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Loving With Our Hearts

Sunday, November 20th, 2011

Christ The King

Ez 34: 11-12, 15-17; 1 Cor 15: 20-26, 28; Mt 25: 31-46

Dc. Larry Brockman

The other day, while I was at Health Central Hospital helping the Chaplain in the emergency room, I stopped by the fountain for a drink of water.  .A little girl was there right after me, and try as she could, she couldn’t get a drink, she was just too short.  So, without giving it a thought, I lifted her up and turned the fountain on for her.  .She smiled, scurried away, and I heard her Mom thank me from across the waiting room.  I didn’t really think about it again until I started to prepare this homily.  But, after hearing the Gospel, I truly believe the incident spoke much to me about the Last Judgment. 

 For the last couple of weeks, Jesus talked in parables about being ready for the Last Judgment.  The emphasis was on preparation.  Last week, we were told that we all need to be servants who exercise good stewardship of the gifts, or talents, that God has given us.   Now, we have been given a lifetime to accomplish this task,  So, the message is, that whether our lifetime is short or long, we need to take the steps needed to use our talents prudently in the service of God while we have the time. 

The week before, we were told that we need to be ready to shine the light of Christ constantly in our lives because there is no predicting when we will die and be called to the Last Judgment.  To do that, we need oil for our lamps to light the way.  And we get the oil by being ready and prepared- no procrastinating, no hiding our sins, no negativity is permissible.  We have to be proactive and ready at all times.

 For several weeks before these two Gospels, we heard about the Kingdom of God itself- what it was; and what it was not.  Jesus’ descriptions of it are summed up by his metaphor of the lightning flash.  We see flashes, or glimpses of the Kingdom once and a while in the beauty of nature, a child’s words, or a conversation with another.  It is described as a feeling of great joy in all the parables.  That after all, is our hope- a joyful life ever after in the Kingdom of God.  All of us want that.  So, what is missing in our lives?

Well today, on the Feast of Christ the King, we are told in no uncertain terms, that unless we follow the golden rule, that is, “Love our neighbor as ourselves”, we will not enter the Kingdom of God.. The Old Testament Reading and Gospel both bring up the image of a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats.  The separation is permanent- not just temporary.  The sheep go to heaven; the goats to hell.  So, what are we to make of this severe language?  Well, if we have done what we can to always shine the light of Christ; and if we have recognized and used the talents that God gave us to serve God, then the last thing that he demands of us is simplicity of heart in loving one another.  That, after all is what he is talking about here.  We do that by sharing our food and water; sharing our wealth, whatever it is; visiting the sick and imprisoned, and in general, by being present for various folks in need as if it was second nature to us. 

 This idea of simplicity of heart in loving one another in this way leaped out at me when I read the Gospel because it was then that I remembered the little girl and the fountain.  .God had given me that experience to help me understand this Gospel lesson.  We will not be judged on how much we know; how famous we are; how much money we gave away; how well we are regarded; or any of a number of other areas of greatness by man’s standards.  We will be judged on how we learned the lesson of being kind and loving and present to everyone and anyone that God puts into our lives- even the ones we see by accident or happenstance.  And not only that, this attitude of kindness needs to be second nature to us, not contrived. 

 This, it seems to me, is why Ezekiel talks so severely about the sheep that are “sleek and strong”.  Because if you are independent, strong, and totally in control at all times, then you are not listening to the shepherd and so, you won’t follow him- you are bent on doing your own thing.  We need to recognize our shepherd, Jesus, and move towards him like it is second nature to us. 

 What is interesting about this is how amazingly simple it is.  It is something all of us can do, to love, as well as we can, everyone we meet out of simplicity of the heart.  They are all God’s children; and Jesus is in all of them. 

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Are You Ready?

Sunday, November 6th, 2011

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Westminster Towers

Mt 25: 1-13

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Are you ready!  That’s the main question posed by the parable of the 10 virgins.  I hope and I pray that all of you are watching and are ready.   

 

Now this parable, like all of Jesus’ parables has both a surface and a deeper hidden meaning.  Before we get into the meanings, it is helpful to have a little appreciation for Jewish culture.  You see, the story of the watchful virgins attending the bride at the reception was, and still is, a very common practice in Palestinian culture.  It wasn’t just some story pulled out of the air. A wedding is a big deal there, and the custom goes like this: 

 

The bride awaits the arrival of the bridegroom at the couple’s new home.  She is attended by her bridesmaids, who, at the first sign of the groom go out to meet him, day or night, and they light the way for his entry.  In the meantime, the bridegroom and rest of the wedding party parade through the streets of the town heralding the wedding event.  They take the longest possible route, and often this is done on the fly.  So, the bridegroom often tarries as he randomly parades around expressing his joy and announcing the event.  Even today, this process can take from hours to a day, in reality.  So, there is no fixed time for the wedding itself!  When the bridegroom does arrive, the throng enters the home, the wedding begins, and then the celebration.  The doors are locked, and latecomers are not let in.  So, rather than begin what our culture calls a honeymoon by themselves; the couple shows hospitality and shares their joy right after the wedding.   They get married, and then celebrate their marriage with family and friends over what might be days.  Very different than our customs, that’s for sure.  And so this picture painted by Jesus was very familiar to the crowd at the time.   

 

Now, the most immediate meaning of the parable was a warning to the Pharisees and the Jewish hierarchy.  They had been telling the people that the Christ was coming for thousands of years.  But, the Jews had waited so long, that they had all but fallen asleep.   They simply were totally unprepared for the great moment that they had been waiting centuries for.  Jesus was trying to tell them that they were about to miss the greatest event in their salvation history.   

 

You see, the arrival of Jesus was the arrival of the Christ, the anointed.  And Christ is the Bridegroom in the parable.  The Bride, who symbolizes the body of believers, or the Church in today’s terms, waits inside.  But the attending virgins, the Pharisees, were caught asleep with the lights out.  Indeed, most of them did not make their way out to welcome the Bridegroom, Christ.  They didn’t recognize him, they didn’t understand him; and they didn’t embrace him.  They certainly didn’t light his way.  As Pharisees, they may have the most pure and holy of the body of Jewish believers, but they had no oil- no fuel for the lights that should have been turned on to herald the Christ.  Not only that, Christ’s salvation parade would pass them by, and they would find themselves locked out, almost before they knew it.    From a historical perspective, that’s what the immediate meaning was. 

