I invite you to participate in the Lenten series on the Last Words of Jesus that I will give on: Mar 2. 9, 19, 22, 30 and Apr 4 This week we will reflect on the second word from the cross.

6:30pm Central
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 Second Sunday of Lent Gospel A

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 

· Why these three? Over the course of time they became Jesus’ inner circle. They will be invited by Jesus to go aside with him in the Garden to pray. They were the first to be chosen as disciples. Why Andrew was not included, we don’t know.

And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. 

· Put yourself in the place of the three. What do you think you would have thought or felt at this sight? What would be your initial response?

And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him. 

· Moses represented the Law and Elijah the prophets. Jesus had said that he would fulfill the Law and the Prophets.

· What do you think they were saying to Jesus? Probably, talking about his upcoming suffering and death.

Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 

· How we would want the joy of the present moment to last forever! Peter wanted to stay there and go down the mountain.

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 

· The Shekina glory of God is sometimes depicted as a bright cloud. They probably had remembrances of the time God appeared to the people at Mt Sinai in the desert.

· When did God say this about Jesus? At his baptism.

· How well do we listen to the Lord? What were they to listen to? Jesus had predicted his passion, death and resurrection and they did not want to hear of it. The Father confirms this message through the transfiguration and through his voice.

When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid.

· Would you react any differently, if you thought God had revealed something to you?

But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” 

· How often this is the message Jesus has to give the disciples during or after some experience. Recall the time they saw Jesus walking on water and they thought it was a ghost. Recall his post resurrection appearances.

And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” 

· The vision revealed the divinity of Jesus, which the apostles did not fully understand and would not until the resurrection. If they would not, even after this experience, how would others? Would you have?

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

 "Yet just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down And do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, Giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me empty, but shall do what pleases me, achieving the end for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:10-11

Jesus is the Word of God who became man. He was sent by the Father to accomplish his will, our salvation. He left us the Gospel, the good news of salvation. Through the Word and by his word we have the path of life, leading us to union with God eternally. Jesus accomplished the word of the Father, by being obedient to the will of God, even to the death of the cross. First, do we read the word of God regularly? Second, do act on the word of God regularly? Thirdly, do we share the word of God with others, by living it and then, when ask, by sharing  the reason for our faith. The word of God will bear fruit. The question is whether it will bear fruit in us?

 "Lent is a time of going very deeply into ourselves...What is it that stands between us and God? Between us and our brothers and sisters? Between us and life, the life of the Spirit? Whatever it is, let us relentlessly tear it our, without a moment's hesitation." Catherine Doherty

Lent is radical. It call for radical action in our lives. What stands between us and God? Is it not sin? Is this not the reason we are called to repentance? To turn away from sin and to turn back more fully to God? Sometimes we can become comfortable with sin and not recognize what it does in our relationship with God. God is never comfortable with sin in our lives, because of his great love for us. He created us to be with him forever in glory. Serious sin prevents this, other sin lessens the degree of our union with God. During this special season each year, God gives us grace to see sin for what it is and the grace to uproot sin out of love for God. That is why Lent is called a time of salvation. 

 "The Lord measures our perfection neither by the multitude nor the magnitude of our deeds, but by the manner in which we perform them." St. John of the Cross

It is love which makes the difference in all we do. That really is the key word for all we do in Lent. Our penances mean nothing and achieve nothing if they are not done in love. We can fast and give up many things. But if we are not loving towards those around us, what good is our fasting and other deeds? Love transforms our hearts; mere deeds do not. You may spend more time in prayer, but if you are not loving to those you come into contact with, what real good is achieved?  God desires the conversion of our hearts, not the multiplicity of our good deeds. In a sense one deed done sincerely out of love is worth more than anything else in God's eyes.

 "Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself." (St. Francis de Sales)

Our model for patience is the Lord himself. He has every right to be angry at us for, in spite of all he has done for us, we still choose to sin. Even when he forgives us and puts our sins from him as far as the east is from the west, we still jump back into the mire of sin. His patience is expressed by the fact that he is slow to anger and rich in mercy. If God is so patient with us, can we not strive to be patience with ourselves as well? We get upset over the smallest things at times, things that are really unimportant in the grand scheme of things. What we should be upset with is our sinfulness. Being upset doesn't change things. What we have to do is avoid falling into sin. Working on being patent with ourselves first, then others, would be a great Lenten resolution. What will our post-Easter life be like then?

 Homily: First Sunday of Lent A

Story: A man bought paint to refurbish the outside of his house. But he ignored the instructions on the can and thinned it liberally with water.  After he finished painting the exterior, he stood back to admire the job, chuckling to see how beautiful it looked for so little money.  But that night there was a great rainstorm. The next morning he went outside and stood before his streaky house. At that moment a voice from heaven thundered in his ear: “Repaint and thin no more.”

How often we shortcut the instructions of God, to do it our way and end up with a worse condition? Are we choosing to listen to the voice o f God or of human expediency. To confuse the issue further the evil one knows our vulnerability and comes against us with half truths that satisfies the human appetite.

In the first reading, God called Adam to recognize the gift he had received, to recognize the relationship between him and God and to remain in that relationship through obedience. The evil one said that Adam and Eve could determine their own live, to have total power over life. He said that they could be like God, equal to him. There were three points to his temptation. One was the temptation of the appetites (apple); second, the temptation of self-determination, independently of God (to be like God); third, the temptation for power (you shall not die).

Paul in the second reading says that through one man’s disobedience all became sinners. What was the sin of Adam and Eve which they expressed through disobedience?  It was the sin of not accepting oneself as limited and depended; the sin of wanting to be other than creatures dependent upon God, the Creator; the sin of turning away from God and to turn to self. What was the temptation? To believe in and trust the father of lies rather that the author of truth. It was true that they would know good and evil; it was a lie that they would be like God. The result of their sin was they saw themselves as nothing without God.  As a result, they hid themselves because they were no longer in right relationship with God. To isolate themselves from God was not to become equal to God but to become less than they were meant to be.

In contrast, Paul states, referring to Jesus: “through one man’s obedience, all shall become just.” The Son of God became man to show us how to live in our humanity in right relationship to God.. After his baptism, he experiences similar temptations to Adam and Eve. The first temptation was self-gratification rather than dependency upon the Father to care for his needs. Jesus’ response: “Not on bread alone, but on the Word of God.”

The second temptation was to question God’s ways, to have God prove his love by a miracle. Jesus’ response was that his relationship with the Father was strong and need not be tested. In his humanity Jesus did not have to assert himself or test the Father’s love. He knew and trusted in that love.

The third temptation was that of power, ambition, greed, authority, dominance and control. To be set up as a god. Jesus’ response: There is only one God and you, Satan, are not. You have not power. Be gone.  Jesus refused to give him power, or credence or the time of day.  Jesus’ knew he was the beloved Son of the Father and he was loved as such. No questions asked.

How was Jesus able to do this? Though God, in his humanity he emptied himself of his divinity so as to embrace our full humanity in everything but sin. In his humanity he allowed the Holy Spirit to lead him as he kept his eyes, heart and will on the Father. He refused to assert his own power but totally remained dependent upon the Father, waiting and trusting on the Father.  Jesus refused to isolate himself from the Father in his humanity. He totally entrusted himself to the Father in obedience.

As we commit ourselves to Jesus, as we repent of our desire to be independent, as we accept Jesus as the Lord of our life, we will also experience the freedom of our humanity. We will become more the son or daughter, beloved by the Father, that we are meant to be. Following the lead of Jesus, in the times of our own temptations, remember who we are, whose we are and keep our eyes on the Father, following the lead of the Sprit. 

 

I invite you to participate in the Lenten series on the Last Words of Jesus that I will give on:

Feb 23, Mar 2. 9, 19, 22, 30 and Apr 4

6:30pm Central
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81387050682?pwd=aG5DZm1ZSEJrdVQ1NUVCeFE0NGdOUT09

Meeting ID: 813 8705 0682
Passcode: 261718

 

Feel free to share with others

 "The Lenten season begins. It is a time to be with you, Lord, in a special way, a time to pray, to fast, and thus to follow you on your way to Jerusalem, to Golgotha, and to the final victory over death.

 First Sunday of Lent Gospel A

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 

· God tests us to draw us closer to him. The devil tempts us to draw us away from God.

· From the time of the baptism until his death on the cross, Jesus is led by the Spirit.

He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. 

· Moses and Elijah fasted forty days and forty nights as part of their preparation for what God had in store for them.

· Here the number forty has another significance. During the forty years in the desert, the Israelites proved that they were not true sons of God by their frequent sinful rebellions and grumblings. Jesus as the Son of God gives us the example of how a true son of God is to live in the midst of temptations.

· Do you see the power of fasting and prayer in dealing with temptations?

The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” 

· The devil picks up on the word of God to Jesus after his baptism: “You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” The devil wants Jesus to question his identity.

· The focus of the devil’s temptation is to satisfy self rather than be faithful and depend upon God to care for you. Do you see the similarity with the temptation in the Garden of Eden?

He said in reply, “It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” 

· Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 in response. Jesus knows that he is the Son of God, beloved of the Father. He doesn’t have to use his own power to prove this. Rather, he chooses to be obedient to the Father’s will in all things, even in the time of physical hunger. His food is the word of God.

Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Jesus answered him, “Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” 

· Again the focus of the temptation is questioning whether Jesus is the Son of God and trusts in God. Like Jesus the devil too quotes the scriptures (Ps 91:11-12). Jesus responds as a true Son of God but stating that he does not have to put God to the test as the Israelites did in the desert, complaining against him for not providing food and drink. A creature does not test the Lord. The Lord tests the creature.

Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.” 

· The first lie is that the devil can’t give all the kingdoms of the world. He has no power or authority. The second lie is that he is not God, who alone deserves worship. Jesus unmasks the devil for who he is—a creature subject to God, but who is separated from God eternally by choice.

· In a sense, Jesus is laughing at the devil when he says, “Get away.”

· Jesus proves himself as a true Son of God, who is obedient to the Father, unlike Adam and the Israelites.

· “Each temptation has one common purpose: to divert Jesus from his mission, to distract him from the purpose for which he came on earth; to replace the Father’s plan with a different one. In Baptism, the Father had indicated to Christ the way of the obedient Servant who saves with humility and suffering. Satan proposes to him the way of glory and triumph, the way that everyone then expected of the Messiah.”

· “Today also, the whole effort of the devil is to divert man from the purpose for which he is in the world, which is to know, love and serve God in this life to enjoy him later in the next; to distract him. But Satan is astute; he does not appear as a person with horns and the smell of sulfur. It would be too easy to recognize him. He makes use of good things leading them to excess, absolutizing them and making them idols. Money is a good thing, as is pleasure, sex, eating, drinking. However, if they become the most important thing in life, they are no longer means but become destructive for the soul and often also for the body.”

Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.

· What lesson can we derive from our reflections on this passage?

· How should we respond in times of temptations and in times of test?

· What was the role of the Spirit during the temptations? 

"Trust in God, and he will help you; make your ways straight and hope in him. You that fear the Lord, wait for his mercy, do not stray lest you fall. You that fear the Lord, trust in him, and your reward will not be lost. You that fear the Lord, hope for good things, for lasting joy and mercy." (Sirach 2:6-11)

As we are about to begin our annual Lenten journey, our focus needs to be the Lord. To fear the Lord is not to be understood as human fear or dread, but as being in awe of God for all that he is. In awe we recognize that God who needs nothing, but is all in all, created us so that we may be truly happy. Our fulfillment as a person is to be with God eternally, sharing in his glory. All that we do this Lent should be directed to that end. How will this impact my eternal oneness with God? Will my efforts, with God's grace, drawer me closer to God? What will be good and pleasing to God?

 

I invite you to participate in the Lenten series on the Last Words of Jesus that I will give on:

Feb 23, Mar 2. 9, 19, 22, 30 and Apr 4

6:50pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81387050682?pwd=aG5DZm1ZSEJrdVQ1NUVCeFE0NGdOUT09

Meeting ID: 813 8705 0682
Passcode: 261718

 

"God beholds you individually, whoever you are. God calls you by name! God sees you and understands you. God made you and God knows what is in you, all your personal feelings and thoughts, your likings and dispositions, your strengths and your weaknesses. God views you in your times of rejoicing and your days of sorrow. God sympathizes with  your hopes and with you in your temptations. God is interested in your anxieties and remembrances and in all the risings and fallings of your spirit. God  has numbered the hairs of your head and the inches of your height. God bears you in divine arms and takes you up and sets you down. God notes your expressions, whether you are smiling or in tears, healthy or sick. God looks tenderly upon your hands and your feet and listens to your voiced and to the beating of your heart and even to your breathing. You don't and can't love yourself better than God loves you." John Cardinal Newman

We sometimes have a negative view of ourselves. That is not how God sees us.  When we get down on ourselves and wallow in our pity party, we need to ask God how he sees us. If we are willing to hear, he will remind us of the above.  Pity parties are navel gazing and destructive. It is like looking at our nose while trying to move forward. At that point, our perspective of reality is distortive. We need to turn our gaze to Jesus, waiting on him to speak the words of truth and love, which will set us free.

 To us food, drink, clothing, shelter and health are very importunate to us. But in the eyes of God these are really small things. We are told by Jesus not to worry about tomorrow, but to trust that God will provide for us. That doesn't mean we do nothing. We have to work, but we are not to worry. Instead of focusing our energies solely on these small things, we are urged by Jesus not to neglect the more important things. "Seek first the kingdom of heaven and God's righteousness and all these will be yours as well." God wants us to never forget the more important things: our relationship with him, our eternal life with him, the call to holiness, the command of love. In other words, we are to make sure our priorities are in  right order.

 Jesus asks the disciples an important question after a period of time of formation under him. "Who do you say that I am?"  Peter's initial response was correct on the surface but incomplete in fullness of understanding. Jesus amplifies Peter's response by saying that the Messiah had to suffer a cruel death by crucifixion but rise again. When Peter rejects this notion, it was obvious to Jesus there was more formation needed. When we think of being disciples of Jesus, do we understand that the cross will be part of our journey too? Jesus didn't relish dying by crucifixion, but it was the way chosen by the Father. We may not relish suffering in our life, but it is part of the journey to the resurrected life with Jesus. As in Jesus' life there was no resurrection without the crucifixion, so in our life.

 Jesus healed the physically blind, but more especially he desires to heal the spiritually bind. In each case, the desire or openness for healing must be present. Many of the Pharisees and Scribes, because of the hardness of their hearts were spiritually blind to the truth of who Jesus was. The Apostles were partially, spiritually blind. They were like the man in the Gospel whom Jesus prayed over.  At first he saw in a blurred manner, but when prayed over again, saw clearly. His faith expectancy was stirred up with his partial seeing. Where are we spiritually blind? What sin in our life creates this blindness to the fullness of life promised by Jesus? The upcoming season of Lent is a grace time to deal with any spiritual blindness we may have, so that by Easter we can clearly see.

 Do I trust God or do I trust in what he provides for me? It is the same question of whether my focus is on the gifts of God or on the God of gifts? When I trust God, my focus is on him, whether he does anything or not. I trust he loves me and has created me to be with him eternally. I trust that the opportunities he gives me are part of his plan for my eternal happiness. I may not understand his plans or actions in my life at the moment, or why he permits certain things to happen in my life. But, I choose to trust him. This was the question Jesus was presenting to the Apostles. "Avoid the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod." Because of the hardness of their hearts, they refused to believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Thought they had seen him marvelous deeds and heard his  preaching, they continued to test him in order to discredit him. I believe that Jesus is true God and true Man. I believe that he has saved me by his death and resurrection. I believe that he is my Lord. Because of this I choose to trust him, even though I don't always understand his ways in my live.

 "Whenever, contrary to the world’s vindictiveness, we love our enemy, we exhibit something of the perfect love of God, whose will is to bring all human beings together as children of one Father. Whenever we forgive instead of getting angry at one another, bless instead of cursing one another, tend one another’s wounds instead of rubbing salt into them, hearten instead of discouraging one another, give hope instead of driving one another to despair, hug instead of harassing one another, welcome instead of cold-shouldering one another, thank instead of criticizing one another, praise instead of maligning one another . . . in short, whenever we opt for and not against one another, we make God’s unconditional love visible; we are diminishing violence and giving birth to a new community." Henri Nouwen

Jesus came to change the culture of sin to the culture of love, to change hearts interiorly from self to other, to change the culture of death to life. This is possible not by our own efforts, but with the grace of God. When our eyes are on the Lord with whom we are in relationship then our actions will be in union with his will, what is "good, pleasing and perfect."  Our rule of life is not based on what others do or think, but on what God wants me to do. As someone once said, the one loved wants what the beloved wants, does what pleases the beloved. That is why falling in love with God is the beginning of true living.

 "Do not let the past disturb you, just leave everything in the Sacred Heart and begin again with joy." (St. Teresa of Calcutta)

What an attitude to have! Each new day is a new gift from God to begin afresh. How often we begin with a negative attitude in stead of with an attitude of excitement and joy! When we begin with the former, often our day is seen as one problem after another. Yet, when we begin with the latter attitude, our experiences of the day more often than not will be different. The past only exists in our memory. We can't change it, but we can learn from it. The present moment is a grace from God, giving us an opportunity to live with him in anticipation of being with him forever.  Embrace the present moment with joy, for that will be the way the present moment of eternity will be like.

 "The man who fears to be alone will never be anything but lonely, no matter how much he may surround himself with people. But the man who learns, in solitude and recollection, to be at peace with his own loneliness, and to prefer its reality to the illusion of merely natural companionship, comes to know the invisible companionship of God. Such a one is alone with God in all places, and he alone truly enjoys the companionship of other men, because he loves them in God in Whom their presence is not tiresome, and because of Whom his own love for them can never know satiety." (Thomas Merton)

The world around us abhors solitude, so it surrounds itself with constant noise and busyness. But it is never enough.  The one who is seeking for the truth and the real meaning of life will find it not externally, but internally, not in noise but in silence, not in activity but in stillness. The further we try to run from ourselves, the less we know about the mystery within us. It is within us that we find the presence of God, the real meaning of our life. 

 

Homily: Sixth Sunday Year A

 

Reading 1: This first reading sets the tone for the other two readings. God gives us free will to choose between life and death, good and evil, lasting fire (symbol of eternal separation from God) or soothing water (symbol of the life with God). Our choice will be based on self-gratification or love of God, trusting in our self or trusting in the Lord. He doesn’t causes us to act unjustly or gives us license to sin. Instead, he gives us the grace to know right from wrong, which is his wisdom.

 

If we choose God’s ways because of his grace, God will confirm our choice. This is eternal life with him. If we choose to satisfy ourselves in spite of God’s commands, in spite of his grace, God will confirm our choice. This is the second death, eternal alienation from the Good which is himself.

 

Many people feel that freedom equates license to do anything they want. Rather, true freedom is to choose that which will be beneficial to our eternal happiness. Our eternal happiness is to be in relationship with God. Our eternal unhappiness will be not to be in relationship with God. So choose life or choose death.

 

Gospel: Jesus gives us examples of human wisdom and the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God is found in the Commandments, which he has come to fulfill. How? In the words of Pope Francis, through a higher justice and a more authentic observance.

 

Human wisdom concerning the commandments came from the interpretation of the scribes and Pharisees. They emphasized rote observance and outward conduct. Jesus said our way of life must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.

 

This is how we are to fulfill the commandments, by going to the root which focuses on the intention of the human heart. In other words, human wisdom just goes through the motions and does the actions, without necessarily believing or caring. On the other hand, the wisdom of God says that the fulfillment of the commandments come from the act of love. This is how the commandment is acted on and embraced.

 

I have heard often in confession: I didn’t kill anyone. But Jesus says” you can violate the command of God without physically taking another’s life. We can kill in our speech and in other actions.

 

Human wisdom asks: how can you forgive someone who has hurt you deeply? The wisdom of God says: be reconciled first before you come to offer sacrifice to the Lord through worship.

 

Are we motivated by authentic love of God and love of others in our thoughts, words and deeds? Then we are fulfilling the commands of God. If not, then we are only going through the motion but our heart is far from God. Are we following the wisdom of the world or the wisdom of God? Are we asking God regularly to give us his wisdom: to see how he sees things or are we listening to the wisdom of society and present culture?

 

Reading 2: The first reading said “Vast is the wisdom of the Lord; he is almighty and all-seeing.” We have a natural gift of wisdom and spiritual gift of wisdom. It is this spiritual wisdom that Paul refers to. Human wisdom may tell us to look to our own interest above others. Human wisdom and the world’s wisdom may tell us that we have a right to happiness at all costs. If something makes you happy, if it gives you pleasure, if it enhances you even if others suffer, you should feel free to do it. Human wisdom says might makes right.

 

But there is another type of wisdom, which comes from God. This wisdom is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, given by God to us in Baptism and renewed in Confirmation. What is this wisdom? Paul says the Spirit reveals to us the depths of everything, even the depth of God. This gift of wisdom enables us to know and to see things as God does; in other words, we are able to know in a given situation the will of God.

"To live a spiritual life we must first find the courage to enter into the desert of our loneliness and to change it by gentle and persistent efforts into a garden of solitude. This requires not only courage but also a strong faith. As hard as it is to believe that the dry desolate desert can yield endless varieties of flowers, it is equally hard to imagine that our loneliness is hiding unknown beauty. The movement from loneliness to solitude, however, is the beginning of any spiritual life because it is a movement from the restless senses to the restful spirit, from the outward-reaching cravings to the inward-reaching search, from the fearful clinging to the fearless play." Henri Nouwen

It is hard to carve  a significant period of solitude in the normal busy life each of us experiences daily. When we do, after a while the fruits of the stillness before God will begin to grow. Like everything else, it only happens when we see and make it a priority in one's life.  These times of solitude will begin to bring greater order and clarity in our life. We begin to see things from God's perspective  and importance.  It takes practice to enter into solitude, but more importantly, it is guided by God's grace. As busy as Jesus was in ministry, he sought this solitude, so that he can remain focused on what the Father wanted him to do. So too with us.

 Sixth Sunday of the Year Gospel A

Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 

• The law and the prophets stand for the whole of the Old Testament. Jesus came to fulfill the Mosaic Law and the OT prophesies. The New Covenant includes and concludes the Old Covenant; it both perfects it and transforms it.

• Jesus’ teaching does not reject the old law and the prophets; instead, it illumines the meaning God intended the OT ultimately to have.

Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

• The righteousness that Jesus is talking about is that holiness which is based on love and not following the rules out of obligation. The scribes and Pharisees were seeking righteousness through strict observance of every detail of the many laws imposed by tradition and interpretation. Jesus is calling his followers to do all out of love of God and love of others.

 

"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna.

• Jesus begins a series of contrasting ways the righteousness of the religious leaders and the righteousness of his disciples will be different. He underscores his own authority as the Son of God, as the new Moses and Lawgiver. 

• Not only is murder wrong but so is the anger that seeks revenge and other unloving hurtful words towards a child of God. 

 Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.

• How often do we celebrate Mass with non-forgiveness in our heart! How can our offering be acceptable to God with such a block within us. We need to forgive in our heart so that God may forgive us.

"You have heard that it was said,  You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

• Adultery is a serious sin. But so is the lust of our heart and eyes and the lingering impure thoughts of our mind. 

"It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife -  unless the marriage is unlawful -  causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

• In another area, Jesus said that divorce was permitted in the Old Law because of the hardness of heart of the people. But that is not God’s plan and purpose for a marriage that is sealed before him.

"Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one."

• Jesus forbids oath swearing for private purposes. Many times we name God as part of our swearing. This is against the Second Commandment.

• We should speak the truth at all times. 

• How do we relate our life against these actions? Where do we fall short? What needs to be done to bring about the righteousness which Jesus seeks in the lives of his disciples?

 There is a difference between loneliness and aloneness.  We avoid the feeing of loneliness because of the pain of emptiness that may come. We try to fill our lives with activities of all sorts just so that we can avoid loneliness. At the same times we mistake loneliness and aloneness. The former is a void to fill. The latter is a grace to experience and grow deeper in our relationship with God. It is in the quiet of the aloneness that we can better hear and respond to the presence of God within us. "Be still and know that I am God."  Even in our moments of loneliness God is present to us. Instead of waiting upon the Lord to speak, we seek to fill the space and time with everything else. Prayer is a time to be alone with God for his sake. When we feel those pains of loneliness, turn to the Lord and still your heart so as to enjoy the aloneness with the One, who loves you beyond measure.

"You are the salt of the earth...You are the light of the world."  What an awesome responsibility, given to us by Jesus! As disciple/witnesses, we are called by God to make a difference in the world because of what he has done for us. As salt makes something bland very tasty, the way we live and the words we speak should do the same in our environment. We bring the truth of the Gospel, the message of salvation, the love of God to a world that is empty without God. As light expels darkness, gives warmth and provides direction and guidance, so are to see our lives as followers of Jesus doing. It is his light that shines in and through us. We are not to hide the light, but let it shine clearly and brightly so that others may give glory to God. Lord, we renew our commitment to you, to be that salt and that light.

 The Word of God is consistent and true. Repeatedly and in different words God tells us: "I will never forsake you or abandon you.? Do we believe in his word? Do we trust in the veracity of his word? One of the tactics of the Devil is to raise a doubt in our hearts concerning this promise of God. The Evil will use the events in our lives, especially the tragic ones to have us question God. "Where were  you?' His answer will be: "As I was right there when my Son died on the cross for your sake, I am there with you in the midst of your sufferings and experiences."  The words of Jesus can be applied at those moments: "Blessed are they who have not seen, but believe."  Though I do not see God or feel his presence at certain times, I believe, because I am his son or daughter, he is with me as he promised. "We walk by faith and not by sight."

 As we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple, what can we learn? First of all, in spite of the privilege that Mary and Joseph have been given, the gift of the Son of God, they remain obedient to the Covenant Law of the Chosen People. Mary completed her forty days of purification after the birth of Jesus. Mary and Joseph offer the sacrifice of redemption on behalf of Jesus. There example should spur us on to greater obedience to the will of God in our own lives. As a result of their obedience, they were given another revelation into God's plan for Jesus. He will be a sign of contradiction, namely, he will embrace the cross, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness and weakness to the Gentiles. But this sign of contradiction would be our salvation. At the same time it is revealed to Mary that she will share in Jesus' death, a sword of intense sorrow will pierce her heart. Obedience to God's will is not always pleasant and easy, but it is the only way to deeper relationship with God.

Homily Fifth Sunday Yea A

 

Reading 1: What is this light which shall break forth like the dawn and the wound be quickly healed? The chosen people have just returned from exile. They are being called back to covenant living. This involves feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, not rejecting the needy, removing oppression, false accusations and malicious speech. In other words, they are called by the prophet to turn away from sin and to do what is good and loving in the eyes of God.

 

But what is this light that will dispel the darkness in their hearts? It is the presence of God who reminds them “Here I am!” when they do that which is right and just. The light is their relationship to God, which when they are faithful to the covenant will be manifested through their relationship with one another. That light also will be experienced through the providential care and protection of God.

 

The darkness is the result of personal and communal sin. The light is the result of turning away from sin and living according to the commands of the Lord, especially in our relationship to one another.

 

Gospel: As disciples of Jesus we are called to make a difference in the world around us by transforming the blandness of life without God with the seasoning of our witness, the witness of love, faith and hope. As salt adds a special flavor to food, so we are called to share our faith with others.

 

Following up on the first reading, we are also called to be alight in the world of darkness that surrounds us by our deeds of love and service. These deeds done for the right motive will give glory to God.

 

To be a follower of Christ is not always easy. We can become discouraged and tired. We can try to measure our value by success and effectiveness. We can become tasteless like the old salt. We can allow our light to become dim and even go out by not being whom God calls us to be.

 

It is the power of the Holy Spirit that enables my weak light to become brighter and my dash of salt to enable my wavering witness to be effective. We need to pray daily for the Holy Spirit to use us as a disciple/witness for the glory of God.

 

There is a deepening, invading darkness of sin and error in the world. My life must be a light dispelling the darkness, making a difference, even though I do not perceive it.  Otherwise, the influence of the darkness will seek to extinguish the light.

 

Reading 2: Having come to Corinth from Athens, Paul changed his pastoral tactic. He realized that the power of the Gospel was not in his human wisdom and logic, but in revealing the truth of the central mystery which transforms lives: the death and resurrection of Jesus.  It is faith in God’s power through this saving act that delivers and renews us.

 

Paul believed this with his whole heart, but he needed the failure of his experience in Athens to remind him. This was the light which went off within him. This was the message which would bring life to others. He allowed the power of the Holy Spirit to take his simple message and to touch people’s lives. In this way Paul was a light to the Gentiles.

 

Paul did not preach a prosperity gospel but Jesus Christ crucified and risen. He wasn’t an impressive preacher. He had some speech impediment. But the message that he proclaimed was anointed by the Holy Spirit, who convicted his hearers to the core. 

 "Endure your trials as 'discipline'. God treats you as his sons. For what "son" is there whom his father does not discipline? At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it." Hebrews 12:6-7

The trials of our earthly life are the fires of purification so that we can better be readied for the glories of heaven. Without these trials, these times of discipline, we will be too weak to fight in the battle that is going on for our lives. God has created us to be with him eternally. The Evil One, having lost this privilege, seeks to prevent us from reaching our eternal destiny. While this battle rages, we need to recall the words of hope found in the First Letter of John: "He who is within  us is greater than he who is outside." But for the victory to be complete, we need to cooperate with the grace of God and the opportunities he gives us to fight the good fight over the attacks of our enemy. Embracing the discipline of the Lord will hone our ability to keep our eyes fixed on the Lord, who is our strength.