Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Valentine’s Day. Hallmark indicated that 145 million greeting cards were exchanged. And then there were the flowers, chocolates and dining out.  All these and more made for a delightful day.

Happy Presidents Day.  A great president is sometimes deemed so only after years pass. You might enjoy Doris Kearns Goodwin's bestseller “Leadership In Turbulent Times.” The book highlights the true grit of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson. 

A friend told me about four of the most highly regarded businessmen in 1923 (Schwab steel, Hopson gas, Cooger a wheat speculator, and Livermore the Wall Street bear). My friend asked, do you know what became of them: two died tragically; the other two, penniless.

But, my friend noted, in 1923, the greatest golfer was Gene Sarazen. He played golf until he was 92, funded scholarships for needy students, and passed away at 97 happy and in relatively good health. I replied: what's your point? “Stop worrying about your job, health and finances and get out and play golf!” You’ll feel better!

The word of God today takes us back to the sixth century before Jesus. Jeremiah contrasts those who trust in God vs those who trust simply in earthly resources. 

Beyond the surface, the scripture reminds me of C. S. Lewis’s observation: “Do not let your happiness depend on something you may lose. If love is to be a blessing…, it must be for the only Beloved who will never pass away (i.e., God).”

Yes, we have a choice: trust in God's unconditional love and flourish like a tree beside water. It may not always be easy. The test is: Do we trust in God's love for us, especially when what is happening is the opposite of what we want?

Paul in his letter to the Christian community at Corinth in Greece proclaimed the good news: Jesus Christ, once crucified and now risen, alive, is the protype of our future. Just as God transfigured Jesus into a new kind of spiritual embodiment, God will transfigure us. For the Christian, there is an indescribable heavenly life beyond this earthly life.

Paul challenges us to stay awake to our purpose, the "why" in our life: to be in relationship with God and our fellow human beings forever.

In the Gospel, Jesus describes blessings and also woes. Blessed are they who acknowledge with gratitude their absolute dependency upon God; who seek God daily. Let them rejoice! Heaven will be theirs.

And the woes? Woe to those who have “so much” and yet do nothing for those in need, the hungry, the grieving, the sorrowful.

As I reflect on Jeremiah, Paul and Jesus, and the obstacles they overcame, I think of how often they prayed to God. Yet God sometimes seemed so silent. But the truth was God was closer to them than they were to themselves. 

It’s not always easy to trust in God. We pray for one thing or another and find silence. We’re ill or someone we love is. We feel insecure about our job; anxious about our children. We pray for peace or ask that a wrong be righted. And God seems silent.

We may even feel like giving up on God or thinking negatively about ourselves. So how deal with what seem to be unanswered prayers?

I invite us to enter into silence as something we sometimes need. Try to rise above negative feelings by reflecting on positive faith themes:

Let’s re-examine our image of God. Some people think of God only as a judge who rewards good and punishes evil. However, the bible offers a collage of God-images. A walking companion in Genesis. A passionate debater in Job. An anxious parent and a comforting mother in Isaiah. A forgiving father in the Gospels. And so, what is our image? Remember, God is our ever-faithful companion in our lives. We were made in God’s image!

Remember God’s care for us. How often the ancient Hebrews forgot the wonders God worked for them. Like a skilled pickpocket, God is present in many ways. We don’t always know he’s there until later. He may seem absent, but our faith says God’s in our midst.

Don’t stay angry with God. In his novel The Town Beyond the Wall, holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel describes the anger of a concentration camp inmate who said: I shake my fist at God; it’s my way of saying God is there, he exists…That shout became his prayer.

Prophets and saints have often argued with God. But we ultimately have to let go of our anger and move forward with our lives; otherwise, anger will poison our relationships. Remember the prayer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

Lastly, know that you are in good company. Many have known the deafening silence of God. Jesus prayed for deliverance in Gethsemane. The point: keep praying. God’s ultimate purpose is to satisfy our deepest longings.

Remember God’s care for us in the past and God’s continuing care, and be grateful, despite disappointments we may feel now.

The great 16th century Spanish mystic Saint Teresa of Avila, gives us a perspective when she wrote this:

Let nothing disturb you;

Let nothing dismay you; 

all things pass;

God never changes;

they who have God find they lack nothing:

God alone suffices for us. 

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Many high school seniors are anxious about being accepted by the college of their choice at this time of the year. I remember getting letters from parents. One wrote:

“Dear Fr. Kevin, I am delighted that my son will be entering your college. I ask that you personally intercede in the selection of his roommate, to be sure he doesn’t smoke, drink or use inappropriate language. This is my son’s first time away from home, except for his four years in the Marines.” Now that’s a “helicopter parent.” Seriously, we wish all our high school seniors well in the pursuit of their dreams.

The word of God takes us back to the eighth century before Jesus. Isaiah has a tremendous experience of God in the Jerusalem temple. The temple shook with the thunderous acclamation of angelic creatures, and Isaiah was awestruck. An angel even cleansed him with God’s mercy.

Then God commissioned Isaiah, filled with God’s grace, to become a prophet, to speak on God’s behalf. Although the Hebrews had not kept their promises to God, God always kept his, summed up in that simple yet profound statement, “You are my people, and I am your God.” Isaiah challenges us to remember that God has called us to be faithful to our baptismal promises as sons/daughters of God.

St. Paul in his letter emphasized his one passion: to preach Jesus once crucified and now risen and alive among us. Paul was called to be an apostle on the road to Damascus in Syria, and that awesome experience of the living Christ turned Paul’s life upside down. 

God’s grace, Paul proclaimed, made him what he is. And God’s grace, which we should pray for every day, can make us passionate about proclaiming God’s good news: Jesus is alive. And because he lives, we live eternally.

In the Gospel according to Luke, Jesus went into the deep waters of the Sea of Galilee with Peter and the other fishermen. Peter, while skeptical about fishing again after catching nothing all night, recognized something special in Jesus. So, Peter cast the nets again and made a sensational catch. 

Suddenly Peter experienced the awesome presence of God in Jesus. He cried out, “Lord.” And then Jesus, the master, calmed them, “Do not be afraid,” and called Peter and the others to discipleship. How did they respond? They left everything they had and followed Jesus.

These biblical personalities accomplished much because they loved much; they were on fire with an intense love of God and a compassionate love of their fellow human beings. Theirs was a purpose-driven life. They with God’s grace fired people up to choose their better selves, to give their time and talent to further God’s kingdom of truth and justice and freedom and peace, standing up for what's right.

Jesus has called us to discipleship through the life-giving waters of baptism. Baptism is God’s gift to you and me. And our basic response to God’s gift is gratitude that we are alive, that we are who we are. 

Baptism transforms us at the very core of our being. It plunges us into the mystery of Jesus Christ. Paul captured this magnificently when he wrote to the Christian community in Galatia: “Christ lives in me.”

Yes, God has made us “new creatures.” The living Christ is our exemplar. In fact, the universe reflects the glory of God in myriad forms. Saint Therese of Lisieux noted:“Everything is a grace because everything is God’s gift.“

Baptized and confirmed in the Spirit, we celebrate the mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ at the table of the Lord. This celebration sends us out to live a Godlike life, to live in a manner worthy of our calling, to treat all God’s creatures with respect—especially human beings, for humans are made in the image of God.

Now, what precisely does “sent out to others” mean? Each one of us has gifts or talents that can empower and build up other people. 

Football’s Patrick Mahomes or Jalen Hurts, or music celebrities, are not the only ones with gifts or talents. You and I have special gifts, by virtue of our baptism. And within our life, there are many splendid callings.

I love the image of “a thousand points of light.” God can shine through us with transcendent brilliance. Those who ask for the grace to draw closer to God glow with that radiance. They become one of those points of light. 

Teacher or student, businessman or businesswoman, married or single, whoever you are, you have a specific vocation or calling to fire up people with God’s grace so that they will choose their better selves, give their time and talents to others, and stand up for what is right, by being who they are. 

God has given us gifts. Let us rejoice as the Virgin Mary rejoiced: let it be as God says. And then we will truly, with God’s grace, realize our authentic potential as sons and daughters of God our Father. 

May we each realize that the purpose of our baptismal calling is to matter, to make a difference by giving our best in love and service!

Presentation of the Lord

A biblical phrase sometimes captures our attention. Just as, now and then, I receive an email that really makes me think. Here are a few points that speak volumes.

Once a whole town decided to pray for rain. All the people gathered in church, but only one brought an umbrella. That's FAITH. 

Every night we go to bed without assurance of being alive the next morning, but we set the alarm clock. That's HOPE. 

We plan big things with little knowledge of the future. That's CONFIDENCE. 

Finally, an elderly man's shirt carried this message: 'I am not 80 years old; I am sweet 16 with 64 years of experience.' That's ATTITUDE. The lesson is: live life with a purpose. 

Today we celebrate the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. 

But first, Malachi reflects on Israel in fifth century BC. Yes, the author says, our leaders have rebuilt the temple, but then he scolds them for their careless worship which jeopardizes the relationship (or covenant) God made with the Hebrews centuries before. But all is not lost; God never reneges on his promises. God will send a messenger who will purify God’s people so that they can experience true worship.

What is leadership? For me, good leadership has three ingredients -- character, courage, and a positve  “can do” attitude – yes, three Cs:

Character involves integrity, striving to be true to that inner voice, our conscience, which seeks to do right in all decisions, great and small.

Courage moves us beyond fears and doubts to achieve something worthwhile. And lastly a positive,  “can do” attitude is essential for a leader to have. 

At times, all of us are called to be leaders as professionals, businesspeople, parents, citizens, volunteers. The author invites us to think about these three  essentials whenever and wherever we exercise leadership. 

The Letter to the Hebrews describes how God became human in Jesus. Jesus became like us to be merciful and faithful, as we are called to be. And through his death and resurrection, God gifts us with divine life; we are, by virtue of the life-giving waters of baptism, brothers and sisters. Our faith in Jesus Christ proclaims that God will transfigure his people into a new heavenly life as God already transfigured Jesus.

Luke’s Gospel tells us that when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem, Simeon took the child into his arms, praised God and said, “My eyes have seen your salvation…a light….” A light for revelation and glory. Quite an extraordinary recognition of this child by a devout old man.

At home in Nazareth, Jesus grew wise. God’s favor was upon him. His family was a vital factor in his human development. Even in his teens and “roaring 20s” Jesus prayed, studied and stayed close to family and to God. That included family activities and chores.

I think of the reflection titled “Children Learn What They Live.” One who lives with tolerance learns patience. One who lives with encouragement learns confidence. One who lives with praise learns to appreciate. One who lives with approval learns to like him/herself. Someone who lives with acceptance and friendship learns to find love in the world.

It is said that we will be more regretful of things we didn’t do than by things we did. The popular lecturer Leo Buscaglia, who authored books like “Living, Loving and Learning,” recalled that one of his students wrote an article titled “Things you didn’t do,” describing the many times he erred and thought his father would yell at him, but his father didn’t. The article ends:

“There were lots of things you didn’t do. You put up with me and you loved me. There were lots of things I wanted to thank you for when you returned from Vietnam. But you never did return!!!”

A compelling message: don’t live a life of regrets. Remember what the BIBLE stands for: Basic Information Before Leaving Earth. To the extent that our everyday lives are in our own hands, do good now. Life is not a rehearsal. Life is the “real thing.” 

A few of you may remember the great 20th century actor John Barrymore (thank God for netflix) who electrified audiences with his performances. Barrymore wrote that “a man [and a woman] is not old until regrets take the place of dreams.”

Yes, that is a wake-up call. Jesus and Mary and Joseph lived as a holy family, a life with purpose, with no regrets. 

May God on this feast of the Presentation of the Lord grace us: with trust in God’s unconditional love for us as God did the prophets; with faith in Jesus Christ, as our High Priest, our healer, our reconciler; and may God grace us, as He did Simeon, with the eyes of faith to see Jesus as our salvation, a light who illuminates the darkness around us as we journey toward our heavenly dwelling place. Amen.

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our president has some tough negotiations on his plate: Ukraine, the Middle East, and the Far East, to name but a few.

This calls to mind a story about a ship captain. At sea in a fog, he saw what looked like the lights of another ship. He had his signalman blink: “Change your course 10 degrees south.”

A reply came: “Change your course 10 degrees north.”

The captain answered: “I’m a captain. Change your course south.”

The reply was: “I am a seaman. Change your course north.”

The infuriated captain signaled: “Change your course. I’m on a battleship!”

The reply came: “Change your course. I’m in a lighthouse.”

Yes, it pays to consider facts, to negotiate in order to move forward. 

It is also Catholic Schools Week. Let's applaud our St. Raphael teachers and staff who educate youngsters for life, pursuing excellence in academics and instilling virtue in character. Thank you.

The word of God takes us to the fifth century before Jesus. The Jews were rebuilding their lives, much like many Europeans after World War II.    Ezra gathered the Jews together in a liturgical assembly to renew the covenant God had made with them centuries before, summed up in a moving phrase: “You are my people; and I am your God.” The people cried out, “Amen. Amen” -- So be it. They will not only be hearers of God’s word but doers of that word.

St. Paul, in his letter to the Christian community at Corinth in Greece, addressed all kinds of emerging tensions. He used the metaphor of the human body to describe how different parts have different functions, yet all work for the good of the whole body. Paul championed unity within diversity. We are one family, the mystical Body of Christ. God abides in us, and we abide in God within a grace-filled community.

How appropriate, as we conclude this week of prayer for Christian unity (January 18-25), that we pray like Paul that the Spirit will make all Christians one. We all profess there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism despite different and contradictory traditions.

In the Gospel, Jesus went back to his hometown of Nazareth in the region of Galilee, and walked into the local synagogue on the Sabbath, and from the parchment of scripture—the book of Isaiah in particular—he read from the magnificent passage about the jubilee year: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me … he has sent me to bring glad tidings ….” In conclusion, Jesus rolled up the scroll and said, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” This was a bold statement. In a real sense, this was the “inaugural speech” of Jesus. 

He then set about bringing God’s love and justice, freedom, healing, and purpose to those who had lost meaning. Yes, Jesus challenges all to seek first the kingdom of God.

 Jesus prayed that his disciples “may all be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you.” That's why we pray for Christian unity. We are a divided Christianity. A few years ago we marked the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's clarion call for reform in the Church. Luther initially argued for reform, not division. But his call spread like a contagion.

Now we have about 1.3 billion Catholics; 900 million Protestants in various traditions; and 300 million Orthodox. Until Pope John XXIII was elected in 1958, Christians generally emphasized what divided them. 

Good Pope John XXIII moved Christians from diatribe to dialog. He realized that before people can discuss what divides them, they have to get to know one another. The 1964 “Decree on Ecumenism” encourages conversations with our separated brothers and sisters about what unites us and how we can cooperate, especially in humanitarian projects. I explored this in my book titled Christian Unity, available through amazon.

Catholics are linked with mainstream Christian churches in many ways: a common creed, baptism, the Bible and many justice and peace issues. And so, we pray that we might all be one: open to conversations with other traditions and at the same time faithful to our own Catholic tradition. We Catholics are a worldwide community of believers that celebrates the living Christ in all his fulness in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist.

We are a community that sponsors and staffs shelters, hospices, soup kitchens, literacy programs, day-care centers, hospitals, schools throughout the world. We have splendid heroes and heroines throughout the centuries.

Alas we also experience tensions. Why? Because we are human, saints as well as sinners. Remember what Jesus said to would-be judges in the Gospel according to John? “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone.”

 As we pray for Christian unity, let us thank God for the faith community to which we belong: calling us to a life with God here and now, and to an indescribable heavenly life where we shall be like God, and see God as God really is. Amen.