IInd Sunday of Easter- Divine Mercy Sunday
Perhaps you've heard the story of the Yugoslavian judge who was electrocuted when he reached up to turn on the light while standing in the bathtub. This guy’s poor wife found his body sprawled on the bathroom floor. He was pronounced dead and was placed in a preparation room under a crypt in the town cemetery for twenty-four hours before burial.
Well, in the middle of the night, the judge came to life. The judge looked around at his surroundings and suddenly realized where he was. He got pretty excited and rushed over to alert the guard. But instead of being any help, the guard was terrified and promptly ran off.
Fortunately, though, the guard returned with a friend, and they released the newly-revived judge. The judge's first thought was to phone his wife and reassure her that he really wasn't dead. Unfortunately, he got no farther than, "Honey... it's me," when his wife screamed and fainted.
So, he decided that the best course of action was to enlist some friends. He went to the houses of several friends; but because they all had heard the news from his distraught wife, they all doubted that he was really alive. They were all convinced he was a ghost.
Finally, in a last desperate effort, he contacted a friend in another city who hadn't heard about his death. And that person was able to convince his family and friends that the judge really was alive. This story almost sounds like one of the Gospel writers could have written it.
Thomas thought seeing is believing, but Jesus told him, believing is seeing. On this Second Sunday of Easter, we always hear the Gospel of Doubting Thomas proclaimed. This Gospel always leaves us pondering two main questions: “Why do we have doubts?” and, “Why do we have faith?”
The story of "doubting Thomas" is presented as a warning to those of us who have trouble trusting the spiritual side of life. We often assume that those who knew Jesus in the flesh had a great advantage over the rest of us and we may even envy them. In fact, however, the risen Lord is far more present to us now in the Spirit than he ever was in the flesh.
It is interesting that the story that gives Thomas his infamous nickname, doubting Thomas, is the same story that has Thomas making an earth shattering confession of faith. Look at his confession, "My Lord, and my God." Not teacher. Not Lord. Not Messiah. But God! It is the only place where Jesus is called God without qualification of any kind. It is uttered with conviction as if Thomas was simply recognizing a fact, just as 2 + 2 = 4, and the sun is in the sky. You are my Lord and my God! These are certainly not the words of a doubter. Finally Thomas came to believe that Without faith, no evidence is sufficient; with faith, no evidence is necessary.
Faith is not just an idea. It is more than that. It is believing in the power of God to transform us. Thomas believed that Jesus had the supreme power to change the lives of all beings. That is why he acclaimed him Lord and God.
Theologian Karl Barth once remarked that to say the old line from the creed, "I believe in the Holy Catholic Church" does not mean that we believe in the church. It means rather to believe that God is present and at work in the church, that "in this assembly, the work of the Holy Spirit takes place. ... We do not believe in the Church: but we do believe that in this congregation the work of the Holy Spirit becomes an event."
The tragedy that happened with Thomas was that he had separated himself from the disciples and therefore, in his solitude, missed the resurrection appearance. I think that john is suggesting to us that Christ appears most often within the community of believers that we call the church, and when we separate ourselves from the church we take a chance on missing his unique presence.
The moment we keep ourselves away from the believing community we run the risk of losing the redeeming presence of the Lord. The Lord promised his abiding presence with his believing community. When two or three are gathered together in your name, I will be in your midst. I will be with you till the end of the world..
We have faith because Jesus has given us life. The tomb is empty, but our lives are full. Jesus Christ is our deepest love. His presence makes all life worthwhile. His presence is a guarantee of eternal life. His presence is a guarantee of eternal love.
Thomas said: "I will not believe unless I see." This "seeing" is what others demand of us. They ask that we reflect Jesus, the Risen Lord, in our lives, by selfless love, unconditional forgiveness and humble service.
Let us have the courage of our convictions to share our faith as St. Thomas did, going all the way to India to spread his personal experience of His Lord and God. We are not to keep the gift of faith locked in our hearts, but to share it with our children, our families and our neighbors.
This Sunday is also called Divine Mercy Sunday. When we consider our human condition with all our doubts and with our need for faith, we have a deeper understanding that we live under the mercy of God. Of all the Apostles, perhaps Doubting Thomas experienced this mercy most dramatically. Jesus wasn’t offended by Thomas’ hesitation and resistance, he was just eager to get his faith back.
We are all Doubting Thomases. We all resist God's action in our lives in one way or another, get mad at him, don't trust him, and rebel against him. In his conversations with St Faustina, Jesus promised to unleash on the world a flood of mercy. The flood hasn't yet reached every heart. All we need to do is keep ever on our lips that prayer that he himself taught to St Faustina: Jesus, I trust in you.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Easter Homily
EASTER -2010;: ACTS 10:34, 37-43;: COL 3:1-4;: JOHN 20: 1-9
The late Catholic Archbishop of Hartford, John Whealon, who had undergone cancer surgery resulting in a permanent colostomy, wrote these very personal words in one of his last Easter messages: "I am now a member of an association of people who have been wounded by cancer. That association has as its symbol the phoenix bird of Egyptian mythology. When the bird felt its death was near, every 500 to 1,461 years, it would fly off to Phoenicia, build a nest of aromatic wood and set itself on fire. When the bird was consumed by the flames, a new phoenix sprang forth from the ashes. Thus the phoenix bird symbolizes immortality, resurrection, and life after death. It was one of the earliest symbols of the risen Christ. In the same way, any person who has survived a struggle with cancer is considered phoenix-like, having risen from the ashes of disease and been given a new lease on life. Suddenly life becomes more precious to that person. Each hour is lived more fully. Each friend seems much more real. The sky seems more blue, the sunshine more beautiful, and the colors more vivid. Even dull and ordinary things are causes for gratitude to God.” Archbishop John Whealon could have lived in a gloomy tomb of self-pity, hopeless defeat, and chronic sadness, but his faith in the resurrected Lord opened his eyes to new visions of life.
Today, “death is dead.! Fear is no more! Death is dead!” Whatever is killing us right now, whatever grave clothes have trapped and wrapped themselves around us like a python, whatever straightjackets we find ourselves in, we can escape. We can walk into the light and experience the miracle of life. “Death is dead.” And because “death is dead,” there is a new world of new possibilities for all of humanity.
Easter declares that the tomb is not a blind alley; it is a thoroughfare. It closes on the twilight; it opens on the dawn." Mary Magdalene came to the tomb while it was still dark "but the darkness did not remain. The dawn broke. God's Son had risen.
The resurrection of Christ is the basis of our Christian faith. The Resurrection is the greatest of the miracles--it proves that Jesus is God. That is why St. Paul writes:” If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain; and your faith is in vain… And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is a delusion and you are still lost in your sins… But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (I Cor 15: 14, 17, 20). Without the Resurrection, Jesus would have remained forever a good person who met a tragic end. People would remember some of his teachings and a handful of people might try to live according to them. All the basic doctrines of Christianity are founded on the truth of the Resurrection. It is our belief in the real presence of the risen Jesus that gives meaning to our personal, as well as to our common, prayers. Our trust in the all-pervading presence of the risen Lord gives us strength to fight against temptations, and freedom from unnecessary worries and fears.
Easter reminds us that every Good Friday in our lives will have an Easter Sunday, and that Jesus will let us share the power of his resurrection. Each time we display our love of others, we share in the resurrection. Each time we face a betrayal of trust, we share in the resurrection of Jesus. Each time we fail in our attempts to ward off temptations – but keep on trying to overcome them – we share in the resurrection. Each time we continue to hope – even when our hope seems unanswered – we share in the power of Jesus’ resurrection. In short, the message of Easter is that nothing can destroy us – not pain, sin, rejection or death – because Christ has conquered all these, and we too can conquer them if we put our faith in Him.
The Easter story is not only an event, it is a way of life. The resurrection of Jesus gives Christians the hope that death is never the end, and invites us to be mindful of Easter moments in the midst of our everyday lives. Making Easter a way of life means that we turn our eyes toward resurrection each and every day, searching for its signs, believing in its truth, living into its glory.
