The Holiest Family- for Mass December 28, 2008

If you ask the average person what is most important in their life, many would answer "family". So what sort of family member does God want us to be? What does the Bible teach us about living happily with our families? This week's Gospel reminds us that Jesus lived with normal parents who were just as human as us. God wants to teach us what a real family is. There is commentary following the first reading and the Gospel. There is a real life story at the end.

Reading 1
Sir 3:2-6, 12-14

God sets a father in honor over his children;
a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons.
Whoever honors his father atones for sins,
and preserves himself from them.
When he prays, he is heard;
he stores up riches who reveres his mother.
Whoever honors his father is gladdened by children,
and, when he prays, is heard.
Whoever reveres his father will live a long life;
he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother.

My son, take care of your father when he is old;
grieve him not as long as he lives.
Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him;
revile him not all the days of his life;
kindness to a father will not be forgotten,
firmly planted against the debt of your sins
—a house raised in justice to you.

The message here is quite simple- that we should honor our parents. But why should we honor them? First of all we are commanded by God to do so. If we honor our parents, the act itself is a way to imitate God. After all, Jesus loves the Father. We can see in the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus' humanity feared death yet his love for God the Father took precedence.3 Jesus was scared of Death, but the Father's will was/is more important than any concern Jesus had. We can also see that God the Father loves Jesus at Jesus' baptism when GOd's voice could be heard saying "this is my BELOVED son". In other words, God the Father said, "I love Jesus." Our love of our parents is a reflection of the Father's love for Jesus and Jesus' love for the Father. We imitate God and his love when we honor our parents. This brings us joy.

This love of our divine father is the basis of God's command to love our parents. Why should we love them anyway? No matter how many bad things our parents may have done to us, we owe our lives to them. Didn't mom and dad sacrifice financially to support us? Didn't they suffer through long nights of crying and changing our diapers? What can we possibly do to repay our parents for giving us life in all of its beauty and challenges? We can start by loving them. In doing so, we please God and get a little glimpse of God's enormous love.

Reading II
Col 3:12-21 or 3:12-17

Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another,
if one has a grievance against another;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.
And over all these put on love,
that is, the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,
the peace into which you were also called in one body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another,
singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
with gratitude in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, in word or in deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Wives, be subordinate to your husbands,
as is proper in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives,
and avoid any bitterness toward them.
Children, obey your parents in everything,
for this is pleasing to the Lord.
Fathers, do not provoke your children,
so they may not become discouraged.

No commentary.

Gospel
Lk 2:22-40 or 2:22, 39-40

When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
They took him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
He took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in sight of all the peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”
The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
—and you yourself a sword will pierce—
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee,
to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.

Joseph and Mary- Real People, Real Parents

Let's remember what happened before this visit to the temple. Mary had seen an angel and conceived the child who the angel called "great", "Son of the Most High" and that the child would "rule". Joseph had a similar message sent from God to him. In the dream, the angel said that Jesus would "save his people from their sins". As a Jew, Joseph knew that only God could forgive sins. He must have wondered "who is this child in Mary's womb who will save people from sins?" He may have understood better when the Magi arrived from Luke Chapter 2. Joseph and Mary put Jesus in a manger. When the Magi arrived, they prostrated themselves before the baby Jesus. Let's imagine for a moment what it must have been like for Mary and Joseph. There already saw great signs occurring before the birth of Jesus. Then Joseph and Mary watched as grown men laid face down in a display of tremendous respect for an infant boy in a feeding box. Oh holy night indeed!

The gospel reading reminds us that Mary and Joseph were required by the law to dedicate their child to God. They already knew Jesus was special and they had been told that Jesus was God.2 Now, Mary and Joseph could have thought to themselves "this is God's only Son. We don't need to go to the temple". They could have considered themselves "above the law". Instead, they acted in obedience and took Jesus to the temple because as it was written in this week's Gospel, it was "the law of the Lord".

This Gospel reading and the story of Jesus' conception and birth tells us much about the Holy Family. The Holy Family could not be called Holy without their obedience to God. Joseph wanted to divorce Mary until the angel told him not to. Joseph obeyed. Mary was "troubled" when she heard message of the angel Gabriel, yet she gave her complete consent in perfect obedience. If it was "possible", Jesus wanted the cup of his passion to pass from him yet he was obedient to the will of the Father.3 At the center of the Holy Family was obedience to God. We are meant to imitate the Holy Family and we are meant to be obedient to God and have him and his holy will at the center of our lives. The reason why God entered the world in the midst of a family is that he once again wanted to help teach us to live by his own perfect example. He did this out of love and generosity to us.

Real Life

The 2nd Reading speaks of love within the family and of gentleness, patience, and forgiveness. The Catechism tells us specifically that "everyone should be generous and tireless in forgiving one another for offenses, quarrels, injustices, and neglect." Our faith demands obedience to this command from God.

For all of my life. I did not get along with one of my brothers. In fact, I didn't like him. When he walked into the room, all I could see was the person who "offended and quarelled" with me. Instead of forgiving him, I would always fight back. Sometimes, I hated my brother. I later went on a 2-week long mission to Mexico. There I witnessed the beautiful love of God. When I returned, I was completely full of the love that I saw and experienced in Mexico.

I did not normally meet up with my brother alone. In fact, I normally preferred not to meet him at all. But after the mission trip, things were different. I was eating lunch at my brother's house one day, and suddenly it dawned on me. "I am here eating lunch with my brother and I am enjoying myself. I am happy to be here."

Once I became obedient to God's will to love my brother and forgive him, my brother became a whole other person to me. I could finally see the nice brother I had all along as God opened my eyes and heart through his loving commandments. Not long afterwards, my brother was literally sending me cookies in the mail and buying me plane tickets to meet him and my family. With God closer to the center of our lives, we (my family) have started on the road to being a holy family.

God loves us!

1-Matthew 1:21
2- Jesus was called "Son of the Most High" to Mary. Luke chapter 2 tells us that the "shepherds" told Joseph and Mary that Jesus was "Messiah and Lord".
3- CCC 612 say that Jesus' human nature was horrified at death

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5

R. (cf. 1) Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.

How to Prepare for Death and Life

Today, my friend told me that his dad just found out that he has cancer-the bad kind. I asked my friend how his dad felt about dying and he replied that "he seems alright about it". What does it take to feel peaceful about death? How can we prepare for a meeting with God? The Gospel readings this week give us a clue to the answer. There is commentary after the Gospel.

Reading 1Is 61:1-2a, 10-11

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,
to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
to announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God.

I rejoice heartily in the LORD,
in my God is the joy of my soul;
for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation
and wrapped me in a mantle of justice,
like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem,
like a bride bedecked with her jewels.
As the earth brings forth its plants,
and a garden makes its growth spring up,
so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise
spring up before all the nations.

Responsorial Psalm
Lk 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54.

R. (Is 61:10b) My soul rejoices in my God.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
R. My soul rejoices in my God.
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
R. My soul rejoices in my God.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
R. My soul rejoices in my God.

Reading II
1 Thes 5:16-24

Brothers and sisters:
Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.
In all circumstances give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit.
Do not despise prophetic utterances.
Test everything; retain what is good.
Refrain from every kind of evil.

May the God of peace make you perfectly holy
and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body,
be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The one who calls you is faithful,
and he will also accomplish it.

Gospel
Jn 1:6-8, 19-28

A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.

And this is the testimony of John.
When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests
and Levites to him
to ask him, “Who are you?”
He admitted and did not deny it,
but admitted, “I am not the Christ.”
So they asked him,
“What are you then? Are you Elijah?”
And he said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
So they said to him,
“Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?
What do you have to say for yourself?”
He said:
“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,
‘make straight the way of the Lord,’”
as Isaiah the prophet said.”
Some Pharisees were also sent.
They asked him,
“Why then do you baptize
if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?”
John answered them,
“I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”
This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,
where John was baptizing.

Preparing For Jesus' Coming

The Gospel reading speaks of John the Baptist and his ministry. John was born to "make straight the way of the Lord". That is, his mission was to "prepare the way of the Lord".1 The birth of John the Baptist finally signaled the end of the prophets and the coming of the Savior. In order to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord, John the Baptist offered the people baptism. The baptism described in last week's Gospel of Luke chapter 1, involved "acknowledging their sins," and turning away from their sins as the means to prepare for the coming of the Lord. This repentance goes hand in hand with the 2nd reading this week where Paul wishes that we be "holy and blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." It is necessary that we prepare for our Lord's coming by confessing our sins and turning away from them. Whether we are preparing for Jesus' birth or for our own deaths, the way to prepare for a meeting with the Lord is to turn away from our sins. If we turn away from our sins truly, we can face God, just as the good thief who was crucified next to Jesus did. He admitted his own fault and saw not only the face of Jesus that day, but he is with Jesus in his glory right NOW.

Jesus actually quotes the first reading (Isaih 61) in Luke 4:18-21 and says that this reading applies to him. In other words, Jesus says that he is the one Isaih was talking about who would "bring glad tidings to the poor." Who is "the poor"? The Catechism paragraph 716 defines the poor in this particular reading as those "who humble, and meek, rely solely on their God's mysterious plans." Here again, we are reminded of how we can prepare properly for the Lord. We must humbly rely on his mysterious plans.

The Right and Wrong Way to Prepare for Jesus' Coming

The gospel of Luke gives us an example of a person who was not completely prepared for the coming of the Lord. We are also given an example of a person who prepared and reacted PERFECTLY to "God's mysterious plans." John the Baptist's father, Zechariah heard the "mysterious" announcement of John's improbable birth from an angel. But Zechariah did not believe what he heard and so the Lord made him mute until the birth of John the Baptist because of Zechariah's unbelief. On the flip side was Mary. When she heard the angel Gabriel's announcement to her (which was strikingly similar to the announcement of John's birth) Mary replied differently than Zechariah despite the fact that the announcement to her was much harder to believe (pregnancy without sex). And so, we are given a glimpse of how "poor" Mary was. She was very humble, and "relied solely on God's mysterious plan." And so, she is the grandest example of a person who was prepared for the coming of the Lord. Instead of becoming mute, she rejoiced as we see in this week's responsorial psalm which quotes Mary's response. Because of her humility, she was able to hear the "glad tidings" that God had promised(1st reading).

Mary's Reaction to Holy Communion vs Our Reaction

Colossians 2:9 says of Jesus "in him dwells the whole fullness of the deity". This means that in Jesus is not just the characteristics of God, but God in his entirety. After Mary said, "May it be done to me according to your word", the Holy Spirit "came upon her and the power of the Most High overshadowed her." She then conceived Jesus, God in his entirety in her body. This was her "first communion"- as Blessed Theresa of Calcutta once said. This was Mary's first encounter with Jesus as he became present in her body. Let's imagine for a moment what it meant for God to be inside of Mary, the humble girl from Nazareth.

Personally, when I encounter God by the grace of the Holy Spirit, the feeling I always have is love, peace, and IMMENSE joy. Should it surprise me that Mary reacted the way she did? She said, "my soul rejoices in God my savior." It would be incredible to have Jesus dwelling inside of me in his entirety.

But wait a second, in our Catholic faith, we believe that "by the power of the Holy Spirit", God in his ENTIRETY comes to dwell in another created thing- bread. With humble hearts we respond, "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word, and I shall be healed". How incredible it is that God wants to dwell in us just as he dwelt in the Virgin Mary!

In this week's readings, we are given instructions on how to prepare for the coming of the Lord. We are to confess our sins to God and we are supposed to be humble. That means we have to "rely solely on God's mysterious plan" for our lives. The words we hear at the end of mass tell us what "God's mysterious plan" is for us.

Our Call To Action After Communion

Now we can clearly see that God loves us just as much as he loves the Virgin Mary. He wants to dwell in is. He wants to save us. After receiving Jesus in her womb, Mary rejoiced and she loved Jesus perfectly as a mother. Now what about us? What do we do after Jesus comes to dwell in US? Right after we receive Jesus at communion, the priest tells us to "go in peace to love and serve the Lord."

Now it is hard to love our enemies. It is difficult to forgive. It's challenging to love our families and friends. We wonder, "how can we love enemies?". Forgiveness, mercy, giving our hard earned money to poor strangers, and being chaste in a world of lust seems so difficult that knowing how to do it may seem like a mystery. But THIS is God's mysterious plan for us. God's plan that we love him and one another may be hard to believe or accept, but it IS God's plan for us. What will my decision be today?

Shall I be mute like Zechariah, or shall I rejoice at God's mysterious command as Mary did? God will help us make the right decision.

God loves us.

Real Life

When I was a missionary, I used to visit this man named "Eddie". "Eddie" was very ill and could not leave his home. He was skinny. He was bed-ridden. He never seemed to get better and he looked like he was on the verge of death everytime I saw him. The worst part of his situation was that he held a tremendous anger towards someone. I can't remember who he was angry with but I was told that he was having difficulty forgiving someone. He seemed like he was in a self-chosen prison of anguish to me. My heart was very troubled at the sight of him. One day, the missionaries came to visit him, and he was already dead. I hope that "Eddie" found a way to forgive before the end.

I also used to live on a ranch with a lady named Marion. Marion was over 90 years old. She was a holy lady who feared the Lord. The last time I went to visit her, she had a special gleam in her eyes. When I looked into her eyes, I felt like I could see that she was in close proximity to God. I sensed that she was nearing death, yet it did not trouble me. In fact, it put a smile on my face because when I looked into her eyes I felt like I was seeing Jesus. Ironically, I was visting a friend of mine recently and I held her friend's newborn son. When I looked into his eyes, I saw the same "gleam" I saw Marion's eyes. It seems like we are close to God when we enter the world. If we prepare properly, with God's help, we can leave this world in the same fashion.


Marion and me on the day of our last visit June 2008

1-Mark 1:3

Nice Guys Go to Heaven?

What is going to happen to me when I die? Am I going to heaven or hell? If I do no harm to other people, will I go to heaven? The answer is in this week's readings.*

Reading 1
Ez 34:11-12, 15-17

Thus says the Lord GOD:
I myself will look after and tend my sheep.
As a shepherd tends his flock
when he finds himself among his scattered sheep,
so will I tend my sheep.
I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered
when it was cloudy and dark.
I myself will pasture my sheep;
I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD.
The lost I will seek out,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal,
but the sleek and the strong I will destroy,
shepherding them rightly.

As for you, my sheep, says the Lord GOD,
I will judge between one sheep and another,
between rams and goats.

Help For the Lost and Scattered

The first reading tells us about God and about us. Have you ever felt like you were in a "cloudy, dark place? We've all been there. God says in this reading that he is well aware of our suffering. He knows that we are lost. He knows that we have strayed. All we have to do is look at our lives and we will be reminded that WE HAVE STRAYED. We are injured. We are sick! So, in this reading, we are reminded of our condition particularly in the spiritual sense.

And what to do we learn about God in this reading? I think the most powerful words here are "I MYSELF". "I MYSELF will look after...... I MYSELF will pasture... I MYSELF will give......" .

As Christians, we are so blessed to know what was meant by God in this reading by the prophet Ezekiel. God literally came "himself" and his name is Jesus, the only begotten Son. He is begotten, not made, one in being with the Father. This is what God meant in this reading by, "I myself". So we are reminded of our need for God in the first reading, and of how much God loves us. He came down to Earth to shepherd us.


Reading II
1 Cor 15:20-26, 28

Brothers and sisters:
Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since death came through man,
the resurrection of the dead came also through man.
For just as in Adam all die,
so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,
but each one in proper order:
Christ the firstfruits;
then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;
then comes the end,
when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father,
when he has destroyed every sovereignty
and every authority and power.
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
When everything is subjected to him,
then the Son himself will also be subjected
to the one who subjected everything to him,
so that God may be all in all.

More commentary after the Gospel.

Gospel
Mt 25:31-46

Jesus said to his disciples:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left,
'Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
Then they will answer and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life."

A Shepherd Who is Also King And Judge

Both the 2nd reading and Gospel speak of Jesus as King, In the 2nd reading, Paul says that he reigns. We don't usually picture a shepherd who "sits upon his glorious throne" and "reigns". His title of shepherd tells us of his kindness and compassion towards us. His title of "King of the Jews" speaks of his power over all things. John 5:22 says the Father "has given all judgment to the Son". John 5:27 continues, "he [the Father] gave him the power to exercise judgment."

So Jesus is the compassionate shepherd and he is also the judge. Even in his judgment he is loving. Any loving parent warns his child not to touch the stove or to put their hands in electrical outlets. Just the same, Jesus wants us to go to heaven which is why he says, I myself will "seek you out" (1st reading).He seeks us out, and protects us.

Like a loving parent, Jesus warns us about judgment. Many of us think that if we don't hurt anybody, we will go to heaven. But in this Gospel, Jesus calls the act of ignoring our "least brothers" EVIL. He calls the ones who ignore the less fortunate, evildoers.

It's time for me to ask myself a couple of questions. When is the last time I gave money to the poor? When is the last time I visited someone who was suffering and alone?

These wretched conditions in the gospel (alone, hurt, in need) sound familiar don't they? Weren't we just reminded in the first reading of how WE suffer from these things and how God has come to help us? That's right, God asks us to do what he himself does to us.

Once again, God tells us the truth about heaven and hell not for the sake of being mean to us. He tells us because he is INVITING us to imitate him. He wants us to love like he does in the 1st reading. It is our job to seek out people in need. If we don't try to love as God has loved us, we willingly refuse the LOVE (the invitation) of God. In failing to love one another, we willingly refuse God himself and accept hell instead (CCC 679). God loves us too much to let us put our fingers in the electric outlet. He wants us to go to heaven. He tells us we cannot get into heaven without loving the least of our brothers.

God loves us.

*salvation comes from faith in Jesus Christ and baptism. (CCC 1987) After baptism we can lose the grace we receive by committing serious sin. This week's readings focus on life after baptism. After baptism, it is absolutely necessary to help those in need if we want to enter heaven.

Real Life


This video features a homeless man I met. He lives in Charlotte, NC. The video shows some people I filmed serving the Lord.



Responsorial Psalm
Ps 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Don't Mess With Jesus' Wife!- Nov. 9, 2008

The central theme of this week's readings is the Church. The first reading talks about what the fruits of the Church are and how the Church brings life. The 2nd reading tells us how we ARE the Church and how the Holy Spirit is in each of us. Finally, the Gospel reading reveals Jesus' love and dedication to his Church (his spouse-don't mess with her!).

Reading 1
Ez 47:1-2, 8-9, 12

The angel brought me
back to the entrance of the temple,
and I saw water flowing out
from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east,
for the façade of the temple was toward the east;
the water flowed down from the southern side of the temple,
south of the altar.
He led me outside by the north gate,
and around to the outer gate facing the east,
where I saw water trickling from the southern side.
He said to me,
"This water flows into the eastern district down upon the Arabah,
and empties into the sea, the salt waters, which it makes fresh.
Wherever the river flows,
every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live,
and there shall be abundant fish,
for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh.
Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow;
their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail.
Every month they shall bear fresh fruit,
for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary.
Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine."

Life Flows From the Church

The first reading describes the Church. What does Church mean? Church means an assembly or gathering, generally for a religious purpose.1 The Church isn't just a building nor is it a city in Italy. It is us baptized believers joined intimately to Jesus Christ who is our head. The first reading talks of Church (the temple) and how it brings life. Water flows from it in every direction. Even the leaves of the trees along the bank of this water shall never fade.

All of this is a reference to the Church (the baptized and Jesus the head). The Church gives life because it is only through the Church that we can receive baptism, the Eucharist, and the other sacraments. Jesus says that "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you".2 Jesus also says that baptism is necessary for salvation. We can receive neither of these without the Church!3 We thank God that he charges less than $100,000 for the gift of life through the Church. Actually, he charges us nothing!

Let us remember that the sacraments give us growth and healing.4 We are given salvation and access to all other sacraments through baptism. How can we possibly grow without God whom we are united to through baptism? As far as healing goes, few of us know a greater healing than forgiveness. God grants us incredible healing when we go to confession. Some of the healing we are aware of, some of it we are not. Life cannot be experienced without God's grace. God's grace comes from him through his Church. This is the meaning and context of the first reading and the temple whose water brings life in abundance.

Reading II
1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17

Brothers and sisters:
You are God's building.
According to the grace of God given to me,
like a wise master builder I laid a foundation,
and another is building upon it.
But each one must be careful how he builds upon it,
for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there,
namely, Jesus Christ.

Do you not know that you are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
If anyone destroys God's temple,
God will destroy that person;
for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.

We the Temple

In the second reading, Paul says that we are temples of God. We are temples of God because in baptism, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us and we are joined to God. "the whole Spirit of Christ is in the head, the whole Spirit is in the body, and the whole Spirit is in each of the members."5 Yes, it's wonderful that the Holy Spirit is inside of us but Paul warns us that "one must be careful how he builds upon it, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ." In order for us to share this life-giving "water" with others, we have to remain attached to Jesus who is our head and our boss.

Jesus gives us orders which we must follow in order to remain in our baptismal grace. After all, as Catholics we believe that this grace we receieve at baptism can be lost by grave (serious) sin.6 We must never commit serious sin and if we do, we must ask forgiveness immediately and then go to confession. Confession comes from the Church and is part of this life-giving water described in the 1st reading. Confession is part of how God keeps his promise that " their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail. Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine." (1st reading). Confession is like all sacraments, giving us growth and healing. Next, let's take a look at Jesus' bride and what he thinks about her.

