Jesus asked, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is” (Mt. 16:13)?

Peter answers Jesus and our questions today by saying that Jesus is: “The Messiah, the Son of the Living God” (Mt: 16:16). In other words, Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us.

If we dig a little deeper, another question that might overshadow the question of who Jesus is, especially in the midst of suffering and tragedies like the most recent Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, is, “Where is Jesus? Why did he allow this to happen?” Which calls up the perennial question, “Why does a good and loving God allow for the suffering of the innocent?”

There is no sufficient answer to these questions, to do so would mean that we could read the mind of God, which we are not capable of doing. The traditional answer is that God allows suffering to bring about a greater good, which is sound for one who has mature faith, experience, time and distance from the immediacy of trauma, the ability to see things from a greater perspective than the moment. Most of us tend to see things from our own narrow point of view. Our perspective is as someone looking at one of those photography posters in which there are tiny pictures of hundreds of people. From the up close and personal view we only see one or two faces, it is not until we step far enough back that we can see the greater view of how the many pictures together combine to show the one face.

Another point of view or perspective, is that even though we cannot understand the why of what happened does not mean that we have to disbelieve in God. We can trust that Jesus is with us in the midst of our deepest tragedies. We can trust that he is present with the injured, those who mourn and need comfort. Jesus understands our suffering and pain from personal experience. He, who himself endured unjust scourging, beating, crucifixion and death, can best console us in our pain because he has gone through it himself.

Also, pain, injustice, suffering, and death do not have the last word. Jesus suffered and died and he conquered death. Where was Jesus last week? Jesus was welcoming, with arms wide open, each of the seventeen slain in his loving embrace. His arms are wide open also for those who enter into the pain of their agony and mourning to provide comfort and healing for the tremendous loss suffered.

There is no definitive answer to the reason for suffering. Let us still place our trust in Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the living God, let us turn to him in prayer, with our anger, our doubt, and our pain. Even when we do not understand the why may we still seek meaning, there is a plan greater than us, death is not and end and does not have the last word, and may we channel these emotions to bring about effective change so to build a culture that respects the dignity of all life. May we respect, be present to and support one another. I would like to leave you with some words of comfort and hope from Fr. James Martin, S.J.:

“Life is stronger than death.

Love stronger than hatred.

Hope is stronger than despair.

Nothing is impossible with God.”

Photo: “In His Image” by William Zadanak

Final quote, as well as much of the perspectives on suffering I shared, come from a talk given by Fr. James Martin, S.J. given on April 22, 2014 titled On Pilgrimage with James Martin, SJ, Fordham University. You can view his talk on the link below. He discusses the mystery of suffering specifically at the end around 1:30:26, the one hour thirty minute mark:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVtA_d7NwKE

Link for Mass readings for Thursday, February 22, 2018:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022218.cfm

There is something greater here. Something greater than the wisdom of Solomon and something greater than the preaching of Jonah. Following the way of Jesus is a faith we are called to live daily. This is not a part time vocation. We all have a unique gift in the dignity we have been conceived and born with. We have a unique way to express and live out our dignity. Unfortunately, what happens with most of us is that we are distracted, tempted, or misdirected as to what God would have us do each day. We are often unplugged from the very source of our existence.

As Jesus taught, often in his parables, the kingdom of heaven on earth starts small, like a mustard seed, like yeast, and develops slowly when nurtured. Lent is a good time to slow down, step back, take a retreat even while in the midst of our everyday activities. We just need to insert some dedicated time to God each day so to better be able to acknowledge his presence our activities.

If you are feeling a bit restless, on edge, out of sync, I invite you to make some time to be still and breathe, this can be in the shower, when you have some breakfast, a morning walk, or sip of coffee or tea. During this time ask God for some guidance. We can ask him to help us see those areas that we need to repent from and let go of, those thoughts, words, and actions that keep us distracted, redirected, and off kilter as to who God is calling us to be. We can then confess to him and receive his forgiveness and reconciliation. From this place of healing we are in a better posture to listen to his guidance and direction and to share his blessings.

Christianity is not a secret sect. We are called to share the joy, the forgiveness, and reconciliation we experience from God and from others. May we look then to each person we engage with throughout this day as opportunities to offer a smile, an encouraging word, to reach out to someone we have been meaning to connect with for awhile, in person or far away, someone who we may sense just needs a listening ear. May we resist reacting and ask for God’s patience to choose how to act in that moment.

