Archive for the ‘Westminster Tower’ Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Awakening from Sleep

Sunday, March 30th, 2014

Fourth Sunday of Lent

1 Sam 16: 1b, 6-7, 10-13a; Eph 5: 8-14; John 9: 1-41

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

There are all kinds of ways for a person to “see”.  And todays readings talk about many of them.   

First, Samuel had his vision about what to look for in a King.  He was looking for the tall, powerful, self-confident commanding type; the kind you think about when you imagine a King.  But God was looking for a man after His own heart.  So, the two did not “see” eye to eye on what the best attributes of a King were.  Their perspectives were different.  Indeed, we see differently according to what we are looking for.  Perspective can blind us to discovering the truth and God’s will.   

Then there is Paul’s description of the deeds of men.  Basically, Paul points out that we see the same thing differently when it is bright and illuminated than we do when it is shrouded in darkness and shadows.  What is hidden from others to see may be terribly flawed when viewed in brightness and light.  Indeed, one can hide the truth from people using darkness and obscurity; but that doesn’t change the truth.  So, we can be deceived by what we don’t see in the full picture of things; or worse yet, attracted to the dark side of something that is bad for us.     

And then there is the blind man in the Gospel.  He cannot see with his eyes; and so he has learned to “see” with his other senses.   Jesus gives him his physical sight; but his ability to “see” with his other senses has served him well because he recognized God in Jesus.   This great faith in God served him well in standing up to the Pharisees and in moving forward.in life.  This man, even though he gained his physical sight and could then function in his world, followed after Jesus and sought the kingdom of God.    

Lastly, there were the Pharisees.  They saw only the letter of the law; not its spirit.  They deceived themselves into thinking that they were complying with the law by following the mechanics of the law.  They became quite good at that- literal compliance.  Anyone who came along and challenged their sense of contentment was attacked.  They were so consumed with the detail tat they couldn’t see the forest from the trees.   

And so, there are all kinds of blindness:  blindness of perspective; blindness to deceit and evil; physical blindness; and blindness of the heart.  All of us are human and flawed; and all of us possess one or more of these kinds of blindness to some degree.   

Consider how these kinds of blindness effect our relations with God.  We can foster our own perspective, not God’s; we sometimes overlook evil when there is a perceived good in it for ourselves; we can’t see things at all when we are preoccupied with ourselves; quite often we don’t want to open our hearts, especially to change; and we can hang on to details when the essence is right there before us.  In other words, we can’t see our sinfulness for what it is.   

So, what is the solution?  Well, we are in the middle of Lent.  Lent is a time of the year when we should pause from the humdrum of everyday life and open our eyes and hearts to God.  We need to “see” things as they really are about ourselves, where we are going in life, and how our relationship with God is going.   

We still have a couple of weeks to do this reflecting.  Perhaps the best way to open our eyes is to go somewhere where it is quiet and listen to God and what he has to say.  Like the blind man, our physical limitations are not holding us back from our ultimate goal.  Rather, it is our inability to see ourselves as we really are.  It is our sinfulness.  We need to seek out how to illuminate the truth.   

In some respects, it is like we are asleep.   How fitting are St. Paul’s words today:  “Awake O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

Tags:
Posted in Westminster Tower | No Comments »

God Will Never Abandon You

Sunday, March 2nd, 2014

Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is 49: 14-15; 1 Cor 4: 1-5; Mt 6: 24-34

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Sometimes we feel absolutely alone in life!  Like when we lose a parent, a spouse , a child, or a friend; or when somebody turns their back on us and walks out of our lives; or when all of these things happen in the passage of time.  Sometimes we can even feel that God has left us alone.  But there is one thing that is absolutely certain.  And that is that God will never, ever forget us or abandon us.   

If ever we needed any evidence of that, than our first reading for today proves it; for the Lord basically says:  “I will never forget you”.  And Isaiah makes the point in the analogy he uses.  For indeed, just as a mother does not forget her infant; so also God does not forget any of his creation, especially those whom he created in his own image and likeness.  And that applies to all of mankind.   

I think that is very easy for all of us to see that- just imagine that you were the creator and you fashioned man in your image and likeness.  A special kind of energy; a special kind of concern went onto that creation because you put a bit of yourself in that creative act.  How could you forget; how could you abandon part of yourself?  You couldn’t; you wouldn’t.  You would, indeed, be like a mother to her infant- physically and emotionally attached to the infant.  It’s a strong bond of intimacy, love, and physical closeness.  It’s the same way with God and each one of us.  We are loved that much, each and every one of us.  We are God’s infants, all of us.   

