God Loves Everyone (U)

January 7th, 2016

Thursday After Epiphany

1 Jn 4: 19- 5:4; Lk 4: 14-33

Dc. Larry Brockman

So, “Whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”  Wow! That’s a very significant insight from St. John.  And he is not just talking about our blood brothers either.  Because we are all the brotherhood of man.

Look at it this way; God made all of us.  And God doesn’t make junk.  So all of us are God’s people, and all of those he made are loved.  Why would God consciously make someone he didn’t love?  And God has shown us that his creation is varied- black, brown, yellow, white;  unborn; Children; Men; Women; Homosexuals; rich; poor; talented; handicapped;  athletic; and crippled.  Whoever has been conceived by natural processes to be born into this world; God loves  We are all God’s children and so each of us is fashioned by God with our own unique talents, gifts, and limitations with the same love.  It’s just that our perspectives don’t necessarily see it that way.

We can’t really love God if we don’t love all the people that God loves because our rationale for following God’s command to love has to match God’s own concept of love.  We can’t reject anyone that God loves; that’s not the love of God.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells us what God’s plan is for him.  First, he reads the prophecy of Isaiah on the Messiah’s coming:  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”  Then, he declares boldly that this prophecy has been fulfilled today by him; making it clear that he is the Messiah, the one who will accomplish all that was promised in the prophecy.

God loves the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed, just as much as the well off, those already free, the physically able, and those with the upper hand; and it is clear from this Gospel that his first priority is those the world considers as disadvantaged!

We have just embarked on the year of Mercy as announced by Pope Francis.  What does that mean for you and I?  Well, these readings should awaken a sense of duty within  us to internalize what mercy means in our own lives, t live the love of Christ for all of his creation.  It doesn’t just mean dropping a few extra bucks in the collection basket for the poor.  It doesn’t just mean adding an extra intention to our daily prayers.  It should mean something more than that.  It should mean that we have mercy on the poor, captive, and suffering in our own lives.

Who are the poor and captive and suffering in our lives?  They are those in our families with imperfections and limitations;  those who are captive to their own blindness and who resist God’s love. And it includes those who take advantage of our better nature in society- the homeless, those in disastrous relationships, those who are bullies and those who have turned their backs on God.

Why?  Because that’s what we hope God will do for each and every one of us when we recognize our own weaknesses; and because we are the only window that these people may have to the love of God.  Our limitations should teach each of us to be humble in the face of our God; but our talents are to be shared for the good of all our brothers; and a talent all of us can develop is true Christian love whereby we continue to love even those who give us the worst time.

Our first reading ends with this quote:  “For whoever is begotten by God conquers the world.”  We don’t conquer the world by rising above the worldly in a worldly way.  Rather, we conquer the world by echoing God’s love through our faith in God and by loving with our own loving spirit, no matter how difficult the people in our lives are and what they throw at us.

So, think of someone in your life who needs mercy; and with the love of Christ, be merciful to them.

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Finding Time for Christ’s Coming

December 10th, 2015

Advent Reflection Service

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

It started way before Thanksgiving this year!  My neighbor put up his lights a week before Thanksgiving;  and the stores started pushing “Pre-Black Friday” sales, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Green Monday- you name it.  Every year it starts earlier and earlier, the Frenzy that has become “The Holidays”.

But you know what? We used to call it the Christmas Season, because as Christians say “Jesus is the reason for the season”.  Nowt it seems that Jesus’ coming has been hijacked.   Instead, we celebrate a secular “Holiday Season” where buying lots of stuff and secular joy take precedence.  Even Santa says “Happy Holidays” and not Merry Christmas.  At one local hospital, there’s a beautiful “Holiday Tree” in the lobby-   Yep, they call it a holiday tree, not a Christmas Tree.  And there’s a table with Hanukah Candles and Kwanzaa candles on it right next to the tree, but there’s no Advent Wreath there.  Boy, have they got their priorities wrong- political correctness trumps Christmas Joy.

