Through the Desert

 

First Sunday of Lent

Gn 9:8-15, Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9, 1 Pt 3:18-22, Mk 1:12-15

The Spirit Drove Christ into the Desert

St. Mark tells us that the Spirit drove Christ into the Desert to be tempted by the Devil?  Why would God do that to himself?

The Desert is a place of Death

We have in our parish this beautiful poster of the Desert - it is at either Sunrise or Sunset - it seems to be a place of quiet, solitude, and beauty. Looking at this poster - you might be thinking to yourself - “I get it.  Jesus is about to begin His public ministry, so he is going to catch some rays and relax before getting busy saving the world.”  Nothing could be further from reality.

The Source of Death is our decision to Sin

St. Mark also tells us that Christ was driven into the desert to be tempted by Satan.  That tells us a bit about the reality of the Desert - it is the place of death.  There is no water, no shelter, no protection, everything is exposed, dries out and dies.  

The Israelites went into the Desert to Die to Slavery

When the Israelites went into the Desert it was so that they could die to the life of slavery in Egypt and so begin to live life as the chosen people of God.

The Desert is a dangerous place

The Desert is where we are alone, unprotected from the wild-beasts who are all scrambling to find their next meal - which if we are unprotected could be us.  The desert is populated with poisonous things - Snakes, Scorpions and the like - not a place where we could lie down and rest…

Why then does the Church send us into the Desert of Lent?

As I said - the desert is the place of lifelessness.  It is the place of Death.  For each of us, the desert is the place in our hearts where we choose sin, we choose to kill our relationship with God - that is the desert that we are called to enter into so that we can have a holy Lent.

The Desert of Lent is where we die to the Slavery of Sin

The Church sends us out into the Desert of Lent each year so that we can die to the slavery of Sin in our lives.  She does not send us into the desert unprepared, but sends us into the desert armed with the season of grace (God’s Love), and the weapons against the enemy - Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.

On Ash Wednesday this past week the parish was packed with people, wall to wall.  The parking-lot was packed - and everyone was excited to be here.  In my experience of Lent, I know that this is early days, everyone is still enthusiastic about this journey - we have yet to stumble, fall or fail at our lenten disciplines - but that too is coming.

What is Sin?  What is Temptation?

All of us are sinners, we all commit sin.  There is nothing more embarrassing than to be a committed Christian and to recognize in your life that you are addicted to sin.  Even though you make a firm resolution in confession to avoid temptation to sin and the sin itself I still find myself committing sin in my life.  

Sin is when I freely take an action that is of grave matter that is directly opposed to the will of God.  Scripture tells us that the wages of Sin is death.  It also tells us the topics that make up grave matter.  The first 3 relate to God

1.  God Alone

2.  God’s name is Holy

3.  Take time to worship God on the Sabbath.

The last 7 are how we relate to one another.

4.  Honor your Parents

5.  Do not kill

6.  Do not commit adultery

7.  Do not steal

8.  Do not lie

9.  Do not covet your neighbor's wife

10. Do not covet your neighbor's goods.

That recognition leads me to the realization that I cannot escape Sin under my own power - that I am weak and that I need help. 

Sin kills our friendship with God - Sin is the Desert

God gave us the commandments (in the desert) to help us to live a good and holy life.  Yet all of us, find ourselves from time to time where we choose to break one or more of these commandments.  In that moment we choose to make ourselves God, and say to the Lord - you don’t know what is good for me - and instead to break the commandment - which kills off our ability to recognize the love of God.

When we do that we find ourselves in the midst of a spiritual desert - a place devoid of life and without the presence of God.  We truly are exposed to the wild beasts and vulnerable to death.  What can we do?

Psalm 107 - The Desert will become a place of springs

In Psalm 107 the Lord says that he will turn the “desert into streams, thirsty ground into springs of water…”.  The desert that the psalm refers to is the place of death that we find ourselves in this Lent.  It is the desert into which Christ preceded us to do battle with temptation by the Devil.  

