Making the Most of What We Have

August 27th, 2015

Thursday of 21st Week of the Year

1 Thes 3: 7-13; Mt 24: 42-51

Dc. Larry Brockman

Which is more serious- a sin of Omission or a Sin of Commission?  Really, both are serious sins, it just depends on the circumstances.  Jesus makes that clear in today’s Gospel.

If we just withdraw into a safe state of inaction- decide to relax; avoid challenges; and just take from life what it has to offer, then we are doing just what Jesus attacks in today’s Gospel.  Inaction is basically a sin of omission.  And it can be just as serious as when we go off and commit an action.

History is full of serious sins of omission- times when people stood by and watched terrible things happen.  Our times are certainly no different.  More to the point, there are times when people just live life for what they could get out of it, and don’t give back.

But our Faith demands more of us.  Practicing our faith means doing; being active just like the servant that Jesus praised in the Gospel.  That first servant was doing his job diligently whether the Master was present or not.

We are all blessed with talents and gifts.  We are all blessed with challenges and trials.  Jesus wants us to meet the challenges head on and apply the talents and the gifts that we have been given.  That is practicing our faith.

Sometimes getting involved seems hard to do.  You might say “What if I make a mistake”. Well, we learn from our mistakes, but at least we are trying.  And as Jesus implies in the Gospel, when the Lord comes, and sees how we are trying, he will be pleased as the master was pleased over the industrious servant

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What God Are You Going to Serve?

August 23rd, 2015

21st Sunday Week in Ordinary Time

Joshua 24:1–2a, 15–17, 18b; Eph 5: 21-32; John 6: 60-69

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

So, what God are you going to serve?

You think that’s a silly question? It wasn’t a silly question for Joshua’s people. Although they had been through a lot during the Exodus with the Lord, and the lord had saved them multiple times, there were many people who grumbled the whole way. They longed for the comfort and peace of the life they had before they left Egypt. But our first reading makes it clear that they rose to the occasion this time as they looked across the river at the Promised Land, a land that was lush and green instead of a barren wasteland like the Sanai had been.

How about you? Do you feel it’s a silly question? After all, you are here at Mass this morning. You have made your choice, right. But the proof is in the pudding, isn’t it. So, ponder this: Just how involved are you with God in your life these days? Do you make God your constant companion during the day, guiding your every decision? How much time a week do you devote to your relationship with God? 1 hour? 2 hours? Just Mass on Sundays? Do you spend the kind of time with God that you spend with your friends? What kind of a friend would God think you were if he saw you just an hour a week?

You know, it is hard, isn’t it. It’s hard to believe in all of this that we preach. Just like the disciples who walked away from Jesus said in today’s Gospel: this is hard- that the bread that Jesus gives us is his flesh, that we must eat that bread to gain everlasting life. and that we have to believe that He, Jesus, is the Resurrection and the Life. Life seems like the barren desert on one side of a river at times; but we aren’t peering over that river at a land flowing with milk and honey. We have to take it on Faith that the Promised Land will be there forever for all of us who believe. Yes, it is hard.

So we allow ourselves to be seduced by what seems so real to us- the things of this world. Friends, money, power, good food and comforts, and lots of social activities- these things take all of our time and energy, and they all seem so good to us. They feel so right.

But where does all that lead? Well, all these things of the world can become our focus on life. In other words, they can become our god. If that is what takes our time for all but an hour or so a week rather than God, then time tells us what our focus is.

But then something happens. Something always happens And we face into the reality that life here as we know it doesn’t last forever. Maybe it’s the loss of a loved one, or an illness, or some accident that disables a friend, or a financial disaster. When these things happen we think that maybe, just maybe, we should look for a better focus on life. It is then that we think maybe we ought to do as the Israelis promised- to follow the Lord.

So, why not do that now, be proactive about it? If you do that right, you will be able to visualize what everlasting life will be like because when you become intimate with God, he will show you the way, his way. And he will give you a glimpse of the eternal bliss we all hope for, a glimpse across the river to the Promised Land.

But how do we do it right? First, by repenting- yes repenting. Now before you get all excited and defensive, recognize that repenting just means making a change. In this case, it means making a change in the basic direction of your life. You need to change your focus. Your focus needs to turn toward the Lord Jesus Christ and his will for you. And how do you do that- by giving Him more time. Yes, by giving him more time so you can become more intimate with him.

