The Way to Heaven- For August 31, 2008

I had a crush on this girl once before and she was at my house. She was from Eastern Europe and she was a Muslim. I was infatuated with her. I had left my Bible on a table. So before she came over, I flipped the Bible upside down so as to hide the cover. I was thinking that she might like me less if she saw a Bible. I also knew that I might engage in sinful activities with her and I didn't want the Bible around to remind me of my wrongdoing.

What a HORRIBLE sin! What a capital insult to God! Paul said not be be ashamed of the Gospel. Could I have expressed my shame of the Gospel in a more real way?

This story is similar to Peter's denial of Jesus, which we will discuss this week. If you want to know what is at the heart of Christian living, please read on. There is commentary following the Gospel and the other readings are at the end.


Reading II
Rom 12:1-2

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,
to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.
Do not conform yourselves to this age
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and pleasing and perfect.

Gospel
Mt 16:21-27

Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly
from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,
“God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.”
He turned and said to Peter,
“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Then Jesus said to his disciples,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory,
and then he will repay all according to his conduct.”

Denial

Since the Gospel talks about denying ourselves, let's take a look at the classic story of Peter's denial of Jesus in Matthew 26:69-75.

Peter denies knowing Jesus to the point of cursing and swearing. Well, let’s imagine for a moment what it would be like to have your best friend arrested for a heresy against the church (a crime that would bring death). We are talking about the Church that you love and that you have given yourself to. What would that do to your reputation if everybody knew that you were best friends with a foul, blasphemous heretic- a man who according to the local priests was so horrible that he deserved to die? Yet in your heart, you are CERTAIN that this man is no heretic. He is the Son of the living God. He is God himself. You are certain of it. This was Peter's situation.

Now someone asks you, “hey, aren’t you friends with that heretic who just got arrested?" Uhhhhhhh………….. So here we are- Peter had an important decision to make. Would he “deny himself and take up his cross” (suffer embarrassment and persecution), or deny Jesus (God)?

In the second reading, Paul suggests us "to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice". Sacrifice means to surrender or give up for the sake of something else. Paul equates sacrifice with not acting like (conforming) to the current times. He also suggests (indirectly) that if we DON'T conform ourselves to the current times, we will be able to discern the will of God. In other words, the people of "this age" do not like to sacrifice themselves, nor do they know the will of God. The inability to sacrifice makes it difficult or impossible to know the will of God.

Now Peter had a major decision to make. Should he suffer extreme embarrassment and perhaps outcasting by the local Church, or should he "offer himself (his reputation) as a sacrifice holy and pleasing to God" as Paul says?

This is the decision we make every day. Do we deny ourselves, or do we deny Jesus? Do we sacrifice something that we want, or do we do whatever is popular? Jesus offers the answer in the Gospel. Here is what decision time looks like today:

Work and Money- The boss tells you to exaggerate or to lie for the financial benefit of the company and yourself. Do you deny yourself by losing the money and support of your boss, or do you deny Jesus by doing what is unethical?

Sexual Temptation- Do you deny yourself pleasure and remain chaste, or do you deny Jesus by giving in to temptation?

Telling the Truth- If you tell the truth, you will be embarrassed, but if you lie, you will be impressive to others. Do you deny yourself by speaking the embarrassing truth, or do you deny Jesus by lying and looking good to others?

Difficult People- A difficult person says something that annoys you. Do you sacrifice yourself and just put up with this person, or do you deny Jesus by fighting back?

Being a follower of Jesus is challenging. Every day we are left to decide between serving ourselves and serving God. Jesus loves us and he makes the following promise: "the Son of man will repay all according to his conduct"- that is, God will give you what your actions deserve. For people who "conform to this age" that is bad news. For those who've denied themselves for Jesus, these words are a promise of an eternity of joy. We must act accordingly.

Gospel

This gospel continues right after last week's where Peter was praised for being the only man who recognized Jesus. Peter knew that Jesus was God. Peter knew that Jesus was king of the Jews. Peter loved Jesus and he figured that it made no sense for the King to die. So he says, "God forbid!" But Jesus tells Peter that he is not "thinking as God does" (sacrifice yourself), but as human beings do (conform to this age). The 2nd reading describes the essence of our Christian lives and the mission of Jesus. We are not to conform to this age, but rather we are to offer ourselves as a sacrifice to God. Before Pentecost, Peter and the other apostles had difficulty understanding this. If they had understood this, they would not have run away when Jesus was captured. Again, it is suggested by Paul in the 2nd reading that without sacrificing, it is hard to see (discern) the will of God. That is why Jesus uses the powerful words "get behind me SATAN! You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” Peter wanted Jesus to NOT sacrifice himself. Running away from sacrifice is to avoid the Christian life and mission- "to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice" as Paul says. Jesus is the perfect picture of how to live the real Christian life. He offers his body "as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God." He also does not conform to this age.

The above examples, show real world situations we face every day. The world says to us "God forbid!" if we want to pass up overtime pay to be with our families, the world says "God forbid!" to couples who sacrifice of themselves by having lots of children. The world says to us "God forbid!" to a night of prayer rather than hanging out with friends. Our teacher says “Whoever wishes to come after me must DENY HIMSELF, TAKE UP HIS CROSS, and follow me. Personally, I know some people who live this way, and they look strange to the world. Yet in their eyes, you can see that their destiny is heaven and they have an incredible peace knowing that God "will repay all according to his conduct.”

The Point

• Sacrificing our lives to God is a central part of Christian life
• Jesus came to offer himself as a sacrifice for us. Why do we refuse to imitate him?
• Every day, we choose to deny ourselves, or to deny Jesus. In the end all will be accounted for.
  
• Without sacrificing of ourselves, we will not be able to know what everyone Christian wants to know- the will of God.
  
• If our lives look like everyone else's in the world (conformity) it's unlikely we are aware or even concerned with God's will
• Denying ourselves is a powerful way to imitate Christ.

Real Life

By a sheer gift from God, I lived a poor, missionary life for the past year. Every day, it was impossible to have what I wanted. I wanted air conditioning and it was difficult to sleep. But, I didn't get my way. I wanted to watch sports, but there was no television- I didn't get my way. I wanted to do as I pleased- yet I could not leave the property without permission. I wanted to use the internet, there was none available at the ranch. I wanted to hang out with friends, but they lived 1500 miles away. I wanted to take a shower, but I could only take 2 per week. The first 3 weeks was very difficult for me.

Everyone knows what happens when you give a child everything he wants. Soon, he literally screams because he can't have what he wants. In every situation, he is looking to get what he wants. He becomes mean to others and self-centered. He is difficult to be around. He can be very annoying to his friends in school (if he has friends). He has difficulty appreciating things. He often complains. Everyone has met children like this who always get what they want.

If everyone understands this, then why do we give ourselves permission to do whatever we want when we become adults? Why do we give ourselves what we want all of the time? Have we forgotten what that does to people? The more we get our way, the more we WANT to get our way. It is a powerful cycle of greed and blindness to God's will. If we weren't obsessed with having our way all of the time, we might be able to understand the life of Christ and how to be like him.

Now, when I visited my family last Christmas (after 4 months of a lifestyle of sacrifice), I noticed something. I was so accustomed to NOT getting my way, that I no longer CARED about getting my way. I would listen to someone talk, and I could SEE THEM clearly. I was able to listen patiently and keep my mouth shut. Before, I would be talking to someone, and I saw them as an obstacle to my schedule, and my goals. Before living in the desert, I was constantly thinking about what I wanted to say while someone was talking and so I was a terrible listener. I wanted my way all of the time.

And so what happened to me after living months of sacrifice? I no longer wanted my way because I was so used to it. So when God asked me to do something inconvenient, like listen to an annoying conversation, or tell the embarrassing truth, all of a sudden it was easier because I was accustomed to doing things I didn't want to do- sacrifice. After all, who actually enjoys fasting? Who likes telling the embarrassing truth? Who likes to say "no" to beautiful girls when they want to sin with you? These are not my favorite things to do!

