Is the USA Built on a Foundation of Rock or Sand?

June 27th, 2013

Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

Gen 16: 1-12, 15- 16; Mt 7: 21-29

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

My what a mess we make of things when we try to bypass the will of God and take things into our own hands by acting on conventional wisdom.  Today’s first reading is a perfect example.

Sarai makes a big mess of things.  God had promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky.  But rather than trust in God to give her a son, Sarai takes matters into her own hands and arranges for Abraham to have a son through Hagar her servant girl.  This leads to jealousy, pride, envy, abuse, and much more, especially when one considers the historical implications of it all, namely the almost constant conflict between Ishmael’s descendants and the descendants of Isaac.  What a mess.

By contrast, we have Jesus’ words in the Gospel. “Not everyone who says to me “Lord, Lord” will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my father in heaven.”  And when Jesus says we are to do the will of his Father, that means we have to listen to his words and act on them.  Yes, we have to act on them, rather than just say “Lord, Lord”.  Then he talks about houses built on rock and sand.  How can we put all that into practice?  Doing the will of the Father means understanding and doing God’s will for us.  And that means understanding God’s will in general.

Our home is the United States of America.  Is it built on sand or rock? Well, let’s see.  As of yesterday, marriage is defined as the union of any two people who want to get “married”, thanks to the Supreme Court.  And only 60 % of our children live in homes with a mom and a dad.  But marriage and family are the basic institutions of society.

There are 4,000 abortions a day in the United States of America.  Contraception and in-vitro fertilization are accepted as good things.  And we are on the verge of or have legalized euthanasia in several states.  Yet, the right to life is our most important right.

We can’t say school prayer in our public schools.  Our government and public meetings begin, at best, with a moment of silence.  And as of August 1 of this year, our Catholic Institutions may all have to close or else willfully violate God’s law.  So,
our religious liberty is in jeopardy.

If you ask Catholics what the Church teaches on many topics, they either don’t know; don’t care; or don’t agree with it.  In other words, we don’t understand the will of God for us.

My dear brothers and sisters, let’s face it, our house, the USA, is built on sand.

And so, it is time for us to do what Jesus says we need to do- establish our house on rock.  25 % of the US population identify themselves as Catholic.  If we all believed and acted on it, not just said “Lord, Lord” then this country could only be built on rock.  Unfortunately, we are not all united; and we are not all engaged.

Hopefully, all of you are responding to the Bishop’s call for a Fortnight of Prayer between June 25 and July 4th.  But we need to do more than that.  We all need to become involved in restoring God’s will.  Because we, just like Sarai, have made a mess of things.

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On Being a Role Model as a Father

June 16th, 2013

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

2 Sam 12: 7-10, 13; Gal 2: 16, 19-21; Luke 7: 36 – 8:3

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

It’s amazing how easy it is to see what’s wrong with other people, and yet, to be blind to our own sins and imperfections.  We have two excellent examples of that today and the unfortunate consequences of each.

First, there is the story about King David.  David had arranged for the death of Uriah the Hittite so he could take Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife, as his own.  Nathan describes in detail what David did in a parable about a rich man and a poor man.  David becomes enraged that the rich man took advantage of the poor man, and vows to take action against him.  So in the first line of our reading Nathan courageously identifies to David that he, David, is the culprit who did it!  David could not see the evil in his own actions when he was doing them.  Rather, he was preoccupied with satisfying his own desires.  But he could see the evil with ease in the parable when it was about somebody else.

And then there is the Gospel.  Most of us assume the woman was a prostitute.  But the bible experts disagree because the woman wouldn’t have gotten into the Pharisee’s house as a prostitute.  More than likely, she was a social climber, who was not practicing the Jewish law, and everybody knew it.  But, it doesn’t matter, because the essence of her involvement was the fact that the Pharisee was blind to his own sin.  The Pharisee was self-righteous with regard to what the woman did; so much so that he couldn’t see his lack of hospitality and his sense of superiority- in other words, his rudeness.

