Recognizing Our Own Humanity

September 17th, 2009

September 17, 2009

Thursday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time

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

Dc. Larry Brockman

How would you feel if someone barged uninvited into your home while you were having a dinner guest, and upstaged you in front of your honored guest?  And to make matters worse, suppose the intruder was a neighbor who continually made trouble.  Chances are you would be upset.  That’s what happened to this Pharisee and he was upset.  So, why does Jesus take the intruder’s side? 

Now the Pharisee’s invite to Jesus was the in-thing to do.  Jesus was the talk of the town.  Everybody sought after him at that time.  How fortunate was this Pharisee to have his invitation accepted.  But in reality, the Pharisee lacks sincerity.   It was, after all, the message that Jesus preached that made him popular, and that should have been the substance of his meeting with Jesus.  But the Pharisee does not even seem to be aware of the message that Jesus was teaching.  Indeed Jesus scolds the Pharisee for not providing some of the customary honors due an important guest- no water to cool and wash his feet; and no oil to anoint his head.  So, the Pharisee is not displaying that he is honored by Jesus acceptance.  Rather, it is as if he feels that it is an honor for Jesus to be in his presence.  On the contrary, the sinful woman lavishes honor on Jesus and displays true humility.  She bathes Jesus with her tears, and anoints him with a fine perfume.  This woman was repenting- she had taken to heart her own inadequacies.  She was responding to the message that Jesus had proclaimed, and she was determined to lay it all out in sincerity to Jesus.  The Pharisee does not even seem aware of his sin or the need to repent.  Rather the Pharisee was preoccupied with his own importance, and not the opportunity to internalize Jesus message first hand.

How about you and I?  Are we here to honor Jesus and to repent of our sinful tendencies?  Or are we deluding ourselves by thinking that our presence sets us apart from our sinful neighbor?  Jesus is looking for our burdens, our sin, and our repentance.  He is not looking for a list of our perceived strengths.  Our challenge is always and everywhere to strive to be like him.  Or, as Paul put it in Timothy:  “Let no one have contempt for youth, but set an example for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.” 

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Putting Faith Into Action

September 13th, 2009

 

September 13, 2009

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is 50:  4c-9a; James 2: 14-18; Mk 8: 27-35

Deacon Larry Brockman

 

Some churches make it sound easy because they talk about how Faith alone saves.  These folks believe that God loves everyone so much, that all they have to do is believe in him and they are saved!  But we believe that being a Christian is tougher than that.  Just consider what we heard today from James:  That “Faith without works is dead”!  That certainly sounds like it takes more than Faith to be a Christian.

In fact, the arguments about faith and works are at the center of theological debates between various Christian denominations about salvation.  We won’t go into the theology of the two sides.  Rather, we will look at the matter in practical ways.   

That last sentence of the second reading says it all in a very practical way:  “Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.”  Indeed, it is easier to see how genuine someone is by what they do, than it is from what they say.   

Now most of us find ourselves immersed in the sea of life, too busy with all the things that life demands to engage in a debate about faith and works.  Like it or not, our lives are filled with works.  We do things for our family; including feeding, educating, chauffeuring and a whole lot more; we do things at our jobs; sometimes for 10 to 12 hours a day; we do things for the government; like pay taxes, participate in civic projects, and voting; and we do things for our health; like working out, jogging, dieting, and more.  Indeed, our lives are full of activities- these are works.  And not a day goes by that we aren’t challenged to do more of them just to get by.  But are these things we do demonstrating our faith?  Or are they a way of life driven by circumstances?  In other words, is our Faith something that we devote to Sunday Mornings, with the rest of our lives being filled with works that just demonstrate that we are caught in the flow dictated by the secular world.   

Now in today’s Gospel, Jesus says:  “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me”.  And so, Jesus wants us to demonstrate that we are following him by our actions.  But they are not just any actions.  They are actions that display our faith in what Jesus did and taught.  They are actions that display some dying to self, and picking up some sort of cross.  These crosses don’t have to be some horrible painful ordeal.  God took that on himself.  That’s what the good news of the Gospel is about, that God loved us so much that he sent his only Son to die that horrible death for us to save us all.  Rather, our crosses include bearing with our busy lives with the right understanding.  And that understanding is this:  That no matter how demanding living in secular society is, you have an obligation to make a sacrifice by dying a little bit to yourself, by giving up some of your “time just for me”, and using that time in an effort to make a difference in the world. 

Today we are giving you two golden opportunities to re-evaluate your lives, and find a way to demonstrate your Faith through Christian works. First, we are conducting our yearly Ministry Faire after all the Masses today,  and so all of you can hear about the wonderful work that our many ministries are doing.  You can choose one or more to be involved in.  There are spiritual enrichment programs- Bible Studies, Emmaus Retreats, Devotion Groups, Prayer Groups, Perpetual Adoration, and more.  There are social service organizations, like the Men’s Club, KOC, the Ladies Association, St. Vincent de Paul, and others.  There are ways for you to participate more actively in our liturgies- by becoming an EMHC, a Reader, an Altar server, a member of the Music Ministry, or an Usher; ways to support our Sacramental Preparation programs through Prep, BHF, the Baptism Ministry, and RCIA; ways to help support our Youth and Young Adult Groups;  ways to get involved with the Right to Life by joining Respect Life; and ways to help the poor and sick through our Hospital Ministry, St Martin de Pours, Bereavement, and others.  Indeed, the Parish has a great many ways for all of you to perform Christian Works- something for everybody; a way to use your talents, whatever they may be.  I hope you will all consider a way to get involved.   

The second opportunity you have today is to participate in the Spiritual Adoption Program the Parish is launching today.  This program is a way of “making a difference” collectively as a whole parish.  So, what is Spiritual Adoption?  Picture a young woman who just discovered that she is 7 weeks pregnant.  For one reason or another- pressure from society or the father, her own goals in life, or her social status- she is considering an abortion.  We don’t know her name- but we know she is out there.  Why, because since Roe vs Wade, the number of abortions has increased to 1.4 million year.  That means there are 4,000 women in the USA who not only are considering an abortion this very day, but who will actually abort their child today.  4000 just today!  We are asking you to adopt today one of the children whose Mom is thinking of aborting them. 

Did you know, for example, that the 7 week old little one you adopt today, has a heart that has been beating for a month, and that he or she can already flex their toes and suck on their thumb.  But this little one is totally dependent on the Mom.  So we are asking you to help the Mom.  We know that prayer can and does make a difference.  Please pray for both the Mom and the Child over the next 8 months. we are confident that if the parish prays for them,  God will hear our prayers and save some of them by moving their Mom’s and Families to reconsider. 

By the way, we will keep you informed over the next 8 months how your child is developing using the banners posted out in the parking lot and notices in the bulletin. 

Look now at the end of each pew.  There are “pledge cards” for you to fill out.  Take one for your adopted child- you, your spouse, and each of your children can each participate, or you can adopt a child as a family project.  Fill in a name for your child.  Tear off the larger portion, the prayer card, and keep it.  We ask you to pray this ten second prayer each day over the next 8 months.  Then take the rest of the signup card forward to the altar and place it in the basket there.  If you need more time to think it over, or you want to discuss it as a family, you can bring the cards back later and put them in the basket next Sunday at the Respect Life Table in the Narthex.  After that, the basket will be in the Perpetual Adoration Chapel for the next 8 months.  At the end of the nine month period, we will ask each person who adopted a child to bring a “baby shower” gift on Mothers Day to the Church.  We will collect the gifts and get them to the JMJ Pregnancy Crisis Center.  These gifts are a tangible way for us to help mothers who have decided in favor of the beautiful gift of life.  We will wait a few moments now for you to bring the cards forward.     

As you make an effort today to die a little to your self, consider this.  Today we heard one of the most beautiful readings in the Old Testament.  The reading tells us that no matter how much we suffer, when we do God’s will, we will prevail.  Why?  Because “The Lord God is my help, who will prove me wrong”. 

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Feeling the Good News

September 3rd, 2009

 

September 3, 2009

Thursday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time

Col 1:9-14; Lk 5: 1-11

Dc. Larry Brockman

Don’t you feel it- the good news, the news that you have been delivered from the power of darkness and transferred to the Kingdom of God?  Yes, you.  You may be having problems with your job; overwhelmed with the demands of your children; suffering from the aches and pains of older age; or pre-occupied with what your going to do after you leave here today.  But this good news is still for you and you should feel it! 

The Apostles felt it.  Just imagine yourselves in their shoes.  You have fished all night-  and you are an expert- a professional- but nothing.  And then you go out one more time at Jesus command, and, Walla, so many fish that they nearly sink two boats.  The gospel says “they left everything and followed him”.  So yes, they felt it.  They felt personally touched by the nearness of God; by the power of God; and by the reality of the one God of the universe calling them in person to follow him along his footsteps.  They somehow put the concerns they had over job, family, health, and duty into proper perspective.  The direct encounter with God was so important to them that they did that. 

Now later in the Gospel, we hear about Peter’s mother in law, for example.  So it isn’t like these Apostles abandoned or totally discounted family, health, job and duty.  Rather, they were able to get the proper perspective on life, a perspective that Paul addresses in the first reading:  They were motivated to seek the knowledge of God’s will.  They were able to walk in a manner pleasing to Him; and through knowledge of God, they were strengthened by the power of God to learn endurance and patience.  This way of life led them to Christian joy.  It was a joy that all of the problems and trials of life, when these problems are experienced as a Christian, could not be taken away from them.  It is a joy sealed by the certain knowledge of their membership in everlasting life through Jesus. 

In a few moments, you are going to have a real encounter with Jesus.  He will become present to you in the Eucharist.  He is making the same promise of everlasting life to you in the living word that we just read, so rejoice, and feel the joy, because life, no matter how burdensome it may seem, is worth it.   

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Looking Inside Your Heart

August 29th, 2009

  August 30, 2009

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dt 4: 1-2, 6-8; James 1: 17-18, 21b-22, 27; Mk 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Dc. Larry Brockman

Have you looked inside your heart recently?  What do you see there?  Do you see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?   These qualities are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.  They are the virtues that all of us need  to live life as Jesus intended for us to live it.  They are the virtues that we should see in the people that we look up to.  People who live their lives with these virtues should be our role models.  They are the people, as St. James put it, who are “doers of the word not just hearers of it”.

Now in the Gospel, Jesus confronts the Pharisees with some pretty harsh language.  And yet, the Pharisees were considered the cream of the crop at that time.  They knew God’s law better than anyone else.  That’s why they were called Pharisees, because they studied the scriptures and knew “by heart” the wonderful and just set of laws that Moses speaks of in the first reading.  Not only that, they were renowned for keeping those laws.  And indeed, these Pharisees did as they preached for the most part.  Otherwise they would have had no following.  For example, they observed the laws of cleanliness mentioned in the Gospel  down to the last dot on the “i” and cross on the “t”.  So, why chastise them so soundly.  

I think it is for two reasons:  First, because you cannot depend on external appearances to tell what is really going on in someone’s heart.  And so, for that matter, others cannot really tell by your external appearance, what is going on in your heart.  We hear news stories frequently that demonstrate this.  Someone is caught for a terrible crime, like the Kansas serial killer, who appeared to be a pillar of the community and his church; but that is clearly not what was in his heart.  So, judging others by appearances can be deceptive.  And what is so wrong about this judging of others is that it is a means of deflecting attention from the responsibility we have for ourselves.  That’s where our attention ought to be.   

Second, he chastised the Pharisees because God’s law had become too literal, too rigid,  too much a matter of meeting the letter of the requirement and not the spirit of it.  Following the law became a matter of black and white rather than a motivation in the heart to be a doer of the word.  And so, they had lost sight of what it is to live in the spirit of the God who they worshiped.  Going through the motions was more important than the God.   