 

But, this parable was intended to speak to all the people at a deeper level, and indeed, still speaks to us today.  Only now, the coming of the bridegroom refers to the second coming of Christ..  Every year, the Church calendar includes several weeks of gloom and doom end time prophecies in the Gospel just before we get to the season of Advent, where we prepare for Christmas.  These Gospels predict the second coming of Christ with the Last Judgment.  This Gospel, proclaimed in most of our Churches this weekend, marks the first such gloom and doom Gospel in the series.   

 

Now both the King James version of the Bible, and the New American version, the Catholic version, specifically call the ten attendants “virgins”, whereas other paraphrased versions use the term “bridesmaids”.  I think the term “virgin” fits better- for while they are all bridesmaids attending to the bride, Jesus intended for them to be described as virgins as well.  First, notice that we really hear nothing of the bride.  Now church people- that’s people like me-  like to call the Church the “Bride of Christ”.  And so, we have the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, on his way to the wedding of Jesus with his Church.  The salvation history of the Jews spanned a couple of thousand years.  And it has been 2,000 years since Jesus came amongst us.  It is any wonder that everyone has fallen asleep waiting!  

 

Now, the ten virgins collectively symbolize the bride, or Church.  So we can look at this as if all of us are represented by these ten virgins.  We are all still sleeping, waiting for the last judgment.  And the Bridegroom will come as a surprise.  But when the wedding occurs,  It will be after the last Judgment in the Kingdom of God.  That means that when the wedding party enters that house, the collective bride must be pure and holy for the wedding.  So these bridesmaids need to be virgins in that sense.   

 

Next, notice half of the ten virgin are described as wise; the rest foolish.  The wise virgins have oil for their lamps, the foolish do not.  Now, think about that for a moment.  Think about a young virgin excited about her friend’s wedding.  She prepares herself to be an attendant at the wedding.  All ten are wise enough to bring a lamp because, as the custom goes, the arrival of the bridegroom is indefinite.  It could be day or night.  So, they all thought about what kind of preparation was needed.  And yett half of them don’t bring any oil.   

 

Having or not having oil is really what it’s all about.  Most of us feel called to the wedding.  And, most of us think we are prepared, and would respond to the call to be a bridesmaid.  But do we have our oil?  Suppose oil symbolizes our readiness for the Kingdom of God.  Let’s look at it this way:  Do you remember when you were in school, and you would wait till the last day to study for an exam?  Or do you remember times that you needed to buy food for a special occasion, but you just kept putting it off?  Or do you remember when you needed to practice a dance or a sport, or prepare for a speech, and you kept putting it off till tomorrow?  Well, suppose the test was all of a sudden right now; the dinner is an hour from now; and you are going to have to come up to give your speech right after I get done here.  That would be like bringing your lamp, but forgetting your oil.  And in a spiritual sense, all of us have the same problem as well.  We can hear the call to the Kingdom, and we can feel that we are ready, but when it comes right down to it, we really are not ready- there is something missing- the oil.  Maybe there are people that you should reconcile with;  Sins that weigh you down that need to be offered up and confessed to God; and other tasks that have gone undone that weigh on your consciences.  But whatever it is- you may not be ready.  Because you see, Jesus could come at any time, maybe even this afternoon.  And there won’t be any time left to go get your oil then.  You either have it now, or you don’t.   

 

Now the parable also talks about how some of the foolish virgins tried to borrow some oil.  When I first read this parable, my first impression was that the wise virgins seemed a little harsh.  Because there are always folks out there who plan to be generous- bring something extra for someone else.  So why don’t we see that here?  Jesus is making the point that the oil is a personal thing.  You really have to have your own oil.  You have to be ready for the test, not your neighbor; and you have to give the speech, not your neighbor.  Likewise, you have to reconcile with those who you have offended; and you have to confess your own sins.

 

When the foolish virgins finally return to the house with their oil, they find that the procession has passed them by and the wedding and celebration have begun.   In fact, they find themselves locked out.  Not only that, the Bridegroom is behind the locked door and he denies even knowing these foolish virgins.   Well, this is the gloom and doom part.  Each of us has a lifetime to be ready, and that should be sufficient.  If you build a relationship with God in that lifetime, he will know you.  If you wait for the last minute; well it just may not all happen for you.  And I think the real issue here is what’s in the heart. 

 

Going back for a moment, it would seem that if all the virgins brought lamps, then they recognized the need for these lamps to have fuel.  Could it be that some of the virgins were just cutting corners.  Perhaps they were people who really didn’t know the couple that well; they had heard about the celebration and just wanted to party.  They thought they could show up at the last minute, find the Bridegroom arriving, light their lamps for a few minutes, and then join the party- their real motivation.  They were going through the expected motions just to get into the party.  They were not really rejoicing for the wedding party, but they were in it for themselves.  They are the lukewarm, follow the crowd, self-serving types who don’t really take things to heart.  But Christ does not want party crashers in His Kingdom.  He wants people who know Him and who are committed to him.  He really doesn’t know people who just know him when it is convenient because these are people who deny him in times of trial.

 

All of us here have been blessed with a long lifetime.  We’ve had careers and hobbies and interests.  We all have been through relationships with Moms and Dads and Grandparents   and kids and grandkids and maybe even great grandkids.  And we’ve had battles with our bodies- some we’ve won, and some we’ve lost or are losing.   There have been lessons and blessings, joy and sadness through it all.  But in the course of those lives, we have had the opportunity to know Jesus Christ.  And in parallel with all that life has dealt us in this world, we have had the opportunity to ready ourselves for our God. 

 

Are we ready?   

