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Witnessing of Faith Builds the Church

Thursday, September 26th, 2013

Thursday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time

Hag 1: 1-8; Lk 9: 7-9

Dc. Larry Brockman

Have you got your priorities straight?

The people of Haggai’s time did not.  They had promised to build the Lord a House; but they kept saying that the time was not quite right.  They all had other priorities- their own paneled houses and rich food.  Haggai is trying to rouse them- to get them off of their duff and into action.  He plays on their guilt, tries to shame them into action.  And what makes it worse- it is a collective effort that is called for building the temple requires cooperation from many of them.

You know, it is easy for us to get into the same mode, the mode off putting the Lord on the back burner.  We hear the pulpit call for help with CCD, for example, or an announcement about bible studies or other programs at the Church.  We hear about years of evangelization and faith.  And we tell ourselves then and there that maybe we should get involved.  But then after we leave the Church doors, the reality of our lives takes over.  We have commitments with our job, with our spouses, with our kids, and with our friends.  So we tell ourselves we can’t make it, not right now.  And before you know it, time goes by, even years go by, and whatever it is that we had the best intentions of getting involved in, just never comes to fruition.

You know, this year has been designated the year of Faith.  And Popes Benedict and Francis have emphasized Faith this year.  That’s what Pope Francis’ new Encyclical “Lumen Fidei”, the Light of Faith, is all about.  Let me challenge you with this question:  How much do you know about your Faith?  If a Baptist or an Evangelical or a Mormon or a Muslim challenge you about a point of Faith, can you meet that challenge?  Can you meet it with confidence and conviction?  If you hear the Government or Planned Parenthood make statements about abortion or birth control or sex education for children do you know what the church teaches and why?  What does the Church teach about the Family and Family Life matters and why?   How do you integrate your Faith into your stance on political action?  What kind of a witness are you to your faith, because that’s what it takes to build the Church- witnesses.

Chances are you are like the majority of Catholics.  Your education in things of your Faith ended after you made your Confirmation.  And you know what?  That’s not good enough in today’s world, especially in this country, where so many people have a college education and are trained to think critically.  Our critical thinking, rationalistic society is eating us alive because we don’t stand up for our Faith.  We don’t know how to.

You see, we are the people of God today.  And just like the people of God in Haggai’s time, the Lord is waiting for us to build his Church up because it is crumbling around us.  People are leaving; and those who are left are not defending it.  So you see, if we don’t know our Faith, and practice it with conviction, we are letting the Lord down.  And so Haggai’s words from the Lord apply to us.  It is time to get out of our complacency and put some priority into building up the Church for the Lord so He can be glorified.  And it takes strong Faith to do that.
What’s this, my phone is ringing?  Just a minute.  Oh, it’s Pope Francis with his daily message.  Let me read it to you:  “The security of faith does not make us motionless or close us off, but sends us forth to bear witness and to dialogue with all people”.

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Appearances Can be Deceiving

Thursday, September 19th, 2013

Thursday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time

1 Tim 4: 12-16; Luke 7: 36-50

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Things are not always what they appear.  And so, we should be very careful before we make judgments based on appearance.  Both of our readings make this point.

In the first reading, Timothy, who is a young disciple of St. Paul, writes this letter because some of the folks he evangelized have been influenced by older and self-proclaimed “wiser” teachers.  But these older teachers were Judaizers, meaning they were trying to convince the Gentiles that Christians must also follow all of the Mosaic dietary laws.  The problem with that, as St. Paul taught and passed on to the younger Timothy, was that it diluted the meaning of Christianity, a movement of the heart towards God.  The Judaizers preached mandatory compliance with the burdensome requirements of the traditional Mosaic Law above everything, thereby placing the emphasis on the completely wrong place, simply behaving so that you did not cross the line rather than moving your heart towards God.  These Judaizers tried to undermine Timothy by harping on his youth.  But things were not at all what they seemed.  Timothy, not the Judaizers, had it right.