Maybe we should sacrifice just as we do during lent with our primary fast being a fast from sinning. Maybe if we stop ourselves from ordering the most expensive thing on the menu, watching our favorite TV program, buying the newest toy and instead give our time and resources to God, we will understand sacrifice better. If it becomes part of our everyday lives, we might even be able to respond properly when Jesus says "I am going to suffer and die". Instead of saying, "God forbid!", we might say, "okay, I understand why you are doing this. I'm coming with you. Let me deny myself, take up MY cross and follow you my Lord."

God loves us.

Reading 1
Jer 20:7-9

You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped;
you were too strong for me, and you triumphed.
All the day I am an object of laughter;
everyone mocks me.

Whenever I speak, I must cry out,
violence and outrage is my message;
the word of the LORD has brought me
derision and reproach all the day.

I say to myself, I will not mention him,
I will speak in his name no more.
But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart,
imprisoned in my bones;
I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

R. (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

"Oh, Baby! I've Found Real Love" - Sincere Love and Knowledge of God - ME#15 June 8, 2008

The theme of this week's readings again is faith. Again, God wants us to know what real faith is. He compares the real faith of Abraham and Jesus with the superficial faith that "like the dew that early fades away."

This week we will discuss what real faith is vs. "pretend" faith. The readings give particular attention to real faith vs. insincere sacrifice. The first reading talks about how the Lord desires love and knowledge of him rather than sacrifices.

Today, I am focusing on real love vs. "pretend" love and knowledge of God. There is commentary following the 1st reading only.


Reading 1
Hos 6:3-6

In their affliction, people will say:
"Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;
as certain as the dawn is his coming,
and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!
He will come to us like the rain,
like spring rain that waters the earth."
What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your piety is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that early passes away.
For this reason I smote them through the prophets,
I slew them by the words of my mouth;
for it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than holocausts.

"Pretend" Love

Now why does God want real love rather than sacrifice? Not long ago, a well-known pro basketball player publicly confessed to adultery. It was reported by news agencies that a few days after he confessed to everyone and his wife, he bought a $4,000,000 ring for her. Now would he have served his wife better by remaining faithful? Instead he betrayed her and then bought a ring. I imagine that in her heart she resented the gift. Any woman who loves her spouse would prefer real loyalty over cheating and jewelry. We are talking about the person we will spend the rest of our lives with. Is jewelry going to keep us united "til death do us part" or is real love the answer?

Our situation with God is the same. We are going to spend ETERNITY with him. He desires love, not sacrifice. In the same example, didn't this basketball star SACRIFICE $4MM of his hard-earned money to buy the ring? He did, but God doesn't want this type of sacrifice. He wants REAL love. Now if a mortal woman can see through insincerity, God SURELY can. He can see through all of our insincere acts! In our modern lives, it is laughable that we would offer 10% of our income to God while committing adultery, fornication, theft, and total ABANDONMENT of our poor brothers and sisters. Sin is an offense against GOD first and foremost. Now how can we expect to make up for our infidelity to God by giving him a few bucks? In this reading, God says that such faith is "like the dew that early passes away." In other words, such faith amounts to NOTHING. God desires love, not sacrifice.¹

In Jn 15:14, Jesus says that "if you love me, you will keep my commandments". Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him, the word that I spoke. It will condemn him on the last day." Here, Jesus is so generous to explain what it means to love him. Jesus makes it easy on us. He explains very simply what we should do rather than sacrifice to him in an insincere manner. We are supposed to follow his commandments to love him and each other.

Learning About God

In this reading, the author says, "let us strive to know the Lord." God also says it is "knowledge of God" that he desires. Why does God want us to know more about him? I have found that EVERY time I learn something new about God, I am learning more about who he is. And each time, I am reminded that he is love. It is a wonderful thing to know God and that is the point of our lives.

Imagine that you love your wife. Imagine that you found some old pictures of her volunteering at an orphanage. You never knew that she did that. Next, you look into your closet and you find that your wife has ironed ALL of your shirts perfectly. You come home from work and you discover that she has spent 2 hours cooking you dinner. Wow! She loves you and you are starting to understand that in a new way. With God, we experience this new found love at the highest level. As we grow in "knowledge of God", we find that out of love, he created us so that we could experience REAL life and REAL love. We find that he loves us so much that he lowered himself by becoming human because he loves us. We find that in response to our infidelity to him, he doesn't kill us. Instead he DIES for us. Knowledge of God increases our love of him.