 

Alfred Lord Tennyson one wrote a poem that was included in one of his books.  A novice nun recited this poem to Queen Guinevere.  The poem addressed the cost of sin, and was based on this parable.  The first verse goes like this:  “Late, late so late the dark and chill!  Late, late so late! But can we enter still.  Too late, too late! Ye cannot enter now”   

 

Is it too late for you? 

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A Tale of Two Peoples!

Sunday, October 30th, 2011

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mal 1: 14b- 2: 2b, 8-10; 1 Thes 2: 7b-9, 13; Mt 23: 1-12

by  Dc. Larry Brockman

A tale of two peoples!

The first people, the Israeli Nation in Malachi’s time, was blessed as the chosen people and had prophets who brought the Word of the Lord to them over many centuries.  They were the people of the first covenant.  The Lord had saved them from slavery, and had blessed them with priests and prophets and kings.  The Lord had given them commandments, laying down boundaries for them on what they should do and should not do in order to give them a roadmap to living righteous lives.  But, the leaders and priests in Malachi’s time were not stepping up to their duty.  They were preoccupied with divisions amongst themselves. They were not faithfully serving the Lord’s message to the people.  And so, the Israeli people ignored the prophets, priests and commandments.  They broke faith with one another, violating the covenant of their Lord.  It’s almost like they became oblivious to their blessing-  putting it on the back burner in times of prosperity, calling on the Lord only when they were in trouble.   

The second people, the Thessalonians, had none of the advantages of the first people.  No history, no prophets, no commandments, and no covenant.  They were, however, blessed with the presence of St. Paul.  Paul worked right alongside of them, and through his zeal for the Lord Jesus, he passed on the Gospel- the good news of the New Covenant.  Paul did this with affection, and treated the Thessalonians with respect.  Paul was a servant preacher that people could relate to.  The Thessalonians responded well to his message.  And as Paul said, thanks were given to the Lord for the generous and heart felt acceptance of the Christian message by these Gentiles.  Because the Thessalonians not only accepted the message, but they acted on it with their hearts and put the message into practice in the way they lived their lives.  These Thessalonians thus became the chosen people of the New Covenant, along with all the Gentiles who accepted Christianity.   

The tale of these two peoples is one that occurs over and over again throughout history.  Right now, it is you and I who are the chosen people.  We are the people of the Covenant.  We have the Bible, the Sacraments, the Church, the Traditions, Priests, and the example of all the saints to help us.  We have a choice between embracing our faith with our hearts, as the Thessalonians did, or putting our faith into reserve, on the shelf, and out of the way,  using it as a crutch when we get in trouble, rather than living our faith in our everyday lives.  We, too, can become oblivious to the blessings we have through the traditions our parents handed down to us- our Christian faith and heritage and teachings and values.  You see, the secular world keeps right on tempting us.  It does that by claiming our time, our interest, and our attraction to things other than God.  We can feel too comfortable knowing that we have “faith” if we need it.  But are we really people of faith, acting on it?  It is our challenge to focus on what is really important ion life, our faith.   

One of the reasons that living our faith can become a problem in today’s world is the poison of hypocrisy.  I think this is what the Gospel story is all about.  Because our Churches- whether Catholic, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, or whatever, are human institutions which have sinners in them.  The fact that there is more than one Christian denomination is a sad testimony to the divisions among us, just like the divisions observed among the Israelis.  And so, we can become cynical about the imperfections of our Church hierarchies.  There are proud and haughty leaders, child abuse scandals, sex scandals, rules heaped upon rules, high handedness, and other forms of hypocrisy that are plain to see,   just like Jesus reported in the Gospel story.  And there is reluctance of the Church to take a stand sometimes when it is needed.  These signs of human weakness all point to selfishness.  And yet, the true calling of our Church is to serve us- to help us in our salvation journey.   

And so, what transcends the imperfections of our Church institutions is Jesus teaching itself.  As Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “The greatest among you must be your servant”.  That is the true test for all of us.  I cannot help but notice that Paul won over the Thessalonians in exactly that way.  Paul worked hard right alongside of them; he was their servant as well as an example to them of the Lord’s message and how to apply it.  And so, we need to embrace our Church and it’s teachings and forgive the frailties of human weakness in our Churches.  We cannot afford to throw the baby out with the bathwater.  But it is a servant mentality that we must all have- one that embraces what we can do for others, rather than what we can do for ourselves.   

In the tale of two peoples, which people do you identify with?   

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God Wants a Conversion of Our Hearts

Sunday, September 25th, 2011

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Ez 18: 25-28; Phil 2: 1-5; Mt 21: 28-32

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

God is looking for a conversion of the heart!  That’s what it is all about to God- what is really in our hearts.  And one thing about a conversion of the heart that is so important is this: it needs to be constant; it needs to go on as long as we live.

   

First, we have Ezekiel’s example.  The Lord justifies one who, late in life, turns from his sins and begins to do what is right and just.  Why-  because he had a conversion of heart.  On the other hand, imagine someone who walks through life mostly doing good, but then, late in life, he wanders off in the wrong direction. Can it be that such a person was not committed all along?  He might be someone who goes through the motions in the ordinary things of life, but then, when the going gets tough, when the real test of his or her faith comes, this person abandons his faith, and falls into sin.  Now you might say, Does that really happen?  Are righteous people who make one final mistake abandoned by God?  But I think that it is the opposite that is the case.  There are those who associate with, but don’t really embrace righteousness.  And when they are tested, really tested about their commitment to the right thing, they walk away from it.  Let’s face it, we are tested all the time- it is a constant test that God gives us.  

 

Jesus gives an excellent example in the Gospel parable.  One son said no to his Father, but then had a change of heart.  Deep down, he knew what the right thing was to do- to obey the father.  His own desires were those of the flesh- laziness, his own agenda, pre-occupation with other things, and so he originally said no.  But his heart won the day, what God had written in his heart as the right thing to do, his conscience.  And so he did as the father bid.  Indeed, he spent that one day working in the father’s vineyard- but you know, I am sure that it was actually one of many.  The other son knew all the right things to say and do.  He had knowledge; he had opportunity; and he projected well.  But when the chips were down, he followed his own agenda and not what was written in his heart.  And you can be sure that it was not the only time he did not do what he said he would do.   