Lent can be a joyful time when we enter into the season with the intent to deepen our walk with the One who is wiser than Solomon and preached the message of Jonah: “Repent”, that we may turn away from sin, and change our hearts and minds. May we be open to change, be open to forgiveness, be open to healing as well as bringing that same experience of the joy of loving to others today. May this Lent, this day, not be a drudgery to endure, but a joyful embrace of the opportunity for healing, sharing the joy, and building the kingdom of God.

Photo: CN Chapel

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, February 21, 2018:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022118.cfm

Jesus begins his teaching on prayer by stating that prayer is not babbling. When we pray we are to resist just saying empty words that have no meaning, or praying in words that we think God wants us to hear.

Prayer, first and foremost, is a response to the Holy Spirit moving within us, urging us to pray, “for we do not know how to pray as we ought” (cf. Romans 8:26). We are to speak honestly to God in our prayer. One of the most honest prayers I prayed was when I was around eight years old and overheard my parents discussing the idea of getting a divorce. I said to God that if I woke up in the morning and he allowed this to happen we were through. When we pray we bring our struggles and petitions, but also our joys and prayers of Thanksgiving, and let us not forget, we are to be still and silent as well to listen for his word or his silence.

Reading the psalms are also a great way to pray because they cover the full range of our human emotion and prayer; prayers of blessing, petition, intercession, thanksgiving, and praise. We will even come across a reading like Psalm 88, which we feel does not appeal to us at the moment, as it is such a psalm of despair, yet someone is feeling that prayer and we can read and pray it for others.

Jesus also shares today with his disciples and us the Lord’s Prayer or Our Father. This is a gift of prayer as it presents two ways to pray, through rote and as a model for all prayer. A rote prayer is one that we memorize word for word. The blessing of a rote prayer is we can pray it in communion with others, as we all know the same words. Another important gift of rote prayers is that we can pray them when we are physically in pain or emotionally distraught when we feel we can’t pray. Having prayed the Our Father daily, it is a prayer we can lean on to give us strength through the storms of our life. Praying the Our Father gives us the words to speak when we have none, and by loosening our tongues, we can then speak more freely.

The Lord’s Prayer is also a model of prayer, in that the beginning, “Our Father”, is a reminder that God is the Father of us all. His sun shines on the good and the bad alike. Our prayer begins by putting our self in his presence. He is with us even when we seem afraid, forgotten, misunderstood, or alone. Our Father loves us and is only a word away. Calling on his name is a reminder that he is always present with us and he hasn’t forsaken us. He provides our daily bread and forgives us as we forgive others.

May we make some time today to pray the Our Father slowly. Allow our present situation in life to enter into our recitation. When we invoke the words, “Our Father”, stop and share with him our intentions and petitions, share with him what comes to mind; our joys, sorrows, or struggles, and seek his guidance as we seek his will that we can participate with him on earth as it is in heaven. Word by word, phrase by phrase, enter into a loving dialogue, remembering that the best dialogue also allows each party involved to spend some time listening to the other. Maybe by making some time to listen to God, we can listen to each other better. As St Mother Teresa taught, “God speaks in the silence of our hearts.” May this prayer lead us from temptation that we may be more open to follow his will today as God delivers us from all evil.

Photo: Painting of Jesus that my maternal grandparents had in their bedroom that was passed on to us and is now in our bedroom.

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, February 19, 2018:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022018.cfm

How we treat each other matters. How we speak to each other or about each other matters. Even how we think about each other matters, because our actions come from our thoughts. If we are able to be mindful of how we think we can be more aware of our actions. We do not have to immediately react, we can think before we act. We can discern how what we are about to do will affect the person before us.

Jesus is very clear in today’s Gospel from Matthew, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25:45). Because we are interconnected with one another, what we do to one another affects everyone. When we throw a stone into the middle of a pond, the ripples of the water circle out to touch the bank and even beyond the bank.

St. Mother Teresa called this verse her five finger gospel which she taught each person in her order and each person she had the opportunity to pass it on to. Each finger represented the words: you – did – it – to – me. When we entertain a thought today, are about to form a word, and are about to follow through on an action, may we first look at the five fingers of our hand before following through. Would we continue to think the thought, say the word, or follow through on the action if Jesus was in front of us? Because he is. For what we do to each other we do to Jesus.