There is a similar message in the Gospel.  The Pharisees, Simon in today’s Gospel story included, held themselves above the rest of mankind because they were experts in keeping the letter of the Mosaic Law.  But they didn’t understand what real conversion was.  They didn’t recognize that real conversion was not the ever increasing ability to conform in external behavior; but rather converting in internal attitude, a conversion of the heart.  And that conversion of the heart resulted in conformance with the spirit of the teachings of Jesus.  The sinful woman repented of her sinfulness by faith in what she heard Jesus preach.  She was so uplifted by that feeling in her heart that she was brimming full of love.  And as a consequence of her conversion of the heart, her belief in Jesus, and her resolve to sin no more, she was moved to show that love in the public display we hear about today.  This means she had already been forgiven by God before she performed this act of love and Faith!  When we look at it this way, it is easier to see how her Faith saved her.  So again, things were not what they seemed- the sinful woman had it right and the experts, the Pharisees, had it wrong.

This lesson is something all of us need to learn in today’s world because all of us are prone to be deceived by appearances.  Just what is it that we admire, what is it that we copy, and what is it we emulate?  Is it football, basketball and baseball athletes, “Dancing with the Stars” and “America’s Got Talent” entrants, celebrities and movie stars, and the Donald Trumps and Bill Gateses of the world?  Or is it the Mother Theresas, Padre Pios, and John Paul IIs?

We can ask a similar question a little closer to home.  Where is it that appearances may be deceiving us about the role models we should be following in our lives?  Chances are person may not display all of the glitter and charism of the popular people in our lives, but they may have it right, where the people we idolize don’t.  It may be an Aunt or a Grandparent or a Parent or a friend’s relative.

And so, I challenge all of you this morning to think about it.  Who is it that you know that you want to be like?  Don’t let appearances deceive you, but rather, look for someone who follows Jesus in their heart.

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A Pushover for Christ

Thursday, September 12th, 2013

Thursday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time

Col 3: 12-17; Luke 6: 27-38

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

So, are we all to become pushovers?  Is that what Jesus is asking us to be?  Because it would seem that there are plenty of folks in this world who are poised to just take and take and take from us until we are left with nothing at all ourselves.  Just what is it that Jesus is asking of us?

First, let us recognize that Jesus spoke many times in hyperbole, meaning, in an exaggerated way.  He did that to make a point.  And Jesus point this morning resonates well with Paul’s message.  They are both making the same point, that “as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do”.

You see, we all hope to be forgiven by God of whatever sins we have committed.  And we all hope to be treated by God with love and generosity so that we may be happy forever with Him in the next life.  Our trials in life are there so that we can learn to be like God in whose image and likeness we were created.  If everything went perfectly in this life- no trials, no suffering, no challenge, what kind of fortitude and strength would that develop in us?  Not much.

But as it is, because sin entered the world, each of us is subjected to trials and tests; and suffering and temptations.  God sent His only son Jesus to live and dwell among us to show us the way, so that we can emulate the master, the Lord Jesus Christ.  And what did he do?  He sought out God’s will for him and trusted in it by being obedient.  It meant he didn’t have much by the world’s standards.  Ultimately, he endured persecution, suffering, and death.  But he exhibited a loving and forgiving attitude the whole time, accepting His cross with dignity and resolve.

We need to treat others the same way Jesus treated them.  That means we need to treat others the way we would like to be treated.  That doesn’t mean we have to roll over and be pushovers.  But it does mean we have to prioritize things in our lives like Jesus did.  We have to stand up for what is right, uncompromisingly.  That’s not being a pushover.  We need to be generous and sharing of what we have.  But it is not always money and goods- it can include time, affection, attention, knowledge, and our talents.  And we have to be willing to suffer with dignity when it is the will of God- in sickness or physical disability, or mental trials, or whatever the clocks of time dictate.  And finally, we need to be patient and enduring when others push us- like people cutting in on us in traffic, or nagging and persistent contacts we have with people.  It’s all part of being human and learning what it means to be made in the image and likeness of God.

