize Jesus is right there and we may miss our chance to experience His love in a new and unique way. I like a story or a visual aid for kids. I have to pray on this one tonight.

A good friend just emailed this message to me:

Thank you for including me and sending me your thoughts on the readings of the day. I find them most inspirational and beneficial in helping me understanding more clearly what is being said in the readings. 

What a wonderful way for you to reach out to your many friends.

Thank you again and God Bless You.

Thank you for all your support!

Prayer is a powerful tool. The young lady whom I asked you to pray for earlier in the week is doing much better. Praise God for His graces and continue to pray. And continue to send your prayer requests here.

I have appeared to you to designate you as my servant and as a witness to what you have seen of me and what you will see of me. - from the Acts of the Apostles.
Today we celebrate the feast of Paul the Apostle. Paul persecuted the followers of the way during his time until he was thrown from his mount by the power of God and blinded. In the event he heard Jesus call to him and ask him to stop persecuting Jesus. Each of us is called to a dramatic change in our own lives  to take care of God's people. Once we find Christ, our lives must change to caring about others rather than ourselves. We begin to understand and continue to understand that this is not a life about me, me, me as our society would want us to believe. True happiness is not in the material things or having the most success, but being content with ourselves and our life and reaching out to others to share this knowledge. And this knowledge lies in the love of Jesus Christ. So be like Paul today and everyday. Go out on your journeys into this world not with eyes on what you can attain for yourself, but on what you can do to let others see and feel God's love. And the side benefit, you will be attaining the best things for yourself. Eternally. 
- Peace.

In this weekend's gospel, having begun His ministry with the miracle at Cana, Jesus returns to his hometown. As was custom, His turn cam to read a scripture passage at synagog. He reads a passage and announces that this passage is fulfilled today. The reading was always reflected on by the reader, and Jesus stuns His crowd. The crowd goes from amazed at His interpretation, to anger at His even considering such a thing. It is hard to be a prophet to those who have known you. As I was preparing to get ordained, one of my family members asked me, "So how did you become so holy?" Not congratulations. Not supportive. One person in the parish told me that I was now a 'glorified altar boy.' No one said following the path of Jesus would be easy. In fact, Jesus told us we would have to carry the cross with Him to achieve salvation. So in spite of what others my say or thing, keep spreading the good news of Christ resurrected. Live it. Speak it. Share it.

St. Francis de Sales was born in Savoy, France in 1567. He showed himself to be incredibly bright during his studies in rhetoric, philosophy, theology and law. He became ordained and supported the Counter-Reformation in his district. In 1602, he became bishop and devoted his work to integrating the decrees from the Council of Trent. Also, he co-founded the Visitandines with St. Jane Francis de Chantal, an order dedicated to humility, gentleness, and sisterly love. St. Francis de Sales was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1877. Amongst his most read and revered writings are Introduction to the Devout Life and the Treatise on the Love of God.

As we celebrate in the new life of St Francis de Sales, we are reminded of the charity and humility he displayed that led to his cannonization. Works of charity are always professed as a means of becoming one with our Savior. Charity does not always come easily. At times, we may feel that we need charity more than ever, yet there are always others who are in greater need. Jesus calls us to empty our selves. Jesus calls us to let our lives bend to the fullest and give with all our heart, confident that we will never break. Of course, our weakness as human beings is in the fact that we do not wish to place ourselves in these situations. Yet God is leading us there, over and over again to mold us into His image. We must constantly pray that, as St Francis did, we begin to see all things through the eyes of God. it is only then that we can accept and understand all.

I just created this blog to post my homilies and preaching. In the past, people have asked for copies of my homilies but as many of my good friends know, I do not write them down. My homilies come from the heart with inspiration from the Holy Spirit. However, as I develop my homiletical ideas, I will be posting them here for those who wold like to read it, comment on it, offer ideas or get inspiration themselves.