Take Care Not to Fall

February 28th, 2016

Third Sunday of Lent

Ex 3:1:8a, 13-15; 1 Cor 10: 1-6, 10-12; Luke 13: 1-9

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

“Whoever thinks that he is standing secure should take care not to fall”. Such is Paul’s advice to us in the second reading. Well, just how secure are we then?

Today, we hear about God the Father identifying Himself to Moses, and hence to all of God’s people. We learn than He is the God of the living and of the dead; that He is the only God. Indeed, part of our security rests in believing that there is just one God; and in putting our allegiance, our faith, in him. But that is not all there is to it.

We also hear that, our God is so holy, so almighty, and so awesome, that not even Moses and the prophets, including Abraham, could look directly at Him. God expects, and even demands, that we respect and honor him with a humble and contrite spirit, one that recognizes that life is not all about us; that God is the ultimate authority; and that it is His will that is of utmost importance. All of us need to be right with God and recognize our true self when we stand before him.

In the second reading, we hear the whole saga of the Old Testament Israeli Exodus summed up in one paragraph. God chose the Israelis as his chosen people and saved them from disaster at the hands of the Egyptians. How? Well, He protected and guided them in the shadow of his Spirit, the cloud, during the Exodus. They all emerged from the waters of Baptism, the Red Sea, as a new people, free from domination by the Egyptians. And they all ate of the one food- mana from the desert; and drank the one spiritual gift- the water from the rock at Horeb; which sustained them through the desert- a symbol of the rocky and barren spiritual environment that all of us have to weather in this secular world.

Yet, even in the very wake of these incredible deeds of salvation, the Israelis forgot the Lord and began to worship idols and to doubt God’s providence. As a result, they wandered in the desert for 40 years, and were held back from the promised land. We are told that their “sins”- that is, rejection of the salvation won for them, doubt, and their turning towards the world- are written down for us as examples of what we need to avoid.

Now I suspect that all of us are guilty of the same errors as the Israelis in one way or another. All of us have learned about the Messiah Jesus Christ, and have heard the good news, the Gospel, about how he suffered death because he was obedient to the will of His Father; and how he was resurrected and lives now forever with His father in the kingdom of God. In addition, He left the church to us to pass on His story, and to offer all of us everlasting life if we believe in Him and follow God’s will for us, just as He accepted God’s will for Him in this life.

But despite all of what we have heard and all of what we have professed that we believe, we drift away from God’s will for us from time to time. Temptations, preoccupations with our own condition, desires for things of this world, and laziness, are just some of the symptoms that keep us from listening to and doing God’s will for us. And so, the warning from Paul not to be complacent: “Whoever thinks that he is standing secure should take care not to fall”, also applies to us.

In our Gospel, Jesus tells us that we are all called to repent, that is, to change; otherwise, we will perish as others did. Notice that the Gospel story makes it clear that people are not singled out by God for retribution.  Hence the tower of Siloam did not fall on the guilty, nor were the folks slaughtered by the Romans singled out for their sin. Rather, Jesus tells the people that one cannot know the time and place that we will be called to account by God.

The parable of the fig tree sums up how God will deal with us. Jesus’s mission in Israel was 3 years long, just as the fig tree had been given 3 years to bear fruit. Neither the Israeli leaders nor the fig tree had responded. But Jesus says that God is merciful, and will give everyone an extra “year” to bear fruit. Yes, all of us will be given time after we hear the message to repent. That “year” might end tonight, tomorrow, next year, ten years from now, or whatever. But the point is that we all still have time to repent, to change.

Lent is our opportunity to reflect and change. Use the time wisely.

Tags: ,
Posted in Westminster Tower | No Comments »

Praying as an Adult

February 18th, 2016

Thursday of First Week in Lent

Esth C12, 14-16, 23-25; Mt 7: 7-12

Dc. Larry Brockman

Prayer! It’s one of the three pillars of our Lenten observance, along with Almsgiving and Fasting.  And Prayer is the topic of both of today’s readings.

Jesus is quite explicit about prayer in the Gospel.  “Ask and it will be given to you.”  He says whether you ask, seek, or knock on the door, God will give to you; will help you find; or will open the door.  And then he makes sure we know that not only will God answer our prayer, but it will always be with His best for you.

Yet sometimes we feel that our prayers go unanswered.  So, how do we reconcile that?

Two thoughts come to mind.  The first is that we are children of God now; and His relationship with us is truly like a Father’s relation to his children.  We can relate to a father fielding the requests of his children, can’t we?  Their requests are kind of like prayer, you know.  When they are young, they hold their father in great esteem.  There is nothing a father can’t do; he is the ultimate authority figure; he is the giver of good things; and he loves through and through.  He is always the person who disciplines; and to that extent, we respect and fear him.  Sound familiar?

Now, the things you asked your father for were not always the best for you-  particularly at the time you asked for them.  So, sometimes you were told “no”; sometimes you were told “maybe”; and sometimes you were told “later”.  But most of the time, as a good Christian father, he always did what was best for you.  And if you didn’t get what you asked for explicitly, chances are you got something more suited to your real needs.  So it is with God.

The other thing that comes to mind is that we need to make our prayer requests in a mature manner.  So, instead of praying to God the Father as a child makes requests to his father, we need to make our requests at a higher level.  We need to learn how to pray at an adult level.  That’s where Esther’s prayer to the Lord in the Old Testament can help us.

First, let me say a little about Esther’s plight.  Esther was a Jew who was selected for her beauty to marry the Persian King, but, the Persians were unaware that Esther was a Jew.  Her foster father, Mordecai, was a leader of the Jews in exile.  Mordecai had irritated the King’s number one man, Haman, because he refused, as did his Jewish followers, to kneel before the pagan gods.  So, Haman manipulated the king into issuing a decree that would have exterminated the Jews.  This decree was seemingly irreversible, else the king’s written word would appear to be compromised.  Esther knows that she has influence with the king, and so, we come to our scripture for today.

Notice these things about Esther’s Prayer.  First, she opens by praising God and approaching Him with humility.  That is established in some of the missing text, where she takes off her Queenly garments, and dresses in plain clothing for mourning.  Next, she admits that the Lord alone can help her, and even recognizes that approaching the King might put her own life at risk.  Yet, she asks not that God work some miracle; rather, that God will give her the wisdom she needs by asking that God;  “Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion, and turn his heart to hatred for our enemy, so that he and his co-conspirators may perish.”   And this prayer takes hours and hours and hours.  Esther shows great patience.

Esther is asking God to enable her to do God’s will; she is offering to take the risk and do whatever is required herself.  And she defers to the saving power of the Lord, a sign of submission.

So should we pray to the Lord our God.  Our prayers should openly praise God; and we should approach Him with humility and patience;  but most of all, we should ask him to enable us to do his will in the situation we find ourselves in.  And so, to have faith that He has already done it, and accept His providence.

Indeed, be confident to “Ask and it will be given to you.”

Tags:
Posted in Holy Family Weekday Homilies | No Comments »

Where is Your Heart?

February 11th, 2016

Thursday After Ash Wednesday

Dt 30: 15-20; Luke 9: 22-25

Dc. Larry Brockman

Where is your heart?

When you break down Moses speech to the Israelite people, that was the essence of His speech to them.  Moses laid out a set of laws and precepts to live by that would assure the people would remain in God’s favor.  Then he tells them that each of them has a choice; and their society has a collective choice.  Either the people would listen to God’s plan for choosing life everlasting that Moses had set before them; in which case they would be blessed by God.    Or they would turn their hearts from God’s way allowing themselves to be led astray by the world, and by choosing other gods to worship; in which case, disaster would strike their nation.

The Old Testament is filled with cycles of obedience and disobedience; prosperity and disaster; and belief and disbelief as the Israelites wandered back and forth in their allegiance to the Lord.  In each of these cycles, we can see where the heart of the people was; and we can see whether their nation was blessed or not.

It comes down to that, you know.  It isn’t just your heart, or my heart that matters, but it is the collective allegiance of all of the people that determines prosperity or disaster for society.

And yet, Moses was talking to each person in that crowd.  And the Church uses Moses to talk to each of us this morning because Moses message applies to us as well.  We have the same choice as individuals today that each of the Israelites had in Moses time.  We are being asked where are hearts are this morning.

And Moses message was repeated in Luke’s Gospel in one of Jesus parables.  Remember the line “Where your treasure is, there is your heart”?  Jesus was talking about the same thing.  Wherever each individual’s priority is, that is where their heart is.  And if the hearts of the people collectively are focused on something other than God’s way, then that is a recipe for disaster for society as a whole.

The world has seen many cycles of faithfulness followed by lack of faith since Jesus birth, death, and resurrection; and so, whole nations have experienced rises and falls in their prosperity.  And it can all be traced to where the hearts of the people were.  Our nation seems to be wandering from a collective heart that favors the way of the Lord.  Woe to us for that.

But you know what?  The good news is that it doesn’t really matter to the individual.  Each of us has a choice; and our salvation doesn’t depend on what the rest of the people in our society do.  The health of our society depends on it, but not our individual salvation.  All that matters for you is where your heart is.

That’s where our Gospel comes in today.  Jesus boldly proclaims that he must suffer and die at the hands of evil men, men who have made another choice with their hearts; people whose society sanctions other gods and lack of faith and trust in God.  It was a shocker to his disciples that Jesus would have to suffer; it was inconceivable to them.  But he was showing them the way to salvation, as he is showing it to us this morning.