And so tonight, we want to set the priorities straight.  That Jesus is the reason for the season and talk about why we spend the 4 weeks of Advent getting ready for Christmas.  It’s not because we need the time for cards and cooking and buying gifts; and not to give time for all the parties and get-togethers; but rather, we need the 4 weeks to get ready for the coming of Christ. In fact, we are going to consider a few things that were highlighted by the readings  To help us to see how God intends for us to get ready for His coming.

Imagine for a moment what it must have been like in Ahaz’s time in the setting of our first reading, thousands of years ago.  King Ahaz was content with life and had made political deals that preserved his country, Judah.  But he made those deals at the expense of keeping the Faith.  Despite many warnings from the prophets of his time, Ahaz and the people were ignoring God’s law and his commandments.  Ahaz wasn’t looking for a sign- he was content.

Isn’t the same thing happening today?   A lot of people don’t even call it Christmas any more, as we just mentioned.  It’s the Holidays for these people.  And aren’t most of us putting our spiritual preparation to the side so we can get all the other things done; all the secular things done, that we are expected to do?  Indeed, we do need time for our spiritual preparation- that’s the first message, that’s the first priority.

In the second reading, we are told to rejoice over the coming of the King- a King who will exact “Judgment and Justice”.  Is that what we are looking for, judgment and justice?  Or are we looking at the long list of gifts on our shopping lists; and worried about how we are going to pay all the bills.  Indeed, our spiritual preparation demands that we look for a different kind of longing.  Not a longing for “happiness” that is a short term high based on things and fleeting pleasures; but rather a long term joy, a joy inside that is immune to the trials and tribulations of life.

In fact, some of the things that we should be looking for are listed in the third reading:  “A spirit of wisdom and understanding;  a spirit of counsel and strength, and a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.”  That’s what our spiritual preparation should lead us to seek; qualities that will last in the long term in our spiritual lives-  Spiritual Gifts that will last forever.

And if you seek out and nurture those spiritual gifts; those abilities to understand and discern, to cut through the chaff that the devil throws at us through secular society; then you will recognize the real savior of the world at his coming.  And not only that, you will welcome him with joy.  You will recognize that God so loved us that he sent his only Son, born of a woman, to dwell amongst us and show us the way; and that this God-become-man lived and ate and worked amongst us, living as all of us do, living a humble and regular life for 30 of his 33 years.

That’s what the Nativity Stories we read really tell us.  That Jesus was of humble origins; that he lived an ordinary, not privileged life; and that he was obedient to his earthly parents and heavenly Father; and that he ate, slept, worked, and related socially to his family and friends, just like we do; yet he did all of that without sin.

All of us have the same calling- to live like Jesus did.  That’s the essence of the good news- the Gospel.  And woven into these Nativity stories are the stories of Mary and the Shepherds-  Mary, who is the example of how all of us are to live life;  Mary, who was fully human, yet never sinned;  Mary who accepted God’s will for her, despite the mental and physical pain and anguish that accompanied it; and  Mary who celebrated the joy of her first-born son’s coming.  Are we all ready for that?  Are we prepared to accept God’s way and live it, relishing the joyful moments of life; yet accepting the trials with dignity and grace?

Likewise the shepherd’s story is insightful.  These humble, simple people of the time accepted the story of Jesus at the word of the Angels.  They came, they worshiped, and they left.  They did not understand.  There are things we will never be capable of understanding.  But what was revealed to them, they accepted on Faith.  That is our challenge as well, to accept that Jesus is God become man, that he is our savior and that he promised all who believe and follow him, eternal life in heaven with his Father.

And then there is the last reading, the one about the Word of God.  It summarizes what we believe about the relationship between the Father and the Son and the doctrine we call the “Incarnation”.  The Incarnation is at the core of what makes us Christian because it says that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine.