Give somebody five today!

Photo: A CN high five moment!

Link for St Mother Teresa sharing her five finger gospel, starts about 30 seconds in:

Link for the Mass readings for February, 19, 2018:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021918.cfm

“The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days,
tempted by Satan” (Mark 1:12-13). Jesus experiences the temptations of Satan, the one who tempted Adam and Eve, the father of lies, the accuser, the slanderer. Satan is one who seeks division and we dismiss the reality of his presence at great risk. On the other hand, we give him more power than he deserves. Jesus is tempted, but unlike Adam and Eve, he does not give in. Jesus remains grounded in the will of his Father and so Satan has no power over him.

We need to remember that the weakest Christian is more powerful than Satan himself because we can call on the name of Jesus. This is not some magic incantation, but when we call on the name of Jesus, he is present with us, the fullness of his humanity and his divinity. God has given Jesus the name above every other name so that as his word is spoken, every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth (cf. Philippians 2:9-10). Just as a floodlight shines in the darkness, the darkness gives way to the light. This is even more true with Jesus. Where he is, no evil can remain.

I had a dream some eight to ten years ago now, I am not sure of the exact time, but it is still just as vivid. I was sitting on a couch on the first floor of a house. The scene shifted so that I was seeing myself sitting on the couch from above and then my view was redirected to the attic. I witnessed a misshapen, dark figure rummaging through old boxes and newspapers. He embodied pure evil. I was then back in my body and knew this creature was moving out of the attic and coming down the stairs to the room I was sitting in. My heart was pounding and I felt petrified as I heard his steps drawing closer. I was frozen in fear. In a few more moments, he came into view. What I saw was not the figure in the attic, but just a man, but I knew it was him. As he continued closer my fear increased then a hymn came to mind. He stopped the moment I began to sing, my fear began to dissipate and I woke up.

Evil tends to present itself at first as an apparent good, as attractive, as normal, otherwise, we would reject it outright. Satan and his demons are active through whispers and nudges, they look for our weaknesses and through the same tactics as peer pressure, seek to inject their poison and manipulate our actions. I am not talking about possession here, I am just talking about their divisive influence. The most dangerous evil is the one masked in faith. Someone who can speak the verses of a Bible and quote chapter and verse does not a Christian make. The devil can do the same thing.

I was not only stunned by yet another mass shooting last week but more so that this was the eighteenth school shooting this year. Each day we need to examine our conscience and assess honestly who we are serving. As with the Parable of the Talents, we cannot sit on our hands and do nothing like the wicked servant. That is the most effective tool Satan has, that he can influence us to do nothing in the face of the dehumanization of the person in all of its forms. We rationalize different reasons why we might support what we know is unacceptable in ourselves as well as others, then we begin the slide into gossip, prejudicial, and/or divisive talk, that lead to actions, such as the centurions who placed a robe and crown of thorns on the bloody, scourged body of Jesus and mocked him.

May this icon of Jesus mocked be a light that reveals to us all those, even in the smallest ways, who have been belittled, demeaned or degraded in our thoughts, and through our words, and/or actions, and those we have supported for doing the same, because what we do to the least among us, we do it to Jesus (cf. Mt 25:35-45). Let us seek God’s forgiveness for the part we have played in spreading the darkness of the father of lies.

When we are divided, talking at or over each other, we will not solve any issue let alone the issue of violence in this country. Nothing changes, we and our youth become more desensitized to the violence around us. There is no quick fix, and it will take a unified effort to be able to listen to each other and work together to find a solution. One shift we need to make is to reclaim a culture of life. Jesus calls us to recognize the dignity of the person from the moment of conception until natural death and at each stage in between, to empower the dignity of each person we encounter, and seek to bring about reconciliation and unity in our realm of influence. Protecting the dignity of the person needs to be our starting point in addressing any policy issue.

Do we fall short? Yes, all of us do every day. We need to resist beating ourselves up because that is another trap, another lie. We need to assess our day, our thoughts, actions, and words with humility thank God where we have said yes to his will and followed through on acting where he has led us, where we have loved, and ask for forgiveness for where we have come up short. May we begin each day seeking to give our life, more and more to our loving God and so leaving less and less room for the allurements of Satan. When tempted, call on the name of Jesus, or sing in his name! As St Augustine wrote, the one who sings prays twice.

