Understanding Eternity

May 9th, 2013

Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter

Acts 18: 1-8; John 16: 16-21

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

So, just what is “A little while” to Jesus?  His disciples thought that Jesus would return in their lifetime.  Even Peter and Paul thought that was the case, as their early letters indicated.  It is 2000 years later, and the “little while” has not yet come to be.  We are all still waiting for the second coming of Jesus.  But one thing is for sure.  The little while that Jesus refers to is a lot shorter than eternity.

Ah, yes- eternity- just how long is that.  60 seconds of a baby screaming seems like an eternity, doesn’t it?   And sometimes it seems like it takes an eternity for water to boil; on the other hand, when you are young, it seems like an eternity before you are old enough to drive.  For the person who lives 100 years- well 100 years seems like an eternity as you live it.  And finally, according to Wikipedia, the age of the universe is 13.798 ± 0.037 billion years, to be precise.  That is a long, long, time- longer than we can ever imagine.  And so, whenever someone talks to us about life beyond life in this world, we become so fixated on the reality of our known world, and how long it has existed that we find it hard to focus on what is beyond this world.

That’s what happened in the first reading.  The Jews waited several thousand years for the Messiah.  He came; and they didn’t recognize him.  They were focused on this world, and how to live in it not on eternity, and life in eternity.

But as long in time as some of these worldly things seem or are, they are like the bat of an eye compared to eternity.  And that is Jesus point.  You see, you and I are going to have to live through the baby’s cry, the water boiling, being able to drive, and for some, even a 100 year life span.  And when we do, they all will seem insignificant in time once we are beyond them, as they truly are insignificant in time.  But in reality, we are going to live beyond the life of the universe, because we are all going to live an eternity- which is forever.  It is our choice how we choose to live out the eternity, which will, of course, dwarf all these time comparisons.  No matter how long it seems to take to live out our lives living them with faith that Jesus promise of salvation and everlasting life are real, and no matter how hard it seems to follow the Gospel, along with the weeping that Jesus predicts, it all lasts for just a little while compared to eternity.

As things happen to us, they may seem like they take an eternity- like the baby crying.  But they don’t.  We will get beyond them with faith and hope and love.  So, let us focus on what we need to do to experience the joy of eternity, rather than the trials we experience in “the little while” of our lives.

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The Boston Marathon Bombing and Christian Hope

April 21st, 2013

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Acts 13: 14, 43-52; Rev 7: 9, 14b-17; John 10: 27-30

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

It’s been a week of great frustration and suffering, especially for the people of Boston.  A terrible, senseless, evil act of violence aimed specifically at indiscriminately hurting innocent people was carried out by two young, misguided, men.  The events closed down a major city for almost 2 days; and now, over a hundred people are recovering in a place just like this, a hospital, some of them wondering what life will be like without an arm or leg.  The rest of us can only stand by feeling helpless and frustrated.

I suspect that visitors to this hospital and even some of the staff feel much the same way about a loved one suffering here or a patient they are caring for- frustrated and helpless, and maybe even a little angry that God would allow such things to happen.

In the second reading, John has a vision.  It’s a vision in which he sees all of those who are saved, and it is a great multitude that no one could count.  That seems rather uplifting- that so many will be saved.  But recall these words from the reading:  “These are the ones that have survived the time of great distress.”  And so, all of those who are saved had to survive a period of great distress- all of them.  It’s critical that we keep that in mind as we go through life.  Into every life a little rain must fall.  And in some cases, a lot of rain falls, doesn’t it?

In today’s world, our technology and medical progress have seemingly made it possible for people to live comfortable and pain free lives.  But this is really just an illusion, isn’t it., Because none of us will live forever, and none of us can be comfortable for our whole life in this world no matter how rich and gifted we are.

Michael Jackson comes to mind as a talented person who could “buy” any type of happiness;  But it was all an illusion; deep inside he was hurting.  It is just unrealistic to expect our lives to be comfortable and pain free.

A person who embraces unrealistic expectations, will have to face the consequences.  It’s as simple as that.  And while the consequences for that person may be his own pain and suffering, all too often his consequences are our consequences as well, like in the Boston marathon bombings.

