With Eyes of Faith

Presentation of the Child Jesus to God in Temple by Raphael

The Super Bowl gets plenty of attention each year. But Sunday Feb. 2nd we celebrated the feast of the Presentation of the Lord.

In the readings, the author of the book of Malachi, in the fifth century BC, scolds leaders for their careless worship of God which jeopardizes the special relationship (or covenant) God made with the Hebrews centuries before. But God never reneges on his promises. God will send a messenger to prepare the way before him who will purify God’s people so that they can give true worship.

Malachi may challenge us to ask, what is leadership? I think of three ingredients, three Cs: character, courage, “can do”: Character, at our core, who we are at our core,  when no one is watching. Courage is moving beyond fears and doubts to achieve something worthwhile. Finally, leadership presumes a “can do” attitude. At different times, all of us are called to be leaders.

The Letter to the Hebrews describes how God became human in Jesus. Jesus is indeed the face of God among us. And through his death and resurrection, God gifts us with his divine life; we are brothers and sisters to one another and sons and daughters of God our Father. We are consecrated in baptism, sanctified, to be in relationship with God forever. Our faith in Jesus Christ proclaims that one day, God will transfigure us into a new heavenly life as God transfigured Jesus.

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

At home in Nazareth, Jesus grew up--wise. 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.

More than two millennia later, Pope Francis urged that families develop “a healthy sense of leisure.” Yes, set aside time to do things, to communicate. Sundays are for family.  Enjoy one another's company, do things together whether is'a at a dinner table or in an outdoor/indoor activity.  Think positively about one another.

Someone wrote: “Twenty years from now we will be more disappointed by the things we didn’t do than by the ones we did.” Think about it. Don’t put off until tomorrow….

Remember, the BIBLE stands for Basic Information Before Leaving Earth. Do good now, not later. Life is not a rehearsal. It’s the “real thing.”

Jesus, and Mary, and Joseph lived a life as a family, a holy family, a life 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; with faith in Jesus Christ, as in the letter to the Hebrews, as our healer, our reconciler; and may God grace us, as He did Simeon and Anna, with the eyes of faith to see Jesus as our salvation, a light who illuminates our darkness.

The Celestial Banquet

Jesus Christ Invites Us to the Banquet of Eternal life

Labor Day invites us to appreciate our work, and to recommit ourselves to doing our life’s work as best we can. That’s what holiness is about. God has committed some work to each one of us that He hasn’t committed to another. Yes, each one of us has a purpose. Aim to please God.

We’re also praying that God will keep safe those in the pathway of Hurricane Dorian.

The book of Sirach alerts us to be humble, dependent upon an all-good Creator. We are what we are by the grace of God. The good we do in life is the only thing that we will take with us to God in death.

The letter to the Hebrews contrasts two assemblies, one at Mount Sinai where God made a covenant with the Hebrews; and the other in the heavenly Jerusalem where countless creatures celebrate the new covenant or relationship God made with us through the bloody death and glorious resurrection of His son Jesus. Yes, God transformed us into his sons and daughters, coheirs to the kingdom of God. We are challenged to live a life worthy of that status.

In the Gospel, after watching how the so-called rich and famous proudly took places of honor at the table, Jesus told a parable, comparing the kingdom of God to a celestial banquet. All are welcome. But who will be seated at the table ? The humble, the people we may least expect to see.  The 20th century Catholic novelist Flannery O'Connor captures this parable powerfully in her short story "Revelation."

Jesus teaches us, “invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be…For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

The word “humility” derives from the Latin word humus, ground or soil, understood simply as down-to-earth, knowing who we are. Mary, Mother of God, showed humility in her song titled the Magnificat: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord … because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” Yes, Mary rejoiced in the gifts God bestowed upon her, and so too should we.

Pride is the opposite. Pride thinks “self”-sufficient. The book of Genesis gives us insight. God made us in His image and likeness. But we wanted to be number one. We overstepped our limits. The legendary Adam and Eve broke all their relationships, hid from Gdiscipleship, beatitudesod, blamed each other, and the land barely produced sustenance.

Hence, we are born into a broken world. That is the Catholic understanding of original sin, a phrase St. Augustine coined. The biblical characters mirror us trying to play God. Humility recognizes that we are absolutely dependent upon an all-good God. Luckily, God had the final word, and became one of us in Jesus of Nazareth.

There is no human solution to the brokenness in our world. There is a power beyond us – God -- that can heal this brokenness, and we can participate in that healing by doing good for others. This awesome, all-good, and transcendent power became flesh in Jesus of Nazareth and is alive in our midst by the power of the Spirit. This same God invites us to live a life of discipleship with Jesus,  to reflect the beatitudes in our daily lives and to be generous with what we have so that one day we, gloriously alive with Jesus Christ can sit at the banquet of eternal life.
Amen.

The Gift of Salvation

"Strive to enter through the narrow door" 

The word of God today takes us back to the sixth century before Jesus. In a vision, the author of Isaiah sees all men and women, from all nations, Jews as well as non-Jews, going up to Jerusalem into the temple to worship together the one true God, Creator of us all. This invites us to recognize God’s likeness in all people.

The letter to the Hebrews alludes to the age-old question, why do bad things happen to good people? Of course, there’s no satisfactory answer to human suffering and natural disasters. Yet hardships can help us realize our true selves as sons and daughters of God our Father.  Inescapable suffering, accepted with trust in an all-good God and joined to the sufferings of Jesus, can be saving and healing for ourselves and others. And why do I say that?  Because the sufferings of Jesus were precisely that--saving and healing for all.

In the Gospel, disciples ask, “Will only a few people be saved?” Jesus indicates that many who think themselves respectable or high and mighty may not be first in line for the kingdom of God. And many who are considered down and out will be the first included. God's ways are not ours.

Salvation is ultimately a gift from God. Jesus says that we have to struggle to enter through the symbolic “narrow gate” into the kingdom of God. Many times in life, we can only go through by letting go of our fears and doubts, and by realizing that God is with us as we open these doors into an uncertain future.  Our faith in particular can sustain us, because it helps us overcome these fears and doubts, because it satisfies our basic needs. How is that?

Our faith fosters a healthy self-image . We are made in the image and likeness of God, and through baptism, God lives within us, and we live within God. And people with a positive, healthy self-image generally engage in constructive behavior.

Faith satisfies our longing for happiness. Within every human, being there is a subconscious quest for the ultimate, the all-good. St. Augustine wrote, “O God, you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Our primary purpose is to live in a right relationship with God and one another. In heaven, we will see God face-to-face.

Third, our faith gives us a sense of belonging. We are a community of believers, linked by a common bond of faith, grace, and baptism. We gather regularly to offer God gratitude and worship. These encounters with the triune God are wrapped up in the mystery of the sacraments.

We are a community not only of heroes and heroines but also of sinners and scoundrels. But Jesus assures us that God’s mercy outweighs our failures. God gave us the sacraments of initiation, healing and service, grace and power to help us through these times.

Finally, our Catholic faith provides us with a guide in the Bible, with the best news ever: how God offers each one of us salvation through Jesus, who is the gate to eternal life. The risen Christ is present in these scriptures proclaimed in our liturgies.

Yes, as we go through life, our faith will sustain us so we may eventually enter safely that final gate into our eternal home with God.

Jesus Christ Will Come Again

Michelangelo's Last Judgment in Sistine Chapel

Thursday, families will celebrate Thanksgiving: giving thanks to God for life, family and friends. Even amid the devastating wildfires in California, many first responders are stepping up to help save lives and property. We thank God for these brave men and women.

The holidays are here. Here’s my advice: hang around positive people. Surround yourself with what you love—family, pets, hobbies. Tell them that you love them. Live gratefully. Above all, focus on God everyday through prayer.

The liturgical year celebrates the story of our salvation. The cycle begins in Advent, then Christmas, on to Lent. Next, Holy Week. The Easter season concludes with the outpouring of the Spirit anew at Pentecost. The cycle continues in ordinary time. We walk with Jesus as he works signs and wonders proclaiming that the kingdom of God is breaking into our lives.

This liturgical cycle culminates in the final coming of Jesus Christ in glory. Next Sunday, on the feast of Christ the King, we observe the end of salvation history when (to quote the letter of Paul) every human being and all that is will be subjected to Christ, who will deliver the Kingdom of God over to his heavenly Father.

Yes, we celebrate the story that began on the first page of Scripture: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” -- a story that ends on the last page of Scripture with the Maranatha prayer: “Come, Lord Jesus.” God will transform this universe into his glorious kingdom in all its fullness. We proclaim in the Eucharistic prayer: “Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.”

How this universe as we know it will end, we don’t know. But how is not the question. Rather the question is: Are we ready to meet the Living Christ when he comes to us in the mystery of death?

Today, the Book of Daniel pleads: don’t give up your faith despite the cruelties you’re enduring; the archangel Michael will protect you. Yes, good will triumph over evil.

The letter to the Hebrews recalls the one sacrifice of Jesus. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus re-established our relationship with God.

In the Gospel according to Mark, Jesus speaks about an apocalypse, with symbolic and scary images. Yes, Jesus Christ will usher in the kingdom of God in all its fullness. The Gospel author urges us always to be ready to meet the Living Christ because we don’t know when He actually will come to us in the mystery of death. And if we're not ready today, when will we be?

You may have read the book “Living a Life that Matters.” In his 40 years as a rabbi, Harold Kushner has cared for many people in the last moments of their lives. The people who had the most trouble with death were those who felt they hadn’t done anything worthwhile.

We shouldn’t be frightened that God will end the world as we know it. What we’re really called to do is to begin bringing about the kingdom of God: by getting our priorities straight, being peacemakers; treating one another fairly; helping people know they have a purpose; and giving a helping hand to others. We can become the compassionate eyes and hopeful voice and generous hands and dedicated feet of Jesus to others until He comes again with great power and glory.

Service and Sacrifice

Here Rests in Honored Glory an American Soldier Known but to God

This Sunday is Veterans Day. One hundred years ago, at the 11^th hour on the 11^th day of the 11^th month, the first World War ended. Irving Berlin, a Russian immigrant, became a U.S. citizen that year and composed the great hymn/prayer God Bless America in 1918.

Today we honor all of our Veterans for their service and sacrifice.

The word of God today coincidentally challenges us to trust God and to be generous. A non-Jew or so-called Gentile is down to her last handful of flour and a tiny bit of oil. Then Elijah asks for a bit of bread. Elijah asks her: trust in God. The woman has a dilemma. Trust and hospitality win; the widow gives all she has to Elijah. And miraculously, she has a never-ending supply. That truly was a great act of faith in God's providence.

In the Gospel, we hear of a widow who put her last two coins, a small sum, into the Temple treasury. Jesus comments that, in contrast to those who gave from their surplus, she gave “all she had to live on.” A great act of faith in God's providence.

The author of Hebrews speaks about the superiority of Jesus’s sacrifice to the many sacrifices in the Temple. Jesus through his death and resurrection opens up to humankind eternal life.

I remembered a newspaper photographer sharing a scene after a devastating earthquake. A long line of people waited for food. Finally, only one banana was left. A girl divided it into three parts for three other children, and she licked the inside of that banana peel. “In that moment I swear I saw the face of God!” wrote the photographer.

Yes, the word of God challenges us to ask ourselves: do we reveal the face of God to one another? As missionary disciples of Jesus, we ought to show the face of God every day, especially living the beatitudes that Matthew sums up so splendidly in Chapter 5 of his Gospel. I would like to think Jesus would say this about us.

If you’re working to pay the bills but making time to be with your children, blessed are you. You may never own a big vacation home, but heaven will be yours.

If you happily give your time to serve, and befriend the unpopular, the lost, blessed are you. Count God among your friends.

If you are overwhelmed caring for an ill relative, blessed are you. One day your sorrow will be transformed into joy.

If you refuse to compromise your integrity and ethics, refuse to rationalize that “everyone does it,” blessed are you – you will triumph.

If you try to understand others and make things work for the good, if you listen and console, if you manage to heal wounds and build bridges; if you can see the good in everyone and seek the good for everyone: rejoice and be glad. Jesus says you are the blessed of God. In the end, heaven is yours.

Finding True Happiness

Jesus Healing the Blind Bartimaeus

The word of God today first takes us back to the prophet Jeremiah, who speaks about hope: a new beginning for a people now overwhelmed by tragedy but soon to enjoy peace. Jeremiah challenges us to hope always in God even when bad things happen. Sadly, this weekend our prayers are with the Pittsburgh community where eleven people at the Tree of Life synagogue were killed.

The letter to the Hebrews speaks of the saving work of Jesus, who through his death and resurrection re-established our relationship with God and one another. This challenges us to see our earthly life in light of our true purpose: being in relationship with God and one another forever.

In the Gospel according to Mark, Jesus asks a blind man: “what do you want me to do?” The man answers: “I want to see.” Jesus says: “Your faith has saved you.” And the blind man saw.

Today I want to reflect briefly upon a man of extraordinary faith. Paul, initially known as Saul of Tarsus, was well educated in Judaism and Greco-Roman philosophy. He had been a rabid persecutor of Christians.

But on a journey to Damascus in Syria, he was awestruck by a light from heaven. The visionary experience of the risen Christ turned Paul’s life upside down. He became one of the greatest evangelizers, preaching salvation for all. This controversial religious genius established faith communities throughout the eastern Mediterranean, and authored letters shaping the history of Christian thought. Paul eventually was beheaded by order of the Roman emperor Nero.

I believe Paul, well versed in philosophy, had a keen insight into what makes human beings tick. Everyone yearns for happiness. We often do things that we think will make us happy, only to end up miserable. Why? Because we sometimes confuse pleasure with happiness.

Etched into Paul’s vision of human beings were the words of Jesus:  “I have come so that they may have life--God's life-- and have it more abundantly.”

For Paul, the path that leads to the fullness of life is discipline. Think about it. When we eat well, exercise often, and sleep regularly, we feel more fully alive physically. When we love, when we give priority to significant relationships, when we lend a helping hand to others, we’re more fully alive emotionally. When we study the achievements of the human spirit in various cultures, our world grows, and we’re more fully alive intellectually.

And when we take a few moments each day humbly with God in prayer, carefully contemplating God’s word, we experience more fully the transcendent dimension of our lives, the spiritual, the awesome presence of God.

All of these life-giving endeavors require discipline. Discipline sets us free to attain our ultimate purpose: life with God. Freedom is indeed a prerequisite for love.

St. Paul grasped this. He preached that Christ came to reconcile us with the Father and satisfies the craving for happiness that preoccupies our hearts: ultimately a yearning for friendship and intimacy with our Creator.