Rendering to God What is God’s

October 19th, 2014

Twenty Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Is 45: 1, 4-6; 1 Thes 1: 1-5b; Mt 22: 15-21

 Larry Brockman

 

Sounds good, doesn’t it.  “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.” It just means we have to pay our taxes and obey the law of the land, right.  Or does it mean something more profound-  especially in today’s world; especially in this country?  

Let me give you an example of what concerns me.  I read in the news where the mayor of Houston has subpoenaed certain pastors demanding that they send her office copies of their sermons.  They want to determine whether Houston’s new non-discrimination ordinance has been violated.  This ordinance safeguards the “rights” of gays, lesbians, and persons with gender identity problems.  It seems that these pastors, some 400 of them, are against the ordinance, which, among other things grants men the right to use the ladies room.  Yes, you heard me right, it grants men the right to use the ladies room- because what matters is who you identify with- not how God made you.  Sounds a lot like the Pharisees in the Gospel!

By the way, over 50,000 signatures have been gathered opposing the ordinance for these and other reasons, but Houston’s Mayor and City Council have turned a blind eye.   

Now in case you haven’t heard, “gender identity” is becoming a big issue country wide.  And if you think it isn’t affecting us here; think again because the same kind of thing has already happened in our Orange County Public Schools.  Last year the Orange County School Board approved Gender Identity rights in writing- I heard them vote on it.  Kids can now choose whichever bathroom they want in our Public Schools.  It’s part of our School System’s directives to all the schools.  If you don’t believe me, check it out.   

Why do I bring this up?  Because it’s time for us to render unto God the things that are God’s.  It isn’t just about paying our taxes- it’s also about the other side of the coin, pardon the pun.  It’s about living our lives in a fundamentally Christian way; it’s about maintaining a society and a system of laws which are based on Christian values and principles; and it’s about having the freedom to stand up for those values in public.  It’s about majority rule; not minority rule for political correctness.  It’s time for all of us God-fearing Christian Americans to become more proactive in defending and protecting our faith, and rendering to God what is God’s.   

I am sure that all of you have heard those multiple reports in the press about groups lobbying to remove the Ten Commandments from public buildings in lots of places country-wide.  Do you suppose that our founding fathers, and their equivalents in all the states, listed the Ten Commandments on the walls of their courthouses because they wanted to establish a “state religion”?  Certainly not!  The Ten Commandments are held in such high regard because they are the basis for our entire system of laws.  We cannot and ought not separate our Judeo-Christian heritage from our Government.   

I like to think of it this way.  The Founding Fathers of this country represented numerous religious persuasions, many of which, including Catholics, Presbyterians, Quakers, Jews, and Methodists, had been persecuted for their beliefs in one way or another in the “old Country”.  They came to North America to get away from all of that.  And so, they collectively worked to establish a secular state; one in which they could live in peace according to their own Faith.  But they did it by using what they believed in common to formulate our government and laws.  The three branches of government may just be patterned after the Trinity; and our basic law draws from the foundation laid by the ten commandments.     

Our first reading describes Cyrus, the great Persian King, as the liberator of the Jews held captive in the great Israeli exile.  Isaiah says Cyrus was the anointed one; even though he did not know God as such.  That means he was a man chosen by God.  Indeed, Cyrus was a man who God moved through his heart to do the right thing.  And Cyrus responded to that prompting by God’s spirit- with a little help from Daniel.   

In the same way, God moved our Founding Fathers collectively, and what resulted was a system of government that has withstood the test of time.  It is a government that established secular laws and methods of government based on Judeo Christian values, values that recognize everyone’s rights to practice their own Faith.  And they guarantee life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all.   

Now this whole issue of balancing allegiance to Caesar and God becomes increasingly more important when one considers the latest threat to Christianity- namely, Radical Islam.  You see, the Islamist Radicals have every intention of going back in time.  They reject the whole American experiment with a secular state.  They want to establish a world-wide Theocracy based on Islam; that’s what a Caliphate state is intended to do.  Then they intend to force everyone, believers or not, to abide by Sharia Law.  Sharia Law is the literal “law” prescribed in their scriptures, the Koran, and associated writings.  Wherever Islamic radicals get a foothold- like Iran, Yemen, Somalia, and now ISIS- that’s what they do; and that’s what they advocate.   

