22nd Sunday Ordinary Time – Doers of the Word!

Posted on August 31, 2024August 30, 2024 by Deacon Joe

Dt. 4: 1-2, 6-8; Ps. 15:2-5; Jas. 1:17-18, 21b-22,27; Mk. 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Called to be “doers of the word and not hearers only” give true testimony of our faith by taking right action. Doers of the word are united to the heart of Jesus to receive every good gift from above. The good gifts from above lead us to the service of others that we may taste and see the goodness of the Lord. A doer of the word does justice and justice is to care for the sick, the suffering, and the poor. We give without counting the cost because in the end if we belong to God then all we have and all we are is his blessing upon our life.

Moses gave the statues and decrees to go along with the commandments with a word of warning not to add or subtract from them. Over a thousand years later Jesus is calling out the Pharisees for “teaching as doctrines human precepts” meaning they raise their own traditions as a doctrine from God while disregarding the commandments from God. They not only added so many rules but they have raised their rules to be equal to God’s teaching. In doing so they make of themselves the god of authority and not the servant of the God of authority. They have become empty vessels of the truth of God filling themselves with evil thought, unchastity, theft, murder and every kind of sin including blasphemy.

In being a “doer of the word”, it begins with recognizing it is all about God and not about us. It is a surrender to the will of God. We empty ourselves of ourselves to receive the graces necessary to live the word of God. This is hard to do. It demands great trust in God and trust is not something that comes easy unless we have a deep relationship with the one, whom we trust.

Who do we trust? All our relationships of trust are based on conditional experience. We learn to trust and distrust as we grow in relationship with others. How much have we grown in our relationship with God? We may be a ship out in the deep waters waiting for the wind to send us in some direction without purpose or destiny. God is our destiny and he provides us our purpose in life as a doer of the word so let us be as people of action, doing what is right, just, and guided by our Lord and savior.

How good are we as doers of the word, that is living the word of God? To keep oneself “unstained by the world” is not easy when we want to belong to the world and receive every good gift from the world. We see what others have and we are tempted to desire it for ourselves. We enter into what the world offers and soon learn that there is a cost to what is described as a “rat race” to be first and a “dog eat dog” culture that in order to get ahead there will be a cost that demands we compromise our values, accept the world on its terms, and “play by their rules”. It does not have to be this way. When we trust in the Lord, he will provide the means and the way to remain in him and his righteousness.

It all begins with what is in the heart, the good and the evil that are constantly at battle. When the heart is burdened by every kind of evil temptation it does little good to simply ponder our weakness. Overcoming our weakness comes from taking right action and doing an act of justice, charity, humility and sacrifice. The act can be transformative to the heart giving life to the heart of love and God is love. Just “do it” and let God give birth to the virtues of love. A doer of the word is doing the will of God and it pleases our Lord to see the soul surrender in obedience to his word.

The Lord comes in glory to lift up the soul who is faithful to his word, not waiting for a sign, not waiting to receive the gift or a special calling. God does not send an email, a letter, or a messenger to move us into action. He has already sent us Jesus and given us the word to follow so now its up to us to respond.

Tags

0

Shared this

Views

51 views

Homily The Deacon Joe

Heaven or hell – 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on November 13, 2021November 10, 2021 by Deacon Joe

Dan. 12:1-3; Ps. 16:5, 8-11; Heb. 10:11-14, 18; Mk. 13:24-32

Heaven or hell that is the question. As we come to the end of the church calendar year the readings have focused on the end times, the last four things to come; death, judgement, heaven or hell. The study of the last four things is called Eschatology. The time of tribulation is upon us. It began as soon as Jesus was lifted on the cross but now its our turn to pass through the tribulation of our times and answer the question for ourselves, heaven or hell. Will we rise or will we fall? Will we be found “written in the book” to live forever or fall into the everlasting horror of disgrace? One way to answer the question is whether we are we among those who “lead many to justice” or whether we contributed to the sin of others.

Often, we fail to ask ourselves if we have lead others to sin or to justice. Wisdom from Daniel today is asking us to examine our lives based on the impact we have made in the lives of others. It is not just about my responsibility to myself but also my responsibility to others and it begins in the home. For example, the moral compass we teach our children to follow. Does the commandment “you shall not kill” apply to the unborn? Does hate speech lead others to justice or to sin? Does “male and female he created them” allow someone to change their sexual identity? Have we led others to love God or to just love themselves without awareness of their creation in the image of God? Our action or inaction has a lasting consequence for the good of justice or for the sin of injustice. It is the ripple effect from generation to generation that keeps on giving or sinning.

We have a tendency to judge ourselves based on a simple attitude that “I am a good person”. Let us recall the words of Jesus, “Why do you call me good, only God is good.” We are sinners and we have a tendency to overlook our sins. We might assume that if we have not committed a grave sin we are headed straight to heaven. Thank God for purgatory for the sins we have overlooked. We may be surprised of all the sins of omission we committed in not responding to the call to serve God in every moment and opportunity we had to “go forth” and live the gospel.

The good news is that “by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated”. The baptized are being consecrated to live the gospel. When we come seeking forgiveness “there is no longer offering for sin”, his sacrifice has atoned for our sin on the path to heaven and yet there is still a judgment day to come. Now then the question is “have we come seeking forgiveness” or are we in the delusion that being a good person there is no need to seek forgiveness and remain in our sin till the day of judgment. “But the wise shall shine brightly” for in their humility they have come seeking forgiveness as often as they fall and “rise like the stars”. Heaven not hell is the just reward for the penitent. “Lord have mercy on me a sinner.”

“But of that day or hour” be vigilant. Recently a servant of the Lord came knocking on my door. He had recently been baptized in his protestant faith and was sharing his views on the end times. He believed we were living the end times in our generation and the Lord would come soon. I could not agree with him more with the exception that he understood it would be in his lifetime. “There is no time with God: a thousand years, a single day, it is all one (2 Peter 3:8)”. Jesus says, “Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place”. The disciples heard this and believed it represented “the Son of Man coming in the clouds” in their lifetime. But in the absence of time with God the “day or hour” is simply the moment he has established for “all these things (to) have taken place”. God’s time is always in the present thus we are to look at the last four things as always happening in the current moment. Each day many come face to face with their last four things their death, their particular judgment, and heaven or hell. That moment could be our moment on any day.

Who is in hell? The Church is silent and we won’t know for sure till until we pass through the last four things but in Dante’s “Divine Comedy” (c.1320) there are nine circles of hell and he places three Popes there. We might have our own list of who we consider having gained the judgment of hell but as the sinner hung on the cross next to Jesus and asked to be remembered Jesus gave him the gift of mercy. Hell is real and Jesus proclaims it in Mathew 25:45-46 “He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of the least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” “Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. (Mt. 25:41)” Eternal punishment is hell for there no more hope of salvation from this suffering. The path to heaven or hell is clearly laid out for us by Jesus.

The world is filled with many who are among the least who hunger, thirst, are a stranger, locked up within the cells of sinners and have no one to bring them the care from heaven. They are the golden path for us to bring them the kingdom of God we carry within us and minister to their needs. This is the path of righteousness Jesus is calling us to follow. If we claim to be “a good person” are we a good person to the least or just good to those we love? If God came calling this day and placed us in front of a mirror, what do we see? Do we simply see ourselves or do we see the image of Christ in us, or is the reflection darkened by our sins that we cannot make out the image in front of us? If we see the image of Christ then heaven not hell is waiting. If we simply see ourselves then the “good person” we believe we are may need to the path of purgatory to wash clean their baptismal robes. But, if we cannot see an image through the darkness of sin hell not heaven may be coming soon.

We are to learn to seek, go, and do. We are to seek daily the mercy of God, go to confession when we knowingly have committed mortal sin, and do acts of penance and reparation. Like children we want to be forgiven and the sin forgotten and let Jesus’ suffering once atone for our sins. Is there a need for us to do our reparation to atone for our sins? Repentance comes with doing an act of love for the wrong we have committed. Let us never ignore, forget, or discount the value of doing reparation for our sins. Just like those “small” sins add up so do our small acts of love to bring us the grace of God from heaven. To love God with all our heart, mind and soul is to join him in his suffering for our sins and the sins of the world with the love of atonement. The love of prayer is atonement, the love of the Mass is atonement, and the love of serving the least is also atonement. Heaven or hell waits but not for long.

Tags

Shared this

Views

235 views

Homily

25th Sunday Ordinary Time – Not fair!

Posted on September 19, 2020September 18, 2020 by Deacon Joe

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

Not fair! How often have we heard those words from our children or felt in our hearts “life is not fair!” Our God says, “Let the scoundrel…turn to the Lord for mercy…who is generous in forgiving”. Not fair claim the self-righteous unless we happen to be the scoundrel then righteousness turns to gratitude. That is why the Lord says, “so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.”

Mercy is for all who call upon the Lord. The parable by Jesus in the gospel is more about the Lord’s generosity to confront our sense of entitlement. Each laborer received “the usual daily wage” even though all did not work the same hours. The laborers “grumbled” with a heart of injustice, “not fair”. Yet we know “The Lord is just in all his ways and holy in all his works”. What we fail to see is that this life of ours is the beginning of all things the Alpha of the Lord’s work in us, but the Omega is the eternal yet to come when all justice is revealed to us.

Not fair that we wait for justice! Give thanks that the Lord is generous with these days of ours to correct our sin and seek holiness while there is still time before we face the test of justice, the purgatory of life, the call to give an account of our own to the Master. Let us pray to be worthy works of his love as his servants.

Perhaps St. Paul gives us some understanding in his letter to the Philippians when he says, “For to me life is Christ and death is gain.” This complete surrender to God is a pearl in the ocean of fish. There are many fish in the ocean of humanity but few pearls willing to surrender completely to the Lord. There are many religious but few saints. There are many scoundrels but few repentant souls. That is why the Lord is near to all who call upon him in truth. In his goodness comes mercy as a Father of love.

St. Paul reminds us we are the “works” of the Lord, the works he is free to accomplish in us and through us as we surrender to him. St. Teresa of Calcutta prayed to be a “pencil” in the hand of the Lord. Her life was a storybook of surrender accomplishing the works of the Lord. We each have our state in life as single, married, widow, parent, religious, layperson, clergy with works waiting to be accomplished for the Lord. The beauty of serving the Lord’s works is the transformation of our being as a work of holiness in the hands of the Lord. Call upon the Lord in truth and be transformed as we put our trust in him.

Consider the heart of our Blessed Mother Mary alongside her son in his passion. He came into the world with all his works of love offering forgiveness, mercy, healing, compassion for the sick and poor, and teaching for the just and his reward by humanity was to crucify him. She held all things in her heart knowing she carried the divine child in her arms with the gift of seeing him again in the resurrection only to see him depart in the clouds. Her total surrender from the beginning claiming “I am the handmaid of the Lord” sustained her faith, hope and love beyond what this world could see. She did not seek fairness only offered up her love. This was her fiat for us to follow.

The heavens rejoice when we offer our self up in union with the sacrifice Jesus makes for us. Let us make an act of surrender this day in prayer: Lord of love and generosity, I consecrate myself to your sacred heart in surrender of my mind, will, and spirit to be transformed as a work of your presence in this world to accomplish the “works” your will for me in this day by the graces of your generosity in truth and obedience to your command. In my weakness come to my awareness your constant presence, your ways above my ways, and your thoughts above my thoughts that I may see your hand at work in me. Amen.

Tags

Shared this

Views

203 views

Homily

2nd Week of Advent Year

Posted on December 6, 2019December 6, 2019 by Deacon Joe

Is 11:1-10; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Rom 15:4-9; Mt 3:1-12

On that day is now this day! Who is this baby who “shall play by the cobra’s den…and the child lays his hand on the adder’s lair”? Where are justice and the fullness of peace forever? It is Jesus and in Jesus! He is the “root of Jesse” who fills the earth with knowledge of the Lord. It is our time now to “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths” in our hearts, our lives in relationship with Jesus our King. The path into his kingdom is repentance.

We live in a world full with a “brood of vipers” spreading injustice, turmoil, war, and division. Where do we choose for a lair? Our rest is in the Lord. This is the day when our neighbor is a bear or a lion we do not fear for the spirit of the Lord rests upon him who receives him that is Christ Jesus. Receive Jesus and fear not. The spirit comes with knowledge and understanding to take right action in good counsel and strength. Our strength is in the Lord to climb the “holy mountain”. This “holy mountain” is the kingdom of God given to us at baptism.

The holy mountain in baptism comes with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Our pilgrimage is to climb the mountain as we grow and mature in faith through this life. It comes with graces that are spiritual gifts in our “tool box” to meet the challenges up the mountain of life. At times we say “life happens” but does it really just happen or do we journey by choice along a path? We may even get lost and stumble, losing sight of our purpose in life. Then the guiding star appears again and we return to the path of righteousness and continue our journey.

He judges the poor with justice, are we not all among the “poor”? Our poverty comes in our suffering physical, emotional, and spiritual warfare. We are the militant church on earth and we have a battlefield each day we rise and offer it up to the Lord. Justice is for the Lord and it comes to those who “produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.” Our battle focuses not on the evil doers even if the wolf comes to be our guest and it will come. It always does. It seeks to test our faithfulness to the truth. Shall we stand or shall we fold to the challenge? The Holy Spirit will direct what we are to say to the ruthless and the wicked as a “rod” to strike the heart of the deceiver.

Our battle focuses on producing good fruit. The band around our waist is the band of justice, do the next right thing trusting in the one who is with us. The next right action is the test of good fruit. We must be prepared for the test. Prayer is the beginning and the end of our preparation. Pray always with a conscious intention before the next important step in the path of justice. Pray in repentance for our sins before the next right reception of the bread and body of Christ in the Eucharist. Pray for the enemy calling for mercy and justice. Pray for perseverance while the test is in process that the struggle up the mountain continue and not turn back down in despair. Pray in thanksgiving for the battle is won through prayer.

The kingdom of heaven is at hand! That day the prophet Isaiah prepares us for is here. Where will we rest our heads tonight?

Tags

Shared this

Views

260 views

Homily The Deacon Joe

16th Sunday Ordinary Time

Posted on July 20, 2019July 19, 2019 by Deacon Joe

Gn. 18: 1-10a; Ps. 15: 2-5; Col. 1: 24-28; Lk. 10: 38-42

“It is Christ in you, the hope for glory.” Christ is our blessing but we must do justice and persevere “with a generous heart” to live in his presence. The world demands “what have you done for me lately?” Our response is “Christ’s justice” not as the world demands but in his glory.

We live in an age of constant stimuli demanding our attention. We look at it as a challenge to be good at multitasking and take pride in doing more at once and in less time. The expectation is that we will have greater productivity and more outcome of success. If this is true then there should be more time in our day for silence, contemplation, prayer, and God. The balance and rebalance of our lifestyle should produce a harvest of time between our commitments to family, work, church, and to our personal growth in Christ. Does it? Temperance is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be in balance with our humanity and spirituality living in Christ and serving in justice for his glory.

“He who does justice” must “think the truth in his heart”. Where is this truth to be found? In the movie the “Passion” Pontius Pilate seemed lost in asking what was “truth” as he is pressured to do “justice” before those who called for Jesus death and the truth in his heart knowing the innocence of Jesus. His choice was to crucify the holy one for his own self-preservation in maintaining control of the crowd. The truth was in his presence and he failed to do justice. As Christians the truth has been placed in our hearts, we have either to respond in the presence of Christ in justice or once again crucify him in our hearts.

Today’s readings we have a contrast between Abraham, Martha and Mary. Abraham was so ready to serve the Lord who appeared to him by offering the three men water to bathe their feet, food to be refreshed giving of his fine flour, choice steer, curds and milk and waited on them as a favor. This is a generous heart in action out of love of God and neighbor and it yields a harvest. The desire to serve others brought Abraham a blessing from God when the men promised him that Sarah “will have a son.” The Lord’s presence moves the hearts of the believers into acts of love and the rewards are greater than we can imagine.

Martha is “burdened” thus her heart is not in her “serving” Jesus it is in her self-preservation. It is all about her. Jesus reminds Martha who is “anxious and worried about many things” taking time to listen to Jesus is “the better part and it will not be taken from” Mary. In fairness to Martha she acted in many ways as Abraham in responding to having a guest show up in the home. The difference was she did not recognize the Lord in her presence acting out of her burden not her love.

Mary is moved in her heart to be still before the presence of Jesus. She is attentive to the truth she witnessing acting out of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. These are the gifts of the Holy Spirit she was experiencing in the presence of Jesus. Prudence because she made a conscious choice to respond to the “need of only one thing…the better part” as Jesus states. Justice because the spirit called her to be a witness to Jesus teaching. Fortitude because she knew her sister wanted her help yet there are times when we must choose between several options of which there is no wrong but one is the better part and it takes courage to make that choice. Finally, temperance is finding that right balance in our lives to be still for God and to be active for God. The active contemplative seeks to do both by being mindful of God in all things for a greater good.

The lesson from Abraham is service is an opportunity to receive God’s blessing when we are generous in our giving of ourselves. From Martha we learn when we make service all about ourselves, we suffer our own burden and little is gained. In Mary we recognize the “better part” begins by being attentive to the Lord in our presence. We are all familiar with the expression “work is never done”. God’s work is never done either so whose work are we attentive to ours, the world’s or where God is calling us to serve?

I remember as a child visiting at my grandmother’s house in Mexico. She had dirt floors and in the winter season they used a tin basin to burn wood to keep warm. The morning routine was to water down the dirt floor to keep the dust down and pack the dirt. Today you buy a floor sweeper to run around the rooms. No sooner has it swept that dust begins to settle on the floor. The convenience of technology is not simplifying our lives unless we make a conscious decision to focus on our priorities. God is a priority in which we can be active through him, with him and in him.

Most of us live active if not overcommitted lives and the world is ready to push information overload and steal any time left. Even our vacations may be planned to fill every hour of the day and the downtime is for social media posting, likes, and following other peoples lives. In other words, we are continuously tempted to fill our minds and time with activities with little lasting value. The expression “what difference does it make?” is an important thought to ask ourselves. A better way to reframe the question is “what difference can I make in Christ?”

Christ will make a great difference in us if we allow him into our lives at every moment to be an instrument of his love, peace, justice, and wisdom. We will make a lasting difference for ourselves in heaven and an immediate difference in the lives of others. Christ in us is the difference for true justice. Invite him and you will be the difference he desires for this world.

Tags

Shared this

Views

261 views

Homily

Friday, Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

Posted on September 8, 2018September 8, 2018 by Deacon Joe

1 Cor. 4: 1-5; Lk. 5: 33-39

The gospel today reminds us of Jesus’ proclamation, “I have come to make all things new.” The reading however brings to light our human struggle in accepting the new with the words, “The old is good.” We have a tendency to not like change. Change can be disruptive, it produces uncertainties. In the old there is familiarity, even if we know it has problems we are familiar and have adapted to those problems. We judge “the old is good” enough why change.

When a new priest is assigned to a parish the first concern is what will he change, “the old is good we are happy with status quo”. The change comes and the complaints start. Just when the new becomes old a change of priest is made and we start over again. The responsorial reminds us, “commit in the Lord your way; trust in him, and he will act”. If we trust in him then we withhold judgment. If we trust in him we become what is new to mold us and fashion us in the potters hands. If you take putty the more you mold it in your hands the softer it becomes. If you let it sit for a long time it becomes hard, dry, and brittle. God needs servants who he can mold to serve the diversity of people in the world. The message of salvation is the same. How we come to the realization and revelation of the message is by being molded in Jesus’ hands as servants for the new evangelization. We have many opportunities to evangelize from birth to death such as in baptisms, weddings, funerals, visiting the sick, feeding the poor, and raising a holy family. The gifts to serve and evangelize are from God when we surrender into his hands.

St. Paul however reminds us in the first reading of the obvious for the church to function as one body. “Now it is of course required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.” Today all are speaking of the crisis in the church which at the heart of the crisis is a breach of trust. The community receives a new priest into the church to be a pastor. The priesthood is a call from God bestowed by the church. Being a pastor comes from the relationship between the priest and the people. It is a relationship not based on blind faith but found trustworthy as “stewards of the mysteries of God” by the good works. Faith and works make for true discipleship, builds trust, and builds God’s kingdom on a strong foundation.

Sadly and tragically we have had wolves in sheep’s clothing using the cover of the church violating the trust of the people. That in itself is a crime and a tragedy. The mishandling of the crime by the church is double jeopardy. The culture of our times trusts transparency not secrecy. Secrecy created a shadow of doubt and division. St. Paul reminds us, “do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes, he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts.” The Lords has come bringing to light what was hidden and the time for penance, reparation, healing, and renewal is upon us. “He will make justice dawn for you like the light; bright as the noonday shall be your vindication.” For the victims the Lord, “is their refuge in times of distress…he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.” Today we pray for deliverance and renewal within the church, “For the Lord loves what is right, and forsakes not his faithful ones. Deliverance and renewal will come but first there must be purification. Purification will be painful for it includes accountability and change. “Change” that word again to which there is resistance. We must all contribute as change agents through penance, prayer and trust in the Lord for he is faithful. The Lord will not abandon his bride the Church. In silence we pray and in justice we speak for change to be God’s will, “he will act”.

Tags

Shared this

Views

261 views

Homily

Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time B

Posted on July 8, 2018 by Deacon Joe

Wis. 1: 13-15; 2: 23-24; 2 Cor. 8:7, 9, 13-15; Mk 5:21-43

Live with the end in mind. “God did not make death” thus to live by grace is not to die but to be transformed into the eternal life “for justice is undying”. Death belongs to the darkness of the evil one and they will experience it. What hope for the living! But wait! Will only the righteous experience immortality as a gift from God and the unrighteous cease to exist? In God’s image we are “imperishable” but then we must look at ourselves and see his image in us and in our actions. What is that image? We were given an intellect to put on the mind of God and receive knowledge, a will to follow God’s will for a purpose driven life, and the emotions to receive God’s love to fulfill “God’s justice”. Live the image of God with the end in mind.

Often emotions are seen as inferior to the intellect, you must be “strong minded” over being “touchy feely” or have an “unbending will” over “sensitive nature”. What about the emotional “EQ” to fulfill justice in the world? Why would a stranger run out into the street to save a small child who has wandered off on the street when a car is coming that will kill the child. Is that smart, or a weak will to risk his own life or is there a sense of love greater than self than seeks justice at the risk of their own poverty if they could also die or at least be severely injured. The child has no chance against a car and is innocent of the danger but the adult recognizes the impending harm and is moved to act. “Excel in every respect” with the end in mind. Where do we want to spend eternity?

“Brothers and sisters: As you excel in every respect” along the spiritual gifts from grace excel in your poverty. How do we excel in our poverty? Our trust is in the Lord who made heaven and earth. We trust in God’s divine providence for by Jesus’ poverty his coming into humanity we receive our riches prepared for us in heaven. In our poverty we recognize all that we have, all that we are is God’s and we share that in charity to supply the needs of others. In his image we become the best God created us to be by our spiritual works of mercy and our corporal works of mercy.

Those who fail to think about where they will spend eternity will find the darkness of the “easy road” that is wide. Historically kingdoms have risen and fallen but scripture reminds us that it was God who saw the sins of man and revealed the fall to come. Those sins were driven by the kings and temple priests who ruled the people. They included idolatrous priests, cult prostitutes living in the temple apartments, immolation of children sacrificed by fire in honor of other gods, and consultation with ghosts, and spirits. Is the world different now than then? The nations of the world are more secular and deny the existence of God to worship the State and fight for control of the government as their god. The sexual revolution has taken prostitutes from the outskirts of town “red zone” and given them a place of honor, even the key to the city in one infamous recent “Stormy” case. The sacrifice of children by fire to other gods has become the sacrifice of children by abortion to the god of self. Consultations to spirits is still consultation of spirits, some things never change. The darkness is in battle for spiritual control with palm readers, “curanderas”, spiritualist, etc. It is time to turn to the Lord with our whole heart, whole being, and whole strength or suffer the same fate.

There are some who see Jesus coming as a coming “new world order” of socialism and can point to a reading like today “Whoever had much did not have more, and whoever had little did not have less” as mantra for a redistribution of wealth. I was watching in the news a debate between what is recognized as a “conservative and a liberal” and the liberal was quoting scripture to justify their position. The conservative asked, if the liberal allowed the stranger into his home and had an open door policy to care for the poor. His response was he was not the “state”. Since when did Jesus say he came to establish a state run kingdom in the world? To the contrary he said his kingdom was not of this world. There can be no systemic justice without individual justice. It cannot be forced upon a free will, no more than we would want to becomes slaves to the state. God’s kingdom must live in the individual soul and some will choose the darkness of envy but others will choose the sacrifice of love, the “undying justice” of eternal life.

The work of salvation Jesus performed in miracles was relational. In the gospel Jesus cures the woman with hemorrhages and he raises the child to life. In the woman we see the power of faith because as the Apostles claimed the crowd was pressing upon him but it was the touch of faith that drew power out of Jesus. It was with the touch of the child’s hand that drew life back into her as he called out “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” The child was dead in her humanity but asleep in her righteousness as a child of God for she did not belong to the evil one. Jesus could have easily cured by the crowd full and saved himself much time but he chose to impact one life at a time. The riches of his grace come when we reach out in faith and touch someone with love. Today we will reach out and touch the heart of Jesus with our hands and/or our mouth but will we also touch him with our heart believing in faith in his presence.

The transubstantiation of the host into his body and blood is the daily miracle we receive today. Eucharistic miracles when studied are always identified as flesh from a heart and AB type blood. One recent Eucharistic miracle occurred on August 18, 1996 in the church of Santa Maria y Caballito Almagro in Buenos Aires Argentina under the auspices of Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio, our Pope Francis. (Mieczyslaw Piotrowski 2010 “Eucharistic Miracle in Buenos Aires in Love One Another “ A team of five scientists were assembled and concluded:

“The analyzed material is a fragment of the heart muscle found in the wall of the left ventricle close to the valves. This muscle is responsible for the contraction of the heart. It should be borne in mind that the left cardiac ventricle pumps blood to all parts of the body. The heart muscle is in an inflammatory condition and contains a large number of white blood cells. This indicates that the heart was alive at the time the sample was taken. It is my contention that the heart was alive, since white blood cells die outside a living organism. They require a living organism to sustain them. Thus, their presence indicates that the heart had been under severe stress, as if the owner had been beaten severely about the chest.

The scientists were not told that this human heart sample came from a host. Let us reflect on this one statement, “The heart was alive at the time the sample was taken.” It comes from a host. This is an indication of the living presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. This is also the tortured heart of Jesus that still bleeds for our sins and those of the whole world. From the Sacred Heart of Jesus comes the blood and water to wash away our sins in his divine mercy. Historical meaning of blood carried the life of animals and soul of humans. Science reveals the heart pumps the blood which carries the impurities of the body to be cleansed by the organs which in Jesus is a sign of our sins being washed away. Our riches rest in Jesus’ poverty, in the sacrifice of the Mass, and in the personal relationship for we are called by name. Jesus is calling, the Blessed Mother gave her fiat, let us be a child today in the touch from Jesus and say yes Lord I believe. Live with the end in mind with undying justice, heaven is waiting.

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Meta

Tags

0

Shared this

Views

51 views

Tags

Shared this

Views

235 views

Tags

Shared this

Views

203 views

Tags

Shared this

Views

260 views

Tags

Shared this

Views

261 views

Tags

Shared this

Views

261 views

Tags

Shared this

Views

328 views