Each of us needs to follow Jesus example and live according to God’s law regardless of how the rest of society tries to undermine us.  We have to stand up for what we believe in our individual lives- to support respect life; to support real marriage and family values; to be generous and kind to the poor and disadvantaged; and a whole host of other ways of living the faith that is written in our hearts.   In the extreme, we may even have to suffer the backlash of the establishment as Jesus did, that’s what it means for us to take up our crosses and follow him.

Lent is a great time for all of us to ask the question.  Where is your heart?  Because where your heart is, that is where your future lies.

Tags: ,
Posted in Holy Family Weekday Homilies | No Comments »

Why Should I Observe Lent?

February 10th, 2016

Ash Wednesday Service

Mt 6: 1-6, 16-18

Dc. Larry Brockman

Ashes! All of us are gathered here to receive ashes? Why?

Is it because it’s the thing to do?  Is it because you long for something different, some change in life?  Or is it because you hope the meaning of life will come into focus for you?

When you receive ashes, you will hear these words: “Remember you are dust, and to dust you will return”.  Yes, the real meaning of life in this world becomes blurred in the glitter and the attractions of the world.  After the joy and celebration of Christmas, the Church reminds us that life in this world is not about self-indulgence; it is not about the joys and fruits of the world.  All of that, good or bad as it seems, will end as it began for us- in ashes.  And it is certain to end in ashes.  So, what is life all about?

Jesus spent 40 days just after his Baptism reflecting on his life and mission.  His whole person was in turmoil- facing the promptings from the Spirit that told him what life in this world was really all about for him.  But Satan tormented him with the other side.  “You don’t have to suffer; you’ve got it Jesus; and I can make you anything you want; just worship me”.

And that’s the way it is for all of us too.  All of us are tempted to make our lives comfortable; to focus on what’s best just for me; rather than follow the tiny whispering sound of the Spirit working through our consciences to take up our crosses and follow Jesus.

The Gospel we read provides us Jesus’ advice on how to conduct our Lenten journey.  It was based on his own 40 days in the desert.  Find some time alone to reflect and pray.  And divest yourselves of attachments to things of this world.  He suggests three things.

The first suggestion is to give alms.  That means giving something to others.  But you don’t give alms to win points with those watching.  Rather, you do it to help you focus on others, not yourself.  Who or what is it that God is calling you to serve in this life?

And Jesus advises us to pray in a quiet of space, not openly for all to see.  Jesus is not against public and group prayer.  That’s not his point.  His point is that when you need reflective prayer, and all of us do, then that prayer is not for show, for others to see.  Rather, it is for us to get in tune directly with God so that the Spirit can help us to focus on God’s mission for us.  Where can you go and when can you go there so that Jesus has a chance to touch you in that way?

And lastly, Jesus advises us to fast.  Again, not to call attention to our self- induced suffering and how holy we are; but rather, so that we divest ourselves of what is blocking our spiritual growth.  Just what is it that is blocking your spiritual growth?  What is it that is taking so much of your time, so much of your energy, or so much of your resources that you cannot hear your inner voice; you cannot focus on God’s mission for you.  Give that up for Lent rather than beer or chocolate or coffee or whatever.  Maybe it’s TV or the Internet or, God forbid, Facebook!

Lent is an opportunity to come to grips with the real meaning of your life so you are ready for the Resurrection and life everlasting in the Kingdom of God.  Take advantage of the 40 days just as Jesus did.  Or the ashes you receive today will have lost their meaning.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Health Central Hospital | No Comments »

Who Speaks With Authority?

February 4th, 2016

Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

1 Kings 2: 1-4, 10-12; Mark 6: 7-13

Dc. Larry Brockman

I couldn’t help but notice some common threads between our Old Testament reading and the Gospel.  In both cases, authority was delegated by the principal.  David delegated his authority to Solomon; and Jesus delegated his authority to the Apostles.  In both cases, Kings delegated their authority- the righteous King of Israel, David; and Christ the King.

The delegations carry with them some important advice.  David tells his son to always, always, obey the law of God.  Jesus tells his disciples to preach repentance; meaning that the folks in the towns they visited needed to mend their lives in accordance with the law of God.

However, there are some differences as well.  David’s delegation of authority carried the full weight of the government.  After all, he was the earthly King of Israel.  Jesus delegation of authority was totally outside either the political or religious governing bodies.  Jesus was heralding a “new way of living”.  Jesus was asking folks, through the “Church” he was forming to convert the minds and hearts of the people to repent , without the legal weight of the government.

