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On Being a Role Model as a Father

Sunday, June 16th, 2013

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

2 Sam 12: 7-10, 13; Gal 2: 16, 19-21; Luke 7: 36 – 8:3

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

It’s amazing how easy it is to see what’s wrong with other people, and yet, to be blind to our own sins and imperfections.  We have two excellent examples of that today and the unfortunate consequences of each.

First, there is the story about King David.  David had arranged for the death of Uriah the Hittite so he could take Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife, as his own.  Nathan describes in detail what David did in a parable about a rich man and a poor man.  David becomes enraged that the rich man took advantage of the poor man, and vows to take action against him.  So in the first line of our reading Nathan courageously identifies to David that he, David, is the culprit who did it!  David could not see the evil in his own actions when he was doing them.  Rather, he was preoccupied with satisfying his own desires.  But he could see the evil with ease in the parable when it was about somebody else.

And then there is the Gospel.  Most of us assume the woman was a prostitute.  But the bible experts disagree because the woman wouldn’t have gotten into the Pharisee’s house as a prostitute.  More than likely, she was a social climber, who was not practicing the Jewish law, and everybody knew it.  But, it doesn’t matter, because the essence of her involvement was the fact that the Pharisee was blind to his own sin.  The Pharisee was self-righteous with regard to what the woman did; so much so that he couldn’t see his lack of hospitality and his sense of superiority- in other words, his rudeness.

These stories tell us that even those who are usually considered good and the most looked up to by society need to constantly be on their guard against blindness to their sins.  David, who was chosen by God to be the secular king and was favored and blessed by God and devoted to God, sinned in this way.  And the Pharisee, who was at the top of the religious segment of society, like a priest or Bishop in our time, was guilty of the same sin.  Both David and the Pharisee were public figures who were looked up to and emulated as examples for the people.

In both cases, their sins were rooted in pride and a lack of humility.  They either didn’t want to or didn’t care to understand their own limitations; they didn’t see the value in always loving the other person- but rather, they were concerned with their own agendas.  And they didn’t see how their actions affected others or how others would view their actions; others, who looked up to them and emulated their every action.

This morning, we are celebrating Father’s Day.  It’s that day when we honor Fathers and their roles in our lives.  I can’t help but reflect on the awesome responsibility that Fatherhood carries with it especially in light of the two stories we just heard.

Children are such a vulnerable segment of society.  They pick up on everything whether we realize it or not.  Like Uriah the Hittite or the repentant woman in the Gospel, children can easily become unintended victims.  Children need to be treated with love and respect by all who have charge over them.

How can fathers who are being blind to their own sinfulness make sure that they don’t lead children astray by?  How do they avoid their children from emulating the weaknesses that they have that are emphasized by their blindness?

In the second reading, we hear how Paul lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved him and gave himself up for him.  Jesus loves all of us and gave himself up for all of us too.  When fathers recognize the need to live as St. Paul did, putting others first, particularly their families; by dying to self and taking advantage of the graces God gave them to always be sensitive to God’s will for them; then they become who they were really meant to be.  They will have a good and realistic awareness of their real self and their role in the world.  And that is true humility, a realistic awareness of one’s real self with all the limitations as well as the gifts.  That honesty of self reflects itself in how they behave.  When your child emulates that kind of behavior  you are on the right track because honesty shows in behavior of the truly humble person.

Think about your own family; your own Dad.  Think of an incident that happened when you really admired your dad.  Chances are, it was a moment when he was being his real self.  It was a tender moment of real and intense presence in your life; a moment in which his love, sincerity and honesty shone through; a time when he forgave you or asked for your forgiveness; a time when he just accepted you the way you were.

And so, for all the dads out there this morning, our children and families are our most precious gift from God.  Be your real self with your family.  Remember one of our responses in this morning’s psalm:  “Blessed the man in whom the Lord imputes no guilt, in whose spirit there is no guile”.

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Spontaneous Compassion

Sunday, June 9th, 2013

Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

1 Kgs 17: 17-24; Gal 1: 11-19; Luke 7: 11-17

Dc. Larry Brockman

My wife watched a movie about a widow the other day.  It was set in modern day India.  It seems a Hindu girl was married at just 8 years old to a much older man.  But her husband suddenly died, and she was forced to live in a home for widows for the rest of her life- for the rest of her life!  She was in a hopeless situation, caught up in the cultural limitations of Indian society.  There was no way out for her!  It is something we cannot even conceive of, how a person can be imprisoned for life at just 8 years old through no fault of their own.  Imagine the hopelessness of such a person.

The movie was very timely because two of our readings today are about widows.  And just like the very harsh treatment of this modern day 8 year old widow, many widows in biblical times were faced with a similar hopeless situation.  You see, women in biblical times needed to be represented by a man in all matters.  It could be her Father, her brother if the Father was deceased; her husband if she had one; or her son if her husband was deceased.  But without this male representative, a woman was helpless, as helpless as this modern day Indian girl was.  She couldn’t inherit property; she couldn’t conduct business; she couldn’t hold a job.  And back then, there was no Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security- nothing at all to fall back on.  So, a widowed woman who lost a son was in very dire straits, indeed.  It is understandable then, how biblical widows without a son could be pitied.

