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Accepting the Spirit

Thursday, November 12th, 2015

Thursday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time

Wis 7: 22b – 8:1; Lk 17: 20-25

Dc. Larry Brockman

So much for the argument that the Holy Spirit was not mentioned in the Old Testament! Because the beautiful and deep and pervasive description of the Holy Spirit is right there in that first reading. Yes, it is all right there, and has been in front of us the whole time.

Close your eyes and listen to it again: “In Wisdom is a spirit intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, agile, clear, unstained; Certain, not baneful, loving the good, keen, unhampered, beneficent, kindly; Firm, secure, tranquil, all powerful, all seeing, and pervading all spirits.”

Don’t you realize that you have that spirit living inside of you? You received that Spirit in Baptism, at Confirmation, and you receive it again whenever you receive the sacraments. Yes, the Spirit is right there inside of you, dwelling within you as believers, as those committed to the Lord, Jesus Christ.   And if you really appreciate that, then you will understand what Jesus means in today’s Gospel about the Kingdom of God. Because if you can learn to feel the Spirit of God within you, and act on his promptings, then truly, the Kingdom of God is present to you right here and now as well; because the Spirit brings with Him all of the qualities we just read off.

I cannot imagine anyone who feels protected by the Spirit of the all-powerful God dwelling in Him that is, intelligent, tranquil, kind, and possesses all those other qualities we mentioned, that wouldn’t feel secure and happy and joyful with their life, no matter what was going on around them.

The problem with our society, of course, is that it looks for the wrong things in life. People want a quick fix or a unique experience in their lives rather than to trust in God and follow Him. And so, they look for something other than what the Spirit of God within their hearts prompts.

That of course, is what Jesus says at the end of the Gospel. So, we have people today who tell us: “Look, there he is” and “Look, here he is”. Jesus tells us, as he told his Apostles, not to be fooled by that. Yes, don’t be fooled by latter day prophets who abandon the Church and its teaching In favor of someone’s personal revelations. We see this all the time- Moslems, Mormons, 7th Day Adventists, Jehovah’s witnesses, and modern megachurches are all examples. They say have found something new and revolutionary- and that we will find salvation through them.   No, that isn’t true. Salvation came through Jesus Christ and the Trinity. The Spirit was Jesus gift to us as Jesus left the world physically.

That’s what Pentecost was all about. And when we believe, and we embrace the Spirit dwelling within us, by following the promptings of the Spirit, accepting His gifts, and bearing his fruits, then all the good things mentioned in the Book of Wisdom happen to us: The spirit “…passes into holy souls from age to age, she produces friends of God and prophets. For there is nought that God Loves, be it not one who dwells with Wisdom. and “Wickedness prevails not over Wisdom. ”

The kingdom of God is not something that can be observed and it will not be announced. It is already buried within you. The Spirit of God is there to pervade your being and lead you to God.   And when it is your time, then “just as the lightning flashes, so will the son of man be in his day.” Yes, he will be there for you at the Second Coming. But first, you must experience and live through your trials and the suffering it entails, just like Jesus did.

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Concentrate on Your Own Weaknesses

Thursday, November 5th, 2015

Thursday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time

Rom 14: 7-12; Lk 15: 1-10

Dc. Larry Brockman

It is so easy- so easy to see the sins of the other guy, and yet be blind to our own weaknesses. We see other people gossiping; other people cheating; and other people misbehaving. But we gloss over our gossiping or cheating or acting up; and worse yet, we quickly and conveniently forget what we have done.

In fact all those habits and patterns of life that we settle into can sometimes be so obviously imperfect to another person, and yet, we become blind to them. We learn to live with them- even grow into them. For example, all of us know that we should eat the proper foods to be healthy and keep our proper weight. And yet which of us is above commenting that so and so is fat; or so and so is skinny, as we consume our third donut over Sunday coffee and donuts. We should take a good hard look at ourselves, not others.

Why do we dwell on other people’s faults? Is it because it makes us feel better about ourselves? Is it because it distracts attention away from our own faults? And yet, it is a good image of ourselves that we all need. Paul hits the nail on the head this morning when he says: “All of us will need to give an accounting of our own behavior before God when we meet him”. We won’t have an opportunity to say: “Well what about John, isn’t he a lot worse”; No, the attention will be on your own sins.

