"How Can I Hear the Voice of God?" #20 - The Bible and Tradition July, 13, 2008

This week’s commentary is about the Word of God. We will talk about how the Word of God still manifests itself to us today. Again, this week’s readings are the good news of the Lord. In these readings, we are reminded that God wishes to give us EVERYTHING that we need for salvation in a PRACTICAL way. There is commentary following the Gospel reading. The 1st and 2nd readings, and the psalms are at the very end of this document.There is a video included in the “Real Life” section (5 minutes). This week’s Mass Excitement is a little longer than usual, but I think it will be worth your time.

Gospel
Mt 13:1-23 or 13:1-9

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

The disciples approached him and said,
“Why do you speak to them in parables?”
He said to them in reply,
“Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted,
and I heal them.

“But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

“Hear then the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one
who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it,
and the evil one comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

Gospel

When we hear “the Word of God” we often think of the Bible. Indeed, the Bible is the “speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit.”¹ Since the Bible is a way by which we can hear God speak, we should read it. The Bible gives us nourishment and strength because it is the Word of God.¹³ It makes more sense to read the Bible and receive advice from the one who created us rather than from late night TV talk show hosts, our friends, or the internet. Now, back to this particular Gospel. Let’s look at how we receive the Word of God from our Church.

In this Gospel, Jesus answers the disciples by saying that “knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom heaven has been granted to you.” Notice that Jesus says “granted”. That means that the disciples did not FIGURE OUT the faith and the meaning of the parables on their own. There understanding had been GIVEN to them. And why would Jesus give knowledge to these particular men? Is it because they were holy? No! The Bible tells us that they were sinners who struggled with their faith. They even fell asleep, leaving Jesus to be captured and condemned. Jesus did not give “knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” to them because they were already holy. Jesus can give it to whomever he chooses. He often chooses sinners, the unskilled, and people of low intelligence to do his will. His apostles are examples of this and so are we.

Jesus said to the disciples, “whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me.”² In other words, Jesus gave them authority and the knowledge to teach the Word of God. Jesus was fully aware that he had given the disciples knowledge of the faith and he entrusted it to them. All of this, he did intentionally and with purpose. Last week’s gospel said that “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” This reminds us that it is impossible to know God without the Father’s revelation or the consent of the Son. Jesus did give his consent and along with it the knowledge and ability to preach the Word of God in its entirety. That’s why Jesus says in this gospel that “blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” A lot of holy people for many years wanted to know the Word of God, but they couldn’t until “the Word became flesh”. In other words, it was impossible to know the Word of God entirely until the Word himself (Jesus) came into the world.


It Takes Revelation

You can see that it’s true that NO ONE knows Jesus except the Father when you look at John the Baptist. Jesus said that “among those born of women, there has been none greater than John the Baptist.”³ That may be the highest compliment any man has received in the history of mankind because it came from Jesus! Yet despite how “great” John the Baptist was, even HE didn‘t recognize who Jesus was! In Matthew 11:2, John sends messengers to Jesus asking if he is the Messiah. So clearly, John didn’t know who Jesus was. Only Peter knew who Jesus was and he didn’t figure that out on his own either. Rather, Jesus said to Peter, “flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.” So it is true that “no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” It takes the consent and the power of God to know God. So, who does God reveal himself to?

The Word of God and the Church

Most people think of the Bible when they hear “the Word of God” and again, the Bible truly is God’s word. Yet, most protestants believe that the Bible is the ONLY source of authority. That is flat wrong and illogical. After all, did Peter and Paul have the New Testament to guide them with authority? No! The new testament had not been written yet. So Peter and Paul DID NOT rely on the Bible as the sole source of authority. They had to rely on God’s continuous revelation (transmission of truth)to them. Paul is the author of most of the books of the New Testament. But he could only write because he depended on Peter’s leadership and the continuous revelations that Peter received from God. God gave Peter a vision (a transmission of truth) and only because of this transmission did Paul learn from Peter that God desired the salvation of everyone and not just the Jews.⁴ In another instance, Paul wasn’t sure whether the gentiles had to be circumcised or not, so he went to meet with Peter and the others. After a lot of debating, Peter (the disciple who recognized Jesus) stood up and told everyone that the “yoke” of circumcision was unnecessary for salvation. With that, “the whole assembly fell silent”.⁵ It is clear in the book of Acts that Peter was the leader of early church. So it was through the apostles, guided by the Holy Spirit, with Peter as the head that shared the FULL truth of the Word of God to the early church through continuous “living transmission” from God. This continues to this day through the successor of Saint Peter and the successors of the first bishops like Paul and others. Getting the Word of God from our Church leaders has been something we’ve relied on since the time of Jesus. This is the way Jesus wanted it set up because he gave Peter the power to "bind and loose".

The Word of God Continues to Speak

Our Catechism says that we continually receive the Word of God through continuous revealing (divine transmission).⁶ We call this divine transmission “Tradition” with a capital “T”. Tradition is what we know, not what we do. “[Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit.⁷ Again, “[Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God. Since the resurrection of Jesus 2000 years ago, God continuously reveals all that we believe to our church leaders. That is, continuous divine revelation has been used by God since the time of Jesus. Remember the example of Peter and Paul.

So God gives us Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the Church’s teaching authority to give us the Word of God. What does this tell us about God? It tells us primarily that God loves us immensely and that he is highly practical. He doesn’t just throw a THICK instruction manual at us without sending us someone to explain it. He started the Church with Peter and the apostles. He gave the apostles and Peter all they needed to spread the good news. He asked the apostles to teach what they had learned. “In order that the full and living Gospel might always be preserved in the Church, the apostles left bishops as their successors.”⁸ So even today, through the power of the Holy Spirit, God offers us the bishops and the successor of Peter, Pope Benedict XVI to guide, teach, and protect us.

Many people object to the infallibility of the Pope’s teachings because he is just a man and thus a sinner. We must remember that Peter was a sinner as well and yet the Father revealed to him the true identity of Jesus and that made Peter a superb leader. It is an honor to have the Pope as our leader. Despite the fact that he is a sinner, his definitive doctrines are infallible thanks to the grace of God.

