Friday, February 26, 2021

Cast into the sea Micah 7:14-20

Lent is a time to fast and do penance for our sins.

But most of all,

Lent is a time to remember that

God removes all guilt;

God pardons sins;

God does not persist in anger;

God is Compassionate;

And casts our sins in to the depths of the sea.

God always welcomes us home with open arms

And a kiss on the cheek;

But we cannot receive His Loving embrace,

Unless we turn around and away from sin;

And return to His Heavenly House.

God Bless

Betrayal ! Gen. 37:3-28

Betrayal does not come from an enemy but from a friend.

This is what makes it even more painful.

Joseph was betrayed by his brothers who sold him as a slave,

And Jesus was betrayed by Judas his own disciple to the Sanhedrin.

When we sin,

We betray the Lord who loved us so much as to die for us.

We may not kiss the Lord on the cheek as Judas did.

But when we sin,

It pierces His Sacred Heart,

All the same.

God Bless

Trust in the Lord Jer. 17:5-10

The Babylonians were at the city gates of Jerusalem

Ready to storm the walls;

And Jeremiah tells the people,

Not to trust in their arrows;

Nor to trust in what people are telling them.

Trust instead in the Lord and they will be saved.

When the enemy of suffering and sorrow

Is at the gates of our hearts.

We should not trust in our money or power;

Or what everyone is telling us.

Rather we should trust in the Lord;

And we too will be saved.

God Bless

No glory without the cross Mt. 20:17-28

The mother of James and John

wanted her sons to sit at the right and left of Jesus in His Kingdom.

And Jesus told her that they first had to drink of the chalice,

That He was going to drink.

This is because,

There is no glory, without the cross.

The Kingdom of Heaven does not come cheap.

Jesus had to die on the cross to open its gates of Paradise.

The least we can do is carry our cross,

If we hope to walk through those Gates of Paradise with them.

God Bless

A little less talk and a little more action Mt. 23:1-12

The Pharisees put on quite a show.

They widened their phylacteries and lengthened their stoles

For all to see.

But they failed to put into practice what they preached.

This continues to be a problem even today.

People talk a lot on Facebook and Twitter,

And even with their neighbor.

But not much really changes.

What we probably need is a lot less talk

And a lot more action.

God Bless

The value of sin Dan. 9:4-10

The prophet Daniel confessed his sins to the Lord;

And acknowledged That he had rebelled and departed from God’s commandments.

When one acknowledges one’s sins.

One is more hesitant to condemn the sins of others.

When one asks God for mercy,

One is more willing to show mercy to others.

When one is afraid of being judged by God on the Last Day,

One is less quick to judge another person.

Sin can teach us lessons,

But only,

When we are willing to acknowledge our own sins first.

God Bless

Sacrifices

At first thought, Abraham sacrificing his son, Isaac sounds barbaric.

So why would God ask such a thing of him?

Back in the time of Abraham,

Human sacrifice was somewhat common.

So Abraham did not think it strange,

Although it was a sacrifice he did not want to make.

We like to think that we do not do such things nowadays

But do not Generals send their troops into battle

Knowing that some of them will be sacrificed and not make it back,

Such as at Picket’s charge at Gettysburg

And the Normandy Invasion in WW II.

And like Isaac, these men were willing to make the sacrifice

For the sake of a greater good.

Jesus too was willing to make the sacrifice.

His Father knew that sending His Only Begotten Son

Into battle with evil in this world would require the Ultimate Sacrifice.

But His Father would not leave His Son for dead.

But would raise Him up in Glory.

And every Mass is a Memorial of the Sacrifice Jesus made for us.

At every Mass we stand at the foot of the cross;

As Jesus gives us His Body

And pours out His blood.

So that we might not be slaves to the lies and illusions this world offers,

And we might not die forever,

But rise from our very graves on the Last Day.

What are the sacrifices we make in our lives?

Take courage because they make a difference.

For Not much in this world is ever accomplished without sacrifice.

So we come to Mass over and over again,

To take courage and strength to make the sacrifices we have to make,

Everyday of our lives.

For when we unite our sacrifice with the Sacrifice of Jesus,

We are unstoppable and can never be defeated;

Not even by death.

For the sacrifices we make with Jesus,

Bear fruit and goodness and love for all eternity.

God Bless

Monday, February 15, 2021

Be Perfect. Mt. 5:43-48

What does Jesus mean when he says we must be Perfect,

As our Heavenly Father is Perfect?

How can we finite and mortal beings be perfect like God?

Through Love and Forgiveness.

Love is only Perfect when it is shared with our enemies as well as our friends.

Forgiveness is only Perfect when it is offered to those who hate us and persecute us.

Otherwise we are no different than them;

No different than tax collectors.

God Bless

Reconciliation Mt. 5:20-26

Before walking in to Church;

Before kneeling down in prayer;

Before coming up for Communion.

There is one thing we must do.

And that is to be reconciled with one another.

If a brother or sister, or friend or neighbor has anything against us,

Or we against them,

We should strive to reconciled with them.

Now maybe that reconciliation might not work,

But the attempt must be made.

For only then will what we do here at Mass,

Bear fruit in our hearts.

God Bless

Queen Esther asking, Knocking and seeking.

Esther was a queen,

Yet in spite of all her money and power and influence,

She needed God.

And so she prostrated herself on the ground from morning until evening in prayer.

When was the last time you prostrated yourself on the ground,

From morning until evening in prayer?

Prayer can take all forms,

From Asking, to Seeking, to Knocking

And even to prostrating.

God Bless

Signs Lk. 11:29-32

Jesus warned about the danger of looking for signs.

If I performed some great sign,

Such as healing the sick or raising the dead,

Or making water flow from the Jumbo,

This church would be packed.

Instead, all I do is change bread and wine,

Into the Body and /blood of Christ,

That will raise you up on the Last Day to Eternal Life,

And only a handful come.

Those who believe, need no sign,

While those who do not,

Even if someone rises from the dead,

They will still not believe.

God Bless

Polycarp!

Now there’s a name you don’t hear too often.

But has been remembered in the Halls of the Kingdom of Heaven.

His is a name and a life though that will never be forgotten.

For he was a disciple of St. John the Apostle,

Who ordained him as Bishop of Smyrna.

And who was later burned at the stake and stabbed to death for the Faith.

And one of the three chief Apostolic Fathers,

Along with Clement of Rome and Ignatius of Antioch.

He once said,

“Hear me declare with boldness, I am a Christian!”

Perhaps if we are unashamed and just as bold about being a Christian,

Our name will be remembered forever,

In the Kingdom of Heaven.

God Bless

The Chair of St. Peter

There are many different kinds of chairs.

There are desk chairs and dining room chairs and lounge chairs and poolside chairs.

Where a person sits says a lot about them and what they do.

Today we celebrate the chair of St. Peter. That chair symbolizes the who St. Peter was and what he did.

Peter is the man of Faith who professes that Jesus is the Christ.

Peter is the Rock on which the church is built.

Peter is the keeper of the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

Peter is the shepherd who feeds the sheep.

Peter was the first to enter the Empty Tomb and believe

There is no other like Him in the Scriptures.

And The Pope continues this unique role of Peter in the Church.

For while there are many different chairs there is only one Chair of St. Peter

God Bless

Temptation

Temptations at first seem to be a good thing,

Which is why we are attracted to them,

But somewhere along the road,

They take a dark turn,

And what seemed sort of innocent at first,

overtakes us and we do things and say things,

We normally would never do.

For example Everyone wants to be loved,

But in that desire to be loved,

sometimes we give in to the temptation and get caught up in the wrong relationships.

Some People believe that if we had the power they could change the world,

For in the end power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Just ask Napoleon, Hitler or or Stalin.

Others are tempted to money thinking that if only they had a little more,

They would be happy;

But the rich have more money than they can spend in a lifetime,

But they are no happier than the poor.

Food does not bring happiness,

So why do we overeat when we are sad or lonely.

as if it does.

We all have our own personal temptations,

Demons that whisper in our ear with

Empty promises and lies.

What do you think tempted the Son of God?

Jesus was Tempted by the hungers of the flesh rather than the Spirit.

He was Tempted to power, to change the world rather than suffer for it.

Tempted to question His Father’s Will for Him to die on a cross,

But He resisted them.

And because He did.

He was free to follow His Spirit rather than His flesh.

He knew His Father’s Love for Him, so He was willing to lay down His life,

To Show His love in return;

And he knew power never changed the world or anyone’s heart,

Unlike Jesus, however;

We give in to our temptations sometimes.

And become trapped by their lies.

All Temptations start off small almost unnoticeable

But slowly become a voice inside our head that grows louder and louder

Until it is all that we can hear.

These become the screams of Drug Addiction,

Pornography, Gluttony, Laziness, Jealousy, Hatred and Anger.

And the cure is to repent.

For Repentance quiets the voices inside our head,

So that we can hear voice of God.

God Bless

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Calling all Sinners! Lk. 5:27-32

The Pharisees and scribes shunned people they thought were sinners.

So they were stunned to see Jesus eating with them.

For by associating with sinners risked becoming like them.

Jesus however took a different view.

By associating with sinners,

It not them who was going to rub off on Jesus,

But Jesus who would rub off on them.

His holiness, His Love, His Mercy and His Compassion

Would touch their broken and sinful hearts and heal them.

So associate with all kinds of people,

Friend and foe,

Saint and sinner,

And let the Love of God bring Peace and Healing to all you meet.

God Bless

Good and bad Fasting Is. 58:1-9

Lent is a season of Fasting,

But there is good and bad Fasting according to the prophet Isaiah.

Bad Fasting is when a person Fasts on Sunday and then quarrels and argues on Monday.

When a person Fasts on Tuesday and lives a life of selfishness on Wednesday.

Good Fasting changes a person not just physically,

But spiritually and emotionally for the better.

Not just for a day, but for a week and a month,

Even a lifetime.

God Bless

The Religion of the Cross Lk. 9:22-25

Everyone likes to talk about how Jesus says we should love one another,

And we should.

But no one likes to talk about how Jesus said that we must “deny ourselves and take up our cross.”

To be a true Christian, one MUST deny oneself and take up the cross.

For that self denial and carrying of one’s cross is what purifies our hearts so that our love for other’s might be real and pretend or self serving.

God Bless

Rend your hearts, not your garments. Joel 2:13

Usually during Lent, we think about things we can give up.

Usually sweets or meat.

Some people may choose to Fast.

While all of these things are good,

The Prophet Joel reminds us to

Rend our hearts, not our garments.

The ancient people of Israel use to tear or rend their garments as a sign of sorrow for their sins.

But often their Hearts would stay the same.

What good is it to Fast or abstain from sweets or meat,

If our hearts do not change;

Jesus tore open His Sacred Heart on the cross when a sword pierced it.

And from it flowed His Redeeming love.

We must rend our hearts,

Tear them open and let out all of the ill will and sins

That are in them.

Empty our hearts rather than our stomachs.

So that they might be filled with the Love and Mercy and Compassion of God.

And then our hearts will be Gentle and Humble

Like the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

God Bless

Tuesday 6th Week of Ordinary Time

The Flood Genesis 6

In the story of Noah, the earth was so filled with wickedness,

That God sent a flood to “cleanse” it.

That is what water does.

It washes dirt away and cleanses things.

But God swore after the flood never to send another one,

So how can God cleanse us of our wickedness and sins today?

Through Baptism!

At Baptism we are washed clean of our sins,

And in Confession we are washed clean again as the priest gives “Absolution”

Whether we just have a few smudges,

Or have been wallowing in the mud,

We can all be washed clean through Baptism and Confession

And have brand new start in life whenever we want one.

God Bless

Monday 6th Week of Ordinary Time

Cain and Abel

Ever since Cain and Abel,

Humanity has been asking “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Gen. 4:9

And ever since then his life has been one of conflict and division.

Cast out the Garden from which he came.

Only when Man learns that He IS His brother’s keeper,

Will Humanity find its way back to the Garden.

And to its Original Innocence.

God Bless

Who is a leper? Mk. 1:40-45

At the time of Jesus, lepers were to be avoided for both religious and social reasons.

They were considered unclean and therefore religious people avoided them.

There was also fear that if they got too close you too might catch the disease.

So where was a leper to go?

No one would talk to them.

No one would get close to them.

No one would associate with them

except Jesus!

Are there people we will not talk to?

People we stay away from?

People with whom we will not associate?

Are there people who will not talk to us?

People who stay away from us?

People who will not associate with us?

Perhaps we are all lepers in one form or another.

So what are we afraid of.

Healing, reconciliation and redemption can only come

if we reach out to each other.

Especially those who are different from us;

As Jesus did.

And if we do then maybe one day there will be no more lepers.

God Bless

Friday, February 5, 2021

Saturday 5th Week of Ordinary Time

Hiding from God Genesis 3:9-24

Ever since Adam and Eve ate the apple humanity has been hiding not only from God but from itself.

Adam and Eve did not want God to see them naked;

To see them as they really were.

So they hid from God and tried to cover themselves from their nakedness.

People hide from themselves by pretending to be who they are not.

Or ignoring their own actions.

Wearing masks to hide their true self from others.

God however sees us as we really are.

Nothing is hidden from God who looks into the depths of our hearts.

Only when we see ourselves as God sees us will we ever return to our original state of holiness.

God Bless

Friday 5th Week of Ordinary Time

Truth comes in many forms;

Historical, Theological and Philosophical.

Sin too comes in many different forms,

From anger, pride, selfishness, jealousy, greed to name just a few of its form.

And its only purpose is to divide,

And and the truth of the story of Genesis

Is that sin divides.

When Adam and Eve ate the apple

They became divided

From God;

From each other and

From all of creation.

And while sin may look good,

Nothing good comes from sin,

And It will never bear fruit in your life.

God Bless

Thursday 5th Week of Ordinary Time

Adam and Eve Genesis 2:18-25

God created Eve from the side of Adam,

So that they might walk side by side,

Not one in front of the other.

And when Adam saw Eve he said,

“At last this one is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.”

From the beginning therefore

Man and Woman were meant to be united.

For only when they become one flesh,

Are they truly whole!

God Bless

Wednesday 5th Week of Ordinary Time

The Tree Good and Evil Gen. 2

God gave the entire Garden to Adam and Eve,

Except the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil.

Why not that tree?

Because when Man eats of that tree He will not only know Good but He also knows Evil.

And from that day onward,

Man would be conflicted within Himself,

On choosing between Good and Evil.

For so often what appears to be Good is really Evil.

And only the cross,

The Tree on which Jesus died,

Enlightens Man to what is Truly Good and Evil.

God Bless

Tuesday 5th Week of Ordinary Time

God creates Genesis 1:20

The book of Genesis speaks about how God filled the waters with fish and the sky with birds and the land with all kinds of wild animals.

And after everything is in place,

God created Adam and Eve.

Who is to have Dominion over

All the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky

And the animals on the land.

In his encyclical on the Environment,

The Pope reminds us,

that all of creation and everything in it,

Is brother, sister and mother to us.

And that when we exploit the earth,

Its animals and riches,

We are exploiting ourselves,

Depleting our own riches,

And the place we call home.

For we too,

Came from the earth.

And to the earth we will return.

God Bless

Monday 5th Week of Ordinary Time

The Creator Genesis 1:1-19

The Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed that we say at Mass reaffirms what we read in the book of Genesis;

That God created all things!

As 2 Peter 3:8 says “with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

It does not matter if the Lord created the world in 7 days or 7 billion years.

God has all eternity to work with, so God is in no hurry.

What matters is that as Christinas,

we believe that God is the Creator,

Of all things “visible and Invisible.”

Including us!

God Bless

St. Colette

St. Colette

(1381-1447)

Colette did not seek the limelight, but in doing God’s will she certainly attracted a lot of attention.

Colette was born in Corbie, France. At 21 she began to follow the Third Order Rule and became an anchoress, a woman walled into a room whose only opening was a window into a church.

After four years of prayer and penance in this cell, she left it. With the approval and encouragement of the pope, she joined the Poor Clares and reintroduced the primitive Rule of St. Clare in the 17 monasteries she established. Her sisters were known for their poverty—they rejected any fixed income—and for their perpetual fast. Colette’s reform movement spread to other countries and is still thriving today. Colette was canonized in 1807.

In her spiritual testament, Colette told her sisters: "We must faithfully keep what we have promised. If through human weakness we fail, we must always without delay arise again by means of holy penance, and give our attention to leading a good life and to dying a holy death. May the Father of all mercy, the Son by his holy passion, and the Holy Spirit, source of peace, sweetness and love, fill us with their consolation. Amen."

Colette began her reform during the time of the Great Western Schism (1378-1417) when three men claimed to be pope and thus divided Western Christianity. The 15th century in general was a very difficult one for the Western Church. Abuses long neglected cost the Church dearly in the following century; the prayers of Colette and her followers may have lessened the Church’s troubles in the 16th century. In any case, Colette’s reform indicated the entire Church’s need to follow Christ more closely.

God Bless

5th Sunday of Ordinary Time

The Dialogue

Just before the Holy, Holy, Holy before Mass we have what is known as the

Dialogue and the Preface.

The Dialogue consists of three phrases that the priest says and to which the congregation responds.

At first thought they are simple and even repetitive to the point of being routine.

But they are anything but routine.

When the priest says,

The Lord be with you !

What is He saying?

He is saying the Lord is with you.

Meaning, the Son of God is with you.

the Good Shepherd is with you.

The Bread of Life is with you.

The Resurrection and the Life is with you.

The Way, the Truth and the Life is with you.

The One who calms the wind and the waves of life is with you.

The One who heals the sick and comforts those who mourn is with you.

The priest then says,

Lift up your hearts!

And why not!

The Lord is with us.

We are not and never will be alone.

All we need and the Person who can give it to us,

Is With with us!

We should lift our hearts up out of the the sorrow and despair of this world,

And up to the heights and joy of Heaven.

For the Lord is with us,

And nothing, absolutely nothing

Can stop us or defeat us.

For the Lord of Heaven and Earth,

Who is Risen from the Dead

Is with us.

Our hearts should lift themselves up with joy!

Then the priest says,

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

No matter what we are going through,

We should give thanks.

For we are alive.

We are breathing;

We have the Lord with us.

And nothing can separate us from Him.

Not life nor death,

Not suffering or sorrow;

Not poverty or powers

Can separate us from the Love of God.

And then just in case we have forgotten that

The Lord is with us

And that our hearts should be joyful

And filled with thanks,

The Preface reminds us of all the good things that God has done;

From creating this world,

To sending His Son to die and rise for us,

To redeeming us and promising us Eternal Life.

The Angels know this.

So they spend night and day,

And all of eternity,

Praising and thanking God.

So we too join all the angels and saints

Who are here present around this altar,

In one great chorus of Praise,

As all of Heaven and Earth cry out together,

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord.

For Blessed is the Lord Who is coming to us

Here on this altar

In His very Body and Blood,

To feed our body and souls

And to offer us Eternal Life.

And it is all possible because

The Lord is with us!

God Bless