You know, today’s Gospel makes an important point about all this- that there is more rejoicing in heaven about a repentant sinner than about a righteous person. It is not so much that God and his angels and saints won’t rejoice over a truly righteous person; but more that “righteous” is in the eye of the beholder. You and I, the average beholders, do a pretty good job at recognizing sinners; and maybe not so good a job in detecting the righteous. How so? Well, a repentant sinner in today’s society can be persecuted beyond belief.

Let me give some examples: “He was an alcoholic”; “She had an affair”; “He lied on his application”. And yet, such a person may have repented of his sins and may be in much better standing with God than those who cast judgment.

Paul says “Whether we are alive or dead, we must live our lives for the Lord if we are to enter the Kingdom of God.” And that task is worthy of 100% of our time. We really don’t have the time for being our neighbor’s conscience. We need all the time we can get to make things right with God, because we are all sinners.

Soon, we will enter the season of Advent to prepare for the coming of Christ. That includes the coming of the Christ Child, yes- but it also includes the second coming of Christ. That could be any time for any of us. So, let’s get real about our own sinfulness. Turn and look at yourself in the mirror. What is it that you are hiding? What is it that you are missing about yourself? What is it that you are kidding yourself about? Because when you stand before God, what will you say about all of that?

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Life is Not About Comfort!

Thursday, October 29th, 2015

Thursday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time

Rom 8: 31b-39; Lk 13: 31-35

Dc. Larry Brockman

As if it is all about comfort in this life! But that’s the way the Pharisees spoke to Jesus. They as much as said:“Git while the gitin’s good”; such was their counsel.

But they were a brood of double dealing vipers. They wanted Jesus out because he was being heard; he was having an impact. And that bothered them, so much so that they would lobby the Roman Leaders to go after Jesus. Hence their half true, but deceitful advice- “Get out”.

But Jesus was just doing the will of the Father. He did it because that was his mission; it was not his mission in life to be comfortable, to be safe, and it was not his mission in life to “negotiate” with his opponents. There was no compromise; no negotiated back-off; no arrangement that would “live and let live”. It was his mission to spread the Gospel, the good news, that those who repent and believe will go to the Kingdom of God and everlasting life.

And it is the same with you and I. We are not here to compromise or to negotiate an accommodation so we will be comfortable. We are here to do God’s will for us; to perform our mission in life. Jesus wants us to avoid the conventional wisdom to “git while the gittin is good”.

Like what, you say?

Like standing firm when your kids want to watch things on TV or at the movies that you know are morally objectionable. And I’m not just talking about the sixth commandment either. How morally objectionable, for example is “Grand Theft Auto”; or movies that fantasize war and domination; or activities that suck all of our kids waking moments in front of an electronic device. Yet we constantly hear “but everybody does it”. Well, not everybody should do it. And it is so easy to give in; but it is not comfort that we should seek but rather harmony with the voice of God.

And of course, the same is true with adults in our dealings with other adults. We get ourselves in compromising situations with bosses, teachers, customers, and others. Yet we are called upon to not compromise our morals but rather, to show the faith that we really have.

Now many of us are derailed by the apparent success of those who do compromise, who do negotiate, who do seem to get away with just opting for the easy way out, and for comfort and peace in the short term. But that’s because we are thinking as the World does, not as God does. Their reward lasts for a relatively short time.

That’s what Paul’s message to the Roman’s was all about. He uses this argument. Jesus is our ideal; and yet Jesus did not opt for comfort, for safety. Rather Jesus held firm with God’s mission for him. It meant suffering and discomfort by all human standards- even a horrible painful death. But in the end, yes in the end, God rewarded Him with resurrection and everlasting life.

The same can be true for us. Paul says “Who will condemn us?” Indeed, no secular authority or cultural force can condemn us to death- they can make it painful and uncomfortable for us, yes. They can even kill our bodies. But they cannot condemn us to real death and everlasting suffering. Only we can do that by not obeying God.

You see, it is God’s system of reward that we should seek. In this world, that may mean pain and suffering. But as long as we have peace of mind, and our consciences rest easy that is OK. Because, as St. Paul says,  “Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Amen.

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Being a Faithful and Persistent Follower

Thursday, October 8th, 2015

Thursday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time

Mal 3: 13-20b; Luke 11: 5-13

Dc. Larry Brockman

So, “evildoers prosper and even tempt God with impunity”? Such was the observation of the worldly folks of Malachi’s time as they lamented how vain it was to follow the Lord!

