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

I recently visited a home where one of the youngest members was working on a school assignment. The assignment was a familiar one: to connect the dots that were numbered from 1-100. By the end, that is, by the time this student got to #100, the face of Jesus would be obvious to her & to all seeing it. It seems to me that “connecting the dots” is a worthwhile metaphor for us to use, to make connections from today’s 1^st reading in the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament to the Gospel, which shows us the face of Jesus at the start of his public ministry of service to all nations.             

At the start, Samuel learns to attune his ears, his mind, & his heart to the voice of God who calls him. & no matter how old we are, it’s still a process of listening to & learning from God who has the Wisdom. For how can I know what the Lord is asking of me unless I hear and understand my personal message from him? For it’s clear we’re all hearing different personal messages from God, who is trying to direct each of us homeward to heaven. & while God is offering us the relationship of a lifetime:               it’s clearly a choice to listen to God’s direction, just as we choose to listen OR not to listen to others.  

In the Gospel, God’s loving offer leads us directly into the presence of Jesus, the Lamb of God, God’s Shepherd. This Shepherd is ready & willing to mentor and shape those disciples, whom he calls to himself today. From our Catholic tradition, we know that by OUR baptism, we are LINKED to Jesus’ holiness. Jesus truly wants to heal the broken and flawed parts of ourselves. & Jesus, whose name means “God saves us,” is prepared to MAXIMIZE our best efforts going forward. And did you notice how Jesus is looking ahead, changing Simon’s name to Peter, which means “rock?” Jesus knows He will choose Peter to be the chief apostle, the one who will lead Christ’s faith community into the future. And God knows the same about all of US, too: God has plans for us. If we submit ourselves to the DIRECTION of Jesus, He can PREPARE us to SURPASS our past deeds.

The question I continue to think about has to do with the amount and the quality of the LISTENING and HEARING I do in my relationship with Jesus? Remember how, when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, & He answered: love the Lord your God with your WHOLE heart, whole soul, whole mind, & whole strength. JESUS emphasized the word WHOLE, as opposed to half-hearted. So I ask myself: can I grow some more in my commitment to walk more completely with Jesus, in my words, attitudes, & actions? Maybe this is a question on which we can all reflect going forward. Let today’s Holy Communion OPEN us more fully to Jesus, the Lamb of God. Blessed be God forever.

Love, Fr. Chris

Christmas Homily – Gospel: Luke 2: 1-14 from Midnight Mass – Fr. Chris Heller

Even though Advent was a short season of not even 4 full weeks this year, there were times when I was impatient. I sang a song to myself, to keep myself going called “Soon & Very Soon.” You probably have heard the lyrics: “Soon & very soon, we are going to see the King;” “Soon & very soon, we are going to see the King;” “Soon & very soon, we are going to see the King: Alleluia, Alleluia, We are going to see the King.” As Roman Catholic Christians who’ve been waiting for this great feast of Christmas, “soon & very soon” is here: Merry Christmas to all!

Thursday, December 21, was the day with the shortest amount of daylight: by then, we’d reached peak darkness. And since then, we’ve been adding 1 to 1.5 minutes of daylight each day. As believers, of course, the INCREASE we are celebrating today is NOT the S-U-N, but the S-O-N, Emmanuel, God with us. Our King, the King of Kings, comes to conquer ALL the darknesses that threaten our wholeness, for our God wants us to be holy like His Son, Jesus Christ, Son of God & Son of Mary.                           

Christmas IS Good News: For anyone who’s ever been plagued by fears, worries, or anxieties that you’ve repeatedly tried to shed that just won’t go away,  that’s the spark of the S-O-N light through the darkness that Jesus wants to generously spread in you! For Jesus Christ is wise, fearless, & courageous, as he shuts down evil’s darkness-power.

& Christmas is Good News for everyone: you know how vacations are described as “all-inclusive?” Well, Jesus is an all-inclusive Savior. See, you & I are in the middle, between heaven’s glorious angels & the lowly everyday shepherds. St. Luke wants us to know that even though the world around us is very often exclusive, Jesus includes even people who don’t yet know they need to be saved. And there’s another Christ-spark of light in the Gospel: what does it look and feel like?  If you’ve ever felt rejected, or made to feel that you are unimportant, Jesus tells us we have royal blood in us through the Sacrament of Baptism, as our Priest, Prophet and King. Jesus ALSO says this because WE are ALSO connected to HIM through the Holy Communion, the Bread of Life & Heaven that we receive as The Body of Christ.   

Our religious ancestors longed for peace: we are STILL longing for that peace in our time. &I believe with all my soul that Jesus has been working OVERTIME in world locations that are without peace. But I ALSO believe that it’s when we are OPEN to God’s definition of peace & shalom, & ready to SHED all the jealousy, hate, lying, & pretending that is going on INSIDE us, THAT’S when peace can take root. It’s then the teaching of someone holy like Mother St. Theresa of Calcutta comes true: that YOU can make Christmas happen EVERYDAY, when you let Jesus’ love flow through you to someone else.  Like the teen who promises to try their best to practice patience at home with their family. Or the senior member who donates $5 in dimes to purchase a pair of sox for a needy person. Each of them becomes a “channel of Christ’s peace” as a believer in HIS peace-power.

You who carry Christ Jesus: share his sacred love in any way you see fit. & in making Christmas a good moment for someone else, you ALSO enrich YOUR union with Jesus. Let the Holy Communions we receive keep growing our Savior’s presence. On this Christmas Day: today is born our Savior: Christ the Lord is come: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Third Sunday of Advent – December 17, 2023 – John 1: 6-8, 19-28 – Reflection: Fr. Chris Heller

I LOVE the season of Advent, & especially love today in our tradition, known as Gaudete (Rejoice!) Sunday. It reminds me that the word JOY is also an acronym for 3 words: Jesus, others, & yourself; & when I keep things in the right order & perspective, my life is more in sync with God’s plan. So I got to thinking: how do I carry JOY over into daily life during this busy & beautiful season?

Let me suggest two virtues that help me to maintain joy, in the midst of life’s ups/downs. First is gratitude: when I’m grateful for what I have, & not pining for what I don’t have, I live a much more peace and content life. I feel more rooted when I’m grateful.  e.g., there’s a retired woman I’ll call Rita, who works at a food bank not too far from here. She’s grateful she’s reached retirement age in relatively good health, & she has one desire: to be of service and assistance to less fortunate men & women on a weekly basis. Rita finds that volunteering is a key part of her time each week. She’s ALSO grateful that her pension is putting food on her table, & as she’s stacking cans of food in the food bank, she’s not for a single minute taking her own food supply for granted. You might consider for what you are grateful, and see if your gratitude keeps you rooted & grounded in reality like it does for Rita.

The other virtue is humility, which is certainly one of the major ones for John the Baptist. The word “humility” comes from the Latin word “humus” which means soil or earth. & while some might say that soil or earth is COMMON or ordinary, John the Baptist certainly is not! Like earth itself, John is a conduit for the JOYFUL news that Jesus is on the way. John is ALSO like a one-way sign: he points EXCLUSIVELY to Jesus, & never to himself. But we should not mistake HUMILITY for John being a doormat or downer: not at all!  John the Baptist is a LIVELY preacher, a CARRIER of the Christ message, & he knows God called him. So what about us: where does humility enter our picture?

Well, you & I know that God has called US as well: God calls us each week to receive Holy Communion. We should remember that not everyone has the privilege or the opportunity to receive as often as we do, & we can never come to Communion with a sense that we’re earned it, or that we’re entitled to it. But I find it good to remember that God calls us to the Eucharist, because God wants to partner with us, in a partnership that will never end. I’ve tried to point this out to couples engaged to be married, by reminding them that there are still LOTS of people out there LOOKING for life-time partners to commit their lives to, but they haven’t yet found them.  You & I HAVE BEEN FOUND & identified by God for Eucharist: God WANTS the sacred soil of our soul to be enriched by the divine life of Holy Communion. WE have been chosen for sacred service in life.

In our younger years, we were encouraged to dedicate the grace of a particular Holy Communion to benefit specific intentions in other people’s lives. I once heard a woman say she offered a Sunday Communion that her nephew might pass his road test: she knew he needed divine help because, as she admitted, he was a terrible driver! But there’s no reason why we can’t ask the Lord Jesus for extra assistance in healing the broken, or wounded, or bruised parts of our OWN lives. And Communion time, a time of humility and honesty in the Lord’s sight, can be a very appropriate time to acknowledge that not all is perfect in our lives, for we are still “in development, as works in progress.” What needs most help in this Advent season?