Just who should we listen to these days?  The Government?  The media?  Charismatic  self-proclaimed experts?  Information and pundits are prolific in our society.  All of us have access to hundreds of TV and Radio Stations;  an infinite resource of information sources over the Internet; and more books, periodicals, and other written sources than one can imagine.  And lots of the information we hear conflicts.  Political commentators conflict on root causes of problems and there are many views on moral standards because of the acceptance of pluralistic views on religion, all of which vie for our time and claim to have the truth, the answer to what life is all about.  Just who should we listen to?

The answer rests in what real authority is.  The root meaning of authority in this sense of the word is simply this:  They were given power by the legitimate source of power.  David was the King of God’s chosen people, the people of God in the Old Testament.  Jesus is Christ the King, the King of all mankind in the New Covenant.  Jesus has the legitimate power to delegate, and his message is pure and unencumbered by earthly corruption.  The Apostles didn’t assume this power; they were given this power by Jesus.  So, the message was not their message; it was God’s message.

Now, the Apostles were told not to take anything extra.  In other words, they weren’t bringing their own message forward; and they weren’t asking for anything of material value in return for it.  They were neutral; they had nothing personal to gain.  They were messengers who were simply following God’s will for them.  They had the simplest and most pure motivation, their enthusiasm for the message of Jesus.  Lastly, they had faith, great faith- the kind of faith that David speaks about in his parting words on his deathbed.  David told Solomon to always, always obey the Lord in all things, never questioning the law.  That takes tremendous faith.    And because they had these simple characteristics- faith, authority, and purity of purpose; they were able to work wonders as they moved through the people, driving away unclean spirits, curing the lame, and healing the sick.

In the politically correct, pluralistic , secular society in which we live  Who should we listen to?  Our government? Wikipedia? The latest silver tongued “feel-good” preacher?   Or do we listen to people who are like the Apostles that Jesus sent out.  The choice is yours.  As for me, I’ll stay with the Church.

Tags:
Posted in Holy Family Weekday Homilies | No Comments »

How Wonderful We All Are in God’s Eyes!

January 31st, 2016

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jer 1: 4-5, 17-19; 1 Cor 12: 31- 13: 13; Luke 4: 21-30

Dc. Larry Brockman

Isn’t it wonderful!  Isn’t it wonderful how unique and special each one of us is? In fact, I get excited every time I hear the words of the first reading.  “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you”.    Because, isn’t it exciting that each one of us is known to almighty God, even the least of us by world’s standards?

In today’s world, “the least” include all the disadvantaged of the world- the young, the old, the poor, and the handicapped.  And if we are honest with ourselves, that’s all of us at one time or another in our lives.  But yes, God takes a special interest in each one of us.  We were made in his image and likeness, and formed by God in our mother’s womb to be just exactly the person we are!

Now the reading also says that we were dedicated, and appointed as a prophet to the nations.  That is exciting too, because it says that each one of us has a Mission.  Yes, God has dedicated each of us to a Mission, our own specific Mission.  I think that we all lose sight of that fact by becoming embroiled in the things of this world- including the joys, the pains, and the distractions.

So, just what is or was our Mission?  Well, we were born into a particular family at a particular time in history.  Another way of saying that is that now is our time; and that we are charged to bloom where we were planted.  When we get older, we can sometimes see how that Mission unfolded.  We can see the fruits of our labor; we can see the family tree for which we are the roots; and we can see how good many of our experiences were.  We can even see how we have benefited from our mistakes because those were learning experiences.  And all well-meaning people take away a resolve to do better from their mistakes, particularly if we are sorry and have resolved to change.

You see, God is relentless in his pursuit of us.  He coaches us at every fork in the road to return to His favor.  But more often than not, we cannot see how all our lives fit into God’s overall plan.  In other words, we just can’t see how we fulfill our roles as “appointed prophets”?

Many of you probably watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” over Christmas.  It’s a great way to see how a seemingly common, yet well meaning, man’s life influences others for the good.  Just like the Jimmy Stewart character, each of us has blessed other people’s lives; fulfilling God’s appointed mission for us in some ways that we often-times cannot even begin to imagine.

Rather than seeing our value, we are focused on how we haven’t succeeded at this desire or that want; or how we weren’t given this gift or that gift, usually some “thing”; or how we are limited by time and age in what we can do; or how others have fared better in the World’s eyes than us.

In the second reading, St. Paul explains that each of us should   “Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.”  Indeed, that is the way that each of us can discern God’s plan for us, our Mission, present and past.  Paul goes on to list them:  faith, understanding, knowledge of the Lord, the gift of prophecy, and others.  But he prefaces this list with the words:  “But I shall show you a still more excellent way”.  And so, as he lists the spiritual gifts we should all seek, he makes it clear that the gift that eclipses all of them is Love.  If we love one another in all of our contacts with one another, then we cannot go wrong- ever- in fulfilling God’s Mission for us.

And the love Paul speaks of is:  “Love is Patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth”.  And that kind of love for others is often hard for us.  But it is the way all of us hope God will treat us.  And so, it is the way all of us should treat others.

As background for this Gospel, recognize that Jesus has just been Baptized   And has spent 40 days in the desert using spiritual gifts to discern his mission.  Very confidently, he reads from Isaiah the prophecy of a savior; and boldly proclaims that the reading has been fulfilled in him.  Jesus certainly did what Paul recommended.  He loved all that he came in contact with.

We need not search for our Mission too far.  It is hard, but it is ultimately very simple.  We need to rejoice because the time and place we have been given in life is God’s gift to us.  We need to embrace the challenges of our lives, and to love all those placed in our lives by God.  That’s recognizing how wonderful we really are in God’s eyes; that’s blooming where we are planted.  And we will reap the rewards of our love for others, which is a form of Loving God, by experiencing the everlasting love of God in the Kingdom of God.

Tags:
Posted in Westminster Tower | No Comments »

Them That Has Gits!

January 28th, 2016

Thursday of 3rd Week in Ordinary Time

2 Sam 7: 18-19, 24-29; Mark 4: 21-25

Dc. Larry Brockman

So, “To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”  Wow!  That sounds so harsh, doesn’t it?

In today’s gospel, Jesus also talks about lamps hidden under the bed or being covered up.  He says these lamps were intended to be out in the open to shed light.  We are the lamps.  We cannot afford to hide under a bed or run for cover in the stream of life.  We are being told to shine the light of Christ for all of our brothers and sisters to see.  And what is it we are to illuminate?  The things hidden in the darkness- those things that are shrouded in secret.  Because light has not shone on them, they need to be exposed for what they are.  Yes, those who are people of the light need to expose evil for what it is- no covering your lamp when you hear of corruption and dishonesty; no hiding under the bed when someone speaks against the law of God; and no turning the other way when Christian values are being compromised.

There are a lot of folks today who do that, you know.  They hide or cover their lights in the name of “freedom”.  They say “After all, who am I to judge”; and “Everyone should have the freedom to live according to their own standard; isn’t that what freedom is all about?”

No, it is not.  Rather, it is our responsibility to save those who are on the wrong track.  It’s part of our responsibility as Christians to evangelize; to shine our light in the darkness.  And what is more, there are consequences if we don’t.

Now I suspect the people of the time didn’t understand this parable either.  So Jesus tells them that those who have ears need to listen.  Jesus probably sensed a Deer in the Headlights response from the people after he said that.  So he made the situation crystal clear.  “To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

Just what does that have to do with the whole matter?  Well, grace is a free gift from God.  All of us who were Baptized received the graces of Baptism.  All of us who pray receive graces from God.  All of us who do God’s will, receive graces from God.  There is a relationship between the presence of the Holy Spirit within us, and the graces that we receive.  And to those who do these things, more graces are given, while to those who don’t do these things, fewer graces are given.

It’s all up to us, isn’t it?  It depends on our Faith, our spirituality, our initial and follow-on response to God how much favor, or grace, we receive from God.  And ultimately, if we don’t act on our graces, what graces we have will be dissipated.  We will lose favor with God.

If I said to you  “Things will go smoothly for those who exercise good judgment; whereas things will go poorly for those who don’t.”  All of us could certainly see the logic and fairness to that.    Likewise, to those who make an effort in response to graces, more graces will be received. and to those who don’t make an effort, little will be given, and in fact, they may lose the faith and graces they do have.  And that is definitely fair.

The great challenge in life is not just to believe in God and his work of salvation that saved all of us who believe but to act on that Faith by shining our light as Christians no matter what the world tries to do to us.    And in very clear unmistakable terms, for those who do that  “Them that has, gits”.  And that is as fair as fair can be.

Tags:
Posted in Holy Family Weekday Homilies | No Comments »

A Jealous King Learns a Lesson!

January 21st, 2016

Thursday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time (U)

1 Sam 18: 6-9, 19: 1-7; Mk 3: 7-12

Dc. Larry Brockman

Jealousy!  It is one of the seven deadly sins.  This morning we hear how Saul had become jealous of David, so much so that he considered killing him.  And all because people sang and danced over “10 thousand” enemies that David allegedly slew whereas they gave King Saul credit for only “one thousand”.  For a while, David had been an answer to a prayer for Saul because he was so successful, but Saul’s ego got in the way and so he plotted against David.  Some of the text has been left out of this selection.  If you read it, you find Saul trying to use David’s attraction for his daughter Michol as a way to get at David.  Indeed, Saul’s anger runs deep.

Jealousy over someone else’s success is a human reaction that we all share, isn’t it?  It seems particularly hard for people to accept someone else’s success after they been successful themselves.  I am sure that all of us can think of a time when someone stole the spotlight from us.  And rather than rejoice in the other person’s success, we became envious or jealous.  I think about a first-born children, for example.  Perhaps a little boy is basking in the attention and the joy that went with undivided attention from his parents.  Along comes a baby sister and what a shock that little fellow has.  It seems as if the baby stole all the attention right out from under him.  I have seen that over and over in my innocent grandchildren as they came along.

But, when folks get older, this natural, innocent bewilderment can turn ugly.  Perhaps you feel you did a really great job on a work project, and all of a sudden someone else steals the show.  They did something themselves that for one reason or another, the boss raves about, but he seems to just gloss over your achievement.

What should we do when we feel that emotion of jealousy and envy, and even anger in situations like that?  First of all, recognize that life is just like that.  God’s gifts are given to everyone; everyone has a share of the limelight.  And, we should be happy when someone else succeeds.  After all, we all want them to be happy for us when we succeed.

But more than that, gifts are not balanced.  Whenever my wife baked a pie, she always used to have one of our kids cut the pie.  And whoever cut the pie was the person who received the last piece.  Everybody learned a key lesson from that.  No matter how hard you would try, it was just very hard to cut that pie so that everyone gets the same size piece.  And it is that way in life as well.  You might get the larger piece of the pie today, but someone else is going to get the larger piece of pie tomorrow.  That’s life.

Second, these deadly sins, like jealousy and envy, are the devil’s best chance to derail you from your real goals in life.  They draw attention to ourselves and our wants rather than God’s will for us.  And if we become consumed with jealousy and envy, we lose sight of what our lives are really all about-  the mission and goals that God has in mind for us.  That’s exactly where the devil wants us- consumed in ourselves.   On the other hand, sharing the limelight is a lesson in humility that all of us need to learn.  Because when you come right down to it, we are all really the same in God’s eyes even though we are as different as night and day in gifts, talents, and limitations.  It is God’s attention and praise we should be seeking; not the world’s.

Today’s Gospel echoes the same lesson.  All those people closing in on Jesus were doing it not because they loved God or Jesus; but because they wanted something from him- something worldly.  They were into themselves.  And so Jesus arranged for an escape from the pressure.

The next time you start to feel jealous or envious of someone else.  Think about how the devil is working on you.  Let it go, and seek after God’s praise first.

Tags:
Posted in Holy Family Weekday Homilies | No Comments »

The Church as a Symbol (U)

January 14th, 2016

Thursday of the First Week In Ordinary Time

1 Sam 4: 1-11; Mk 1: 40-45

Dc. Larry Brockman

You see it quite frequently, someone riding around with a Rosary hanging from their rear view mirror.  Sometimes even cabbies have rosaries dangling from their rear view mirrors.  I asked a cabbie with such a rosary once if he was Catholic, pointing to his rosary.  He told me “no”, but said he believed that “it couldn’t hurt” and it might protect him against an accident!  This poor cabbie was just putting his trust in symbols, but not having any real sense of belief in what the symbol represented.

And so it was in the story about the Israelites defeat in battle against the Philistines this morning.  The words very clearly show that the Israelites summoned the Ark itself-  they wanted the physical presence of the Ark there.  There wasn’t any semblance of faith in what the Ark symbolized- the presence and power of Almighty God.  In fact, the Philistines seem to have a better understanding of the power behind the Ark than the Israelites did.  For they said “Gods have come to their camp”.  This motivated the Philistines to redouble their preparation, and to make sure they were as ready as possible.  Meanwhile, the Israelites whooped it up in a party, trusting that the symbol itself would carry the day.  Such a dreadful mistake.  Where was their respect for the God the Ark represented?  How did they prepare in God’s name for the battle?  By whooping it up?

Contrast all of this with the story of Faith presented in the Gospel.  Lepers were isolated from society, and if they approached people, they could be severely dealt with by the authorities.  But this leper violates all these taboos and takes a big risk because the leper’s faith is strong; and his attitude is very humble.  He has a plan, and he boldly approaches Jesus directly.  Kneeling before the Lord he says “If you wish, you can make me clean.”

Notice that his faith is strong, and he takes direct action.  By contrast the Israelites faith is lukewarm, and they are content to let the symbol do all the work for them.  There’s a lesson for all of us in this contrast.  It isn’t enough for us to just go through the motions that our Faith demands.  We need to embrace the Faith itself and take action.

Now don’t get me wrong.  I am all for proudly displaying religious symbols in our homes and even on our persons.  But, the symbols are there to give witness to our Faith and to remind us of our Faith. They are there to call forth our Faith, whether we are in need or not.  But the Symbols themselves are powerless without the faith behind them.

One such symbol that we must carefully consider in today’s world is the Church itself.  People come to Church for a variety of reasons.  Do they come just to be associated with what the Church symbolizes- a religion.  For example- coming to be seen; to provide a social context;  to validate a life style; to fulfil an obligation or to find a safe haven.

Or do they come to worship God and to get to know him?  For example, to give special time and praise to God; to seek direction in one’s life; to know more about God; to teach and foster faith to our youth; to help spread our Faith to others outside the parish and to serve others as an example of Christ’s love.

I say all this because as numerous as Christians are in this country today, we are losing ground in battle against the forces of secularism each and every day.  Why?  Perhaps we are lukewarm in our Faith and hoping the Church will do the work for us?  But you see, the Church is us.

Tags:
Posted in Holy Family Weekday Homilies | No Comments »

Oh, What a Wedding!

January 13th, 2016

Westminster Tower Wednesday Service

John 2: 1-12

Dc. Larry Brockman

So, the Christmas Season is all over!  Our joy is complete.  The Lord has come.  Well, not quite.  Let me explain.

We celebrate the coming of Jesus during the Christmas Season.  And we celebrate Christmas for 12 days until the Epiphany because the Epiphany commemorates when the three Wise Men arrived from the East and gave gifts to the baby Jesus, honoring him as the newborn King.  These three wise men, or kings, represent all of Mankind.  They were not from the Chosen people, the Jews; rather, they were from diverse Gentile nations.

Now Epiphany means “Manifestation”; and so, God “manifested”, that is, showed His presence as God-made-man, to all his people through these Wise Men because God’s gift of Jesus was meant for all of us, not just the Jews.  So traditionally, Christmas ended with this event since the joy of Jesus Coming had been shared with everyone.

But wait, there’s more to the Epiphany than that.  You see, most Christian Churches teach that there are three elements of God’s manifestation to us.  First, the Wise Men’s coming and honoring the new born King.  Second, the Baptism of the Lord, in which Jesus accepts God’s mission for him.  And third, Jesus will to execute his mission to all Mankind.

Now I know that your Chaplain shared thoughts on the Baptism of the Lord with you last week.  Baptism is our opportunity to shed our sin, and to be reborn by water and spirit into the Church.  Yes, we arise from the waters of Baptism as new people, committed to the will of God and our Christian faith.

The Baptism of the Lord had similar significance for Jesus.  Although Jesus had no sin, he arose from the waters of His Baptism a new person as well.  He accepted his Mission from the Father to live a different life.  Rather than the life of a Carpenter in the sleepy little village of Nazareth, Jesus was reborn to a new life.  He recognized that his mission was to become the Savior of the World by following God’s detailed plan for him to preach the good news of God’s love and to proclaim to all peoples that they should repent of their old self-centered worldly lives and follow in His footsteps to do the will of God the Father, even if that meant pain and suffering and rejection by the world.

And so, Jesus was awakened to that mission at His Baptism.  And he went away in the desert for 40 days to reflect on it all and to decide what to do, and how to do it, and when to do it.

That brings us to today’s incident, the Wedding at Cana.  You see, after returning from the desert, the third element of the manifestation occurred.  Jesus now implemented his mission by “coming out”, so to speak, and revealing that he was special.  Jesus launched his ministry by performing an extraordinary miracle at Cana, by turning water into wine, 120 gallons of it.    This was a public ministry that brought salvation to us all.  And our joy as Christians is not complete without salvation.

There are a couple of things that the Gospel tells us about this “Coming Out” that we will talk about.  But first, I will share a little on the culture of a first century Jewish wedding.  Scholars tell us these wedding celebrations went on for a week.  Not only that, but wine was a key element of them.  In fact, the Aramaic word for the nuptial celebration was “Mistita”, meaning drink festival.  And if you think that’s shocking, consider this Rabbinical dictum, or saying, of the time:  “Where there is no wine, there is no joy”.  So, what a wedding that must have been!

Scholars also tell us that the bride was probably related to Mary in some way.  The Bible says Mary was there already, and that context implies she was there other than by invitation, presumably because she somehow belonged there as a relation.  We know Jesus and 5 of his disciples were invited, that is, called to the wedding, and that it took 3 days to get there, from Nazareth to Cana.  Each of the men probably brought a guest.

What this means is that Mary, Jesus, and his group of disciples represented a significant part of the wedding party’s guests.  So, presumably they were consuming a significant portion of the wine, too.  And that puts a different light on Mary’s request to Jesus, doesn’t it.

Now, did you notice that Jesus was reluctant when challenged?  He tells his Mother- “Woman, how does your concern affect me” when she mentions the wine is running short.  You know, there’s a lot in that exchange for us to ponder.  Think back on your own lives about your relationship with your parents, or with your children.  If you and your children went to a party and their friends drank all the wine, wouldn’t any good mother be concerned about what she saw happening, and say something to her child?  And what would your son say to you if you pointed that out to him?  And yet, this exchange sounds kind of sharp to us, doesn’t it?  So, what was Jesus thinking?

Well, scholars tell us that similar use of the word “woman” elsewhere in scripture actually implies that Jesus was using a formal term of respect when addressing his mother as “Woman” in public.  Additionally, they say that his response was more like “we just have a different way of looking at it” with regard to the fact the wine was gone, rather than “don’t bother me, it’s not my concern”.  In other words, it was not a rebuke or rejection, as it sounds to us.  And so we are sidetracked by this first seemingly shocking part of his response, and may not have noticed the essence of his response.  Because the real crux of his response is this:  “My hour has not yet come.”

Could it be that even after the Baptism and reflection in the desert, for 40 days that Jesus is still not sure how to handle his mission?  Is Jesus holding back on launching his public ministry?

Whether his mother sensed all this or not, we do not know.  But we do know she didn’t let the matter ride.  Rather his Mother tells the servants to “do whatever he tells you”.  Ah, yes.  Children might appear to be on a different page and not fully responsive to their parents.  But Mothers know their children and trust they will do the right thing.  “It’s the way I brought you up”, right?

Now stone vessels were not something you left around the house.  They were not fabricated out of clay, but had to be carefully hewn- they were expensive.  So, these 6 vessels had been brought in especially for this event-   And they were used to hold water, some 20 gallons of water apiece.  And this water was used for purification purposes, the “ceremonial washings” associated with the wedding.  Now, these were filled to the brim- a sign of plentitude.  And miraculously, they were turned to fine wine- 120 gallons of wine.

It strikes me that all of this symbolizes things.  First, the ceremonial washing with the water symbolizes the old way of doing things, strict adherence to the Mosaic Law and the Old Testament.  The water made wine prefigures the wine at the Last Supper and the New Testament.  So the new way to purity is to live the life of the Lord by consuming his flesh and blood in the Eucharist and taking on his way.  Lastly, all who partake are joined together, with Christ the Bridegroom and his people the Church, the brides.  Oh, what a wedding that symbolizes!

But for the moment, the just wine serves to meet a need for the embarrassed bride and groom.  It is pronounced by the expert to be truly exceptional wine; wine that which should have been served first.  Indeed, the New Covenant is the way, the truth, and the light.  Would that it had come earlier.

It is clear that word of this miracle would spread and spread quickly.  Indeed, the third manifestation of the Lord to us had arrived- Jesus public ministry had been accepted and begun.  The word was out; Jesus had performed a miracle.  And thus, the Church launches “Ordinary Time”, a time in which we hear of Jesus public Ministry.

Every one of us goes through a three-fold process in life to manifest our worthiness for everlasting life.  First, we are born into this world, just as the Baby Jesus was born at Christmas.  Second, we die to the things of this world and recognize that life is all about believing in God and following Jesus.  That’s what the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation are all about.  And lastly, it is not enough to accept Jesus in our lives, we have got to take action.  We have got to move out and do the will of the Father.  Our joy in recognizing the path to Everlasting Life isn’t complete until we take that last step.  And each of us is confronted by obstacles along the way, just as Jesus encountered them.

First, we might recognize what God’s will is for us, but we fight it.  Perhaps you haven’t taken the time to reflect on the urgings from your heart to focus on the mission God is calling you to.  If that is the case, then the upcoming season of Lent is for you.  Lent represents the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert sorting his life and mission out.  So, Lent is the perfect time to discipline yourselves to get away from it all, listen to God, and resolve to make a change, that is repent, and follow his urgings.

Or you might have a vision of what God intends for you, but you are afraid or reticent to move out.  So you waffle over when the time is right to move out.  So, be looking for those little signs that direct you to move out now.  Jesus’ mother, Mary, acted in that capacity in this story when she told Jesus about the waning wine.

For three years, virtually all of Jesus’ public life, Jesus spread a message of love- proclaiming the beatitudes, telling parables, and giving first hand examples that all people are God’s children.  Jesus’ life was a script for all of us on how to relate to one another.

And that’s what we are all called to do- to minister to the people that God has put in our lives- the difficult neighbor; the prodigal son; the selfish children; the quiet person in the corner; the noisy chatterbox in the center of the room; and your best friend who has just lost a loved one.  All of these folks are our mission.  And all of them help us to experience the ultimate joy.  That comes with the Coming of Christ, and membership as a Bride of Christ in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.  Oh, what a wedding that will be!

Tags:
Posted in Westminster Tower | No Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »