Posts Tagged ‘Evangelizing in Word and Deed’

Don’t Hide Your Lampstand

Thursday, January 26th, 2017

Third Thursday of Ordinary Time

Saints Timothy and Titus

2 Tim 1: 1-8; Mk 4: 21-25

Deacon Larry Brockman

We are all so fortunate. Especially those here this morning and every Thursday Morning. We are fortunate because we have our faith; we are committed; and we come here to daily Mass because of our commitment. And for many of us, we share the experience that Timothy had.  For he received his faith from his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice.  Yes, most of us were fortunate enough to have been born into our faith and we have been nurtured in it by our families.

Hopefully, we don’t take our faith for granted because it is a very precious gift, indeed.  In fact, our faith is the light that Jesus talks about in the Gospel this morning.  Because the faith that we have can illuminate others.  By our actions we can spread the light; by our inaction, we can leave others in the darkness.

Scripture scholars tell us that the parable of the lamps was probably directed at the Apostles themselves.  They had the special gift of access, direct access to Jesus.  That gave them special insight into God’s plan for salvation.  It gave them special graces in understanding the mysteries hidden from the general population; and by virtue of their ordination and commissioning by Jesus, they had special responsibilities to spread their faith to the whole world. It was not enough for them to believe in Jesus and to rejoice in the salvation he brought them.  It was necessary for them to be lamps on a lampstand, shedding their light onto all, sharing their faith in a proactive way.

Jesus even tells his Apostles to “Take care what you hear”; meaning listen up, soak it in, absorb it like a sponge because you cannot spread what you don’t know or understand.  And then he tells them that “the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.”

Jesus mandate to his Apostles is challenging.  History documents that all of them ran with their faith and acted as lampstands.  Their light shone forth; multitudes were converted to the faith by their testimony; and all of them but one, St. John, died a martyr’s death for their faith.

We live in a world of politically correct “toleration”.  Society teaches us to “live and let live”.  We are not to judge; we are not to criticize; we are not to force our beliefs on anyone else.  And so, we need to hear this parable of the lampstand from time to time.  We cannot just come to our refuge, this church, and enjoy the benefits of our faith along with our fellow believers and then enter into the world as neutral bystanders.  We, by virtue of our Baptisms and Confirmations, share the Apostles responsibility to evangelize in word and deed.

How do we do that? By not hiding our lampstands.

Rather, we need to shine forth into the darkness; by expressing our opinions on faith and morals when we are given a chance.  So, rather than politely excusing ourselves when challenged, we need to be prepared to respond with the truth, and with conviction when a Mormon or Jehovah’s Witness comes to your door.  And we need to make our positions on key issues known- like the hundreds of thousands of Christians headed for Washington DC this weekend for the March for Life are going to do.  When we dine out with our families, we can say grace together as a family in plain sight of everyone else.  The way we dress; how we relate on social media; the kind of entertainment we buy and support- all of these are ways for us to shine the light of Christ in the darkness.

Sometimes we will experience pushback from shining the light of Christ. But as St. Paul says to Timothy: “Bear your share of the hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God”.  For the spiritual rewards are great. Jesus says it this way: “To the one who has; more will be given.”

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What Do We Do After We Celebrate the Fourth of July?

Sunday, July 3rd, 2016

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is 66:10-14c; Gal 6: 14-18; Luke 10: 1-12, 17-20

By Deacon Larry Brockman

It’s time for us all to celebrate our Nation’s Birthday- it’s the July 4th Weekend.  And boy, do we ever know how to do it in style- with fireworks, barbeques, and pool parties galore.  And we should celebrate, because we have much to be proud of as Americans.  Our nation, founded on the Judeo Christian values of our Forefathers, has been a beacon for freedom and democracy, not only here, but in so many places over the globe.

It would be fair to say that the American Republic has led several spiritual renewals that have been responsible for paving the way for the freedoms here that have migrated across the globe.

First, our revolution resulted in Religious Freedom for the many diverse religious groups that migrated here from Europe in the 200 years prior to our Revolution.  Our forefathers built religious freedom into our Constitution to assure that all religious groups were free to practice here.  They did that because they recognized that freedom of Religion was the most basic freedom and that the role of Government was to protect our right to exercise our faith.  It was not the role of Government to impose Religion or prohibit its practice.

Then, America successively led the way to the abolishment of slavery; the rights of workers and the rights of women in successive spiritual renewals that recognized that all humans are created equal.

In the twentieth century, our nation unselfishly provided the critical help necessary to suppress three threats to freedom and belief in God in the First World War, the Second World War, and the Cold War with Atheistic Communism.  We call those who were involved in the latter two wars “the Greatest Generation” because of the resolve and commitment that the entire nation unselfishly made.  Yes, we have much reason to celebrate the 4th of July.

But notice a couple of things about all of these accomplishments that we celebrate.  First, we are celebrating the accomplishments of the past.  Second, our accomplishments were in cycles that occurred over a span of 200 years.  Third, new generations of Americans rose to the challenges in each cycle of evil that confronted them.  Fourth, prior to each cycle, prophetic voices were heard that called for action against each evil whether it was suppression of religious freedom, the evil of slavery, labor violations, suppression of women’s rights, or foreign dictators and tyrants.  And lastly, America was blessed with God-fearing leaders in each case that led the charge against evil.  Now I mention all of this because we owe our freedoms to the wonderful actions of our forefathers in many generations; but our future depends on us; it depends on you and how you move forward.

You see, the devil is never finished spreading evil.  We may be able to suppress it for a while; but the devil is quite resilient in confronting us with an even more sinister evil.  And so it is with our current society.  We are confronted with multiple evils now, just as sinister and perhaps more deadly than those we have faced in the past.  Much of our affluent society has turned its back on our Judeo Christian values, such as the ten-commandments; the beatitudes; respect for life; and equality of opportunity for all.  And there are radical religious movements that insist that the entire world must be converted to their faith, and the universal establishment of a 7th century code of ethics; or die- there are no alternatives that satisfy them.  Lastly, the advent of the global economy has pushed greed and the methods to achieve it beyond any one nation’s ability to control the process.  This is a multiple pronged attack by the forces of evil that you and I and our current generation must deal with.

Our Gospel story today shows how Jesus trained his Disciples ahead of his Passion for the work they would have to do as the Church after his death- to proclaim the Kingdom of God.  The 72 disciples represent the Church- a group that included the Apostles and disciples- the Bishops and Priests- who were sent out after an abundant harvest.  Yes, the harvest is abundant because the harvest Jesus is referring to was the abundant legacy he was giving us in the Gospel- the abiding word of God and especially Jesus’ own example.

In that first experiment that Jesus conducted with his mini-church, the 72 were sent out two by two so that there were multiple voices of the message for clarity, and so that they served as witnesses for each other in the event of controversy.  They were sent out penniless so that they didn’t have a vested interest.  Jesus trained these men and with that training fresh in their minds, they were successful; so successful that Jesus says that he “Saw Satan fall like lightning from the sky”.  This means that Jesus saw that the mini-Church had dealt a blow to Satan and his evil.

So, let us certainly celebrate today and tomorrow the successes of our forefathers and the freedom they have won for all of us.

But beginning next week, we all have work to do.  Paul tells us that he can only boast of the cross that he carries.  This should be our criteria as well.  We should only boast of the cross that we have to carry.  As a people, our cross to bear is the suppression of the evil in our times.  And so, we need to serve as the prophets, the evangelizers, and the faithful who will respond to the current call to fight evil in our times, not just some of us, but all of us.

It is once again time for spiritual renewal in this country so that we can maintain the freedom our forefathers brought us; and establish a newfound advance in the freedom of mankind that new generations to come will celebrate on the Fourth of July.

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Is There an Ethiopian Eunuch in Your Life?

Thursday, 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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Evangelizing as a Senior Citizen

Sunday, January 27th, 2013

Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

Neh 8: 2-4a, 5-6, 8-10; 1 Cor 12: 12-14, 27; Luke 1: 1-4, 4: 14-21

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

They were remnants; those who were left over after everyone else had gone.  That’s who the people were that Ezra and Nehemiah were speaking to in the first reading.  You see, the entire nation of Israel was exiled to Babylon.  And after many years, the King of Persia released the remnants.  Most of those that had been exiled were no longer there- they had died during the exile.  To say that they had suffered greatly would be putting it mildly.  They were repressed captives; almost slaves to their captors.  Only a few were living who remembered the good old days of freedom.  But those that did remember returned to Jerusalem.  They were a rag tag group of people, trying to reestablish themselves in their original homeland.  And they brought with them their children and grandchildren who didn’t know anything about the past, except what this remnant could hand down to them.

Now in the scene described in our first reading, this rag tag remnant is experiencing a new found joy because they had finally reached their homeland; they had started reconstruction; and could finally see the effects.  They were overjoyed at truly being free of their oppressors.  Ezra, their prophet, reads the law to them- the law that they had hung on to despite many trials over the years of exile in hopes of this day.  And that is why they were so emotional; that is why the people cried as the historic words of the law were read.

I don’t know about you, but I can identify with these people.  I look back over the 70 or so years of my life, and remember many toils and trials with some great memories sprinkled in between.  But I see a majority of my family gone.  Three of the four parent figures between my wife and I are gone; and all of our aunts and uncles are gone.  It was like I woke up one day and suddenly realized that most of the roots in my family were gone.  We are a rag tag remnant of believers that is left.  We are the elders now; all the young people look to us for the roots of their faith.  And we find ourselves gathered together with others in a similar situation, celebrating our liturgy each week in hope of the joy of an eternal Kingdom, wary of the drudgery of physical life here that gets more taxing with every passing year.  The mind is not as quick; the body is not as nimble; and we are easier victims to illnesses and infirmities.  But there is hope, because the words of our faith still resonate each week as we hear them read, and deep down, we know that we are truly free of the grip of the world, because we have overcome decades of real trials and still have our faith.

And so, just as the Israelis cried with joy when they heard their precious law, we too, can be joyful when we hear our faith proclaimed, and so we say “Amen” to it.  And the essence of our faith is that we are waiting in joyful hope of everlasting life in the kingdom of God, something that our faith and our lives have convinced us is real.

In the second reading, we come to see that all of us together, yes even the rag tag remnant that we are, constitute the real Church- we have our faith that unites us in the Body of Christ.  And that is a strength that we share as a group.  But we still have a mission.  And that mission is to pass on the real faith to our own.  You see, most of the people living today are focused on life in this world, not life in the kingdom of God.  That being the case, they really need us.  Because they need to be focused on what life is really all about.  Those of us who are older and not as nimble, not as quick, and prone to infirmities-  we have the experience that breeds wisdom, the wisdom to know what life is really not all about.  Ultimately it is not all about fame and wealth and pleasure because all of these pass.  Rather, it is about Faith and God and the promise of everlasting life.

And so, we still have a mission to evangelize others- our families and loved ones in particular.  It’s ironic that the Gospel today shows Jesus launching his career.  For 30 years- some 90% of his life, Jesus was just like any one of us- and in fact, was just a carpenter’s apprentice and then a carpenter.  But he basically returns to Nazareth after his Baptism, and announces to the world that he is off on his mission- his mission as the Messiah.

Indeed, it is never too late for us to evangelize even if it is 90% or more into our lives.  We do it with the prayer life and commitment to our faith that others see; we do it by the dignity of our acceptance of God’s will for us, and we do it when we project our hope for Everlasting life in the world to come.  So let us all keep doing it.

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Your Easter Duty

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

Westminster Towers Ecumenical Service

Based on Reading 1, Thursday of 3rd Week of Easter

Acts 8: 26-40

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

How are you folks doing with your Easter Duty?  Well?  I see some blank looks out there.  What is my Easter Duty, you say?  

 

Well first, let me put things into perspective.  We are in the middle of celebrating Easter, and the Easter season lasts 50 days.  During Easter we celebrate the fact that Jesus forever changed things in our world.  Up until the Easter event, we were all just waiting, waiting for the Messiah to come and save us from our sins and to show us the way to Eternal Life in the Kingdom of God with God.  But when Jesus actually rose from the dead and appeared to His apostles, He fulfilled that promise.  And that’s what our joy is supposed to be all about.  We are celebrating an “aha” experience like none other.  We have been saved and those who repent and believe have been guaranteed eternal life.  And so we say Alleluia, Alleluia,   (Holding hand to the ear) Alleluia! 

Yes, Jesus the Christ rose from the dead, and proved that he was in a resurrected state with a resurrected body.  He proved that to his disciples on Easter, and our Gospel readings the last several Sundays have been all about that.  You have been witnesses to all of that!  So, are you feeling the Easter joy- Amen and Alleluia! 

  

So, are we supposed to just bask in this good news of our Easter joy for the 50 days,and then move on to the long hot summer, or what? 

 

Well, actually, if you recall Jesus parting words to His disciples in the Easter Gospel, He tells us what he expects of us.  He expects us to spread the good news- the Gospel.  That’s what the word Gospel means, you know.  We are expected to spread that Good News of our Salvation and to baptize all nations in the name of then Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit!  You and I are the modern day disciples, and we have been witnesses to Jesus’ words as well.  And so, simply stated, our Easter duty is also to evangelize, to spread the word, the Good News to all by being witnesses of all Jesus saw and did. 

  

Now, the scripture we just read tells one person’s story about how he evangelized.  It is Philip’s story; and it is a great lesson for all of us on what evangelizing is all about.  First and foremost, Philip believed.  Of course, he actually saw the risen Christ- he was there.  He was there to put his finger in the holes in Jesus hands and side and feet, to see Jesus eat a piece of baked fish,  and he listened as Jesus talked to the disciples about what the scriptures meant and how He had fulfilled their meaning.  He was there during Jesus’ three year mission of teaching as well.  And so, Philip believed and was well informed on what Jesus had said.

