22^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 30, 2020 – Matthew 16: 21-27                                           

We have had some interesting weather around here in the past few weeks, including some lightning. When lightning flashes, it’s here one minute and gone the next, until the next flash comes. But when that next flash of lightning will come is unpredictable: I could blink and miss one; OR I could fall asleep and miss a lot of them!                                                                         

Some people say that’s what inspiration is like: a flash of an image, for example, of how a new garden can be arranged; or of how a person’s toolshed can be RE-organized.  Or inspiration comes when someone discovers the exact right word for a poem or a song, the word that expresses what we all know to be true. Now, having travelled with St. Matthew’s Gospel this year, we know that Peter WAS inspired, in fact, just last week! Out of all the names and identifications people were using for Jesus in His preaching ministry, Peter correctly calls Jesus “The Christ, the Son of the Living God.”  Remarkable. And inspired. Only God Almighty could have helped Peter to come to that realization and awakening, just as only the Blessed Trinity could have helped Peter, James and John to begin to understand the Transfiguration event they witnessed on the mountain.

Ah, but when we get to today’s Gospel, Peter’s period of being inspired has long set sail. Jesus, the EPITOME of truth, provides the Apostles with the full recipe of being a Messiah: this recipe is one in which service-based discipleship + sacrificial self-denial = salvation.   Jesus’ recipe is from God our Creator: Jesus is committed to fulfilling this recipe to the letter.

On the other hand, Peter is following a DIFFERENT recipe, a human one, a CONVENTIONAL one: Peter, who distinguished himself from the other Apostles and the world last week in identifying Jesus, has now slipped back into the recipe that Jewish people had carried in their heads for generations. Essentially, conventional Judaism was waiting for a military Messiah to slaughter Jewish enemies, to re-establish Jewish power and authority, and free Jews from constant enslavement. And then, when all these things had taken place, great celebrations would replace sadness and sorrow. This recipe comes down to this: The arrival of the Messiah to lead us into battle versus enemies, plus the restoration of power, privilege, riches and  wealth, would equal a life of ease and contentment. 

I have joked more than once about Peter’s underhanded solution to Jesus’ suffering and death: it is as if Peter says to Jesus, “Hey. Don’t worry, Jesus. I know a guy: he’s good, he’s reliable: when the time comes and it’s too dangerous to live here, this guy I know can sneak us out. You won’t have to even think about going to Jerusalem and suffer.” Peter might have added, if he was being completely truthful: “and that’ll be a good thing, Jesus, because if YOU don’t have to go and suffer, then we won’t have to go and suffer either, and that will be fine.” OMG. Jesus’ blood pressure might have gone up just a tad, for his VOICE VOLUME comes through today in our hearing: it seems to me that no one calls another person a SATAN or a STUMBLING BLOCK, that is, a SCANDAL, without their blood pressure going up.

As for us, taking up one’s cross and following Jesus is going to be different for each of us and all of us. But the call is there, even on days we awaken, and discover we’re only at 80% of our best, or we didn’t sleep well the night before, and are prone to be ornery throughout the next day.  But one way for us to apply this Gospel teaching today is to think about Jesus’ command at the words of Institution of the Eucharist: when Jesus says, “do THIS in memory of me,” what’s this? It’s today’s Christ-Gospel vision:   we are called not only to feed the poor, but to BE the bread that gets broken and  feeds others as His Body; and  not only getting others something to drink, but to BE the sacrifice of all those crushed grapes, that are transformed into wine, and ultimately His blood shed for all. As we continue to pray during this Eucharist, and discern to what further discipleship Jesus the Christ may call us, we recognize our individual and communal need to be strengthened. The unique strength Jesus provides us in the Eucharist is a sign of hope and courage for us and for all people. Let us continue to witness, to one another and to the world, WHICH RECIPE we are truly following: the Peter recipe of entitlement, or the Christ recipe of salvation. Let us choose wisely.

21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle “A” – August 23, 2020 – Matthew 16: 13-20

Jesus’ question: “Who DO YOU say I am?” is a GREAT question for each of us to answer, and for all of us as a parish to answer together. When an engaged couple comes to visit me to discuss their upcoming wedding to one another, during our first conversation I’ll ask EACH of them to introduce me to their fiancé(e) by naming as many of that fiancé(e)’s positive qualities and virtues as they can. Yes, it’s true: I let them brag a bit to me about their intended spouse. 

And in over forty years of asking fiancé(e)s to describe the one they love, and the one they intend to marry, not once did one of them say, “well, MY fiancé finished first in the 100 yard dash on his high school and college teams!” And not once did one of them say, “MY fiancée sold the most Girl Scout cookies of anyone in her Girl Scout troop.”  I’m not suggesting that either of those would have been wrong: but if we’re talking about someone’s essence or the depth of their character, we’re talking about long-lasting qualities of substance.  So, when Jesus asks that very personal question, “Who do YOU say that I am?” he’s asking NOT about our book knowledge or fact knowledge, but something deeper!

So how would each of us describe Jesus, either to Jesus or to someone looking to get to know our human & divine Savior better? Think of some ways the Church has described Jesus: Shepherd, Lover, Guide, Friend. Redeemer, and so on. Peter calling Jesus the Christ shows he knows Jesus is God’s Anointed & Chosen One of all time. And, it’s a very appropriate time for us to reflect at the level of our own personal experience: “Who DO YOU say Jesus is 4U?” If you have a specific name or way of describing your relationship with Him, do that now in the silence of your heart. [Pause]. Let me tell you this from me: when my father Jack died, I was 22 years old; I was crushed: I felt my world was crumbling around me. In prayer, I had been praying the Liturgy of the Hours, and had discovered a line in Psalm 116 that says: “I was brought low, & God saved me.” That line summarized accurately my experience, and through the aid of counselors, spiritual directors, and classmates, the power of Jesus Christ truly saved me.

Now, most of us, including couples getting married, know very well that making a promise to someone, be it to a spouse, future spouse, friend or Jesus, such a promise is NOT done once in a lifetime and then forgotten about! No! In fact, in his writings, Pope Francis reminds us that the renewal, on a regular basis, of such a significant promise & loving commitment, breathes new life into us and into the relationship.

So, let’s look at what our commitment to Jesus has been looking like recently. For example, if someone says, “Jesus is my Guide, or my internal GPS, or my faithful navigator,” s/he could incorporate that notion into his/her prayer. And at the end of a day, a week, or a month, s/he could reflect inside and ask his/her self: “Did I allow Jesus to lead, guide and navigate me in through life, in ALL my ups and my downs? Or did I at times dismiss Jesus’ divine GPS, and fly solo without his guidance?

It also seems to me that some lessons that Jesus has to teach us are very tough at times to learn. One lesson that we are ALL having to apply and attend to right now is the lesson to WAIT a minute. Look at all the plans we had starting at the end of last winter & the early days of spring. Then what? This CORONA-Virus came and interrupted the way we live, and breathe, and move around in daily life. And yes, we wear masks because science & our southern neighbors show us it’s a public health issue, not because we want to imitate Wonder Woman or look like Spider Man!

Many months ago, I was at the corner of Montauk Highway & Deer Park Avenue in Babylon Village, and I’d pressed the button to trigger the traffic light to cross the street, and I heard a voice saying, “WAIT!” WOW! The attitude that went through my 67 year old brain was not meek & mild; it was more like, “who’s telling me I have to wait?  Yes, it was the traffic-light voice monitor telling me to wait, so that I wouldn’t get run over by oncoming traffic! But when I think about it, it could just as easily have been Jesus, telling me to wait. Because to put my will at HIS command & service, and to live “thy will be done” is a whole new way of living and breathing, especially from someone who has preferred to say, “I did it my way!”

As we receive the Eucharist today, may WE strengthen our church & faith to the ends of the earth   by living and loving Christ, by serving and desiring Christ, and by making Him #1 in our minds & hearts not only in name, but in fact.  God bless your week!   Fr. Chris Heller

19^th Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 9, 2020 – Gospel: Matthew 14 : 22-33

I have told some of you my mom Rose has a green thumb, and that her son the priest kills cactus. And since cacti only need a few drops of water, it takes a pretty consistent hand to kill it, or should I say, drown it! Well, several years ago I went to visit my mom in Nassau County.  From the moment I got out of my car and approached the house, I could see that Rose had been very busy: there was a BURST of color all across the front lawn. The first question she asked me was, “how do you like the tulip arrangement I created on the lawn?” I told her the truth: “it’s beautiful.” We started to talk about other things, and before I left to come home here, she asked me this: “did you see anything unusual in the tulip arrangement?” I admitted that I had not. This time, I took a longer and closer look: Rose had arranged the tulips in the shape of a heart, and the arrangement took over the entire front lawn. I hadn’t looked closely enough to see it before.  

I must make the same kind of admission of inattentiveness to you today about the Gospel we just heard. For this year, I have heard something I did NOT hear in my previous hearings of this selection of God’s Holy Word. Now, you and I have heard this familiar story many times about the boat on the waves and Jesus walking on the water; we could probably almost tell the story ourselves, even before Deacon Bob proclaimed each and every part of it. I’m pretty certain that we all understood how Jesus tried to calm the fears and terrors of those in the boat.   And I’m equally certain that we understand this Gospel as a miracle of earthly forces obeying Jesus, and that as the True Son of God, Jesus used Divine Power to teach all who can see and hear a valuable lesson.

Ah, but there’s another part to the story that I have overlooked in the past, for whatever reasons. When the disciples were terrified as Jesus walked toward them, Jesus spoke, and he reassured them: “It is I: do not be afraid.” Now, the facts are clear: these same disciples were with Jesus a little earlier that day: they knew what Jesus looked like, what he sounded like, how he spoke and also how he walked. You know: sometimes, even before you see someone’s face, you can tell them by the way they walk. Suffice it to say that there were LOTS of different signs to indicate that the one they were with less than 12 hours before was indeed the same Jesus. But then, Peter asked a Q that gave a sinking, uncomfortable feeling to my heart: “Lord, IF it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” That’s where the sinking feeling is!

Earlier in Matthew’s Gospel, Matt 4:1f, Jesus has been on retreat in the desert: we know that Gospel account if we’ve been to Ash Wednesday Masses and services in the last 50 years! When Jesus is feeling humanly and physically weak, Satan the Evil One comes to tempt him.           And the first temptation is: “IF you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Hear the echo? Peter essentially asks the Lord to PROVE that he’s really Jesus on the water: “IF it is you!” The proof for which Peter was asking was to have Jesus command him to walk on water and come to him. What’s wrong with Peter asking that? Well, he was putting Jesus to the test, like Satan did before, and we know what Jesus responded back then very quickly to Satan: “you shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” Jesus is NOT just “one of the guys,” although he would

This is NOT a “pick on Peter the Apostle” day, though you and I can recall a few other mistakes that Peter made along the way. Remember when Jesus was telling the disciples that eventually, he’d have to go to Jerusalem, and undergo some trials, and eventually be killed before God the Father would raise Him up on the third day. Recall Peter?  Peter tries to talk Jesus out of being obedient to the Father’s will: it’s as if Peter is saying this: “Jesus, don’t worry. I know a guy. And when it gets bad, this guy can get you out of town quickly; you’ll never have to go through that suffering/or death experience. Do you remember what Jesus said to Peter on that occasion: “Get behind me, Satan.” And why? Because Peter was looking at Jesus saving the world with human eyes, rather than through God’s divine eyes.

The bottom line: Peter should never have gotten out of the boat. Safety meant being IN the boat with Jesus. What are some of the takeaways for us? Well, Peter sank when he took his eyes off Jesus, for he was focused on the wind and the waves.  For ourselves: 1) let’s keep our eyes on Jesus, in whatever storm we find selves: Covid-19; the pedophile priests scandal; a country sharply divided against itself; racial disharmony; and hurricanes, etc. 2) The second takeaway is to ask Jesus to strengthen our faith, while at the same time empowering us to name and acknowledge the storms around us. And then, as we name the storms of doubt, fear, sadness, desperation and isolation inside us, let’s ask Jesus: “Lord, calm these storms in us, and the true signs of storms outside us and all around us. Lord, calm them all, in your great mercy!

18^th Sunday in Ordinary Time The Gospel for Today: Matthew 14: 13-21                              August 2, 2020

It seems to me that today is one of those days when God wants to be sure we get the message! And it’s as if God is sitting us down and showing us The Holy Word of Revelation and saying: “Okay, I don’t want YOU to miss it: so my word’s in bold print and italic text and highlighted so YOU get it!” And we respond: “Yes, Lord: It’s all about food, and being fed, and how YOU feed us the best of all!” And so, everywhere we listen today, we hear an echo of our Responsorial Psalm: “the hand of the Lord feeds us, who answers all our needs.”

Non-believers must sometimes think we’re off our rockers: they point to the COVID-19 Virus and ask, “This is what your God is giving YOU? This is how your God feeds you, protects YOU? Forget it.” And we, who know God’s true nature, and that God doesn’t punish us, for we are God’s beloved ones, are deputized to point to where God’s work is being done IN THE MIDST OF this pandemic horror. Please let me share two examples to illustrate.  

1st, science tells us wearing masks deters the spread of this virus, so let’s wear these masks to protect one another, and let’s offer it up as a sacrifice, that is, make it a holy offering for a special intention: for instance, it could be to seek some healing between myself and a particular family member/relative with whom we seem to argue a lot. Is that not what Jesus is saying in directing his disciples:  “You, apostles, disciples, YOU give these people some food yourselves.” Jesus tells us here to be part of the SOLUTION, and not to join the whining complaining crowd that recounts WHAT WE LACK. And aren’t we relieved when the Apostles finally DO bring to Jesus the loaves and fishes, entrusting them to Jesus rather than hoarding them, or gorging themselves privately on the food, in a selfish way that violates every gospel mandate?

2^nd There’s a refrigerator, and several keepers of the refrigerator, which is plugged in  on the ground, beneath the northernmost Bronx station on one of NYC’s subway lines. Some people who have an abundance of food drop off food for the needy, homeless, jobless, and struggling families from the neighborhood and elsewhere. And the beauty of all this giving – of electricity, food, and Freon to keep it col: the poor obtain this food without question, without charge, without someone demanding to see their immigration papers.               On its face value, it appears to be an example of unconditional love, one of which we have heard echoed in the past in Scripture passages. Our first reading today signals that open invitation from God to us: see Isaiah 55: 1-3.

Because we have heard that pledge and promise of God to care for us throughout the Scriptures, today may sound like a renewal of that promise. But today’s miracle also joins the chorus of what The Bible also tells us about our heavenly life to come, that is, when Christ will be all in all. We pray it as part of the church’s prayer, at the Rite of Committal spoken at burial services: “your loved 1 has gone to her/his rest in the peace of Christ. May the Lord now welcome him/her to the table of God’s children in heaven.” So today’s Gospel is also an important component of Jesus’ describing your invitation to God’s reign, and to the  banquet feast that will never end.  

One way us to connect this holy liturgy and the call to holiness in our daily lives is to explore that central theme of hunger, about which Jesus certainly preached often in his public ministry. From one perspective, we as individuals woke up, got out of bed, and decided to come and gather today to pray the Eucharist; at same time, knowing that God is the initiator of love, we responded to God’s invitation today.  And while we know people come to the Eucharist for many different reasons, we ALSO know that we are conscious of different  hungers in ourselves that need to be fed. Let’s ask our Savior and Brother Jesus Christ to help us this summer: let us ask him to help us to identify the hunger God is trying to address in YOU today, a Resurrection day in mid-summer.                

16 A – Mt 13: 24-43 Some of the movies I saw growing up were low-budget cowboy movies, westerns where everyone knew from the start that the good guys were wearing white hats, and the bad guys were wearing black hats. The movie plotlines ran that way, too: and there were very few cowgirls or women, except for Annie Oakley!  In truth, however, we can acknowledge that MOST of us are mixtures of redeeming grace & stubborn pride.

So why start our reflection this way? Because it helps explain WHY, when the disciples ask Jesus did he want them to start pulling the weeds out right away, he said no, let it be for now. Those who study the Sacred Scriptures as their life’s vocation tell us there’s an ancient word for these parable weeds: it’s called darnel, pronounced DARN-ill. This darnel is a plant that is a close imitation of wheat. As it grows, especially in its earlier stages, it is impossible to discern the wheat from the darnel: yes, the darnel DOES pose as a liar, fraud, an impostor, and a wolf in sheep’s clothing!                                                                                                            

Only at harvest time does the darnel grain completely reveal itself; that’s when the difference between the wheat and the darnel is most visible. For at harvest, the darnel grain is GRAY in color, and flour ground from darnel grains tastes awful & is poisonous if eaten!                                                                            On the other hand, wheat is that light orange color: its flour nourishes people world-wide.   

And as we put two and two together, & see that the wheat represents the good people, and the darnel represents the evil ones, what is the effect of Jesus postponing the judgment day for the wicked ones? It is nothing short of love and grace! It provides more time for them to change their hearts in a TRUE conversion of life: And to be clear, this is NOT just doing something more productive for themselves and their own lives, but productive and beneficial for the reign of God, and the spreading of Jesus’ Name and the Gospel to others. Yes: imagine the stories of the people who started out in the WEED division, & then wind up helping to further God’s Plan. Saul of Tarsus, for all his limitations and idiosyncrasies, started out killing Christians; when he became St. Paul, he brought Good News to people hearing about Jesus Christ for the very first time.

Now, with all our years of listening to & meditating on the Scriptures, & hearing today’s reflection, we may think that we have an innate ability to discern good & evil in other people. We’ll often hear people say, “I’m an EXCELLENT judge of character.” Where are those accurate and excellent judges? Many are police officers & detectives, who size up truth-tellers & lying weasels each days; others are parents and teachers, who know kids SO well that they KNOW a scam when they hear it! But the providential thing about today’s Gospel parable is that NONE of us has to deliver an evaluation or an assessment concerning someone’s veracity/mendacity, goodness/evil. Because this parable isn’t just about the wickedness that may be growing in OTHER people: it’s meant for us to be applied to ourselves:  it’s a verbal way to put a mirror up in front of our eyes, and assessing what’s REALLY growing within us: and that means in every dimension of us: the spiritual, social, emotional, physical, and you know all the other levels in which we live.

Before we come to the Eucharist today, the Heavenly Food that helps us fight lies & evil,               we might like to thank God our Creator, whom we come to know through the words and deeds of Jesus, for two specific gifts: 1) God’s promise to always be with us; and 2) God’s always-patient and never-ending supply of mercy, for us and for the world. Amen.

15^th Sunday of Ordinary Time – July 12, 2020 – Gospel: Matthew 13: 1-23 or 13: 1-9

Not too many years ago, I received an invitation to a Mardi Gras celebration at a local parish. Mardi Gras, of course, is held the night before Ash Wednesday, just before the season of Lent begins. And the party was sponsored by the Parish Outreach Office of that particular Catholic Church. The organizers decided the entry fee would be 5 cans of food for the needy: why? So that the entire parish might more clearly understand that Parish Social Ministry (a.k.a. Outreach) is not a person, or even an office but it’s ALL of US, and that the FRUIT of our Christian reflection was this: disciples of Jesus Christ feed others, as He did. In a similar way, every time we reflect on a Jesus parable, it’s ALL ABOUT our bearing fruit: true results that God finds are truly valuable. And for 4 today, it’s ALSO ALL ABOUT being a Jesus follower in discipleship, now and all the way to the last judgment.

Now, there are some Gospel texts that are very straight-forward. Remember when Jesus   was reassuring his disciples about his presence in the world, He gave us a wonderful teaching: “for where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”   I hope it brings you the same positive consolation I know it’s brought to me and others during these difficult days. Similarly, when I was younger, my parents noticed that my artwork and sketches were pretty primitive. So they bought me a kit created by a man named John Gnagy. John was a self-taught artist, and he is best remembered for being America’s first television artist. His shows, “You Are an Artist,” and “Learn to Draw,” taught people to draw copies of famous, identifiable museum paintings. From the very beginning of the lesson, we knew WHAT we’d be painting and the major persons in the artwork when we started out. However, when Jesus is teaching via a parable, there is one fact that we and Christ’s Apostles have had to learn about: and that’s the fact that parables are NOT straight-forward stories, but do contain some surprising & unpredictable elements before the end. 

For example, now that we are aware that it is our FRUITFULNESS that the Lord is seeking,      in what forms might this fruitfulness of being faithful to God’s Word take root?    In several circumstances, such as living together with others OR extended listening to people on television, If we are honest with ourselves, we can admit that it is VERY EASY to become judgmental of others in our thoughts or words. It can happen in an instant. But in our calmer moments, we realize that we could NEVER possibly know all that’s going on in a person’s mind or heart. The other side of the coin is ALSO true: when it comes to God interacting with us, and when we are attentive to God’s presence & voice, anytime is a God-moment, or God-incidence. And we may have experienced those events at different times in our lives: for God can speak to us through music and lyrics of songs, through the memory of loved ones that have gone home to God, through our dreams, and even through our imaginations.

But as Jesus teaches through parables, it is NEVER a one-size-fits-all-application. That is, we may all hear the same words, but we won’t all hear it the same. And why? Because, as we refer to today’s Gospel, some people’s hearts might be ready to bear fruit 30-fold, while others might be ready & capable of bearing fruit 100-fold. Here’s an example that comes to mind. Years ago, there was a movie about Mahatma Gandhi, a man from India, and his way of nonviolent resistance. A Hindu man came to Gandhi seeking spiritual advice: the man explained to Gandhi that he had KILLED a young Muslim boy, in retaliation for someone else killing his own Hindu son. Hindus and Muslims were enemies, and it would be fair to say that they hated each other. Gandhi told the man to go out, and find another young Muslim boy, and raise him…. and the eyes of the Hindu man looked relieved for a second…that is, until Gandhi finished his sentence: “find another Muslim boy, and RAISE HIM AS A MUSLIM.”

In other words, “demonstrate that you are sorry for killing your enemy by loving that enemy in the next generation, loving that Muslim son as your very own flesh and blood, in the religious and cultural practices of your enemy.” That is CERTAINLY different from simply saying “I’m sorry” to a person I’ve offended, and the matter quickly coming to a close. We might all wonder how ready we would be to seek complete forgiveness by offering complete love.

As we celebrate this Eucharistic treasure today, a gift we cannot ever take for granted,               may our eyes and hearts be opened in faith to see beyond the bread and wine to see clearly the hunger and desire NOT ONLY that we have for Jesus: but to see the desire that Jesus has for each of us: to be united to Him, the Father & the Holy Spirit, so that our fruitfulness may be abundant for God’s reign, both now and forever. Amen.  Love, Father Chris

The Fourteen Sunday in Ordinary Time July 5, 2020 Gospel: Matthew 11: 25-30

With all the COVID-19 stresses, and feeling like fish out of water, we look for Jesus’ consoling love. And how blessed we are with today’s Gospel, where Jesus offers us in love multiple invitations!

To begin, Jesus KNOWS and HEARS us speak of our burdens: in his humanity He walked more than a mile in our shoes. Jesus IS sympathetic to our sorrows: he knows when we’ve been burdened to the point of tears, and SO weary our bones seem ready to break. Jesus presents himself as our OASIS, our pause, our relief and refreshment in our sorrows: in fact, it is God’s saving plan that Jesus would redeem the whole world: for those who love him, for those who are apathetic toward him, and for those who do NOT love him, or for those who hate him.

But of course, in the Christian life, “relief and rest” is not the end of the invitation Jesus offers. Step Two of this divine process is: Jesus calling us to EXCHANGE our yoke for HIS yoke. What? Right.  Everybody’s got burdens and responsibilities: we are not just SITTING around.  So what does this mean: “take MY yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me?” To what is it pointing?

Well, for one thing, it could mean that the way I’ve been carrying a burden is what wearies me, and Jesus wants to show me a DIFFERENT way to carry that same burden. It could also mean that we have been carrying a heavy burden all by ourselves, and it may be tiring or killing us. It could ALSO mean we’re carrying a burden Jesus tells us that we’re NOT supposed to be carrying. As we see, Jesus offers us options that NO ONE ELSE is offering us: some different WAYS to re-imagine our burdens.

And what about this yoke EXCHANGE? Jesus invites us to take HIS yoke on our shoulders,      and learn from HIM, and JOIN with him, and continue the work of caring for those around us, offering support to all the OTHER weary people, worn out by neglect and indifference.                           So picture this yoke: that’s YOKE, not like the egg yolk, YOLK. A yoke, YOKE, is a harness, usually made of metal and leather. Yokes are shared by two oxen around necks and heads, allowing them to work together as a team. Let’s be clear: Jesus is NOT handing over all the earth’s burdens to us and then abandoning us: far from it! But Jesus IS asking us to join him in HIS work, to minister with Him, as we say at Mass, at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer:   “through him, with him, and in him…..”    

Where can we see this principle of partnership at work?  In some religious wedding ceremonies, including the Greek Orthodox wedding celebration, the bride and groom are bound together by a cord, and they are led three times around the altar by the presiding cleric and, this is important, at the clergyman’s pace. Learning to walk at someone else’s pace is NOT as easy as it looks: it requires two virtues that Jesus himself had: humility and patience. Jesus invites US to have those same two virtues when we lay down our OWN burdens and instead we CHOOSE to be yoked with Christ: that is, to place ourselves IN TRUST, and under Christ’s care.  Jesus’ yoke IS lighter because He is the partner that all of us needs, the one who is with us and on our side, advocating for us, and desiring to lead us TO the light, and away from the darkness.

Back in the 1980’s the Church assembled a book entitled the Order of Christian Funerals.  This book, which is still in use for wake services, funerals, memorials, and graveside service, features the Gospel we have just been reflecting on. And we most certainly see its relevance:               when God calls our loved ones and other members of the Body of Christ to come home,             they are invited to surrender all sorrows, worries, pains and anxieties. But we NOW see clearly that this Gospel is for every one of us, 4 we too are homeward bound in God’s eternal love. Let us NEVER dismiss the assistance Jesus offers us, or the alternatives He proposes: it can literally save our lives.

The Fourteen Sunday in Ordinary Time July 5, 2020 Gospel: Matthew 11: 25-30

With all the COVID-19 stresses, and feeling like fish out of water, we look for Jesus’ consoling love. And how blessed we are with today’s Gospel, where Jesus offers us in love multiple invitations!

To begin, Jesus KNOWS and HEARS us speak of our burdens: in his humanity He walked more than a mile in our shoes. Jesus IS sympathetic to our sorrows: he knows when we’ve been burdened to the point of tears, and SO weary our bones seem ready to break. Jesus presents himself as our OASIS, our pause, our relief and refreshment in our sorrows: in fact, it is God’s saving plan that Jesus would redeem the whole world: for those who love him, for those who are apathetic toward him, and for those who do NOT love him, or for those who hate him.

But of course, in the Christian life, “relief and rest” is not the end of the invitation Jesus offers. Step Two of this divine process is: Jesus calling us to EXCHANGE our yoke for HIS yoke. What? Right.  Everybody’s got burdens and responsibilities: we are not just SITTING around.  So what does this mean: “take MY yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me?” To what is it pointing?

Well, for one thing, it could mean that the way I’ve been carrying a burden is what wearies me, and Jesus wants to show me a DIFFERENT way to carry that same burden. It could also mean that we have been carrying a heavy burden all by ourselves, and it may be tiring or killing us. It could ALSO mean we’re carrying a burden Jesus tells us that we’re NOT supposed to be carrying. As we see, Jesus offers us options that NO ONE ELSE is offering us: some different WAYS to re-imagine our burdens.

And what about this yoke EXCHANGE? Jesus invites us to take HIS yoke on our shoulders,      and learn from HIM, and JOIN with him, and continue the work of caring for those around us, offering support to all the OTHER weary people, worn out by neglect and indifference.                           So picture this yoke: that’s YOKE, not like the egg yolk, YOLK. A yoke, YOKE, is a harness, usually made of metal and leather. Yokes are shared by two oxen around necks and heads, allowing them to work together as a team. Let’s be clear: Jesus is NOT handing over all the earth’s burdens to us and then abandoning us: far from it! But Jesus IS asking us to join him in HIS work, to minister with Him, as we say at Mass, at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer:   “through him, with him, and in him…..”    

Where can we see this principle of partnership at work?  In some religious wedding ceremonies, including the Greek Orthodox wedding celebration, the bride and groom are bound together by a cord, and they are led three times around the altar by the presiding cleric and, this is important, at the clergyman’s pace. Learning to walk at someone else’s pace is NOT as easy as it looks: it requires two virtues that Jesus himself had: humility and patience. Jesus invites US to have those same two virtues when we lay down our OWN burdens and instead we CHOOSE to be yoked with Christ: that is, to place ourselves IN TRUST, and under Christ’s care.  Jesus’ yoke IS lighter because He is the partner that all of us needs, the one who is with us and on our side, advocating for us, and desiring to lead us TO the light, and away from the darkness.

Back in the 1980’s the Church assembled a book entitled the Order of Christian Funerals.  This book, which is still in use for wake services, funerals, memorials, and graveside service, features the Gospel we have just been reflecting on. And we most certainly see its relevance:               when God calls our loved ones and other members of the Body of Christ to come home,             they are invited to surrender all sorrows, worries, pains and anxieties. But we NOW see clearly that this Gospel is for every one of us, 4 we too are homeward bound in God’s eternal love. Let us NEVER dismiss the assistance Jesus offers us, or the alternatives He proposes: it can literally save our lives.

12-A: Today’s reflection hopefully gives us an opportunity to think about whether or not we really believe Jesus, when he says that you and I are each worth more than a flock of sparrows, and that we also believe all our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ are worth more than flock of sparrows, too. And of course, timing is everything, as you know.              

So, this phone call came into the rectory about two weeks ago. The voice at the other end was very loud, and sounded very annoyed. She asked this: “Could you please just tell those priests to put on Fox News on their TV, and start listening to the Real News, and obey the President by opening all the churches to full capacity right now, no matter what the Governor says?” This was like a Public Service Announcement rolled up into a political action committee ad.  

I have to say: I had several different emotions swirling in and around me then: I had just finished doing an outdoor pre-burial service for one of our parishioners. I was feeling bad for the family of the deceased, because I wanted to do a funeral Mass for

Their but could not do one way back then ago; so I was feeling ineffective as a priest, having wanted 2B 1 since I was 5 years old. I was also, like many of you, feel boxed in, dislocated, disoriented and confined, with so many Groundhog Days, that I was not my best self that day.

And I have to be honest, with God, you and myself: my first, off the cuff, silent and mental reaction was to respond this way: “why don’t YOU go chase fire engines and play in traffic for a while, and I’ll get back to you?” I certainly was not thinking about calling up this person to go out to lunch, or for coffee. In fact, I was NOT positively inclined toward her at all. The response I did make was a factual one, that I had not taken an oath of obedience to either President Trump OR Governor Cuomo, but I had taken a vow to the Bishop. And that as soon as the Bishop would let us open the churches, I would be one of the happiest people on earth.”

But you know, God’s sense of humor and God’s catechetical lessons are sometimes rolled up together. For later that day, I’m listening to one of those cable TV stations that plays golden oldies 24 hours a day. And the first song I heard after sitting down to listen was a twentieth-century song called, “Walk a Mile in My Shoes,” by a man who went by the name of Joe South.” And the lyric that stuck me was this: “Before you abuse, criticize and accuse, walk a mile in my shoes.” That’s what I lacked at that moment: I lacked the patience and the tolerance to respond in a proper way to someone who was in truth was also COVID-19 frustrated. I was lacking and devaluing the precious life that God gave her in Christ Jesus.

And for myself, the only thing that worked was doing what Jesus said early in St. Matthew’s Gospel: “pray for your enemies, do good to those who persecute you.” Finally, we’ve realized that prayer is never to change God’s mind, but to convert OUR minds and hearts to God’s Agenda. And by deliberately and intentionally praying for someone, we CAN become changed beings.  It’s a saving grace, isn’t it, to know that even on those days when we are not our best selves, the God who knows ALL there is to know about us STILL loves us unconditionally, and with no strings attached. What a wonderful reminder in this time of stress and worry: Our God-with-Us, Our Jesus is right at the center of our hearts. We would do well to live thanksgiving prayers and lives, that we might continue to be opened up to the greater mysteries of divine love.

The Body and Blood of Christ – June, 2020  Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a   Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20  1 Corinthians 10:16-17   John 6:51-58

As Catholic Christians, we are very blessed: we have 2 Testaments of Scripture to nourish us, at Mass and elsewhere: 1st, the Hebrew Scriptures, which many of us called the Old Testament as we were growing up, and the New Testament’s 4 gospels and letters. Both of these testaments provide spiritual nourishment for all of us who open ourselves to God’s Word.  e.g. In Psalm 136, which is one of my Top Ten favorite passages, King David names 26 good things God did for the People of Israel, and the response is: “God’s Love is Everlasting.” This phrasing reminds us that it is God’s firm intention to continue to feed us, for we are a people who belong to God.

In fact, we become aware that the Scriptures is a story where God outdoes God’s own love & generosity or gift-giving, and it’s especially embedded in the Scriptures today. In Deuteronomy, Moses first reminds the Israelites of some of the good things God did for them, like feeding and caring for them as they wandered in the desert, even when they were cry-babies! Moses DOES                 reveal who the One True God truly is: the truth is that God isn’t just a meal-ticket who’ll take away the hunger-pain rumblings in their stomachs. No, God fed them AND God, who is a LIBERATOR, freed them from slavery to Pharaoh and the Egyptians. So, the God who did that for the FIRST chosen people, ALSO does that for us, who are chosen & beloved in Christ Jesus.

St Paul is just as emphatic and comfortable with acknowledging that God is the MORE, the Gracious Lover, the One who can NEVER be outdone in generosity. Because Paul experienced the Risen Christ as His Savior and Redeemer, Paul knows a few good things: one is that when Christian believers celebrate the Eucharist, there’s a miracle EVERY SINGLE TIME: i.e., ordinary unleavened bread and table wine are transformed into Christ’s Body and Blood. And for 21 centuries it has been so.           

But that’s not all. Paul reminds that we’re not just actively sharing in Christ’s Body and Blood:                                  we’re ALSO sharing in Christ’s union with God our Father and participating in the call to be holy,               so that being in communion with God, Father Son and Spirit, and each other is our way of becoming divine, yes, becoming Christ! What would our world be if every communicant in every church believed and remembered that: Jesus doesn’t just want us fed with Heaven’s Food and Drink: he wants us to BE his heavenly love, his heavenly food and drink for others, here on earth!

And speaking of Jesus, how about His Words in the Gospel about eating his flesh and drinking his blood?   At every Mass, we hear His words “do this in remembrance of me.” So, people have debated for centuries about what Jesus means by DO THIS. What’s the THIS He speaks of? It CAN’T simply mean holding up bread and wine over the altar, or in our hands, or just coming to Mass and praying. Our very best scholars tell us that Jesus is inviting us to BECOME his body that is broken, and his blood that is poured out in love and sacrifice, in dedication and commitment, in devotion and great love daily. 

We know that if something is VERY important to us because it involves ourselves or someone we love at a deep level, we find ways to accomplish things we’d never thought we’d be able to do. Think of what you have seen and heard people accomplish in the last 3 months during this COVID-19 outbreak: from one perspective, it’s been a heartbreak and nightmare; from another, in the midst of darkness and sadness, we’ve seen people SHINE like the brightness of new light at dawn: what the Scripture describes as “sparks shining through stubble.”

And in everyday, ordinary circumstances, there are parents working 2 jobs or taking extra overtime hours; adults who take time off from work or play to care for their family members and friends.     We’ve heard of people taking others into their homes, and neighbors driving extra blocks to be sure that folks are well taken care of. WHY do they do these things?  Because at a very fundamental level, they believe it’s what Jesus is CALLING them to do: to first be nourished at the Table of the Eucharist, and then to become his missionaries. If that sounds to your ears like the definition of a vocation, you heard it right: it’s a vocation to be an active Roman Catholic Christian in the 21^st century. And as we listen to the promises Jesus makes to those who are nourished with this Holy Eucharist, let us ALSO hear deep within ourselves the ultimate desire of Jesus. You can be SURE Jesus doesn’t want to love us part-time; no, Jesus wants to be our EVERYTHING!

If you live with anyone else on this Pentecost, this feast of the birthday of the Church, please wish
them “a Happy Birthday” for me. If you live by yourself, let me extend that Happy Birthday Church to
you. When my mother reached her 91 st birthday last September, there was NO way to fit all 91
candles atop the Carvel cake that we’d bought for the occasion. So we did 9 BIGGER candles for her
nine decades, and one small candle for the new year she was greeting with this latest celebration of
her life. In like manner, today’s Pentecost birthday, as with all birthdays, contains something new,
something recalled, and something to guide us into the future. You will remember that before this
latest translation of the Mass, we used to sing an acclamation: “Christ HAS died. Christ IS risen. Christ
WILL come again!”  That was a great summary in time and space of the paschal mystery of God’s
eternal love for each of us.
So, let’s reflect together today on what God is doing through us, with us, and for us, as we say at
Mass. In all three dimensions of NOW, BEFORE and GOING FORWARD is that strong mighty wind:
what’s that wind say to us? That Holy Spirit presence is trying to fill you and me, and people all over
the world with a missing life ingredient: peace. Jesus gives God’s peace to us repeatedly, to empower
us, encourage and support us during this pandemic. And if you listen to World News on TV, you have
heard the word peace in many different languages. We and all our ancestors celebrate our God’s
mighty deeds in us! And what will we DO with God’s gifts?  Some people are heroically putting their
talents and skills into action: did you know, for instance, that there are still some medical personnel
from outside our area who are still here, tending patients in our hospitals? Alleluia!
This same Holy Spirit, the one who came to you and me in the sacraments of Baptism and
Confirmation, is renewed in today’s celebration as a REMINDER and REMEMBRANCE of what God has
done already! For us and others from the past: we were lost, and God found us: God IS our helper,
comforter, and advocate. You probably know that in certain languages, there is a VERY strong link
between advocate and lawyer, that is, the one who will defend you no matter what, and who will
plead your case before God and others: in plain English, God’s the first in your corner with
unconditional, persistent and unrelenting love. Alleluia! And after our Advocate the Holy Spirit
defends and protects us, we are THEN freed up to serve and do the works of God: yes, that’s right:
you and I who have been LIBERATED and forgiven of our sins by God’s grace and are ready to serve.
Think of the FEAR that paralyzed Jesus’ friends, who were LOCKED in the Upper Room 2000 years ago.
And once the Holy Spirit freed them from fear and replaced it with faith and confidence: you know!
And going forward: I have never met someone who said, “My relationship with God is deep enough
now: I don’t need to keep growing or deepening our relationship.” ALL of us can continue to explore
and deepen the wonders that God has called US and ONLY us to accomplish. You remember the song
we sing here: “eye has not seen, ear has not heard, what God has ready, for those who love him.”  
God’s grace opens the doors to eternity for us, and opens the new heavens and earth as we are ready,
which is a very good idea: if Jesus showed us the entire world to come; we couldn’t take it all at once.  
But the Holy Spirit: who brings us the very presence of Jesus in truth and joy, isn’t an absentee
landlord: this saving presence is a day by day, minute by minute, second by second presence. An
example: some people who had the Corona Virus are now donating blood to harvest their platelets for
research: isn’t that like God, bringing resurrection and new life out of a swamp of death and darkness
and despair. Yes
So, if you have spent some time reflecting, from Ascension Thursday until now, on which spiritual gifts
and talents would be MOST beneficial in your service of God and neighbor going forward, that’s fine.
Otherwise, you might consider spending a few moments today, on your church birthday, and be
humble: to stand before that Spirit of Love, presenting yourself ready and willing like Samuel of the
Hebrew Scriptures. God called Samuel at night, and eventually Samuel said, “Speak Lord, your servant

is listening.” WOW: if we could listen to the Lord with that kind of attentiveness, with that kind of
open willingness and love, there is no doubt in my mind that the Lord will take us to see more places,
and to even meet more amazing people.  For this is the truth, my sisters and brothers in the Lord:
did you not know that you are a temple of the Holy Spirit, precious to God and most beloved?            
So, be his hands, his feet, his voice, his legs, his eyes, and his heart. And be assured that God has plans
for you! Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

Ascension 2020 – Acts 1:1-11           Psalms 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9                 Ephesians 1:17-23              Matthew 28:16-20

There are 2 parts of the first Reading on this Feast of the Ascension tied to my life experience.                   The 1^st goes back over 30 years ago, and I was a grad student taking a class called the Comprehensive Examination Review. The professor couldn’t re-TEACH in 4 weeks all the info from the 16 courses we’d taken over 4 summers. But the review course triggered our memories, reminded us of the highlights, & helped us make connections.  The course functioned much like St. Luke did at the start of his Acts of the Apostles, his 2^nd book. For the faithful disciples, Luke reviewed what the risen Christ had said in their midst: why? So they could teach it to others: like God growing our faith: even if it’s the size of a tiny mustard seed, God in Jesus Christ can & will grow it!  OR when the Apostles were arguing who was most important, Jesus said: whoever serves me wholeheartedly is the most important.

The purpose of Luke’s review, it seems to me, was not simply a matter of providing good history stories, but a way of showing us that when the teachings of Jesus are alive, then HE is TRULY ALIVE in US. As our Jewish sisters & brothers prayed during the Passover celebrations just a short while ago: when they tell the story of how God freed the Israelites from wicked Pharoah in Eqypt, the TELLING              of that religious reality brings it ALIVE: for the elders who know it, & the younger ones, who LEARN it.                       

Now, there is something in our culture that is demonstrated from time to time among all generations: it’s the notion that if something is out of sight, then it’s out of mind, & if it’s out of mind, it’s forgotten: it no longer is seen as vital to the story of a people’s life, journey, suffering, growth, and victories. Listen to this true story: over 200 years ago, when I was in 6^th grade serving Mass on Ascension Thursday, Mass was still in Latin:  so the priest read the Gospel in Latin with his back to us, and then went to the pulpit to read it in English.     

But at the end of the Gospel, and before the priest began his sermon, he motioned to the older server to go to the sacristy, get the candle snuffer, & snuff out the light of the Easter candle, with a puff of smoke its only remnant. The priest opened his sermon by noting that Jesus who was Risen from heaven is GONE now: GONE. Years later, I remember asking myself: “well, if Jesus is gone, why should I stay? & if He’s gone, how will we have the Eucharist?” 

Well, you & I have the benefit of 2000+ years of history, and WE are privileged to know the many ways that Jesus has been present to his Church & to the world since His Resurrection. Jesus is always alive in His Holy Word, alive in the Sacred Species of the Eucharist, alive in those who serve in ministries, alive in the priest who presides, among other ways, even in spiritual communions as during COVID-19.  And on this wonderful Ascension church feast, we are reminded of the Blessed Trinity at the heart of our Baptism: for as Catholic Christians strong in Christ, we acknowledge God above, we profess Christ by our side, and we celebrate the Holy Spirit planted in us. 

And so, NOW we know why those 11 disciples and Mary had to go back to Jerusalem after the Ascension. They had to gather in the Upper Room: to remember & review Part I of their formation in the Lord Jesus, AND to be prepared to make more connections between what Jesus taught them, & adapting those teachings to newcomers.  So, we realize that looking up at the clouds to see Jesus is a waste of time & energy: what shall we do? Some Christians in the Western hemisphere take these next 10 days between now & Pentecost Sunday, and rather than TELL Jesus which of the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit he should give us & PRETTY quick, enter into a prayerful dialogue with yourself and God to see and hear which gift would benefit you and others most. And who knows? It might also help keep you focused and centered on what REAL priorities are, in the midst of this pandemic, showing us that things we thought were crucial aren’t so much anymore. Imagine: that as we celebrate Jesus’ ascension to the Father  days after the feast of the Resurrection, we here on earth might become more GROUNDED & ROOTED in what Christ finds truly valuable. 

6 Easter A.docx

2020-   4^th Sunday of Easter May 3, 2020 - Acts 2:14a, 36-41    1 Pt 2:20b-25    Jn 10:1-10

Whenever I hear this gospel about Jesus the Gate, I think of my Aunt Grace & Uncle Jerry, the first of our relatives to move to Suffolk County. They lived in Huntington Saturday, while the rest of our family lived in Brooklyn or Queens. My uncle and aunt always greeted us at the gate that led to their back yard with huge smiles and warm hugs: it was clear they were glad to see our family together in one place. They had a gate to their back yard for some good reasons.  For one thing, it gave their family some protection: you could hear the gate swing open & closed, & it kept my aunt & uncle aware that people were entering & exiting all weekend long.   

Another reason for gate was my cousins Jerry & Kathleen who were young & moved quickly!  In fact, many times Aunt Grace & Uncle Jerry were in hot pursuit of them,calling “come back!”  There was also a puppy living there, who liked to RUN & get out of the yard if given a chance!                So, to keep their kids & pet close & safe, in the verdant pastures of their huge back yard, one of the expressions of Uncle Jerry & Aunt Grace’s love was that gate. That was also the gate to which they’d walk when we left: it took forty-five minutes to say goodbye: they wanted us to stay longer.  They’d stay at the gate until we were in our car, & waved goodbye until we were gone. It seems to me I learned a lot about Jesus the faithful gate, way back, from my aunt & uncle.

And on this Good Shepherd Sunday, one question Jesus raises for each of us to answer is: in whose pasture do we want to live? & whose leadership & shepherding & advice & guidance are we going to follow? Well, true statements & false statements are expressed privately & publicly each & every day.  In time, persons develop a reputation for being a truth-teller and a trustworthy source, OR we learn, sometimes to our sadness, that some people can be liars, cheaters & deceivers. Jesus says that both the liars & the truth-tellers can be anywhere: in any town on earth. That’s why it’s SO important for our minds & hearts to be clear: to be open to God-truth, while refusing to be misled by any false shepherd  who, for example, tells you being good and holy is easy: that is simply not true, and no one should believe it! It does, however, take a person of courage to name and continue to follow Jesus as Shepherd. 

So, why do so many people, even into our own time, cling to Jesus, the Good Shepherd? Jesus distinguishes Himself as a shepherd who puts our well-being ahead of his own. Think of how Jesus endured the physical pain and humiliation linked to His own crucifixion: He did not do that for Himself, certainly, but as the Gospel says, so that we might have life. And the description of how a proper shepherd conducts Himself, which is Jesus’ model also, allows the sheep to see his face and hear his voice, so they can identify him truly and safely.               

I saw that for myself in the example of three shepherds some years ago, whom I encountered in the Holy Land. Hundreds of sheep belonging to the three shepherds were grazing together in a huge meadow one day, when each of those three shepherds started making a unique and distinctive sound for their own respective sheep (like a whistle, a click with their tongues, a bit of a song, etc.). Then, each of them stepped to the front of the direction in which they wanted their sheep to go, & each of them kept making that distinctive sound as they began to lead in different directions. Their sheep would be safe and secure under their guidance, for each member of the flock trusted their one true shepherd. 

For us, during the month-and-a-half since we have been able to gather in public to celebrate Mass with a full congregation, Jesus our Good Shepherd has not stopped for one minute in leading/guiding/protecting us. Jesus is a Truthful Shepherd: He never promised all life would be easy, but He did promise that He would walk with us, like the travelers on the road to Emmaus we heard about last week. This is the SAME Jesus who was with us on the most difficult day of our lives in the past, and who promises He will never abandon us in the challenging times that lie ahead. Let us realized how loved we are, how blessed we are, & how sought after we are by Jesus, for His Love is everlasting: Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

3 Easter A.docx

Here at St. Louis de Montfort, the early weeks of Lent came and went like other Lents: with ashes, and homilies; we even had 2 speakers who encouraged us to live the Holy Spirit’s gifts we had received in Baptism and Confirmation. And then…we were all swept up into the orbit of the Corona Virus: COVID-19; that changed most of us a lot! Before it hit us, many were SO sure of themselves, and ourselves: we felt surer of our own destiny; we thought we knew how secure we were financially and otherwise, and we found out how wrong we were. And now, like other plague and crisis times in history, we’re re-learning: that we are truly creatures, not God, and as creatures we continue to need the redemptive power of the Risen Christ Jesus. Alleluia!  How blessed we are to have this fountain of faith that runs within our immortal souls.

So we gather, at this first Mass of Easter, to soak up into our senses our common story:  the story of how Jesus Christ saved us once for all, and how we hunger and ache for its now power to assist us.  And so, what has prepared us to receive God’s gracious Easter Good News?    

Well, those first two selections from the Hebrew Scriptures form a beautiful prelude or preparation for our Easter message: In the first, Genesis tells us that God says we are good: even when we don’t feel we are, or think we are, or believe we are: God says so. And the Exodus reading reminds us that God is determined to liberate us from all evil, sin, death, hatred, and that includes the Virus that’s robbed us, and re-routed our time and priorities, too.                           NB: when our Jewish friends celebrate Passover, they’re very clear to say that the saving power of God in the Exodus is NOT just in past tense, as if it’s done and over. No, it’s now power!  That’s a great reminder for us: Christ rose almost 2,000 years ago, but his Resurrection power continues to free people of faith today!

So, let’s reflect on that mystery of God’s undying love in Christ Jesus in St. Matthew’s Gospel.  It starts at dawn on Sun AM: on the first day of the week: the beginning of a new creation,  as God invites us to understand that this world is NOT big enough to hold God’s lasting love:this world, and its judgments like the cross, are not the final word: God does get the final word, and God’s Word is Life, new birth, and hope in darkness, even for today’s darkness of uncertainty. To hear those selections from Scripture is to hear God’s confidence in US about new light. You will remember in Psalm 23: “though I should walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid.” That is, God is already victorious in His Son’s death and resurrection.                            

and then, there are surprises: 1.they feel an earthquake and see the angel victorious atop the rock; 2. those guarding Jesus’ tomb grow pale, like dead men, while a dead Jesus is risen and seen with a new body; and 3rd, the women who stayed faithful even after Christ’s death receive a noble task: they are the 1^st to announce to the 11 faithful apostles that Jesus was alive and that he would see them soon. Those women are the apostles to the apostles, messengers of the Gospel, bearing good news. 

You know how some TV series will present an episode in two parts, and at the end of part one, the screen simply says “to be continued.” That’s the NOW power I am speaking about. Christ's resurrection means that the story of Jesus is "to be continued" in you, and in me, and in every life that is touched by the power of the Good News, for He is risen, as he said." That’s right: the resurrection contains the personal delivery of a promise, door to door!                             

So it’s up to us: not only to name and claim OUR link to the Resurrection, but where we see it!  And YOU know, sometimes we Christians use verbal shorthand: when we want 2summarize quick, we’ll talk about Jesus’ life, suffering, passion, death, resurrection and ascension as the Paschal mystery: that is, Christ the Pasch, the Lamb was slain once, never 2 die again, and faithful to God.  Let’s name a few of the places where WE see and feel the power of Christ’s Resurrection continuing:  

When I look around to see the lives that are shining lights with helpful and tireless love, I see doctors and nurses, from NY and out of town, sacrificing time without their families at home; and from work, the doctors and nurses hold up signs: “We stay here for you; please stay home for us.”                 

I see workers in supermarkets staying calm and polite, even when shoppers accuse them of holding back on bags of lentils, hand sanitizers, bathroom tissue, and cans of chickpeas. I see law enforcement personnel: risking their lives with danger coming from every direction: they say: I come to serve. I see a newspaper delivery man, who brings the paper about 4am, when he also picks up the grocery shopping list of elderly people on his route who are at risk to be in stores, and he delivers their food later in the day. Aren’t these people really and truly rays of hope? Yes. And SO is the woman who is making “Sunshine Phone Calls” every day, to people in her senior group. In these people our Good God, this God of Life and Love, is turning fear to faith, and suffering to grace.  

So, let US be of one heart and one voice with the millions of people throughout the world who truly believe that Jesus is alive and active today, even as we struggle personally with the Corona Virus. Let us view see these life-given and divinely-inspired efforts all around us as sparks of light, shining as the public notice that God’s promised grace is en route. Alleluia.  

Happy Easter, one and all.

Reflection for the Fifth Sunday of Lent

How often do we ask questions when we already know the answer we expect?  More often than we probably realize.  Occasionally someone will call the house and ask if I would like to take a “non-partisan” poll.  Usually I say no, but on occasion I have agreed.  So, then the interrogation starts and within the first couple of questions you can tell this is not a “non-partisan” poll.  The questions, in fact, are designed to elicit specific answers and there is no space for an alternative perspective. At this point, I usually end the discussion!  It is perhaps the one reason why I have no respect for these polls to which everyone on television and in politics is always referring.  

But we also do the same for faith issues as well, don’t we?  How often have you asked a question expecting a certain answer?  How often have you asked a question with the express purpose of making a point? 

Throughout the season of Lent, we have experienced this same phenomenon in the Gospel texts from John.   Nicodemus visits Jesus to question him, but gets more than he bargains for – “How can these things be?”  he asks in frustration when Jesus is not giving him what he expects. The Samaritan woman asks Jesus where God is to be found and consequently where true worship of God is to be conducted? But she knows what Jesus will say, because after all, he is a Judean!  

 The disciples point to a blind beggar and ask Jesus whose sin is the consequence for this poor man’s condition – was it his or his parents? After all, that is what everyone understood – that bad things happen for a reason, and that reason is, someone is a sinner!  But in each of these instances Jesus does not give the expected answer.  In fact, Jesus turns the questions upside down and completely changes course.  To Nikodemus he says, “You must be born again!” To the Samaritan women he says, “Neither in Jerusalem or on Mt. Gerezim, for God is worshiped in Spirit and truth here and everywhere!” And not content to simply dismiss the disciple’s small-minded question Jesus shows his contempt for popular wisdom by actually reaching out and healing the blind man!   

Which brings us to Lazarus.  Jesus gets the message that his friend Lazarus is ill, but instead of leaving immediately he “tarries” and by the time he arrives in Bethany, Lazarus is not only dead, but already buried 4 days ago!  And he is admonished by his sister Martha: “If you had been here my brother would not have died!”  This outburst is filled with anger and hurt, but Jesus responds by simply telling Martha that her brother will rise again.  Well, yes of course, way off in the future on the last day, right? She replies.  That is when we will all rise again… but it doesn’t really help this situation now!  And it is at this point that we get the twist from Jesus. 

 Those in Bethany and we the readers, are assuming that Jesus is pointing Martha and Mary towards hope in the future resurrection, to a heavenly time way off in the distant future.  After all, what else could he say at this point, Lazarus is dead now, and there is nothing to be done.  But this is not what Jesus is saying: “I am the resurrection AND the life” He says!  This is not an exclusively heaven-focused faith at all – there are implications now for life… for Mary, Martha, and Lazarus’ and for us as well!

This is the challenge of today’s Gospel, that there is not only a distant future in heaven; in fact, the Gospel is not primarily about going to heaven at all.  The Gospel is about living life in the Kingdom HERE and NOW in the midst of our everyday lives.  “…The promises of God we announce are not only about life eternal with God or even about God’s forgiveness at the last day. Rather, the Gospel should make a difference now… make things possible now…to open up opportunities and options now, and to transform relationships now. The promises of God are present tense, not just future.”

So then, what difference does the Gospel make in your lives here and now?  Death is not the last word – Jesus brings life: a full and complete eternal life that begins now.  So, what difference does this make in your lives here and now?  For Lazarus it meant being restored to the community and his family; for Mary and Martha it meant having the relationship with their brother restored; for the others who witnessed this event it meant a restoration of relationship and a new calling!  Do you notice that theme of the restoration of relationship?  Yet again this is central to the proclamation of the Gospel.  The Gospel is about the restoration of relationships – not just with each other, but also with God.

But there is also a calling included in this text.  Jesus tells the community to unbind Lazarus and to let him go.  The community is called upon to participate in this action of God’s.  Restoring life and breath was God’s work through Jesus, but it would have been a useless exercise if Lazarus had been left to languish in the cave swaddled in his linen shroud.  Other hands were needed to continue and complete the work. 

And those hands are ours.  Like the other stories we have heard during this season of Lent this story comes back around and looks squarely at each of us demanding that we consider this important question: what difference does it make?!?  What difference does it make in your life here and now that Jesus is not only the resurrection but also the life?  That Jesus has come so that we might have life and have it abundantly?  That we are called to make a difference, to open the tombs of those who are trapped in darkness and despair; to unbind those who are tied up in the shrouds of hardship, poverty, hunger, loss, illness and so on. To free those who are imprisoned by addictions and obsessions and every kind of death inducing situations?  

To what response is Jesus calling you?  What does you're here and now eternal and abundant life look like?  

Across the street from the bombed out Federal Building in Oklahoma City, where 168 people died needlessly and senselessly, there stands a memorial. At the heart of that memorial is a nine-foot statue of Jesus. Not one of a stony Jesus with arms held out wide, but of Jesus with his face buried in his hands, turned slightly away from where the acts of terror took place, and the plaque reads simply, “And Jesus Wept.”

For thousands of mourners and survivors of that day, and perhaps for those who suffer during this present virus outbreak, this image of Jesus will bring resurrection and hope and new life. It has become a pillar of comfort for all who pass by. 

Sometimes we may ask ourselves, “What has God done for us”. Perhaps he simply sits down beside us and helps us cry.  And sometimes that’s all we really need.

Fr. Chris’ Guided Meditation for this weekend, the 5th Sunday of Lent – “A” Cycle - John 11:1-45 or                                           11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45- Lazarus is raised from the dead.

Intro: I’m using a guided meditation form popularized by St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. .

As we focus on today’s Gospel, we want to encounter Christ more deeply.

I invite you to clear your laps, place your hands unfolded comfortably in your laps, sit up straight and,                            
if your feet can touch the floor, put them there. Let’s take a few breaths in, and out x3, & keep going..

As we enter our meditation, you are standing with Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus, with Martha &Mary. All are crying. You know how you feel when a loved one dies: you feel all kinds of feelings:                           
sad, scared, lost, even mad. Martha misses her brother Lazarus; she tells Jesus she’s mad at Him,                     
because Jesus wasn’t there to keep Lazarus from dying. 

Jesus continues to love Martha, who keeps crying about Lazarus being dead.

Hearing Martha tell Jesus how she really feels about Him gives YOU courage: all of a sudden,

you remember that YOU at times are impatient or annoyed with God, who does not always do things soon enough, or improve the condition of someone/something you were concerned about.

Tell Jesus of a time you remember being annoyed with Him! or with God! even if for a minute,                                                               mad for what happened or didn’t happen, or for what didn’t happen quickly enough for you. [pause].

You stay close to esus, as He speaks to God in prayer: you want Jesus to bring Lazarus back.              
Then you hear Jesus say, “Lazarus, come out,” and you look over at the tomb.                                                  
For a second, nothing happens. Then, he’s there: you see Lazarus for the first time, and you gasp! 

You wanted it to happen, yet it’s shocking: Lazarus is alive, he’s breathing, and he’s moving.

Everyone’s in shock: Lazarus is hopping out of the tomb; he hops ‘cause he’s tied up & can’t walk. 

Jesus has to remind everyone who is there: “untie Lazarus, & let him go free.”

You look at Lazarus: you know that feeling Lazarus has, being tied up, unable to move: it’s tough!

tell Jesus right now what you feel is keeping you tied up in life: is a bad habit? Is it a relationship that robs you of your freedom? Or is it someone/something that makes you feel alone or trapped?

Tell Jesus EXACTLY what/who you need to be freed from, & how much you want to be free. [pause]

Then you see Lazarus untied: he’s SO happy to be alive again. And Martha & Mary have tears of joy.

You tell Jesus how GLAD you are that He raised up Lazarus from the dead.

And now: you can SEE that Lazarus is FILLED with life, and joy, and the power to love others.

You WANT to feel what Lazarus feels. And as you tell that to Jesus, he nods his head toward you.                                         Jesus truly understands what this desire for freedom means to you: 

he knows that feeling tied up or lacking freedom is hard, like being a slave to someone or something.

And when you’re not feeling free, it hurts, & robs you of chances to be of service and help others.

Tell Jesus WHO you’ll be helping/serving this week, and HOW you’ll need His help to do it well. [p]

As we come to the end of our meditation, we feel our feet press against floor; we feel our body relax;
we slowly open our eyes & adjust to the light. We know that just as Jesus’ face was filled with joy,                                                                he calls us to be that joyful presence as we love others. We know we can ALWAYS depend on Jesus.