3.10.11 - Thur after Ash - Voluntary Penance

It is most appropriate to hear Jesus’ call to take up our cross today.  Our Lenten season, if anything, is an exaggerated time of doing so.  Jesus tells us to take up our cross daily – every day of the year.  But we find ourselves refusing the many crosses that come our way.  These forty days we can look for crosses – we voluntarily take on suffering and hardship – perhaps to make up for the crosses we have refused.  We also, in forty days, can develop the virtue of penance – that is, a disposition which helps us to accept our crosses in the future.

But most importantly – it places us in the company of Jesus.  Unlike many of our ordinary hardships, Jesus could have avoided his cross.  If he willed, he could have brought about our salvation in a most comfortable way.  But no, he voluntarily took on the most severe suffering – knowing that it was the Father’s will – and would be most beneficial for his beloved human race.

As we take on our voluntary penances – we grow closer to Jesus because we learn the power of his love.  Every penance we do – no matter how small is of great value to us.  It does not deny life – rather it gives us life.  It is the same life that we see in Jesus, Mary, and all the saints.

3.7.11 - 9th Monday - Logic of sin/virtue

I always thought that the most ridiculous line in this particular parable is when the tenants say among themselves: “This is the heir.  Come let us kill him and the inheritance will be ours.”  Why in the world would they think they could get anything if they killed the landlord’s son.

But that is the self-deception of all sin.  It is why we call Satan the master of all lies.  The desire for sin – the experience of powerful temptation tends to distort our logic.  As they say we lose the sense with which we were born with and make stupid decisions.

On the other hand, Tobit’s selfless act of burying the dead was perceived as reckless and stupid by his neighbors.  But their assessment was unfounded.  They feared the unjust authority of the Ninevah over and above their duty toward God.

Sin only makes sense amongst sinners – those who are self-absorbed.  Virtuous acts are often perceived as senseless among the same crowd yet indeed they transcend ordinary, even non-sinful action.  When our reverence for God becomes the primary motivation for our actions – we will do only those things whose logic is the same as God’s will.  This may include self-sacrifice and martyrdom just as we remember Sts. Felicity and Perpetua – wasteful in the eyes of the world – but blessed in the eyes of God.

3.6.11 - 9th Sunday - Blessing and Curse - outline

Anyone who has had a child baptized will remember

Questions at Baptism:

What name? What do you ask of God’s Church for?  Responsibility of training him in faith – do you accept this responsibility?  One more time: Is it your will?

-         slows it down a little – are you listening

-         Moses says: “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.”

-         Some took these literally – but wearing them does you nothing unless you follow them

-         Take these words seriously – let them penetrate our innermost being.

Again Moses says: “I set before you a blessing and a curse – a blessing for obeying the commandments of the Lord; a curse if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord.”

On my vacation this past week – I passed through Reno – none of us were gamblers but I jokingly said: “If you want to win big, you have to bet big” – There is a gamble in our faith.

The blessings that God promises are countless – but most especially the reward of eternal life in heaven – the curse is the possibility of hell – especially for those who receive God’s full assistance.

Responsibility as parents: You’ve probably heard that parents who do not teach the faith …

But the reverse is also true – if we pass the faith on, even if not apparent – great blessing for us.

Of course – Moses what Moses is saying is more than just about responsibilities as parents.

Also ourselves – particularly by our own baptism we possess this blessing and curse.

Jesus says: not everyone who says: Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven – lip service.

Goes on to say: “Many will say … Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?  Then I will declare to them solemnly ‘I never knew you, depart from me, you evil doers.’” 

We can do things in the name of the Lord – yet somehow be a stranger to him.

A person could go to Mass every Sunday, but in some Christ is missing in his heart.

A mere confession on one’s lips in the name of Jesus is insufficient.

Jesus says the one must listen to my words and act on them:

Sounds simple, we come to Mass and have the three readings read to us.

Danger of presumption

Blaise Pascal – “The person who is searching for God has already found him.”