Sacred Scripture and Tradition as Teammates

It is important to know that the teaching authority (Magisterium) of the Church is not superior to the Word of God.”⁹ Sacred Scripture and Tradition work TOGETHER to reveal the same truth.¹⁰ The Magisterium SERVES the Word of God. The Church’s teaching authority is a gift from God which helps us to penetrate our faith “more deeply with right judgment, and apply it more fully in daily life.”¹¹ In other words, we have serious problems understanding the Bible without someone to explaining it to us. Making mistakes in interpretation can be catastrophic for our faith and relationship with God. For example, an incorrect understanding of salvation has lead some baptized believers to think that good works are unnecessary for salvation and that we are saved by faith alone. This leads some baptized to believe that they can sin all they want and still enter heaven. Another great example is Jesus’ teaching about his body and blood in the Bible. As a service to the Word of God, the teaching authority of the church tells us that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. We Catholics know that center of our faith is the Eucharist because the Eucharist is Jesus. Where would we be without Jesus in the Eucharist? So church’s teaching authority is here because we are dummies and sinners and we need interpretation and protection from ourselves.

In the end, the way that God reveals his Word tells us about him. Namely, it tell us that he loves us and he keeps his promise that he is with us always until the end of the age.¹²

The Point

• All of the apostles including Peter, understood the Word of God because God has revealed it to them. They are the ONLY worthy teachers because they have received ability and authority directly from God.
• Because Jesus gave authority to them, whoever rejects the bishops and the Pope, rejects Jesus.
• After centuries of prophets, none was greater than John the Baptist, but even he did not know who Jesus was. Only Peter knew because the Father revealed Jesus’ identity to Peter. Thus Peter was the outstanding leader of the early Church and Pope Benedict is his chosen successor.
• We have received the Word of God through divine revelation to church leaders like Peter and Paul since the beginning of the Church. This continues today just the way Jesus wanted.
• Holy Tradition contains the entire Word of God
• God gave us authoritative teachers to protect us and to teach us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
• We should read the Catechism and encyclicals by our Pope. http://www.papalencyclicals.net/all.htm
  
• The teaching authority of the Church is not superior to sacred scripture. It is there to serve sacred scripture.

Real Life

This past week, I went to Gethsemani Abbey in Trappist, KY 40 miles from Louisville to discern God’s will. As soon as I got there, the monks and priests were praying the psalms. As I sang along with the monks, God made it crystal clear to me what his will was for me through the power of his word which was written 2500 years ago (Psalms). I was well over a 1000 miles from El Paso hoping that God would speak to me, and he did through the same book I had with me in El Paso. God’s word is alive and powerful!

I made a video of my trip there. Click below to see it.


1- CCC 81
2- Luke 10:16
3- Matthew 11:11
4- Acts 10:9
5- Acts 15:6-12
6- CCC 78
7- CCC 81
8- CCC 77
9- CCC 86
10- CCC 80
11- CCC 93
12- Matthew 28:20
13- CCC 104

What to Fear

This week, we are talking about:

What is sin?
Why are we sinful?
What should we fear?

There is commentary following the gospel, but most of the commentary relates to the 2nd reading.

Reading 1
Jer 20:10-13

Jeremiah said:
“I hear the whisperings of many:
‘Terror on every side!
Denounce! let us denounce him!’
All those who were my friends
are on the watch for any misstep of mine.
‘Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail,
and take our vengeance on him.’
But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion:
my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.
In their failure they will be put to utter shame,
to lasting, unforgettable confusion.
O LORD of hosts, you who test the just,
who probe mind and heart,
let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause.
Sing to the LORD,
praise the LORD,
for he has rescued the life of the poor
from the power of the wicked!”

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35

R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.
For your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my children,
Because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
I pray to you, O LORD,
for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
Answer me, O LORD, for bounteous is your kindness;
in your great mercy turn toward me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.
Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
the seas and whatever moves in them!"
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.

Reading II
Rom 5:12-15

Brothers and sisters:
Through one man sin entered the world,
and through sin, death,
and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned—
for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world,
though sin is not accounted when there is no law.
But death reigned from Adam to Moses,
even over those who did not sin
after the pattern of the trespass of Adam,
who is the type of the one who was to come.

But the gift is not like the transgression.
For if by the transgression of the one the many died,
how much more did the grace of God
and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ
overflow for the many.

Gospel
Mt 10:26-33

Jesus said to the Twelve:
“Fear no one.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

Commentary

We all know the story of Adam and Eve. But in the 2nd reading, Paul discusses our first parents so it’s important that we understand what happened.

It’s very important to understand sin because without God letting us know what the problem with sin is , we cannot understand it completely. If we better understand sin as God teaches us, we will take our decisions seriously and do all that we can to avoid sinning. Sin is bad because it is offensive to God. We should stop sinning for the right reason, because it hurts God and it is offensive to him and causes separation between us and God. Below is an easy explanation:

Quitting For the Right Reason

In a very simple analogy, let’s imagine for a moment that I am married. I cheat on my wife. I now have an STD (sexually transmitted disease). So I approach my wife and tell her that I have been cheating on her and now have an STD. I tell my wife that because the STD is causing uncomfortable symptoms, I have decided to quit cheating.

Now how would she react to this incident? She would get mad, sad, and then angry because I don’t’ want to quit cheating on her for the right reason. The worst part of my cheating is not the disease that I caught. The worst part of my cheating is that it HURTS MY WIFE and it HURTS ME! Cheating is offensive to my wife. Just the same, we have to quit sinning for the right reason. We have to understand what sin IS and what we are to do about it. To understand sin, we have to acknowledge that it is an offense against God and that’s why we should be sorry for sin. Natural consequences like STD’s should not be the reason to stop sinning.

Let’s look at Adam and Eve in order to understand better. Adam and Eve were born holy.(CCC 399) But after listening to the serpent, Eve ate the fruit and then Adam did the same.

Lack of Trust

The sin of Adam and Eve was a sin against God. In the first sin, “man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in his creator die in his heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed God’s command.” Here we see a clear description of sin and what is at the root - lack of trust. Adam did not trust God who told Adam that if he ate the fruit, he would die. Adam did not believe it. He did not trust the word of his creator.

Another example: God loves me, and he asks that I tell the truth at all times. For example, my wife asks me if I watered the plants while she was out of town. I lie to her because I forgot to water the plants. So, what happens? She finds out the truth on her own. She is sad and understandably upset. She begins to wonder what else I lie to her about. She begins to wonder what sort of man she has married. We start arguing and I start wondering why she loves her plants more than she loves me and I start wondering what sort of woman I have married. As you can see here, sin creates lots of problems and mistrust immediately.

In this example, I know it’s a sin against God to lie. But I thought to myself, “hey God, it’s okay to lie to my wife about the plants because she is not going to find out and it’s really not a big deal. I know you told me to NEVER lie, but I’m not so sure you are right about this. I am going to take matters into my own hands here because I know my wife very well.”

At the heart of EVERY sin is disobedience toward God and lack of trust in his goodness.¹ In this example, I would have been better off listening to God and telling the truth. Disobeying God is an offense against God, but I must keep in mind that God wants what’s best for me and my wife. He wants me and my wife to be happy. That’s why he commands me to tell the truth.

We are Christians and we believe in God. When we sin, we say with our actions that WE DO NOT TRUST God. Now that is a terrible statement to make to God and we all know that actions speak louder than words. We should use our actions to praise God, not to curse him.

Sin Goggles

In case you didn’t know, wearing “beer goggles” means you are drunk. The alcohol distorts your senses including your vision. And so, you are wearing “beer goggles”. Sin works in the same way. In Genesis Chapter 3, Adam and Eve sin and their immediate reaction is to hide. Had God done anything to Adam or Eve that they should fear him? Of course not, God was only loving to them both. He was thinking about Adam when he made Eve because he said, “it is not good for the man to be alone.”² Also, God had lovingly given everything to Adam including life and power over all the animals and food and drink.

Yet Adam and Eve were afraid of their loving God after they sinned. They suddenly had a different view of God. That’s why they hid after they had sinned. They had on “sin goggles”. Because of the “sin goggles”, Adam immediately saw Eve in a different way as well. He complained to God, “The woman whom you put here with me- she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it.” Eve because of the fear and shame that sin brought, also joined in the blame game by pointing out the serpent.

When I sin, I not only become ashamed but I also become afraid. I become afraid of God and afraid of others. I even start to become suspicious of God and his love. I am sure that no sin, not even the smallest, is worth committing.

Original Sin

In the 2nd reading, Paul says that, “through sin, death came to all men.” He is talking about Adam and his sin against God, which resulted in Adam’s eventual death. Yet, “death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam.” That means that people continued to be sinful after Adam and they also died. In order to explain what this means, I’d like to use another example:

Someone told me that there was a hidden camera study done a while back. Kids were told to wait in a room. They were also told not to look in a certain area of the room. Every kid in the test would wait for the adult to leave the room and would then look at the one place they were told not to.

And so, our nature is partially corrupted because of the sin of Adam and Eve. We are drawn towards sin. It is important to be aware of our sinful nature. Because of this, we understand our need for salvation. Also, all people are connected to each other. And so, when one of us sins, all of us are hurt. Because of the sin of Adam and Eve, we suffer. The good news is that because Jesus became human, we are also connected to HIM just as we are connected to Adam. And so we benefit and are saved by Jesus’ death on the cross. In Romans 5:18, Paul says, “just as through one transgression (one sin) condemnation came upon all, so through one righteous act acquittal and life came to all.”

Fear- Commentary on 1st Reading and Gospel

In the first reading, Jeremiah says, “the Lord is with me……Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!” In the Gospel, Jesus says, “Fear no one.” The readings discuss fear.

And so as a common person, here are some things I fear:

• I’m afraid to lose my job or to fail at school
• I’m afraid my wife/girlfriend will leave me
• I’m afraid I won’t be able to pay the bills
• I’m afraid that my friends will make fun of me
• I’m afraid people will find out the bad things I have done
• I’m afraid of being unwanted
• I’m afraid of dying
• I’m afraid of being ugly

To this Jesus, says “Fear no one.” Getting killed, losing our jobs, losing our boyfriends/girlfriends, or being humiliated, is not what we should fear. Jesus assures us that God is watching and protecting us constantly. “Even all the hairs of your head are counted.” God even keeps a watch over the birds. If God keeps his eyes on birds, he certainly keeps his eyes on us as well, and so we have nothing to fear- except one thing.

We must fear “the one who can destroy both soul and body”. Jesus is talking about the devil. What does the devil want man to do? He wants man to disobey God and to sin. He started with the first man Adam and he wants EVERY man to do the same. He even approached the man Jesus. The devil wants the exact opposite of what God wants. God wants us to “have life and have it more abundantly.”³ The devil wants us to disobey God the same way HE does and the devil knows that sin leads to the death of “both soul and body in Gehenna.”

The good news is that the devil is no match for the creator of the universe so truly we can have confidence in our almighty and loving Lord. However, it is important that we recognize “the broad road which leads to destruction”. ⁴ Although we needn’t fear anything in this world especially our petty concerns, we must recognize that our humanity is corrupted and we are drawn towards sin. We must constantly rely on the Lord for help by asking him to help us. As our lives become holier, we won’t have to rely on ourselves for protection. We will say just as Jeremiah said in the first reading, “the Lord is with me like a mighty champion”. We will grow in confidence that God will protect us from “the power of the wicked.”


The Point

• We must quit sinning for ONE reason. God loves us and we should respond by LOVING him, not by offending him. Sin is bad because it is an offense against God.
• Every sin is a statement to God that WE DO NOT TRUST HIM. We tell God that we know better than he knows.
• Sin immediately causes fear and shame. (is that true for you?) Sin even causes us to be suspicious and distrustful of our God, ourselves, and others as well.
• Because of the sin of Adam and Eve, our nature is corrupted and sinful.
• Because of God’s death on the cross, he paid the price for Adam and Eve’s sin and ours as well.
• We have many fears, but the only thing to fear is sin.