So, how is it that we can feel abandoned by God?  Well, just like a mother and an infant our relationship with God changes with time.  The infant grows up!  And that self-growth interferes with the relationship between the infant and the mother.  Instead of complete dependence on our mothers, we become independent.  So also in our relations with God- we think that we become independent and self-sufficient as we experience life.  But the reality is that we are never independent of God.   

There are two related arguments provided in our readings that show what really happens as we grow.  First, as St. Paul points out, we are not independent beings, with special gifts and talents that belong to us.  Rather, we are stewards of everything that God gives us.  We owe everything to God.   And so, we need to be trustworthy stewards, using our gifts and talents as God intended them to be used in appreciation for what God has given us.   

Second, as the Gospel says, we cannot serve two masters.  We cannot have it our way by being our own master; and satisfy God’s will for us at the same time.  There will always be a conflict when we try to be our own masters.  But to serve God, we need to trust him, and that means yielding control to God even when it seems threatening to us.   

These two things, being trustworthy stewards and trusting that God will lead us in the right direction are hard.  Because it does means giving up control to God.  None of us likes uncertainty.  And yet, there is really only one thing that is certain- the love that God has for us, and the fact that he will not abandon us any more than a good mother would abandon her infant.   

Jesus assures us in the Gospel that when we seek first the Kingdom of God and the righteousness that is required to achieve it, then all things will be given to us.  Life can seem to be drudgery to us when we feel abandoned.  But God has not and will not abandon us. 

When we return to our original dependence and love of God; when our focus is on God and the Kingdom of God, then we can recognize what it is that gives us real happiness.  Our psalmist says it best:   “Rest in God alone my soul.” 

Tags:
Posted in Westminster Tower | No Comments »

Pondering the Kingdom of God

Sunday, November 24th, 2013

Christ the King

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

Deacon Larry Brockman

 

You know what?  Heaven is not run by the people!  There won’t be any politicians running for office or campaign promises there.  There aren’t going to be any elections either.  We are not going to get to vote for anyone or anything if we make it there.  We will have to just settle with whatever we get from God.  Heaven is after all a Kingdom- and Kingdoms have Kings not elected presidents.  Heaven is the Kingdom of God; and that Kingdom lasts forever- and forever is a long time.

God has already chosen His King, His anointed one- Jesus Christ.  That’s what today’s readings are all about- Christ the King.  We hear that Jesus Christ is “the image of the invisible God”.  We know that Jesus came before all of us and made everything.  Heaven has angels and saints in it but they are subjects, not voters.  God wills that things be handled by His King Jesus the Christ; and it will always be that way- forever.

And while all of us aspire to be part of God’s Kingdom,  It would be naïve of us to think that we will all be the same.  We are all loved by God equally, but each of us is unique, and is loved for our uniqueness.  And each of us will have our own unique place in Heaven if- if we follow Jesus as the Gospel calls for.  Let us ponder things about such a heavenly Kingdom :

First, we are each given gifts from God in this life.  If we don’t learn to be happy with what is ours in this life, it will be difficult to be happy in the Kingdom of God forever.  Life here is our opportunity to learn to accept the gifts that God has chosen for us.  But to appreciate these gifts to the utmost, we have to do God’s will for us because all of our gifts were especially chosen for us.  The closer we are to doing God’s will, the easier it will be for us to use our gifts.  If we try having it our way rather than God’s way there is going to be a problem- a disconnect between our gifts and our lives.  That can result in pain for us; and it will be the same in the next life as well- it will be Heaven or Hell for us.

The more we are given; the more God expects from us as stewards of those gifts.  Some of us were gifted with fame, money, power, special talents, or good looks as viewed by the world’s standards.  Others were entrusted with more ordinary things in life here.  We are white, black, yellow or red; and we are male and female.  But that doesn’t make any of us better than the other- just different and destined for our own special role in the Kingdom of God.  God loves all of us the same; and He is interested in how well we accept what He gives us.  Life here is like the tip of an iceberg compared to eternity, where we will experience the rest of our gifts.

Our greatest gift is life itself.  God wants us to cherish that above all other things.  He has gifted us with instincts that motivate us in exactly that way- to defend and preserve our lives no matter what.  If we don’t respect our life and the life of others in this world, why would we be expected to value life in the next?  And so, no matter what our quality of life, we simply must learn to love life itself.  After all, if we want to live an eternity with God, we must value life forever.

Next, all of us were born with limitations; but these also are gifts.  None of us could be perfect as only God is perfect.  If we can’t learn to live and be happy with our limitations in this life; how can we expect to be satisfied with our limitations in the next life forever?  But, even in the next life we will not be perfect; otherwise we would be God, and we are not God.

One of the biggest problems we have in this life is our tendency to have expectations.  We hope for, and expect that things will go our way.  But they don’t- they go God’s way.  Jesus the Christ is our King and so, we need to learn to be obedient to the King.  God, like all kings, is really big on obedience.  A house divided against itself cannot stand.  And so, God demands our obedience in His Kingdom- forever.  So, it is important for us to learn obedience in this life.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus promises the good thief Paradise.  From that we learn that the kingdom of God is paradise- a place of eternal happiness.  Why does he promise this thief paradise?   Because this man recognized his limitations; accepted them, and recognized himself for what he was; promising to learn from his mistakes.   He just wanted a chance to be remembered by the King.  All of us are called to do the same.

The other thief was arrogant and cynical, presuming to judge Jesus on his terms and according to his standards, as were the rulers and soldiers who sneered at Jesus.  These are people who are in control in this world; but the lessons we just outlined for the Kingdom of God escaped them.

And so, take the opportunity today to think about the coming of the King who will lead us into eternal happiness in His Kingdom.  Love life; accept your gifts and limitations, learn the King’s will for you, and be obedient.  Then you will enjoy the good life of the kingdom of God forever.

Tags:,
Posted in Westminster Tower | No Comments »

True Prayer Takes Humility

Sunday, October 27th, 2013

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Recently, someone sent me one of those internet jokes about prayer.  It seems a Grizzly bear was chasing a man, and got very close to him.  The Man was an atheist, but as the bear got closer and closer, the man called out “God, help me”.  All of a sudden, time froze, a light shown down from the heavens.  And then a voice from the heavens said:  “After denying that I exist all these years and teaching others the same, all of a sudden you call out my name and ask me for my help.”  So, do you believe in me now?”  The atheist looked directly into the light and said:  “It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat me as a Christian now.  But perhaps you could make the bear a Christian?”  “Very well,” said the voice.  The light went out; the bear dropped his right arm, brought both paws together, bowed his head and spoke:  “Lord, bless this food, which I am about to receive. Amen”

All kidding aside, the atheist in our story still has a problem, doesn’t he?  It was very subtle, but he was still arrogant.  There was no humility in him; just a sense of personal pride and control which he held on to even when he was in dire straits, and even when God hit him over the head with a lightning bolt and gave him the chance of a lifetime.

Few of us are blessed with such a direct message from God.  But all of us are faced with the same dilemma.  We find ourselves in a fix and pray to God for help and wonder why our prayer is not answered the way we want it to be answered.  But the question really is this: what is the attitude in our hearts when we pray?  Do we really have Faith in the God we are praying to?  Are we willing to accept what He has to say to us?  And are we humble, like the tax collector in the Gospel story, understanding that we owe everything we have to God, yes, we owe absolutely everything to God and God alone.  Or are we like the Pharisee, the self-made man who has been successful with God’s talents.  He even tries, and succeeds, at following all the rules, too and does all the “right” things.

Speaking for myself, I think it is extremely tough to be truly humble in the way the Lord is asking especially, the better off we are in this world.  Because we come to believe that we have somehow earned our comfort and sense of control with hard work and success.  But the thing is, we are never ever done being stewards of the Lord’s gifts.  You see, most of the downtrodden have a different view when they pray.  They know who they are, just an average sinner who stands before God with all his limitations and faults.  They aren’t worried about maintaining their own fortunes; and they aren’t deceiving themselves by thinking they are in control.  They know better- God is in control.  And so, as Sirach so accurately says:  “The one who serves God willingly is heard”, and  “The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds”.  Because the lowly are open to God’s will, justice, mercy, and providence on God’s terms whereas those who are blessed in this world think they are under control, and so, they have an agenda.

In today’s times, this might be the Pharisee’s prayer by today’s folks:  “Lord, I go to Mass each week,  always put an envelope in the basket; I don’t cheat the Government on my taxes, I worked all my life for a living; I saw to it my kids were taught about God; and I even changed my grandchildren’s diapers.  I’m not like that lady over there on the EBT stamps, or all those people who never go to Church at all.  But now, Lord, I am suffering and I need your help.  And so please, cure me of the back pain or cancer or loneliness, or whatever else it is that ails me so I can enjoy life now after having obeyed your commands all these years”.  The problem is that such a person is fixed on themselves, and not God in such a prayer.

You know, God always answers our prayers.  But we may not always hear His answer if we are preoccupied with the answer we want rather than the answer He has in mind for us.  God is always teaching us new things; it is never too late to learn from Him.  And so, learn to let go a little by putting aside your expectations and wants.  Rather, listen, feel, and sense God’s answer to you.  It will be yes, no, or not now.  But always know, that whatever it is, as our Psalm says:  “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and those who are crushed in spirit He saves.  The Lord redeems the Lives of his servants; no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in Him.”

Tags:
Posted in Westminster Tower | No Comments »

Focusing on the Right Thing

Sunday, September 29th, 2013

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Sometimes we are focused on the wrong thing.  For most of us, we focus on avoiding things.  For example, we avoid things that we think are sinful.  After all, the commandments say thou shalt not kill or lie or steal or covet or a lot of other things.  And so, we try to avoid doing those things that might lead to temptation or sin.  But that sometimes means we avoid action altogether, reasoning that if I just don’t do anything, perhaps I won’t get in trouble.  We think “everything will be OK if I just don’t do something stupid.”  And so we settle into a comfortable impasse in our lives especially when we get a little older and begin to slow down.  I think the Church is trying to tell us today that we need to be careful of that.  We are always called to be proactive in some way.

Take the first reading for example.  There, the people of Israel are basking in relative comfort.  Their prophets are warning them of dangers to come, but they just don’t listen- they are comfortable, they don’t want to be bothered.  And what happens to them?  Well, in a thunder of activity they are invaded and forced into exile.  They lose everything.  They could have prepared themselves, but they didn’t.

We have a similar scene in the Gospel.  The rich man enjoys the comforts of life.  Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt.  Let’s say he has worked hard for what he has; and so, he is now basking in the fruits of his labor in the relative comfort of retirement.  It is not so much that he was mean to Lazarus as it was that he just ignored Lazarus.  It was inaction, complacency, a reluctance to get involved, a preoccupation with self, perhaps even, he just never got around to it- helping Lazarus.  But when he dies, he learns that there is another life beyond our earthly life, and our comfort in that next life is determined by a different criteria than just looking out for ourselves in this life and avoiding doing things that can get us in trouble.  Rather, Abraham makes it clear that there is such a thing as a sin of omission.  We all required to share the gifts that God has given us in this world.  If we don’t do that, then we are guilty of the sin of omission.

But you know something.  Most of us cannot see ourselves in the rich man’s shoes.  Certainly, none of us here are in that category, are we.  Many of us feel like Lazarus, we are the folks suffering in the background.  So, is there a message here for us?  What gifts are we called upon to share?

I heard an interesting story that helped me understand what we may have to offer.  It seems there was a young girl, I will call her Marcella, who decided to dedicate her life to Christ.  And so she became a full time lay missionary.  But not long after embarking on this mission they discovered that she had Multiple Sclerosis, or MS.  Here she was, willing to devote her whole life to serving others, and she was hampered by a painful, debilitating disease that required painful shots for treatment, and which was slowly sapping all the life out of her so that others had to care for her.  She was angry with God because there was no reason for it.  She could not do for others as she had dreamed of doing.  She had no “gifts” or wealth to share with others.  The only “gift” she had, it seemed, was the gift of suffering.  That was what her life was all about.

In her anger, she prayed to God for an explanation; a reason; why is this happening to me?  And what purpose or good could come out of such suffering?  And then it came to her, a message from God.  Just as Jesus suffered and died for us, so she could offer her suffering up for others.  And so, she did just that.  She would observe how someone else was troubled or suffering- someone struggling with a vocation; someone dying of cancer; someone who had turned away from God.  Then she would offer up her suffering to God on behalf of that other person.

All of us, no matter what our station in life young or old, rich or poor, handicapped or healthy, has something special to offer, to share with others.  Even someone whose life is full of misery has something to offer.  What is important is that we are focused on God’s Kingdom.  It is a Kingdom of many, not just of our own internal making.  Even if all we have is time or prayer; we can offer that up to Christ for someone else.

Tags:
Posted in Westminster Tower | No Comments »

On Knowing God

Sunday, August 25th, 2013

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is 66: 18-21; Heb 12: 5-7, 11-13; Luke 13: 22-30

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Picture that scene in the Gospel again.  Someone has passed on to the next world, and they are knocking at the doors of heaven.  “Let me in”, they say.  And what does Jesus say happens in the parable?  The Lord says “Go away, I don’t know you”!    That’s a very disturbing story, isn’t it?  Because we get the impression that the person knocking on the door is a believer and they really want in.

Now, we are all here, gathered in this celebration, because we believe Jesus Christ is Lord, that he is God’s Son, that he came down from heaven, became one of us; suffered death, rose from the dead, and brought us salvation.  We believe in all of that.  So, why didn’t the Lord let this person in?  And what does it mean that the Lord didn’t know him?

And then there is the Isaiah reading, where the Lord says.  “I know their works and their thoughts”.  So, how can He know about our thoughts and all of our works and at the same time tell us He doesn’t know us?