In the first reading, the Jews are a perfect example of what I’m talking about.  They expected a worldly messiah, someone who would rise up as an earthly king and rescue them from the oppressive Romans.  All of this talk by Paul and Barnabas about Jesus being the Messiah- a man who was crucified, the worst humiliation and suffering imaginable in his time, such talk angered them and caused them to “stir up persecution” of Paul and the Christians.  So, the consequences of their unrealistic expectations were that they alienated themselves from the saving message of Christ; and they stirred up of persecution of innocent Christians.

You and I face a real challenge in this changing world.  We must not expect too much from it.  We cannot expect to be free of all pain and suffering; and at the same time, we cannot let it paralyze us.

All of us are subject to a test- a test that purifies us and validates our faith and conviction.  And how do we survive that test?  Hope- Christian hope is the answer, in which we look forward to the future and move on. And that hope is very well summed up in the Gospel.  If we belong to Christ, then we follow him.  He has guaranteed us everlasting life- that is our hope.  And it is not a vague, uncertain hope.  Rather, it is a sure thing- for as Jesus says, those who believe in him and follow him cannot be taken out of his hands.  But like sheep, we need to trust that God’s way, Jesus’ way, is the answer.  That means we listen to the voice of the shepherd and above all, trust in Jesus like the sheep trust their shepherd.  We don’t always have to understand.  But we do need to trust.  And then, we need to cheerfully move on and project that hope.  That’s what others who are experiencing the pain need the most.  It gives them Christian hope as well, no matter how bad things get in our world; because ultimately God will wipe away every tear from our eyes.

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Is There an Ethiopian Eunuch in Your Life?

April 18th, 2013

Thursday of the Third Week of Easter

Acts 8: 26-40; John 6: 44-51

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Easter is such an exciting time of year!  Take this Gospel for example.  Jesus says “Amen, Amen I say to you whoever believes has eternal life”.  You all believe, don’t you, so you have eternal life!  You already have it, just think about that.

And then Jesus says:” I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever”.  In just a couple of minutes, you will eat that bread come down from heaven.  And that seals your fate- everlasting life!  Jesus has said it twice in two different ways.  We are so blessed; we have so much- our faith, the Eucharist, and a guarantee of everlasting life.  And you should be excited about all that- the whole Easter event- it is life changing and exciting.

So, just how excited are you about it?  Are you as charged up as Philip in the first reading?  It’s a fascinating story isn’t it, the story of Philip.  Charged up by the Easter events, Philip is taking to heart Jesus command to go forward and preach the Gospel to all nations.  And what does God do? He puts this foreigner in his path- a Eunuch from Ethiopia, and probably of a different race, who was not a Jew, and a servant to boot.  This guy didn’t belong to Philip’s crowd, that’s for sure. Philip could have just as easily passed this Eunuch by; but he didn’t.  He was a Judaizer, meaning a believer in Judaism, but one who is not born a Jew.  This man is confused- he doesn’t understand the prophet and he is seeking help.  Well, he ran into the right person, Philip.  Philip sees a need and doesn’t care that the Eunuch doesn’t fit in.  Filled with the spirit, Philip evangelizes the Ethiopian right then and there and Baptizes him.

A question.  Why do you suppose this story is our reading this morning?  So that we feel good about what Philip did?  Or is it a sort of precursor story that foretells the Apostles mission to move out to all nations?  Or is it something more personal?  Because, you know, all of us were called on Easter to be a witness of the Easter events, too.  Yes, indeed, all of us are called, especially during this year of evangelization, to show our joy and evangelize others.  We should be spreading the joy of Easter, especially in this secular, Godless, pluralistic, hedonistic society that we live in; one in which we, as Catholics, are beginning to feel the pinch on our ability to live the morals in the Gospel.  The time is ripe for us to share our joy.

Now I know what some of you are thinking.  Just how, how do I go about evangelizing, after all God did not send a chariot with an Ethiopian Eunuch across my path!  Oh, but he will; he has.

Yes, God exposes all of us to events in life which are just as outlandish as Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian.  Every day we come in contact with divorced, homeless, jobless, spiritually hungry; and/or morally confused people.  They are people at the hospital; at Walmart; in the grocery store, in the driver’s license agency line, all of whom are looking for answers.  We just have to recognize that God has put them there for us, calling us to make time for them and to come out of our shells to do something.

