True Prayer Takes Humility

October 27th, 2013

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sir 35: 12-14; 2 Tim 4: 6-8, 16-18: Luke 18: 9-14

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Recently, someone sent me one of those internet jokes about prayer.  It seems a Grizzly bear was chasing a man, and got very close to him.  The Man was an atheist, but as the bear got closer and closer, the man called out “God, help me”.  All of a sudden, time froze, a light shown down from the heavens.  And then a voice from the heavens said:  “After denying that I exist all these years and teaching others the same, all of a sudden you call out my name and ask me for my help.”  So, do you believe in me now?”  The atheist looked directly into the light and said:  “It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat me as a Christian now.  But perhaps you could make the bear a Christian?”  “Very well,” said the voice.  The light went out; the bear dropped his right arm, brought both paws together, bowed his head and spoke:  “Lord, bless this food, which I am about to receive. Amen”

All kidding aside, the atheist in our story still has a problem, doesn’t he?  It was very subtle, but he was still arrogant.  There was no humility in him; just a sense of personal pride and control which he held on to even when he was in dire straits, and even when God hit him over the head with a lightning bolt and gave him the chance of a lifetime.

Few of us are blessed with such a direct message from God.  But all of us are faced with the same dilemma.  We find ourselves in a fix and pray to God for help and wonder why our prayer is not answered the way we want it to be answered.  But the question really is this: what is the attitude in our hearts when we pray?  Do we really have Faith in the God we are praying to?  Are we willing to accept what He has to say to us?  And are we humble, like the tax collector in the Gospel story, understanding that we owe everything we have to God, yes, we owe absolutely everything to God and God alone.  Or are we like the Pharisee, the self-made man who has been successful with God’s talents.  He even tries, and succeeds, at following all the rules, too and does all the “right” things.

Speaking for myself, I think it is extremely tough to be truly humble in the way the Lord is asking especially, the better off we are in this world.  Because we come to believe that we have somehow earned our comfort and sense of control with hard work and success.  But the thing is, we are never ever done being stewards of the Lord’s gifts.  You see, most of the downtrodden have a different view when they pray.  They know who they are, just an average sinner who stands before God with all his limitations and faults.  They aren’t worried about maintaining their own fortunes; and they aren’t deceiving themselves by thinking they are in control.  They know better- God is in control.  And so, as Sirach so accurately says:  “The one who serves God willingly is heard”, and  “The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds”.  Because the lowly are open to God’s will, justice, mercy, and providence on God’s terms whereas those who are blessed in this world think they are under control, and so, they have an agenda.

In today’s times, this might be the Pharisee’s prayer by today’s folks:  “Lord, I go to Mass each week,  always put an envelope in the basket; I don’t cheat the Government on my taxes, I worked all my life for a living; I saw to it my kids were taught about God; and I even changed my grandchildren’s diapers.  I’m not like that lady over there on the EBT stamps, or all those people who never go to Church at all.  But now, Lord, I am suffering and I need your help.  And so please, cure me of the back pain or cancer or loneliness, or whatever else it is that ails me so I can enjoy life now after having obeyed your commands all these years”.  The problem is that such a person is fixed on themselves, and not God in such a prayer.

You know, God always answers our prayers.  But we may not always hear His answer if we are preoccupied with the answer we want rather than the answer He has in mind for us.  God is always teaching us new things; it is never too late to learn from Him.  And so, learn to let go a little by putting aside your expectations and wants.  Rather, listen, feel, and sense God’s answer to you.  It will be yes, no, or not now.  But always know, that whatever it is, as our Psalm says:  “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and those who are crushed in spirit He saves.  The Lord redeems the Lives of his servants; no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in Him.”

Tags:
Posted in Westminster Tower | No Comments »

The Battle Within Us

October 24th, 2013

Thursday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time

Rom 6: 19-23: Luke 12: 49-53

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

It’s a never ending battle- the battle between our earthly bodies and the call of God and His spirit within us,  the battle between comfort and pleasure in this world; and the nagging feeling that there must be something more to life, and the desire to know what that is; the battle between self –absorption and unconditional love.

All of us are born into that dilemma.  But the world cries out to us with its many attractions at first.  And so, we kind of settle into a way of life, living our lives as the world dictates them to us.  Because the voices of this world are loud and ever present; while the voice of God and the spirit within in us that nags us with “wait a minute” constantly, those other voices are subdued and vague.   Paul calls this inability to hear the true voice “the weakness of your nature”.

Now here is some of what our nature does with what the loud voices say: we need to eat to sustain life- but we can become totally consumed with the pleasures of food and abuse our bodies; we are attracted to each other physically- but for some that becomes a never ending obsession in life; we need money to buy the necessities of life- but for some, money is the only focus of life; there are challenging and interesting things to do in the world like sports, science, the arts, music, you name it- but we can become so consumed in them that they derail any attempts to consider God and his plan.

And so, what happens to us?  We try to become what we think people want us to be, or what we think will make us popular; or what will gain us the most comfort or attention or fame rather than becoming the person God is calling us to be.  We are too busy for God.  Oh, we tell ourselves once and a while we will listen.  But the things of this world can essentially take up all our energy and efforts.  We become of two minds- but one of them has control of us, the world; and the other mind is left in the background.

And yet, at some time during our lives, we realize that life as we know it in this world simply won’t last forever, and especially not at the pace and level of the prime of life.  Either we get sick, old, pushed down by others, or just fail to meet our own expectations.  Then we begin to wonder just what is life all about and if is there something more.

Jesus knew there was something more right from the start.  So, he went into the desert and came to grips with God and his purpose in life; and he was eager and ready to get on with it.  He says as much in today’s Gospel.  Why does he make such strong statements in today’s Gospel about dividing people?  Because he needed to get our attention and because he wanted all of us to see the path he had taken.  He wanted all of us to realize, as he had come to realize, what life was really all about- namely loving God, our neighbors, and ourselves as God loves us and following God’s plan for us until we leave this world and join God in the everlasting Kingdom of Heaven.

The reality is that he knew  tat when he accomplished his mission, it would bring controversy, not peace to earth.  It would, and still does, separate families from each other.  Jesus knew it would.  There will be those who follow him, those who seek something above what the world offers; and there will be those who don’t follow him, but rather, are self-absorbed and belong to the world.    St. Paul tells us about the fate of both contingents.  “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, Our Lord.

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

Believing in our Hearts

October 20th, 2013

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Ex 17:8-13; 2 Tim 3: 14 – 4:2; Luke 18: 1-8

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Faith!  Faith is what all of us need to survive as Christians.  Faith is what will sustain us in times of trouble.  This morning, our readings are all about Faith.    Now some people confuse Faith with knowing all about what we are supposed to believe about God.  Indeed, we speak of our “Faith” as Christians and Catholics in terms of what we believe.  But the real essence of Faith is something that is a lot deeper than that.  Faith in God, first of all, is really all about our ability to believe what we cannot prove about God.  Things like the certainty of the existence of God; the truth of the Trinity; the incarnation, or God becoming man in the person of Jesus; the mystery of how Christ being Crucified could ransom us from our sins; the Resurrection of Jesus from the Dead; and Eternal Life in the Kingdom of God.  We need to know all about these things, and we learn them from scripture and the Church, but we need to believe in them despite the fact that they can’t be proven using human reasoning.  That is the first part of real Faith.

And then secondly, we need to show that we really do believe in them.  That means more than just accepting them with a nod.  It means living our life according to the pattern that Jesus set for us in the Gospel because that’s how he promised us a ticket to everlasting life.  It does no good to give assent to something with our lips, but not with our hearts and minds and bodies.  If we really have Faith, then we will be engaged in showing it.

Listen again to what Paul tells Timothy in the second reading:  He says: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Jesus Christ . . . to proclaim the word, be persistent, whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching”.  That’s what it means to live your Faith.  To proclaim God’s word whenever and wherever it is needed, whether it is convenient or inconvenient; and to minister to others by convincing them, reprimanding them, and encouraging them.

When you were Baptized, you were welcomed into the Church.  And at that time, you made a Baptismal promise.  For most of us, that promise was made on our behalf by our Parents and Godparents.  Basically, that promise consisted of learning your Faith and living it out by evangelizing to others in word and deed; by spreading your zeal and commitment to the Faith.  Yes, all of us were called in Baptism to go forth and teach all nations in our Faith so that all could share in everlasting life in Heaven.

When you are confirmed, you are confirming your commitment to the promise that was made on your behalf at Baptism.  So, you see, your life as a Christian just begins with Confirmation; it doesn’t end with Confirmation.  Your commitment means you will continue to grow in knowledge of your faith and in your ability to live that Faith with resolve and conviction.

Now in today’s first reading, we have a very interesting story about real Faith.  Moses believes that he has been given special powers by God through his staff.  And so, he believes that if he can hold that staff up during battle for all to see- that staff, which is a symbol of Faith in Israel- then no matter how bad the situation is with the enemy Amelek, his people will be saved.   But when his resolve and that of his helpers Aaron and Hur, waivers just a little bit, and the staff somehow gets lowered, then Amelek begins to prevail over the Israelis.  So, Moses, Aaron and Hur redouble their efforts to keep that staff held high no matter how tired they get.

There’s a very subtle distinction to be made here.  You see, it isn’t the staff itself that was so important.  The staff was just a symbol of the power of God.  Rather, it was their belief that the power of God was with them.  And they had to continuously demonstrate their Faith in the power of God in order for their Faith to sustain them.

It’s the same way with us.  Our Faith needs to be strong and continuous.  We can have all the knowledge of our Faith down pat, so much so that we can recall it at any time.  But if we set it down and to the side by saying to ourselves “Well let’s get on with life, and when I need God, I will recall what I have been taught”,. meaning, let me pursue my own agenda for life without regard to how my partnership with God is affected, then we cannot expect our faith to sustain us.  If we really believe it, we will live our Faith to the fullest, always holding it in our hearts and consulting God about everything we do in life.  Because it is then that our Faith will always sustain us.

The message in the Gospel confirms this about our Faith.  The persistent Widow is just that relentless and persistent in appealing to the judge.  And as corrupt as the judge was, he responded to that commitment and tenaciousness.  Our ever-loving God will certainly do as much and more.  And so, that’s how our Faith can sustain us- through an absolute commitment to it.  Through a persistent and consistent never ending partnership with God, continuous prayer and demonstration of our Faith, we can and will be shown the way even when the going gets tough.  It may not be the way we would like, but the way will be shown to us, God’s way.  But it takes real Faith, the Faith of a Confirmed Christian to guarantee our success.

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

The Key to Knowledge

October 17th, 2013

Thursday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time

St. Ignatius of Antioch

Rom 3: 21-30; Luke 11: 47-54

Dc. Larry Brockman

So, Jesus tells the Scribes “You have taken away the key of knowledge”- the key of knowledge.  Pretty firm words to the religious leaders of the time.  What does it mean?

Well, some say that the key to knowledge is Faith, Faith in the Lord and in the Covenant He had made with His people in the scriptures that had been passed down to them.  The Scribes and Pharisees had tried to replace faith in the word of God with faith in their own interpretation of scripture.  And their interpretation emphasized the externals- complying with the letter of the Mosaic Law rather than understanding and complying with the Spirit of the Mosaic Law.  For example, it was more important to wash your hands on the Sabbath than to feed the poor on the Sabbath.  Thus, they had taken away the key to knowledge, faith in the Lord that was in the heart.

Others say that Jesus was referring to himself as the key to knowledge.  Indeed, the Scribes and Pharisees fought Jesus and his message with a vengeance.  And they were plotting to “take away” Jesus from the people at this very critical time when Jesus was preaching and converting the people.  Jesus message was all about believing in the heart, and knowing what was written in the heart, a message of love of God and neighbor above all else.

What does all this have to do with us?  Has someone taken away the key to knowledge from us, and replaced it with a morality which emphasizes literal compliance with the law rather than compliance to the message of God written in our hearts?

One way to recognize whether we have fallen into that trap is to understand how we act in our daily lives.  Do we think that all we have to do is just behave nicely and salvation is ours?  Maybe we come to Mass each week, receive Communion, don’t overtly lie, steal, or fight and just stay safely in our current environments while poverty, corruption, fraud, deception and violence are going on all around us.  In other words, are we being “good” according to the interpretations of the law we have all learned and leaving the rest to someone else?  Because, you see, isn’t that the same as believing that we can save ourselves by doing strictly what the law requires of us, and nothing more?

Now Paul says today, “We are justified by faith, and not just works of the law”.  And by Faith, he means not just believing but living our Faith.  And the Faith that we are to live is one that is written in our hearts; it calls us to love and care for one another, so much so that we cannot ignore what is going on around us.  Jesus didn’t eat and socialize just with his disciples.  Rather, he ate and socialized with people outside his circle of disciples; he talked to and cared for the outcasts of the society of his day including lepers, sick people, possessed people, tax collectors, widows, Samaritans, publicans, prostitutes, and foreigners.

Much has been said about Pope Francis in the media recently.  He is calling for the Church to go outward, outside the walls rather than always emphasizing the law.  It isn’t that we shouldn’t know the law and do what it says.  But rather, we should get beyond that and go out and bring others, those who are separated from us, back into the fold.   How?  Not by preaching the law over and over to them, but by our example, an example of love.

Can you and I do it?  You bet we can.  We are in the middle of 40 days for life.  Some of our parishioners are out there every day praying in front of Planned Parenthood’s Tampa Avenue Facility.  No one person is out there all the time, they all take shifts.  And all they do is pray.    And you know what?  People notice.  They drive by and honk their horns in approval.  And it’s been going on now for several weeks.  So people even stop, and they tell our folks that they are impressed by the goodness, honesty, and sincerity of what they are doing.  Indeed, these prayerful folks have not lost the keys.  They are people of Faith filled with the message of Christ.  We can do it.

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

Focusing on the Right Thing

September 29th, 2013

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Amos 6: 1a, 4-7; 1 Tim 6: 11-16; Luke 16: 19-31

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Sometimes we are focused on the wrong thing.  For most of us, we focus on avoiding things.  For example, we avoid things that we think are sinful.  After all, the commandments say thou shalt not kill or lie or steal or covet or a lot of other things.  And so, we try to avoid doing those things that might lead to temptation or sin.  But that sometimes means we avoid action altogether, reasoning that if I just don’t do anything, perhaps I won’t get in trouble.  We think “everything will be OK if I just don’t do something stupid.”  And so we settle into a comfortable impasse in our lives especially when we get a little older and begin to slow down.  I think the Church is trying to tell us today that we need to be careful of that.  We are always called to be proactive in some way.

Take the first reading for example.  There, the people of Israel are basking in relative comfort.  Their prophets are warning them of dangers to come, but they just don’t listen- they are comfortable, they don’t want to be bothered.  And what happens to them?  Well, in a thunder of activity they are invaded and forced into exile.  They lose everything.  They could have prepared themselves, but they didn’t.

We have a similar scene in the Gospel.  The rich man enjoys the comforts of life.  Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt.  Let’s say he has worked hard for what he has; and so, he is now basking in the fruits of his labor in the relative comfort of retirement.  It is not so much that he was mean to Lazarus as it was that he just ignored Lazarus.  It was inaction, complacency, a reluctance to get involved, a preoccupation with self, perhaps even, he just never got around to it- helping Lazarus.  But when he dies, he learns that there is another life beyond our earthly life, and our comfort in that next life is determined by a different criteria than just looking out for ourselves in this life and avoiding doing things that can get us in trouble.  Rather, Abraham makes it clear that there is such a thing as a sin of omission.  We all required to share the gifts that God has given us in this world.  If we don’t do that, then we are guilty of the sin of omission.

But you know something.  Most of us cannot see ourselves in the rich man’s shoes.  Certainly, none of us here are in that category, are we.  Many of us feel like Lazarus, we are the folks suffering in the background.  So, is there a message here for us?  What gifts are we called upon to share?

I heard an interesting story that helped me understand what we may have to offer.  It seems there was a young girl, I will call her Marcella, who decided to dedicate her life to Christ.  And so she became a full time lay missionary.  But not long after embarking on this mission they discovered that she had Multiple Sclerosis, or MS.  Here she was, willing to devote her whole life to serving others, and she was hampered by a painful, debilitating disease that required painful shots for treatment, and which was slowly sapping all the life out of her so that others had to care for her.  She was angry with God because there was no reason for it.  She could not do for others as she had dreamed of doing.  She had no “gifts” or wealth to share with others.  The only “gift” she had, it seemed, was the gift of suffering.  That was what her life was all about.

In her anger, she prayed to God for an explanation; a reason; why is this happening to me?  And what purpose or good could come out of such suffering?  And then it came to her, a message from God.  Just as Jesus suffered and died for us, so she could offer her suffering up for others.  And so, she did just that.  She would observe how someone else was troubled or suffering- someone struggling with a vocation; someone dying of cancer; someone who had turned away from God.  Then she would offer up her suffering to God on behalf of that other person.

All of us, no matter what our station in life young or old, rich or poor, handicapped or healthy, has something special to offer, to share with others.  Even someone whose life is full of misery has something to offer.  What is important is that we are focused on God’s Kingdom.  It is a Kingdom of many, not just of our own internal making.  Even if all we have is time or prayer; we can offer that up to Christ for someone else.

Tags:
Posted in Westminster Tower | No Comments »

Witnessing of Faith Builds the Church

September 26th, 2013

Thursday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time

Hag 1: 1-8; Lk 9: 7-9

Dc. Larry Brockman

Have you got your priorities straight?

The people of Haggai’s time did not.  They had promised to build the Lord a House; but they kept saying that the time was not quite right.  They all had other priorities- their own paneled houses and rich food.  Haggai is trying to rouse them- to get them off of their duff and into action.  He plays on their guilt, tries to shame them into action.  And what makes it worse- it is a collective effort that is called for building the temple requires cooperation from many of them.

You know, it is easy for us to get into the same mode, the mode off putting the Lord on the back burner.  We hear the pulpit call for help with CCD, for example, or an announcement about bible studies or other programs at the Church.  We hear about years of evangelization and faith.  And we tell ourselves then and there that maybe we should get involved.  But then after we leave the Church doors, the reality of our lives takes over.  We have commitments with our job, with our spouses, with our kids, and with our friends.  So we tell ourselves we can’t make it, not right now.  And before you know it, time goes by, even years go by, and whatever it is that we had the best intentions of getting involved in, just never comes to fruition.

You know, this year has been designated the year of Faith.  And Popes Benedict and Francis have emphasized Faith this year.  That’s what Pope Francis’ new Encyclical “Lumen Fidei”, the Light of Faith, is all about.  Let me challenge you with this question:  How much do you know about your Faith?  If a Baptist or an Evangelical or a Mormon or a Muslim challenge you about a point of Faith, can you meet that challenge?  Can you meet it with confidence and conviction?  If you hear the Government or Planned Parenthood make statements about abortion or birth control or sex education for children do you know what the church teaches and why?  What does the Church teach about the Family and Family Life matters and why?   How do you integrate your Faith into your stance on political action?  What kind of a witness are you to your faith, because that’s what it takes to build the Church- witnesses.

Chances are you are like the majority of Catholics.  Your education in things of your Faith ended after you made your Confirmation.  And you know what?  That’s not good enough in today’s world, especially in this country, where so many people have a college education and are trained to think critically.  Our critical thinking, rationalistic society is eating us alive because we don’t stand up for our Faith.  We don’t know how to.

You see, we are the people of God today.  And just like the people of God in Haggai’s time, the Lord is waiting for us to build his Church up because it is crumbling around us.  People are leaving; and those who are left are not defending it.  So you see, if we don’t know our Faith, and practice it with conviction, we are letting the Lord down.  And so Haggai’s words from the Lord apply to us.  It is time to get out of our complacency and put some priority into building up the Church for the Lord so He can be glorified.  And it takes strong Faith to do that.
What’s this, my phone is ringing?  Just a minute.  Oh, it’s Pope Francis with his daily message.  Let me read it to you:  “The security of faith does not make us motionless or close us off, but sends us forth to bear witness and to dialogue with all people”.

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

Appearances Can be Deceiving

September 19th, 2013

Thursday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time

1 Tim 4: 12-16; Luke 7: 36-50

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Things are not always what they appear.  And so, we should be very careful before we make judgments based on appearance.  Both of our readings make this point.

In the first reading, Timothy, who is a young disciple of St. Paul, writes this letter because some of the folks he evangelized have been influenced by older and self-proclaimed “wiser” teachers.  But these older teachers were Judaizers, meaning they were trying to convince the Gentiles that Christians must also follow all of the Mosaic dietary laws.  The problem with that, as St. Paul taught and passed on to the younger Timothy, was that it diluted the meaning of Christianity, a movement of the heart towards God.  The Judaizers preached mandatory compliance with the burdensome requirements of the traditional Mosaic Law above everything, thereby placing the emphasis on the completely wrong place, simply behaving so that you did not cross the line rather than moving your heart towards God.  These Judaizers tried to undermine Timothy by harping on his youth.  But things were not at all what they seemed.  Timothy, not the Judaizers, had it right.

There is a similar message in the Gospel.  The Pharisees, Simon in today’s Gospel story included, held themselves above the rest of mankind because they were experts in keeping the letter of the Mosaic Law.  But they didn’t understand what real conversion was.  They didn’t recognize that real conversion was not the ever increasing ability to conform in external behavior; but rather converting in internal attitude, a conversion of the heart.  And that conversion of the heart resulted in conformance with the spirit of the teachings of Jesus.  The sinful woman repented of her sinfulness by faith in what she heard Jesus preach.  She was so uplifted by that feeling in her heart that she was brimming full of love.  And as a consequence of her conversion of the heart, her belief in Jesus, and her resolve to sin no more, she was moved to show that love in the public display we hear about today.  This means she had already been forgiven by God before she performed this act of love and Faith!  When we look at it this way, it is easier to see how her Faith saved her.  So again, things were not what they seemed- the sinful woman had it right and the experts, the Pharisees, had it wrong.

This lesson is something all of us need to learn in today’s world because all of us are prone to be deceived by appearances.  Just what is it that we admire, what is it that we copy, and what is it we emulate?  Is it football, basketball and baseball athletes, “Dancing with the Stars” and “America’s Got Talent” entrants, celebrities and movie stars, and the Donald Trumps and Bill Gateses of the world?  Or is it the Mother Theresas, Padre Pios, and John Paul IIs?

We can ask a similar question a little closer to home.  Where is it that appearances may be deceiving us about the role models we should be following in our lives?  Chances are person may not display all of the glitter and charism of the popular people in our lives, but they may have it right, where the people we idolize don’t.  It may be an Aunt or a Grandparent or a Parent or a friend’s relative.

And so, I challenge all of you this morning to think about it.  Who is it that you know that you want to be like?  Don’t let appearances deceive you, but rather, look for someone who follows Jesus in their heart.

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

A Pushover for Christ

September 12th, 2013

Thursday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time

Col 3: 12-17; Luke 6: 27-38

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

So, are we all to become pushovers?  Is that what Jesus is asking us to be?  Because it would seem that there are plenty of folks in this world who are poised to just take and take and take from us until we are left with nothing at all ourselves.  Just what is it that Jesus is asking of us?

First, let us recognize that Jesus spoke many times in hyperbole, meaning, in an exaggerated way.  He did that to make a point.  And Jesus point this morning resonates well with Paul’s message.  They are both making the same point, that “as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do”.

You see, we all hope to be forgiven by God of whatever sins we have committed.  And we all hope to be treated by God with love and generosity so that we may be happy forever with Him in the next life.  Our trials in life are there so that we can learn to be like God in whose image and likeness we were created.  If everything went perfectly in this life- no trials, no suffering, no challenge, what kind of fortitude and strength would that develop in us?  Not much.

But as it is, because sin entered the world, each of us is subjected to trials and tests; and suffering and temptations.  God sent His only son Jesus to live and dwell among us to show us the way, so that we can emulate the master, the Lord Jesus Christ.  And what did he do?  He sought out God’s will for him and trusted in it by being obedient.  It meant he didn’t have much by the world’s standards.  Ultimately, he endured persecution, suffering, and death.  But he exhibited a loving and forgiving attitude the whole time, accepting His cross with dignity and resolve.

We need to treat others the same way Jesus treated them.  That means we need to treat others the way we would like to be treated.  That doesn’t mean we have to roll over and be pushovers.  But it does mean we have to prioritize things in our lives like Jesus did.  We have to stand up for what is right, uncompromisingly.  That’s not being a pushover.  We need to be generous and sharing of what we have.  But it is not always money and goods- it can include time, affection, attention, knowledge, and our talents.  And we have to be willing to suffer with dignity when it is the will of God- in sickness or physical disability, or mental trials, or whatever the clocks of time dictate.  And finally, we need to be patient and enduring when others push us- like people cutting in on us in traffic, or nagging and persistent contacts we have with people.  It’s all part of being human and learning what it means to be made in the image and likeness of God.

Think about the way you hope to be treated by God.  Well, that’s the way we need to treat others because “If we love one another, then God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us”.  And that is where we should all be trying to get in this world.

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

Filling Your Vessel with Honey or Vinegar

September 8th, 2013

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Wis 9: 13-18b; Phil 9-10, 12-17; Luke 14: 25-33

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

In one of his sermons St. Augustine of Hippo said this:  “Consider that God wants to fill you up with honey, but if you are already full of vinegar where will you put the honey?”  I think that this summarizes the essence of today’s Gospel.

You see, when we begin life, we are empty vessels.  We are filled with neither honey nor vinegar.  Life happens, and the experiences of life fill us with a combination of honey and vinegar.  One of the experiences we have that fills our vessels the most is the influence of our families- mothers, dads, spouse and siblings.  Let’s face it, nobody is perfect; so we inherit both honey and the vinegar from our families.  When we first embrace our Faith, we embrace it with enthusiasm and resolve.  But the facts are that most of us are vessels that are partially filled by that time.  And the problem is this- the vinegar can block our way from the objective to follow Jesus, because we need a full vessel of honey to make the whole journey, it is either all or nothing with God.  And so, we must dump the vinegar.

Now consider the people following after Jesus in this morning’s Gospel.  We are talking about adults who have lived in their culture of the day and who have sour experiences and sweet experiences that have filled their vessels.  And yet at this particular moment in their lives, they are brimming with enthusiasm about Jesus.  They are following Jesus and hanging on every word.  They want to follow after him on the road to the Kingdom of God that he promises them.

But Jesus shakes them all up with reality- the fact that their enthusiasm may not match their ability.  Most scholars agree that the word “hate” here is not to be taken literally.  That’s why I like the honey and vinegar concept.  We cannot be totally dedicated to our families if we are to follow Jesus because some of the influence and commitment which members of our families require of us is the vinegar in our vessels.  Which of us hasn’t heard the comment: “If you love me, you will….”  That baggage may be filled with vinegar.  And yet, if we follow Jesus, we can’t embrace the vinegar that our families demand of us.

I’m not talking about pain, but “vinegar”, or sin because all of us need to bear a certain amount of sacrificial pain on behalf of our families to show real love.  But that is different than an expectation that we will support someone or do something for someone that is clearly wrong and keeps us from following Jesus.

The two parables today are interesting messages that support this argument.  Take the tower for example.  Unless we are committed to following Jesus, we will be like the guy who doesn’t have the resources to complete the tower.  You see we might get most of the way there in building the tower before we realize we can’t complete the task   Because our hearts are still tied to something of this world- a person, place, or thing- that we are just not willing to give up.  Others, looking from the outside, might find this attachment, this impediment, laughable.  But we may be blind to it, and frustrated by an inability to complete our task.

Likewise, the story about the king and the army resources can have a similar meaning.  We might decide we aren’t able to go the whole 9 yards to follow Jesus because we don’t have courage to go all the way.  That means the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.  So what do we do?  We try to bargain our way into a settlement.  But sadly, we cannot bargain that way with God.  What we end up doing is bargaining with the devil instead.  We draw a line in the sand to hold on to something, and think we can still follow Jesus at the same time.  Unfortunately, this Gospel is telling us it is either all or nothing with God.

And so, Jesus is telling the crowd to wake up to the reality of what committing to follow him is all about.  It means we have to make a choice when we are confronted with a real test in life- a choice to give up whatever is necessary to follow Jesus.

Our second reading is a great example of the whole process of such a test.  You see, Onesimus was a runaway “indentured” slave from Philomen’s household.  Nowadays, we can’t relate to slavery; but it was ingrained in Roman society.  Not only that, such property, as Onesimus was considered, was quite valuable.  But the Christian teachings that Paul spread called for people to be converted in heart and set aside evil.  Paul is asking Philomen to forgive the runaway slave, make no further claim to him, and accept him as a brother instead.  Wow! What a choice.

Well, that’s the kind of choice each and every one of us will face at some point in our lives- maybe even more than once.  We will be challenged to put aside the things of this world that hold us back, and make a choice to follow Jesus.  What will you do?

Tags:
Posted in Dr. Phillips Sunday Service | No Comments »

The Culture of Life Versus the Culture of Death

September 7th, 2013

Respect Life Leadership Conference

Keynote Address

Dc. Larry Brockman

The Culture of Life and opposition to the Culture of Death- that’s what our efforts in Respect Life are all about.  And all of us in this room are committed to life.  We feel passionate about life and we have demonstrated that over and over again in the activities in our parishes.

For example, we at Holy Family have been blessed for many, many years with devoted leadership in Respect Life.  Our leadership has been at the forefront in promoting 40 days for life; Orlando Area Billboards that are pro-life; the Spiritual Adoption Program; JMJ Baby Bottle campaigns; Postcards Campaigns to our Congress; Pro Life Auctions; Life Chain participation; White Crosses during the Roe v Wade Anniversary; strong Pro-Life homilies from the pulpit, and many other things.  And our parishioners have been wonderfully responsive as well.  They have been generous in their giving; applauded our homilies enthusiastically; and have participated in our events on a large scale.  For example, we had 3000 sets of postcards submitted in the postcard campaign; and almost as many participants in Spiritual Adoption each year we have done it.  I am sure many of you can say the same great things about your own programs and parishes.  And the point of all that is this: we have been very successful!

Why is it, then, that I have such a nagging feeling inside that something is terribly wrong?  Because I do; I sense that things are getting worse, not better.  I know that, despite the support we have from the parish, some people are leaving the parish because they don’t like our aggressive pro-life stance.  I know that the government is forcing the HHS mandate on us; I know that gender identity, gay marriage, in-vitro-fertilization, embryonic stem cell research, cloning, and assisted suicide are being accepted by American Society and are happening much more often.  And that all gives me that queasy feeling that things are getting worse.  It gives me a gut feeling that the forces of evil are out in front of us and that we are playing catch up; we are not being effective enough.  It reminds me about something my Father-In-Law used to say over and over, that ”The devil travels around the world twice before the truth gets its shoes on”.  So, the question is, what can we do about it?  What can we do to reverse this downward trend?

A couple of months ago, our Parish was fortunate to have a visit from Brother Andres Gutierrez, a transitional Deacon of the Lumen Dei Order.  Brother Andres was on his way to Latin America with the specific mission to set up crisis centers there to counter Planned Parenthood’s international movement.  Brother Andres spoke to our Respect Life Committee about the Vatican and current teachings on Life Issues.  His message to us was truly eye opening.  I am going to summarize that message for you as best I can.

First, Brother Andres said we need to recognize that the forces of evil are focused.  They recognize that life and the family are the main issues that need to be attacked in the fight to take God out of society.  It’s almost as if they have structured a program to attack Pope Paul VI’s encyclical on Humana Vitae point by point.  And so, their attack on life is more fundamental than being Pro-Choice, or for Assisted Suicide and the other things we are fighting against.  Rather, their message is that Man, not God, is in control of life and can define family accordingly.  Let me make sure you all heard that.  The forces of evil are trying to convince society that Man, not God, is in control of life and what family is.  The key to control of life is therefore Bioethics.

Bioethics is defined as the study of the ethical and moral implications of new biological discoveries and biomedical advances, as in the fields of genetic engineering and drug research.  In 2010, Pope Benedict realized this critical link.  At that time he said:  “The recognition of human dignity, in fact, as an inalienable right first finds its basis in that law not written by human hand, but inscribed by God the Creator in the hearts of men”.  He was talking about the “Natural Law” of God.  But by 2010 much had already been written by secular society on Bioethics.  So, Bioethics is something our Church has been playing catch up on with secular society.

The foundation of Bioethics in the Culture of Life is this: that God wills life to each person; it is a gift from God, and that each person is unique and is loved by God.  And so, the dignity of each life that God creates must be respected.  That is what is ethical because it is consistent with the Natural Law of God written in our hearts.  From this flows that life begins at conception; and Catholic Teachings on morality on the bioethics of cloning and in-vitro fertilization.

The foundation of bioethics in the culture of death, on the other hand, is the idea of “self” and the collection of “self” or human society.  Dignity is preservation of self and society’s self-interests.  So, life can and should be controlled and “selected” by humanity to serve those interests.  That is there spin on Bioethics.  From that flow abortion, infanticide, cloning, and euthanasia; because whatever it takes to benefit society as they see it is what is ethical.

Let me use an example to demonstrate just how cohesive and pervasive the culture of death’s position has become.  In our evolving society, the forces of evil are pushing gender identity, gay marriage, and the goodness of in-vitro fertilization and cloning.  How does all that work together?  Gender identity encourages people to “pick” which sex they want to be when they reach the age of reason, and that legitimizes homosexuality.  Similarly, Gay marriage makes it possible for two same sex people to be joined together in “marriage” as a family.  Now when we object that the purpose of marriage is procreation, and that gay couples can’t procreate, their answer is that this is no longer so.  You see a sperm bank, egg donors, in-vitro fertilization, cloning and a host “mother” are all that is needed to create human life.  And not only that, these things can be controlled by Man to produce exactly the desired result- the right sex; the right intelligence; the right looks, etc.  They would say that we don’t need God for life any more

Brother Andres talked about another reason why gay marriage is so important to the forces of evil.  It is because gay marriage breaks down the intended basic unit of life- the conventional family unit.  Our church teaches us that a primary purpose of humanity is marriage and the command to be fruitful and multiply.  A Husband loves his wife and gives totally of himself to her.  A wife loves the Husband, and gives herself back totally to the husband.  The fruits of mutual love between the Husband and Wife in marriage are the children.  In that sense the family unit echoes God, because it echoes the Trinity itself.  The Father gives everything to the Son; the Son gives everything back to the Father; and the fruit of the Father and Son relationship in the Trinity is the Holy Spirit.

Gay marriages simply can’t and don’t reflect this Trinitarian meaning.  There is no fruit in a gay marriage.  The clinical manipulation of eggs, sperm, surrogate wombs, and the like, is not the fruit of the love in a gay union.  It is an abomination of all that God intended.  If the heterosexual family unit is abandoned by society, so is the reflection of God in the Trinity.  And the result of those relationships will be alternate life styles and man’s idea of society.  God and the will of God will be abandoned with it.

That is the aim of the forces of evil- and it is all based on pride, the ego, and individualistic thinking.  Where did all of that come from?   It can be traced to the ideas promulgated in the age of Reason as ushered in by the Enlightenment.  At its extreme, the Enlightenment teaches that Reason, Science, and critical thinking are tools that provide mankind with all we need to know.  God is not needed.   Let’s face it, our human society is being conditioned by the forces of evil to define that Man, not the Natural Law of God, decides when life starts, what it is, and whether or not it is worth living.

Brother Andres then talked about why the Pope chose the year of Faith.  It seems that Pope Benedict shared with the latest synod of Bishops the idea that Reasoning needs to be purified by Faith because Faith is God’s Revelation of the ultimate truths.  These ultimate truths cannot be arrived at by man’s rules of Reasoning.  God, the Trinity, the Incarnation, the heavenly Kingdom, the Natural Law, and many other things have been revealed to us and cannot be reasoned first.  Faith purifies, centers, provides a foundation for reasoning.  And so, we must be a people of Faith first, and then use science and reasoning to understand the world that God has gifted us with based on the foundation of the truths of faith; a foundation built on solid rock, not sand.

And so, brothers and sisters, if we are going to be more effective against the emerging culture of death, we have got to expand our horizons by changing society to embrace Faith first.  How can we do that, by encouraging all of our Catholics to become people of Faith?  That means getting all of our people to pray, to reflect, and to learn about their Faith.  Our parish is concentrating on bible studies, Catechism classes, Why Catholic, Perpetual Adoration, and adult education programs.  That is a start, but the education in the ways of secular society is so pervasive in everything we do- the news, at work, our TV shows and movies,  that most Catholics don’t understand that they are losing their foundation of Faith.  And I believe that all of us are just as guilty as our brothers and sisters in the pew of not knowing and internalizing our Faith.  Why is that important; because everyone else looks to us as leaders, and will be drawn by our example?

Secondly, we need to define Bioethics so that it is consistent with the Natural Law of God.  Yes, Pro-Life needs to deal with Bioethics and all its tentacles, because that is why we have been losing the battle.  We have been focused on some of the symptoms; not on the root causes.  If we really knew our Faith that would become crystal clear.  At any rate, Pro-Life initiatives need to include a clear and focused position on the definition of humanity and life, one that defines life as a gift from God- it is not under humanity’s control.  Male and female he made them- he didn’t give us the option to choose what we want to be later in life.  The gift of new life comes from the uniting of a man and a woman only- because that is the only way the fruit of the love in marriage is given by God- the children.  And children need to grow up in a family unit consisting of a mom, a dad, and the children- because that family unit is a reflection of the image and likeness of God- the Trinity.

That means no gender identity, no gay marriage, no pre-selection through cloning, no in-vitro fertilization, no contraception, no infanticide, and no euthanasia can be embraced  in a Christian, or even in a Judeo-Christian-Islamic definition of Bioethics.

So, what does all of this mean we should do in the future as Pro-Life leaders?  Well, first of all, we need to realize the Pro-Life fight is bigger than we thought.  It should be centered on Bioethics as a whole.   Certainly we have been blind-sided by the effects of gay marriage, gender identity, and other seemingly unrelated social issues on the culture of life.  So, it will take some reflection and doing by all of us to correct for that.

Second, it means we have to recognize that evil is way ahead of us on the larger issue.  I think that should motivate us to work closer together, as a cohesive group.  One of the things we are trying to do with this conference is to focus on ways that we can all select a subset of the things we are doing as parishes and work cooperatively on them as groups of parishes to be more effective.  It could be 40 Days for Life; it could be a meaningfully large life chain;  or it could be a push against gender identity while this issue is still in the formative stage.  It could be a lot of things, and you will all have the opportunity to discuss them and decide on something here today.  But let me be clear:  We can have a larger effect if we focus on a couple or three things together than if we each go our own way.  And we need a larger effect; one that will get attention from the media and politicians.

Lastly, we need to be united in prayer and Faith.  Together, and with resolve, God will not abandon us.  But true Faith is believing in all the Church teaches, not cherry-picking what we like and don’t like.  True Faith is humble acceptance of the things we cannot understand that God has revealed to us.

Our agenda is quite full today.  And today’s meeting is just one of a series of such meetings.  But from this meeting, this beginning, let us resolve that we can and will make a difference.

Brothers and Sisters: let us pray that God will bless us and our efforts.  That He will recognize our sincerity, our Faith, our zeal, and our commitment to defend Him as the author of all life and to stand firm against everyone that assumes through pride and selfishness that man alone has the answer.  We ask these things through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Amen.

Tags:
Posted in Respect Life Leadership Conference | No Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »