Vincent van Gogh: “It is true there is an ebb and flow, but the sea remains the sea.”

While our life is like the ebb and flow of the waters, God is steadfast and remains the same. Our life is full of falls. We call these sins. Our life is full of rises. We call these grace. We have times of sadness and times of joy, times of desolations and times of consolations. Like the pendulum we go back and forth, never able to remain in the center. Yet, throughout all these moments, God is steadfast in his love for us. He loves us in spite of our sinfulness. He loves us when we return to him. It is his love that enables us to recognize our sinfulness, repent and return to him once more. While we have the knowledge of our ebbs and flows, we have the faith conviction of his steadfast love and mercy, which we should never take for granted but be grateful for.

 

Homily: Twenty-second Sunday Year A

 

Reading 1: Jeremiah did not want to be a prophet for the Lord, but he submitted to the will of God. Even though God told him that the people would resist and reject his word, Jeremiah probably believed that eventually the people would respond. When they didn’t and when they responded by persecuting Jeremiah, the prophet uttered this cry to God: “You duped me. You tricked me.”

 

He realized at that moment the hopelessness of his ministry, the ineffectiveness of his message and indeed the suffering he was enduring. He was tempted to abandon the prophetic message and ministry. But something within him would not allow this. He called it a “fire burning in my heart”. What was this? It was his relationship with God, who had made such a major impact in his life that he could not deny nor walk away.

 

As a result, Jeremiah continued to prophesy, even though he was rejected and persecuted. Without this personal relationship with God, Jeremiah knew his life would not be the same.

 

Each of us by virtue of baptism and confirmation has been called and anointed to be a prophet of the Lord. We are called to speak the truth of God’s love and plan in word and in action. For this we may suffer. For this we may shrink back and try to run away from the call. Like Jeremiah God pursues us to carry out his message.

 

Gospel: In last Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus asked the apostles who do you say I am? Peter responded: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” He answered correctly under the inspiration of the Father, but he did not fully comprehend the full truth of the statement. This is obvious from today’s reading.

 

Jesus begins to explain to the disciples what it means for him to be the Christ. The Son of Man will suffer greatly at the hands of the religious leaders like Jeremiah, be killed but on the third day rise again. The Christ is to be a suffering Messiah, not a political, revolutionary messiah, which was Peter’s notion.

 

Just as immediately Peter had proclaimed the truth, he blurted out his real understanding which was not from the Father. Jesus rebuked him for thinking in human terms rather than in God’s. Jesus had freely chosen to do the will of that Father, even to the death on the cross. He came to set the world free from the domination of Satan. He knew he would be rejected and have to give his life for our life. To all this he freely said yes. He didn’t feel duped like Jeremiah. Even when he humanly cried to the Father: “Father, take away this cup of suffering”, he followed with “but not my will but yours be done.”

 

But Jesus went further than Jeremiah. He said that those who follow him as disciples must in their own way so fall in love with God that they embrace his will in all things. Whatever the cross is, however small or large, the Lord is present with us, inviting us to keep our eyes fixed on

him with the faith assurance of life eternal with him.

 

Reading 2: Paul is concerned about the growth in holiness for the people whom he led to Jesus. Paul, too, experienced rejection and persecution for speaking the message of salvation to Jews and Gentiles. But Paul’s life had been changed by the grace and mercy of God. Paul was called to be an apostle of the Good News. Not only was he concerned to bring people to salvation in Jesus, but to urged them to grow in their new life, so that one day they may be with God forever in glory.

 

What is his message? They were not only to be converted but to be transformed by the renewal of their minds. How? They were to discern God’s will for them and choose to do what is good, perfect and pleasing to God. This is what Jeremiah sought to do. He chose not to let the people’s negative reaction determine how he should live but to seek to discern God’s will and do it.

 

Is this our attitude? Peter put it another way. “It is better for us to obey God than man.” It is not easy to discern the will of God. But even this effort and desire is the first step. For it shows that our heart is focus on the Lord and not on others.

 

 One of the sins Jesus condemns is hypocrisy. He says that is when people's lives are not consistent. On the outside they look holy and righteous, but on the inside they are prideful, judgmental, self-righteous and hardened of heart. Their lives are a show.  On the other hand, Jesus honored the sinner who was repentant, open to change, and teachable. They knew there was something essential missing in their live and they sought the truth.  Jesus said he came not for the self-righteous, those who did not need healing. He came for the sinners who are seeking healing. We are struggling sinners always in need of God's mercy, always in need of change and renewal. When we think we can stand on our own, then we will fall on our face. When we acknowledge our need for Jesus, then we can stand leaning on him.

 Twenty-second Sunday Gospel A

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you." He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." 

· Prior to this, Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do people say I am?” Peter responded: “You are the Messiah.” But the Messiah Peter was thinking about was not the Messiah Jesus was called to be. He would not be a political or military messiah, but a suffering servant who would lay down his life freely out of love and obedience for the salvation of people.

· Peter’s refusal to accept Jesus’ understanding of a suffering servant Messiah, who would die a cruel death but rise again, is seen by Jesus as a distraction from Satan. It was an attempt to divert Jesus from the Father’s call to him. It was the continuation of the temptations in the desert.

· What were the times we did not understand God’s plan in our lives but were distracted by a subtle ploy of Satan to deflect us from what God desired of us?

· How do you think Peter felt when Jesus rebuked him in this way? What would you feel if Jesus said the same to you?

"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself take up his cross, and follow me.

· To deny oneself is to remove oneself as the center of one's focus and instead to make God’s plan our focus.

· What crosses have you had to embrace on your spiritual journey? How has your life been affected and transformed by these crosses?

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct. 

· What do these words of Jesus say to you?

· Jesus makes clear that the condition for being a true disciple is the willingness to give up one’s life for him.

· What are you being called by God to give up in your life so that you will find real meaning in your life?

· Like the disciples, we hear sometimes part of and not the whole message. They stopped listening at the point of his predicted death, but they did not hear the resurrection.  We hear Jesus speak about the cross but we do not remember the reward after death: life everlasting in glory.

· What resolution do we make in response to the words of Jesus?

 There is a wise person of prayer who once wrote these words: “When I was young I was a revolutionary. My prayer to God was: ‘Lord, give me the energy to change the world.’ As I approached middle-age and realized that my life was half-gone without my changing a single soul, I changed my prayer to: ‘Lord, give me the grace to change all those who come into contact with me. Just my family and friends and I shall be satisfied.’ Now that I am old and my days are numbered, I have begun to see how foolish I have been. My one prayer now is: ‘Lord, give me the grace to change myself.’ If I had prayed for this from the start, I would not have wasted my life.” 

We don't have to wait to end of our life to realize that the most important person that needs changing is ourselves. What needs to change? Anything and everything that is not pleasing to the Lord in my life, which includes thoughts, words and actions. Can I think, say or do this and still stand in the presence of the all holy God? Life is too short for me to waste my time dealing with insignificant things, things that do not matter eternally. What ultimately matters is my relationship with God and because of this relationship, my relationship with others. God made it simple. Love God with my whole being and love my neighbor as God has loved me. Do this and we will live eternally with God.

 "There is no saint without a past, no sinner without a future." St. Augustine

St. Augustine was talking from personal experience. His past pre-conversion was not praise worthy. He was a man of the world, seeking his happiness in the things of this world. He had his mistresses and even fathered a child out of wed-lock. But then came the defining moment in his life, when God became the most important relationship in his life. From then on nothing else mattered but God. "My heart is restless, O Lord, until it rests in you." His search for happiness was rooted in his relationship with his Lord and Savior. What does this say to you and me? Our past does not define us. Living in the relationship with God does. The Evil One wants us to live in the past in the bondage of shame and guilt and defeat. God wants us to live in the present in the freedom as his adopted son or daughter in love with gratitude and hope.

 When the man came to Jesus and ask what must he do to gain eternal life, Jesus told his to review the basics of relationship with God and act on them. What are the basics? Love God with your whole heart and love your neighbor as you have been loved by God. Sometimes we forget the basics and focus on other things that are of lesser importance. What I am doing is not as important as why I am doing it. I can give a drink to someone because I feel sorry for him or I want him to see me as a gracious person. Or I can give that person a drink because of my love of God and love of this person. In doing so, I am not looking for any reward.  How often are we conscious of doing what we are doing out of love of God in response to his great love? Keeping the basics is not easy, but it is the only way to live a full life now and eternally.

 We are called to be guileless as followers of Jesus. Paul tells us that we are to speak the truth in all we say. Many of us struggle with what we call "the little lie". We even try to justify it as not that bad. But in the eyes of God a lie is a lie, no matter how much we try to sugar coat it. The lie is one of the ways the Father of lies try to trip us up. It is a deception. It is not a reflection of the Father of Truth who lives in us. To be guileless is not easy. It takes discipline and cooperation with the grace of God. We have to learn to think before we speak or react. We have to be committed to speak the truth no matter the consequences. Not easy, but necessary if we wish to grow in holiness. 

 Homily Twenty-first Sunday Year A

Isaiah in the first reading denounces Shebna because he has failed to use his position as the King’s treasurer to care for the people. In his place, Eliakim was to be chosen to be “the father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the House of Judah”. This prophecy is messianic in that Eliakim was a figure of the ideal ruler who would bring God’s true justice, love and compassion to the people.

Two Sundays ago we saw where Jesus tested Peter’s faith. Peter wasn’t sure he was seeing a ghost or Jesus walking on the water. Peter said, “If it is you, tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come.” Initially Peter’s faith allowed him to walk towards Jesus on the water, as long as he kept his faith in the person of Jesus. But when faith became fear as he took his eyes off the Lord, Peter sank.

In Today’s Gospel, we have the beginning of Peter’s public faith proclamation about Jesus. Interiorly, he believed that Jesus was the Messiah. That is why he left all to become a disciple. But private faith is good but Jesus will say “if you do not acknowledge me before others, I will not acknowledge you before my Heavenly Father.” It was important to Jesus that those who will be the foundation of his Church should be willing to profess faith in who he is to them publicly.

The twelve have been his disciples for awhile. They have heard his message of salvation. They have witnessed his power in the miracles. Is he just a Rabbi, teacher to them? Is he just another prophet? Is he just a miracle worker? So the question, “Who do you say I am?” Has companionship with him give them a different insight than what the crowds thought?

Peter’s first faith response is a grace from God, as Jesus acknowledged. Every faith statement and action is a result of a grace from God. Faith starts from God as an unmerited gift. To  leap from the known—what people think—to then speak a revealed truth is the result of grace from the Holy Spirit. Faith flows from a personal relationship with Christ.

Even though Peter spoke the truth, he didn’t fully comprehend what it meant for Jesus to be the Messiah, as we see from the episode following this. His understanding of Jesus the Christ was initially colored by the thinking of the time. He could not accept Jesus to undergo the suffering of crucifixion. In this he was a stumbling stone, not a foundation stone. Peter’s faith had to develop as it does, even he fails the test at times. The fruition of this initial faith reaches its peak in the resurrection scene in which Thomas says, “My Lord and my God!” From you are the Christ to Lord and God.

But for now, Jesus sees this faith proclamation as the foundation of Peter’s role in the the kingdom of God. “You are Peter the rock on which the Church will be built” In the first reading Elakim, because of his faithfulness to God was given the keys, which symbolize authority and power. Peter received authority and power from Jesus in his role as head of the Apostles and head of the Church.

Who do you say that I am to you, Jesus asks each of us today? Do we profess him as my personal Lord and Savior? Is  our proclamation evidenced in our daily life? Do we acknowledge him publicly or merely silently in our hearts for fear of what others may think of us?

To know about Jesus is not enough. Many people know about him. This doesn’t change hearts and lives. To know Jesus because of a personal encounter that has changed our lives is needed

 

“Is there any affliction now endured by mankind that was not endured by our fathers before us? What sufferings of ours even bear comparison with what we know of their sufferings? And yet you hear people complaining about this present day and age because things were so much better in former times. I wonder what would happen if they could be taken back to the days of their ancestors—would we not still hear them complaining? You may think past ages were good, but it is only because you are not living in them.” (St. Augustine)

 Twenty-first Sunday Gospel A

Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi 

· It is called Caesarea Philippi to distinguish it from the town of Caesrea in Samaria. The former town was originally called Paneas It was rebuilt by Philip, a son of Herod the Great. It is situated about twenty miles north of the Sea of Galilee at the base of Mt. Hermon. When it was rebuilt by the tetrarch Philip he changed the name to Caesarea Philippi in honor of the Emperor Caesar Augustus and in honor of himself.

and he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”  

· Notice Jesus equates himself with the title of Son of Man. This title is found in the prophet Daniel.

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 

· In Mt 14:2 Herod had wrongly identified Jesus as Elijah, because of his prophetic and charismatic personality.

· Others thought he was Elijah who was believed to return before the Messiah.

· Some identified Jesus with the great prophets of old because of his message.

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 

· This is the same question Jesus asks each of us. The answer to this question determines our relationship with Jesus.

 Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  

· As we will see, it is very significant that Peter was the one who spoke up. For he has been chosen  by God to be the head of the Church to be established by Jesus.

· To say that Jesus is the Christ means that he is the Messiah. To say that he is the Son of the Living God indicates Jesus’ unique relationship to God in the eyes of Peter.

· As we will see, to say the right words is not enough. We must also embrace the full meaning of what we profess.  Peter gave the right answer but his understanding of what it meant for Jesus to be Messiah was not accurate.

Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.  For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.  

· Jesus acknowledges that Peter’s answer came through the revelation of God and not through human reasoning. To proclaim Jesus as Messiah was a bold move on Peter’s part.

And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.  

· For Peter’s faith proclamation—even though he didn’t understand the full impact—Jesus rewards him with the new position of the head of the Church the Messiah would establish.

· The powers of darkness will attempt to destroy it, but will be unable, because it is established by the God/Man and not just by a human being alone.

I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.  Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 

· The keys signify the authority that Peter is given by Jesus. See Is 22:15:25.

Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

· This passage is foundational to our understanding as Catholics to the primacy of Peter as the Vicar of Christ on earth as well as the authority given to Peter and his successors in governing the Church.

· What does it mean for Jesus to be the Messiah in your life?

 There is a double side to freedom: freedom from and freedom to. We all want freedom from oppression, from the bondage of sin, from sickness, from poverty, from misunderstanding, etc. But do we really seek and earnestly desire freedom to respond to the grace of God, freedom as an adopted son or daughter of God to share in his divine life, freedom  to love and serve others in response to God's command, freedom to enjoy the many blessings of God with a grateful heart? Both freedoms are part of our life's journey. But the greater freedom is the freedom to. We shouldn't get too focused on the one and forget the greater.

Sometimes it is harder to receive a gift from another than to give a gift. This may be true in our relationship with God as well. Henri Nouwen said: " A gift only becomes a gift when it is received; and nothing we have to give will ever be recognized as true gifts until someone is open to accept them." Why is it so hard? Is it because we are unworthy? Possibly. Is it because in giving a gift we are in control but in receiving one we feel vulnerable? Possibly. But how many gifts God has poured upon us and we have not been opened to them. What a loss! So many precious graces and signs of his love which could have enhanced us, were never received. Could that be a sign of ingratitude? Lord, help me to be open to all that you want to give me and in turn help me to give what you want me to give to others. In that way we will both grow.

 Sometimes, we wonder why our prayers seem not to be heard by God. We persist in our prayers even though we are not getting the answer we are hoping for. God may be testing our faith. Like Peter, we can be very brash and quick to speak. "Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water." "Come." Peter's faith was initially strong, but his fear became stronger than his faith. He began to sink. Peter failed the test that he himself set. In contrast, the Cannanite woman, a foreigner, who wanted Jesus to deliver her daughter from a demon, began by saying in faith, "Lord, Son of David." She acknowledged that Jesus was the possible Messiah. Jesus doesn't act immediately. He tested her faith by seemingly ignoring her and even dismissing her. But her faith that he could heal her daughter and the love she had for her daughter were stronger than her personal feelings. She persisted, even humbling herself. She passed the test of faith. Jesus healed her daughter. Are we persistent in our faith, even if no response is given to us? Don't give up. Keep knocking.

 

Homily: Twentieth Sunday Year A

 

Reading 1: Isaiah is speaking to his fellow Jews, who have not lived up to their covenant with Yahweh. He reminds them: observe and do what is right and just according to the commands God gave them.

 

In contrast to the infidelity of Israel, Isaiah says that foreigners are showing the Lord the proper response more than the Israelites. They are joining themselves to the Lord, loving him, serving him and obeying him. Those who keep the Sabbath holy, are faithful to the covenant; their prayers will be heard.

 

Relationship with God was not automatic because one was a descendant of Abraham, or was circumcised, or externally went through the motions of worship. Relationship with God came from a commitment that resulted in doing all from the heart, reflecting that God was at the center of one’s life.

 

Things have not changed from Isaiah’s time till now. Just as the Old Testament people failed to live up to their call so the New Testament people have done the same. 

 

Gospel: Here we have an example of the mercy of God shown to a foreigner or Gentile. Jesus emphasizes her faith in him to be able to heal her daughter from some demonic affliction. But this faith is tested not questioned, so that the woman would grow to a deeper surrender to the will of God.

 

Her faith endures the initial silence of Jesus and the rebuke of the disciples. She persists. Her faith is further tested by Jesus’ response, which on the surface seems harsh and demeaning.  She persists. She is more concerned for the healing of her daughter than for her personal feelings. The test consists in how far will she go for her daughter?

 

Jesus was stretching her, drawing her more fully into God’s mercy and love through her love for her daughter. Jesus could have easily granted her request at first contact, but did not. He wanted something greater for her than a quick fix.

 

Sometimes we bring before the Lord our concerns and it seems that the Lord is silent or distant or unconcerned. Rather he is calling us into a deeper relationship of trust and self-surrender, of unconditional love. He desires that we experience a greater understanding of his love and mercy. He doesn’t want to be a quick-fix God, but a God with whom we desire and have an intimate, personal relationship that is based, not only on the answer to our prayer, but to our love and self-surrender to him. Is our relationship based on what he can do for me or on who he is and who I am in relationship with him?

 

Reading 2: Paul felt continual rejection by the Jewish people to whom he preached the Good News of salvation. In contrast, he found a greater openness among the Gentiles. Even so, Paul still desired the salvation of his own people, regardless of their negative response and ill treatment.

 

In last Sunday’s reading, Paul stated that he was willing to be separated from God, if it would mean the salvation of the Jews. He believed that God’s call of the Jewish people and the gifts he has given them were irrevocable. The key word is mercy. Until the day of judgment God’s mercy is evident. The gift of salvation is not deserved or earned by Jews or Gentiles. It is a gift from an all-loving God.

 

Just as God has shown us mercy though we have sinned repeatedly, so Paul believed that God’s mercy will extend to the Jews as well in spite of their rejection of Jesus as Messiah. If it wasn’t for the mercy of God, where would we be?  However, the Day of mercy will cease; the day of judgment will take place.

 

St. Clement of Alexandria said: “For the sake of each of us He laid down His life, worth no less than the universe. He demands of us in return our lives for the sake of each other.”

In theory we can assent to this. But in practice we may have a hard time doing it. Jesus has commanded us to forgive those who have hurt us. That is laying down our life for the other. Jesus did this when we were enemies, alienated from God because of sin. At the moment that we refuse to forgive the other, we are treating them as enemies. Jesus suffered the death on the cross to reconcile us. He is asking us to do far less in forgiving the other. Remember the consequence of not forgiving. "If you do not forgive the other, your Heavenly Father will do the same for you." Are we willing to risk our eternal life because of our pride and anger, our hardened heart against another? If so, we are following, not the voice of God, but the voice of one who desires our eternal separation from God.

 Twentieth Sunday Gospel A

At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

· Tyre and Sidon are cities on the Mediterranean Sea in non-Jewish or pagan territory.

· Jesus withdrew to provide rest for himself and the disciples.

And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!  My daughter is tormented by a demon.”  

· Being a Canaanite woman indicates that she is non-Jewish.

· Jesus’ reputation as a healer has preceded him, even though he sought anonymity.

But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her.  

· Both Jesus’ initial non-response and his later apparent tone when he addresses her seems out of character.

Jesus’ disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” 

· The disciples’ remarks are probably more typical of how we may have handled the situation if we were there.

He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 

· Jesus first acknowledges his primary call from the Father is to the Israelites, the Chosen People.

But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” 

· This gesture of homage is very significant. It says that she recognizes Jesus more than just a healer but a holy man close to God. She may have seen something in Jesus that the apostles had not grasped.

He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.”  

· This sounds harsh coming from Jesus. But it is another way of saying that his first mission is to the Jews and not the Gentiles.

She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”  

· The woman doesn’t take offense. She is more concerned about her daughter than about her own feelings. She too acknowledges that in Jesus’ eyes the Jews are his primary concern. But she pleads with him to show mercy on her and her daughter. She is persistent and steadfast.

Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith!  Let it be done for you as you wish.”  And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.

· Jesus was stretching her, calling her to a deeper faith. He was not playing games with her nor putting her down. Instead, he was inviting her to a greater expectation.

· Her faith in Jesus’ mercy and love even towards one who was not worthy was what freed her daughter to experience the healing/deliverance.

· What application can you make in your personal life from your reflections?

· Where is Jesus stretching you when you come to him with your concerns?

 On this Solemnity of the Assumption we celebrate the mysterious love of God for Mary. She was given many privileges and special graces. In lieu of her future grace as Mother of the Savior, Mary was conceived in  her mother's womb free from sin. Her Immaculate Conception. As the Mother of the Savior, Mary remained a virgin, before, during and after the birth of Jesus. Another grace. Jesus himself identified one of the graces given to Mary. She was totally obedient to the will of God. Free from the effects of Original Sin, though Mary died, as Jesus died, Mary's body did not suffer the consequences of death. As Jesus rose from the dead, so Mary was assumed into heaven, where she is crowed Queen of Heaven and Earth. This is her final grace from God. Mary's assumption reminds us that if we die in Christ and our bodies undergo corruption in the grave, one day God will raise our bodies to be reunited to our spirit to share the eternal glory of God. The Resurrection and the Assumption underlie the words of Paul: "Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?" Our God is good and merciful. Nothing is impossible for God!

 "My beloved, may every fall, even if it is serious and habitual sin, always become for us a small step toward a higher degree of perfection. In fact, the only reason why the Immaculate permits us to fall is to cure us from our self-conceit, from our pride, to make us humble and thus make us docile to the divine graces. The devil, instead, tries to inject in us discouragement and internal depression in those circumstances, which is, in fact, nothing else than our pride surfacing again. If we knew the depth of our poverty, we would not be at all surprised by our falls, but rather astonished, and we would thank God, after sinning, for not allowing us to fall even deeper and still more frequently.” (St. Maximillian Kolbe) 

To fall into sin shows our human weakness when we depend on our own strength and power to overcome the Evil One. To rise quickly and return to the Lord depends not on our own ability but on the grace of God. The longer we stay in sin the greater the hold of Satan has over us. The quicker we return to the Lord, repentant of our weakness, the surer is the love of God holding us up. We can only avoid sin because of the grace and mercy of God, who loves us beyond measure. Remain in his love and you will remain free from sin. 

 "Blessed are the pure of heart, they shall see God." A pure heart is utterly simple and focused. It simply wants on thing: to love God with one's whole heart and one's whole mind and one's whole being and to love the other because of the primary love. The pure of heart see the good, want the good for others, and  bring that good to the other. The see God in the other and the good God wants for the other. If our hearts are pure we see through the lens of God's love everything and everyone around us. Strive for this purity of heart in this life and see God in the next.

 

St. John Vianney: “We are beggars who must ask God for everything. How many people we can call back to God by our prayers! Ardent prayer addressed to God: this is man’s greatest happiness on earth,”

The power of intercessory prayer. There are many examples of this in the scriptures and in our own lives. Moses  interceded for the Israelites often during their forty years in the desert that God would not destroy them for their disobedience. Esther plead before the Lord to spare her people for their proposed destruction. Mary interceded at the wedding feast of Cana. There is the prayer of the persistent woman before the unjust judge. St. Monica prayed for the conversion of St. Augustine for thirty years.  Many times all we can do is to intercede for another person who is going through difficult times. In doing so, we are acknowledging that God alone can make a difference. We can't make it happen, but we can pray that God will make it happen according to his will. Never cease to intercede for others.

 Nineteenth Sunday Gospel A

Then he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. 

· Is prayer that important in our lives in fact? How often do we imitate Jesus: to take quality time in prayer after expending ourselves for others?

When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.

· When were the times in our lives that we felt tossed and turned in the storms of daily existence?  What was the most recent storm?

 During the fourth watch of the night he came toward them, walking on the sea. 

· The Romans divided the night hours between 6pm and 6am into four equal parts called “watches.” The fourth watch of the night was between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m.

When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. "It is a ghost," they said, and they cried out in fear. 

· If this happened to us, would our response be any different?  What are the “ghosts” that cause us to be afraid?

At once (Jesus) spoke to them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."

· “Do not be afraid”: a continual exhortation of Jesus to the disciples and to us. Yet, no matter how often we hear it, we still experience fear.

 Peter said to him in reply, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. 

· Have we experienced a moment of faith like that?

But when he saw how (strong) the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 

· To take our eyes off Jesus is to allow fear to take over in our lives.

After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, "Truly, you are the Son of God." 

· They could say this after the experience. But how soon they would forget. Isn’t that true in our own lives?

· What do we learn from this event and apply in our own lives?

 

I remember hearing a story of a man who was at sea alone in a small boat. A storm arose, battered the little boat and threatened to overwhelm it. The man prayed. Then he distinctly saw Jesus coming toward him, walking on the waters. Remembering the story from the gospel, he cried out, “Lord, if it is you, order me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” Jesus answered. So the man put on a life jacket, stepped over the boat’s gunwale, stepped onto the churning water and walked to Jesus. Jesus said to him, “Why did you doubt my word, O man of little faith?” “Lord, I did not doubt your word!” the man protested. “Then why the life preserver,” Jesus asked. “Oh, that!” the man replied: “that was just in case.”

How many times in our relationship with God, we have a "just in case" backup plan. We say we trust the Lord in our words, but we show by our actions that we do not. If we can not trust the Lord without a "just  in case", then we don't really trust in the Lord, but in our own efforts. For if the Lord is not real, "just in case" will mean nothing eternally. Surrendering to the Lord's providence involves total trust without any ifs ands or buts, no "just in case".  That is scary. But that is what trusts involves.

 There is a difference between being successful and bearing fruit. Jesus is calling his disciples not to be successful in the eyes of the world but fruitless spiritually. Rather, he invites us to live fully by being spiritually fruitful, even if we are materially poor. For where your heart is, there is your treasure. If our heart is focused and possessed by material success and financial security, then we have our treasure, which is here today and gone tomorrow. But if our heart is focused and possessed by doing that which will lead us into eternal life with God, then our treasure is life with God. Jesus said it well: "What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? What could one give in exchange for his life?" (Mk 8:36-37) What is our priority?

 

St. Teresa of Avila said: “God deliver us from people who wish to serve Him yet who are mindful of their own honor.” What does that mean? When we want to be accepted because it feels good, we are caught in the trap of self-centeredness. The focus is not God but ourselves.  St. Teresa called it the temptation of “vainglory” (vanity) While doing God's will, we expect others to praise us for it. That is a “poison” and is “fatal to perfection.” It destroys the love and holiness within us. It is this subtle approach of the Devil that we have to be alert to and reject.

 Charles de Foucauld once wrote a prayer of abandonment that expresses beautifully the spiritual attitude we need to embrace:

 

Engraved on an old slab in the Cathedral in Germany, are these words:

You call me Master, and obey me not.

You call me Light, and see me not,    

You call me Way, and walk not,

You call me wise and follow me not

You call me fair and love me not        

You call me rich and ask me not

You call me eternal and seek me not

You call me gracious and trust me not

You call me noble and serve me not

You call me mighty and honor me not

You call me just and fear me not

If I condemn you, blame me not.

It is easy for us to live externally, as if we are responding to God, but in fact are not. Knowing the right words but not living the life, does not impress God. We can go through life superficially in our relationship with God and be confronted with the truth on the day of judgment. Or we can put into action what we say on our lips and hopefully be blessed by God on the day of judgment. Someone once said that God will not save us without our cooperation. 

 Eighteenth Sunday Gospel A

When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. 

· When have we experienced a sense of compassion for the needs of others? Have there been times we forgot about ourselves and totally gave ourselves to provide for the needs of others?

When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, "This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves." 

· On the other hand, have there been times we acted more like the disciples, thinking we were being practical and realistic in addressing an issue, but in fact it may not have been what God wanted?

(Jesus) said to them, "There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves." But they said to him, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have here."

· When were the times that we couldn’t see the bigger plan of God in a situation?  We saw the problem not the possibility.  On the human level it looks impossible to resolve, but not for God.

Then he said, "Bring them here to me," and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.

· Notice the four actions: taking, blessing, breaking and giving.  Notice too how similar the same actions are to the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. These actions were normal at any Jewish meal.

· In the OT the prophet Elisha is recorded as feeding miraculously a much smaller group. (cf 2 kings 4:42-33)

· What do you think was going on in the minds of the disciple as they shared the fragments with so many?

· There may have been several miracles going on at once. One was that five thousand were fed through the multiplication of five loaves and two fish. Another was the faith of the disciples as it must have grown in the process.

· Where has God used you to touch the lives of others, even though at first you didn’t understand?

They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over  --twelve wicker baskets full. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children. 

· This miracle of the feeding of the thousands is the only one of the many signs and wonders Jesus did that is accounted in all four Gospels.

 

The English author, C. S. Lewis, in one of his books, points out that when people become Christians, if they are not careful, their sinning often shifts from the overt, outward, visible sins of lying, cheating, stealing, cursing and swearing, to the more inward, hidden, non-apparent invisible ones … and among them he lists “a critical spirit” … a spirit of judgmentalism, a censorious attitude. In fact, he points out that this sin is one of transgression which is more commonly committed by church people than by those who are not. So prevalent is it in churchly circles that it is sometimes labelled “Christian cruelty” (from Dennis Kastens, Echoes of Eternity).

Are we guilty of a subtle critical spirit when it comes to others? Our spiritual journey is not primarily to focus on the faults of others, but on our own faults. These are sometimes hard to see, not that they are absent, but because we prefer not to admit them as faults. These personal sins are the stumbling blocks on our journey. With God's grace and our determination to be free of these obstacles to our relationship with God, we will be able to move forward. We need to be more occupied with our sins than those of our neighbor. Then we can encourage our neighbor, not be judgmental and critical. There is a difference. A word spoken in sincere love is more effective than a negative word of condemnation.