 

In today’s world, there are a lot of folks who fall victim to this second son’s way of thinking.  They make a commitment to do something, something that is the right thing to do that involves a sacrifice of their own time or agenda.  They might make that commitment to get off the hook, to relieve the pressure, because someone is pressuring them or some circumstance is nagging them; whatever.  It is a convenient at the moment to say yes.  But then, when the time actually comes to deliver, they don’t follow through.  These are the folks who have not had a conversion of the heart.  They are working their own agenda deep inside.  Oh, they have excuses for their behavior.  I forgot; something came up; I didn’t think you really needed me; and the like.  But deep down, it is a lack of commitment of the heart that holds them back.   

 

What is the solution?  Paul’s advice today seems right on the money.  We should all be of one mind- “with the same love, united in heart, thinking the one thing”.  And what is that one thing?  Doing the will of the Father.  Now the will of the Father takes some discernment.  But that discernment is not just what we think with our heads, but what we feel is in our hearts.

 

You know, as I get older, I tend to get just a little lazy.  My body tells me that I am too tired to do this or that, or too busy to interrupt my routine.  I might tell myself that my days for taking on the world have passed, it is time to take it easy.  I kind of felt that way yesterday when I was working in the yard.  I had all kinds of good things planned, but I got tired after four hours and had to quit. But really, I’m not talking about that kind of tired.  Rather, I am talking about things of the Spirit- something we feel deep down we need to do for someone else, or for us to grow spiritually.  And you know, we are never too old to grow spiritually.  So, sometimes my heart is nagging me when my body tells me that I would rather not- like the men’s Bible group I belong to that meets at 7 AM on Thursday.  It means I have to get up by 5:30 AM to get there in time and that’s in the middle of the night for me!  But this small group of men depends on each other to build their spirituality- to be of one mind and heart.  And so, they depend on me to be there.  And so, it is important to listen to my heart, and not my body,  because God is looking for a lasting conversion of the heart   

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What Kind of Food Are You Looking For?

Sunday, June 26th, 2011

 

Corpus Christi

Dt 8: 2-3, 14b-16a; 1 Cor 10: 16-17; Jn 6: 51-58

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

What kind of food are you looking for?  Are you looking for food that gives physical nourishment?  Or are you looking for spiritual food that will guarantee you everlasting life?  Today, Jesus establishes the fact that we can have it both ways!   

In the first reading we see that the Israeli’s were just looking for a way to survive physically as they travelled for 40 years through a parched desert land devoid of grain and livestock and water.  They prayed for deliverance.  What they got was manna- a food unknown beforehand.  But this manna was an interesting food.  It was nourishing and satisfying if consumed right away.   But, if it was collected and hoarded out of fear of starving, it would spoil and was useless.  It was in God’s plan for the giving of the manna that He be trusted and believed in- He wanted the Israelis to trust that He would fulfill their need for survival, even if it was always just in time.  And in that sense, this real food was spiritual food as much as physical food.  The Israelis could not live without it- for it nourished them; but they could not live without believing in it either, because only by believing in it did they fulfill the hope for the future, sustenance long enough for their entry into the real promised land of Israel.   

In  today’s Gospel, Jesus describes spiritual food for the New Covenant-  early in His public ministry, Jesus foretells what He would do at the last Supper, which was to institute the Eucharist, the real body and blood of Christ in the form of bread and wine.  Just as with manna, this food provides hope for the future, but in this case, it is a guarantee of everlasting life, not just a longer life in this World.   

Now, as the Gospel this morning testifies, Jesus made a very strong statement: He said that only those who ate His body and drank His blood would experience everlasting life!  This was a stumbling block then; it has been a stumbling block all throughout Christianity; and it is a stumbling block today.  The Jews in Jesus time were forbidden to drink the blood of an animal.  So, this would have been strictly taboo for them. But consuming the Body and Blood of Christ also sounded like cannibalism when taken literally, and turned them off.  And so, it turned many people away because of their Jewish laws and traditions.  As the Gospel says, they quarreled about the teaching, and many walked away.   

As Catholics, we recognize the ritual consecration of bread and wine at Mass as the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist because the events of the Last Super fulfilled the promise we read in this morning’s Gospel.  In Christianity, most of the 16th century reformers rejected the idea of the Real Presence as hocus-pocus and unreal.  They did so because they didn’t really believe- believe the truth of what Jesus said in this reading.  They say one cannot take this scripture literally.     

We Catholics have come to know, of course, that Jesus was serious.  The Real Presence and the claim that it nourishes those who believe has been validated for us.  Over the centuries two kinds of Eucharistic miracles have occurred that validate the Real Presence and its power.  First, the bread and the wine has changed into real flesh and blood in some isolated cases.  There are display cases in Southern Italy and videos of activities in Argentina in the last century that give examples of this.  Second, every century or so, someone lives on the nourishment provided by daily Eucharist alone.  St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Nicholas of Flue, and Blessed Alejandrina Maria da Costa are all examples. Skeptics are quick to discount these miracles as isolated incidents.  But, for those who believe, they are proof of the power of the Eucharist. 

This power can be experienced by all of us who believe in Jesus words and deeds without having to see the transformation, or to live out the fact of the exclusive nourishment.  This is precisely because Faith is believing in things unseen.  And that is what we are called to do- to have Faith. Life in this world is not what Life is all about.  Life in this world is about recognizing the existence of God, and the fact of everlasting life in the Kingdom of God for those who believe in Him.  We need food, we need nourishment, for that Heavenly kingdom.  When we believe in and consume the Eucharist with this mindset, then it nourishes us for the Kingdom of God just as literally as it provided bodily nourishment in the lives of the saints we mentioned. 

In just a few minutes, all of you will receive the Body of Christ.  I pray that all of you will recognize its power.  Because what we truly need in this life  Is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control-  the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.  These are what sustain us in our quest for the Kingdom of God.  These are part of the nourishment, the spiritual food, all of us need to succeed in this life so we can live in joy in the next.

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Showing Mercy

Sunday, May 1st, 2011

 

Second Sunday of Easter

Divine Mercy Sunday

Acts 2: 42-47; 1 Peter 1: 3-9; John 20: 19-31

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Mercy.  Mercy can be difficult for us.  Sometimes we get so caught up in our own suffering that the last thing on our minds is being merciful to others.  I have had some considerable discomfort over the last month  as I have undergone treatment for kidney stones.  I found myself focused on that suffering, and less concerned about others.  But, as I pondered on it during Holy Week, I realized that when that happened, when I became preoccupied with my own pains, then that is the best time for me to think about God’s goodness to me. 

First, Jesus clearly suffered and died a horrible death through no fault of his own.  And, any suffering I experience pales by comparison to what Jesus endured for me.  Second, while I may be suffering at some point in time, God has given me many gifts as well- Family, friends, a good home, and many, many other blessings, not the least of which is my Faith in Jesus and the promise of eternal life that comes from the Resurrection.  Indeed, when you keep in mind God’s immense gifts to us, then we are able to bear with the hardships of life – because we have the right perspective. 

This is what St Peter means when he says that we rejoice in God’s mercy   “Although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials.”   Those trials are not outside the scope of God’s wisdom – he allows them for a reason. This is true even of seemingly petty, everyday trials. Such things, in fact, have made sinners into saints.

Consider, for example, a monk, named Dositheus. He was a sixth century monk whose job in the monastery was to care for the sick members of the community.  The sick monks were just as ornery in their sufferings as normal people, preoccupied with their suffering.  Probably just as ornery as I was the last couple of weeks!  This orneriness grated on Dositheus.  When this happened, Dositheus would lose his patience and speak harshly to his brother monks.   Then, filled with remorse, he would run to his room, throw himself on the floor, weep bitter tears, and beg for God’s mercy. His genuine contrition allowed divine grace to work within him.  And so, over time, and with God’s help, Dositheus eventually overcame his ill-temper   and became so kind, patient, and cheerful that he filled even the sick and suffering monks with his contagious joy.  Dositheus learned to be truly merciful, and was canonized a saint for it[1].  

If we think often about God’s immense goodness and mercy to us, we, too, will be able to rejoice even amidst our trials, because we will know that they are, somehow, part of his plan for our lives.   They are part of the goodness God gives to us- they are part of God’s mercy.  They are a teaching kind of mercy.  You know, this kind of mercy is revealed in today’s Readings.  First of all, consider the Gospel reading.  The Apostles had been especially selected by Jesus.  Yet they abandoned Jesus after the Last Supper.  They fell asleep while He prayed at Gethsemane; they scattered when He was arrested, leaving Him behind; and at the beginning of today’s Gospel, they had gathered in a locked room- confused, afraid of the authorities, conflicted by what some of them had heard about- the Resurrection.  Indeed, in every sense of the word they were depressed and out of sorts and focused on their own pain.  And yet, what did Jesus do when He appeared to the Apostles?   Although they had abandoned Jesus in his most difficult hour, Jesus wasn’t going to abandon them.   Instead, he passes through the locked doors, passes through their fears, regret, and guilt, and appears to them.  Jesus sought them out and brings them his peace.   And he reaffirms his confidence in them by reaffirming their mission:   “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  We also see God’s mercy in Christ’s reaction to the men who had crucified him.    Did he come back and crush them in revenge?  No.  Instead, he sends out his Apostles to tell them – and to tell the whole sinful world,  the world that had crucified its God –  that they can be redeemed, that God has not condemned them:   And then, just to make sure that the Church is fully armed to communicate this message, Jesus gives the ultimate revelation of God’s mercy –  He delegates to his Apostles his divine power to forgive sins:   “Receive the Holy Spirit.  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”    Through the institution of the sacrament of Confession, we all receive the limitless mercy of God,  A gift which overwhelms any misery we may experience in our lives  Because we merit everlasting life and joy by our reconciliation with God.   It was the ultimate revelation of Divine Mercy. This is how God has treated us.  Not because we deserved it, but because his goodness is so great and so overflowing that he wanted to give us the greatest gift he could think of: a share in his own divine life,  a real membership in the heavenly kingdom, forever.

Today, as we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday, our hearts should be full of simple, childlike gratitude.  The Eucharist is Christ’s pledge to us of the glory to come.  Today, when we receive this pledge in Holy Communion,  Let’s thank God for his mercy and his generosity, from the bottom of our hearts.  But let’s not just thank him with words.  Because if our King and God has treated us with such overwhelming goodness, giving us much more than we deserve, then we should strive to do the same for those around us. 

There are three simple ways we can do this, three ways we can act on God’s grace and make ourselves bearers of God’s mercy.  First, we can forgive people who offend, insult, or harm us, even when we think they don’t deserve to be forgiven – just as Christ does every time we come to confession.  Second, we can give others a gift, an opportunity, or a kindness, even when we think they have done nothing to deserve one – just as Christ will do for us today with Holy Communion.  Third, we can patiently bear with the imperfections and irritations we see in those around us- just as Christ does with each one of us every single moment of every single day.  The more we become like Christ in his mercy, through the power of his grace, the more we will experience the “indescribable and glorious joy” that he died to win for us in his Divine Mercy.

[1] Aapted from Saintly Solutions, by Fr Joseph Esper (Sophia Institute Press, 2001.]

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Curing Our Spiritual Blindness

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

Fourth Sunday of Lent

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

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

So, how is it that you and I are blind?    We are still in the midst of Lent; a time for meditation and reflection on our lives; a time for purification and change, so that when the Resurrection occurs, and the Light of the World, the resurrected Christ, shines his pure light into our hearts, we will be ready- ready like Paul challenges the Ephesians to be ready:  “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Live as children of the light.”  And the chances are that each one of us, yes, each one of us, is still blind.  We cannot see as God sees, and we would do well to reflect on that, so that on Easter, we can live as light, fully comfortable and joyful.   