Indeed, both Jesus and Elijah were moved by deep compassion for the widows in our two bible stories.  It was this personal emotion that drove both men to action, compassion for the plight of widows who lost their only sons.

By contrast, in most of the Gospel stories about healings or people who had died someone always approached Jesus and asked for help, and when he acted, Jesus always said that it was their faith that saved them.  But in the Gospel today, Jesus was moved by compassion; nobody asked him for help, and there was no faith involved.

Likewise, in the story from the Old Testament, the widow doesn’t ask for help either.  Rather, she complains that Elijah’s presence may have somehow caused her problem; guilt by association, so to speak.  Elijah responds out of compassion as his prayer to the Lord implies.

Now in both of these cases, the people who are helped are strangers and not from the mainstream.  Elijah has travelled into a foreign country- so this woman who gave him hospitality was not part of Elijah’s people.  Likewise, the widow Jesus encountered in the funeral procession was not part of his group of followers; he was passing by a small town in Galilee, not at all the center of Jewish society.

Also, both of our bible stories today have an element of spontaneity to them.  Jesus and Elijah are going about their business and the events unfold before them in a flash.  These events are up front and personal to them, and it is their immediate reaction that is recorded.    And so these two miracles carry a different message than the ones where God responds to faith.  Rather, the message of these two miracles is that we need to show compassion for the suffering because God’s mercy and goodness are meant for all people not just the people who follow him and are faithful.  The miracles are worked by God because Jesus and Elijah are both moved to compassion for people who are marginalized by society- such as widows; and people who are not close to them.

Elijah and Jesus are acting as role models for us.  We are called to the same kind of spontaneous compassion for the marginalized and strangers of our society.  Not only that, but extraordinary action might even be called for.  In both of these stories, someone was raised from the dead, and that’s about as extraordinary as it gets.

What about our spontaneous compassion?  Can we, and do we show immediate compassion like Jesus and Elijah did, personal compassion for strangers and the marginalized right in our midst, like someone that just had an accident; the victim of a home fire; the homeless person in the street; the tourist we encounter that is in some kind of trouble; or even the stranger we meet in some unexpected manner that for whatever reason shares a tragedy with us?    Yes, each of us is faced with unexpected encounters like this with total strangers.  They happen so fast that we often times don’t think about them   But they are God incidents; they are opportunities rather than burdens, just as they were opportunities for Jesus and Elijah.

The next time you have such an experience, remember how Jesus and Elijah responded.  Remember their compassion.  Remember Elijah’s sincere prayer.  Be open to help out; and let God work through you to do the rest.

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Being Made in the Image and Likeness of God

Sunday, May 26th, 2013

Trinity Sunday

Prov 8: 22-31; Rom 5: 1-5; Jn 16: 12-15

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

It is one of the main things we believe as Christians.  It is the topic of today’s readings.  It is the Holy Trinity.  And it is something we struggle with our whole life to grasp; but the reality is that it is beyond us, it truly is a mystery.  We are simply called to believe in the Trinity.  But that doesn’t mean that we can’t appreciate the meaning that the Trinity has for us.  And that is what I would like to talk about for a few minutes today.

First, all three persons of the Trinity were there at the beginning and will live forever- the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  That‘s three persons, but one God, the Trinity.

God the Father is who we think of when we first think of God.  He is the Lord of the Old Testament.  He is the all-powerful author and creator of all things, visible and invisible.  Our psalm talks about the Father, about how awesome and large all that He created is.  And the psalm poses the question, “What are humans that you are mindful of them?”  Another way of saying that is that this person of the trinity seems so large, distant, remote, and powerful, that He is Transcendent, meaning unapproachable and beyond understanding; so much so that we humans can only fear how we could ever approach Him.

But wait a minute, because God the Father sent His Son, the second person of the Trinity, to us.  The Son is the Word of God, or the enabler.  As the Word of God is spoken, it happens.  And so the Word of God became flesh and lived among us.  And that did something for us that appears to be a paradox with the concept of a transcendent God, a remote God because that made God very close to us.  Yes, Jesus Christ had a body and lived amongst us.  He showed us the way, which is recorded in the Gospel.  Indeed, God become man, lived as we do.  We call that the immanence of God, because Jesus was as close to us as any other human could be.  And He is still immanent to us in the gift of the Eucharist, Holy Communion, which we will all share together in just a few minutes.

Lastly, the first reading talks about the Holy Spirit, the third person.  He is the breath of life, the inherent wisdom behind all things.  We are made in the image and likeness of God.  And so, we have the Spirit within us- it is the life force we all feel and experience, like when we breathe and have thoughts and understand things, even things beyond what we can touch and feel in this world.