These stories tell us that even those who are usually considered good and the most looked up to by society need to constantly be on their guard against blindness to their sins.  David, who was chosen by God to be the secular king and was favored and blessed by God and devoted to God, sinned in this way.  And the Pharisee, who was at the top of the religious segment of society, like a priest or Bishop in our time, was guilty of the same sin.  Both David and the Pharisee were public figures who were looked up to and emulated as examples for the people.

In both cases, their sins were rooted in pride and a lack of humility.  They either didn’t want to or didn’t care to understand their own limitations; they didn’t see the value in always loving the other person- but rather, they were concerned with their own agendas.  And they didn’t see how their actions affected others or how others would view their actions; others, who looked up to them and emulated their every action.

This morning, we are celebrating Father’s Day.  It’s that day when we honor Fathers and their roles in our lives.  I can’t help but reflect on the awesome responsibility that Fatherhood carries with it especially in light of the two stories we just heard.

Children are such a vulnerable segment of society.  They pick up on everything whether we realize it or not.  Like Uriah the Hittite or the repentant woman in the Gospel, children can easily become unintended victims.  Children need to be treated with love and respect by all who have charge over them.

How can fathers who are being blind to their own sinfulness make sure that they don’t lead children astray by?  How do they avoid their children from emulating the weaknesses that they have that are emphasized by their blindness?

In the second reading, we hear how Paul lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved him and gave himself up for him.  Jesus loves all of us and gave himself up for all of us too.  When fathers recognize the need to live as St. Paul did, putting others first, particularly their families; by dying to self and taking advantage of the graces God gave them to always be sensitive to God’s will for them; then they become who they were really meant to be.  They will have a good and realistic awareness of their real self and their role in the world.  And that is true humility, a realistic awareness of one’s real self with all the limitations as well as the gifts.  That honesty of self reflects itself in how they behave.  When your child emulates that kind of behavior  you are on the right track because honesty shows in behavior of the truly humble person.

Think about your own family; your own Dad.  Think of an incident that happened when you really admired your dad.  Chances are, it was a moment when he was being his real self.  It was a tender moment of real and intense presence in your life; a moment in which his love, sincerity and honesty shone through; a time when he forgave you or asked for your forgiveness; a time when he just accepted you the way you were.

And so, for all the dads out there this morning, our children and families are our most precious gift from God.  Be your real self with your family.  Remember one of our responses in this morning’s psalm:  “Blessed the man in whom the Lord imputes no guilt, in whose spirit there is no guile”.

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It’s What’s In Our Hearts That Matters

June 13th, 2013

Thursday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time
St. Anthony of Padua

2 Cor 3: 158 – 4: 1, 3-6; Mt 5: 20-26
Dc. Larry Brockman

It’s what’s in our hearts that really matters, because that is where God looks; and that is what he sees; and that is the truth- the reality of who and what we are.

Jesus message today in the Gospel is that we simply have to face the reality that we cannot hide from what is in our hearts.

I worked for almost 40 years in the aerospace industry as an engineer before retiring.  The technical work was interesting and challenging most of the time   And I loved that part of the job.  But the most challenging part of the job was not the technical part of the job at all.  Rather, it was working with the people.  Most of that time I had over 100 people working for me, and it was impossible to tell what some of them were really thinking.  Despite every attempt to be honest and straightforward in my dealings with people, there were some who were difficult.  Don’t get me wrong, most of the people were honest and straightforward as well.  But I discovered from sad experience that just below the surface lurked deception, laziness, ruthless ambition, and other forms of evil in a small but important subset of the population.  Almost always their motives and behaviors were veiled with a smile and a pat on the back.  And then one day, all of a sudden the full impact of their evil came out in the open.  And it was very difficult, indeed, to deal with.  It was almost refreshing to work with people who were overtly hostile who disagreed with you because then at least you both knew where you stood with each other.

I think it’s pretty much the same way for all of us who are living and working in the world whether we are doctors or salesman or engineers or teachers or whatever.  There is no lack of cunning and guile in the world from self- serving people.  It happens because people hide their true selves from each other.  It happens as a result of a focus on selfishness; and it is all fueled by a blindness to God’s plan for us and his message of love.

