Keeping God Above All

Peace and Grace to you!

In the first reading the leadership of the community is cautioned against straying from a close relationship that places obedience to God above all things.  Some have fallen into the temptation of self service and using their positions of leadership and power for personal gain and the political corruption of playing favorites.  There are negative consequences as a result.  Sound familiar? We know that human weakness is a natural part of any person, structure, or culture.  In this world there will always be a struggle for perfect justice.

Jesus shows us a way to transcend the flaws and imperfections that exist in our world.  Jesus points to personal holiness through an attitude of servitude to God and of service to others as the remedy.  When we think about what Jesus says, it really makes sense!  Isn’t it so much easier and more peaceful when we meet people who are humble and are earnestly concerned for the good of others?  This past week, we celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints.  The Saints are those who discovered the Holy Wisdom of Jesus’ message.  They didn’t have easy lives!  They faced great inner struggle and hardships!  Their humility came through humiliating situations but they discovered that the only wound they suffered was against human pride.  They did not seek retribution or return insults or curses for the poor treatment they received.  They hid themselves in Christ’s own wounds and found him to be a true Master, Teacher, Refuge and Savior!  Jesus doesn’t force us or threaten us but he invites us to listen and follow him.  His way leads to peace and joy in life!

God bless you always! +++ Fr. Peter

Love Of God And Neighbor

Peace and grace to you!

In the first reading from the book of Exodus a set of do’s and don’t’s is established so that the Israelites may understand that God loves all people.  And as God’s chosen people, these basic rules will guide them in manifesting God’s love in their day-to-day affairs with each other and with foreigners.

In the Gospel, Jesus talks about love too.  When he says love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, he is indicating that there are in fact different levels of love.  The basic rule set forth in the first reading is the minimal level but it is foundational because it assures mutuality and fidelity in fairness.  Rising from that is another level in which the lover is not satisfied with the minimum but desires to do more for the other person to show greater love and concern.

There is another level beyond the first two.  It goes beyond reason or logic.  It seeks to give itself away entirely for the good of the other.  Some people do not understand this level of love.   I am glad to say that I have experienced this kind of love between people.  I think that for many of them, they don’t realize they have this depth of love until a situation arises in which they choose to give themselves in this way.

Lastly, there are those disciples who have turned to God and given themselves completely to him in religious vocations through the priesthood or religious life.  Their life focus is an imitation of Jesus and Mother Mary who loved God above all and served God’s will perfectly, especially in teaching and humble service to those in need.  These are good examples of different levels of human love that reflect divine love but the most perfect love that we know is Jesus’ love for all of us.  He emptied himself and became a slave, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross so that we might be free from sin.

In today’s Gospel Jesus links love for God to love of neighbor because all love begins in God and finds its way of expression in loving our neighbor as much as we love ourselves.  For some of us, learning to love ourselves the way God wants us to love ourselves opens the door to loving God and our neighbor in deeper, better ways.  Ask Jesus to help you!

May God bless you all! +++ Fr. Peter

Citizens Of Heaven

Peace and Grace to all of you!

In the first reading, King Cyrus is overtaking the Babylonian kingdom under Nebuchadnezzar who took the Israelites captive about 60 years before.  Cyrus, a pagan, is well disposed toward the Jewish people.  The prophet Isaiah points out that it is God who establishes kings and kingdoms of the earth even though the kings and armies may be unaware of it.  In the Gospel, Jesus is questioned in regard to the idea of paying taxes and citizenship under the pagan, Roman Empire.  His response is that we, as Christians, possess a dual citizenship.  We live in two worlds: we are citizens of earth and citizens of heaven.  We are obligated to lead by example in the world so the world can experience the salvation that our faith brings to all people.  Christians keep in mind that their true home is in heaven, in the meantime, we are united to Christ in this effort, it is our mission!

As Americans we support a government built upon faith in God and a democratic process.  We know that there will always be tensions between different political parties and faith communities.  We know that there will always be laws and policies that do not reflect our values as Catholic Christians.  Does that mean that we should write it all off?  Does it mean that we should rebel?  According to the wisdom of Jesus, we should value the rule of law for the stability and peace that are necessary for society.  If we, as good stewards, are going to grow and build the kingdom of heaven on earth, we should use everything within our power as good citizens through reasonable tax support and use our voices through the polls where we vote.  We also MUST be involved in local structures such as school boards and city council.  As Christians, we bring Gospel values to everything; not hatred, anger, greed, corruption and destruction.

Remember, even one vote can make a big difference.  According to Mark Link, S.J., one vote can be monumental! Here are some examples:  Had it not been for 1 vote in 1776, the official language of the United States would be German instead of English.  Had it not been for 1 vote in 1868, the state of Texas would not have become part of the United States.  In 1645, 1 vote placed Oliver Cromwell in control over all of England.  In 1649, 1 vote sent Charles I of England to execution.  France became a republic in 1875 because of 1 vote.  By 1 vote Adolf Hitler became the leader of the Nazi party in Germany.  Just think, 1 vote could have saved millions of lives and perhaps delivered our world from the deep scar of WWII!  Jesus reminds us that while we live on earth, we should try to bring Gospel values into our sphere of influence because the Gospel does bring life, peace, liberty and justice for all.  This is our mission and we are the messengers of good news!

God bless you all! +++ Fr. Peter

Come To The Feast!

Peace and grace to all!

The parable of the wedding feast reminds us that the kingdom of heaven is primarily an invitation from God and it is open to all people; not just a particular group of “chosen ones.”  This is good news!  It underlines our awareness of God’s love for all people and all creation.

The invitation extended to us from God in the context of a wedding feast suggests a special joy, an excitement, an anticipation of a future full of new hopes, enrichment and possibilities!  It reminds us of God’s protection, blessing and providence.  God is lovingly present to each of us personally every moment.  God is mindful of all that we need.  Mindfulness on our part is watching for the ways that God is actively being a part of our everyday lives.  It means noticing the hundred little things that fall into place or noticing that things could have been a lot more difficult or worse of God wasn’t there, almost imperceptibly, helping us each day.  Prayer is the conversation we have with God many times a day.  These are the moments when stewards and disciples consciously recognize God’s presence and activity and they give thanks for the help and make known desires and hopes—its a real relationship of love!

This parable also reminds us of the wedding feast of the Mass!  For Christians, Sunday Mass is a Holy Day of Obligation in which we remember how he gave of himself completely for our sakes—and he still does!  His is an undying, endless love!  The right clothing represents those disciples and stewards who come before God to give thanks and offer a return for his many gifts.  Suitable attire for this event means being clothed entirely in a way of life that honors and reverences God above all things and reflects the teaching of the Church.  The Church identifies this inner disposition as charity: love of God and of neighbor.  If we have hate, anger, harsh judgement, grudges or anything of that sort, then we are present in body only and we are unfit to receive Communion because we are not in a state of grace.  The sacrament of Penance is required in this situation for healing and restoration of the true spiritual disposition we are called to.  Let’s always be appropriately dressed for such a great event!

God bless you all! +++ Fr. Peter

Imitate God’s Patience

Peace and grace to all!

This weekend’s readings help us to grasp a biblical view of God.  I say “biblical view” because the biblical view is sometimes a contrast to our own humanistic view of God which is what is depicted in the parable told by Jesus.  The vineyard stands for the people of Israel.  The vineyard owner stands for God.  The tenants stand for the chief priests and Pharisees that God set in place to guide his people.  The servants in the first group that were sent to receive a share of the grapes were the early prophets; the second group was the later prophets.  The owner’s son who was killed is Jesus.  The new tenants are the Apostles of Jesus and they replace the chief priests and Pharisees as the new leaders of God’s people.  From the story Jesus tells, we understand that God is patient and understanding and that God is a just and fair judge.  We are encouraged to ask ourselves a question: is the new model immune from the same type of faults depicted in the story by the first tenants?  We all know the answer to that is– NO.  As God’s people, we will always struggle with our differences of opinion and different ideas about God and the Church.  Even Jesus’ closest companions didn’t always understand him!  Even so, as disciples of Jesus we know we are called beyond our own personal views to embrace something much greater.

In his letter to the Philippians, St. Paul teaches us the way we can experience God’s kingdom of unity and peace.  It must be well understood that Paul is a former Pharisee—completely rule oriented and a hard judge of right/wrong rules of religious practice.  It is striking how much his understanding changed after he encountered Jesus. He gradually began to understand God’s plan for his people in a new and personal way.  St. Paul’s conversion serves as an example of how to be a true disciple of Jesus and turn away from pettiness, politics and distractions that lead us away from the treasure of freedom, peace and joy that right faith provides.  Jesus teaches us that God is first of all merciful, patient, kind, gentle and understanding then a fair and just judge second.  We are asked to understand then imitate this example.

God bless you all! +++ Fr. Peter

Seek Harmony With God’s Will!

Peace and grace to you all!

This weekend we are reminded that in order to experience God’s Kingdom of peace, harmony, hope, mercy, love, encouragement, and every other good thing from God, we must live in a manner in which we are always turning to God.  We know that it is not always easy to do this.  In fact, quite frequently people experience a resistance toward God’s will.  They know in their head that God is always right and true, but for various reasons the feelings they have in their heart or desires they have do not coincide with God’s plan.  Resolving a struggle like this can take just a few moments or many years!  It varies from person to person and situation to situation.

In his letter to the Church at Philippi, St. Paul addresses the factions and rivalries that are destroying the good will and peaceful relationships that God desires for his people.  St. Paul first points to harmony as a mark of God’s kingdom and what people really want: “being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing.”  He further explains what is necessary to attain a harmonious experience when he says “Do nothing out of selfishness or vain glory; rather humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others.”  This is the attitude of Christ Jesus and we should make his attitude our own.  Remember the way Jesus emptied himself, the way he suffered and served others.

Jesus points out to the hardhearted and self-righteous Pharisees that prostitutes and criminals were experiencing the love and goodness of God when they turn away from sin and selfishness to obey God’s plan.  We might see others around us experiencing the joy and love of God while we don’t.  Our path is not against other people but against forces of darkness in order to follow the Gospel.   Hopefully today, many of us who feel a desire for greater harmony and peace can be like the son who changed his mind, who listened and followed God’s plan.  If people do this together, the harmony comes to be, but it only happens when they work together to achieve it.  It never happens if only one tries.  It is a strong reminder to us that we should really try to listen for what God wants for us and others while we pray in our hearts.

May God bless you all! +++ Fr. Peter

Laboring For The Lord

May the grace of Christ be your consolation and joy!

The past couple of weekends have been strong encouragements for us to continue our efforts in the work of personal conversion, transformation and renewal.  This weekend’s message comes as a consolation because we are affirmed that God is generous in love and mercy.  No one should fear to ask God for forgiveness—even if they continue to struggle with sins or bad habits.  Perhaps the strongest encouragement to trust God’s love comes through St. Paul who was once a persecutor of the Church, a murderer, and God changed Paul’s heart with an experience of divine love rather than with punishment.  Hopefully all of us can be completely won over by God’s love as St. Paul was for he said: “to me life is Christ, and death is gain … I long to depart this life and be with Christ for that is far better.”

In the Gospel, Jesus tells a parable that gives us a hint of how beautiful, generous, and loving God really is.  If you or I had a job opportunity and we were treated like the last laborers hired in the story, we would be overwhelmed with amazement.  That kind of generosity is not how things are done in this world!  That’s why Jesus’ parable is so powerful!  And yet, it only hints toward the truth about the greatness of God’s love and mercy.  In reality, God is too good to be true!  God’s goodness is beyond our imagination and our understanding.  Jesus tells us that none of our good deeds will ever be forgotten!  The parable encourages us to be laborers for God’s kingdom and the reward for our acts of service and efforts to make Jesus known and loved will have an incomparable reward.  The invitation is there, do you hear it?

God bless you! +++ Fr. Peter

The Freedom Of Forgiveness

May the peace of Christ reign in your hearts!

This weekend’s readings draw us to reflect more deeply upon the way of forgiveness, which is different than reconciliation.

The sage in the book of Sirach begins by describing negative behavior based upon sin.  He then directs the reader’s thoughts toward higher realms by posing a simple logical question: how can you expect forgiveness and peace for yourself, if you keep angry and hateful thoughts toward someone else?  It doesn’t make sense, it’s hypocrisy!  In the Gospel, Peter’s question seems logical because we all get exasperated at times when there are repeated behaviors that offend us and there is no sign of change (imagine what it must be like to struggle with an addiction!).  According to Peter, there has to be some limit so that you can withdraw from being hurt.  I can understand Peter’s point.  I am sure that many of you do too.  Jesus, the Fount of All Wisdom, guides us to the kingdom of heaven through Peter’s question.  Forgiveness must be given by us, so that we also may be forgiven: there is no choice.  Forgiveness means giving over to God the divine right to just retribution or recompense for an offense against you.  It can only be given by the one offended.  It cannot be bought, sold, or merited by an offender.  This is what forgiveness means.

Reconciliation is another matter.  To be reconciled is to have a relationship repaired and trust re-established.  The offender must make a sincere apology, then demonstrate a change in behavior to manifest the change of heart & mind.  The decision to allow the person back into a relationship of mutual trust rests with the one who was offended.  Depending upon the magnitude and frequency of the offense, reconciliation may or may not be possible.  When reconciliation is not possible, it is still possible to forgive by giving the pain and offender over to God.  In the sacrament of Penance, God reconciles us to himself.  Even though we will sin again, God will always embrace us because his love is so great!

Understanding the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation is important because not everyone who offends is going to apologize, nor are they necessarily able to change.  In such cases, we have to forgive so that we do not carry the wound in our hearts.  We can be free and well by trusting them to God who knows what is best for them and us!  Thank you Jesus for this freedom!

God bless you all! +++ Fr. Peter

Love And Reconciliation

Peace and grace to you!

In the first reading, the prophet Ezekiel is placed in a position of responsibility before God.  Part of Ezekiel’s responsibility includes confronting wrong doing and giving instruction when necessary so that those who err may turn back to God and away from their faults.  The difficulty for Ezekiel is that God will hold him accountable if he fails to point out the error by remaining silent.

We receive a similar challenge in the Gospel but Jesus gives us some excellent additional advice by outlining a method that actually works very well in most cases.  If you have ever had a conflict or disagreement with another Christian or person of good will, you have no doubt discovered how well Jesus’ method works! Seldom does it happen that other people must become involved.  Frequently, both parties want resolution and the matter is quickly settled and greater friendship results.  However, this is not always the case.  Jesus’ instructions show us the way to proceed when a challenge continues, if it persists without resolution, it is best to separate from that person.

Jesus is as serious about sin as he is about peace and our offering to God.  He asks us to reflect within ourselves to discern if another has anything against us—we must be humble and transparent before God, who knows us through and through, and go make an apology to that person.  Most of us try to be honest and sincere in this regard.  Some have a great deal of pride, they remember every offense committed against them and never forget!  Yet they refuse to admit they have done anything wrong—like the last case scenario that Jesus indicates today.  Sadly, they have few if any friends and poor relationships because they hurt people and refuse to apologize or change their attitude.

When someone sins against us, there is a responsibility to let the other person know.  Sometimes other witnesses have a shared responsibility to point out the fault so the offender can make an apology and amend their ways. Sometimes it’s easier to remain silent without confronting them for their behavior.  But Jesus’ instructions are intended to not allow hurt or anger to grow and create a gap caused by sin.  Jesus wants us to be happy and have good relationships with other people.  Following Jesus always leads to the way of peace and reconciliation.  It requires love for God first, for God is above all things—as we say in our act of contrition.  It also requires love of neighbor—for God asks us to love them.

In our “Love Dare Journey” many of us discovered new and effective ways to deepen our relationships—it brought us a lot of joy!  Perhaps there is something in Jesus’ words for you today that will help you lead a happier, fuller life!  God bless you always! +++ Fr. Peter

The Necessary Cross

Peace and grace to all!

This weekend Jesus informs his disciples that he will undergo great suffering and finally death.  We can imagine that Peter is speaking for all the disciples’ when he expresses incredulity and opposition at the Lord’s message about his suffering and death.  Jesus then poses a stern challenge before his disciples, “whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

Like Peter in the Gospel story or Jeremiah in the first reading, we can feel dismayed or overwhelmed by the cross.  It seems like a daunting challenge to be sure, unless we look upon it and touch it in faith.  Only then can we understand the cross as the door to sanctity and our way to intimate love with Jesus as the greatest example.

For Jesus, the cross is necessary; not an option and he makes it clear that the Cross is necessary for his followers too.  As Catholics, when we gather for the celebration of the Eucharist and remember Jesus’ sacrificial love, we must bear in mind that the Eucharist does not come to us except through the sacrifice that Jesus gladly gave for us all.  Each one of us will be asked to give of ourselves for the sake of the other in imitation of Jesus no matter which vocation we have.  Some are called to follow Jesus more closely and become priests.  The priest is standing in the place of Christ, with Christ and is sustained by Christ as one who gives his body and blood for the life of the world.  The priest is set apart, consecrated as a sacrifice, to serve God and his people through a daily cross.  God extends this precious vocational gift to the Church in answer to our prayers and words of encouragement to young men.  When coming to the altar to be nourished in the Eucharist, please remember to pray for all priests and for vocations to the priesthood.  Please encourage young men to listen for God’s call to this beautiful vocation.

May God bless you always! +++ Fr. Peter