Well, God is all knowing, isn’t He?  So no matter who we are, God knows about us.  He knows about what we think and what we do.  He knows about the deepest secrets of our hearts.  But knowing about us is not the same thing as knowing us.  Knowing us is a two way knowing.  Think about it this way.  We might say, “I know you; and you know me”; but what we really mean is that we know about each other.  We really don’t know each other very well, do we?  If we really knew each other, we would be very close friends.  We would not only know about each other, but we would have a certain knowing of each other at a deeper level.  We would be able to see and feel things like each other.  So, I think Jesus is saying that God lets us into the Kingdom when we both believe in him and we know him as a friend.

In our second reading, Paul talks about how we are sons of God.  He tells us that it is those God loves that He disciplines.  And he tells us that God’s discipline isn’t a source of joy; but rather, it can even be painful.  Then, he goes on to say that discipline “Brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.”  The peaceful fruit of righteousness!  And how are we trained by discipline?  Two things:  First, we need to accept our discipline and to learn from it.  That means whatever our trials; we have got to be willing to face them, not try to run away from them.  And second, we need something to help us through the process.  Specifically, we need someone there to lead us through the pain to the righteousness- someone like a trainer.  And it is God that wants to be right there with us,   Helping us as a trainer every bit of the way.

You see, God is not asking us to do anything that He didn’t ask His son to do.  Jesus suffered greatly and was put to death.  And yet, he bore that suffering and the trials that were his Father’s will for him.  Elsewhere Jesus says that his burden is light, and his yoke easy.  That may sound like a contradiction, but we need to understand the context.  Whatever our burdens in this world, they are easy and light compared to the burden of sin in everlasting life- that is hell.

Jesus makes a great companion in our suffering, because he can empathize with us, he knows what it is like and so, whatever your trials, invite Jesus to be there with you.  Invite him through prayer; invite him to walk with you as you experience your difficulties in life.

I heard an interesting story recently.  It seems a pastor began noticing a man in his Church each day.  The man was not well dressed, and appeared frazzled.  He would walk up to the altar, kneel, pray for a minute, and then leave.  This happened for weeks, and so one day the pastor asked him what he was doing.  The man said he worked in a factory, but took each lunch hour to walk 25 minutes to the Church and then 25 minutes back, giving him just a moment to pray.  This was his prayer:

“I just came by to tell you, Lord, how happy I have been,

Since we found each other’s friendship and you took away my sin.

Don’t know much of how to pray, but I think about you every day.

So, Jesus, this is Ben,  Just checking in today.”

Then, all of a sudden, Ben came no more to the Church.  The Pastor found out at the Factory that Ben was in the hospital.  The nurses at the hospital told him that Ben was all alone and had no visitors.  The Pastor visited Ben, and asked him about what the nurse said.  Ben told the Pastor the nurse was all wrong.  Because each day Jesus visited him and said:

“I just came by to tell you, Ben, how happy I have been,

Since we found this friendship, and I took away your sin.

I think about you always and I love to hear you pray,

And so Ben, this is Jesus,  Just checking in today”.

Tags:
Posted in Westminster Tower | No Comments »

Homing in on the One Thing

Wednesday, July 17th, 2013

Westminster Tower Ecumenical Service

From Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 10: 38-42

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

So, “There is need of only one thing”, eh!

That reminds me of the comedy movie, “City Slickers” in which a couple of city folk go out West In order to sort things out in their lives.  They try to get away from the humdrum of daily life and return to nature so they can focus on what’s really important in life.  They mount horses, ride out into the wild, and participate in a real Cattle drive.  Their hope is that they can figure out what life is all about.  Now all throughout the cattle drive, the trail boss keeps saying that just “one thing” is important in life.  And so, the city slickers keep asking themselves the question- “what is that “one thing?””  But the “one thing” keeps eluding them; it is like a mystery to them because they are immersed in a flood of competing distractions.  You see, these City folk are used to a comfortable and modern way of living; but they find themselves out in the middle of nowhere preoccupied with just trying to cope with multiple aspects of primitive camping in the wilderness.  Getting away from it all was supposed to help them reflect and come to grips with life.  But they were still so occupied with coping with the world that they didn’t know where to look for that “one thing”.

Now I think it is helpful to recognize at this point that our Gospel story today is part of a sequence of events.  Earlier in Luke Chapter 10, Jesus identifies the greatest Commandment:  to love God with all of one’s heart, being, strength, and mind; and to love one’s neighbor as himself.  Then, Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan to identify who one’s neighbor is.  A Priest and a Levite just pass by a poor victim on the highway; but a foreigner, an unbeliever, a hated Samaritan, moved with pity, stops and takes care of the poor guy.  Who acted as the neighbor?  Not the holy priest or Levite, but rather, the unbeliever, the Samaritan.