Christ goes into our Deserts to help us win over sin

Christ goes into the desert - into the place in my life, your life where we choose to sin, where we exclude God from our life and where we begin to die to rescue us from the wages of Sin and Death.  That is what this Lenten season is about.  The Church equips us with Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving to give us the tools of conversion - so that we can die to the slavery to Sin and rise into the newness of life.

Prayer expresses our need for help

Prayer helps us to verbalize our need for God’s help.  Prayer in which we can begin to understand the depths of God’s love for us - that we can drive out temptation to make ourselves God and instead remember that God loves us completely, deeply, profoundly, totally.

Fasting helps us subdue impulsiveness

Fasting - where we do battle with the impulsive nature of our will.  Satan often tries to get us not through our logical nature - “Hey wouldn’t it be a great idea if you forgo eternity in communion with God for an Icecream cone?  No rather it is through our impulsive nature - I want, I am compelled, I desire…  Fasting helps to strengthen ourselves against our more impulsive desires - because at its heart most habitual sin is just that - we have become so comfortable in our sin that it is a habit and we are not even thinking about it any more…

Almsgiving is an imitation of Christ

Almsgiving - reminds us that everything we have been given is a gift from God, and so therefore we should share the gifts that God has given us with those in need. Almsgiving is a powerful weapon in Lent because not only does it help us to recognize God’s gifts, but it teaches us to imitate God by imitating His generosity - in sharing the gifts that God has given us..

Christ waits to be invited into your desert

Christ wants us to know that the desert is not a place that is foreign to Him, that is devoid of Him - that he is too embarrassed to go to.  No, rather God is compelled by His love for us to enter into the Desert for our conversion.

To bring about a flood of grace

And what of these Springs of Water that God desires to release into the Desert?  The springs of Water are best symbolized by the water of Baptism - in which God’s grace gives life and light to the world - in which we are reborn from Sinners into children of God - vessels of God’s grace welling up in us and through us into the world.  

See that God saves you this Lent

When we allow Christ into our Desert he brings his grace to cure the barrenness of Sin, and to bring about a new life of grace in our midst.  With all of the saints who were great sinners, the desert becomes a place of springs because it is the place where they can clearly see God’s love for them conquering sin and death in their lives.

St. Peter says in the second reading today…

Beloved:  Christ suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God.  Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the Spirit… 

In which a few persons… were saved through water.  This prefigured baptism, which saves you now.  It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience,

Repent (Change your mind) and believe in the Gospel

A clear conscience through which God’s love can permeate our lives and through our lives transform the world.  That is why the Gospel today ends in this way - Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."  Christ has gone before us - it is up to us to follow Him…

Time to grow in Holiness

 

Ash Wednesday

1 Joel 2:12-18, Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14 and 17, 2 Cor 5:20—6:2, Mt 6:1-6, 16-18

Lent is a time of Preparation for Easter

Lent is for the Church a time of retreat - a time where we make a focused effort to grow closer to God, a time where we set aside the things of the world and turn our hearts to the things of God.  The reason why we do this is so that we are better able to understand, better able to comprehend God’s love for us when we celebrate His victory over sin and death this coming Easter.

La Cuaresma es para la Iglesia un tiempo de retiro: un tiempo en el que hacemos un esfuerzo concentrado para acercarnos a Dios, un tiempo en el que dejamos de lado las cosas del mundo y volvemos nuestro corazón a las cosas de Dios. La razón por la que hacemos esto es para que podamos comprender mejor el amor de Dios por nosotros cuando celebremos Su victoria sobre el pecado y la muerte en la próxima Pascua.

We begin by being attentive to the barriers to Christ

How do we prepare our hearts for this celebration?  We begin by recognizing all of the ways that we fall short of the mission that God created us for.  We begin by confronting our own failings, weaknesses and difficulties.  We begin by paying attention to where Christ has put the cross in our lives and then seeking to embrace that cross.

¿Cómo preparamos nuestro corazón para esta celebración? Comenzamos reconociendo todas las formas en que no cumplimos con la misión para la que Dios nos creó. Comenzamos confrontando nuestros propios fracasos, debilidades y dificultades. Comenzamos prestando atención a dónde Cristo puso la cruz en nuestras vidas y luego buscamos abrazar esa cruz.

Enter into the Desert to find the Cross

When he went into the Desert for 40 days to fast it was because he had set his eyes on Jerusalem, and the mission that the Father had for him there.  How do we identify the cross that Christ calls us to embrace as His disciples?

Cuando fue al Desierto por cuarenta días para ayunar fue porque había puesto sus ojos en Jerusalén, y en la misión que el Padre tenía para él allí. ¿Cómo identificamos la cruz que Cristo nos llama a abrazar como sus discípulos?

What is your Cross?

We begin by reflecting on the nature of the cross - it is the thing you would not wish on your worst enemy, and yet it is the thing that God places in your life to help you to grow in Holiness, to surrender to God and in embracing your cross to become more like Christ - to love without counting the cost, and to forgive without flinching at the hurt.

For some, our cross is the relationship with your children, our spouse, or our parents.  For others with a Sibling.  For some it is an illness, and for others a loneliness.  In all these cases the cross is something we are called to embrace this Lent with Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.

Comenzamos reflexionando sobre la naturaleza de la cruz: es lo que no le desearías a tu peor enemigo y, sin embargo, es lo que Dios coloca en tu vida para ayudarte a crecer en santidad, a rendirte a Dios y en abrazar tu cruz para parecerte más a Cristo: amar sin contar el costo y perdonar sin retroceder ante el dolor.

Para algunos, nuestra cruz es la relación con sus hijos, nuestro cónyuge o nuestros padres. Para otros con un hermano. Para algunos es una enfermedad y para otros una soledad. En todos estos casos la cruz es algo que estamos llamados a abrazar esta Cuaresma con oración, ayuno y limosna.

What are the barriers to taking up the Cross?

What prevents me from embracing my Cross?  Sin, Selfishness, Distraction.  That is why this Lent begins with the appeal from Joel - “Return to me with your WHOLE heart.  Rend your hearts not your garments”  

How do we return back to God?  It is not through the surrender of chocolate - but to the surrender of Sin.  The Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving are meant to turn our hearts back to God, so that we can listen to His voice and become more Christ-like in our souls.

¿Qué me impide abrazar mi Cruz? Pecado, Egoísmo, Distracción. Por eso esta Cuaresma comienza con el llamado de Joel: “Vuelve a mí con TODO tu corazón. Rasgan vuestros corazones, no vuestras vestiduras”

¿Cómo volvemos a Dios? No es a través de la entrega del chocolate, sino de la entrega del pecado. Las disciplinas cuaresmales de oración, ayuno y limosna tienen como objetivo hacer que nuestros corazones vuelvan a Dios, para que podamos escuchar Su voz y llegar a ser más semejantes a Cristo en nuestras almas.

Lent is a time to do battle with sin

In Lent we journey into the desert, to be stripped down to the essentials of who we are so that we are able to recognize our weakness in Sin and selfishness.  That we can be converted into disciples of Christ.  That is why in the Gospel today Christ invites us to make our Prayer, our Fasting and our Almsgiving in secret - so we can be honest about where we need to grow with Christ.

En Cuaresma viajamos al desierto, para ser despojados de lo esencial de quiénes somos, para que seamos capaces de reconocer nuestra debilidad en el pecado y el egoísmo. Que podamos convertirnos en discípulos de Cristo. Es por eso que en el Evangelio de hoy Cristo nos invita a hacer nuestra oración, nuestro ayuno y nuestra limosna en secreto, para que podamos ser honestos acerca de dónde necesitamos crecer con Cristo.

2 ways to identify sin in your life

For this Lent I invite you to reflect on what distracts you the most from God.  There are two ways to reflect on this question.  The first way to think about it is what am I thinking about while I am in Mass?  Am I thinking about work - what I need to do next?  Am I thinking about my favorite Sports team who will play next?  Am I thinking about a movie or show that I am going to watch, or what is going on with my social media feed.  Why is that more attractive to you than the one who created you for love?

The second way is to think about the sin you confess the most in confession.  I want to invite you to adopt a special prayer for the grace to recognize the temptation that leads you to commit that sin this Lent.  Ask for the Holy Spirit to point out to you the ways that you are weak towards that sin and then ask God for the grace to resist that temptation.

Para esta Cuaresma te invito a reflexionar sobre lo que más te distrae de Dios. Hay dos maneras de reflexionar sobre esta cuestión. La primera manera de pensarlo es ¿en qué estoy pensando mientras estoy en Misa? ¿Estoy pensando en el trabajo? ¿Qué debo hacer a continuación? ¿Estoy pensando en mi equipo deportivo favorito que jugará a continuación? ¿Estoy pensando en una película o programa que voy a ver, o en lo que está pasando en mis redes sociales? ¿Por qué te resulta más atractivo que aquel que te creó por amor?

La segunda forma es pensar en el pecado que más confiesas en la confesión. Quiero invitarte a adoptar una oración especial pidiendo la gracia de reconocer la tentación que te lleva a cometer ese pecado en esta Cuaresma. Pídele al Espíritu Santo que te indique las formas en que eres débil ante ese pecado y luego pídele a Dios la gracia para resistir esa tentación.

Do you need to go to Confession?

For some of us it has been many years since we have been to confession - if that is you - then I want you to hear St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians - “Now is an acceptable time!”  Take a moment this week and make a good confession.  We have confession here at the parish every Saturday from 10 to 11:30 in the morning.  

Para algunos de nosotros han pasado muchos años desde que nos confesamos; si ese es usted, entonces quiero que escuche la carta de San Pablo a los Corintios: “¡Ahora es un tiempo aceptable!” Tómate un momento esta semana y haz una buena confesión. Nos confesamos aquí en la parroquia todos los sábados de 10 a 11:30 de la mañana.

Grow in your ability to accept God’s Love

The goal of Lent is for us to grow in our ability to be filled with God’s love - that means we need to acknowledge the thing that we do that our barriers to receiving His love and take some positive steps towards them. 

El objetivo de la Cuaresma es que crezcamos en nuestra capacidad de estar llenos del amor de Dios; eso significa que debemos reconocer lo que hacemos que son nuestras barreras para recibir Su amor y dar algunos pasos positivos hacia ellas.

Prayer / Oración

For Prayer - Take some time in the morning or in the evening to begin the day with prayer from the Scriptures.  I recommend Psalm 51, which we prayed today as a psalm to pray as you pray for conversion away from sin.  Also consider coming to the Stations of the Cross here on Fridays at 7 PM.  

Para la oración: tómate un tiempo en la mañana o en la tarde para comenzar el día con oración de las Escrituras. Recomiendo el Salmo cincuenta y una, que oramos hoy como un salmo para orar mientras oras por la conversión lejos del pecado. También considere venir al Vía Crucis aquí los viernes a las 7 p.m.

Fasting

For Fasting - Today and Good Friday are days of fasting.  Every Friday during lent are days of abstinence from meat.  St. John Chrysostom says “Let the mouth fast from foul words and unjust criticism for what good is it if we abstain from birds and fishes but bite and devour our brothers.”  Fasting teaches us that the needs of the body are temporary while the needs for the soul are greater.  It quiets down our body so that we can pray with a deeper sense of need.