The early Corinthian community that Paul is writing to in our first reading was almost entirely the result of Paul’s efforts to spread the Gospel.  After he left Corinth, Paul was faced with a small but distinct group of detractors in the Corinthian Community who emerged from the woodwork and were attempting to undermine Paul’s message.  So Paul wrote 2 Corinthians with the express purpose of trying to counter the kind of backbiting and sinister behavior from this group of detractors that I was just talking about.

Paul first talks about how the Lord spoke through Moses, but the message was veiled over the hearts of the Children of Israel.  Jesus brought the New Testament to lift that veil.  What Paul says is that he is not preaching himself, but rather, the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Paul says that this Gospel is likewise veiled to unbelievers by the god of this age, the devil, so that they don’t see the light of the Gospel of the Glory of Christ.

Now it was God who said “Let light shine out of the darkness”.  Yes, light means truth and honesty and sincerity need to shine out of the darkness.  We need to always act in a way that reveals the sincerity of our hearts.  And the motivation in our hearts should be to seek the Kingdom of God by doing the will of the Father not seeking after our own secular goals.  Jesus is challenging us to get to know what is in our hearts because that is what God sees, and that is how we will be judged.

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Spontaneous Compassion

June 9th, 2013

Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

1 Kgs 17: 17-24; Gal 1: 11-19; Luke 7: 11-17

Dc. Larry Brockman

My wife watched a movie about a widow the other day.  It was set in modern day India.  It seems a Hindu girl was married at just 8 years old to a much older man.  But her husband suddenly died, and she was forced to live in a home for widows for the rest of her life- for the rest of her life!  She was in a hopeless situation, caught up in the cultural limitations of Indian society.  There was no way out for her!  It is something we cannot even conceive of, how a person can be imprisoned for life at just 8 years old through no fault of their own.  Imagine the hopelessness of such a person.

The movie was very timely because two of our readings today are about widows.  And just like the very harsh treatment of this modern day 8 year old widow, many widows in biblical times were faced with a similar hopeless situation.  You see, women in biblical times needed to be represented by a man in all matters.  It could be her Father, her brother if the Father was deceased; her husband if she had one; or her son if her husband was deceased.  But without this male representative, a woman was helpless, as helpless as this modern day Indian girl was.  She couldn’t inherit property; she couldn’t conduct business; she couldn’t hold a job.  And back then, there was no Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security- nothing at all to fall back on.  So, a widowed woman who lost a son was in very dire straits, indeed.  It is understandable then, how biblical widows without a son could be pitied.

Indeed, both Jesus and Elijah were moved by deep compassion for the widows in our two bible stories.  It was this personal emotion that drove both men to action, compassion for the plight of widows who lost their only sons.

By contrast, in most of the Gospel stories about healings or people who had died someone always approached Jesus and asked for help, and when he acted, Jesus always said that it was their faith that saved them.  But in the Gospel today, Jesus was moved by compassion; nobody asked him for help, and there was no faith involved.

Likewise, in the story from the Old Testament, the widow doesn’t ask for help either.  Rather, she complains that Elijah’s presence may have somehow caused her problem; guilt by association, so to speak.  Elijah responds out of compassion as his prayer to the Lord implies.

Now in both of these cases, the people who are helped are strangers and not from the mainstream.  Elijah has travelled into a foreign country- so this woman who gave him hospitality was not part of Elijah’s people.  Likewise, the widow Jesus encountered in the funeral procession was not part of his group of followers; he was passing by a small town in Galilee, not at all the center of Jewish society.

Also, both of our bible stories today have an element of spontaneity to them.  Jesus and Elijah are going about their business and the events unfold before them in a flash.  These events are up front and personal to them, and it is their immediate reaction that is recorded.    And so these two miracles carry a different message than the ones where God responds to faith.  Rather, the message of these two miracles is that we need to show compassion for the suffering because God’s mercy and goodness are meant for all people not just the people who follow him and are faithful.  The miracles are worked by God because Jesus and Elijah are both moved to compassion for people who are marginalized by society- such as widows; and people who are not close to them.

Elijah and Jesus are acting as role models for us.  We are called to the same kind of spontaneous compassion for the marginalized and strangers of our society.  Not only that, but extraordinary action might even be called for.  In both of these stories, someone was raised from the dead, and that’s about as extraordinary as it gets.

What about our spontaneous compassion?  Can we, and do we show immediate compassion like Jesus and Elijah did, personal compassion for strangers and the marginalized right in our midst, like someone that just had an accident; the victim of a home fire; the homeless person in the street; the tourist we encounter that is in some kind of trouble; or even the stranger we meet in some unexpected manner that for whatever reason shares a tragedy with us?    Yes, each of us is faced with unexpected encounters like this with total strangers.  They happen so fast that we often times don’t think about them   But they are God incidents; they are opportunities rather than burdens, just as they were opportunities for Jesus and Elijah.

The next time you have such an experience, remember how Jesus and Elijah responded.  Remember their compassion.  Remember Elijah’s sincere prayer.  Be open to help out; and let God work through you to do the rest.

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Sitting and Chatting With Jesus

June 2nd, 2013

Corpus Christi

Gen 14: 18-20; 1 Cor 11: 23-26; Luke 9: 11b-17

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

When you come right down to it all of us are pretty needy, aren’t we?  All of us are hurting in some way and looking for something to take that hurt away.  If it isn’t the pressures of life- like our job, our marriages, our health, and our finances; then it’s concern over others- our parents, our kids, our friends.  And the fact that all of us are meeting here at the hospital this morning is a testimony to the reality of those needs.  We are hungry for a healing miracle in mind, body, or spirit; whether it comes to us as burst of inspiration or a special break or physical healing.  We are all looking for relief from whatever it is that is troubling us.

Today’s Gospel reminds us that we are not so different from the people that lived 2000 years ago in that respect.  Thousands of folks were following after Jesus.  All of them were looking for something.  Clearly, many of them were looking for a physical healing as the story tells.  And, since they followed Jesus all day, they were hungry as well.  A literal reading of the Gospel tells us that Jesus cured “those who needed to be cured” and fed five thousand men and their families.  But there is more to it than that- something for us to take away as well as we contemplate our special needs and the role that God plays in our lives.

First of all, notice that Jesus is God.  So, it is God who was meeting the needs of those thousands of people in the Gospel.  Second, God, in the person of Jesus, was ever so close to all those people.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Almighty God would come down here today and sit right beside each one of us in this chapel, give us his full, undivided, and loving attention; and while having a meal with us, discuss our needs with us, vand heal us of our pain?  Well, that’s precisely what Jesus had in mind, and you will have that experience in just a few minutes.

Let me explain.  In the letter to the Corinthians, we hear about how the Eucharist was instituted at the last Supper.  This was the earliest scripture account of this event, and arguably the most accurate.  In it we hear how Jesus gave us His body and blood in the Eucharist as a gift.  He told us to remember that whenever we offered the bread and wine through the priest, and consecrated it, then it became His body and blood; and that we should do that in memory of Him.  That is such a special gift, one which we are called to ponder this morning on this feast of Corpus Christi, because it guarantees that we all have the same closeness, the same intimacy, with Jesus as those thousands who shared a meal with Jesus two thousand years ago.

Yes, when we receive the Eucharist, as we all will in just a few minutes, then God will be very close to us, ready and willing to help us just as he was ready and willing to help the thousands in the Gospel story.  It will be as if Jesus were sitting here beside you sharing a meal with you, and listening to your concerns with a mind towards giving you the help that you need and relieving your pain.

There is, however a catch.  We all have to put something into that meeting with Jesus during the Eucharist.  Notice that thousands of folks followed Jesus in his day; but there were many more that did not.  The people that were there believed in him, and were willing to follow after him all day long into a deserted place presumably without food and water.  Their persistence and forbearance are symbolic of faith.  So first off all, we have to believe in Jesus and have faith that he can help us.

But additionally, we have to believe in the reality of the Eucharist- that it really is Jesus that we will eat.  Now I can talk to you about the real presence scientifically- pointing to the hundred odd Eucharistic Miracles that have been validated over the centuries, and about the scientific testing that has been done that shows that the bread and wine really did become flesh and blood in these incidents.

But what is important is that we believe it with our hearts more than our minds.  What it boils down to is this:  You can’t expect God to help you when you receive the Eucharist if you don’t believe that He is actually there.

Also, the whole Eucharistic process involves a sacrifice- the offering of the bread and wine by the priest at Mass.  Symbolically, we are called upon to participate in that sacrifice.  I think that is the point of our first reading.  Notice that after the offering of the bread and wine by Melchizedek; and after the blessing, Abram tithes a tenth of everything he owns.  That was a substantial sacrifice for Abram.  Recall that this story occurs well before Moses and the Mosaic law.  So Abram is not following the law; he is offering this sacrifice of his own free will.    Likewise, we are called upon to participate in a sacrifice.  Perhaps we need to give up something in our lives that is hurting us or those around us. Perhaps we need to give more of our time, talent or treasure to God and his plan for us; or perhaps we need to just give our worries over something to God- turning it over to God.  But, we have an obligation to participate.

Lastly, we are called upon to trust.  We need to trust that whatever it is that God gives us as a result of our sincere Communion with Him in the Eucharist, that it is for our own good.

Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.  It is the Eucharist, and it is a tremendous gift.  If we receive the Eucharist with faith, believe that Jesus is really there, and do our part, then God, who is so close to us in the Eucharist, will answer our prayer to take care of our deepest needs.  You can trust in that.

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How Can We Really See?

May 30th, 2013

Thursday of the 8th Week in Ordinary Time

Sirach 42: 15-25; Mark 10: 46-52

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Ah, if only we could see.

Sirach first says that he will “recall God’s works- what I have seen.”  And then proceeds to describe how God’s word, once spoken, just happens, and fulfills that word.  Then he gives a summary of the wonders of creation that followed, and the depths of the understanding and wisdom of God.  He also says that the Most High “sees from of old the things that are to come”.  Just imagine that, the ability to see the future.  And so, God sees and understands all things and has offered to share that understanding and wisdom with all of us through the Spirit- the Spirit which was his recent gift to all of us at Pentecost.  It is that Spirit which motivates us to understand and do God’s will.  In other words, it is the Spirit that enables us to see, to really see.

In the Gospel, Bartimaeus cries out in hope to Jesus.  And when Jesus calls him forward, he throws off his cloak- his one prized possession.  You see, that cloak was his protection against the wind and rain and the elements; his sleeping bag and a symbol of security.  But he throws off that cloak, and walks away from it.  It is almost as if he is turning his back on the past.  And he goes towards Jesus, not only blind, but in blind trust.  Such faith.  And Jesus gives him sight in reward for that faith.

The question is, what did he see when he was gifted with sight.  Did he just see the world as most of us gifted with sight from birth do?  Or did he see things in the light of the Spirit as Sirach describes?  We do know that Bartimaeus “followed him on the way”, so it would appear that Bartimaeus saw something more than just the beauty of creation.

How about you and I?  Are we blinded by the real message of God and the Gospel by the clutter of life and all the things of the world?  Or do we see through the lens of the Spirit we received at Pentecost- a Spirit of wisdom and understanding of the will of God for us.

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Being Made in the Image and Likeness of God

May 26th, 2013

Trinity Sunday

Prov 8: 22-31; Rom 5: 1-5; Jn 16: 12-15

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

It is one of the main things we believe as Christians.  It is the topic of today’s readings.  It is the Holy Trinity.  And it is something we struggle with our whole life to grasp; but the reality is that it is beyond us, it truly is a mystery.  We are simply called to believe in the Trinity.  But that doesn’t mean that we can’t appreciate the meaning that the Trinity has for us.  And that is what I would like to talk about for a few minutes today.

First, all three persons of the Trinity were there at the beginning and will live forever- the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  That‘s three persons, but one God, the Trinity.

God the Father is who we think of when we first think of God.  He is the Lord of the Old Testament.  He is the all-powerful author and creator of all things, visible and invisible.  Our psalm talks about the Father, about how awesome and large all that He created is.  And the psalm poses the question, “What are humans that you are mindful of them?”  Another way of saying that is that this person of the trinity seems so large, distant, remote, and powerful, that He is Transcendent, meaning unapproachable and beyond understanding; so much so that we humans can only fear how we could ever approach Him.

But wait a minute, because God the Father sent His Son, the second person of the Trinity, to us.  The Son is the Word of God, or the enabler.  As the Word of God is spoken, it happens.  And so the Word of God became flesh and lived among us.  And that did something for us that appears to be a paradox with the concept of a transcendent God, a remote God because that made God very close to us.  Yes, Jesus Christ had a body and lived amongst us.  He showed us the way, which is recorded in the Gospel.  Indeed, God become man, lived as we do.  We call that the immanence of God, because Jesus was as close to us as any other human could be.  And He is still immanent to us in the gift of the Eucharist, Holy Communion, which we will all share together in just a few minutes.

Lastly, the first reading talks about the Holy Spirit, the third person.  He is the breath of life, the inherent wisdom behind all things.  We are made in the image and likeness of God.  And so, we have the Spirit within us- it is the life force we all feel and experience, like when we breathe and have thoughts and understand things, even things beyond what we can touch and feel in this world.

Now, there a few things about the Trinity about which we should reflect.  Note that these are three social persons- they inter-relate with each other.  They are not isolated.  The Father begets the son, who acts as his agent and does His will.  The Son loves and communicates with the Father.  The Son gives up his life for all of humanity to atone for our sins and imperfections so that we may share in the Son’s inheritance- eternal life with the Father.  The Son promises that the Father will send the Spirit to dwell within us.  The Spirit lives within us, and acts as our counselor and advocate and inspiration.

What does this mean for us?  Well, since we are made in the image and likeness of God, it means we too are begotten by the Father; we possess the Spirit or life force; and we are called upon to do the will of the Father.  And that will is that we love each other as the Father loved the Son and the Son loved us.  And we are called upon to be social creatures as well.  We are not gods unto ourselves, because that would not reflect the image and likeness of God.  God the Father is not selfish.  He is other directed, sharing somehow with equal status with the Son and the Spirit; and willing to share Himself with us.

And so we learn from the Trinity that if we are to live up to our creation in the image and likeness of God, then we will love each other as God loves us;  We will do the Father’s will by the inspiration of the Spirit;  And we will welcome and relate to each other as a community.  Can it possibly be that simple?

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Taking Time to Restore the True Flavor of Life

May 23rd, 2013

Thursday of the 7th Week in Ordinary Time

Sirach 5: 1-8; Mark 9: 41-50

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Today Jesus says that “Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor?”  What does all that mean?

You know, if we are honest about it, we will each see part of ourselves in the first reading, especially those who are in the prime of life.  We start out with good intentions- especially when we learn about our faith as children.  But when we become adults, wealth, power, strength, and enthusiasm for the things that the world has to offer us, these things lead us astray of communion with God because they guarantee us our pleasures and self-interests.  These are the things that take up most of our time and energy as we navigate through the mainstream of life.  We tell ourselves we will think about our ultimate calling, our ultimate destiny with God, later.  All too often, it becomes much later.  We end up looking back and find that decades have passed in our lives and God is still not in the center of our attention.  Like salt, we started out good with the right flavor, but somehow, as we navigated through life, we lost our flavor.

The problem is that, as Sirach warns, God bides his time, and so, few of us knows when our time will come.  The recent events in the news tell us that Sirach is right on.  We can be called to account for our actions at any time- like the people who were at the Boston Marathon finish line or in the Oklahoma Tornedo paths.  In just 5 minutes, everything changed in their lives; and for some of them, right in the middle of life, life was suddenly over.  There was no time or way to restore the flavor of good salt, so to speak.

So this calls to question, what are we doing with our lives?  Are we going through the motions, living life in the world as if life in this world will never end?  Because if we are doing that, we can become like salt that has become insipid.  Or are we focused on knowing God and following His commandments?

Now, Jesus gives us some compelling advice in the Gospel   First, he tells us to show concern for and care for others; and that even giving a drink of water to the thirsty will not go unseen by God.  But then he says woe to those who lead others astray by their actions especially the children and the innocent.

You know, sometimes we just don’t see how much influence we have on others.  And yet, we do have a great deal of influence.  Parents and Grandparents influence their children all the time, and may not even be aware of some of the influence they have.  Public figures have influence as well- teachers, bosses, lawyers, doctors, news media, celebrities, actors; you name it.  So, we all need to be careful of what we say and do which could lead others astray

Yet ultimately, we are responsible for our own actions.  And Jesus mentions some things in the Gospel to help us avoid sin.  We are advised to avoid the occasions to sin.  If it’s something we see, touch, or seek after that is an occasion to sin- then don’t allow yourself to be tempted.  Avoid it- that’s what the advice cutting off your foot or plucking out your eye means.

Finally, Jesus tells us to “keep salt in yourselves, and you will have peace with one another”.  Yes, indeed.  If we retain the flavor of the spirit within us; living always within God’s plan for us, we will have peace with one another in the Kingdom of God.

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On Christian Unity

May 16th, 2013

Thursday of the 7th Week of Easter

Acts: 22:30, 23: 6-11; John 17: 20-26

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Christian Unity, Jesus is praying that we will be one in spreading His word to all –people.  It is all over Jesus comments in this morning’s Gospel.  He says: “I have given them the glory that you gave me so that they may be one as we are one.”  And indeed, we are all part of the body of Christ, those of us gathered here this morning.

But there are so many so close to us that are not part of the Body of Christ-  those who have never heard of Christ; those who don’t believe in anything; those who believe, but are weak; and those who have fallen away.  They all need our help.  They are our brothers and sisters, our extended family, our co-workers, our community at large.  How do we evangelize them in this year of evangelization?

Well consider this:  What do they perceive when they think of Holy Family, because, perception is reality is to them.  Are we a loving, welcoming, community?

I have to tell you that the men’s club fish fries this year really impressed me.  My wife and I attended most of them and what struck me was how ecumenical they were.  Our parish succeeded in attracting lots of folks from the other churches in the area.  It seemed like we were seated next to Presbyterians one week; Lutherans the next, and so on.  I thought it was wonderful that so many diverse groups were attracted and felt welcome.  It gave us all the opportunity to mingle, and to show our brothers and sisters in other churches just how wonderful the people of Holy Family are; and welcoming, too.  And I think the Fall Festival provides a similar opportunity.  So yes, there are times when we are a very open and welcoming community.  We need to more of these kinds of events.  And we need to be united and truthful about our faith when we relate to our visitors

Secondly, our first reading addresses another element of what it means to evangelize.  Notice that Paul is brought before a hostile group and cleverly uses the absolute truth to escape.  He is direct, uncompromising, and very truthful when he says that he belongs to a group that believes in the Resurrection.  Paul doesn’t make excuses; he doesn’t deny his affiliation; he doesn’t try silence.  Rather, he speaks up boldly what he believes- and speaks the truth.

But you know, we have to be as clever as Paul was about the way we do it.  Perhaps an example would help.  Many people deny the real presence in the Eucharist or the reality of the Resurrection.  Well, in the last month alone our Parish has hosted the Eucharistic Miracles exhibit and a very fine detailed presentation on the Shroud of Turin.  The evidence in favor of the Real Presence is very strong in the Eucharistic Miracles exhibit; and likewise, the latest developments on the scientific analysis of the Shroud are extremely powerful arguments that literally imply that the shroud is a pictorial proof of the entire Gospel- the death and resurrection of Christ.  We can invite others to events like these.  Challenge them with the truth; and at the same time project our belief in the truth.

Christian Unity is a major problem today.  Jesus Christ is still calling his faithful to spread the Gospel and the truth.

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Witnessing for Christ in Our Families

May 12th, 2013

Ascension

Acts 1: 1-11; Heb 9: 24-28, 10: 19-23; Luke 24: 46-53

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Guess what?  You are called today to be witnesses of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.  Yes, you, not just the Apostles and the Church that followed after them, but you and I, too.  That was Jesus parting shot to his followers as he ascended to heaven some 2000 years ago today.  And in this day and age, I can think of no better way for us to give witness to Christianity than through our families.

First, let me make an observation.  Do you people out there realize how lucky most of you are?  Most of you live or lived in a family with a Mom and a Dad.  Did you know that 4 out of every 10 children born today are born to unwed mothers.  But in our community and parish, most of you are lucky enough to have both a Mom and a Dad.  And that makes a tremendous difference in how well children will do in today’s world.  For example, there are statistics that show that 4 of every 5 children that are either drop outs from school, run-aways from home, sent to jail, became pregnant as a teen, or commit suicide, came from single parent homes- 4 of every 5 in these categories.

Today, we are celebrating Mother’s Day.  So thank God for these wonderful women who gave you life, nurtured and cared for you, and are providing you a strong Christian Home.  Be especially thankful if you are living in a single parent home for the parent that you have who is protecting you from these awful trends.

And parents, especially the Mom’s today, you need to understand the tremendous influence you have over your children.  It is a very sobering thought isn’t it, that the absence of one of you in your children’s lives can make such a difference as the statistics I quoted above indicated.

But you see, it’s because you Mom’s and Dad’s truly are witnesses.  You are witnesses to a way of life.  And as witnesses, your children will copy that way of life.  From that early age where Moms especially are everything to their children, parents become sacred to their children.  They provide love, security, safety, food, and shelter.  And then, later on, they provide example, values and morals, and inspiration.  All of that is an awesome responsibility.

Now this morning, as we hear of Jesus Ascension, the scriptures raise a very important issue about being a Christian Witness because the scriptures point to the meaning of life.  You see, Jesus was resurrected in the body and ascended to heaven.  And, as Paul says to the Hebrews in the second reading, “Jesus removed the veil that separates us from the Father at death, that is, the flesh”.  And He stood before the Father on our behalf so that we could follow after Him when we die.  Indeed, as Paul says, Christ “…will bring salvation to all who eagerly await him”.  So, you and I are called to be witnesses, especially to our children, of all of that- the real meaning of life.  And that is that when we die we have membership forever in the Kingdom of God if we repent of our sins and follow the Gospel.

But you know, it is very hard for us to understand that when we are young.  When we are young and life is ahead of us, we are preoccupied with living out our talents, with doing something meaningful in the world; with finding a loving partner and soul mate; and with raising children of our own.  But ultimately, every one of us will die to this world and so, we simply must understand that living life to the fullest requires the right perspective- one in which we live out our Christian faith.  Children depend on their parents for that perspective.

Yes, the good people in the Prep Program and the school have your children several hours a week.  They try to focus the children on God and the meaning of life.  But you Moms and Dads have your children 24-7.  What you do and say about your faith speaks louder than anything the Prep and the School people can say.  The question for you parents today is what kind of witnesses are you to your children?

I think that communications is the key to being a Christian witness.  And in today’s world, communications is tough with all the distractions- like TV, cell phones, Facebook, iPOD music, sports and the commitments that all of the children have.  So every family needs some prime time dedicated to communications.  You need to know what’s going on inside your children’s heads; and they need to know that your life is driven by your Christian values.  And then, you need to talk about it with each other- share it with each other.

Let me suggest three things that can really help.  First, try eating together as a family, preferably every evening but at least several times a week.  And that means eating and sharing with each other- no TV, no ear-buds, no exceptions.  Find out how your days went from each other and talk about things- be a witness to each other.  Second, pray together as a family.

And it’s more than just grace at meals- but other forms of prayer- like saying the rosary as a family or the Divine Mercy chaplet.  And lastly, worship as a family each week just like you are doing today.  Let the world know that you all believe- together.

All of us want the best for our children and our families.  As Jesus parted this world, he promised us the Spirit.  And in a few days, we will celebrate the coming of the Spirit.  The Spirit gives us the strength, vitality, energy, and fortitude to make a difference in our lives.  Whether you are a Mom, Dad, Uncle, Aunt, or Grandparent, make the time available, no matter what, and use that strength to be a witness for Christ to your family!

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