Second, by reaffirming your belief in the Lord. You know, for the last several weeks, the Gospel stories have all built up to the conclusion we hear today. Either the people Jesus was teaching would come to believe in his word and accept his offer of the bread of life, or they would reject it. You now have that same choice. You should be coming here each week because you believe, and because the Church has made the bread of life available to all of you as the Eucharist. And you should hunger for that bread, and affirm that you believe because if you do that, then you will live forever. It was a promise Jesus gave us, and it is the focus and meaning of life we are all need. When we face the reality that life on this earth, no matter how good or bad it seems today, is just not what it’s all about, we will come t6op that conclusion.

So, spending more time with the Lord and believing in what he teaches, these are a good start. But then third, we need to cement our change in focus by becoming a servant of the Lord. This is what it means to put into practice what we learn from the first two things I mentioned.

When you look at the second reading today, think of it in that way- becoming a servant of the Lord. Because the family structure that Paul describes there is the pattern that God intends for his family- love, mutual respect, and obedience between the husband and wife. But it means even more than that because Paul is also using marriage as a metaphor about the relationship between Christ and the Church.  We are the Body of Christ, and so all together we are the Bride in the metaphor. That’s what Paul means by that last line: “This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the Church”

Boy have I got a deal for you. You see, this is the time of year when we set up booths around the narthex that describe all the different ways that you can get more involved with God and with the Church. It all starts next weekend, and I encourage all of you to take a serious look. There are many ways to bolster your prayer life- like prayer groups and the Adoration Chapel; many ways to get to know God better- like Bible Studies and the Dynamic Catholic movement; and many ways to serve the Lord and others- like St. Vincent de Paul and ministry to the sick. People from these and many other organizations will be there to give you information and answer questions. But do yourself a favor- make a commitment in time and effort to be of more service.

I leave you with this final thought. What God are you going to serve?

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Coming Together As a People of God

August 9th, 2015

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

1 Kgs 19:4-8; Eph 4:30 – 5:2; John 6: 41-51

Deacon Larry Brockman

 

Guilty on 2 counts!

First, we are all guilty of the same offense that Jesus accused the Jews of in today’s Gospel when he says: “Stop murmuring amongst yourselves”. Why? Because we are not united as one body of Christ. Rather, we are a diverse group of individualists fined honed by the culture of our time. We question all authority and test everything.

Now, that doesn’t sound so bad on the surface- we should question certain kinds of authority, particular in today’s world of clever deception. Everyone has an angle; everyone is selling with self-proclaimed authority. We do need to test secular authority like the Government. That kind of skepticism is good and healthy.

But there is an exception: The authority of God. That, we should not question- we should be of one mind and body in accepting the authority of God. We have given that unified body the name- the Body of Christ. And the Word of God, as represented by the Scriptures and the teachings of the Church, ought to be the knowledge that binds us together in body and spirit as the Church so that when we gather here to worship and participate in the Eucharist, we fulfill Jesus words: “They shall all be taught by God.” And “Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me”.

As it is, some of us challenge the incarnation, some the right to life, some the definition of marriage, and some the social teachings of the Church.  But whatever it is that we pick and choose, it causes division in the Church. We are like the Jews who questioned what it meant to come down from heaven. Guilty!

And then there is the second count over which we are guilty. Despite all of the teaching we have had in our Catholic schools, in our Prep programs, and in our RCIA programs, and all the homilies from this and other pulpits over the years, a 1992 Gallup poll revealed that only 30 percent of Catholics believe that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist they receive. And the situation probably hasn’t gotten any better because Church attendance is way down since then. So, many Catholics are guilty of rejecting Jesus teaching in today’s Gospel that He is the bread of life, and that whoever eats this bread will live forever. Guilty again.

But you see, these two things are key to our salvation. First, we absolutely must accept God’s teaching and plan for us on Faith. “Faith” is the theme of the whole Pentecost season- real Faith. That means believing with the heart what God has revealed. Not just some of it, but all of it.   And second, we will not enter the Kingdom of God when we die unless we have eaten of the flesh of Jesus Christ. That is what today’s Gospel is all about. And when eat that flesh, the whole idea of it is that we do it so that we have Christ living in us. And having Christ live in us means that we will be given the graces to act Christ-like in our lives, not just some of the time, but all of the time. That’s why we receive the Eucharist often.

Paul says it so well in Ephesians this morning: “Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us.” That means we put aside bitterness, fury, anger, shouting and reviling; rather we must be kind to one another, compassionate, and forgiving.

I couldn’t help but be struck by the clear example shown this morning in the first reading of how all this applies. Elijah roams into the desert and is starved for both food and purpose. The King, and in particular, the Queen, are angry with him over his prophecy of the truth, and so, they wish to put him to death. Despondent in exile, Elijah gives up on life, and even prays for death.

