Obeying God's Will

Reflections from the scripture readings for the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time, found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/092814.cfm

This reading from the gospel of St. Matthew, chapter 21:28-32, always reminds me of the challenge of raising children. Kids say and do things that drive us crazy! We ask them to do something, then they say no. Then they do it anyway. Or they say yes, and then don't do it! As a father of two children (now grown, thank God!), I can feel the frustration of the father in this parable of Jesus. We tell our kids to do their homework, then they respond, "no", only to think it over and do it anyway! Or they say yes, and end up not doing it. It is then that they realize (after getting in trouble with the teacher) that they find out that their parents were right all along!

It's the same with us and our relationship with God. The chief priests and elders are represented in this story as the ones saying "Yes" and not doing what God is commanding them to do! Outwardly they look like they are doing the Will of God, but inwardly they are filled with hate for those people who are considered the outcasts of society. They hate the tax collectors and prostitutes! The chief priests and elders are failing to show love and compassion to their neighbors!

The tax collectors and prostitutes are the ones that originally were telling "no" to God by how they lived their lives. They rejected God in their lives, only to later find that it is with God that they can find peace and happiness! They heard the preaching of John the Baptist, and went for repentance. They further heard the preaching of the Love of God from the mouth of Jesus. They turn their "no" to "yes"!

This parable applies to us today, too. There are times when we say "yes" to God, but then we see someone who is homeless and we judge him/her! Or we see an immigrant struggling to make a better live. Then we judge them and reject them. In so doing, we say "no" to God.

Then there are times when we say "no" to God when we hear of all these "rules and regulations" in the Church that are meant to help us come closer to God. We initially say no, but after some thought, we realize it's for the best, and we say "yes" to God.

Pray that we can always be "Yes" people in both words and actions towards God and those who need us!

Praise be Jesus Christ now and forever!

Solitude with Christ

Reflections from readings from the 25th Friday in Ordinary Time, found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/092614.cfm

In today's gospel we see Christ praying alone, in solitude, with his disciples. They did this often in order to have time for each other and with God. It's what we would call today a "retreat". We all need that quality time alone with Jesus in order to have a better understanding of where God is calling us or leading us to in our lives. Further, we can have a better understanding of who Jesus is to us.

Jesus asked the apostles in today's gospel, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" (Luke 9:18) They respond with the usual answers: "John the Baptist! Elijah! One of the ancient prophets!" Peter gets it right, "The Christ of God." (Luke 9:20)

With his time alone with the Lord, Peter came to know who Christ was, and as a result was able to develop that close relationship with Christ. This allowed Peter to get closer to God. Did Peter get it right all the time? No! He even denies Jesus three times after Jesus' arrest on Holy Thursday.

But Peter, and the other apostles, developed that relationship with Christ when he was alive with them, and even after His death and resurrection. Today's gospel give example of how they were able to carry out their mission of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ: time spent alone with God to grow and nurture that relationship with Him, in order to be able to bring the Good News of God to others.

We, too, are called to spend time alone with Christ, in solitude. It could be one hour a week before the Blessed Sacrament, or a weekend retreat at a retreat house. This is time over and above the time we spend on Sundays at Mass. Time alone with God in quiet prayer is time well spent. It allows us to know who we are in God's eyes, and we get to know who God is in our minds.

When you spend this time alone with God, I suggest that you bring along the scripture readings for Sunday's mass. Spend that hour reading it quietly and meditating on what it could mean to you. God will reach out to you and help you understand what he is trying to teach you.

Praise be Jesus Christ now and forever!!

The National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa

Yesterday my wife and I made a pilgrimage to The National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, PA. It was a beautiful and spiritual day with Mass, the rosary, and time with God and Our Lady.

The shrine can trace it's history back to 1951 when Father Michael M. Zembrzuski, a priest in the Pauline Order from Poland, arrived on American soil. He was a missionary in America until 1953. On November 6, 1953, the Pauline Order received permission from the Holy See to establish a monastery in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

For more information on the shrine, you can go to http://www.czestochowa.us/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/