Indeed, the Gospel tells how the Pharisees did something that shows both of these flaws.  First, they judged the Apostles on the basis of external appearances; violations of details of the dietary laws that they, the Pharisees, appeared to follow carefully.  In this way, the Pharisees deflected attention from the responsibility they had for their sins by focusing attention on the sins of someone else.  Second, the Pharisees had made these dietary laws the issue, not the intent of the dietary laws.  And so, Jesus reacted in anger at their hypocrisy.  Jesus could see inside of these people and, though they appeared to be pious,   he tells them they were paying lip service to the law because they were not motivated from within.   

Now the things that Jesus says produce evil from within are:  Evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, blasphemy, envy, arrogance, and folly.  These are just the opposite of the fruits of the spirit.  For, whereas the fruits lead us to denial of self out of love, the bad qualities that Jesus mentions motivate based on love of self.   

This message is not limited to the Pharisees.  It applies just as well to us here today.  People go faithfully to Church and these kinds of services; they take Communion each time; they put their children into religious education, and they participate in some Parish Groups.  They appear to be Catholics in good standing.  And all of that is good, in the same sense that the Pharisees were good and most of the Pharisees were good.  But, has your devotion to your faith become something you do out of habit, so that obeying the rules is what it is about instead living the intent of the rules?  Are you looking over your shoulders at your neighbors who don’t do all these things you do and justifying your piety on the basis of the lack of observed piety of your neighbor just like the Pharisees did?  You see, that deflects your attention from what is really important for you.  And what is it that is really important for you?  First, that the motivation from within your heart is based on the fruits of the Holy Spirit; that you take on the loving spirit of God, as much as you can, and practice virtues like peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in your relations with others; second, that you participate in the Church and in services because it is a way to nurture and grow in your Faith.  It is a way for you to grow into the Kingdom of God.   

Look into your heart today.  Purge yourselves of any of those evil inclinations and awaken the fruits of the Spirit.  Be a doer, and not just a hearer of the Word! 

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Be Prepared

August 26th, 2009

 

August 27, 2009

Thursday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time

1 Thes 3: 7-13; Mt 24: 42-51

Dc. Larry Brockman

Years ago my two boys were in Boy Scouts.  Now as most of you know, the Boy Scout motto is “Be prepared!”  And it can’t be a more appropriate motto.  For example, my wife and I went once with our two boys on an overnight scout canoe trip.  We were serving as chaperons assisting the Scoutmaster.  When we got finished with the first day’s rowing and were setting up camp, we discovered that some of the scouts had forgotten a few things.  One little guy forgot spare underware; another forgot a flashlight; but a third scout forgot his food.  “Be prepared” was the retort from the scoutmaster, followed by “You are responsible for yourself”.  Jane and I were a bit shocked at the apparent lack of compassion as the Scoutmaster insisted the young man suffer the consequences of forgetting to bring food.  Later, he told us quietly that this lesson would insure that it would never happen again. 

Today’s parable ought to instill the same lesson in all of us.  You are responsible for your own relationship with God.  You cannot afford to forget; you have got to be prepared at all times,  and nobody else can come to your rescue.  Jesus makes an additional point as well.  You can’t deceive him.  Whatever you do while He is away will be discovered, you can be sure of that.  It will, indeed, be as if He returns at the worst possible moment, when you are off guard. 

It doesn’t have to be that way.  For example, St. Paul told the Thessalonians that:   “We have been reassured about you, brothers and sisters, in our every distress and affliction, through your faith”   So, even though Paul was away from them, the word to him was that they were holding firm, were acting as faithful stewards in his absence.  And although there were some deficiencies mentioned, the main point is that they were trying,  They were giving it an honest effort.  And that’s what we need to do too.  We need to always keep our eye on the goal and to “Be Prepared”. 