How many of us are wandering around in a desert of sorts despondent over the trials and tribulations of life, starved for both means and purpose? And don’t we sometimes feel like giving up? But then God provides Elijah a simple meal and drink through the angel. And the angel tells him to get up and get going because that meal was intended to sustain him for “40 days and 40 nights”. In Biblical terms 40 simply meant a long, long, time. Yes, the bread that God gave Elijah was intended to sustain him a long, long time, just as the mana sustained the Israelites for 40 years during the Exodus.

Just so, we are given something even more powerful than the hearthcakes the angel gave Elijah. We have been given the actual Body and Blood of Christ to sustain us. But it won’t work unless we really believe that Jesus has come to us physically and spiritually, and unless we have Faith in what Jesus taught us in the Gospel to trust that his way is the way and to act in accordance with His teaching and the teachings of the Church.

In this day and age when the Church is under attack, rather than allow the secular forces to tear us apart by driving a wedge though our congregation issue by issue, and by shaking us in our Faith in what seems contrary to our senses, we need to come together as the People of God. We need to be innocent of these two errors united solidly in one body of Christ, believers in word and deed, and firm that Christ is with is in the Eucharist. Amen!

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How Christianity is Unique

August 6th, 2015

Transfiguration

Dan 7: 9-10, 13-14; 2 Pet 1: 16-19; Mark 9: 2-10

Deacon Larry Brockman

We Christians are so Blessed, because we are the ones who have been given revelations above and beyond all other religions! And they are all summed up so well for us today in the Transfiguration.

You see, all other people who believe in Gods see God as transcendent- high above us in every way. That’s the way Moslems and Jews and Buddhists all see God. That’s why the Jews forbid the use of the term Yahweh anymore; and out of respect, the Church has followed suit. And it’s why the Moslems react so strongly to anyone whom they consider blasphemes their God; and it is why the Buddhists monks separate themselves and purify themselves, because nothing impure can commune with Almighty God. There is a separation, a distance, a respect to be sure, but one that is more accurately characterized as fear, between them and their God.

But as Christians we have a different experience. We see Jesus Christ as both true God and true man- a Transcendent God like the one that was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, yes; and yet, the guy that Peter, James, and John ate and drank and lived with for three years- one of the boys whom they were intimate with; a friend, a confidant, someone who was immanent to them, as close to them as a brother or sister.  Jesus was someone they could relate to. He loved them as friends and confidants do; and he was there besides them as they lived their daily life.

These two extremes are highlighted in our readings today- the immanence and transcendence of God. First, Jesus travels up the mountain with them, struggling right along with them with the stress of the climb. But having arrived, the glory of almighty God is previewed with them through Jesus. And they are fearful- so fearful that they hardly know what to say.

There are many lessons to learn from this experience that the three Apostles had. First, we are all accompanied by Jesus Christ in our daily lives. He is walking right there alongside of us, just as he did with his Apostles, and particularly if we avail ourselves of the bread of life we’ve been talking about the last several Sundays; particularly if we receive Holy Communion often. And not only that, but he has left us his script- the Gospel, for living our daily lives. It is a script that emphasizes love and respect for all- a purity of heart; a script that emphasizes sacrificing self for others; and a script that emphasizes living God’s will, not our own- a purity of purpose-because that’s the way Jesus lived his own life.

This way of life is not popular in a world where self-sufficiency, independence, and self-gratification prevail; the life style of those who believe they are their own God. And it is not popular with people who live solely by the law because the law defines an objective standard in a world of subjective circumstances. The law ignores what is in the heart and emphasizes what is in the mind. But God looks for what is in our hearts, just as he looked at what was in Jesus’ heart.   And it is not popular with those who escape from the world for a life of denial and isolation. An immanent Christ, one who shows us how we can live God’s plan by example, by living it right in front of our eyes for us, is a God who is in the world, yet not consumed by it. And that is what we are all called to do as well, to live in the world and bear much fruit, just as Jesus Christ himself did.

Next, we are all called to the same glory that Jesus showed on the mountain that day. If we believe that Christ died for us to save us and was resurrected in the body to live forever in a glorified state prefigured in our reading today, then we believe that we are destined for the same glory.

Yes, we are fortunate as Christians to have had revealed to us that there is an awesome, almighty God who loves us, just as he loved His own son; a God who is both as far above us as possible and yet as immanent as Jesus in the Eucharist. We truly blessed.

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Integrating the Old and the New

July 30th, 2015

Thursday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time

Ex 40: 16-21, 34-38; Mt 13:47-53

Deacon Larry Brockman

What a challenge Jesus gives his disciples today! You see, Jesus asks them if they understand “all these things”.

The parable of the fish, it seems to me, is pretty simple. God will separate the good from the bad at the Last Judgement, just like a fisherman separates fish caught in a net. The Disciples all got it too, they understood Jesus’ parable. And so, the Disciples boldly say “yes”, they understood.  But then came the challenge, the part about bringing forward the “old” and the “new”.

Bible scholars have suggested that Jesus was telling the disciples that if they understood the parables in his preaching, and so, understood his teaching, then they must become like wise householders who learn to store up and use both old and new riches. So, Jesus is challenging the Disciples to learn how to use the “Old” with the “New”- how to integrate Jesus teaching with the classical teachings of the Jewish Faith. Specifically, Jesus was referring to all of the stories and history in the Old Testament. Jesus was challenging the Disciples to open the Jewish Scriptures and interpret them in the light of Jesus’ teaching. Indeed, since Jesus is the fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecy of a Messiah, then God’s word was not written down without purpose for us. There are multiple layers in the Old Testament; and these old riches need to be shared even today by those who understand.

With all that in mind, just what is it that we should take away with us from that first reading today? How can we interpret the story about Moses, the Ark of the Covenant, and the moveable dwelling that Moses constructed in the light of the New Testament and the Gospel?

Well, I couldn’t help but notice the parallel between the Ark of the Covenant and our Tabernacle. Truly, God is present in the Tabernacle that all of us see every time we enter this Church, and indeed, every Catholic Church, just like God came down in the cloud and rested on the Ark of the Covenant, and so was present to the Israelis.

Now it is very clear that the people, and even Moses, were fearful of this manifestation of the Lord. Ironic, isn’t it, when you think about it. In the Old Testament, the Lord manifests himself in clear, unmistakable ways to the people of God during the Exodus. Whether it was in the fire and lightning and smoke at Mount Sanai or in the cloud surrounding the Dwelling housing the Ark of the Covenant, there was something truly extraordinary about these manifestations. And the Israelites were struck with fear and terror at these sights, all of which mandated that they respect and honor God.

But rather than manifest himself in fire and smoke or in a cloud, Our Lord manifests himself in the Eucharist, his own Body and Blood, as a tiny wafer of bread consecrated by the Priest. We keep it in reserve in our Tabernacles. But our response should be the same as the Israelis: a healthy level of fear of God and respect.

Have you thought about that much recently- a show of respect for Jesus in the Tabernacle? Because you see, that is one of the things that is just so significant about being Catholic. When one walks into a Protestant Church, it is just a building, like any other building with four walls. But when one walks into a Catholic Church, God is there, almighty God! So, this Church is Holy Ground- and should be respected, just as the Israelites respected the Ark and its dwelling.

And then the Exodus story continues with all of the words about following the Lord. When the cloud lifted and left; that was the time for the Israelis to leave. Likewise, when we consume the Lord in the Eucharist, we leave and go out into the world after Mass. We are called to follow after Jesus example in the Gospel, just as the Israelites followed the Lord and his Ark of the Covenant.

Do you understand all these things? Because then you, too, have to integrate the Old with the New. You are challenged to respect the God of our ancestors in his ever-present form in our Tabernacle. And you are challenged to live the Gospel when you leave here with the Lord dwelling within you. And that is a real challenge.

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What Are You Hungry For?

July 26th, 2015

17th Sunday of Ordinary Time

2 Kgs 4: 42-44; Eph 4: 1-6; Jn 6: 1-15

Deacon Larry Brockman

What are you hungry for? Just exactly what are you looking for as nourishment?

Today we hear two stories about people who are hungry for something. The first one is about a group of people who were physically starving. A famine had struck the land, and there was no food anywhere. The people were just desperate for survival. And so, Elisha prays for help. Then, the man arrives from another area with meager provisions- just 20 barley loaves. Elisha trusts that his prayer has been answered, and commands that these 20 loaves be shared with all 100 people. What a leap of faith! And yet, the last line of the first reading tells it all: “And when they had eaten, there was some left over, as the Lord had said.” God had been trusted; and he had provided what the people needed when they needed it, with some left over for good measure.

Chances are, those people needed to satisfy more than their physical hunger. They needed to know how to live life in a more meaningful way. But they were so focused on their physical needs that they couldn’t see the way out. The fact is, life is always more complex than our physical needs. Our spiritual needs are the most critical ones- but we can become so set in our physical lives that we don’t recognize it. We can become so wrapped up in our world, that we forget that God is there for us, and so, left to our own devices in this world, we starve.

