"The purpose of Lent is not force on us a few formal obligations, but to 'soften' our heart so that it may open itself to the realities of the spirit, to experience the hidden 'thirst" for communion with God." St. John Paul II

If our penances during Lent don't open our heart to thirst more for God, then our actions may be mere external rather internal transformation. This should be true, not only during Lent, but throughout the year. God desires a deeper communion with us, because of his great love for us. Do we desire a deeper relationship with the living God, because of our love? We are called to seek the Lord with our whole heart. He seeks us, but waits for us to want more of him in our lives. What will accomplish this in your life? Don't settle for trinkets when you can have the real stuff. 

 "Lent is a time for us to empty ourselves of worldly distractions and allow God fill us with his love, his grace and his peace." St. Teresa of Calcutta

Life is full of distractions, which take our minds and hearts away from the source of our being, namely, God. Some of these distractions are temptations that point us to self-gratification or self-importance. Lent is a grace-time given to us by God to return back to him. The Book of Revelations put it thus: "Return to your first love." What are the contents of our daily lives that lead us to God and what are the ones that are distractions that lead us away from God? Lent is a time for filtering our thoughts, words and deeds through the lens of grace, so that what remains is good, perfect and pleasing to God.

 "A saint is a sinner who keeps trying." St. Josemaria Escriva

During this Lenten season our journey may follow an up and down cycle. Climbing a mountain is never easy. There are many slips and struggles, many next steps, bringing us closer to the top. One who is determined to reach the goal doesn't stop because of a partial slip. So must we be in our spiritual journey, determined in spite of our failures, to keep going one step at a time. Failures are just opportunities for us to be more open to the grace of God. For only by the grace of God can we turn a slip into a forward advance.

 Second Sunday of Lent Gospel A

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 

· Why these three? Over the course of time they became Jesus’ inner circle. They will be invited by Jesus to go aside with him in the Garden to pray. They were the first to be chosen as disciples. Why Andrew was not included, we don’t know.

And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.

· Put yourself in the place of the three. What do you think you would have thought or felt at this sight? What would be your initial response? 

And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him. 

· Moses represented the Law and Elijah the prophets. Jesus had said that he would fulfill the Law and the Prophets. 

· What do you think they were saying to Jesus? Probably, talking about his upcoming suffering and death. 

Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 

· How we would want the joy of the present moment to last forever! Peter wanted to stay there and go down the mountain.

 

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

· The Shekina glory of God is sometimes depicted as a bright cloud. They probably had remembrances of the time God appeared to the people at Mt Sinai in the desert. 

· When did God say this about Jesus? At his baptism. 

· How well do we listen to the Lord? What were they to listen to? Jesus had predicted his passion, death and resurrection and they did not want to hear of it. The Father confirms this message through the transfiguration and through his voice. 

When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid.

· Would you react any differently, if you thought God had revealed something to you? 

But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” 

· How often this is the message Jesus has to give the disciples during or after some experience. Recall the time they saw Jesus walking on water and they thought it was a ghost. Recall his post resurrection appearances. 

And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone.

As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

· The vision revealed the divinity of Jesus, which the apostles did not fully understand and would not until the resurrection. If they would not, even after this experience, how would others? Would you have? 

· What lesson do you take from this passage and apply to your life?

 "Lent is a time of grace, a time for conversion, a time to come home to God." St. Maximilian Kolbe

Return to the Lord was the prophet message God gave to his Chosen People. It is the same message he speaks to us every Lent. It is not an external call to return. It is an internal transformation that God is seeking in each of us. When we sin, we are still in the presence of the Lord. But our heart distanced itself from God. A heart contrite and humble, God will not turn away. As we confront our sins, as we seek to remove them from our heart, as we grow in intimacy with God. we will be returning to the Lord in a meaningful way. Seek the Lord by removing the veil of sin, so that you can see him with the eyes of faith and grace.

 "I would rather die and come to Jesus Christ than be king over the entire earth. Him I seek who died for us; Him I love who rose again because of us." St. Ignatius of Antioch

One of the temptations that Jesus experienced was the one in which the Devil promised him power over all the world, if he worshipped him. This is one of the subtle temptations the Devil puts before us in various ways: power, control, greed, get the better of another, etc. We must recognize the trap quickly and respond the way Jesus did: Get behind me, Satan. For nothing and no one can fulfill me except God. Only if I seek him and love him above all things. will I be assured of his grace of eternal salvation and union with him. The traps of the Devil are meant to ensnare us and separate us from God. Choose life with God rather than alienation away from him.

 "During Lent, let us find concrete ways to overcome our indifference." Pope Francis

What is this indifference that we need to try to overcome? It can take on many faces. We can become hardened to the plight of others in need. We can shut our eyes and condone the sins in our hearts and those around us. We can insulate ourselves to the pains of others. Both in the Old and New Testaments there are many examples. In the Old, God chastised the Chosen People for their self-inflicted blindness to the cries of those around them. In the New, the rich man ate lavishly, while he was oblivious of the beggar, Lazarus, at his doorsteps. During this season, we need to ask the Lord to reveal to us our areas of indifference so that we can change our heart. Thus, will God's grace flow into us. 

 "Through loving humility we find our way back to you, O God." St. Augustine

It is pride that leads us away from God. We want things our way, no matter the effects on others. That is the root of sin of Adam and Eve and the root of all our sins. In making it possible for us to be reconciled with God, Jesus, though he was God and Man, chose to humble himself to embrace the will of the Father, even to  death by crucifixion. We are not asked to undergo the same fate. But we are called to imitate his humility by choosing the Father's will for us. What is this will of God? To turn away from sin and unite our will with his, so that we may not only be reconciled but share eternal life. Humility is the road to holiness.

 Homily: First Sunday of Lent A

Story: A man bought paint to refurbish the outside of his house. But he ignored the instructions on the can and thinned it liberally with water.  After he finished painting the exterior, he stood back to admire the job, chuckling to see how beautiful it looked for so little money.  But that night there was a great rainstorm. The next morning he went outside and stood before his streaky house. At that moment a voice from heaven thundered in his ear: “Repaint and thin no more.”

How often we shortcut the instructions of God, to do it our way and end up with a worse condition? Are we choosing to listen to the voice o f God or of human expediency. To confuse the issue further the evil one knows our vulnerability and comes against us with half truths that satisfies the human appetite.

In the first reading, God called Adam to recognize the gift he had received, to recognize the relationship between him and God and to remain in that relationship through obedience. The evil one said that Adam and Eve could determine their own live, to have total power over life. He said that they could be like God, equal to him. There were three points to his temptation. One was the temptation of the appetites (apple); second, the temptation of self-determination, independently of God (to be like God); third, the temptation for power (you shall not die).

Paul in the second reading says that through one man’s disobedience all became sinners. What was the sin of Adam and Eve which they expressed through disobedience?  It was the sin of not accepting oneself as limited and depended; the sin of wanting to be other than creatures dependent upon God, the Creator; the sin of turning away from God and to turn to self. What was the temptation? To believe in and trust the father of lies rather that the author of truth. It was true that they would know good and evil; it was a lie that they would be like God. The result of their sin was they saw themselves as nothing without God.  As a result, they hid themselves because they were no longer in right relationship with God. To isolate themselves from God was not to become equal to God but to become less than they were meant to be.

In contrast, Paul states, referring to Jesus: “through one man’s obedience, all shall become just.” The Son of God became man to show us how to live in our humanity in right relationship to God.. After his baptism, he experiences similar temptations to Adam and Eve. The first temptation was self-gratification rather than dependency upon the Father to care for his needs. Jesus’ response: “Not on bread alone, but on the Word of God.”

The second temptation was to question God’s ways, to have God prove his love by a miracle. Jesus’ response was that his relationship with the Father was strong and need not be tested. In his humanity Jesus did not have to assert himself or test the Father’s love. He knew and trusted in that love.

The third temptation was that of power, ambition, greed, authority, dominance and control. To be set up as a god. Jesus’ response: There is only one God and you, Satan, are not. You have not power. Be gone.  Jesus refused to give him power, or credence or the time of day.  Jesus’ knew he was the beloved Son of the Father and he was loved as such. No questions asked.

How was Jesus able to do this? Though God, in his humanity he emptied himself of his divinity so as to embrace our full humanity in everything but sin. In his humanity he allowed the Holy Spirit to lead him as he kept his eyes, heart and will on the Father. He refused to assert his own power but totally remained dependent upon the Father, waiting and trusting on the Father.  Jesus refused to isolate himself from the Father in his humanity. He totally entrusted himself to the Father in obedience.

As we commit ourselves to Jesus, as we repent of our desire to be independent, as we accept Jesus as the Lord of our life, we will also experience the freedom of our humanity. We will become more the son or daughter, beloved by the Father, that we are meant to be. Following the lead of Jesus, in the times of our own temptations, remember who we are, whose we are and keep our eyes on the Father, following the lead of the Sprit. 

"Do you wish your prayer to fly toward God? Make for it two wings: fasting and almsgiving." St. Augustine

The fasting God desires most from us is not only from food, but more importantly from sin. For what good is our material fasting if we are not dying to sin? What is our frequent sin? For many people it is of the tongue. We use the tongue to judge others, to criticize them, to speak unkindly, to use God's name in vain, to lie, to slander, to flatter people for our advantage. If we don't seek to clean up our act, what good is our fasting or prayers. They will be empty actions and words. Repent of sin and turn back to the Lord. This is the call of Lent.

First Sunday of Lent Gospel A

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 

· God tests us to draw us closer to him. The devil tempts us to draw us away from God.

· From the time of the baptism until his death on the cross, Jesus is led by the Spirit.

·       In the desert the Lord tested the Chosen People. In the deserts of our journey God tests us.

He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. 

· Moses and Elijah fasted forty days and forty nights as part of their preparation for what God had in store for them.

· Here the number forty has another significance. During the forty years in the desert, the Israelites proved that they were not true sons of God by their frequent, sinful rebellions and grumblings. Jesus as the Son of God gives us the example of how a true son of God is to live in the midst of temptations.

· Do you see the power of fasting and prayer in dealing with temptations?

The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” 

· The devil picks up on the word of God to Jesus after his baptism: “You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” The devil wants Jesus to question his identity.

· The focus of the devil’s temptation is to satisfy self rather than be faithful and depend upon God to care for you. Do you see the similarity with the temptation in the Garden of Eden?

He said in reply, “It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” 

· Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 in response. Jesus knows that he is the Son of God, beloved of the Father. He doesn’t have to use his own power to prove this. Rather, he chooses to be obedient to the Father’s will in all things, even in the time of physical hunger. His food is the word of God.

·

Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Jesus answered him, “Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” 

· Again the focus of the temptation is questioning whether Jesus is the Son of God and trusts in God. Like Jesus the devil too quotes the scriptures (Ps 91:11-12). Jesus responds as a true Son of God but stating that he does not have to put God to the test as the Israelites did in the desert, complaining against him for not providing food and drink. A creature does not test the Lord. The Lord tests the creature.

·

Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.” 

· The first lie is that the devil can’t give all the kingdoms of the world. He has no power or authority. The second lie is that he is not God, who alone deserves worship. Jesus unmasks the devil for who he is—a creature subject to God, but who is separated from God eternally by choice.

· In a sense, Jesus is laughing at the devil when he says, “Get away.”

· Jesus proves himself as a true Son of God, who is obedient to the Father, unlike Adam and the Israelites.

· “Each temptation has one common purpose: to divert Jesus from his mission, to distract him from the purpose for which he came on earth; to replace the Father’s plan with a different one. In Baptism, the Father had indicated to Christ the way of the obedient Servant who saves with humility and suffering. Satan proposes to him the way of glory and triumph, the way that everyone then expected of the Messiah.”

· “Today also, the whole effort of the devil is to divert man from the purpose for which he is in the world, which is to know, love and serve God in this life to enjoy him later in the next; to distract him. But Satan is astute; he does not appear as a person with horns and the smell of sulfur. It would be too easy to recognize him. He makes use of good things leading them to excess, absolutizing them and making them idols. Money is a good thing, as is pleasure, sex, eating, drinking. However, if they become the most important thing in life, they are no longer means but become destructive for the soul and often also for the body.”

·

Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.

· What lesson can we derive from our reflections on this passage?

· How should we respond in times of temptations and in times of test?

· What was the role of the Spirit during the temptations? 

 "There are two ways of keeping God's word, namely, one, whereby we store in our memory what we hear and the other, whereby we put into practice, what we have herd (and none will deny that the latter is more commendable, inasmuch, as it is better to sow grain, than to store in in the barn)."

As we enter into the Lenten season, let us both hear the word of God with a fresh openness. Let us reflect on this word. Let us act on the word heard and reflected.  The word of God is never stagnant or old hat. God speaks it anew to us each time it is proclaimed. We need to approach the word of God with the attitude of Samuel: "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening." Then we need to ponder like Mary what we have heard, so that God's word can bear fruit in our lives. Then, we are called to proclaim that word when convenient or inconvenient. For the word was given to us, for us and to be shared with others. In that way the word of God will be a lamp for our feet and a light for others.

 "Let us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgement, refraining from slander and speaking ill of those who are not present and cannot defend themselves. Instead, let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christin communities. Pope Leo IV

As we enter into the Lenten season of grace and conversion, Pope Leo provides us with a plan of action. How often our speech is our downfall! It is like an unbridled horse that can take us to perilous situations. Using words from St. Paul, if we can't say something in love and in the name of Jesus, then we must not say it. It will not give glory to God. If we put the admonitions of the Pope into practice, then the love of God will be able to transform our hearts to resemble his great, sacrificing love.

 "Countless people experience their existence as dull, boring, stagnant, and routine. They lack vitality, a deep desire to be alive. For them, every day is just another day, often filled with many things to do, but seldom offering profound human satisfaction. This is the experience of living without bearing fruit. But fortunately, some men and women have a deep sense of their value - precisely because they are in touch with the life-giving quality of their existence. Their joy brings forth joy, and their peace brings forth peace. They make us aware of the holy contagiousness of all that lives." Henri Nouwen

What makes the difference between the two different experiences? I think it is the awareness of God in the second group. That awareness includes the love God has for them and their value in his eyes. They are aware that he delights in them. Their existence is not routine, but a response to the Lord. Thus, the joy and peace. They have a purpose for being and living each day. They seek to fulfill that purpose to the best of their ability. This attitude is a choice that needs to be made consciously in the midst of the routineness of life. In choosing to be joyful, they become a light to others. Which existence do you desire?

 "Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in his love than in your weakness." St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

What does this say to you, about your relationship with God? Sometimes we are not sure that God loves us enough, in spite of the many ways he has shown us his love in the past. Sometimes we focus more on our weaknesses that on his power. Yet, the more we surrender ourselves to him, the more the words of St. Paul will ring true. "In him I can do all things, who strengthens me." What I can't accomplish on my own, God can do through me. The signs and wonders in the lives of the Saints attest to this. God waited for Mary's Yes, before the Spirit overshadowed her and the Word became flesh. He awaits our Yes as well.

 

Homily: Sixth Sunday Year A

 

Reading 1: This first reading sets the tone for the other two readings. God gives us free will to choose between life and death, good and evil, lasting fire (symbol of eternal separation from God) or soothing water (symbol of the life with God). Our choice will be based on self-gratification or love of God, trusting in our self or trusting in the Lord. He doesn’t causes us to act unjustly or gives us license to sin. Instead, he gives us the grace to know right from wrong, which is his wisdom.

 

If we choose God’s ways because of his grace, God will confirm our choice. This is eternal life with him. If we choose to satisfy ourselves in spite of God’s commands, in spite of his grace, God will confirm our choice. This is the second death, eternal alienation from the Good which is himself.

 

Many people feel that freedom equates license to do anything they want. Rather, true freedom is to choose that which will be beneficial to our eternal happiness. Our eternal happiness is to be in relationship with God. Our eternal unhappiness will be not to be in relationship with God. So choose life or choose death.

 

Gospel: Jesus gives us examples of human wisdom and the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God is found in the Commandments, which he has come to fulfill. How? In the words of Pope Francis, through a higher justice and a more authentic observance.

 

Human wisdom concerning the commandments came from the interpretation of the scribes and Pharisees. They emphasized rote observance and outward conduct. Jesus said our way of life must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.

 

This is how we are to fulfill the commandments, by going to the root which focuses on the intention of the human heart. In other words, human wisdom just goes through the motions and does the actions, without necessarily believing or caring. On the other hand, the wisdom of God says that the fulfillment of the commandments come from the act of love. This is how the commandment is acted on and embraced.

 

I have heard often in confession: I didn’t kill anyone. But Jesus says” you can violate the command of God without physically taking another’s life. We can kill in our speech and in other actions.

 

Human wisdom asks: how can you forgive someone who has hurt you deeply? The wisdom of God says: be reconciled first before you come to offer sacrifice to the Lord through worship.

 

Are we motivated by authentic love of God and love of others in our thoughts, words and deeds? Then we are fulfilling the commands of God. If not, then we are only going through the motion but our heart is far from God. Are we following the wisdom of the world or the wisdom of God? Are we asking God regularly to give us his wisdom: to see how he sees things or are we listening to the wisdom of society and present culture?

 

Reading 2: The first reading said “Vast is the wisdom of the Lord; he is almighty and all-seeing.” We have a natural gift of wisdom and spiritual gift of wisdom. It is this spiritual wisdom that Paul refers to. Human wisdom may tell us to look to our own interest above others. Human wisdom and the world’s wisdom may tell us that we have a right to happiness at all costs. If something makes you happy, if it gives you pleasure, if it enhances you even if others suffer, you should feel free to do it. Human wisdom says might makes right.

 

But there is another type of wisdom, which comes from God. This wisdom is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, given by God to us in Baptism and renewed in Confirmation. What is this wisdom? Paul says the Spirit reveals to us the depths of everything, even the depth of God. This gift of wisdom enables us to know and to see things as God does; in other words, we are able to know in a given situation the will of God.

 "Glow with the brightness that comes from the good example of a praiseworthy and blameless life." St. John of Capistrasno

In the Gospel Jesus said as a disciple we are to be a light to the world, so that our good deeds may give glory to God. St. John of Capistrano says that our good deeds should be "a praiseworthy and blameless life." This is in line with the words of St. Paul. He said that "God chose us in Christ Jesus to be holy, blameless in his sight and full of love." In other words, the holiness of our lives is the best light for people to see, not so much as our deeds and actions. Why are we so drawn to the Saints? Is it not because of their life of holiness in spite of the circumstances of their daily lives? Yet, they were the last to recognize their life of holiness. So it is with us. Our holiness of life will be the attraction bringing others to Christ.

 Sixth Sunday of the Year Gospel A

Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 

• The law and the prophets stand for the whole of the Old Testament. Jesus came to fulfill the Mosaic Law and the OT prophesies. The New Covenant includes and concludes the Old Covenant; it both perfects it and transforms it.

• Jesus’ teaching does not reject the old law and the prophets; instead, it illumines the meaning God intended the OT ultimately to have.

Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

• The righteousness that Jesus is talking about is that holiness which is based on love and not following the rules out of obligation. The scribes and Pharisees were seeking righteousness through strict observance of every detail of the many laws imposed by tradition and interpretation. Jesus is calling his followers to do all out of love of God and love of others.

 

You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna.

• Jesus begins a series of contrasting ways the righteousness of the religious leaders and the righteousness of his disciples will be different. He underscores his own authority as the Son of God, as the new Moses and Lawgiver. 

• Not only is murder wrong but so is the anger that seeks revenge and other unloving hurtful words towards a child of God. 

 Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.

• How often do we celebrate Mass with non-forgiveness in our heart! How can our offering be acceptable to God with such a block within us. We need to forgive in our heart so that God may forgive us.

You have heard that it was said,  You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

• Adultery is a serious sin. But so is the lust of our heart and eyes and the lingering impure thoughts of our mind. 

It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife -  unless the marriage is unlawful -  causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

• In another area, Jesus said that divorce was permitted in the Old Law because of the hardness of heart of the people. But that is not God’s plan and purpose for a marriage that is sealed before him.

Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one."

• Jesus forbids oath swearing for private purposes. Many times we name God as part of our swearing. This is against the Second Commandment.

• We should speak the truth at all times. 

• How do we relate our life against these actions? Where do we fall short? What needs to be done to bring about the righteousness which Jesus seeks in the lives of his disciples?

 
"For me to a saint means to be myself. Therefore, the problem of sanctity and salvation is in fact the problem of finding out who I am and of discovering my true self...God leaves us free to be whatever we like. We can be ourselves or not, as we please. But the problem is this: since God alone possess the secret of my identity, He alone can make me who I am. or rather, He alone can make me who I will be when I at last fully begin to be. The seeds that are planted in my liberty at every moment, by God's will, are seeds of my own sanctity." Thomas Merton

 God created me to be with him forever in glory. But he gave me a free will to choose whether to be with him or not. We can become our true self or be lured by our false self. To become our true self, I seek my identity in God. To run after the false self is to run after illusions and shadows that lead me away from God. Then when I die, God will reveal to us the self he willed us to be. Will our final reality match that image? If it does then we have found our identity in God and will be with him eternally. If not, we then will live eternally in the emptiness of the  darkness and illusions of the false self away from God. In the words of the Old Testament: "Choose life or choose death."

 "I would rather die and come to Jesus Christ than be king overt the entire earth. Him I seek who died for us; Him I love who roe again because of us." St. Ignatius of Antioch

He had his priorities straight. Do we? He knew that it was Christ who created him, sustained him, redeemed him and sanctified him. He knew that whether he lived or died he belonged to Christ. No earthly title or material possession would satisfy him ultimately. Only God, his beginning and end. Therefore, he ordered his life with God as the ultimate desire and lasting end. Life is too short. How sad it will be for us to spend our lives on what is fleeting and end our lives spiritually destitute! 

 "The world is a fleeting shadow. Only God is the reality." St. Charbel

It is easy for us to chase after shadows and fail to recognize the only reality that matters, namely the one, eternal God. We seek the creature but not the Creator. Why? It is easier for us to see the shadow with our human eyes. We can only see God with the eyes of faith. But the day may come that our human eyes will grow dim and fail us, but the eyes of faith will remain. Seek the Lord, while he may be found, so that you can see the shadows through his insight.

 "Therefore. every Christian should be a living book in which the teaching of the Gospel can be read." St. Joseph of Leonessa

Jesus was clear about the life of those who would be his disciples. "By this they will know you are my disciples, by the love you have for one another." "You are the light of the world. Let your light shine so that others may see the works of my Father." Is it obvious to others that we are followers of Jesus, not by the wearing of a medal, but by the deeds of our lives? Are our words and actions reflected of our life in Christ? As we recognize the faults of our past, we are called by Jesus to a conversion of heart and a new commitment as his disciples. Let our lives be a living Gospel of love and service, of holiness and justice.

 

Homily Fifth Sunday Year A

 

Reading 1: What is this light which shall break forth like the dawn and the wound be quickly healed? The chosen people have just returned from exile. They are being called back to covenant living. This involves feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, not rejecting the needy, removing oppression, false accusations and malicious speech. In other words, they are called by the prophet to turn away from sin and to do what is good and loving in the eyes of God.

 

But what is this light that will dispel the darkness in their hearts? It is the presence of God who reminds them “Here I am!” when they do that which is right and just. The light is their relationship to God, which when they are faithful to the covenant will be manifested through their relationship with one another. That light also will be experienced through the providential care and protection of God.

 

The darkness is the result of personal and communal sin. The light is the result of turning away from sin and living according to the commands of the Lord, especially in our relationship to one another.

 

Gospel: As disciples of Jesus we are called to make a difference in the world around us by transforming the blandness of life without God with the seasoning of our witness, the witness of love, faith and hope. As salt adds a special flavor to food, so we are called to share our faith with others.

 

Following up on the first reading, we are also called to be alight in the world of darkness that surrounds us by our deeds of love and service. These deeds done for the right motive will give glory to God.

 

To be a follower of Christ is not always easy. We can become discouraged and tired. We can try to measure our value by success and effectiveness. We can become tasteless like the old salt. We can allow our light to become dim and even go out by not being whom God calls us to be.

 

It is the power of the Holy Spirit that enables my weak light to become brighter and my dash of salt to enable my wavering witness to be effective. We need to pray daily for the Holy Spirit to use us as a disciple/witness for the glory of God.

 

There is a deepening, invading darkness of sin and error in the world. My life must be a light dispelling the darkness, making a difference, even though I do not perceive it.  Otherwise, the influence of the darkness will seek to extinguish the light.

 

Reading 2: Having come to Corinth from Athens, Paul changed his pastoral tactic. He realized that the power of the Gospel was not in his human wisdom and logic, but in revealing the truth of the central mystery which transforms lives: the death and resurrection of Jesus.  It is faith in God’s power through this saving act that delivers and renews us.

 

Paul believed this with his whole heart, but he needed the failure of his experience in Athens to remind him. This was the light which went off within him. This was the message which would bring life to others. He allowed the power of the Holy Spirit to take his simple message and to touch people’s lives. In this way Paul was a light to the Gentiles.

 

Paul did not preach a prosperity gospel but Jesus Christ crucified and risen. He wasn’t an impressive preacher. He had some speech impediment. But the message that he proclaimed was anointed by the Holy Spirit, who convicted his hearers to the core.

 "I Would sooner fail standing  by the truth than succeed by remaining silent." St. Sebastian

Many of us fail in our role as disciples because we remain silent rather than speak the truth. We are afraid of the consequences to our reputation, to our position, to our relationship with the other person. But there is another more important relationship and that is with God. In speaking the truth in love, we may offend another human person, but in remaining silent, we will offend God. The other person may judge us in this life. God will judge us in eternity for eternity. Jesus spoke the truth, even though he knew he would suffer rejection and ultimately condemnation. Peter failed to speak the truth when questioned about his relationship with Jesus. Ask God for the grace to speak the truth rather than to remain silent. 

 "Act today in such a way that you need not blush tomorrow." St. John Bosco

We don't always consider the consequences of our actions. With a narrow vision we only think of the illicit joy of the present moment. Jesus warned us that what is done in secret will be brought to light. Nothing is hidden from the eyes of God. If we don't want to be embarrassed before the Lord in the future, then avoid anything that could cause us this unbearable embarrassment. Live in the light of truth and goodness, thus avoiding the darkness of sin and alienation.

 "Guard your eyes since they are the windows through which sin enters the soul." St. John Bosco

Custody of the eyes is one of the spiritual tools in our journey to God. We can't prevent images from appearing before us, which are contrary to our relationship with God. These are the darts hurled at us as temptations by the Devil. It is what we do with these images that makes the difference, whether we remain in union with God or separate ourselves from him. One of the ways to practice custody of the eyes is when we become aware of such images, not to focus on them, but to say "Jesus, I love you." That way our focus is on Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Like anything else, custody of the eyes takes practice and discipline, along with the grace of God.