Para el ayuno - Hoy y el Viernes Santo son días de ayuno. Todos los viernes durante la cuaresma son días de abstinencia de carne. San Juan Crisóstomo dice: “Dejad que la boca ayune de malas palabras y críticas injustas, porque ¿de qué sirve abstenernos de aves y peces, sino morder y devorar a nuestros hermanos?” El ayuno nos enseña que las necesidades del cuerpo son temporales mientras que las necesidades del alma son mayores. Calma nuestro cuerpo para que podamos orar con un sentimiento de necesidad más profundo.

Almsgiving

Finally, almsgiving.  Christ teaches us that we have a need to give to others - because Christ is both fully God and fully man.  He gives himself to us fully, so we too have a need to give of ourselves to others.

Share the gifts that God has entrusted to you with those in need.  Take a moment and think about the times and places that you give alms.  For the next 6 weeks seek to double the alms that you give - with a generous heart.  

Finalmente, limosna. Cristo nos enseña que tenemos la necesidad de dar a los demás, porque Cristo es plenamente Dios y plenamente hombre. Él se entrega plenamente a nosotros, por lo que también nosotros tenemos la necesidad de darnos a los demás.

Comparte los dones que Dios te ha confiado con los necesitados. Tómate un momento y piensa en los momentos y lugares en los que das limosna. Durante las próximas 6 semanas, busca duplicar las limosnas que das, con un corazón generoso.

San Pablo nos recuerda nuestra misión en esta cuaresma: convertirnos en Embajadores de Cristo. Convertirnos en Hombres y Mujeres que reflejen el amor de Dios en el mundo. No sólo aquí en la Iglesia, sino también en nuestros hogares, nuestros trabajos, nuestras escuelas y nuestra comunidad. No dejéis que se desperdicie esta temporada de gracia. ¡Ahora es el momento aceptable!

The mission of Lent - to become an Ambassador for Christ

St. Paul reminds us of our mission this lent - to become Ambassadors for Christ.  To become Men and Women who reflect the love of God into the world.  Not just here in the Church - but in our homes, our jobs, our schools and our community.  Do not let this season of grace go to waste.  Now is the acceptable time!

Preach Christ Crucified

3rd Sunday of Lent – Cycle B

1 Ex 20:1-17, Psalm Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 11, 1 Cor 1:22-25, Gospel: Jn 2:13-25

The readings today speak to us about our relationship with God. In the first reading from the book of Exodus teaches us to have a good relationship with God.

The First Commandment – God Alone!
God saves us! He saved the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and he saves us from slavery to sin. Therefore we should not have any other Gods before him! This commandment teaches us that it is not Money, or Power, or Technology that saves us, nor is it the Broncos, or Video Games – only God saves us. Therefore, God ought to be first in our lives.

What is getting in the way of our relationship with God? What are the false idols in our life that are distracting us from God?

The Second Commandment – Keep Holy God’s name
God is Holy, and so His name is Holy! How often would we use our Mother or Father’s name disrespectfully? How do we use the names of those whom we love? Do we use them to curse others? Or do we use them with love and tenderness? We have this commandment because our speech reflects the state of our hearts.

The Third Commandment - Keep Holy the Sabbath
Do we make time for God in our lives? The third commandment asks us to demonstrate love for God in our actions. When we come to Mass on Sunday, it reminds us that our friendship with God is important; more important than earning Money, or watching the Bronco’s or playing video games.

Two ways that my relationship with God can get sideways
Paul’s letter to the Corinthians talks about two different ways that people relate to God. The two ways are of the Jews and of the Greeks. The Jews are demanding a sign and the Greeks are demanding wisdom.

Demanding a Sign
For some of us our faith is based only on signs, it is conditional. We say to God that we will follow Him only if He proves himself to us. For example, Lord I will go to Mass every Sunday during Lent IF you find me a job! Or Lord, I will go to Mass every Sunday during Easter IF you help me win the Lottery. Our bargains with God aren’t so obvious; we are subtle but they are coming from the same spirit. The attitude behind our demands for a sign is that we do not live out the first commandment; we don’t realize that God saves us.

Don’t wear Spiritual Blinders
The Jews sought proof of God’s glory. They made the sign their god. They were like horses with blinders on – looking for the sign of Christ’s glory and failing to see the glory of His love. So are we spiritually when we demand signs from God as conditions for our relationship with Him. When we have blinders on we do not recognize when Christ comes to us in meekness and humility to show the strength of His love.

Seeking Wisdom
The Greeks sought wisdom – this was their god. There is a false image of Christ in the world today that Jesus was simply a nice guy who taught us not to judge one another. What is false about this idea of Jesus is that it denies that Christ was also the Son of God and that he came to save us.

Get out of Guilt Free – No one gets hurt!
We like to hear “Judge not lest yea be judged!” because we get a “Get out of Guilt Free” Card. If we don’t judge one another then we don’t have sin and we’re all ok. This is why the crucifixion is foolishness to the Greeks – they are in denial that they need saving. They deny that sin exists and so the crucifixion is a waste. How many of us fall into this trap?

Stumbling Block or Foolishness?
The stumbling block for the Jews is that Christ Crucified is not the sign that they are looking for. For the Greeks it is that the death on the cross is meaningless. If there is no such thing as sin, then there is no need for sacrifice, and this dying on the cross makes no sense.

We teach Christ and Christ Crucified.
The truth of Christ’s revelation is that we were separated from God. We had lost the ability to restart our friendship with Him. Christ came to teach us how to do this, and He teaches most clearly about the Fathers love when he embraces His Cross and chooses the worst, most humiliating death possible to say to us – God loves you THIS MUCH!

[[PAUSE]]

Gods Love has No Limits – Our Response = Thank You
This is the power of God’s love – it has no limits, no bounds, and it leads us into the most beautiful and intense relationship with Him that we could ever imagine. When we are able to realize His love then we are compelled to respond – “Thank you for your Love Lord”.

Going to the Temple - Thank you Notes
If a friend of mine does something nice for me, helps me out, I might tell them thank you, or send them a little note, a text or an email thanking them for their help. This is how we express thanksgiving in our relationships.

If my friend really goes out of their way in helping me, I feel in their debt, and I might want to give them a gift, take them to a nice dinner as a way of saying thank you. This is why the Jews went to the temple – to say Thank You to God.

Christ is upset in the Temple.
In the Gospel today Jesus gets angry. Jesus is angry because he goes to the Temple to say thank you and he discovers that the Money Changers and Merchants have gotten in the way of people being able to say thank you to God. Instead of the Temple being a place of prayer and thanksgiving, it has become a market place. He noticed that the Merchants and Money Changers had changed the temple from a house of prayer into a place of business. Think of it this way – how would we feel if we had commercials during Mass – for example, A reading from the book of Exodus brought to you by Dewy Cheatum and Howe – Attorneys for the oppressed.

Jesus makes space for Thanksgiving
Jesus drives out the Merchants and Money Changers in order to create a space where we can take the time to take to say thank you to God. Lent is the time when Jesus is driving out the merchant mentality from our lives, so we can say thank you to God.

Almsgiving – The Lenten way of saying thank you.
During Lent the Church invites us to the spiritual practices of Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. Almsgiving is the spiritual practice of saying thank you to God. It gives us three different fruits.

1. Almsgiving fights against selfishness and the thought that we are the master of our own destiny.
2. Almsgiving teaches us that all that we have is a gift from God.
3. When we give alms, we imitate Christ in his desire to give us everything.

Selfishness leads to hoarding
As Americans we are often tempted to think that we have done everything by ourselves. This attitude pervades our entire society, and as Christians living here it is difficult for us not to be seduced by this mentality. When we look at ourselves as the masters of our own destiny we think that all of our blessings is the result of our work. We think that others can live this way if they work just as hard as well. We think we possess everything but in the end our possessions possess us.