   

We have heard Jesus words as well, and we should all be believers- not just casual believers, but enthusiastic believers.  We have been saved; this Jesus stuff is real!  The Messiah did come and still lives.  We are going to see the Kingdom!  And so, we all need to be well informed, because that’s part of what it means to be a Christian.  We have got to know what it is that we are supposed to believe so that we can teach others.  We do that by the style of life we live, and by teaching others about Jesus at the right time.

   

Next, Philip heard Jesus direction to the disciples to spread the Good news to the ends of the earth by being witnesses to all Jesus said and did, and by baptizing all people.  But Philip didn’t just hear that direction, he lived it.  Indeed, Philip was so excited about his experience of Easter that he was in tune for what God had in mind for him.  And so, he recognized the angel sent by the Lord, the angel that sent him down the road from Jerusalem to Gaza on the Mediterranean Coast.  Yes, Philip heard his call to action and moved out.  He didn’t wait for all the details asking God questions like  “Which chariot, and what day and time”,   Or “exactly what am I to do in Gaza?”  No, rather, Philip was open to God moving him little by little.

   

All of us have been called to action to evangelize as well.  We do that by the behavior we exhibit.  Do we show our Easter joy?  Because, it can be infectious to those who don’t believe.  And are we listening to God as we pray, listening to that small still voice inside of us?  That little voice can give us little urgings to do something, or even just to say something when the situation arises, something that helps us to spread the good news. 

  

And so then what happens to Philip?  Well, God gives Philip the opportunity to evangelize.  God had placed this Ethiopian Eunuch in the Chariot with Philip.  The Eunuch was an official of the court of the Queen of Ethiopia, a far distant land in East Central Africa.  And by chance, the Eunuch was what we call a Jewish sympathizer, meaning he was not a Jew, but followed the Jewish scriptures.  This man was reading about Isaiah’s prophesy of the Messiah, and he was confused; he didn’t understand.  And so, Philip explained it all to him, about how Jesus was the Messiah and that all that was predicted in Isaiah had happened.  The Eunuch responded- he wanted to be baptized.  So Philip stopped the Chariot, and the Eunuch was baptized right then and there; and that started the Church in Ethiopia.  Traces of the Church can still be found there today despite historical events over the centuries, not the least of which was the spread of Islam beginning in the 7th century.  And so, Philip’s evangelization of the Eunuch  led to a significant spread of Christianity- the actions of just one person.  

 

Now this part of the story tells us a lot about our own duty to evangelize.  We don’t necessarily know why God has placed us at a specific place at a specific time.  But God knows.  And any place and any time can be the right place and the right time from God’s perspective.  This can be the right place and time for you and I to evangelize.  We, too, all will be given opportunities to influence others. 

  

As I look out at all of you today, I am reminded that you live in a large community here.  Where are all the others today?  Some that are not here, of course, have deep faith; but what about those who have drifted off from their faith, perhaps bitter over the experiences of life.  You folks live right along side of them.  It is never too late for them to see your Christian Easter joy over the fact that you are saved.  And it is never too late for you to share your joy and the message of Jesus when the time is right.  Is God calling you to do that? 

  

But Guess what?  Philip’s story was not over after the Eunuch was baptized.  As important and as significant as Philip’s actions were in the lives of the Ethiopians, the story did not end there.  Rather, we see that Philip, after baptizing the Eunuch, was caught up by the spirit, and after reaching Gaza, goes up the coast “Proclaiming the good news” in all the towns up to Caesarea.  

 

Likewise, our story does not end the first time we connect.  Our story goes on and on, as long as life is left in us.  Yes, we are called to share our joy as Christians continuously, even as we approach a ripe old age.  How exciting is that! 

That reminds me of a story about a person in my life.  I will call him Johnny and he is a member of my parish, Holy Family.  Right now Johnny is 87.  He was raised Catholic by one parent, andt his other parent was Jewish.  But he really took to his Christian Faith.  Johnny had a long career with a major company.and raised a family with his wife.  After Johnny retired, he became very active in the Church.  Despite multiple illnesses and surgeries, Johnny has not let that slow him down.  He uses a cane now, but still leads bible studies and participates in St. Vincent de Paul ministry to the poor. He always has a smile and a cheerful attitude.  Johnny’s wife has Alzheimer’s Disease now, and Johnny struggles to care for her in his own home.  His family is concerned about his health.  Johnny is concerned about his loved one.

 

Why do I bring Johnny up?  Because Johnny evangelizes his Christian faith by what he does.  He doesn’t have to talk about his faith, because everybody can see it in action.  But, the fact is, he loves to talk about it too- and he does that all the time. 

All of us have an Easter Duty-  to spread the Good News, the Gospel; to evangelize in word and deed.  There are a lot of potential Johnny’s right here-  people who can live their faith with grace and fervor and be a beacon to others that Jesus is risen and has brought us all everlasting life in heaven. 

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