We can no longer choose to be “tolerant” of radical ideas and methods like that.  Because being tolerant doesn’t render to God what is God’s.  What we need are people like Paul describes in his letter to the Thessalonians.  We need to become a people where “the gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit, and with much conviction.”  Most of us are in that category when we defend our heritage and our values by living our faith prayerfully.   

And so, let us say this one more time because the antiphon sums it all up:  “Give the Lord glory and honor”. 

Listen to Modern Day Prophets

October 16th, 2014

Thursday of the Twenty Eighth Week of Ordinary Time

Eph 1: 1-10; Luke 11: 47-54

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Some say it is human nature.  Others say it is hindsight.  But how often do we castigate the prophets and visionaries of our recent times only to have them venerated for their great insight in the very near future.  Dr. Martin Luther King is a great example.  He was controversial in his own day, as was the civil disobedience he practiced.  But those same folks who fought him years ago help build monuments to him today.   

Yes indeed, things have not changed in thousands of years.  The world is full of people who don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want to change.  They are comfortable with the status quo; and uncomfortable with sobering words on evils that need to be set right.  So, they suppress and even persecute the prophet in his own time but then join the crowd later in praising them!   

Of course, not all soothsayers are on the up and up.  But there is a singular quality of the real message- the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  God’s truth!   

Today, we are deluged with modern day prophets.  Some warn of stock market crashes; global warming; threats to the environment; and major natural disasters like volcanos, tsunamis, epidemics, and earthquakes.  Others warn us of moral decay; degradation of the family as a social unit; and an assault on the sanctity of human life.  These latter prophets point to God’s teaching and call us to return to the basics.  It is them in particular we need to listen to.   

Will we be like the generations upon generations of the past who turned a blind eye and deaf ear to the prophets of their own time?  Or will we listen to God’s prophets, repent, and heed God’s word?   

Perhaps the problem is how we see the whole thing.  Truly, Jesus tells his own generation of collective Jewish leaders that the blood of the prophets is on their hands.  It’s not on the individual’s hands; but rather on their collective hands.  And that’s because they are collectively the product of generations of individual behavior  that ignored the Lord’s prophets and lived selfish lives.  But make no mistake about it, Jesus generation was responsible for their own society.   

So, there is cause for optimism for us.  All of us here are among the believers.  We wouldn’t be here at daily Mass if we were not.  I am sure most of you can identify with my words.  We can still do something about our sins being on the blood of our children by listening to the prophets of today, and doing something now- in the way we vote; in how we instill values in our children and grandchildren; in how we stand firm for the Lord in this politically correct, yet morally askew society that is slowly walking away from our Judeo Christian values.   

There is a reason the Ten Commandments are posted on the walls of so many court houses in this country.  It isn’t because the folks that put them there were trying to establish a state religion; rather, it is because those ten commandments are the basis for all of our Western Law.  If we walk away from the posted ten commandments, then we are walking away from the basis for our system of laws.  I

It’s time for us to live and practice our faith regardless of what the Government says.  It’s time for us to project our values in the way we live whether it is politically correct or not.  Not just some of us, but all of us.  Otherwise, the mess that this country will experience will be on the blood of us and our own children.   

How Great is God’s Love

October 9th, 2014

Thursday of the Twenty Seventh Week of Ordinary Time

Gal 3: 1-5; Luke 11: 5-13

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Think of someone in your family who showed their love for you very much when you were growing up- your Mom or Dad; a Grandparent; or an Uncle or Aunt.  Did you ever think how that person reflected the Love of God?  They loved you unconditionally; it didn’t matter what you did, they still loved you.  They were always there for you when you fell short or were in need.   

My brother visited with me the last couple of days,  And we expressed those feelings to each other about our Dad, who passed away almost 15 years ago.  Dad’s whole life was dedicated to providing for our Mom and my brother and I.  My brother was, and still is, kind of a Maverick.  And so Dad lavished lots of attention on helping Bob  through the many consequences of his wild behavior.  And while he would admonish my brother, it was always done in a spirit of understanding and acceptance.  My brother knew that he was loved no matter what he did.  I was a little more stable, not so many wild oats to sew; but you know, I didn’t feel slighted by the extra attention that my brother got.  Dad had a way of projecting that he cared equally for both of us.   