Gospel
Jn 2:13-22

Since the Passover of the Jews was near,
Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,
as well as the money-changers seated there.
He made a whip out of cords
and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen,
and spilled the coins of the money-changers
and overturned their tables,
and to those who sold doves he said,
"Take these out of here,
and stop making my Father's house a marketplace."
His disciples recalled the words of Scripture,
Zeal for your house will consume me.
At this the Jews answered and said to him,
"What sign can you show us for doing this?"
Jesus answered and said to them,
"Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."
The Jews said,
"This temple has been under construction for forty-six years,
and you will raise it up in three days?"
But he was speaking about the temple of his Body.
Therefore, when he was raised from the dead,
his disciples remembered that he had said this,
and they came to believe the Scripture
and the word Jesus had spoken.

Jesus' Bride

Many of us have heard that we (the Church) are the bride of Christ. In John 3:29, John the Baptist announces Jesus as the bridegroom. Jesus refers to himself as the bridegroom in Mark 2:19. In 2nd Corinthians 11:2, Paul says that we are betrothed to Christ. That means that we are meant to be with Christ from the beginning and he came to take us as his bride. And what does Jesus say about husband and wife in Matthew 19:6? They are no longer two, but one flesh. Does a husband have deep intimacy with his bride? Absolutely, and just the same, our flesh becomes one with Christ each Sunday at the Eucharistic altar. We the Church are his bride.

The Catechism tell us that God reveals himself by what he does. God wants us as his BRIDE. He wants us to be joined not as two, but as one. He wants us never to separate. He chose us as his betrothed. And what does this tell us about God? It tells us that God loves us as a perfect husband loves his wife with the highest intensity. He loves us and he desires union with us.

The Gospel reading, speaks of this famous scene where Jesus gets angry because the temple (the Church- his bride) is being degraded. Jesus gets upset when someone messes with his bride. So, through this week's gospel, we are reminded that Jesus loves us deeply and wants us to be his forever and he will fight any evil that attacks us. Yet, in this we must remember that we ourselves are the "money-changers" who sin against our bridegroom, Jesus is the perfect spouse. He does his part perfectly as the one who loves us beyond comparison. From this day forth, how will we respond to his love and faithfulness?

Real Life

I know a married couple (married around 30 years) and they are missionaries. I once saw them dancing before mass. They were arm in arm dancing in a circle and completely full of joy. Since I had been hanging out with them for a while, I already knew that they loved each other. But on this particular day, I was amazed at how much joy they had and how much they truly loved each other. On another occasion, I saw the wife give a second helping of food to her son despite the fact that she had eaten nothing herself and nothing remained from dinner. She was selfless and incredibly generous to her kids and seemed to be unconcerned with herself. It seems that the closer we are to God, the more we begin to resemble him. God wants us as his holy spouse and our union is fruitful because it is rooted in God, who is love.

He loves us!




1-CCC 751
2-John 6:53
3-Even if we are baptized by a non-priest, the authority to do so comes from the Catholic Church.
4- CCC 798
5-797
6-CCC 1446
7- Matthew 19:6

"What Are You Wearing?" Mass- Nov 2, 2008

This week is the feast of all souls. And so the theme of the readings revolves around life, death, and baptism. The first reading speaks of how the "just are in the hands of God", which means that we can rest easy knowing that we belong to God and our hope is in God. The 2nd reading speaks of baptism, which is the means by which we are put into the hands of God in the first place. Finally, the gospel tell us that God will give this gift of salvation to anyone who comes to him, because this is why Jesus came to Earth in the first place- to save everyone who comes to him.

In order to keep the commentary reasonably short, the commentary will focus on baptism. You will read here about how we are all wearing "Christ", something that no clothing maker can promise. Commentary follows the 2nd reading. The rest of the readings and the responsorial psalm are after the commentary.


Rom 6:3-9

Brothers and sisters:
Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?
We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,
so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father,
we too might live in newness of life.

For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his,
we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.
We know that our old self was crucified with him,
so that our sinful body might be done away with,
that we might no longer be in slavery to sin.
For a dead person has been absolved from sin.
If, then, we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him.
We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more;
death no longer has power over him.

What is Baptism?

"Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments."5 I always thought that baptism was this cool little party where everyone gets together and the priest pours water on a baby and everyone claps, followed by some congratulations and photos. But baptism is not some meaningless ceremony. It is the foundational, and most important event of our spiritual lives. Our baptismal day is the day when we become God's children.

Paul speaks of "dying and rising" in this reading and of "growing in union" with Jesus through baptism. But what is he talking about? How is that we are baptized into Jesus' death? First of all, let's recall that Baptism is our entrance into the Church. Baptism joins us to Jesus. God saves our souls at baptism and forgives all of our sins.

Yet, without the death of Jesus, there would be no Church to enter. Without Jesus' crucifixion, we cannot experience eternal life, nor can we be joined to Jesus . In other words, Jesus' suffering and death "opened to all men the fountain of baptism".1 Our baptism is rooted in Jesus' suffering and death for us. This is what Paul means by being "baptized into his death". Jesus' death allows us to have baptism. Only through his death are we able to be saved.

Effects of Baptism

In baptism, we are forgiven ALL of our sins. We are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We are given grace from God the Father, we are given grace through the merits of Jesus' suffering and death, and we are given grace as the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us at baptism. Truly, we become temples of the Holy Spirit2 because the Trinity comes to dwell within us.

In baptism, "the two principal effects are purification from sins and new birth in the Holy Spirit."6 Paul says in this reading that in baptism, we die with Christ and are raised with Christ. This means that in baptism, we are forgiven all of our sins and we die to sin. If Jesus is so good to die on the cross for us, then we join in that death and we say "no" to sin once and forever. This is why at Easter Vigil we remind ourselves of our baptismal promises ("do you reject Satan, sin," etc) and say "no" to sin again and again. We rise with Christ in the sense that if we say no to sin, our lives are different and we are "raised" new persons.

In this reading, Paul talks about living "in newness of life". Here, he is describing this "new birth in the Holy Spirit." A few of the major effects of baptism are:

* forgiveness of sins
* we become new creatures- The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us. The Holy Spirit helps us to operate under his inspiration, through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.3
* the Holy Spirit enables us to believe in God, hope in God, and to love God.4
* there are other effects as well.


Since we are forgiven our sins, made anew with the presence and help of the holy spirit, and have confidence in Jesus, we will certainly have what it takes to live "in newness of life" as described in this reading. Yet, despite what God has given us, he also gives us the freedom to oppose, refuse, resent, and even renounce what he has given us. So, baptism is a great gift, but we must take good care of what God has given us. Every day, we must declare to God that we are not "slaves of sin".

Seeing God's Grace

So, back to the baptisms we see in church. Because we are measey little humans, we cannot truly see the fullness of God's grace, but we do get a beautiful sneak peak. God wants us to know what he has done for us so we see the following at baptisms:

* The sign of the cross- the baptized person now belongs to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
* The baptismal water- Water springing forth from the ground symbolizes life. We are given life, and that life comes from God.
* Holy Oil-makes known the grace that the person has received from the Holy Spirit
* White garment- symbolizes that the person has "put on Christ" and has been washed clean by the blood of Christ


We must remember that there are spiritual realities that we can only get a glimpse of. For instance, the blood and water that flowed from Jesus are forms of baptism. It is a sign of the spiritual reality of Jesus' sacrifice and the outpouring of grace upon all of mankind. Just the same, we are able to see these things at baptisms, as signs of a spiritual reality that is deep, real, and incredibly beautiful. The next time we attend a baptism, we must remember what God is doing for the baptized and what he has already done for us.

The Eyes of God

So we have an idea of how God sees us. He sees us marked with a sign that we belong to him. He sees us full of life which came from him. He sees us anointed with his grace. He sees us pure and beautiful-wearing the white robe of baptism (which HE bought us : )). THe next time we look at a person lustfully, let's try to see them wearing the beautiful white robe of baptism. The next time we get angry at someone in traffic, let's notice that holy oil upon their heads. We live in a country where almost everyone is baptized. And so, when I am in danger of looking at a woman lustfully, do I really want to stain the white garment that God has clothed her with? When I am angry with someone, do I really want to hurt someone who is anointed with holy oil and full of the Holy Spirit?

What about when I sin in general? Do I want to stain the white garment which God has given me? No I do not. I belong to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I must respect myself. I must not let anything enter my eyes, ears, or mouth which is incompatible with the Holy Spirit which dwells within me.

The first reading says: "The souls of the just are in the hand of God". "they are in peace." ...."because grace and mercy are with his holy ones"

God loves us so much that he has given EVERYTHING to us. Because of his death, we are offered baptism, and we are beautiful baptized children of God. Because of God, we wear white robes and we belong to him forever. The good news gets even better in this week's Gospel. In it, Jesus says "I will not reject anyone who comes to me". God loves us!


1-CCC 1225
2-1 Corinthians 12:13
3-CCC 1266
4-CCC 1266
5-CCC 1213
6-Acts 2:38


Reading 1
Wis 3:1-9

The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed, they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them
and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
they shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and the LORD shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.

Gospel
Jn 6:37-40

Jesus said to the crowds:
“Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”

The Greatest Commandment- October 26, 2008

This week's liturgy of the Word is about the greatest commandment ""You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." What does that really mean in a practical sense? How do I do it? Why is this the greatest commandment?

Reading 1
Ex 22:20-26

Thus says the LORD:
"You shall not molest or oppress an alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.
You shall not wrong any widow or orphan.
If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me,
I will surely hear their cry.
My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword;
then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans.

"If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people,
you shall not act like an extortioner toward him
by demanding interest from him.
If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge,
you shall return it to him before sunset;
for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body.
What else has he to sleep in?
If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate."


Aliens and Slaves

What is this talk of "aliens" all about? Here we see the origin and purpose of the commandments. The purpose of the commandments is to remind us of our calling in life (to know, love, and serve the Lord.) The basic story of human history is this: God loves us, he made us, we screwed up, and now he is here to save us. In Exodus 20:2, the first thing God says as he introduces the commandments is, "I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods besides me." In other words, I loved you by saving you from slavery. I want you to love me the same way I love you by being faithful. Don't cheat on me- "you shall have no other Gods." Before God commanded us to love him, he loved us first.

Is it a reasonable expectation for God to ask us to love him back? Is it reasonable for a loving wife to expect love back from her husband? Of course it's reasonable! God is making a very reasonable request of us here. And who wins anyway if we follow the commandments? EVERYONE wins! The essence of and purpose of all of God's commandments is this: God loves us with all of his heart, with all of his soul, and with all his mind. He wants us to love him back. How do we know that God loves us like that? We need only look at the cross. Jesus loved us with all of his heart which was pierced by a lance on the cross. He loves us with all of his soul because he lowered himself by becoming a frail, limited, human being. He loves with all of his mind because even though his human nature feared death (let this cup pass), he submitted his mind to the Father completely out of love for our little human souls. That's why the greatest commandment is the greatest commandment- God loves us, he wants to share in this love of his for eternity- including today, tomorrow at lunch time, and 10 minutes before we die- forever.

Justice

What a relief it is that God says he is compassionate and will hear our cries even when we are cold and in need of a cloak. It's quite comforting to know that if we are heartbroken like widows, or lonely like orphans, God will "surely hear our cry." God is "compassionate" as he says in this reading. But, that also means that God hears the cries of ALL of the people WE have "wronged". He hears the yearning of everyone WE have caused to cry. He hears the cries of the poor people WE have ignored all of our lives. Because God is perfectly loving, he is also just. He asks us to follow the commandments and he EXPECTS us to follow them. God knows what true love is, and he wants us to live it. The 2nd reading shows us how to do that.


Reading II
1 Thes 1:5c-10

Brothers and sisters:
You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake.
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord,
receiving the word in great affliction, with joy from the Holy Spirit,
so that you became a model for all the believers
in Macedonia and in Achaia.
For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth
not only in Macedonia and in Achaia,
but in every place your faith in God has gone forth,
so that we have no need to say anything.
For they themselves openly declare about us
what sort of reception we had among you,
and how you turned to God from idols
to serve the living and true God
and to await his Son from heaven,
whom he raised from the dead,
Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath.

Paul pays a tremendous complement to the Thessalonians here. He calls them "a model for all the believers". A model for ALL believers?!! Wow! They must be doing something right! What is that SOMETHING that they did? They had become "imitators of us and of the Lord." The Gospel reading says that the greatest commandment is that "You shall love the Lord, your God,with all your heart,with all your soul", and your neighbor as yourself. The Thessalonians knew exactly how to obey that commandment- by imitating the Lord. That is what the commandments are- an invitation to imitate the Lord. It is such a powerful way to live and to love God and one another that Paul had "no need to say anything" (no need to preach) to the places where the Thessalonians' faith had traveled. What is faith? It is an adherence of man to God and a surrender of a person's will and intellect to God.2 The Thessalonians had faith. They turned away from their idols, joined themselves to God, and surrendered their will and intellect to God. If they had not done so, they would have looked just like any other community. Instead, of doing as everyone else did (worshiping idols), they imitated God. And what was the result? Their faith and their example evangelized people with such power that Paul didn't need to go anywhere that the Thessalonians had already gone. Let's move on to how we can obey the greatest commandment in a practical way.

Following The Greatest Commandment

We have already established that God first loved us and now he wants us to love him and one another as his great commandment says. Does that mean we have to all quit our jobs and become priests? Of course not. We must remember that salvation is not something that happens as one big event. It is more of a "daily" thing which requires persistence, as Luke would say. Yes, this sounds boring and even more difficult to follow this command every day, but that is our call. When we ponder whether or not we should do something, the answer is always available. Suppose I want to obey the greatest commandment. And let's say that I have to make an everyday choice. All I have to do is ask myself this: In making this choice, or taking this action, am I contradicting my call to love God with all of my being and my neighbor as myself?

Here is an example. Suppose, I want to download my favorite song off the internet. I can download it for free and illegally and not get caught. But in doing so, am I contradicting my call to love God with all of my heart and my neighbor as well? First of all, by stealing, I am disobeying God and telling him that I like music more than obeying him (his commandments). By stealing from the musician (my neighbor) I am clearly not loving my neighbor. Now, this method of discernment is not going to be helpful with decisions like what color to dye your hair, but with the important decisions in life, God's greatest commandment and the our call to love our neighbors as ourselves will assist us on the way to heaven if we allow it to.

Real Life

For the last year, I lived as a missionary on a 640-acre ranch. The people I lived with were full-time unpaid missionaries. They never once tried to evangelize me or lecture to me about the faith. Rather, every time I saw them, they treated me in a loving way. I was continually amazed at their self-giving, self-sacrificing love. It wasn't long before I loved them right back. After all, how can you not love someone who loves so sincerely and so beautifully? I began to realize that this love with which they loved me came from their shared faith in God. It made me want to get closer to God. So, they evangelized me without using words.

