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

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

Reading 1
Is 25:6-10a

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

Isaiah's Prophecy

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

Freedom From Blindness, Sadness, and the Veil

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

The Savior

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Too Busy for God

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

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


God loves us!

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


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

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

Will Jesus Take it All Away?

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

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

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


Reading II
Phil 4:6-9

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

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

Why We Should Pray

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

Saying Thanks and Asking for Favors

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


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


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


Quality Prayer


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


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


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


Prayer is Not Enough


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


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


The Point


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


Real Life

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



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

Reading 1
Is 5:1-7

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

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

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

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


Gospel
Mt 21:33-43

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

"Life's Not Fair. Is God Fair?" - God's Gifts To Us

This week's commentary is a message of God's incredible love. There is an uplifting story at the end. There is commentary after the 1st reading only.

Reading 1
Ez 18:25-28

Thus says the LORD:
You say, "The LORD's way is not fair!"
Hear now, house of Israel:
Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?
When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies,
it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.
But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed,
he does what is right and just,
he shall preserve his life;
since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.

In this reading, God is talking about death. It's clear that he is not talking about mortal death, because regular mortal death is something that happens to everyone. Eternal death relates to heaven and hell. Regarding THIS subject, people 2000 years ago and people today complain that there is a heaven and hell. Whether we like it or not, heaven and hell both exist. Most people believe in heaven, but less people believe in hell.

Here virtue is discussed. But what is virtue? Virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good.1 In other words, virtue is a natural inclination to do good. This is God's gift to us.

The first reading talks about how a man turns away from virtue and then dies. Where does virtue come from? Virtue comes from God. God gives us 3 virtues as a grace to us and for his glory. They are faith, hope, and charity. These cannot be earned, they are given to us by God and we have the choice to use these gifts, or to refuse and destroy them.

Charity


God has instilled in us charity. Charity is the inclination towards “loving God above all other things for God’s sake and our neighbor as ourselves for love of God”. Some people think that we humans are evolved from apes and that we developed purely out of chance. Evolutionists assert that we are just a masses of cells moving around the planet. If I am just a mass of cells, then why do I feel like I should be nice to everyone? Why do I feel bad when I mistreat people? Why do I feel bad when I mistreat myself? The answer is that God has instilled in me (and you) the inclination towards loving God above all other things for God's sake and my neighbor as myself for love of God. That's why we feel remorse and envy, whereas ladybugs cannot. Sometimes we act charitably towards others. In those tiny moments of charity, we are given a glimpse of how God loves. Charity is one God-given virtue that "someone turns away from" in the first reading. God gives us the gift of charity, and we often reject it, or refuse to use it.

Hope

God has also given us the virtue of hope. Through hope, we desire the Kingdom of Heaven and eternal life as our happiness and we put our trust in Christ.2 Hope sustains us because hoping and trusting in God does not result in disappointment.4 God keeps his promises. Hoping in God gives us joy even when we are suffering difficulties. It's just like a man who loves his family immensely. He can still smile after a terrible day at work. Hope is a precious gift from God.

Every person wants hope. When asking someone how they are doing, have you ever heard them say, "same old crap, it's just a different day"? We all need hope and we all want something to hope in. God has already infused this hope in us at baptism. Shall we waste it, or use it? Another important note: our hope is nourished through prayer. Just like the wife who misses her husband- her hope is nourished when she hears his voice over the phone. Her hope is restored even though she misses him. We must pray if want something to hope in. If that prayer is to God we have something even better: some-ONE to hope in. He doesn't disappoint. Hope is a gift from God.

Faith

God has given us the natural inclination to "believe in everything that he has said and revealed to us, and everything that Holy Church proposes for our belief."3 You can see this in children. They have not yet sinned against their faith, so they believe everything that their loving parents tell them. Sooner or later, the parents (unlike God)are not 100% truthful to their children, so the children have difficulty believing. We all have faith until we sin against it. Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin had faith, until they sinned against it. Just like everything else in life, God gives us the choice to refuse him so that we can also have the choice to choose him willingly. Just like charity and hope, every person wants faith. Everyone wants to believe in something. That may explain why most people in the world believe in God even though they have never seen him. It seems illogical to believe in something you can't see. Yet,the reason why we have faith is that God wrote that desire in our hearts because he loves us. God completes that desire to know him when he gives us faith at baptism. Faith is a tremendous gift because if God did not give us faith, we would never know him- and how tragic would that be? Most people believe in the God they cannot see because he gave us that desires to kno him as a gift to us.