Resurrection is good news, but at the same time, it’s sometimes painful because it involves death. Before the power of the resurrection can take hold in our own lives, we’re called to die to sin, to die to self. We may even have to die to our own dreams, so that God can do what He wants to do with our lives. Resurrection is about seeing our world in a new way. Early that Easter morning, Mary did not find what she was looking for, the dead body of Jesus. But she found something better than she could have imagined: the risen Jesus. Sometimes, the things we think we want most are not granted to us. What we get instead is an experience of God’s new ways of working in the world. That’s the power of the resurrection. When those moments come, we must spread the news--just as Mary did: We have seen the Lord!
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb while it was still dark. But the darkness was soon overcome with light. Maybe that's the message you need to hear this day. Perhaps for whatever reason you are in darkness right now. Family concerns. Problems at work. Anxiety about your health and your future. The loss of someone you love. Easter promises us more than the stars in our darkness. Easter promises us that in the midst of our deepest darkness the Son rises to overwhelm the darkness forever.
As we celebrate this Easter Sunday, the greatest Sunday of the year, let us resolve to make our Sundays different, different than the way a non-catholic lives his Sunday. Let’s resolve to honor the Lord not only with our voices, but also with our hearts. Let’s promise him that between now and the Pentecost we will use our creativity to make our Sundays different. Let’s not just enjoy Easter, let’s let it change our lives. Christ’s resurrection is not just a nice idea; it is the power of eternal life at work in us. Let’s open our hearts for the power of Christ’s resurrection seep into the depths of our minds and hearts.
The late Catholic Archbishop of Hartford, John Whealon, who had undergone cancer surgery resulting in a permanent colostomy, wrote these very personal words in one of his last Easter messages: "I am now a member of an association of people who have been wounded by cancer. That association has as its symbol the phoenix bird of Egyptian mythology. When the bird felt its death was near, every 500 to 1,461 years, it would fly off to Phoenicia, build a nest of aromatic wood and set itself on fire. When the bird was consumed by the flames, a new phoenix sprang forth from the ashes. Thus the phoenix bird symbolizes immortality, resurrection, and life after death. It was one of the earliest symbols of the risen Christ. In the same way, any person who has survived a struggle with cancer is considered phoenix-like, having risen from the ashes of disease and been given a new lease on life. Suddenly life becomes more precious to that person. Each hour is lived more fully. Each friend seems much more real. The sky seems more blue, the sunshine more beautiful, and the colors more vivid. Even dull and ordinary things are causes for gratitude to God.” Archbishop John Whealon could have lived in a gloomy tomb of self-pity, hopeless defeat, and chronic sadness, but his faith in the resurrected Lord opened his eyes to new visions of life.
Today, “death is dead.! Fear is no more! Death is dead!” Whatever is killing us right now, whatever grave clothes have trapped and wrapped themselves around us like a python, whatever straightjackets we find ourselves in, we can escape. We can walk into the light and experience the miracle of life. “Death is dead.” And because “death is dead,” there is a new world of new possibilities for all of humanity.
Easter declares that the tomb is not a blind alley; it is a thoroughfare. It closes on the twilight; it opens on the dawn." Mary Magdalene came to the tomb while it was still dark "but the darkness did not remain. The dawn broke. God's Son had risen.
The resurrection of Christ is the basis of our Christian faith. The Resurrection is the greatest of the miracles--it proves that Jesus is God. That is why St. Paul writes:” If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain; and your faith is in vain… And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is a delusion and you are still lost in your sins… But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (I Cor 15: 14, 17, 20). Without the Resurrection, Jesus would have remained forever a good person who met a tragic end. People would remember some of his teachings and a handful of people might try to live according to them. All the basic doctrines of Christianity are founded on the truth of the Resurrection. It is our belief in the real presence of the risen Jesus that gives meaning to our personal, as well as to our common, prayers. Our trust in the all-pervading presence of the risen Lord gives us strength to fight against temptations, and freedom from unnecessary worries and fears.
Easter reminds us that every Good Friday in our lives will have an Easter Sunday, and that Jesus will let us share the power of his resurrection. Each time we display our love of others, we share in the resurrection. Each time we face a betrayal of trust, we share in the resurrection of Jesus. Each time we fail in our attempts to ward off temptations – but keep on trying to overcome them – we share in the resurrection. Each time we continue to hope – even when our hope seems unanswered – we share in the power of Jesus’ resurrection. In short, the message of Easter is that nothing can destroy us – not pain, sin, rejection or death – because Christ has conquered all these, and we too can conquer them if we put our faith in Him.
The Easter story is not only an event, it is a way of life. The resurrection of Jesus gives Christians the hope that death is never the end, and invites us to be mindful of Easter moments in the midst of our everyday lives. Making Easter a way of life means that we turn our eyes toward resurrection each and every day, searching for its signs, believing in its truth, living into its glory.
Resurrection is good news, but at the same time, it’s sometimes painful because it involves death. Before the power of the resurrection can take hold in our own lives, we’re called to die to sin, to die to self. We may even have to die to our own dreams, so that God can do what He wants to do with our lives. Resurrection is about seeing our world in a new way. Early that Easter morning, Mary did not find what she was looking for, the dead body of Jesus. But she found something better than she could have imagined: the risen Jesus. Sometimes, the things we think we want most are not granted to us. What we get instead is an experience of God’s new ways of working in the world. That’s the power of the resurrection. When those moments come, we must spread the news--just as Mary did: We have seen the Lord!
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb while it was still dark. But the darkness was soon overcome with light. Maybe that's the message you need to hear this day. Perhaps for whatever reason you are in darkness right now. Family concerns. Problems at work. Anxiety about your health and your future. The loss of someone you love. Easter promises us more than the stars in our darkness. Easter promises us that in the midst of our deepest darkness the Son rises to overwhelm the darkness forever.
As we celebrate this Easter Sunday, the greatest Sunday of the year, let us resolve to make our Sundays different, different than the way a non-catholic lives his Sunday. Let’s resolve to honor the Lord not only with our voices, but also with our hearts. Let’s promise him that between now and the Pentecost we will use our creativity to make our Sundays different. Let’s not just enjoy Easter, let’s let it change our lives. Christ’s resurrection is not just a nice idea; it is the power of eternal life at work in us. Let’s open our hearts for the power of Christ’s resurrection seep into the depths of our minds and hearts.
Friday, March 12, 2010
IVth Sunday of Lent
IVth Sunday of Lent.JOSHUA 5:9, 10-12;: II COR. 5: 17-21;Gosple: LK 15:1-3, 11-32
Charles Dickens the greatest story writer in English said” The parable of the prodigal son is called "the greatest short story in the world". We have heard the story so many times so much so we believe that we have squeezed it dry of meaning. The younger son, who had gone off and squandered his inheritance and almost lost his life, finally comes to his senses, remembers his father's goodness and wisdom and decides to come home. Then St Luke tells us: "While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him... He ran to his son..." It's as if the Father was standing every day on the roof, looking off into the distance, hoping that his lost son would return. As soon as he sees him he rushes towards him.
God never stops hoping that we will come to him. He has his eyes on us all the time, not to pounce on us when we mess up, but to run to us, embrace us, kiss us, and clothe us with the robe of his grace and the sandals of divine sonship (servants went barefoot in ancient households, but family members wore sandals). This active, unconditional love of God is the source of Christian joy. The devil likes to make us forget about it - especially when we most need to remember it.
Although the story of the prodigal son is often given as an example of repentance, it is actually the story of how God forgives and heals the repentant sinner. Like God, the father in the parable was ready to forgive both of his "sinful" sons even before they repented. St. Thomas Aquinas explains that God already forgives us as soon as we repent, even before we go to confession or perform any penance. The forgiveness the father offers in the parable parallels the forgiveness God offers in real life. That is why Jesus in the Gospels frequently describes God more like a defense attorney than a prosecuting attorney.
There is no better picture of forgiveness of God in the whole Bible than this parable. It reminds of a story about a woman who had upset her pastor because she claimed that she had conversations with God. She had attracted quite a following in the church and every day people gathered at her house, got on their knees, prayed, sang hymns and listened to her describe what God was saying to her. The pastor thought all this was getting out of hand, so he went to visit her. "I know you say you are talking with God," he said, "but what you hear talking back at you is just your imagination. Just to prove it, I want you to ask God to name three of the sins that I confessed this morning. Then tell me what God said. If you can name those sins, I'll believe that you really are talking with God." The woman sat there for a long while, praying. Then she looked up and said, "I asked God to name your three sins, but God said, 'I forgot.'" All our repented sins God forgets, but our unrepented sins remain as barriers between us and God for God’s grace to come to us.
The self-justifying elder son represents the self-righteous Pharisees. The elder son had no feelings of sympathy for his brother. He was resentful, bitter and angry. He was so jealous of his younger brother that he never wanted to see him again. He hears the sounds of celebration, finds out what happens, and boycotts the party. So what does the father do? St Luke tells us: "His father came out and pleaded with him..."God takes the initiative in our lives. He steps towards us first; he comes out to meet us. God is always knowing us, loving us, and paying attention to us.
The elder son would have joined the celebration if he had some particular advantage for himself. He could not see any good coming to him by joining the party. So he refuse to go in. An elderly man on the beach found a magic lamp. As he picked it up and started cleaning it, a genie appeared and said: “Because you have freed me I will grant you a wish.” The man responded. “I had a fight with my only and older brother thirty years ago. I want to be reconciled with him so that he may forgive me and start loving me.” The genie said, “I am glad that you did not ask for money or riches. Your wish is granted. Are you sick and about to die?” the genie enquired. “No way!” the man shouted. “But my unmarried, older brother is about to die and he’s worth about $60 million!!”
Lent is a time to "pass over," from a world of sin to a world of reconciliation. The story of the prodigal son asks each of us an important question: Will you accept the Father's forgiveness and partake of the banquet, or will you remain outside? Lent is a time to transform hatred into love, conflict into peace, death into eternal life. Some times we are much like the elder brother who preferred justice to mercy. We have earned God's favor (or so we think) by "staying at home." We have merited his acceptance by the good life that we live.
Jesus will not tell us how this story will end. The father passionately invites the older son inside, "pleads with him" to join in the welcome. Curiously, however, we are never told what the older brother decides to do. The story ends but it doesn't end. We are left there." Will we RSVP to a party thrown by an unfair God? Or will we stubbornly remain outside? In a world where God does not play fair, this parable forces us to make a choice. Who is the real "prodigal" here? Who is the real "waster"? From the beginning Jesus says that this is a story about two brothers. Which one is the authentic prodigal? Which one has yet to come home to the Father's extravagant love?
We need to accept the fact that we are all prodigal children who have squandered our Father’s inheritance. Because of spiritual famine, we resemble the younger son who lived with pigs. Let us accept the fact that we have been squandering God’s abundant blessings not only in our country and in our families, but also in our personal lives.
But the best and the only real offer of lasting happiness is from God our Father, “All I have is yours”. God our heavenly Father is outside the door waiting for us to come to him. For the remainder of Lent let us try to make every effort to answer that invitation from our heavenly Father. Each Lent offers the sinner a chance to return home with a confession of sins, where he will find welcome and open-armed love. "There is more joy in heaven over the one sinner who does penance than over the ninety-nine just who do not need penance."
Charles Dickens the greatest story writer in English said” The parable of the prodigal son is called "the greatest short story in the world". We have heard the story so many times so much so we believe that we have squeezed it dry of meaning. The younger son, who had gone off and squandered his inheritance and almost lost his life, finally comes to his senses, remembers his father's goodness and wisdom and decides to come home. Then St Luke tells us: "While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him... He ran to his son..." It's as if the Father was standing every day on the roof, looking off into the distance, hoping that his lost son would return. As soon as he sees him he rushes towards him.
God never stops hoping that we will come to him. He has his eyes on us all the time, not to pounce on us when we mess up, but to run to us, embrace us, kiss us, and clothe us with the robe of his grace and the sandals of divine sonship (servants went barefoot in ancient households, but family members wore sandals). This active, unconditional love of God is the source of Christian joy. The devil likes to make us forget about it - especially when we most need to remember it.
Although the story of the prodigal son is often given as an example of repentance, it is actually the story of how God forgives and heals the repentant sinner. Like God, the father in the parable was ready to forgive both of his "sinful" sons even before they repented. St. Thomas Aquinas explains that God already forgives us as soon as we repent, even before we go to confession or perform any penance. The forgiveness the father offers in the parable parallels the forgiveness God offers in real life. That is why Jesus in the Gospels frequently describes God more like a defense attorney than a prosecuting attorney.
There is no better picture of forgiveness of God in the whole Bible than this parable. It reminds of a story about a woman who had upset her pastor because she claimed that she had conversations with God. She had attracted quite a following in the church and every day people gathered at her house, got on their knees, prayed, sang hymns and listened to her describe what God was saying to her. The pastor thought all this was getting out of hand, so he went to visit her. "I know you say you are talking with God," he said, "but what you hear talking back at you is just your imagination. Just to prove it, I want you to ask God to name three of the sins that I confessed this morning. Then tell me what God said. If you can name those sins, I'll believe that you really are talking with God." The woman sat there for a long while, praying. Then she looked up and said, "I asked God to name your three sins, but God said, 'I forgot.'" All our repented sins God forgets, but our unrepented sins remain as barriers between us and God for God’s grace to come to us.
The self-justifying elder son represents the self-righteous Pharisees. The elder son had no feelings of sympathy for his brother. He was resentful, bitter and angry. He was so jealous of his younger brother that he never wanted to see him again. He hears the sounds of celebration, finds out what happens, and boycotts the party. So what does the father do? St Luke tells us: "His father came out and pleaded with him..."God takes the initiative in our lives. He steps towards us first; he comes out to meet us. God is always knowing us, loving us, and paying attention to us.
The elder son would have joined the celebration if he had some particular advantage for himself. He could not see any good coming to him by joining the party. So he refuse to go in. An elderly man on the beach found a magic lamp. As he picked it up and started cleaning it, a genie appeared and said: “Because you have freed me I will grant you a wish.” The man responded. “I had a fight with my only and older brother thirty years ago. I want to be reconciled with him so that he may forgive me and start loving me.” The genie said, “I am glad that you did not ask for money or riches. Your wish is granted. Are you sick and about to die?” the genie enquired. “No way!” the man shouted. “But my unmarried, older brother is about to die and he’s worth about $60 million!!”
Lent is a time to "pass over," from a world of sin to a world of reconciliation. The story of the prodigal son asks each of us an important question: Will you accept the Father's forgiveness and partake of the banquet, or will you remain outside? Lent is a time to transform hatred into love, conflict into peace, death into eternal life. Some times we are much like the elder brother who preferred justice to mercy. We have earned God's favor (or so we think) by "staying at home." We have merited his acceptance by the good life that we live.
Jesus will not tell us how this story will end. The father passionately invites the older son inside, "pleads with him" to join in the welcome. Curiously, however, we are never told what the older brother decides to do. The story ends but it doesn't end. We are left there." Will we RSVP to a party thrown by an unfair God? Or will we stubbornly remain outside? In a world where God does not play fair, this parable forces us to make a choice. Who is the real "prodigal" here? Who is the real "waster"? From the beginning Jesus says that this is a story about two brothers. Which one is the authentic prodigal? Which one has yet to come home to the Father's extravagant love?
We need to accept the fact that we are all prodigal children who have squandered our Father’s inheritance. Because of spiritual famine, we resemble the younger son who lived with pigs. Let us accept the fact that we have been squandering God’s abundant blessings not only in our country and in our families, but also in our personal lives.
But the best and the only real offer of lasting happiness is from God our Father, “All I have is yours”. God our heavenly Father is outside the door waiting for us to come to him. For the remainder of Lent let us try to make every effort to answer that invitation from our heavenly Father. Each Lent offers the sinner a chance to return home with a confession of sins, where he will find welcome and open-armed love. "There is more joy in heaven over the one sinner who does penance than over the ninety-nine just who do not need penance."