That’s something all of us can relate to, that Jesus humbled himself by coming down and becoming intimate with us.  He is not some distant, unapproachable God.  God is with us (Emmanuel)- and we take him in the Eucharist every week.  If we think about that in our spiritual preparation, we cannot help but feel the joy.  It is the New Covenant joy that Jesus brings- through his sacrifice of self, He saves us and offers us everlasting life.  That is what the joy of Christmas is all about- that believers will live forever in peace and joy.

The devil has attacked the Incarnation in many and varied ways-   And the result has been the emergence of sects- Moslems, Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, and other religions that believe in one God, but sadly, don’t believe in the Divinity of Jesus Christ or the Trinity.  It is easy to be misled by people from these other faiths.  Don’t let that happen to you.  Know your faith and be zealous in its defense.

Indeed, Jesus is coming soon.  He comes symbolically every year as baby Jesus.  We celebrate the joy that God’s Incarnation and New Covenant brings on that day.  But Advent also reminds us of another coming- the second Coming of Christ.  All of us will experience that coming as well when we die.  Will we be ready for that?  Will we welcome the second coming of Jesus with joy?  Indeed we will- if we are ready.  So use Advent wisely, get ready spiritually for the coming of Christ!  It could happen at any time.

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You Are Greater Than the Greatest Born of a Woman

December 10th, 2015

Thursday of the Second Week of Advent

Is 41: 13-20; Mt 11: 11-15

Dc. Larry Brockman

So, the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than John the Baptist, who is the greatest of those born of a woman!  Is there any hope for us then, who certainly don’t have the insight or the zeal or the discipline of John the Baptist?

Contrast that thought with response in our Psalm today:  “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow in anger, and great in kindness.”  How can both of these be true?  How can the least in the kingdom be greater than John the Baptist, and the Lord be kind and merciful to us who don’t measure up to John?  What does it all mean?

It means we all certainly do have cause to rejoice.  You see, the coming of Jesus, our savior, changed everything.  Up until then, the Kingdom of God was not open, and great as any human born of a woman might be, they could not enter the everlasting Kingdom of God.  Jesus’ coming put into action God’s plan to save all of us who believe and follow Jesus.  Yes, the Lord is gracious.

And to help us on our journey of life, we have been given great gifts- the Church and the Sacraments-  Baptism, the Eucharist, Confirmation in particular,  These initiate and confirm us in our faith.  And then the sacrament of Reconciliation gives us a second, and third, and fourth, and on and on, chance to make things right with God as we fall on the way.  Yes indeed, the Lord is merciful and slow to anger.

Now most of us can’t really appreciate the literal meanings of the first reading.  We are not shepherds and farmers, and we don’t live in ancient times.  We have huge diesel driven bulldozers and earthmoving equipment that can literally move mountains.  We have cell phones and electric lights and running water and air conditioning, even in the middle of the desert.  But try for a moment to visualize the promise that the Lord is delivering through Isaiah.

Imagine threshing a mountain with a hand tool with ease, and water bubbling free in the desert with rivers flowing on bare land.   For nomadic ancient peoples, these things symbolized a capability they just couldn’t imagine.  And so they show that the Lord’s coming will happen with such certainty and ease, that it is a sure thing beyond any doubt, and that with His coming, prosperity will follow- a land rich in fertility and flowing with life.

Well, they symbolize the same thing for us- a certainty that the Lord will come, and bring with him prosperity.  Yes indeed, the Lord shows us great kindness.

So, rejoice, because the coming of Jesus does for us what the exiled people that Isaiah spoke to were hoping for-  Jesus’ coming guarantees us who believe everlasting life in the Kingdom of God, where we will also be greater than the greatest born of a woman.

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A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing

December 3rd, 2015

Thursday of the 1st Week of Advent

Is 26: 1-6; Mt 7: 21, 24-27

Dc. Larry Brockman

“Yes, but”.  Is our allegiance to the word of God characterized by “Yes, but” or a resounding “Amen”?  Because that’s the difference between building our foundation on rock or sand.

You know, there is a fallout associated with all the education we get these days.  In very blunt terms:  “A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing”.  And in the American society we live in, our level of education is so much more sophisticated than it used to be.  We are taught to question everything; we are taught to be critical thinkers.

And that is a good thing, unless…  Unless we try to second guess God’s law.  We can become so arrogant about our little bit of knowledge that we don’t listen to God.  You see, God thinks at a level that we cannot begin to approach.  His ways are totally beyond our comprehension.  And so, God has revealed His law to us through the prophets, Jesus and the Apostles, and the great doctors of the Church.  God’s revelation is slow, and doesn’t always seem to be provable or understandable according to man’s level of intelligence.  The Incarnation, the Trinity, the Resurrection of the body, the Eucharist; and some of our moral standards, like the right-to-life, and the dignity of a human person, are examples of that.  These are just a few of our beliefs that are challenged by secular society using sophisticated learning and reasoning today.

Consider some examples of areas where human “thinking” tries to second guess the aggregate teaching of the Church in today’s society.  Usually sophisticated arguments are used to consider the exception.  We say- marriage is the union of a man and a woman;  Society’s elite say- yes, but what about two people of the same sex who truly love each other.  We say- an embryo is a human being just like the parents.  But society’s elite say- yes, but what about the fact that the embryo cannot exist without the mother’s body;  And if that support can in any way danger the mother, than shouldn’t there be an exception  So the mother can make a choice.  We say- thou shalt not steal; but society’s elite say- yes but  those who have should be forced to pay for those who have not  because all are entitled to basic needs- it’s only fair.

It is important for all of us to remember that the truth is not relative- It is absolute.  There is black; and there is white.  It is possible to cross the line between one and the other.  In other words- there is sin.  Abortion is either right or wrong; marriage is between a man and a woman; and we cannot just steal from people who have, to give to the poor- the rich have to give of their hearts.  Right is right, and wrong is wrong.  And we must build our foundation on rock- that which is right.

That means we must take a position that some things are absolute, not relative.  The things that God has revealed to us as our foundation are things like the ten commandments and the beatitudes.  Otherwise, when we think that human beings can discern by the circumstances,  we are building our house on sand.

 

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Understanding the Kingdom of God

November 22nd, 2015

Christ The King

Dan 7: 13-14; Rev 1:5-8; Jn 18:33b-37

Dc. Larry Brockman

A Kingdom!  It’s not something that we can relate to in this country.  We have no “King”; in fact, our revolution occurred because we wanted to escape from domination by a King.  And so, as a result, the “Kingdom of God” may seem a little fuzzy for us.  The closest thing to a king that we can relate to is all the fuss made over other nations royalty.  We see them glorified in earthly terms and venerated.  But we have no equivalent in our society.

Yet in Biblical times, Kingdoms were the norm.  Everybody understood that a King was the absolute ruler.  All Dominion and Glory and Power belonged to the King, or Caesar or Emperor, or whatever he was called.  People understood the concept.  That is why Israel longed for the restoration of the Kingdom in Jesus’ time, because they were sickened by the corrupt and repressive domination of the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans.  They wanted their own Kingdom with a just ruler, like David of old.  But they could only think in terms of an earthly Kingdom

One thing we know for sure:  Heaven is the Kingdom of God.  And so, whether we are familiar and comfortable with Kingdoms or not, we need to understand the Kingdom of God and how it differs from kingdoms in this world.  All of us have been offered everlasting life in that Kingdom; none of us has been promised everlasting life in this world.  Aside from life in the Kingdom of God after our earthly life, there is only the prospect of death.

So what is the Kingdom of God like?  Well, it is not a democracy- none of us gets a vote there, as individuals, we don’t get a say about what happens.  It is not a republic either- diverse groups of people don’t matter in its governance, only the King’s will matters.  God alone will make the rules, and give the orders, and make the rewards.  And the rewards are great- joy and happiness and freedom from all pain and suffering forever. Like all Kingdoms, the head of the Kingdom of God wants loyalty and service from his subjects.  Each of us has been given the opportunity to show our loyalty and to serve the King while we live.  We are called to respond to that opportunity by accepting the Word of God, Jesus Christ, on faith.  That’s the loyalty part.  And then by living according to the word of God by following the Gospel as a way of life, and by doing the will of the Father for us.  That’s the service part.  It is on these criteria that we will be selected for the Kingdom of God or not.  Put another way, these are the basis for our judgment.

Today we hear multiple accounts of the coming of the Kingdom of God.  Notice how similar the first two accounts are.  One like the Son of Man will come, and then everything will change- life as we know it will be different, because God, and His designated Son, will reign forever- with all dominion and glory and power.  There will be no more competing kings or earthly powers; no more death and suffering.  They also establish that Jesus Christ is that King.

Now the important point today is the message that this Kingdom is coming-  It is coming for all of us.  Today we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King.  And the Gospel makes it very clear in Jesus’ own words that his kingdom is not of this world.  Funny, isn’t it.  Because we have just spent 10 or so weeks in ordinary time on the church calendar hearing about the kingdom of God in parables and stories and other snippets from the Gospel.  We hear that the Kingdom is amongst us; that the Kingdom is a hidden treasure waiting to be found right now; and that there is joy in heaven over repentant sinners because they will share in the Kingdom.  So how can the Kingdom be amongst us and at the same time not be of this world?

Well, the joy that we all seek is the joy that is in our hearts when we know that we are in harmony with God.  Nobody can take that away from us, no matter how much mental or physical stress or pain we may be under.  If Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, in other words your King, then the Kingdom of God is already there for you.

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Hanging In There When the Going Get’s Tough

November 19th, 2015

Thursday of the 33rd Week in Ordinary Time

1 Mac 2: 15-29; Lk 19: 41-44

Dc. Larry Brockman

So, if things get tough will you hang in there? I mean, will you keep your faith if things get really tough? Or will you cave in like the “certain Jew” in today’s first reading. This man came forward and offered sacrifices to the pagan Greek gods, abandoning his faith and the faith of his ancestors, and desecrating the one true God’s house. Why? Because the Greeks overran the country and imposed the law we just heard described. Most of the people caved in- giving up their faith and joining the King’s followers to save their lives. While we might disapprove of Mattathias methods, his anger and the killings, you have to admire him for his zeal and for defending his faith.

Now, you might say, that would never happen to any of us. We would never have our faith challenged like that here in the good old USA. But it’s not so crazy that it would ever happen here, Because we are becoming a pluralistic secular country, one that tolerates all religions; and one that “respects” all kinds of moral codes; even those that run counter to our Church teaching. For example, we tolerate indecency and all forms of deviant life styles that are directly counter to our Faith in just about every public venue.

Not only that, our toleration of the minorities and these deviant moral codes has already translated to a persecution of the majority. And so our public officials have already told us we can’t pray in the schools anymore; we can’t pray before or after sporting events, we can’t put up Nativity scenes in public places; the ten commandments have to be removed from public places; and we shouldn’t say Merry Christmas because it might be offensive.

Not only that, pressure exists to recognize gay marriages and the “right” to choose abortion. The day will come, when a gay couple will come to this Church, demand to be married here; and then use the force of compliance with the “law of the land” and secular authority to pressure our Church. That will be just the beginning of explicit persecution that we will all feel.

Will we be strong and keep our faith in the face of these secular pressures, not just our pastor and clergy, but all of us?

Today’s Gospel tells us what happens if we don’t stand strong. Jesus says this in the Gospel: “For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides.” Isn’t that what is happening to Christians in this country right now? Maybe not a physical palisade, but a wall none the less, a barrier that keeps us from expressing our faith and evangelizing others, just by living our faith and being ourselves in public places.

