Somewhere in the Aegean Sea...

What started out as sailing on a sea of glass, as we got further and further from the Pelopanese of Greece the waves grew and grew.  I am guessing we were sailing in 8 foot seas.  John is staggering around on deck (the waves, not the beer) singing "yo ho, yo ho a pirates life for me!"  (Maybe it is the beer after all!).

I did not have the courage to ask a group of Greek Orthodox priests if they could help me figure out if someone aboard was running away from a calling from God.  I was worried that they might cast lots for me...

Out to Sea

Today, John and I leave from Athens to the isle of Patmos, where St John spent time in exile.  On Patmos he wrote the last book of the Bible, Apocalypse.  Our Ferry seems to be doing a "milk run" that is stopping at many islands on the way.  We will get to Patmos in about 9.5 hours.  

John (my brother) made it clear that he does not want to be left on Patmos like his Patron St John.   My discourse on the spirituual benefits of exile not withstanding.  I am excited to see the island and learn more about St Johns exile there.

Deep thoughts...

My brother John and I have a ton of fun conducting research in Athens.  Our scientific and cultural work has led to a number of startling discoveries.  These include the discovery of a column dedicated to the ancient Greek engineer - Lego-atus - who discovered by putting uniform bumps on bricks you could snap them together and build great structures.  The aided in the construction of the Acropolis and was was later stolen by Vikings from Denmark whose descendants commercialized the idea when they created "Legos".  John is writing a dissertation on the topic for his degree in "Brick Science".  We also found evidence of Neolithic use of emoji's in the Greek sidewalks - which John and I are going to jointly publish on the topic "Brief Syntax" - part of our contributions to the area of Communications research.  

Later, we took time to ponder a question from Socrates - "With what can I dig"?  This question was found scratched into the rock of Socrates Prison.  He must have found an answer, because there seemed to be an escape tunnel dug out of the back of the cell.  I think I might add this question to my class on fundamental Greek Philosophy that John describes this with a short acronym, which I understood as "Basic Socrates".   How could I possibly be wrong?

Right now, we are atop the hill that witnessed the birth of Greek Democracy.  Just south-west of the Acropolis at a place called the Pnyx,  This is where the origins of free speech began, when the Athenians would call an assembly they would meet at the Pnyx to debate what to do.  Aristides, Pericles, Demosthenes, and Themistocles delivered the brilliant orations associated with Athenian democracy here.  Order in their assembly was maintained by an Scythian Archer. - armed with a bow and arrow.  The archers were a wonderful innovation in the realm of political science moving the discourse from "Big Speeches" to "Brief Statements".

I look forward with hope and great expectation for the contributions that John and I will make to the arts of Political Science, Philosophy, Engineering, Rhetoric tomorrow!  (Uh oh!  Gotta run - the Archer is starting to nock an arrow!)

Morning Prayer

 

Good morning!  We have arrived safe and sound in Athens, where we will be staying for a few days as we recover from jet-lag and start to explore Greece.  My brother John and I are in a rented flat which has a roof-top terrace which has a nice view of the surrounding city (hence - todays happy-snap).  My sleep schedule is all messed up, so I awoke at the crack of dawn, and decided to go up to the roof-top to pray the psalms of Morning Prayer.  

As I began to pray the Invitatory (Psalm 95), the bells from a local church began to peal - so I was not alone in my prayer.  The reading from Morning Prayer was from St. Paul's letter to the Colossians (1:24-25).  "Even now I find joy in the suffering I endure for you.  In my own flesh I fill up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ for the sake of his body, the church.  I became a minister of this church through the commission God gave me to preach among you his word in it's fullness."

This last part of the verse really stood out to me - It has been 19 years since I was ordained a Deacon - which has included both times of sufferings and joy in preaching.  St. Paul gives focus to suffering - as a sacrifice or intercession for the needs of others.  I can't say that I have yet found joy in that suffering - but at least I understand it's purpose.  

What really stood out to me in this morning's reading is the Italic part.  I also have a deep love for preaching - which I have discovered is a fusion of my abilities coupled with the grace of the Holy Spirit to know what and how to encourage the Church to a deeper relationship with God - confronting what is in need of conversion and affirming the conversions that we have made so far.  Starting with my own life but sharing that journey of conversion with those to whom I am sent.

We are located just to the west of the Parthenon and the Areopagus Hill, where St. Paul preached to the Athenians in Acts 17.  Later today, we will likely go exploring in that direction, and probably take a nap...

The Flying Rosary...

Well, we made it to Munich and through customs.  The flight over was on a 787, nice and fast with an average speed of around 1000 kmh (nice tailwind).

On the way I had my own meditations on the Flyimg Rosay for Long Distant Airline Travellers. (Just invented and not canonically approved).

Here they go in case you find yourself in need

Whenever I fly I always pray a rosary. I usually pray queitly as a loud hail mary just before takeoff might unnerve some of my fellow passengers. I like this because there is no hurry, i can take my time and reflect on the mysteries

What would be the mysteries of the flying rosary?

The Annuncuation - saying yes to the invitation to encounter god in a new amd radical way. Yes to marriage, yes to ordination, yes to a life of prayer

and the Visitation - meeting and visiting others as orchestrated by God.  

Recieving rhe angel and the message. Pondering the ramifications and saying yes to the mystery unfolding in my life.

How have i recieved the message, assented to it and participqted in its recelatio . How much of gods work do i realize vs what he chooses to do in ne and through me.  Also ourneying to be with family. Sharing rhe good news and supporting one another. Finding someone who is a kindred spirit to share the journey with.

The flight into Egypt. ;)

Mary's trust that the Lord works through others, through St Joeseph.  St Joseph trusting his dreams.  The hardship of travel, its uncertainrty and uncomfortableness.

The Assummption.  Mary is assumed into the heavens.  Going into the presence of God

How she foreshadowd my death and the hope that lies beyond

Mary is crowned queen of heaven and earth. How do i enter unfer the protection and guidance af the Blessed Virgin Mother? She too has made this journey to the Heavenly Father.  

Next Stop.  Athens!

The idea is saying yes to a jouney of encounter and to being radically ope. To the plan of God

It is hard to desctibe sitting for 9 hours strapped to a seat travelling 1000 kph an adventur

This is what passes for sleep in 2026

It is good when brothers can pray in unity.

Are you Christian or Catholic?

Are you Christian or Catholic?

[[PAUSE - LET PEOPLE THINK ABOUT IT AND RESPOND]]

It is actually a trick question - you are both Christian and Catholic.  Let me explain.

First use of Christian - Acts of the Apostles

The first use of Christian was by St. Luke in the Acts of the Apostles.  Prior to this we were known as people of “the way”.  In Antioch, (in about 43 or 44 AD) St. Luke records that members of the Church were referred to as Christians, which means “those who are like Christ”.

First use of Catholic - St. Ignatius of Antioch

The first written use of the word Catholic - was by St. Ignatius of Antioch who lived from 35 to 110AD - in his letter to the Smyrneans - and he used the Greek word Catholic - to refer to the Church - that the Church was full and complete when the clergy and the people were one, united.

Golden Nugget: We think as human beings do when we calculate life by what we can win, keep, and avoid, especially crosses that demand sacrifice. Christ presents a different approach: life is found by giving it away. Discipleship means surrendering the need to win, embracing the cross, and spending ourselves in service.

What does it mean to spend ourselves in service?

St. Paul - Discern what is Good / Pleasing / Perfect

In the 2nd reading today - St. Paul invites us to “discern what is the will of God, what is good, pleasing and perfect”.

To help us in this I want to invite you to consider the following questions to share

• What have I done to grow in my faith?

• In what way have I allowed myself to be challenged by the Lord?

• In what way is the Lord calling me to grow?

Ministry is a way to grow in Holiness

Ministry comes from the Latin word ministerium, meaning "service, attendance, or office," which derives from minister, meaning "servant" or "attendant." The root of minister is minus (lesser), making a minister literally a lesser or subordinate helper who serves another.

To be involved in a ministry means to subordinate yourself to the service of another.

Father Randy challenged the Deacons to reflect on the different ministries that they have been involved with - to share from that experience.

I have been involved in one ministry or another for the past 37 years.  

Liturgical Ministries

• Lector, Extra-ordinary minister, Taize, Preacher, Minister, Celebrant, Deacon

Youth Ministry

• Youth Group, Servers, Retreats, Hiking, Mountain Climbing, Backpacking, Mission Trips

Ministry to those in need

• Nursing Home, Divorce Ministry, Prison Ministry, Homeless Ministry, Feeding the hungry, Ministry to the dying, Hospital Ministry - ministry of presence.

Teaching Ministry

• Catechist, OCIA, Teacher

Retreat Ministry - Jeremiah “When I found your words…”

If you want to know your faith - teach it

When I was in my 20’s I was involved in a young adult ministry that led me into youth and young adult ministry. The Lord invited me to get to know Him, and challenged me to learn the Gospels, to understand who He is.  It was a time of exciting growth for me.

Over time I came to realize that the Lord was entrusting me with a teaching ministry - and I thought to myself - how can I do this?  What are my qualifications?  I went to CCD as a kid.  This led me to take my faith more seriously and to make sure that I was teaching the Gospel and nothing else.

My point here is that taking up a ministry can be exciting, you can learn and grow.  I learned this at a young age as I was the Educational Petty Officer when I was in boot camp.  It was my job to teach my shipmates what we needed to know to pass the tests about the Navy in bootcamp - things like first aid, damage control, ranks, naval history etc.  In doing that I learned that if you want to know a thing, teach a thing. - And so helping with Youth Ministry, or Catechesis or OCIA is a great way to deepen your faith.

The prophet Jeremiah reminds us of this kind of ministry when he said - “When I found your words, I devoured them; your words were my joy, the happiness of my heart, Because I bear your name, LORD, God of hosts.” 

Coffee House - Worshiping God according to our ability

If you want to learn to love - serve others…

When I was ordained the Archbishop assigned me to work with the developmentally disabled adults.  I do this through a program called Coffee House at Light of the World throughout the fall.

Coffee House made me much more patient in ministry - it helped me to realize that good liturgy is an expression of a heart filled with love for God, and not order and perfection - those flow from love - but the core is Love because God calls us to express our heart to him.

Nursing Home Ministry - being stretched.  

If you want to understand the Spirit - serve the helpless

Nursing home ministry - It was like walking into a coffin.  Then one day I took the Eucharist to a woman who was paralyzed and the Lord showed me what I was doing.  You see in ministry you rarely see the impact of you becoming closer to Christ.  This transformed my ministry and my ability to be a witness of God’s love to those in desperate situations - how to walk with them, pray with them and bring them an encounter with Christ.

Divorce Ministry - Invited to carry the cross (Gospel)

Understand when the Lord is calling you to the Cross

Another area of ministry where I am stretched is my involvement with the Divorce Ministry here in the parish. In this ministry I journey with those who are in the midst of suffering - as they seek healing from failed marriages.  This is often painful for me - but at the same time - but this is what it means to become like Christ - to embrace the cross and follow him.

The cross is nothing you would wish on your worst enemy

With the cross, you learn to express love through suffering as Christ learned to express love through suffering.  

Ministry is a way to become like Christ - to be active in ministry is to pour out our lives in His service.  

In what way is the Lord calling you to be a Catholic Christian?  To become more fully like Christ?

Buried Treasure

 Viking Treasure

When I was a kid I grew up in the north of England, in the county of Yorkshire.  Yorkshire was a place where the vikings invaded several times between 866 and 1066.  When I was about 12 one of my neighbors bought a metal detector, and my imagination was captured with the idea that one day my neighbor Mr. John and I would discover some hidden, buried Viking hoard in a field near our house.  

Spanish Gold

Now I live in Colorado, and sometimes I wonder if somewhere around Denver there isn’t buried some ancient hoard of Spanish gold.  The Spanish were here in Colorado in the 1540s, is it possible that some Spanish expedition could have struck out north seeking a new way to bring treasures back to Spain, and due to some emergency have been forced to bury the treasure in a field somewhere, just waiting to discover?  It fires the imagination!  What would my life be like, if I discovered a hoard of Spanish gold?  Maybe I should go and get a metal detector and start searching the fields.

Jesus uses our thirst for treasure

Jesus uses this imagery today to speak to us about the Kingdom of Heaven.  He describes the kingdom of heaven like that - a treasure that lies hidden in an everyday, ordinary field.  He reminds me back to the days of my childhood when I was out with Mr. John’s metal detector searching diligently and imagining what my life would be like if I found that hoard of treasure and I could dig it up?

What is the Kingdom of Heaven? - It is God’s love for us

The Kingdom of heaven is like a man who discovers a treasure buried in a field.  He digs it up and re-hides it in the field and then spends all of his life saving up money to buy the field so that he can have the treasure.  The treasure in the field is the realization that God loves us, and that his love is something that we can never earn, but only discover.  To live in the Kingdom of God is to live our life focused on growing more deeply in love with God - so much so that His love becomes the focus and object of our lives.

God loves me deeply - and created me with a purpose

To live in the kingdom of heaven is to realize that God loves me deeply, intensely and completely.  That he has created me for a purpose, a vocation so that when I pursue that vocation I am realizing and deepening my relationship with Christ. 

Kingdom of Heaven Detector - Discernment like Solomon

What we need is a “Kingdom of Heaven” detector in our lives.  If I had such a thing what would it be like?

In the first reading today we see that God invites King Solomon to ask Him for a gift.  Solomon takes this invitation from God seriously and realizes that God has called him to a particular vocation - which was to lead God’s chosen people, the Jews as their King.

Step 1 - Reflect in Prayer - What is my Vocation?

How can we use this today?  Brothers and Sisters, let us realize that God has called us to particular vocations, so I want to invite you to put the readings into action in your lives this week by starting as Solomon did and reflect on the vocation and situation you find yourself in today.  Why did God place you in this place and at this time?  To what vocations are you being called?

In my case, my vocation is Deacon - that is servant.  It is also that of Son, Brother, Father.  In each of these areas Christ invites me to share his love with those whom I encounter.

Step 2 Solomon asked for a gift to grow in his vocation?

Now we can take the next step - ask the Lord to help us to understand what gift we need to help us to deepen our vocation and pursuit of God?  How do we grow closer to Christ?

For King Solomon he could have asked for desires such as 

• to preserving his life (Health), or 

• to controlling his life (Money) or 

• to triumphing over his enemies (Power)

Yet, Solomon instead asks for the gift that will help him to fulfill God’s plan - wisdom.  This is the key to detecting the treasure in the field.

A 15 minute walk - ask for what Gift you need

I want to invite you to take a moment in prayer this week - make it 15 minutes, and go for a walk, or come to the Adoration chapel, maybe while you are out with the dog or some other way and ask the Lord what Gift you need to deepen one of your vocations.  This takes time because we need to see past the normal human desires like “Lord, I need to win the lottery to realize my vocation of generosity” to pass by and see the deeper need.  If you do not get a strong discernment then persevere and continue to search for the buried treasure - Lord what gift do I need to fulfill the vocation you call me to?

Step 3 - How is God using the events of my life to give me a gift I need

As you are spending this time in prayer, remember that St. Paul starts the second reading with “Brothers and sisters: We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

Part of our discernment this week, part of us hunting out the hidden treasure or the pearl of great price is to take time to reflect on what is going on in our life and to ask the Lord - how is this event helping me to grow closer to you?  Sometimes that is hard for us to see, yet we know that St. Paul’s reflection is true - God uses all things for his God when we love God - even sickness and tragedy and weakness towards sin.  God takes those and (if we allow him) uses them to help us grow in holiness?  

How do I know that the gift I am asking for will help me in my vocation?

Asked for or given, Gifts conform us to Christ

The gifts that we need are the gifts that help us to conform our lives to the life of Christ.  To become Holy, that is set-aside for God, or Happy - in that we fulfill the purpose for which God created us is to become like Christ - for that is what it means to be a Christian.  One way to discern if a gift will help you to grow in your vocation is to ask yourself - how will this gift help me to learn to love like Christ loves?

The Christian Acrostic

In the early Church, believers used the Greek word ΙΧΘΥΣ (ichthus) as a confession of faith because each letter stands for the first letter of the mission of Jesus:

Ι (Iota) – Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous / Jesus)

Χ (Chi) – Χριστός (Christos / Christ or Anointed One)

Θ (Theta) – Θεοῦ (Theou / of God)

Υ (Upsilon) – Υἱός (Yios / Son)

Σ (Sigma) – Σωτήρ (Sōtēr / Savior)

Together, it translates to "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior." 

Jesus = Fish / Christian = Fish / Baptism and Eucharist

This identification of the Fish with Christ and the Christian was explained by Tertullian as both an image of Baptism and the Eucharist.  It is a symbol of Baptism because Jesus goes into the water (death) and yet comes out alive (like a fish).  It is a symbol of the Eucharist because of the Eucharistic miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the fish.

At the end of the Gospel today, Jesus gives us one more image for the kingdom of heaven.  He says “the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind.  When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets.”

God is casting his net in our lives this week.  Whether we are a good fish or bad fish will be judged by how well our lives imitate the life of Christ, how well we are able to receive and share the love of Christ with those around us.  

St. Jose Maria Escriva, The Way, 280.

We become a bad fish when we lose the supernatural meaning of our lives and our charity becomes philanthropy; our purity becomes decency, our mortification is seen as stupidity; our discipline, a whip; and all our works, fruitless.

Let the Eucharist transform us into Good Fish

On the other hand - We can become good fish by imitating Christ as we allow the Eucharist we share today to penetrate and transform us.  When this happens, we are  the one who has discovered the treasure in the field and the kingdom of heaven is here!

What is God’s MMA fighting style?

 

13th Sunday of Ordinary Time

A deep, profound theological question

If God was in MMA what would his fighting style be?

Would it be Tae Kwon Do?  Karate?  Jujitsu?

No - it would be Judo.

Judo

A Judo move is where you use the power of your opponent against him.  Today the readings speak to us about how God is the ultimate judoka - he takes the power of the enemy and transforms it into the source of our salvation.

Baptism and Death - The first God Judo Move

Baptism is prefigured in the old testament by the flood

The flood destroys the world - yet out of the flood the world is saved.

The red sea saves the Israelites from the Egyptians - yet in the Red Sea the Egyptians are destroyed.

We are buried with Christ in the waters of Baptism so that we can be raised to new life through the waters of Baptism.

This is God Judo - He uses the weapons of the enemy - terror, death, destruction and turns it into the source of Salvation - through the Waters of Baptism we are saved for eternal life.  

God used Augustine’s desire to learn debate to save him.

Augustine the Hedonist

St. Augustine grew up a pagan and a hedonist - he started his life focused on himself.  He had a long-term relationship with a concubine with whom had had a son.  Augustine was a professor of debate (rhetoric), and as he was growing up heard that the governor of Milan was the best in the empire at debate - so Augustine went to study him there.

St. Ambrose the Brilliant

The Governor of Milan at the time was also the Bishop.  He was St. Ambrose.  To study Ambrose, Augustine would attend Mass.  He tuned out most of the liturgy but was most attentive when Ambrose would preach.  St. Ambrose befriended Augustine, as they were both experts at debate and a beautiful friendship sprung up.  

In his book Confessions Augustine speaks about their friendship - “[Ambrose] received me as a father, and showed me kindness on my coming. Thenceforth I  listened diligently to him preaching to the people, not with that intent I ought, but, as it were, trying his eloquence, whether it answered the fame thereof, or flowed fuller or lower than was reported; and I hung on his words attentively; but of the matter I was as a careless and scornful looker-on….  And while I opened my heart to admit “how eloquently he spake,” there also entered “how truly he spake”; but this by degrees. For first, these things also had now begun to appear to me capable of defense; and the Catholic faith””  

Augustine is Baptized

In the spring of 387 St. Augustine, 33 years old at the time, was Baptized by St. Ambrose during the Easter vigil and entered the church.  It was in His Baptism that Augustine realized that his life was not about him, or his family, but was all about encountering Christ.

The life of St. Augustine serves as a lens for us to reflect on the readings today through.  Prior to his Baptism Augustine was a hedonist - he lived a life that was firmly and fully rooted in the world.  After his baptism he had a profound conversion.  He came into relationship with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and realized what it cost God to save him from sin and welcome him into the Church.

God Judo with St. Ambrose and St. Augustine

God used Augustine’s love for debate, and his pride to draw him to Ambrose to learn how to be better at debate and ended up surrendering everything about his life that was self-centered in order to follow Christ.

The Cross - The God-Judo Super Move!

Here Paul invites us to see that our Baptism is into the death of Christ on the Cross.  This is the God Judo super-move.  Christ embraces the cross - an instrument of torture and death and through it destroys death and opens our way to eternal life.  Christ then has blood and water flow from his side on the Cross so that we can benefit from his work of salvation by being baptized - which conquers all sin in our life.

God Judo and You - the Gospel

What is greater?  My love for Sin or my love for God?

When I am tempted to Sin I need to recognize that my love for God is greater than my love for sin.  In a similar way I need God more than I need sin.  When you are next tempted to enter into Sin, God is inviting you to the Judo matt to see if you can allow him to practice some “God Judo” in your heart - to surrender to Him, and to choose Him over sin.  

What are the reasons to allow God to Judo in my life?

Think about what is coming up that you would miss because of Sin - “I have Mass on Sunday” or “I am going to pray tonight” or “I asked God for my sick aunt Kathy” etc.  Let God wrestle with you and for you.

How do we allow God to practice His judo in our lives?

First - recognize that you are a member of God’s Judo Dojo - we call it the Church.  Here we train to allow Christ to conquer sin and death in our lives.  Here we are strengthened by grace and invited to choose life with Christ over death to sin.

Is my love for God primary in my life?

I need to recognize that the love that God has for me should be primary in my life.  If I can’t do that then I am going to suck at spiritual judo - because I am trying to use my own power rather than allow the grace of God to flow through me.

This is why in the Gospel Jesus says, “whoever loves Father or Mother or Son or Daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”

It is not that loving Father or Mother or Son or Daughter is bad - but that love is nothing compared to the Love fo God and yet how rarely do we truly understand that.

St. Augustine put it this way.

Augustine responded to this - “Isn’t what they are asking for just?  Shouldn’t I give back what I have received?  The father says “I fathered you”, the mother says “I bore you”.  The Father says “I educated you”, the mother says “I fed you”... Let us answer our father and mother when they justly say “Love us”.  Let us answer, I will love you in Christ not instead of Christ.  You will be with me in him, but I will not be with you without him.“ 

Essentially what St. Augustine is saying to think about the nature of love and how we live it out.  The love from God is like the light from the Sun.  The love for our parents, or children or siblings is like a 120W bulb - bright, but nothing when compared to the love that we receive from God.  Let us then allow our lives to be illuminated first and foremost by His love.

Right after this the Lord challenges us more profoundly - he challenges our love of self - and in doing so comes right back to the challenge of Sin, that Christ died to save us from.  The Lord says “whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.”

The cross is the place in our life where God invites us to learn to love Him as His Son loves Him.  The cross is the school of love.  The cross is a suffering in our life we would not wish on our worst enemy, and is not due to our own sinfulness or doing, yet it is unavoidable in our life.  Christ invites us to take it up, to embrace it and in embracing the cross to learn to love as He loves.

In a way the ultimate love we often put before that of God is love for self.  Christ invites us to even put love of self after love of God and he shows us that this is true when he embraces the cross to follow the will of the Father.

In a similar way he invites us to share in that grace, a grace that involves true suffering so we can learn to love as God loves.  

Be a Judoka with God - the Prophet / Righteous / Disciple

Finally, Christ ends his preaching with what appears to be a set of moralisms - The Prophet, the Righteous and the Disciple.  If we look at these in reverse we see that this part of his teaching is an invitation for us, his disciples to Grow in Holiness.

Disciple - St. Ambrose’s Friendship

Disciple - This is the simplest - a cold glass of water - one who desires to share the love of God with others.  This is how St. Ambrose first befriended Augustine in Milan.

The reward of one who receives a disciple is to take on discipleship.  This is what St. Augustine did when he encountered St. Ambrose.

Righteous - St. Ambrose’s actions

The righteous man - in order to be one that sees righteousness one needs to be righteous.  We live in a world today where our leaders are seldom righteous.  They seldom speak the truth and they rarely seek the good of others over themselves.  We as Christians are called to be the counter-example to that.

The reward of one who receives righteousness is to become righteous.  St. Augustine saw that St. Ambrose was first concerned about giving his fellow man his due, and began to appreciate and imitate him.

The Holy Spirit - St. Ambrose’s speech.

Finally, the Prophet is the one who speaks God’s truth.  In order to be one that welcomes a prophet we need to recognize that the Holy Spirit is speaking through the heart of the one who is with us, and then we will receive our reward - that is the Holy Spirit will come to dwell in our hearts.

Golden Nugget: As Christians, we are called to be “little Christs” in the world. As we become more like him, we share in his sufferings, rejections, and humiliations, but also in his glories and his joys. May we be more conformed to him so that, when others see us, they encounter Jesus Christ.

Be a Judoka with God - the Prophet / Righteous / Disciple

I want to invite you to live your life this week as a Catholic Judoka.  As the Lord used St. Ambrose as a Judoka to reach the heart of St. Augustine, through his friendship, treatment of others and life of prayer - How will you let the Lord use your life this week - to be a friend to others, to treat them with justice and to pray for your persecutors?

Living Faith

Feast of the Holy Trinity

Baptism Class - What does “True and Living Faith” mean?

When I teach baptism classes I always begin with a question from the instruction for the rite of Baptism.  “What does it mean to have a true and living faith?”  This is a challenging question for the parents and god-parents to be.  They often respond with “Be kind” or “Believe in God etc.  I ask this question because when parents bring their children to the Church for the sacrament of Baptism, they are asking that the Church baptize their children based on their relationship with God.  If we don’t have a clear understanding of who God is and our relationship to Him, then passing on our faith to our children is a huge challenge.  It is a wake up call.

How do I know my faith is True?  Living?

I think it is a great question for all of us - what does it mean to have a True and Living Faith?  How do I know that I have faith that is true?  How do I know that I have faith that is living?

True Faith / Living Faith

To have a true faith means that what I believe is consistent with what the Church teaches about God.  To have a living faith means that I actually put my beliefs into actions - that my beliefs shape who I am and how I live.  I have an active relationship with God.

St. Paul teaches True and Living Faith

The readings today for the Feast of the Holy Trinity teach us how to have a true and living faith.  It starts with the nature of God as 3 persons.  St. Paul says this the best at the end of the 2nd reading today when he says - “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”  

A True and Living Faith is a Relational Faith

Put this in our own words - The Welcome of Christ, the Love of God and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.  Each of these words are relational.  Do they reflect our relationship with God?  If we treat God as an idea and not a person then these words make no sense - however, if we are in relationship with the fullness of God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit then we desire the welcome of Christ, we treasure the love of the Father and we live in dialog with the Holy Spirit as we go about our lives.  This is the goal of a True and Living Faith.

God is not an abstract idea to understand but a relationship to enter. To have faith in God is not mere belief, but a dynamic and living relationship that demands a response out of us. Every time we pray the Sign of the Cross, we are stepping into the living relationship of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Rejoice

I love the order of things from St. Paul’s letter that is our second reading - he says “Brothers and sisters, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

If we want to have a true and living faith then we need to begin from a place of joy - “Rejoice!”  We rejoice in the realization that the Father loved us first - and out of His love for us we are created.  This is the central point of today’s Gospel - John 3:16 which we see at the Football games - “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son”.  Is the foundation of our relationship with God one of Joy or Fear or Duty or some other motivation?  St. Paul's guides us to begin in Joy - which is the response to Love.

Sign of the Cross begins with Joy

When we pray the sign of the Cross we ought to begin with joy [PLACE HAND ON FOREHEAD] at the realization that God loves me deeply, fully, completely - [MOVE HAND TO THE HEART] - so much so that He sent His Son out of love to save us, redeem us, welcome us.  His son gives us the Holy Spirit [COMPLETE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS] who lives and binds the Church together today. 

“Mend your Ways”

To have a true and living faith that is rooted in the joy of the Love of All of God, we start with an examination of the ways that our hearts are distorted by sin and selfishness, and in-spite of that we are called to begin with joy.  

In his encounter with God, Moses learns of God’s nature:  “the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich (full) in kindness (love) and fidelity." Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship. Then he said, "If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along in our company. This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own."  God does not impose Himself on Moses but waits for Moses to invite Him into relationship.  As Moses encounters God he realizes that He and the Israelites (and you and I) are a stiff-necked people - and so we ought to “Mend our ways”

In case you are thinking [PUT HAND ON NECK AND ROLL HEAD] - Thank God I am not a stiff-necked person today then think - stubborn, or obstinate or willful…

God has given us the trait of stubbornness - not to be used to remain enslaved by sin, but rather that we are stubborn in avoiding sin.  In addition to being a trinitarian prayer [MAKE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS] the sign of the cross is a reminder to us of God’s love for us - in that the Father sent his only Son to die on the cross and to heal our stiff-necked nature. 

Practical ways to live your Trinitarian Faith

“Encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace”

The fruit of the Holy Spirit - that is the Spirit of Christ is that once we have mended our ways we start to live our lives so as to reflect the witness of Christ. This is the Living part of faith - we allow the love of Christ to govern our relationships.  

“Encourage one another”

Encourage one another - when we are tempted this week, take a moment and ask the Holy Spirit for words of encouragement rather than criticism.  Each day this next week as you go about your day think of one person to encourage - it could be your spouse, your kids or parents or siblings or a co-worker.  

“Agree with one another”

Think about what you believe - is it in accord with the Church or is it different?  Where are the places in our lives that we are taking exceptions to our Catholic Faith?  These are areas for conversion.  For example, What are the areas of strife in my life?  What is behind those?  Is it that I am a “Stiff Necked Person”?  Is it something that I can find a way forward with?  This is especially true with spouses, and children.  The value of living in accord with one another and with the Church is that we invite God into our relationships rather than reject Him or close Him out.

“Live in Peace”  

During the Last Supper Christ says to his Apostles “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid”.  When we live a Trinitarian life, our hearts are anchored in the the love of God and that allows us to look at all of the trials and tribulations of life as an opportunity to grow closer to Christ - even in the challenging things like a life-altering illness Christ invites us to abide in him, to not be anxious and to let his peace reign in us.  As we go to prayer this week - what anxiety or struggle do we need to surrender to Christ?

An Invitation to Immersion

The Gospel ends with a challenging Admonition:  “Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”  

Self Belief = isolation / death, Entrust Christ = Life

The word for belief in the Greek for this passage is πιστεύω (pisteúo) which means to entrust ones existence to God.  Jesus warns us that when we trust in ourselves, or in things, we will not have life.  Conversely when we entrust our lives completely to Him then we have eternal life.  When we immerse ourselves into this relationship with God, who is the source of life, our life is filled with his presence, his grace.  Christ invites us to entrust ourselves fully to the Trinity.  This is what it means to have a True and Living Faith; that I immerse myself [MAKE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS] in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen

Forgive one another as I forgive you…

 Easter Test!

Father Sean loves to teach the Greek word for the day, so I thought it would be fun for (me) to see how well you are doing at retaining your Greek lessons from Father Sean!  Are you ready?

Christos Anesti / Alithos (Aleythos) Anesti

Christ is Risen / Indeed He is Risen!

This is the greeting of the early Church to the reality of the resurrection - to the reality that God brings good out of evil - which is what we as a Church will spend the next 7 weeks living out in our faith lives what that actually means.

The first encounter in the Upper Room

St. John recounts for us what happened that very first day of the week when the disciples encountered the Risen Christ - He greets them with words of peace and forgiveness - Peace be with you!  Then He shows them His hands and his side - the glorified wounds of Christ are fundamental to our witness this Easter.

From Christ’s wounds flow His Mercy

St. Faustina Kowalska had this image of Easter in 1931 - when the Lord showed her his mercy flowing from his heart in two streams - red - symbolizing the eucharist and white - symbolizing the purity we acquire at our baptism.  These are the streams of love that God is pouring into our world. 

Our world needs a witness of Mercy

Brothers and Sisters, our world is in great need to encounter the divine mercy of God’s love.  We live in a world torn by hatred, judgement and the misuse of power.   

Golden Nugget: We live in a culture where everything is permitted but nothing is forgiven. Jesus Christ, however, boldly proclaims the opposite: not everything is allowed, but absolutely any sin can be forgiven. Nothing is more powerful than the mercy of God.

Peace Be with You / Mission / Forgiveness / Holy Spirit

The Disciples rejoice when they see the Lord, so He doubles down on his greeting.

The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

In the upper room, at the end of the day Jesus offers the disciples 

• Mercy (Peace be with you)

• Mission (As the Father has sent me…)

• with Support (Receive the Holy Spirit)

• to Forgive (Whose sins you forgive)

Today, in this “upper room” Christ does the same.

• He invites us to be rooted in His love

• He gives us the same mission - As the Father has sent me)

• And the same Spirit

• To be men and women of forgiveness

Bridge to Acts - How do we live Divine Mercy?

The Acts of the Apostles guides us on how we respond to this mission.  

First the Church was a community of believers.  

Challenge - If you are sitting next to someone who did not come to church with you - take a moment and introduce yourselves to one another and share one hobby you have with your neighbor.  This is a huge parish and we don’t often take time to know one another.  If per-chance you find something in common I want to invite you to take time to get to know one another better.

[[PAUSE]]

Excellent.  Often we Catholics get the bad rap of being an impersonal church - we all come here to worship God and sometimes neglect one another in the Pews.  St. Luke tells us that one of the witnesses of Divine Mercy was the community - that they were of one accord and that they took care of the needs of the community.  Sometimes those needs are financial or material.  Other times those needs are for community, companionship or caring.

Breaking of the Bread - Check!

The second aspect of the Church was that they gathered for the breaking of the bread.  Check!  We are here for the celebration of the Eucharist.

Life of Prayer - Double down with Grace

The third aspect of the Church was a life of prayer.  I know - we just survived a long Lent but seriously - did you adopt a spiritual discipline that drew you closer to God - especially in prayer?  Don’t give up - double down in this season of grace.

Second Reading Bridge (Peter) - Teaching of the Apostles

The fourth aspect of the Church that St. Luke speaks of?  The Church listened to the teaching of the Apostles - Which St. Peter shared with us in the second reading.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by the power of God…”

Peter reminds the Church to rejoice in a new birth, to a living hope - that God brings life after death - that God brings good out of evil.

We have an inheritance - that is a gift from one who has died that cannot be taken away.  That inheritance is a gift - a salvation ready to be revealed - that is after Christ conquered Sin and Death he came back and gave us the mission to be witnesses to God’s forgiveness - by becoming a Church of Forgiveness.

Seeing is Believing - the problem of St. Thomas

There was a problem in the Gospel today - he did not witness the resurrected Christ - and so he made his famous statement - until I can put my fingers in the nail marks and my hand in His side, I will not believe!

We see in this Gospel the first failure of the early Church - the Apostles tried but failed to convince St. Thomas of the reality of the resurrection.  The proof that St. Thomas needed was to touch the wounds and understand the suffering and pain that he caused Christ by running away so that he could understand the passion and love that Christ has in his forgiveness of St. Thomas.

It is a powerful thing to witness forgiving wounds

What stands out to me in the Gospel today is the prominence of the wounds of Christ as a testament to his suffering, death and resurrection.  

• It is those wounds that are the witness to Christ’s forgiveness.  

• Out of those wounds flow His Divine Mercy.  

• Through those wounds we receive forgiveness.  

• From those wounds we receive the mission to be witnesses that God brings good out of evil, life from death.

The Church is to be a witness of God’s mercy

We fulfill that mission by being women and men of forgiveness.  By being men and women who give witness to the love of God.  We are called as the disciples of Christ to give witness to His resurrection through our forgiveness of sins - through our willingness to bear the wounds that we have suffered and to forgive others.

Show them your hands and side - peace be with you

What does this mean?  Culturally we think forgiveness is to say it does not matter, we will forget a slight.  This is not forgiveness - this is lying about our wounds - which Christ wants to glorify.  Forgiveness is surrendering judgement to God - entrusting in his Mercy and Justice.  To ask for forgiveness or to apologize is to recognize that I have done wrong.  To offer forgiveness is to recognize that I have been wounded, injured and hurt - and to let it go and learn to love as Christ loves.  Brothers and Sisters, when we say that we forgive one another we are imitating Christ in the upper room and showing one another our hands and our side - and then saying “Peace be with you…”