To whom shall we go?

The scripture readings for today can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/082315.cfm.

People sometimes say, "Decisions, decisions! Too many decisions!" I'll bet that this happens most often in Starbucks by someone who is there for the first time. Cappaccino or Frappuccino? If the latter, which of the 28 varieties? Then there are Lattes - a lotta, lotta Lattes. And Expressos: six of them, and that's just  the type, not the flavors. Hot chocolates, plural of course. Can you get just coffee? Well, yes, and I'll also bet  that's the choice most people who don't understand anything on the menu and don't want to look stupid by asking questions and holding up the line. Fortunately, our readings from the book of Joshua and John's Gospel don't give us multiple, mind blowing choices. They give us a simple either/or.

Christians do, of course, face many choices. Underneath them all, however, is the radical, fundamental choice: Do I accept and follow Jesus, (in Peter's words) the Holy One of God, or not?

In our first reading from Joshua, he lays out pretty clear worship possibilities. Do they choose the gods their ancestors worshiped across the river; the Amorite gods of the territory they were now in, or the one, true God - the Lord? Wisely, they responded, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD for the service of other gods." (Joshua 24:16)

In the gospel we read the final part of the bread of life discourse in John, chapter 6. Many of Jesus' disciples had a hard time accepting the fact that Jesus expected them to eat His body and drink His blood. They couldn't understand that Jesus WAS the bread of life - quite literally. But that was not the only teaching of Jesus that caused eyeballs to roll and hands to fly in the air. I'm sure Jesus' teaching on "Love your enemies" got many responses similar to, "You've got to be kidding? Me love those people that I hate the most?" As a result, many walked away from Jesus.

I've heard many people say that if they were only there, they would not leave Jesus. They would accept and embrace his teachings! History proves otherwise. Many people today leave the Church - not only the Catholic Church, but many other denominations as well. Many leave what we call "organized religion" altogether. Judgmental urging or  nagging stands almost no chance of bringing them back. What does? Seeing the comfort, strength, and joy we experience in our faith!

Our faith in Jesus, our decision to follow Jesus' teachings, and our committal to His way of life must be primary in our lives. We must commit ourselves, first and foremost, and radically, to Jesus, not to a stack of statements or even a collection of ideas, good as those may be. At the very heart and soul of this commitment is the person of Jesus, through whom we return to the Father, in the life of the Holy Spirit.

Every time we receive Jesus in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, let us re-commit ourselves to him and pledge our loyalty! “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."

Love of God and Love of Neighbor!

Scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/082115.cfm

Today on the church calendar we commemorate Pope Pius X. Born in 1835 in the village of Riese in the province of Venice. He was bishop of Manua and patriarch of Venice; then, in 1903, was elected as Pope. The motto he chose as pope was, "renew all things in Christ." To me this means to have Christ at the center of all who we are and all that we do.

In the gospel reading for today's Mass Jesus explains how are are to renew all things in Him. He was asked what was the greatest commandment. Jesus' response was, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:34-40) These are pretty strong words for us to follow. Jesus is telling us that, to be His true followers, we are to love others as much as we claim we love God!

Loving God, it would seem, should be easy for most all of us. We go to church, we pray and do our devotions and rosaries. Yet, when we leave and come in contact with the people around us, we get upset and annoyed at them, whether it's our spouse, our family members, our neighbors or our co-workers. When at work, we may get wrapped up in gossip about our co-workers! Instead of being charitable towards those in our lives, we tend to judge them!

We all need to work on Jesus' command to love our neighbors as ourselves! That includes everyone, and most especially those who we find most annoying and unattractive in our lives. Love them and respect them as you would love and respect God. In this way, we can renew all things in Christ.

Bread of Heaven

The readings for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, (Sunday, August 16th) can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/081615.cfm. 

We continue reading the sixth chapter of John in our Scripture readings for mass today. Known as the bread of life discourse, Jesus goes on to teach His followers that we are to eat His body and drink His blood in order to have eternal life.  “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you." (John 6:53) We can understand the people's shock and horror when they heard these words for the first time. They are so physical and blunt about eating flesh and drinking blood. This saying of Jesus is not shocking to us since it is so routine that we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus at every mass we attend. Maybe it is too routine for us?

With today's readings we should focus on something that we as Catholics take so much for granted, the meaning of the red lamp by the tabernacle in every Catholic Church around the world. This red lamp reminds us of the true presence of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ that can be found in the tabernacle.

The Church is a large world wide organization with many  layers of structures. It's a worldwide institution with many apostolates and ministries, and millions and millions of people on every continent. Yet at the heart and center of all this activity is the Eucharist. That is the heart of the Church. The Eucharist is something that we take for granted but it is essential for our Catholic life, like the beating of our hearts.

We have much in common with other Christians such as affirming "Jesus as Lord and Savior," "God's Word in Sacred Scripture" and the truths of the Creed. But what makes Catholic life and Catholic spirituality unique is the Eucharist. It is the center of our life, more than we realize.

In all we do, let us not take the Body and Blood of Jesus as routine. Let us remember that it is truly the Body and Blood of Jesus we receive at Holy Communion. Let us then take the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ with us into the world to serve others in our life. In this way, Christ is truly present in the world. Let Christ use us in our daily life!

Jesus, The Living Bread

The scripture readings for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/080915.cfm.

The miracle of the loaves and fish and Jesus' teaching about Himself as the "living bread" or the "bread of life" in chapter six of St. John's Gospel calls us to look at several aspects of the Eucharist, the center and heart of our Catholic life and identity.

In the miracle itself, we read how Jesus gathered the people, taught them and fed them. This happens at every Mass as Jesus gathers us, teaches us through scripture and feeds us as surely as He gathered, taught, and fed the people on that mountainside.

In today's Gospel, Jesus speaks of that spiritual hunger that the Eucharist satisfies. As the people sought bread that filled their stomachs, Jesus speaks to them of a different kind of bread, the living bread. Malnutrition is rampant in our world. There are two kinds of ways a person can suffer from malnutrition. One is from not having enough food to eat, which is true of what we call the "Third World." The other is from eating the wrong kind of food, which is a problem here in the United States. Either can lead to physical deterioration, emotional problems, depression and death.

All of us also have spiritual hungers that are as real as the hunger of the body. All of us needs companionship, affirmation, respect, loyalty, and purpose. Beyond these emotional needs there are needs of the soul for cleansing, forgiveness, spiritual rebirth, inner healing,and union with God.These hungers can happen in the most wealthy of nations. In fact, material prosperity  can sometimes mask spiritual starvation.

When we place more importance on material wealth, and deny our spiritual growth, we start to die from spiritual malnourishment. When people are starving spiritually, they will grab for anything. We have a "spiritual marketplace" filled with all kinds of spiritual "junk food," new age literature filled with broad, unfocussed generalities, books about superstitions, accounts about the preternatural that give the illusion of spiritual nourishment but only make it worse. Jesus "satisfies the hungry heart" at each Mass with His truth and with Himself through the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

If we pay attention to the daily and Sunday scripture readings at mass, we discover a journey, like Israel's journey through the desert. Our journey will lead us to heaven, while we continue to perform our mission on earth.

In all that happens to us in our daily life, we can either let it help us or hinder us on that journey to heaven. We are taught that we are destined for union with God not only in eternity but now through grace. We are taught that a life of prayer and service can deepen that union.

At Mass we are fed with the very body and blood of Jesus Christ. It is at Mass that we make contact with the Jesus of the Gospels, the Jesus of History, the Jesus Who is the center of our Church. During Holy Communion He comes to us personally with all the graces and strength we need, in our own personal way, for our individual journey of life.

During Holy Communion bring to Jesus your particular hunger. Then Jesus will give you strength for the journey you have yet to make.

The Hand of the Lord Feeds Us

The Scripture readings for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/072615.cfm

An ambassador from a poor country had an opportunity to travel to New York City. While in New York, this foreign diplomat was given the "red carpet treatment." After a two-week stay, the ambassador was escorted to the plane. As the diplomat boarded, a reporter asked, "During your stay in New York, what was it that impressed you the most?" Smiling at the reporter, the diplomat said, "I was impressed with your trash cans!" Confused, the interviewer asked why. The ambassador said, "Because with all the food you toss out, I can feed my people with it a long time!"

As Jesus feeds the 5,000, we are reminded of our call to share our resources with others. Realizing this, we should be aware not only of what we use but, more importantly, the things we waste. With Jesus, nothing should go to waste. Instead, it should be given to those in need!

In our first reading from the 2nd Book of Kings, Elisha  shows us the importance of showing compassion, particularly to those in need. During the time of Elisha, the poor were allowed to pay their debts by selling themselves or their children as slaves. Many of the poor in Third World countries today continue to sell their children to adoption agencies in order that other members in their families may live.

Through God, Elisha orders rich people and creditors not to take advantage of these people, especially during their time of extreme need.

In this chapter of 2 Kings, we see four  miracles that God works through Elisha. In this miracle, the last of four, God provides food for 100 men. These miracles shows the love, concern and care for those who are faithful to the word of God.

Showing compassion is something that God expects of all of us. If we do what we can, God will bless us as well as those we help.

St. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, challenges the Church's believers to function as a living body of Christ. Paul's vision is that believers grow together as the Body of Christ. Unity does not simply happen; we have to work at it. As believers, how are we achieving this goal in our lives?

We are God's chosen people through Christ. We are his representatives in this world! Paul calls us to be worthy of this call  by being humble, gentle, patient, and understanding. Can people see Christ in us in how we respond to others?

No matter what our gifts are from God, big or small, we are to use them to build the community of Christ in service to others.

In the Gospel for today we see the offering of a young child, offered to Jesus in service to others, to become one of the most incredible miracles! Regardless of who we are or what little we have, we should never think that we have nothing to give.

If we ask the Lord, we shall receive and, in many ways, this will be in abundance. We should be more conscious of this the next time we have anything left over, for example: food, clothing, appliances, furnishings, anything that we may no longer need or want.Instead of throwing things out, we should be ever mindful of the poor and needy who could use them. Jesus teaches us in the use of leftovers. Be aware that the item you might discard in your trash cans can be the one thing that could, by your kindness and thoughtfulness, bring another person closer to God.

Despite the feeding of 5,000 people  as well as gathering all the fragments, the fact remains that our Lord not only fed them, but he also continues to feed us in a  more marvelous way in the Eucharist.

As a community united in the Spirit, may we become more aware of the Lord who saves us. May we recognize how the Eucharistic presence makes us more aware of our Lord and strengthens our commitment to serve God by helping others, particularly those in need.

Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

The month of July is an important month for all Carmelites. On July 16^th we commemorate, with great solemnity, the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. In the first book of Kings, chapter 18, we hear of the beauty of Mount Carmel and how the prophet Elijah defended the faith of the true God of Israel. It is there that Elijah showed that there is but one God in heaven. The people of that time turned from the Lord God and were praying to the false gods of Baal. Once the prophets failed to show that there was a god known as Baal, Elijah came forward to offer sacrifice to God, praying, “LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, LORD! Answer me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God and that you have turned their hearts back to you.” (1 Kings 18: 36-37) With great power and glory, God made His presence known and the people prayed, “The Lord is God! The Lord is God!” (1 Kings 18:39)

Like a true prophet, God was always at the center of all Elijah did. Elijah was always ready to show the presence of God to His people. Later in 1 Kings, Elijah is quoted as saying, “I have been most zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts…” (1 Kings19:10).

Then centuries later, at the beginning of the thirteenth century, under the title of “Saint Mary of Mount Carmel,” the Order of Carmelites had its formal beginning on Mount Carmel. The monks originally were called to live in solitude on Mount Carmel. But as the years went on, the early monks started to move throughout Europe and the order grew and devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel also continued to grow. It is through her openness to the will of God in her life that Mary is center to the lives of every Carmelite.

Pope Paul VI, in his Allocutions, said of Mary, “We can readily see that the Blessed Virgin Mary was endowed in high measure with remarkable interior enlightenment, such as might have been anticipated in view of her sinlessness and the nature of her task in the world.” Pope Paul VI goes on to say, “She teaches us how to listen, how to explore, to accept, to make sacrifices; she teaches us how to meditate, to wait, to examine; she teaches us self-possession, and calm, absolute assurance in judgment and action; she teaches us, in short the fullness of prayer and communion with God.”

As we commemorate the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, let us imitate Elijah in being zealous for the Lord, the God of host, and, Mary, in being always ready to do what God asks of us and to have Christ in the center of our lives.

Charleston

This past week an unspeakable horror happened at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. 9 innocent people were senselessly shot down. They were there studying scripture and growing deeper in their relationship with God. Then, due to that terrible sin of hate and racism, they were shot down in cold blood by someone who hated them only because of the color of their skin!

I may be naive, but I find it amazing that racism and hatred like this still exists in the 21st century. More than 2,000 years ago, Jesus taught about love of God and love of neighbor, "'Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?' He said to him,  'You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.'"(Matthew 22:36-40) Are we doing what Jesus expects us to do? We are called to love God and our neighbor. We are to love our neighbor regardless of how they look or how different they may seem to be. We are called to accept and love them as people created in the image of God.

Then Martin Luther King, during his great speech more than 50 years ago said, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Has that happened yet? I don't think so.

It is all our responsibilities to remove hatred, racism and violence from ourselves and from the  society we live in. We need to start with ourselves and examine our attitudes towards others that may be different than us.  People are not born racist, they learn it. Further, it's our responsibility that the children in our lives are taught to love and respect all people.

Let us pray for the victims of those that died at the Emmanuel AME Church. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Further let's pray for their families who struggle to deal with such a loss. Finally, let's pray for those that hate. May God remove this hatred from them, and replace it with love and respect for all people that are made in His image.