The fact is that all of us must recognize our day of visitation and act on it. Else we can expect the same prediction for our Church as Christ predicted for Jerusalem: “They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

Indeed, we all have been blessed with a “time of visitation”. Jesus has been preached to each and every one of us. That is why we are all here. But what have we done with that. Have we done our part to evangelize those around us, and are we standing strong in the faith when it is attacked all around us?   I don’t know about you, but I intend to do my part. It may be just a little early. But please pass it on. Merry Christmas!

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Accepting the Spirit

November 12th, 2015

Thursday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time

Wis 7: 22b – 8:1; Lk 17: 20-25

Dc. Larry Brockman

So much for the argument that the Holy Spirit was not mentioned in the Old Testament! Because the beautiful and deep and pervasive description of the Holy Spirit is right there in that first reading. Yes, it is all right there, and has been in front of us the whole time.

Close your eyes and listen to it again: “In Wisdom is a spirit intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, agile, clear, unstained; Certain, not baneful, loving the good, keen, unhampered, beneficent, kindly; Firm, secure, tranquil, all powerful, all seeing, and pervading all spirits.”

Don’t you realize that you have that spirit living inside of you? You received that Spirit in Baptism, at Confirmation, and you receive it again whenever you receive the sacraments. Yes, the Spirit is right there inside of you, dwelling within you as believers, as those committed to the Lord, Jesus Christ.   And if you really appreciate that, then you will understand what Jesus means in today’s Gospel about the Kingdom of God. Because if you can learn to feel the Spirit of God within you, and act on his promptings, then truly, the Kingdom of God is present to you right here and now as well; because the Spirit brings with Him all of the qualities we just read off.

I cannot imagine anyone who feels protected by the Spirit of the all-powerful God dwelling in Him that is, intelligent, tranquil, kind, and possesses all those other qualities we mentioned, that wouldn’t feel secure and happy and joyful with their life, no matter what was going on around them.

The problem with our society, of course, is that it looks for the wrong things in life. People want a quick fix or a unique experience in their lives rather than to trust in God and follow Him. And so, they look for something other than what the Spirit of God within their hearts prompts.

That of course, is what Jesus says at the end of the Gospel. So, we have people today who tell us: “Look, there he is” and “Look, here he is”. Jesus tells us, as he told his Apostles, not to be fooled by that. Yes, don’t be fooled by latter day prophets who abandon the Church and its teaching In favor of someone’s personal revelations. We see this all the time- Moslems, Mormons, 7th Day Adventists, Jehovah’s witnesses, and modern megachurches are all examples. They say have found something new and revolutionary- and that we will find salvation through them.   No, that isn’t true. Salvation came through Jesus Christ and the Trinity. The Spirit was Jesus gift to us as Jesus left the world physically.

That’s what Pentecost was all about. And when we believe, and we embrace the Spirit dwelling within us, by following the promptings of the Spirit, accepting His gifts, and bearing his fruits, then all the good things mentioned in the Book of Wisdom happen to us: The spirit “…passes into holy souls from age to age, she produces friends of God and prophets. For there is nought that God Loves, be it not one who dwells with Wisdom. and “Wickedness prevails not over Wisdom. ”

The kingdom of God is not something that can be observed and it will not be announced. It is already buried within you. The Spirit of God is there to pervade your being and lead you to God.   And when it is your time, then “just as the lightning flashes, so will the son of man be in his day.” Yes, he will be there for you at the Second Coming. But first, you must experience and live through your trials and the suffering it entails, just like Jesus did.

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Concentrate on Your Own Weaknesses

November 5th, 2015

Thursday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time

Rom 14: 7-12; Lk 15: 1-10

Dc. Larry Brockman

It is so easy- so easy to see the sins of the other guy, and yet be blind to our own weaknesses. We see other people gossiping; other people cheating; and other people misbehaving. But we gloss over our gossiping or cheating or acting up; and worse yet, we quickly and conveniently forget what we have done.