In today’s Gospel, the blind man goes through a miraculous transformation physically; he is cured of his physical blindness in a flash.  But he also goes through a second transformation:  He is cured of spiritual blindness.  We can see that this second transformation is slower.  Notice that, as the multiple dialogs in our Gospel unfold, the blind man begins with spiritual ignorance.  First, we hear:  “I don’t know what happened, all I know is that Jesus did this to me and now I can see”.  He was probably so shocked, so taken by what happened to him physically, that the implications of it all hadn’t had a chance to settle in.  But then, as the later dialogs develop between the blind man and the Pharisees and between the blind man and Jesus, we see that he has a different attitude.  So, he describes Jesus as a prophet- an explicit recognition that something exceptional happened, because he had a chance to reflect on the miracle. Yes, indeed, something profound happened and that meant to him that there was something special about Jesus.  But then, after he meets Jesus again and Jesus tells him that He is the Messiah, the blind man tells Jesus that He believes.  Ah, yes, he believes that Jesus is more than a prophet, and goes so far as to worship Him.  Indeed, this blind man went through a spiritual transformation.   

Now there are some of you who might think:  “Well, that is all very interesting, but it happened to this one man.  Certainly, I cannot identify with that blind man personally;  after all, I am here, already a believer, a real believer.  It’s the people like the Pharisees and the others in today’s Gospel story who are blind, not me.”  Well, consider this.  Samuel was one of the greatest Prophets and Judges of the Old Testament.  And yet Samuel was still blind, unable to see as God sees.  The proof of that is today’s story of the choice of David.  Samuel is ready to choose the handsome older son of Jesse because, he saw differently than God.  But God says basically, “don’t judge by appearances”.  Samuel, you see, was blinded by appearances.  And yet, ironically, once David is brought from virtual exile, away, hidden from sight by his pastoral duties as the family shepherd; indeed, once David is brought into the light, our reading tells us that David is “a youth handsome to behold and making a splendid appearance”!  Wow!  Once Samuel’s eyes were truly opened, then he could really see.  All of us who think that we can see need the same kind of transformation.  And Lent is the perfect time for us to stop what we are doing, take time out from the brilliance of the world and all it has to distract us, and to step back in such a way, that the hidden wisdom of God can transform us- transform us so that we can see, see the way God sees.   

So, I ask again, how is it that you and I are blind?  What is it that you are not seeing that is affecting your life, your relationship with God?  Is it something that is in your background, something that’s been there all along but you just haven’t seen it- a person, a circumstance, an opportunity, a problem?  Is it something that you are hiding, keeping locked up inside of you?  Perhaps it is something even suppressed because you don’t want to come to grips with it; or perhaps something that needs attention right now, but you think you are too busy to deal with it?  Then again, maybe you’ve been praying for something, and you don’t recognize that God has already answered your prayer because you are judging by your ability to see, and can’t see as God sees.   

Our second reading ends with a great piece of advice.  It is thought to be lifted from an ancient Baptismal hymn.  It is something all of us Baptized Christians would do well to ponder as we try to see things in our life  rhe way God sees them.  The advice is this:  “Awake, O sleeper and arise from the dead.  And Christ will give you light”. 

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What Lent is All About

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

Westminster Tower Ecumenical Service

From the Gospel for the 2nd Sunday in Lent

Matthew 17: 1-9

Dc. Larry Brockman

We’re in the middle of Lent!  You know, Lent, that 40 day period just before Easter when you’re supposed to fast and abstain from something and give alms and pray.  At least that is what us Catholics are supposed to be doing during Lent.  I’m resolved to give up beer and TV, for example.  That should give me more time to reflect, and a clearer head to reflect with.

Now, I see where lots of folks from the other Christian denominations were distributing ashes on Ash Wednesday.  I helped distribute ashes at a local hospital; and a Baptist minister was there too, helping us.  I think they may have distributed ashes here, in fact.  And since Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, that means that Lent is something all of us Christians are paying more attention to these days.  Since these nice folks from Westminster Towers asked a Catholic to preach at their Ecumenical Service, I thought I would share some perspectives on Lent with you.   

Now you might ask what the Transfiguration described in our scripture has to do with Lent.  Well, first off, did you know that the three people who were transfigured- Jesus, Moses, and Elijah- shared something in common that echoes one of the Lenten themes I mentioned a moment ago?  Namely, all three of them fasted for 40 days and 40 nights at some time during their lives.  And they all fasted in the same desert wilderness- the region around Horeb. They fasted for 40 days and 40 nights- which is exactly how long Lent is.  And all three of them did that in order to get close to God.  Fasting has that effect because when you fast, you have a tendency to become more sensitive, more feeling.  Fasting opens your senses because you realize that something is missing, you can just feel it, and so, you can be swept into a heightened sensitivity to other things while you are fasting.  Fasting will help you to concentrate on God and listen to His message for you.   

Now, as I mentioned, along with fasting, Jesus, Moses, and Elijah got away from people by going into the wilderness to make sure that they could use their heightened sensitivity to focus on God and God alone.  There are two classic ways of getting away- going into the desert, and going to the top of a mountain. Let’s focus on the Transfiguration itself for a few minutes because it is an example of going up a mountain.  Jesus takes his three most trusted apostles- Peter, James, and John up a mountain- but not just any mountain, a high mountain.  Some scholars think it was a mountain nearly 10,000 feet high.  That took some time; you just don’t climb a 10,000 foot mountain over night.  And you can’t really take a lot of food with you either.  So, these guys were in a fast of sorts as well.  And so, this was a very isolated place where the Transfiguration took place, days away from civilization. 

Once there, Jesus is Transfigured.  But what exactly does that mean?  Well, it comes from the Greek word “metamorphosis”, which implies a change in state.  For example, when a caterpillar goes through a metamorphosis, it changes to a butterfly- a completely different manifestation, but the same creature.   

So this means that Jesus changes in some very significant way right before the Apostles’ eyes, but is the same person.  We hear “His face shone like the sun; and his clothes became white as light”.  In other words, Jesus experiences a metamorphosis to His glorified state.  Then, along with Jesus’ change, Moses and Elijah appear in a similar “transfigured” state.  And what was the Apostles’ reaction?  They were dumfounded- absolutely petrified.  And so, in his frightened and confused state, Peter says something stupid about erecting three tents or booths or tabernacles- depending on which translation you read, as if doing such a thing can sustain this incredible and dazzling vision.  It is then that we hear these words coming out of a bright cloud, as the voice of God the Father proclaims:  “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased”.  These are the exact same words that God the Father proclaimed out of a cloud when Jesus was Baptized.   

Indeed, these three most trusted Apostles took days to climb up that mountain with Jesus;  all the while living sparsely.  And once there, in an isolated spot, away from everyone and everything else, they had a direct encounter with Almighty God, an experience which was both awesome- because they saw a prefiguring of the Glory of God; but at the same time, an experience that was frightening- hence they fell prostrate in fear.   

Now before going on, I want to take a few moments to talk about the symbolism in the Transfiguration scene.  Most scripture scholars feel that Moses represents the law; and Elijah represents the Prophets of the Old Testament.  And so, the Transfiguration links Jesus and His mission to fulfill the promise for a Messiah in the Old Covenant with the Old Testament covenant as defined by the law and the prophetic message.  During the Transfiguration, Jesus meets and discusses this fulfillment with the very people through whom God chose to reveal the Law and prophecies in the Old Testament- Moses and Elijah.  The Transfiguration, then, represents a kind of lesson that Jesus shared with his most trusted Apostles  He gave them the opportunity to get away from everybody and everything so that they could see how he came in contact with God and discerned his own mission.  And so, the Apostles saw Jesus in his own future Glory, the Glory of the only Son of God; and they experienced the awesome power of God the Father.  The Transfiguration validated Jesus claim to be God, and demonstrated how one could come to the mountain in isolation, pray, and discern God’s will.     

But the Apostles didn’t see any of this at all.  They missed the point that Jesus was, in fact, the Son of God, and that he was discussing his role in life- to be the Messiah that fulfills the Old Testament Covenant.  They missed the point that they needed to reflect in a similar way on their mission in life by going into the desert or up the mountain to encounter God, and listen to His will for them.   

During Lent, we are all challenged to use the 40 days that the Church calendar provides to prepare ourselves for the Resurrection experience that comes on Easter Sunday by fasting and praying; and by reflecting on our lives and our mission in life.  The Transfiguration can be seen as an incident in which Jesus shares with us a formula for all of us to follow.  First, fasting and preparation; then, the journey to the desert or the mountain; and lastly, listening to God and what his will is.   

Our fasting doesn’t have to be difficult.  It just needs to be substantive enough to sensitize us;  to remind us that fulfilling our wants and desires is not what life is all about, but rather, doing the will of the Father.  And our journey to the desert or mountain can be simple as well- the privacy of our rooms or a quiet corner in a garden, for example.  It can be any place where we separate ourselves from the distractions of the world.  And if we listen, we may just hear, or sense, the presence of God as the Apostles did.   

One way to heighten such an experience is to imagine yourself in the midst of one of these biblical scenes- like the transfiguration we just heard this morning, or John’s story of the Woman at the Well; or a healing story, like the raising of Lazarus or the healing of the blind man.  First, read the scripture several times slowly so you are familiar with it.  Then, close your eyes, and go through everything the scripture describes as if you were a bystander or participant.  And then maybe, just maybe, God will speak to you in some way.  A hint, a nudge, a feeling, may come to you that will help answer your prayers whatever it is that you may have been looking for.  God is always listening to us when we pray.  But sometimes we don’t listen to him because we are looking for different kind of answer.  God’s wisdom is a knowing kind of response   Rather than a detailed roadmap on the steps to follow to solve one of our problems.  It’s a validation- a warm feeling that things are OK.  It’s a vision of something that leads us in the right direction; and it can also be an uneasiness that tells us to look elsewhere.   

Every year we hear about Lent, and for many of us we start off resolved to make a special effort to get in touch with God.  But like New Years resolutions, days, even weeks pass, and before you know it, the opportunity for our self examination and our purification is over.  Before you know it, Easter has arrived and we are celebrating the Resurrection.  Don’t let that happen this year.  Rather, savor the season of Lent.  Use it to find out how to make a change in your life to align yourself with the will of God.  Then, the Resurrection experience on Easter morning will be one of true joy, knowing that you have made the effort to align yourself with the will of God. 

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True Humility

Sunday, January 30th, 2011

4th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Zeph 2: 3; 3: 12-13; 1 Cor 1: 26-; Mt 5: 1-12a

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

When St. Augustine was asked to name the three most important virtues, he gave an interesting answer:   First, he said, humility; second, humility; third, humility.  Humility is God’s favorite thing; he longs to find it in us.  But just what is humility.   

There are all kinds of interesting stories about truly humble people.  Here is just one:  It seems there was a cocky, successful, young French businessman traveling by train to Paris, many years ago.  He was sharing a compartment with on old man who looked like a peasant – simple clothes, short hair, and a weather-beaten face.  The up-and-coming businessman noticed the rosary gripped in the old man’s hands, and the devotion and concentration expressed on his face.  The young man thought he would have some fun, so he said, “I see that you still believe in that medieval bunk about praying your beads.   Do you also believe in all the other myths the priests try to teach us?”  “Yes, indeed”, the old man answered, “Don’t you?”  “Me? Do I believe in all that ridiculous superstition”?   The young man laughed out loud; then he said:   “I gave that up in college.  And if you want to be smart, you should throw those beads out the window and start studying some real, scientific truth.”  The old man answered,   “I don’t understand what you mean. Maybe you could help me”.  The young whippersnapper felt he had been a little harsh, so he answered,   “Well, I could send you some articles, if you like.  Do you know how to read”?  “More or less”, the old man answered.  “Good – so where should I send the material?”  The old man fumbled in his coat pocket and then handed over a card.  It bore a simple inscription:   Louis Pasteur – Paris Institute for Scientific Research.   

Clearly Louis Pasteur’s humility didn’t hinder his greatness.  So, humility is not shying away from and denying ones talents.   Rather what true humility is can be understood by discovering the unifying idea that undergirds the eight Beatitudes, which we just heard, and which summarize Jesus’ teaching about how to live.   Looking carefully, we see a common denominator: The person who is blessed is the person who is not thinking about himself all the time. The poor in spirit and those who suffer persecution  They gracefully realize that they are not the center of the universe – God is.  The clean of heart realize that other people don’t exist just for the sake of their pleasure.  The peacemaker is concerned about the needs and problems of others.  The merciful is concerned about the suffering of others.  The mournful is concerned about the damage his sin does to the Church, the world, and other people.  The meek care more about getting things done than getting credit for doing things.  Those who hunger for righteousness realize that their life has a higher purpose, that it’s part of a bigger story.  So, underlying all the Beatitudes is this fundamental attitude that puts God and others ahead of self.  It looks out at the world instead of staring in, fixated on self.   

Now if the essence of humility is thinking more about God and others than about oneself,   Growing in humility means training ourselves to do just that, and it is a life-long project.  Prayer is essential here, by turning our attention towards God.  Reading the Bible is essential as well, because it presents us with Christ’s perfect example of humility.  But I want to talk about one other way to express our humility:  Praying for the souls in Purgatory.  Something all of us need to realize is that very, very, few people die so full of the Love of Christ that they are ready to see the face of God.  Rather, most of us die without having been completely purified from our self-centered habits and desires, no matter how old we have gotten.  If we die in friendship with Christ, we will enter eternal life with him in heaven.   But we can’t make that entry until the last remnants of self-centeredness have been purified.  Purgatory is the name the Church gives to that process of purification.  The Church has also taught us that we can pray for the souls in Purgatory, and we can even help speed up their purification.   We can help the souls in Purgatory, relieving their suffering and speeding up their entry into heaven, in many ways.  Simply lifting our hearts to God, and offering our daily sufferings up for the souls in purgatory will help them, if we desire it.  Certain prayers, like an act of faith, the Rosary, or the Creed, can be offered up in this way as well.  Teaching someone about Christ or Christian doctrine, doing an act of kindness with a spirit of faith, or giving up a small pleasure (like sugar in our coffee, or salt on our French Fries), are all actions that we can offer up for someone else.  So, like a good mother, the Church has made it easy for us to help our brothers and sisters in Purgatory.  And whenever we do, we are opening our hearts to God and to others, thereby exercising the pivotal virtue of humility, the key to holiness and happiness.   

This week, let’s give God the pleasure of doing our part to grow in his favorite thing, humility.[1]


[1] Homily material taken extensively from e-priest notes for January 30th, 2011

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Rejoice, Jesus is Born!

Saturday, December 25th, 2010

 

Christmas

Is 9: 1-6; Tit 2: 11-14; Lk 2: 1-14

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

The waiting is over!  The darkness that filled the world has been overcome by a bright light.  The Lord came to live and dwell among us!  And things will never be the same.  Because we were given a great gift, the Incarnation, God made man.  We now have a closeness, an intimacy, with God now and forever that is unique among the religions of the World.  It is something no other religion preaches or teaches; that God would become one of us and share His divinity with us.  And so we have much to rejoice about because the one and only almighty God sent His son to live as we do- in the form of a human being.   

Now we only know about 3 years in Jesus life- his public ministry.  We know very little about the other 30 years.  But there are things that are certain, things that are obvious for any human being:  This small child that we welcome at Christmas was helpless, cried, and needed to be nurtured by His mother to survive.  He had to learn how to eat and drink, crawl and walk; talk and play, and go to school and work.  He was just like us in every way, except for sin.  He experienced hunger and good food; joy and sadness, likes and dislikes; sickness and health; cold and hot.  He learned how to speak and write and read; He learned about the scriptures; and He even learned a job skill- carpentry.  Jesus experienced the dark emotions of humans as well, like fear and doubt and anger because that’s all part of becoming an adult human being, it’s all part of learning who we are.  Jesus learned who he was with the help of loving parents; and by living and working as a normal person does for 30 years.  Just think about that.  Jesus lived just like one of us for 30 years, growing up and becoming an adult and working to make a living.  In that time, He probably wondered what life was all about for him; what was he destined to do; and how was He destined to do it.  At the right time, He needed some answers.  And so, Jesus spent 40 days in the desert and thus confirmed in his mind who He really was, and how His Father wanted Him to live His life.  In other words, Jesus heard and responded to His calling.  And so, He went out and did His Father’s will for Him.  He conducted his public ministry of preaching and teaching about the Kingdom of God.   

Because His message shook the establishment, he experienced suffering and death rather than violate God’s plan for Him.  And because He was sinless and also divine he was resurrected and returned to God the Father in glory.  It was a glory that he returned to His disciples to announce, to announce that we who believed in Him would share in the kingdom and His glory.   

Yes, there is much to rejoice about in such a fully human life because we have been shown the way.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is His story.  It shows us the values and mores we need to live as God intended us to live as humans, and yet be pleasing to Him.  St. Paul tells Titus that Jesus “trained us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age as we await the blessed hope, the glory of our great God and savior Jesus Christ”.  Indeed, this is another element of our joy, the knowledge that we who follow Jesus have been promised a share in the Glory of God.   

All of us have our own lives to live- we have our learning and discovery and working and reflecting to do.  Most of us have heard God calling us, maybe not the first time, but God is relentless and we are like branches growing on a tree.  No matter which way we grow, as parents or bosses or retirees, God is there to nourish us.  And yet, we are likely to be pruned once and a while.  Sometimes it’s an illness or a loss or a setback.   But new buds form and so, we change our direction of growth, and God is there to help us follow our revised course whenever we ask Him, until eventually, our tree dies.   

Life as a human is a gift from God, as it was to the baby Jesus.  It is God’s gift to give; and God’s alone to take away.  But because of this day- Christmas, the celebration of the Incarnation, we share in the glory of the second more glorious life with Jesus in the kingdom of God.  So rejoice, Jesus is born! 

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