The Price of Ignorance

In Romans 1:24-32, Paul shows how "ignorance of God is the reason (principle) of all moral deviations."² In other words, Paul shows how we do really terrible things against God because we don't know him. Jesus echoes this on the cross: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

Here is Romans 1:24-32 where Paul talks about unbelievers:

Therefore, God handed them over to impurity through the lusts of their hearts for the mutual degradation of their bodies.
25
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26
Therefore, God handed them over to degrading passions. Their females exchanged natural relations for unnatural,
27
and the males likewise gave up natural relations with females and burned with lust for one another. Males did shameful things with males and thus received in their own persons the due penalty for their perversity.
28
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God handed them over to their undiscerning mind to do what is improper.
29
They are filled with every form of wickedness, evil, greed, and malice; full of envy, murder, rivalry, treachery, and spite. They are gossips
30
and scandalmongers and they hate God. They are insolent, haughty, boastful, ingenious in their wickedness, and rebellious toward their parents.
31
They are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
32
Although they know the just decree of God that all who practice such things deserve death, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

The people who do these things are called unbelievers. Unbelievers can be baptized Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists, or Muslims. Unbelievers are those who do not follow the law of God. "Since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God handed them over to their undiscerning mind to do what is improper." That means that people who don't know God are left with their own insufficient minds and end up doing very bad things. So what happens to them in this passage?

• Their own lust destroyed their bodies
• Perverted sexuality (homosexuality) became common.
• Males did shameful things with males and thus received in their own persons the due penalty for their perversity. (maybe he is talking about STD's and lack of fatherhood)
• Not only did they do HORRIBLE things, they gave approval to others who did.

The World Today

Does this all sound familiar? It sounds like the place where we live. Instead of following God and his natural order, we have become perverted. Instead of sex being a way for a husband and wife to participate in creation, it has been lowed to another form of entertainment by many. Giving approval to those who do terrible EVILS reminds me of abortion. We are talking about an act which ends with blood and death EVERY time. This is an act which if we would avoid, would result in long lives for millions of newborns each year. Not only do we as a nation kill our babies, we GIVE APPROVAL to those who do the killing. We vote for pro-choice politicians even though as Catholics our unified pro-life votes could make abortion illegal forever in this country. Paul isn't just talking about idolaters of the 1st century in this reading from Romans. He is talking about unfaithful Catholics of the 21st century.

Just the same, in the 1st reading, God said, "What can I do with you Ephraim?" Today, God says the same thing to us, "What can I do with you El Paso, TX? What can I do with you Lexington, KY? What can I do with you Maine? What can I do with you America? Your piety is like a morning cloud, like the dew that early passes away."

It is a sad state of affairs and personally, I don't want to be counted amongst the unfaithful on judgment day.

As you can see, ignorance of God is truly "the principle of all moral deviations." Can you see why God desires knowledge of God rather than sacrifice? Many of us who hear this message might be scared. After all, how do you get to know God? Do we have to get PHD's in theology? Of course not. Because God loves us, he makes it easy for us. Gaining knowledge of God is as easy picking up that dusty bible from the shelf. If we do not do this, we will be left to figure out life with our own pea-sized brains. Now every time we decide to watch "American Idol", ESPN, or some movie instead of reading the bible, we are making a pitiful decision. It is a daily decision in which we can get to know our God and spend eternity with him, or we can decide to be distracted by 2 hours of entertainment every night until the day we die.

Instead of staying ignorant, I hope that we will sing together, "Oh how I'd like to be in that number, when the saints go marching in!"


The Point

• God is a person, not a thing or a book. He desires a real relationship with sincere love and boundaries
• God wants love first and foremost. We can love him the same we he loves us, his Son and the Holy Spirit- by loving unconditionally as described in the commandments.
• Faith desires understanding.³ Because of our faith, we must learn more about God. God wants us to know more about him.
• The better we get to know God, the more we understand that he love us and so we will fall in love with him more and more.
• Ignorance of God causes death and destruction of all kinds. We can see it now.
• God is calling us to read the Bible. Each day, we choose to watch television and other forms of entertainment instead of growing in knowledge of God. Many of us spend more time flossing our teeth than we do reading the Bible. It is an atrocity!

