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The Fire That Blazed the World- Has it Gone Out?

Thursday, October 23rd, 2014

Thursday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time

Eph 3: 14-21; Luke 12: 49-53

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

It was a fire that blazed across the civilized world- Christianity.  And it was a phenomenon which conquered the Roman Empire at heart.  The passion and enthusiasm of its followers spread quickly over the whole world.  Christians believe in the great commandment- loving God and our neighbor as ourselves.  We believe in a loving God who blessed us with the presence of his own Son.  Not only that, after his death, His son returned here in Glory and told his disciples that   The same glorious fate waits for all those who believe- everlasting life in the Kingdom of God. Yes, Christianity was different.     

Whatever happened to that fire, to that zeal, to that commitment for Christ and his message that the early Christians had?  Where is it amongst us Christians today?   

Perhaps our Christian society has gone the way of other societies, like the Romans before us.  Complacency and comfort have sidetracked us.  Our focus is on this life; not on the life God intended for us.  That’s why over 50% of Christians have something else to do on Sunday mornings than worship God.  And so our society sort of believes,   But only half of us quietly on Sundays make a commitment at all.  And the rest of the week it is business as usual.   

And yet, we now see the storm clouds building, the consequences, just as the Israelites and the Romans faced the consequences of their complacency thousands of years ago.  Yes, indeed, all the changes happening here are heralds of a coming crisis.   They are eroding the Judeo- Christian basis for our Democracy.   

Elsewhere another group is rising up with a different message- the Radical Islamists.  They are located in an area of great suffering, persecution, and turmoil.  And, as distorted as their thinking may be, they have a purity of purpose and resolve like the early Christians.   

I don’t know about you, but I prefer the Christian God, a God of love who came among us to teach us the way;  a God who advises us to treat aliens with respect, as we will hear Sunday.  I prefer that to cutting peoples’ throats who won’t convert.  That doesn’t sound like love to me.   

St. Paul tells what is required of us as Evangelizers:  On behalf of the Ephesians he asks that God “May grant you in accord with the riches of His glory to be strengthened with power through his spirit in the inner self;  and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;  That you be rooted and grounded in love”.  Then he goes on to describe the magnitude of God’s love.   

There you have it.  That’s the kind of enthusiasm we need for our faith.  It’s the kind of enthusiasm that Jesus himself expressed when he said he was going to set the world on fire.

Brothers and sisters, it is time for us to set the world on fire for Christ.  Like the Christians who are losing their lives for the Faith in the Mideast today, we need to hold to our faith, practice it, and evangelize others with the fire and conviction and faith of our early Christian predecessors.  The time has come.

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Listen to Modern Day Prophets

Thursday, October 16th, 2014

Thursday of the Twenty Eighth Week of Ordinary Time

Eph 1: 1-10; Luke 11: 47-54

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Some say it is human nature.  Others say it is hindsight.  But how often do we castigate the prophets and visionaries of our recent times only to have them venerated for their great insight in the very near future.  Dr. Martin Luther King is a great example.  He was controversial in his own day, as was the civil disobedience he practiced.  But those same folks who fought him years ago help build monuments to him today.   

Yes indeed, things have not changed in thousands of years.  The world is full of people who don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want to change.  They are comfortable with the status quo; and uncomfortable with sobering words on evils that need to be set right.  So, they suppress and even persecute the prophet in his own time but then join the crowd later in praising them!   

Of course, not all soothsayers are on the up and up.  But there is a singular quality of the real message- the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  God’s truth!   

Today, we are deluged with modern day prophets.  Some warn of stock market crashes; global warming; threats to the environment; and major natural disasters like volcanos, tsunamis, epidemics, and earthquakes.  Others warn us of moral decay; degradation of the family as a social unit; and an assault on the sanctity of human life.  These latter prophets point to God’s teaching and call us to return to the basics.  It is them in particular we need to listen to.   

Will we be like the generations upon generations of the past who turned a blind eye and deaf ear to the prophets of their own time?  Or will we listen to God’s prophets, repent, and heed God’s word?   

Perhaps the problem is how we see the whole thing.  Truly, Jesus tells his own generation of collective Jewish leaders that the blood of the prophets is on their hands.  It’s not on the individual’s hands; but rather on their collective hands.  And that’s because they are collectively the product of generations of individual behavior  that ignored the Lord’s prophets and lived selfish lives.  But make no mistake about it, Jesus generation was responsible for their own society.   

