“That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely” (Lk 12:47).

Jesus, as did the prophets, spoke in ways that can be jarring. The purpose was to shake his listeners out of a dull stupor and to make clear his point. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus addressed Peter’s question: “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone” (Lk 12:41)? Jesus was most likely speaking to Peter and the Twelve. They are the ones he entrusted with continuing his mission of the kingdom of God. And just as he had been clear to point out those Pharisees who had abused their positions, he was being clear with Peter and the apostles. Jesus wanted to be clear with his successors that they were not to continue on with business as usual. What Jesus required of them was not just for themselves, but those whose care they have been entrusted with and beyond them to all the nations.

Unfortunately, we have witnessed those in Church leadership who have in effect, “beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk” (Lk 12:45) on their own power. Those who have: abused children, covered abuse, skimmed off the top of the donations of the blood, sweat and tears of their parishioners’ donations, limited access to positions within the leadership of the Church to only male or clergy, been unmerciful confessors, held up the sin of one group or groups while turning a blind eye to others. These and other forms of hypocrisy do irreparable damage.

The world has been darkened by sin, but not destroyed by it. Jesus has entered the darkness of our fallen nature and has not been overcome by it. Even when those of the Body of Christ participate and perpetuate the darkness, we are not to lose heart nor our hope. As Bishop Robert Barron writes, we are called out of “the realm of hatred, racism, sexism, violence, oppression, imperialism, what Augustine termed the libido dominandi (the lust to dominate).”

We are called to be children of the light. We will do so by being willing to embrace the light of Christ which reveals to us our sin. With humility and contrition we then confess them and from this place of surrender we will be more and more transformed such that we begin to reflect and share his light with others still in darkness. As heralds of his Good News, may we seek opportunities to share the purifying light and healing salve of the Father’s Love we have received with those we meet today.

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Photo: Crucifix front entrance of Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center

Barron, Robert. Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith. NY: Image, 2011.

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, October 24, 2018:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102418.cfm

Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks” (Lk 12: 35-36).

Jesus is emphasizing that as disciples we need to be ready for his coming, yes for when he comes again at the end of time, but more importantly, to be prepared for his coming each day in the midst of our lives. If we do not prepare to encounter him daily, the likelihood of us being prepared for his coming again, and only the Father knows the time or the hour, will be slimmer.

To plan means we outline all that needs to be done down to the last detail. This can be an advantage especially when we are dealing with blueprints for a home or building. By having detailed plans we can be sure we have the proper materials and tools, an estimated budget, hire the help needed to accomplish the goal. There are many areas in our life where planning is an advantage. Planning our spiritual life is important, deciding when and how we are to pray, meditate, study, engage in Bible and spiritual reading and/or watching, scheduling which service we are going to attend, establishing a routine of spiritual direction, time for fellowship or small groups. These are all plusses to planning.

The challenge with planning is when we become too radically attached to the plan and we leave no room for the Holy Spirit, no awareness for the knock at the door, because we are so focused on finishing the plan. Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners are on the horizon. How many times have we experienced planning a dinner and guests, and spent more time adhering to the plan and its execution, so much so that we miss engaging with those we are working so hard to provide hospitality for?

Preparing is akin to planning, in that we are ready but flexible to be open to other options not governed by our mind alone. Jesus calls us to be ready, to be prepared to receive him at any moment. As St. Oscar Romero wrote, “It would be beautiful if people saw that their flourishing and the attainment of their highest ideals are based on their ability to give themselves to others.” Are we prepared to encounter and be present to a classmate, colleague, family member, or neighbor who asks for help at an inopportune time, the homeless person in need, the undocumented immigrant, migrant, or refugee looking for safety and security, the unborn striving to actualize his or her potential, the coworker that has not been the most pleasant, the person that we perceive as somehow different from us – who we keep at arm’s length?

Have we said yes to or refused these encounters? After some time of reflection, can we better prepare ourselves to be more open to encountering those we meet today as human beings, as brothers and sisters, created in the image and likeness of God? Are we willing to see and serve Jesus, who is present in those we encounter, for: “whatever you did for one of these least brothers [or sisters] of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25:40).

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Photo: Tabernacle and Sanctuary Lamp in the small chapel at Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center. Let us prepare our hearts and minds to receive Jesus in the consecrated host and so to be strengthened to see and serve him in those we encounter today.

Rothrock, Brad. 30 Days with Oscar Romero. New London, CT: Twenty-Third Publications, 2016

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, October 22, 2018:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102318.cfm

“Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions” (LK 12:15).