I find that remembering to be grateful for what we have, and being humble at communion, can increase our souls’ joy. I hope you find that same joy in the days & week to come, before Christmas arrives. So that at whatever Christmas Mass you attend, we can all say together: Blessed be God forever! – Fr. Chris Heller

In the last line of last weekend’s Advent-opening Gospel, Jesus finishes up with a single word that forms its own sentence: He says “Watch.” That is, stay awake & alert in order to stay alive. Wouldn’t we say the same thing while we’re driving in our cars? Yes! But Jesus ALSO has a specific reason for saying “Watch!” It’s because we DON’T know ahead of time WHEN or HOW God will come into our lives. You KNOW that Jesus wears many faces: strangers’ faces, families’ faces, friends’ faces, spouses’ faces, &grandparents and children’s faces.  Jesus Christ comes to be with us: to get us ready to help us help others, and help us change for the better.

And we also have a connection in everyday language with what John the Baptist tells his disciples to do. Think about it: how do we describe our home preparation if people are coming to visit? Let’s straighten up! & how do we describe someone who’s chronically dishonest? As crooked as the day is long. So, if we are to take John the Baptist’s advice & follow his teaching to get closer to Jesus, who is truly John the Baptist’s cousin, we might pause from all our running around & ask ourselves a few things: First,   

1. What needs straightening up in my life, so I can have a healthier, happy, & holy life? Well, it might be things on which I waste time, energy, or thought. Like what? Like an addiction to gambling, or to gossiping, or even overeating or overdrinking: we can face them all! Remember the tag line from the earliest Lay’s potato chip commercials: they TAUNTED us saying, “Betcha can’t eat just one,” and most times, they were right! So, are any of those areas of our lives the DEAD zones that need help & refreshment? Now is a GOOD time to learn, as it’s good to learn WHEN it is the best time to speak, & WHEN it is the best time to be silent.
2. John the Baptist ALSO tells us to make the crooked ways straight. Now, I never thought much about this before, but I now realize that as I imagine a crooked road heading out from me, it’s ME who is making things more difficult for Jesus come DIRECTLY to me. I can be the COMPLICATION. NOW, I can see that the crooked road is a symbol for ANY roadblock or obstruction I can set up, whether it’s an ACTIVE one like deciding not to pray daily, OR visits to websites where the material is not good for our spiritual/moral wellness. OR, and here’s one I’ve recently thought of: sometimes it feels necessary to ALWAYS have TV, the radio, a podcast, or some sound and noise going on. How am I supposed to hear Jesus with all those other sounds? Even if Jesus ignited sticks of dynamite standing right next to us, I might not hear what he’s saying, and I need to hear it.  

So what’s the HEALTHY path like?  It has generous portions of meditation, & prayer, & good quality spiritual reading, like the book we’re giving out this weekend about the Body of Christ: it reminds us that the Holy Communion we receive is the Body of Christ but that WE ARE the Body of Christ, too! We also practice good spiritual health when we thank God for the specific good people He has sent in our lives – the ones who generously & faithfully & joyfully share their gifts with us, all because God loves us. As God’s Word reminds us: “YOU are God’s work of art, shown forth in Christ Jesus our Savior!”                                 

It’s good for us to face the truth, so that we can COMMUNICATE the truth to others. And the truth is that YOU are important to the One True God, who depends on you to make God’s divine words and divine breath a reality, so as many people as possible can be confident & know what we know. So, Happy Growth in God; Happy Divine Nourishment all week long; & Happy Advent to one & all.

1^st Sunday of Advent, Year “B” – Mark 13: 33-37 - Reflection: Fr. Chris Heller

There’s a great line at the end of the 1^st reading today: we are all the work of God’s hands. It’s Good for us to realize that God HAS shaped & IS continually shaping us, for we are the clay in God’s hands, and God is the potter who shapes us. It’s Good to be in God’s hands.

And now that we’re in Advent, a word which means “the coming: “the coming of Jesus Christ into the world.” Jesus COACHES us in the Gospel to stay awake, alert, alive & aware. Awake for what? Awake because God intends to SHOW us something about ourselves & the world, and if we’re not paying attention we could miss it.

For instance, all of us clay in God’s hands have been called to perform sacred duties: like what? If you’re married, love and care for your spouse. If you’re caring for an infant, change those diapers & warm those bottles. If you’re taking care of older children,          transport them all over creation, like mom & dad & pop pop & mimi’s taxicab service!  

How are these sacred duties? These are the things God calls us to do while we wait, while we wait for Christmas and the coming of Christ; and also as we wait for the end of human time. So, WE’RE called to care for various people & things, & have definite responsibilities, just like those servants in the Gospel. But I call them SACRED duties for a reason: these are NOT just idle tasks, but God’s callings in my life, where God is working. And that’s 1 important reason WHY it’s KEY to pay attention while doing these things: something might change that requires us to make an ADJUSTMENT or two.  

Like, for example, a flat tire on a car. That’s a practical problem that needs to be fixed.  But Jesus ALSO in another place talks about salt tasting flat, like LIFE tasting flat. OR when a living & breathing relationship goes FLAT, it needs to be awakened; it needs to be brought back to life, which sometimes having a DATE NIGHT can do!& IF IT’S YOU that’s flat, that’s less than life-like, how can you restore life in YOU? Well, you can let Jesus JUMP-START your weary, dreary, sluggish soul. How?                              

A few Advent suggestions: you can SLOW DOWN, & stop running at your fever pace.You can breathe more deeply of life. You can become more aware of your surroundings, like look at a candle flame burning; or at a bird landing; or at a flower blooming in autumn. See what’s been in your blind spots. Allow God to come closer to you, so that as God is re-shaping you into someone new, you can give thanks and praise to God for helping you to re-claim your priorities and focus. After all, as my grandparents said, “how can you FOCUS if you’re running around like a chicken whose head has been cut off, & you’re bumping into everything except your priorities?

This can be a DIFFERENT type of Advent for you, IF you allow God to lead you through it; if you let Jesus breathe new life in you so you can catch HIS breath in your soul.  God in Jesus wants to be close to you, & intimately involved in your everyday activities. So when you say: “Okay, God: whatever you want from me, I’m going to do it VERY well,” you will be AMAZED how much more ready for Christmas you can be, because being on THE SAME PAGE with Jesus is the BEST WAY to stay awake/alert. Let’s ask Jesus in the Holy Eucharist to help us do our very best to surrender to his love, and to take care of the things that He’s entrusted us with on earth: while we still have time!

Everybody’s family & friend groups are different. This weekend, I encountered 3 people who had very definite experiences of Thanksgiving this year. One said, “I am still looking for more turkey: I couldn’t get my fill.” The second: “I am SO tired of turkey: I’ve had my fill, & I don’t care if I don’t see it again until next year.” The 3^rd: “I am SO energized after connecting with people I haven’t seen in awhile: I feel even more filled than I do with food.” It was this third person that intrigues me, because the connections and re-connections this person made have to do with relationships,  & that’s what this solemn feast of Christ the King is all about: His relationship with us.  

First, Jesus is SO good to us: he tells us in detail what the will of God the Father is, & how to be living NOW as if we were ALREADY living the life of eternal life in heaven. Second, because Jesus is the Cosmic King, the King of the Universe, He opens up for us hundreds of possibilities as to HOW we can cooperate with the will of God. Now, here’s the point of contact for me: we say in every Our Father we pray: “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” So, God’s will is already going on full-time in heaven, among the angels & saints. & Jesus wants us to catch fire on earth, so when we pray at the altar at Mass, ALL of us will be in union with God’s will/plan.

Then, it seems to me we can more clearly understand these works of God’s mercy from 2 perspectives. The first is when mercy directly benefits us or those close to us. My best example is that last Saturday, we received a tremendous gift from the Miller Place Fire Dept. Not only did the members collect food from the people shopping at Stop & Shop, they delivered in one of the coolest buses I have ever seen. The bus had a front on it that looked like an old time train engine, and the members of the department had “stuffed the bus” and filled it with boxes & bags of groceries. I had the chance to thank the department members as well as God by blessing each shopping card that was wheeled into Outreach, with all types of food. The Miller Place FD was providing a table of plenty for the needy people of our parish and neighborhood. It took 18 people a half-hour to unload the stuffed bus, and get the groceries inside for Outreach. What a blessing!   & you who donate food and cash to Outreach are part of living & doing the will of God: that all would be one, that all would be included, and that all would be fed.

The second perspective takes a cosmic set of eyes and hearts. If we really believe that we are the Body of Christ, and that the Body of Christ truly extends to the ends of the earth including us all, then we are STILL directly affecting people with whom we are in relationship. Lots of people ARE! The Friends of Farmingdale High School did a fund-raiser for the families of those killed, injured and affected by the tragic bus crash back in September in Orange County. 140 pizzeria owners raised $102,200 by donating $5 per pie sold on October 25, under the banner of Long Island Pizza Strong. WE can rejoice in knowing that we are joined in solidarity with others who are taking care of people in great need and, in the case of the bus crash, marching band equipment that needs to be repaired or replaced. How generous these pizzeria owners; how gracious the organizers; how grateful the beneficiaries of these much-needed funds. In the broadest, cosmic perspective, we know that Jesus feeds us in many ways: with His Word, with His Eucharist and the other sacraments, with his teaching, his inspiration, his good example in word & action, and so on. We  here at St. Louis can rejoice with others, even at a distance in a cosmic world, whose spirits are going to be lifted up, even in the midst of such a great tragedy, and comforted in times of sorrow.

I have NO trouble confessing to you that in each of those two instances, I was edified and encouraged to see and hear about people accomplishing those great works of mercy. I hope you feel the same way, and that the next time you yourself have an opportunity to participate in such a mission of mercy, you will think about it as giving yourself the gift of closeness to heavenly life. May today’s Holy Communion fuel our DESIRE to BE the face & hands & legs of Christ for others.

32^nd Sunday of the Church Year – Matthew 25: 1-13 – Focus: Are You Truly Wise, or Foolish?  - Fr. Chris Heller

Several years ago, I was swimming in the ocean, & a riptide started dragging me away. I was frightened, but I remembered the wisdom some great Long Islanders offered: in a riptide, think differently! Don’t try to swim directly to shore, but parallel to the shore: I’m happy to say this wisdom worked: it was successful, which true wisdom usually is!  I eventually got back to shore, & have shared and encouraged others to also follow that wisdom.

By contrast, the day after Election Day, I put on early morning television to get election results. I definitely hit the wrong channel button on the remote: on came a program with nine talking heads! And they were ALL talking at the same time about the elections & the results. I had a Headache! Then I laughed as I thought: all this noise is the opposite of wisdom: it blocks the truth! You may remember the Tower of Babel from the Hebrew Scriptures. And then it hit me: all that talk reminded me of a Charlie Brown cartoon special, & Charlie’s teacher’s voice, which was something like: wah, wah, wah, wah! Now, I was wise enough to turn that station off, & turn on a quieter one where I could hear. So, in that case, I knew I had to clear out some of the noise in order to hear the truth.

But that raises the bigger question: the question raised in today’s Gospel: what’s the basis for true wisdom, and for wisdom that’s good for here on earth, and wisdom that leads us onward to heaven? In all things, we will not go wrong if we keep our eyes on Jesus, his words & actions.  Jesus’ wisdom included getting in personal prayer time with the Father early each day: how many times did the Apostles have to go looking for him? Dozens, until they understood: Jesus hungered for time alone with the Father because God hungered to spend time w Jesus. For me, that’s crucial in our relationship.                    

What does that tell us? That Jesus had to clear out the noise of competing sounds! That’s true: there are LOTS of voices competing for our attention: we can’t listen to all of them: which voice is the most important for us? Jesus. On whom shall we build our life-plan? Jesus! Going forward: if I can highlight one important symbol in the midst of today’s beautiful Scripture readings, it would be the OIL that the wise virgins had in such abundant supply. Why the oil?  Because the OIL in the Gospel story represents the young women’s love, obedience, attentiveness, & service toward the bridegroom, who for our purposes stands for Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Mary. 

The question today’s reflection leaves with me is this: who can I help this coming week? Who can benefit from the Jesus wisdom that I am trying to live & practice each day? Could I be the listener to the lonely person who needs someone to not judge them? Could I be the delivery person who makes sure groceries get to an elderly neighbor? Could I be the witness to Jesus, sharing a bit of His Gospel good news, even on the phone? You get the idea: wisdom is like love: in the grand divine design it’s meant to be shared. May Jesus help us this week to become a wiser member of God’s People, in His Body; & as we receive the Eucharist, may we be inspired to do simple good things for others. As we hear at the end of Mass: “go in peace to love and serve the Lord.”