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Correcting Foolish relationships With God

August 21st, 2009

 

August 20, 2009

Thursday of 21st Week in Ordinary Time

Feast of St. Barnard

Jgs 11: 29-39; Mt 22: 1-14

Dc. Larry Brockman

How foolish we can sometimes be in our relationship with God?  Take the stories in the two readings for example. 

First, in the Old Testament reading, Jephthah makes a foolish vow to God, one that ends up costing him dearly- the sacrifice of his only daughter.  Sounds pretty far fetched, doesn’t it.  But the fact is, people today make foolish promises to God all the time.  People will say, “if only you do this for me God, then I promise to never do such and such again”.  Does that sound familiar?  But, we cannot bargain with God.  We can pray to God, and ask sincerely that what we pray for be granted.  But bargaining with God is out of the question, and the story of Jephthah demonstrates how foolish it is.   

And then there is the guest in the Gospel who shows up at the wedding without the proper clothes.  What a foolish thing that would be for us to do- to show up at gates of the Kingdom of God unprepared.  And yet, for most of us, our daily lives consume our time, so much so that thinking about being prepared for our ultimate meeting with Christ just isn’t a priority with us.  We think that it can always wait- being prepared before God.  But, the fact is that we have an obligation to be prepared at all times.  We have an obligation to know God and to know what He expects of us; sort of like the guest knowing what the proper preparation for a wedding would be.  And we have an obligation to live the life God gives us in the way He intended it to be lived- that is putting on the mantle of what it means to be a Christian, just like the guest had an obligation to put on the right wedding clothes. 

Indeed, these two stories remind us that our prayers to God must be sincere; and that our commitment to God must always be met if we are to enter into His Kingdom. 

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On Forgiving 77 Times

August 13th, 2009

 

August 13, 2009

Thursday of 20th Week in Ordinary Time

Jos 3: 7-10a, 11, 13-17; Mt 18: 21- 19: 1

Dc. Larry Brockman

Forgiveness!  Specifically, forgiving our neighbor 77 times!  This is a tough one for just about all of us.  And yet, the Gospel parable makes it very clear that God will forgive us if we forgive our neighbor. 

Now we can all relate to the hypocrisy displayed by the servant to the king.  We can see the injustice in the parable.  And so, after hearing this story today, hopefully we will all go out of here motivated to forgive the guy that cuts us off in traffic; or the strangers who make too much noise at the next table while we are dining; or any of the minor things that happen each day between our neighbors and ourselves.  We can forgive those things that happen because people are imperfect, and just human beings, and we can forgive the things they do selfishly when they put themselves first on a case by case basis- at least for a while. 

But what about the big things that demand forgiveness, can you forgive those?  How about a rift between you and one of your children that has gone on for months, or even years; or the spouse who cheated on you; or the neighbor next door who deliberately did something that damaged your property; or any of those things that cause anger and resentment that last.  How about the anger that lasts in such a way that every time you see or think of the offending party, the anger comes back anew, maybe even 77 times!. 

And yet, for each one of the offenses that you hold on to of this type, consider this:  You have done something like that to another, and you have asked God’s forgiveness for it.  In fact, you expect God’s forgiveness for it.  That’s what Confession is all about for you. 

It is tough, but you have to forgive others even in these difficult cases.  When all of us die, we want to see the impenetrable waters of the Jordan lifted, so each of us can cross the dry land and enter Paradise. 

It is so very true, that Mercy triumphs over Justice.  But it is hard.  

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Wandering Through the Desert of Life

July 30th, 2009

 

Thursday of 17th Week in Ordinary Time

Ex 40: 16-21, 34-38; Mt 13: 47-53

Dc. Larry Brockman

Jesus spoke a parable this morning which likens a scribe recording Jesus words about the Kingdom of God, to a householder bringing out “Both the new and the old.”  What is He talking about? 

Well, Jesus was referring to Matthew, the scribe who recorded his Gospel.  Matthew is known for linking the words in the Old Testament stories and prophecies, with the New Testament promises- the new covenant.  Hence, the new and the old are brought out by our scribe, Matthew.

Now the Exodus reading this morning, on first glance,   Appears disconnected with this theme about the Kingdom of heaven, and the new and the old.  First, there is all the talk about the precise construction of a structure- the temporary tent temple,that will hold the Ark of the Covenant containing the Ten Commandments.  Then, there is the description of the cloud and fire that occupies the tent structure when the Lord is present.  Is there a connection? 

Well the tent was the dwelling place of the Lord during the Exodus.  It is analogous to our Church Building, and the pillar of fire and smoke signify the continuous presence of the Lord with His people, the people of God.  Today, we are the people of God, and in this Church structure, we are blessed by the continuous presence of the Almighty God in our tabernacle, with a light that shines perpetually when Jesus is present in the Eucharist just beside it.   

The Exodus story goes on to record the wandering in the desert for 40 years.  The seemingly pointless wandering of a people dedicated to doing the will of God, and yet, for 40 years they wander here and there, almost as if they couldn’t discern God’s will for them.  In essence, these are a people who waited, waited until they were convinced that the time was right to enter the promised land.  To be sure, they made some mistakes- but despite these mistakes, the Lord was present continuously for them in the tent that housed the Ark of the Covenant. 

Doesn’t this sound familiar?  Which of us could describe our lives any differently?  We seek God’s will, and come here weekly, and sometimes more often than that, to pray that God will lead us in the right direction.  And yet, for a great many years, hopefully more than 40, we wander along the zig zag course of life, experiencing some high point and some low points, but in the process of it all never quite sure that we’ve got it right.  And yet, God is always there for us in this Church, listening, encouraging us to go on.   What’s the payoff- the promised land, the Kingdom of God, at the end of life.  Because we all have the sure hope for that Last Judgment that Jesus describes when the bad will be separated from us forever, and the good will be left as the Kingdom of God.   

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Sharing Our Talents for the Greater Glory of God

July 26th, 2009

 

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

2 Kgs 4: 42-44; Eph 4: 1-6; Jn 6: 1-15

Dc. Larry Brockman

Put yourself in the shoes of the boy in today’s Gospel.  You see, you have 5 small barley loaves and two fish that your mother packed for lunch.  They were just meant for you.  Then, you see some men around you discussing how to feed 5000 people in the crowd.  So, you, a small boy who has been following Jesus, offer your lunch up.  The people of this world would think of you as a fool.  They would be shocked, angry, and skeptical that Jesus would take a meager lunch from the boy as well.  After all, Jesus disciples even said “But what are these among so many”.  But you offered them up with generosity, hoping and trusting that Jesus would make a difference.  And Jesus did make a difference.  We know that from the meager assets that this one small boy had, God provided for his people with plenty left over.   

It was the same in the story about Elisha.  In the midst of a famine in Elisha’s town, someone arrives with a few barley loaves.  Now barley loaves were typically small, and simply would not go very far.  But, trusting in God, Elisha feeds 100 people with them.   

So, both the Gospel and the Old Testament story about Elisha make a similar point.  The gifts we are given are not just for our benefit, but rather, we are entrusted with them as stewards.  They are meant to be used for the greater glory of God at the right time and place as chosen by God, and we need to trust in God’s providence that things will work out even when it seems unlikely.   

So, the question that comes to mind is this:  Which loaves and fish is God asking you to entrust to his care today, right now?  What do you have that you are being called to share with others for the greater glory of God?  Is it your time?  Maybe God has been whispering to you for a while, asking you to spend some more time with him each day in prayer, or in reading a good spiritual book, or in reflecting on the Bible.  You may be busy with the cares of life, so you feel you don’t have the time!  But God can work wonders with whatever little bit of time you do give him. 

On the other hand, maybe it’s some special talent you have.  Maybe God has put a desire in your heart to do something for him or for your neighbor, to start something new, to reach out to those in need.  But you have been afraid of trying, or are afraid of failing.  Rest assured though, God can multiply whatever little talent you have, if you just put it sincerely and obediently into his hands. 

Maybe it’s a gift to you which is as simple as the ability to provide a little talk.  Possibly there is someone in your life that you need to speak to – to speak a word of forgiveness, or an apology, or possibly an invite back to the Church.  Or maybe they just need a word of encouragement to walk away from some destructive behavior.  God could help you to know the right thing to say, to turn your words into seeds of grace, if only you place them in his hands, and take a chance.  Whatever it is, God can work miracles with whatever you have that you place in his trust.  It happens at the most unexpected times, and in the most unexpected circumstances.  Like the small boy whose lunch feeds 5000 people, or the man who offers a gift of the first fruits to a prophet, and it breaks a terrible famine for the prophet’s people.   

And it happens in our day and age too.  There was once an old Christian Chinese man named Yo-San.  He worked in the rice fields and lived alone in poverty in a boat on a river.  He came to the missionary one day and said, “Father, wouldn’t it be good if we could have a real church instead of the wooden hut?”  “Indeed it would,” the priest answered, “but it will take us a long time to raise the money.”  “Father,” said Yo-San, “I would like to pay for the building of a new church.”  Yo-San then produced the actual amount of cash needed to build the Church.  The priest was astounded, and so Yo-San explained.  Years ago, when he was a young man just receiving his first instruction in the faith, he had heard the priest that the purpose of our life is to give glory to God.  Hearing this, he conceived the desire to someday build a temple to God’s name.  So, for forty years, living with no family and no house, he had managed to lay aside most of his scanty wages, which he now offered to the priest.  The priest objected to the gift, seeing that Yo-San was old and would soon need the money to support himself.  But Yo San said that God would take care of him, and begged the Father to grant his life-long desire.  The priest finally consented.  The church was built and it was standing-room-only when the first Mass was celebrated there.  After the Mass, Yo-San stayed kneeling in the beautiful little church for a long time.  That afternoon he was found lifeless, still kneeling – his heart broken with joy and gratitude.  Indeed, Yo-San was a man who understood the real value of offering our poor efforts to God. 

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The Chance to Really Hear and See

July 23rd, 2009

 

Thursday of 16th Week in Ordinary Time

Ex 19: 1-2, 9-11, 16-20b; Mt 13: 10-17

Dc. Larry Brockman

“All the people in the camp trembled”.  Imagine that-  God making His presence so abundantly clear through nature, that everyone trembled.  And yet, even with such clear and unmistakable signs, people, as a rule, did not listen.  For, as we shall see, the ten commandments follow shortly in the Exodus story.  They were direct, plain talk about what to do and what not to do.  Yet, the people did not heed them; and did not make the Lord their top priority, even when truly marvelous and unmistakable physical signs were worked for them, followed by the plain talk in the ten commandments. 

Why?  Why is it that plain talk and clear physical signs don’t work.  I think it’s because we are born products of this world, conditioned to have a set of hopes and expectations that resonate with our knowledge of the world.  It’s that knowledge of the ways of the world that biases our expectations of what we want to hear.  We want to hear about justice in human terms; pleasure and happiness in human terms; and we hear that all men are created equal-   But that means to us that we are created first among equals, because of what we see and observe in others.  Certainly some people are not as equal, people like unborn babies; people with downs syndrome, and the wild natives in darkest Africa or New Guinea.  That’s what we see; and that fuels what we expect to see. 

So, the message of the Kingdom of God just doesn’t compute where everyone is truly created equal; where real happiness is Christian joy, which is not necessarily always about us, and is not pleasure oriented; and where justice and mercy are balanced by a set of rules that only God understands.  So, rather than the direct approach, Jesus uses another approach- parables, parables with layers of hidden meaning, and a wisdom that is not of this world.  Only those who seek God and respond to His grace can understand it.  It is a wisdom reserved only for those who choose to listen, to listen with their hearts.  Consider yourselves truly blessed.  Because you have the chance to really hear and see. 

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