Jesus wisely warns us to be careful to resist the temptation of greed, which can be defined as an intense, selfish desire for something. Here Jesus addresses the greed of material wealth, but we can also have unhealthy selfish desires for anything. Jesus also stated that “one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Material goods are finite and will not ultimately fulfill us but they can be good when used for the purpose they were intended for and in moderation.

God provides for our need. Fostering an attitude of thanksgiving for that which we have received and then being good stewards helps us to resist the temptation of greed. St Clement of Alexandria (150-215 AD) wrote: “How could we do good to our neighbor if none of us possessed anything.” God does bless us, and from what we have been given we are to assist those in need. The problem comes when we interfere with the flow of receiving by hoarding what we have received and rationalizing our unwillingness to share. Also, when we look to our wealth as our safety net, instead of God’s providence, we begin to cling to what we have and develop an unhealthy attachment. We need to remember that the material and finite of below will not satisfy and will not last, we need to set our heart and mind to God above.

Acts of charity, willing the good of and support for one another in need will help us to resist the temptation of greed and help us to be open conduits of God’s mercy. Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903 AD) wrote that, “Once the demands of necessity and propriety have been met, the rest of your money belongs to the poor.” How many of us are willing to put that quote on our bathroom mirror? More so, put it into practice? How about posting this quote from John Chrysostom (349-407 AD) over our closet and reading it before we enter: “The man who has two shirts in his closet, one belongs to him; the other belongs to the man who has no shirt.”

God has given us the gift of his Son, Jesus. In so doing he has given us the free gift of our salvation which is reason to rejoice! He loved us into creation and is loving us into eternity. We are invited to participate in the love experienced by the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. We are to resist clinging to the material and finite, and instead rejoice in our gift of life and relationship with his Son. May we share that which we have received from God, our infinite source and spring of eternal Love. We will be fulfilled and joyful, not by how much we have saved up in our bank account, but by how much love we invest in serving each other.

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Photo from cathopic.com

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, October 22, 2018:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102218.cfm

For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mk 10:45).

As fully God and fully man, Jesus taught and modeled for his disciples a contrarian view of how to live in our world. He rejected the pursuit of worldly honor and power during the time of his earthly ministry. Jesus redirected any attention drawn himself to his Father. He epitomized the exact opposite of the cult of personality by emphasizing what is most important is developing a relationship with God and following his will by serving the needs of others, even to the point of suffering and dying to open up access to heaven for us. Jesus gave his life to pay the ransom of our sin.

On our own we cannot achieve this freedom of service. As the disciples, James and John from today’s Gospel, showed that they did not understand Jesus call to service. But having experienced, studied and mentored with Jesus, experiencing his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, they remained true and faithful and came to a place of transformation through their openness to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, where they came to fulfill what Jesus first saw when he called them to leave their boats and follow him.

This is true for us as well. Jesus sees not just our impulsiveness, pride and selfishness, our woundedness and our sin, but he also sees our potential and the fulfillment yet to be actualized. Jesus calls us to a way of life that embracers serving as he served, yet in the unique way and charism that our loving God and Father has created us and formed us. He has sent the Holy Spirit to meet us in our present condition, to guide and empower us with his love, so to draw us deeper into the Mystery of God.

May we be open today to receive and experience the love of God, so to resist the temptation of power, pride, and fame in ourselves, to resist supporting a cult of personality within ourselves and directed toward others. In this way, we will better be able to love and take care of ourselves, by entertaining proper thoughts, making time for prayer, worship, study, healthier eating, exercising, and engaging in virtuous activities. By developing a foundation of being loved by God and loving him in return, we will properly love ourselves, so to better serve Jesus and follow his lead to be present to and serve one another in our needs.

Photo: A new day for us to love God, love ourselves, and to love others. Sunrise at Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center. Come for retreat: https://www.ourladyofflorida.org/

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, October 21, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102118.cfm

“Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven” (Luke 12:10).

This verse is often referred to as the unforgivable sin and it can be difficult to understand. What is Luke saying here? Also, if you have been reading this blog regularly you may have read more than once that God forgives us more than we can ever mess up, so you may be thinking, “What’s the deal? Why can’t we be forgiven for blaspheming the Holy Spirit?”

One way to approach the understanding of this verse is to refer to my reflection from yesterday, but then turn it on it’s head. I shared an example from my late teens in which I followed the leading of the Holy Spirit, not so much aware I was doing so at the time. I followed my curiosity imparted on me by my teacher which led me to purchase a Bible, then I was led to leave a party and when I got home I had the urge to open my newly purchased Bible and did so. Because of each successive yes to the invitation and guidance of the Holy Spirit, I placed myself in a better position each time to hear the word of God.

Now, that experience could have taken a different turn. I could have resisted the initial curiosity that welled up within me from my teacher’s discussion and instead of going out to purchase a Bible, I could have stayed home that day and opened up my copy of The Stand by Stephen King and given it a second read. Thus denying that invitation of the Holy Spirit, I would not have had a Bible when I went to that party. I could have followed through on the first urging to purchase a Bible, but then resisted the second to leave the party. Choosing to ignore either or both promptings would had led to a higher probably of my not hearing God’s voice that night. Say each step did happen up to and including hearing God’s voice, but then I denied that I heard God, instead attributing the experience to some bad pepperoni pizza from the party. Each are examples of how I could have closed myself off to God’s communications.

God invites us to follow him in a myriad of ways. With each invitation, no matter how small, we can say yes, or we can dismiss these “encounters” as mere “coincidences.” With each denial, we further limit ourselves to the possibility of acknowledging an encounter with God and/or even begin to doubt that he even exists. We could then develop “a mentality which obstinately sets the mind against the Spirit of God, and as long as that obstinate mindset perdures, God’s forgiveness cannot be accorded to such a person” (Fitzmeyer 1985, 964).

God loves us more than we can ever mess up, so much so, that he gives us the freedom to reject him. He does not impose his will on his, but invites us. John the Baptist and Jesus got this, and this is why their emphasis on repentance was so preeminent in their preaching. If we turn to God with humility and contrition, true sorrow for our sins, God will forgive us.

The danger of a consistent obstinate disposition, is that like a muscle that is not used, it will atrophy, and so will our ability to see God working in our lives. We will become less and less able to see, to notice his gentle stirrings and invitations. We will become blind, our heart will become hardened. Now that does not mean God stops communicating, he does, but when we harden our heart, when we close ourselves off to him, and dismiss each invitation and attempt at communication, we are less and less able to receive the forgiveness he so thirsts to give us.

Let us continue to seek ways to experience God and share our experiences with others, as God does, not as impositions but as invitations. We need to remember to meet people where they are and as they are, accepting them and their dignity to say no to the invitation. Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit, who is the Love that is shared between himself and God. The more we say yes to his guidance and leading, the more we will see him in our everyday experiences, the more we will begin to recognize his voice, and the more we will experience and participate in his love. In this way, our life may be more attractive and inviting to others such that we may be the only Bible someone else ever gets the chance to read, and maybe, just maybe, they may hear God speaking to them through us.
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Photo: Morning at Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center, if you have been feeling a call to retreat, to get off the hamster wheel for awhile, this is a wonderful option, one that JoAnn and I have said yes to this weekend! Here is a link to their website: https://www.ourladyofflorida.org/

Fitzmeyer, Joseph A. The Gospel According to Luke X-XXIV in the Anchor Bible. NY: Double Day, 1985.

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, October 20, 2018:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102018.cfm

“Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows” (Lk 12:6-7).

About thirty-five years ago I was in high school and either in my junior or senior sociology or psychology class, my teacher mentioned that if we thought Stephen King told amazing tales, we should definitely read the Bible, especially regarding the imagery found in the Book of Revelation. My teacher’s comment piqued my interest because at the time I enjoyed reading Stephen King, though I had not spent any time reading the Bible. My teacher’s words stayed with me beyond that class period.

A few weeks or months later I remember going to Waldens, a bookstore, at the Enfield Mall in the next town over from where I grew up in East Windsor, Connecticut. I purchased a King James Bible. I don’t remember reading it right away, but shortly sometime after, I do remember leaving a party. I don’t remember anything about the party or why I left, but when I arrived home, I remember going up to my room and for some reason grasping my new Bible. I then just opened it at random and began reading. The verse above was what I read, and it was the first time I can remember experiencing God speaking to me.

It was not a booming voice emanating from the burning bush that was directed to Moses, the room didn’t shake, nor did the lights flicker. Yet, in that quiet and still moment, I heard in my mind, “You will not ever win the lottery, but like the sparrows, I will take care of you. I will always give you the ability and means to work.” God has proven true to his word. I have not won the mega millions, but God has provided me with the opportunity to have regular gainful employment and even though experiencing some tight financial times through the years, God has provided beyond work through the kindness of friends, families, as well as some amazing assistance outside of the norm at times.

Does God still speak to us as he spoke to the people in the Bible? Absolutely! God does speak to us directly, he also speaks to us through his Word in our personal reading, in our time of communal worship, through preaching, he speaks to us through music, art, movies, he speaks to us through others, through our serving each other, through his creation, and a myriad of other infinite possibilities.