In fact all those habits and patterns of life that we settle into can sometimes be so obviously imperfect to another person, and yet, we become blind to them. We learn to live with them- even grow into them. For example, all of us know that we should eat the proper foods to be healthy and keep our proper weight. And yet which of us is above commenting that so and so is fat; or so and so is skinny, as we consume our third donut over Sunday coffee and donuts. We should take a good hard look at ourselves, not others.

Why do we dwell on other people’s faults? Is it because it makes us feel better about ourselves? Is it because it distracts attention away from our own faults? And yet, it is a good image of ourselves that we all need. Paul hits the nail on the head this morning when he says: “All of us will need to give an accounting of our own behavior before God when we meet him”. We won’t have an opportunity to say: “Well what about John, isn’t he a lot worse”; No, the attention will be on your own sins.

You know, today’s Gospel makes an important point about all this- that there is more rejoicing in heaven about a repentant sinner than about a righteous person. It is not so much that God and his angels and saints won’t rejoice over a truly righteous person; but more that “righteous” is in the eye of the beholder. You and I, the average beholders, do a pretty good job at recognizing sinners; and maybe not so good a job in detecting the righteous. How so? Well, a repentant sinner in today’s society can be persecuted beyond belief.

Let me give some examples: “He was an alcoholic”; “She had an affair”; “He lied on his application”. And yet, such a person may have repented of his sins and may be in much better standing with God than those who cast judgment.

Paul says “Whether we are alive or dead, we must live our lives for the Lord if we are to enter the Kingdom of God.” And that task is worthy of 100% of our time. We really don’t have the time for being our neighbor’s conscience. We need all the time we can get to make things right with God, because we are all sinners.

Soon, we will enter the season of Advent to prepare for the coming of Christ. That includes the coming of the Christ Child, yes- but it also includes the second coming of Christ. That could be any time for any of us. So, let’s get real about our own sinfulness. Turn and look at yourself in the mirror. What is it that you are hiding? What is it that you are missing about yourself? What is it that you are kidding yourself about? Because when you stand before God, what will you say about all of that?

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What It Means to Be a Saint

November 1st, 2015

All Saints Day

Rev 7: 2-4, 9-14; 1 John 3: 1-3; Mt 5: 1-12a

Dc. Larry Brockman

Good News, in fact Great News! This is our feast day. That’s right. It’s your feast day and my feast day because we are the saints that the readings today are all about.

You see, the vision that St. John describes in Revelation, the one of the countless folks with the white robes- these are the believers who survived the great period of trial. And we are those true believers- that’s why we are all gathered here, because we are the believers. And so, as the saying goes, the Kingdom of God is ours for the taking. All we have to do is believe and survive the great period of trial- the life God gave us on earth.

Now as I listen to the Gospel, I hear the great period of trial described for each of us. Because I can’t help but think that life is all about learning the lessons that each beatitude teaches.

And so, each of us must first learn we are “poor in spirit” because each of is lacking in one way or another. It is important that we recognize that- it’s the virtue of humility.

Each of us experiences losses- loss of a loved one, loss of a job, loss of health; and we mourn these losses. But God wants us to know that in the face of any such losses, He still loves us. And so, we will be comforted, always.

Each of us needs to learn to step back and not be too pushy at times- in other words, be meek. Life is not all about us- life is about give and take. Each of us needs to seek God’s will for us in all of the circumstances of life-. That is what it means to hunger for righteousness because righteousness is defined as harmony with God.

And everyone who hopes that God will show them mercy knows that they must show mercy to others. Jesus taught us that in the “Our Father”. We also need to be pure of heart- that is, have a clear conscience. When we do not have a clear conscience, it is God who is nudging us to make things right. Life has many ways of showing us how violence and bickering lead to disaster. That’s how we learn to be peacemakers.

