May We Be Thankful
As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him (Lk 17:14-15). Ten were healed from their leprosy and only one, a Samaritan, after realizing he was healed, returned to thank Jesus.
It is a good practice to spend some time each day to reflect on what we are thankful for. To see where God has entered our lives and provided assistance. At times when we feel a bit down and out, or in a bit of a funk, often the reason may be that we are focusing, on what we do not have instead of on what we do have. There is a quote, I am not sure of the source, that goes: “I cried because I had no shoes, and then I came upon a man with no feet.” We can be so bombarded by the mass appeal to the material, that we forget the truly important realities of this life that we have been given. What are you doing this Friday?
Times of family coming together can get a bit messy. There is all the cleaning, setting up and the prep for the big dinner, the travel, the unresolved issues of life, and there are the wonderful gifts of diverse personalities and points of view. If we can periodically stop, take a breath and be thankful for the fact that we have families and friends to be messy and grumble with, we might appreciate each other a bit more.
As Jesus reminds us, we do not know the time or the hour. Life is fragile in the best case scenarios, life is also finite. We will not be here forever. November is a time in the Church when we remember those who have joined the communion of saints. I know too many families that have lost family members unexpectedly. My thoughts and prayers are with you this Thanksgiving Day. May we be open to experience our loved ones again, who are home with God, and also remember them in their pictures and our stories shared. May we also feel the warm embracing arms of our loving God and Father reminding us that we are never alone and that he cares for our loved ones who have gone before us. Life is also a gift, let us be thankful for our life and for those who share it with us. May we also remember and pray for those who may be alone, struggling, or without food and home this day.
Photo: Thanksgiving toast with my maternal grandparents Helen and Bernard Morcus. They are toasting now, where we will one day be!
Link for today’s Mass readings:
Building Bridges of “Solidarity and Fraternity”
Today we have available to us the same parable as we heard or read from this past Sunday, though with a twist. The Parable of the Talents on Sunday was from Matthew 25:14-30 and today’s Parable of the Ten Gold Coins is from Luke 19:11-28. A key difference is that in Matthew’s account, we do not know why or where the master goes after entrusting three of his servants with talents; five, two, and one respectively. In Luke’s account the man is a noble and he “went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return” (Lk 19:12). He called ten servants to invest a gold coin he gave each of them. The theme is the similar in both accounts in that when the man returns, two of the servants have invested well and brought about a greater return on their investment for their master, and one hid what he was given out of fear.
Another added feature in the Lukan account was that there were fellow citizens of the nobleman that did not want the man to be king and openly opposed him. The nobleman after attaining his kingship and returning successfully, dealt harshly, to say the least with his opposers, having them slain. Those listening to the parable would understand this outcome, as it was not uncommon in the ancient Near East for a ruler to slay those who would oppose his rise.
The readings over this week continue in this vein of eschatological talk, references to the second coming of Jesus because we are in the final two weeks of the liturgical year. Each of the readings present us with the reality that there will be a judgment by God, but what Jesus makes clear is that we are not the judge and jury, though many appropriate that role for themselves. We are only accountable to the talent or gold coin we have been entrusted with. As I mentioned on Sunday, we’ve got talent. But we can’t just sit on it.
There is much we are called by the Lord to do in helping to be a part of building up the kingdom of God in our midst. Doubts, fears, and anxieties will arise in our hearts and minds. We may say to ourselves, “I don’t even know where to begin.” One place to begin is in prayer with the one who calls us to this work of encounter, solidarity, and accompaniment. How we respond will be different for each one of us. We have been given unique gifts. May we ask God for his guidance regarding how best we can serve him, and may we seek the love of the Holy Spirit this day, that in the words of Pope Francis we may: “Have the courage to go against the tide of this culture of efficiency, this culture of waste. Encountering and welcoming everyone, [building] solidarity – a word that is being hidden by this culture, as if it were a bad word – solidarity and fraternity: these are what make our society truly human” (Pope Francis 2014, 61). Italics and bold mine.
Photo: Pond at St Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary
Francis, Pope. The Church of Mercy: A Vision For the Church. Chicago: Loyola Press, 2014.
Link for today’s Mass readings:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/112217.cfm
Let’s Stop Grumbling and Start Healing
Again, the crowd gets in the way of someone seeking access to Jesus. The wall of people does not appear to be overtly keeping Zacchaeus from seeing Jesus, as they may be so focused on seeing him themselves that they are not aware another cannot see. There is also the possibility that the people were aware, they knew Zacchaeus, and many judged him to be the sinner of sinners, as he was the chief tax collector of the area. Each time Zacchaeus nudged by to get through a gap to get a better look, the individuals may have time and again closed the gap such that Zacchaeus could not get through.
Zacchaeus though would not be thwarted in his effort to see Jesus. He would climb a sycamore tree. From his perch he was not only able to see Jesus, Jesus saw him and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” Jesus did not see a tax collector or a sinner, he saw a seeker. As with yesterday’s reading, the crowd only saw a blind beggar, and today they tried not to see the tax collector, Jesus saw Bartimaeus yesterday and today he saw Zacchaeus. He saw his brothers.
Jesus did not see the 99% and he did not see the 1%, Jesus saw people who were in need of compassion and mercy. Jesus did not meet Zacchaeus with judgment, but with love and acceptance as he was, and that made all the difference for conversion to happen. Zacchaeus responded to Jesus’ invitation with the words: “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” Jesus does not judge Zacchaeus, he sees his open heart of faith. Zacchaeus is moved by Jesus’ acceptance of him as he is, as a person with dignity, and he repents as a response to the love he has received.
We need to follow the lead of Jesus and start seeing each other as human beings. One way to do so is to resist the temptation to “grumble”, to gossip, to pre-judge, to dehumanize one another, and to see beyond the exterior of the person to the heart and character of the person. To do that, we need to be willing to encounter one another, to walk with one another, to accompany and spend time with one another.
May we move from a people who seek to define and limit ourselves by our identity, and instead seek to open ourselves up to being people of integrity. This means resisting the temptation of building walls that protect ourselves from others and instead building bridges of dialogue and embracing the gift of diversity. Integrity means that we will be aware, we will stand with and stand up for someone who is ignored, belittled, dehumanized, harassed, discriminated against, ridiculed, abused, objectified, persecuted, segregated, and prevented access no matter their gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, income level, class, political party, religion or none. Life is hard enough, so let’s stop grumbling and start healing, let’s stop preventing access and start opening opportunities, and let’s stop closing ourselves within and begin to open our arms wide to embrace and accompany one another as we journey with Jesus.
Photo: Entrance to Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center
Link for today’s Mass readings:
The Face of God’s Mercy
He shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more,”Son of David, have pity on me” (Lk 18:38-39)!
The difference between the blind man who shouted to Jesus and the people walking in front of Jesus was that the man knew he was blind. Those preventing access to Jesus were not aware of their spiritual blindness. Luke does not say why the people were preventing access to Jesus, just as Jesus in his parable of the Good Samaritan did not say why the priest or the Levite did not help the man dying on the road to Jericho.
Why would the people prevent the man from having access to Jesus? Especially since he was asking for pity, or mercy. One practical reason could be time. They were on the way to Jericho, their mind was set to get there, and stay on schedule they would. Another could be that the man was a beggar. He was not seen to have dignity and worth, so they attempted to quiet him and he could go back to being invisible. The Jericho road was a dangerous road, maybe this was just a set up, a way to lure Jesus into an ambush.
Ultimately, we do not know why they prevented the man access. The more important question is how often do we prevent others from accessing Jesus for similar reasons? We do not have the time, they are other than us, so we too may not see their dignity and worth as human beings, and/or we are afraid of difference so we keep others at arm’s length.
Jesus responded differently to the call of the beggar. He stopped and had the blind man brought to him. He made the time, saw him as a fellow brother with dignity and worth, and he took the risk to reach out to someone in need and healed him. As Pope Francis has said, “[Jesus] understands human sufferings, he has shown the face of God’s mercy, and he has bent down to heal body and soul. This is Jesus. This is his heart” (The Church of Mercy, opening page).
This is to be our response as well. Even if we do not understand the suffering of another, Jesus does. We are invited to stop, to be present, to enter the chaos of another, and trust that Jesus will be present through us to provide mercy to another. We are to resist indifference and fear and to see each person we encounter, not as other, but as a fellow human being with dignity and worth. We show this best by making the time for others. May Jesus heal our blindness that we may see the dignity and worth of each person that we meet today, so that those we encounter see in us the face of God’s mercy.
Link for today’s Mass readings:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/112017.cfm
We’ve Got Talent!
Today’s reading for Sunday returns to the Gospel of Matthew and the well-known Parable of the Talents. The master is about to embark on a journey and while he is away he entrusts his servants with talents; the first with five talents, the second with two, and the third one talent. Scripture scholars debate on the exact amount of a talent and any definitive number is lost to us today. The point is that it was a significantly large sum.
Even deeper than the amount, God has given each of us unique gifts and has charged us to invest in making the kingdom of God present and relevant to others. Fear and anxiety, as they did with the third servant, are temptations that arise in all of us. I have felt both throughout my life since my early youth. Fortunately, God has given me the courage to rise above those temptations, such as speaking in public. Had I given in, I would not be a teacher, nor a deacon today. Anxieties and fears still arise for me, as recently as this past summer during my once a week homily sharings at our parish 8:00 am Masses. Time and again, I have turned to the Holy Spirit and he has walked with me through these trials.
As I have embarked on this new evangelization of sharing the Gospel through social media, I was not sure how it would be received or if it would be received. Yet, again I trusted that it was God inspiring me to step out in faith, and he has given me the words to type each day; even on those days in which I sit and stare at a blank white screen when nothing seems to come, the Holy Spirit (I pray) has continued to be present to guide me to offer something coherent and relevant to help others in their faith journey.
We’ve got talent! God has something for all of us to share in our own unique way. If you are reading these words, I encourage you to trust in those intuitions that God is inspiring you with. May we say yes to sharing the unique gifts we have been given to help to bring light and healing to a tired and weary world. If we cling to them they will wither and fade, if we share them they will multiply. The best way is to start small, take baby steps. Each time we step out of our comfort zone we take a risk. True enough, but God will provide the means and he will send others to support and help us to fulfill what he calls each of us to accomplish. Another point that may help ease the anxiety when it arises, is to realize that it is God’s work and not our own. We are inspired to express not impress through our words, actions, and/or faces. My prayers are with you as we journey together to bring about the joy, mercy, love, and glory of God to others!
Photo from my first Mass after being ordained. St Peter pray for us!
Link for today’s Mass readings:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/111917.cfm
Persistence in Prayer is a Plus
Today’s Parable of the Persistent Widow piggybacks off of Jesus guiding the Pharisees, and indirectly his disciples, away from being so concerned with the time or the hour of the end times, and instead being patient and trusting in God’s timing and plan. What was more important was to recognize the kingdom of God in their midst and freeing oneself from the attachments to the finite and material pleasures of this world. Along with this patience, Jesus affirms the attribute of persistence that was shown by the widow going to the unjust judge.
Persistence in prayer is not changing God. We are not wearing him down like the woman did with the judge. God does not need us, we need him. Our persistence changes us, helps us to develop our relationship by interacting with him more consistently. Things happening in our lives help us to see that we are fragile and vulnerable and in need of help. Our persistence in prayer, especially when we are in need, helps us to become more patient and to become more aware that, sometimes, what we believe is a crisis is not that much of one when some time passes. In fact, the practice of stopping everything and praying for five minutes when a crisis arises, often helps us to resist slipping into a fight or flight mode, helps us to resist reacting, and some breathing, while praying helps us to act more wisely than impulsively. We may also come to see that what we thought was a crisis, was more of a problem to be solved than something catastrophic. Our instant reactions to perceived crisis, can often escalate an issue rather than de-escalate one.
In the greater scope of things, God does answer all prayers of petition or intercession by saying yes, no, or not yet! Most seem to fall in the not yet category, which opens our hearts and minds to his will and conforming our will to his. Our time of unanswered prayers helps us to move our mindset away from seeking instant gratification, to one where we trust in God’s timing. Sometimes we become grateful for what appears to be unanswered prayers because what we thought was for our highest hope and good, with time, hindsight, some distance, we find the original request was more an apparent than an actual good. As the line in the Garth Brooks song goes, “Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers.”
Persistence in prayer is also a discipline that deepens the roots of our relationship with God. Many of our neighbors have water systems for their lawns. The roots of their grass pretty much grow horizontally, seeking the ready access to water, while our roots grow deeper seeking the water that is not as readily available. When the drought season comes our grass is heartier and withstands until the rains return. Ready access through our modern technology, higher internet speeds, one click access, overnight shipping can offer plusses, but we have to be careful that this mindset does not also form our mental, psychological, and spiritual growth. We will not instantly be physically fit, wise, or enlightened. Development of our personhood takes time, experience, discipline, prayer, and trust in God’s plan for our lives.
Patience, persistence in prayer, freeing ourselves from attachment, developing an authentic relationship with God and one another are all worth the time and effort. May we take some time to breathe deeply, slow down our pace, discipline ourselves to resist even small acts of instant gratification today. Let us look back with hindsight upon those experiences in which what we initially sought from God in prayer actually changed over time to something better than our initial request, and be grateful for trusting in his guiding hand instead of our impulsiveness. May we also see those experiences in which we felt we should change course or give up but instead were persistent in prayer which brought about fruitful results! Let us be faithful and consistent in prayer, assured that our loving God and Father is with us, he has our back, he will guide us through any trial or tribulation we are going through, and that he is our unlimited source for all that is Good, Beautiful, and True in our life!
Photo: Cardinal Newman Chapel
Link for today’s Mass readings:
May We See the Kingdom of God in Our Midst.
In yesterday and today’s Gospel account from Luke 17:20-37, Jesus responds to the Pharisees questions about “when the kingdom of God would come” (Lk 17:20). We read how during the time of Noah and during the time of Lot many were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, buying, selling, planting, building. In effect, none had any clue about the impending calamity of the flood or the destruction of the city. They were so absorbed in their own pursuits and desires they neglected their relationship with God, and more importantly missed the invitation of God for their salvation. The only ones who survived were a small faithful remnant who were aware and listened.
Another focal point was on those who were attached to material and finite things. When the final hour came, people on the rooftop or in the field were directed not to go back and get their possessions. Much as we would guide someone today not to go into their home that was on fire, the priority was placed on the safety of the person and their family not their possessions. As Jesus pointed out succinctly, “Remember the wife of Lot” (Lk 17:32). Lot left and encouraged her to leave Sodom, she did physically but could not resist looking back, she was too tied to what she was leaving behind, and so she lost herself to her attachments, instead of keeping her face wet forward, being open to the promise of freedom ahead.
Matthew adds the words of Jesus in his gospel stating that only the Father knows the time or the hour as to when the end will come (cf. Mt 24:36). The point that Jesus was making is that spending time speculating when the end will come is a pointless pursuit. What is important is to be aware of the kingdom of God which is at hand now. The priority is developing a relationship with God now. If we are only going to prepare at the final hour that time may be too late, remember the Parable of the Ten Virgins from Sunday. The wise virgins were those who were prepared to enter the wedding feast when the bridegroom came because they had enough oil to light their lamps. Those foolish virgins that did not prepare, had to go to purchase oil, and upon their return the door was shut, and the horrible words they heard were, “‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Mt 25:1-13).
A possible way to bring Jesus’ point a little closer to home is an example from my experience in the classroom. I might be sharing who God is, how we can build a relationship with him, an insight from Scripture that we just read together, a particular discipline of prayer like the Examen, how it is possible to be chaste as teens and adults, even with the recent flurry of examples to the contrary on the news! A hand will arise, my anticipation arises with it that the student will be seeking to go deeper into the discussion but then asks, “Is this going to be on the test?” The best case scenario is the student is being diligent to be sure they have the important material.
Often though the question parallels that of the Pharisees asking, “When will the kingdom of God come?” Both address not the intrinsic value of growing as a person, developing a relationship with God and one another, but each of the queries are more concerned with a minimalist approach to get by so they can get back to their own self satisfying pursuit. What Jesus shared with the Pharisees and what I share with my students is that the kingdom of God is right at hand! All we need to do is reach right out and grasp his hand and walk with him.
For the Pharisees, this meant letting go of what was becoming a dead letter and participating with the living reality of God in their midst. With my students this means praying the course instead of completing the course. So many of us are caught up in the day to day affairs of existing, we are so busy, that we are no longer really living. Jesus is inviting us to wake up, to breathe, to slow down, to be aware that he walks among us, and we are called, as was Lot’s wife, to keep our focus on God. Instead of becoming attached to material and finite things may we keep our focus on the things that are above.
Lord Jesus help us to recognize that we are caught up in the business of life and we are attached to too many things. Help our minds and hearts to be open, such that we, in the words of Pope Francis, “understand what faith means when we open ourselves to the immense love of God that changes us inwardly and enables us to see our lives with new eyes” (Walking, 12). Eyes that see the kingdom of God in our midst.
Photo: Hiking in California December 2015, with JoAnn, Jack, and Christy
Walking With Pope Francis: Thirty Days with the Encyclical The Light of Faith. New London, CT., Twenty Third Publications, 2013.
Link for today’s Gospel readings:
The Kingdom of God is in Our Midst
Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus said in reply, “The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you” (Lk 17:20-21).
The Pharisees were scrutinizing Jesus’ every word and action, unfortunately, with a hard heart. They weren’t looking for the truth, they were looking for ways to accuse him, to catch him, to have cause to show him to be a fraud. They were closed to the actual events happening around Jesus that the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, lepers are healed, the dead have arisen, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them (cf. Matthew 11:5).
They missed the very reality that the Kingdom of God was in their midst. We see this very much today through a mental posture of “scientism”. This is the belief that the only reality is that which can be measured empirically, through the five senses. Scientists have brought about advances and innovations that we enjoy today, but science is limited to the physical, material, finite realm of existence. There is a reality beyond the physical, what we would commonly term as the spiritual. That which transcends time and space in the three dimensional reality that we experience through our senses. We understand the world around us best when we embrace both reason and faith.
If our mind is closed to an idea, a reality, a belief we will not only resist believing, we will also seek rationalizations to explain it away. We brush off acts of synchronicity, such as thinking about someone and then they give you a call, as mere coincidence. The one who believes in a spiritual reality of interconnectedness beyond what which we can measure in a finite way, might call these incidences, not coincidences, but God-incidences.
God cannot be solved, we cannot prove him like a problem because God is not in the genus of being, he is not an animal, a human, an angelic, spiritual, or even as supreme being. There are no words to adequately describe him. We can say more about what he is not than what or who he is! The best attempts we have are in the phrasing of St Thomas Aquinas, that God is an Infinite Act of Existence. Or as God said to Moses, “I am, who am” (Exodus 3:14). He is completely transcendent, beyond the grasp of our finite minds.
God cannot be solved or proven, but he, as our creator, can certainly be experienced. We can develop a relationship with him as we develop a relationship with other people. We are able to do so because he reaches out to us in his love. As far beyond the grasp of our comprehension as he is, at the same time he is also closer to us than we are to ourselves. The most unique and powerful way we come to know the Father is through the God man, Jesus, who is fully divine as Son of God and fully human, born of Mary. Jesus reveals the Father to us. As we spend time with Jesus, in personal and communal prayer and worship, through his Word, in the sacraments, through our interactions and service with one another, and as we follow the lead and intuitions of the Holy Spirit we come to know the Father. As Jesus said to Philip, “Whoever has seen me, has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9).
The Kingdom of God is among us. Jesus, help us to know you so that we can experience the Father. Help our minds and hearts to be open and aware of the Kingdom of God operating in our lives today. Help us to identify those sinful areas that distract and block us from entering into a deeper relationship with you. Free us from our fears and anxieties that keep us bound so that we may experience and share the forgiveness, mercy, and grace of God the Father through the love of the Holy Spirit so that we can help others to experience the Kingdom of God as well.
Photo: Painting hanging at Cardinal Newman on the second floor near the 400’s hallway.
Link for today’s Mass readings:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/111617.cfm
Faith in the Healing of Jesus
Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you” (Lk 17:17-19).
Bloodline doesn’t matter, gender doesn’t matter, nation doesn’t matter, ethnicity or race doesn’t matter. Ask Mary the mother of Jesus, ask the woman who suffered from hemorrhages for twelve years, ask the Roman centurion whose slave was dying, ask the Samaritan leper what matters. Each of them will share with us that what matters is our faith in Jesus the Christ.
The lifeblood of Christianity is our belief and faith in Jesus, the Son of God, who made his dwelling among us. St Irenaeus of Lyons (born in Smyrna about 135-140 AD and died about 202-203 AD) in his work Against the Heresies wrote: “The Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, who did through His transcendent love, become what we are, that he might bring us to be even what He is himself.” – Jesus became one with us so we could be one with him!
Let us take some quiet time to thank Jesus today, for our very life, his constant presence, and his wonderful gift of the invitation to share in his divinity. Rest in his healing, nurturing embrace, inhale deeply. Allow all the tensions and anxieties to release such that our shoulders come down out of your ears. Be still and open your heart and mind to experience the wonder and joy of the same healing presence experienced by those in the Gospels.
Allow yourself to be touched by his love, his mercy, and his grace, and let the tears come if they arise. Stay as long as you like embraced by the shepherd. Let his love wash over you and through you. May our trust in him, our belief in him, and our faith in him deepen, such that when we do rise and go forth into our day, we share that same peace, love, joy, and divinity that we have just experienced and received.
Painting: The Sacred Heart of Jesus by Charles Bosseron Chambers
Link for today’s Mass readings:
