"Loving the Church also means having the courage to make difficult, trying choices, having ever before oneself the good of the Church and not one’s own"

Today I want to do something a little different.  There are 2 reasons: one practical and the other out of love for the Pope.  

This morning, I am on my way to the doctor for a follow-up appointment and will be gone all day.  For that reason I don’t have time to do a written reflection.  Please offer up prayers that I am able to fully explain how I am doing, and that I am able to accept with gratitude and joy what the doctor has to say.

In addition to that, today Pope Benedict XVI is resigning from his office.  Yesterday he gave his last public audience.  I think the words he spoke are so powerful for our Church.  And so, I have included the text version of his audience.

I hope you enjoy these loving words from Papa Benny, and as the church embarks on a new journey, let us pray for those who will be prayerfully choosing our next Pope and continue to pray for the whole Christian Church.

Full text - Vatican Radio translation: (http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/pope-benedict-xvis-farewell-general-audience)

Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood!

Distinguished Authorities!
Dear brothers and sisters!

Thank you for coming in such large numbers to this last General Audience of my pontificate.

Like the Apostle Paul in the biblical text that we have heard, I feel in my heart the paramount duty thank God, who guides the Church and makes her grow: who sows His Word and thus nourishes the faith in His people. At this moment my spirit reaches out to embrace the whole Church throughout the world, and I thank God for the “news” that in these years of Petrine ministry I have been able to receive regarding the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the charity that circulates in the body of the Church – charity that makes the Church to live in love – and of the hope that opens for us the way towards the fullness of life, and directs us towards the heavenly homeland.

I feel I [ought to] carry everyone in prayer, in a present that is God’s, where I recall every meeting, every voyage, every pastoral visit. I gather everyone and every thing in prayerful recollection, in order to entrust them to the Lord: in order that we might have full knowledge of His will, with every wisdom and spiritual understanding, and in order that we might comport ourselves in a manner that is worthy of Him, of His, bearing fruit in every good work (cf. Col 1:9-10).

At this time, I have within myself a great trust [in God], because I know – all of us know – that the Gospel’s word of truth is the strength of the Church: it is her life. The Gospel purifies and renews: it bears fruit wherever the community of believers hears and welcomes the grace of God in truth and lives in charity. This is my faith, this is my joy.

When, almost eight years ago, on April 19th, [2005], I agreed to take on the Petrine ministry, I held steadfast in this certainty, which has always accompanied me. In that moment, as I have already stated several times, the words that resounded in my heart were: “Lord, what do you ask of me? It a great weight that You place on my shoulders, but, if You ask me, at your word I will throw out the nets, sure that you will guide me” – and the Lord really has guided me. He has been close to me: daily could I feel His presence. [These years] have been a stretch of the Church’s pilgrim way, which has seen moments joy and light, but also difficult moments. I have felt like St. Peter with the Apostles in the boat on the Sea of Galilee: the Lord has given us many days of sunshine and gentle breeze, days in which the catch has been abundant; [then] there have been times when the seas were rough and the wind against us, as in the whole history of the Church it has ever been - and the Lord seemed to sleep. Nevertheless, I always knew that the Lord is in the barque, that the barque of the Church is not mine, not ours, but His - and He shall not let her sink. It is He, who steers her: to be sure, he does so also through men of His choosing, for He desired that it be so. This was and is a certainty that nothing can tarnish. It is for this reason, that today my heart is filled with gratitude to God, for never did He leave me or the Church without His consolation, His light, His love.

We are in the Year of Faith, which I desired in order to strengthen our own faith in God in a context that seems to push faith more and more toward the margins of life. I would like to invite everyone to renew firm trust in the Lord. I would like that we all, entrust ourselves as children to the arms of God, and rest assured that those arms support us and us to walk every day, even in times of struggle. I would like everyone to feel loved by the God who gave His Son for us and showed us His boundless love. I want everyone to feel the joy of being Christian. In a beautiful prayer to be recited daily in the morning says, “I adore you, my God, I love you with all my heart. I thank You for having created me, for having made me a Christian.” Yes, we are happy for the gift of faith: it is the most precious good, that no one can take from us! Let us thank God for this every day, with prayer and with a coherent Christian life. God loves us, but He also expects that we love Him!

At this time, however, it is not only God, whom I desire to thank. A Pope is not alone in guiding St. Peter’s barque, even if it is his first responsibility – and I have not ever felt myself alone in bearing either the joys or the weight of the Petrine ministry. The Lord has placed next to me many people, who, with generosity and love for God and the Church, have helped me and been close to me. First of all you, dear Brother Cardinals: your wisdom, your counsels, your friendship, were all precious to me. My collaborators, starting with my Secretary of State, who accompanied me faithfully over the years, the Secretariat of State and the whole Roman Curia, as well as all those who, in various areas, give their service to the Holy See: the many faces which never emerge, but remain in the background, in silence, in their daily commitment, with a spirit of faith and humility. They have been for me a sure and reliable support. A special thought [goes] to the Church of Rome, my diocese! I can not forget the Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood, the consecrated persons and the entire People of God: in pastoral visits, in public encounters, at Audiences, in traveling, I have always received great care and deep affection; I also loved each and every one, without exception, with that pastoral charity which is the heart of every shepherd, especially the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of the Apostle Peter. Every day I carried each of you in my prayers, with the father's heart.

I wish my greetings and my thanks to reach everyone: the heart of a Pope expands to [embrace] the whole world. I would like to express my gratitude to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, which makes present the great family of nations. Here I also think of all those who work for good communication, whom I thank for their important service.

At this point I would like to offer heartfelt thanks to all the many people throughout the whole world, who, in recent weeks have sent me moving tokens of concern, friendship and prayer. Yes, the Pope is never alone: now I experience this [truth] again in a way so great as to touch my very heart. The Pope belongs to everyone, and so many people feel very close to him. It’s true that I receive letters from the world's greatest figures - from the Heads of State, religious leaders, representatives of the world of culture and so on. I also receive many letters from ordinary people who write to me simply from their heart and let me feel their affection, which is born of our being together in Christ Jesus, in the Church. These people do not write me as one might write, for example, to a prince or a great figure one does not know. They write as brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, with the sense of very affectionate family ties. Here, one can touch what the Church is – not an organization, not an association for religious or humanitarian purposes, but a living body, a community of brothers and sisters in the Body of Jesus Christ, who unites us all. To experience the Church in this way and almost be able to touch with one’s hands the power of His truth and His love, is a source of joy, in a time in which many speak of its decline.

In recent months, I felt that my strength had decreased, and I asked God with insistence in prayer to enlighten me with His light to make me take the right decision – not for my sake, but for the good of the Church. I have taken this step in full awareness of its severity and also its novelty, but with a deep peace of mind. Loving the Church also means having the courage to make difficult, trying choices, having ever before oneself the good of the Church and not one’s own.

Here allow me to return once again to April 19, 2005. The gravity of the decision was precisely in the fact that from that moment on I was committed always and forever by the Lord. Always – he, who assumes the Petrine ministry no longer has any privacy. He belongs always and totally to everyone, to the whole Church. His life is, so to speak, totally deprived of the private sphere. I have felt, and I feel even in this very moment, that one receives one’s life precisely when he offers it as a gift. I said before that many people who love the Lord also love the Successor of Saint Peter and are fond of him, that the Pope has truly brothers and sisters, sons and daughters all over the world, and that he feels safe in the embrace of their communion, because he no longer belongs to himself, but he belongs to all and all are truly his own.

The “always” is also a “forever” - there is no returning to private life. My decision to forgo the exercise of active ministry, does not revoke this. I do not return to private life, to a life of travel, meetings, receptions, conferences and so on. I do not abandon the cross, but remain in a new way near to the Crucified Lord. I no longer wield the power of the office for the government of the Church, but in the service of prayer I remain, so to speak, within St. Peter’s bounds. St. Benedict, whose name I bear Pope, shall be a great example in this for me. He showed us the way to a life which, active or passive, belongs wholly to the work of God.

I thank each and every one of you for the respect and understanding with which you have welcomed this important decision. I continue to accompany the Church on her way through prayer and reflection, with the dedication to the Lord and to His Bride, which I have hitherto tried to live daily and that I would live forever. I ask you to remember me before God, and above all to pray for the Cardinals, who are called to so important a task, and for the new Successor of Peter, that the Lord might accompany him with the light and the power of His Spirit.

Let us invoke the maternal intercession of Mary, Mother of God and of the Church, that she might accompany each of us and the whole ecclesial community: to her we entrust ourselves, with deep trust.

Dear friends! God guides His Church, maintains her always, and especially in difficult times. Let us never lose this vision of faith, which is the only true vision of the way of the Church and the world. In our heart, in the heart of each of you, let there be always the joyous certainty that the Lord is near, that He does not abandon us, that He is near to us and that He surrounds us with His love. Thank you!

Humility and strength in face of Adversity

Today's readings: Jeremiah 18:18-20; Psalm 31:5-6,14-16; Matthew 20:17-28

Jesus warns his Apostles that he will soon be handed over and killed, and on the third day rise from the dead.  Being someone that knows the story, it is hard to imagine how his Apostles, not knowing how Christ's life would be played out, really understood his prophecy.

But, how many people today really understand his words. Throughout his ministry, he tells us how to act, asks us to take up our cross and follow him, and in today’s reading tells us that if we want to be great then we must be servants. He says that he did not come to be served, but to serve.

As a Christian it is important that our lives represent the mission of Christ. Yet, our pride and desire get in the way and cause us to look for more ways that we can be served. 

It seems to me that this is being shown in the Gospel. The mother of two of the Apostles asks Jesus that her sons basically be placed at the highest of honors. He asks them if they can really take on the responsibility for that place. Of course they say they are. Jesus lets them know that they will end up 'drinking the cup that he drinks' but they still might not get the 'highest place.'

That is a task that we need to take on as well. If we are to have the reward of eternal life, then we must have the strength to live Christ's mission, be humble, and be willing to follow Christ's call in our life.

I also believe this passage and the passage from Jeremiah seem so fitting for today. As today is when Pope Benedict XVI gives his last public audience, it seems that every news source still holds to the idea that his resignation is about hiding from some scandal, and they continue to bring different things up. 

In Jeremiah, the people are conspiring against Jeremiah and knowingly bring false accusations against him.  It seems that our culture is trying to discredit the beauty of Christ's Church, the heir of St. Peter, and other leaders. I am amazed, but not surprised, at the Pope’s humility as well as the strength to show his frailty.  He has shown us that his calling in life consists of taking on so much leadership and has continued to be a great example: to be willing to take on the difficult task 8 years ago to be Pope (to understand his task to serve the world), to be willing to take a step back when he feels he cannot physically and mentally serve the way the Pope needs to, and to take on all of the critiques in stride and encourage us through the persecution the media is doing to our Church.

Although I do not understand how my life will be played out, I can take the example of Benedict XVI, and more importantly from Christ, to be willing to accept each obstacle and gift as a way that I allow Christ's mission to be shown in my life.
And I hope that whatever persecution and struggles you find yourself in today, you are able to take courage to accept your part in the kingdom and that you are willing 'to drink the cup with which Christ drinks'. Remember that being a Christian requires discipline, humility, sacrifice, and love.  Let us be support and models to one another so that we do not let the world consume us through lies and deceit.  He calls us to be servants…who can you serve more today?

"If you are willing and obey"

Today's readings: Isaiah 1:10,16-20; Psalm 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23; Matthew 23:1-12

How has your Lent been going?  Have you struggled with keeping your sacrifices? Have you had to start over yet with your Lenten penance? The Gospel today reminds us that we need to make sure that we are not doing things just to do them, or to get some type of recognition…but that our actions need to be done to change our heart.  He tells us to listen to the commands and law of the Pharisees, but don’t follow their example.

That brings up a great challenge.  Are you the type of person that is a great example?  Should people not look at your actions when they are learning how to be a Christian?  People are going to pay attention to us…whether we are a good example or bad example.  We must be people of integrity!  Our actions represent who we are.  Do your actions show that you are a Christian on this journey, or are you a false representation of our calling to love?

I think that is what our Lenten penance is there to help us with.  To remind us how to focus on something greater!  So, when we start to waver on continuing these actions we must find the strength to stand back up, get support to carry on, and live in the grace we are given to start anew.

Isaiah gives us hope today that when we seek the Lord in our weakness and suffering, that it can become something beautiful.

Come now, let us set things right,

says the LORD:

Though your sins be like scarlet,

they may become white as snow;

Though they be crimson red,

they may become white as wool.

If you are willing, and obey,

you shall eat the good things of the land;

But if you refuse and resist,

the sword shall consume you:

for the mouth of the LORD has spoken!

(Isaiah 1:18-20)

Yes!
 
But, we have to be willing!

I think it is awesome that God understands our humanness.  He says that although we have sinned, they can become something amazing.  But, it requires a choice of ours.  We have to give those to him. 

I think it again points to the actions/sacrifices we have chosen to take on this Lent.  In allowing ourselves to suffer a little, to offer these up to God, we practice letting God in our hearts.  There are times we may give in to the temptations, but it then requires a new choice…the choice to begin again.

Look into your heart…have you been letting Christ in more as you continue to offer up sacrifices for him?  Are you being joyful while doing penance?  We all fall at some point, but it is how we react that shows the world, ourselves and God our true desires.

As Lent continues, I encourage you (and myself) to look inward.  We need to remember WHY we chose these changes during Lent.  We need to make sure that they are rightly aimed…that it is to help us to live a Christian life.  In taking time to remember why we chose the penance this Lent, to turn to God and ask for the grace to continue, we will become renewed in our strength and the sacrifices we are making will hopefully become easier.

"The measure which you measure..."

Today's readings: Daniel 9:4-10; Psalm 79:8,9,11,13; Luke 6:36-38

There are some great readings today.  I keep getting stuck on the first reading from Daniel.  It would be awesome if I had a printer so I could print it off and put it somewhere I will notice it every day.  Because this would be the most honest prayer I could pray.  I have included it because I think it is something we need to be willing to say.  First it praises God for being constant and true to us.  Then it admits that we are sinners.  After that, Daniel tugs at the mercy of God and begs that is how God deals with us.  It is so powerful!  Here it is (Dan 9:4-10)

"Lord, great and awesome God,

you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you

and observe your commandments!

We have sinned, been wicked and done evil;

we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws.

We have not obeyed your servants the prophets,

who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes,

our fathers, and all the people of the land.

Justice, O Lord, is on your side;

we are shamefaced even to this day:

we, the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem,

and all Israel, near and far,

in all the countries to which you have scattered them

because of their treachery toward you.

O LORD, we are shamefaced, like our kings, our princes, and our fathers,

for having sinned against you.

But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness!

Yet we rebelled against you

and paid no heed to your command, O LORD, our God,

to live by the law you gave us through your servants the prophets.”

And then after that we get the Psalm for today:  “Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.”   It then asks God not to look at our past sins but to deliver and pardon us. 

How bold these two prayers are!  Again, I wish that most of my prayers can be that bold.  But, it is a reality that we must learn.  If we can’t admit that we have sinned, then we won’t be able to reach out to God completely and allow him to pick us up.  We have to be honest.  As we continue on with Lent, it is going to become more and more difficult to live in our sacrifices.  We are going to yearn more and more for life to be like it is outside of Lent.  But, we have to lean on our Savior, look to his example, and beg him to help us remain true to our commitments-the biggest one being a commitment to change…to give our life to God more completely.

And then the Gospel for today is a little frightening.  I usually find that I try to beg God not to do what Jesus says will be done. 

"Stop judging and you will not be judged.

Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.

Forgive and you will be forgiven.

Give and gifts will be given to you;

a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,

will be poured into your lap.

For the measure with which you measure

will in return be measured out to you.”

So many times in life I do something and then think, “did I really just say that?  Did I just make that comment?  Did I give that look?  Am I really that concerned with putting them down that I forgot how to behave?”  And, we all have those times that we wish we could take back.  Often times we want to be given more than we give, to be treated better/with more respect than we give others (our coworkers, bosses, family, friends, public workers, etc).  Jesus gives us a simple way to help us be treated better…treat other people better. 

I actually try to help my students to understand this in their life.  Throughout my life it has seemed that the people that others side with/flock to don’t end up being those that appear to be at the top of the social ladder…but instead are the ones that are genuinely kind to all people.  If someone has that personality, they get along with everyone.  They are treated with respect, because that is how they treat people.  This is a lived reality!  Jesus tells us this, and we can see it in our lives.

We are given a choice today (as we are every day).  We can continue to live our lives as if we are not in need of a Savior.  We can continue to behave as we always have, and deal with the heartache and pain alone. 

OR...
We can be honest with ourselves and God.  We can admit that we are sinners, and BEG God to be merciful on us.  We can allow his love and compassion to transform our lives so that we give to others what they need and deserve, give to others and help them to see the glory of God.  And, our lives can become truly new!  Truly joyful!  Truly amazing!

The Beauty of the Transfiguration

Today's readings: Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18; Psalm 27:1, 7-9, 13-14; Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 9:28-36

We hear the story of The Transfiguration today.  The transfiguration is a physical outward reality of ‘The Great Exchange’.  This term (the great exchange) is the truth that the divine became man, so that man can become divine.  Jesus becomes transformed, and the divine shows forth through and in the human person. His physical body shows his perfect human response to the covenant-full cooperation on his part...fully alive. This is what we have to look forward to! This is a great moment of hope! Hope to be transformed into something more beautiful! Hope for life in Christ!

During the transfiguration, he is conversing with two people from Israel's past (Moses and Elijah-the law and the prophets)...two that are important to the covenant between God and the people.  This intimate sharing between the three shows that Jesus completes the mission that was started in the Old Testament times...and conversing with Moses and Elijah helps the Apostles (and us now) to see that Jesus is not working on his own...he has a mission that goes beyond his time on Earth...a mission that will continue to need the assistance of others to continue to carry out.

I love how Pope Benedict XVI explains this event in his Angelus meditation:

The evangelist Luke places particular emphasis on the fact that Jesus was transfigured as he prayed: his is a profound experience of relationship with the Father during a sort of spiritual retreat that Jesus lives on a high mountain in the company of Peter, James and John , the three disciples always present in moments of divine manifestation of the Master (Luke 5:10, 8.51, 9.28).The Lord, who shortly before had foretold his death and resurrection (9:22), offers his disciples a foretaste of his glory. And even in the Transfiguration, as in baptism, we hear the voice of the Heavenly Father, "This is my Son, the Chosen One listen to him" (9:35). The presence of Moses and Elijah, representing the Law and the Prophets of the Old Covenant, it is highly significant: the whole history of the Alliance is focused on Him, the Christ, who accomplishes a new "exodus" (9:31) , not to the promised land as in the time of Moses, but to Heaven. Peter’s words: "Master, it is good that we are here" (9.33) represents the impossible attempt to stop this mystical experience. St. Augustine says: "[Peter] ... on the mountain ... had Christ as the food of the soul. Why should he come down to return to the labours and pains, while up there he was full of feelings of holy love for God that inspired in him a holy conduct? "(Sermon 78.3).

To read his whole homily on the passage, go to: http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-benedict-xvis-farewell-angelus-i-will-never-a

This event gives us a lot of hope, and a lot instruction.  We are able to see the hope of the glory of the human body.  We are told to listen to Christ.  We cannot stay on the mountain with the Lord, but prayer MUST carry us to action.

The transfiguration is also a sign of the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, Christ becomes physically and really present to us. We get to join the Apostles up on the mountaintop!  We are given an opportunity at every Mass to share in that glory! But, not only do we get to witness this intense beauty, we get to receive Jesus truly present, and allow his words and actions to penetrate our hearts so that we can become transformed. 

The Apostles ask Jesus if they can set up tents and spend more time, but they have to go back down the mountain. Mass is just like that. We get to experience and live with the Risen Christ in the Eucharist. But we can't stay in the Church...we have to go into the world. The mission of Christ must be completed, and he asks and calls on us to help carry it out.  That is why at the end of Mass there is a sending forth-we must go into the world.

Just as the Transfiguration gave the Apostles some comfort in what is to come, the Eucharistic celebration gives us the comfort of what is to come in giving our life for the Kingdom.

During the time on the mountain, the Father comes and says that Jesus is his beloved son and to listen to him. It does not seem that Moses and Elijah need this instruction (although they were included)...but it seems that it is another way of comfort. By this point in hanging out with Jesus, the Apostles had already seen him do and say so much-and a lot of it was hard to accept.  Also, he had just talked with them about his sacrifice and death, the pain and agony that he was going to go through. Being told to listen to him gives them a little more strength to live out his teachings. To trust in his declarations and the call to follow him will help the Apostles to understand Christ’s actions and to challenge each other to live out the mission Christ gave in spreading the love of God to everyone. These words should comfort us also.  So many people try to tell Christians that we are crazy for listening to a man, for living a counter-cultural life because of what one man said.  But, when we live in the comfort of the Father’s words we become strengthened in our dedication to the Kingdom.

Let us live in the glory of the transfiguration!  Allow the transformed Christ to enlighten your soul.  Go to Him in prayer (including the Eucharist).  Listen to His calling in your life.  Be encouraged in your actions to love all people. 

What a wonderful reminder of the infinite power and victory of Christ!   

"Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord"

Today's readings: Deuteronomy 26: 16-19; Psalm 119:1-2,4-5,7-8; Matthew 5:43-48

Moses tells us that God wants to be our God, and us to be his people. He promises that he will protect us, and our part of the commitment is that we need to follow his commands. Later, Jesus tells us that we must love our enemies, and pray for those who persecute us.

I'm not saying that I am the greatest at this, but I do believe I have been blessed to have multiple examples of how to love others. Growing up in a big family, you had to learn how to care and love each other. It was difficult when you felt like everything was against you.  But, my family focused on the letting go and forgiving so that we could enjoy each other again. Also, my parents are great examples if loving everyone. My dad worked for UPS and every place he delivered called him the 'ups' man because they never saw him grumpy and everyone wanted to talk to him.  I remember visiting one of the areas he worked on some afternoons.  It was a bad part of the city.  But, when he talked about the people that he saw every day he talked as if they brought joy to his life.  They may not have been societies greatest people (and we had to have our doors locked and windows up when there), but every one of them enjoyed the company of my dad because he treated them like people and saw their dignity. Also, my siblings and I swam, and it didn't matter who we were swimming against, people on both teams always had so many positive things to say about my parents. We were taught and shown to be people who truly enjoyed life and spread that joy to everyone. Because of this great example, one of the most common descriptions of my siblings is that they are always so happy and caring. 

 

Another example I've had for about 17 years.  It is my oldest nephew. If there is a person who will challenge you to love your enemies, it is my nephew. Even as a little kid, if he ever heard any of us say anything negative about someone he would immediately tell us that is not how to behave. We want people to be nice to us, and so we NEED to be nice to everyone. He would tell us that we always have to see the good in the other person and that is what we should focus on instead of what hurts us. There were so many times that we wanted to tell him that a 4 year old can’t tell us what to do, but that is because we knew he was right and we didn’t want to change our harden hearts.

 

As I have gotten older, I have become so grateful for my family and our 'unspoken' family commitment to try to find the joy in every moment and every person. It has helped me in being patient at my job, with doctors, at hospitals, on the road and at stores (to name a few).  Although there are times that I have not done so well in loving people I don’t want to, my discipline and foundation gives me the ability to fight that urge and see how people play a positive role in my life.

I share that with you in hopes that it will bring a reflection of your life to mind. Who has shown you how to love? How can you be an example so that people learn a little about what Christ was calling us to?

 

It is interesting because right after he tells us to love our enemies, he says that the sun will rise on the good and bad, and rain will fall on both also. This is a warning. There will be good times and bad times in everyone's lives.  That is a reality. If we follow his commands he will protect us through the rough times in our life. Sometimes this is hard to remember, but we MUST trust in his protection. We have to understand this truth in our heart.  If we cannot do that, then when the rain falls, we are more likely to become upset with God and begin to walk away.  If we trust in this protection and truly believe it…not only do we increase our friendship with God, but we allow the ‘rain’ to become ‘sunshine’ for ourselves and others!!!  This means that if we trust in God’s protection and offer our sufferings to Christ then he will not only bring us through it, but will transform that suffering into saving grace for us and countless others! 

 

Then he ends with telling us that it is going to be hard to be a Christian. Everyone can be nice to people they like, and say hi to their family...but it takes great character and humility to approach and help those that are the hardest to care for. This is where we need to focus our attention. This is one of the biggest and most basic descriptions of a Christian. This is our task. 

 

We are to show people what love is. Love is willing the good for the other.  Love is a gift of self.  Yes, it is hard to do those things to someone who has done wrong but it is not impossible.  Christians should desire that all people believe that Christ loves us unconditionally, and wants only life for every person.  Well, we are the hands and feet of Christ.  We are to be Christ to the world.  If we are not loving and giving to every person, then we are not portraying Christ correctly.  We are being false to our calling and name.  And so he reminds us that we have to push through.  We are not to be like the pagans and tax collectors (who focus on increasing their own wants) but we are to go beyond that and focus on how we can give our life for others.

 

‘Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect’!  This can only be done with the grace of God.  Going back to what Moses said that we are to be God’s people and he will be our God.  He wants to give us himself so that we can become perfect.

 

Today, let us strive to allow the grace of God to enter our hearts, to live it out in the way we treat ourselves and others, and to let the protection of God in the rough moments become moments of sunshine for the world to see!

"You Are Peter..."

Today's readings: 1 Peter 5:1-4; Psalm 23:1-6; Matthew 16:13-19

'You are peter, and upon this rock i will build my church'

This passage is very important to me as a Catholic. With Pope Benedict resigning, there is a lot of information coming out about this. So, I'm not going to spend time talking about the specifics of the office of the chair of Peter.

Instead I want to share how I feel about having the hierarchy of the Church.

we'll begin with the realization that I love that we have a hierarchy.  i think there was so much wisdom going into jesus establishing his church this way.

Although I don't think of the church as a business, the hierarchy can be compared to any business plan or community that is successful. They have someone at top, then people who work closely with that person, then there are other managers/supervisors, going all the way to the people who have the daily task of making the business come to live to the public.

THAT'S THE CATHOLIC CHURCH!

·        We have a head-Jesus Christ!

·        He has established a 'second hand' office to share His love and truth through-this is the office of the chair of Peter-we call the person “Pope”.

·        Then we have people who spend many hours talking, praying and working with the Pope on making sure that Christ's truth is what is being spoken-that would be the cardinals (especially ones at the Vatican)

·        Then we have people who have the difficult task of leading large areas of people, to help all citizens in that area to come to know Christ in a new way-those would be Bishops.

·        Next we have those that are responsible for leading a smaller group of people. They work with people in smaller communities and are able to focus more on how individuals can play a part in this life-these are the many priests.

·        Then there are people who are there to help the priests and bishops to do the task that they are given by Christ-these would be the Deacons.

·        And then last, but in no way least, are the laity. This is where it all happens. I think everyone 'above' on the hierarchy are present to help the laity to do so much work for The Lord. There are more of us there all the rest of the hierarchy together. We are an integral part of the kingdom of God. Vatican II speaks about the laity a lot. That council shares that the laity has a huge task to spread the love of God wherever they find themselves.  The Church cannot forget about the laity.

(This is the quickest and most basic way i have ever tried to explain each office and task-so i know that i missed a lot.  i just wanted to show the connection.)

But, if left to our own decisions and way to interpret things...it would not be long before we were no longer speaking one voice-the voice of Christ!

So, that is one reason I love the hierarchy...I trust that Christ will continue to be present to me through the beauty of the church.

Another reason is because of what they do. they serve us! how awesome is that? you see a priest (or bishop) and they are constantly serving and loving.  i think some of the way they are continually finding strength to do that, has partly to do with how much care and purpose Christ put in to having a leader that is an example of this and established a hierarchy where there would be others to help and support them.

Third-it seems that every time Jesus would talk about this hierarchy (by stating it) he always seemed to also talk about the Sacraments...and almost always included the Sacrament of Reconciliation (whatever you bind/loose of earth...). I love that Christ established such a wonderful way for me to return back to him! And it is through the established vocation of the priest that Jesus allows this (and the other Sacraments). We can see in Scripture (today’s Gospel specifically) that it began with establishing this task with Peter and then with the remainder of the Apostles. 

Fourth-the hierarchy is a sign of humility! Being human, sometimes we may think that a priest or bishop should do something different. They are human also, and so it seems like it would be easy for them to fall into that way of thinking. Well, seeing their example of humility and obedience helps me to live it in my life. They have to check their own insecurities so often. And, being obedient to people above them, they can't really become permanently planted anywhere. They have to be obedient to what their 'boss' wants. I know a lot of priests and even a number of bishops. I assume they fall sometimes in controlling their own disobedience or desire...but when I see them, they all seem to shine forth the beauty of obedience...how peace can come from trusting the leadership of someone else. In all honesty, when I struggle with that peace in my life, I try to meditate on the obedience of the priesthood...and the intensely more need for obedience of the Pope. His obedience to Christ AND to us is crazy. Pope's have to be so humble. It is never about him. It is amazing that we are able to have a spiritual leader-someone to give us an example of obedience, love, prayer, etc and that it all must begin with an intimate and true friendship with Christ. 

As I have shown you...I LOVE the hierarchy if the Church. I love that our Popes strive to share the love of God with everyone throughout the world. I love the obedience and humility the office of the chair of Peter has to have. I love that even the Apostles understood this hierarchy and allowed Peter to live the vocation Christ called him to. I love that we all have a vocation, and we are called to live it out in our specific place.

Today, as we celebrate the feast of the chair of Peter...I hope we all can continue to go to God in prayer and thank him for the work that Benedict XVI did and pray for those Cardinals that will be electing our next example and leader. I am saddened that Benedict XVI has to step down; I am so impressed with his continued humility; and am excited to see how our next Pope carries out the Love of God in our crazy world.

"Ask and it will be given to you"

Today's readings: Esther 4:12, 14-16; Psalm 138:1-3, 7-8; Matthew 7:7-12

It is so great that the Gospel passages that we've had the last few days go so well together.  They aren't from the same book, but they are connected so beautifully.  A few days ago Jesus taught us the Our Father.  Yesterday he told us that He is a sign for the rest of time as Jonah was a sign to his people.  And that we need to make sure we are seeking rightly.

Today, Jesus tells us that if we ask it will be given, if we seek we will find, etc. but we need to understand it in the context of Christ's mission. He came that we might have life. He KNOWS that what we truly want is life and happiness.  So, he is not going to give us something that will go against our happiness.

But, what does that mean for us? There are many times I think I want something, but it is probably not the best thing for me. Every time I approach God in petition, I try to make sure that I end my prayer saying that whatever God wills (whatever is best for me) will happen. I have to make sure that I truly want that. Because, more than anything, I WANT Christ! If I constantly ask for Christ and seek him with every breath I take...God will give me everything I could ever need in life to be completely happy and have eternal life. 

To give us happiness, sometimes what God gives us is a way to discipline us. This allows us to receive him more completely.  If that is what we want (which it should be), then even discipline becomes a thing to rejoice over!

That is our task this Lent. Like I said, I want Christ more than anything! But, sometimes I don't ask for that. Luckily, God will continue to give me what I really need...but my heart becomes a little sour or hurt because I feel like God isn't answering.  Instead of claiming that God is not answering, I need to make sure I’m asking for what I REALLY want. During Lent we are reminded that our desires need to be rightly focused.

And so we need to trust the answer of God. He tells us to ask, seek, etc...He does not tell us to give the answer. We need to do our part, and let him do his. If I constantly approach him with my desires, but don't let him answer me-then I'm not really asking.  For example, if I want to borrow something from someone: I ask for permission, and although they say no I still take it.  I didn’t really ask, because I did what I wanted and did not concern myself with them…it was just like not asking-except you now have created tension between you and the other person.  And so in order for us to truly ask, we have to let him answer. Our life will truly be better if we believe his answer is the greatest thing.

Let us approach the Lord and with our heart leaning to him, let us ask that he constantly fills us with himself.  Let us remember that God is a bigger supporter of our life than we even are.  And let us trust in his answers and love.

Heed the warning of Jonah

Today's readings: Jonah 3:1-10; Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19; Luke 11:29-32

Jonah went to Ninevah and warned them about the destruction of their town in 40 days. The people knew it was due to their sins...and so they immediately began a fast and poured ashes on themselves to show that they were sorry and that their inner self would change. God did see their conversion and thus saved the town.

So is true with our lives. We live in a crazy world, and our culture pushes individualism and selfishness.  It reminds me of the story when Jesus told us that we have two paths: “Enter through the narrow gate;- for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many.  How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

I can choose to live however I want. That is the beauty of free will. But, I have to accept the consequences that come. If I choose selfishness, I get selfishness...if I choose love...I get love.  The road of selfishness is a broad road.  Anything in life goes.  No one can tell me what I should be doing.  But, this road leads to eternal selfishness.  The road of love is a narrow road.  It is a hard road, because love requires a gift of self.  That means it requires discipline…of heart, mind and soul.  It includes pain and suffering.  But, it leads to eternal happiness, and will bring peace in this life.

I want to be in communion with others.  I want to live in relationship.  I don’t want to be lonely.  So my life has to show this.  I have to make sure that I am choosing this at every moment.  I have to be willing to discipline myself and accept the discipline that God allows me to go through.  It will help me to continue on the narrow road.  Or, I will find myself living in selfishness. 

Jesus is our sign (just as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites).  He warns us of the destruction of the world.  It is our choice.  Will we be like the Ninevites that went into a period of penance?  Or will we continue on our own path of destruction and selfishness?  It is our choice.

How can you seek penance for your life?  What are things you need to change in your life so that you can enjoy peace now and eternal life later?

"Our Father who art in Heaven"-Part Two...Inspiration from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Our Father is such an important prayer for us Christians.  We must strive each day to open our hearts and pray this prayer with sincerity of heart.  After reflecting on my own life and a small part of the prayer, I was moved to read how the Catechism of the Catholic Church expressed the beauty of each phrase.  It is about 20 pages in length.  I challenge you some time to read all of it.  It is so inspiring!  But, I wanted to give you a little taste of the beauty of this prayer.  I copied and pasted from the following website (where you can read all of it…it is towards the end of the Catechism).  I have left the paragraph numbers to each thought so I hope it is not confusing to you.  Enjoy this reflection on the Our Father. (http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/epub/index.cfm)

The Lord’s Prayer “Our Father”

2761 The Lord’s Prayer “is truly the summary of the whole gospel.”  “Since the Lord... after handing over the practice of prayer, said elsewhere, ‘Ask and you will receive,’ and since everyone has petitions which are peculiar to his circumstances, the regular and appropriate prayer [the Lord’s Prayer] is said first, as the foundation of further desires.”

2763 The Lord’s Prayer is the most perfect of prayers.... In it we ask, not only for all the things we can rightly desire, but also in the sequence that they should be desired. This prayer not only teaches us to ask for things, but also in what order we should desire them.

“OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN”

2780  We can invoke God as “Father” because he is revealed to us by his Son become man and because his Spirit makes him known to us.

2781  … The first phrase of the Our Father is a blessing of adoration before it is a supplication.

2783  Thus the Lord’s Prayer reveals us to ourselves at the same time that it reveals the Father to us.

2784  The free gift of adoption requires on our part continual conversion and new life. Praying to our Father should develop in us two fundamental dispositions:

First, the desire to become like him

2785  Second, a humble and trusting heart that enables us “to turn and become like children”:

2786  “Our” Father refers to God. The adjective, as used by us, does not express possession, but an entirely new relationship with God.

2787  … we have become “his” people and he is henceforth “our” God.

2792  Finally, if we pray the Our Father sincerely, we leave individualism behind, because the love that we receive frees us from it.

IV.       “Who Art in Heaven”

2794  This biblical expression does not mean a place (“space”), but a way of being; it does not mean that God is distant, but majestic. Our Father is not “elsewhere”: he transcends everything we can conceive of his holiness. It is precisely because he is thrice-holy that he is so close to the humble and contrite heart.

2795  The symbol of the heavens refers us back to the mystery of the covenant we are living when we pray to our Father.

THE SEVEN PETITIONS

2803  After we have placed ourselves in the presence of God our Father to adore and to love and to bless him, the Spirit of adoption stirs up in our hearts seven petitions, seven blessings. The first three, more theologal, draw us toward the glory of the Father; the last four, as ways toward him, commend our wretchedness to his grace. “Deep calls to deep.”

2806  By the three first petitions, we are strengthened in faith, filled with hope, and set aflame by charity.

“Hallowed Be Thy Name” 

2807  … Beginning with this first petition to our Father, we are immersed in the innermost mystery of his Godhead and the drama of the salvation of our humanity. Asking the Father that his name be made holy draws us into his plan of loving kindness for the fullness of time.

2814 When we say “hallowed be thy name,” we ask that it should be hallowed in us, who are in him; but also in others whom God’s grace still awaits, that we may obey the precept that obliges us to pray for everyone, even our enemies. That is why we do not say expressly “hallowed be thy name ‘in us,’” for we ask that it be so in all men.

“Thy Kingdom Come”

2818  In the Lord’s Prayer, “thy kingdom come” refers primarily to the final coming of the reign of God through Christ’s return. But, far from distracting the Church from her mission in this present world, this desire commits her to it all the more strongly.

2820  …Man’s vocation to eternal life does not suppress, but actually reinforces, his duty to put into action in this world the energies and means received from the Creator to serve justice and peace. 

“Thy Will Be Done on Earth as It Is in Heaven”

2822  Our Father “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

 2823  “He has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ... to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth…We ask insistently for this loving plan to be fully realized on earth as it is already in heaven.

2825  “Although he was a Son, [Jesus] learned obedience through what he suffered.”  How much more reason have we sinful creatures to learn obedience—we who in him have become children of adoption. We ask our Father to unite our will to his Son’s, in order to fulfill his will, his plan of salvation for the life of the world. We are radically incapable of this, but united with Jesus and with the power of his Holy Spirit, we can surrender our will to him and decide to choose what his Son has always chosen: to do what is pleasing to the Father. 

2826  By prayer we can discern “what is the will of God” and obtain the endurance to do it. 

“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread”

2828  “Give us”: The trust of children who look to their Father for everything is beautiful…Jesus teaches us this petition, because it glorifies our Father by acknowledging how good he is, beyond all goodness.

2829  “Give us” also expresses the covenant. We are his and he is ours, for our sake.

2830  “Our bread”: The Father who gives us life cannot but give us the nourishment life requires…He is not inviting us to idleness, but wants to relieve us from nagging worry and preoccupation. Such is the filial surrender of the children of God:

2831  … The drama of hunger in the world calls Christians who pray sincerely to exercise responsibility toward their brethren.

2834  …Even when we have done our work, the food we receive is still a gift from our Father; it is good to ask him for it and to thank him.

2835  This petition, with the responsibility it involves, also applies to another hunger from which men are perishing. Christians must make every effort “to proclaim the good news to the poor.” There is a famine on earth, “not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.”

“And Forgive Us Our Trespasses, as We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us”

2838  …according to the second phrase, our petition will not be heard unless we have first met a strict requirement. Our petition looks to the future, but our response must come first, for the two parts are joined by the single word “as.”

And forgive us our trespasses...       

2839    … though we are clothed with the baptismal garment, we do not cease to sin, to turn away from God. Our petition begins with a “confession” of our wretchedness and his mercy. Our hope is firm because, in his Son, “we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

2840  Now—and this is daunting—this outpouring of mercy cannot penetrate our hearts as long as we have not forgiven those who have trespassed against us. Love, like the Body of Christ, is indivisible; we cannot love the God we cannot see if we do not love the brother or sister we do see.

2841  …This crucial requirement of the covenant mystery is impossible for man. But “with God all things are possible.”

...as we forgive those who trespass against us

2843  Thus the Lord’s words on forgiveness, the love that loves to the end, become a living reality. It is there, in fact, “in the depths of the heart,” that everything is bound and loosed. It is not in our power not to feel or to forget an offense; but the heart that offers itself to the Holy Spirit turns injury into compassion and purifies the memory in transforming the hurt into intercession.

2844  … Forgiveness is a high-point of Christian prayer; only hearts attuned to God’s compassion can receive the gift of prayer. Forgiveness also bears witness that, in our world, love is stronger than sin…Forgiveness is the fundamental condition of the reconciliation of the children of God with their Father and of men with one another.

“And Lead Us Not into Temptation”

2846  This petition goes to the root of the preceding one, for our sins result from our consenting to temptation…”God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one”;…We ask him not to allow us to take the way that leads to sin…This petition implores the Spirit of discernment and strength.

2847  The Holy Spirit makes us discern between trials, which are necessary for the growth of the inner man, and temptation, which leads to sin and death…Finally, discernment unmasks the lie of temptation, whose object appears to be good, a “delight to the eyes” and desirable, when in reality its fruit is death.

2848  “Lead us not into temptation” implies a decision of the heart.

2849  … In this petition to our heavenly Father, Christ unites us to his battle and his agony. He urges us to vigilance of the heart in communion with his own…The Holy Spirit constantly seeks to awaken us to keep watch. 

“But Deliver Us from Evil”

2850  …Our interdependence in the drama of sin and death is turned into solidarity in the Body of Christ, the “communion of saints.” 

2851  In this petition, evil is not an abstraction, but refers to a person, Satan, the Evil One, the angel who opposes God.

2854  When we ask to be delivered from the Evil One, we pray as well to be freed from all evils, present, past, and future, of which he is the author or instigator.

2856  “Then, after the prayer is over you say ‘Amen,’ which means ‘So be it,’ thus ratifying with our ‘Amen’ what is contained in the prayer that God has taught us.” 

I hope that today you find the strength to pray the Our Father with sincerity of heart and a true choice to live every word. Sainthood or bust!