How to Choose Jesus

March 6th, 2014

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

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

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Will you choose to go after Jesus?  Because if you do, you need to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus.  That is the choice- to follow him or not to follow him.  It’s really our only choice.   

It was like the choice that Moses passed on to the Israelis thousands of years earlier.  They could choose life and prosperity; or death and gloom. Life and prosperity meant loving and obeying God, by following His commandments, statutes, and decrees.  The other choice was automatically made if they abandoned the one true God, because it meant following after false gods.  And Moses words were quite sobering on the consequences of that: namely, that they most certainly would perish.   

Many of us can’t relate to the idea of following false gods.  It just seems like something the uneducated ancients did- worshiping some golden calf or superstitious force in nature.  But I beg to differ; it is not all that different today in our educated society because we have a whole set of false gods in our society.  And many people choose these false gods by default.  Sex, money, facebook, video games, work, football, gossip, alcohol, drugs, following and emulating pop culture and secular fads, and a host of other things that we can become addicted to are the false gods in our society today.   When people spend their time totally consumed in these things, they have chosen the false gods by default.  Why? Because their preoccupation is on self, the ultimate false God.  We heard that point over and over when Father Gallagher gave his mission here last month.   

And it is easy to see if we are headed in that direction.  Because when God asks for our time,  As He is doing during this season of Lent,  Then if all the other things in your life are too important; and you just can’t find any time for God,  It is then that you know that there’s a false god or two in your life.   

Jesus’ message today was particularly pointed, wasn’t it?  First, he tells the story of what the consequences will be when he follows the will of God.  It will mean suffering, ridicule, and death on a cross.  Those were really heavy and sobering words.  And then he tells us that if we want to go after him, we will have to deny ourselves.  Yes, deny ourselves, deny ourselves the preoccupation with the other things of life that are too important; and rather, take up our cross instead.   

But just what is your cross?  Maybe it is that nagging thing in the back of your mind that you know you should be doing when you are spending all your time on yourself.  It could be the right thing to do that is harder than just following after the popular thing in society.  It could also be that thing that needs to be said or done, but you don’t want to buck everybody else.  In other words, it is loving and obeying God by following God’s commandments rather than following the ways of the world.  It is avoiding evil and sin.   

God has something wonderful in mind for each and every one of us.  But we put roadblocks in the way of His will for us.  We don’t give God the time and attention He needs. Jesus was different.  He made the time to examine his life and get it in harmony with the Father’s plan for him.  He went into the desert for 40 days, and found out who he was and what God’s mission was for him.  After he sorted it all out, then this Gospel passage presents the result in a nutshell.    We have 40 days to do the same.  To deny ourselves, find our cross, take it up, and go after Jesus. 

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Returning to the Lord

March 5th, 2014

Ash Wednesday Service

Joel 2: 12-18

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

“Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart”.  Yes indeed, it is never too late to turn back to the Lord.   

Today is an especially good day to begin that process because we will all receive ashes on our foreheads,  And as we receive them, we will hear the statement:  “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” to remind ourselves that life in this world is not what life is all about. It’s a somber reminder, but one that most of us in this hospital can understand.  Because many of us see life as we know it end here for a patient or a loved one. 

Just a month ago, my own Mom lay here just down the hall, a woman of 91 years, who had lived a full and vibrant life.  But it was clear that her life here was ending.  Was that all there was to life for her?  Was life ending, or was there something else just beginning?     

For those of us who are Christians, we know that there is more to life than life in this world.  But we have to be ready for it.  We have to recognize that God wants to be part of our lives, and that he has something special in mind for us in this life, something that will prepare us for the next life.  That’s what Lent is all about.  And that is what the Church is trying to do for the next 40 days, to get us all ready for the Resurrection and the promise of everlasting life that comes to us with Easter.   

Joel says it well.  “Proclaim a fast, gather an assembly, gather the people”.  And then:  “And say, spare, O Lord your people”.  Joel is asking the people to listen up, repent, and mend their ways.  And as the last sentence of the reading implies, the Lord was stirred to concern for His people.   

All of us are corrupted by the world.  It’s a fast moving lane that most of us live in.  We have many things to do and precious little time to stop and listen for God’s voice among the noise and clutter.  But we have to do it.  The season of Lent is the perfect time of year to do it. 

How?  Well, first fast from things of this world that clutter your mind and keep you from responding to God.  TV; the many obligations we book in our lives; and addictions to a person, a food, or an activity; be sensitive and respond to others in need- in other words, almsgiving.  Find some time to pray and also to just listen to God.  In other words:  “Take the time, and return to the Lord with your whole heart.” 

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God Will Never Abandon You

March 2nd, 2014

Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is 49: 14-15; 1 Cor 4: 1-5; Mt 6: 24-34

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Sometimes we feel absolutely alone in life!  Like when we lose a parent, a spouse , a child, or a friend; or when somebody turns their back on us and walks out of our lives; or when all of these things happen in the passage of time.  Sometimes we can even feel that God has left us alone.  But there is one thing that is absolutely certain.  And that is that God will never, ever forget us or abandon us.   

If ever we needed any evidence of that, than our first reading for today proves it; for the Lord basically says:  “I will never forget you”.  And Isaiah makes the point in the analogy he uses.  For indeed, just as a mother does not forget her infant; so also God does not forget any of his creation, especially those whom he created in his own image and likeness.  And that applies to all of mankind.   

I think that is very easy for all of us to see that- just imagine that you were the creator and you fashioned man in your image and likeness.  A special kind of energy; a special kind of concern went onto that creation because you put a bit of yourself in that creative act.  How could you forget; how could you abandon part of yourself?  You couldn’t; you wouldn’t.  You would, indeed, be like a mother to her infant- physically and emotionally attached to the infant.  It’s a strong bond of intimacy, love, and physical closeness.  It’s the same way with God and each one of us.  We are loved that much, each and every one of us.  We are God’s infants, all of us.   

So, how is it that we can feel abandoned by God?  Well, just like a mother and an infant our relationship with God changes with time.  The infant grows up!  And that self-growth interferes with the relationship between the infant and the mother.  Instead of complete dependence on our mothers, we become independent.  So also in our relations with God- we think that we become independent and self-sufficient as we experience life.  But the reality is that we are never independent of God.   

There are two related arguments provided in our readings that show what really happens as we grow.  First, as St. Paul points out, we are not independent beings, with special gifts and talents that belong to us.  Rather, we are stewards of everything that God gives us.  We owe everything to God.   And so, we need to be trustworthy stewards, using our gifts and talents as God intended them to be used in appreciation for what God has given us.   

Second, as the Gospel says, we cannot serve two masters.  We cannot have it our way by being our own master; and satisfy God’s will for us at the same time.  There will always be a conflict when we try to be our own masters.  But to serve God, we need to trust him, and that means yielding control to God even when it seems threatening to us.   

These two things, being trustworthy stewards and trusting that God will lead us in the right direction are hard.  Because it does means giving up control to God.  None of us likes uncertainty.  And yet, there is really only one thing that is certain- the love that God has for us, and the fact that he will not abandon us any more than a good mother would abandon her infant.   

Jesus assures us in the Gospel that when we seek first the Kingdom of God and the righteousness that is required to achieve it, then all things will be given to us.  Life can seem to be drudgery to us when we feel abandoned.  But God has not and will not abandon us. 

When we return to our original dependence and love of God; when our focus is on God and the Kingdom of God, then we can recognize what it is that gives us real happiness.  Our psalmist says it best:   “Rest in God alone my soul.” 

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On Being Salted by Fire

February 27th, 2014

Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

James 5: 1-6; Mark 9: 41-50

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

The message is pretty strong today, isn’t it? First, James comes down pretty hard on those who are preoccupied with themselves. Then, Jesus comes down hard on those who lead others astray. Both of these readings should give us pause.

Are we preoccupied with ourselves, and are we leading others astray?

Then Jesus ends today’s Gospel with some interesting statements: First, he says “Everyone will be salted with fire”, and then he says: “Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another”. Just what does all of that mean?

 First, consider that fire is a method of purification.  So perhaps he is saying that all of us will be purified from our tendency to sin.  We can wait for God to purify us with fire or we can purify ourselves.  And certainly, we have been given tools for such self-purification.  We will be entering the season of Lent in less than a week.  Lent involves three classical devices for purification- Prayer, Almsgiving, and Fasting.  Much can be said about each of them; but the emphasis in Fasting is on self-mortification, meaning discipline of self to avoid preoccupation with self-absorption.  Almsgiving means going out of our way to do something for others, and it isn’t just money either, but other forms of self-sacrifice for the sake of others. These devices sound very much like an anecdote for the preoccupation with self that James talks about. And Prayer is a way for us to reflect on our lives and talk to God about what we should change to avoid sin in the future.  Such a change completes the purification process.

 A self-imposed 40 day period of Lenten purification involving Prayer, Almsgiving, and Fasting seems so much more desirable than the literal purification by fire implied in the Gospel.  But that literal “salting by fire” is something Jesus says will happen to all of us.  And indeed, suffering is a part of life for all of us- none of us is exempt.  But some of the suffering is consequences of our actions.  And so, if we have an opportunity to avoid adverse consequences by repenting and changing our lives as we do during Lent, why not take advantage of it?

 That brings us to the second interesting statement.  “Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another”.  Salt has classically been considered a preservative.

So, we should purify ourselves first, and then do what is required to preserve our newfound state of Grace, and so, this means maintaining our purified state is important.  We can do that by availing ourselves of the Sacraments- Confession and Communion, and by living up to the changes we commit to in our lives.

Let us all make a commitment to purify and salt ourselves this Lent.  Then we will live in peace with one another.

 

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Who Are You?

February 20th, 2014

Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

James 2: 1-9; Mark 8: 27-33

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Just who are you?  Are you who you appear to be?  Or are you are wearing a mask and a disguise?  The real “you” is probably someone other than the image you try to project for yourself.  The real you is who God wants you to be; and that is usually not the person you want to be.  And so, we all wear disguises that show us in the light that we want to be shown rather than who we really are.   

This morning’s First reading speaks to how we see others rather than how we see ourselves.  But the masks and disguises we all wear complicate the matter.  Because not only do we hide who we are; we also help others to hide themselves.  We find it easier to welcome people who wear a mask that fits them into the world’s accepted categories than it is to encourage people who are God centered.   

James hits the nail on the head.  He says that the rich are the ones who oppress us!  And yet these are the same people we honor over the folks who are just being themselves, living God’s will for them and not putting on airs.  How ironic, and foolish that is.   

And you know what, things haven’t changed.  Today’s most popular masks are worn by sports figures, entertainment personalities, and politicians.  We give them top billing; and we seem to honor them above the common folk.  But you know what? These roles they play are not who they really are.  For, as gifted as they may be as athletes or politicians or actors;  God’s view of who they really should be is probably very different.  Drugs and suicide demonstrate just how unhappy these people can be when they mask who they really are.

Jesus shows us just how different God’s plan for who we are really is from the worldly image of who we want to be.  Jesus was the Messiah.  In the world’s view, the Messiah would be popular, having great power; but he would also be rich, well dressed, and the image of the top of Society.  That’s what the Jews were looking for – a worldly “leader” with wealth, power, and a dazzling image.   

But Jesus was poor, a simple carpenter, dressed as a peasant.  He had no power in the worldly sense; and his popularity waned quickly when the authorities arrested him.  Not only that, he suffered greatly and was put to a humiliating death.  Yet Jesus knew who he was because he knew God’s mission for him.  That was who he really was- a slave to the will of God, dedicated to spreading a way of life based on living God’s way in our hearts.  The Gospel shows us just how that life should be led- loving people, putting others first, and keeping the commandments.     

In this morning’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples exactly what that means in worldly terms for him.  It is something they didn’t want to hear, as Peter demonstrates.  But Jesus was telling the truth; he was being real.  All of us face the same challenge.  God is calling us for something; but we are disguised as something else.   We are just a few weeks away from Lent.  Do yourself a favor.  Take off your mask.  And take the time this Lent to find out who you really are. 

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Who Should We Listen to?

February 6th, 2014

Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

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

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Just who should we listen to these days?  Seriously, this is the age of information.  Information and Pundits are prolific in our society.  All of us have access to hundreds of TV and Radio Stations;  an infinite resource of information sources over the Internet; and more books, periodicals, and other written sources than one can imagine.  And lots of the information we hear conflicts.  Weight saving diets conflict with each other; political commentators conflict on root causes of problems; and there are many pluralistic views on religion, all of which vie for our time and claim to have the truth, the answer to what life is all about.  Just who should we listen to?  

If you believe in Jesus, than he answers the question quite well for us today.    First, he sends people out whom he gave authority.  Yes, the people Jesus chose were given authority.  The root meaning of authority in this sense of the word is simply this: they were given power by Jesus, the power to represent His message.  They didn’t assume this power; they were given this power by Jesus.  So, the message was not their message; it was God’s message.   

Second, they went out two-by-two.  This means they didn’t go out alone- they were paired with another person who had been given the same authority.  Why? So that they validated the truth of the message for each other, and so that those who heard the message could not bear false witness against them.   

Next, they were told not to take anything extra.  In other words, they had no vested interest with them.  They weren’t bringing something of material value; and they weren’t asking for anything of material value.  They were neutral; they had nothing personal to gain.  They were messengers who were simply following God’s will for them.  They had the simplest and most pure motivation, their enthusiasm for the message of Jesus. 

Lastly, they had faith, great faith- the kind of faith that David speaks about in his parting words on his deathbed.  David told Solomon to always, always obey the Lord in all things, never questioning the law.  That takes tremendous faith.  

And because they had these simple characteristics- faith, authority, validation, and purity of purpose-  they were able to work wonders as they moved through the people, driving away unclean spirits, curing the lame, and healing the sick.     

In this day of information saturation, who should we listen to- our politicians; Wikipedia; the latest silver tongued “feel-good” preacher; the brilliant scientists with strings of initials after their names who dazzle us with “facts”;  the winners in the World?  Or do we listen to people who are like the Apostles that Jesus sent out two by two.  The choice is yours.  As for me, I’ll stay with the Church. 

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Healing Divisions

January 26th, 2014

Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

Is 8:23 – 9:3; Math 4: 12-23

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Divisions!  That’s what St. Paul experienced after he founded the Church in Corinth, people who held on tight to some details of what they believed and gravitated to one or another principal advocate rather than focusing on belief in their hearts in Jesus message.  Yes, Divisions occurred right from the very beginning.   

Isn’t it sad that there are so many Christians today, and yet, we are all divided into different denominations?  And rather than build on what we believe in common, some of those denominations tear the others down.  The Catholics seem to be on the receiving end of that quite a bit.  How many times do you hear some of our Protestant brothers telling the whole world that unless you accept Jesus as your personal savior, you cannot be saved.  And then in the next breath, they attack the Catholics who they say put more faith in tradition than in the Bible.  Many of them say we are damned.   

And yet, when these people sit down and talk with us, they find much common ground.  For example, there are things that are basics that we all agree on- these are our Christian foundations.  Some of these things are the belief in one God, the Trinity, and the other elements of the Creed.  And most Christians denominations respect and believe in the sanctity of the word of God- the Bible; they also believe we need to honor God’s natural law, that is, respect the sanctity of all life from womb to tomb.   

Yet even within our parishes, there are divisions.  People feel passionately about Emmaus or Cursillo or the Carmelites or this prayer group or that prayer group; and seem be put off and even hostile to people who are passionate about one of these other movements.  They sing praises for the Knights of Columbus and are ambivalent about the Men’s Club or vice versa.  Some say the only answer is meditative prayer; others concentrate on loving as Jesus taught by living in the world so that they use their God given talents; still others believe we need to love our neighbors as ourselves through social justice- that that should be the key to everything we do.   

The truth is that we need all of these Christian expressions, and even more.   We need to build each other up and not tear each other down.  Rather than harp on the differences between us; we need to emphasize the common ground, and we need to rejoice in the diversity of ways that we serve and praise God, not emphasize one over the other.   

There are plenty of ways for us to do that.  First, with respect to our Protestant brothers, we need to build on these common beliefs by working together.  I am encouraged, for example, by the Chaplain at Westminster Towers who invited me as a Catholic to come into their Presbyterian run institution and conduct  Communion services and Rosary Services there for the Catholic Residents.  And now, several times a year, I am invited to preach at their ecumenical service.  After preaching there, the Protestants have told me how much they appreciated my message, and that they didn’t know Catholics believed all that!  Such services are a great way to build bridges, not build divisions.  All of you know and interact with many other Christians.  Don’t shy away from discussions with them; rather, encourage dialog with a kind and knowing heart.  The Bible and the Catechism are our best ways to be informed and relevant in such dialog.     

Similarly, try to engage in joint activities with people of other faiths, perhaps by inviting people here for some of our events.  For example, we arranged a field trip to bring people from Westminster Towers to see the Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit.  Some of the Protestants who came told me they will never forget that experience.  In the last several years, our Parish has been proactive at inviting our fellow Christians to The Fall Festival, our Lenten Fish Fries, and our Music Concerts.  I have shared the fish fry meals with Presbyterians, Methodists, and others from neighboring Churches; and I think the dialog has been productive and healthy.  Other examples include our 40 days for Life; the St. Augustine March for Life, where we arranged for a bus; and the Life Chain along Apopka Vineland- all of these open to anyone.   

These are modest first steps in our challenge to be evangelical and ecumenical as Christians so that we can reestablish unity amongst Christians.  In this day and age, when mainline Faiths like Christianity are under attack from secular society to eliminate school prayer; eliminate the use of the bible, and secularize Chaplaincies, we need much more efforts like these to unify us.   

But we also need to be more active inside our walls, glorifying and appreciating the wonderful diversity of ministries that folks can participate in here.  We can do that by knowing the wealth and breadth of the ministries available; and by more participation ourselves.   

You know, it is common wisdom that 20% of the people do 80% of the work.  If we are going to make a difference, we need to change that.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus taps a few good common men on the shoulder, and tells them to follow him.  If these few could make such a tremendous difference; think what all of us can do together.  If we all work together, and that means all of us, not just some of us, we can make a tremendous difference.   

We can eliminate Divisions, and convert the world by our example of knowing, loving, and working for Jesus;  But not just some of us, all of us. 

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Overcoming Jealousy

January 23rd, 2014

Thursday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

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

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Jealousy!  It is one of the seven deadly sins.  This morning we hear how Saul had become jealous of David, so much so that he considered killing him and all because the Lord had gifted Saul and the Israelites with David and his miraculous success in combatting a seemingly invincible foe, Goliath.  For a while, David had been an answer to a prayer for Saul because he was so successful.   But when the people of the time recognized it by singing David’s praises relative to him, Saul was infuriated, and plotted danger against David.   

It’s a human reaction that we all share, isn’t it- jealousy over someone else’s success.  It seems particularly hard for people to accept someone else’s success after they been successful themselves.  In Saul’s case, he had been the center of attention.  And even though he and his army won the battle, it was David who got all the attention.  And so, Saul just became consumed with jealousy and envy. 

I am sure that all of us can think of a time when someone stole the spotlight from us.  And rather than rejoice in the other person’s success, we were envious or jealous.  Maybe when you were a child, you did something and were praised for it.  And just when you were basking in the attention and the joy that went with it, a brother or sister did something and seemed to steal the attention right out from under you.  Later on, maybe you did a really great job on a work project, and all of a sudden someone else steals the show.   

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

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

Second, these deadly sins, like jealousy and envy, are the devil’s best chance to derail us from our real goals in life.  They draw attention to ourselves and our wants rather than God’s will for us.  And if we become consumed with jealousy and envy, we lose sight of what our lives are really all about-  the mission and goals that God has in mind for us.  That’s exactly where the devil wants us- consumed in ourselves.   

On the other hand, sharing the limelight is a lesson in humility that all of us need to learn.  Because when you come right down to it, we are all really the same in God’s eyes even though we are as different as night and day in gifts, talents, and limitations.  It is God’s attention and praise we should be seeking; not the world’s.   

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

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

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Modern Day Liars

January 2nd, 2014

St. Basil the Great

John 2: 22-28; John 1: 19-28

Dc. Larry Brockman

“Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ” is a liar.  Pretty strong words.  Some context is helpful, I think.   

You see, this Epistle was written at a time when there was much discussion amongst the first Christians and converts about just who Jesus was.  John believed that Jesus was both fully human and fully divine.  But there were many who just couldn’t believe that this person that they knew personally- one who ate and drank with them; who was a simple carpenter; who lived a relatively straightforward life from the age of 12 to the beginning of his public ministry at age 30- they couldn’t really accept the fact that Jesus was THE Christ, the one and only savior for all time, the Messiah.  They couldn’t bring themselves to accept him as God even after many of them personally witnessing the Resurrection.  John is calling these people “liars” because they used worldly arguments to undermine the legacy that Jesus left and that was handed on by the Apostles to them.  The “lie” consists of the pollution and dilution of the real word of God by these people.  And like all lies, it has consequences, because it leads people astray from the truth.  You see, once you reject a critical part of the truth; what is to prevent erosion of the rest of the truth?   

But John points out the anecdote- that these early Christians have been Baptized and anointed; so they have heard the truth; and they have been armed with the grace that comes from the Holy Spirit.  It is a grace that can and should sustain them to keep the faith, and live their lives accordingly.  It is a call to live faithfully according to the Gospel legacy that Jesus left, so that when Christ comes the second time at the Last Judgment, they can stand tall with confidence that they have lived a life pleasing to God.   

Today is the feast of St. Basil the Great.  In the 4th Century St. Basil fought valiantly against just such a heresy as John refers to.  He fought against people who didn’t believe in the divinity of Jesus.   

It is no different today, you know.  We have many liars in our presence; people who deny the divinity of Jesus.  The liars of today are those who read the word of God and hear the teachings of the Church but they try to dilute and pollute these teachings with the “wisdom of the world” or some other persons teaching.  They say: “I know what the scriptures say, but God wouldn’t just come to the Jews; oh no; He has revealed himself to the Hindus and the Buddhists and the Moslems and the Mormons and all the other peoples of the World in one way or another”.  They say that Christianity is just one of the ways God has revealed himself to mankind.  And so, these folks say that we should “look beyond” the parochialism of our own Faith and embrace the ultimate truth that integrates all these teachings together.   

But the simple fact is that God did chose to reveal the fullness of himself through His word, Jesus Christ, who became man, and lived as one of us.  He showed us through the Gospel legacy, how to live a life that pleases God by obedience to the will of the Father.  He suffered, died, and rose from the dead, appearing to his Apostles; and promised us everlasting life if we follow him.  And he left us a more refined glimpse of his true nature- the Trinity.  None of these other world religions offer all of that.  They may have a glimmer of the truth; but they are not the fullness of God’s revelation to us.  The pluralistic argument is the “Big Lie” that the devil hopes we will all accept because it leads people away from the truth.   

Today, we are called to defend our Faith by recognizing and ignoring the Big Lie; we are called to be Christians in Faith, Word, and Deed no matter what.

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Making Our Families Our Greatest Blessing

December 29th, 2013

Feast of Holy Family

Sir 3: 2-6, 12-14; Col 3: 12-21; Mt 2: 13-15, 19-23

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

We don’t choose them; they are our greatest blessing as well as our greatest curse; but they are also the bedrock of our society.  They are our families.   

Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family.  It is our Parish Feast day, as well as the feast day for virtually all of us in this Parish because all of us either come from, or participate in a Family.   

First, and foremost, we all need to understand why the family is so critically important to society.  It is because the family is made in the image and likeness of God.  That’s right- God patterned our human families after himself.  You see, God is three persons in one God, the Trinity.  The three persons of the Trinity share their Godhead with us through a complex set of relationships and communications between themselves and us.  And each of the three persons has a special role.  God the Father- the Head, the Architect; God the Son- the Word of God, the enabler; and the expression of the Love of the Father and the Son- the Holy Spirit, who gives life to all things.   

Doesn’t that sound like the family- a complex set relationships between persons sharing in the dynamic of a unit, with each person having a special role.  Both Sirach and Paul tell us of the roles as the fathers, mothers, and children in the family unit.  Fathers have a special role as the leader, the head of the family.  Fathers and mothers must love and respect each other; and the fruit of the love and respect that Fathers and Mothers have for each other is their children, who carry forward the life and spirit of their parents.  And children need to honor and respect their parents by being obedient to them in all things.   

This family cycle is God’s will for us, and has repeated itself endlessly throughout human history.  It occurs in parallel with the creative and productive activities we are all called upon to do as we emerge from our parent’s families, and form families of our own.  Just like God continues in His creative and productive activities throughout time.  Men and women, coming together as a married couple, and having children- Such was, and is, the will of God for mankind.  And as long as our society follows God’s will and respects the family unity, society will prosper because new generations of healthy, stable people will continue the process.  But when we diverge from God’s plan, then problems develop.  Divorces, orphaned children, struggling single parents, and many other things occur when the basic family structure breaks down.  And so, it is the Christian family that is the ideal.   

Today, the Christian family is under attack, isn’t it?  Rather than a family unit that echoes the image and likeness of God secular society is pushing the individual, not the family unit as the basic unit of society.  This leads to alternate family structures and alternate life styles based on “choice” not on God’s will.   

Today, we need to take the time and effort to do whatever we can to build up our family unit in to a Christian Family.  We need to go back to a structure that echoes the Trinity; to go back to the simplicity and effectiveness of the Holy Family as the building block of society.   

To do that, let us all think back on the best times we had with our families on this special feast day- the special love that our Mom’s have given to us as little ones; the work and dedication that our Fathers have done to provide for us; the many hours our parents stood by us in times of trouble- sickness or when someone hurt us; the time and dedication they gave to help us to learn, to play sports; when they give us that special gift we wanted so much; that special camping trip Dad took you on; the concert Mom and Dad took you to; and the prom dress Mom got for you.  

When you really think about it, there are many times in your life like that when the love of God was reflected by the love your parents had for you.  Think of those things on this special feast.   

Now I know that there are some of you out there who have bitter experiences in your families.   Just the other day, for example, I heard a story about a friend’s family.  She was beaten frequently as a child, and grew up with very little education because the money that was dedicated to her education was squandered on something else.  But she rose above these limitations and vowed never to let these things happen in her family.  Rather, she became a loving, nurturing mother, and despite the abusiveness in her own family, speaks with honor and respect for her parents.  No matter what kind of family you grew up in, you have a choice: you can use the negative experiences as an indictment of your parents sins, and even as an excuse for your own lack of development.  Or you can learn from them, like the lady I mentioned.  You can also recall the positive experiences you had in your family.  And pattern your families to emulate them.   

Yes, you have a choice to make your family  The greatest blessing for your children;  And not the greatest curse.  The choice is yours.

 

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