Indeed, today’s world is full of people who express the same cynical sentiments because some people tire easily of living the life God gave them, and so, they take matters into their own hands rather than trusting in God and his way. It’s the end that justifies the means for them, so, they do it their way, even if the tactics are not very Christian.

Perhaps a few examples would help: some people cheat on tests, even have someone else take a test for them; or copy other folks work and use it as their own. Some run cash businesses and hide a good portion of their income from taxes. Some people will buy an item, use it one time, and then return it to the store. And there are folks who lie whenever it serves their interests. or bully people to get their way.

I hear other people talk about these kinds of things often; even boasting of their exploits. They are like the people of Malachi’s time. Those who avoid these shameful practices are ridiculed as fools. And just like the people if Malachi’s time, most of these evil people would say to the Lord: “When have we spoken against you”? And so, the honest and faithful people of God seem sometimes to be left behind; and are frustrated by the apparent success of the evil doers.

This morning we hear God’s answers to this dilemma. First, in due time, God will see that justice is served. Those who are loyal to God’s word “Will experience the healing rays of the sun of justice; but the proud and the evildoers will be reduced to stubble”. Such is the main point made by Malachi.

And in fact we see this happen all the time in real life. Sooner or later, the cheaters, liars, and bullies experience justice because there are consequences to everyone’s actions. God’s justice escapes no one.

Second, God rewards those who are faithful and persistent in their efforts. Notice I said faithful and persistent. The parable Jesus tells makes this point in an interesting way. At first glance the neighbor appears to be pestering his friend for the three loaves of bread. But on closer examination of Jesus words, we get another impression because there are two important elements at play in the exchange between them. First, familiarity. Jesus makes it clear that these neighbors are also friends. This wasn’t some casual neighbor who knocked on the door; rather, it was a friend who was rousting his neighbor in the middle of the night. The word “friend” implies familiarity, the kind of familiarity that accompanies a faithful relationship.

Just so, we need to be familiar in our relationship with God. That means a frequent and faithful relationship with him in prayer so that when we need something, we are asking within the context of that familiar relationship with God. We are not just communicating with God when we need something; but rather, within the context of abiding faith.

And the second element is persistence. Now this is not an irritating kind of persistence. Rather, it is the kind of persistence that we can all identify with in a good friend; a confident, trusting persistence that goes along with the friendship. It is the kind of persistence one embraces when one trusts that the giver will come through and with the best he has. Indeed, we need to always trust that our persistent prayers have been heard and that God has given us only the best.

The world is full of cynical folks who will say or do anything to get their way. But we are called to be faithful and persistent followers of Jesus who believe that God always gives us the very best for us.

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Keeping the Sabbath

Thursday, October 1st, 2015

Thursday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time

Neh 8: 1-4a, 5-6, 7b-12; Luke 10: 1-12

Dc. Larry Brockman

Keep Holy the Sabbath! It’s one of the ten-commandments, you know.

The reading from Ezra kind of sums it up for the people of his time. Everyone came; and everyone showed reverence and respect for the God whose words they were about to hear. Then everyone listened to the word of God; after which the Priest broke down the word for them; he explained and interpreted the word. Then the Lord was Blessed; the day was called holy;, and a banquet of rich food and drink was advised. People were told to put aside their concerns, and to celebrate the day of the Lord.

You know what? We have carried that Sabbath tradition forward. It is precisely what we are supposed to do including Mass each Sunday and the day of rest that comes with it. Only the banquet that we participate in is the richest of food and drink- the body and blood of Jesus himself.

But let me ask this: Whatever happened to “Keep Holy the Sabbath” in our society?  Is our celebration limited to the one hour a Sunday we attend Mass? Or is our Sunday a holy observance of the Sabbath where we put aside the things of this world and celebrate God’s goodness with family and friends, rejoicing in God’s gifts to us, not the least of which is his holy word as proclaimed in the scriptures and broken down in the homily.

It’s really a matter of priorities, isn’t it? Kind of like the environment talked about in the Gospel. Jesus sends out 72 folks in pairs as a precursor to his visit to the towns in Israel. He is testing their attitudes- will they open their minds and hearts to the message, or will they be closed off and preoccupied with their own agendas? Jesus asks his disciples to focus on Peace and the Kingdom of God. And the peace that he is talking about is an internal peace- a peace of mind; a charitable peace; a peaceful spirit capable of overlooking the pressures and duties of the day in order to have time to reflect on things that are beyond and above the world; namely what they believe and the Kingdom that will come. It is as if these 72 disciples were sent out to prepare the folks in each village for the coming of the Lord on the Sabbath. They were sent to just one house; but their mission was communal- the people of the community. Would they be open, would they be ready, and would they be welcoming? Did they have a “Sabbath” attitude?

