bg-image

Homily

25th Sunday Ordinary Time – Seek the Lord!

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Is. 55:6-9; Ps 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18; Phil. 1:20c-24, 27a; Mt. 20:1-16a

“Seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near” is both an invitation and a warning.  The invitation is to recognize God in his infinite love and mercy calling us back to him.  He is with us even as we live in the flesh that our labor may be fruitful.  God is a generous God to those who serve him in his kingdom.  The invitation also includes a warning that our day is passing quickly and soon this life will come to an end and with it our opportunity to seek the Lord while he may be found.  If we but call out to him he is near to us seeking us in our hearts. 

The hope of the gospel is that we can come to God whether it is the first hour of our life or the last hour of our life while in the flesh.  The story of the landowner who goes out to hire workers throughout the day giving each the same wage at the end of the day has a parallel to the story of the prodigal son.  The son who remained with the father working all his life felt cheated by his father who received his brother back with great love and mercy after his brother spent his share of the inheritance.  In both parables, the landowner and the father demonstrate a generous heart.  The love of God is the love of a Father.  

Recall what we tell our children when they are little, “I love to the moon and back.”  They grow up and realize we can now travel to the moon and back so compared to God’s love of “infinity and beyond”, no comparison.  It wasn’t that long ago when our kids couldn’t wait to move out of their parent’s house and be independent and we were “helicopter parents” trying to follow them.  Now many are in no rush to leave the nest and we can’t wait for them to go get a job and have their own life.  The moon is college and they went there and have come back home.  The Lord reminds us, “my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways”. 

Those who come into his kingdom and serve God all the days of our lives receive the promise of heaven.  Those who are to come later in life can also receive the promise of the Father.  Some are faithful from the cradle to the grave but many of us have veered through our life separating ourselves from God, Church, even from our family falling into sin.  The love of God is mercy and justice.  In mercy God desires all to enter heaven and in justice he provides the path of purification we call purgatory to “wash our baptismal robes” as Dante claims. 

Purgatory is the promise of heaven but not yet and can be the joy of suffering in redemption for our sins already forgiven.  We can liken this to going to receive the sacrament of reconciliation.  When we go to confession the priest gives us the absolution and our sins are forgiven.  He then gives us our penance which we are to joyfully fulfill in thanksgiving to God for his love and mercy.  Purgatory is the heavenly penance we owe our Lord for his justice in final preparation for heaven. 

God desires all to be saved and today he gives us all hope that it is never too late to seek the Lord, turn from our ways and follow his call to salvation. 

Tags
Shared this
Views

168 views


The Deacon

Accompanied by ..
Copyright by TagleStar 2016
Powered by TagleStar Website Development

bg-image

Homily

24th Sunday Ordinary Time – Law of reciprocity!

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Sir. 27:30-28:7; Ps 103:1-4, 9-12; Rom. 14:7-9; Mt. 18:21-35

The law of reciprocity is based on the golden rule to treat others as you would wish to be treated.  Jesus is calling us to live by the law of reciprocity as Jesus lived and died for us, we are to live and die for him.  God forgives us infinitely of our sins but he also calls us to live by the law of reciprocity forgiving others infinitely their “debt” as he forgives us ours.  Jesus places himself at the center of forgiveness of sins between humanity. 

Generally, we think of the law of reciprocity as an “equal give-and-take”.  When we receive a gift, we feel obliged to offer something in return as a mutual exchange.  When we have gift exchanges during the holidays, we set a gift limit dollar amount to ensure equity in the gift exchange.  When someone commits a crime the justice system sets limits on the punishment phase as a just punishment for the crime.  We act out of a sense of fairness that underlies the law of reciprocity. 

When Peter asks Jesus “how often must I forgive”, he is thinking between human relationships.  Our world however is not just between us humans, it is between us and God.  Jesus binds the debt of forgiveness between humans to himself and his sacrifice for us.  We owe it to Jesus to forgive others as he has forgiven us infinitely.  In this we die to ourselves when we come to realize it is not about us but how we are called to serve him with all our heart, mind and soul.  Jesus gave himself completely on the cross for us and we are to respond to this sacrifice in like manner giving ourselves completely to him.

Often young couples go into marriage with the idea that marriage follows the law of reciprocity as an equal 50-50 give-and-take.  It does not take long to realize there is something wrong with that picture.  The first few years are a battle trying to get to 50/50 and it is not working.  They may even come to marriage counseling to get their spouse to live up to their expectations.  Find a couple that has been married for 50 years and the “secret” is you give without counting, you forgive without recalling, and you sacrifice from your heart.  Its not 50/50 but 100/100%.

One of the blessings of having children is the lesson of sacrificial love we learn from them.  A child comes into a couple’s life and now both are covered with a binding sacrificial love for the child that transforms their hearts not only for the child but for each other.  The mistake some will make however is placing the love of a child above the love of a spouse.  Sacrificial love does not minimize nor is divided between each other and each child that is born.  Sacrificial love multiples the gift of self with greater graces in that the more we give the more we receive in return. 

Love humanizes us to a greater degree.  Love does not imply we never get angry.  Do we have a right to be angry?  Yes, anger has a just purpose in life.  Anger is like a fever in that the problem is not the fever but what underlies the cause of the fever.  Anger is a symptom and we need to examine the cause on its merit.  It moves us to speak and right action.  Jesus became angry in the temple with the money exchangers.  He was moved to action. 

We learn that “The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.”  The Lord forgives us infinitely when we come to confession and seek his forgiveness but he calls us to go forth and do the same to our neighbor following the law of reciprocity what we owe to God for his mercy and forgiveness.  In imitation of Christ, we too are called to be “slow to anger” recalling the Lord’s mercy on us.  We are to pray, “Lord I forgive as you have forgiven me, please heal my injured heart.”  He will heal us and lead us to right action. 

Anger can become weaponized to turn the law of reciprocity as a right for revenge, an eye for an eye.  “You hurt me thus I have a right to hurt you back”.  Recall Jesus teaching, “So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgive your brother from your heart.”  When anger becomes wrath, it turns into poison that injures three, ourselves, the one we are angry at and our relationship with God.  When anger becomes wrath, it turns one sinner into two wounding the hearts not just of the two but of many affected by the two.  The injury is now carried by others who share the suffering. 

In the law of reciprocity, the forgiveness of one also becomes multiplied by the many allowing others to share in the healing and mercy given as a gift.  It spreads the love of God and his compassion helping us all become more faithful to God and his teaching.  This is the work of the Spirit in the kingdom of God we are all called to serve.  Justice and mercy are both acts of love of God and one remains united to the other.  The Lord suffers his justice for our sins to bring us also his mercy but it cannot be without us fulfilling his commandment “to love another as I have loved you.” 

 Today Jesus comes fulfilling his duty to warn us, we carry a debt to God for our sins.  This debt can be completely forgiven but it requires a transformation of our heart.  In the mercy of God heaven will still be waiting “until we should pay back the whole debt”, a sign of purgatory for our hardness of heart or we can begin to receive the freedom of forgiveness and the glory of his kingdom now and forever.  There is a choice, choose wisely. 

Tags
Shared this
Views

130 views


The Deacon

Accompanied by ..
Copyright by TagleStar 2016
Powered by TagleStar Website Development

bg-image

Homily

23rd Sunday Ordinary Time – Love fulfills the law

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Ez. 33:7-9; Ps 95:1-2, 6-9; Rom. 13:8-10; Mt. 18:15-20

Love fulfills the law!  The law of love is the practice of truth, Godly truth.  Today we hear that the law of love also carries a responsibility not only for our actions but to address the actions of the one we love.  God says “I will hold you responsible” not for the sins of another but for having remained silent and not warned “the wicked from his ways”.  God did not come to be a god of convenience but went about speaking truth to power.  He backed up what he said with the power of his word. 

In God’s world there is no “safe space” to practice sin and we are all called to be a voice for righteousness.  It is our sacramental duty to speak up against sin, to evangelize for Godly truth, to be a witness of faith by our very actions and yes, there will be repercussions, rejection, attack, and persecutions of every kind “but you shall save yourself”.  The voice of Godly truth is spoken with and through love that fulfills the law without compromise to the truth.   

The practice of the law of love comes with the duty to warn and it begins in the home called to be a domestic church.  The duty to warn however also requires the duty to love.  We are to hold onto the principle that the means does not justify the ends.  We cannot yell, threaten, or impose unjust punishment to gain compliance against the will of the other.  The Lord invites us to come to him and receive from him what is good, pleasing and perfect in his kingdom.  To inherit the kingdom of God is not an entitlement where all get to go to heaven.  We should never assume or take for granted God’s love, his mercy, or ignore his justice.   To be a law there must be truth and justice that underlies all love of God. 

The duty to warn must also reflect Godly love as well as Godly truth.  How often do we come to church knowing one of the family remained at home with no interest in giving to God of themselves an act of thanksgiving, with no desire to receive God’s body and blood and gain his holiness, with no sense of guilt for having offended God by rejecting him in the sacramental life of the church?  What are we to do?  We love, we pray and we invite not once but always. 

Godly truth and Godly love are both one and the same reflection of God.  It is better to say, “I pray that you will join me in going to church” than to keep repeating “missing church is a sin” when the baptized Christian already knows the truth.  It is better to speak of how we can “love them both” when speaking of abortion than to argue about the legality of personhood where we are able to do something about the former and not simply debate the latter.  Godly love is an invitation to dialogue in Godly truth and not to turn Godly truth into a weapon against the sinner. 

The duty to warn is an act of love delivered with God’s love and mercy.  This is how we are to love others as we love ourselves with the same sensitivity as a child of God.  This is how we witness to others when we avoid sin in our own lives and humbly acknowledge when we have failed to love.  We want others to desire what we have “Oh that you would hear his voice” and “harden not your hearts”.  The sign of God’s love in us is joy and peace in the midst of hardship, still giving of ourselves from the goodness we have received.  The cheerful giver is not one without troubles but one whose troubles don’t define their state of being grateful to God. 

In the gospel today, Jesus is speaking to his disciples giving them instructions on how to be a servant leader.  Jesus describes a process of gradual intervention we often refer to as subsidiarity where matters are handled beginning at the lowest level before progressing to higher authority. 

The principle of subsidiarity is that individuals should have the courage to face each other and speak to the issue that divides them.  It is so tempting to avoid the person or the issue directly with the one involved and go to our friend, family, or neighbor to complain about them.  The excuse given is “I tried but they won’t listen” so we give up.  We never take the next step which is to seek support from someone else who sees what you see or maybe even experiences the same issues and can both speak to the problem.  Instead, we remain silent even feeling isolated with our own dilemma. 

Today, Jesus is reminding us “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”  When we come together in prayer and deed the power of the word is granted by Jesus as he promised “there am I in the midst of them.”  If Jesus is with us who can be against us?    Jesus also comes to us through his church who has been given authority to “bind” and to “loosen”.  Jesus was entrusting his disciples to remain united as one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. 

The Church is in the midst of a Synodal process coming together as a universal church around the world.  Its mission is to pray and listen to the call of God in the Son and through the Holy Spirit with the power to bind and to loosen.  Some are fearful that it may unleash a “pandora’s box” fearful of deviating from Catholic doctrine while others are hopeful for change within the church. 

Pope Francis keeps calling for “dialogue”.  When love fulfills the law, it stands for truth and justice not according to our will but to the will of God.  The law of love must then be attentive to the voice of God not with any new revelation but with the confirmation that love is an organic process that deepens us in God’s truth and does not contradict itself.  God is not a contradiction and neither is the law of love.

Jesus reminds us that love binds and loosens the spirit of the law as we discern what is good, pleasing, and prefect for the will of God.  God’s will is to fill us with his graces that we may be in his glory for all eternity.  The duty to warn is simply the opposite side of the same coin calling others into God’s loving hands.  Those we love we warn and we embrace with our prayers for even greater conversion for both them and us. 

Tags
Shared this
Views

115 views


The Deacon

Accompanied by ..
Copyright by TagleStar 2016
Powered by TagleStar Website Development

bg-image

Homily

22nd Sunday Ordinary Time – God wants you!

Posted on by Deacon Joe

Jer. 20:7-9; Ps 63:2-6, 8-9; Rom. 12:1-2; Mt. 16:21-27

God wants you!  God knows you and calls you by name, but it is not the name of our childbirth.  God has a name for us.  Do you know your name?  God wants you and I, mind, heart, and body, our whole being to be the sacrifice we offer up to him.  God does not settle for less but for the best of ourselves that we can be for his glory.  God is ready for us to “be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect”.  Are we ready for God?  Are we ready to surrender to his will, his vision for us, the calling that belongs to us?  The Father of life creates life with a divine purpose and he is waiting for us to receive him that he may “enlighten the eyes of our hearts and we may know what is the hope that belongs to our call.” 

God’s call for you and I is a personal call, he knows us by name and he desires us to discover that name.  What is in a God given name?  It is not the name of our childbirth but a God given name that comes with a divine purpose.  We should pray to know God’s name for us that we may respond to the call that comes with that name.  Abram’s name meant “high father” but Abraham means “father of many”.  Jacob’s name means ‘deceiver” having deceived his twin brother as heir to the birthright but changed to Israel meaning “one who struggles with God” because he overcame his struggle with God and with humans and was transformed into God’s faithful servant. 

When we bring a child for baptism we are asked “what name do you give your child?”  We often don’t consider a spiritual meaning to our child’s name.  In the past children were often given a name for the saint of the day as one of two names and many girls carried the name Mary as one of their two names.  This tradition has been forgotten in our times but we see it still in religious orders and when the Popes give to themselves a new name.  In the secular world people have no problem renaming themselves but it has nothing to do with God’s call and more for self-glorification.  Yet Jesus reminds us “what profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” 

In every human soul there is a warrior spirit to carry the fight.  This warrior spirit comes from God with a divine purpose to love, serve, and sacrifice.  What we love we will sacrifice for and it will serve a greater purpose than ourselves.  We sacrifice for our family out of love and serve each other that all may be united as one.  This is God’s call that we may all be one in him.  Jesus however calls us to love, serve, and sacrifice beyond our family to the degree of self-denial to “take up his cross and follow me”. 

Today, Jeremiah is suffering an interior crisis in accepting his call to be a prophet for the Lord.  He calls out to God, “You duped me, O Lord, and I let myself be duped.”  Recall when a child comes about to ask for something there is a different pitch in their voice and so is in a spouse.  You know something is coming yet out of love of the person we accept being “duped” because we cannot resist their love.  This is Jeremiah’s reaction to God.  Jeremiah could not deny the Lord his calling knowing he would be persecuted.  In his weakness he wanted to remain silent but he could not contain himself what he knew was the truth God had revealed to him.  Even in weakness he understood there was only one right choice in serving God.  Do we recognize the choice God is asking of us this day?  In prayer we “discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect” obedience to his call. 

Suffering and dying to oneself will bring us to a crossroads where we will experience an interior crisis of faith, hope and love.  It presents in the many faces of suffering through sickness, death of a loved one, betrayal, persecution, rejection, even abandonment being forgotten as we age.  In the dark night where can we go, who can we turn to who truly knows us as we are but the one true God who brought us into this world and will come to take us with him.  A crisis of faith is a calling out to God to rescue us from our very selves, to see ourselves as he sees us, his love, mercy, and passion that died for us and will never abandon us. The God we trust more than ourselves.  God now and forever. 

Jesus is calling us to follow in his footsteps by being a warrior for what is good, pleasing, and perfect love of God.  When Peter takes Jesus aside and tries to rebuke him, he speaks as “human beings do”.  This is the same Peter who just before spoke through the Holy Spirit that Jesus was the “Christ, the son of the living God.”  How quickly he has returned to his human way of thinking.  How quickly we can lose focus of God’s call and will for us and become immersed in our own world unless we remain constantly coming to receive him in word, sacrament, and in prayer.  Peter reminds us that Satan never rests from being a distraction in the least and on the attack at worst. 

The universal church is under attack around the world.  In some places public worship is not allowed and the attack is from outside the church.  Most recently we had the Little Sister of the Poor having to defend their faith and practices all the way to the Supreme Court.  Traditional church values have been targeted as “extremist” and compared to “terroristic threats”.  Attack from the outside however is nothing new if we think back to the persecution of the early church.  The more it was persecuted the stronger and greater it grew.  This mystery is the fruit of sacrifice that came from the cross and martyrdom.  This calling remains today.  We are to not fear Satan from the outside. 

We are to be vigilant of Satan coming from the inside under the shadow of progressiveness.  Change can be good but it also can be the work of evil.  Jesus reminds us “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be wise as serpents, and innocent as doves”.  Change that is self-serving is not the will of God.  The innocence of a warrior dove is that it delivers the “truth” as revealed by God and not by man.  A wise serpent recognizes the conduct of the evil serpent and is ready to be stand firm even at the cost of itself.  God wants you and I to stand firm and may our name be revealed with holy meaning that stands with and for Christ. 

God calls us by name so consider what God’s name for us is today.  God’s naming reflects his purpose and today he may be calling us “prayer warrior, voice of justice, fearless faith, comfort to the suffering, mercy to the unjust, hope in persecution”.  Most of all he calls us his own. 

Tags
Shared this
Views

138 views


The Deacon

Accompanied by ..
Copyright by TagleStar 2016
Powered by TagleStar Website Development