Then, after focusing on who our neighbor is, Luke moves on to the story we just read.  Now the story opens as Martha welcomes Jesus, and presumably a number of others, to her home.  You see, the crowds sought Jesus because He had something important to say about God and salvation.  We know from the Gospel of John that Martha and Mary were Lazarus’ sisters and that Jesus loved Lazarus.  So, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus must have had some sort of standing relationship with Jesus.  When the story of Lazarus being raised from the tomb is told in John’s Gospel, Martha and Mary acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah there.  So, it would seem that they knew Jesus as the Messiah and the source of salvation.

So why exactly did Martha welcome Jesus into her home?  Maybe Martha wanted others to hear about Jesus the Messiah.  Maybe she just wanted to be the one who had the privilege of welcoming this special person who she thought was the Messiah, into her home; or maybe she wanted to hear more of what he had to say.  Maybe it was all of those things.  In any event, having Jesus in her home was the perfect way to assure that God and his word would be available to her.  The environment was right, just like the “get away from it all” environment in City Slickers.

Now Martha is described as the very picture of a good neighbor to Jesus and his party.  In fact, the words in the Gospel emphasize the term “service”.  Martha is dedicated to serving her guests, as a hostess should.  So much so that she was “burdened” by this service.  We don’t know what that means exactly, whether it means overwhelmed, consumed, preoccupied, or what.  But it’s easy to speculate that she was preparing a meal for the whole group, and not just a simple meal either, but a big celebration- a feast.   And that meant that she was unable to take advantage of the whole reason Jesus was welcomed into her home.  And so, just like the city slickers in the movie, she was so preoccupied with the things of the world that she was not able to focus on Jesus or his message even though the environment was right

In contrast, we hear about Mary.  Mary is pictured as sitting at Jesus feet.  She is “down for the count” so to speak.  She is in position to take full advantage of what the guest has to say, and she clearly doesn’t plan to move.  Remember, she and her sister acknowledge that Jesus is the Messiah- the Son of God.  Mary is giving full and undivided attention to Jesus as the guest and as the bearer of the Word of God.  She is taking full advantage of the opportunity.

Now in the Jewish culture of the time, when a guest came to your home, all the women were supposed to tend to the guest’s needs.  So, quite understandably, Martha is upset that Mary is not helping.  Martha basically interrupts Jesus and asks him to tell Mary to help him.  She is asking Jesus to take sides.

Now, let me pause here for a moment.  Recall that the Greatest Commandment is to Love God with your whole self, and then to love one’s neighbor as one’s self.  Clearly, the priority of this commandment is to love God first, and then our neighbor.  So, what was the priority of the two sisters in our story?  Isn’t Martha’s priority love of neighbor?  Martha is concerned with Jesus as a guest, yes; but also as a hostess to a larger group of which Jesus is just one member.  She is not so much focused on welcoming Jesus or hearing what he has to say as she is on throwing the party.  She is concerned with things of this life and on fulfilling the expectations for hospitality by the world’s standards.

On the other hand, Mary is concerned with welcoming Jesus personally, and being attentive to him.  In fact, she is hungry for the message that Jesus is bringing to the people.  Mary’s priority is on loving Jesus as God.

And so, one way of looking at this story is this:  Martha is focused on loving her neighbor first within the context of living in the world; whereas Mary is focused on loving God first and on life in the Kingdom of God.

The Bible scholars tell us that Jesus response to Martha is affectionate because he responds to her by name, and repeats her name.  So, even though he sides with Mary, he is attempting to do so lovingly.  Jesus says that there is need of only “one thing” rather than being burdened by the many things of the world.  He then says that Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her.

Ah, yes- Mary has chosen to hear God and love God first, and to focus on the one thing that cannot be taken from her when she does hear and heed the Word of God- the Kingdom of God.

What does this mean for all of us today as we sit here and ponder this story?  It seems to me that we are all challenged to achieve a sense of balance between Loving God first, and also loving our neighbor as ourselves.  Sometimes we get in a rut as Christians.  We think we are on the right track.  In fact, we think we understand the message and are honestly trying to apply it.  But we can become “Marthas” in the process.  In our enthusiasm, we move out and do something.  We are committed to being an honest, loving, neighbor to all we meet.  We honestly try to be “engaged” as a committed Christian.  And being engaged means being involved.  Even though we may be encumbered and burdened by life’s cares- aches and pains, limitations of mind and body- we participate in this group; attend these services; do acts of kindness for this or that person.  And all of that is all well and good.  But the fact is, we may not be focused on “the one thing”, because of the many things that we are involved in deflect our focus.