Not just hear the word of God – but we listen to it and let it transform us.

That is how we continually search for God throughout our lives

If we stop searching, we are merely pay lip service, but if we constantly search, as Jesus says we build a strong foundation that will last against the storms that come.

2.24.11 - 7th Thursday - Free will is risk worth taking

C.S. Lewis called human free will and our ability to choose good or evil, as the risk that God thinks is worth taking.  Indeed God can be connected to the occurrence of evil in the world.  By creating us free – he allows the possibility.  God cannot possibly desire or cause evil – yet does he not have some responsibility.  God could have made us less free, or not free, or perhaps hold back our hand if we were to choose evil.

As a result of creating us free – God puts his own good name on the line.  The existence of evil in the world always has been and will always be the greatest argument against belief in God.  It troubles people – particularly good people - who have tried their best to do God’s will – then they find themselves the victim of some great moral evil.  All of a sudden, God seems indifferent to their suffering – despite their life long devotion.

This is a risk that God thinks is worth taking.  He risks the marring of this beautiful world, he risks his beloved children suffering, he risks his good name because he can be connected to it.  He does this because the good of even one person turning to God and returning God’s love with free will is more valuable than the whole world.  And, even more so – a person who turns away from evil and receives God’s forgiveness has become a co-worker with God – defeating evil.  In doing so we bring about goodness and turn more souls to God than those who are lost by evil.

2.22.11 - Chair of Peter - Italy's reunification helped the Church

I do not know the history very well but I do know there was significant controversy with the reunification of Italy during the 1800s.  The Church and the pope lost a significant amount of temporal authority.  The Church had clout in regard to worldly affairs, and combined with her spiritual authority, she was a force to be reckoned with.

It may sound a little foreign to us – but this type of influence on the world was part of the Church’s self-understanding for a thousand years.  And so there was great resistance to reunify Italy from within the Church.  Vatican City – as an independent country was established so that the Church would not be subject to a civil authority, but clearly the Church had lost worldly influence and clout.

Yet, in the more than 100 years since this has happened – the Church’s role in the world has been focused.  We see the Chair of Peter as the most recognized religious authority in the world – even amongst the many religions and versions of Christianity.

Jesus gave Peter and his successors the power of the keys – of biding and loosing – of authoritatively teaching the truth.  Indeed the reunification of Italy proved itself providential and beneficial to our understanding of what this mysterious Church is that Jesus founded and remains within.  The one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church is an institution that is both human and divine; it is both weak and indestructible.

2.15.11 - 6th Tuesday - Without God, Evil grows

Left to itself humanity goes astray – at least for the vast majority.  I’ve always considered the time before Noah as God’s experiment – not for his sake, of course, but for ours – so that we can see.  There was no self-revelation up to this point in human history – God had spoken to Adam, to Cain, to Noah – and I’m sure others, but for the most part – man was let be.  God created him with his Law inscribed on his heart – he gave all a conscience, and a natural desire to seek out and worship God.

Ought not these things be sufficient for a soul to find God and live out a good life.  We still hear the argument today saying: “I don’t need Church or religion telling me how to be a good person.”  Often enough their assessment of what makes a good person is that they never killed anyone.

But God shows us in this time period that the tendency toward evil in human beings is a stron one and it often builds upon itself.  Evil rarely becomes an isolated incident – it gets worse and worse and we place ourselves really at odds with God.

And so God will begin a new age – in which he will begin revealing himself – first with Abraham, then to his chosen people – then in the fullness by sending his Son.  If we try to fly solo – we get lost.  God’s revelation guides us to be truly good – and it saves us.