Think about the way you hope to be treated by God.  Well, that’s the way we need to treat others because “If we love one another, then God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us”.  And that is where we should all be trying to get in this world.

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On Wakeup Calls

Thursday, September 5th, 2013

Thursday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time

Blessed Theresa of Calcutta

Col 1: 9-14; Luke 5: 1-11

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

An “aha” experience!  That’s what happened to the Apostles in this morning’s Gospel.

Picture the scene again in your mind.  You wake up early in the morning to go to work, just like any other day.  You work hard as a Fisherman most of the early morning hours,but catch absolutely nothing.  And then, this stranger asks you to pull your boat out again.  You are weary- but decide to be nice and comply.  So out you go.  This stranger uses your boat to preach to a crowd.  You listen, but you are a fisherman; you’re not looking for something new.  When he finishes, he asks you to lower your nets.  Now you are cynical, thinking- “Like yeah, I’ve fished all night and nothing; and now this preacher wants me to try again.”  Only before you know it, the nets are heavy with fish.  This is something special; this is extraordinary!  This man must be special and maybe I should listen to him.  You have had an “aha” experience.  And your life will never be the same.

You see, God called these simple fishermen to a different life.  Granted, it was a loud, unmistakable call rather than a quiet, soft nudge.  But they left everything right there, and followed Jesus.  They didn’t have to, you know.  They could have reveled in the wealth of fish they had just caught, and said, “Thank you sir, but we’ve got to get these fish to market.”  That would have meant they were into doing their own.   They didn’t do that though; they dropped everything and followed Jesus.

Fast forward 2000 years now to another incident.  It is another kind of calling, but an “aha” experience none the less.  A nun is travelling on a train in India in 1946.  More than a decade earlier she had devoted her life to teaching as a nun.  But a quiet little voice inside tells her that she should drop everything and go out into the streets and minister to the poor.  She could have gone on with life as well.  After all, she was already living a life of service.  But, she regarded the message of the little voice as an order, not a request.  We know her as Mother Theresa.  And Blessed Mother Theresa’s feast day is today.

During the course of our lives, we will hear loud voices and soft voices and everything in between calling us, begging for our attention.  They could be the voice of God.  They could be our “aha” experience.

The darnedest thing about these aha experiences is that they will come at the most inconvenient times.   They come when we are busy and just can’t afford to listen; they come when we have finally just gotten the opportunity to relax; and they even come via people we would rather not have anything to do with.  That’s the way God works because he wants us to stretch for him, to drop everything and follow.  They come at various stages of life because we are always being called to grow, no matter how much growth we have already had!

And so, be on the lookout for these calls.  They aren’t necessarily life changing experiences like they were for the Apostles and Mother Theresa.  Most of them are less dramatic than that.  They are nudges toward God’s will for us- an inclination to help a stranger in need; a sudden impulse to do something special- like attend an Emmaus retreat or visit the Perpetual Adoration Chapel.  But they are rich opportunities to get to know the Lord.  And they are sources of pure joy for those who respond to them.

If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.

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Speaking Up in Truth

Thursday, August 29th, 2013

Things just haven’t changed in 2000 years have they!  Because if you speak up boldly in the name of truth, then you can expect to suffer the consequences even today.

John the Baptist is a perfect example.  It wasn’t his message that the Messiah was coming; it wasn’t his message of repentance; it wasn’t his message that we need to be Baptized; it wasn’t any of these messages that did him in.  Rather, it was a simple truth- that it is unlawful to marry your brother’s wife.  That’s what did John the Baptist in.  Marrying your brother’s wife was wrong according to Jewish Law.  John the Baptist was bold enough to tell that directly to Herod’s face.  Now Herod was like the President in our country today- the king.  Imagine how Herod and his wife would react to such a direct public denunciation of them.  Indeed Herodias, the lady Herod married, was so enraged at this simple truth; that she connived with her daughter to have John the Baptist beheaded.  It was human nature, albeit human nature at its worst.  Because evil people react with evil when they are caught in their evil.

Let’s fast forward to today.  The same thing is happening in this country, isn’t it?  Our bishops through the NCCB, are speaking out boldly about a whole host of issues.  They are speaking the truth:  Abortion is murder, so a woman really doesn’t have the right to choose that; Marriage is between a man and a woman; so unions between two same sex people may be something else, but they are not marriage; and contraception is against the natural Law of God.  And what has the Government done in reaction?  They are forcing the Catholic Church, Catholic institutions, and Catholic owned businesses to accept and pay for these evils, or else.  “Wait a minute”, you say, “this hasn’t happened yet.”  Well, the waiting time for the HHS mandate is over in just a short month.  But the offending provisions of the mandate are still there and the Supreme Court has already set the stage for legalizing gay marriage.  It’s like our Bishops have had their heads cut off.

Did you know that before the first draft of the HHS mandate came out the leading Bishops were called to Washington, and they were told to get the radicals in the Church under control?  Yes, the Government tried to intimidate our Bishops.  But they stood strong, and so the Government reacted with impunity.  They opted to just go ahead and force our compliance.  The Government is determined to cripple the Church by figuratively cutting off the head; because their mandate could close our institutions and wreak financial havoc in our Churches.

We must not allow ourselves to be intimidated by it.  We have to speak up, just like John the Baptist did and just like our Bishops have.  We have to confront evil with the truth.  And it is especially important that we do it now when we are under attack.  We need to do it in any way we can- letters to our Congress; letters to HHS, letters to the President; in the next election; and with our pocketbooks; however.  It is time for us to stand up for truth now.

And there is hope.  Because truth is on our side, and God with it.  For as Jeremiah says in today’s reading:  “They will fight against you but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you says the Lord”.

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Don’t Bargain Foolishly With God

Thursday, August 22nd, 2013

Thursday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time

Judges 11: 29-39a; Mt 22: 1-14

Dc. Larry Brockman

Harsh!  That’s what the first reading sounds like to me- very harsh.  I just couldn’t get by the literal meaning of sacrificing a daughter, no matter how I looked at it.  And so, I decided a little study was in order.

Scholars tell us that Jephthah got somewhat bold in his zeal.  So much so that he tries to bargain with the Lord; and rather than offer a sacrifice to the Lord; he tries to bargain with God by going to an extreme- human sacrifice.  But he bargains by offering to perform the sacrifice only if he gets what he wants first.  Not only that, his bargaining was tainted.   He was being shrewd by not making a commitment ahead of time on the sacrificial victim.  Only all of that backfired on him because God saw through him and made him face the worst of all possibilities, the sacrifice of his only daughter.

As I read through the commentaries, it was clear that there was much controversy about this incident.  Some of the Church fathers believe that his daughter was sacrificed only to perpetual virginity, and not death.  Others believe the daughter was ransomed, a common practice.  Some say he actually performed the sacrifice because God wanted his obedience.  And the more modern scholars say it is all symbolic.  One thing is really clear no matter which of the meanings you accept.  It was a foolish thing for Jephthah to do, to make such a foolish vow.  But you know what, many people try to bargain with God this way.

How many times do we hear about such bargaining with God?  Sometimes we hear things like this:  “I promised God that if He just gives me this one favor, I will come to Mass on Sunday”.  But God wants a full commitment; he does not bargain with us.

In the Gospel parable, people are making foolish decisions as well.  Jesus is using the King to represent God.  Those who are invited, in this case Jesus is referring to the Jews and the Pharisees, reject the invitation for no good reason.  How foolish, and they suffer the consequences for it.  And lastly, the street person who didn’t prepare properly for the wedding suffers a similar fate.  He represents the Gentiles who are now invited to the Kingdom, but don’t respond.