Real Life

Last Sunday night, my friend and I went to a large juvenile detention center in Juarez. She sang to the inmates and shared with them the good news of the Lord. It was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. Many of these teenage boys, were against what she had to say at first. She spoke out against stealing (a way of life for many of them), pornography, and other sins. They laughed, jeered, and ignored her at first. But as the night went on, the Holy Spirit took over. Instead of telling you about it, I want you to see for yourself.

Click below to see video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8184G8FUovA


Responsorial Psalm
Ps 50:1, 8, 12-13, 14-15

R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
God the LORD has spoken and summoned the earth,
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
"Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your holocausts are before me always."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for mine are the world and its fullness.
Do I eat the flesh of strong bulls,
or is the blood of goats my drink?"
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Offer to God praise as your sacrifice
and fulfill your vows to the Most High;
Then call upon me in time of distress;
I will rescue you, and you shall glorify me."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

Reading II
Rom 4:18-25

Brothers and sisters:
Abraham believed, hoping against hope,
that he would become "the father of many nations, "
according to what was said, "Thus shall your descendants be."
He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body
as already dead - for he was almost a hundred years old -
and the dead womb of Sarah.
He did not doubt God's promise in unbelief;
rather, he was strengthened by faith and gave glory to God
and was fully convinced that what he had promised he was also able to do.
That is why it was credited to him as righteousness.
But it was not for him alone that it was written that it was credited to him;
it was also for us, to whom it will be credited,
who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
who was handed over for our transgressions
and was raised for our justification.

Gospel
Mt 9:9-13

As Jesus passed on from there,
he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, "Follow me."
And he got up and followed him.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners came
and sat with Jesus and his disciples.
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,
"Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
He heard this and said,
"Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words,
'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

Mass Excitement #15

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1- If we are obedient to God and have no plans or intentions to sin, God is quite pleased by sacrifice (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2099)
2- CCC 2087
3- CCC 158

3- CCC 158

Power Awaits You This Sunday!- Pentecost

In this week’s Mass, God wants to give you supernatural gifts to further his kingdom. I will discuss that power that God wants to give you and how to get it. Commentary will follow each reading.

Reading 1
Acts 2:1-11

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,
they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky
a noise like a strong driving wind,
and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in different tongues,
as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,
“Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,
as well as travelers from Rome,
both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,
yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues
of the mighty acts of God.”

1st

On Pentecost Sunday, the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles. The descent of the Holy Spirit is such a big deal that this Sunday, your priest will describe Pentecost as the “beginning of your Church when the Holy Spirit made known to all peoples the one true God.“

• In Luke 24:49, he says, “behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you”
• In Acts 1:4, Jesus told them to “wait for the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak”
• In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells the apostles that “you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you.”

As you can see here, this descent of the Holy Spirit is a promise from Jesus. He refers to it many times. It seems clear to me that this day is very important to us Christians. Jesus mentions the coming of the Holy Spirit several times just as he had mentioned his own death and resurrection 3 times in the book of Matthew. Obviously, it’s a big deal to God and to us.

Dumb Disciples

In this first reading, the disciples are hanging out together when all of a sudden, they hear a loud wind. Personally, I think they had no idea what to expect. After all, Jesus tried to explain his death and resurrection to his disciples on several occasions, yet they clearly did not understand. You can see their lack of understanding very well on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:21 when they say, “we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel”. Jesus told them several times that he would rise from the dead and they didn‘t understand nor believe. Just like we are today, the disciples were, for lack of a better word, DUMB. Jesus knew that very well.

Look how poorly equipped the disciples were:

• On the road to Emmaus, they were walking with Jesus and they didn’t even recognize him.
• In Mark 16:13, the 2 disciples saw the risen Jesus, but when they told the others, these others did not believe.
• In John 20:24, 10 disciples tell Thomas about Jesus and his visit to them, and Thomas refuses to believe it.

The apostles constantly had problems like falling asleep when Jesus needed them the most, and making promises they couldn’t keep.¹ Now after the descent of the Holy Spirit, things changed. The usual dumb, faithless apostles (we are exactly the same as them today) were given supernatural gifts and suddenly become new men:

• They were given the ability to speak multiple languages.
• Peter’s first speech converted 3,000 people.
• Soon after the descent of the Holy Spirit, Peter healed a crippled man.
• Peter’s knowledge of the scripture suddenly seemed extraordinary like Jesus’²
• Instead of being scared to claim Jesus as a friend, the apostles showed an unheard of confidence. Before the Sanhedrin (the same guys who had just killed Jesus) the apostles had this effect on the Sanhedrin: “observing the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them to be uneducated, ordinary men, they [Sanhedrin] were amazed”. ³

Before the descent of the Holy Spirit, the apostles had serious problems understanding and had serious problems with faith. Jesus told them that he would help them out with the Holy Spirit and that they would receive power. It happened just as he had promised.

Your Opportunity

Like always, Jesus kept his promise when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles. But the Holy Spirit was not just for the apostles. The Holy Spirit is for everyone. In Acts 8:15, Peter and John went to the Samarians and “prayed for them, that they might receive the holy Spirit. For it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.”

The point is, God wants to give the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit to EVERYONE. That means YOU. Is it possible that God would do something supernatural for you this Sunday? Do you believe in the supernatural? If not, Catholicism might not be the religion for you since Catholics believe that a man died and then rose from the dead, multiplied fish, and made blind people see. Of course we believe in the supernatural! God wants us to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, just as the disciples did at Pentecost.

Holy Spirit Does it All

God taught me 2 major things through the 1st reading:

• We can do NOTHING without the power of the Holy Spirit. (without the power of God).
• We can do ANYTHING WITH the power of the Holy Spirit and God wants to give us the Holy Spirit today and forever.

The fact that we can do nothing without the power of the Holy Spirit is NOT bad news. As Catholics, we should feel a tremendous relief that we don’t have to depend on ourselves to change the world. We should be glad that Jesus is pointing out exactly how dumb and in need we are. After all, are we smarter or holier than the apostles? Of course not! We are just as dumb, and have the same lack of faith as the apostles. So God reminds us of this in a generous and loving way. God knows who he is. He is our loving, all-powerful Father and he wants us to depend on him for EVERYTHING. People who think that their power comes from themselves have a tendency to start their own churches (e.g. Joseph Smith and Charles Russell- founders of Mormon and Jehovah’s Witnesses Churches)

Everything that God does, he does out of love. He wants to protect us from ourselves. When we start thinking that we are holy people capable of saving the world, he reminds us in this gospel, that all that we have and all we can do, comes from God. We should stick with him, because he has promised to stay with us forever.⁴

The next time you are about to pat yourself on the back for a good deed you have done, remember that you would have never done it without the help and love of God.
Beware if you think you have come up with something new about the faith by YOURSELF
The next time you are sad, lonely, scared, or you just need help with something, ask the Holy Spirit to help you. After all, do you believe that God keeps his promises?

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34

R. (cf. 30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
How manifold are your works, O Lord!
the earth is full of your creatures;
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD be glad in his works!
Pleasing to him be my theme;
I will be glad in the LORD.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading II
1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13

Brothers and sisters:
No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God
who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit.

As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

2nd Reading

The second reading is much more straightforward than the 1st. Paul says that God gives all kinds of different gifts, but they all come from the Holy Spirit. “God produces all of them in everyone.” Paul says that “to each individual, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” So that means that our gifts are supposed to benefit someone. But who? In the context of this reading, Paul is talking about THE BODY, so he is saying that our gifts are here to benefit the whole body of Christ. All of our gifts belong to God. What this means is that if you are an engineer, your work belongs to God. If you are a good singer, it is a gift from God and belongs to God. You are supposed to use it for God. If you are a nurse, your 36 hours per week belong to God and so does your paycheck. If you are a professional basketball player, your skills belong to God and were given to you by God FOR God.

Since we spend 40 or more hours per week working, I’d like to discuss how we can do our part for the body of Christ through our work.