So, be on the look-out for someone who is hurting, who is thrown across your path in some unlikely way- like an Ethiopian Eunuch on a horse cart.  And then take the time from your regular routine to take the initiative.  Say something like: “Is there something I can do, my friend?”  And if you are truly joyful, because God’s spirit fills you with love, then you will be an inspiration, and you can be an evangelizer like Philip, one who shares the peace and joy of Easter  That’s what it is all about to be a Christian.

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Being a Christian Witness

April 11th, 2013

Thursday of the Second Week of Easter

Acts 5: 27-33; John 3: 31-36

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

“We are witnesses to these things”.  Those were Peter’s words to the Sanhedrin.  Indeed, we heard in the Easter Gospel that the Apostles were to go forth to all nations and be witnesses, even to the ends of the earth.  And this command is passed on to all of us who were baptized as well.  So we are called to be witnesses as well; but what does that mean, to be a witness?

Some people think it means that one testifies as a witness, meaning that when called to tell the truth, one describes the truth of what happened.  But is that what Peter was doing in the reading?  On the surface, yes indeed, that is what Peter did.  He kept telling the truth of what happened.  And it made the Sanhedrin angry, because they had ordered the Apostles “not to talk about that man”.  But being a Christian witness means more than that.  It means going forward and evangelizing.  You see, that’s really what the Apostles were doing.  They weren’t just defying the Sanhedrin by talking about Jesus when they were asked about Jesus.  No, they were out and about telling the Jesus story with conviction every day, everywhere, to anyone they could find.  And what was so convincing is that they were all in it together and they lived the message they preached.  And that’s what it means to be a true Christian Witness- it means being an evangelizer.

Now our witnessing of our commitment to Christ is done by word and deed.  We can talk about it, as Peter and the Apostles did.  And while it is good to send people out to talk about our faith to others, that is incomplete witnessing.  Because we also need to live out the word, as the Apostles did.  These men didn’t just keep it to themselves in their believing community, but they moved out and witnessed their behavior far and wide, living the message they were spreading by loving one another.  That’s why their message appealed; because they believed; because they lived the message as a community; and because they exuded a sense of joy and happiness despite their earthly trials.  That made other folks take notice and seek out “the way”.

We are called upon to do the same.  The life that we live with our families and community gives witness.  It gives witness to our belief and values.  In the Gospel we hear: “The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things.   But the one who comes from heaven (is above all)”.  Every day of our lives, we “speak” by what we do, not just by what we say.  For as St. Francis said- “Preach the Gospel, use words if you have to”.

So, what kind of a Christian witness are you?  Is your witness to earthly things?  Or are you above all that?

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Divine Mercy- Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment

April 7th, 2013

Divine Mercy Sunday

Acts 5: 12-16; Rev 1: 9-11a, 12-13, 17-19; John 20: 19-31

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Lord Have Mercy!  We say that during every Mass.  But what does it really mean to us, the Mercy of God?

During Lent, we concentrated on the need to reflect on our lives; and to recognize our sinfulness.  That was intended to lead us to the sacrament of Penance, where we confess our sins and reconcile ourselves to God so that we could celebrate Easter in the fullness of the joy that the Resurrection brought.  You see, all of us who believe and repent, and then follow after our Savior Jesus by living the pattern of life in the Gospels, are guaranteed to follow in Jesus footsteps when we die- the resurrection of our bodies in the eternal Kingdom of God.  When we went to Confession, we experienced God’s mercy- the forgiveness of all of our sins and reconciliation between God and ourselves.  That is what God’s Mercy is.  But sadly, not everyone went through that process.

And so today, we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday.  Divine Mercy Sunday is God’s way of giving us all a second chance to reconcile ourselves with Him.

First, let me give some background about Divine Mercy Sunday.  Back in the 1930’s, a Polish lady named Helen Kowalska, who became a nun and took the name Sister Faustina, had visions of the Risen Christ.  The primary vision she had is depicted on the stained glass window in our Tabernacle area.  It shows Jesus with red and blue rays flowing from His heart.  The red symbolizes the blood Jesus shed for our sins as He redeemed us;   And the blue, the water that gushed when the soldier pierced his heart, symbolizes cleansing and mercy.  Jesus encouraged Sister Faustina to draw what she saw, and said that it represented His Divine Mercy.  And so this window is a permanent reminder to us of God’s Divine Mercy.