I am not sure how many of us really have a “Sabbath” attitude on Sundays these days. I think it’s because we confuse “rest” with “recreation”. But the commandment tells us that we need to pull away from the world, and “rest”- by recognizing and worshiping the one true God, and then reflecting on His message. But we are to do that communally; not just as individuals, celebrating all that God has done for us.

The people of Ezra’s time got it right. But are we doing the same, truly keeping the Sabbath?

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Building the Lord’s House

Thursday, September 24th, 2015

Thursday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time

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

Dc. Larry Brockman

“Build my house”. That’s what Haggai told the Israelis to do. Darius had restored the Israelis to their land after a long exile. They were living in paneled houses, drinking and eating lavishly, and having a great time of prosperity there. But if we read between the lines accurately, they were just not happy. That begs the question, “why”?

Notice that they procrastinated in rebuilding the temple. They didn’t have time for the Lord. They didn’t have a decent place to worship, and that means it wasn’t a priority to them. Could it be that they were not happy because they didn’t really have God in their lives?

Now building the Church sounds like something we just can’t relate to with all the Churches we have today. I saw in the news the other day that Holy Trinity Church in downtown Syracuse had been sold to the Moslems who were going to convert it to a Mosque. Sad, but that sort of thing happens often now in the Northeast. Where did all the faithful go?

You know, I visit a local Hospital twice a week. The chaplain gives me a long list of Catholics to see each time. I’d say that while all of them identify themselves as Catholics, probably less than half are practicing Catholics of any description.

This is what I hear from them: “Years ago I went to see the priest about getting married to my live-in boyfriend, and he wouldn’t marry us, so I haven’t set foot inside a Church ever since.” Or: “Whenever I go to Church, all they ask for is money”; or: “I believe in Jesus, and it’s just me and Jesus, that’s what’s important, I don’t need the Church”; or a whole flock of other reasons, excuses, and sob stories.

What all that means is that it just isn’t true. It isn’t true that we don’t need to build the Church. The fact is that many of us are living comfortably and in complacency, yet we don’t see either the need or urgency of building the Church. But if we are honest about it, the erosion of the Church is clear because the flock is disappearing either out of disinterest, complacency, or disbelief. And deep down we cannot be happy about all the fallen away and lukewarm Catholics.

So, that’s where you and I come in. It isn’t enough for us to believe and come here to worship. We are called to be evangelizers in word and in deed. We are called upon to “build the Church,” not so much with brick and mortar, but by bringing others into the Body of Christ.

Nowadays, too many people are rudderless. They are like Herod in today’s Gospel, seeking something but they know not what. Whereas this country was built on Judeo Christian values, it is now fast becoming a pagan nation of people seeking self-gratification; people who don’t have God in their lives or who have a distorted idea of God. We are not here to coexist with them and let them do their own thing. We are here to convert them; to add them to the Body of Christ, the Church. So, this morning, it is as if Haggai were addressing each of us to get out there and “Build the Church.”

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Dealing With Enemies

Saturday, September 19th, 2015

Thursday of 23rd Week of Ordinary Time

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

Dc. Larry Brockman

Isn’t it annoying how difficult the people around us are!  Like people who cut us off on the highway, or sneak into the parking place we’ve chosen just ahead of us.  Then there are the folks who talk in Church on Sunday.  And these are just the little things!    Worse yet is the person who always visits us unannounced right around dinner time; or the guy across the street who constantly plays recordings of a hard rock band at 11 O’clock at night.  They could be heard 2 miles away by the deaf with earmuffs on!

In fact, if each of us is really honest about our relationships in life, we recognize that sometimes we get irritated the easiest by those we are closest to in life.  Whether it is- because we expect more out of them; or it happens more often with them, or whatever, but the fact is that “familiarity breeds contempt”.

Now of course, I would never be such an irritation to anyone else.  Curious, but my wife looked over my shoulder as I was preparing this homily.  You know what she had the nerve to do?  She snickered, and said “Get over yourself”.

Yes, we view ourselves with one standard, but apply a different standard to everyone else.  The fact is that God wants all of us to abide by His standard, and it is truly a “standard” for everyone based on Love, the kind of love that is selfless; the kind of love that recognizes that none of us is perfect; all of us are human and all of us wrongfully think primarily of ourselves on occasion.