I suspect that many of us are guilty of such foolishness.  We are invited to God’s Kingdom now; when we die, it may be too late.  Are we postponing our invitation till it is convenient for us by always having something more important to do?  Are we here at the Church, but not really participating in spirit?  Because these are foolish responses to the invitations by the Lord.

All of us would be well advised to learn a lesson about God from these stories.  We should not try to make foolish pledges or bargains with God and we should not treat our invitation to the Kingdom of God lightly.  God always deserves our utmost respect and our full attention.

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The Two Rocks

Thursday, August 8th, 2013

Thursday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time

Num 20: 1-13; Mt 16: 13-23

Dc. Larry Brockman

Two Rocks- that’s what today’s scriptures are about.

Now I am certain that most of you have heard the first reading many times and wondered at its meaning.  Just how did the Moses and the Israelis test the Lord and His sanctity?  Well, first notice that the Isaraelis grumbled to themselves over lack of water, not trusting in the Lord.  So they went to Moses and Aaron to complain.  Moses and Aaron, feeling faint of heart themselves, appeal to the Lord for help.  All of that demonstrates lack of faith and trust.  But the Lord tells Moses to take his famous staff out of the Ark where it was kept.  He was then to assemble the people and in their presence, order water to flow out of the rock.  Now the staff symbolized the power and sanctity of the Lord.  When Moses just held the staff, great things happened- like the parting of the Red Sea and victory in battle.  So, Moses was supposed to just hold it, not strike the rock.  That should have brought it all back to the Israelis- that this staff symbolized the power of an invincible God; it should have renewed their faith.  But as you can see, Moses spoke tentatively and impatiently in the presence of the people at the rock- not with faith, and so not with authority he was given.  And yet, despite their lack of faith and mistrust, God in his goodness caused water to gush from the rock.  Because Moses did not handle the situation properly, he and Aaron were punished.

In the Gospel, Jesus is asking a central question of faith.  Have his disciples, by this time in his ministry to them, been moved in their hearts to know who he really is?   Do they believe, do they have faith in him?  Some dance around the issue, saying he is a prophet.  But Simon Peter comes up with the answer Jesus is looking for- that Jesus is the Messiah.  And so Jesus renames Simon to Peter, which means Rock and says that on that Rock he will build his Church.  Indeed, Peter went out and Baptized and spread the Gospel.  Peter had faith and acted on it despite many trials and tribulations and that’s how the Church was built.

Every day of our lives, we are confronted with challenges that test our faith.  Sometimes we feel like we are in the desert, and don’t know where to turn.  So we cry out to God like the Israelis did.  And in the midst of that challenge, it is like God is asking us first if we know who He is.  Do we act tentatively and without trust as Moses and some of the Apostles did, or do we speak out with confidence as Peter did?

Real Faith is a strong conviction that we know that Jesus is real; He did save us; He is in that Eucharist.  There is no doubt in real faith.  We need only hold the staff- we don’t have to strike the rock with it, let alone strike the rock twice.  Rather if we really believe in our hearts, we know that our prayer will be answered.  It may be that it is like water gushing from a rock, rather than a green fertile valley along a wide stream.  In other words, our answer may not be the vision we had in mind, but one way or another, our prayer will be answered.

It’s time we tried it, don’t you think?  So, if today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

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Surviving the Dragnet

Thursday, August 1st, 2013

Thursday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time

Ex 40: 16-21, 34-38; Mt 13: 47-53

Dc. Larry Brockman

Why are you all here this Morning?  I suppose if I told you that you were all here because you were all believers, you could all identify with that.  So, all of us here this morning have something in common.  We believe and are seeking the Kingdom of God.

Now, Jesus is talking about all of the fish caught in a dragnet.  Notice, He is not talking about all of the fish in the Lake- but only the fish gathered in the dragnet- which he likens to the Kingdom of God.  So, all of the fish in the dragnet are those who claim to believe and are seeking the Kingdom of God.  There are a whole lot more fish in the lake than that!  But guess what- not even all of the fish in the dragnet are going to be saved, are they?  The fisherman, who are acting in the role of angels, are tasked with separating the bad from the good.  And that’s a very sobering thought.  Because, you see, it takes more than believing and wanting the Kingdom of God to actually get there.

Then Jesus addresses his disciples, the fisherman, with the story about the head of household with the old and new treasures in his storeroom.  I don’t know about you, but that hit me cold.  Just what does that have to do with the parable of the net?

Well, you see, the disciples are being admonished in terminology they could understand that they are the intended scribes of the new way.  Jesus wants them to draw from all of the good teachings of Moses and the Prophets as well as the good news of the Gospel that he is teaching them as they go out into the world and preach the Kingdom of God.  And our first reading is a perfect example of some of the good things in the Old Testament.

The upshot of the first reading is this:  Moses is above all obedient to the Lord.  He builds the Lord’s dwelling place exactly as he has been told; he moves the ark with the commandments into that dwelling; and the Israeli nation proceeds on faith exactly the way the Lord told them to proceed- only when the cloud lifts from the tent during the day.

Can it be that simple for us?  The commandments of the Lord are inscribed for us in the Catechism- the accumulated learning by the Church of all that the God of Moses, Jesus, and the experiences of the Church over the last 2000 years have taught us.  We have only to be obedient to what the Catechism teaches before we move out on the pathway of life.

You know, for the last two years, I have participated with a number of men from the Parish in some Catholic Scripture Study International Bible Studies on Wednesday nights.  These studies involve Scripture, yes.  But there is also a module on the Catechism each week.  That module shows which paragraphs in the Catechism draw from the Scriptures we are studying; and defines various concepts that the Scripture is unfolding by referring to what Popes and Doctors of the Church have taught about them over centuries.  It is has been both fascinating and awe inspiring to see how the Church’s teaching evolved.  And so, I am convinced that it can be that simple- to be obedient to what the Church teaches.

Notice I said simple- not easy.  Indeed, obedience can be hard; and one of the hardest parts is having sufficient knowledge to put the teachings in context.

All of us are here today because we are believers and seek the kingdom of God.  But to make the cut, we also need to be obedient to God.  It’s simple, but not easy.  Yet, as our Responsorial Psalm says:  “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty”.

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Letting Go of Control

Thursday, July 18th, 2013

Thursday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time

Ex 3: 13-20; Mt 11: 28-30

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

“Come to me all who labor and are burdened…for my yoke is easy and my burden is light”.  We hear that so many times, but do we believe it?  It seems so hard, doesn’t it?

Maybe it’s because all of us humans are wired a certain way.  We all want to be in control- to be in control of our lives; to be in control of our destinies.  And we want control personally.   Turning over everything to the Lord just doesn’t feel right.  We would lose control, wouldn’t we?  And so, people work all life-long providing for themselves and their families- the job, the house, the car- because the stability of our lives is so very important to us and our independence during our earthly lives is a measure of success.  As long as we have stability, we feel that we can control our lives and our destinies here.

But, we are deceiving ourselves because we are never really in control, are we?  All it takes is an accident, an illness, a death, a job loss, or a natural disaster to wipe out our stability and our sense of being in control.  It has happened already to most of us, and it will happen eventually to all of us.  And it is then we will come to realize that only God is in control.

In the Exodus story, the Hebrew people were in dire straits.  They were slaves, bogged down and beaten, and without hope.  And then one day a man called Moses tells them that God has talked to him and told him that He the one and only Almighty God, and that if they just listen to Him and do as He says, they will be delivered from their slavery and inherit a land flowing in milk and honey!  Just imagine how people would react in today’s world if someone said that to us.  But we know that the Exodus liberation was real.  The people listened to Moses, albeit after many trials and tribulations, and pulled up stake in Egypt to follow Moses and Aaron into Canaan.  That took a lot of trust.

Jesus’ message today is the New Testament version of the offer by God to Moses and the Hebrew People.  And while it may seem just as outlandish, it is the answer to our prayers in times of tribulation, just as the Exodus was the answer to the Hebrew People’s prayer.  Why?  Because the rest that Jesus offers, the land flowing with milk and honey is the Kingdom of God.  Jesus is offering us the “easy” path to the kingdom and no matter what our earthly burden may be- illness, death, job loss, whatever- these things are a light burden if we are focused on our ultimate destiny to the Kingdom of God.

Now, I am not trying to diminish the reality of the pain and suffering associated with the things of this world.  Rather, I am just trying to put them in context.  The path to the Kingdom of God, our ultimate destiny, can be made so much easier if we just let go and accept God’s will for us because every time we try to control that path, there are consequences.  And those consequences are what can cause us the most pain and suffering in this world.  If you are honest with yourself, you realize how true that is.  Think of the way some people treat their own bodies; how they have relationships with the wrong people; and how the wrong job or activity gets them in real trouble  We all make a host of choices as we go through life that  carry consequences which can be very painful.

You know, often times we suppress nudges from our consciences when we made some of those decisions.  Those are like the call from God to Moses at the burning bush or like Jesus’ message to us this morning.  Perhaps God’s way really would be easier in this life as well.  So, let’s give it a try.

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Is the USA Built on a Foundation of Rock or Sand?

Thursday, June 27th, 2013

Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

Gen 16: 1-12, 15- 16; Mt 7: 21-29

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

My what a mess we make of things when we try to bypass the will of God and take things into our own hands by acting on conventional wisdom.  Today’s first reading is a perfect example.

Sarai makes a big mess of things.  God had promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky.  But rather than trust in God to give her a son, Sarai takes matters into her own hands and arranges for Abraham to have a son through Hagar her servant girl.  This leads to jealousy, pride, envy, abuse, and much more, especially when one considers the historical implications of it all, namely the almost constant conflict between Ishmael’s descendants and the descendants of Isaac.  What a mess.

By contrast, we have Jesus’ words in the Gospel. “Not everyone who says to me “Lord, Lord” will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my father in heaven.”  And when Jesus says we are to do the will of his Father, that means we have to listen to his words and act on them.  Yes, we have to act on them, rather than just say “Lord, Lord”.  Then he talks about houses built on rock and sand.  How can we put all that into practice?  Doing the will of the Father means understanding and doing God’s will for us.  And that means understanding God’s will in general.

Our home is the United States of America.  Is it built on sand or rock? Well, let’s see.  As of yesterday, marriage is defined as the union of any two people who want to get “married”, thanks to the Supreme Court.  And only 60 % of our children live in homes with a mom and a dad.  But marriage and family are the basic institutions of society.

There are 4,000 abortions a day in the United States of America.  Contraception and in-vitro fertilization are accepted as good things.  And we are on the verge of or have legalized euthanasia in several states.  Yet, the right to life is our most important right.

We can’t say school prayer in our public schools.  Our government and public meetings begin, at best, with a moment of silence.  And as of August 1 of this year, our Catholic Institutions may all have to close or else willfully violate God’s law.  So,
our religious liberty is in jeopardy.

If you ask Catholics what the Church teaches on many topics, they either don’t know; don’t care; or don’t agree with it.  In other words, we don’t understand the will of God for us.

My dear brothers and sisters, let’s face it, our house, the USA, is built on sand.

And so, it is time for us to do what Jesus says we need to do- establish our house on rock.  25 % of the US population identify themselves as Catholic.  If we all believed and acted on it, not just said “Lord, Lord” then this country could only be built on rock.  Unfortunately, we are not all united; and we are not all engaged.

Hopefully, all of you are responding to the Bishop’s call for a Fortnight of Prayer between June 25 and July 4th.  But we need to do more than that.  We all need to become involved in restoring God’s will.  Because we, just like Sarai, have made a mess of things.

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