And yet, as great as Dad’s love was for us; and as great as the love of your most cherished loved one was or is, for you, it doesn’t compare with the love that God has for.  Yes, God loves you so much more right now than the greatest human love you have ever experienced.  That’s the message of the Gospel in a nutshell- that God intensely loves and cares for each of us, and wants to be there to help us no matter how dim things seem; and no matter how inconvenient it seems.   

The big question is not whether God loves us and is ready to help us; the big question is whether we are going to open up to His help.  Are we going to listen to and trust his saving plan for us?  That takes faith, real faith, to let go and trust in God by listening to that wee voice in the back of our heads.  It is hard to do because we have to have a relationship with God first.  That favorite and most loving relative you thought about.  You needed a relationship with them first.  God can’t help you any more than you favorite relation can help you unless you have a relationship with them.  Only when you have that relationship with God will you recognize that wee voice in the back of your mind for what it is- God’s voice of truth through His Spirit.     

Second, the message we get from God is sometimes hard to trust- because it seems counter intuitive.  But remember- “God’s ways are not our ways.”  Again, if you have a relationship with God, then you will be more inclined to trust His voice even if it seems counter intuitive.    St. Paul gives some pretty heavy advice this morning to the Galatians.  But it bears on the topic I am discussing when you really think about it.  You see, the Galatians were tempted to trust in their own devices- their own secular law, rather than the Faith they had acquired when they embraced Christianity through the teachings of the Apostle Paul.  We are tempted to reject what our Faith tells our hearts when we face every day trials and events because we think we have to embrace the norms of our current society.  It’s the same thing, really, that Paul was talking about.   

And so, we cave in to political correctness, including the acceptance of today’s lax moral code, pro-choice and gay marriage “rights”, and other pressures from society, even though God is trying to speak to us through our consciences.    And so, I challenge each of you this morning to accept the tremendous love that God has for you.  How?  In the words of our antiphon this morning:  Open our hearts, O Lord, to listen to the words of your Son. 

Recognizing Who We Really Are

September 18th, 2014

Thursday of the Twenty Fourth Week of Ordinary Time

1 Cor 15: 1-11; Luke 7: 36-50

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

So, who do you identify with in the Gospel story this morning?  I’ll bet that few of you can identify with the Pharisee, especially after Jesus’ clear and unmistakable retribution of the Pharisee.  And I’ll bet that even fewer of you would identify with the Woman.  So, what are we then, just outside observers who are not involved in the story?  Let’s take a closer look at both of the main characters in the story- the Pharisee and the woman.   

I’ll start with the Pharisee.  Here’s a stable and good man by all of society’s standards at the time- religious, well respected, popular, a man of means, even generous as the host of the dinner party.  But despite these appearances, the Pharisee has problems.  He is just focused on himself.  Jesus makes that abundantly clear to the Pharisee.  For even though he is the host, he has not served his main guest very well; rather, he has concerned himself with making judgments about others.   

Second, we have the woman.  She is described as a great sinner, and apparently is a well-known sinner at that.  All of us probably have a mental image of her “sins”.  To be sure, our image is probably the worst of images as well, the kind of evil that immediately comes to mind when we see “woman” and “sinner” in the same sentence.  There is no explanation for how such an undesirable person got in to the party, either.  So yes indeed, this is a brazen, no good, woman who has lost respect from the community at large.  Certainly, nobody here wants to identify with such a person.  We all consider ourselves better than that!   

And yet, this woman is totally focused on serving Jesus!  She exhibits humility, kindness, generosity, and love in the way her behavior is described.   

The truth is that all of us want to identify with the good parts of the Pharisee and the good parts of the woman.  We all want to be regarded as stable, well regarded, religious persons who are well liked.  And we want to be seen as humble, kind, and generous to those around us.   

But the sad truth is actually this.  We all share in the worst parts of the woman and the Pharisee because all of us are sinners, and a great deal of the time our primary focus is on ourselves,  not serving others; and by following the allegory, not serving God either.   

And so this story is about us, each and every one of us.  It’s a story about who we really are- the Pharisee who hides his sin; and it is a story about who we are invited to be- a sinner who repents and turns to the Lord.   

Today, all of us are attending a banquet- the supper of the Lord, the Mass.  Rather than focus on all the other evil people of the world who need to repent, in all humility, we need to focus on the evil parts of ourselves that need change,   

As Paul points out in our first reading,  We need to recognize that whatever we do that is good and beneficial is done by the grace of God that is within us.  When we come to that realization, then we will come to God with humility, tears, and generosity as the woman did in the Gospel. 

Could You Do What God Does?

September 11th, 2014

Thursday of the Twenty Third Week in Ordinary Time

1 Cor 6: 1b-7, 11-13; Luke 6: 27-38

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

What a difficult message!    Jesus tells us to love our enemies, and to bless those who curse you.  If someone steals your cloak, you are to give them the rest of your clothes; and if he strikes you, you are to turn the other cheek.  He says to stop judging other people and their actions; and rather, forgive them everything.   

Saint Paul says something even more radical.  If someone sees you doing something that is OK for you; but because of their scruples, they are tempted to sin by you doing it; then don’t do it; because you are leading them to sin.  He uses the example of meat sacrificed to idols.  In today’s world, perhaps a better example would be this.  If you know someone is on a diet, and they badly need to lose weight, and you order a hot fudge sundae and eat it in right front of them, you are tempting them to sin, and shouldn’t do it.  Pretty heavy stuff, all of it!  Is all of that to be taken literally?   

Now there is such a thing as hyperbole.  It means making a point by exaggeration; but we are not to take it literally.  I think the truth is somewhere in between because much of this advice is meant to be taken seriously.   

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be God?  There have been a number of takes on that over the years in the movies.  I think the most recent was a Jim Cary Movie called “Bruce Almighty” in which God takes a holiday and assigns Bruce Almighty his powers.  And it is pretty clear from that movie that God has a tough, tough, job.  All of us, all the time are asking for things; miracles, money, relationships, physical abilities, and all kinds of other help.  Likewise, all of us are complaining about the wrong others are doing to us, hoping that God will intervene and act in our favor.  The movie demonstrated how complicated it would be if God did not act in the most expeditious and prudent manner on all of that  You see, Bruce Almighty didn’t act expeditiously, and he messed things up big time.   

Being a parent over a household of children is a good lesson in what it must be like being God as well.  But it is infinitely more complicated and difficult than that as the movie demonstrated.   

The fact is that all of us are sinners.  All of us have bad habits, make enemies, forget to do something important, mess up someone else; and all of us think primarily of ourselves at times and sin big time as a result.  We are all like children in the huge household of the world with God as our Father.  We want, and even expect God to forgive us.   We say we are sorry, but things happen again and again.  Yet when it comes to our brothers and sisters, we become much less tolerant of their similar behavior.  Yes, God has a tough job.  He treats all of us with the same mercy and justice- He treats all of us the way we would like to be treated by others.   

And so, it really comes down to this.  If we try to love each other the way God loves us, then we will forgive each other, be generous with each other, and be merciful to each other.  We won’t judge them harshly lest we be judged.   

As the psalm says:  If we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is brought to perfection in us.

Fighting Evil in Today’s World

September 7th, 2014

Twenty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Ez 33: 7-9; Rom 13: 8-10; Matt 18: 15-20

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

There’s certainly no lack of evil in today’s world, is there?   

While on a beach vacation, my wife’s bike was stolen from the rental property even though the place had a locked gate.  A few nights later, we watched an internet video of a lady dismantling a beach canopy.  Gone just a few minutes to get a cold drink, the owner walked up with his I-phone recording the scene and asked her what she was doing.  “Taking down my canopy” was her response.  This takes place in broad daylight, in full view of everyone on the beach.  The woman and her friend start cussing and threatening the owner, and even attacked him, knocking the i-phone out of his hand.  Everybody else just stood by and watched.   

And then there is society as a whole.  All you have to do is listen to the news for just one day, and you’ll get a belly full of it- pornographic photos of starlets stolen and posted on the internet; evidence of Government lies and cover-ups in multiple areas; scam schemes to defraud thousands of Home Depot Customers.  Yes, and all of that in just a few days.   

What can and should we do about such evil and the wicked?   

Our society has changed significantly over the last 100 years- and a lot of it is for the better.  But when it comes to holding people accountable for evil, I’m not so sure.  There was a time when we could all expect that our neighbors had roughly the same moral values that we did.  We were, after all, a Nation founded on Judeo-Christian Values.  But political correctness of today preaches “tolerance” of alternate traditions such as Moslems, Buddhists, American Indian Spirituality, and other religions.   And this also forces us to “tolerate” the values of people who claim to be Wickens, Atheists, and Devil Worshippers. 

And to make matters worse, modern society has embraced “Relativism”.  Relativists say evil is not absolute, but rather, relative to the situation.    But that is not what the Church Teaches.  Several times a year we hear the Gospel story about building houses on rock rather than sand.  The rock we are advised to build on is absolute- God’s law.  God’s law is not relative- it is absolute.  Things are either morally right or wrong; culpability may vary with circumstances, but not the rightness or wrongness of an action. 

Lastly, our affluent society seems perfectly content without God.  Church attendance in the US is under 50 %; in Europe it is 8 %.  Is there any wonder than that the youth of today don’t know right from wrong- who is there to teach them? 

This tolerance and relativism and apathy towards God has caused the loss of a common set of values.  And so we cannot be sure our neighbors see things as we do.  In fact, more than likely they do not.  That’s why there are people next to us on the beach who see nothing wrong with stealing beach canopies and bikes.     

The question for us this morning is this.  After listening to Ezekiel’s words in the first reading; and after hearing Jesus’ words in the Gospel, just what is our responsibility to our brothers and sisters with regard to calling attention and doing something about evil?  In a society where we are discouraged, even prohibited, from imposing our set of values so that we “tolerate” the diversity of other values, just what is our responsibility?  How do we apply what we hear in this Church on the outside.   

First, let me quote you something from paragraph 450 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church:  “From the beginning of Christian History, the assertion of Christ’s lordship over the world and over history has implicitly recognized that man should not submit his personal freedom in an absolute manner to any earthly power but only to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”.  So, that means that we have an obligation to obey God’s Law first, before we obey the Government.   

What we are hearing this morning is that if we see evil going on around us- evil caused by our human brothers and sisters- we have an obligation to call them on it.  We have an obligation to call them on it whether their actions are legal according to the Government or not; and we have an obligation to call them on it if it is going on around us but doesn’t affect us personally because evil is evil; and because, as Ezekiel clearly says, we will be held responsible for our brother’s actions if we do not warn them.  Yes, brothers and sisters, God may hold us accountable for the sins of others if we don’t make an attempt to correct them.   

Granted, our efforts to call out the wicked and their wickedness need to be done properly.  For individuals, that means that we go to them quietly first; and if that fails, then we go to them with one or two witnesses; and if that fails, we have the Church or the authorities take up the matter.   

But what about society as a whole?  What can we, and should we, do about eroding moral values in our society as a whole?  There are lots of areas where we see our values being eroded- basic honesty, respect for property, the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, and respect for life are examples. 

St. Paul recommends love in our second reading because love does no evil.  But he expands on battling evil in Ephesians 7:11, when he says:   “Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil”.  Then he defines that armor: Truth, Righteousness, Faith, the Hope of Salvation, and the Word of God.   

But in order for these things to be armor, we have to put them into practice.  Father Rex has talked about being a disciple the last couple of weeks.  And that is what I am saying too- “Be a disciple of Christ”.  We have to proclaim the word, have faith and trust in God, hold to the truth no matter what, and live a righteous life.  That’s the way to defeat evil.  It’s called involvement; it’s called being a dynamic Catholic.  To be a dynamic Catholic you have to know your Faith; believe in what you know; and practice what you believe.  Sometimes that means speaking up; writing letters, calling someone out in public, and refusing to comply with an unjust law- it means all of those things and more.  

Imagine how things would change  If all 6,000 families in this parish were dynamic Catholics! 

On Losing Your Life to Save It.

August 31st, 2014

Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jer 20: 7-9; Rom 12: 1-2; Matt 16: 21-27

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Are you one of those people trying to save your life that Jesus is talking about?  It would seem you are- because we all are trying to keep alive no matter how old and feeble we may get, right.  And yet, Jesus says: “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”  What can that mean?   

Well, the key of course is the “for my sake” part of Jesus words.  We are encouraged to give up our lives for Jesus’ sake.  He is not talking so much about our physical life as he is our spiritual life.  But the spiritual life and the physical life are so intertwined that we have a problem understanding what that means.   

First of all, self-preservation is such a strong instinct, isn’t it?  And we wouldn’t be normal if we didn’t act that way.  No matter what is wrong with us physically, we have a basic instinct to do whatever it takes to keep alive.  There is nothing wrong with that to a point.  But there are times when our spiritual life is more important.  For example, notice that Peter called Jesus to the side and rebuked him for saying that he was going to die a terrible death on a cross.  Peter was thinking as all of us do about self-preservation.  And of course, why wouldn’t Jesus do whatever it took to stay alive, to avoid such a fate.   

But there is more to life than our physical lives.  We have a spiritual life; we have a destiny to live forever.  And to do that, we have got to believe in God and seek God’s will for us.  That’s what Paul is telling the Romans.  “Do not conform yourselves to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect”.   

We are given a great example of what that means in today’s first reading.  Jeremiah was gifted with prophecy but it was a prophecy of gloom and doom.  When he spoke out for the Lord, and told the truth, he was thrown into a cistern and left for dead.  Certainly it would be easier, and better for his health, to just keep it to himself, to button up when he felt inspired by the Lord, because he knew that what the Lord wanted him to say was controversial.  And yet, as out reading shows, Jeremiah was compelled to speak out-  he was in tune with dying to self for the sake of doing God’s will. 

I suspect that all of us are tested in some way during our lives like Jeremiah was tested.  Some of these tests are clear and unmistakable- like the Sudanese Christian lady who was severely treated and almost executed just because she was Christian and wouldn’t convert to Islam.  The same with all those Iraqi Christians stranded on that Mountain top. But for most of us, the test is probably more subtle. 

We all have been taught our faith, but do we follow it when it is challenged?  Do we join the crowd and engage in gossip about someone, even though we know it is wrong?  Or do we walk away from someone in need because we don’t want to get involved, even when we feel that inner urge?  When the going gets tough and it isn’t convenient, does a young mother opt for life for her child or for an abortion?   Life is full of choices like these where we either show our faith by responding to God’s call to do His will, not our own; or we don’t respond to God’s call.   

Jesus tells us we must die to ourselves and pick up our crosses and follow him.  We don’t have to suffer and die on a cross.  But we do have to suffer the consequences of being a believer. 

Faithful and Prudent Vigilance

August 28th, 2014

Thursday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time

St. Augustine

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

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Vigilant!   We must be vigilant at all times for the coming of the Lord.  But not only that, our vigilance must be characterized by faithfulness and prudence as we conduct our daily lives.  When you come right down to it, that’s a tall order.   

First, take the vigilance part.  Most of us “have a life”- work, school, raising kids, caring for others, volunteering.  So, there are lots of things we feel we are required to do.  And when we are not doing these required things, then we are trying to have fun for ourselves-  a little TV; sports; listening to music and relaxing; playing video games or reading; maybe even partying with others and doing our hobbies and interests.   

But Jesus says we need to be awake at all times for the coming!  Yes, Indeed, Jesus wants us to be ready at all times in our relationship with God, and that is challenging.  Between our responsibilities and our leisure, where is the time for God?   

Now in the Gospel, Jesus gives us a strong hint on what it means to be ready.  First, he talks about servants being ready; not people being ready.  That means he wants, even expects, all of us to serve him in some way, to be servants.  Clearly, taking care of our families and their needs are part of God’s plan; they are part of being a servant.  But sometimes we can spend so much time providing for our worldly needs, including our leisure, that we neglect our spiritual and some of our social needs.   

Jesus goes on to say that this servant needs to be both faithful and prudent.  To be sure, there are some people who are neither faithful nor prudent.  Some people shirk responsibility in favor of serving themselves; and some people are not prudent with their gifts and things of the world, doing things in excess and ignoring their relationship with God altogether.  That’s what the bad servant in the Gospel did.   

But most people are honestly trying to do what is right.  So what message is there for us?

One of the old Church Masters, Origen, has observed that people are either faithful or prudent; but rarely both.  There is a balance required there, and it is the essence of what Jesus is saying to us this morning.  We can be faithful in our commitment to our jobs, school, and others; but lack the wisdom and prudence to balance these things with the rest of our lives.  We can be faithful to our God in terms of what we believe; but lack wisdom and prudence in tempering the rule of law with the need to always love.  Jesus wants us to be both Faithful and Prudent at the same time; and that involves a balance; it is faithfulness but with a heart.   

In our first reading, Paul tells the Corinthians  He is confident that they are not lacking in any spiritual gift as they wait for the day of the Lord.  That is our challenge.  We must balance our responsibilities with our play.  And we must also be responsible in our faithfulness.  We need to know and serve God with faithfulness and prudence so that we will not lack in any spiritual gift as we wait for the day of the Lord.   

Dealing With Our Weaknesses

August 14th, 2014

Thursday of 19th Week
St. Maximilian Kolbe

Ez 12: 1-12; Mt 18: 21 – 19:1
Dc. Larry Brockman

All of us have these human weaknesses, things we know we shouldn’t do, like things we say over and over; habits we have; addictions we have; attitudes we have or things we do to others that we know irritate and even hurt them; like nagging, failing to listen, ignoring, dominating, or dismissing someone else’s feelings. We know they are wrong, and yes, sinful.  

And yet, much as we resolve to fix them, we fail over and over in our attempts to correct them.  We go to confession, face up to them, and honestly resolve to move on.  But then we go ahead and do them again. We don’t just ask God to forgive these things, we expect God to forgive these things over and over again. That is what God’s mercy is all about; it is part of our Christian hope. But when it comes to ourselves forgiving others; well, we have a problem forgiving someone else over and over again for these kinds of things.  Husbands and wives; parents and children; workers and bosses continually rub each other the wrong way with these kinds of behaviors, and we find it difficult to truly forgive each other for them.

 But you see, it is all part of God’s plan for us to learn how to take on the image and likeness of God, and act like Him too.  We are made in the image and likeness of God, including the free will He gave us.  And our journey here as human beings is a constant learning experience for us on how to balance our freedom of will with the other characteristics of the “image and likeness of God”.

Not the least of the characteristics we need to learn Is to learn how to be merciful as God is merciful to us.   I want to be clear that I am not condoning bad behavior by our loved ones, bosses, and society in general.  I am not saying that tolerating bad behavior is acceptable; only that it needs to be forgiven as God would forgive our bad behavior.  And that is the balance that we all need to learn because you see, our bad behavior has consequences,  And while God can forgive us, we still have to suffer the consequences of our behavior.

The story in the first reading emphasizes this all too well.  The Lord tells Ezekiel that the Israeli people have eyes and ears, but they are not seeing and hearing. They were ignoring the law and the word of the prophets.  That is because they were too preoccupied with themselves.  Isn’t that the problem with the people we are finding so hard to forgive because it is hardest to forgive them when they seem clueless
about the harm they are doing.  
It is much easier to forgive them when they are humble and
contrite, isn’t it.

The Israeli people of Ezekiel’s time turned a blind eye to the evil they were doing.  And so Ezekiel was charged with trying to wake them up before it was too late.  He was advising them of the consequences by catching their attention and demonstrating the consequences to them.  This in fact is the lesson we see over and over again in the Old Testament. People were complacent with the way they were living their lives.  They didn’t see how far adrift they were from God’s will for them and from giving God the attention He deserved.  And their complacency carried heavy consequences.

In Ezekiel’s day, the consequence was a terrible exile. But each of the prophets warned the people of his day of the similar doom for not living according to the Lord.

The Gospel story tells us the same thing about the servant and the master. God will indeed forgive us everything; but we too must forgive others the same way otherwise, our forgiveness is in jeopardy.

So, leave the consequences to God.  Our challenge is to forgive from the heart; even if we have to do it over and over again.

The Tiny Whispering Voice

August 10th, 2014

19th Sunday Week in Ordinary Time

1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a; Rom 9: 1-5; Mt 14: 22-33

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Terrified! The disciples were stuck in the middle of the Lake, some 3 miles from shore working for hours against the wind, and tossed by the waves.  They were afraid their ship would be wrecked.  And this had gone on for hours- because relief didn’t come until the fourth watch- some 8 or 9 hours after they left Jesus.   They were experienced with boats; they knew what they were doing.  They trusted their own skills but they had worked themselves into a panic.  They were terrified!   

Just like the prophet Elijah in the first reading was.  Elijah had faithfully proclaimed the word of the Lord as it came to him; he had followed the directions of the Lord.  He had challenged the prophets of Baal in a standoff.  And it had resulted in a total humiliation of the prophets of Baal.  Baal was the god of Jezebel, who was married to the Israeli King.  When her god had been humiliated along with his prophets, Jezebel had ordered her husband’s soldiers to find and kill Elijah.  But Elijah ran for his life, escaped, and was hiding in a cave.  He too, was terrified because he didn’t know what to do.  He had done as the Lord bid him; and here he was in dire straits.   

Does either of these situations seem familiar?  Have any of you felt helpless against the forces of nature, almost in a panic as the Apostles were?  Perhaps abandoned, stranded, overcome by a hurricane or tornado, or down with an illness.  Have any of you been in a situation where it seemed like the whole world was against you?  Perhaps you were let go at work; you were let down by somebody; or you were persecuted for some reason.  Indeed, all of us have had moments like the Apostles and Elijah.  Life is like that for everyone.   

These are humbling experiences of life that all of us have.  And we learn a couple of things from these kinds of incidents.  First, we learn we are not in control, and second, we learn that we can’t do it all by ourselves.   

I suppose that in many of these incidents, we are just living life using the talents that God gave us.  We think we are in control and we think we can do it ourselves.  But the facts are that neither of these things is true- we are not in control and we cannot act alone.  We find that out fast enough when things build up against us.  We need Faith, Faith in the Lord always, faith that whatever happens, the Lord means the best for us.   

Peter expressed that Faith well by recognizing Jesus on the water.  That’s why he jumped in the water, and walked after him.  But when Peter wavered in his faith because of the ever present storm then he began to sink and needed Jesus to save him.  All of us, too, have Faith, but we can sometimes waver because the circumstances keep knocking on our door relentlessly.  And yet, it is only Faith that can and will sustain us.   

There is also something really fascinating about how the incident ends.  The storm disappears when Jesus gets in the boat.  Yes, indeed, when we really have God besides us, then the storm disappears.  We need God besides us at critical times.   

That’s what makes Elijah’s situation a little different.  Notice that Elijah recognized the need for God right from the beginning and so he was waiting for the word of the Lord.  But the Lord was not in the storm or the fire or the earthquake.  Rather, the Lord was in the tiny whispering sound.   

That is likely the way it will be for us.  If we have faith, and we are sincerely trusting in the Lord, we will probably not find the answer to our prayers in the storm or earthquake or fire that is going on around us.  Rather, we will find it in silence.  We have to stop whatever it is that we are doing as important as that may seem to be at the moment.  We have to stop and listen for the voice of God.   

It is called prayer, and we have got to make time for it.  We need to pray even when we think we are in control because we need Jesus there right beside us all the time to keep the storm under control.  And we need to find the time to pray even when we are busy because it is the highest priority we should have.   

Jesus had a tough day on the day that this miracle was performed.  He and his disciples buried Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist in the morning.  Then, they attempted to get away so Jesus could pray and reflect on his loss.  But the crowds followed him, and he ministered to them instead, working the miracle of the loaves and fish.  After that, he sent the Apostles on in the boat. Why? Because as late as it was, he still needed to go up the mountain and pray.  Then, after that prayer, he walked back to the shore, and some 3 miles out onto the water to his friend’s boat.  The human side of Jesus needed to pray; he needed the time with God.   How much more do we in our humanity need God in the moment of need. 

So when the going gets really tough, then it is time to pray. 

Listen for the tiny whispering sound.