And what does Divine Mercy mean?  It means Jesus is giving us another opportunity to be cleansed by the water and blood of Christ this weekend, and so, be forgiven for all of our sins, no matter what they are.  Yes, no matter what they are.  Indeed, Jesus spoke of his infinite mercy to Sister Faustina multiple times.  He is quoted as having said in one vision:  “I want to grant complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of my Mercy”!  And also in another vision: “The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion will receive complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.”  In the year 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized Sister Faustina,aAnd designated the Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday- the Feast of His Mercy.  The Pope recognized that Jesus wanted the Feast of Divine Mercy celebrated annually, that was Jesus’ desire.

So, why did Jesus want the Feast of Divine Mercy?  Well, Jesus told St. Faustina that it pained Him that so many souls had not listened to Him.  They had not sought forgiveness for their sins, even with 6 weeks of reflection and purification available during Lent.  Jesus was pained because these souls were in danger of being lost.  The time for obtaining mercy is limited.  Indeed, time is limited for all of us- we could die at any time.  But during our lifetime, we must take that critical step, and seek forgiveness of our sins- after death it is too late.  Jesus is offering infinite mercy right now for whatever we have done- that’s the point.  But, we have to respond to him.  And the summary of Jesus message through St. Faustina, now sanctioned by the Church, is that we must do three essential things to receive His Divine Mercy and all the benefits of it:  Go to Confession; Receive Communion; and show mercy to others.  I will touch on all three of these briefly.

First, the Confession part.  You must go to a priest to go to Confession.  Asking God for forgiveness privately doesn’t fulfill the need to Confess.  In today’s Gospel, you heard Jesus commission His Apostles with these words:  ““Peace be with you.  As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained””.  Jesus said this to His Apostles for a reason.  This is how Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Penance.  And so, Confession is the specific way, the guaranteed way, to assure that your sins are forgiven.  Besides, in the visions to St. Faustina, Jesus made it clear that He wanted us to go to Confession, as the two quotes show.

So if you are holding back for any reason, Confession is the critical first step you need to take.  Whatever it is that you might have done- even violence or abuse or separation from the Church or other kinds of very serious sin, know that Jesus’ Divine Mercy appeal is especially for you.

Second, we need to receive Holy Communion in a state of grace.  And it is Confession that guarantees that we are in the state of grace because we are reconciled with God.  The Eucharist is the body, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ.  When Jesus comes into our very being, we experience a closeness, an intimacy, with God.  We are in Communion with Him and with the rest of the assembly.  Through that intimacy, we are given graces to sustain our relationship with God.  And we need those graces to stay the course.

Lastly, we need to show mercy.  In Math 5:7, Jesus says: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain Mercy”; and in James 12:13, we hear that “Judgment is merciless to one who has not shown mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment”.  It’s really very simple.  How can we expect God’s infinite mercy if we continue to withhold mercy ourselves?  It is a humble and contrite heart that we need- and mercy to others shows that we have a humble and contrite heart.  So, if you have an estranged family relationship; if you have a feud with your neighbor; or if you feel that someone has done you tremendous harm, now is the time for you to show mercy yourself.

Now Jesus has given us several special gifts through St. Faustina, to help us on our way.  First, prayer- we are to pray for ourselves and for others.  And He has even suggested some prayers and devotions- The Divine Mercy Chaplet and Divine Mercy Novena prayers specifically.  We are giving away Chaplet and Novena pamphlets in Rosary packets this weekend at all the Masses.  Second, saying these prayers, and complying with the three conditions I mentioned earlier brings us plenary indulgences.  That means that not only are our sins forgiven, but God will absolve us of the temporal punishment for our sins.

And there is something else, too.  We all have a special opportunity to show mercy this year.  In this year of Evangelization, you can be a catalyst, an instrument, a special motivator for one or more of your brothers and sisters in Christ.  Tell them about Divine Mercy.  Give them a Divine Mercy Packet.  Start them on their way by saying the chaplet with them.  Remember, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain Mercy”.  What can be more merciful than bringing a lost brother or sister to Christ?

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Believing in Our Resurrected Bodies

April 4th, 2013

Easter Thursday

Acts 3: 11-26; Luke 24: 35-48

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

There are some things we just find hard to accept, things which seem so hard to believe and impossible to picture that we shake our heads in bewilderment.  The resurrection of the body is one of those things.

First, there is the whole idea of life after death.  Death seems so final, doesn’t it?  Especially when we watch a person lowered into the ground.  What could life after death possibly be like?  Much has been written recently by people who clinically die and then come back to life.  These people claim to have experienced “life after death”.  And while their experiences are similar, there are definite differences- important differences; not to mention that these experiences are difficult for even the most articulate person to describe- they are basically indescribable, they are not of this world.  And so, reasoning people doubt these experiences as well.

And second, how can we rise with our physical bodies?  Our bodies are corruptible.  They decay and are gone in a matter of years or decades.  Now there are some saints whose bodies have not decayed- we have many stories of that.  Certain popes and St. Francis for example.  But still, what about all the rest of us?  And what function would these physical bodies have in the Kingdom of God?   The Resurrection is something that we learn in Religion.  But when it comes to living in the real world, our science and reason driven secular society leaves us doubting the Resurrection of our bodies to Everlasting Life.

But wait a minute: What about Easter, and the joy of Easter?  You see, we can really begin to understand true Christian joy if we put ourselves in the position of the Apostles on Easter Morning.  Because they had just lost the Lord to a terrible death and doubt reigned supreme in their minds.  After all, they had all the same natural inclinations that we do to doubt the Resurrection.  But in their case, they had gone out on a limb.  They had believed Jesus was the Messiah.  But rather than conquer the Romans, Jesus had been brutally victimized by the Romans and was dead.  How depressing; how final it all seemed.

And then, walla, Jesus Christ is raised from the dead and he is seen by them- in His physical body.  Not only that, he eats and drinks with them.  He explains the scriptures to them, that all of what happened to him was prophesied so that they could see, once and for all, that everything God had promised had come true.  And now- here He was, Resurrected.

Life after death is real, and all who believe, and follow God’s will are heirs to the same Resurrected life in the Kingdom of God.  That is the Christian hope for those who believe, I mean really believe.  Imagine their joy, and why it lasted for 8 weeks while Jesus was with them.  I can understand that kind of joy.

All of us are called upon to believe and to live in Christian hope.  We are not eye witnesses like the Apostles were.  But the bodies and souls of those of us who believe will rise on the last day.  And inherit everlasting life- just believe it.

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Believing in the Real Presence

March 28th, 2013

Holy Thursday Reflection

Ex 12:1-8; 1 Cor 11: 23-26; Jn 13: 1-5

Dc. Larry Brockman

The Eucharist!  Today we celebrate the day Jesus introduced the Eucharist.

The earliest account of that event is the one you just heard from 1 Corinthians.  It was written down decades earlier than the accounts in the three synoptic Gospel.  And what did Jesus say as he took the bread and blessed it?  He said “This is my body for you” and “This cup is the new covenant in my blood”.  He went on to say: ”For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes”.

In a few moments, you will share in the body of Christ, just as the first apostles did a couple of thousand years ago.  We have almighty God, Jesus Christ, present with us right here and now in this room- body, soul, and divinity!  And in a few minutes, we will take him into ourselves and all of us will be in communion with him at the same time.  Isn’t that exciting!

But you know what?  Over the years, we have become dulled to the miracle of the Eucharist.  One of the main contentions in the Reformation of the 1500’s was over the reality of the Eucharist.  The reformers talked about how the Eucharist wasn’t really the body and blood of Christ.  After all, they couldn’t see or feel Christ’s presence with their senses.  Some said that Jesus was there in parallel in spirit, but only as long as the ceremony was conducted.  Others believed the Eucharist was just a symbol, not the real thing.  Today, many people, even alleged Christians, scoff at the idea of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

But as Catholics, we are called upon to believe that the Eucharist we receive is the real body and blood of Christ.  It is part of the mystery of our faith.  And the Eucharist is the food we need to help us remain in Communion with the Lord as we face the realities and trials and sufferings of life.

Still, has God ever spoken to us to validate our faith in the Eucharist?  As a matter of fact, He has!  A couple of years ago I was awakened to how reality of the Eucharist has been validated by a friend and his wife..  These friends talked about the “Eucharistic Miracle” they had seen.  They had travelled to Italy, and toured some of the tourist sites.  Among them was a “Eucharistic Miracle” display in Lanciano, Italy.  They told me that during the consecration of a host in the year 750, the host actually turned into flesh and blood!  The people at the time had all seen it; but even more to the point, they had preserved the evidence,  And even now, some 1300 year later, the flesh and blood was still preserved and on display.  They told me how samples of the evidence had been tested, and validated that it was real human flesh and blood.  I found that all just astounding- that the bread and wine had actually turned to real flesh and blood.

And then, a couple of years later, I discovered that this was not the only such miracle.  There were, in fact, dozens of Eucharistic Miracles that had occurred over the centuries.  The evidence of these miracles had been carefully reviewed by the Church. and a number of them had been validated as genuine,  kind of like how the Church validates miracles that have been worked in the name of a person who is being considered for Canonization as a Saint.  The Church collected information from some 126 of these validated Eucharistic Miracles and made giant displays that told their stories and documented them.  These displays are part of the Vatican Museum, while the original evidence remains on display, where possible, at the original sites.

The Miracles are of various kinds.  Some of them are the actual change in the material from bread and wine to flesh and blood.  Others involve lost or stolen hosts that were later found or recovered in perfect condition.  Some of these have remained in perfect condition for centuries.  Still others involve hosts where the image of Jesus appears on the hosts.  And then there are miraculous Communions.  Hosts that miraculously made their way to communicants; or Communicants that have lived on the Eucharist alone- no other food for months.

A couple of years ago, a group of the Faithful here in the US  Called “Una Fides”, Latin for “One Faith”; paid to have these Vatican Displays replicated and brought them over to this country for making tours of our Churches.  They wanted more of the faithful to experience the evidence of what God had done for us in giving us the Eucharist.

On Friday, April 5, all of you will have the opportunity to come and see these displays while on the field trip arranged by Chaplain Walk to my Parish, Holy Family.  Come see the photographs and read the stories of some 37 of these Miracles.  And know that you do not believe in vain.  Because The host that you will receive today is the body of Christ!

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We Are All Made Perfect Through Suffering

March 28th, 2013

Holy Thursday Reflection

Heb 2: 9b-10

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

It’s something we all try to avoid.  Even Jesus tried to avoid it.  He prayed fervently to His Father on this very day thousands of years ago that God would spare him the cup he was destined for.  And yet, as Paul says in our reading, it was the Father’s will that He make the leader of the “sons of glory”  “Perfect through Suffering”.  Yes, suffering.

Two things about this stand out:  First, God is bringing many sons to glory.  That can include all of us!  We can choose to be part of the “Sons of Glory”.  But it means we have to follow our Leader.  And that relates to the second thing that stands out, that we must all bear our part of the suffering the Father has allocated to us- that is, whatever cross we were destined to bear.  And these crosses are hard for us- standing up for our faith when it is challenged; taking care of children or an elderly parent; avoiding an addiction to the things of this world; working quietly for years and years to support the family; or bearing with an illness or limitation- just to name a few.

But it is worth it: the crown of glory that we will share in at the Resurrection, our own resurrection on the last day.

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The Good News of the Incarnation

March 21st, 2013

Thursday of the Fifth Week in Lent

Gen 17: 3-9; Jn 8: 51-59

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

It’s too good to be true.  But it is true- Jesus is God made man.

The people of Jesus’ time saw him as just another person.  They didn’t believe he was God made man.  It never even occurred to them, especially the Jewish leaders.  But then He says in today’s Gospel:  “Whoever keeps my word will never see death”.  Yet his word, his teachings were revolutionary; and his promise of not tasting death seemed madness.  Jesus taught things like love your enemies; don’t condemn others; turn the other cheek; and give to the poor.  He used the beatitudes as a rallying cry.  And the beatitudes spoke about the humble and the meek and poor and persecuted, not the strong and capable and self-confident and in-control.  It was a litany of “do’s” rather than a litany of “do not’s” like the ten commandments.  Jesus teaching wasn’t consistent with their culture; it wasn’t their way.  They had come to interpret the scriptures and the law in human terms because they didn’t seek to “know” God; they only knew about him and His law.  It was like they were trying to recognize the face of a person from a description rather than from a photograph.  But in so doing, they were missing so many of the features of the true face.

The same thing can happen to us.  We can study the scriptures and the Catechism and the words and concentrate on knowledge about God and the law of God but, in the process, fail to really know God.  And it is in knowing God that we learn the most important lessons about following Him.

First of all, we can know God by knowing Jesus, his son.  That means knowing the Gospels so well that we actually live out the values of the Gospels in our lives.  Second, we know God by praying- praying in such a way that God is included in all of our decisions, kind of like we communicate and dialog with a good friend or confidant about our lives.

Lent is a perfect time to get to know God.  We should be taking the necessary time to read the Gospels so that Jesus words in them are a living experience to us, and we should be taking the time to pray and reflect on our lives so we can ask Jesus to help us and to be with us through thick and thin.

If we know God and have a feel for how His son lived and breathed life on this earth then we will come to be like Jesus.  And when that happens, we will have a strong sense of Christian hope- Christian hope that no matter how tough the going gets, when we know God and follow after the way His son Jesus acted, we will be saved for eternal life.  Christian hope guarantees that there is something better- everlasting life, because a true Christian will never taste death.  And they know it!

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Standing Up For What We Believe In

March 7th, 2013

Thursday of the Third Week in Lent

Jer 7: 23-28; Lk 11: 14-23

Dc. Larry Brockman

Are we a Kingdom divided against itself?  Has faithfulness diminished amongst us?  Is the Word of God banished from our speech?    I think it is fair to say that there are signs that these things are happening to Christians as a whole and to the Catholic Church in specific in today’s world.  Today, there are strong voices of dissent amongst Catholics.  These voices of dissent pay lip service to the Creed each Sunday because they don’t really believe in everything the Church teaches.  Rather, they pick and choose with the attitude that they can discern for themselves.

Make no mistake about it.  The Jeremiah prophecy applies as much today as it did to the countless generations of Israelis who didn’t listen to their prophets and didn’t walk in the ways of the Lord.

Let me point out a few, for example:  A divorce rate over 50 %; Sunday Church attendance at about 30%; rampant immorality on TV and in our movies and on the internet that reflects itself in our music and dress as well; 4 Million abortions a year in this country and a society that tolerates it; and a society that is slowly legalizing marijuana and gay marriage.  Even though this congregation may be a bright spot in the midst of our society, the point is that, it is not enough.  It’s just not enough.  More is required of us, the God fearing folk.

You see, that’s what the parable is all about.  Just like the palace in the parable, the Christian element of our society is under attack.  We are depending on a strong man, fully armed to guard our palace.  But just who is this strong man?  It represents the Church.  And the Church consists of not just the building, but all of us believers as well.

Today, our strong man doesn’t appear to be strong enough because secular society is getting too strong in its demands  They have taken away our religious freedom and are poised to disband our institutions- schools and hospitals and other agencies.  We stand the danger of being overrun by the enemy.

Now our strength comes from our unity; and from the obedience that breeds unity.  That is the armor that our strong man depends on- all of us.  Unity and compliance is what Jeremiah is calling for.  But the Old Testament people had hardened their hearts.  They turned their backs to the Lord.  And it applies to us as well, doesn’t it.  Because 70% of our Catholic brethren have turned their back on the Church, and have hardened their hearts.

So, what’s the answer, what’s the way out?  In a word, evangelization-   We have got to evangelize, starting with our own people –  Our brothers and sisters, children, parents, friends, co-workers, playmates, you name it.

How do we evangelize?  We do it, first of all, by our example,. So “Let us bow down in worship; let us sing joyfully to the Lord; and let us acclaim the rock that saves us”.  And then, we do it by being pro-active.  Know about your faith so you can intelligently answer their questions; show them that you are involved; practice what the Church preaches, all of it; and lastly, but most importantly, tell them how great it is to belong, to be a member of the Kingdom of God.  And then, welcome them home.    Yes indeed, “If today you hear his voice, ‘Harden not your hearts”.

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