Archive for April, 2012

Becoming All That We Can Be

Sunday, April 29th, 2012

4th Sunday of Easter

Acts 4: 8-12; 1John 3: 1-2; John 10: 11-18

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

We are children of God now!  Isn’t that exciting!  Children of God, wow.  But what exactly does that mean?  

  

Well, let’s look at our relationship with God for a moment.  God gives us life- and in fact, unless God wills that we breathe, we would perish.  And He has given us our talents and personalities, and the opportunities and significant incidences that we have experienced in our lives.  These have not been random or self-made. Rather, they have been gifts from God-  gifts that have been given out of the infinite goodness of God in love.  But do we appreciate these gifts?  Have we thanked God for all these gifts- our spouses, our children, our families, our careers, our vacations, our hobbies; our talents; our leisure, our life-  all of the things that we have liked about life?  They are truly gifts from God.  But have we thanked God for them?

Now some of you may be thinking:  “Yes, but if God loves me so much, why would he give me something and then take it away”?  Indeed, many of God’s gifts have not lasted- our children grow up and leave us; our spouses die and leave us in loneliness; our vacations last such a short time; our health fails, either mentally or physically or both; and  even our talents and interests fade with the passage of time.

   

And yet, most of the gifts we give our children don’t always last either.  For example, often we give our children things, and then take them away later.  Why do we do that?  Because it’s for their own good.  A baby needs a pacifier- but there comes a time…  A child needs training wheels on his bike- but there comes a time…  And a child lives at home, but there comes a time…  There are many things we did for our children out of love and things we gave them but then took them away later.  But, we did all that out of love.  And yet, our children didn’t always see these things done out of love.  And so often times, as parents we have not been appreciated for what we have done for our children out of love.  That’s one of the reasons that I asked if you have thanked God.  Because just as we would like to be thanked by our children, God wants to be appreciated and thanked for what He has done for us.  Unfortunately, just as our children balk over some of our actions, we bulk at some of God’s actions in our lives.   

You see, it’s all about love, the love that God has for us.  That’s why he gives us our gifts- because He loves us.  And yes, this also means that he knows when to take our gifts away from us.

 

Now the parallel I drew between God’s love for us and our love for our children is not always accurate.  Sometimes our parents did not always act out of love and as parents, we have not always act out of love either.  Because, we are not perfect; we are all sinners.  But I use this parallel between ourselves as parents and God to make a point.  Namely, that many of the things God does do out of love are not always understood.  Just as many of the things we did for our children out of love were not understood either.

   

The Good Shepherd analogy helps us to understand what is unique about our relationship with God.  Jesus is suggesting that we need to be like the sheep- we need to trust in him always; trust is the answer.  We must first of all recognize the true shepherd, and then we must follow him, and ignore the influence of others.  We need to appreciate the goodness of God, and His love for us, just as the sheep recognize the concern and love that the Shepherd has for them.  Sheep follow blindly out of trust for their shepherd, and that’s what we need to do- follow Jesus blindly.  In other words, like sheep, we need to love God like it is second nature to us.  Why? Because Jesus has proven His love for us:  He died for us, and there is no greater proof of loyalty than that.

   

In our second reading, St. John goes on to talk about what we will be in the future.  Now, we are children of God.  But in the future, after we trust in God and follow Him, we shall be something more than sons of God.  We will be “like him, for we shall see Him as He is.”  Like our children, we will grow up.  And when we are mature, we will be adults in the sight of God. 

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Following After Philip

Thursday, April 26th, 2012

Thursday of 3rd Week of Easter

Acts 8: 26-40; John 6: 44-51

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

How are you folks doing with your Easter Duty?  What is my Easter Duty, you say?

   

Well, during Easter we celebrate the fact that Jesus forever changed the world.  When Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to His apostles, He fulfilled an ancient covenant to “save” us.  And that’s what our joy is supposed to be all about.  We are celebrating an “aha” experience like none other.  We have been saved. And those who repent and believe have been guaranteed eternal life.  And so we say Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!  And Amen, because, Jesus the Christ rose from the dead, and proved that he was in a resurrected state with a resurrected body to witnesses.  Our Gospel readings the last several Sundays have been all about that.  You have been witnesses to all of that!  And you should be feeling the Easter joy- Amen and Alleluia! 

  

Now, are we going to just bask in this good news of Easter for the 50 days of Easter,   And then move on to the long hot summer, or what? 

  

If you recall Jesus parting words to His disciples on Easter, He tells us that he wants us to spread the good news of the Gospel.  You and I are the modern day disciples, and because we have been witnesses to Jesus’ words, our Easter duty is also to evangelize, to spread the word, the Good News to all by being witnesses of all Jesus said and did.

   

Now Jesus tells us in the Gospel today that the only way to God the Father is through Him.  And so, God is revealing to us gradually how we are to act on our Easter Joy.  First, we have to recognize and really believe in the Resurrection and eternal life.   Second, we have to understand we are being called upon to spread that Good news- to evangelize.  And finally, we need to listen to God calling us and act on it.   Because unless we listen, and let God’s word and spirit live in our hearts, we cannot get to the Father.   And the way God knows you are listening is if you act on God’s inspiration within you by evangelizing.  

 

Philip’s story is a great lesson for all of us on what evangelizing is all about.  First and foremost, Philip believed.  He was there to put his finger in the holes in Jesus hands and side and feet; and he was there to see Jesus eat a piece of baked fish.  And so, Philip believed.  Philip demonstrated his belief in his zeal and enthusiasm. 

Second, Philip took to heart the mission to evangelize.  That’s why he was on that chariot.  And lastly, Philip recognized the call- he heard the Eunuch’s appeal, and he spoke up!  Yes- he spoke up on behalf of Jesus- he didn’t hold it in. 

  

Because we have heard the Good News of the Gospel, we have chosen to believe.  We shouldn’t be just casual believers, but enthusiastic believers.  So, do we show our Easter joy like Philip did?  Because, that joy can be infectious to those who don’t believe.  And are we listening to God as we pray, listening to that small still voice inside of us?  That little voice can give us little urgings to do something, or even just to say something when the situation arises, something that helps us to spread the good news.

   

We don’t necessarily know why God has placed us at a specific place at a specific time.  But God knows.  And any place and any time can be the right place and the right time for us to evangelize from God’s perspective.  Yes, we are called to share our joy as Christians continuously, to spread the Good News, the Gospel; to evangelize in word and deed.  All of us have an Easter Duty.

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Your Easter Duty

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

Westminster Towers Ecumenical Service

Based on Reading 1, Thursday of 3rd Week of Easter

Acts 8: 26-40

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

How are you folks doing with your Easter Duty?  Well?  I see some blank looks out there.  What is my Easter Duty, you say?  

 

Well first, let me put things into perspective.  We are in the middle of celebrating Easter, and the Easter season lasts 50 days.  During Easter we celebrate the fact that Jesus forever changed things in our world.  Up until the Easter event, we were all just waiting, waiting for the Messiah to come and save us from our sins and to show us the way to Eternal Life in the Kingdom of God with God.  But when Jesus actually rose from the dead and appeared to His apostles, He fulfilled that promise.  And that’s what our joy is supposed to be all about.  We are celebrating an “aha” experience like none other.  We have been saved and those who repent and believe have been guaranteed eternal life.  And so we say Alleluia, Alleluia,   (Holding hand to the ear) Alleluia! 

Yes, Jesus the Christ rose from the dead, and proved that he was in a resurrected state with a resurrected body.  He proved that to his disciples on Easter, and our Gospel readings the last several Sundays have been all about that.  You have been witnesses to all of that!  So, are you feeling the Easter joy- Amen and Alleluia! 

  

So, are we supposed to just bask in this good news of our Easter joy for the 50 days,and then move on to the long hot summer, or what? 

 

Well, actually, if you recall Jesus parting words to His disciples in the Easter Gospel, He tells us what he expects of us.  He expects us to spread the good news- the Gospel.  That’s what the word Gospel means, you know.  We are expected to spread that Good News of our Salvation and to baptize all nations in the name of then Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit!  You and I are the modern day disciples, and we have been witnesses to Jesus’ words as well.  And so, simply stated, our Easter duty is also to evangelize, to spread the word, the Good News to all by being witnesses of all Jesus saw and did. 

  

Now, the scripture we just read tells one person’s story about how he evangelized.  It is Philip’s story; and it is a great lesson for all of us on what evangelizing is all about.  First and foremost, Philip believed.  Of course, he actually saw the risen Christ- he was there.  He was there to put his finger in the holes in Jesus hands and side and feet, to see Jesus eat a piece of baked fish,  and he listened as Jesus talked to the disciples about what the scriptures meant and how He had fulfilled their meaning.  He was there during Jesus’ three year mission of teaching as well.  And so, Philip believed and was well informed on what Jesus had said.

   

We have heard Jesus words as well, and we should all be believers- not just casual believers, but enthusiastic believers.  We have been saved; this Jesus stuff is real!  The Messiah did come and still lives.  We are going to see the Kingdom!  And so, we all need to be well informed, because that’s part of what it means to be a Christian.  We have got to know what it is that we are supposed to believe so that we can teach others.  We do that by the style of life we live, and by teaching others about Jesus at the right time.

   

Next, Philip heard Jesus direction to the disciples to spread the Good news to the ends of the earth by being witnesses to all Jesus said and did, and by baptizing all people.  But Philip didn’t just hear that direction, he lived it.  Indeed, Philip was so excited about his experience of Easter that he was in tune for what God had in mind for him.  And so, he recognized the angel sent by the Lord, the angel that sent him down the road from Jerusalem to Gaza on the Mediterranean Coast.  Yes, Philip heard his call to action and moved out.  He didn’t wait for all the details asking God questions like  “Which chariot, and what day and time”,   Or “exactly what am I to do in Gaza?”  No, rather, Philip was open to God moving him little by little.

   

All of us have been called to action to evangelize as well.  We do that by the behavior we exhibit.  Do we show our Easter joy?  Because, it can be infectious to those who don’t believe.  And are we listening to God as we pray, listening to that small still voice inside of us?  That little voice can give us little urgings to do something, or even just to say something when the situation arises, something that helps us to spread the good news. 

  

And so then what happens to Philip?  Well, God gives Philip the opportunity to evangelize.  God had placed this Ethiopian Eunuch in the Chariot with Philip.  The Eunuch was an official of the court of the Queen of Ethiopia, a far distant land in East Central Africa.  And by chance, the Eunuch was what we call a Jewish sympathizer, meaning he was not a Jew, but followed the Jewish scriptures.  This man was reading about Isaiah’s prophesy of the Messiah, and he was confused; he didn’t understand.  And so, Philip explained it all to him, about how Jesus was the Messiah and that all that was predicted in Isaiah had happened.  The Eunuch responded- he wanted to be baptized.  So Philip stopped the Chariot, and the Eunuch was baptized right then and there; and that started the Church in Ethiopia.  Traces of the Church can still be found there today despite historical events over the centuries, not the least of which was the spread of Islam beginning in the 7th century.  And so, Philip’s evangelization of the Eunuch  led to a significant spread of Christianity- the actions of just one person.  

 

Now this part of the story tells us a lot about our own duty to evangelize.  We don’t necessarily know why God has placed us at a specific place at a specific time.  But God knows.  And any place and any time can be the right place and the right time from God’s perspective.  This can be the right place and time for you and I to evangelize.  We, too, all will be given opportunities to influence others. 

  

As I look out at all of you today, I am reminded that you live in a large community here.  Where are all the others today?  Some that are not here, of course, have deep faith; but what about those who have drifted off from their faith, perhaps bitter over the experiences of life.  You folks live right along side of them.  It is never too late for them to see your Christian Easter joy over the fact that you are saved.  And it is never too late for you to share your joy and the message of Jesus when the time is right.  Is God calling you to do that? 

  

But Guess what?  Philip’s story was not over after the Eunuch was baptized.  As important and as significant as Philip’s actions were in the lives of the Ethiopians, the story did not end there.  Rather, we see that Philip, after baptizing the Eunuch, was caught up by the spirit, and after reaching Gaza, goes up the coast “Proclaiming the good news” in all the towns up to Caesarea.  

 

Likewise, our story does not end the first time we connect.  Our story goes on and on, as long as life is left in us.  Yes, we are called to share our joy as Christians continuously, even as we approach a ripe old age.  How exciting is that! 

That reminds me of a story about a person in my life.  I will call him Johnny and he is a member of my parish, Holy Family.  Right now Johnny is 87.  He was raised Catholic by one parent, andt his other parent was Jewish.  But he really took to his Christian Faith.  Johnny had a long career with a major company.and raised a family with his wife.  After Johnny retired, he became very active in the Church.  Despite multiple illnesses and surgeries, Johnny has not let that slow him down.  He uses a cane now, but still leads bible studies and participates in St. Vincent de Paul ministry to the poor. He always has a smile and a cheerful attitude.  Johnny’s wife has Alzheimer’s Disease now, and Johnny struggles to care for her in his own home.  His family is concerned about his health.  Johnny is concerned about his loved one.

 

Why do I bring Johnny up?  Because Johnny evangelizes his Christian faith by what he does.  He doesn’t have to talk about his faith, because everybody can see it in action.  But, the fact is, he loves to talk about it too- and he does that all the time. 

All of us have an Easter Duty-  to spread the Good News, the Gospel; to evangelize in word and deed.  There are a lot of potential Johnny’s right here-  people who can live their faith with grace and fervor and be a beacon to others that Jesus is risen and has brought us all everlasting life in heaven. 

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The Wisdom of God

Thursday, April 19th, 2012

Thursday of 2nd Week of Easter

Acts 5: 27-33; John 3: 31-36

By Deacon Larry Brockman

Most of us are easily duped, duped by the wisdom of the world.  It is, after all, the wisdom of the establishment.  It is provable by logic; backed up by science and studies; and is usually directed towards making us feel better.  The wisdom of the world captures our minds.   

The wisdom of God, on the other hand is fleeting.  It requires faith, defies logic, and often causes us discomfort.  The wisdom of God is aimed at capturing our hearts.  And so, it is so much easier to accept the wisdom of the world than it is to accept the Wisdom of God.   

Such was the lot of the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin in Jesus’ time.  Jesus’ message was one that moved people’s hearts, not their minds. 

The Pharisees and the Sanhedrin couldn’t understand that.  Jesus and his disciples broke all the rules, rules that paid lip service to the intent of the law but on the surface, they seemed to capture the intent of the Jewish tradition.  And so, people could just follow the letter of the law.  They didn’t have to think about what God’s will was for them; they could feel good knowing they were just following the rules.  Their efforts were directed at playing it safe and being comfortable by doing their own thing.  Their efforts were not directed at making a difference by loving.

   

On the other hand, Jesus preached repentance and accepting God’s greatest commandment, to love our neighbor as we love ourselves; to forgive transgressions and love our enemies; and to go out and be proactive by drawing others to God.  And that was hard; it was challenging. And the Sanhedrin was tired of being told they didn’t have it right.  And so they wanted to get rid of Jesus; to silence the prophetic voice that there was more to God’s plan than just following some rules. 

  

Our Gospel tells us that we must listen to and believe the teaching of Jesus if we are to have eternal life.  That means we need to embrace the wisdom of God.  It’s a matter of the heart.  The Holy Spirit gives us that wisdom- it is a free gift.  All you have to do is ask for it.

   

So, do that, ask for the gift of the wisdom of God at the beginning of each day, especially when you are challenged, when the going gets tough?  Do you make time to pray for and ask for God’s wisdom before you get going each day? 

 

Fill your heart, and not your mind with the real inspiration you need to get through life’s trials-  The wisdom of God. 

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Witnesses for Christ

Thursday, April 12th, 2012

Thursday of Octave of Easter

Acts 3: 11-26; Luke 24: 35-48

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

You and I are being called to be witnesses, not just bystanders to Easter joy.

   

You see, we are in the middle of our Easter celebration, and during that celebration, we should be coming to a fantastic realization.  Because just like the disciples did in that upper room, you and I are hearing about what Jesus said and did straight from the horse’s mouth.  The words in the Gospel and Acts tell us all about it, about how all the things that Jesus said and did fulfilled the Old Testament covenant of the coming of the Messiah; and about how Jesus was resurrected from the dead, and appeared to his disciples.  You should be really excited and joyful. 

  

Let’s look at it this way.  Just close your eyes now and imagine that you were there.  You are hiding in fear in an upper room.  And all of a sudden you see it.  Jesus the Christ has risen! He is risen indeed, and He is standing before you and talking and answering questions, and even eating a piece of fish.  He was dead- you saw that; but now, He is very much alive.   And it is then that you realize it:  That God loved you so much that he actually sent His son to suffer and die for you; and that God’s son actually rose from the dead just the way he predicted!  That has never happened before- and it is proof that Jesus is the son of the almighty God!  Wow! Can you imagine your joy- because fear of death would be gone.

   

Each year we celebrate our own personal realization of the Easter mystery.  We can’t just say “ho hum” as we celebrate, and go on with life.  Rather, we are being called to be a witness of the truth of Christianity just like the disciples.  That is the point of the Gospel- it is our Easter duty to evangelize and be witnesses.

 

And why not?  Easter brings us great joy, because we have come to believe that Jesus has guaranteed all of us who believe everlasting life in the Kingdom of God!  So, out of love of God, we need to share that good news with everyone else.  But just how do we become witnesses for Christ?  What should we actually do? 

  

Well, what did the disciples do?  First, we see these men, huddled in the upper room out of fear that they would be persecuted next.  But after the Easter event all of that changed.  They defied the authorities and told everyone about Jesus.  And then his disciples even worked miracles in Jesus name.  These disciples were living out what it means to be witnesses for Christ.  They were preaching the Gospel by their deeds, by their enthusiasm, and by their love for one another.  They were telling the truth about their faith.  They were not afraid; they wanted everyone else to share in their joy.

   

That’s what you and I are being called to do, and it is exciting, because we live in a time when the truth of the Easter mystery is being hidden and suppressed in our culture.  We have the chance to change all that by standing up for our faith; by telling the truth; by being witnesses for Christ. 

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