2.14.11 - 6th Monday - The Devil's bag of tricks

The murder of Abel by Cain was a powerful confirmation that the devil had made his permanent mark on the world.  And now he starts pulling out his bag of tricks.  In this case he takes advantage of natural sibling rivalry and he magnifies it in Cains eyes.  We sometimes say that the devil played him - and indeed he had him good because the end result was murder.
This is the way the devil works in the world.  He takes some truth about the world - something good and life-giving, and he twists and distorts it so that none of its goodness remains.
We see this more strongly today, I think, than ever.  The devil has taken religion - man's desire to worship God and inserted himself into it - many have been harmed deeply by lost souls in the Church as in other faiths.  We look at marriage and the procreation of children - and how few young people really can begin to grasp the sacred character of it all.
God says directly to Cain: "Why are you resentful and crestfallen?  If you do well you can hold up your head, but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door, his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master."  The devil can neither deceive nor control us if we keep our head up - our eyes on God.

2.13.11 - 6th Sunday - Evil thoughts like insects (outline)

Cub Scouts – learn to tie knots, be polite and responsible

Camping – living outdoors – not separated from some of the harsh realities of nature – cold, rain, and bugs.

You learn how to dress properly – so that when its cold or rain – you remain comfortable.

But it is the bugs and insects that are the worst – something about camping and insects reminds me of today’s Gospel.

When you are in your tent at night, and you have an electric light or lantern on inside, you do not open your tent to the outside – not even for a second, because the moment you open it – all those bugs.

Impossible to get rid of them – have to sweat inside of your sleeping bag till morning.

It reminds me of the Gospel because of the warnings.

Jesus quotes some of the 10 Commandments:

5^th Commandment – Thou shall not kill – but Jesus says whoever is angry with his brother is already guilty of sin.

6^th Commandment – Thou shall not commit adultery – but Jesus says those who think impure thoughts have already committed a sin against this commandment.

Jesus could have gone through all ten if he wished …

We can sometimes be tempted to indulge in some interior thoughts and think that that there is no sin because there is no external action.

But no, these thoughts are like opening the tent at night – even if just for a moment – and all the bugs that come in are like the evil coming into us when we indulge in these thoughts.

Jesus first uses the example of anger – we know that anger is rarely just a passing thought – it consumes us because it satisfies our ego – everyone is wrong except me – boosts our self-satisfaction.

When it comes to impurity and things like pornography – the image of the tent serves doubly.  Sometimes we think that just peek won’t hurt – and so we open up that tent real quick – but still all those evil critters come in and they are hard to get rid of.  And so one often commits further sin – all stemming from that first peek.

Jesus says that our righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees – righteousness means right living – our moral life.

The Pharisees, of course, were focused on the external observance of the law, while interiorly and perhaps in the privacy of their own homes things were up for grabs.

Privacy can be a dangerous thing – it is the chief argument for the legalized killing of unborn children.

Our private lives – what is going on in our thoughts, and what we do in the privacy of our own home or room is what Jesus wants us to work on.

This is why he says elsewhere – that we should pray in the privacy of our room for no one else to see except you and God.

And so when it comes to our moral lives – so that our righteousness exceeds that of those who focus on the external – we have to be like smart scouts who want to keep the bugs out of their tents – and so keep our thoughts closed to evil and filth.

All sins, all evil actions begin with an evil thought, it begins in the mind and we must be on guard against it.  As the scouts know – it only takes a spark to get a fire going – the same is true with even a small evil thought – it can grow and grow and can become consuming.

St. Paul tries to open up our thoughts and imagination to good by talking about the wonders of heaven. 

“Eye has not seen, and ear has not heard … what God has prepared for those who love him”

Let us keep our thoughts on what is good, true, and eternal rather than let our minds be filled with what turns us away from God.