Unlike the Jesus in the story of Martha and Mary, God is not sitting in our homes in real flesh and blood, so that we can talk to him directly and listen to his Word as Mary was able to do.  Rather, he is only available to us if we turn our direct attention to him in prayer; getting away, even for just a little bit, from the combination of our worldly aches and pains, our worldly interests; and our commitment to service.  But we need to constantly reflect on what God is saying to us.  We need to do that regularly, or we may become distracted and lose touch with His voice.   And yet, all the while, we still need to be engaged in the world with love and kindness.  It is a sense of balance that we need- a lot of Mary; and a healthy dose of Martha as well.

And so, let us all resolve to seek “the one thing” that really matters.  And that is to recognize God as the highest priority.  Then we will be grounded in the message of Jesus and the kingdom of God, the “better part”.  It involves quiet time and prayer- prayer in which we listen to God no matter how soft his voice in the clamor of our everyday life, in the intensity of the world’s distractions, and in even our efforts to be good, loving Christians.

 

Tags:
Posted in Westminster Tower | No Comments »

Believing in the Real Presence

Thursday, March 28th, 2013

Holy Thursday Reflection

Ex 12:1-8; 1 Cor 11: 23-26; Jn 13: 1-5

Dc. Larry Brockman

The Eucharist!  Today we celebrate the day Jesus introduced the Eucharist.

The earliest account of that event is the one you just heard from 1 Corinthians.  It was written down decades earlier than the accounts in the three synoptic Gospel.  And what did Jesus say as he took the bread and blessed it?  He said “This is my body for you” and “This cup is the new covenant in my blood”.  He went on to say: ”For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes”.

In a few moments, you will share in the body of Christ, just as the first apostles did a couple of thousand years ago.  We have almighty God, Jesus Christ, present with us right here and now in this room- body, soul, and divinity!  And in a few minutes, we will take him into ourselves and all of us will be in communion with him at the same time.  Isn’t that exciting!

But you know what?  Over the years, we have become dulled to the miracle of the Eucharist.  One of the main contentions in the Reformation of the 1500’s was over the reality of the Eucharist.  The reformers talked about how the Eucharist wasn’t really the body and blood of Christ.  After all, they couldn’t see or feel Christ’s presence with their senses.  Some said that Jesus was there in parallel in spirit, but only as long as the ceremony was conducted.  Others believed the Eucharist was just a symbol, not the real thing.  Today, many people, even alleged Christians, scoff at the idea of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

But as Catholics, we are called upon to believe that the Eucharist we receive is the real body and blood of Christ.  It is part of the mystery of our faith.  And the Eucharist is the food we need to help us remain in Communion with the Lord as we face the realities and trials and sufferings of life.

Still, has God ever spoken to us to validate our faith in the Eucharist?  As a matter of fact, He has!  A couple of years ago I was awakened to how reality of the Eucharist has been validated by a friend and his wife..  These friends talked about the “Eucharistic Miracle” they had seen.  They had travelled to Italy, and toured some of the tourist sites.  Among them was a “Eucharistic Miracle” display in Lanciano, Italy.  They told me that during the consecration of a host in the year 750, the host actually turned into flesh and blood!  The people at the time had all seen it; but even more to the point, they had preserved the evidence,  And even now, some 1300 year later, the flesh and blood was still preserved and on display.  They told me how samples of the evidence had been tested, and validated that it was real human flesh and blood.  I found that all just astounding- that the bread and wine had actually turned to real flesh and blood.

And then, a couple of years later, I discovered that this was not the only such miracle.  There were, in fact, dozens of Eucharistic Miracles that had occurred over the centuries.  The evidence of these miracles had been carefully reviewed by the Church. and a number of them had been validated as genuine,  kind of like how the Church validates miracles that have been worked in the name of a person who is being considered for Canonization as a Saint.  The Church collected information from some 126 of these validated Eucharistic Miracles and made giant displays that told their stories and documented them.  These displays are part of the Vatican Museum, while the original evidence remains on display, where possible, at the original sites.

The Miracles are of various kinds.  Some of them are the actual change in the material from bread and wine to flesh and blood.  Others involve lost or stolen hosts that were later found or recovered in perfect condition.  Some of these have remained in perfect condition for centuries.  Still others involve hosts where the image of Jesus appears on the hosts.  And then there are miraculous Communions.  Hosts that miraculously made their way to communicants; or Communicants that have lived on the Eucharist alone- no other food for months.