I noticed that they took God's commandments very seriously. When one of God's commandments were inconvenient for them, they still obeyed. Their faithfulness to God and his greatest commandment were instrumental in evangelizing and saving my soul.

God loves us!

1- Matt 20:28; Mark 10:45; 1 Timothy 2:6
2- CCC 150, and CCC 143

Gospel
Mt 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them,
a scholar of the law tested him by asking,
"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."

"Who is God's Choice?" For October 19, 2008

The Gospel message this week revolves around this fact: everything that we have we owe to God. The first reading points to the fact that God is our beginning. The 2nd reading reminds us that we are chosen. Finally, the Gospel warns of how ugly it can be when we do not trust in the Lord and fail to respect his wisdom and goodness. There is commentary following the 2nd reading. The responsorial psalm and Gospel are after the commentary.

Reading 1
Is 45:1, 4-6

Thus says the LORD to his anointed, Cyrus,
whose right hand I grasp,
subduing nations before him,
and making kings run in his service,
opening doors before him
and leaving the gates unbarred:
For the sake of Jacob, my servant,
of Israel, my chosen one,
I have called you by your name,
giving you a title, though you knew me not.
I am the LORD and there is no other,
there is no God besides me.
It is I who arm you, though you know me not,
so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun
people may know that there is none besides me.
I am the LORD, there is no other.


Reading II
1 Thes 1:1-5b

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians
in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
grace to you and peace.
We give thanks to God always for all of you,
remembering you in our prayers,
unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love
and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ,
before our God and Father,
knowing, brothers and sisters loved by God,
how you were chosen.
For our gospel did not come to you in word alone,
but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.

The theme of these 2 readings is very clear. The 1st says that God calls Cyrus by his name even though Cyrus does not know him. God even arms Cyrus. All that God says to Cyrus, he also says to us. The fact that God calls us by name means that he knows who we are. He gives us a "title" which means that he also knows WHAT we are. That's right. God is the ONLY person who COMPLETELY knows WHO and WHAT you are!

Made and Known By God

We Christians believe that God created us out of nothing. Isn't that what you believe? Our existence is not an accident as many evolutionists suggest. If we did not come to exist out of pure chance, then why did we come to exist? We exist because God is more loving and generous than we can imagine. He wanted to make me and you so that we could experience his love. He gave us a high dignity by allowing us to choose to love him out of our own free will. God knows us because he made us -just like an architect is the one who knows his building the best.

Why did God make us? Because he is a loving father to us. It is a great experience to give someone a gift. When I was in the 3rd grade, my dad bought me a bicycle. I was SO happy. My dad must have been thrilled to see the look on his little boy's face! Like a loving father, God simply gave us life becauese loves us and perhaps he not only wants to see the smiles on our faces, but joy and peace as well. It's hard to understand why God would be so generous to create us out of thin air, but he is a loving person. This loving act of creating us is SO incredible that God can easily say, "I am the LORD and there is no other,there is no God besides me." God's incomparable generosity is part of what makes him so great.

Chosen By God

Notice how the word "chosen" is used in both of these readings. These words are being spoken to us today. We are the modern-day Thesallonians and Israelites. We are the people of God. Imagine you are at school and everyone is playing kickball. The two team captains pick teams. Wouldn't it be great to be the first one "chosen"? That is exactly what God has done for YOU. He did not choose fish, birds, or monkeys first. He chose you. Unlike all other living things, he chose YOU first. Everything on Earth is made for YOU.1 In addition, he doesn't just leave us to roam around and figure things out on our own.

Our faith says that "God does not abandon his creatures to themselves. He not only gives them being and existence, but also, and at every moment, upholds and sustains them in being, enables them to act and brings them to their final end.2The 2nd reading talks about "endurance in hope." Just a couple of weeks ago we spoke of how hope is a gift from God. Through hope, we desire the Kingdom of Heaven and eternal life as our happiness and we put our trust in Christ.3 So when Paul says that "our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit", he is saying that these words we hear at Mass have power and God wants to do more than just talk to us. He wants to help us and remain with us until the end.

An Every Day Thought

The Thessalonians have an "endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ". Our faith also teaches us that "Recognizing this utter dependence with respect to the Creator is a source of wisdom and freedom, of joy and confidence". If we keep pressing on in life and put our complete trust in God, he will take care of us. That is the promise he has made to us. Wisdom 11:24-26 says about God "For you love all things that are and loathe nothing that you have made; for what you hated, you would not have fashioned. And how could a thing remain, unless you willed it?" In other words, God would not create something that he hates. Why would he do that? The only reason we exist is because God wants us to exist. He wants us to exist because he loves us. This reality should remain constantly in our hearts and minds. No matter what happens, no matter how painful, no matter how ugly, no matter how bad we are, we are still here because God wants us to be. He loves us.

The Point

* Because we were created by God's hands, he is the only person who knows us completely
* Because God chose to give us life, everything we have comes from him
* God made us so that we could experience and reflect his love
* Hope comes from the Holy Spirit (God). In this way, God guides us towards him everyday
* If you exist, God loves you. You exist because God wants you to.


Real Life

About 6 years ago, on a snowy night in Kentucky, a police officer knocked on my front door. He came to tell me that my sister had crashed her car on the highway. She had been ejected from the vehicle and when they found her, she was underneath her car. The cop gave us the impression that she was alive. So, I got into the car with my family and a friend. We drove to the hospital and the car ride was deathly quiet on the way to the hospital. When we arrived, I was scared. I imagined that if she were alive, her body would be mangled and it would be a disturbing sight. We entered the hospital and were shocked to find her laying in the bed completely intact. Despite being ejected from her car on the highway, she had no broken bones, but only a fractured nose and a fractured vertebrae! She was unconscience, but she awoke later.

After reading these readings, I am reminded that my little sister remains alive today (she made a complete recovery) because God wills it. She (just like me) was not living a holy lifestyle at the time of the crash. Maybe she was not headed towards heaven at that time, and God wanted to save her. "God does not abandon his creatures to themselves. He not only gives them being and existence, but also, and at every moment, upholds and sustains them in being, enables them to act and brings them to their final end."

God loves us.

1- CCC 358
2- CCC 301
3- click here to read about hope from Sept. 28th

http://massexcitement.blogspot.com/2008/09/lifes-not-fair-but-what-about-god.html

Gospel
Mt 22:15-21

The Pharisees went off
and plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech.
They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying,
"Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man
and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
And you are not concerned with anyone's opinion,
for you do not regard a person's status.
Tell us, then, what is your opinion:
Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?"
Knowing their malice, Jesus said,
"Why are you testing me, you hypocrites?
Show me the coin that pays the census tax."
Then they handed him the Roman coin.
He said to them, "Whose image is this and whose inscription?"
They replied, "Caesar's."
At that he said to them,
"Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God."



Responsorial Psalm
Ps 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10

R. (7b) Give the Lord glory and honor.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.
For great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
awesome is he, beyond all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are things of nought,
but the LORD made the heavens.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.
Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and praise;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
Bring gifts, and enter his courts.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.
Worship the LORD, in holy attire;
tremble before him, all the earth;
say among the nations: The LORD is king,
he governs the peoples with equity. R. Give the Lord glory and honor.

"Time to Feast" - For Sunday Mass October 12, 2008

This week's readings are quite similar to last week's. God speaks of how he gives us all that we need to enter heaven and to do his will. With this in mind, God has high expectations of us and there are terrible consequences if we don't give him the thanksgiving and respect that he deserves. Last week, we focused on prayer as a way to be good stewards of God's grace. This week's commentary will focus on the grace (undeserved help) that God gives us. What exactly does God offer us and why should we care? There is commentary following the 1st reading and the Gospel.

Reading 1
Is 25:6-10a

On this mountain the LORD of hosts
will provide for all peoples
a feast of rich food and choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
the web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away
the tears from every face;
the reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.
On that day it will be said:
"Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the LORD for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!"
For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.

Isaiah's Prophecy

We must recall that Isaiah is a prophetic book written hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. The accuracy of the prophecies in this book is amazing. Isaiah's prophecies include the virgin birth of Jesus (7:14), Jesus' death for our sins (53:4-6), and other prophecies as well. This week's reading from Isaiah talks about the time when God will "destroy death forever". What is Isaiah talking about? Death comes from sin1 and we Christians believe that Jesus' crucifixion "liberates us from sin"2 (and thus, death). So the day when God "will destroy death forever" is the day of Jesus' crucifixion-which destroys death. Let's look at what God is offering us in the context of this reading.

Freedom From Blindness, Sadness, and the Veil

In life, we have all experienced sadness. Yet, what brings us the deepest sadness? Is it the death of a loved ones? No, we shall see our loved ones after we die. It seems that the saddest experience of human life is sin. In this dark place that sin creates, we feel guilty. We feel alone. We feel ashamed. We grow scared. Have you ever felt this way after sinning or being the victim of a sin? Sin is sad enough to bring tears. In this reading, we remember that God "will wipe away the tears from every face". God, doesn't want us to wallow in our sadness which we have created through our own sins. He wants to "remove the blame (reproach)" we deserve for our unrepentent sins and the sins others have committed against us. God offers to free us of the darkness and blindness of sin. In John chapter 9, Jesus mentions this "blindness" which comes from sin. And this is the "veil" that Isaiah talks about in this reading. Sin is the darkest veil which prevents us from seeing God! In 2nd Corinthians 3:16, Paul talks about this same "veil" being taken away by Christ. The image of a veil is used in several places in the Old Testament to describe something which blocks people from seeing something else. The "veil" hides the Angel of the Lord3, the Lord himself4, and the glory of God5.

The Savior

So here we are, blinded, by sin (the veil) and drowning in our own tears. The sin in our life is our greatest source of sadness and fear. Then, God comes to Earth and dies for us. Isaiah says, "On that day it will be said:"Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us! This is the LORD for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!" If we are sad because of sin (often the reason for deep sadness), we need to look at a crucifix and see our God who died for us because he wanted to wipe away our tears and remove the veil of blindness ("the web that is woven over all nations") which we wear every time we sin. We are reminded in this reading that God loves us and he wants to help us.

Experiencing God's compassion and love for us is so beautiful and powerful that we must give thanks to God and remember what he has done and continues to do for us. With God's love and compassion in mind, we remember that we can "do all things in him who strengthens me" as Paul says in the second reading.

Reading II
Phil 4:12-14, 19-20

Brothers and sisters:
I know how to live in humble circumstances;
I know also how to live with abundance.
In every circumstance and in all things
I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry,
of living in abundance and of being in need.
I can do all things in him who strengthens me.
Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress.

My God will fully supply whatever you need,
in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
To our God and Father, glory forever and ever. Amen.

Gospel
Mt 22:1-14 or 22:1-10

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people
in parables, saying,
"The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who gave a wedding feast for his son.
He dispatched his servants
to summon the invited guests to the feast,
but they refused to come.
A second time he sent other servants, saying,
‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet,
my calves and fattened cattle are killed,
and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’
Some ignored the invitation and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business.
The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them.
The king was enraged and sent his troops,
destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy to come.
Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and invite to the feast whomever you find.’
The servants went out into the streets
and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,
and the hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to meet the guests,
he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
The king said to him, 'My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment?'
But he was reduced to silence.
Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Many are invited, but few are chosen."

Here Jesus talks about a feast "the king" gave for "his son". This feast for the son fits with the crucifixion reference in the first reading. There are messengers who invite people to this great feast. Jesus is talking about how God sends messengers calling us to God. We hear and see the messengers of God through our parents, our children, priests, and even non-Christians who love us. In these people, we see and hear God calling us to him. These are some of "the messengers" that Jesus was referring to in this reading.

Too Busy for God

One of the people invited in this reading, refuses to go because of his business. The root word of "business" is "busy". Is this not our most popular excuse today when God calls us to love and serve him in our everyday lives? What are we so busy doing? We are busy watching TV. We are busy working. We are busy talking on our cell phones. Sooner or later, the end of our lives will approach. We will want to enter "the feast"- heaven. Yet, after we die, Jesus might say to us "how is it that you came here unprepared (not dressed in a wedding garment)?"

I pray that our excuse is not "I was busy" because that's just not going to cut it as a good excuse. This week's readings tell us that God knows what pitiful condition we are in. He knows our sadness. He knows our lonliness. He knows our blindness caused by lives of sin. There is only one way to take all that sin and sadness away. It took the death our beloved, beautiful, innocent Jesus. We are talking about the beautiful infant Jesus born in a manger with the purpose of growing to DIE on the cross. God is not "too busy" for us. How can we be "too busy" for him?


God loves us!

1- Romans 10:12
2- CCC 654
3- Numbers 22:31
4- Leviticus 16:2
5- Exodus 34:33-35


Responsorial Psalm
Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

R. (6cd) I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

Will Jesus Take it All Away?

In this week's news, Jesus announced he will provide a spiritual bailout package. The strong moral decline has been caused by believers who have defaulted on their baptismal promises. Seriously though, unlike some working-class people, Jesus demands responsibility and that is a central theme in this week's Mass readings.

This week's readings revolve around the analogy of the vineyard. In the first reading, Isaih compares the Israelites to a vineyard. God has made preparations and have given the Israelites all that they need to serve him. But behold, Israel has produced "wild grapes". In other words, Israel has screwed up. Within the context of all 3 readings, we can see that God is displeased with the people he has entrusted his grace with. In the Gospel reading, the tenants (us-the people of God) make very poor use of the master's property. Despite the fact that the tenants (us) have been given all they need to proper, they act in an evil manner. The chief priests and elders know what justice calls for: "He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times." Jesus replies, "the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit." Personally, I don't want all that I have been given to be taken away from me. I don't want to waste what God has given me and few people do. These readings suggest that there are terrible consequences if we "do not produce fruit".

In the second reading, Paul tells us to "have no anxiety at all". He recommends that we pray and "the God of peace will be with you." This week's commentary focuses on prayer. Why do we pray? How do we pray? How does prayer protect us from being "evil tenants", and how can prayer keep us from losing everything that God has given us? There is commentary following the 2nd reading. The rest of the readings are at the end.


Reading II
Phil 4:6-9

Brothers and sisters:
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious,
if there is any excellence
and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
Keep on doing what you have learned and received
and heard and seen in me.
Then the God of peace will be with you.

Why We Should Pray

First of all, why is prayer important? Prayer is our relationship with God.1 After all, we can't go tandem bicycling with God, or play video games with him, so we must talk to him instead. Prayer is the encounter of God's desire for us, and our desire for him.2 Prayer is a way to experience union with God.3 Prayer is a way we nourish our relationship with God, just as conversation nourishes any of our friendships. First, we will discuss thanksgiving and petition, quality prayer, and finally, the peace and "fruits of prayer". In all of this, we shall learn how to be good "tenants" and avoid losing what God has given us.

Saying Thanks and Asking for Favors

In this reading, Paul includes thanksgiving as an important part of prayer. Why is thanksgiving important? First of all, it is God's will. The bible says, "In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus."4 But why is it God's will? For one thing, expressing thanksgiving brings joy . It makes us happier. Thanksgiving is an expression of truth- the truth that all that we have comes from God. This idea of all things coming from God is a major theme of this week's readings. Thanksgiving gives us joy because it allows us to enjoy life. After all, have you ever been on vacation with one person who is constantly complaining while another person is extremely thankful? Which person is more full of joy? The thankful one of course! So, joy is a "fruit" of the holy spirit.5 That means, that joy becomes a permanent disposition of ours through the grace of the Holy Spirit. This comes largely through prayer. So, constant thanksgiving can make us permanently thankful and therefore, permanently joyful! God wants us to be joyful because he loves us and THAT is why it is God's will that we give thanks constantly.


Paul also says that we should "make our requests known to God". Why should we ask God to do things for us? We ask for God's help because "petitioning" God is an important part of prayer because when we ask for God's help we show that “we are aware of our relationship with God"6 In other words, as we ask God for help, we admit that he is involved in our lives and that we NEED his help. THis is critical to our relationship with God. After all, if we don't think we need him, then, we will go on without him, perhaps straight to hell. John 14:13 says that we give glory to God if we ask for anything in Jesus' name. In other words, asking God for favors admits that God can do anything and therefore asking God for help glorifies him. God wants us to ask for his help. We must do it every day!


To give thanks to God and to ask for his help, is to be a good "tenant" and to remain on the "vine" of life- God.


Quality Prayer


In this reading, Paul says that we should think about what is pure, just, etc. Isn't that what prayer is? In prayer, we think about God who is perfectly pure, just, lovely etc. God is great! With our eyes and hearts focused on someone so beautiful, we will experience "the peace of God that surpasses all understanding". Even popular secular literature admits that we tend to become what we think about most. To pray means to think about God. To think about God brings peace.


"The life of prayer is the habit of being in the presence of the thrice-holy God and in communion with him.”7 Communion can be defined as "intimate communication". How would you like to be in intimate communication with the creator of the universe? That's what prayer is! God desires prayer and he desires communion. On the other hand, the devil despises that we experience communion with God. And so during prayer, we find ourselves distracted (the devil is pleased with this). I remember being at mass one day, and I couldn't stop thinking about fantasy football (an online game where grown men pretend like they are football coaches). During prayer, we experience distraction and in this distraction, we can see our attachment to THINGS and creatures (people).8 We are trying to pray and we find ourselves thinking about money, work, and our significant others. Sometimes, it seems like we are thinking of anything and everything besides God during our prayers! This experience reminds us that we are too attached to the world and not attached enough to God. We are warned in Matt 6:24 that we cannot serve 2 masters, yet continuous distraction and focus on something other than God during prayer can be a sign that we are INDEED trying to serve 2 masters.


The remedy is simple-we must pray more and reduce the amount of time and passion we give to things and people.9 If we are attached to God, we will be be good tenants, and we WILL produce fruit. God will help us do that.


Prayer is Not Enough


In this reading, Paul tells us to "Keep on DOING what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me." Christian life and prayer cannot be separated. Christian prayer involves continual sacrifice. In order to pray, we must turn off the television, be off the phone, and away from people. Christian life is the same way. Christian living involves sacrifice of time, resources, and personal ambitions. So our prayer resembles our christian life and our Christian life looks like our prayers. Paul says "Keep on DOING. Then the God of peace will be with you." So to pray that we will forgive the trespasses of others, and not actually do it, is a waste of time, energy and life. However, if we do what we pray, the peace we experience will be extraordinary. That is the promise of this reading.


Paul says, "keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me." I'm not sure if I've EVER known anyone who had the confidence to say that when talking about life in general. I have, however heard people say things like "daddy smokes, but you shouldn't" or "Yes, I am involved in premarital sex, but you shouldn't be". The reason Paul had the confidence to say "do what I do" was because he practiced what he preached! In Galatians 2:20 Paul says, "yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me." So when Paul hears Jesus saying,"the kingdom of God will be given to a people who produce its fruits." He has no fear. His life and his prayers are the same- both given to God. If we pray unceasingly and live out our prayer life by loving God above ALL THINGS and our neighbor as ourselves, we will have no fear and "the peace of God will be with [us]."


The Point


* prayer is our relationship with God. No prayer means no relationship- period
* constant thanksgiving to God brings joy! that joy can become a permanent part of us!
* we should ask for God's help for every area of our lives. If we don't want to let him into an area of our lives, it's usually because we are sinful in that area, or we are excessively proud (we think we don't need his help)
* prayer is intimate communication with God. This can only bring peace and happiness in life
* distraction in prayer reveals what we are attached to. Without an increased detachment, our prayer life and our Christian life will suffer
* we ask for God's help in prayer, but we must do our part as well, by living the faith by putting God above EVERYTHING and EVERYONE and by treating EVERYONE with love.


Real Life

I spent a year as a missionary. Those missionaries pray constantly. They pray everytime we drive from our home to El Paso. They pray during the drive from El Paso to Mexico. They pray during the work itself in Mexico. They pray all of the time! At first, I thought it was TOO MUCH prayer. But after a while, I began to dislike the prayer a lot less. I began to develop this unfamiliar intimacy with God. Worry and stress started to be replaced by peace, joy, and courage. I made a documentary of this missionary community. Click below to see the 7-minute documentary.God loves us!



1- CCC 2558
2- CCC 2560
3- CCC 2725
4- 1 Thessalonians 5:18
5- CCC 1832
6- CCC 2629
7- CCC 2565
8- CCC 2729
9- Loving people is what God asks us to do, but if we are more attached to a person than we are to God, we cannot serve God.

Reading 1
Is 5:1-7

Let me now sing of my friend,
my friend's song concerning his vineyard.
My friend had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside;
he spaded it, cleared it of stones,
and planted the choicest vines;
within it he built a watchtower,
and hewed out a wine press.
Then he looked for the crop of grapes,
but what it yielded was wild grapes.

Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard:
What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I had not done?
Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes,
did it bring forth wild grapes?
Now, I will let you know
what I mean to do with my vineyard:
take away its hedge, give it to grazing,
break through its wall, let it be trampled!
Yes, I will make it a ruin:
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
but overgrown with thorns and briers;
I will command the clouds
not to send rain upon it.
The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah are his cherished plant;
he looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed!
for justice, but hark, the outcry!

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20

R. (Is 5:7a) The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
A vine from Egypt you transplanted;
you drove away the nations and planted it.
It put forth its foliage to the Sea,
its shoots as far as the River.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Why have you broken down its walls,
so that every passer-by plucks its fruit,
The boar from the forest lays it waste,
and the beasts of the field feed upon it?
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
O LORD, God of hosts, restore us;
if your face shine upon us, then we shall be saved.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.


Gospel
Mt 21:33-43

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
"Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,
another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking,
'They will respect my son.'
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
'This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"
They answered him,
"He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times."
Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?
Therefore, I say to you,
the kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit."