Jesus is Our Guide, Our Good News and Our Provider

Jesus Invites us: "Come to Me."

During Independence Day weekend, we celebrate the Declaration of Independence which set in motion the United States of America. No American document has had a greater impact on the world in the human quest for freedom, equality, dignity, opportunity, and the laws to protect these.

So, we pray: God bless America so we may increasingly be, and long remain, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus invites us, “Come to me.” He calls us to open our hearts to God and to our fellow human beings by giving God praise and worship; by being generous, by forgiving those who have wronged us, by caring. That’s why we gather in liturgy: to open our hearts.

The word of God first takes us back to the sixth century before Jesus. Zechariah speaks about a messianic leader who will usher in a new era of peace, justice and prosperity. He challenges us to always hope in God. Many philosophers argue that hope is a fundamental characteristic of human life. Think about it.

St. Paul in his letter to the Christian community at Rome speaks about the Spirit of God dwelling within us. We are living temples of God. The Spirit empowers us to live a life of integrity, courage, compassion and faith.

In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus begins with a prayer of praise. Then he invites us to enter his triune life: “Come to me, all you who find life burdensome and I will refresh you.”

Yes, when we begin to think life is empty, or heavy-laden, Jesus is there to fill our emptiness, to lighten our burdens. He is our true wisdom, the image of the God we cannot see, our guide, our good news and our provider.

God has bestowed the gifts of the Spirit in the life-giving waters of baptism: wisdom (to recognize what truly matters), intelligence (to discern what's true), courage, compassion, good judgment, and wonder and awe. Yes, Jesus will guide us to our true destiny.

The word “gospel” means “good news.” In a world that desperately needs good news, Jesus Christ lives and because he lives, we live. The good news of Jesus is dynamically relevant to all generations, cultures and situations. People’s basic needs are always the same. The message of the gospel is always the same. Set aside regular time to contemplate the scriptures.

Ultimately, Jesus taught us to pray. “Give us this day our daily bread...” God will provide all we need. If we give generously, we will discover that we cannot out-give God, who will do amazing things for and through us.

This doesn't mean life will be easy. Yet, Jesus is indeed our wisdom who guides us, brings us good news and provides for us so that we can become the best version of ourselves: with eternal life, liberty and justice, and the pursuit of true happiness.

Have a happy and safe Independence Day weekend.

God's Gift of Forgiveness

Pieter Bruegel's Christ and the Woman  Caught in Adultery

How many followed this year’s NCAA championship basketball games? Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. As the saying goes, what’s important is how you play the game, and how you live with what you learn.

Today’s word of God takes us back to Ancient Israel in the 6th century before Jesus. Babylonia had conquered the Hebrews; destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple; and deported many Hebrews. Yet God fired up the Hebrews with hope for the future. Set free by Persia, they returned to their homeland to rebuild. The author proclaims God will breathe hope into the Hebrews. Yes, God will usher in a new age, and a newly created people will praise God.

The author may well ask you and me: When have we breathed hope into the life of someone who is “down and out” with encouragement or a helping hand?

Paul writes his letter to the Christian community in Philippi, Greece from an unknown jail cell, perhaps in Rome. And what motivates Paul?  Paul proclaims that Jesus Christ “possesses” him. Yes, years before, Christ had turned Paul’s life “upside down” on the way to Damascus. And ever since, proclaiming the good news--Jesus Christ is alive.  And because He lives, we live-- was Paul’s one passion in life. And so Paul sets his eyes on “what lies ahead”: eternal life.

In the Gospel of John today, we hear that Jesus meets a woman who had been caught in an adulterous relationship. I wonder if Nathaniel Hawthorne read this Gospel story before he wrote The Scarlet Letter.

Anyway, Jesus says to us in the Gospel story, “Don’t be so negatively judgmental about other people.” All of us need forgiveness. That’s why Jesus came: to forgive, heal, transform us, to save us from death and propel us into a glorious future, like Jesus did to this down-and-out woman and to her accusers. And what about the man in the adulterous relationship, who was as guilty as the woman?

This story invites you and me to reflect on our own willingness to forgive people who have wronged us, intentionally or unintentionally. Jesus says forgiveness is a primary characteristic of discipleship.

We have to forgive ourselves as well as others so we can move forward with our lives. To forgive as Christ forgives sometimes seems impossible to do on our own. It calls for a humility, a generosity, a spirit of compassion. But Christ doesn’t ask us to forgive on our own. He simply asks that we participate in his gift of forgiveness.

Forgiveness is an act of the will that overrides negative feelings about someone. Forgiveness is possible, not when we try to forgive, not on our own, but when we trust in God to bring healing. As God constantly searches out the lost and the stranger, so should we. Forgiveness can be a long journey, but at the end lies freedom and new life.