Saturday, February 20, 2010
FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT
First Sunday in Lent. DEUT: 26: 4-10;: ROMANS 10:8-13; LUKE 4: 1-13
The Gospel reading for the first Sunday of Lent is always the story of the Temptation of Jesus. This story is included in the gospel not to show the human side of Jesus, rather to teach us how to handle temptations in our life. When the devil asked Jesus to turn a stone into bread he was not asking Jesus to perform some cheap circus trick. He was tempting Jesus to break his fast, to suggest that he could only be sustained by human food. That is why, quoting Deuteronomy, Jesus told the devil that man does not live by bread alone.
In each of these three temptations what the devil is saying to Jesus is, "Come on, use what you have, to get what you want." And in each case Jesus overcomes the temptation by replying, "No, we can only use godly means to satisfy our God-given needs or to pursue our goals in life."
Note that people are tempted only with what they need or want. After his fasting Jesus needed to eat. So the devil tempted him with food. It is not a sin for Jesus to eat after fasting. The sin may lie in how the food is obtained. Should he follow the normal way of obtaining bread or should he take the shortcut suggested by the devil to obtain instant bread? Jesus refuses to take the devil's shortcut. The means we employ to satisfy our needs must be in accordance with the word of God. Feeding on God's word is ultimately more important than feeding on bread.
The Holy Spirit, Who brought Jesus safely through the temptation and empowered him for his ministry, would later fill the disciples and empower the church (Acts 2:4). However, the temptation story ends with the ominous statement that the devil departed from him until a more opportune time. That “time” came at the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. It came again whenever people demanded signs from him to prove who he was (Luke: 11:16, 29-32; 22:3, 54-62; 23:35-39). The same temptation challenging “if you are the Son of God” came on the cross again when he was weak , this time not directly by the Satan but through the chief priests “ If you are the son of God, come down from the cross and we will believe”. Here again Jesus kicked the Satan in the butt, he refused to come down to prove his divinity.
Temptation is real. It is all over. Every day we are bombarded with temptations. However, very seldom we are aware of them. Jesus discovered it when he was in the Desert. The Desert is a place of silence and solitude. When Jesus stood before God in silence, he discovered the different pushes and pulls that had the potentials to distract him from his mission.
First of all, to discover and deal with our temptations, we need a desert; a place of silence and time for silence. Since we are distracted with too many things, very often, we become aware of our temptations only when we become a victim of it. Try to find time and place for prayer and personal reflections during this lent. In His light we see our true self. In the prayer our Father, Jesus taught us to pray to lead us out of temptation. But sometimes the flesh over takes the spirit because our prayer is not sincere and not from the heart.
A little boy named Bobby desperately wanted a new bicycle. His plan was to save his nickels, dimes and quarters until he finally had enough to buy a new 10-speed. Each night he asked God to help him save his money. Kneeling beside his bed, he prayed, "Dear Lord, please help me save my money for a new bike, and please, don't let the ice cream man come down the street again tomorrow."
Some times even though we know we are in real temptation we try to circumvent even the clear indications that we need to pass this by.
Jim Grant in Reader's Digest told about someone who faced temptation. An overweight businessman decided it was time to shed some excess pounds. He took his new diet seriously, even changing his driving route to avoid his favorite bakery. One morning, however, he showed up at work with a gigantic coffee cake. Everyone in the office scolded him, but his smile remained nonetheless. "This is a special coffee cake," he explained. "I accidentally drove by the bakery this morning and there in the window was a host of goodies. I felt it was no accident, so I prayed, 'Lord, if you want me to have one of those delicious coffee cakes, let there be a parking spot open right in front.' And sure enough, the eighth time around the block, there it was!"
An ancient rabbi said, “Sin begins as a spider’s web and becomes a ship’s rope.” You and I add those strands that change the spider’s web into a rope; but because we add just one strand at a time, and because each one is usually so small, we don’t realize what we’re constructing. Sometimes, on the other hand, the growth seems to happen almost of its own accord. It is as if we planted a seed in the soil of the soul by some small act of sin and, without our seeming to attend it or care for it, it develops into a full-grown tree. Sometimes, verily a forest! Jesus survived the temptations by using the Scripture. Each time he was tempted with other priorities, the Word of God reminded him of God’s plan for him. The best way to recognize, resist and overcome temptation is to turn to the Scripture, Teachings of the Church and its Sacred Traditions.
Temptations make us true warriors of God by strengthening our minds and hearts. We are never tempted beyond our power. In his first letter, St. John assures us: "Greater is He who is in us, than the power of the world". Hence during Lent, let us confront our evil tendencies by prayer, by penance and by meditative reading of the Bible.
Sometimes we become angry with God when He fails to respond to tests we set up for Him. The test may be something like this: "If my husband is healed of cancer, then I'll know God loves me." "If my boy comes back safely from Iraq, I’ll know God is on my side." "If I get the job that I’ve been praying for, I’ll know that God cares about me." Jesus teaches us that the Spirit-filled life requires unconditional surrender to God's will. Until the end of our lives, we shall be tempted to act in a way that is contrary to God's will. What is consoling is that we have Jesus as our strength to somehow overcome such temptations. With practice and total trust in the Lord, we hope that we will eventually resist such temptations in life. Let’s try to examine and see Am I trying to live by "bread alone?"
The Gospel reading for the first Sunday of Lent is always the story of the Temptation of Jesus. This story is included in the gospel not to show the human side of Jesus, rather to teach us how to handle temptations in our life. When the devil asked Jesus to turn a stone into bread he was not asking Jesus to perform some cheap circus trick. He was tempting Jesus to break his fast, to suggest that he could only be sustained by human food. That is why, quoting Deuteronomy, Jesus told the devil that man does not live by bread alone.
In each of these three temptations what the devil is saying to Jesus is, "Come on, use what you have, to get what you want." And in each case Jesus overcomes the temptation by replying, "No, we can only use godly means to satisfy our God-given needs or to pursue our goals in life."
Note that people are tempted only with what they need or want. After his fasting Jesus needed to eat. So the devil tempted him with food. It is not a sin for Jesus to eat after fasting. The sin may lie in how the food is obtained. Should he follow the normal way of obtaining bread or should he take the shortcut suggested by the devil to obtain instant bread? Jesus refuses to take the devil's shortcut. The means we employ to satisfy our needs must be in accordance with the word of God. Feeding on God's word is ultimately more important than feeding on bread.
The Holy Spirit, Who brought Jesus safely through the temptation and empowered him for his ministry, would later fill the disciples and empower the church (Acts 2:4). However, the temptation story ends with the ominous statement that the devil departed from him until a more opportune time. That “time” came at the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. It came again whenever people demanded signs from him to prove who he was (Luke: 11:16, 29-32; 22:3, 54-62; 23:35-39). The same temptation challenging “if you are the Son of God” came on the cross again when he was weak , this time not directly by the Satan but through the chief priests “ If you are the son of God, come down from the cross and we will believe”. Here again Jesus kicked the Satan in the butt, he refused to come down to prove his divinity.
Temptation is real. It is all over. Every day we are bombarded with temptations. However, very seldom we are aware of them. Jesus discovered it when he was in the Desert. The Desert is a place of silence and solitude. When Jesus stood before God in silence, he discovered the different pushes and pulls that had the potentials to distract him from his mission.
First of all, to discover and deal with our temptations, we need a desert; a place of silence and time for silence. Since we are distracted with too many things, very often, we become aware of our temptations only when we become a victim of it. Try to find time and place for prayer and personal reflections during this lent. In His light we see our true self. In the prayer our Father, Jesus taught us to pray to lead us out of temptation. But sometimes the flesh over takes the spirit because our prayer is not sincere and not from the heart.
A little boy named Bobby desperately wanted a new bicycle. His plan was to save his nickels, dimes and quarters until he finally had enough to buy a new 10-speed. Each night he asked God to help him save his money. Kneeling beside his bed, he prayed, "Dear Lord, please help me save my money for a new bike, and please, don't let the ice cream man come down the street again tomorrow."
Some times even though we know we are in real temptation we try to circumvent even the clear indications that we need to pass this by.