Let’s face it: all of us cut other people off in one way or another; all of us play loud music that bothers others- in one way or another; and all of us interrupt other people at an inconvenient time for them once and a while.  But do all of us bear with one another’s human faults like this with patience and forgiveness?  Indeed we are called to “put on love, that is, the bond of perfection” in all of these cases.

Most of us get frustrated with ourselves after we lose our cool over the little things,  And go away and feel sorry that we did them.  And we ask God to forgive us such trespasses.  We not only ask, but we expect that God will forgive us.  And fortunately, God hears our confession and forgives us.  He has told us over and over He would do that because his standard is love and forgiveness.  We need to do the same for others.

And yet forgiving people for their human weaknesses ends up being the easy part.  Jesus demands much more of us in the Gospel.  Jesus is not just talking about forgiving human weaknesses, but Jesus is talking about being kind, patient, forgiving, and even loving, to our enemies.  Yes, even to our enemies.

Now the interesting thing about the things an enemy does is that they are rooted in the same evil as our human weaknesses- selfishness.  That’s why people lie, cheat, steal, kill, and a whole host of other things.  Jesus is trying to tell us that we also need to handle these people and their flaws the same way we handle the small stuff- with Love, because that is God’s answer to all sin and selfishness.

You see, when you come right down to it,  God has no choice but to act according to his nature.  Life is all about us learning to adopt God’s nature as our own so we can live in harmony with him forever.  We have to kill our enemies with love because love is the only way they will truly be converted.  By our example, they can and will be converted.

That doesn’t mean we condone the evil an enemy does or stand by and let it happen.  But it means that when we have the opportunity to relate to them, we show them that we are people of love, not of hate.

So let’s all try it.  The next time you have an opportunity to relate to someone you haven’t been getting along with, try something different.  Try treating them in as loving a manner as you possibly can.

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Recognizing Hypocrisy

Thursday, September 17th, 2015

Thursday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time

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

Dc. Larry Brockman

Hypocrisy!  The world of today is filled with hypocrites- people who say one thing but act another way.  Both of our readings today expose hypocrisy for what it is

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.  These older teachers were teaching based on the old law, the Mosaic Law, in the tradition of the Pharisees.  Their emphasis was on meeting the letter of the law.  And their expertise was knowledge of its details.  But Timothy had left the community with the Christian legacy of a new law.  He says it about as well as one can say it.  “Set an example for those who believe in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity.”  Yes indeed, Timothy, not the elders, had it right.  Because the thing that speaks loudest is the way the teacher behaves, not what he says.

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 of heart 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, by making a basic change in their behavior which we call repentance.

You see, the sinful woman in the Gospel repented of her sinfulness by faith in what she heard Jesus preach and by his example.  She was so uplifted by that feeling in her heart, the fact that she was forgiven and could start anew, that she was brimming full of love.  And as a consequence of her conversion of the heart, she was moved to show that love in the public display we hear about today.  It is easy to see how her Faith saved her, because she was living a new life now because she was not rejected for her sin, but rather changed by the love showed her by Jesus.

Notice that Jesus calls out the Pharisee for the way he treated him, his honored guest.  Indeed, the Pharisee was anything but cordial.  He may have been an expert knowledge of the law; but he certainly didn’t know how to apply it with “speech, conduct, love, faith and purity”.  Jesus actions and demeanor were in stark contrast to that of the Pharisees.  And so was the power of his example to convert others.

This lesson is something all of us need to learn in today’s world because all of us are constantly exposed to someone whose sinfulness we reject; but in so rejecting it, we reject, even ostracize the sinner as well.  We capture the hearts and minds of people not by beating them over the head with the law they have broken, but by “speech, conduct, love, faith and purity”.  I think that is what Pope Francis is trying to do with the changes he is making in dealing with folks who have second marriages or have had abortions.

Forgiveness, mercy, and love are God’s gifts to sinners.  All of us are sinners.  And there is room in our Church for everyone who repents of their sins and wants reconciliation.  There certainly was room in Jesus’ view for the woman in the Gospel story.

All of us have an influence on the people around us whether we realize it or not.  And all of the people around us are sinners in one way or another.  Rather than ostracize those who are sinners in an air in which we project self-righteousness, we need to woo them by “speech, conduct, love, faith and purity”.