The Reason For the Gifts

These virtues God has given us. 2nd Peter 1:4 says, "he has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature". So, through baptism, God has given us faith, hope, and charity, so that we can be and love like him. Think of Jesus on the cross. He has been abandoned by his friends, he is humiliated by spectators. He has nails in his hands and feet. But, because Jesus has faith, he believes that God will offer salvation to all of God's lowly people, so Jesus remains on the cross. Jesus has perfect faith. Because Jesus has hope, he knows that heaven is just around the corner, so he suffers without complaint even though it hurts like crazy. Because Jesus has charity,he thinks only of forgiving the people who had tortured him as well as the thief next to him.

Jesus is a very good person. We love him and we wish that we could be more like him. Isn't that what all of our heroes are made of? Our heroes are often men and women who sacrifice of themselves for the benefit of the less fortunate or for the sake of goodness even though the world hates and kills them for it. And so, God wants us to share in his great love and to be just like him. He gives us hope, faith, and charity that is necessary. In this reading, the Lord says, "When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies,it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die." We know very well that God has given us everything. He has given us faith, hope, and charity. If we refuse these things, we will surely die. Because they come from Jesus "the vine", the branches cannot survive without the vine. So if we sin against our faith and refuse God's virtues, not only will we die, but we will choose an eternity in hell with the same God who offers us life eternal.

How to Practice Virtue

We musn't be afraid to hear this. We must take courage. Is God not telling us what he desires for us through his gifts? His gifts tell us that he desires each one of us to be in heaven with him.

* Faith- In order to keep it, we must not sin against it. If we have sinned against our faith (we always do), we must quit that sin and go to confession.

* Hope- In order to maintain our hope, we must pray. Praying 30 seconds before each meal is not enough. If prayer time was listed on your phone bill, would God be the most contacted person? Or would it be your boyfriend, or best friend? Would Jesus even be ON your phone bill? We must pray constantly and God will nourish the hope he has already given us.

* Charity- In order to persevere in charity, we must be loving to our enemies. That means we have to love people who hate us and we even have be loving towards people who ANNOY the heck out of us (especially those people). Jesus loved those hard-headed annoying apostles, so he wants us to do the same.

Real Life

Since I left missionary work, I've been looking for a job. I believed from the beginning that God would find a job that HE wanted for me. I believed that God would give me a sign when the right job came along. As decision time approached, I prayed even more for God's help especially in making a decision. I made the decision about which job to take just recently. This past week, I had interviewed with a lady. She sent me an email a day later which said,"Something interesting happened after I dropped you off [at airport]. I kept thinking about this would work out so I started working on straightening out some really old files which are pertinent to [the job]. In the card I sent you something that I found in those files."

This morning, I received her card in the mail. Inside was a greeting card with 3 napkins inside. On these napkins was my name in bronze-colored embossing. For some reason, in the file cabinet related to the job, she found 3 napkins with my name on them right after the interview. She wrote in her card, "I hope Chicago*[she knew I had an interview with another company the same week] is pleasant. But, I really hope and pray that Detroit*[the city where her company is] is calling you." I smiled when I saw this and then I went to my bedroom.

When I got there, I was filled with this incredible feeling of warm and perfect love. I believe that God was reminding me which job he wanted me to take. But this feeling would not go away and I started to get emotional. Even though I know God loves me, I kept wandering "why do you love me so much Lord?" So I dropped to my knees in tears and told God, "I love you, I love you, I love you. Thank you, thank you, thank you." I thought of Jesus asking Peter if he loved Jesus. Then I thought of the 3 napkins in the letter. I thought of faith, hope, and charity, and I thought of the 3 napkins. I thought of God's incredible faithfulness. Not only did he want to communicate to ME which job to take, he wanted to communicate it to my future boss as well! When this happened, I saw in my mind God (with a white beard) embracing me. I felt as though God was hugging me. I felt as though I was in his presence. Before his immense glory and love, I felt very, very small and I wondered: "Why does he love us so much?" If you ever wondered if God cares about your job, he does. He cares about everything you do. God loves us!