Fortunately, Elisha had faith; he knew what was really important and where to turn. And through his faith in God, the people were spared; Elisha was showing them the way.

Then picture this: Over a thousand pass, and this scene unfolds in the hills of the Holy Land. Jesus finds thousands of people wandering out into the wilderness to follow him. Why? Because he has shown them that there is more meaning to life than their physical needs. They have wandered off without food and water just to hear Jesus, hoping to see a miracle, hoping his unique message will move them, hoping that things will be different in their lives. And in an ironic twist, Jesus’ first concern is their physical well-being! He feeds them with food before feeding them with the message on the bread of life. That message on the bread of life follows next in the Gospel of John.

Indeed, it was no accident that the crowd that Jesus fed miraculously was fed with Barley Loaves, just as the crowd that Elisha fed had been fed with barley loaves. Jesus is drawing attention to the Old Testament miracle to make a point- that the real salvation of mankind is not the sustenance that the world provides, but rather, the “bread of life”; and that such bread of life comes only through God.

I think that as we get older, our aches and pains and physical comfort can be a real obstacle to us in our spiritual life. We are reminded of these discomforts by our bodies in almost every moment of our consciousness. Some of us are sensitive in our diets or appetites; some can’t sleep regularly; some need special medications to relieve pain or to keep us going; some need help getting around; some need help thinking things through; and so, all of us can become preoccupied with just getting along from moment to moment. This preoccupation dulls our ability to see what is really important in life- a hunger for the Kingdom of God.

All of these physical limitations, and indeed even hunger itself, should remind us that life is very fragile. It is a gift from God; and God controls our destiny. So, we should look to God for our sustenance. We should put our trust in him and ask for what is his will for us. It’s hard to do that; our bodies broadcast louder signals to catch our attention. But ultimately, we will not be free of all of our ills until we enter the Kingdom of God.

So, as you receive the Eucharist in a few minutes today, recognize that you are receiving the bread of life, Jesus Christ, himself, into your very being. Capture that moment, and ask Jesus to satisfy your real hungers in life- the peace of mind that only God can provide in the Kingdom of God.

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Opening Our Minds and Hearts to God

July 23rd, 2015

Thursday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time

Ex 19: 1-2, 9-11, 16-20b; Mt 13:10-17

Deacon Larry Brockman

Just a few weeks ago, thunder and lightning struck my house. In a split second, my world suddenly stood still. As I busily worked away on my computer, I suddenly heard a shot like a cannon, and saw a flash of blinding light. It was as if time stood still- and yet, it was all over in a fraction of a second! My well controller, my TV, my hi-fi, my computer, and my ham radio station were all decimated in that split second; but miraculously, Jane and I were OK.  It was terrifying.

With that in mind, can you just imagine for a moment what it must have been like to be in that crowd of Israelites standing at the foot of Mount Sinai when the Lord made His presence known on that third day? There was deafening thunder, constant lightning, and fire consuming this vast mountain, right in their midst, virtually surrounding them- with the mountain wreathed in thick smoke, not just for an instant, but for an extended period of time.

You would think that God’s word to Moses after he ascended that mountain and came down with the ten commandments, would be something that everybody that lived through that experience would respect and honor and keep out of sheer respect for the awesome power that was Almighty God. Yet, that was not the case. Rather, the Exodus continued with the Israelis constantly whining and complaining and disobeying the law.

So, what is the lesson learned for us? Well, even if God hits us over the head directly with a loud and unmistakable message, we can easily miss it or forget it. So, then, what works? How best can God communicate with our human nature so that we “get it”, and keep it?

Well, along came Jesus and the New Order a couple of thousand years later that we hear about in our Gospel. Jesus calls a few simple minded folks to join him as Apostles and Disciples. They were nothing special by worldly standards- fisherman, tax collectors, and common folk. And Jesus goes out preaching the New Order to the crowd, not directly, but in parables.

When the Apostles ask him “why parables for the crowd?”, they got this answer: “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted”. So, I ask you, what did Jesus mean by that? Just how was this knowledge granted to the Apostles? By Faith and Grace, that’s how. The Apostles came to believe in Jesus, and by the grace of God, they went away many times after hearing Jesus speak, thought about it; pondered it in their minds. And then came to certain conclusions, to a certain “knowing” about who Jesus was and what it all meant. The peals of thunder and flashes of lightning didn’t work with the Israelis- but Faith and Grace and quiet reflection did work for the Apostles.

You know what, thousands of years have passed since this Gospel scene, and we are the people in the crowd today­- a people who are looking for a miracle; a strong, unmistakable message from God; a vision for the future. Like the crowd in Jesus time, we are looking for the easy way out, but we are not going to get it because our ears are not tuned in and our eyes are blind. Rather, Jesus speaks to us best through the legacy of the Gospel in parables; parables that have multiple layers of meaning; parables that we have to go away and read over and over again. And by Faith and Grace and reflection, we will have our eyes and ears and minds opened to the truth.

So, do yourself a favor. Set aside some time to do just that. Seek God in his Word to us, and study and ponder it. Take advantage of the many opportunities available to you to listen and reflect on God and his Word.  Then your eyes and ears and mind will be opened to the truth.

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“Let Us Cross to the Other Side”

June 21st, 2015

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Job 38: 1, 8-11; 2 Cor 5: 14-17;  Mark 4: 35-41

Deacon Larry Brockman

 

“Let Us Cross to the other side”.  That really struck me when I first read the Gospel this week, especially since I had just attended two funerals for friends.  It struck me because that’s what happens to us when we die, isn’t it.  We cross over to the other side.  We pass from this life to another, unknown life; and there is no return.

And the emotions we hold about such a crossing are exactly those that were expressed by the Apostles. The Apostles felt they were losing all control; they felt alone and abandoned; and they thought that they would perish.  And so, they were afraid, I mean really afraid.

In his book on Jesus, Jesuit James Martin visits this scene in the Gospel.  He describes the actual location and the culture of the time as well.  Then he relives the scene in much vivid detail.  And after reading that, l can tell you, you feel the fear.

Yet Jesus was asleep and unafraid through it all.  So the Apostles woke him, and after calming the wind, Jesus says:  “Why are you afraid; do you not yet have faith?”  And this seems to me to be the perfect question for all of us when we are facing death.  Why are we afraid, don’t we have faith?

But the facts are, that all of us are afraid.  We are afraid of losing control; we sense that we are being abandoned; and that we are about to perish, separated from all that we know.  We say that we have faith, but if you are realistic; almost all of us really do have some sense of fear, despite our Faith.  How can we have the kind of Faith Jesus is talking about?

Well, you know what?  God has is preparing us for such a transition our entire life, it’s just that we may not realize it.  You see, death is not the only irreversible transition we experience in life.  Birth, childhood, adulthood, marriage, and parenthood are also transitions that most of us experience in the course of our lifetimes before we reach the transition to the Kingdom of God.

And at each one of these transitions, we find ourselves deep down experiencing some of the same things- lack of control; a feeling of losing the comfort of our old life, and apprehension of the new life’s unknowns.

A newborn cries heartily as he experiences the shock of the light, the environment, and everything else at birth.  And there is no return to the warm, all-encompassing comfort of the womb.  A child goes off to school for the first time, separated from the wonderful fantasy and carefree experience of the life they led just for themselves, where Mom was there for them at their every whim.  And eventually they see there is no return!   A young adult leaves home for that first job, eager for new life, but still, with a sense of apprehension at being responsible for themselves in the wide, wide world.  And ultimately, there is no return.

And then there are of the most significant of all transitions for most of us: the transitions to marriage and parenthood.  When you get married, all of a sudden, it’s not about you anymore; it’s about us.  That certainly came to mind for me yesterday- my 45th Anniversary because I remembered fondly all the things that led to that transition- meeting and dating my wonderful wife; and the joy that filled me whenever I was with her.  I was in love.

But still, most men, and I was certainly no exception, don’t jump into marriage without some hesitation.  I was always taught that marriage was permanent.  If this was going to be it, just how would I know?  And what about the idea of sacrificing my own self for my wife, for us?  Was I ready for that?

When you come right down to it- you cannot know for sure.  After love, it’s a matter of faith and trust.  Now in our secular world of today, there is a common misunderstanding of the meaning of faith and trust as I have just used it.  You see, society would tell us it is faith in each other; and trust in each other that we need in order to commit to marriage.  But that isn’t what I mean.  That is certainly a requirement for a good marriage.  But it just won’t happen without faith in God and trust in God above all things first.

And in fact, the love part won’t be there either without love of God because without love of God first, our first love is love of self.  And if that is our primary love, eventually it will surface in a marriage.  Perhaps that’s why there are so many divorces-  divorces over affairs, alcoholism, money, you name it.  So, love of God and neighbor, and Faith and Trust in God-  these are needed to counter selfishness.  These are needed to make each transition in life.

Paul speaks of the Love of God impelling us.  That’s what I am trying to say.  We need to accept the love of God- it will impel us to do the rest.  And don’t you just love our first reading and what it tells us about faith and trust in God?  For God is ultimately in control.  He sets all the limits of nature; he made the earth and all in it; and it was designed for our well-being.  Scientists have yet to detect a single other place in the universe like it.  So, God is the person who we can ultimately believe in and trust.  He has given us life, the right environment, and He even sent his son to save all of us and show us the way.

And so, if we have faith in God, and trust Him, then he will be there for us when we choose our mate.  And we will be familiar with what it means to love another, the kind of love that is self-sacrificing.

And then there is the transition to parenthood; something for which we have a joyful expectation, and yet, there is the fear of the unknown going into it.  It is another situation in which there is no return.  Children and Grandchildren are the greatest gift of all.  But as we accept the responsibility of caring for children we are permanently transitioning to another new level.

Today is Father’s Day, and I know the Dad’s and Granddad’s out there can relate to what I am talking about.  It’s not about you anymore; and it’s not just about you and your wife either.  When you become a Dad, you learn to love all your children, equally; yet each like nobody else; and yet, still love your wife like no-one else.

And we want to relate and do what’s best for them-  that’s why we make funny sounds and faces with the babies; play on the floor despite our diminishing mobility with toddlers; read them night time stories; sign then up for T ball or Soccer or Indian Guides or Scouts- the list of activities is endless.  It’s why we turn the TV off and help them with homework; it’s why we labor over a barbeque for many family cookouts.  It’s why we take them on camping trips and fishing trips and take them on vacations with us.  It’s why we work long hours to be able to give them things in life we never had; it’s why we are there for them when they need help as they grow older, teaching them to drive; taking them away to school; and reassuring them when they come of age.  And when they establish families of their own, we are there with the wealth of our own experience; babysitting and filling in when needed. It is because we love them, and in some cases more than we love ourselves.

Yes, life is full of transitions.  We face each of them with an element of fear and uncertainty; and there is no return.  But if we have faith in God and Love and Trust him, He will give us the graces to make each transition successfully.  And when the final transition in this life comes, we will be unafraid and ready to cross to the other side.

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On Preaching the Truth

June 18th, 2015

Thursday of the 11th Week of Ordinary Time

2 Cor 11: 1-11; Mt 6: 7-15

Deacon Larry Brockman

 

Listen again to these words Paul had for the Corinthians: “For if someone comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached…”.  Then these words are followed by an appeal to the Corinthians to test and validate the preaching they have received.  Paul goes on to make it clear that knowledge, real knowledge, and first-hand experience of God are the kinds of tests needed; not what the preacher charges for his services.

You see, Paul is clearly implying that the Corinthians somehow felt that these other preachers were more credible then Paul was because they charged for their services and Paul didn’t.  We can relate to that because we are used to hearing “You get what you pay for”.  But when it comes to knowing God; that just doesn’t apply.

I get the impression that the Corinthians had just been visited by some slick tongued, new wave preacher who preached a “New Jesus”, different from the one that Paul preached.  It must have sounded good; maybe even made them feel good about themselves; but the question was- was it the truth based on real knowledge of God and his message for mankind?  Paul claims knowledge and first-hand experience of Christ as his credentials; not a noble income for his eloquent words.  And in the case of the Corinthians, Paul was not even requesting that the Corinthians defray his room and board.  There was no question of an ulterior or self-serving motivation in Paul’s case.

We live in a pluralistic society, with the airwaves and the TV constantly bombarding us with messages.  Secular voices and religious voices abound competing for our time all promising to be able to make sense out of life, or to make life better.  For example, there are megachurches out there claiming to Minister to every aspect of life- children’s programs, programs for the elderly, and sponsorship of all kinds of social settings.

But I wonder if these organizations pass the tests that Paul just suggested to the Corinthians.  Or are their messages short on knowledge of God, and big on what is convenient and pleasing to hear; all for the value of the contributions that keep them afloat.

You see, God’s message is not about meeting our worldly needs and wants.  Rather, it is about meeting our spiritual needs.  It would be great if the brothers and sisters in our Churches would be generous so that everyone’s worldly needs were met as well.  But the main focus of our faith must always be on understanding God’s truth and then applying it.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus contrasts two styles of prayer.  The first method is long winded, with lots of words.  It apparently is pleasing to the ear as well.  The second is remarkably simple and characterized by humility, concern for others, and truth.  But it is the second style of prayer that we need to adopt as Christians, a humble and sincere desire for God and His truth.  Once we understand and know God, then we can properly deal with social justice and meeting the worldly needs of others.

Most governments, and ours is no exception, have clearly shown that efforts to meet the physical needs and wants of the people go astray unless they have got the underlying motivation correct.  That’s what Paul was trying to say.  Teach the Jesus of the Gospel; preach the values of Christianity according to the Gospel; and then practice the values we preach and teach.

Sometimes this is harder to do than it seems because the truth is not acceptable to some people.  But the truth has a nagging and stubborn quality about it.  It doesn’t go away no matter how much one tries to water it down, because God is there to remind us through our consciences.  Respect for God, respect for all life that he created; the sanctity of marriage;   honesty; forgiveness, forbearance, and respect for authority- these are the kinds of values that God has preached through His Son Jesus to us in the Gospel.

All of these are based on love of God, and that calls for us to love our neighbors as ourselves.  But it is not the other way around.  It is not all about making others feel comfortable or accepted first.  It’s about learning God’s truth first; and then loving our neighbors as God loves us by applying it.

Recently, we have been hearing echoes of the kind of preachers Paul warned the Corinthians about.  They have been preaching a different Christ.  They have suggested the Church needs to change its teachings to get with the modern world.  The Church must stand firm for the truth.  As Paul put it:  “By the truth of Christ in me, this boast of mine shall not be silenced…”

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What Tobiah Had That Seven Others Didn’t

June 4th, 2015

Thursday of the 9th Week of Ordinary Time

Tob 6: 10-11, 7: 1bcde, 9-17, 8: 4-9a; Mk 12: 28-34

Deacon Larry Brockman

 

So “To love him… and to love your neighbor…is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices”!  This is what Jesus found so worthy in this Scribe because it showed that the man understood that a commitment to God must be with the heart, not just with the head.  God is looking for something more than compliance, even lavish compliance.

Do we have burnt offerings and altar sacrifices today that turn God off?  Maybe not literally; but how about this:  Some attend Mass every Sunday, but they leave early and race out of the parking lot to get to the Sunday special before the crowd arrives.  Other folks can give their fair share in the collection by all reasonable standards of measure, but they ignore a grieving or disaster stricken co-worker or neighbor.  Still others can smile and compliment the priest on his great message every Sunday, but forget the message the moment they return to their regular weekly routine.  God is looking into our hearts continually, looking to find who we really are, not who we think we are.  And our actions speak louder than our words and our wallets.

It seems to me that the story in Tobit kind of reinforces what God is looking for.  First of all, the story in the Book of Tobit is one of the most engaging and fascinating tales in the Bible.  It grieves me that our selection has left out the part about the fish.  Yet I am confident that just telling you that much will get some of you interested in reading the whole story.

From the selection we do have this morning, something is really clear.  Sarah must have been an unusually attractive woman.  Seven other men tried to marry Sarah.  All met a disastrous end and died on their wedding night.  One would think that after the second husband’s demise, the third through 7th suitors would have learned something; but apparently not.

Now, all 7 were entitled to marry her legally.  This is clear from the description of how meticulous her father Raguel was in the rest of the book.  Raguel would have followed the customs of the Jewish culture to the letter.  Each one of the seven former husbands would have followed the required law as well.  But something was amiss in their motivation.  Whether it was lust over Sarah’s beauty or Raguel’s riches, we don’t know, but they were preoccupied with themselves and their own will.  Clearly, the Lord intended Sarah for someone else.

On the other hand, something really stood out about Tobiah.  Tobiah met all the legal requirements to the letter as well.  But Tobiah was, first and foremost, following the wishes of his father, and he trusted in the Angel, God’s messenger, for guidance.

Following the wishes of the Father; trusting in the subtle guidance of a guardian angel- does that sound familiar?

Not only that, Tobiah’s mental attitude was different.  His first priority after entering the bridal suite was to offer a prayer to God.  And what a beautiful prayer it was as well.  He blesses and praises God; and then asks for a blessing from God for a long and fruitful marriage according to God’s will.

Loving God and our neighbor is a matter of the heart.  When we come to Mass; we should come eager to participate.  When we give; we should give of our time, talent, and treasure in ways that help us in our continual conversion of the heart; and when we hear the word of God, we should do our best to make it live in us.

That’s a tall order for all of us, to love God and our neighbor that way.  In involves accepting God’s will and trusting in Him as we go along.  That’s what the Scribe understood.  It’s what Tobiah put into practice.  And it is our challenge this morning.

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