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Do You Love God?

Thursday, September 8th, 2016

Thursday of 23rd Week in Ordinary Time

Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary

Romans 8: 28-30Mt 1: 18-23

By Deacon Larry Brockman

Do you love God?    Most of us would say “yes”, we do love God;  but if you’re honest, there’s a twinge of something in the back of your mind, a doubt almost.  Because when you come right down to it, loving God is something that is hard to verbalize and visualize.

You can love your spouse, your parents, your children, and other people partly because you can visualize them.  They are there in flesh and blood to hug, to share and to reciprocate affection and love.  You can feel it and visualize it.  But loving God is different, isn’t it?  You can say you love God when you pray, and for most of us, the response from God is mostly silent, or subtle at best.

Paul speaks eloquently of the Love of God this morning.  He says that:  “We know that all things work for good for those who love God who are called according to His purpose”.  So very simply, we show that we love God by accepting the call God has given us; and the proof that we are truly loving God will be that God assures that all things will work for good when we do that.  Loving God shows results by fulfilling God’s plan.  And that “good” is something that we can see; it’s like the hug we receive from our loved ones.

Of course the “good” that Paul is talking about is an ultimate good, the good that God intends.  That doesn’t always match the “good” that people seek on their own.  So, one has to be particularly discerning about the good we sense.  Some of us have special talents- artistic or technical or sporting or any number of other skills.  When we use those talents and skills the way they were intended, we feel good inside- a validation that things are working for good.  Many of you do things for other people- caring for the sick, helping those in need; teaching; and a whole host of other things.  They make us feel good as well; and that is an expression of the good that God intends.

This morning we are celebrating the birth of the Blessed Mother.  And our Gospel speaks of the prophecy God made to Mary using the Angel Gabriel through the eyes of her husband Joseph, who received validation of that prophecy when an angel of the Lord appeared to him and gave him the same message as Mary about the baby Jesus.

Both Mary and Joseph accepted God’s will for them; they married under less than ideal circumstances; and parented the child Jesus because it was God’s will for them.  Joseph did not divorce Mary but accepted her as his wife; Mary accepted that the child inside her was God’s child.  They both lived their lives by parenting Jesus in the best way they knew how.  They were called to a relatively straightforward, yet important task.

It’s something most of us have done or will do as well-  marry under less than an ideal situation, and parent children.  It is an awesome responsibility to parent any child-  they are a fantastic gift to any family.  But that is also what most of us have or will do.

My point is that neither Mary nor Joseph was asked to do anything tremendously extraordinary in life.  They didn’t invent the i- phone; they didn’t lead an army to victory; they didn’t write a best seller; they didn’t break any world sporting records.  They just parented the child Jesus, accepting the trials and tribulations of everyday life along the way.  For some of us, we may not be called to do extraordinary things in this life either.  But that’s OK, it is only necessary that we follow the calling we do have.  And all things will work for good when we do that.

Now the good that Mary and Joseph worked was not the good that the world expected.  The Messiah that the Jews expected was a King, someone in the image of a David or Solomon.  That isn’t what Jesus became; and yet, Mary knew.  Mary knew that Jesus was special; and all things were working for good through Him.  In the same way, we will know when things truly work for the good of God.  We will see it in our children and their lives.

Of course, like God and his children, we have to let go of our children at some point because they have free will, and are open to choose to follow God’s will for them or not.  But no matter what they do, we will still always love them.  It’s like the Love we are supposed to have for God- with our whole mind, our whole heart, and our whole soul, isn’t it.

Do you love God that way?

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A Call to Vigilance!

Thursday, August 25th, 2016

Thursday of 21st Week in Ordinary Time

1 Cor 1: 1-9; Mt 24: 42-51

By Deacon Larry Brockman

A call to vigilance!  Because the Lord may come at any time.  How true.

Last week, my wife had major surgery, some 4 hours long.  Many folks were praying for her- and we were most grateful because everyone understood that the operation could be life threatening.  She planned for it by having the Sacrament of the Sick before the operation.  That gave her a certain peace of mind that she was prepared, as indeed it should.

But the reality is that all of us are vulnerable all the time, not just when we face a crisis.  As I drove each day back and forth to the hospital, especially in rush hour traffic, I encountered many crazy drivers.  And I suppose that in my frame of mind, I might have been one of the craziest.  It wouldn’t have taken much to become one of the highway statistics.

And so, the thought occurred to me  Was I ready?  Was I prepared?  I certainly wasn’t off eating and drinking, or beating the servants like the steward in the parable.  But I was preoccupied, and maybe not as vigilant as the Lord was suggesting.

What makes us prepared for God’s visit at any and all times?  Well, Paul gives us a hint in his message to the Corinthians.  There he compliments the Corinthians for being responsive to their call; for their Faith in the message of Jesus Christ; for acting on the Grace that had been conferred on them as a result; and for being rich in “spiritual gifts”.  That’s what we all need to do too- to have faith, act on it, and to use the spiritual gifts that we have.

Then, we will be ready at any and all times for the coming of the Lord.

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Overcoming Spiritual Blindness (U)

Thursday, May 26th, 2016

Thursday of the 8th Week in Ordinary Time

1 Peter 2: 2-5, 9-12; Mark 10: 46-52

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Blindness!  Something all of us fear.  Imagine what it would be like not to see in this beautiful world of ours like God’s creative work in nature- the mountains and the sea; God’s gift of life- a newborn baby; or God’s energy manifest through the wonderful works made by the hand of man.

And yet even worse than physical blindness is spiritual blindness.  Jesus often criticized the Pharisees, who knew the law of the Lord, but didn’t see the intent of the law.  They suffered from spiritual blindness!  And likewise, he praised the children of the world, whose innocence and openness made them receptive and not blind.

Bartimaeus was a truly lucky man.  He was fortunate enough to be open spiritually to Jesus message because he had trained himself to be discriminating about what his senses told him.  He had to be discriminating- he couldn’t see.  And so, he was open to the “pure spiritual milk” that Peter was talking about.  He was so blessed by his simple faith, that his physical blindness was healed as well.

Lest we be too critical of the Pharisees, it is fair to say that all of us can suffer from the same kind of blindness.  First, it is easy for us who do see to be blinded by what we see and have seen.  It’s a kind of sensory overload- sight, sound, and all of the other senses bombarded by so much all day long, all the time so that we don’t see the truly meaningful amongst the chaff.  Second, we hear and see some things so often, that they don’t register with us, and their meaning can escape us.  And lastly, we are blinded by expectations based on what we have heard and seen.  Propaganda works like that.  If you show people something often enough, and tell them something often enough, they can be convinced that it is true, even when it isn’t.  Real truth, real understanding, is something that is a gift from God.

And so, “sighted” folks need to be careful.  We need time out occasionally- time to close off the loud noises and the vibrant sights; long enough so that we will be open to the “pure spiritual milk” that Peter talks about; time in which we put aside our prejudices and expectations and what everybody else is doing and saying so that we can reflect on what our conscience tells us. and what God is urging through His Spirit.  Only then can we truly say,  “I see”.

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Becoming the Universal Church (U)

Thursday, April 28th, 2016

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter

Acts 15: 7-21; John 15: 9-11

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

Today, our first reading talks about the very first Church Council, the Council of Jerusalem.  The Earliest Christians were a Jewish sect that accepted Jesus as the Messiah, and spun off from Judaism.  But they brought all of the ritual and legal baggage of the strict observance of the Mosaic Law with them. Now Paul and Barnabas return from their newly founded Churches amongst the Gentiles.  These Gentiles accepted all that Jesus taught and practiced; and wonderful things were reported about how God worked through them.  But they could not relate to the laws and ritual practices of the Jews- things like detailed food laws and circumcision.  And so, the Church was faced with a decision- to accept them or not.    Peter and James, and the whole assembly in unison, decided that what was important was Jesus teaching, not traditional rituals, laws and practices.  So, they decided to emphasize the direction they had been given by Jesus.

What was that direction?  To go out and Baptize all nations, even the Gentiles.  And so, they abandoned laws for the sake of maintaining tradition, in favor of being inclusive and open to all.  In so doing, they adopted what Jesus teaches in the Gospel this morning, namely.  “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.”  Jesus primary commandment was to love God, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Yes, love should be the primary ingredient of our dealings with others.  And so out of love, we keep the “detailed” commandments.  Our mission is to bring others over to our side by the love we show, so that they will embrace us and our way.  We can’t do that by imposing our rules on them, just as Paul and Barnabas couldn’t do it with the first Gentiles.  We can do it by loving them and showing mercy.