So, there is cause for optimism for us.  All of us here are among the believers.  We wouldn’t be here at daily Mass if we were not.  I am sure most of you can identify with my words.  We can still do something about our sins being on the blood of our children by listening to the prophets of today, and doing something now- in the way we vote; in how we instill values in our children and grandchildren; in how we stand firm for the Lord in this politically correct, yet morally askew society that is slowly walking away from our Judeo Christian values.   

There is a reason the Ten Commandments are posted on the walls of so many court houses in this country.  It isn’t because the folks that put them there were trying to establish a state religion; rather, it is because those ten commandments are the basis for all of our Western Law.  If we walk away from the posted ten commandments, then we are walking away from the basis for our system of laws.  I

It’s time for us to live and practice our faith regardless of what the Government says.  It’s time for us to project our values in the way we live whether it is politically correct or not.  Not just some of us, but all of us.  Otherwise, the mess that this country will experience will be on the blood of us and our own children.   

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How Great is God’s Love

Thursday, October 9th, 2014

Thursday of the Twenty Seventh Week of Ordinary Time

Gal 3: 1-5; Luke 11: 5-13

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Think of someone in your family who showed their love for you very much when you were growing up- your Mom or Dad; a Grandparent; or an Uncle or Aunt.  Did you ever think how that person reflected the Love of God?  They loved you unconditionally; it didn’t matter what you did, they still loved you.  They were always there for you when you fell short or were in need.   

My brother visited with me the last couple of days,  And we expressed those feelings to each other about our Dad, who passed away almost 15 years ago.  Dad’s whole life was dedicated to providing for our Mom and my brother and I.  My brother was, and still is, kind of a Maverick.  And so Dad lavished lots of attention on helping Bob  through the many consequences of his wild behavior.  And while he would admonish my brother, it was always done in a spirit of understanding and acceptance.  My brother knew that he was loved no matter what he did.  I was a little more stable, not so many wild oats to sew; but you know, I didn’t feel slighted by the extra attention that my brother got.  Dad had a way of projecting that he cared equally for both of us.   

And yet, as great as Dad’s love was for us; and as great as the love of your most cherished loved one was or is, for you, it doesn’t compare with the love that God has for.  Yes, God loves you so much more right now than the greatest human love you have ever experienced.  That’s the message of the Gospel in a nutshell- that God intensely loves and cares for each of us, and wants to be there to help us no matter how dim things seem; and no matter how inconvenient it seems.   

The big question is not whether God loves us and is ready to help us; the big question is whether we are going to open up to His help.  Are we going to listen to and trust his saving plan for us?  That takes faith, real faith, to let go and trust in God by listening to that wee voice in the back of our heads.  It is hard to do because we have to have a relationship with God first.  That favorite and most loving relative you thought about.  You needed a relationship with them first.  God can’t help you any more than you favorite relation can help you unless you have a relationship with them.  Only when you have that relationship with God will you recognize that wee voice in the back of your mind for what it is- God’s voice of truth through His Spirit.     

Second, the message we get from God is sometimes hard to trust- because it seems counter intuitive.  But remember- “God’s ways are not our ways.”  Again, if you have a relationship with God, then you will be more inclined to trust His voice even if it seems counter intuitive.    St. Paul gives some pretty heavy advice this morning to the Galatians.  But it bears on the topic I am discussing when you really think about it.  You see, the Galatians were tempted to trust in their own devices- their own secular law, rather than the Faith they had acquired when they embraced Christianity through the teachings of the Apostle Paul.  We are tempted to reject what our Faith tells our hearts when we face every day trials and events because we think we have to embrace the norms of our current society.  It’s the same thing, really, that Paul was talking about.   

And so, we cave in to political correctness, including the acceptance of today’s lax moral code, pro-choice and gay marriage “rights”, and other pressures from society, even though God is trying to speak to us through our consciences.    And so, I challenge each of you this morning to accept the tremendous love that God has for you.  How?  In the words of our antiphon this morning:  Open our hearts, O Lord, to listen to the words of your Son. 

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Recognizing Who We Really Are

Thursday, September 18th, 2014

Thursday of the Twenty Fourth Week of Ordinary Time

1 Cor 15: 1-11; Luke 7: 36-50

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

So, who do you identify with in the Gospel story this morning?  I’ll bet that few of you can identify with the Pharisee, especially after Jesus’ clear and unmistakable retribution of the Pharisee.  And I’ll bet that even fewer of you would identify with the Woman.  So, what are we then, just outside observers who are not involved in the story?  Let’s take a closer look at both of the main characters in the story- the Pharisee and the woman.   

I’ll start with the Pharisee.  Here’s a stable and good man by all of society’s standards at the time- religious, well respected, popular, a man of means, even generous as the host of the dinner party.  But despite these appearances, the Pharisee has problems.  He is just focused on himself.  Jesus makes that abundantly clear to the Pharisee.  For even though he is the host, he has not served his main guest very well; rather, he has concerned himself with making judgments about others.   

Second, we have the woman.  She is described as a great sinner, and apparently is a well-known sinner at that.  All of us probably have a mental image of her “sins”.  To be sure, our image is probably the worst of images as well, the kind of evil that immediately comes to mind when we see “woman” and “sinner” in the same sentence.  There is no explanation for how such an undesirable person got in to the party, either.  So yes indeed, this is a brazen, no good, woman who has lost respect from the community at large.  Certainly, nobody here wants to identify with such a person.  We all consider ourselves better than that!   

And yet, this woman is totally focused on serving Jesus!  She exhibits humility, kindness, generosity, and love in the way her behavior is described.   

The truth is that all of us want to identify with the good parts of the Pharisee and the good parts of the woman.  We all want to be regarded as stable, well regarded, religious persons who are well liked.  And we want to be seen as humble, kind, and generous to those around us.   

But the sad truth is actually this.  We all share in the worst parts of the woman and the Pharisee because all of us are sinners, and a great deal of the time our primary focus is on ourselves,  not serving others; and by following the allegory, not serving God either.   

And so this story is about us, each and every one of us.  It’s a story about who we really are- the Pharisee who hides his sin; and it is a story about who we are invited to be- a sinner who repents and turns to the Lord.   

Today, all of us are attending a banquet- the supper of the Lord, the Mass.  Rather than focus on all the other evil people of the world who need to repent, in all humility, we need to focus on the evil parts of ourselves that need change,   

As Paul points out in our first reading,  We need to recognize that whatever we do that is good and beneficial is done by the grace of God that is within us.  When we come to that realization, then we will come to God with humility, tears, and generosity as the woman did in the Gospel. 

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Could You Do What God Does?

Thursday, September 11th, 2014

Thursday of the Twenty Third Week in Ordinary Time

1 Cor 6: 1b-7, 11-13; Luke 6: 27-38

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

What a difficult message!    Jesus tells us to love our enemies, and to bless those who curse you.  If someone steals your cloak, you are to give them the rest of your clothes; and if he strikes you, you are to turn the other cheek.  He says to stop judging other people and their actions; and rather, forgive them everything.   

Saint Paul says something even more radical.  If someone sees you doing something that is OK for you; but because of their scruples, they are tempted to sin by you doing it; then don’t do it; because you are leading them to sin.  He uses the example of meat sacrificed to idols.  In today’s world, perhaps a better example would be this.  If you know someone is on a diet, and they badly need to lose weight, and you order a hot fudge sundae and eat it in right front of them, you are tempting them to sin, and shouldn’t do it.  Pretty heavy stuff, all of it!  Is all of that to be taken literally?   

Now there is such a thing as hyperbole.  It means making a point by exaggeration; but we are not to take it literally.  I think the truth is somewhere in between because much of this advice is meant to be taken seriously.   

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be God?  There have been a number of takes on that over the years in the movies.  I think the most recent was a Jim Cary Movie called “Bruce Almighty” in which God takes a holiday and assigns Bruce Almighty his powers.  And it is pretty clear from that movie that God has a tough, tough, job.  All of us, all the time are asking for things; miracles, money, relationships, physical abilities, and all kinds of other help.  Likewise, all of us are complaining about the wrong others are doing to us, hoping that God will intervene and act in our favor.  The movie demonstrated how complicated it would be if God did not act in the most expeditious and prudent manner on all of that  You see, Bruce Almighty didn’t act expeditiously, and he messed things up big time.   

Being a parent over a household of children is a good lesson in what it must be like being God as well.  But it is infinitely more complicated and difficult than that as the movie demonstrated.   

The fact is that all of us are sinners.  All of us have bad habits, make enemies, forget to do something important, mess up someone else; and all of us think primarily of ourselves at times and sin big time as a result.  We are all like children in the huge household of the world with God as our Father.  We want, and even expect God to forgive us.   We say we are sorry, but things happen again and again.  Yet when it comes to our brothers and sisters, we become much less tolerant of their similar behavior.  Yes, God has a tough job.  He treats all of us with the same mercy and justice- He treats all of us the way we would like to be treated by others.   

And so, it really comes down to this.  If we try to love each other the way God loves us, then we will forgive each other, be generous with each other, and be merciful to each other.  We won’t judge them harshly lest we be judged.   

As the psalm says:  If we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is brought to perfection in us.

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Faithful and Prudent Vigilance

Thursday, August 28th, 2014

Thursday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time

St. Augustine

1 Cor 1: 1-9; Matt 24: 42-51

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Vigilant!   We must be vigilant at all times for the coming of the Lord.  But not only that, our vigilance must be characterized by faithfulness and prudence as we conduct our daily lives.  When you come right down to it, that’s a tall order.   

First, take the vigilance part.  Most of us “have a life”- work, school, raising kids, caring for others, volunteering.  So, there are lots of things we feel we are required to do.  And when we are not doing these required things, then we are trying to have fun for ourselves-  a little TV; sports; listening to music and relaxing; playing video games or reading; maybe even partying with others and doing our hobbies and interests.   

But Jesus says we need to be awake at all times for the coming!  Yes, Indeed, Jesus wants us to be ready at all times in our relationship with God, and that is challenging.  Between our responsibilities and our leisure, where is the time for God?   

Now in the Gospel, Jesus gives us a strong hint on what it means to be ready.  First, he talks about servants being ready; not people being ready.  That means he wants, even expects, all of us to serve him in some way, to be servants.  Clearly, taking care of our families and their needs are part of God’s plan; they are part of being a servant.  But sometimes we can spend so much time providing for our worldly needs, including our leisure, that we neglect our spiritual and some of our social needs.   

Jesus goes on to say that this servant needs to be both faithful and prudent.  To be sure, there are some people who are neither faithful nor prudent.  Some people shirk responsibility in favor of serving themselves; and some people are not prudent with their gifts and things of the world, doing things in excess and ignoring their relationship with God altogether.  That’s what the bad servant in the Gospel did.   

But most people are honestly trying to do what is right.  So what message is there for us?

One of the old Church Masters, Origen, has observed that people are either faithful or prudent; but rarely both.  There is a balance required there, and it is the essence of what Jesus is saying to us this morning.  We can be faithful in our commitment to our jobs, school, and others; but lack the wisdom and prudence to balance these things with the rest of our lives.  We can be faithful to our God in terms of what we believe; but lack wisdom and prudence in tempering the rule of law with the need to always love.  Jesus wants us to be both Faithful and Prudent at the same time; and that involves a balance; it is faithfulness but with a heart.   

In our first reading, Paul tells the Corinthians  He is confident that they are not lacking in any spiritual gift as they wait for the day of the Lord.  That is our challenge.  We must balance our responsibilities with our play.  And we must also be responsible in our faithfulness.  We need to know and serve God with faithfulness and prudence so that we will not lack in any spiritual gift as we wait for the day of the Lord.   

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Dealing With Our Weaknesses

Thursday, August 14th, 2014

Thursday of 19th Week
St. Maximilian Kolbe

Ez 12: 1-12; Mt 18: 21 – 19:1
Dc. Larry Brockman

All of us have these human weaknesses, things we know we shouldn’t do, like things we say over and over; habits we have; addictions we have; attitudes we have or things we do to others that we know irritate and even hurt them; like nagging, failing to listen, ignoring, dominating, or dismissing someone else’s feelings. We know they are wrong, and yes, sinful.  

And yet, much as we resolve to fix them, we fail over and over in our attempts to correct them.  We go to confession, face up to them, and honestly resolve to move on.  But then we go ahead and do them again. We don’t just ask God to forgive these things, we expect God to forgive these things over and over again. That is what God’s mercy is all about; it is part of our Christian hope. But when it comes to ourselves forgiving others; well, we have a problem forgiving someone else over and over again for these kinds of things.  Husbands and wives; parents and children; workers and bosses continually rub each other the wrong way with these kinds of behaviors, and we find it difficult to truly forgive each other for them.

 But you see, it is all part of God’s plan for us to learn how to take on the image and likeness of God, and act like Him too.  We are made in the image and likeness of God, including the free will He gave us.  And our journey here as human beings is a constant learning experience for us on how to balance our freedom of will with the other characteristics of the “image and likeness of God”.

Not the least of the characteristics we need to learn Is to learn how to be merciful as God is merciful to us.   I want to be clear that I am not condoning bad behavior by our loved ones, bosses, and society in general.  I am not saying that tolerating bad behavior is acceptable; only that it needs to be forgiven as God would forgive our bad behavior.  And that is the balance that we all need to learn because you see, our bad behavior has consequences,  And while God can forgive us, we still have to suffer the consequences of our behavior.

The story in the first reading emphasizes this all too well.  The Lord tells Ezekiel that the Israeli people have eyes and ears, but they are not seeing and hearing. They were ignoring the law and the word of the prophets.  That is because they were too preoccupied with themselves.  Isn’t that the problem with the people we are finding so hard to forgive because it is hardest to forgive them when they seem clueless
 about the harm they are doing.  It is much easier to forgive them when they are humble and
 contrite, isn’t it.

The Israeli people of Ezekiel’s time turned a blind eye to the evil they were doing.  And so Ezekiel was charged with trying to wake them up before it was too late.  He was advising them of the consequences by catching their attention and demonstrating the consequences to them.  This in fact is the lesson we see over and over again in the Old Testament. People were complacent with the way they were living their lives.  They didn’t see how far adrift they were from God’s will for them and from giving God the attention He deserved.  And their complacency carried heavy consequences.

In Ezekiel’s day, the consequence was a terrible exile. But each of the prophets warned the people of his day of the similar doom for not living according to the Lord.

The Gospel story tells us the same thing about the servant and the master. God will indeed forgive us everything; but we too must forgive others the same way otherwise, our forgiveness is in jeopardy.

So, leave the consequences to God.  Our challenge is to forgive from the heart; even if we have to do it over and over again.

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Learning to Let Go of the Past

Thursday, July 31st, 2014

Thursday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time

St. Ignatius of Loyola

Jer 18: 1-6; Mt 13: 47-53

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

It is pretty clear in today’s readings, that God doesn’t intend to throw us away the first time we make a mistake, or even the second or third or any other time we make a mistake.  He is relentless in His efforts to reshape us, just like the potter in the first reading.   

God is mostly interested in our Faith in Him, and our resolve to repent and to do better.  It is never too late for us to accept His guiding hand as long as we have life in us.   

Let me pause and pose this question.  Just what is God trying to fashion with your clay these days?  Perhaps you had a vision of what that was going to be some time ago; and you think you have been cooperating with God.  But somehow things have changed, and now you feel conflicted.  More likely, perhaps an old dream, an old image, just doesn’t fit the mold any more. 

Let me give a few examples.  People get married, and assume that God is shaping them to raise a family.  But divorce and death happen sometimes in these families; and then later on in life, the children are gone and you are an “empty nester”.  And then, some people pursue certain paths in life but then they find them interrupted by illnesses or overwhelming responsibilities forced on them, like caring for elderly parents or grandchildren.   When those things happen to you, are you still trying to shape yourself into that first image?  Or are you open to a newer one; the one that God is working on for you now?  I think it is important for us to ponder that because what was good for you a decade ago or even a year ago, is not necessarily good for you now.  God may be shaping you for something else.   

In the Gospel, we heard the parable of the fish.  Jesus explains that at the end of the age, angels will separate the bad from the good.  Indeed, we coexist with the evil in this world, and we always will.  And the environment we live in will be affected by that evil every now and then, causing us to adapt to the changing environment to survive.  Things like death, illnesses, and separation happen to all of us.  Some things are caused by the evil in the world; but others are just due to the passage of time.   

It can be a mistake not to respond to a call to adapt to these things.  And even though that shakes us out of a comfort zone, it may be that something more wonderful lies at the other end if we trust in God and let Him reshape us.   

Jesus says something very interesting at the end of the Gospel.  He says “Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old”.  For weeks now, you have heard gospel parables on the Kingdom of God.  You have been instructed.  But you need to respond to both the new and the old.  Let the heavenly potter shape you accordingly. 

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Making the Path Smooth for the Lord

Thursday, July 17th, 2014

Thursday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time

Is 26: 7-9, 12, 16-19; Mt 11: 28-30

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Listen to Isaiah’s message today.  First He says:  “The way of the just is smooth”.  Yes, indeed, the way of the most just God is smooth.  But it involves “the path of the just you make level”.  And there is the rub because making the path of the just level can seem difficult and painful, especially in the short term; and so prosperous societies avoid it.  They like comfort and the path of least resistance instead.  We resist making the path of the just level because it means we have to step out of our comfort zones to maintain the level path for the just.   

Perhaps an example would help.  Over and over again the Israelis became prosperous  following the Exodus. But as they did, they turned their backs on the Mosaic Law.  They became lenient with others who worshiped false Gods; they believed they had the power to make alliances for practical reasons even though that compromised their own faith; and they became obsessed with things of the world and worldly success.   Doesn’t that sound familiar?   

And so what happened to them?  Things would turn sour for them; and they would experience very difficult times.  In some cases many generations were deposed from their homes and exiled, all because a prosperous couple of generations walked away from the Lord and his commands by being complacent; by being tolerant of evil; and by not doing God’s will.   

And so, Isaiah’s later words applied:  “O Lord, oppressed by your punishment, we cried out in anguish under your chastising”.  Indeed, Isaiah is lamenting the punishment his own people were experiencing because of their failure to maintain justice and keep the laws of God.   

It could well happen to us, you know.  We have experienced many generations of prosperity in this country.  And for many of those generations, we were a society that heralded God’s justice.  We were a society that was generous, faith-filled, adhering to Judeo Christian morality, and quick to help others in need.  We were righteous in our quest to avoid and suppress evil; a society that made the path of the just level.   

But how about now, in today’s time, have we lost our way in making the path of the just straight?  Let me make it clear- I am talking about “we” or our society.  You see, our society reflects its moral values in the media and government we have today.  Our legacy is “Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”.  But today we see that sex outside of marriage is not only tolerated, but the people that flaunt it are accepted, even celebrated; that much of our society believes that women’s “reproductive rights” are more important than the right to life.  And we see Church attendance and participation is way down because golf, boating, and sleeping in are more comfortable.   

The answer to all of this is renewal by the people of God.  You and I can make the difference.  We can recognize that the way of the just needs to be made level.  We do that by our example; by the way we deal with our own families; by the way our parish as a whole reflects itself to the larger community.  And we can all take a stand and not support the secular values of today’s society by withholding our support of the media and by voting our convictions when we vote.   

All of us need to do as Jesus says in today’s Gospel.  “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest”.  That may seem more difficult in the short term- making more time for God; trusting is His will for us; and taking a stand against today’s secular norms, but we have Jesus word that it is the truly easy way. 

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Are You Really Trusting God?

Thursday, July 10th, 2014

Thursday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time

Hos 11: 1-4, 8e-9; Mt 10: 7-15

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

It’s all about Trusting God.  That’s what Jesus told his disciples this morning as he sent them out two by two.  They were to trust Him and depend on Him alone, not in themselves, and not in the reserves they have built up for themselves.  He tells them that “The laborer deserves his keep”, implying that they need only do the mission they were sent to do and God will do the rest.  They will get what they deserve to keep them going.

To make that point even clearer we have the first reading from Hosea.  God, it seems, is lamenting over some of his people; people whom he has nurtured, yet they didn’t realize it; people whom He has spoken to, yet they have not listened.  And even so, He vows not to destroy them in their disobedience and errant ways but to continue to speak to them and nurture them.   

How does all of that apply to us?  Surely all of us here are listening to God’s voice, and have a feel, as the disciples did for their call in the world.  Surely all of us trust in God to provide for us.   

And yet, realistically, do we really trust in God?  I think many of us constantly worry about things rather than trust in God.  We spend much of our time, perhaps the majority of our time, building our security rather than doing the work that God has in mind for us.  We need the money belts, second tunics, and the walking sticks.  We call them big bank accounts, lots of clothes and possessions, and second cars and toys.  And aren’t  we trusting our Financial Advisors more than we trust God?  

Now don’t get me wrong.  We have all got to be responsible.  We need to embrace our calling and do it with enthusiasm and commitment.  We all need to earn our keep.  After all, Jesus says “The laborer deserves his keep”.  But there is a difference between doing that, and being consumed by self-preservation.   

That, I think is the point.  All of us need to recognize where God is pointing us to go and make that a priority, trusting that God will bless our labors and keep us going, rather than the other way around; putting most of our efforts into our own plans and then fitting God’s work in when it is convenient.   

I don’t know about you, but I have heard many stories about people who work hard for the Lord, but are pressed with worldly problems.  They suffer losses and setbacks, but have an inherent trust that God will come through for them.  They never lose their Faith; they pray with conviction.  And they somehow prevail- almost miraculously- in the face of their trials. That certainly was Mother Theresa’s story.  But the same is true close to home.  I know of one group in particular that has been down to their last dollar, yet miraculously, their organization recovered and they are thriving today because they trusted in God.   

I hope that all of you will give it a try.  Like the disciples in today’s story, listen for God’s voice and mission.  And then give it some priority, even if it means making a sacrifice in your own plans; even if you don’t have all the money and things you feel you need in this life.  Do it anyway.  Trust in God instead.

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