Almsgiving leads to abundance of grace
Almsgiving teaches us that all that we are and all that we have is a gift from God. God gives us this gift so that we can share it with others. If we develop the habit of Almsgiving this Lent then we will be busy giving away the gifts that God has given us. When we give away God’s gifts He gives us more gifts to give.

We are created with a need to Give – So give Alms
Genesis says that we are created in the image and likeness of God, and so we have a natural need to give. As Christians, this need is even greater, because of our spiritual desire to imitate Christ who gave all so that all could come into His Father’s kingdom. This Lent the Church invites us to a better relationship with God, so consider what you are giving, and then consider increasing it so we can grow in our relationship with God. For some of us we are giving nothing – For us it is an invitation to start, to change our thinking. For others we are giving generously, and for us Christ invites us deeper into the mystery of His Love.

Profess in your actions what you believe in your Heart
The last time we visited together we spoke about the quick road from Temptation to Sin, at the end of that road was action, we either acted to choose God or to choose Sin. With Almsgiving we have the opportunity to choose God in a positive way; To professes with our actions what we believe in our Hearts.

St. Francis of Assisi
St. Francis said that we are to preach always using words only when necessary. When we give alms we are silently preaching about the love that God has shown US.

Almsgiving is preaching Christ Crucified – Thanksgiving
St. Paul says that we are to proclaim Christ Crucified. When we give alms we are imitate Christ by saying to the Father

[[ARMS OUTSTRETCHED]] –

Thank you for your Love, and the gift of sharing your love with those who are in greater need than I.

Do knot sin!

4th Sunday of Lent – Cycle C

Jos 5:9a,10-12, Psalm Ps 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6, 2 Cor 5:17-21, Gospel: Lk 15:1-3, 11-32

Rope – a tool for preaching
When I was about 12 years old one of my favorite toys was a 30’ piece of rope that we found in the woods near our house. We used that rope for everything! It was great for hauling wood to make forts, for swinging like Tarzan through the trees, and tieing up prisoners when we played cops and robbers.

This week I have discovered a new use for my favorite old toy – preaching homilies!

[[PULL OUT A SECTION OF ROPE]]

Prayer, Fasting and Alms-giving
For Lent, Father Dan asked all of us homilists to reflect on the Lenten Disciplines of Prayer, Fasting and Alms-giving and how they permeate our Catholic lives. I would like to reflect together with you about today's Gospel from the perspective of Alms-giving.

Why do we give Alms?
Have you ever wondered why Alms-giving is at the heart of our spiritual life? Why does it rate right up there with Prayer and Fasting? [[PAUSE]] The book of Genesis says that we are created in the image and likeness of God. This means that giving is at the heart of who we are created to be. We know this because when Christ came to earth he was completely self-giving. We become more fully human when we become more like-Christ; when we give selflessly for the benefit of others. This self-sacrifice is at the heart of Marriage, Religious and Family life. Relationships where we need to become self-giving help us to to grow in holiness.

Look at the Prodigal Son in terms of the relationships
This piece of rope that I have can be used to help us to think about what is going on in the parable today. Imagine that this piece of rope is the relationship between the Sons and their Father in the Gospel today. How do the Sons relate to their Father?

The Younger Son [[TIE THE FIRST KNOT]]
The younger son thinks that his Dad is just a bank – the Bank of Dad.

• He uses his Father to get some money.
• He says – Dad you might as well be dead, so fork over the dough – I gotta go!
• He then uses his Father’s money to use other people
• He throws outlandish parties
• He uses women for sex
• What is ironic, is that all of the people who come and enjoy his Father’s money are using him because he has money.
• As soon as the money dries up – they stop using him because he is no longer useful.
• His sin here is that he treats things as more important than people. He treats people as if they were things.

The Older Son [[TIE THE SECOND KNOT]]
The older Son shares the younger son’s outlook on people – they are to be used to get what you want. He simply goes about using them in a different way. While he obeys his Father, his heart is hardened. He does not see that his brother has come back to life – he says to his Dad “Your Son…” rather than “My Brother…” and he refuses to join the celebration because he is disgusted with how his brother has wasted the things – (the inheritance). It is this hardness of heart that keeps the older son from being open to reconciliation.

How are we like these two sons? [[TIE THE THIRD KNOT]]
Some of us here are like the younger son – we are trapped in dissolute living. We have tied our lives into knots of Sin – Alcohol, Drugs, Sex, Lies, Stealing. We value things rather than people. Others of us are more like the older son, we have been externally faithful to the Gospel while inside we are just getting our tickets punched, and our actions during the week do not agree with what we profess to believe here in the Church. We listen to the Gospel with our ears, but we do not allow it to penetrate our hearts.

The Father is the key to everything
It is in the Father of today’s Gospel where we find the key to freeing ourselves from these knots that we have made of our lives. If we think about what it means to be created in the image and likeness of God then we realize that this has huge implications in our lives.

• If we are created in God’s image and likeness then we will find that our lives are most happy and peaceful when we are living in a way that God has created us, designed us to live.
• This means that we are called to live in a love relationship with one another.
• We express this love in three ways
• We love God. When we come to Mass we have an opportunity to express our love for God when we share him in the Eucharist. Take a moment and converse with Him in your soul today when you receive Him.
• We love our families. God designed us to have families because families are the school of love. It is here that we learn to love our spouses, children and parents.
• We love our neighbors. When we recognize that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, then we love our extended family.
• In order for us to live happy lives we need to learn how to love in all three of these areas of our lives.

Alms-giving – The Antidote to Selfishness!
The Father’s relationship with his Sons teaches us selfless love. He does not value his Sons as things, but as people. He practices selfless love, giving himself in relationship to care for their needs.

If we find that we are mired in sin, like either of these two sons, then there are two things that we can do about this.

1. Be like the younger son and recognize our Sin, confess and strive to live a more selfless life.
2. Practice Alms-giving as an anti-dote to selfishness. One of the ways the Church has done this for centuries is to practice the corporal works of mercy (love).
a. Clothe the Naked – Go though your closets and bring your extra clothes here. We run a clothing bank for the homeless.
b. Feed the Hungry – Go through your pantry and bring some extra food here. We also run a food bank for the hungry.
c. Educate the Ignorant – Speak with Tina and Marina and volunteer some time to help out our religious education program. If you are like me you will find that the more you teach, the more you learn!
d. Shelter the Homeless – Call Avalina and volunteer to help with our outreach to the poor in this community. Just visit with those in need.
e. Bury the Dead – Come to a funeral mass for one of our parishioners. Pray with their family, or visit with some of those who have lost loved ones this year.
f. Visit the Sick – We have an active ministry here of caring for the sick and elderly in our parish. Speak with me after Mass to visit the nursing homes.

Repent and receive God’s Mercy – so that you can be free to proclaim the Gospel
When we come to our senses, and recognize our sin, then we are ready to reconcile with God. This is what the younger son does. He recognizes that he is not happy, not fulfilled, and has made the biggest mistake of his life. When the Father see’s him coming a long way off, he has mercy, and rushes to embrace him. Why, because the Father is now rich in relationship. He does not count the cost of things, but he counts the cost of relationship. His Son who was dead to him in sin is now alive in truth!

God’s Sacrificial love – it unties our knots!
When we find that our lives are filled with knots of sin we too can come to our senses. The Good News of the Gospel is that we can go and be reconciled to the Father. He is waiting for us so that he can untie the knots that sin has made in our lives through the sacrificial love of his Son. [[UNTIE THE KNOTS]]