Now, there a few things about the Trinity about which we should reflect.  Note that these are three social persons- they inter-relate with each other.  They are not isolated.  The Father begets the son, who acts as his agent and does His will.  The Son loves and communicates with the Father.  The Son gives up his life for all of humanity to atone for our sins and imperfections so that we may share in the Son’s inheritance- eternal life with the Father.  The Son promises that the Father will send the Spirit to dwell within us.  The Spirit lives within us, and acts as our counselor and advocate and inspiration.

What does this mean for us?  Well, since we are made in the image and likeness of God, it means we too are begotten by the Father; we possess the Spirit or life force; and we are called upon to do the will of the Father.  And that will is that we love each other as the Father loved the Son and the Son loved us.  And we are called upon to be social creatures as well.  We are not gods unto ourselves, because that would not reflect the image and likeness of God.  God the Father is not selfish.  He is other directed, sharing somehow with equal status with the Son and the Spirit; and willing to share Himself with us.

And so we learn from the Trinity that if we are to live up to our creation in the image and likeness of God, then we will love each other as God loves us;  We will do the Father’s will by the inspiration of the Spirit;  And we will welcome and relate to each other as a community.  Can it possibly be that simple?

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Witnessing for Christ in Our Families

Sunday, May 12th, 2013

Ascension

Acts 1: 1-11; Heb 9: 24-28, 10: 19-23; Luke 24: 46-53

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Guess what?  You are called today to be witnesses of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.  Yes, you, not just the Apostles and the Church that followed after them, but you and I, too.  That was Jesus parting shot to his followers as he ascended to heaven some 2000 years ago today.  And in this day and age, I can think of no better way for us to give witness to Christianity than through our families.

First, let me make an observation.  Do you people out there realize how lucky most of you are?  Most of you live or lived in a family with a Mom and a Dad.  Did you know that 4 out of every 10 children born today are born to unwed mothers.  But in our community and parish, most of you are lucky enough to have both a Mom and a Dad.  And that makes a tremendous difference in how well children will do in today’s world.  For example, there are statistics that show that 4 of every 5 children that are either drop outs from school, run-aways from home, sent to jail, became pregnant as a teen, or commit suicide, came from single parent homes- 4 of every 5 in these categories.

Today, we are celebrating Mother’s Day.  So thank God for these wonderful women who gave you life, nurtured and cared for you, and are providing you a strong Christian Home.  Be especially thankful if you are living in a single parent home for the parent that you have who is protecting you from these awful trends.

And parents, especially the Mom’s today, you need to understand the tremendous influence you have over your children.  It is a very sobering thought isn’t it, that the absence of one of you in your children’s lives can make such a difference as the statistics I quoted above indicated.

But you see, it’s because you Mom’s and Dad’s truly are witnesses.  You are witnesses to a way of life.  And as witnesses, your children will copy that way of life.  From that early age where Moms especially are everything to their children, parents become sacred to their children.  They provide love, security, safety, food, and shelter.  And then, later on, they provide example, values and morals, and inspiration.  All of that is an awesome responsibility.

Now this morning, as we hear of Jesus Ascension, the scriptures raise a very important issue about being a Christian Witness because the scriptures point to the meaning of life.  You see, Jesus was resurrected in the body and ascended to heaven.  And, as Paul says to the Hebrews in the second reading, “Jesus removed the veil that separates us from the Father at death, that is, the flesh”.  And He stood before the Father on our behalf so that we could follow after Him when we die.  Indeed, as Paul says, Christ “…will bring salvation to all who eagerly await him”.  So, you and I are called to be witnesses, especially to our children, of all of that- the real meaning of life.  And that is that when we die we have membership forever in the Kingdom of God if we repent of our sins and follow the Gospel.

But you know, it is very hard for us to understand that when we are young.  When we are young and life is ahead of us, we are preoccupied with living out our talents, with doing something meaningful in the world; with finding a loving partner and soul mate; and with raising children of our own.  But ultimately, every one of us will die to this world and so, we simply must understand that living life to the fullest requires the right perspective- one in which we live out our Christian faith.  Children depend on their parents for that perspective.

Yes, the good people in the Prep Program and the school have your children several hours a week.  They try to focus the children on God and the meaning of life.  But you Moms and Dads have your children 24-7.  What you do and say about your faith speaks louder than anything the Prep and the School people can say.  The question for you parents today is what kind of witnesses are you to your children?

I think that communications is the key to being a Christian witness.  And in today’s world, communications is tough with all the distractions- like TV, cell phones, Facebook, iPOD music, sports and the commitments that all of the children have.  So every family needs some prime time dedicated to communications.  You need to know what’s going on inside your children’s heads; and they need to know that your life is driven by your Christian values.  And then, you need to talk about it with each other- share it with each other.

Let me suggest three things that can really help.  First, try eating together as a family, preferably every evening but at least several times a week.  And that means eating and sharing with each other- no TV, no ear-buds, no exceptions.  Find out how your days went from each other and talk about things- be a witness to each other.  Second, pray together as a family.

And it’s more than just grace at meals- but other forms of prayer- like saying the rosary as a family or the Divine Mercy chaplet.  And lastly, worship as a family each week just like you are doing today.  Let the world know that you all believe- together.

All of us want the best for our children and our families.  As Jesus parted this world, he promised us the Spirit.  And in a few days, we will celebrate the coming of the Spirit.  The Spirit gives us the strength, vitality, energy, and fortitude to make a difference in our lives.  Whether you are a Mom, Dad, Uncle, Aunt, or Grandparent, make the time available, no matter what, and use that strength to be a witness for Christ to your family!

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Divine Mercy- Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment

Sunday, April 7th, 2013

Divine Mercy Sunday

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

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Reconciling Justice and Our Self Interests

Sunday, March 3rd, 2013

Third Sunday in Lent

Ex 3: 1-8a, 13-15;1 Cor 10: 1-6, 10-12; Lk 13: 1-9

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Things haven’t changed much in 2000 years, have they?  A tower collapses in downtown Jerusalem; a horrendous atrocity occurs in far-away Galatia, and how does the crowd surrounding Jesus interpret these events?  They seem to think that the people who were killed by the tower, or those victimized by the atrocity, were bigger sinners, and so, God was targeting them specifically and what is more, that these victims even deserved it.  It’s as if everyone else has a problem, but we don’t.

But Jesus counters this thinking very sharply.  He says, no, indeed, these people were not greater sinners; they didn’t deserve destruction any more than anyone else; it just happened to be their time.  And then he tells the crowd that unless they all repent, they will suffer the same destruction.

Well isn’t it the same today with us?  We read the news, and are so preoccupied with what’s going on elsewhere, we don’t see the problems in our own home court.  A school massacre occurs in Connecticut or Virginia or Colorado.  And we say, there must be a problem in those places.  Yes, there is a problem there, but there is also a problem right here.  The problem is not selective; it is across the whole country.  It is the work of the devil, and it is influencing all of us just the same as it is influencing people in Colorado or Connecticut or Virginia.  It may manifest itself differently, but it is there all the same.

In the first reading, Moses encounters God through the burning bush.  And the message the Lord gives is this:  That He is their God, and that the people should listen to their God, have faith in him no matter what; keep His commandments; and then he will save them from their terrible enslavement to Pharaoh and Egypt.  Further, the Lord designates Moses as his authority to speak in His name.

Then, in the second reading, Paul points out that even though God was present to the Israelites as they went and they had a leader, Moses, who was trying to guide them as a group, they only paid lip service to Him as their God, and His commandments; and they were not listening to Moses and the other leaders.  And so, many of them really did not please God.  They sought evil things and grumbled, and these were dealt with severely.  So, God can be with us, and His authority can be right in our midst, but unless we recognize Him and respond to Him, we are subject to destruction.  It can happen to us too.

Now, basically, the problem is this:  The secular world is looking for justice, peace, and prosperity.  But we individuals are just looking for our own happiness.  The two need to be reconciled with each other, and that comes through God because only God can bring real truth to this tension.   But, the trouble is that we cannot do it alone with God.  The parable of the fig tree gives us a hint as to the answer.  On its own, the fig tree was floundering.  But notice the landowner agrees to delay destruction of his fig tree while the gardener applies water and fertilizer to it, and gives the tree another year to shape up.  Jesus is telling us that God will delay our destruction as well- if we agree to be watered and fertilized by our caretakers.  In our case, the gardener is the Church- it is the Church that has the water and fertilizer we need, the wisdom and teaching of God, the reconciliation of our self-interests with the greater good of society.

And so, the question for us today is this.  When I am troubled, and pray for God’s help, what resources do I bring to my prayer and reflection?  Do I listen carefully to what the Pope and Bishops have to say?  Do I pay attention to the guidance that God gives me through the Church?  Do I value the Bible and the Catechism and the other resources available from the Church?  Because just like that fig tree in the parable we can only bear fruit if we are properly watered and fertilized with the right sources of inspiration.  If our inspiration and thinking is tied to our own devices, or even worse, to what the secular culture is saying- like the people of Jesus time- then we are in trouble.  But if our inspiration and thinking are based on the foundation that the Church provides, then we will not be caught by surprise when our moment comes.

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Our Citizenship is in Heaven!

Sunday, February 24th, 2013

Second Sunday of Lent

Gen 15: 5-12, 17-18;Phil 3: 17 – 4: 1; Lk 9: 28b-36

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Guess what?  Our citizenship is in heaven, not on earth!  That’s what St. Paul is telling us this morning.

Does it feel like that to you?  Or are you one of those people that Paul is talking about whose minds are occupied with the things of this world?  Now I’m not talking about right now this morning.  All of you are here this morning to worship the Lord.  But what about when you leave here in 45 minutes or so and for all of next week?  It’s hard to focus on the Lord then, isn’t it?  There’s the kids and the job and the yard and the house payment and the shopping and the laundry and soccer practice and heaven knows what all else.  These are all things of this world; they are not about our heavenly citizenship.  So, how can we focus on citizenship in heaven in the midst of all that?

Well, let’s take Abram as an example.  He was prosperous in the Land of Ur- a great property owner.  He was involved in running a large household and many things of this world.  Yet Abram took the time to reflect on his life, and listen to the urgings of the Lord.  And the Lord told him to pull up stakes and go to a land he would show him.  He didn’t even tell him where that was till he got there.  And then, the passage this morning describes what happened after Abram arrived there.

Indeed, Abram went through a process of centering his life on the Lord in parallel with living in this world.  The fact is that Abram believed there was a Lord, listened to the voice of the Lord in his life; and was open to what the Lord said.  In other words he trusted the Lord, even when it was difficult.  Abram left a life of comfort and control to embrace the perceived will of the Lord.  And he was obedient even in the face of uncertainty.  In a word, Abram had faith and lived in faith, but that was not without its consequences.  Indeed, the move from the land of Ur was painful and involved a lot of self-sacrifices.  Because of his faith and obedience, though, God made a covenant with Abram down to the thousandth generation, one in which he promised his faithful descendants the promised land.  And that promised land symbolizes life in the heavenly kingdom.  In other words, Abram was focused on being a citizen of heaven.

This morning’s Gospel is all about the transfiguration.  And the transfiguration is filled with symbology.  Jesus takes on the appearance of his glorified body- symbolic of what citizenship in heaven will be like.  He is seen with Moses and Elijah, also in their glorified bodies.  Jesus spoke to them about his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem- his exodus- in other words, the voluntary uprooting he would experience from the relatively comfortable life he had been living, nd acceptance of the cross, suffering and death.  So that’s what he was talking to Moses and Elijah about.

Now the Apostles were just spellbound by all that.  They wanted to stay there and experience more of the glorified Christ.  But what happens?  The Father envelops them with the shadow of a cloud and speaks to them plainly: “This is my chosen Son, listen to him.”  Listen to him.  We know that the Gospel goes on to tell how Jesus told the disciples that he would be handed over to the authorities, suffer greatly, die, and then, and only then, be raised from the dead.  It was as if the Father was saying to the Apostles: “Listen guys, if you want the glorified state you just saw, listen to my son.  He will tell you what you need to do.”  The trouble was, it wasn’t what they wanted to hear because just after the Father spoke from the cloud, Jesus told them the truth of his suffering and death.  They were incredulous and confused.

It’s not what we want to hear either.  We don’t want to listen to God tell us we need to move out of our comfort zone.  We don’t want to hear that life is anything other than the plate we currently have, and we certainly don’t want to hear about the suffering greatly and take up our cross part.  But we have got to face the reality that life is a continual conversion process, and that conversion process is the one that Abram experienced.  Lent is the ideal time to pull back and follow Abram’s example.  We have to believe that God is calling us; we have to step back and listen to God; we have to follow his voice even in uncertainty and trust that he will lead us to the promised land; and we have to do all of that while living in this world.

Fortunately, few of us are called to give everything up and move away, like Abram.  Rather, we are called to other kinds of conversion.  These calls are the nagging feelings we have when we take the time to pray and reflect that something is wrong in our lives- something with our spouse; some evil influence from our neighbors or friends; some constant temptation we yield to like food, sex, laziness, whatever.

Lent is the time to get in tune with the voice of the Lord.  Now is the time to listen to the Lord tell us “No, follow me instead” whenever we have those nagging feelings that something is wrong.  Because, all of us really do want to be citizens of heaven.

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Change We Can Believe In

Sunday, January 20th, 2013

Second Sunday of Ordinary Time

Is 62: 1-5; 1 Cor 12: 4-11; John 2: 1-11

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

My how things have changed in the last 40 years!  I can remember when hand held audio and video communications were just a “Dick Tracy” fantasy.  But there were still school prayers and opening prayers at our public meetings.  Recently I went to an Orange County School Board Meeting that was opened with a “moment of silence”!  Most of us lived in a conventional family.  Our Dad’s worked, but Mom stayed home, and everybody sat down together to a home cooked meal each night.  A college education was the exception not the rule.  Gay marriage was unheard of; and abortion was illegal.  America was a very giving and Christian oriented country, with many people housing an older relative in their family.  And we donated Millions- sending financial aid around the world.  We were a net supplier of missionary priests and nuns.

Today, we have become the World’s technology leader and the richest country in the world.  We have cell phones and I Pads and all kinds of technology that allow us to do things in the palm of our hands that a whole building full of electronics were needed to do in 1973.  A college education is considered a must.  More often than not, both Mom and Dad work, and everybody in the family has their own car.

But despite all our technology and material advances, something dreadfully wrong with our society today, because school prayer and opening prayers are a thing of the past.  We have to import priests from Africa and Asia.  Over half of our families are families with a divorce.  Only two thirds of our children live in a home with two parents; only a third of us eat together as a family, older people find themselves abandoned in institutions, and there are Government panels limiting their medical services.  Gay marriage is fast becoming accepted, and one third of all pregnancies end up in abortion in this country every year- one third of them.  Yes, that’s 1.2 Million abortions a year in this country alone, and some 56 million abortions since Roe v Wade exactly 40 years ago Tuesday.

What is happening to our country and our World?  Why don’t we publicly recognize God in our society?  What happened to the sanctity of marriage and the family?  Where is our sense of Christian self-sacrifice?  Where is the value of human life in our society, especially for the very young and old?

Now I could go on and on talking about the problems with where we are today compared to where we were as a society 40 years ago- about how the broken families of today, especially those without a father, produce children with drastically higher tendencies to have behavior disorders; much higher runaway and school dropout rates; and even have a much greater tendency to pathological anger, leading to murder and rape.  We have all seen incidents of that recently, haven’t we.

And I could go on and on about how this breakdown of the family has led to a lack of vocations in the church, to single parent families living in poverty, and to a lack of morals and self-absorption in a significant portion of the younger generation.  And how that has led to a tremendous increase in unwed mothers, by a factor of greater than 2 to one in the last 40 years.  And how all this contributes to the abortion rate, euthanasia, and all the rest; and how it is an endless spiral downward.  But I would be preaching to the choir, because this is the bedrock of Christian living, our parishes.  These problems just don’t happen here.

Rather than the problems, it is time for us to focus on solutions.  Even if most of us still believe and are faithful to the Church’s teaching and our Christian values, we need to do something about all those others out there who have the problems.  Because the problems affect our brothers and sisters, whom we are all called to love as much as ourselves no matter what they have done, especially in this year of Faith when we are called to evangelize.

I’d like to point out three things about today’s scriptures that help us respond to this call.    First, it truly is time, with all these problems in our society, for us to stand up and do something about them.  You see, Isaiah’s words are as true to us today as they were for people three thousands of years ago:  “For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her vindication shines forth like the dawn and her victory like a burning torch.”  You and I are being called not to be silent, not to be quiet; to respect life; to put God back in our society; to restore the sanctity of a Christian family to our society; and to instill in our children and grandchildren a spirit of self-sacrifice and commitment to God in their lives

Second, we have the ideal example- the Gospel of Jesus.  You see, up until today’s bible story, Jesus led a quiet life as a Carpenter’s son and apprentice for 90 percent of his life- the first 30 years.  But after he was baptized, he went into the desert, discerned God’s will for him, and then he went into public ministry doing his Father’s will.  That’s the message today- a coming out for Jesus.

How about you and I?  What is our “coming out” incident where we recognize that there are higher purposes to our lives and we get involved?

And the third message today is that we all have been given the tools.  God has given all of us unique talents.  In Corinthians, Paul tells us:  “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.  To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.”  Then he names some of them: Wisdom; Knowledge, Faith, Mighty Deeds; Prophecy; Discernment, Languages, and so on.  Yes, one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes.  But they are to be used for the common good, the building of the Kingdom of God.  They are not to be used just for our own benefit, but for the benefit of all of God’s people.  And this is the right time for all of us to pool our resources together and work for that benefit.

We live at a time in which, in the name of tolerance, society has been conned into accepting marriage by gay people.  And many think a woman’s right to “choose” trumps an unborn child’s right to life.  Society has given up the majority’s right to pray in public and as a group in deference to a small, vocal minority.  States are actually passing laws allowing assisted suicide.  And most Catholics are standing by and watching the Government take away our religious liberties by forcing businesses and individuals to pay for and support immoral elective procedures and capabilities.  Yes, it is happening today.  These things are wrong and we need to stand up, take a position, get involved, and change it all.  It would be change we can all believe in!

Yes, there are folks involved already.  But you know something- it’s the same people involved in everything- a small percentage of you.  Where are all the others?

So, the question is how, how can a fire be lighted under more of our believers to make a difference?  We’re not talking about dropping a few bucks in the collection- although that helps.  We are talking about getting involved.

A good first step is prayer- like making a commitment to Perpetual Adoration, or just signing up for spiritual adoption which we will do in just a few minutes.  Both of these require a simple commitment to regular prayer.  But that’s a good start, because it begins a change in heart.  And there are plenty of other ways to get involved in the parish-  Respect Life, St. Vincent de Paul, Ministry to the Sick, Faithful Citizenship, Knights of Columbus, and Helping Hands to name a few.  There are social action programs and groups associated with the Diocese.  And volunteer organizations like the JMJ Center and Coalition for the Homeless.  If none of that appeals to you, follow your own passion to make a difference.  But make a commitment to get involved.    This is the year of Faith.  Let’s show we’ve got faith by living it.

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Picture of A Holy Family

Sunday, December 30th, 2012

Holy Family

1 Sam 1: 20-22, 24-28; 1 John 3: 1-2, 21-24; Luke 2: 41-52

Dc. Larry Brockman



A Happy Family!  What picture forms in your mind today when you think about a happy family?  For most of you, it is probably something from a family of your past, either when you were young, and you were part of your parent’s family; or when you were first married and your children were very young.


Recently, I had my Father’s 8 mm movies converted to a DVD.  I hadn’t seen those movies in nearly 30 years.  As the first movie began, I saw myself placed on the top of my parent’s dining room table with my first birthday cake.  My Parents, Grandparents, Uncle, and favorite Great Uncle were there, smiling broadly, and watching me frolic with the cake.  They were moving and interacting- and it all seemed so real and present, like it just happened, even though almost everyone in the movie has already passed away.  I couldn’t help but be moved with the charisma and joy.  Then, I remembered the super 8 movies I took when I was a new parent- with my son the center of attention with my parents sitting around the table as proud grandparents; and then, even more recently, the nice sound and color videos my son took of his first child’s first birthday came to mind.  Now of course, I am the grandparent sitting around the table.


These scenes all showed family, and happy family at that.  A certain enthusiasm and charisma were present in all three.  One common theme leaped out of all three of them.  How much each generation of parents loved their new-born children; how that love was trans-generational; and how the hopes and dreams of the parents and Grandparents were with that new child.  The same happy family picture emerges almost every Sunday here at our Baptisms.  Sometimes we have 5 or 6 children Baptized and as many as 150 people in the Church, all celebrating Family; all bubbling over with enthusiasm.


These happy pictures of our family don’t last though.  Because there are other pictures we have of our families, aren’t there?  Pictures of unhappy families.  Conflicts develop between parents; children argue with their parents or siblings; these sometimes develop into long standing rifts between brothers and sisters or children and parents; and then there are the divorces and deaths that occur causing sad separations.  Yes, these are all less than happy pictures of family.


Is there a picture of our family that would last- one that assures our happiness in the long run?  I think the picture we need is of a Holy Family.  Today is the feast of the Holy Family and the Holy Family should be our model.  I think that there are a few strong hints for us in these readings.


First, John’s letter talks about believing and loving.  We have got to believe in the name of the Son, Jesus Christ and keep his commandments.  But we must also show our commitment by loving one another always.  As parents, our love for each other is a remarkable influence.  Parents who are clearly loving each other will have a positive effect on their children because the children will know what love is; it is something they see and sense every day- your example.  The same thing with the faith part of it- the believing.  Children will believe if they see that their parents really believe.  It isn’t so much the details of our faith that the children need to hear from us- although it is good if you can speak to them; but rather, it is visual evidence that you believe, like children seeing us adults praying together, going to Mass, saying the rosary, and taking the high road in the situations of life- honesty in our financial dealings and kindness in our dealings with people.  And our love must be inclusive- clearly shared not just between the parents but with the children.  It is the kind of love that is selfless, and that means self-sacrifice for the benefit of the people we love.


Second, every one of our children is a gift from God.  Not only that, but parents have a duty to return that gift to God.  In the first reading, we see Hannah doing just that- literally.  She prays for a child, and God answers her prayer with a beautiful baby boy.  She then returns the child when weaned to live a life of service to God in the temple forever.  Yes, parents have a responsibility to return their children to the care of the Lord at an appropriate time.  But maybe not so literally as Hannah did with Samuel.  Rather, we need to nurture our children in the knowledge that they are children of God and then release them to do God’s will at the right time.  John’s emphasizes that we are all God’s children now.  That means that if we really believe that we are God’s children then parents are caretakers, not owners of their children.  We may want our children to be doctors and lawyers and football players and cheerleaders and whatever else.  But what really matters is what God wants of them because they are God’s children.  The point is that it is our responsibility to help them find God’s will for them.  After that, they are still our children, but we have turned the responsibility over to God.  Many of the happy pictures we have of family when the children are young turn to unhappy pictures later on because of expectations we have for our children and because we fail to help them seek God’s will for themselves and then let go.


Lastly, but not necessarily least important, is obedience.  Our Gospel today demonstrates the virtue of obedience.  Jesus somehow realized early on that he had a special mission from God.  And so, when he was presented to the temple at the age of 12, he was ready to start doing his thing, his Father’s will.  But his parents, who were afraid they had lost him, confronted him there after looking for him for three days.  And so Jesus went down with them to Nazareth and was obedient to them.  God become man was obedient to these mere human mortals who were serving as parents.


Well to all those teens out there, and to all other children out there who are living at home and think that they have arrived and that Mom and Dad are out of touch- take notice.  Jesus knew His mission in life early, but he was obedient to his parents, because he respected them and their role as parents.  Likewise, so should you be obedient to your parents.


A Holy Family is characterized by recognizing God’s gift of life given to parents as caretakers, not owners; parents who love each other and their children selflessly; parents who believe and who show that belief in word and deed; and parents who let go when the time is right.  Children in a Holy Family are obedient until they are released to do God’s will.  This obedience is required out of respect, a respect that even God made Man honored.  It’s a tall order.  But if we can get it right then the picture we will see is that of a Holy Family.  And despite the inevitable growing pains of life experienced in all families,  that picture leads us to everlasting happiness.

				


				
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Finding Hope During Advent

				Sunday, December 9th, 2012

				

					
Second Sunday of Advent


Bar 5: 1-9; Phil 1:4-6, 8-11; Luke 3: 1-6


Dc. Larry Brockman


 


Hope!  It’s a virtue that is in short supply today.  Our economy and the economies of much the world are in a shambles.  We have record sustained unemployment; record debt; and housing foreclosures all around us.  We have a secular government that seems bent on interfering with our religious liberty- taking away school prayer, pushing gay marriage, and threatening our Church with oppressive forced insurance coverage of immoral items.  We have disastrous election results, like the defeat of propositions 6 and 8; gay marriage and legalized marijuana.  And lots of folks are depressed about all this.  Even the spirit of the Christmas Season can’t seem to break through and give us hope because there is so much to be done and it scares us to even think about doing it all.


But the message of today’s readings is hope because our salvation is at hand.   And we should be experiencing joyful expectation of that and not a sense of hopelessness and depression.  You see all of us who believe in Jesus and all of us who have Faith in his promise of salvation have the Heavenly Kingdom, symbolized by Jerusalem in today’s readings, to look forward to.  The reality of life, with all of its burdens and responsibilities and conflicts and chores is something we all must face.  But we must never lose sight of our goal, and never give up our Christian hope by trusting in God that He will work in our lives for our good.  Christian Hope and trust are what can keep us going through any of life’s burdens.


The first reading talks about how the Jewish people were returning from exile.  They had been through an extremely difficult and depressing time under the thumb of their conquerors.   But they were “rejoicing that they are remembered by God.”  Well, that applies to us as well.  We may be going through difficult times, but we have cause to rejoice because we are remembered by God.


No matter what we have done in the past, God always wants a relationship with us. ,And He is calling us back now to His heavenly Kingdom, just as he called back the scattered Jewish people.  And that should give us a profound sense of hope.


How can we capture that hope?  Well, that’s what Advent is about, a time for us to be in joyful expectation and renew our hope.  These readings tell us that the way is being prepared for the Lord to come into our hearts.  And we still have 2 weeks to ponder that before Christmas when the Church moves on and celebrates that Jesus has come.  The question is whether we will use that two weeks wisely to get ready in the right way for the coming of Jesus.  We may feel so down about the state of things, that we just can’t get motivated, or we may just bury ourselves with doing all those things that need to be done-  sending our cards, putting up the tree, shopping for gifts, celebrating at all the Christmas parties, baking of goodies, working overtime so that we reap the benefits of the season’s shoppers.  After all, that way we don’t have to think about what bothers us.  But if we do that, chances are we will still feel the same sense of sadness and depression after Christmas, maybe even worse.


The fact is that we simply must take some time to get away from it all and reflect on life.  It can be something simple- an hour a week in the Adoration Chapel; or an hour a couple of times a week in our easy chair when we are fresh in the morning, or in the evening when the house is finally quiet, maybe ion front of the Christmas tree.


And the first thing we need to reflect on is some gift that God has given us.  Surely, you can identify such a gift:  Your spouse, a child, a grandchild, that 1957 pink ford Edsel that you once had; your childhood Christmasses; your talent as a piano player or football player; the time you beat your arch rival in chess.  Whatever it is, that will put you in a frame of mind to consider how God has worked in your life, how He has answered your prayer in time of need.


Yes, there have been setbacks and problems; and there may be plenty of problems right now.  Some of them are consequences of what we’ve done; others are a mystery.  But the point is, that when we reflect like this, we can always sense the presence of God in our lives, giving us gifts.


Sometimes we can sense a thread, a kind of pattern, where the Lord has gradually nudged us through some tough times when we cared to listen.  We can then see that the mystery and pain of the past actually became a hidden blessing in the future.  For example, a missed opportunity that we pined over, only to have a better one come along.  That is God’s hand in our life, it is God’s blessing.  Cardinal Newman put it very well in one of his poems:  “Your power and goodness have blessed me, protected me, forgiven me, and guided me my whole life long, Lord, in spite of all my sins…”


If you can recognize such patterns in your reflection, then, there will be hope for the future.  Because the same power of the Lord is there now to guide us through the valleys and mountains of life.  That’s what Isaiah and the Gospel writer is telling us.  There is hope, and in that hope there is also joy, the joy of knowing that the Lord is coming, He is coming for you and me.


When our lives are done, and we have lived the good fight, our prayer and hope will surely not be disappointed.  The Lord will come and guide us to the heavenly Jerusalem because the mountains will be lowered, and the valleys filled in and the path to the Lord will be straight.  Jerusalem, the Heavenly Kingdom, with all the glory and rejoicing described today, will be ours.

				


				
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