Doing Our Part

No matter what we do for a living, we can do it for God through sharing the fruits of our labors. Imagine if you gave 90% of your income to an orphanage in Ethiopia. Your donations are enough to pay for the electricity, water bill, school books, food, vitamins and healthcare of 145 children. At 90%, you realize that you are not working for yourself. You are working for your “family” of 145 kids in Ethiopia. Those kids might not even know you, but they love eating, having clothes and reading books. Would God be pleased with such a tremendous sacrifice like this? Of course!⁵ Through charity, you are no longer working for yourself, but for God and the body of Christ (we are the body). If you are working for God and doing a lot for charity, you might even feel a new sense of purpose to your work. Of course, being very charitable would be easier if we lived in the wealthiest country in the world. Oh never mind, we DO live there! If we are not sharing our wealth with others, we have NO excuse. We have an awesome opportunity to do God’s will no matter what our jobs are. The door is open to us.

Now, most of us are not going to give away 90% of our incomes. But in Luke 21:1-4 Jesus admires the woman who gives away a few pennies, because that was all she had. God truly wants us to give all that we have. I don’t know how much that means, but God does know. Ask him.

Remember that our faith is not just something we hear or read in book. Our faith is a call to ACTION. Does your life look strange compared to the average American life? Do you ever get persecuted because of your loyalty to God? If not, it’s time to make some changes. If your life looks like the same as the typical American family, it could be that your faith is the 13th most important thing in your life. God asks us to love him with all our mind, heart and strength. That means he wants us to put him 1st. If we put God first in our lives, we are going to live uncommon lives. We are going to give to people without asking for anything in return. We are going to pray for the relatives that hate us and the boss who annoys the heck out of us. We are going to donate much of our time and money to the less fortunate. We are going to be resented for defending the innocent (elderly, unborn etc).

What the Average Person Should Do

In this reading, Paul says that each one of us is part of the body of Christ. The typical work week is a big part of the average Christian’s life. So what are we supposed to do with it? We are supposed to give it to the Lord. Despite what the investment and retirement planning firms say, saving for retirement is not what brings peace of mind. There are tons of people with plenty of money during retirement and they ask the same question that all people ask: Isn’t there more to life than this? There IS more and only through doing God’s will can we enjoy peace of mind. We need to start living what we believe.

Gospel
Jn 20:19-23

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”


Gospel

No Commentary


Real Life

Normally in this section, I write about some story that happened to me or to someone else I know. But this week, “Real Life” doesn’t have to be a story you read about. You can write your own story after this week’s Mass.

When I received the gift of the Holy Spirit in December of last year, my whole life changed. I started to have a strong desire to read the bible, especially the book of Acts. I was suddenly able to understand the bible in a much deeper way and all of a sudden, I found that I had gifts I never knew about. The power of the Holy Spirit descended on me through “the baptism of the Holy Spirit”. Typically, at the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, someone or some group of people lay hands on you just as described in the book of Acts.⁶ Everyone prays for the Holy Spirit to descend on you. Then the power of the Holy Spirit envelopes you and the Lord gives you some gift(s). Jesus said that “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” Do you think that Jesus is telling the truth? See for yourself.

Before Mass this week:

• Ask the Lord to show you what sort of sins are in your life. You need to know the sins you have before you can renounce them and if you want to renounce the one who encourages you to sin (Satan)
• After examining your conscience, go to confession and if you tell God that you don’t want to sin anymore and you mean it, you will be very open to the gift the Holy Spirit and everything he wants to give you.

At the end of Mass this week, your priest will say this blessing at the end of Mass: “May he bless you and give you the gifts of the Spirit for ever. May that fire that hovered over the disciples as tongues of flame burn out all evil from your hearts and make them glow with pure light”.

It’s not necessary, but you might want to ask your priest to meet you after mass and to lay hands on you as he says this blessing. Before any of this occurs and even during the blessing, you should pray that God give you gifts both natural and supernatural. After this, you can write a “Real Life” story to your friends.

Common responses to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit include:

• An increased desire to evangelize
• Increased sanctity and holiness and more power and control over sin
• Increased ease and desire to pray
• Increased ease and desire to read scripture.

You may feel the effects immediately, or gradually, or both. I am excited for you.

May God bless you with the power of the Holy Spirit forever.


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1- Matthew 26:35
2- Acts 4:22
3- Acts 4:13
4- Matthew 28: 18-20
5- assuming this is indeed his will for your life.
6- Acts 8:15