Saturday, August 27, 2011
Mass in Madrid
David Warren ( who writes for the Ottawa Citizen ) has written this article called " Mass in Madrid" . Go to the link and check it out. It speaks to the stupidity of some so called journalist. http://davidwarrenonline.com/
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Homily for Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
In today's Gospel, Peter shows both his impulsiveness and his inconsistancy - two characteristics that make him easy to relate to. Imagine... it's around 3 o'clock in the morning as the Apostles battle against a stormy sea, and Jesus comes walking across the water towards the boat. The Apostles are scared stiff - they think they are seeing a ghost. Even Jesus' reassurance does not take away their fears. So Peter takes the matter into his own hands and challenges the ghost to do something that only Christ could do - enable him to walk on the stormy water.
And he does - for a few steps. But then Peter takes his eyes off Christ; he looks around at the waves and the storm, and he starts to sink.
As long as Peter kept his eyes on Christ he was able to walk unhindered through the stormy sea. As soon as he let his eyes wander away from Christ to examine the intimidating waves, he began to sink. Just so, as we strive to make our way through the stormy temptations and challenges of life in a fallen world, only focusing on Christ can keep us afloat.
Christ is always close to us in our storms, asking us to believe in him. In his words to Peter, tinged with disappointment, we see how much he longs for us to trust him. He said "Why did you doubt?". And as soon as he steps on board the waves cease.
Christ wants to be our peace, our strength, and the solution to life's troubles. St Peter didn't learn this lesson right away, but he learned it well; in his First Letter he put it like this: "cast all your anxieties on him for he cares about you" (1 Peter 5:7).
Having faith in Christ doesn't mean that we will always understand everything that happens in life, but it does mean that we always know who we are and where we are going.
This is the priceless value of the gift of faith.
There is a story about a man who was accustomed to giving orders and having his own way. One day this fellow was traveling to an important meeting. He decided to take a shortcut and found himself thoroughly lost. He asked the first person he saw for directions, it happened to be a little boy.
"Boy, which way to Dover?" he gruffly asked.
"I don't know," the child responded, a little embarrassed.
"Well, then," the man demanded, "How far to Brighton?"
"I don't know that either," the child answered.
"Is there someone around here who can give me directions, then?" The man raised his voice.
"I don't know," shrugged the child.
The man's questions got angrier as the boy kept responding with the same answer.
Finally the man lost his temper and shouted, "Well you don't know much, do you!"
Then for the first time, the boy smiled. Looking up the winding road to a little house where the evening light glowed through the window and where his brothers and sisters played in the yard, the boy said, "No...but I'm not the one thats lost!"
As Christians, we don't necessarily have all the answers to life's problems - though the more we study our faith the more answers we find.
Yet, if we stay focused on Christ and close to him, we do have the one Answer that matters most - we know that we are children of God, and his all-powerful love is always watching over us, even during life's storms.
But how can we in the twenty-first century keep focused on Christ?
We won't be able to look into Jesus' physical eyes, as Peter did, until we enter the kingdom of Heaven. But in the meantime we can still keep our eyes fixed on Christ in a couple of very simple ways.
The first way is very obvious..... because you are already doing it! Come to church to see Jesus in the Eucharist and celebrate the mass with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
The second way is also very simple. You can do this very privately and I defy anyone to give me a reason that they cannot do this.
Simply... while doing something relaxing or stop what you are doing and think about or contemplate Jesus. Very simple! Just think of Jesus and give thanks for all the good things in your lives. If your day has been rough ask... “what is it I should learn from these experiences? And do not expect magical voices in your dreams or thunder claps , just be still and quiet and like Elijah you may simple hear a tiny whisper in the wind.
Amen
And he does - for a few steps. But then Peter takes his eyes off Christ; he looks around at the waves and the storm, and he starts to sink.
As long as Peter kept his eyes on Christ he was able to walk unhindered through the stormy sea. As soon as he let his eyes wander away from Christ to examine the intimidating waves, he began to sink. Just so, as we strive to make our way through the stormy temptations and challenges of life in a fallen world, only focusing on Christ can keep us afloat.
Christ is always close to us in our storms, asking us to believe in him. In his words to Peter, tinged with disappointment, we see how much he longs for us to trust him. He said "Why did you doubt?". And as soon as he steps on board the waves cease.
Christ wants to be our peace, our strength, and the solution to life's troubles. St Peter didn't learn this lesson right away, but he learned it well; in his First Letter he put it like this: "cast all your anxieties on him for he cares about you" (1 Peter 5:7).
Having faith in Christ doesn't mean that we will always understand everything that happens in life, but it does mean that we always know who we are and where we are going.
This is the priceless value of the gift of faith.
There is a story about a man who was accustomed to giving orders and having his own way. One day this fellow was traveling to an important meeting. He decided to take a shortcut and found himself thoroughly lost. He asked the first person he saw for directions, it happened to be a little boy.
"Boy, which way to Dover?" he gruffly asked.
"I don't know," the child responded, a little embarrassed.
"Well, then," the man demanded, "How far to Brighton?"
"I don't know that either," the child answered.
"Is there someone around here who can give me directions, then?" The man raised his voice.
"I don't know," shrugged the child.
The man's questions got angrier as the boy kept responding with the same answer.
Finally the man lost his temper and shouted, "Well you don't know much, do you!"
Then for the first time, the boy smiled. Looking up the winding road to a little house where the evening light glowed through the window and where his brothers and sisters played in the yard, the boy said, "No...but I'm not the one thats lost!"
As Christians, we don't necessarily have all the answers to life's problems - though the more we study our faith the more answers we find.
Yet, if we stay focused on Christ and close to him, we do have the one Answer that matters most - we know that we are children of God, and his all-powerful love is always watching over us, even during life's storms.
But how can we in the twenty-first century keep focused on Christ?
We won't be able to look into Jesus' physical eyes, as Peter did, until we enter the kingdom of Heaven. But in the meantime we can still keep our eyes fixed on Christ in a couple of very simple ways.
The first way is very obvious..... because you are already doing it! Come to church to see Jesus in the Eucharist and celebrate the mass with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
The second way is also very simple. You can do this very privately and I defy anyone to give me a reason that they cannot do this.
Simply... while doing something relaxing or stop what you are doing and think about or contemplate Jesus. Very simple! Just think of Jesus and give thanks for all the good things in your lives. If your day has been rough ask... “what is it I should learn from these experiences? And do not expect magical voices in your dreams or thunder claps , just be still and quiet and like Elijah you may simple hear a tiny whisper in the wind.
Amen
Monday, July 25, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Homily for Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
We hear in the gospel how immense crowds pressed upon Jesus as he taught. The crowd was so big, Jesus actually got into a fishing boat and used the lake as his speaking platform, so that he could address everyone gathered on the shore. Crowds like this hung on his every word wherever he went.
He could easily have turned them into a revolutionary army and manipulated them for any number of purposes. But instead, he simply invites them to change their hearts. Jesus truly is the Lord, and he lets us choose freely to accept or reject his message, never bullying us into following him.
He is the "sower" of the parable, spreading God's Word and announcing God's invitation, but never forcing hearts to welcome it. This combination of eagerness to win over disciples, but respect for his listeners' freedom is especially evident in Jesus' use of parables.
A Biblical parable is a simple comparison between a hard-to-understand divine truth, a truth about God and his plan of salvation, and a well-known earthly reality. Some interpreters say that Jesus used these stories and comparisons to conceal his meaning from his opponents.
But there is also another way to look at it.
Sometimes people don't want to accept the plain truth, because it means they have to change. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught the plain truth. But many didn't accept it. So now he takes a more roundabout way to convince them. By telling parables He offers his listeners a chance to accept certain truths in the abstract, before seeing how they apply to them personally.
It's a way of telling someone uncomfortable truths that our minds and bodies do not want to hear, penetrating indirectly the hearts that have closed themselves to Jesus’ direct proclamations.
Jesus teaches in this way because he always respects our freedom, but he never gives up on convincing us to use that freedom well.
Pope Benidict XVI tells us....
"It is necessary that each person freely accept the truth of the love of God. He is Love and Truth, and love as well as truth never impose themselves: They knock on the door of the heart and mind and, where they enter, bring peace and joy. This is the way God reigns; this is his plan of salvation."
Two brothers were arguing about the wisdom of their parents.
"Father is very wise," said the first brother. The second brother disagreed. "Father is not so wise! We're just as smart as he is. I'll prove it to you." The next day the second brother went into the woods near his home and captured a small bird.He brought the bird home and said to his brother, "Let's go find dad. I will show you that he isn't so smart."
The two brothers went into their father's study, the second one holding the small bird between his cupped hands. "Father, I have a question for you," he said. "I hold a small bird in my hands. Tell me, is this bird dead or alive?" If he said that the bird was dead, the boy would simply open his hands and show that the bird was alive. If his father answered that the bird was alive, he would crush it between his hands and reveal that the bird was dead. This would prove that his dad wasn't so wise after all.
The boys' father considered the question for a moment and said, "My son...the answer is in your hands."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And so it is with us, in his wisdom, God created us with free will.
God gives us the seed of a meaningful, fruitful, and truly happy life by offering us his friendship, but it's up to us to plant the seed in good soil, and to keep the soil good. It's up to us to choose each day to follow Christ's voice in our hearts, not the lies of the devil, the sighs of our laziness, or the seductions of the world around us.
Will our lives be meaningful, fruitful, and happy?
The answer is in our hands.
And yet, God's grace doesn't make us into saints unless we cooperate with it. There are two ways we can cooperate with God's grace.
First, we can use well of the gifts God has given us as channels of grace: they are
Second, we can exercise our freedom, just as we exercise our muscles.
We must know the reasons behind our choices, and we must consciously renew our commitment to those reasons.
That's how we exercise our freedom and defend ourselves against the boredom of routine - the secret ally of the devil, and the secular world.
Today, as Christ renews his commitment to us in this Mass, let's renew our personal love for him in the depths of our hearts, embracing His parables and choosing freely, once again, to be his faithful followers.
Nothing will please him more.
Amen
He could easily have turned them into a revolutionary army and manipulated them for any number of purposes. But instead, he simply invites them to change their hearts. Jesus truly is the Lord, and he lets us choose freely to accept or reject his message, never bullying us into following him.
He is the "sower" of the parable, spreading God's Word and announcing God's invitation, but never forcing hearts to welcome it. This combination of eagerness to win over disciples, but respect for his listeners' freedom is especially evident in Jesus' use of parables.
A Biblical parable is a simple comparison between a hard-to-understand divine truth, a truth about God and his plan of salvation, and a well-known earthly reality. Some interpreters say that Jesus used these stories and comparisons to conceal his meaning from his opponents.
But there is also another way to look at it.
Sometimes people don't want to accept the plain truth, because it means they have to change. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught the plain truth. But many didn't accept it. So now he takes a more roundabout way to convince them. By telling parables He offers his listeners a chance to accept certain truths in the abstract, before seeing how they apply to them personally.
It's a way of telling someone uncomfortable truths that our minds and bodies do not want to hear, penetrating indirectly the hearts that have closed themselves to Jesus’ direct proclamations.
Jesus teaches in this way because he always respects our freedom, but he never gives up on convincing us to use that freedom well.
Pope Benidict XVI tells us....
"It is necessary that each person freely accept the truth of the love of God. He is Love and Truth, and love as well as truth never impose themselves: They knock on the door of the heart and mind and, where they enter, bring peace and joy. This is the way God reigns; this is his plan of salvation."
Here is a story to help us understand how God allows us to be free to choose him. It is called “It is in your hands”
Two brothers were arguing about the wisdom of their parents.
"Father is very wise," said the first brother. The second brother disagreed. "Father is not so wise! We're just as smart as he is. I'll prove it to you." The next day the second brother went into the woods near his home and captured a small bird.He brought the bird home and said to his brother, "Let's go find dad. I will show you that he isn't so smart."
The two brothers went into their father's study, the second one holding the small bird between his cupped hands. "Father, I have a question for you," he said. "I hold a small bird in my hands. Tell me, is this bird dead or alive?" If he said that the bird was dead, the boy would simply open his hands and show that the bird was alive. If his father answered that the bird was alive, he would crush it between his hands and reveal that the bird was dead. This would prove that his dad wasn't so wise after all.
The boys' father considered the question for a moment and said, "My son...the answer is in your hands."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And so it is with us, in his wisdom, God created us with free will.
God gives us the seed of a meaningful, fruitful, and truly happy life by offering us his friendship, but it's up to us to plant the seed in good soil, and to keep the soil good. It's up to us to choose each day to follow Christ's voice in our hearts, not the lies of the devil, the sighs of our laziness, or the seductions of the world around us.
Will our lives be meaningful, fruitful, and happy?
The answer is in our hands.
Having said all this.....
Without the help of God's grace, our freedom cannot long resist the influence of the devil and material wants.And yet, God's grace doesn't make us into saints unless we cooperate with it. There are two ways we can cooperate with God's grace.
First, we can use well of the gifts God has given us as channels of grace: they are
- the sacraments, the Bible, the teachings of the Church, the example and intercession of the saints, and, most importantly of all, the gift of prayer.
- If we are using these gifts eagerly and intelligently, and constantly learning how to use them better, we are like farmers who do not let their their tools get rusty and in disrepair.
Second, we can exercise our freedom, just as we exercise our muscles.
- This means making conscious choices, motivated by worthy reasons.
- The father or mother who goes to work every day for years just out of routine, and doesn't consciously renew each day his or her commitment to his family and to the common good, the reasons behind their going to work, will eventually wonder what their purpose in life is..
- The Christian who comes to Mass every Sunday for years just out of routine, but doesn't consciously renew his personal commitment to Jesus Christ each Sunday... which is the reason behind coming to Mass, will eventually drift away from God.
We must know the reasons behind our choices, and we must consciously renew our commitment to those reasons.
That's how we exercise our freedom and defend ourselves against the boredom of routine - the secret ally of the devil, and the secular world.
Today, as Christ renews his commitment to us in this Mass, let's renew our personal love for him in the depths of our hearts, embracing His parables and choosing freely, once again, to be his faithful followers.
Nothing will please him more.
Amen
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