May we spend time praying today for Parkland, and all areas in our country and world impacted by violence. But let us not stop there. Let us pray that we all may be advocates of supporting the dignity of life in each and every person we encounter and may we be moved to action to impress on our leadership, on the town, state, and federal level, for those life issues that God moves us to support.

Thank you Deacon Greg Kandra for inspiring me to go a little deeper this Sunday.

https://aleteia.org/blogs/deacon-greg-kandra/this-just-cant-go-on-homily-for-february-18-2018-1st-sunday-of-lent/#.Wogeokx1MYk.facebook

Photo: Jesus covered with purple robe and crown of thorns, side chapel in the Mission San Luis del Rey de Francis, Oceanside, CA

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, February 18, 2018:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021818.cfm

Think about how good we feel having come to be on the other side of healing from a bad cold or the flu, recovering from a twisted ankle, a broken collar bone, or other health condition. We experience a feeling of wholeness that was missing during the midst of our suffering where we may have pondered a time or two whether or not we would ever get better. The same can be said for estranged relationships. There is a distance of separation that can be agonizing, an inner gut wrenching experience that gnaws away at us. When there is a reconciliation and healing, a mending of the brokenness of relationships, we can experience such a relief, a lightness and joy, that we could have never imagined possible.

Jesus replied to the Pharisees and the scribes who questioned why he was eating with tax collectors and sinners: “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners” (Lk 5:32). A great celebration of fellowship ensued in Levi’s home because these men and women, who had been outcasts were forgiven, welcomed, embraced, loved. They belonged to the kingdom and reign of God and they were empowered to believe it. They were healed because they were willing to turn away from their sin and felt like they could float and walk on water. More importantly because they said yes to following Jesus they were reborn!  They were divinized in their willingness to participate in the life of Jesus. It was no longer they who lived, but Christ who lived in them (cf. Galatians 2:20).

We are given the same opportunity for healing when we resist rationalizing our sinful thoughts, actions, and habits. Jesus invites us each day, as he invited Levi, to follow him. When we bring our venial and mortal sins to the light we are forgiven and released from all the energy we have expended in protecting and hiding from ourselves and our God who loves us more than we can ever mess up. May we spend some time in quiet reflection today, call to mind those sins we have committed. Let us also be willing to be contrite, willing to embrace true sorrow for the harm we have inflicted with our personal sin and go to the Divine Physician in our time of prayer as well as availing ourselves with the sacrament of Reconciliation. Then so healed, may engage in penance to atone for our sins, may we forgive as we have been forgiven, may we love as we have been loved!

Photo: Super Moon over Cardinal Newman ball field, January 30, 2018.

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, February 17, 2018:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021718.cfm

Today is February 16, 2018 A.D. AD stands not for after death or analog to digital, but Anno Domini. This is a Latin phrase that means in the year of our Lord. We are living in the age of the Church, as well as an in between time: in between the time when Jesus experienced life, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven to when he will come again.

The author of Matthew shares the account of Jesus comparing himself to a bride groom: “The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast” (Mt 9:15). In a sense the bridegroom has been taken from us, in another sense, he is closer to us now than he was when he walked the earth. The fullness of his reign will be consummated when he comes again, but there can be experiences of the foretaste of heaven here and now.

We need food for our survival, but we don’t need as much as we think we do! Fasting provides and opportunity to keep our passions in check. By resisting the impulse of instant gratification, we are able to better discern between apparent goods and the actual Good in our lives. When we are able to begin to navigate through the maze of distractions, temptations, and allurements on a physical level, we can begin to go deeper to begin to see some of the demons that we feed within us such as “distrust, apathy, and resignation” that Pope Francis talked about in his Ash Wednesday homily.

Pope Francis mentioned that these three demons “deaden and paralyze the soul of a believing people.” He continued by stating that: “Lent is the ideal time to unmask these and other temptations, to allow our hearts to beat once more in tune with the vibrant heart of Jesus.” Our goal in Lent is to change our mind, to repent, renew, and reconnect. Let us turn away and resist those temptations that seek to bind us to self and align our will with Jesus, such that our hearts beat as one with his in the same rhythm so to experience the foretaste of the heavenly banquet to come!