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Accepting on Faith

Thursday, September 3rd, 2015

Thursday of 22nd Week of Ordinary Time

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

Dc. Larry Brockman

Imagine the Apostles Peter, James, and John’s reaction.  Here were three seasoned fisherman who had labored all night in vain.  And now, this stranger orders them to pull out from shore and lower their nets.  It was the wrong time of day; the tides were not right; and they were weary from working all night.  But despite their objections and cynicism, they made an incredible catch.  In fact, it was just plain mind boggling to them, so much so that they dropped everything and followed Jesus.

These three apostles saw miracles like this over and over again.  They listened to all that Jesus taught them, yes; but they came to believe in Jesus through these mighty deeds.  The case was so compelling- between the authority of Jesus’ teaching and the impact of the miracles, that they came to believe, with certainty, that this man was the Messiah; and that motivated them to ponder in the depths of their hearts what Jesus teaching was and to reorient their lives to follow him accordingly.  They walked away from what was comfortable and what they knew.  There was just no way that they could not follow Jesus after all that they experienced first-hand.

What a contrast to the Colossians that Paul is talking to in our first reading.  You see, the Colossians had to accept on faith what they heard second and even third hand.  They weren’t privy to the miracles and the personal contact with Jesus.  That is why Paul’s prayer in our first reading is so incredibly beautiful, because Paul recognizes first that the Colossians had real faith.  They had come to believe on their own, without all the advantages that the apostles had.  And so, Paul’s first thought is to give thanks for their faith.

But then, Paul prays that God would bless them.  Notice that he doesn’t pray that they would love one another and keep all of Jesus’ commandments.  Rather, he prays that they “would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding”.  That was the very first item on Paul’s prayer agenda.   He is praying that they would do what the Apostles did.  Ponder the message in the depths of their hearts and find out what God’s will was for them.

We are in the same boat as the Colossians.   We have come to believe on the basis of faith alone.  And Paul’s good words of Thanksgiving apply to us as well.  But we need to move on from there, and before we can go out and just obey God’s commandments, we have a higher priority to establish first.  We need to discern God’s will for us so that we can “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord so as to be fully pleasing in every good work bearing fruit.”    Paul goes on to say that if we do that “We will be strengthened with every power in accord with his glorious might.”  Wow!

There’s a lot of times when people suffer consequences for making wrong decisions that are counter to God’s way.  For example, we are subject to civil penalties if we steal or hurt someone.  But there are more subtle consequences as well.  If we choose our careers; choose our mates, and choose any number of other things without God’s blessing, all kinds of things can and do go wrong.

This, however, is a different teaching.  It says that we will be strengthened when we make good decisions about how to live our lives that are in harmony with what God has in mind for us.  We will even bear fruit accordingly.

So, if you are unsure where you are going in life,  And if you are just trying to get by in life by keeping God’s commandments, why not read Paul’s prayer about the Colossians especially carefully and go off and follow Paul’s advice?  You might even find that a miracle of abundance will surface in your life if you do.

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Making the Most of What We Have

Thursday, August 27th, 2015

Thursday of 21st Week of the Year

1 Thes 3: 7-13; Mt 24: 42-51

Dc. Larry Brockman

Which is more serious- a sin of Omission or a Sin of Commission?  Really, both are serious sins, it just depends on the circumstances.  Jesus makes that clear in today’s Gospel.

If we just withdraw into a safe state of inaction- decide to relax; avoid challenges; and just take from life what it has to offer, then we are doing just what Jesus attacks in today’s Gospel.  Inaction is basically a sin of omission.  And it can be just as serious as when we go off and commit an action.

History is full of serious sins of omission- times when people stood by and watched terrible things happen.  Our times are certainly no different.  More to the point, there are times when people just live life for what they could get out of it, and don’t give back.

But our Faith demands more of us.  Practicing our faith means doing; being active just like the servant that Jesus praised in the Gospel.  That first servant was doing his job diligently whether the Master was present or not.

We are all blessed with talents and gifts.  We are all blessed with challenges and trials.  Jesus wants us to meet the challenges head on and apply the talents and the gifts that we have been given.  That is practicing our faith.

Sometimes getting involved seems hard to do.  You might say “What if I make a mistake”. Well, we learn from our mistakes, but at least we are trying.  And as Jesus implies in the Gospel, when the Lord comes, and sees how we are trying, he will be pleased as the master was pleased over the industrious servant

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