*This picture was taken on 9-27-08. These are not the true city names.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14

R. (6a) Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your love are from of old.
The sins of my youth and my frailties remember not;
in your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and teaches the humble his way.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Reading II
Phil 2:1-11 or 2:1-5

Brothers and sisters:
If there is any encouragement in Christ,
any solace in love,
any participation in the Spirit,
any compassion and mercy,
complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,
united in heart, thinking one thing.
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests,
but also for those of others.

Have in you the same attitude
that is also in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Gospel
Mt 21:28-32

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:
"What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.'
He said in reply, 'I will not, '
but afterwards changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, 'Yes, sir, ‘but did not go.
Which of the two did his father's will?"
They answered, "The first."
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him."

1- CCC 1803
2- CCC 1817
3- CCC 1814
4- Romans 5:5

Answering the Call and Getting Paid- God's Call For Us

This week, the stock market had it's biggest daily drop since the September 11th attacks. Some people are even afraid of an extended recession also known as a depression. This week's Gospel talks about the employer who unlike the stock market, always pays up. That employer is God.

This week’s readings are about how God calls us. The 1st reading describes what we are called to do. The Gospel, talks about how, when, and by whom we are called. Finally, the 2nd reading, tells us how to respond to the call properly. This picture also reminds me of the face we often make when God tells us that we have to STOP sinning.

Reading 1
Is 55:6-9

Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call him while he is near.
Let the scoundrel forsake his way,
and the wicked his thoughts;
let him turn to the LORD for mercy;
to our God, who is generous in forgiving.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so high are my ways above your ways
and my thoughts above your thoughts.

God Calls

Isaih says that God calls us to forsake our wicked ways and to turn to the Lord. Quite simply, that is the fundamental command that God gives us. That is the fundamental call of all Christians. Jesus said “if you love me, you will keep my commandments.” So many Christians, especially those who want to take their faith up a level are asking, “what does God want me to do?” More fundamentaly important than any charitable work, is God’s demand that we keep the commandments. Immediately after speaking the fundamental mission of the believer, Isaih talks about forgiveness. Why is that? Why is forgiveness such an important part of God's call to us?


Why does lack of forgiveness prevent us from answering God’s call? First of all, does God not ask us in his central prayer to forgive us as we forgive those who trespass against us? Forgiveness is an indispensable party of daily, Christian life. Lack of forgiveness, is a not just a speed bump, but an impenetrable WALL between us and God. We can't answer God's call if we don't forgive because lack of forgiveness shows mistrust in God. How can we have a relationship with God if we don't trust him? We can't!

In the Lord’s prayer, we are told to forgive those who trespass against us. That includes forgiving OURSELVES! When we sin, we sin against God and we sin against ourselves. Our sin makes us afraid and angry. WE become angry towards ourselves and God. We fear ourselves and we fear God. Forgiveness allows us to rely on God’s mercy as Isaih says in the first reading. Forgiveness frees us of the anger and fear that sin creates. Isaih goes on to say that God’s ways are much greater than ours. His mercy and forgiveness is much greater than ours. We have serious difficulty forgiving ourselves and others. God’s mercy is so great that we can call on him for help. Once we take that step, we are well prepared to accept God’s call. We put our trust in the Lord and we give up our unnecessary baggage (unforgiveness).

God calls us to to turn away from sinfulness, and towards him. He asks us to forgive ourselves and others as we rely on the mercy of God. If we don’t do this, we cannot answer God’s call to us. Now let's look at the call from God.