Photo: Sacred Heart of Jesus in sanctuary of Mary Immaculate Catholic Church, West Palm Beach, FL

Link for Pope Francis homily:
https://aleteia.org/2018/02/14/pope-francis-offers-a-worksheet-for-lent-check-it-out/

Link for the readings for Friday, February 15, 2018:http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021618.cfm

Jesus said to his disciples and all who could hear him: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk 9:23). We can best take up our cross daily by putting into practice the three pillars of Lent offered yesterday, almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. These disciplines aid us in resisting the temptations to pride, power, pleasure, honor, and wealth.

May we make some time today to be still, to breath deeply, and pray about how we can put them into practice for these next forty days.

May we resist our sinful inclination to be indifferent or fearful of being present to those in need in our realm of influence, and may we instead ask God to give us the discernment and the eyes to see who among us are in need, and the courage to act, to be present with, and to give of ourselves to others.

May we commit to pray throughout the day. This often is accomplished best if we schedule set times each day to meditate on the readings of Lent, be still and rest in the Lord before the Eucharist in adoration or present in the tabernacle, pray the rosary, walk or sit among the beauty of God’s creation, and/or spend some quiet time reading a spiritual book, or the life of a saint.

May we also evaluate what we consume, what time and energy we expend, and discern, what we can fast from. Define the types of food that really aren’t healthy for us (chips!), what activities that we can let go of so we can devote more time to practices that empower, encourage, lift up others as well as ourselves. We can fast from thinking, speaking, or acting in any way that is unkind, belittling, or demeaning.

A key point in helping Lent not be a drudgery or a period of time to endure until it is over, is that when we fast from something put something else in its place that will help build a foundation for a closer walk with Jesus. Jesus asks us to take up his cross and follow him, meaning to discipline ourselves so as to free ourselves from that which enslaves us. May we embrace opportunities to give of our time, talent, and treasure to building up those in our realm of influence, to pray each day at set times and on a consistent basis. May we not only fast from: chips, but have cucumber or apple slices; from derogatory words, but choose to use encouraging and supportive words instead; and from looking out for ourselves first, and seeking instead to will the good of others. Let us take up our cross so to know better the One who died on the cross for us.

Let us keep in prayer today the community of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. May God the Father welcome into his eternal embrace those who died yesterday, may the Holy Spirit bring healing to those recovering physically, psychologically, and spiritually. May Jesus who endured the weight of the cross, guide us along a path that will lead us out of this cycle of violence.

Photo: Jesus falls, Mission San Luis del Rey de Francia, Oceanside, CA

Link for the Mass reading for Thursday, February 15, 2018:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021518.cfm

In our Gospel reading from today Jesus presents us with the three pillars of Lent, almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. With each pillar he cautions his disciples to resist the temptation of engaging in these spiritual practices such that the focus is placed on us, such that we believe we ought to receive accolades for our efforts. The purpose of almsgiving, prayer, and fasting is to grow in true humility which is placing ourselves in a posture of surrendering our will to God, to come to a place within our being that we can love as Jesus loves us, to will the good of the other as other for their own sake.

We give to others not “to win the praise of others”, not even to receive thanks, but specifically because another is in need of our help. We pray, not “that others may see” us, to puff ourselves up, but to empty ourselves out into the arms of our Father, recognizing how dependent on him we really are. We fast not “to look gloomy like the hypocrites”, so to draw attention to ourselves, but we fast to discipline ourselves such that we are not enslaved to our passions, but to discipline ourselves, to begin to: walk on the path of freedom for excellence and engage in the fullness of life God made us for.

Today as we receive our ashes, and even if there are those reading who do not, we are reminded that from dust we came and to dust we will return. We are created beings, finite beings, that are given a limited time to live our life. This is important to acknowledge so that we resist the temptation of taking our life, the gift of our time on this earth for granted. We are also reminded to repent and believe in the Gospel. Let us turn away from sinful thoughts, words, and actions, and instead turn back to face our loving God and Father who awaits us with arms wide open.

Through participating in almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, may we come to experience and embrace this Lent our restlessness, and seek not to appease our restlessness with finite, material things that will not last, but come to recognize that the only solution is to find our rest in the One who has made us for himself.

Photo: Jesus awaiting our embrace at the Rosary Garden, St Peter Catholic Church, Jupiter FL

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, February 14, 2018:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021418.cfm