2.12.11 - 5th Saturday - Death is Gift

Everything that God does is fro the good of man, his creation and object of his love.  After Adam and Eve had sinned, he imposed on them what we call now the realities of the human condition - isolation, discord, suffering, and labor.  God also says that "man has become like us" that is the Trinity, "knowing what is good and what is evil."  Therefore he shall no longer be permitted to eat from the tree of life so as to live forever.  So God banned Adam & Eve and all humanity from the Garden of Eden.  Thus all humanity is subject to death.
There is, of course, a very good reason for this - one that benefits mankind, rather than merely being a curse or punishment.  What Adam & Eve did, was done - and now human beings have the capacity for sin and evil.  To live forever with sin is to live forever separated from God - by definition - hell.  "Therefore, God allowed death to enter the world ... so that sin can be put to death."(Ambrose of Milan)
The realities of the human condition, some of which can be overcome thanks to the new life of grace given to us by Christ, still helps us to look beyond this world and realize that we were meant for full communion with God.
Our return to God began with a death - Jesus' death on the cross opened up the way for us.  While it is approached with trembling for all - even by Jesus - we know that it will bring us to where there is no more sin or evil.

5th Thursday - Male/Female Complementarity

The male/female complementarity in creation is a truth written into the very nature of human beings.  God says that is is not good for man to be alone - it does not mean that he could not be alone, but it wasn't good.  The tendency if one were to be alone is to become self-absorbed.
God created us to know, love, and serve him - not to know, love, and serve each other.  However, we need to know, love, and serve each other, not as an end in itself but, in a sense, as practice.  If we do not love our neighbor, we cannot love God.  Our neighbor we can see, but we cannot see God.
Husbands and wives give themselves entirely over to each other - in this way they sanctify themselves because each of them has learned to be self-giving.  They have stripped away some of their inherited selfishness through Original Sin and became one who is thus able to love God more.
Anything within the marriage that is a return to selfishness, things like unfaithfulness, contraception, or pornography - not only hurts if not destroys the beautiful self-giving - it also directly tears up a person's ability to love God with his heart, soul, and mind.
God added complementarity in creation, indeed as a good gift - but most especially as a means for his people to prepare to gladly give themselves in love back to God.

5th Tuesday - Days of Creation

What does it mean to say that God rested on the seventh day?  We can sort of imagine that God was tired after creation, but then again, God does not get tired - he has no need of rest.  Neither does God withdraw from his creation - in fact God must necessarily hold the world in existence.
Normally we say that God, who does not need rest, took the seventh day as an example for us - so that we who could probably continue to work without rest, would take it because it is beneficial to us - physically and spiritually.
But perhaps there is another interpretation.  Most people regard creation as an event - albeit over time, that took place a long time ago.  But we do not see the world as a time-piece set in motion by God.  Creation is rather an ongoing process - that God continues to create even now.  The seven days of creation however long they lasted were not something so long ago - before we have history, even though they are recorded as the first events in the bible.
Rather, some would suppose that the seventh day of creation began when Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden and lasted until the birth of Christ.  The Incarnation then marked the beginning of a new day - the eight day - a new period in the story of creation, which continues even to today.  The eighth day is different from the seventh because God entered into and has remained a part of his creation.

2/7/11 - Fifth Monday Ordinary Time

There is something very comforting about reading the creation account in the book of Genesis.  We hear the story of our origin - and this origin provides us with insight to our destination.  God made all types of things - growing in complexity as time moves on - yet each day has something so profound and beautiful.  Even the simplest thing like light on the first day fills us with wonder.
God made for us a beautiful world, not so that we become too attached to this place, but so that we can only imagine what he has prepared for us, and our imagination, of course, will always fall short.
When we build churches, not counting the ones built in the 60s and 70s - we try to capture this profound sense.  We order creation upward so as to catch a glimpse of the glory of God.  What we do architecturally will be nothing but a shadow - yet it is good to lift our hearts and souls this way.
But none of these, not our Churches - nor even the beauty of God's created landscapes & stars will compare to the beauty of the crowning jewel of God's creation.  The human race is the highpoint of creation - only people are made truly in the image of God.  Yet in our world today, it is often people who are put last.

Computer geek turned Catholic priest

I like to welcome myself to the world of blogging.  I wanted a place to get my thoughts out.  What I generally intend on doing is publishing my daily Mass homilies.  Along with that, I have a computer club in my parish and we have tried some pretty neat projects, and I would love show what we've done.  Someday, I might actually let some people know that this exists.  For now - its for me.