What Jesus teaches us is that our actions should reflect our words and our words become alive in our actions. Let our yes be yes and our no be no. To be holy means that there is no division between our words and actions. James tells us to be doers of the word and not hearers only. Anyone can say "I love you." Words come easy. But true love is shown in deliberate signs of love. In adages we are familiar with, we would say: "Back your words with action", or "Don't just tell me, show me," "Words are cheap. The proof is in the pudding", "Do it darn it, do it". 

aintliness means living without division between word and action. If I would truly live in my own life the word I am speaking, my spoken words would become actions, and miracles would happen whenever I open my mouth. 

My diocese of Houma-Thibodeaux in Louisiana suffered extensive devastation as a result of hurricane Ida. Please pray for the people. At times like this we can lose hope or be grateful to God for sparring the lives of his people. We don't know why God permits these catastrophic events, but we know he did not cause them. But in his plan we know that God brings good out of the worse scenario. At these times, we need to turn to God, who is our hope in times of darkness. Our faith may be tested in order to be strengthen, like iron in the fire. But with the grace of God, we will continue the path to him. 

In the midst of all that is happening in the world around us, it is easy for us to lose hope and despair. To do so is to fail to remember the promises of God and the signs of the past. His promise is still relevant. "Fear not. I am with you". He is the God of the living. He has overcome evil and death and his love is stronger than any form of death and destruction. In the midst of the chaos that surrounds us, he is present. In the midst of the storm, Peter was able to walk on the water as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus. It was when he made the surroundings his focus that he began to sink. We are called to "walk by faith and not by sight".  The prophetic words of Habakkuk come to mind: "For though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit appears on the vine, though the yield of the olive fails and the terraces produce no nourishment, though the flocks disappear from the fold and there is no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD and exult in my saving God." (3:17-18)

There is a major difference between natural talents and spiritual gifts. We all have different natural talents. These natural talents come from God. We are to use them for our good and the glory of God. But how aware are we of the spiritual gifts God also gives us, who are baptized and confirmed? We have many more spiritual gifts than natural talents. Where natural talents are celebrated by others, our spiritual gifts are not. But these latter are probably less used than the former. These gifts are like buried treasure. We have been given the gift of the Spirit in Baptism. With this gift from God comes all the gifts of the Spirit for our growth in holiness and for our service of others. As we develop our natural talents, so we are called to develop our spiritual gifts. But first, we need to identify these gifts, learn about them, exercise them under the lead of the Holy Spirit, so that these gifts, along with our talents, can give God the glory that is his. What are  your natural talents? Celebrate them. What are the spiritual gifts that you are open to use as the Spirit leads? Glorify God through them.

Homily: Twenty-second Sunday Year B

Reading 1: How do we see the Ten Commandments? Do we see them as a rule of life, helping us to become more the people of God or as a burden too heavy to bear and impossible to follow? Do we see them from a loving God? Moses told the people not to add or subtract from what was commanded. We could say not to interpret and dilute them to justify some of our likes and behaviors. Moses further told the people that observing the Commandments would show their belief in God and their closeness to God as well as their dependence upon him.

Today, does our observance of these Commandments reflect our relationship to God? Do our failings to keep the Commandments reflect that God is not relevant in our lives? Today, there are those determined to erase the Ten Commandments as a rule of life, because they do not believe in the Judeo-Christian God. The civil law is more meaningful than the Divine Law, because civil laws can be changed from generation to generation. Civil laws can be adapted to the changing times. For instance, “you shall not kill” is one of the Commands of God. But the taking of the innocent life of an unborn child is justified by civil law, because people’s thinking has changed to fit their purpose. Respect for life, which is the Law of God, is no longer the practiced way of life when the self becomes the norm, rather than the other.

We can go through each of the Commandments and see how people are or are not observing them today. Moses told the people that by observing the Ten Commandments they will be witnesses to the nations of the goodness of God.  When the Commandments are not followed or relegated to irrelevancy, then the civil law, which can be manipulate to fit the will of the majority at the time, becomes the rule of life, leading away from God.

Gospel: The heart of today’ s message is “You disregard God’s Commandments, but cling to human traditions. There is nothing wrong with washing dishes, hands, clothes. This is good hygienic practice.  During the present pandemic it is good to wash our hands, sanitize, wear masks, etc. But there is a greater disease that many times we neglect to deal with.  It is the disease of sin.

The Pharisees were more concerned with external purification than internal purification. By focusing on the Commandments, they would be dealing with the sins which can bring lasting and eternal death.

Yes, we should be concern about the virus and about cancer, which can cause our physical death. But how concerned are we about the spiritual cancer, which is more destructive?  We are all sinners. We all fall short of the glory of God. By observing the Commandments, we will replace sin with virtue by God’s grace.

Where do we start? Which is my greatest sin? Start there. As we look at a Commandment, don’t look at it from the surface. Take for instance the example of a person who goes to confession and says “I didn’t kill anyone”. Maybe physically that is true, but are there other ways to violate this commandment besides physically taking a life?  Here is an examination of conscience to reflect on. “The fifth commandment forbids: Murder, suicide, criminal neglect that might cause serious injury or death to another, serious anger and hatred, abortion, mercy killing, the use of narcotics, sterilization, drunkenness, help extended to another to commit a mortal sin, fighting and revenge.”

Reading 2: Just as the Commandments are from God, so his revealed word is from him. As the Commandments are given to guide our life in relationship to God and others, so too his word. We are to welcome his word, which is given to us to same us. How do we truly welcome the Ten Commandments and the revealed Word?  Do we hear them, receive them and act on them?

Each Sunday we are privileged to hear God’s word. How do we receive it? What did we do with the word we heard last Sunday? Every time we hear God’s word it is anew and alive with meaning for me in my present circumstance. But if we do not act on that word, then we will miss the present grace God desires to give us in our lives. 

The world is not evil, though evil is in the world. God created the world good, but not a god. The evil in the world comes from the result of sin. The world has a lot that is good to offer us, as long as we don't make it a god to whom we give allegiance. We are to use the good according to God's plan and for his glory rather than be possessed by it.  Jesus reminded us that we are in the world not of the world. We are citizens of the Kingdom of God. We are sons and daughters of God, sharing his divine life. Our destiny is not in this world, which will end, but in eternal life with God. Like the Chosen People, there is a promised land ahead. Don't long for the fleshpots of Egypt and die in the desert of sin. Hear, obey and follow the way of the Lord, who leads us to the heavenly land, flowing with milk and honey.

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary: Gospel Reflections B

When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. 

· The fact that they came from Jerusalem meant that they were an official delegation sent to observe this new Rabbi and his disciples to see if they were strictly following the Law. They were checking his orthodoxy.

For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders. And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds. 

· The Pharisees and observant Jews were keen on ritual purity, that is, to do nothing that would make one unworthy to enter into the temple or to offer sacrifice. There were many laws regulating ritual purity. The Pharisees pride themselves on their strict observances of all these laws. They expected, and seemingly demanded others to do the same.

So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” 

· This tradition was at the heart of their understanding of righteousness, based on works. This offended their sense of righteousness before God.

· Here we have another point of contention between the Pharisees and Jesus over his disciples’ behavior.

· The issue is Jesus’ interpretation of the Law and their interpretation and between the commandments of the Law and human traditions of their elders.

· This was another attempt to discredit Jesus before the people who flocked to him.

· They were not so much concerned about hygiene but ritual impurity.

He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts. You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” 

· Jesus was aware that they had come to undermine his ministry.

· What is the distinction Jesus makes in his response? Jesus knows that there is nothing in the commandments demanding this ritual of washing but was added later by human tradition.

· What upsets Jesus is that these leaders were laying more emphasis on their own ritual requirements than on what was far more important, such as obedience to God’s word.

· In quoting Isaiah Jesus indicates the degree of their hypocrisy. They placed more emphasis on human interpretation than on the actual word of God.

· The question Jesus raises is this: Is the interpretation of the Law, made by the teachers down through the centuries, which at times reinterpret the Word of God even to the point of altering it somewhat, equal to the Law itself?

He summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand.  Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile. “From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.” 

· When we reflect on this passage do we see an application in our lives?

· Do we sometimes focus on the external trappings rather than the interior transformation that God desires?

            How conscious are we of the roots of sin within us? What are we doing about them?

"We enter into solitude first of all to meet our Lord and to be with him and him alone. Our primary task in solitude, therefore, is not to pay undue attention to the many faces that assail us, but to keep the eyes of our mind and heart on him who is our divine savior. Only in the context of grace can we face our sin; only in the place of healing do we dare to show our wounds; only with a single-minded attention to Christ can we give up our clinging fears and face our own true nature. As we come to realize that it is not we who live, but Christ who lives in us, that he is our true self, we can slowly let our compulsions melt away and begin to experience the freedom of the children of God. And then we can look back with a smile and realize that we aren’t even angry or greedy anymore." (Henri Nouwen)

Many are afraid of this type of solitude. They are afraid that Jesus will not be there or that he will be silent. Maybe then we are going into this time of solitude for the wrong reasons. We are going to be fixed by God, so we can return to our real life. If these are our thoughts, then we may find solitude a waste of time. But, if we are going into this time of solitude to be with God for God's sake primarily, then our purpose will be fulfilled. It is a time of praise and thanksgiving of the One who is the center of our being and who sustains us in being. And if God is our focus and not ourselves, then we may experience God in a way we could never expect, while at the same time experience his loving care and healing in a way we did not have to ask. Jesus invites us into this solitude with him.

 It is the revelation of the Word of God that we are chosen by God to exist. We are chosen by God to be redeemed and thus become disciples. We have been chosen by God to be sanctified and anointed. We have been chosen by God to be with him for ever in glory. God chooses us not because of any merits of our own, but because he chooses us out of love. But even given this fact that we are chosen, doesn't free us from responding by mutually choosing God out of love. We do this when we honor, respect and care for our body and that of others. We do this when we choose as disciples to remain in relationship with God rather than live in sin. We do this when we seek to be holy and be witnesses of his holiness,  so as to be with God forever in his presence. God's choice is in the present moment. Our response is also in the present moment. How conscious are we of being chosen of God and how attentive are we in response?

 "Let us lay aside every encumbrance of sin which clings to us and persevere in running the race which lies ahead; let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who inspires and perfects our faith."(Hebrews 12:1)

With all that is going on around us (the negativity of the media, the natural and human catastrophes, the uncertainties of the times, the rampant onslaught of immorality), we can become distracted from our purpose and destiny. Paul reminds us once again that we are in a race that is not a sprint but a marathon. Part of the discipline of this race is to not to be distracted and fall into the trap of the lure of sin. Its momentary pleasure dulls our commitment to reach our prize. What we need to do is keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the beginning and the end of our life. Each day will bring us many challenges, but the one challenge that we must embrace is to keep running with conviction towards the goal, life everlasting in the presence of Our Lord and God. We may stumble and fall. The race is not over. The love of God calls us on to the finish line. It is not important in this race whether we are first or last, only that we finish victoriously.

Homily Twenty-first Sunday Year B

Reading 1 Joshua let the people into the Promised Land under the guidance of God. The people were established, having conquered some of their enemies. Joshua reminds the people that it was God who led them and have established them in their new land. He challenged them to renew their covenant with God or choose to serve other gods. Recognizing what God has done since the time of their exodus from Egypt till that moment, Joshua proclaimed that he and his family will serve the Lord God, who is God alone. The people said that they too would do the same. Though they and Joshua were sincere, the generations after them forgot what God had done and fell away from serving the Lord. They broke their covenant with God.

The same was true with Moses and the people of his day. After Moses presented them with the Commandments of the Lord, he asked them if they will obey them. Their response was affirmative. “We will do all the Lord asks of us.” He sealed their yes to the covenant in blood. But their subsequent actions proved that words are easy to say. Words without actions backing them are just words.

When we were baptized, we entered a covenant with God. Hopefully, sometime after that we have had a personal encounter with God and have made that covenant our own. Today, we have heard again the marvels God has done for our ancestors on our behalf.  We recall what Jesus has done for us through his death and resurrection. We too gather to renew our covenant with God. Like the people in Moses’ time and in Joshua’s we will proclaim that we will do all that the Lord asks of us. We will serve the Lord, our God, and him alone. How we live during the rest of this week will indicate whether we were sincere or we spoke empty words.

Gospel: There is within each of us a spirit of rebellion, based on a lack of faith and trust in God. Jesus has revealed to his many disciples that he is the Bread of Life, the new Manna come down from heaven. He will give them his Body and Blood to eat and drink. If they ate and drank, they would have life forever. Several times he repeated the same message. His Body is real food and his Blood real drink. At the same time, if they did not eat and drink of his Body and Blood, they will not live forever in glory but alienation.

Many of his disciples found this too hard to accept. They were approaching Jesus’ words from the limitation of the human mind. They were looking for rationality. They could not put their faith in Jesus, nor in his words. Jesus did not explain any further. He did not accommodate himself to their way of thinking. He stuck by his words.  As a result, many of his disciples left him. He turned to the Twelve and asked them to also make a decision, either to accept his words because of who he was to them, or walk away like the others.

Peter already confessed Jesus as the Christ without fully understanding of what that really means. Now, he renews his commitment to remain and follow Jesus, even though he doesn’t fully understand the revelation Jesus has given them. His faith is in the person of Jesus first and in his words second. This wasn’t blind faith, but an acknowledgment of his relationship with Jesus.

In faith in the person of Jesus, the Lord, we accept that this is the Body and Blood of Jesus. Our faith is in the person of Jesus first and then in what he has revealed. There may be many things that may be hard to understand. We ask for the grace from the Holy Spirit.

Reading 2: Many women take offense at Paul in this reading. They see it as degrading to women. The first reading focused on serving the Lord, being faithful to the Lord, following the Lord. That is the focus of this reading. Not the husband or the wife, but the Lord.

 Paul is giving an exhortation about our relationship with God. Whom will you serve? Christ has shown us the greatest sign of love by reconciling us to the Father through the shedding of his blood.  He gave his life for our life. His focus was not what was good and easy for him, but what was best for us.

In the context of true love, Paul then says husband and wives should be subordinate to one another out of reverence and love of Christ. It is a mutual choice and commitment that is hard to fulfill, if our love does not reflect his love. He emptied himself, not thinking of himself, but thinking of us, so that we can be with the Father.

Husbands and wives should love each other this way. Neither is complete without the other. Jesus loved us and laid down his life for us, so that we can be holy and without blemish. Husbands and wives are called to love and serve one another, so that each cam be holy before the Lord. 

 How can we forget God's generous mercy and forgiveness to us, who are undeserving? God does not owe us forgiveness, but owes us condemnation and alienation out of justice. Instead, God casts our sins into the sea as the Psalmist says. In another place the Psalmist says that our sins are like crimson red and God will make us sterling white again with his forgiveness. While God does not remember our sins, once he forgives us, we will still remember  our hurts, even when we forgive another. But the memory of that past scar will not hold us in bondage of unforgiveness. By God's grace, and only by his grace, can we choose to forgive another, not for the other's sake, but for our sake, lest we are seen by God as an ungrateful person. Like us, the other person, from our perspective, does not deserve forgiveness, but justice and punishment. But if God has been merciful to us beyond measure, how can we deny the same things to the other? "Forgive as your heavenly Father has forgiven you."

 Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary: Gospel  B 

Many of Jesus’disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” 

· “This saying” was the teaching of Jesus in the last two Sundays’ Gospel readings concerning his gift of his body and blood as food and drink leading to eternal life.

· Notice those who were having a hard time accepting this teaching of Jesus were disciples—that is some of the very ones who had committed to walk and learn from him.

Earlier, it was the Jews in general who followed Jesus after the multiplication of the loaves                and fish.

· What does that say to you?

Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?  It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” 

· Though they had been disciples following Jesus, they had not yet made that final faith commitment in him. Are you an uncommitted disciple or a “no-turning back” disciple?

· What does Jesus mean when he says: “What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending…”? They couldn’t believe his word because they couldn’t see him beyond the fact that he was a man just like them. They were not open to the fact that he was more than what they saw and thus more than what they could understand. His words do not make sense if he is no more than a man, if he is not also the Son of God.

· What is the role of the Spirit is this? Our human knowledge without the gift of understanding by the Spirit cannot comprehend or accept the mystery of the gift of Jesus’ Body and Blood as food for our journey. From the Spirit comes the gift of faith that empowers us to accept in faith this gift of Jesus.

Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him.

· How did Jesus know this? Over the period of time and in prayer he was discerning (gift of the Spirit) who was going to continue to walk with him and who was going to betray him.

  And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.” As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. 

· Do we know people who have done this even among our acquaintances? How do we react to their decision?

· Notice Jesus didn’t try to stop them or to explain the mystery any further to them. No one can be forced to accept and believe. It must be a free choice.

· Even today, our understanding and acceptance of the Eucharist divides us from others who cannot accept the reality of Jesus’ words.

Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”  Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

· What separated the twelve from the others who left Jesus? Why did they remain in his company?

· What do you take from this passage and apply to your life?

" We fear the future because we are wasting today....Be happy in the moment, that's enough. Each moment is all we need, not more." (St. Therese of Calcutta)

This is another advise supporting the KISS principle (Keep it simple, stupid). We are trained to live in the future of  "what if's". So, it is hard for us to be happy in the present moment, which seems so empty and routine. We want the more. There is more, but it begins by seeing and enjoying the more of the present moment. What is the more we need? The Lord, who is in this present moment with his gifts and blessings. Many of the saints came to realize this mystery, which changed their lives. In the midst of all their struggles, there was an inner peace of the presence of the Lord. This peace dwarfed the struggles. It was this peace of the presence of Christ, which enable them to deal with their struggles. "Each moment is all we need, not more."

 "Should you fall even fifty times a day, never on any account should that surprise or worry you. Instead, ever so gently set your heart back in the right direction and practice the opposite virtue, all the time speaking words of love and trust to our Lord after you have committed a thousand faults, as much as if you had committed only  one. Once we have humbled ourselves for the faults God allows us to become aware of in ourselves, we must forget them and go forward." (St Jane Frances de Chantal)

Practical spiritual direction! How often we allow our many falls to prevent us from learning from them and moving on in living again for the Lord. The Evil One delights in our discouragements and negative thoughts about ourselves. He invokes self-condemnation and failure in us, so that we will remain in our faults, rather than break through to the truth. God, on the other hand, does not condemns us but offers us the grace of mercy and forgiveness to get up and start afresh, no matter how  often we fall. It is not our falls he looks at but at our rising to walk again in his presence. Rather than look at the ground when we fall, he invites us to look to his unconditional love for us, which cannot be erased by our falls.

Homily Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary

Reading 1: In his vision the author of Revelations sees Mary in heaven, crowned with 12 stars, representing the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 Apostles. She is clothed with the sun signifying that she is glorified. At the same time, he realizes that this woman is Mary the Mother of Jesus, the Messiah. He also realizes that Satan, symbolized by the dragon, stands in opposition to God’s plan, seeking to destroy the child birthed by Mary.

This child as Messiah dies, rises and ascends to the heavens to be seated as Lord at the right hand of the Father. With his death, resurrection and ascension, he has saved the world and established the Kingdom of God. For he is the Anointed One, who has all power and authority.

Satan is defeated and seeks to vent his anger against the woman who bore the Messiah. But she is protected by God until the say she dies and ascends into heavens, where she is crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth. Satan, in turn, seeks to destroy those who follow Jesus. The Book of Revelation was written to give them encouragement. Thought they may suffer for the name of Jesus, if they remain faithful, they shall experience the same victory that Mary experiences, life eternal with God.

Gospel: The Gospel reveals an aspect of Mary’s life on earth.  After the annunciation of the angels of being blessed to be the Mother of the promised Messiah. Mary proclaimed herself as the servant of the Lord, committed to do his will. Having heard that her cousin, Elizabeth, was with child, even in her old age, Mary goes to serve Elizabeth during the last stages of her pregnancy.

In doing so, Mary became the first evangelizer. For in greeting Elizabeth, the Spirit of Jesus ministered to the child in Elizabeth’s womb. He leapt for joy at the encounter with the Messiah, whom later he will proclaim. Then Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, confirmed to Mary what the angel had told her. She has conceived the Messiah. Elizabeth also affirms Mary’s commitment to do the will of God.

Mary, moved by the Spirit, then blesses and praises God for his mighty works in her. She rejoices in the Lord for his blessings to her and the blessings to his chosen people over the ages, since the promise to Abraham.

This feast is one of the many blessings that God did in Mary’s life, not because of Mary’s merit, but because of her role in the God’s plan of salvation. Her blessings began with her being conceived free of original sin, her Immaculate Conception. She has been told that she will be the Mother of the long awaited Messiah, whom she conceived by the Holy Spirit, while remaining a virgin perpetually. Her blessings included sharing in the redemption of the world by releasing her Son into the Father’s plan for our salvation. At the cross, she became the Mother of the Church. At Pentecost, she received a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Because she was conceived free from sin by God’s grace and remained free of sin by God’s grace, Mary does not experience the corruption of her body in death. As Jesus was risen and ascended to the Father in glory, Mary is assumed into Heaven after her death.

Her assumption is the logical conclusion of her vocation on earth and the way she lived it out in obedience to God. How could the one immaculately conceived, the one who gave flesh to the Messiah, by nurturing him in her womb for nine months, have known corruption in the grave?

All of Mary’s blessings are a sign of God’s providence and love. So she rejoices in God for all that God has done for her.

This culmination of Mary’s many blessings is at the same time a new beginning for her in God’s plan. She is crowned by Jesus as Queen of Heaven and Earth. Mary shared in the divine life of God from the initial moment of her conception in the womb of Anne, now she shares in the divine life eternally. She continues her role as the servant of the Lord now by interceding for us, her spiritual sons and daughters.

Reading 2 As Christ was raised from the dead and ascended into Heaven, death having no power over hi, so Mary dies and is assumed into heaven. Death has no power over her. Mary’s assumption is the fruit of Christ’s death and resurrection. As Mary now shares in the glory of God with a glorified body, so one day, though we die and our body turns to dust, we will rise from the dead. If we died in Christ, we will rise to eternal glory, sharing in the life of God, given to us in Baptism. We will be in the presence of God eternally. With Paul we will proclaim: “Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?” The resurrection of Jesus and the assumption of Mary are the foretaste of our own resurrection. Our body and soul will be reunited forever in the glory of God. We belong to the Lord.

But if we died alienated from God in spite of sharing his life in Baptism, we will rise to eternal alienation from God. So while there is time, we need to continue to live in union with Christ, so that we can die in union with him and be with him forever in glory. For this is our destiny. 

Jesus says, “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.

What is this peace that Jesus wants to give us that is different from what is commonly thought of as peace?  Does it mean freedom from difficulties and questions? Does it mean no problems? This is utopia not peace. Jesus is our peace. In the midst of all our difficulties, questions, struggles, uncertainties, the presence of Jesus is there to guide us through with confidence. It is not a surface peace but the reassurance in faith that no matter what occurs we are in the loving hand of God. Paul in his Letter to the Romans helps us to understand this peace. “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth,^* nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Roms 8:38-39) Our peace comes with the conviction that we are loved by God, who remains with us and in us. Remain in that peace, no matter what.

Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary    Gospel B

During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

          Mary has just been told that she will conceive a child by the Holy Spirit and that her cousin, Elizabeth, was with child in her old age. Not thinking about herself, she goes quickly to minister to Elizabeth.

          What do you think her parents thought or what Joseph thought?

          Jesus in Mary’s worm ministered to John in Elizabeth’s womb. The presence of the Lord brings joy to John even in the womb. The fruit of joy is the work of the Holy Spirit.

          By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit Elizabeth confirms to Mary what the Angel had revealed to her: Mary had conceived; the child is the Lord; Mary is blessed.

For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believe that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.

          Again Elizabeth is used by the Holy Spirit to affirm the faith and trust Mary had on hearing the word of God. She believed without seeing or feeling.        

 And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

          Mary, on hearing this confirmation, rejoices in what God had and was doing in her life. How often do we rejoice in the workings of God in our lives?

          She accepts with humility and total surrender to God’s will in her life. She acknowledges the great mystery of God’s plan. She did not know that she indeed was a unique creation of God. She alone was conceived without original sin and has remained sinless to provide a proper vessel for the conception of the Messiah.

His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

          Mary recalls the greatness of God throughout salvation history: his mercy, his power, his providential care, his mighty deeds, his choice of Abraham and his descendants. 

Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home. When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her.

          Mary returns back to Nazareth to reveal to Joseph and her parents that she was with child. She trusted that God would guide her and them.

          Elizabeth’s delivery of a boy brought great wonder and joy among the people in the area. They interpreted this to be another sign of God’s mercy, as Mary had proclaimed.

          What stands out as you reflect on this passage?  What message is God revealing to you about his plan in your life? 

Sometimes we spend most of our life doing, accomplishing things, trying to reach that next level of success, rather than being and living in the present moment. In being in the present moment we can do great things. In doing we may miss the beauty of the present moment, rushing to accomplish the next something.  Because we have been trained to be task oriented, to measure our worth and dignity by our accomplishments, rather than in being fully who we are, beloved sons and daughters of God, we may miss the true treasures before us. Are we afraid just to be, lest we miss an important moment of success? God wants us to know that we are valuable because of who we are in his eyes, not so much what we do on our own. He loves us because we are his, created in his own image and likeness and destined to be with him forever in glory. God wants our priority to be found in being who we really are so that our doing flows from this reality. 

"There is a great difference between successfulness and fruitfulness. Success comes from strength, control, and respectability. A successful person has the energy to create something, to keep control over its development, and to make it available in large quantities. Success brings many rewards and often fame. Fruits, however, come from weakness and vulnerability. And fruits are unique. A child is the fruit conceived in vulnerability, community is the fruit born through shared brokenness, and intimacy is the fruit that grows through touching one another's wounds. Let's remind one another that what brings us true joy is not successfulness but fruitfulness." Henri Nouwen

What is more important to you eternally, to be successful in the eyes of the world or to bear fruit that will last eternally? Success may come as a result of a great price to the individual’s ultimate destiny. Jesus asked the question this way: “What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? What could one give in exchange for his life?” (Mk 8:36) Then in the Gospel of John Jesus gives the true meaning of our life. “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.^”  (John 15:16) What is that fruit? It is love in which we seek to do the will of God and continue in the sharing of his gift of divine life. When we die our success and fame will not follow us, but the fruit of a life of love will. Are you chasing after success or are you seeking eternal life with God? 

NOVENA FOR THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY

August 6-14, 2021

Lord Jesus Christ, you have destroyed the power of death and given the hope of eternal life in body and soul. You granted your Mother a special place in your glory, and did not allow decay to touch her body. As we rejoice in the Assumption of Mary, give us a renewed confidence in the victory of life over death. You live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

 Immaculate Virgin, Mother of Jesus and our Mother, we believe in your triumphant assumption into heaven where the angels and saints acclaim you as Queen of Heaven and earth. We join them in praising you and bless the Lord who raised you above all creatures. With them we honor you. We are confident that you watch over our daily lives and we ask that you intercede for us now. (mention your request)

We are comforted by our faith in the coming Resurrection and we look to you for prayers and comfort. After this earthly life, show us Jesus, the blest fruit of your womb, O kind, O loving, O sweet virgin Mary. O Queen Assumed into Heaven, pray for us. Amen.

Hail Mary….

We continue our reflection on the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Yesterday, we reflected on the need for assurance of forgiveness. This Sacrament provides us the opportunity of countering the root of sin, which is pride, with the virtue of humility. It humbles us to confess our sins to God through the ministry of a priest. But admitting our faults verbally to another deflates our ego. But besides this, confessing our sins helps us to release them from within and bring what was hidden in darkness into the light, which gives  us freedom. When a person goes to a counselor or therapist and spills his "guts", basically the counselor or therapist listens. Afterwards the person may feel better, having spoken the "nausea" within and released it. The same thing happens in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We spill our sins before the priest, who basically listens. The very confession of our sins openly gives us a sense of freedom. They are no longer ours. We have let them go. We could only do this by the grace of God and the grace of the Sacrament begins the healing process. God's plan and purpose are beyond our understanding. We humbly and  obediently submit to his plan.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches the following.

1455 The confession (or disclosure) of sins, even from a simply human point of view, frees us and facilitates our reconciliation with others. Through such an admission man looks squarely at the sins he is guilty of, takes responsibility for them, and thereby opens himself again to God and to the communion of the Church in order to make a new future possible.

1456 Confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance: "All mortal sins of which penitents after a diligent self-examination are conscious must be recounted by them in confession, even if they are most secret and have been committed against the last two precepts of the Decalogue; for these sins sometimes wound the soul more grievously and are more dangerous than those which are committed openly."

Some people have a difficulty in seeing the necessity of confessing  one's sins to a priest, rather than to God directly. This is similar to those disciples who found it heard to believe when Jesus told them that he would give his Body to eat and his Blood to drink. It is Jesus who gave his Apostles the power to bind and to loose on earth. Why would Jesus do this?

First, as human beings we don't like to live in uncertainty. We want assurance. If we have certain symptoms, we fear we may have contracted the Delta virus. To know for certain we go to a Doctor to be tested. We are relived when he assures us that the test was negative. To confess our sins to a priest gives us the assurance in faith that God in his mercy has forgiven us our sins. We receive the sign of the cross absolving us from our sins. Without this, we hope we are forgiven by confessing them to God directly, but there is no sign. Recall the scene when the paralytic was brought to Jesus. He forgave his sins. Some observers objected. Then he gave a sign assuring the man that his sins were forgiven. He healed him. Did we not feel relived and at a peace, when we heard the words of absolution? In faith, did we not feel something lifted from our heart? Jesus knows we need assurance and so, through the ministry of the priest, he gives us this sign of forgiveness. Thank you Jesus!

Homily Nineteenth Sunday Year B

Reading 1: Elijah has confronted the infidelity of the nation of Israel. Their king, Ahaz, was wicked and did abominable deeds. His wife, Jezebel, was a foreigner, who brought the worship of her gods with her. Ahaz had temples built to her gods for worship. Elijah was told by God to confront this head on.

Elijah had all the false prophets killed. Jezebel was furious and sought to kill Elijah. That is why he is fleeing and wants to die. Gut God has other plans for him. You ever felt that way.

Elijah is obedient. He is told to go to the mountain of God, Horeb in the desert. Mt. Horeb in the OT was the place of Moses’ encounters with God during the Exodus journey. There Moses had the burning bush experience; there God gave him the Ten Commandments, making a covenant with the people. There God provided water when the people complained.

While waiting upon the Lord, Elijah also has an encounter with God. God speaks to him in the whisper of the wind. God told him to anoint another king to succeed Ahaz and a prophet to succeed him.  He had a destination and a purpose, to follow the way of the Lord, to hear the word of the Lord and to act on the word of the Lord. He was obedient.  Like Elijah we have to learn how to be attentive to that small voice of the Lord, as he guides us through the difficulties and storms of our life journey. Sometimes we look for God in the wrong places, rather than be still and wait upon the Lord. Like Elijah we are called to listen, to obey and to act.

Gospel: Last Sunday in the first reading, the Israelites in the desert murmured and complained that they did not have food. So God gave them manna in the morning and quail in the evening. They were never satisfied.

Like their ancestors of old, the people in Jesus’ day murmured against Jesus, even though he was speaking the truth to them. They had been fed with the few loaves and fish. Now they wanted more. They could not accept Jesus for who he was, even though they had seen the signs and wonders Jesus performed.  Jesus said they should hunger for the true bread that will allow them to live forever. Their ancestors ate manna in the desert and complained against God that they were tired of the same food every day.

Jesus said their ancestors died even so. But those who shall eat his Body and his Blood will live forever with him. We know that Jesus was not talking about physical death, for we know all of us will die. He was referring to the eternal death of alienation from God. But those who share in the life of God at the time of physical death will live forever. Those who do not share in the life of God by their choice will die the second death, eternal separation from God.  But this is not an external sharing, but an internal, life-giving union.

How many people partake of the Eucharist out of doing what is culturally acceptable or ritually done? How many still do not confront the sins in their lives and still receive the Lord? There is a disconnect between what God desires and what we want. Are we in union with Go, when we receive the Eucharist? Do we seek to stay in union with God through the week?

Reading 2: Paul reminds the Christians in Ephesus not to grieve the Spirit with which they were sealed for the day of redemption.  Like them when we were baptized, we were anointed with the sacred oil of Chrism by which we received the life of God and became Temples of the Spirit. We began the journey of redemption to be completed if we die in Christ. The gift of the Spirit was for our sanctification, so that we can be holy as God is holy. Sin is the opposite to our sanctification.

Paul says that sin must be constantly avoided and removed from us. Instead, we need to become more and more virtuous, living and acting in love as Christ has loved us by giving his life for our life. Am I seeking to be a virtuous person? Am I just living with and in sin or am I confronting the very roots of sin with me?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "The Fathers of the Church present this sacrament as 'the second plank [of salvation] after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace.'"

How merciful is our God! He provides us with many second opportunities to be saved, once we choose sin over sharing in his life. This is not that we can presume on his mercy and use the Sacrament as a person, planning to get drunk, enlisted a designated driver to bring him back home.  Like the other Sacraments, forgiveness is a privilege not a right. What is our attitude when we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Are we truly repentant, even though we may sin again? Are we grateful to God for his mercy? Do we truly believe that we are forgiven? What are we doing to turn away from sin? When we shipwreck, God throws us a life ring. Some people wait too long in the ocean of sin before reaching for the life ring. Don't hesitate and fail to grab hold and let God pull you back to himself? You don't know when the undercurrent will pull you into the depths of the ocean of sin and you will be lost.

Nineteenth Sunday Ordinary Time: Gospel B 

The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven," and they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, 'I have come down from heaven'?" 

· What is the fundamental problem the religious leaders of Jesus’ day were having with Jesus? His identity! They saw him as a man but could not see him as one sent by God or equal to God as he claimed. Their human knowledge blinded and limited them to the mystery being revealed.

· What areas in our life that we have a hard time fully believing and living according to the Word of Jesus? What would be the hardness of our heart that blocks us from totally trusting in Jesus?

· Were in our life do we box Jesus in?

Jesus answered and said to them, "Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: 'They shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.

· How attentive do we listen to the Father as he draws us to Jesus?

· Jesus is referring to himself when he says “Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God.”

· As Jesus claims to have seen God what do you think went through the minds of the religious leaders? What is Jesus claiming without directly stating it?

 Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

· The key word here is “believes.”  Does our faith lie on the words of Jesus or the person of Jesus? If we believe that Jesus is one with the Father, does it really matter if we don’t fully understand some of his teachings, but accept them because of who he is?

· How strong is your faith in Jesus?

 I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." 

· Do we understand Jesus’ word figuratively and symbolically or do we believe in them literally?

· And if we believe that Jesus meant in fact what he said, with what attitude do we approach the Eucharist?  With awe and wonder or with inattentiveness?

· Spend some time reflecting on Jesus’ words in this passage. Enter more fully into the mystery being revealed.

· What impact does this passage have on your life?

 The Catechism of the Catholic Church states the following for our reflection.

1441 Only God forgives sins. Since he is the Son of God, Jesus says of himself, "The Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" and exercises this divine power: "Your sins are forgiven." Further, by virtue of his divine authority he gives this power to men to exercise in his name.

1442 Christ has willed that in her prayer and life and action his whole Church should be the sign and instrument of the forgiveness and reconciliation that he acquired for us at the price of his blood. But he entrusted the exercise of the power of absolution to the apostolic ministry which he charged with the "ministry of reconciliation." The apostle is sent out "on behalf of Christ" with "God making his appeal" through him and pleading: "Be reconciled to God."

We are struggling sinners in need of constant forgiveness and mercy from God. God in his infinite love knows our weaknesses and proclivity to sin. He knows that we need his forgiveness. He willing extends this to us. But there is a condition. We must have a sincere, interior conversion of heart and will back to him to receive his forgiveness and reconciliation. Sin locks us away in the darkness of alienation. Jesus knocks on our door calling us to come out of our tomb of death into the light of his life. Acknowledging our sin and our need for forgiveness, we can only experience this by opening the door of our heart to God once more. His grace is sufficient for us both to hear his call and to respond to it.  But how often we remain in the darkness of sin, afraid of the light. We choose self condemnation and destruction rather than trust in his merciful love. There are times we are not ready to let go our desire to continue to sin. Still, God calls us by name and waits like the father of the prodigal son to repent and return.  Do not delay. There is too much at stake.

For the past two weeks we have reflected on the Sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist. This week we will look at the Sacrament of Reconciliation. 

We read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church the following. 

1423 It is called the sacrament of conversion because it makes sacramentally present Jesus' call to conversion, the first step in returning to the Father from whom one has strayed by sin.

It is called the sacrament of Penance, since it consecrates the Christian sinner's personal and ecclesial steps of conversion, penance, and satisfaction.

1424 It is called the sacrament of confession, since the disclosure or confession of sins to a priest is an essential element of this sacrament. In a profound sense it is also a "confession" - acknowledgment and praise - of the holiness of God and of his mercy toward sinful man.

It is called the sacrament of forgiveness, since by the priest's sacramental absolution God grants the penitent "pardon and peace."

It is called the sacrament of Reconciliation, because it imparts to the sinner the love of God who reconciles: "Be reconciled to God." He who lives by God's merciful love is ready to respond to the Lord's call: "Go; first be reconciled to your brother."

This Sacrament is another sign of God's merciful love. God not only gives each of us a chance to be reconciled and adopted in the saving waters of Baptism, but, knowing that we are struggling sinners, he gives us the grace of reconciliation each time we sin after Baptism. The reason it involves a new response to the grace of conversion is because, by sinning we have turned our hearts away from God for self gratification. To be reconciled back to God we need to have a change of heart and turn back to the Lord as our beginning and end. To experience the full effect of the grace of forgiveness, we need to have more than a superficial return to the Lord. It needs to be a conscientious return of our whole heart to the Lord. Is this what happens when we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Or is it a temporary wiping the slate clean? 

The dimension that we may fully think about is that not only are we reconciled to God, whom we have offended by sin, but we are also reconciled with the faith Community which we became part of in Baptism. Sin affects both our relationship with God and our relationship with one another. There is no private sin. Every sin is communal.  Remember this the next time you approach this Sacrament.