I think that this is the essence of what Pope Francis is trying to do in his Apostolic Exhortation on the Family.  In recent years, we have all been inundated with a secular wave of attacks on our family institutions.  So, we see society pushing “Alternate family structures” instead of the Traditional Family Unit; individual rights, like the “right to choose” rather than the right to life; and the right to choose one’s sexual preference as opposed to the way God made us.  Pope Francis Apostolic Exhortation on the Family validated all of the traditional Church teachings on these issues.  The Church has not changed its teaching, and it is important that all of us recognize that is the case independent of what the media may have reported.

However, there are other matters relating to the family that have arisen over the last 100 years, areas where culture has changed, and families have changed with it.  This includes families with working men and working women; separation of multigenerational families; divorced and separated couples with shared responsibility for the children; and others.  The Pope has suggested that we emphasize love, mercy, and forgiveness in dealing with those who have gone awry in these areas rather than throwing up walls based on strict adherence to the rules.  His exhortation asks Church leaders to discern before acting in these areas rather than acting on the basis of the rule of law alone.

Granted, this is much harder to do.  But it is a dilemma much like the one we heard about in this morning’s first reading, where the culture of the Jews was so imbedded in their religion that it never occurred to them that it was turning the Gentiles off.  Our response today requires the same kind of discerning spirit as at the Council of Jerusalem.  At the very least, those who violate the rules need to be treated with love and mercy.

I encourage all of you to read Pope Francis Exhortation on the Family.  It is available on-line for free.

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You Are Blessed If You Do It! (U)

Thursday, April 21st, 2016

Thursday of Fourth Week of Easter

Acts 13: 13-25; John 13: 16-20

By Deacon Larry Brockman

“If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.”  Such were Jesus’ words to the disciples just after he washed their feet.

What a contrast, because in the reading from Acts, we hear Paul summarize the case for the Messiah from Scriptures- how the nation of Israel was saved from Egyptian slavery, and brought into the promised land; how God the Father nurtured them, and led them by giving them Prophets, Judges, and Kings.  And ultimately, he promised them a Messiah from the line of David- a Messiah, a Savior, who would save them all forever.

But then, what happens when the Messiah, the Savior, comes to his people?  The savior of all mankind tells his disciples very clearly that, just as he was called to be a servant, he is calling all his disciples to be a servant as well, and that is what it takes to be blessed in God’s eyes.

Every Holy Thursday, we reenact the washing of the feet.  It is a powerful image- that the clergy are here to serve just as Jesus served.  This year, Father Giel extended that image so that those whose feet were washed by the clergy, were asked to wash the feet of other parishioners as well.  And how fitting, because we are all the descendants of the disciples.  And all of us are called to be blessed by serving others.

And yet, even though we hear the Gospel and it is preached to us often, do we follow Jesus example; do we embrace the concept of service to others as our primary mission?

I think that the mothers of the world are particularly blessed when you come right down to it.  Mothers know instinctively about deferring self for the benefit of their infant children- getting up at night; constant demands and interruptions, teaching moments during development.   These become a way of life for the first several years of life.  And that nurturing instinct carries forward in life as children grow up, doesn’t it.

And then consider this.  Decades ago, multigenerational households were the norm.  Usually, an aged parent or relative was around, and just as these folks had cared for their parents or relatives in their day, now their children were called to that kind of service for them.  Everybody in the household learned what it meant to be a servant by observing.  And everybody got it- that some day, the roles would likely be reversed.  But we seem to have lost that cultural call to service these days, and the lesson that goes with it, possibly because everybody strives now to be independent and not a burden.

Now there are many other ways that men, and indeed all of us, are presented with opportunities to serve others in our daily lives.  We don’t have to go out of our way to find them, although some blessed people are called for that too.  I’m thinking about times when neighbors need your help- getting their car started, cleaning up a mess after a storm; or when something happens like a sickness or death in the family.  You all know what I mean because when these things happen, you see them; and you may even hear a little voice inside.  But do you respond?

It’s time that all of us slowed down just a little from our fast pace in life and take a break from independence and self-absorption to sense and respond to the opportunities we have to serve others.

Blessed are you if you do it.

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Feeling Our Easter Joy

Thursday, March 31st, 2016

Thursday of Easter Week

Acts 3: 11-26; Luke 24: 35-48

Dc. Larry Brockman

Is this just another day; one of the many in our lifetime.  Or are you feeling the Easter joy!

You should all be feeling tremendously joyful.  And you should be fired up to share and witness your joy and belief because “Jesus Christ is risen; he is risen indeed.”  And all of us will rise just like him to eternal life if we believe, repent, and follow after him.  Yes, all of us are called to be his witnesses.

There was a time in human history when Resurrection from the dead and eternal life was just a vague promise.  There was no proof because nobody had seen or experienced it.  There were many veiled references in the Jewish Scripture.  But they were not believed by everyone.  And in fact, the Jews were split at Jesus time into two camps.  The Pharisees and their followers believed in the Resurrection; and the Sadducees and their followers did not believe.

But that all changed on Easter Sunday in the year 0 AD because Jesus Christ rose from the dead and showed himself to hundreds of people during that first Easter season.  We hear of one of Jesus appearances in Luke’s Gospel today; and how Jesus explained that he fulfilled the scriptures that predicted his suffering, death, and resurrection.  And we have today’s account from Acts on how the Apostles shared their experience with the people.  They became the witnesses that Jesus asked them to become in the Gospel.

But not only that, so strong was their conviction and faith that they were able to perform many miracles in Jesus name.  They explained that these miracles were performed by the power of God, not by them; but because of their faith and the strength of their witnessing, they were able to perform such miracles.  They were exuberant, and they didn’t care what the authorities thought or did because they knew that everlasting life was real.

And so, there is great cause for rejoicing for us because no matter what our lives have been like; and no matter what they will be like in the future here in this life; we know that there is something better.  We have been told by eye witnesses, just as the people in the crowd in the account from Acts.  Yes, all the events in Acts and the Apostles were recorded for our benefit.  They were the records left by eye witnesses.  Heaven is real; the messiah is real; and we are blessed who do not see, but believe.

So, what are you and I doing about that?  Are we spreading our joy?  Or are we living life as we always lived it. The resurrection changed life for the disciples of Jesus.  And like the Tribune in the recent movie “Risen”; it changed the life for all who saw first-hand.

Those of us who have only heard but not seen- we are challenged.  But blessed are those who believe and have not seen.  That’s what Jesus said.  And we can make a difference by witnessing to the ends of the Earth.  Jesus is counting on us to spread his word and the Gospel by what we say and do.  Just like the miracles the Apostles worked through the power of God, God can do mighty works through those of us who believe.  We do those works by following Jesus call to live our Christian values no matter what the rest of the world believes and does.  The mighty works will follow.

Yes,  “Jesus Christ is risen; he is risen indeed,” Amen!

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Suffering with the Lord

Thursday, March 24th, 2016

Holy Thursday Morning Prayer

Heb 2 9b-10

Dc. Larry Brockman

Suffering!   All of us face our share of suffering.  Whether it is the suffering that comes with poverty, exile, persecution, or natural disaster; or personal suffering due to disease, old age, handicap, stressful relationships, loneliness, or rejection; or any of the other forms of mental or physical suffering, all of us will experience our fair share of it during our lifetimes.  But our suffering, no matter how intense, pales by comparison to the suffering that Jesus experienced during his Passion.

I am reminded of a photo I saw on Facebook that shows one of us seated on a bench in obvious mental and physical distress.  Our companion is Jesus, who has his arm around us.  Jesus is wearing a crown of thorns, is bleeding, and bears obvious physical welts.  Jesus is quoted as saying the following to his companion:  “Tell me about your problem”.  When I saw that, I got it.

And this is a good thing- that while we are all put to the test, our test cannot be compared to what Our Lord went through.  It’s what Paul means this morning when he addresses us about how fitting it is that Jesus be made perfect through suffering as he brings his many sons to glory.

Yes, Jesus is leading the way; and we are all about to follow that process during the Triduum services tonight, Friday, and Easter.  Let us all reflect on our lives, on the suffering past and future, that we will experience.  And let us give glory to God that each of us will receive the graces we need to follow Jesus through redemptive suffering.  If we bravely endure God’s will for us, including whatever hardship that entails, then we will experience the joy that comes with the Resurrection on Easter Sunday because we will also be brought to glory and everlasting life.  Amen.

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Fulfilling Our Part of the Covenant (U)

Thursday, March 17th, 2016

St. Patrick’s Day

Thursday of the 6th Week of Lent

Gen 17: 3-9; John 8: 51-59

Dc. Larry Brockman

An Everlasting Covenant!  God has made two everlasting covenants with his people.  The first reading talks about the first of these; and the Gospel refers to the second one.