The question is not so much, does God still speak to us? The question is how do we open ourselves up to the reality that we can hear his words or his silence? One way is to ask God to help us to recognize his voice, just as the sheep that come to learn the shepherd’s voice. Another way is to make time to be still, that provides the opportunity for reflection and ask God to reveal times in the past where he has spoken and we were not aware. When we examine and reflect on our day, with God’s help we can see where God has been with us and reaching out to us.

Not only do we need to make a consistent time each day to pray, but stay long enough to listen! One of the biggest reasons many of us do not hear God is because we are not listening or we don’t make the time to stop. God’s silence is also a profound answer. There are many people that may want to give us advice, to offer solutions to fix our problems, when sometimes, we just need to stop, slow down, and be still. Are we willing to be open and believe that God speaks to us, and guides us? Fr. Jim Martin, S.J. has expressed the search for finding God in this way: “God is always inviting us to encounter the transcendent in the everyday, the key is noticing” (Martin 2010, 86).

God knows us better than we know ourselves, he loves us more than we can ever imagine. Let us be a little more aware today than we were yesterday, and may we have eyes, ears, and our mind open to notice God working in our lives. Let us be willing to trust in and surrender our control over to our Loving God and Father who cares for and provides for us as he does the sparrows. Let us be open to his invitation to spending time with him to listen to his word or his silence.

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Photo by Tejas Prajapati from Pexels

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, October 19, 2018:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/101918.cfm

Martin, S.J., James. The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life. NY: Harper Collins, 2010.

The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit (Lk 10:1).

Jesus sent out disciples ahead of him. He sends us out as well. Just as Mary conceived Jesus through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, she went in haste to assist Elizabeth who also was to give birth. What happened when Mary came upon Elizabeth? No sooner had Mary’s greeting reached Elizabeth John leapt in her womb with gladness. This is the model of evangelization, sharing the joy of Christ that we experience in coming together. Let us resist defining people as other and building walls, but instead build bridges of encounter.

Yes, we are a people of the book like our Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters, but we are primarily a faith tradition grounded in the encounter of a person, Jesus the Christ. Our pastor, Fr. Don, has shared with us a simple image to represent the path of discipleship and that is the image of the cross. The vertical part of the cross represents how we develop our personal relationship with Jesus, through our regular practice and discipline of prayer, meditation, contemplation, and study. The horizontal represents our encountering Jesus in each other through fellowship, small group study, and worship. If we only have the vertical, the one on one relationship with Jesus, we just have a stick. If we just serve others without encountering Jesus, we just have a stick. Put them together and we have the cross which is embodied by our love for God and love of neighbor.

Christianity is the way of the cross, not the way of the stick. We are to be contemplatives in action. We experience the joy of encountering Jesus, personally, and in our interactions with one another. We do not need to set off to some far away land, but open our minds and hearts to allow God to happen in our everyday experiences. We are to love others as Jesus loves us, we are to share the inexpressible joy of that love, and that love we share is to be unconditional. We are to participate in “ the surrender of life for the sake of others” (Lohfink 2014, 73).

Jesus sent seventy-two off to build Christian communities, one smile at a time, one person at a time, one encounter at a time, one relationship at a time. I agree with Gerhard Lohfink in his piece, “What Does the Love Commandment Mean?” Love is not a pious universal that we love all humanity in some vague removed or remote way. The love that Jesus expressed and imparts us with today is something tangible, corporal, it’s hands on: “This love constantly breaks out of the individual communities to embrace non-Christians, guests, strangers, the suffering (obviously including those in other countries) but it is always tied to the concrete experience of common life in the individual community” (Lohfink 2014, 72).

May we experience Jesus this morning in our personal time of prayer, and may we also be open to experience him in others, especially those we may have kept at arm’s length. With each encounter let us reach out beyond our self to engage others with hospitality, respect, and joy. Each pair of eyes that you to happen to look upon, offer a smile and say hello. Just that simple, genuine expression acknowledges to the other that they matter, have worth, and dignity. If someone asks you how you are, instead of saying, “Fine.” Say instead, “Better since you asked. Thank you for caring.” There are many ways to reach out and give of ourselves to others in love, we just need to be willing to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit.

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Photo: from parroquiamadridejos at cathopic.com

Lohfink, Gerhard. “What Does the Love Commandment Mean?” In No Irrelevant Jesus: On Jesus and the Church Today, translated by Linda M. Maloney, 64-74. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2014.

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, October 18, 2018:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/101818.cfm

After Jesus continues to call out those Pharisees who follow their own will instead of the love of God and put themselves in place of honor instead of God, one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply “Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.”

Jesus does not miss and beat and convicts the scholar as well when he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them” (Lk 11;45-46).

Jesus is clear about his mission, he is clear about what the kingdom of God is not and what it is. Jesus is shining a light on the practices of the Pharisees and the scholars of the law such that they can see the darkness that is blinding them. Unfortunately, unlike the blind man Bartimaeus (see M 10:46-52) who knows he is blind and wants to see, this is not true for these men who Jesus confronts in today’s Gospel.

How about us? As Jesus shines his light and love in our direction, do we cover our eyes because the light is too bright and withdraw further into the shadows or do we allow our eyes time to adjust so to allow the brightness of the Mystery of God to reveal to us that which has kept us bound in sin? Will we justify, or rationalize our behavior or that of others that we know is sinful or will we be transparent and walk into the light and the embrace of Jesus, so to repent and believe in the Gospel?

May we not follow the path of those Pharisees and scholars of the Law who imposed heavy burdens on those seeking relationship with the living God, but be willing to follow Jesus and meet others where they are at, so to accompany, encourage, and support each other in living the Gospel in our everyday lives. Let us no longer hide in the darkness, enslaved by our fears and prejudices, but come from the shadows into the light of Jesus the Christ, encourage and lead others with the Love of the Holy Spirit to do the same.

Photo from Cathopic

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, October 17, 2018:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/101718.cfm

The Lord said to him, “Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools” (Lk 11:39).

Jesus’ harshest critiques were for acts of hypocrisy. He did so to show, in no uncertain terms, how dangerous this was, especially for religious leaders. These men were entrusted with the care of God’s people. They may have observed the proper rituals, spoke, and dressed to match the part, but this all meant nothing if their hearts were hardened and they were closed to the will of God. Most of all the danger was when they themselves became obstacles, stumbling blocks to those who sought God. Jesus indicting them as fools meant that they were bereft of the wisdom of God they projected to have.

A recent Pew study tracing religious affiliation from 2007 to 2014 found that approximately 56 million Americans identify themselves as following no religious affiliation. Some have labeled this group as the “Nones”. I am sure the context and nuance of why this trend is on the rise has many components, but I believe one ingredient is that many feel they have witnessed unacceptable levels of hypocrisy that have turned them off to organized faith traditions. Our present crisis regarding abuse of minors and cover up within the Catholic Church itself by religious, priests, and bishops, continue to support this trend. That the very leaders commissioned to bring the Good News, guide, and protect seekers have instead abused anyone is horrific and unconscionable.

In the depths of our very being we seek and yearn for the transcendent, the infinite. We are spiritual seekers, yet, time and again, we experience suffering, injustice, and hypocrisy at the hands of the very ones who are our leaders in both the religious and political sphere. Jesus got this, and this is why he convicted those who abused their positions, because he knew the significant damage that could be inflicted on the believer.

We as people of faith must first and foremost recognize that we live in a fallen world. No one is perfect, even and especially our leaders. We all fall short of the perfection of Christ we seek and aspire to. If we put anyone up on a pedestal they, sooner or later, are going to fall, and the higher up they go, the greater the fall. God is to hold priority of place before all and anyone else. Also, our actions must follow Jesus’ lead of resisting the urge to project all is well and good, that we are fine, when we are not, and none of us are all of the time. None of us are super men or women. If we think we can go it alone, we will fall sooner or later.

Jesus invites each of us to experience transformation. To receive this gift we need to seek help from God, the true source of our very being and existence. We must be people of courage allowing the light of Jesus to shine upon those dark places of sin within our souls, and be willing to see that which needs healing so as to release our own “plunder and evil”, which we harbor within. We need to open ourselves to the love of the Holy Spirit so to risk, to trust one another with our weaknesses, faults, and shortcomings. We need to resist hiding and rationalizing, and instead be humble and transparent, if we are ever going to be able to heal and mature spiritually.

In a posture of humility and openness to be helped, we allow the unique gifts of others to come to the fore. At the same time we need to offer what we uniquely can give, not judging another who has fallen, but providing empathy, support, and encouragement so they too can heal and grow. When we are transparent with our sin, and empower and accompany one another, we as Church can resist the temptation of hypocrisy and instead embrace the gift of hospitality.

Painting: Supper In the House of Simon, by Italian artist Moretto da Brescia (1150-1554)

Link for today’s Mass readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/101618.cfm