A couple of years ago, a group of the Faithful here in the US  Called “Una Fides”, Latin for “One Faith”; paid to have these Vatican Displays replicated and brought them over to this country for making tours of our Churches.  They wanted more of the faithful to experience the evidence of what God had done for us in giving us the Eucharist.

On Friday, April 5, all of you will have the opportunity to come and see these displays while on the field trip arranged by Chaplain Walk to my Parish, Holy Family.  Come see the photographs and read the stories of some 37 of these Miracles.  And know that you do not believe in vain.  Because The host that you will receive today is the body of Christ!

Tags:
Posted in Westminster Tower | No Comments »

Evangelizing as a Senior Citizen

Sunday, January 27th, 2013

Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

Neh 8: 2-4a, 5-6, 8-10; 1 Cor 12: 12-14, 27; Luke 1: 1-4, 4: 14-21

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

They were remnants; those who were left over after everyone else had gone.  That’s who the people were that Ezra and Nehemiah were speaking to in the first reading.  You see, the entire nation of Israel was exiled to Babylon.  And after many years, the King of Persia released the remnants.  Most of those that had been exiled were no longer there- they had died during the exile.  To say that they had suffered greatly would be putting it mildly.  They were repressed captives; almost slaves to their captors.  Only a few were living who remembered the good old days of freedom.  But those that did remember returned to Jerusalem.  They were a rag tag group of people, trying to reestablish themselves in their original homeland.  And they brought with them their children and grandchildren who didn’t know anything about the past, except what this remnant could hand down to them.

Now in the scene described in our first reading, this rag tag remnant is experiencing a new found joy because they had finally reached their homeland; they had started reconstruction; and could finally see the effects.  They were overjoyed at truly being free of their oppressors.  Ezra, their prophet, reads the law to them- the law that they had hung on to despite many trials over the years of exile in hopes of this day.  And that is why they were so emotional; that is why the people cried as the historic words of the law were read.

I don’t know about you, but I can identify with these people.  I look back over the 70 or so years of my life, and remember many toils and trials with some great memories sprinkled in between.  But I see a majority of my family gone.  Three of the four parent figures between my wife and I are gone; and all of our aunts and uncles are gone.  It was like I woke up one day and suddenly realized that most of the roots in my family were gone.  We are a rag tag remnant of believers that is left.  We are the elders now; all the young people look to us for the roots of their faith.  And we find ourselves gathered together with others in a similar situation, celebrating our liturgy each week in hope of the joy of an eternal Kingdom, wary of the drudgery of physical life here that gets more taxing with every passing year.  The mind is not as quick; the body is not as nimble; and we are easier victims to illnesses and infirmities.  But there is hope, because the words of our faith still resonate each week as we hear them read, and deep down, we know that we are truly free of the grip of the world, because we have overcome decades of real trials and still have our faith.

And so, just as the Israelis cried with joy when they heard their precious law, we too, can be joyful when we hear our faith proclaimed, and so we say “Amen” to it.  And the essence of our faith is that we are waiting in joyful hope of everlasting life in the kingdom of God, something that our faith and our lives have convinced us is real.

In the second reading, we come to see that all of us together, yes even the rag tag remnant that we are, constitute the real Church- we have our faith that unites us in the Body of Christ.  And that is a strength that we share as a group.  But we still have a mission.  And that mission is to pass on the real faith to our own.  You see, most of the people living today are focused on life in this world, not life in the kingdom of God.  That being the case, they really need us.  Because they need to be focused on what life is really all about.  Those of us who are older and not as nimble, not as quick, and prone to infirmities-  we have the experience that breeds wisdom, the wisdom to know what life is really not all about.  Ultimately it is not all about fame and wealth and pleasure because all of these pass.  Rather, it is about Faith and God and the promise of everlasting life.

And so, we still have a mission to evangelize others- our families and loved ones in particular.  It’s ironic that the Gospel today shows Jesus launching his career.  For 30 years- some 90% of his life, Jesus was just like any one of us- and in fact, was just a carpenter’s apprentice and then a carpenter.  But he basically returns to Nazareth after his Baptism, and announces to the world that he is off on his mission- his mission as the Messiah.

Indeed, it is never too late for us to evangelize even if it is 90% or more into our lives.  We do it with the prayer life and commitment to our faith that others see; we do it by the dignity of our acceptance of God’s will for us, and we do it when we project our hope for Everlasting life in the world to come.  So let us all keep doing it.

Tags:,
Posted in Westminster Tower | No Comments »

Picture of A Holy Family

Sunday, December 30th, 2012

Holy Family

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

Dc. Larry Brockman



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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

				


				
Tags:
 Posted in Holy Family Sunday Homilies, Westminster Tower |   No Comments »


			


		
		

			
« Older Entries

			
Newer Entries »