When we hear about that first covenant,  It seems to make promises in earthly terms-  the descendants of Abraham are to reap the rewards of the Covenant God is making with Abraham.  Israel will be God’s people and He will be there God for as long as Abraham’s descendants keep God’s commandments.  And God includes “the promised land” as part of that covenant for as long as they keep it- the promised- land, Canaan.  And so, the Israelites understood that covenant in worldly terms.  Yes, they would retain God’s favor; and they would live in the promised land as a people forever if they kept God’s commandments.  But they didn’t see the symbolic meaning of the covenant.  They didn’t get the afterlife and forever and ever part. They didn’t see life after worldly life as a priority.

Now, in Jesus’ time the Jews were being held captive by the Romans.  There were movements amongst them aimed at rebellion and breaking free.  They were looking for a Messiah- a worldly Messiah- who would restore the covenant God made to Abraham.  In addition, although the religious leaders were split into two camps (those who believed in the Resurrection of the dead- the Pharisees; and those who did not- the Sadducees), all of them were focused on that restoration of the worldly Kingdom.

It is within that context that Jesus ministry entered in first century Israel.  Here comes a person who had demonstrated incredible powers in his miracles, and who spoke with authority.  The leaders had heard about all of this from the people, and so, they listened to Jesus.  But they were looking for a political leader- one who would save their nation.  Was this their guy or not?

But instead of talking about his plan to restore Israel, Jesus talks about the interior life of the individual.  And so, he says: “Whoever keeps my word will never see death.”  You can just imagine their consternation.  And it shows in the dialogue in today’s gospel.

Jesus focus was on saving each and every one of them for everlasting life.  There are two deaths- one that effects our bodies in this world; and one that effects our bodies in eternity.  We certainly will suffer the first death; but we can be spared the second death- if; if we listen to Jesus, the incarnate the word of God.  And so Jesus was not talking about restoring a worldly Israel; rather he was talking about restoring each individual’s standing with God.

This year we find ourselves in the middle of a particularly messy political environment.  We are a people polarized; a people divided; a people faced with difficult choices;- choices that may be the lesser of two evils rather than choices that we can embrace.  The question is; what are our real priorities in the middle of all of that.  Are we looking for a worldly Messiah?  Or are we listening to Jesus, who is trying to tell us what we need to do to avoid real death?

We are also in the middle of Lent- and today’s message is a Lenten message.  The New Covenant that God offers us is everlasting life; life without that second death if- if we listen to the incarnate word of God.

We need to spend some time reflecting on how we are doing.  We need to put aside what’s going on in the world.  Our church and Jesus are trying to call our attention to that because as important as our nation is; our own salvation is more important.

If all of us live according to the word of God, doing the will of the Father as Jesus did; everything else will fall into place; and we will never die.

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How Our Works Testify on Our Behalf

Thursday, March 10th, 2016

Thursday of the 5th Week of Lent

Exc 32: 7-14; John 5: 31-47

Dc. Larry Brockman

“If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true”.  Those are pretty strong words for the Son of God.  And if they apply to him then how much more so do they apply to others.

And yet, the world is full of people who testify on their own behalf in order to get ahead.  That seems to be the rule for politicians, especially in this election cycle. Why do you suppose that Jesus said what he did?  What is it about testifying in our own behalf that is so flawed?

Well, it’s like this.  Our talents, wealth, health, and accomplishments, are all gifts from God.  To the extent that we exist and can do anything, it is all dependent on God.  We cannot take a breath, utter a word, conceive of a thought, or perform any deed, good or bad without the cooperation and consent of God.  God is the giver of all life and wills that we possess life and our other gifts.

But here is the catch.  He also gives us free will.   And that leads to a choice about how we manifest the grace and animation that result from God willing our lives.  It’s all up to us how and whether we use the gifts we have been given wisely.

Notice that the works that Jesus did testified on His behalf.  That’s exactly what he said, isn’t it.  Jesus doesn’t have to testify on his behalf because his actions speak louder than words.  And if those actions are in harmony with God’s plan, as Jesus actions were, they lead to God’s ultimate goal- everlasting life with him in His Kingdom.

So also, the works that we do testify on our behalf.  They are out there for all to see.  Indeed, our works testify on our behalf better than anything we can say about them.  They testify to the truth about who we really are.  We can have and exhibit tremendous “faith”; but if doesn’t manifest itself by what our works testify then it comes to nothing.

Now Jesus moves on to talk about praise.  First, he criticizes those who accept human praise, but do not seek the praise of God.  These are identified as people who praise the testimony of those who testify on their own behalf!  You see, if people pat each other on the back about how great they are, without recognizing God as the real author of their accomplishments and without seeking His approval, then they are bound to be led astray by their own pride and the devil.

Look at what happened in our first reading.  Moses goes up on the mountain to consult the Lord on what is next after the Israelis are delivered from the Egyptians.  But Moses is the bridge between God and the people.  Without Moses, the people are left to their own devices.  And so while he is away, the Israelis drift away from recognizing who it was that was the driving force behind their deliverance.  They are like the mob of sports fans who meet the triumphant team after the championship.  It’s as if they feel that they, not the team, won the championship.  So, the Israelis constructed their own god to represent their collective power.  It was a product of their own pride, of their own making.  But it was a false power and a false god.  They had conveniently forgotten the truth.

Indeed, if you testify on your own behalf, you are bound to get it wrong.  So, during this special time of Lenten reflection, consider your own life.  How do your works testify on your behalf?  Because that is who you really are.

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Casting Out Our Demons

Thursday, March 3rd, 2016

Thursday of the 4th Week of Lent

Jer 7: 23-28; Luke 11: 14-23

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

“They have stiffened their necks”. Such is the Lord God’s sentiment about the people of Israel. Over and over again, God had sent prophets to echo the message he gave Moses: “Listen to my voice, then I will be your God and you shall be my people”. But alas, the people of Israel had drifted away from the Word and the precepts Moses had brought them. They had stiffened their necks; and gone their own way.

How about our society? Have we “stiffened our necks” over the Word of God or God’s precepts? When the Beatitudes are read from the Gospel, do we cringe at the idea of being meek, humble, forgiving, and merciful? Do we become skeptical over the real presence in the Eucharist; or cynical about Church teachings on marriage and family and respect life? All of these are scripturally based, and supported by traditional Church teaching. Yet, hasn’t society “stiffened their necks” over them and turned their face the other way?  Doesn’t society squirm over the harder teachings? When people say: “leave me alone, don’t bother me with details; and not right now,” they are essentially saying “Never mind the inconvenient truth”, and they turn away.

And then there are those who don’t listen at all. The church has “too many rules”; “it is out of touch with the times”; or “I just can’t accept that teaching”. And so society proceeds rudderless, or even worse, on a secular course through life, turning their backs on the Lord.   Society stiffens their necks over the Word of God. They look the other way, look for another way; or just put it out of their minds; and proceed according to their own or societies values.

It’s like a disease, you know? Essentially, people become possessed by the “status quo” And in fact, all of us are guilty to some degree of that. We become comfortable with our way of life; and either don’t want to hear about changing it; or become enslaved to it to one degree or another.

That happens whenever we become addicted to something that detracts from our relationship with God, whether it is TV, Facebook, Pornagraphy, Sports, Food, Gossip, Drink, Drugs, or a whole list of other things. It’s as if we have a demon within us that bogs us down; dulls us; diverts us; and or pleasures us.

Well, God is relentless in His pursuit of us. He wants us to accept Him and His will for us all the time. He wants to free us from our addictions, from our demons.

In the Gospel, Jesus does free a man from His demons. And what happens? Society attacks him; accuses him of being from the devil? The same thing happens to us when we listen to the Church. We are attacked by society. The government has recently said it: “The Church needs to get with the times; this teaching is too impractical; and it is too old-fashioned.” And society bombards us with specious arguments like “the right to choose”; population control; and acceptance by the pop culture of the time. People think it’s OK because other people who are popular are doing it.

But Jesus made two very clear arguments about those who attacked him when he freed the demon: First, we must remain strong collectively in the face of the devil and his demons. Yes, the Guard, the Church, must remain strong in the face of adversity, because all will be lost, including the armor that protects us, if our adversary gets the upper hand.

And second, “Whoever is not with me is against me”. And that is a really sobering thought. Despite all the rationalizing, dismissing, and turning the other way that society tries to use on us; if we turn the other way, we are going against God.

So today, as we continue our Lenten Voyage of reflection and repentance, let us confront our demons and expel them. Do not stiffen your necks to the Lord’s appeal; rather listen, listen, listen; and respond, respond, respond.

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