But make no mistake about it. Every single one of us will be challenged at some point in our lives to stand up for what is right, and to reject what is wrong. Yes, every one of us will face some sort of persecution for our faith. It may not be like the Christians in Syria facing the ISIS threat. But it is persecution just the same: the cynical look of peer pressure to “go along or be ostracized” when we object to today’s loose morals; pressure from elected officials to “get with it” when we take a staunch respect life position; or any of a number of other things society or the government does to pressure people who hold to their convictions.

Yes, the beatitudes kind of sum up the lessons each of us faces in life. And yet, as Jesus proclaims, if we learn the lessons implied in the beatitudes, then we will have survived the great period of trial, and the Kingdom of heaven is ours.

In the second reading, we learn what the Kingdom of God will be like. We are children of God now, and we are treated as children of God. Our duty is to believe God’s word, and to act on it in love, always, even when we can’t understand everything. Then, when we pass on to the next world, we will enter the Kingdom of God; we will be part of that great multitude of folks wearing white robes.

As John so eloquently says it, we will be like Him. Indeed, God made us in his own image and likeness, so man will share in the glory of God. And there can be nothing like that!

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Life is Not About Comfort!

October 29th, 2015

Thursday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time

Rom 8: 31b-39; Lk 13: 31-35

Dc. Larry Brockman

As if it is all about comfort in this life! But that’s the way the Pharisees spoke to Jesus. They as much as said:“Git while the gitin’s good”; such was their counsel.

But they were a brood of double dealing vipers. They wanted Jesus out because he was being heard; he was having an impact. And that bothered them, so much so that they would lobby the Roman Leaders to go after Jesus. Hence their half true, but deceitful advice- “Get out”.

But Jesus was just doing the will of the Father. He did it because that was his mission; it was not his mission in life to be comfortable, to be safe, and it was not his mission in life to “negotiate” with his opponents. There was no compromise; no negotiated back-off; no arrangement that would “live and let live”. It was his mission to spread the Gospel, the good news, that those who repent and believe will go to the Kingdom of God and everlasting life.

And it is the same with you and I. We are not here to compromise or to negotiate an accommodation so we will be comfortable. We are here to do God’s will for us; to perform our mission in life. Jesus wants us to avoid the conventional wisdom to “git while the gittin is good”.

Like what, you say?

Like standing firm when your kids want to watch things on TV or at the movies that you know are morally objectionable. And I’m not just talking about the sixth commandment either. How morally objectionable, for example is “Grand Theft Auto”; or movies that fantasize war and domination; or activities that suck all of our kids waking moments in front of an electronic device. Yet we constantly hear “but everybody does it”. Well, not everybody should do it. And it is so easy to give in; but it is not comfort that we should seek but rather harmony with the voice of God.

And of course, the same is true with adults in our dealings with other adults. We get ourselves in compromising situations with bosses, teachers, customers, and others. Yet we are called upon to not compromise our morals but rather, to show the faith that we really have.

Now many of us are derailed by the apparent success of those who do compromise, who do negotiate, who do seem to get away with just opting for the easy way out, and for comfort and peace in the short term. But that’s because we are thinking as the World does, not as God does. Their reward lasts for a relatively short time.

That’s what Paul’s message to the Roman’s was all about. He uses this argument. Jesus is our ideal; and yet Jesus did not opt for comfort, for safety. Rather Jesus held firm with God’s mission for him. It meant suffering and discomfort by all human standards- even a horrible painful death. But in the end, yes in the end, God rewarded Him with resurrection and everlasting life.

The same can be true for us. Paul says “Who will condemn us?” Indeed, no secular authority or cultural force can condemn us to death- they can make it painful and uncomfortable for us, yes. They can even kill our bodies. But they cannot condemn us to real death and everlasting suffering. Only we can do that by not obeying God.

You see, it is God’s system of reward that we should seek. In this world, that may mean pain and suffering. But as long as we have peace of mind, and our consciences rest easy that is OK. Because, as St. Paul says,  “Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Amen.

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