Stand or Kneel - A Second Thought

The Pharisee and the Publican

      “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 18: 9 – 14

Hold hands, raise hands, fold hands for the “Our Father”. Sit, stand, or kneel to receive the Eucharist. Receive in the hand or on the tongue. Traditional Latin Mass or Novus Ordo. These are just some of the arguments we Catholics are having with each other these days. The discussions are always passionate, usually heated, and many times end in uncharitable behavior by all involved. This is hardly the unity Christ prays for, for his Church. The divide is widening, all in the name of reverence.

Christ is about unity, not division. If there is something dividing the Church, even perceived reverence, it is not of Christ. It is of the devil. Yes, the devil uses normally holy things, like scripture and reverence, as tools to get us to sin. Any evil thing can be justified by a verse in scripture if scripture is improperly used. Perceived reverence is also sinful if it causes scandal, division, or malice of any kind. True reverence raises one’s heart to God. False reverence is calling on the Church to do as you do because of how you personally feel.

“The prideful one was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: those receiving in the hand, standing, at a Novus Ordo Mass.”

We learn in the Screwtape Letters that our posture makes a difference in the way that we worship.

“At the very least, they can be persuaded that the bodily position makes no difference to their prayers; for they constantly forget, what you must always remember, that they are animals and that whatever their bodies do affects their souls.”

The Screwtape Letters, Chapter 4

Knowing this the Church has a general instruction on the proper postures we are to use when we come together in unity to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is never a “Jesus and me” moment. It is always a “Jesus in unity with his bride, the Church, throughout all of eternity” moment. We show this eternal unity in our postures, our actions, and our words. The Mass is celebrated throughout all time in every language on the planet combining language from the Church from its very conception. We offer this Mass as one unified body all at once. It is not a time to stand alone.

So, is there a correct posture we should be using when we celebrate Mass? The answer to that is absolutely, positively, and unequivocally yes. It also does not involve our hands, our tongues, or our knees. In fact, the only part of our bodies that really matters is our hearts. If our hearts are in the wrong posture then it does not matter what position we place our bodies in.

The old Baltimore Catechism defined prayer as:

“Prayer is the lifting up of our minds and hearts to God, to adore Him, to thank Him for His benefits, to ask His forgiveness, and to beg of Him all the graces we need whether for soul or body.”

That is about as good a definition of prayer as one can find. True reverence raises one’s heart to God. It is never prideful. It is never boastful. Nor does it demand others do likewise. It does not make claim to be better simply because of outward appearance.

Who does God love more; the man who receives Him in his hand while standing or the man who receives the Lord on the tongue on his knees? Those who argue about this question ad nauseam fail to realize that with God there is no competition. He loves us all perfectly. The greater question is which one loves God more? That is a question that cannot be answered by simply looking at outward appearance only and God alone is the only one who knows our hearts.

True reverence begins in the heart and then radiates outward. If you want to show reverence in your worship do as your bishop instructs. He has been given the authority of Jesus to lead His Church. If you do not know what the proper posture is ask your pastor. If, on the other hand, you have been called by Christ to a more reverent posture cherish the gift of love you have been given. It is yours. It has not been given to everyone. Don’t expect everyone to share in this gift.

This is the reason why the Church has a general instruction on posture and not a definitive instruction on it. The Church recognizes that Christ calls some of us into a deeper union with him and she would never deny anyone of this gift by demanding they conform to a single posture or liturgy.

God has given us many treasures. Instead of arguing which is better or more reverent we should be concentrating on those things that help us elevate our hearts closer to God.

A Star Shining Bright

“After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”

Matthew 2: 9-10

The wise men were led to Jesus through the light of a star. They found Light of the world, God made flesh, asleep in a manger. Light led man to Light. After his birth the star disappeared from sight but it did not cease to exist.

When we receive the Holy Eucharist we bring Jesus, body, blood, soul, and divinity into our bodies. Jesus lives and dwells within us. This is the most intimate union we can have with the Lord on this side of heaven.

Our hearts becomes the manager that receives the infant Christ. Our hearts becomes the throne from which he rules the earth. Our bodies become the star that leads people to know and love him, the creator of all existence.

The night sky is filled with countless stars. So numerous are the stars in heaven that we go about our lives barely paying them a passing glance. It took a special star to draw people to the birthplace of Jesus. Does the way you live your life draw people towards Jesus or does it go by barely getting a passing glance? If you have received our Lord you hold all of creation and its creator within yourself. You hold the power to burn as brightly as a billion suns.

Through our baptism we have become adopted sons and daughters of the Father. The Son has become our brother. When we receive him in the Eucharist we become one with him. This love is not meant to be withheld but shared with all. We are meant to become the stars that lead wise men to Jesus.

When a wise man points at the moon the fool stares at the finger. When people look upon the way you live your life do they see a finger or do they gaze upon the Light of heaven? It is truly within you but if others cannot see it, it is because you have chosen to conceal it from them. The Light from heaven is the source of all of our joy and a font of never ending love. Do not hide it from others but let it burst forth from you for all to see.  Be a star that leads people to Jesus.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

Offended?

A mother and a daughter had a fight about something at the family Christmas gathering one year. Both were deeply hurt by the other and both vowed never to speak to each other again. As the years passed the reason for the fight faded but the hurt caused by it never did. Other family members tried to get the two to reconcile but both were too suborn to relent.

One day, out of the blue, the daughter got a phone call. Through tears her sister delivered the message that their mother had passed. For the moment the daughter felt a twinge of sadness but that was quickly replaced as the flames of hatred flared. The daughter refused to go to the funeral and avoided any contact with her family as they laid their mother to rest.

As the mother approached the gates of heaven she was met by Saint Peter.

“Welcome Martha,” Saint Peter said. “Unfortunately, I cannot let you in at this time.”

“What? Why not?” she asked worriedly.

“Only perfect love can enter into these gates,” he replied.

“But I love Jesus,” she exclaimed.

“You do but there is another that you have spite for in your heart.”

The mother thought for a moment. “You mean my daughter?” she asked with surprise.

“Yes,” he said. “That spite in your heart is a poison and you are not allowed in heaven with poison in your heart.”

“What can I do about that now? I am dead,” she said as she began to sob.

“All you can do is wait.”

“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.” – Matthew 5: 21-24

Heaven is a place of perfect, sacrificial love. Nothing short of this perfect love is permitted in heaven. Even the angels who have lost this love were cast out of heaven. When we die the soul is separated from the body and heads to either heaven or hell based upon the particular judgment. If there is love for Jesus in your heart you are destined for heaven and if no love for Jesus can be found a fiery abyss awaits you.

So, you love Jesus. You have made an altar call and have recited the Sinner’s Prayer. Many cradle Catholics have no idea what that sentence means and many converts are shaking their heads in acknowledgement.  You are all set. You are in like flint. When you approach the gates of heaven, however, you find them locked. What gives?

Quite simply, heaven is a place of perfect, sacrificial love. We don’t get to enter heaven the person we are on earth. None of us, no matter how good or holy we are, have that perfect love for everyone. This creates a dilemma for the non-Catholic Christian who only believes in heaven and hell. Does God just snap his fingers in a Thanos like fashion and make a person love perfectly? That would certainly go against free will. If he would do that at the moment of our death he certainly could do that during our time on earth. Oh what a beautiful place this could be if he did that for everyone. It would almost be like….heaven.

The problem is that love cannot be forced. It can only be accepted by free choice. So, for love to exist there has to be something other than love to choose from. These are all of the things we choose before we choose God. These are all of the things that separate us from God and each other. These other things are what control our lives. These are the things that become the true gods of our lives.

Catholicism teaches us about another place. This is a place where you go when you are destined for heaven but do not have the perfect love in your heart required to enter through the gates. This place is called purgatory. It is the place where the fire of God’s love purges away all that is not perfect within us. It is the place where we freely let go of the other gods that control our life. It is the place where we are made perfect so we can be in the presence of perfection itself.

One of the things that we have to let go of before entering heaven are our grudges against other people. You cannot have perfect love for someone if you are holding something against them. If grudges keep us out of heaven when we die it is to our own best interest to purge ourselves of them while we are still here on earth. This is why we are told to reconcile with our brother. Forgiveness becomes our greatest tool and strongest liberator. Hate is a poison that shackles us in slavery. Forgiveness is the key that unlocks our fetters.

If grudges are such a bad thing it is better to not let them develop to begin with. We live at a time where everyone seems to be offended by everything everyone else says or does. Taking offence to something is the first step to creating a grudge. If you do not allow yourself to be offended it becomes much harder to hold contempt for someone in your heart. Practice sacrificial love instead. Sacrificial love is willing the best for a person without any expectation of something in return. Think of Christ on the cross praying for those who were pounding the nails through his hands. Think of Saint Stephen praying for those who were hurling stones at his head.

When someone says something untruthfully terrible about you don’t be angered by it. Pray for them instead. When someone back stabs you, throws you under the bus, steals, lies, or does any sort of evil thing against you, forgive them. Pray for them. Love them.

The more we imitate the love of Christ, even imperfectly, in this world the easier he will be able to perfect that in us in the next.

Make 2019 the year where you fill your heart with love and make it impossible for anyone to offend you.

I love you, man.

English is usually a vocabulary rich language. Take the word ‘walk’ as an example. You can amble, stroll, saunter, trudge, march, sashay, glide, wander, plod, dawdle, hike, stomp, stagger, ramble, tread, prowl, promenade, roam, mosey, traipse, and stride. All of these mean to walk but each describes a different way to walk. It is easy to understand just how someone is walking by using one of these words.

Yet, when we get to the most important thing in life we have but one word in English. I love my wife. I love my job. I love my pet squirrel. I can even denote the opposite meaning by using love sarcastically. I love cleaning up the dog mess on the front lawn. Love holds a different meaning in each of these sentences but it is left up to the reader to figure out what is meant in each of them.

Love is a scary thing because it makes one vulnerable and opens one up to be hurt. What happens if I love someone and they don’t love me back? What if I express my love and I am thought of as a fool? It is true that love can make you vulnerable but it is equally true that love can make you invincible. It all depends on the way you love.

The lowest level of love is an inward love, a selfish love. It is a love of desire. The Greeks had a word for this type of love and that is eros. We get the word erotic from it. We associate it with a desire of a physical nature but covers desires of all sorts. Someone who is gluttonous has a (eros) love of food. Someone who is greedy has a (eros) love of money. Someone who is vain has a (eros) love of beauty.

The next level of love is an outward love for another that usually depends on an inward love that is returned. This is a brotherly love that is often expressed in loyalty as in between friends, family, and one’s community. It is a generic type of love. The Greek word for this type of love is philia and we get words like Philadelphia or pedophilia from it. I (philia) love my coworkers. I (philia) love my schnauzer. I (philia) love the Chicago Cubs. There is an expectation with this type of love that the same love will be returned. It makes one vulnerable to suffering when the love goes unrequited.

The next level of love is more outward than inward. It is a love of tenderness and affection, usually between parents and children. It is a familial love. For the Greeks this love was known as storge. This type of love was also used to describe extreme loyalty, as in patriotism for one’s country. Although more outward than inward, this type of love can make one vulnerable to very deep pain and suffering. It is the kind of suffering a parent goes through when they watch one of their children suffer or the pain they feel when rejected by a child. It is the kind of suffering a patriot goes through when he learns of a great evil his country has committed. It is some of the greatest pain a person can ever know.

The highest level of love is always outward. It is a sacrificial love that expects nothing in return. It is a love that loves above all things. To the Greeks this type of love was known as agápe. For a Christian, God is agápe. Agápe is loving without regard to one’s self, giving all one has. This makes a person invulnerable. If you are willing to give everything without regard to yourself nothing can hurt you. This is the level of love we all are called to. It is a level most of us will never obtain until the end of purgatory. Then we will be able to see God for who he is for we will be like him. We will be agape.

Peter denied Jesus three times on the night he was betrayed. In John 21: 15 - 17 Jesus asks Peter if he loves him shortly after Jesus’ resurrection. Peter answers that he does. This is often referred to as the redemption of Peter. Reading this in the original Greek paints a slightly different story. Twice Jesus asks Peter if he loves him above all things (agápe). Peter responds that he only has a brotherly love for Jesus (philia). The third time Jesus asks Peter if he only has a brotherly love for him (philia). With this, scripture says that Peter was grieved. Most assume that it is because Jesus has now asked three times, reminding him of his three denials. I suspect that it is because Peter has realized that he has failed yet another test. He didn’t have the love for Jesus that he should have by now (agápe). Jesus promises Peter that he will love him with total sacrificial love before his ministry comes to an end. Peter does his time in purgatory during his time on earth and goes to his own crucifixion with agápe love for our Lord.

Agápe love is the love Saint Paul is talking about when he says that love is patient, love is kind…you know, the reading you always heard read at weddings. We are called to have that type of love, total sacrificial love, for our spouse. To put them first and to live for them in everything.

The type of love we are called to have for our spouse is the same type of love we are called to have for every person, friend and foe alike. That is the kind of love God has for each of us.

Happy New Year

This year in our homiletics class we had to give a homily on one of the weeks of Advent or Christmas. I chose the first week of Advent to give my homily on. Seeing today is the first Sunday of Advent I thought I would share that homily with you.

First Sunday of Advent – Cycle C

1^st Reading – Jeremiah 33: 14-16

2^nd Reading – Thesalonians 3: 12 – 4: 2

Gospel – Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36

Happy new year everyone. When I said that to my family this morning one of my children said, “Dad, it isn’t even Christmas yet.” Well, for us adults the preparation for Christmas started about the second week of September when all of the new Christmas stuff hit the stores and by now we have been so immersed in the “Christmas season” that many of us are looking forward to celebrating Ground Hog’s Day. 

But today is the first day of Advent and the official beginning of the Christmas season for us Christians. It is also the beginning of our liturgical year so it is New Year’s Day for the Church. How does the Church kick off our preparation for Christmas? First, we start dressing in purple and dreading the coming conversation of, “It’s not pink, it’s rose.”  What did we hear in the readings today? Did we hear about the Annunciation of Mary or shepherds tending their flocks at night? Was it about the wise men following yonder star? Those readings would have made sense. 

The Gospel today was about the coming of Jesus, but not the coming we would expect to hear going into Christmas. The Gospel was about the second coming of Christ at the end times. That is a very odd way of starting off the New Year don’t you think? We spend the first day of the year talking about the last day of time. What is the Church thinking?

Well, it is actually quite brilliant. The Church begins by telling us our destination. It is a destination all of us are going to reach one way or another.  Jesus warns us, “That day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth.” After today, the Church will spend the rest of the year showing us the best path to follow to reach that destination.

In the first reading today we hear God’s promise to send his Son. That is the source of our hope and joy. It gives us strength for our journey. Then we hear from St. Paul on how to be blameless before God on the last day, to strengthen our hearts for the road we all must travel. Finally Jesus tells us that the end day is coming and that it will catch many people off guard. He encourages us to be vigilant always and to pray we will have the strength to stand before him when he arrives. If Jesus were to walk through that door right now and go, "Surprise, I’m back!" how many of us would be blameless before him? I know I wouldn’t.

That is what Advent is all about. It is time we have been given, not to focus on the destination, but how we are growing in holiness along the way. Yes, Advent ends with us celebrating the birth of Jesus but our growth in holiness does not end with that celebration. Our growth is to continue for the rest of our lives.

So let us begin this new year by asking ourselves one simple question – What am I doing to grow in holiness? Let me offer three suggestions on how you can do this.  

One – Spend time with Jesus. 

Two – Spend time with Jesus. 

And three, can anybody guess it? Spend time with Jesus.

Spend time with Jesus in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Get to confession. Let him heal you and restore you to his full friendship. We cannot begin grow in holiness when we have a broken friendship with our Lord.

Spend time with Jesus in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Receive the body and blood, soul and divinity or our Lord. Allow Jesus to live in and dwell within you in the most intimate union we can have with our Lord on this side of heaven.

Finally, spend time with Jesus in Eucharistic adoration. You cannot fall in love with someone you never spend time with, so come spend an hour with Jesus when he is available for adoration here at St. Rita or any of our parishes that offer the opportunity. 

Do these three things as often as you can and you will grow in holiness. Then, when you reach the final destination you will be able to stand before the Lord with your head held high because you will know him, you will love him, and you will want to spend every moment of eternity with him.

Happy New Year everyone.

Thou Shall Not Commit Adultery

Throughout scripture marriage language is used to describe the relationship between Jesus and his Church. Jesus is the bridegroom and the Church is his bride. This language is used because that is the exact relationship Jesus has with his Church. In fact, it is the perfect marriage and is the greatest example of what a marriage is to be for those of us called to that vocation. The bride is obedient to the bride groom and the bride groom sacrifices his life for his bride. The two are faithful to each other. They live and die for the other. This is the kind of relationship all married people are called to have and is the foundation of every successful and fruitful marriage.

A common thought among non-Catholic Christians is that one does not need the Church. Salvation only comes from faith in Christ so the Church is no longer necessary. All one needs is a personal relationship with Jesus. It is true that we all need to have a personal relationship with Jesus but that personal relationship has to include a relationship with his bride as well. You cannot separate the husband from the wife and expect to get a full relationship out of the deal.

How would that work in your other relationships? Imagine what would happen to your relationship with your best friend if you were to approach that friendship in the same manner. You know Fred, I love you and I like hanging out with you but I really can’t stand your wife. Can’t it just be you and I? Won’t you leave her to be with me? How would Fred respond? I can tell you without a doubt because I have made this mistake in my own life. My friendship, my brotherhood with Fred was destroyed because I had a problem with his wife. Fred and I did not speak for over two years and although we have mended the fence our relationship will never be what it used to be.

Many non-Catholic Christians hate the Catholic Church. There is no limit to the vile words they spew out about her. She is accused of every great evil. How would you respond if someone said such things about your wife or daughter? Would you be forgiving and still have the most intimate relationship with that person? I know you hate my wife with utter contempt and I am ok with that. Let’s head to the bar to watch the game and have some drinks.

I do not know who among us would not be infuriated if someone said the things said about Christ’s Church about our wives. Most of us would be ready to throw down, and with good reason. It is not only justifiable that we defend our wives but it is the duty of a husband to do so. So why should we expect any less from Jesus? If anything he is infinitely more justified to defend his bride from those who hate her. He is God, the creator of everything that is, was, and ever will be. He made all things good. He made the Church and took her as his bride. Who has the right or ability to attack what he has made?

On the other side of the coin we have the multitude of Catholics who have walked away from the Church for any number of reasons. Many go to other non-Catholic Christian churches that they find more appealing. What are they actually doing when they leave Christ’s Church for another? What do you do when you leave your husband or wife for the company of another? That action is called adultery.

The vow a Catholic takes at confirmation and then reaffirms at marriage and every week when they receive the Holy Eucharist is a wedding vow to Christ’s Church. We vow fidelity to Jesus through his Church. We vow to live our lives faithfully to him through Her and to die for them if required. When a Catholic willfully walks away from that vow they commit adultery. That is a grave sin, a mortal sin, which totally severs the friendship between God and man. When a Catholic walks away from the Catholic Church to have just a merely personal relationship with Jesus they end up with nothing for they shut themselves off from having any relationship with Jesus at all. When a Catholic leaves the Church for one founded by a man they lose everything. In the end they end up only with music they like better, or a better sermon, a better “experience”, or something emotional that drew them away in the first place. What they lose is Jesus.

Thou shall not commit adultery refers to much more than just the physical relationship one has with their spouse. It also refers to the covenantal relationship with Jesus and his bride the Church. The two are inseparable.

A Different Way to do Church

Heartland is the local mega-church in my town. Their shtick is - “A different way to do church.” It is not the Catholic way. It is not the Lutheran way. It is not the Baptist way. It is a different way. This is a good thing, right? Everyone should be able to worship in a way of their own choosing. The large membership at Heartland would seem to agree. I am not so sure.

One of the many reasons I am Catholic is 1 Samuel 15. In this story in Scripture God orders King Saul to go and put to death King Agag and the people of Amalek. God is very clear in his instructions to King Saul.

“Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.”

Instead of doing what he was instructed to do King Saul takes Agag alive. He kills all of the people of Amalek but keeps the best animals for himself. Saul only destroys the worthless possessions of Amalek. When God saw what King Saul had done he became angry with him and regretted making him King of Israel. Saul tells the profit Samuel that he brought back these things to sacrifice to the Lord. Samuel tells Saul –

“For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
            And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry.
            Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
            He has also rejected you from being king.”

Then Saul was removed as king of Israel and his neighbor was made king. God told Saul how he wanted something done but Saul thought he knew better. Saul did it his way and paid a steep price for it.

             “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice.”

Jesus founded the Catholic Church. He set up the leadership of that Church and gave them the authority to rule over it. He taught the Church how he wanted the Church to worship God. 1500 years later a man came along who thought he knew better than the Church on how to worship God. This man’s name was Martin Luther. He was a man after King Saul’s heart. He cast aside what Jesus’ Church taught to implement his own opinion. Martin Luther knew better than the Church about what Jesus wanted. Martin uncorked the bottle and there was an explosion of people who thought they knew better than the person before them. Personal opinion replaced teaching that came directly from Jesus lips.

Today we have almost 40,000 different faith communities, each worshipping the Lord in a way they see fit. There is only one Church that worships in the way Jesus instructed. If God truly loves obedience more than sacrifice then a different way to do church seems like a very bad idea to me. We are called to have a personal relationship with Jesus, not a personal church. Jesus has instructed us on how he wants us to worship so to ignore that and to ignore the Church he founded and gave authority to seems extremely arrogant and dangerous to me.

Go ahead and worship God in your way. As for me, I will worship him in his way.

Grab your torches and pitchforks!

The Adulterous Woman

"But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. 

The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. “Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” 

They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, 

“He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. 

Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.” – John 8, 1-11

We know the story well. We have heard it read at Mass and depicted in a dozen different movies. We cheer for Jesus and feel compassion for the woman. We can see ourselves there with Jesus, helping the woman up, dusting her off. We despise the Pharisees. Of course, they were responding in the only way they knew how, the way the Law taught them to respond, or at least as they understood it.

Fast forward two thousand years and we find ourselves gathering with torches and pitchforks in hand. We demand the stoning of the clergy who committed grievous sexual crimes against the innocent and we demand the stoning of those who knew and worked to cover it up. We have become the Pharisees.

Jesus still stands between us and the accused. He is saying to us, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at them.” I look at those around me, waiting for one to cast a stone. I am frozen for I know my sins. I am not innocent here. And then I hear a voice in my head. It begins as the voice of my confessor and then changes to the voice of Christ. 

“God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

“I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”

I drop my rock and walk away. Who am I to call for the stoning of these broken men? Who are you? That does not dismiss what they have done. The damage done is extensive and the cost to rectify it will be immense. But I am proud to be Catholic today. I am blessed beyond words to have a God who both comforts the sorrowful and forgives the sinful.

This reading does not depict the woman begging at the feet of Jesus. That is a fabrication of the cinema. This reading does not tell us what is in the woman’s heart, but Jesus knew what that was. This reading simply says that he forgave the woman and told her to sin no more. If Jesus can forgive the woman he can forgive any one of us, including our broken and sinful clergy. Who are we to condemn? Who are we to call for their stoning?

So what is the appropriate thing for us to do during this time? We need to drop our torches and pitchforks, get on our knees and pray for these men and their victims. We need to pray for all clergy, that God will send his Holy Spirit to inspire and guide us to always be holy men who lead his children closer to him. Let us pray for deliverance from this demonic age.

Jesus goes on to tell us that if our hand causes us to sin we should cut it off. If our eye causes us to sin we should pluck it out. He wasn’t being literal when he said this. He was making a point. He does not want us to go through life without hands or eyes or tongues. We sin because of the hardness of our hearts. We don’t need to cut off appendages. We need heart transplants. We need metanoia, a constant changing of our minds to that of God.

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a natural heart. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep mine ordinances, and do them. And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” – Ezekiel 36, 26-29

Ten Second Tom

“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. “

Jesus instructed Peter, the first Pope, to tend to his flock and feed his sheep. This is the purpose of the clergy. Yet, one of the common reasons Catholics give for leaving the Church for another faith tradition is that they aren’t getting anything out of Mass. They aren’t being fed. Hungry sheep wander off in search of nourishment.

My brothers in diaconate formation and I are getting ready to start our second year of instruction on homiletics. When Catholic clergy preach during the Mass they give homilies, not sermons. Protestants typically give sermons during their services. A sermon is preaching about anything the pastor wants to preach about. A homily is a bit different. A good homily takes the readings from the Mass and makes them relevant for the people today. There is a bit of instruction, maybe even a challenge. It is the primary place where we feed the flock.

We have been told by our instructors that we are to take no more than five minutes to give our homilies. We can stretch that to seven minutes for a Sunday Mass. Shorter is always encouraged. One instructor even told us that we need to hone our skills so we can get a homily said in a minute or less. A former pastor was able to give an effective homily in just five words. Many of today’s parishioners don’t have the attention spans or patience for much more.

But is this really wise? Our Lord has instructed us to feed his flock and the flock is fleeing in search of food. The ones who are still here are looking at their watches and if you go too long they tune out. Bringing the hard message, the message that needs to be said, is next to impossible any more. We almost have to spoon feed people sugary, processed foods or they throw a fit and hold their breath until they turn blue. We have brought the fast food culture to Church. Get it fast and go. The food is eatable but living on it will make you sick.

The flock no longer wishes to be fed. They want to be affirmed instead. They want to feel good about themselves with as little work as possible. This is why preachers like Joel Olsteen and mega churches have become so popular. You can go to church, drink your coffee, and come away feeling good about yourself without the need to actually do very much in the way of being a Christian.

Look at the rewards society is reaping because of this. Fathers are inconsequential and the traditional family is under attack. Society is polarized with anger and hate ruling the day. Anything goes and even your gender is up to self identification without question. The flock is lost and scattered. The wolves are feasting without opposition. The bleats of desperation are deafening.

We need good shepherds willing to use their voices to draw the sheep together as a flock again. We need a flock willing to listen to the shepherds. We need a people willing to live as Christians and cast aside anger and hate and show love to everyone, not just those who parrot the same things they do.

Be the candle in the darkness.

FLO

Familiarity breeds contempt, as the saying goes.

One meaning of this phrase is that the more you do something the easier it is to get bored in doing it. Often this leads to going through the actions without the thought. You are on autopilot. How many times have I driven a stretch of road and couldn’t remember if the light was green or red? Did I blow off a red light?

Celebrating Mass and serving at the altar is not immune to this, especially when you are doing so every day and sometimes two or three times a day. Once you become bored with something you can become lackadaisical in doing it. One of our spirituality teachers taught us a way to help safeguard us from falling into this trap. It is a principle called FLO.

Say (serve) every Mass as if it were your First Mass.

Say (serve) every Mass as if it were your Last Mass.

Say (serve) every Mass as if it were your Only Mass.

As I thought about this principle I realized that it applies just as much to the laity as it does to the clergy. You can never know what is in someone’s heart or what is going through their mind but if you watch the communion lines there seems to be a number of people on autopilot. When you are distributing the Eucharist you can see in many eyes that they are just not present in the moment.

Receiving the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is the single greatest thing we as humans can ever do. Jesus makes himself fully present to us even when some of us aren’t fully present to ourselves.  Then there are those who commonly receive the Eucharist as if they are in line at a fast food restaurant. They grab the Eucharist and quickly swallow as they hurry towards the door. There will be some that will be in their cars and down the street before the last person in line receives our Lord. They have given little thought to who they just asked to dwell within them. They have gotten their ticket punched and are on to better things. Better things?

Let us apply the FLO principle to receiving the Eucharist as well.

Receive the Eucharist as if it were your first time. Think back to the day that you were a first communicant or, if you are a convert, the Easter Sunday you became a full member of the Church of Christ. Remember how awesome it felt to receive the Lord, something up until that point you could only watch. I remember being full of joy unable to hold back the tears.

Receive the Eucharist is if it were your last time. Viaticum, food for the journey. This will be the last time you will be able to receive the Lord before standing before him in the judgment. He gives you himself as nourishment for the journey home. The last thing you want to do is grab and go. You want to spend as much time with him here as possible.

Receive the Eucharist as if it will be the only time you will ever receive him. This is the first and last times combined. If you could only receive the Eucharist just once in your life would you run for the door?

Each and every time we receive the Eucharist we should practice FLO. Be fully present to him and realize just who you are accepting into your body. Cherish him as if he will be the last food you will ever consume. Take time to prepare yourself properly and be in a state of grace so you can receive all the grace the Sacrament has to offer. Take time to be with him and invite him into your life. The rest of your life will wait for this moment to be over. There is nothing more important that this moment. Be present to him.

Lord, I welcome you into my life. I ask you to live in me and dwell within me. Let the light of your love fill me completely and burn out all of the darkness within me. Use me as an empty vessel to carry the light of your love to those still in darkness. When they look upon your light let them see only you through me. Make me an icon of your love. I love you Lord. Thank you for giving me your body and blood.

Puting Disorder in Perspective

In the movie “I Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” there is a scene where the LGBT community is having a costume party. Gathered outside is a group of religious zealots who are protesting the event. They shout, “Gay is not the way” and “Homosexuality is an abomination”. You see how badly these words hurt the party goers and you can empathize with their struggle. 

Art often imitates life and this is no exception. Religious groups all over the world constantly protest and scream hatred towards these people because spewing hate is the easiest way to convert someone. The Westboro Baptist Church has captured headlines in recent years by protesting at the funerals of service members who made the ultimate sacrifice in war because of the government’s inclusion of people with same sex attraction in our military. This seems like such a long way from Jesus’ command to love our enemies. And therein lays the problem. The LGBT community is viewed as the enemy instead of people of God who are struggling with a disordered attraction.

A friend, a fallen away Catholic whose son has same sex attraction, recently asked me why the Catholic Church hates homosexuals. He left the Church because his son was not accepted there. He was open to listen and so we had a chat.

God created all things and all things were created good. All things were created by Love, through love, for love, and to love. God’s design is perfect. Through the envy of the devil sin came into the world and with it disorder. The second law of thermodynamics states that the state of entropy will always increase over time. In other words order always tends towards disorder. The natural course, if left unchecked, will always move towards chaos.

God created a perfect order, the way things are supposed to work. Anything that is contrary to this order is a disorder. God’s order for the family is one man, one woman, married for life, producing children. Anything that is contrary to that is a disorder. Same sex attraction is a disorder. At the same time so are fruitless-by-choice marriages, divorce, cohabitation, and casual sex. In God’s eyes these disorders are the same, disorders. There are those who think they speak for God who believe some disorders are worse than others. With all things being equal, a disorder is not a sin. Sin comes into play in the way we respond to a disorder.

It has been said that the Catholic Church hates the sin but loves the sinner. The problem comes in when we, who profess to be Catholic, mistake a disorder for a sin. We hate the disorder. But the truth of the matter is that we are all sinners therefore we all suffer from some type of disorder. The non-hypocritical thing then would be to all hate each other. That’s exactly what the devil wants us to do and exactly why Jesus commanded us to love one another has he loves us.

The Catholic Church does not hate those who suffer from same sex attraction. She does not view that disorder as being fundamentally worse than any other disorder. People who suffer with this disorder have the same dignity that every other child of God has and they demand the same respect due to this dignity. The Church is a safe haven for those who suffer with this or any other disorder. It is the only place one can find forgiveness and healing for responding to a disorder in the wrong way, a sinful way. As members of the body of Christ we should be standing on the steps of the Church welcoming every person with open arms. Instead, we are viewed as being locked arm in arm chanting “Gay is not the way. Repent or burn in Hell!”

This does not mean that the Church can or will accept a LGBT lifestyle as an acceptable lifestyle. At the same time friends with benefits, premarital sex, divorce and remarriage, or just casual sex is just as unacceptable. We don’t shun parishioners who are shacking up playing married and we shouldn’t be shunning people who are suffering with same sex attraction.

Love one another as I have loved you. Imagine what a world would look like if more of us could do just that.

Definitive Proof of God…kind of.

A priest and an atheist were walking down the beach one morning. They came across a Rolex laying in the sand. The atheist looked at the priest and asked, “How do you think this got here.”

After a moment of deep thought the priest replied. “After hundreds of millions of years of the waves churning up the shore it just formed there for us to find.”

“Do you know how absurd that sounds?” asked the atheist.

The priest just smiled. “Yes, I do.”

I find atheism to be greatly absurd. Many atheists tend to be scientifically oriented and tell us we need to be open minded to possibility but absolutely shut down the possibility of a supreme being, an intelligent designer, a creator, let’s call him…God. Atheist scientists reject God because they cannot prove he exists yet most of what they do propose is considered theory because it also cannot be definitively proven either. The proof that Judeo-Christian religions give for the existence of God is just as sound as some of the evidence science gives for some of their theories. So let’s start at the beginning and see where this takes us.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. The earth was without form and darkness covered creation. Then God said, “Let there be light”, and there was light.

The universe emerged from an extremely dense singularity. There was an explosion of light and matter that has been expanding ever since. This is known as the “Big Bang Theory” and is widely accepted in scientific circles to be the most plausible cause for the beginning of life as we know it. Ironically, this theory was put forth by the Belgian Catholic priest, astronomer, and professor of physics Reverend Georges Lemaître. Notice that the two statements do not directly conflict with one another. It is more like two different witnesses explaining what they saw in their own way.

Then God separated the heaven from the earth and the earth was formed amid the ocean.

Science tells us that the Earth formed around 4.54 billion years ago, approximately one-third the age of the universe, by accretion from the solar nebula. Volcanic outgassing probably created the primordial atmosphere and then the ocean, but the early atmosphere contained almost no oxygen. Still no direct conflict…

Then God created the trees and the animals, birds of the air, and fish of the sea. Last God created man.

The Hadean eon represents the time before a reliable (fossil) record of life; it began with the formation of the planet and ended 4.0 billion years ago. The following Archean and Proterozoic eons produced the beginnings of life on Earth and its earliest evolution. The succeeding eon is the Phanerozoic, divided into three eras: the Palaeozoic, an era of arthropods, fishes, and the first life on land; the Mesozoic, which spanned the rise, reign, and climactic extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs; and the Cenozoic, which saw the rise of mammals. Recognizable humans emerged at most 2 million years ago, a vanishingly small period on the geological scale. Seems that science and the Bible tend to be in general agreement here.

So science tells us that everything just exploded into being from seemingly nothingness. Then gases gathered together and began to cool forming the stars and the planets and the other celestial objects. One of those planets, earth, was first a gas, then cooled to a molten solid. During that time all of the different atoms began to form and then those atoms gathered together to form molecules. Time, pressure, and heat all combined in just the right order and amount that one of these molecules began alive and was the first living single celled creature. That creature reproduced and reproduced and reproduced and eventually evolved to a new creature. This process continued until the earth was teaming with life and eventually, through evolution, man came into being.

But there is no supreme being, no intelligent designer, no God who put all of this into motion. Nature did all of this on its own. Here’s my rub with all of that…

If we were going to build anything, a house, a bridge, a giant sky scraper, the first thing we do is to create a blueprint. The blueprint tells the builder how to build the object. Life is no different. Life has a blueprint. The blueprint of life on earth is deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA. DNA is an acid, a protein structure that instructs a cell on what it is to do, replicate, live. All life on this planet contains DNA and DNA does not naturally exist outside of the cell structure. DNA itself is not alive. 

We have been able to map out the human DNA genome. It is complex and genius in its structure. Like our Rolex on the beach it could not have just formed on its own and then gone on to create the cell in which it lived. It would be more plausible to say that a fetus is capable of forming its mother around it and then move on with its development.

Scientists generally agree that the genome points to an intelligent designer but atheist scientists refuse to make the jump to calling that designer God.

I was once on a flight with a woman who asked me what I thought was between the particles of an atom. I did not have an answer as I have never seen a scientific one. She said that she thought that it was God’s love and that it was his love that keeps the atom together. At the time I thought the woman was a bit bananas but the further my formation goes the more I know that she was absolutely correct.

DNA is God’s fingerprint on every single living cell. For me, it is definitive proof of the existence of God. God is love and love can never be forced. For love to exist there has to be a choice. God has given us the choice to believe in him or not and has given us enough wiggle room to logically argue ourselves out of belief.

Angels definitely know of God’s existence. For them their only choice is to serve or to revolt. There is no middle ground. Man was offered love over choice. This was the true envy of the devil.