Jim Grant in Reader's Digest told about someone who faced temptation. An overweight businessman decided it was time to shed some excess pounds. He took his new diet seriously, even changing his driving route to avoid his favorite bakery. One morning, however, he showed up at work with a gigantic coffee cake. Everyone in the office scolded him, but his smile remained nonetheless. "This is a special coffee cake," he explained. "I accidentally drove by the bakery this morning and there in the window was a host of goodies. I felt it was no accident, so I prayed, 'Lord, if you want me to have one of those delicious coffee cakes, let there be a parking spot open right in front.' And sure enough, the eighth time around the block, there it was!"
An ancient rabbi said, “Sin begins as a spider’s web and becomes a ship’s rope.” You and I add those strands that change the spider’s web into a rope; but because we add just one strand at a time, and because each one is usually so small, we don’t realize what we’re constructing. Sometimes, on the other hand, the growth seems to happen almost of its own accord. It is as if we planted a seed in the soil of the soul by some small act of sin and, without our seeming to attend it or care for it, it develops into a full-grown tree. Sometimes, verily a forest! Jesus survived the temptations by using the Scripture. Each time he was tempted with other priorities, the Word of God reminded him of God’s plan for him. The best way to recognize, resist and overcome temptation is to turn to the Scripture, Teachings of the Church and its Sacred Traditions.
Temptations make us true warriors of God by strengthening our minds and hearts. We are never tempted beyond our power. In his first letter, St. John assures us: "Greater is He who is in us, than the power of the world". Hence during Lent, let us confront our evil tendencies by prayer, by penance and by meditative reading of the Bible.
Sometimes we become angry with God when He fails to respond to tests we set up for Him. The test may be something like this: "If my husband is healed of cancer, then I'll know God loves me." "If my boy comes back safely from Iraq, I’ll know God is on my side." "If I get the job that I’ve been praying for, I’ll know that God cares about me." Jesus teaches us that the Spirit-filled life requires unconditional surrender to God's will. Until the end of our lives, we shall be tempted to act in a way that is contrary to God's will. What is consoling is that we have Jesus as our strength to somehow overcome such temptations. With practice and total trust in the Lord, we hope that we will eventually resist such temptations in life. Let’s try to examine and see Am I trying to live by "bread alone?"
Saturday, February 13, 2010
VIth Sunday- Beatitudes.
VIth Sunday : JER. 17: 5-8; ICOR. 15: 12, 16-20;: LK 6: 17, 20-26
A preacher began his preaching on today’s gospel by asking for a show of hands from all in the congregation who would love to be poor, starving, weeping and hated by everybody. No hands went up. Then he asked of those who, on the contrary, would love to be rich, well fed, laughing and well spoken of in the community. All hands went up. A similar survey in any church would probably yield similar results. Yet Jesus in Luke declares a blessing on those who are poor, hungry, weeping and hated. To make sure we get the point, he goes on and explicitly pronounces a woe on those who are rich, well fed, laughing and well spoken of. What is going on here? Does Luke want us to understand that material poverty in itself is a sign of divine approval and material prosperity a sign of divine disapproval? Certainly not!
Poverty in itself is not a blessing but a misfortune, a lack. In fact, all the qualifying factors mentioned in Luke's Beatitudes -- poverty, hunger, weeping, hatred, exclusion, reviling, defamation -- are all misfortunes. These are things no good parents would want for their children. Neither would God want these things for us, His children. How are we then to understand Luke’s Beatitudes? The key to Luke's Beatitudes is to be found in an important clause which he adds at the end of the last beatitude, and the clause is “on account of the Son of Man.” What Luke is saying is this, those who accept these evil conditions as the price that they have to pay for following Christ, they are the blessed ones.
Jesus’ audience were people with broken hearts and broken hope. They were poor, victims of prejudice and victims of religious and political oppression. They were people with heavy burdens. The interesting thing about Jesus was that he found blessings in their seemingly desperate situation. Jesus did not condemn their situations. Instead, he showed them the possibility of using their situations as a means of blessings. He did so by helping them to relate their present day struggle with the cross that bridges to heaven. Jesus showed them how they could transform their poverty and other struggles as a means for achieving eternal happiness. No situation is hopeless for a person who places his trust in God. Such people may not always view riches as a blessing.
There was a farmer who lived a happy life spending most of the time taking care of his farm with the aid of his horse. One day his horse ran away. Neighbors came to sympathize with him. “What a shame”, they said. But he replied “Who knows? God Knows”. A week later this horse returned with another wild horse. The neighbors came to share his joy. “What a blessing”, they said. Again he replied “Who knows? God knows”. One day while taming the wild horse his son fell down from the horse and broke his leg. Again neighbors came to offer their sympathy. “What a shame”, they said. “Who knows? God knows!” he replied. A week late a war broke out in their country. The king ordered all men over 18 years of age to join the military. They spared his son because of his broken leg. Once again neighbors rushed to his house. “What a blessing?” they said. “Who knows? God Knows!” the farmer replied.
God-bound people have the right attitude to life and the earth- bound people have the wrong and limited vision of life.Without seeing the deceptive nature of material offerings earth bound people make the worldly riches their final goal.
Jesus had no problem with the Rich. In fact he blessed the rich. So, he appreciated the gesture of the one who multiplied his talents and disapproved the behavior of the lazy man. He went to the extent of saying, “For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich. But from the one who has not, even what has will be taken away.” Jesus criticized only three categories of people: Those who put wealth in place of God; those who were unwilling to share; and those who amassed wealth through illegal means. If I do not fall in any of these categories, there is justification for my wealth. In the parable of the rich and Lazarus, he criticized the rich man because of his insensitivity to the needs of his neighbor and his unwillingness to share. The first reading praises those who place their trust in God and compares them to a tree planted near a stream and those who place their trust in anything less than God as cursed. If we want to be filled with the joy and happiness of heaven, then we must empty ourselves of all that would shut God out of our hearts. Poverty of spirit finds ample room for joy in possessing God alone as the greatest treasure possible.
The needy and the poor are the Sacraments for the rich. When they approach the poor with their sharing hands they are administering the sacrament of their own salvation. Jesus said to the people who were sensitive to the needs of others “Enter the Kingdom of God, for you gave me food when I was hungry; You welcomed me when I was a stranger; you cared for me when I was sick…..” The rich have a better chance to please God as they have enough resources to serve the poor.
What makes one blessed is not simply poverty or hunger or sadness or suffering , but living these in the context of our commitment to Jesus and His spirit of sharing. If the poor, the hungry, the sorrowful and the hated are all blessed, then why should anyone attempt to help them improve their lot? The answer is that there is a difference between choosing poverty and being plunged into it without one’s choice, due to an unjust socio-political situation. There are a few saints, like Francis of Assisi, who freely chose the sufferings and hardships that poverty brings. That is not what the Beatitudes suggest, nor what Jesus asks of most of us. It is true that we are unable to eradicate poverty from the face of the earth. But we can help, either directly or by working with others, our poor brothers and sisters to improve their living conditions so that they may choose to free themselves from the poverty thrust upon them by greedy exploiters. Luke’s account offers the rich the good news that their salvation lies in their concern for the poor and in the good stewardship of sharing their goods with others in need. But the rich among us remain cursed as long as they remain unwilling to share their surplus with the needy. In short, in the beatitudes, Jesus envisions a society where the resources which belong to all are divided among all according to need, making every one blessed and happy.
A preacher began his preaching on today’s gospel by asking for a show of hands from all in the congregation who would love to be poor, starving, weeping and hated by everybody. No hands went up. Then he asked of those who, on the contrary, would love to be rich, well fed, laughing and well spoken of in the community. All hands went up. A similar survey in any church would probably yield similar results. Yet Jesus in Luke declares a blessing on those who are poor, hungry, weeping and hated. To make sure we get the point, he goes on and explicitly pronounces a woe on those who are rich, well fed, laughing and well spoken of. What is going on here? Does Luke want us to understand that material poverty in itself is a sign of divine approval and material prosperity a sign of divine disapproval? Certainly not!
Poverty in itself is not a blessing but a misfortune, a lack. In fact, all the qualifying factors mentioned in Luke's Beatitudes -- poverty, hunger, weeping, hatred, exclusion, reviling, defamation -- are all misfortunes. These are things no good parents would want for their children. Neither would God want these things for us, His children. How are we then to understand Luke’s Beatitudes? The key to Luke's Beatitudes is to be found in an important clause which he adds at the end of the last beatitude, and the clause is “on account of the Son of Man.” What Luke is saying is this, those who accept these evil conditions as the price that they have to pay for following Christ, they are the blessed ones.
Jesus’ audience were people with broken hearts and broken hope. They were poor, victims of prejudice and victims of religious and political oppression. They were people with heavy burdens. The interesting thing about Jesus was that he found blessings in their seemingly desperate situation. Jesus did not condemn their situations. Instead, he showed them the possibility of using their situations as a means of blessings. He did so by helping them to relate their present day struggle with the cross that bridges to heaven. Jesus showed them how they could transform their poverty and other struggles as a means for achieving eternal happiness. No situation is hopeless for a person who places his trust in God. Such people may not always view riches as a blessing.
There was a farmer who lived a happy life spending most of the time taking care of his farm with the aid of his horse. One day his horse ran away. Neighbors came to sympathize with him. “What a shame”, they said. But he replied “Who knows? God Knows”. A week later this horse returned with another wild horse. The neighbors came to share his joy. “What a blessing”, they said. Again he replied “Who knows? God knows”. One day while taming the wild horse his son fell down from the horse and broke his leg. Again neighbors came to offer their sympathy. “What a shame”, they said. “Who knows? God knows!” he replied. A week late a war broke out in their country. The king ordered all men over 18 years of age to join the military. They spared his son because of his broken leg. Once again neighbors rushed to his house. “What a blessing?” they said. “Who knows? God Knows!” the farmer replied.
God-bound people have the right attitude to life and the earth- bound people have the wrong and limited vision of life.Without seeing the deceptive nature of material offerings earth bound people make the worldly riches their final goal.
Jesus had no problem with the Rich. In fact he blessed the rich. So, he appreciated the gesture of the one who multiplied his talents and disapproved the behavior of the lazy man. He went to the extent of saying, “For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich. But from the one who has not, even what has will be taken away.” Jesus criticized only three categories of people: Those who put wealth in place of God; those who were unwilling to share; and those who amassed wealth through illegal means. If I do not fall in any of these categories, there is justification for my wealth. In the parable of the rich and Lazarus, he criticized the rich man because of his insensitivity to the needs of his neighbor and his unwillingness to share. The first reading praises those who place their trust in God and compares them to a tree planted near a stream and those who place their trust in anything less than God as cursed. If we want to be filled with the joy and happiness of heaven, then we must empty ourselves of all that would shut God out of our hearts. Poverty of spirit finds ample room for joy in possessing God alone as the greatest treasure possible.
The needy and the poor are the Sacraments for the rich. When they approach the poor with their sharing hands they are administering the sacrament of their own salvation. Jesus said to the people who were sensitive to the needs of others “Enter the Kingdom of God, for you gave me food when I was hungry; You welcomed me when I was a stranger; you cared for me when I was sick…..” The rich have a better chance to please God as they have enough resources to serve the poor.
What makes one blessed is not simply poverty or hunger or sadness or suffering , but living these in the context of our commitment to Jesus and His spirit of sharing. If the poor, the hungry, the sorrowful and the hated are all blessed, then why should anyone attempt to help them improve their lot? The answer is that there is a difference between choosing poverty and being plunged into it without one’s choice, due to an unjust socio-political situation. There are a few saints, like Francis of Assisi, who freely chose the sufferings and hardships that poverty brings. That is not what the Beatitudes suggest, nor what Jesus asks of most of us. It is true that we are unable to eradicate poverty from the face of the earth. But we can help, either directly or by working with others, our poor brothers and sisters to improve their living conditions so that they may choose to free themselves from the poverty thrust upon them by greedy exploiters. Luke’s account offers the rich the good news that their salvation lies in their concern for the poor and in the good stewardship of sharing their goods with others in need. But the rich among us remain cursed as long as they remain unwilling to share their surplus with the needy. In short, in the beatitudes, Jesus envisions a society where the resources which belong to all are divided among all according to need, making every one blessed and happy.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Vth Sunday. Lk.5:1-12
Vth Sunday. Lk.5:1-12 (Miraculous catch of fish and Peter’s call)
In a certain church there was a man in the choir who couldn't sing very well. The choir director suggested that he should leave the choir. Others felt he should be given more time to improve. The choir director then decided to go to the pastor and complain. "You've got to get that man out of the choir or else I'm going to resign." So the pastor went to the man and said to him, "Perhaps you should leave the choir." "Why should I leave the choir?" the man asked. "Well," said the pastor, "four or five people have told me you can't sing." "That's nothing," the man replied, "forty or fifty people have told me you can't preach!" Today's readings show us how God can make use of the most unlikely people to fulfill the divine purpose.
The first reading is on the call of Isaiah, the second on the call of Paul, and the Gospel on the call of Peter and his coworkers. How did these people feel when they realized that they were in the presence of God. They all felt unworthy of God. Isaiah said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips!” (Is. 6:5). Paul felt himself unfit to be called an apostle, because he persecuted the church of God. (1 Cor.15:9). And Peter fell down at Jesus' feet and said, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” (Lk.5:8). Initial feeling of personal unworthiness could be a sign that a soul has seen God. That is why humility is said to be the first and primary virtue in authentic spirituality.
When the soul confesses its sinfulness and inadequacy before God, God reaches out and absolves the sinner and renders him or her competent to serve Him. In the case of Isaiah, one of the seraphs touched his lips with a burning coal taken from the altar of the temple and said to him, “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out” (Is.6:7). In the case of Simon Peter, Jesus said to him, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people” (Lk.5:10). We see that their qualification for the work of God does not come from them but from God. It is not their personal achievement; it is God's grace. That is why Paul could say, “But by the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Cor.15:10).
Beyond the feeling of personal unworthiness, there is another quality that these people have in common, and that is the availability to do God's will and the readiness to follow His directives. As soon as Isaiah hears the voice of the Lord asking, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” his immediate response was: “Here am I; send me!” (Is.6:8). In the case of Peter and his partners, we are told that “they left everything and followed him” (Lk.15:11) without looking back. And Paul threw himself with so much zeal into God's work that he worked harder than all those who were called before him, though as he is quick to point out, “it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Cor.5:10). Merely feeling unworthy and incompetent does not make us into people that God can work with. We must add to that the availability and willingness to go out there and do as the Lord directs.
When we follow the guidance of the Lord in our lives, we achieve results that will blow our minds. This is what we see in Peter's miraculous catch of fish. Peter had fished
all night and caught nothing. Jesus asked him to let down his nets for a catch. It seemed foolish to do so, because Peter knew there were no fish to catch. "But at your word," he said, "I will let down the nets". And, like Mary before him, he consented to what seemed the impossible. He obeyed the word to put out into the deep and fish when his own senses told him to expect nothing. The huge catch of fish, almost bursting the nets, which followed was for him a sign of the presence of the holy God in Jesus.
One of the few creatures on earth that can out-jump Michael Jordon is the Impala. This is an African deer with a supercharged spring. It has a vertical leap of over 10 feet and can broad jump over 30 feet. You would think that the zoos of the world would find it impossible to keep such an animal enclosed. Not so! It's rather easy. Because the experts discovered something about the Impala. It will not jump unless it can see where it is going to land. Therefore, a solid wall even 6 feet tall is a sufficient enclosure. Lots of Christians have the Impala problem. They won't take a leap in faith unless they have all the answers in advance about where the leap will take them. But God is looking for some bold believers who, even in the face of the unknown, will leap when the Spirit says leap. And Peter did that.
When God calls someone for ministry, it is not their expertise but their willingness to serve that God counts. For it is not us but God working through us. Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not worry about what you are to say and how you are to say it; when the hour comes you will be given what you are to say. For it is not you who will speak but it will be the spirit of your Father in you” (Mt: 10:19-20). God spoke to Jeremiah, “They will fight against you but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you.” God empowers whoever He commissions for ministry.
People who performed great things in the past were not always great from a worldly standpoint. For example, St. John Vianney, the patron saint of priests, was below average in intellectual capacities. He struggled to complete his seminary studies. Jesus’ selection of the Twelve Disciples tells us the same truth. You may not be fit for a particular ministry but definitely there are ministries that are suited for you. It is not the power associated with a ministry but the manner in which you perform a ministry that makes you powerful.
Today, as always, the good Lord continues to ask: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” The Lord still needs messengers, like Isaiah, will proclaim the Good News of God's love in the temple, or who, like Paul, will announce it in foreign lands to the ends of the earth, or who, like Peter, will speak up for God in the workplace and bring their coworkers and business partners to know and follow the Lord. If we feel unworthy and incompetent for the work of God, know that He renders you fit for the job He wants you to do for Him, as He did with Isaiah, with Paul, and with Peter. He invites us to put out into the deep wherever we are. Only by responding to his call and encountering his holy presence we will finally discover the true identity for which he created us.
In a certain church there was a man in the choir who couldn't sing very well. The choir director suggested that he should leave the choir. Others felt he should be given more time to improve. The choir director then decided to go to the pastor and complain. "You've got to get that man out of the choir or else I'm going to resign." So the pastor went to the man and said to him, "Perhaps you should leave the choir." "Why should I leave the choir?" the man asked. "Well," said the pastor, "four or five people have told me you can't sing." "That's nothing," the man replied, "forty or fifty people have told me you can't preach!" Today's readings show us how God can make use of the most unlikely people to fulfill the divine purpose.
The first reading is on the call of Isaiah, the second on the call of Paul, and the Gospel on the call of Peter and his coworkers. How did these people feel when they realized that they were in the presence of God. They all felt unworthy of God. Isaiah said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips!” (Is. 6:5). Paul felt himself unfit to be called an apostle, because he persecuted the church of God. (1 Cor.15:9). And Peter fell down at Jesus' feet and said, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” (Lk.5:8). Initial feeling of personal unworthiness could be a sign that a soul has seen God. That is why humility is said to be the first and primary virtue in authentic spirituality.
When the soul confesses its sinfulness and inadequacy before God, God reaches out and absolves the sinner and renders him or her competent to serve Him. In the case of Isaiah, one of the seraphs touched his lips with a burning coal taken from the altar of the temple and said to him, “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out” (Is.6:7). In the case of Simon Peter, Jesus said to him, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people” (Lk.5:10). We see that their qualification for the work of God does not come from them but from God. It is not their personal achievement; it is God's grace. That is why Paul could say, “But by the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Cor.15:10).
Beyond the feeling of personal unworthiness, there is another quality that these people have in common, and that is the availability to do God's will and the readiness to follow His directives. As soon as Isaiah hears the voice of the Lord asking, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” his immediate response was: “Here am I; send me!” (Is.6:8). In the case of Peter and his partners, we are told that “they left everything and followed him” (Lk.15:11) without looking back. And Paul threw himself with so much zeal into God's work that he worked harder than all those who were called before him, though as he is quick to point out, “it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Cor.5:10). Merely feeling unworthy and incompetent does not make us into people that God can work with. We must add to that the availability and willingness to go out there and do as the Lord directs.
When we follow the guidance of the Lord in our lives, we achieve results that will blow our minds. This is what we see in Peter's miraculous catch of fish. Peter had fished
all night and caught nothing. Jesus asked him to let down his nets for a catch. It seemed foolish to do so, because Peter knew there were no fish to catch. "But at your word," he said, "I will let down the nets". And, like Mary before him, he consented to what seemed the impossible. He obeyed the word to put out into the deep and fish when his own senses told him to expect nothing. The huge catch of fish, almost bursting the nets, which followed was for him a sign of the presence of the holy God in Jesus.
One of the few creatures on earth that can out-jump Michael Jordon is the Impala. This is an African deer with a supercharged spring. It has a vertical leap of over 10 feet and can broad jump over 30 feet. You would think that the zoos of the world would find it impossible to keep such an animal enclosed. Not so! It's rather easy. Because the experts discovered something about the Impala. It will not jump unless it can see where it is going to land. Therefore, a solid wall even 6 feet tall is a sufficient enclosure. Lots of Christians have the Impala problem. They won't take a leap in faith unless they have all the answers in advance about where the leap will take them. But God is looking for some bold believers who, even in the face of the unknown, will leap when the Spirit says leap. And Peter did that.
When God calls someone for ministry, it is not their expertise but their willingness to serve that God counts. For it is not us but God working through us. Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not worry about what you are to say and how you are to say it; when the hour comes you will be given what you are to say. For it is not you who will speak but it will be the spirit of your Father in you” (Mt: 10:19-20). God spoke to Jeremiah, “They will fight against you but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you.” God empowers whoever He commissions for ministry.
People who performed great things in the past were not always great from a worldly standpoint. For example, St. John Vianney, the patron saint of priests, was below average in intellectual capacities. He struggled to complete his seminary studies. Jesus’ selection of the Twelve Disciples tells us the same truth. You may not be fit for a particular ministry but definitely there are ministries that are suited for you. It is not the power associated with a ministry but the manner in which you perform a ministry that makes you powerful.
Today, as always, the good Lord continues to ask: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” The Lord still needs messengers, like Isaiah, will proclaim the Good News of God's love in the temple, or who, like Paul, will announce it in foreign lands to the ends of the earth, or who, like Peter, will speak up for God in the workplace and bring their coworkers and business partners to know and follow the Lord. If we feel unworthy and incompetent for the work of God, know that He renders you fit for the job He wants you to do for Him, as He did with Isaiah, with Paul, and with Peter. He invites us to put out into the deep wherever we are. Only by responding to his call and encountering his holy presence we will finally discover the true identity for which he created us.
Friday, January 29, 2010
IVth Sunday- C.
Jer. 1:4-5, 17-19: 1 Cor. 12:31-13:13Gosple: Luke 4:21-30
John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United States and the son of a former President, reportedly said that he would rather clean filth from the streets than be a President. Scripture tells us that most of the prophets shared John Quincy Adams’ feeling of inadequacy to their calling. Moses tried to convince God that he didn’t speak well enough, and Jeremiah complained to God that he was too young. The prophets trembled at the trials ahead of them – and with good reason. Israel had a long history of rejecting prophets. Jeremiah was threatened with death several times, thrown into an empty, muddy cistern, imprisoned, dragged off to exile in Egypt, and, perhaps most painful of all, was forced to watch the destruction of Jerusalem because its inhabitants would not listen to his message.
After reading scripture when Jesus told them : today the scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing, it seems there appeared immediately a double-reaction: some were amazed; and part of their amazement at his “gracious” speech gets expressed in the line “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” But that question seems to cut two ways, and Jesus’ subsequent words indicate his awareness of this. The question “Isn’t this Joseph’s son” CAN be a source of genuine wonder and appreciation—look how far our local boy has come! But it’s not difficult to see that the same question could be asked with a real edge to it, with a sneer. “Joseph’s kid? Good grief. He was a nobody back in the day and he’s a nobody from a no-account family now. Forget him!” They knew members of his family, and that became the filter through which they heard the content of his sermon. Before that congregation really heard him, they already knew him. Everybody knows him. That is the problem. Of all the sayings of Jesus, one of the few things he said that appears in all four gospels is that a prophet gets no respect in a prophet’s hometown. To put it another way, “You become an expert only after you move more than ten miles from home.”
Jesus then goes on to suggest that may be those very detractors in the crowd that day would be asking him shortly for an authenticating sign. They expected Jesus to use his powers and do some special favor for his own people. After all, they were his own people. When Jesus told them the truth that God has no favorites but relates to all humankind by the same standards, they turned against him in disappointment and ran him out of town.
Jesus is telling his townspeople of Nazareth the truth of the universality of God's grace. The people of Nazareth, like most of the “chosen” people of God in Jesus' time, had come to believe in a God made in their own image and likeness. Not the other way around. They believed in an either-or God -- “if God is for us, then he must be against them.” They believed in a God whose beneficence was limited to the “chosen” people. Jesus tells them that such a God does not exist. The true God is equally available to all humanity -- so long as they approach God with faith and trust. To illustrate his points Jesus cites the cases of the prophets Elijah and Elisha who performed great miracles for people who were outside the confines of the “chosen” people. (Widow of Zeraphath and Naaman, the leper)The people were in error and Jesus tried to give them the truth.
Billy Sunday was the Billy Graham of a previous generation. He was conducting a crusade in a particular city. In one of his sermons he said something critical of the labor conditions for workers in that area. After the service, several prominent businessmen sent a message to him by one of the local pastors. The message was this---Billy, leave labor matters alone. Concentrate on getting people saved. Stay away from political issues. You’re rubbing the fur the wrong way." Billy Sunday sent this message back to them: "If I’m rubbing the fur the wrong way, tell the cats to turn around."
The people could not accept the truth because it went against their long-established beliefs in their own superiority, which made them feel good about themselves.
The people of God have always had two kinds of teachers. There are the prophetic teachers who seek above all to please God; who speak the truth of God even when this would cost them their popularity and the people's patronage. And then there are the popularist teachers who seek above all to please the people, to tell them what they would love to hear and confirm them in their prejudices. Scripture warns us that "the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires" (2 Tim. 4:3).
Jesus' words implied that, like the people of his hometown, the Israelites of those former days were unable to receive miracles because of their disbelief. Consequently, God bestowed miracles on the Gentiles who believed in Him. Jesus, like the earlier prophets, dared to speak the truth to people who did not want to hear it.
Jesus’ reference to the unbelief of the Jews and to the stronger faith of the Gentiles infuriated his listeners. They did not like to be reminded that God can, and does, work through religious systems other than their own, even through individuals who are outside any religious system.
By our baptism, God calls us to be prophets like Jesus, sharing his prophetic mission. The task of a prophet is to speak and to live out God’s truth. We must never be afraid of this call, for it is Jesus who will supply us with the courage, the words and the deeds we will need to oppose the many evils in our society. We must realize that God's power is always available to transform even the most unlikely people, and that His power may come to us through unlikely instruments.
We must have the prophetic courage of our convictions. We need to be kind, charitable, honest, forgiving and clear in speaking out our Christian convictions as Jesus was. Speaking God’s truth by word or by deed is a risky business even today. In our country, the attack has not been so much physical as psychological, with various communications media constantly ridiculing and insulting Christians with unprecedented vengeance.
We think that some of the best homilies, retreats, conferences and lectures we hear are “meant for someone else”. We listen and say, “That’s good advice for my kids,” “My neighbors should have heard this homily,” or “That’s aimed at my office staff,” and so on. And that is precisely what Jesus’ hometown people did. They did not acknowledge that they were poor, blind or prisoners who needed a savior and liberator. Hence, they not only rejected Jesus and His “liberation theology,” but also tried to eliminate Him from the world.
Christ fulfilled his life mission, but it didn't make him popular. If we are to fulfill our life mission we need to be ready to suffer similar consequences. We can measure our success as Christians not by how comfortable our faith is making us, by how uncomfortable it is making us. Let's let God make us a little uncomfortable, so that we can become the saint He made us to be.
John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United States and the son of a former President, reportedly said that he would rather clean filth from the streets than be a President. Scripture tells us that most of the prophets shared John Quincy Adams’ feeling of inadequacy to their calling. Moses tried to convince God that he didn’t speak well enough, and Jeremiah complained to God that he was too young. The prophets trembled at the trials ahead of them – and with good reason. Israel had a long history of rejecting prophets. Jeremiah was threatened with death several times, thrown into an empty, muddy cistern, imprisoned, dragged off to exile in Egypt, and, perhaps most painful of all, was forced to watch the destruction of Jerusalem because its inhabitants would not listen to his message.
After reading scripture when Jesus told them : today the scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing, it seems there appeared immediately a double-reaction: some were amazed; and part of their amazement at his “gracious” speech gets expressed in the line “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” But that question seems to cut two ways, and Jesus’ subsequent words indicate his awareness of this. The question “Isn’t this Joseph’s son” CAN be a source of genuine wonder and appreciation—look how far our local boy has come! But it’s not difficult to see that the same question could be asked with a real edge to it, with a sneer. “Joseph’s kid? Good grief. He was a nobody back in the day and he’s a nobody from a no-account family now. Forget him!” They knew members of his family, and that became the filter through which they heard the content of his sermon. Before that congregation really heard him, they already knew him. Everybody knows him. That is the problem. Of all the sayings of Jesus, one of the few things he said that appears in all four gospels is that a prophet gets no respect in a prophet’s hometown. To put it another way, “You become an expert only after you move more than ten miles from home.”
Jesus then goes on to suggest that may be those very detractors in the crowd that day would be asking him shortly for an authenticating sign. They expected Jesus to use his powers and do some special favor for his own people. After all, they were his own people. When Jesus told them the truth that God has no favorites but relates to all humankind by the same standards, they turned against him in disappointment and ran him out of town.
Jesus is telling his townspeople of Nazareth the truth of the universality of God's grace. The people of Nazareth, like most of the “chosen” people of God in Jesus' time, had come to believe in a God made in their own image and likeness. Not the other way around. They believed in an either-or God -- “if God is for us, then he must be against them.” They believed in a God whose beneficence was limited to the “chosen” people. Jesus tells them that such a God does not exist. The true God is equally available to all humanity -- so long as they approach God with faith and trust. To illustrate his points Jesus cites the cases of the prophets Elijah and Elisha who performed great miracles for people who were outside the confines of the “chosen” people. (Widow of Zeraphath and Naaman, the leper)The people were in error and Jesus tried to give them the truth.
Billy Sunday was the Billy Graham of a previous generation. He was conducting a crusade in a particular city. In one of his sermons he said something critical of the labor conditions for workers in that area. After the service, several prominent businessmen sent a message to him by one of the local pastors. The message was this---Billy, leave labor matters alone. Concentrate on getting people saved. Stay away from political issues. You’re rubbing the fur the wrong way." Billy Sunday sent this message back to them: "If I’m rubbing the fur the wrong way, tell the cats to turn around."
The people could not accept the truth because it went against their long-established beliefs in their own superiority, which made them feel good about themselves.
The people of God have always had two kinds of teachers. There are the prophetic teachers who seek above all to please God; who speak the truth of God even when this would cost them their popularity and the people's patronage. And then there are the popularist teachers who seek above all to please the people, to tell them what they would love to hear and confirm them in their prejudices. Scripture warns us that "the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires" (2 Tim. 4:3).
Jesus' words implied that, like the people of his hometown, the Israelites of those former days were unable to receive miracles because of their disbelief. Consequently, God bestowed miracles on the Gentiles who believed in Him. Jesus, like the earlier prophets, dared to speak the truth to people who did not want to hear it.
Jesus’ reference to the unbelief of the Jews and to the stronger faith of the Gentiles infuriated his listeners. They did not like to be reminded that God can, and does, work through religious systems other than their own, even through individuals who are outside any religious system.
By our baptism, God calls us to be prophets like Jesus, sharing his prophetic mission. The task of a prophet is to speak and to live out God’s truth. We must never be afraid of this call, for it is Jesus who will supply us with the courage, the words and the deeds we will need to oppose the many evils in our society. We must realize that God's power is always available to transform even the most unlikely people, and that His power may come to us through unlikely instruments.
We must have the prophetic courage of our convictions. We need to be kind, charitable, honest, forgiving and clear in speaking out our Christian convictions as Jesus was. Speaking God’s truth by word or by deed is a risky business even today. In our country, the attack has not been so much physical as psychological, with various communications media constantly ridiculing and insulting Christians with unprecedented vengeance.
We think that some of the best homilies, retreats, conferences and lectures we hear are “meant for someone else”. We listen and say, “That’s good advice for my kids,” “My neighbors should have heard this homily,” or “That’s aimed at my office staff,” and so on. And that is precisely what Jesus’ hometown people did. They did not acknowledge that they were poor, blind or prisoners who needed a savior and liberator. Hence, they not only rejected Jesus and His “liberation theology,” but also tried to eliminate Him from the world.
Christ fulfilled his life mission, but it didn't make him popular. If we are to fulfill our life mission we need to be ready to suffer similar consequences. We can measure our success as Christians not by how comfortable our faith is making us, by how uncomfortable it is making us. Let's let God make us a little uncomfortable, so that we can become the saint He made us to be.
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