Real Life

Here is a prayer we can share:

Lord,

I am a sinner. Because of my sins, I have spent my life afraid and ashamed. I have been afraid of the future. I have been afraid of what I did yesterday. I have been afraid of what others think of me. I have been afraid of criticism. I need your help Lord. Shelter me, protect me, teach me and forgive me. I know you are with me Lord. You are walking with me. I am confident with you at my side. With you at my side, the devil will tremble and flee. I want to be with you for the rest of eternity. I am not afraid any more. I pray that the rest of my life will be pleasing to you. Stay with me Lord forever….




==============================================Mass Excitement======================







1- CCC 397
2- Genesis 2:18
3- John 10:10
4- Matthew 7:13

I Live For You

This week, the commentary revolves around the 2nd reading, where Paul talks about how God died for us. We will discuss what this means, why God did it, and how much it cost him. There is commentary following the 2nd reading.

Reading 1
Ex 19:2-6a

In those days, the Israelites came to the desert of Sinai and pitched camp.
While Israel was encamped here in front of the mountain,
Moses went up the mountain to God.
Then the LORD called to him and said,
"Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob;
tell the Israelites:
You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians
and how I bore you up on eagle wings and brought you here to myself.
Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant,
you shall be my special possession,
dearer to me than all other people,
though all the earth is mine.
You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation."

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 100:1-2, 3, 5

R. (3c) We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
The LORD is good:
his kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
R. We are his people: the sheep of his flock.

Reading II
Rom 5:6-11

Brothers and sisters:
Christ, while we were still helpless,
yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person
one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood,
will we be saved through him from the wrath.
Indeed, if, while we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son,
how much more, once reconciled, will we be saved by his life.
Not only that,
but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation.


Punishment Versus Love

How does Jesus' death save us? Many of us are guilty of serious sin. We are guilty of abortion, theft, blasphemy, fornication, adultery, and a host of other sins. Sin causes death and deserves just punishment. God sees our pitiful state of sin. He sees us "abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd."(gospel) God knows that the nature of sin is that it deserves punishment.

Jesus says that there is no other love greater than that a man lay down his life for his friends.¹ So he looks at our deserved "punishment" in the eye and says to us, "I will take that punishment for you. You deserve to be killed for your sins but, I will stand in your place." "How much more then, since we are justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath."

Jesus is aware of how loving this act is because he says that "there is no greater love". But, this was not a painless act for Jesus. "Only with difficulty does one die for a just person." We are not JUST people. We are sinners. Yet Jesus died for us. This makes his passion an even greater act of love since he did it for people who've done nothing to deserve it. It was painful to die for us. As Jesus' death approached, he was sorrowful even to death.(sorrowful enough to die)²

The Highest Example of Pain

I know someone who had a friend ("Angie") with cancer. This guy prayed to God asking God to allow him to suffer in exchange for Angie's cure. The same night of his prayer, he awoke with a tremendous pain in his foot. The pain was so great that he clenched his fists and teeth for hours as he soaked his pillow with sweat. He says that it felt like a nail had been driven through his foot and he described the pain as having a supernaturally tremendous power- it hurt a lot. This lasted almost the entire night. It took all of this suffering (and maybe more) just to cure someone's cancer. Let's try now to imagine how much it hurt to be punished for all the sin of mankind. Like this man who cared about Angie, Jesus volunteered to suffer for our offenses. I am sure that it hurt much more than it did for this man who felt an excruciating pain in his foot. Jesus' passion hurt so much, that just thinking about it nearly killed Jesus in the garden. He sweated blood. Jesus' pain during his passion was so great that we will never comprehend it completely.

Jesus knew the Passion would be tortuous and he prayed: "My father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me… Thus he expresses the horror that death represented for his human nature."³ Jesus' human nature did NOT want to die. He knew it was going to hurt and he knew the pain would be supernaturally horrific. Jesus has free will just like you and I do. He used it in a perfectly loving way. He didn't have to do it, but he chose to suffer terribly for us. It was not easy for Jesus to die for us.

We can see that God "proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us." God did not make a theological commitment when he decided to suffer the passion. He made a commitment to be tortured in the most horrifying fashion. He was mocked by the soldiers. He was giving his life for those soldiers, yet instead of thanking him, they mocked Jesus and put a flesh-tearing crown on his head. And all the while, Jesus was alone because his best friends had abandoned him.

Jesus's death was painful, but it was his choice to do it for us.

God's Plan

We must keep in mind that anytime we meditate on the passion, we should remember that the soldiers and Pilate did not OVERPOWER Jesus. He gave up his life because he wanted to.⁴ After all, he raised Lazarus from the dead and walked on water. He can do whatever he wants. So, his passion and death is not some tragedy that he did not expect to happen. Jesus talks about his death in Luke 12:50 saying, "there is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until is it accomplished! Jesus is the "lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world". Both he and John the Baptist knew from the beginning that the purpose of Jesus' birth was so that he would die for us. So Jesus's suffering and death were the reasons why he was born.

Sometimes, we offer sacrifices to God like abstaining from meat on Fridays. But Jesus' death is the ultimate sacrifice because it comes not from us, but from God. It is HIS sacrifice. Is it not holy? Also, in the passion of our Lord, GOD IS the sacrifice. And so this is the ultimate sacrifice.

Jesus Died for Hitler

Yes, you read it right. Our Catholic faith teaches us that "Christ died for ALL men without exception: There is not, never has been, and never will be a single human being for whom Christ did not suffer."⁵ So Jesus died for everyone, including those who hate God. We are all recipients of God's supreme sacrifice.

Think of someone right now that you DO NOT like. I am thinking of a guy named "Ricky". Ricky is the founder of one of the largest pornography companies ever. His company is destroying the lives of our daughters, sisters, and even boys and men whose minds are polluted with this garbage. I am sure that Ricky's pornography is leading many souls to hell. Now even though I am very mad at Ricky, Jesus is at Ricky's side. He is tugging on Ricky's shirt, saying "hey!, I died for you and I love you. I forgive you. Your sins are gigantic, but they are nothing compared to the size of my mercy. I want to save you. Are you listening to me?"

So Jesus, is at Ricky's side pleading to Ricky that he be saved. So how can I at the same time, wish evil upon Ricky? If I wish evil upon Ricky, I am acting against the will of God, and that's not what I want to do. So, the point is, no matter how much I hate someone, I have to pray for him/her and I have to hope that he is saved. Because Jesus said, "If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the 99 in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the 99 that did no stray."⁶So Jesus desires that the worst sinners come back to him. It's because Jesus is full of love.

So we asked the question, "how does Jesus' death save us?" Our offenses against God are tremendous and they require punishment. Our God says to us, I will stand in your place. I will take the punishment that you deserve. "

The Point

• Because of the nature of sin and of justice, we deserve severe punishment for our sins. Because God loves us, he volunteers to suffer terribly and to die rather than inflict the punishment on us directly.
• Jesus passion and death were so painful that just the thought of it nearly killed Jesus and made him sweat blood.
• Even though Jesus' human nature did not want to die horribly, he was perfectly obedient to the will of the Father and was crucified for us because he loves us.
• Jesus was born to die for us. It was all part of God's plan. He saw us suffering, and he sent his son to teach us, to save us, and be our role model. All of this he accomplished by dying on the cross.
• God is VERY happy when a sinner comes back to him, so we must remember that Jesus died for everyone, including our enemies. We should cooperate with God by praying for our enemies.

Real Life

If you have 3 minutes of quiet time for meditation, turn on your speakers and listen to this:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wztzkc8VUs

Gospel
Mt 9:36—10:8

At the sight of the crowds, Jesus' heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest."

Then he summoned his twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits
to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.
The names of the twelve apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon from Cana, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus,
"Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give."

Mass Excitement #16

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1- Jn 15:13
2- Matt 26:38
3- CCC 612
4- Jn 10:18
5- CCC 605
6- Matt 18:12-13

"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

Reality Show Star Goes to Jail

June 2, 2008
by Chris Pham

Juarez, Mexico- Many reality show stars ride their lottery ticket to fame and riches after their television success. But not Azeneth Gonzalez.

Ms. Gonzalez was a finalist on La Academia in 2003- a popular reality show similar to American Idol. It airs in Mexico on the nation's 2nd-largest network.

La Academia contestants have spent 109 weeks at the top of the Mexican Top 100 songs list. That's not too shabby for a country of over 100 million.

Sunday night, she spent her free time singing and talking to kids at the Reto de Juventud- a juvenile detention center in an impoverished, dangerous area of Juarez. Juarez residents have been gripped with fear lately with nearly 600 confirmed murders year to date and a murder rate 10 times greater than many large American cities. To make matters worse, over 150 women have been reported missing.

Despite the danger, Ms. Gonzalez journeyed to the juvenile detention center with only 2 friends in an old sedan without air conditioning. Just as she does with ALL of her ministries, she prayed for nearly an hour before arriving.

Over 100 inmates were there for her talk/concert. Inmates at Reto De Juventud are mostly males aged 15-18 with sentences as short as a few days to as long as several years. Many have been convicted of serious crimes.

The night began with the song "your will" in which the lyrics ask, "Christ give me the strength to continue!" After some singing, Ms. Gonzalez spoke out against crimes such as theft as well as legal activities such as viewing pornography. Many of the inmates wore expressions of boredom, resentment, and ridicule.

As the night progressed, the inmates began loosening up and even sang along with Ms. Gonzalez after she insisted that "there are enough people here to sing loudly". She even offered to sing Christian songs that the inmates requested. By the end of the night, the frowns turned into smiles and laughter as the boys belted out songs they knew. The boys even joined arms and danced- in a jail!

Not all music stars get too wrapped up with themselves to forget those in need. Azeneth Gonzalez is one of them. Instead of driving a Ferrari to the movies Sunday night, she rode in a cheap car into a dangerous neighborhood to help strangers.

Several adult attendants had tears in their eyes during the dancing. The inmates sang a song called "mustard seed" which references a passage from Matthew Chapter 17, which suggests that faith can move mountains. Some Christians believe it, some don't. One thing was evident Sunday night- faith is enough to move bored, lonely, hopeless boys into joyous dancing.

Click below to see a video of this story.

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

Am I Going to Heaven or Hell?- Faith and Grace

This week's discussion is about how are souls are saved. There is commentary following the Gospel reading. Most of the commentary relates to the 2nd reading from Romans. We will discuss sin, God's help, and Faith as the way to salvation.

Reading 1
Dt 11:18, 26-28, 32

Moses told the people,
"Take these words of mine into your heart and soul.
Bind them at your wrist as a sign,
and let them be a pendant on your forehead.

"I set before you here, this day, a blessing and a curse:
a blessing for obeying the commandments of the LORD, your God,
which I enjoin on you today;
a curse if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD, your God,
but turn aside from the way I ordain for you today,
to follow other gods, whom you have not known."

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 31:2-3, 3-4, 17, 25

R. (3b) Lord, be my rock of safety.
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me,
incline your ear to me,
make haste to deliver me!
R. Lord, be my rock of safety.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety.
You are my rock and my fortress;
for your name's sake you will lead and guide me.
R. Lord, be my rock of safety.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your kindness.
Take courage and be stouthearted,
all you who hope in the LORD.
R. Lord, be my rock of safety.

Reading II
Rom 3:21-25, 28

Brothers and sisters,
Now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law,
though testified to by the law and the prophets,
the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ
for all who believe.
For there is no distinction;
all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God.
They are justified freely by his grace
through the redemption in Christ Jesus,
whom God set forth as an expiation,
through faith, by his blood.
For we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

Gospel
Mt 7:21-27

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,'
will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day,
'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?'
Then I will declare to them solemnly,
'I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.'

"Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined."



Help Wanted

Paul says that "ALL have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God." What does that mean? We have sinned. In doing so, we have hurt God. Out of great love, God created us knowing the risk that we might not love him back. For God, the risk was worth it. It was worth giving us life and an opportunity to love him. Before he created us, he knew that we would find joy in knowing him and loving him. This generosity and love is the "glory of God". It's bad to be deprived of this love.

When we sin, we walk away from the "glory of God". The true purpose of our lives is to love God in response to his love. So in sin, we turn our backs to God and say, "no" to our true purpose. Saying "no" to our true purpose "deprives us of the glory of God." Saying "no" to our true purpose means we say "no" to true love.

"All have sinned." We have problems and we need help. But God "makes no distinction." In other words, God does not discriminate. Rather, he wants to help ALL of us and he knows that we have sinned. We are given help even though we haven't done anything to deserve it. We are screwups. We need help (grace).

Grace

In the 2nd reading, Paul says that sinners are, "justified freely by his grace". What is grace? Our Church describes grace as "undeserved help from God".¹ Grace is also described as "a participation in the life of God."² This is God's gift to us; he wants to help us by letting us participate in his life. We cannot be saved without "undeserved help from God." We are saved ONLY because God wills and desires it. God is the one moving towards US. He chooses US. He takes the initiative and he CHOOSES to reveal himself. In this reading, "justified freely by grace" means that we are saved ONLY because God wants it to happen and he makes it happen. It is a real relief to know that it is God who saves US and we don't have to depend on ourselves for salvation. However, we have to respond to God's love properly.

Recap:

1. Because of sin, we have turned our backs to the best friend we could ever ask for. We have turned our backs on the ONLY PERFECT FRIEND we have.
2. God knows we have messed up, so he gives us "undeserved help" because he loves us. We cannot be saved without God's help.
3. God helps us by allowing us to participate in his life.

Responding to Grace

Our perfect response to God's grace is faith in Jesus Christ. Why is it important to have faith in Jesus? How is faith in Jesus the perfect response to the "undeserved help" that God gives us?

Imagine that you are married to the perfect spouse. You cheat on your spouse (that's what sin is- cheating on God). Your spouse catches you in the act. Instead of divorcing you or getting revenge, your spouse, says the following: "You have cheated on me and I forgive you. I accept this suffering. I forgive you because I love you. Will you accept my forgiveness?

God offers this same generous forgiveness to us. We have cheated on him by sinning. Instead of divorcing us, he forgives us. He says, "you hurt me, but I'm going to make up for your mistakes". I am going to become human and then I am going to die for your sins. Will you accept my forgiveness?

This is why it is important to have faith in Jesus. God offers us help. We MUST accept this offer from our loving creator. This is why faith in Jesus is the perfect response to God's undeserved help. Faith in Jesus in necessary for our salvation. If he goes so far as to die for us, we had better take notice of his love and we must accept it. We must respond perfectly by saying "yes, I have faith in Jesus. Yes, I accept your forgiveness my God."

Faith

So we need to have faith in Jesus in order to save our souls. How do we have faith? Faith is an act. In faith, we say to God, "I don't understand you completely, but I give myself to you. I want to do your will."³ "Faith is a willing expression of agreement to the whole truth that God has revealed"⁴ In other words, faith means that we willingly accept ALL that God gives us and to teaches us.

To trust another human in this way would not make sense. Why should you agree with EVERYTHING that someone says and then submit to the will of someone else? That's why many of us are afraid to give ourselves to God completely. We have never met anyone we can completely give ourselves to. We have never known a person whose every word we are willing to obey and agree with. So we think that God is like every other person we have known. We think that God is probably flawed just like everyone else so we don't want to trust him completely. So we think it would be irresponsible and just plain to dumb to have this type of faith and surrender to a person. It WOULD be dumb to do this, unless the person is Jesus. It makes complete sense to give ourselves completely in submission and obedience to our loving God and ALL that he wishes to teach us. It is necessary to put our faith in God.

Faith is an action. The action is this- we give ourselves completely to God. We hand the steering wheel over to God.

• Well, I want to go to the local bar, but God doesn't. He steers me away from the bar.
• I want to go to the pornography store. God steers me away from pornography.
• I want to look at my refection all day long. God steers me away from my vanity.

Well, I don't want to give the steering wheel to someone else. But I do it because we are talking about God here. He's the only person I trust to do the driving.

Justification

Faith is a surrender of our will and intellect to God.⁵ Faith means saying, "hey God, I trust you more than I trust myself. You can drive from now on." We have to give our will and our intellect to God. In the second reading, Paul mentions that we are "justified". Justification means "to cleanse us of our sins and to communicate to us the righteousness (perfect morality) of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and baptism"⁶ And so, by giving our will and intellect to God, we are justified- our souls are saved. Again, we are saved when we accept God's love and we let HIM run our lives instead of running it ourselves.

In order to be saved, we must let God be the boss of our lives. So how do we know if we have actually done this? Faith is an act.⁷ How do we know if we have "given our will and intellect to God" (faith)? Well if you took a shower for the first time in your life today, you would notice a difference in the way you smell. You wouldn't need anyone to tell you that you smell different. It is the same with an act of faith. Faith is easy to see. Once you have made an act of faith and have given yourself to God you will know it, just the same as you would know that you smell different after the first shower of your life. Those who've made an act of faith know that they've done it. If I don't know it, I probably haven't done it. Remember that it is faith in Jesus that saves us. That means that without faith in Jesus, we are not saved. This is serious stuff. I want to go to be saved. I want to go to HEAVEN! Handing the steering wheel to Jesus is not just some fancy poetry. It is real. It is something you can see. Do you want to know what it looks like?

Pictures of Faith

There are fantastic examples of acts of faith in Hebrews, chapter 11. We must read this chapter so that we can see what faith looks like. We need to imitate these people in Chapter 11. Hebrews 11:24-25 says that by faith, "Moses when he had grown up, refused to be known as Pharoah's daughter; he chose to be ill-treated along with the people of God rather than enjoy the fleeting pleasure of sin."

As the son of Pharoah's daughter Moses would have been rich and no woman could have refused him. Most men would like to be in this situation (unlimited money, power, and women). But Moses trusted God. He gave his will and his intellect to God. You can SEE that he gave his will to God because Moses probably wanted the pleasure of being Pharoah's nephew, but he refused. Instead of trusting his own will, he did God's will instead of his own. You can SEE that Moses gave his intellect to God because Moses put blood over his door for protection against the angel of death. Whose intellect, could possibly understand how lamb's blood would protect from the angel of death? Moses didn't understand it, but he surrendered his intellect to God. He made an act of faith.

We must remember that it is necessary to follow the commandments in order to be saved. This is mentioned in the Gospel reading. If we have truly named Jesus as the boss of our lives, keeping the commandments will be easy because Jesus will help us. I have attached a link to a previous edition of "Mass Excitement" in which I discuss the commandments. If you haven't read it already, I suggest that you do since following the commandments is necessary for salvation. We don't want to be like the fool in Sunday's Gospel who listened to the words of Jesus, but did not act on them.

The Point

• We have sinned. We have turned our backs on God.
• God wants us to be happy. He wants us to go to heaven. So he gives us "undeserved help"
• Jesus' death on the cross is the means by which God helps us. We MUST accept his help
• In order to be saved, we must have full confidence in Jesus's help. We must believe EVERYTHING that he tells us.
• Having faith in Jesus means to let him have complete control over our lives. He becomes the decision maker instead of us
• It is impossible to please God without faith. In faith, we give our minds and ALL of our will to God.
• An act of faith can be seen. Once we've made an act of faith, we will know it.
• We can see what acts of faith look like in Hebrews chapter 11.
• We cannot be saved if we don't follow the commandments. But if Jesus is in control of our lives, he will help us follow the commandments.
• Since you want to go to heaven, make a resolution today to let Jesus be the boss of your life. Give him complete control!⁸

Real Life

About a week and a half ago, I was talking to a lady who literally grew up in a tropical paradise. When she was in college, she had plans to graduate. She went on a mission trip in the desert where many poor people lived. The desert was ugly and the weather was not like it was in paradise. There in the desert, she felt God's call to stay forever. She did not want to stay forever in the desert. Leaving school, and moving to the desert to work without pay makes no sense at all.

But she surrendered her will and intellect to God. She gave the steering wheel to Jesus. More than 20 years later, she is extraordinarily happy. She is picture of peace, joy, and happiness.

So you don't have to talk to God in the burning bush in order to make an act of faith. Any guy or gal can do it. That includes me and you.

Mass Excitement

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1- CCC 1996
2- CCC 1997
3- CCC 26
4- CCC 150
5- CCC 143
6- CCC 1987
7- CCC 154
8- It should be noted that baptism is necessary for salvation. (CCC 846; Mark 16:16; John 3:5) CCC 1987 says, "The grace of the Holy Spirit has the power to justify us, that is, to cleanse us from our sins, and to communicate to us "the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and through baptism.

True Intimacy With Jesus

This week's commentary is on the source, and summit of the Christian life- The Eucharist. There is commentary following the 1st reading and the Gospel.

Reading 1
Dt 8:2-3, 14b-16a

Moses said to the people:
"Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God,
has directed all your journeying in the desert,
so as to test you by affliction
and find out whether or not it was your intention
to keep his commandments.
He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger,
and then fed you with manna,
a food unknown to you and your fathers,
in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD.

"Do not forget the LORD, your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
that place of slavery;
who guided you through the vast and terrible desert
with its saraph serpents and scorpions,
its parched and waterless ground;
who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock
and fed you in the desert with manna,
a food unknown to your fathers."


1st Reading

It was the Lord who rescued the Israelites from slavery and then protected them in the desert from serpents and scorpions. Once God gives himself to us through the Eucharist (Gospel) we are reminded that only HE protects us from sin (scorpions and serpents). It is HE who rescues us today from “slavery” to sin. He does this by being present to us through Holy Communion. The Gospel explains this in detail. God protects and loves us today just as he protected and loved the Israelites.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20

R. (12) Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading II
1 Cor 10:16-17

Brothers and sisters:
The cup of blessing that we bless,
is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?
The bread that we break,
is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
Because the loaf of bread is one,
we, though many, are one body,
for we all partake of the one loaf.

Gospel
Jn 6:51-58

Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my flesh for the life of the world."

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
"How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my flesh is true food,
and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me
will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever."

Gospel

Jesus says twice that whoever eats his flesh will live forever. He says that his flesh gives life to the world. He says that his flesh and blood are true food and drink. What is it that makes it true and how does his flesh gives us eternal life? What does all of this mean, and why is this important?

Food For Eternity

The Eucharist is called the source, and summit of the Christian faith. Why? Do you believe that God is literally the creator of the universe? If so, remember that with God’s Word, came the creation of the universe.¹ God needed only to speak, and things were created. That’s how powerful his word is.

At the last supper, Jesus said, “this is my body, and this is my blood”. He meant it literally and you can see this clearly in John 6:66. Whatever God's word says, happens.This is the same chapter as Sunday’s gospel. It says that after hearing Jesus say that he was the bread of life, “many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.” If Jesus was speaking symbolically about being the bread of life, and about eating his flesh, they would not have left. They left because he meant it literally and they probably didn’t understand him.

When Jesus becomes present on the alter at Mass, he is there literally and we celebrate his life, his sacrifice, and his very presence at mass. I will discuss 2 major effects the Eucharist has on us.

Strengthens Our Relationship with Jesus

Holy Communion strengthens our bond with Christ.² That’s because Communion is a physical and spiritual bond between us and Jesus. Many of us have seen a painting of Jesus hugging a person in heaven. Someone was with me when I saw this painting, and he said, “that would be awesome to hug Jesus”. Well, we don’t have to WISH to be with Jesus. Jesus comes to us in an intimate way as he literally enters our bodies at Communion. Just as in marriage where husband and wife are joined flesh to flesh, we are joined flesh to flesh with Jesus. Is it not intimate when a husband’s flesh is joined to his wife’s? Jesus offers us the same intimacy with him at Holy Communion. This makes us closer to God. This is why Jesus says in this gospel, “whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.” He means this literally. It is through the Eucharist that our relationship with God is strengthened.

Protection Against Sin

The longer we go without food, the weaker we get. It is the same spiritually. The longer we go without God, the weaker we get spiritually. The world beats us down and draws us away from Christ. Through Holy Communion, we “receive free and undeserved help from God” (grace).³ So God gives us himself literally and physically to help us even though we don’t deserve his help. God’s grace at Holy Communion increases our generosity towards others. That means we are more tolerant and loving towards others. Again, Holy Communion, which we experience every Sunday, makes us more loving towards others. How does that work? As we draw near to Christ, he “revives our love”. We are so close to Christ that he rubs off on us.

Because of Christ’s holy presence, we are forgiven our venial (less serious) sins.⁴
Not only are we forgiven of our venial sins by Jesus’ presence, but we are also protected from future mortal (serious) sins. Our friendship with God increases at Holy Communion, making it more “difficult to break away from him by mortal sin.”⁵ The Eucharist brings us closer to God. It makes us more loving and more Christ-like. Jesus in the Eucharist forgives us our venial sins and protects us from serious sin. This is why Jesus calls his flesh “true food and true drink” in this Gospel. The Eucharist is the ONLY food ever known to man that brings man closer to God and protects him from sin. This is also what Jesus meant when he said, “whoever eats this bread will live forever”.

In summary, the Eucharist is true food and drink which gives us eternal life because through Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist, he increases our generosity towards others, forgives our sins, and protects us from committing serious sins.

Preparation For a Meeting With Jesus

Holy Communion is not just a meal that we imitate in order to remember Jesus. In participating in Holy Communion make an act of obedience. We say yes to Jesus’ invitation to “do this in memory of me.” We make a statement when we take the Eucharist. Before we approach Jesus we say, “Christ has died, Alleluia, Christ is Risen, Alleluia, Christ will come again, Alleluia! In a statement of humility, faith and worship, we say:

• “Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. Have mercy on us. Lamb of God you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.”
• “Lord I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed”.
• “Amen” - in response to “body of Christ”. Amen means “true” or “I agree”.

In Celebrating Jesus’ coming and his presence at Mass, we speak our beliefs to God and everyone present including:

• Jesus I believe you have power over sin, have mercy on me, please give me peace.
• Jesus, I am not worthy to be in your presence
• Jesus, thanks for coming (Eucharist means act of thanksgiving)
• Jesus, I believe you are truly present

At Mass, we make statements about what we believe. In response to our great faith, Jesus gives himself to us truly and completely.

But why would Jesus choose after his death on the cross to become present in the Eucharist?

• To protect us from sin- He knows that we need help against sin. He wants to give us a hand because he cares about us. He asks us to “make disciples of all nations”.⁶ He knows that we can’t do it alone. We are sinful and we need his help to do his will.
• To be our strength- Jesus tells us to “love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and love our neighbor as ourselves”. In order to do this, we need help. We can‘t do it on our own. Jesus says that, “I am with you always until the end of the age”.
• To help us see him- he comes to us in a tangible way, through bread in wine so that we might understand that he is with us that he is our ONLY lifeblood.

Preparation for Jesus

Everything that God does, he does out of love. That’s why he comes to us in the Eucharist in his COMPLETE presence. Committing a mortal (serious) sin is just like cheating on God. Approaching Jesus at Mass having committed an unconfessed mortal sin is like cheating on your wife with some girl and then bringing that girl home with you to meet your wife. God gives us himself as an act of generosity and of love. If I show up holding the hand of my “wicked girlfriend” (mortal sin) it is a SUPREME insult and profanity to God. Remember that in our participation in the Eucharist at mass, we speak our belief in the saving power of Jesus. Imagine saying to Jesus, “yes I believe you are here” (by saying “Amen”) while cheating on God and bringing the adultress to meet Jesus. That’s why Holy Communion forgives venial sins and not mortal ones. In mortal sin, we voluntarily turn our backs completely to the Lord. We cannot kneel at his feet where we belong, while also turning our backs to him. We cannot say we believe in Christ and that we love him while at the same time preferring something of the world over him.

The point is, we must NEVER approach Jesus in the Eucharist having committed an unconfessed mortal sin. If we do this, we profane God, we insult him and we will be judged accordingly.⁷

The Center of Our Christian Lives

The Eucharist is called “the source and summit of the Christian life.“⁸ Everything that is good about the church is in the Eucharist because Jesus is the Eucharist. Jesus is the center of our lives and thus the Eucharist is the center of our lives.


The Point

• Jesus is the creator of the universe. What he says, happens. He said, “this is my body and blood“, so it happed and continues today.
• Because of Jesus’ actual presence, our friendship with him is strengthened at Holy Communion
• The Eucharist increases our charity and generosity. Because we consume Jesus, we become like him.
• Holy Communion forgives venial sins and protects us from mortal sins because in Holy Communion we are drawn to the Lord and our relationship is strengthened so it becomes more difficult to break away from him.
• At Mass, we speak our belief in ALL that Jesus said and commanded. The Eucharist is a statement of our faith.
• Jesus gave us the Eucharist to protect us from sin, to strengthen us for our mission, and to be completely present with us in a way we can see with our eyes.
• Receiving Jesus while having committed an un-confessed serious sin, is another sin against the very body and blood of Jesus

Real Life

Father Richard Thomas S.J. was a well-known Jesuit priest who died 2 years ago. He was asked to speak by Christians from all over the United States and was even a requested speaker by protestant believers. He was asked to speak in Europe and the middle east. He had at least one master’s degree and perhaps even more than that. According to a former teacher of Father Thomas, Father Thomas was the wealthiest kid at Jesuit High, a private school in Tampa, FL.

Father Thomas was known to pray all day long. He would pray while he was working. He would thank God for everyday things like going to the bathroom. He would ask God to help him with seemingly non-religious things like landscaping and fishing. I am sure that he asked God what he should say before his sermons.

On one occasion, a group of people requested him as a speaker at a convention of some sort and he was a key note speaker. The people had paid for his travel expenses to speak because of his tremendous reputation as a speaker. Father Thomas addressed the audience, saying “God hasn’t given me anything to say today.” Then he sat back down. The people who had requested Father Thomas as a speaker were very disappointed.

Years later, Fr. Thomas told a close friend about this incident and Father Thomas said that God was testing his obedience that day and it never happened again. We can only serve the Lord if we are humble and obedient.

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1- Genesis chapter 1
2- Catechism of the Catholic Church 1391
3- CCC 1996
4- CCC 1394- this whole paragraph on the forgiveness of sins and protection from serious (mortal) sin is paraphrased from CCC 1394
5- CCC 1395
6- Matt 28:19
7- 1 Corinthians 11:27
8- CCC 1324