Deacon Larry

  February 24, 2008

Third Sunday of Lent

Ex 17: 3-7; Rom 5: 1-2, 5-8; Jn 4: 5-42

Dc. Larry Brockman

“Shorten the distance between our heads and our hearts”.  That quote from a prayer by Pope John XXIII came to mind as I heard the gospel today.  You see, there are two kinds of thirsts in this world:  Horizontal thirsts, and vertical thirsts.   

Horizontal thirsts are for the things around us.  They are driven by our heads.  You thirst for food, drink, companionship, money, and all the things of this world because your head tells you that you want or need them.  They are things you need to survive; things that give you pleasure; things that put you in control.  Implicit in the search for them is your own will. 

Before the exile, the Israelis had food and water, and they had security.  What they lacked was freedom, the ability to worship their God and to choose their own destiny.  They saw the need to pursue the second kind of thirsts.  These are the “vertical thirsts”; the things of the heart, things that truly lift spirits.  Vertical thirsts are for life’s higher meaning.  The Israeli’s were slaves, and had no hope for a future.  They prayed for freedom, for meaning to life; they prayed for salvation from slavery.  And because they put their trust in the Lord; God answered their call; God delivered them from the Egyptians in the Exodus.  They followed his commands, and did as he commanded them through Moses.  But soon after their deliverance they forgot how important God and God’s will was.  As they traveled through the desert, they craved water, food, and security.  They held back when God nudged them on their way.  They hardened their hearts toward the Lord, grumbling against the Lord and Moses.  They even dreamed to be back in Egypt where they had food and water and security.  They did not trust in the Lord to provide for them.  Their priorities became messed up.  The Israelis had shifted from the Lord’s will as the priority to their own will, the will to be comfortable.   

Consider now the woman at the well in the Gospel.  Most people went to get water from the well early in the morning, before the heat of the day or late in the day, after the hot sun was gone.  We find this woman going in the middle of the day- perhaps because she wanted to avoid others, and the scandal of her situation.  She had gone through 5 husbands, and was living with someone else- a sixth man.  She thirsted for happiness, and tried to find it in companionship.  Yet, clearly, the companionship she chose did not make her happy.  Indeed, we find that she is not a happy woman at all.  From the conversation she had with Jesus, she is anxious for the “living water” that would give her eternal life- still hoping to find the magic worldly solution to happiness.  Again, her priorities were messed up.  Indeed, the worldly solution to happiness is an illusion- the illusion that the longings of our hearts can be satisfied with earthly treasures.   

However, Jesus has another view.  The things your head tells you you’ve got to have; when these are your primary focus, then your priorities are not straight.  They are not what will make you happy.  The things of the heart are what really make you happy.  These are the spiritual water and food that Jesus speaks about.  Note that when the disciples returned from the market with food, Jesus tells them that He already has food to eat.  He tells them that “My food is to do the will of the Father”.  Jesus makes his top priority striving to follow God’s plan in his life knowing that if He does that, God will provide all else.    Likewise, all of you need to follow God’s will for you and not the illusion of worldly happiness. 

And what is that- God’s will for you?  It is a reflection of God’s attitude towards all of us.  God loved us by sending His own Son to suffer and die for us.  As St. Paul says, through that act of love, we have all been justified,  God loves all of us that much.  So, God’s will for you is that you love one another, as He loves us.  That means that you care as much about the needs of the people around you, both spiritual and material, as you do about your own needs.  You do that by speaking well of others; thinking well of others; and acting on behalf of others in their needs.   

Lent is that special time of the Church year when you are all called to reflect on life, reflect on your relationship with God, and reflect on your priorities in life.  Are you buying into the illusion of happiness through the things of the world, through horizontal thirsts motivated by your own will?  Are things and comforts what is driving you?  Or is your priority doing God’s will, by spreading your love in your families and relationships with others?  In other words, are you shortening the distance between your head and your heart? 

January 27, 2008

3^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is 8: 23 – 9:3; 1 Cor 1: 10-13, 17; Mt 4: 12-23

Dc. Larry Brockman

Are there competing factions in today’s society like those Paul speaks of in Corinth?  You bet there are.  Factions are a sad fact of life- they are everywhere. 

Paul describes a situation we can all relate to today  We see that in Paul’s time people aligned themselves with one movement or another, people felt their group had the answer,  and everyone else needed to be converted.  There was a tendency for these groups to be closed, exclusive, and even hostile to those who didn’t agree with them.  It happened in Corinth over different preachers.  It happens in our community between different groups in the Parish; between different faiths, between one school and another.  And it’s not just here in our immediate community either, because there is a growing tendency towards polarization in society as a whole today.  The current presidential primaries are a perfect example. 

This kind of polarization is fed by people who want to be justified.  Some of them even assume that God is only on their side.  They feel justified by the acceptance and support from their own group.  That even seems to legitimize the hostility towards the others.  But God has other ideas.  One of the most wonderful things about people is our diversity.  God has not given any of us perfection.  Everybody has strengths; and everybody has weaknesses.  It is only together that we can accomplish God’s plan by each person fulfilling God’s destiny for them, and by working together to achieve harmony between factions.  The catalyst for achieving harmony is Christ, whose goal was predicted by Isaiah.  For as Isaiah says of the Lord- “You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing”.  Isaiah is foretelling that God would send his Son Jesus to be one of us; to save us, and that was the source of great joy.   

In the Gospel we see a Jesus who does not act alone.  Indeed, He recruits disciples at the beginning of his public ministry.  But Jesus ministry was intended to heal.  He used his own words and actions to unify and heal and to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom.  We are called upon to do the same- to unify and heal, and to build the Kingdom of God.  We are called upon to abandon polarization and factions.  But how?   

First, we need to recognize that the “truth” is like a three dimensional object.  It doesn’t have just one side to it; there are multiple sides. Likewise, there are multiple perspectives to the truth.  That doesn’t mean that truth is relative.  Rather, it means that no one person is capable of seeing all of the truth from just their perspective.  Living in an affluent upper middle class community colors our perspective on managing resources, for example.  The perspective is quite different in a poor inner city neighborhood.  God’s intent for his people needs to be discerned from these multiple perspectives.  Second, to discern the truth we need to be a prayerful people.  We are simply not able to break down our natural barriers to change by ourselves.  The status quo is often too comfortable.  We need God’s help to move us out of our complacency, to motivate us to grow.  Third, we need to show the proper respect for all of God’s people.  One of the primary ways we show respect is to listen.  As I have already said, nobody has it all.  Nobody has everything completely right.  There are multiple perspectives on the truth.  So, we must always be open to growing, and building toward the truth.  That means we need to listen to “other sides” of the issues- those other perspectives on the three dimensional image. 

Fourth, the message is what is important, not the messengers.  People are often carried away by eloquence rather than essence.  Adolph Hitler was, in a sense, eloquent.  He was very effective at leading people by his style of speaking.  But it is not the style, not the ability to appeal to the emotions which is important.  It is the message itself.  And for us Catholics, the message should be consistent with the values and morality that the Church teaches.  No matter how eloquent or popular a person or group is, it is the message they broadcast that is important. 

Lastly, everything we do should build unity.  Divisive attitudes where individuals and groups destructively criticize each other is counterproductive.  You are not responsible for other Catholic communities and other Catholics, but you are responsible for you.  You can decide to be true to Christ and his Church here and now.  Today Jesus will come among us again and feed our souls with his own strength and wisdom in Holy Communion.  Let that be the beginning of a new chapter in our lives and the life of our Church, a chapter in which we recognize that the truth has many perspectives, not just our own; one in which we will listen to those other perspectives; one in which we pray for the gift of discernment to concentrate on the real message of Christ, the message of our faith in the catechism.  So that together we build unity, and not divisions. 

December 30, 2007

Homily

Holy Family

Sir 3:2-6, 12-14; Col 3: 12-21; Mt 2: 13-15, 19-23

Dc. Larry Brockman

One of my favorite movies this time of year is Christmas Vacation.  The overdone Christmas Trees and lights; aged parents who only talk about their aches and pains, and who still treat their adult children as, well, children;  and everybody’s worst dream for a visiting relative- Cousin Eddie, complete with leisure suits, a 100 year old camper, and an awful dog.  Yes indeed, you can all laugh, because you have all experienced some element of this exaggerated mess in your own families as you watch Clark W Griswald try to host the “perfect Family Christmas”.   

My wife reminded me during the film, that Clark seems to be sinning continually!  “Little things” like his eyes all over the sales clerk, mistreating his neighbors, and loosing his temper.  So, even though Clark’s goal was to bring the whole family together for a fun filled time at Christmas, you can see that something was dreadfully wrong.  There’s an obvious missing element.  Christ played no role in Clark’s Family Christmas.  The family was not functioning as a Christian Family.  Today’s liturgy is for the feast of Holy Family.  A Holy Christian family echoes the trinity- an intricate network of relationships between all the persons in the family.  All of these relationships are essential; and all of the persons are dependent on each other.  But God and his law must be integral to those relationships.

Today’s readings address three elements of a Christian Family.  In the Old Testament reading and the psalm respect and mutual cooperation between the members are advised, so that each person in the family can fulfill the role that God intended for them.  The Moms and the Dads are in charge.  Their authority comes from God- but along with that authority comes responsibility.  Parents must not abuse their authority, nor neglect their role to always love their children.  Parents educate their children in their faith by word and example.  Paul talks about how parents are to carry out these responsibilities.  Just as the new life of their children flowed from joyful and mutual self-giving to each other, so children need a home atmosphere nourished by that same joyful, self-forgetful love.  It’s not so much a matter of parenting techniques as it is a matter of parents loving one another unconditionally, as Christ loves each of them.  They even teach their children about love in their older years, because they teach their children to reciprocate the unconditional love they have received. 

The Readings remind us that children have a key role too.   They are to honor and obey their parents while they are growing up, and respect and care for them later on.  When selfishness develops in the family, it shows up as a lack of respect and a lack of mutual love.  It is then that healing is needed in the family. 

That’s where the second element comes in. It can be summed up in two simple words: I’m sorry.  If you know how to say, “I’m sorry,” your family relationships can endure and grow even through very, very difficult times.  “Put on. patience,” Paul writes, “bearing with one another and forgiving one another,  Make a commitment to always be the first one to say “I’m sorry” whenever there is the slightest need.    

 But even your best efforts to build a truly Christian family will face obstacles.  And that’s where the third element comes in.  To build a healthy Christian family, you have to expect trouble and be prepared to deal with it.   All of you have free will.  Along with it, you have a tendency towards selfishness and the sin that follows it-  and you are surrounded by family members with those same weaknesses.  The life that God gives you is a continual test.  Today’s Gospel described a family on the run, suffering, struggling just to survive.  If that’s what happened to the holiest family in history, surely you can expect the same for your families.  God permits hardships, because he knows that working together to resolve hardships will bring you closer to him.  Matthew points out that the flight to Egypt fulfilled a prophecy – it furthered God’s plan of salvation.  It is the same when you face the hardships of family life together, you grow in virtue and glorify God better when you deal with adversity,   because it is then that you have a chance to truly practice love. 

Families which exhibit these three elements- mutual respect, forgiveness, and sticking together through hardships- these are families that foster a stable, Christian society.  They are building the Kingdom of God. 

But nowadays, this ideal Family structure is being attacked.  Secular society is trying desperately to extinguish family life.  The forces behind this don’t recognize God’s plan.  They disfigure the image of God, the human family.  Their model for the family includes Homosexual unions, abortion, contraception and pre-marital sex, no-fault divorces and euthanasia.  All of these implicitly broadcast that we are our own gods, that we, not God, determine the model for life.  As we celebrate the feast of Holy Family, let us resolve to be Christian Families despite secular pressures. 

There’s an old saying that goes something like this:  “Everyone’s greatest blessing is also their greatest curse.”  When you think about your family today, remember, that whatever troubles you may be experiencing in it, your family has the potential to be your greatest blessing, and an avenue to the Kingdom of God.    

  November 24-25, 2007

Homily

Christ The King

2 Sam 5: 1-3; 2 Col 1: 12-20; Luke 23: 35-43

Dc. Larry Brockman

Is Christ your King?  This is the question raised in today’s liturgy.   

As Jesus hung on the cross,  He was mocked by the people;  And the rulers sneered at him; they challenged him to show he was king by coming down from the cross.  But, that was not God’s will for him.  God’s will for Jesus was that he preach God’s message- a message that appeals to us to believe in an unseen God; a message that teaches love of God and neighbor, not selfishness; a message that includes the beatitudes.  The beatitudes demand a conversion of the heart, not just strict obedience to the law; and a message that calls us to respond of our own free will, to accept the invitation to the Kingdom  by doing God’s will on earth.  But it must be a voluntary acceptance.  God did not want Jesus to come down off the cross, because He wanted those to choose Him and believe based on the message itself; he didn’t want people to be swayed by power alone. 

Christ’s Kingship and Kingdom were described by Paul to the Colossians.  Jesus is the image of the invisible God; all things were created for him; he is pre-eminent; he makes peace by the blood of his cross; and, as Paul says, “Jesus delivered us from the power of darkness to share in the Kingdom of light”.   

This is a very appropriate time to celebrate Christ the King.  The feast was first put on the Church Calendar by Pius XI in 1925 as a reminder of Christ’s kingship because of things going on in the world at that time, things which are being echoed in different ways today.  In Pius XI’s time, just after WW I, the Bolsheviks were bringing Atheistic Communism into Russia and recovery from WW I was characterized by an abandonment of Christian values for secular solutions.  The Pope saw wholesale abandonment of Christian Values on the horizon.  So, he instituted the feast of Christ the King to remind all Catholics who their king was; and to renew their commitment to Christian Values.  Today, we are experiencing a push to Atheism and an abandonment of Christian values as well-  abandonment of school prayer; forbidding prayer at School commencements; openly atheistic values being pushed in children’s films; large companies abandoning “Merry Christmas” for “Happy Holidays”.  They use the argument that they don’t want to offend as a ruse;  And now, some stores are selling “Family Trees” not Christmas Trees.  It’s all part of a very deliberate nudge to Godlessness, to atheism.  Similarly, our values are eroding.  Abortion and Euthanasia are being pushed; it’s all about convenience; it’s all about number one; not about our neighbor;  and the sanctity of marriage is being attacked on multiple fronts.  These are the same kinds of symptoms that Pius XI saw in 1925.  We need to be reminded, just as the people in 1925, that Christ is our King, that we are Christians above all and that we must live by Christian values to merit His kingdom.  It is a call to renewal.   

In the first reading, the Israelites “renewed” their covenant with God, by anointing David King and by walking away from Saul, who had abandoned their core values.  We are being called to do the same- to renew our commitment to Christ and Christian values; not just in our private lives, but also in our public lives.   

How can you do that?  First, you need to learn more about your faith so you can defend it.  Our parish offers opportunities to do that for adults like the new Catechism classes being organized.  Second, you can stand up for Christian values by publicly taking a stand.  It can be as simple as letting the store manager know that practices like Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, and “Family Trees” instead of Christmas Trees offend us as Christians because they take Christ out of Christmas, and that is Wrong!   

There’s an interesting story I’d like to leave you with about standing up for your values.  It’s about an English historian and writer, Hilaire Belloc, who ran for the British Parliament.    His opponents tried to scare off his supporters by claiming that Belloc’s faithfulness to the Catholic Church would inhibit him from being objective.  Belloc responded in a speech:   “Gentlemen, I am a Catholic. As far as possible, I go to Mass every day. This [taking his beads out of his pocket] is a rosary.  As far as possible, I kneel down and use these beads every day.  If you reject me on account of my religion, I shall thank God for having spared me the indignity of being your representative.”  The crowd was shocked for a minute, and then burst out in applause.  Belloc went on to win that election, and many more. 

October 27-28, 2007

30th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Sir 35: 12-14, 16-18; 2 Tim 4: 6-8, 16-18; Luke 18: 9-14

Dc. Larry Brockman

Does God listen to you when you pray?  Last week, we heard that we should pray persistently.  This week, we hear that we need to pray sincerely and we need to be humble.  It is our challenge to put these three together; to pray persistently, and yet, sincerely and humbly each time we pray.   

Prayer is a relationship.  It is our relationship played out with God.  Think about some key relationship that you have for a moment.  When you communicate with the other person, do you just talk about yourself?  If your message to them is always about what you do and how great you are, does that relationship flourish?  On the other hand, if your relationship is one of mutual understanding and sharing, one in which you both share with each other- the good and the bad- a relationship which is honest, humble and open, where you listen as well as talk; chances are it will flourish.  It will be valued by both parties.   

Today’s parable says that the Pharisee didn’t go home justified, but the Tax Collector did.  Why?  First, because the Pharisee talked just about himself.  He wasn’t humble, and he didn’t recognize that prayer is a relationship.  True, he spoke in thanksgiving to God- but unfortunately, there’s a strong flavor of self righteousness in that thanksgiving.  The Pharisee even served as his own judge- judging himself relative to the Tax Collector- how arrogant.  But the Tax collector’s prayer was like a good relationship.  He recognized it was a two way communications.  He humbly confessed his sins, and asked for mercy.   

There’s a second reason the Tax collector was heard, and the Pharisee was not.  Jesus cleverly used the Pharisee in this role because the pre-condition for being a Pharisee was a reputation; a history.  The Pharisee had a reputation of being a spiritual leader, someone who had made it through the challenges of life successfully; someone who was respected and looked up to.  The Tax Collector, on the other hand, was despised.  I recall the Movie “The Nativity”  It depicted a Tax Collector squeezing everything out of the people in Mary’s community.  He was ruthless- he took a family member to be sold in slavery because one poor person could not pay.  This is the reputation the Tax Collectors had.  Yet, Jesus says the Tax Collector went home justified and the Pharisee did not.  Tax Collectors had power and it was easy for them to abuse it.  Everyone could see their sins.  But, this Tax Collector knew he was a sinful man.  His prayer asked for mercy- that was the essence of his prayer.  The Pharisee neither accepted that he was a sinner; nor did he ask for mercy.  But he should have because all of us are sinners.  For some, the sins are obvious- like the tax collector’s.  For others, the sins can be less public, yet they are surely there. 

For example, a primary sin in our society is self-righteousness.  We are all called to do God’s will.  But it is God’s Spirit and grace working in us that affects all things.  We are only the instruments of that Grace.  The credit goes to God, not to ourselves.  In addition, the Pharisee sins by judging people.   He plays favorites, and he takes pleasure in criticizing others. 

When you are successful in society, it is easy to hide these more subtle sins, just as the Pharisee did.  They are often sins of omission, separation, and inaction.  But today, Sirach has some strong words of warning.  He says that the prayer of the oppressed will be heard  And then says: “nor will it withdraw until the Most High responds, judges justly, and affirms the right”.  Yes, the sins of the Pharisee, are unrecognized, not confessed, and worst of all- ones for which no mercy has been sought.  Even these sins are subject to judgment.  And when one is unrepentant and doesn’t ask for mercy, that’s when the Judgment can be harsh.  That is the essence of why the Pharisee went away ‘Not being justified” in the parable, even though he did all the right things publicly.   

The second reading brings up an interesting contrast, one that helps us to understand true humility.  Paul claims a crown of righteousness based on successfully performing his Mission.  Paul was imprisoned at the time, and that meant his days were numbered.  Is Paul’s claim of righteousness the same as the Pharisee’s self righteous prayer?  Decidedly not.  You see, Paul’s actions were all about serving other people, not himself.  Paul wasn’t concerned about fine dress, taking the high places accorded to those who were successful and taking credit himself for appearing to live according to the law.  Paul was concerned about God’s will for him- preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles; and he did that with vigor.   He didn’t have a home, but traveled and lived on the run.  Paul’s example was one of self-giving, not self absorption.  Paul was looking for that crown in the next world, not this one.  

In CS Lewis’ story “The Great Divorce” the narrator discovers a ravishingly beautiful woman being treated like a queen when he tours heaven.  He discovers that the woman was a poor maid in her worldly life.  She spent her life where God had planted her, scrubbing floors, tending children, serving others.  But in all that time, she prayed constantly to her God- and kept the Faith.  She had a relationship with God.  She humbled herself, and as promised, she was glorified in the end. 

  September 29-30, 2007

26th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Amos 6: 1a, 4-7; 1 Tim 6: 11-16; Luke 16: 19-31

Dc. Larry Brockman

 “Woe to the complacent in Orlando”!  That could well be the message to us.  I ask you then, are you complacent?  And if so, what does that mean in your quest to become a member of the Kingdom of God.   

In Amos’ time, the people of Judah were living a life of luxury while their Northern Neighbors suffered a threat of attack.  Indeed, the attack came 20 years later, and was followed by an attack on Judah itself.  But, the people of Judah partied in that time.  They turned a blind eye; they had deaf ears to the impending disaster around them.  They ignored the prophet Amos when they had a chance to act, and they forgot about God.  Life was too good; they didn’t want to be bothered with the uncomfortable truth.  They just wanted to be left alone in peace.  They were complacent.   

In his life, the rich man in the Gospel was complacent, too, wearing purple- the color of royalty, and fine linen- an expensive import of the day; feasting sumptuously, every day= every day- while Lazarus begged for scraps, competing with the dogs every day.  The rich man was incredibly complacent.   

Notice that there are some common themes in the complacency.  First, people were not committing evil deeds- sins- by their actions.  Rather, they were committing a very subtle evil- the sin of omission, by their inaction.  When you really think about it, sins of omission are the ones that cause the most tremendous evils.  Sins of omission caused a minority power, the Nazis, to rise to power in Germany.  In fact, when good people failed to act when there was still a chance, similar situations developed in Cambodia, Uganda, and Bosnia.  And now, it’s happening in Darfur.   

Closer to home, sins of omission caused a dangerous situation in New Orleans.  Prophets were ignored for years about what could happen, and then after Katrina, sins of omission perpetuated the disaster   

Another common thread in complacency is this:  It’s one thing to be ignorant of the fate of others; it’s quite another to be so caught up in ourselves that we ignore it.  You see, both the Israelis and the Rich man knew.  The prophet Amos warned the Israelis, and the Rich man knew Lazurus’ name.  They knew alright, they just chose to ignore problems, even when they were right in front of them.  On the other hand, neither of the readings attacks the concept of being well off either.  So being blessed is not the problem.  No, the problem is that attitude of complacency which  is characterized by ignoring evil, and by inaction I the face of it.     

Now living in this wonderful country, with all of the opportunities we have means that that we are blessed.  When you are blessed, you may have more of a challenge.  Because when you are blessed, it is easier to be complacent, and to be part of a culture that is complacent; to ignore the pain and suffering of those less fortunate, and decide not to take any action.  Because when you are prospering, when you are working hard to stay blessed, when you are able to live your agenda, when you are involved with your family and friends, and enjoying the prosperity you have, it is then that you don’t have the time to get involved.  It is then that situations are passed over and ignored even though you know they are there.   

That begs the question- what can one do to combat an attitude of complacency in today’s prosperous society?   Paul says to Timothy:  “But you, man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, love, patience, and gentleness”.   Pursue these- that’s the answer.  How?  Well, first, why not vow to perform just one deliberate act of selfless service each day for someone else?  You see, if you actively pursue ways to be gentle, kind, loving, and righteous in the events that occur in your daily life, you will become more and more sensitive to the larger injustices of the world and the Spirit will prompt you on how to combat them.  Begin with little things.  Second, be sensitive to the things your heart is telling you to do when you feel complacency coming on. 

Lastly, consider this.  If you found yourself in the Rich Man’s predicament today, and you had a second chance to come back and change your life, what would you do differently?  Whatever that would be, that’s your heart talking to you.