A homecoming is supposed to be a joyful time in the life of a person or a sports team. And homecomings are usually accompanied by support & affirmation from the local people. We have also seen it in the last few years, when US citizens are released from foreign jails: sometimes, the entire hometown of the released prison turns out. However, this did NOT happen for Jesus, & he diagnoses the problem: it’s a lack of faith in him, and his ability to perform mighty works. The people from Jesus’ hometown knew a LOT of what he did as a carpenter, first as an apprentice to his father Joseph, & later on to support himself & his Mother Mary. Jesus’ local family violated the rule our ancestors taught us: “don’t judge a book by its cover.” The locals ASSUMED they knew EVERYTHING about Jesus based on his JOB growing up!  & I don’t have to tell you the problems that can happen when we start assuming things! And WHY were the local people OFFENDED by Jesus? One reason was that Jesus talked about God INTIMATELY & familiarly – calling God “Abba” which means “daddy.” The truth we have from Jesus is that GOD KNOWS US, intimately & familiarly, even down to the number of hairs on our heads.

So, how can we avoid the pitfall into which Jesus’ own family & tribe fell,  in prejudging Jesus & presuming we know EVERYTHING he’s capable of doing? Let’s take the last phrase of the Our Father we say at every Mass: “deliver us from evil.”  It’s a good phrase: it doesn’t tell God what to do, it doesn’t give God deadlines,  & it doesn’t play games with God, such as “If you do this for me, God, then I’ll do that.” (That’s called quid pro quo, NOT unconditional love!) What does “Deliver us from evil” mean? It first says: “God, you know the sin & faults in me; help me resist them. But it also says: “God, you know the problems that are strangling me and keeping me down: show me ways to be free of their dark power.” But: if I don’t have that daily personal relationship with Jesus & trust Him, & if I don’t believe Jesus has the AUTHORITY to do these things, I can actually OBSTRUCT Christ, & prevent His power for good to work in my life! Yes, WE have this POWER!    

Finally, I leave you with a picture to meditate on. There’s a portrait from the 20^th century by an English painter named William Holman Hunt. This portrait is entitled Christ at Hearts’ Door. In the portrait, Jesus is pictured knocking at YOUR DOOR, a door that has no outside handle or latch. This means that only the person inside the house can open the door, to receive X’s grace, mercy & freedom. Why? Jesus will not force his way into your house: that would violate your free will, & Jesus honors your free will, endowed by our loving God, even when we do or say what we ourselves know is wrong and/or sinful.  So, it will only be those who believe in Christ’s power to conquer sin & death, & to  empower us to deal with small & large challenges, that open their hearts’ door to Him. We pray that, with the strength that today’s Holy Communion brings, that we will be WISE enough to open to the door to Christ when he knocks and comes calling for us! Blessed be God forever!

Many of Jesus’ miracles focus on him laying hands on people to effect a cure; so the focus is generally on him & his action, as the agent of God’s divine healing.   The healing of the hemorrhaging woman is different: she’s one of the crowd people, & her thought is just to touch his clothing to get well. Therefore: the focus of THIS Gospel is on the woman’s strong faith.

This woman is a woman of perseverance & not discouragement. Think of the effects of 12 years of bleeding. Her society would have considered her unclean, & unfit for associating with others, who’d have avoided contact with her. The results would’ve included her being treated like a leper, an outcast, a castaway, an insignificant person. One female Scripture scholar named Karen Surtaney points out that some societies STILL treat a woman who sheds blood for the sake of GIVING life (monthly menstruation) as unclean, but praises the bloodshed of people TAKING others’ lives in the name of war! There’s something wrong with that picture! & if someone is treated like a leper or outcast for 12 years, what’s the emotional or psychological long-term effects? It seems to me that the physical pain alone would be terrible, & the isolation would only magnify it.

But Jesus’ response to this woman is NOT repulsion or disgust. He responds to her with peace, acceptance, grace & understanding. In the midst of the Gospels leaving this woman unnamed,  Jesus calls her “daughter” in response to her faith. Jesus cherishes & values her, & he ALSO rescues her from outside society’s circle & brings her INSIDE & includes her. Her faith response is a great example for us all: even as a stranger in the crowd, she looked for the opportunity to be healed just by TOUCHING Jesus’ clothing. I find it enlightening that faith appears in many forms in many different people & situations.

So, what’s it like when WE reach out to Jesus in OUR times of pain, heartache, or isolation?   Are we ready to hear the TRUTH of what Jesus has to say to us, namely, that you & I are precious creatures of a loving God, & are known intimately by our creator? But even after this woman’s hemorrhaging has stopped, Jesus speaks as if there is MORE healing to follow. I take that to mean she was also able to surrender her pain, shame, hopelessness & fear, all on the basis of her touching Him. Who of us could ever imagine the healing Jesus can bring to us? Let our faith forever be our guiding light, for all the days of our lives. Blessed be God forever. Love, Father Chris

Intro to Mass: Last week, Jesus taught us while God starts us out as small seeds, he wants to grow us into large trees, trees that will support and encourage others, trees on which others can depend in their lives. Today Jesus uses the metaphor of a boat on the open sea, where the sea represents our lives, which is sometimes calm and easy to navigate, but at other times is choppy, like the rough waves. & the rough waters represent whatever scares, upsets, worries, distracts or paralyzes us.                   Let’s all take a moment to identify an event or experience that does one of those things. Please hold onto that issue for a few minutes: we’ll come back to it before we close our reflection.

As we join Jesus in the boat with his disciples, we see a Jesus who’s comfortable in the arms of God, someone who’s NOT worried about his relationship with God, his earthly life, or what anyone else thinks. Jesus is very relaxed, shown by his taking a nap  in the stern of the boat. Some people hearing this might say: “I knew there was something else I liked about Jesus: he takes NAPS at midday & he doesn’t get a hassle!

But there’s more: Jesus is ALSO not afraid to confront ALL the big-time fears in the mysterious sea of our lives. Like what? Our fear that maybe Jesus isn’t taking sufficient care of us;  the fear of drowning & our lives being cut short, OR the fear that paralyzes our ability to apply our faith in crisis situations, because our emotions are controlling us. In good times, we may not even be aware of needing faith: in tough times, faith’s essential for survival, and fear can shut down & actually try to defeat our faith. I don’t know if you’ve thought about it, but fear is the sworn enemy of faith: fears can distract us from God!  

That’s why MY question this week invites us to think about: “who IS Jesus to you & me? What role does Jesus serve in your life & your family’s lives? & when you & I are together in the boat, who’s the  captain? & who’s the 1^st mate?”  Who’s in charge? I’m talking about a control issue & preventing a real tug-o-war. Think about it:  the person who places a problem or situation in Jesus’ hands at night, but STILL tries 2B in control by the next day is in a real tug-of war with Jesus. & anyone who says “I’m letting go and letting God” but isn’t doing either one 100% is in a tug-of-war with Jesus. & if you or I are still acting like we’re captains in our lifeboats, what does that make Jesus in the boat? Our servant, our valet, OUR gofer?  Our Man Friday? WAIT! Jesus is the Savior of the world: he serves ALL, but he’s nobody’s gofer, & no one is sending HIM out for coffee!              

So, go back to that issue you identified at the start of today’s reflection: whatever scares, upsets,  worries, distracts, or paralyzes you or your faith. Take a moment to check in with yourself. If Jesus is TRULY your empowered captain all d times, take a moment to thank God for this gift. But if you still need to surrender the ILLUSION OF CONTROL, ask the Holy Spirit to help you to surrender to Jesus, for he will help you FIND THE STRENGTH YOU NEED. May today’s Holy Communion in the Eucharist bring us wisdom, so that we always LIVE & allow Jesus to captain our lifeboats. Blessed be God forever.  Love, Father Chris

It seems to me that in today’s parable stories about the seeds, St. Mark is trying to teach us that God’s Kingdom & God’s Reign are mysterious, surprising & unexpected. I have 2 illustrations that feature my dad on this Fathers’ Day Weekend. In 1 story, my dad drove the wrong way up a one-way street; we were face to face with a New York City bus that was coming at us. From the back seat, I was fearing the worst, like a crash & injuries, & not getting to our cousin’s house for the birthday party & the cake! What I didn’t see coming was the bus driver stopping the bus, & motioning to my dad to make a U-turn, & get our car going again in the right direction. He could just as easily as forced my dad to back up to the previous corner to make a U-turn, so this was a good solution for all, especially for us. But all agreed it was a surprise, like seeds just sprouting thru the surface of the soil!

In the 2nd illustration, on a Friday night, my dad came home & told us he’d been laid off from his job of running a warehouse. My dad worked for companies that sent out 4th class direct mail – he hated when people called it “junk mail.” One month, we collected in a shoebox all the 4th class mail that came into the house. By the middle of that month, we had to empty the box & start over again, there was so much of it. My dad said, “I’ll find another job,” but he didn’t know where, or how or when, just like the mysterious process of seeds that would eventually grow beyond their beginnings. Dad spent the weekend networking, asking people to put in a good word for him, calling former colleagues & employers to see if there were any openings available. It was odd to see dad sitting at the breakfast table on Monday morning and not going to work; the same was true on Tuesday morning. But later that day, Dad got a call about a job offer: it wasn’t in a warehouse, but as a security guard for the town in which we lived. It came with a salary & benefits, & like the seeds in God’s Kingdom, Dad could not have predicted that would be his next job, but it was. & our family’s life went forward.

I learned a lot from those experiences. I learned that sometimes MY mind has TOO SMALL AN IMAGINATION, and that just because I in my own little mind hadn’t imagined a solution doesn’t mean that Jesus hadn’t imagined both the possibility & the solution. I wonder what solutions God has planned for nations that are at war with one another! I wonder what Jesus will have in store for us when we start to listen to each other, rather than shouting past each other, and insisting that our ideas & candidate is the right one. I also learned that Jesus rarely does things on my time schedule, so if I’m married to a clock or calendar or some deadline I’ve imagined in my head, rather than focused on the solution Jesus is preparing for me, I could MISS what He is actually trying to do in a situation, or even in myself.

A few weeks ago, I suggested to people at Mass that Jesus CAN & DOES do amazing things in us & for us, IF WE LET HIM! I repeated that phrase 3 times: IF WE LET HIM. For it’s one thing to say, “I love or believe in Jesus,” but if those are true, he asks us to trust him enough to lead us in the right direction: first closer to God our Creator & deeper into God’s Holy Spirit, and ultimately toward heaven & eternal life. In God’s Word and our reflection together, I hope you heard something that is somehow helpful for your spiritual growth. May the seeds of the Eucharist help us to grow BEYOND this hour, to love others as Jesus loves us. Blessed Be God, who plants good seeds in us through our Savior & Good Shepherd Jesus Christ.

I want to invite you to use the visual side of your brains today, to do some picture thinking. Specifically, I want to talk about 2 kinds of CIRCLES: closed & open circles.    My early school memory was that I was NOT good at sports: I was pathetically bad! When a captain was choosing up sides, I was chosen LAST, or put on the sidelines, & not allowed to play at all. In case this is not clear, I was OUTSIDE the playing circle, unless a boy named Robert was the captain: HE included me because he & I were friends, not because I was any good. But I remember how GOOD being included felt!

By contrast, when I’d go to my grandparents’ house for dinner, there usually were 20-25 eating. But Grandma ALWAYS had extra folding chairs in the closet, for any last-minute guests. I learned that while this meal WAS a family meal, others were ALWAYS welcome, especially since Grandma always cooked for 50 people, in case a baseball or football team showed up. SHE taught me abundance: to be generous, because God gave us some for ourselves and some to share, & that sharing what we have with others builds up other peoples’ spirit, with respect & esteem.

So, in today’s Gospel, Jesus’ family wants Jesus to take a meal break on THEIR terms,  on THEIR time schedule, & Jesus has an alternate plan. & because Jesus doesn’t yield, THEY say He’s crazy. Then OTHER people outside Jesus’ family start calling him crazy.  & THEN Jesus does something OUTRAGEOUS: He CHANGES the definition of FAMILY, beyond his family of origin & beyond his blood family. Jesus starts a new tradition of family that’s more in relationship with God than with the relatives with whom He grew up. And THAT MUST have driven his BLOOD family up the wall. Jesus SHOCKS all his listeners  by BREAKING open a CLOSED circle: anyone who does God’s work and God’s will has a NEW membership: as Jesus’ mother, brother or sister.  

One practical application for us in response to what Jesus does is to look more closely at what we have in common with other people, rather than jumping automatically to the ways we differ. There are LOTS of people on Long Island doing good deeds on a regular basis: some are right here in church. A few years ago, a Confirmation candidate sympathized with children losing their hair to cancers like leukemia: this Confirmation candidate cut off HER hair & sent it to an organization called “Locks of Love,” which makes wigs for cancer patients. Others are doing walks and runs to benefit organizations that are searching for cures for diseases such as ALS, dementia, Parkinson’s, and the like. When these good deeds are done by people with GOOD HEARTS, they demonstrate their membership in an open circle of sisters & brothers of Jesus, daughters & sons of God our Creator, & persons with souls growing & glowing with the Holy Spirit. Some are Roman Catholic, some are other Christians, some are Jewish, some Muslim, some of no religion, and SOME describe themselves as atheists or agnostics: they ALL have good hearts!  

This is why I started my reflection asking you to keep the pictures of OPEN & CLOSED circles in your mind: it seems to me these 2circles stand for how we want to relate to God & others in the world. & you ALREADY know which model Jesus chooses, so we can choose to work with or against Jesus. This process requires us to be life-long learners, to see WHERE we can open the circle to include others. Let Jesus guide our choices as we look forward to ALL that God has in store for us: Alleluia! Amen!    

So, WHAT CAN receiving the Body of Christ do for each of us? Let me name 3 important benefits.  

Benefit 1: While the Eucharist you & I receive is physically made only of flour & water,  it can explode within us & work miracles in us, because it’s filled with the power of Jesus Christ. There are witnesses everywhere to Jesus’ saving power. In another parish where I served, a man who didn’t speak to his brother for 20 years because of a disagreement between them picked up the phone & reached out. They had an emotional reunion because Jesus has the power to change hearts, if we let Him. In fact, church history reminds us that the Eucharist was the very 1^st sacrament of reconciliation, even before we had confession, penance, and reconciliation!  

Benefit 2: no matter whether you are married, separated, divorced, widowed, single, partnered, or searching, every one of us needs a faithful companion who’ll be with us for our entire life span. Jesus is that true nourishment & companion; He is  Food for our journey, wherever it takes us: & I’m talking about the little ups & downs, as well as the mountains & the valleys. My father was an alcoholic, and so was his mother. When my father died, I went through all the stages of death & dying: denial, anger,  bargaining, depression, & eventually acceptance. But in the beginning, I walked around numb, and couldn’t feel anything. The only consolation that brought me ANY feelings of being alive was the Eucharist, & having the Eucharist in my body helped me get through the day & week. I tell you the truth that even when my head & heart were not right, Jesus stayed with me, & led me eventually out of the darkness. Letting Jesus lead me was the best decision I ever made.

Benefit 3: when we think about what Jesus did for us in giving us his Body & Blood in the Eucharist, & the great sacrifices He made for us on the cross - & doing it without  whining or complaining about doing them, Jesus can expand our hearts to greater freedom, sacrifices, & generosity, if we let Him. There’s a woman in our parish to whom Jesus spoke after communion one Sunday, & all she remembers hearing Jesus say, over & over was: “count your blessings.” On her way home in the car, she counted a lot of blessings, including the fact that she had food in her fridge and on her table all week long. That’s when she thought of others, and their food situation. Today, that same woman watches the bulletin weekly, & whatever Virginia our Parish Outreach Director says we need for our neighbors, she buys it & drops it off. So, this woman receiving Jesus in the Eucharist has stretched her ability to sacrifice: & she’s more  thoughtful, more caring & more grateful as a result of letting Jesus work actively in her heart.

When the priest, deacon, or priest, or Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion holds up the host and says: “The Body of Christ,” they are recognizing two things: first, that the holy & true presence of Jesus Christ is in the Eucharist; second, that YOU are a vessel of God’s Most Holy Spirit, and a person within whom God dwells. So, you as a member of the Body of Christ, are RECEIVING the Body of Christ. This thinking is NOT NEW: St. Augustine, our brother in faith from way back in the FOURTH century, taught that our goal on earth is to become the Jesus we receive. I believe that happens when we perform an action we did as children: when we “connect the dots!” When we connect the Consecration, when Jesus says, “This is my Body; this is my Blood, ” with opening our mouths and receiving communion, and with the sending forth statement the deacon or priest offers at the end of Mass when he says: “Go forth to love & serve the Lord, and one another.” By “connecting the dots,” we realize how the love of Jesus is penetrating our hearts: that just as God fed Jesus with love, & Jesus did God’s work all week long, so can we. Blessed be God forever.                        Love to you in the Eucharist, Father Chris

For some people, the Blessed Trinity is an idea, a picture, a concept, or a religious foundation. Actually, it’s a mystery of God who is both 3 in 1. Today I want to speak with you about a living EXPERIENCE of the mystery of the Trinity: Father, Son & Holy Spirit.

So, my phone rings 1 day & I say “Hi, it’s Chris here,’ & the voice on the other end says,                     “Hi, Chris, it’s Gabriel…from heaven.” I think it’s a joke & I say, “ right, it’s Gabriel from heaven.”  & he says, “yes, Chris, it really is: it’s Gabriel, from heaven.  Early today, God said, ‘let’s call Chris Heller today!’ Would you like to speak with God the Father, Chris?” “Sure!” I say.

So, I’m on the phone with the Father, the Creator of Heaven & Earth. I’m telling God (like God doesn’t know already!) how much I like a Jesuit poet named Fr. Gerard Manley Hopkins. God says, “Yes, Chris: the poem is “The World is Charged with the Grandeur of God, & U read it on a regular basis.” “Yes,” I said to God: “I was thinking about your grandeur after reading about a very smart farmer, who lived in the ancient land of Mesopotamia between the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers in 5300BC. That farmer found some very fertile land there, but he couldn’t do all the necessary tasks himself. You inspired him, God, to find people to clear the land, plant and water the crops, harvest them, & manage the property to work with you.”      

God said: “Yes: all those gifts out there are divine ingenuity at work. Now, Chris, let me ask you:  would you like to speak with your brother a minute?” “You mean my brother Mike in Massachusetts?” I ask. “No, Chris,” God says patiently, “your older & wiser brother. Let me put him on the phone with you.” So, Jesus, my older & wiser brother asks, “Chris, how’s it going today?” And I start to tell the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity what I was just talking about with the FIRST person of the Blessed Trinity, and Jesus laughs a bit: “Yes Chris, I know: I’ve been listening in on the conversation!” & then I remembered: while the Trinity contains three persons, they are united as one!     

Jesus then reminds me that I’ve been thinking a whole lot about the division & unrest in the United States. But, Jesus says, “there were times in history when people did cooperate with my Father’s will:  Chris: remember when communism fell in Poland, & when the wall came down in Germany, & when Irish people could finally walk each other’s streets without winding up shot dead? Those good things happen when people work, pray & listen to others. That’s not the case everywhere in the United States right now: many people assume they know each other’s story & really don’t. And then they reject those who are not like them: who look and sound different, and practice different customs.” And then Jesus said: “I know what it’s like to be rejected, because it happened to me all the time on earth while I was on earth. And until real listening happens, the bonds of trust can’t begin to grow. So, tell people to listen to each other.” I promised Jesus I would pass along his directive and message, so this is the official message from Jesus!

Then, Jesus asks if I’d like to speak with the Holy Spirit. I said, “sure.” The Holy Spirit gets on the phone, & makes a great suggestion: “Chris, how about today I talk and you listen: is that OK?” I said, “Sure!” Then, the Holy Spirit says: “Chris, you waste time trying to figure out solutions for things over which you have NO control. It’s like you are  spinning your wheels sometimes. So, Chris, you know what I’m going to say next: the words come from a movie called Frozen: “let it go, Chris, let it go!” Chris, let go of the things you can’t control. Let the Holy Trinity handle those things that are just too big for one person to handle.” What a gracious affirming reminder from the Holy Spirit: to allow God to be our One True God all the time: let God lead us, challenge us, protect us, & grow us in all these different dimensions.

This experience of God speaking in different parts of my life is brought to you by the Most Holy Trinity. With prayer, you too will have life-giving experiences in your heart & soul that will breathe new life into you. Let us listen to God, and to one another. And let us continue to bless ourselves, & bless our God, as we strive to live the trust enjoyed among the members of the Blessed Trinity: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

WAITING! We all end up waiting for things: like medical results: on pins/needles ‘til they come. Even waiting for good things can be challenging: when our brother Michael was born in Dec of 1963, my dad, my sister Meg & I went up to the hospital to visit mom & Mike. My sister the comedian sees mom in bed, holding Mike in her arms, & goes right up 2the bed & talks to this newborn baby: “Hey, Mike: where’ve you been? We’ve been waiting for a long time for you! Mom said right back:  “Oh, so YOU’VE been waiting? I’ve been waiting to deliver Mike, & I had to wait ‘til he was ready!”

So yes, the apostles were in the Upper Room in Jerusalem, & they were waiting. Waiting 4what? Waiting to be freed from all kinds of fears & anxieties & hesitations. What were they worried about? They were afraid of being mocked, & spit on, & ridiculed, & persecuted just as Jesus was abused. & when this Spirit came in the form of a powerful wind & tongues of fire – wind & fire are elements –  that Spirit so filled the Apostles with faith that there was no room for fear to live within them!                  This major Pentecost event, with the Holy Spirit becoming the Apostles’ internal & external GPS, fulfilled Jesus’ 2 promises: “the Holy Spirit will remind you of what I taught you, & will teach you all things.”

& Jesus knows EXACTLY what His Apostles need to hear with their locked doors & buckets of fear:  He comes and says, “shalom aleichem,” which in Hebrew means “peace be with you.” Jesus says it twice: it’s not a mystery why we, 2000 years later, wish each other the peace of Christ before communion.  It’s to empower us to encourage one another before receiving our call to live Christ’s love all week.  You know: we NEVER know how the Lord Jesus will call us to serve others in days to come, so we share Christ’s peace, & know that despite our human weakness, the Jesus in us can help others. & it’s more than interesting that the Apostles don’t all receive the same gifts: they receive different gifts, and it’s only by pooling these gifts that the Christian community sees Christ in action in its fullest form.

In simple terms, Jesus comes to remove a negative, like fear, & replace it with a positive – like faith. Of course, the liberating power of Jesus ALSO comes to free people to be their truest selves, to free them from feeling paralyzed by what others MIGHT say or WOULD say or even WILL say!  e.g. that’s certainly what Christ’s healing power did in St. Paul, who did a 360* turn from being ANTI-Christ to 100% PRO-Christ. You know the way people shake their heads when they’re bewildered & can’t believe their eyes? Lots of folks did that with Paul, whose tune God changed through a conversion of his heart, mind, and body. 

That’s certainly possible for every person in church today, on this feast of the birthday of the church. Everybody has challenges, roadblocks, & fears that hold them back: negatives that just have to go.            & Everybody wants to make room for positive things in their lives, so they can be their best selves. Before we continue today, let’s allow the Holy Spirit some quiet & some space to speak in each of our hearts: let’s all quietly admit, in our hearts’ silence, which negative element in our life we want to surrender. & if the Holy Spirit has already enlightened us about what positive gift we need to live more fully for Christ, let’s ask for the will & power to do so. May the power of God breathe new life into all our members, include those God will prepare us to receive.  Alleluia!

Back in 1870, a woman named Julia Ward Howe was distraught about the effects of WAR, violence and discord in our United States. She wrote: “Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking of carnage, seeking caresses & applause. Our children shall NOT be taken from us, to unlearn all that we have taught them about charity, mercy & patience.” Strong words from a very determined mom. Now, let me share a real-life story in Julia Howe’s spirit about making peace & living in peace with others.                          

There is a family who, back in the last century made a list of people to invite to a daughter’s wedding. Exactly 100 people would be invited; the list had 90 names on 1 side of a piece of paper, & 10 on the back. And guess what happened? The 10 people whose names were on the back of the page NEVER GOT MAILED THEIR INVITATION!  It was an honest mistake, but when those who’d received invitations asked others if  they had received their invites & were they going, as you might imagine: upset!  It didn’t help that all 10 on the back of the page represented one entire branch of the family. For over 40 years, they boycotted one another’s family’s baptisms, communions, confirmations, & yes, weddings. It was a multi-generation hurt, with a grudge to match. And for what? What good did the grudges accomplish?

Years later, a family matriarch was getting ready to leave Planet Earth & go home to  God. She invited her family to her bedside: these were her blood, from varying generations, and she gave them a project to work on. She said, “You know, some in our family no longer speak with us, because they were so hurt many years ago. I want YOU  to make peace with them: make our family united again, & stop this awful sadness and division.” Soon after, the peace makers went to work: reaching out in love, & having coffee with them in the familiar places we caller diners, where coffee flows all day! Lots of tears were shed for the losses they ALL suffered because of this grudge-holding. Even in 2024, surrounded by war and conflict, every one of us understands that making and keeping peace is NOT easy: it’s hard work!

I find a key point of connection between that story & Jesus’ farewell message, noticeably different from George Washington’s “Farewell Address.” Jesus loves his disciples enough to tell them the truth: no sugar-coating, and no false hopes. Jesus wants us all to know that the world will try to seduce us & sucker us into selfishness, words and actions that will take us away from God & others. Question: have you ever met a child who’s well past the terrible two’s but he or she is stamping their feet or out of control? Now, have you ever met an adult who’s also WELL past the terrible 2s but just explodes at times? How hard it is for them to hear that “it’s NOT all about them,” that the world doesn’t revolve around them, & that there’s a whole universe here!

So, there’s a task Jesus gives US; It’s very specific, & it could take the rest of our lives.  Jesus wants disciples who’ll PRACTICE true unity, & not just TALK about being one in heart. Aren’t we blessed to have Jesus, who gave us the Our Father, which is filled with the message of peace & reconciliation, where WE promise 2make peace with others? As we end our reflection this morning, just think with me about the opening words of the Prayer of St. Francis, where we actually ask Jesus: “Make me a channel of your peace.” What a wonderful gift to give to ourselves & others,  in living memory & to honor our Risen & Ascended Savior. Blessed be God forever.

 We’ve heard about love in song for so many years: we’ve heard “all you need is love;” “love is the answer;” “love makes the world go ‘round,” & so on. So, what is love, really? We’ve all heard lots of people use the word “love” in various ways: “I love my job;” ”I love my spouse;” even “I love Rice Crispies for breakfast,” and everything in between, above & below it. But on another whole level, LOVE means I’m willing & working for the true good of the OTHER person, because love CAN’T just be about ourselves. Let me illustrate this DEEPER level of love, using the LETTERS of the word “love,” L-O-V-E.  

So, we start with “L,” which stands for “Life-Giving.” True lovers are life-givers for others. Today, I’m thinking especially of a life-giving mother. Sue & her husband Derrick raised 4 kids, & Sue writes about the experiences they’ve gone through, when kids were very young and as they grew. Sue believes adults know which seasons are pressure-cookers & which are not. In the non-pressure-cooker seasons, parents AND all the rest of us can ask ourselves 2 questions: 1) “how’s it going for me & us? and “in what ways can I use some help to keep going and growing positively?”

Next in the word love comes the letter “O,” which stands for openness. Openness allows  our opinions to be informed by others whom we trust, & allow them to grow close to us, and that includes mentors, teachers, spiritual advisors, spouses, friends, & Jesus, our Risen Shepherd. When Derrick & Sue’s 3^rd child named Craig was born, he needed serious heart surgery. They had no warning this was coming, & had no experience to compare it with.  Such surprises happen in ALL our lives! That’s when Sue’s writings became dialogues rather than the usual monologues. Other men & women open to sharing what THEY had gone through with their sick children wrote great compassion notes to Derrick & Sue & their family: consoling them: lifting their spirits, helping them to cope.  Sue & her family say that being open to these uplifting lifelines SAVED them!  

Then, the “V” in the word love stands for VIRTUE. That means you do what you promise, you mean what you say, & you practice what St. Paul says in Romans 10, that is: “to outdo one another in generosity.” &to Sue & Derrick’s surprise, Baby Craig’s illness actually brought Sue’s fam closer together. They realized they ALL depended on each other; they ALL picked up the slack & helped. You yourselves may have seen that Jesus’ obedience to God in love resulted in his triumph & resurrection. Now, Sue’s family would never call what they did together ministries, or service. But as a family group, they BECAME a little church, just like the 2^nd Vatican Council envisioned:  people gifted in many different ways, intertwined in services that complemented the others; people joined in love, going the extra mile for others, just as Jesus did, & anticipating each other’s needs: that’s virtue!                  

& last, the “E” in the word love stands for “every day.” We know that loving every day  can be very challenging.  One of Derrick & Sue’s daughters, Amy, wanted to make the swim team at school. There was only one problem:  Amy LOVED to sleep late each morning, but the swim practices were before school & on weekends. When Amy complained to her dad & mom about the “every day swim practices,” they said, “Amy, you know you don’t HAVE to swim; but if you don’t practice every day, you’ll never improve as a swimmer.” Amy did make the swim team, & eventually was a good example the other young swimmers. We know that it’s practice that gets US ALL to the next stage of our development. 

We also know we get better at loving others by imitating the 1 who loves VERY well: he is Jesus Christ, risen from death to new life. Jesus made loving others HIS way of life! Over at the rectory, I’ll hear Fr. Alphonsus say: “God is good,” & I’ll respond with the answer: “all the time.” We both smile: then it’s MY turn: I’ll say: “All the Time” & he responds: “God is good.” Why & how that works is no mystery: Jesus says in Matthew’s Gospel, “Seek God’s ways first, God’s reign in you, and you will have all you need.” Let us become life-givers, open to life-giving advice, practicing Christ’s virtues every day, & being healed and made more whole & holy by receiving the Bread of Heavenly Life, the Eucharist. Blessed be God forever.   Love, Father Chris

This Good Shepherd Sunday is being celebrated in millions of Christian congregations worldwide today, because many Christian denominations use the same lectionary we do: they use the same Scripture texts, sometimes with different translations. In listening to this Gospel, we learn many reasons why Jesus became SO beloved as the Good Shepherd. Jesus sacrificed his life willingly & lovingly, as he sought to equip us with good examples.               

But of course, the Work of God was not completed at the end of the Book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. In the mystery of God’s loving plan, we never know where the next great example of a Good Shepherd, someone following Jesus Christ, our One and Only Good Shepherd, will appear: some grandparents and relatives are acting on behalf of the Good Shepherd, as they are raising the children of other family members, some of who are suffering with addictions.  Other are donating frequent flyer miles they themselves earned: they are helping get sick people around the US to doctors & hospitals for special medical care. In these cases, the Good Shepherd has given them wings to fly, & to grow healthier.

I have another Good Shepherd example to share with you. In our own lifetime, a book and a musical production entitled “Come from Away” captures the true story of what happened following the Sept 11, 2001 attacks in New York, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania. Planes were diverted from JFK & other New York area airports. 38 planes were ordered to land unexpectedly in the Canadian town of Gander, in the province of Newfoundland. This project became known as Operation Yellow Ribbon. As the story called “Come from Away” unfolds, it details how the people of this little town housed and fed the 7,000 stranded travelers. And it serves to remind ALL of us of our capacity for human kindness, even in the darkest of times, and how the sadness of Good Friday was followed by the joy of Easter Sunday. It also reminds us, as Christian listeners to this true story that contains some fine Beatitude-themed episodes, that with Christ Jesus, risen from death to new life, we as the flock of God DO triumph over ANY form of darkness or division.   

For our meditation beyond this Eucharist, we might ask ourselves later today to reflect on which qualities of the Good Shepherd YOU find to be most central to the Gospel, & even which of Christ’s qualities you want to include in YOUR Christian response to God, others, and yourself. & let us also remember with confidence: Jesus goes before us always. Let us follow him, so that we might have his wisdom, mind, and heart. And just as the Risen Christ always provides for the needs of his flock, may today’s Eucharistic feast bring healing and strength to us all, & for our community of faith.                                  Love, Father Chris

Several years ago, I was stopped at a red light, & just before we started to go, I was rear-ended. We both pulled over to the side of the road, along with a man who witnessed the event. He said, “if you need support in telling what happened, here’s my contact info. What relief! It wasn’t just going to be my word to testify to the truth: I had a partner in the truth.  

Our Scriptures are FILLED with witnesses, testifying to what God was doing in them and others. Peter does some serious witnessing in the Reading from Acts of the Apostles. & By the way: did you know that the Acts of the Apostles is part TWO of St. Luke’s work: first his Gospel & then Acts. And the truth is that we know Peter was not always a reliable witness on behalf of Jesus’ mission work: in fact, Peter denied Jesus 3 times before Jesus died; Peter also struggled with fears & doubts. So, what happened? What changed? Who empowered Peter to surrender his fear & doubt, & become a witness? We know the answer is God, Jesus, & the Holy Spirit.  

Peter ALSO knew what we know: when you betray someone, you need to apologize. The Gospel says Peter cried after his 3 denials: he knew right away what he’d done & not done. But the Risen Christ appeared to many disciples, such as M Magdalene, as well as the travelers on the Road to Emmaus, featured in today’s Gospel. Jesus assured them all with good news: He was NOT dead, but alive. & there is another great lesson for all of us: the Risen Jesus Christ did NOT hold grudges against those who betrayed him or ran away.  As we learned last week on Divine Mercy Sunday, Jesus is God’s Second/32^nd Chance for us all! In fact, the RISEN Christ gave Peter the opportunity to repent of his denials, so Peter could go forward. Do you recall the section of John’s Gospel, when Jesus asks Peter 3 times: “Do you love me?” & Peter said: “Jesus, I love you; I DO love you; you know everything: you KNOW I love you.” For Peter’s 3 denials, Peter confesses his sorrow 3 times, & receives Christ’s forgiveness & healing love.

So, what does a Christian witness look like in the 21^st century? What’s a Christian do all week? For one thing, Peter had his Christ eyes opened: Christ challenged & corrected Peter to bring peace & civility to the world, NOT road rage or any other kind of rage, & certainly not bitter hatred or revenge. Think about how FREE we would feel if we could eliminate that JUNK & GUNK that sometimes is rolling around in our minds or hearts. We can take a dose of Christ’s mercy, & put it into practice in our family, community, work situation, school, recreation & other groups. We can bring Christ everywhere!            

& before anyone lets him or herself off the hook & says: I can’t be a witness: I’m not good enough, honest enough, worthy enough, I say to all of that: NOT SO FAST! Our brother Paul the Apostle, whose name was once Saul, killed Christians, persecuted them, & was the most negative & mean man you could meet. But the risen Christ healed his heart, freed Paul from anger, & planted divine enthusiasm in him.  & then: NOTHING could hold Paul back: he was ON FIRE FOR CHRIST! The same can be true for us all as Christ’s witnesses: when we let divine joy come alive in us, even if it takes some attitude adjustments. You know those attitude adjustments that are needed, even if you’ve never admitted it to God or anyone else! & then, we will be like the travelers in the Gospel: we too will be amazed at what the Risen Christ can do in us, & what we and Christ are able to do together in his name. That’s right: I said TOGETHER: you and Jesus, the Risen Christ: partners in making a MUCH better world. Alleluia!

2024 Easter Reflection  - Happy Easter, from Fr. Chris!

Year after year, we hear of people being caught in a riptide: powerless to break its grip, unable to oppose its mighty force directly, & carried sometimes miles down the seashore. From personal experience I know: all the wishing in the world doesn’t break the current’s power; on my riptide day, I’d have loved to have swum directly back to my blanket on the beach: but that was NOT going to happen. In order to be FREE of the riptide, I had to change my THINKING & ACTION: first, I had to start THINKING my NEW swim route was going to be PARALLEL to the shore, not perpendicular or directly back to my blanket. & second, I had to actually swim this NEW ROUTE to break free of this evil current, the one that threatened to destroy my life.

This riptide revelation reminds me a lot about the mystery of Christ’s unique approach to saving us. You may remember we started on Lent’s Ash Wednesday a season of repentance: repenting from what? From sin, death, evil, and darkness: from all the things keeping us in the grip of our personal riptides, ALL the things that endanger our well-being & our relationship with our Savior-Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. I will always recall Deacon Ed Smith applying a Lenten Psalm to his life, & then personalizing it. King David wrote: “Be with me Lord, when I am in trouble…” and then Deacon Ed added: “for I am in trouble most of the time!” Now, that trouble was NOT only with his wife Rose, but with Ed’s Lord & our Lord, his neighbors & our neighbors. Sin is the selfish riptide that carries us away from grace, life, goodness, safety & light. But the power of Christ’s Resurrection LIBERATES us to LOVE HIM & others more: this is Christ’s new plan! 

To be clear: when we use the words “Christ’s Paschal Mystery,” this is a shorthand, like TLC standing for “tender loving care.” Christ’s Paschal Mystery is the content & process of His life, passion, death & Resurrection. You know how the travel industry nowadays talks about “bundling” a package of services? Well, the title of Christ’s Paschal Mystery is like an umbrella, beneath which is bundled the entire life of Jesus the Christ. & today’s Easter goal of renewing our Baptismal promises is that we will LIVE MORE FULLY Jesus Christ’s paradoxical paschal principle: that death to self leads us to greater life for others. When we look at the crucifix in our sanctuary, we begin to realize how much Jesus Christ truly loved us. But HE also knew that unless we begin to live that sacrificial love in imitation of Him, we will certainly die. & some people are shocked by this: like the man who’s standing next to a sign which says clearly: “smoking is forbidden here;” he’s shocked when he’s given a ticket & tells the police officer, “I didn’t think that sign applied to ME, I just thought it applied to everybody else!” Right! We MIGHT think that the sacrifices of the cross should apply to everyone else, but the cross applies to ALL believers, and not just a class of a super-activist, modern groupie Jesus Fan Club Catholics! In fact, we are signed with the sign of the cross from the very day of our baptism.

& then the Easter light bulb goes on in our imaginations, even in our sanctuary here in church. We see very clearly against the back wall of the church the image of Christ Risen from the dead: his hands & feet are no longer nailed to the Cross; he has been freed by his obedience to the Father, & raised from the darkness of his tomb. Yes: Jesus was RAISED to new life to begin a new civilization, called the “people of the light.” Their surrender, OUR surrender to Christ, signals our commitment to live in this same world by willingly sacrificing ourselves & our agenda, & avoiding the riptides of sin & temptation. Yes: we are called to join our Savior & Lord in renewing the face of the earth. Let this ongoing transformation & conversion take EVEN DEEPER root in us for Easter, 2024. Blessed be God forever! Love to you and all you love, Father Chris

When my sister and brother-in-law moved from Long Island to North Carolina, they had to downsize; they couldn’t take all their “stuff” with them, and had to let go of          what they did not need and what was not going to be helpful in their new home. I saw them sifting through 35+ years of collected items, and they threw out and got rid of SO MUCH unnecessary “stuff.” It was like watching the house get EMPTIED.

In fact, Jesus knew a LOT about letting things go AND EMPTYING himself. His #1 priority was God: the Source of Life, AND the Source of Love. So Jesus EMPTIED Himself of all that was not good or godly. Why? Because He wanted to make room for more life and love. Jesus ALSO got rid of negative things, & emptied himself so that there would be more room to LOVE each of us. Know that HE LOVES every single one of us COMPLETELY.

So let’s get practical: If Jesus was a different kind of person, he COULD have BRAGGED! Think of all the healings, or the miracles, like changing water into wine at the wedding. But Jesus was convinced that bragging about being God’s Son wasn’t right to do: instead, Jesus just LIVED the truth, & SPOKE the truth, & TAUGHT others the truth. What else did Jesus push OUT of his life and soul? Some temptations that all of us face today: things like gossiping, lying, cheating, stealing, jealousy, prejudice, false pride, and grudge-holding. Why did he push them out? Because sins & temptations are made of DARKNESS, not LIGHT. & Jesus wanted more ROOM for God’s Light in Him to shine through because, and here’s the important part: it’s the LIGHT that carries God’s Love. Remember what Jesus said about us believers: “YOU are the light of the world.” Let us shine like HIS light.

So, Jesus in dying on the cross EMPTIED himself, so he could help ALL of us find the LIGHT and FOLLOW the light. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if EACH of us concentrated on getting rid of 1 DARKNESS item: you know, something that’s taking up dead space in your heart & soul, things like the temptations mentioned above in bold print, & replace that DARKNESS part with a spiritual B-12 shot of Jesus? As I mentioned on Ash Wednesday a few weeks ago, the young songwriter Billie Eilish asks the profound question: “What Was I Made For?” & Jesus has the answer: you were made from the joyful heart of God to love others & to be loved, & Jesus can help us to do both. Please, please, please: spend some time allowing Jesus to LOVE you: and walk with Him, so you can be a blessing to others.

I suggest for all of us Lenten pilgrims that we are like the visitors to Jerusalem who approach Philip in the Gospel to say: “We would like to see Jesus!” Of course we would. & more: we want to hear Jesus’ voice, the voice that reassures us of God’s passionate & complete love. 

Recently, I recalled a conversation I once had with a woman who was struggling to surrender herself to God. She was VERY clear about her fear: “If I surrender my whole self to God, what’s left of ME? Does God absorb or obliterate or wipe me away, so that there’s no more ME at all? I don’t want to disappear; I don’t want to be forgotten; I love my relationships SO much!” I believe this is an unvoiced or unspoken fear that many may have in their relationship with Jesus. 

Sister Joyce Rupp has written extensively about surrendering ourselves to Jesus, especially when it comes to letting go of all the falsehoods that lurk in our hearts & minds, so that we can trust HIS truth and faithfulness completely.  YES! It is a matter of faith and trust! Just as the grain of wheat dies & produces much fruit, we can reflect on what needs to die and be eliminated in us, so that we can more completely live in Christ. Like what? Like the flaws & imperfections we THINK are done with & are put to rest, & then suddenly they raise their ugly heads: like jealousy of someone else’s life or family situation, their talents, or their health condition; things like feelings of pridefulness or superiority in wisdom or judgment over other people; or even something like perfectionism, that delusional Golden Calf, which leads to thinking I earn my way into heaven. 

As our friends to the north, the Canadians, like to say: our spiritual growth is a PRO-cess: you know, like a PRO-cessional: one step at a time. Isn’t that a relief to our weary souls? Isn’t that how our being bound to Christ occurs: yes, from our days of baptism and confirmation that contain VOWS of commitment, to the times we wisely use the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, & then renewing our desire to serve the Lord each day in our prayers, for the rest of our lives? This is ALSO how we are bound to Jesus through the Way of the Cross, purifying ourselves into the beauty of God our Creator. We are now just 2 weeks to Easter, & the renewal of our baptismal promises: may our grand PRO-cessional through Palm Sunday and Holy Week, and onward to the Lord’s Paschal Death and Resurrection, be filled with hope & humility

 During Lent, I am preaching using a guided meditation format popularized by St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the religious order known as the Jesuits, to which Our Holy Father Pope Francis belongs.  This format uses the Gospel to invite us to encounter Jesus Christ, more personally & more deeply, which is certain one of the goals of this holy Lenten season. I invite you to clear your laps, and place your hands unfolded comfortably flat in your laps. If you can, sit up straight; and if your feet can touch the floor, put them on the floor. We will take a few rhythmic breaths in,  and out…in, and out…and keep going.

 Jesus has just finished 40 days with God in the desert, and you arrive to meet him. As you look at Jesus’ face, you recognize Him right away: He looks exactly like you knew He would. You can see Jesus has been thinking about something inside His soul, even though he has not said a word to you. You KNOW that look in the eyes of people you love, when they are thinking seriously about something. Jesus was in the desert for 40 days, tempted by the Evil One, the Author of sin & Prince of Darkness. But in this moment, Jesus wants to focus on YOU, your temptations & sufferings. So, tell Jesus about your inner sufferings: your addictions or bad habits, your selfishness, or your pride. Tell Jesus 1 or 2 of your struggles: you know, those negative things that are keeping you from living a healthy and wholesome life [pause to talk to Jesus] 

 As you speak to Jesus, He nods his head up and down! Jesus understands you, because he Himself has been tempted; Jesus was tempted by pride, by power, by possessions, by personal pleasures, by privileges & still he did not sin. You tell Jesus that it is hard for you to be a holy person, to be a Christian follow and witness to Him all the time. Jesus comforts you. He listens to you, & puts HIS hand on your shoulder as a sign of his support for you. Tell Jesus how RELIEVED you are because he understands you, YOUR feelings, thoughts & temptations. In your own words, take a moment and thank Jesus for understanding you, & for loving you completely, without conditions. [pause to talk to Jesus]

 As you stand with Jesus, his 40 days in the desert left him tired and hungry. But he received spiritual strength from God’s angels. Jesus speaks to you about this, and reminds you that you have strength, too: the strength given you when you were baptized; when you were confirmed, when you received the dozens, hundreds, and thousands of Holy Communions. You tell Jesus you WANT to give up sinning, give up doing the things that keep you from loving God completely: like your anger, like having to be right and win every argument, like your worrying, or complaining, or cursing, or your impatience with others and with yourself. THEN Jesus says: “So tell me. Tell me which sin or bad habit or temptation you want to stop now!”  Tell Jesus now. [pause to talk to Jesus]. & when you open your heart more completely to Jesus and tell him which sin or temptation you want out of your life, Jesus says in reply: “Good. I will help you let it go!” 

 As you say goodbye to Jesus, you feel better; you are thinking more clearly, knowing you have Jesus’ love & support. You are grateful to God for this moment with Jesus, who knows you even better than you know yourself; you know by being more honest with Jesus, & with yourself, Jesus CAN & WILL help you turn away from sin and resist temptations. You now believe more strongly that through the power of prayer, & the gift of the sacraments, Jesus IS at your side all the time.   As we end our meditation, you plant your feet firmly on the ground.  You take a moment to let your eyes adjust to the lights. Let us take a deep breath together. As a faith community; let us be very confident that NOW is the season of conversion for you & me; NOW, in 2024, God’s power is alive and with us, through Jesus.  Love, Father Chris

Let me begin by connecting 2 sources that are helping me get ready for this Lenten season. The first is an ancient question: why did God make me? Some of you already know the answer: God made us to share his love & joy: to be joyful here on earth & joyful with God forever in heaven. We’re here to love God & each other, and to do the good works God gave us to do, things only WE can do. It’s a way of showing God we DO care for Him, the world, & one another. The 2^nd source helping me get ready for Lent is mentioned in Billy Eilish’s Grammy-winning Song of the Year entitled “What Was I Made For?” It’s another way of asking “why did God make me?” In her song, she admits that things are NOT great right now: she feels sad, she’s forgotten how to feel, & forgotten how to be happy. But she has HOPE that she CAN be happy, when she figures out her purpose in this life. YES!

The Good News is that JESUS has given us the ingredients to have purpose & be happy: the ingredients are the recipe for Lent, and a well-balanced Lent can refocus our hearts, & can renew our spirits. Lent ALSO gets us ready to celebrate what’s most important for us who name ourselves as Catholic Christians: it prepares us for an Easter victory with Jesus Christ, when we celebrate the POWER of His light over all the sadnesses & darknesses in this life. It’s good and honest to admit that things are NOT perfect now, and that we trust God that our lives CAN get better.

So how does this work exactly? Well, in the ancient languages, Lent means “springtime,” a rebirth & a renewal of ALL the good and holy things God has planted in us long ago.  Like what? Like the ability to forget about OURSELVES for a bit, to concentrate on others. & when we give others good-hearted attention, we’re ALSO praising God who made us. That’s a 2 for 1 special that beats the 2 for 1 Wednesday specials at Carvel! If you have a computer, or can get a copy of our bulletin, there’s a whole page of WAYS to LIVE LENT for others, WHILE at the same time taking good care of ourselves.

Example: it’s not a secret that specialty drinks can cost as much as $5 per cup; & a lot of them are filled with “fluff” and not a lot of “stuff!” If we were to sacrifice that cup once or twice, we can actually put FOOD on someone’s table, and feed them with necessities by denying ourselves something we just WANT. We can make a donation to our Food Pantry or to the Poor Box at the doors of the Church. That’s a VERY practical sacrifice, & a sacrifice done with a pure heart is a fine & holy act. Another example: if we are struggling to forgive someone for hurts they have caused us over the years, & we’re still NOT at the point of forgiving them, how about adding a daily prayer to our Lenten prayers, one like this: “Jesus, I want to forgive this person, but I’m not there yet: give me the DESIRE to forgive them, so I can stop carrying this burden of sorrow, & experience YOUR inner freedom & love. Amen.”  

Hopefully, you can HEAR in these examples that Jesus is READY to restore joy in our heart IF we are ready to take the steps to RECEIVE the wisdom & guidance he’s trying to give us. Frankly, I don’t find ANYONE else in the world EXCEPT JESUS offering us this help, because there IS no substitute for Jesus. The season of Lent about becoming more like Jesus in our thoughts, words, & deeds. Let’s pray for one another in this season, that EACH of us will keep GROWING in love. For God is love, & whoever lives in love lives in God, & God is alive in that person. Amen.

Today’s reflection is about people in the healing ministry, in the spirit of Jesus. The woman’s name is Kathleen, and she is one of the best nurses I’ve ever known.     She’s taught me a lot about living the Christian life as I’ve observed her working hard.  You see, Kathleen has both the mind & heart of Jesus: she’s trained to make important decisions, like “is something ACTUALLY urgent, or is someone just yelling loud to be the first to get attention?” Kathleen also knows when a patient needs a caring face & voice to stop by a bedside to ask if that person is making progress in getting well & getting out of the hospital as soon as possible.

I CAN tell you that Kathleen has walked many extra miles, as Jesus did to go to see Peter’s mother-in-law. Like most nurses today, Kathleen’s patient-load is out of sight, & she wears out her good sturdy work shoes pretty quickly with all the walking she does. Kathleen REPEATEDLY, like Jesus, brings people from illness to wellness: she’s trained to do it, just as Jesus has the very power of God in Him to do what HE does best: to love others back to life. 

Now, I’d never know it from Kathleen herself, but in the last 10 years, she’s been named Nurse of the Year 4 times at her hospital! She doesn’t do what she does to draw attention to herself, anymore than Jesus ever did. By the way, did you catch the great dialogue in today’s Gospel, where the Apostles tell Jesus that everyone in town is looking for him? They’re trying to turn Jesus into a hero, but Jesus says: we’re LEAVING, and going on to the next town to work! Jesus wasn’t going to stick around to let people PRAISE Him: he was just doing God’s work, & there was more work to do. We should know that: there’s ALWAYS more of God’s work for ALL of US to do.  

At this point, I should tell you the secret of Kathleen’s successful ministry and vocation as a hospital nurse: it’s her PERSONAL relationship with Jesus in prayer. She knows what Jesus knows in HIS heart: our relationship with God ISN’T optional, it’s essential for life.   & Kathleen does what Jesus does: as hard as it is to find a quiet place to be alone to listen to God, Kathleen knows, like the medicine she dispenses, that she needs God’s healing medicine, too: she NEEDS the quiet comfort Jesus brings to her soul, & the NOISE of the world can block that comfort.

So, Kathleen is 1 disciple, in 1 city, in 1 state, in 1 country, & she serves others’ needs: she’s a minister of healing. When we apply this Gospel to ourselves, several avenues open. If we’re like Peter’s mother-in-law & we’ve been healed or cured of some ailment, then we have the opportunity to be Christ’s disciple that puts our energy to good use for others.  OR, if we are someone who’s sick mentally, emotionally, physically, or even spiritually empty, we have today as an opportunity to speak to Jesus about our desire to become well & whole, ESPECIALLY if we have the FAITH & CONFIDENCE in Jesus’ ability to remove our suffering. I find this Gospel is one for all people, & for all seasons. May we all find what we need, through the saving power of Jesus: our Savior & Brother, Our Always Good Shepherd.  Love, Father Chris

It’s no secret to you and me that there are MANY forms of evil in the world today: there’s sickness, poverty, homelessness, & death, as a few examples. & THEN there’s possession by an evil spirit, which is the evil Jesus CONFRONTS & CRUSHES today. That’s what Jesus does: He CONQUERS the evil before Him with God’s authority & power.

But it’s one thing to hear and read about Jesus freeing people from possession in the Bible, & it’s ANOTHER thing to observe Jesus freeing someone from being possessed in the 21^st century. I am here to speak to you today about one such NY experience of someone being freed of evil. A woman whom I’ll call Caroline became addicted to drugs & alcohol.  

Caroline can NOW admit that, at that time, she wasn’t convinced SHE had an addiction:             she thought EVERYONE ELSE had a problem w her drug & alcohol use. But it wasn’t funny….and it got much worse. 

Caroline was stealing from her family: selling everything she could get her hands on, & turning the cash into alcohol and drugs. No question about it: she was possessed by them. She’d stopped having normal interactions with her parents and siblings, because Caroline had a one-track mind: get drugs, shoot up, & stay as high as possible to block her pain. Being possessed had caused her to lose herself and her hopes for a career.  A turning point came when she sold drugs: she was arrested, & faced with 1 of 2 choices: either get into treatment for her addiction, or surrender MORE freedoms & go to jail.             

Looking back on that time in her life, C admits she wasn’t convinced she could quit. & while Caroline hadn’t prayed to God in a long time, & hadn’t been to church in years, something inside her broke open 1 night, and she cried out: “O God, God, help me.” She had come to a point where she realized she was helpless & powerless on her own; if you’ve heard of AA, Alcoholics Anonymous, or NA, Narcotics Anonymous, you may know that they are 12 step programs: the first step is for a person to admit that they need a higher power (God) to help them break away from such addictions. We call such moments AWAKENINGS or EPIPHANIES. This was the start of a new road, & Caroline had to learn that HER freedom from possession wouldn’t happen in a day or a week, but that it would be a PROCESS of her reclaiming her body, soul, mind, spirit, energy, and heart.

The good news is that today, Caroline is married to a man who loves her very much: they have 3 kids together, & he knows all Caroline’s story, because NOW Caroline lives & speaks the truth. She ALSO understands VERY CLEARLY the JOY & PEACE that the possessed man in today’s Gospel finally had after Jesus took the evil spirit out of him. But at the end of this true story, there are still the rest of us, and our OWN faith in Jesus.  Recall that at the end of the Our Father at every Mass, we say “but deliver us from evil.” My question is:  how strongly do we believe in Jesus’ power to free US from what possesses US? Caroline’s possession seemed to her impossible to conquer; today, she’s free to work on staying clean and sober every day.

How about us: what possesses us that needs to be conquered in us? It could be telling lies about ourselves & others; cheating; cursing; stealing, or even being possessed by a negative attitude, which just POISONS every relationship and the whole environment around us. Let today’s Holy Communion help us grow in faith in Jesus, who conquers evil and sin: yes, even in US!                Fr. Chris Heller

When we are born, & we join our family, they grow and nurture us into early life.  As we get older, our elders teach us to shape our inner attitudes about God, & about cooperating with one another. I’m reminded of one of my coach’s words to our baseball team: “we all need to row our boat in the same direction.” Picture this with me for just a minute: a group of people rowing a boat. When all are rowing in the same direction, this is a good thing. But what happens if some rowers decide to row in the OPPOSITE direction? Then, there’s no progress. In fact, the result is as non-productive/uncooperative as our US Congress seems at times!                                        

Now, rowing in the WRONG direction, that is, rowing AWAY from God is one of the themes in the first Scripture for today’s Mass. And God sent Jonah to tell people to stop rowing, that is, to stop living APART from God’s ways. & when Jonah spoke on behalf of God, those people listened! They turned around to starting rowing in the right direction. They brought their hearts and minds into sync and union with God’s heart and mind. And things went well for awhile. But later, some people’s hearts turned away from God once again.                                                                                                                   

So God said, “I will send my people a leader, who is FOCUSED on my love alone!  
This is where we meet Jesus in the Gospel at the very start of his three-year public ministry.  Jesus finds his 1^st disciples & says: “come & follow me.” And right away they did. At that point, they didn’t ask “what’s the pay like? Is there a retirement plan? Do I get a month’s vacation? Is there a chance for advancement in this organization? They just said yes, & followed Jesus; Jesus must have been very powerfully persuasive in speaking to them. Think about it: they started out that day focused on their lucrative fishing business, & all the good things it brought them! Jesus calls them that day to SHIFT their priorities from earthly things to godly things. I’m remembering a song I learned long ago, whose refrain says the Jesus message simply: “Leave all things you have, and come and follow me.”           

This call to focus on God FIRST, before all other things, is planted in us from our baptism: why else would we spend so much time making the Sign of the Cross on babies at their baptisms, if not to reinforce for their parents, godparents & relatives the importance of putting God first in life? This discussion might remind us of the awakening of young Samuel in the temple from last week’s First Reading. Recall that Samuel says, “speak Lord, your servant is listening.”Samuel started paying attention to God,   & the more Samuel listened, the better he understood what God was asking him to do.  Jesus’ disciples learned that as well, and you and I are also called to check our life priorities from time to time, just to be sure that WE stay FOCUSED on God, Jesus, & the Holy Spirit first.

Let Jesus’ plan for teaching his disciples continue to grow across Long Island & the world, especially among ALL our sisters & brothers who believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. We are called to be very confident that Jesus is our One True Shepherd, who leads us into one faith & one baptism. Let His light lead us forward. With love,  Father Chris Heller