Gospel
Mt 20:1-16a

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner
who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,
he sent them into his vineyard.
Going out about nine o’clock,
the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard,
and I will give you what is just.’
So they went off.
And he went out again around noon,
and around three o’clock, and did likewise.
Going out about five o’clock,
the landowner found others standing around, and said to them,
‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’
He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and ending with the first.’
When those who had started about five o’clock came,
each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
‘These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’
He said to one of them in reply,
‘My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?
Are you envious because I am generous?’
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

The Gift of Salvation

This gospel is about how God offers salvation to all. Jesus uses this parable to teach this important lesson about God. Those people who the landowner calls are those standing in the streets. These people are probably not the most powerful people in the city. These are the people who are desperate and perhaps the less desired workers. It is not that these workers are great that they are offered wages. It is because of the landowner’s generosity. Just like the landowner, God calls and offers wages (salvation) to everyone. Salvation is free of charge- even to lowly sinners like ourselves.

So God calls everyone at different times in their lives. Some people have been living holy lives since birth and there are some who answer God’s call late in life. All are recipients of God’s same generous salvation . That is an important message in this parable. Equal wages in this gospel reminds us that we are not saved by God because we have done anything to earn it. We all get salvation (the same wage) because God offers it to us because of his generosity.

Some of the workers complain because they thought they would get more. This is very similar to the Gospel account in Luke 9:46 where the disciples are arguing over which one of them was the greatest. Jesus says, “the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest." It takes real humility to admit that all we have comes from God and the salvation and forgiveness we have received from God comes free of charge. So, no matter how good our behavior is, and when God calls us, we are not better than anyone else.

Now, that we know that God saves us for free, what is he calling us to do?

Reading II
Phil 1:20c-24, 27a

Brothers and sisters:
Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.
If I go on living in the flesh,
that means fruitful labor for me.
And I do not know which I shall choose.
I am caught between the two.
I long to depart this life and be with Christ,
for that is far better.
Yet that I remain in the flesh
is more necessary for your benefit.

Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.

How to Answer the Call

Paul says that to answer his call is to “conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the Gospel of Christ” or to do what God (the landowner) says. So God is asking us to answer his call by obeying his commandments. In Matthew 5:19, Jesus says that : whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. God's calling as described in this week's readings is very simple. We need to follow the commandments. We have to love God, and each other- that is our calling.


The Point
· God is calling ALL of us to turn away from sin, and turn to the Lord
· It is impossible to turn to the Lord without first asking God forgiveness and forgiving others as well as ourselves. Forgiveness shows that we believe and trust in God’s mercy
· In God’s call, he offers to save us. He does so free of charge. No one who receives God’s forgiveness and help is greater than another.
· God calls us to obey his commandments.

Real Life

This week, I was talking to my mom and she told me that she had been going to church for 30 years and never really had faith in God. That didn't really surprise me. I have been concerned about my mom for a long time now. I don't think she's ever been to confession and this has been a big concern of mine for a long time. After all, what will happen to her soul if she does not reconcile with God before her death? She is my mom, and I want her to go to heaven!

On Sunday, she listened to a priest talking on television about the faith, and she felt her eyes being opened to God. She asked me and my dad some fundamental questions about the faith and said that she was very happy and finally felt like she was understanding God better.

I was so happy because I had been praying fervently for her for the last year, and yesterday, she took a big step towards God and towards heaven without anyone forcing God down her throat. It’s true that God does call some people at “the end of the day” but, we must persist in prayer until the end our lives and even after we die. We must ask God to help us trust in him and turn to he “who is generous and forgiving”.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18

R. (18a) The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

Jesus Eats His Wheaties

If Jesus was alive today, which breakfast cereal would he eat? Personally, my favorite is Capn’ Crunch. Few people like original Cap’n Crunch but I find those sweet scrumptious morsels even more desirable than my favorite meat Spam. On a serious note, I think Jesus DID eat breakfast. The 2nd reading this week hints at how Jesus is a lot like us. There is commentary following the 2nd Reading and the rest of the readings are at the bottom.

Reading II
Phil 2:6-11

Brothers and sisters:
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

God Assumes Humanity

Jesus was God. God created everything on Earth. He created everything for man. He created mountains for us to see. He created animals as a gift to us. He created man and woman as a gift to each other. He made life possible for each one of us. He knew the risks involved in making a creature that could think on its own. God knew that his creature could even grow to hate his Creator. Yet our God is a loving God. He has given us everything even though we have done nothing to deserve it. He has given us life.

Now God knew that we had screwed up the world and we were drenched in terrible sin. So he decided to come to Earth to rescue us from this sin. This same God that created the Earth “emptied himself” and “humbled himself” by becoming human. Why is it an act of humility to go from having unlimited power to being human?

In Genesis, it says that whatever God said, came true. His word is so powerful, that all he has to do is say something and it happens. God is more powerful than we can imagine. Yet when God became human, he took on the vulnerability, frailty and weakness of humanity. He was born an infant. As an adult, he probably ate breakfast. Can we even fathom how ridiculous it is for God to eat breakfast? Why should he have to eat breakfast or drink water? After all, he is God!

Jesus’ Humanity

I would compare God becoming human to me becoming an ant. I don’t want to be an ant. I don’t want to eat what ants eat, and I don’t want to die easily like ants do. Like you or I becoming and ant, God assumed every bit of humanity including its limitations. Humanity restricted God even though Jesus was God. In Luke 2:52 it says that Jesus “advanced in wisdom”. That means that he got smarter. So just like you and me, he was well……. Not as smart when he was a toddler compared to adulthood. Most likely, he was drooling on his clothes and chewing on his mother’s new shoes as well! In Mark 6:38, Jesus asks “how many loaves do you have? Go and see”. Our Catholic faith tells us that Jesus’ human knowledge was true human knowledge and thus “could not be unlimited”(CCC 472) We should also keep in mind that because Jesus was begotten of the Father, he was the only human ever that knew the Father completely. Jesus remained God and human at the same time out of his own free will. He accepted all restrictions of humanity.

But don’t be scared of this teaching, because you have believed in Jesus’ true humanity ever since your baptism. As Christians, we MUST believe that Jesus was fully human! Otherwise, his death was not real and so it would be meaningless and fruitless. As it is, Jesus’ death was as real as ours is because he was as human as we are. And so, his suffering was real suffering, his human fear in Gethsemani was real human fear, and his death was a real human death with real human blood. He cried real human tears at Lazarus’ death. We should keep this in mind when we feel as though God does not understand us. We should remember in our times of suffering that God knows precisely what it means to suffer greatly. His willingness to become human is a display of his greatness and just how much he loves us.

In this reading, Paul says that he “humbled himself”. If we think of Jesus as a toddler and we picture Jesus eating breakfast and shedding real tears, and CRYING in an itchy manger, it is very easy to understand that when the same God who made Heaven and Earth took on this silly, vulnerable, weak humanity, he truly “humbled himself”. God knew that it was necessary to become human. He did it because he loves us. And so with all of our hearts, minds, and souls we should “exalt him.” At the name of Jesus, our knees should bend and we should be reverent at this most holy name of the God who so loved the world that he gave his only Son.

This Week

This week is called the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. When Jesus died on the cross, he paid the price for sin and he made himself an offering for our salvation. Without the cross, we would be doomed. With the cross we are saved. During this feast, we must keep in mind that WE are responsible for Jesus’ death on the cross. Without our terrible sins, the crucifixion would have been unnecessary. Those men who crucified Jesus did not understand as we understand that Jesus is Lord. Yet, we do know who he is. So when WE sin, we hammer the nails into Jesus’ hands and we whip him across his back again and again. For those present at the crucifixion, Jesus said, “forgive them Father for they know not what they do.” Yes, Jesus killers didn’t fully know what they were doing or who they were killing. However, we don’t have the same excuse. It seems to me that we DO know what we are doing when we sin, and we DO know WHO we are hurting. And, so the sin we see everyday should fill us with absolute disgust. We should vow now to never again willingly lay violent hands on Jesus.


The Point

· God lowered himself when he became human for our sake
· God shows us how much he loves us by becoming a lowly human
· With each of our sins, we crucify Jesus again by refusing to love him back.

Real Life



Reading 1
Nm 21:4b-9

With their patience worn out by the journey,
the people complained against God and Moses,
“Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert,
where there is no food or water?
We are disgusted with this wretched food!”

In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents,
which bit the people so that many of them died.
Then the people came to Moses and said,
“We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you.
Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us.”
So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses,
“Make a saraph and mount it on a pole,
and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live.”
Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole,
and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent
looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 78:1bc-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38

R. (see 7b) Do not forget the works of the Lord!
Hearken, my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable,
I will utter mysteries from of old.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
While he slew them they sought him
and inquired after God again,
Remembering that God was their rock
and the Most High God, their redeemer.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
But they flattered him with their mouths
and lied to him with their tongues,
Though their hearts were not steadfast toward him,
nor were they faithful to his covenant.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
But he, being merciful, forgave their sin
and destroyed them not;
Often he turned back his anger
and let none of his wrath be roused.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!

Gospel
Jn 3:13-17

Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.

Jesus Says "Lay the Smack Down!"

I knew this guy named Mister G. He was telling me an old war story once. He said that he was somewhere in the Pacific when he and a fellow soldier saw a young local girl. Mister G’s friend, grabbed the girl, and raped her right in front of Mister G. Mister G said that the whole thing was awful. I was only about 13 when I heard this story, but I remember thinking “why didn’t you stop this guy?”. Mister G said he didn’t stop the guy because he was his superior officer.

This is an ugly story, yet it very clearly expresses the message in this week’s Gospel- we are supposed to stand up for what is right. Commentary is after the Gospel.

Reading 1
Ez 33:7-9

Thus says the LORD:
You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel;
when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me.
If I tell the wicked, “O wicked one, you shall surely die, ”
and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way,
the wicked shall die for his guilt,
but I will hold you responsible for his death.
But if you warn the wicked,
trying to turn him from his way,
and he refuses to turn from his way,
he shall die for his guilt,
but you shall save yourself.

Reading II
Rom 13:8-10

Brothers and sisters:
Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another;
for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery;
you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet, ”
and whatever other commandment there may be,
are summed up in this saying, namely,
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Love does no evil to the neighbor;
hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.

Gospel
Mt 18:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that ‘every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church.
If he refuses to listen even to the church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you,
if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.”


Take Courage and Criticize

Both the 1st reading and the Gospel encourage us to criticize and discourage sin. In the first reading, Ezekiel is told that he is the "watchman for the house of Israel." But as we read in context of the entire Bible (as we always should) we can see in this week's readings that God is not just talking to Ezekiel. He is making the same demand of all of us Christians. In the Gospel reading, Jesus said, "if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault." And so, God wants all of us to take courage and reprimand others when they sin. Does that mean that every time someone makes a mistake, we should criticize them? No.

What's Worth Criticizing

This week's Gospel is telling us what sort of things are worth criticizing. Popular magazines suggest that we should criticize each others clothes (best dressed vs. worst dressed). The same popular opinion suggests that men be criticized for not making enough money, and that women should be criticized for their physical appearance. But in this week's readings, God is telling us what is truly worth criticizing- sin. For instance, in the 1st reading, God tells Ezekiel to turn (dissuade) the wicked from his way- in other words, tell him to stop sinning. In the Gospel, Jesus says that if "your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault." The 2nd reading says the same: "love does no evil (sin) to the neighbor. So Jesus gives us permission to point out sinful ways. It is sin that God is so concerned with that he wants us to point out sinfulness so as to discourage it.

In Romans 1:32 Paul is talking about sin when he says, "they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them." In that passage, he is saying that not only is it wrong to sin, but is very wrong to give approval to those who sin. And why doesn't God want us to sin? Because it separates us from loving union with God. We Catholics believe that if we persist in mortal (serious) sin without repenting until death, we permanently and irreversibly abandon God and choose an eternity in hell. God does not want that! He wants loving union between us! Just look at communion, confession, and marriage as examples of how God desires loving union!

The Way to Criticize

God even gives us practical means to criticize each other for our sins. Just look at 1st Corinthians 13:4-6 where Paul describes love:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated,

it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,

it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth."

So let's say I am criticizing my brother's alcohol abuse. Do I realize that this is a sin which hurts my brother, God, and others? Am I patient and kind with my brother when I criticize? Am I inflated when I brag about my own sobriety and self-control? Am I rude? Do I criticize my brother in front of others in order to make myself look better (own interests)? Am I quick-tempered when I find my brother drunk? Am I happy that my brother is a drunk and I am a success in comparison (rejoiceful over wrongdoing)?


I once heard a story of a lady who visited St. Padre Pio in the confessional and he chased her out of the confessional. She returned later and asked Padre why he had chased her out. He said, "I saw your 2 sons in hell because of your permissive parenting!" Yes, not only do the things we do and say have the potential to send others to hell, but what we DON'T say can end in our loved ones suffering for eternity. We have opportunities everyday to discourage people from sin, and yet we pass up those chances because we care more about getting along with others temporarily than we do about the eternal destination of our loved ones. We must take courage discourage people from sinning!

The Only Way

Matthew 7:3-5 talks about removing the wooden beam out of your eye before trying to remove the splinter from your brother's eye. The point of this passage is not that we should never criticize. Rather, it ends with "remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother's eye." In other words it's okay to help your brother out by criticizing his sinfulness, but it is impossible if YOU don't stop sinning first. So it's impossible to tell our friends to be chaste when we are sleeping with our boyfriends/girlfriends. It's impossible to teach our children charity when we ourselves are not charitable. It is difficult or impossible to stop our friends from sinning when we are completely addicted to our own sins. We have to quit our sins.

Real Life

A little more than a month ago, my sister and I met a homeless man outside of church. He stopped me and asked me to pray for him. I was a little bit surprised because homeless people don't usually ask for prayers. "What do you want to pray for?" I asked. His name is Sean and he told me that his sister and his mom had died and their deaths had "messed up his mind". So we prayed and then my sister and I bought him lunch. We also prayed again for him and told him that God loved him. He wept for at least a few minutes after the prayer.

Last week, I had lunch with Sean and it was my first time seeing him since my sister and I bought him lunch. He is from Rocky Mount, NC and he is 36 years old. He likes to fish. Again, I saw him outside of Church. As soon as I sat down next to him outside of the church, he started crying and he told me that he had been "going through some things" and that he didn't know why he had to suffer so much. He also told me that he seriously considered suicide just 3 days before. I asked him if he wanted to have lunch, and he said yes. As soon as he sat in my car, he said, "I apologize for how I smell". I said nothing.

So we went to Chic-fil-a. Sean told me with tears in his eyes that last night, a man saw Sean sleeping on a bench and pulled out a gun and told Sean that the park was his. Sean said he was scared. Just a couple days prior, Sean was sleeping in the same park when I group of young people urinated in a cup and then poured it on Sean. He did nothing in response but leave the area. I noticed that Sean was skinnier since I last saw him and I asked him why. He told me that he saw a doctor who told him that he has sickle-cell anemia. I later realized that this incurable disease causes extreme fatigue, and pain particularly in the joints. Sean became sad after the diagnosis and ate less.

Sean showed me a wound he had on his hand. He told me that he received the wound while sleeping under a bridge. He told me that the sleeping under the bridge was terrible because there are animals like rats and snakes that live there and he was all wet from the rain. He said, "thats no way for a person to live."

The whole time that Sean told me these stories, he did so with much humility and he did not feel sorry for himself. Rather, he felt it was bad that a person should suffer the way he did. He told me that he didn't kill himself because that was the coward's way out.

Later that night, after I dropped Sean off downtown near the church, I had dinner with my Mom. I was thinking about Sean and felt terrible that I was eating this gourmet meal while he slept under a bridge and literally ate from the garbage can. I was distracted and was playing with my food. My mom asked where I had been earlier and I told her I was with Sean (she had heard about him before). Then she asked me where Sean sleeps. I pictured this nice man sleeping under a bridge and I started crying big time when I told my mom where Sean slept. Truly, I felt like my heart was broken thinking about Sean. We are talking about someone I know who sleeps under a bridge! Sean is a nice guy. He doesn't deserve that!

I felt like sharing this story because I realized that these homeless people I see on the streets have names. They are people. They need help. Sean is on a waiting list to receive housing and if you want to help him out, please contact me. People with sickle cell anemia have a life expectancy of 42 years and Sean is 36.


Sean King

God loves us!


Responsorial Psalm
Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works.”
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

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.