Peace in the Storm

From the Catholic Liturgy for 19^th Sun. of Ordinary Time, Aug. 13, 2017. Mt 14:22-33. Topic: Peace in the Storm.

I think we are all in a situation today that is like a boat that is out of our control and being tossed about by winds blowing out of North Korea and waves crashing within our own nation. And yes, we are powerless over it and so fears arise. But we must take courage and realize that we are not helpless. God has sent us a Peace Plan from Heaven to get us through this social storm. I am talking about the authentic apparitions of the Virgin Mary at Fatima, Portugal in 1917. God sent Our Lady with a message of peace and hope. She said that humanity was entering a time of great wars and suffering, but that God had sent her as mother with a way out of the storms which lay ahead. She worked an awesome scientifically unexplainable solar miracle to prove the truth of her words. It was witnessed by over 70,000 people gathered at Fatima in October of 1917. This year we celebrate the 100th Anniversary of this message of peace and hope.

And do you know what her very first words were when she appeared to the three shepherd children?  Do not be afraid! Words that we need to hear and remember in todays’ social storm. Our Lady is like us, one of us, she knows our sense or fear and powerlessness in the face of international matters over which we have absolutely no control. But she came to remind us that we are not helpless and to show us the way to peace, even if it seems as impossible as walking on water.  So, of course the question at hand is this: What is the Peace Plan from Heaven? What is the message of Our Lady at Fatima? It is so simple than even a little child can do it and it can be easily remembered by recalling just three words: Rosary, Reparation, and Consecration.

ROSARY. The rosary is something that just about all Catholics know and I bet something that just about every Catholic has in their possession. The easiest way to explain the rosary is to say that it is praying the life of Jesus. While saying the Our Fathers and Hail Marys we reflect on various events in the life of Jesus. And while doing so we are asking Mary, over and over again, to pray for us. The rosary places the life of Jesus before our minds and in our hearts day after day. And this is the secret to its spiritual power. At every one of the 6 apparitions at Fatima, Mary asked that we pray toe rosary for peace every day. The rosary gives us strength in our powerlessness and courage in our fears.

REPARATION. We all know what reparation means…it is making up for something wrong we have done. In our relationships, when we hurt someone we love, and then repent of it, we go to them and say “I’m so sorry. I will never do that again.” That’s reparation. And so the same applies in our relationship with God. We remember what St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta used to say, “God does not demand success; he simply wants fidelity.” And so we repent. We try to become better and do our best relying on his grace to help us. We go to confession if our sin has been grave. We never lose hope. We never give up. That’s reparation and I think you can see how that contributes to peace.

CONSECRATION.  Our Lady asked for consecration to her Immaculate Heart, which is a symbol of her love for us. Consecration can also be called “entrustment” and so it means that we consciously entrust ourselves to her as mother and allow her to form us into the image of Jesus, her Son our Brother. There are no special words to do this, though many prayers have been written to help us do so. This is the most personal and relational part of the Fatima Peace Plan. It is children turning to their mother in love and for help.

Rosary. Reparation. Consecration. Do your part to contribute to the Peace Plan at this crucial time in our history. May Our Lady of Fatima, Queen of Peace and our Mother, pray for us and help us to be not afraid and to expect the unexpected from our God of the Impossible.

Transformed in Christ

From the Catholic Liturgy for the Transfiguration of Jesus, August 6, 2017.  Mt 17:19. Personal Transformation in Christ.

The disciples who formed Jesus' inner circle - Peter, James the Greater and his brother, John - were privileged to catch a glimpse of Jesus in his Transfiguration as He would be for all eternity after his Resurrection: dazzling, glorious, majestic. And at the same time the three disciples heard the Father's approving voice proclaiming, "This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased, listen to him."

Did you know that God the Father wants to do much the same thing for you and me? Did you know He wants to transform us into the image of his Son and say to us what he said the Jesus: "You are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." It's absolutely true! this is the message of the Gospel. It is the message of the Church. It is the message of the saints. It is the reason why Jesus gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit working in us through prayer, through reflection on his Word and through the sacraments.

If we want to become like Jesus then we simply have to follow the advice of God the Father and listen to him. And we can only so this is we make time, take time, to be with Jesus in prayerful reading reflection on the Gospels. Then in quiet prayer listen for the answer which may come as an idea popping into your mind or silent words speaking to your heart.

And if possible, in addition try to come before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament reserved in every Catholic church. Stay there before him like Peter, James and John did at the Transfiguration.  I think that once you begin this personal custom of spending time before Jesus in the tabernacle you will soon come to say what Peter said to Jesus in today's Gospel: "Lord, it is so good that we are here."

The saints tell us that in addition to pondering the Gospels and visiting the Blessed Sacrament, there is a third powerful way of being transformed into reflections of Jesus: entrusting ourselves to care of Mary, Mother of Christ and of Christians. It is her role as spiritual mother of the family of God to form us, to lead us, to help us become very much like Jesus her Son, our Brother. 

We should ask for three special graces in order to be transformed: First, that we see and admit our powerlessness to selfishness and sin. We cannot change, we cannot be transformed, unless we first see what's wrong.  Second, we need real faith to truly believe that God the Father wants to transform us into images of his Beloved Son and has promised to do so. And lastly, we have to make a gut honest prayer from the heart by which we truly turn our lives and our wills over to the loving care of God, with trust and confidence in mercy.

The Treasure & Pearl of the Kingdom

From the Catholic Liturgy for the 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time- Matthew 13:44-46: The Kingdom of Heaven. When Bible scholars examined the Gospels to discern the primary or recurring theme of Jesus' preaching, they discovered that the teachings on the “Kingdom of Heaven” (also called the "Kingdom of God") appears 99 times in the 4 Gospels; and 90 of these times it comes directly from the lips of Jesus! This HAS to grab our attention and cause us to reflect on what this means. After all, God himself has come in the flesh to live and walk and talk among us…so the Kingdom of God teaching must be of utmost importance for our salvation!

But what Is the Kingdom of God? What does this mean? Why is Jesus so insistent that we reach out and grasp it, that we do all in our power to enter into it?   I think the answer is actually pretty simple because a kingdom is first of all, where the king lives! The Kingdom of God is the dwelling place and presence of God, the place where God is adored above all and his will is done for his glory and our happiness. The Kingdom of God is where love, justice, peace, mercy and compassion reign.

The Kingdom of God is supposed to be the motivating goal of our lives. The Kingdom of God is something so vital, so worthwhile and above anything else, that we would do anything to assure our part in it! The Kingdom of God is a precious discovery like a buried treasure.  The Kingdom of God is a rare find worth giving up everything to possess, like the world’s finest pearl. This is what the parables in today’s Gospel are all about.

All who actively respond to Jesus’ invitation have the Kingdom of God within them by grace.  The Holy Spirit comes to make them his dwelling place and God touches the lives of others through them, bringing justice, mercy, peace, compassion, love to the broken, the wounded, the needy. But this gift of the Kingdom is made possible for us only by the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which we share in by Baptism. Jesus himself said that we cannot enter the Kingdom of God unless we are reborn by water and the Holy Spirit, which means the Sacrament of Baptism.  And it is this new birth, this rebirth, that brings us a to new way of thinking, of living, and of loving as people of the Kingdom. It grows within us every time we receive the Body and Blood of the Lord with faith and devotion in Holy Communion.

Let’s remember that because the Kingdom of God is within us, we are way more beautiful than any basilica or temple of God, even St. Peter’s in Rome, because we are living and breathing shrines of the one True God, who wants to extend his kingdom of love, justice mercy and peace to every human heart through us, his Christian people, who strive the live the Gospel where they live, work and socialize.

On vacation this weekend so no audio homily this week. But here is a reflection from my notes...

Mass Readings for the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time - July 23, 2017

First Reading         Wis 12:13, 16-19

Second Reading    Rom 8:26-27

Gospel Reading     Mt 13:24-43

Topic: The Kingdom of Heaven is Like...

When biblical scholars examined the New Testament to discern a primary or recurring theme of Jesus' preaching, they discovered that the phrase "Kingdom of God" appears 122 times. It appears 99 times in the 4 Gospels; and 90 of these times it comes directly from the lips of Jesus!  This HAS to grab our attention and cause us to reflect on what is meant by "kingdom of God".

First of all we need to know that Kingdom of God (used in Mark and Luke) and Kingdom of Heaven (used in Matthew) refer to the same reality. The reason for the difference is that Matthew must have been a more traditional Jew who would not used the word "God" out of respect for the Divine Name. Even today, many orthodox Jews maintain this custom. When I was a new grad out of USF and working for a media company in San Francisco, we had an Orthodox Jewish staff member who would omit the word "God" whenever it was used in a script and substitute it with another divine title. I prefer "Kingdom of God" to avoid confusion with our future life in Heaven.

The second thing to know about the Kingdom of God is that it is supposed to be the motivating goal of our lives. The Kingdom of God is something so precious, so vital, so worthwhile and above anything else, that we would do anything to assure our part in it!  Our Kingdom-motivation is something that can be very influential when lived authentically, and so it will be opposed by the powers of darkness who do not want people to enter the Kingdom.

The third thing we need to know is its definition: what Is the Kingdom of God? It is the dwelling place and presence of God - together with His grace or power to change and transform us. It is an attitude within us and environment around us wherein God is adored above all and his will is done for his glory and our happiness. So you can see why many people have mistakenly thought that this phrase refers only to Heaven, to our ultimate destination of life with God. But "heaven" begins on earth when we  allow God to live and rule in our hearts. You can also see why the powers of darkness oppose it: the Kingdom warriors (us!) threaten their status quo!

When Jesus preached and taught on this topic, his original words in Aramaic can be translated three different ways, all of which contribute to a fuller understanding of this teaching:

"The kingdom of God is near to you." This means that the presence and power of God, his plan to restore and renew humanity, is breaking into human history through the presence and preaching of his son, Jesus. This is why the Gospels all have the Baptism of Jesus and his preaching ministry as the attention-getting opening event of his public ministry.

"The Kingdom of God is upon you." This means that the Kingdom is knocking at the doors of our hearts, waiting to become part of our lives. It  is to be realized and expressed by the conversion of our hearts as we seek to strive after peace, love, justice, mercy, compassion. This is why the Gospels all contain the parables and teachings of Jesus, calling us to a new way of thinking, a new way of looking at life, a new way of living.

"The Kingdom of God is within you." This means that all those who respond to Jesus, to his Gospel, will receive the grace to live within the Kingdom of God both now and hereafter. The power and presence of God will be within us. The reign or action of God will touch the lives of others through us, bringing them justice, mercy, peace, compassion, love. But this is made possible for us human beings only through the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which we share in by Baptism and the other sacraments. This is why all the Gospels contain the Passion Story of that first Holy Thursday through Easter Sunday in Jerusalem, two thousand years ago. Jesus, our Elder Brother and Lord, is the one-only Savior who makes Kingdom-living possible for us!

So the Gospel for this Sunday should inspire us to really examine our relationship with Jesus. Where can I improve? How can I grow in it? Am I living the Kingdom values of mercy, justice, peace, compassion? Is the Kingdom of God the highest value and priority in my life? Do I realize that the more I focus on living the Kingdom of God, the better person I will become, enabling me to see to all the other lesser priorities in life?

Yoked to Jesus

From the Catholic Liturgy for the 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, July 9, 2017. Mt. 11: 25-30. Theme: Yoked to Jesus. "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." (Mt 11:29-30)

Jesus was a country boy and one of his memories was surely seeing a pair of oxen yoked to one another for the sake of ploughing a field. A yoke was a wooden harness that went around the neck/shoulders of the two oxen, linking them together. The key to successful pairing was to yoke a strong fast ox to a weaker slower one.  By doing so, the weaker of the two shared in the power and strength of the heartier one, and the ox who carried the brunt of it all was assisted by the contribution, even if less, from the other. Thus, together, they completed the task better than each one on its own. They plough the field with deep straight furrows, preparing it for the seeds and eventual harvest.

Now transfer this analogy to your relationship, your daily walk, with the Risen Lord Jesus. Is there something in particular that gets you down and hold you back from becoming the man God created you to be? Are there things in your life - at home, at work, with friends - that wear you down at times or test your inner strength to love and serve? Jesus wants to carry the heavier load, to bear the brunt. He wants to be yoked to you spiritually 24/7 x 365 so that you can learn from Him, partnering with Him throughout the day. 

Jesus never takes this shared yoke off his shoulders...but sometimes we do and we walk away from Him. Then life becomes heavier and the ploughing of our spiritual field (that is, the sprouting of the Word of God in our hearts) becomes rag-tag and uneven.  Whenever we sense that we have removed the yoke, let's repent of doing so and run back to Jesus. Let's ask Him to once again put his yoke on us so that we can learn from Him, rest in His strength and remain close to his gentle, humble heart.