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The Struggle To Be A Disciple

22 January 2012, 2:48 pm

Here is my homily for today (Sunday, January 22, 2012)

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B (Click here to see the readings)
Jonah 3:1-5, 10
1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Mark 1:14-20
January 22, 2012

We see a pretty lofty example of what being a disciple means today.  Jesus is just beginning his public ministry and immediately begins to call disciples.

As this point in Mark’s Gospel, we haven’t heard of Jesus doing any miracles or preaching.   All that we have been told so far in Mark’s Gospel is that he was baptized by John and then tempted by Satan.  As he begins his ministry, John the Baptist has been arrested and Jesus picks up where John leaves off.  Jesus proclaims the same message “This is the time of fulfillment.  The kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

No new profound message.  Perhaps one might find a sense of urgency with the kingdom of God is at hand.  No more making excuses.  Now is the time for action.

Even if they have that sense of urgency the response of Simon, Andrew, James, and John is nothing short of amazing.  Jesus calls them and they immediately abandon their lives to follow Jesus. 

If an unfamiliar face came to be and told me to “come after them” my first response would probably be “Who are you?” and “Why should I follow you? I don’t even know who you are.”  Simon and the others didn’t respond that way.  They didn’t know who Jesus truly was but they were willing to follow him.

For Simon, Andrew, James, and John to follow Jesus so suddenly they must have sensed the divine presence in Jesus.      Why else would they have followed Jesus?

In coming here today, we are showing that we want to follow Jesus.  But it is a struggle.  I don’t know about you but for one thing I struggle to know what Jesus is asking of me.  I love being a priest.  I very much want to serve God and you as his people.  There is a lot of work to do.  What am I supposed to do myself?  What am I supposed to lead others to do?  What is not for me to deal with at all?  Where do God priorities lay?

I wish it seemed so simple as for Simon, Andrew, James, and John who simply abandoned everything and followed Jesus.  Well, it wasn’t all that simple when you read the rest of the story.  The disciples will screw up.  They don’t really fully understand who Jesus is.  Even Peter will deny Jesus three times.

We have to look at the whole story of the disciples.  

The same is true with Jonah in the first reading.  The opening verse sounds like Jonah is the perfect disciple.  God tells him to go to Nineveh and proclaim a message.  Jonah immediately goes and proclaims the message as God directs.  The people of Nineveh immediately repeat and are saved.  Sounds perfect right?  

You need to read the rest of the story. 

This is not the first time God has asked Jonah to preach in Nineveh.  If you read the whole story, the first time God asked Jonah to go, Jonah refused and ran away from God.  Of course, you can’t really run away from God since he is every way.  As the story goes, God sent a storm to punish Jonah.  The sailors throw Jonah overboard to save themselves from the storm.  Along comes a large fish (a whale in the children’s story) that swallows Jonah up.  Jonah spends three days in the belly of the fish before the fish spits him back out.

So when God asks Jonah a second time, Jonah does as God asks.  I guess he got the message when he was in the belly of the fish.

But Jonah hadn’t really changed his mind as to why he didn’t want to go to Nineveh.  He only went out of “fear of the Lord.”  Why didn’t he want to go?  

Nineveh was known as a wicked city of sin.  Jonah thought they deserved to be punished (they did).  Jonah also knew God was merciful and he knew if the Ninevites repented God would not destroy them for their sins.  Jonah wanted to see the Ninevites destroyed.  Of course, they repented and God did not destroy them.  Jonah is actually mad at God for this.  Yet Jonah has also done what God asks of him.

We don’t always follow Jesus (especially on the first try).  We have our own ideas (just like Jonah) of how things should be.  We might even have someone like Jonah did who we don’t want to forgive.

How many times does God have to tell us something before we get it?  For instance, we count on God’s mercy for ourselves.  Do we show mercy and forgiveness to others?  Jesus taught us to pray “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Do we have someone we need to forgive?  Or what other struggles do we face?  Do we stand up for what Jesus taught us?  Do we stand up for life and good moral conduct?

Discipleship isn’t easy but we come to Jesus seeking the wisdom and courage to be his faithful disciples.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

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The Need For Mental Health Care

14 January 2012, 9:10 am

Each year our Diocesan Public Policy Committee selects three issues to promote awareness of.  This year’s issues are

  • Sex Trafficking - Even in our own country, people are exploited and treated as objects of pleasure.  Our faith is clear that people are not objects and must always be treated with dignity and love.  The exploitation of people for sex stands in direct opposition to the dignity of the person.
  • The Common Good – The concern here is rooted in the growing separation of the rich and the poor.  There is the old saying, “The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.”  We must work to make sure that everyone has what they need and ensure that no one is denied their needs because of the rich holding all the wealth.
  • Access to Mental Health Care – People face mental health difficulties for various reasons.  Some because of medical conditions and some because of the circumstances of their lives.  All people have a right to health care and that includes mental health care (for more on the right to health care see my website on “Why the Catholic Church is Concerned With Health Care?“).

Focusing now on the Mental Health Care, it is an issue that is bigger than just the person with the mental health issue.  I attended a presentation this week on this issue by Catholic Charities.  Two of the speakers were mothers who both had a child with mental health issues.  It didn’t just affect them.  It affected their whole family, the children at school, and even the parents’ work.  If you read the diocesan material on this issue you can hear stories of parents losing their jobs because of the time they spend just trying to make sure the child gets the care they need.  One of the mothers even talked about not being able to attend church because of the child’s behavior.  Eventually, her church began to understand what was really going on.  Do we?

There is, of course, a cost element to mental health care but statistics also say that there is simply not enough trained professionals (especially for children) to provide the amount of mental health care is needed. 

We need to do what we can to support those with mental health care.  Is there something you can do?

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

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What Is It That We Seek?

12 January 2012, 7:08 am

In today’s (Jan. 12, 2012) readings, we can see two different relationships with the Lord.  In the first reading, the Israelites battles against their enemy, the Philistines (who David will defeat in the future).  When the Israelites lose the battle, they decide that they lost because God was not with them in battle.   Their solution is to take the Ark of the Covenant into battle with them.  For them the Ark of the Covenant is the presence of God in this world.  Surely they will not be defeated with the Ark?

But they are!  Why?  I think that while they belief of God’s presence in the Ark was tied to their faith they weren’t really acting “in faith”.  The Ark of the Covenant contained the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments.  The Ark is a sure sign of God’s presence among us but it is not a “magic” solution to ensure victory.  It would be like a person wearing a Cross or carrying the Eucharist with them always (not allowed) thinking that nothing bad could ever happen to them just because they are wearing the Cross or carrying the Eucharist.

In the gospel reading, the leper comes to Jesus saying, “If you wish, you can make me clean.”  The leper truly believes that Jesus has the power to heal him.  There is no doubt.  But the leper also trusts in what “Jesus wishes.”  He comes to Jesus in faith, trusting that Jesus will provide.

Do we come to Jesus seeking “magic” fixes to our problems or do we come to Jesus in faith, asking Him to fix our problems but ultimately trusting in whatever His will is, knowing that no matter what happens Jesus walks with us?

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

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Getting the Word Out

8 January 2012, 8:45 am

The message that we are called to give is clear.  It is the message of Jesus Christ that we are given in the Bible.  It is not just a message that we should receive and keep to ourselves.  The message is meant to be shared with all people and we are meant to be the ones to share it with others.

Today is the Feast of the Epiphany.  The gospel reading is the familiar story of the magi coming from the East.  They are foreigners and Gentiles but yet they are among the first to see Jesus, the newborn king of the Jews.  The Jews of that time saw themselves as a chosen people and indeed they were a chosen people.  However, they saw themselves as a ‘members only’ club.  They would supposed to share the message of God’s love with all people but they did not.  The magi being among the first to see Jesus serves to remind us that Jesus’ message is for all.

We must be effective communicators, in print, spoken word, and now in the information age, on the Internet.  That’s why I have this blog and website.  I write about some of my experiences but I always hope to write in a way not to put the focus on me or to communicate my own message.  It is not my message but the message of Jesus that I want to share.

One of the groups that we need to work on how to communicate to is those who register in our parishes but we only see them at Christmas and Easter, if even then.  The Internet is one way to do this but it is dependent on the people looking for the message we want to share. 

Another means of communication to the unchurched is for all of us who come to church to share what we hear with others.  Some people say they can’t do this because they don’t know enough.  First, maybe that is a sign that you need to do more to learn about our faith.  Secondly, the best way to learn how to talk about our faith is to do it.

In our age of technology, some people say print is dead.  So, why worry about using print as a way of the communicating the gospel.  While not everyone will read it print is still a way to get information out.  At Our Lady of the Lakes we just started a new print newsletter.   We talked about using email or putting more information on the parish website.  We decided to do a print newsletter because then we can mail it to all our registered parishioners to make sure we reach out to those who don’t come to church often.

How is God calling you to share the gospel message?

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

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Mary and Peace

1 January 2012, 2:01 pm

Today (January 1st) we honor Mary and we pray for peace.  Here is the homily I preached on this occasion.

Mary, Mother of God
Numbers 6:22-37
Galatians 4:4-7
Luke 2:16-21
January 1, 2012

We could ask ourselves why are we here?  The obvious answer is that it is Sunday and we come to church every Sunday.  How else would we want to spend our Sunday morning?

Yes, today is Sunday but it is also January 1st.  What comes to mind when you here January 1st?  Perhaps the New Year?  As a date on the calendar January 1st does mark the beginning of a new year.  The beginning of a new year is seen as a time to make changes in our lives with New Year’s Resolutions.  Of course, January 1st is the beginning of a new year on the secular calendar but our Christian faith (with Advent), our Jewish brothers and sisters, the Muslims, and the Asians all have calendars that mark the beginning of a New Year as an important day.

What else does January 1st mean to us?  I’m sure some of you immediately realized it is a Holy Day of Obligation (how convenient it falls on a Sunday this year!).  However, it is not a Holy Day because it falls on January 1st.  Sometimes we get our ‘holy days” and “holidays” confused.   Today is the 8th day of Christmas.  On the 8th day, it was the Jewish custom to take newborn males to the temple to be circumcised.  Mary, as a good Jewish mother, did that for Jesus.  So, on this day we recognize Mary’s role as Mother of Jesus.   But we do not called this day the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of Jesus.  No, we say “Mother of God”  recognizing the divine nature of Jesus.

There is yet another significance to January 1st for us in the Catholic Church.  In 1968, Pope Paul VI declared January 1st to be a day for peace throughout the world and all the popes since then have continued this and issue a message each year inviting us to pray and work for peace especially on this day.  Each year the pope writes a message to the world about peace.  This year, Pope Benedict spoke on the need to educate our young people towards peace.

Why should we pray for peace on January 1st?  Going back to the secular New Year, we could make working for peace our New Year’s Resolution.  A new year of peace is worth a resolution.

From the church view, Mary is a woman of Peace.  One of her titles is “Mary, Queen of Peace.”  Mary is an example of peace for us with her trust in Jesus.  At the Annunciation she did not understand how it could be so but trusting in God, she said yes in peace.  At the wedding feast of Cana, when they ran out of wine, she had peace in her heart knowing Jesus would take care of it when she said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”  When the shepherds told her and Joseph what the angel had said to them, Mary, in peace, “kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”

And in this season of Christmas, when we reflect on the baby Jesus lying in the manger does the image of the infant Jesus not bring peace and hope to our hearts and souls?

Our other readings also include references to peace.  The blessing God instructs Aaron and his sons to give to the Israelites includes the Lord giving them peace.

Our second reading includes Paul writing to the Galatians, “God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts.”  Is not one of the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit peace?

Don’t we all want peace?

What is peace?

The peace that we seek in faith is not just a balance of power between countries. Nor is it simply an end to violence.  That is peace in this world and we should seek that peace but that peace alone is not the peace of Christ that we seek in faith.

The peace that we seek in faith transcends this world.  That’s why when we know the peace that is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, we can know peace even in the midst of the difficulties we face in this world.  In the midst of violence, illness, or natural disaster we can still seek the peace of Christ.  

What might we do in this world to work for this peace to be known by all?  Certainly a vital part of it is to share our faith so that all might receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to know the fruit of that Spirit in peace.

 What are some other ways that we might work for peace?

We must teach and practice a respect for all persons.  If people are not respected and given all their God-given rights, then they may need to fight for their basic rights.  In this midst of such fighting and when basic needs are not fulfilled, how difficult it is to know peace.

We must care for the environment.  How does caring for the environment contribute to peace?  Well, if we over consume our natural resources, then others (today and in the future) may not have enough and then suffer or fight for what there is.

Lastly, we must truly pray and desire for peace.  We must ask ourselves do our actions promote peace or put our needs before others, denying them peace.

Today is New Year’s.  It is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God who is Queen of Peace.  When is there a better time to pray for peace?

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With Abundant Joy and Great Rejoicing

25 December 2011, 12:47 pm

You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing.  These are the words spoken by the Prophet Isaiah in the first reading for Christmas Mass During the Night.  Today we can truly know abundant joy and great rejoicing for as Isaiah also writes, The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.

Jesus is the light that now shines upon us.  We live in a world that is not perfect.  Good things happen but unfortunately bad things also happen.  When we experience the bad, we can feel like we live in darkness, a land of gloom but today we have hope.

What gives us hope?  In the second reading for Christmas Mass During the Night, Paul writes to Titus, the Grace of God has appeared.  Today we celebrate the day when the Grace of God was truly made visible for today is the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus announced to the shepherds by an angel in the gospel reading for Christmas Mass During the Night, For today in the city of David, a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.

And so we have hope.

We have hope because we have a God who loves us so much as to send His Son into the world to save us.  This salvation is open to all.  Jesus, as king, was not born in a palace in the presence of greatness.  Jesus was born in humble surroundings, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.  Who was invited to see the baby Jesus?  Not great royalty but shepherds so all might know that Jesus comes not just for the rich and the powerful but for all.  Thus Jesus gives us hope.  Jesus is the light that shows us the way to the Father.

People have been waiting for Christmas in anticipation of the presents they will receive, wondering if they will get the gift they really want.  Today God gives us the greatest gift ever, a gift beyond imagination.  Today we receive the gift of Jesus.  May we have abundant joy and great rejoicing from the hope and love we receive in the gift of Jesus.

Merry Christmas.

Fr. Jeff

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School Visit

22 December 2011, 5:14 pm

This morning I joined our school children for Morning Prayer.   I asked them if there was an important day coming up to which they responded yes.  Then, I asked what the day was.  Lots of hands went up and I told them to say it aloud together.  They gave me a very enthusiastic “Christmas.”

I then asked them what happens on Christmas.  I figured the first answer would be “presents.”  I am very pleased to say I was wrong.  Lots of hands went up and I picked one student at random to give his answer.  I am very pleased to say that his answer was, “It’s Jesus birthday.”

Of course, that is the correct answer and I knew if I asked enough students, sooner or later one of them would say it was Jesus’ birthday.  For Christmas we have parties, share meals, and exchange presents but it is all about Jesus.

Then, the discussion turned to presents.  I asked them why did we give presents.  The first response was because the magi brought presents for Jesus.  Then we talked about how we give presents because we love.  Next, I asked them if they were going to give presents to other people.  Most of them answered no (the school is pre-school through fifth grade).  I told them even though they couldn’t give presents, they could tell everyone who gives them a present that they love them.  They could even give them a hug.

Christmas is Jesus’ birthday.  Everything else, the parties, the meals, and presents are all meant to remind us of Jesus.

Merry Christmas.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

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O Come All Ye Faithful

17 December 2011, 12:27 pm

My favorite Christmas song is O Come All Ye Faithful.  Even though it is my favorite, I only know one verse of it because that is all I learned as a child.  For those of you who don’t know me, I can’t sing.  When we sing at Mass, I try to make sure I turn the wireless mic off to make sure people don’t hear my singing off-key.   Since, I can’t sing it’s hard for me to learn music.

There are at least three reasons I like O Come All Ye Faithful.  First, simply it is one of the traditional Christmas songs that I learned as a child.  Second, I like it because, despite my lack of musical ability, it is a song I can sing.  Lastly, the third reason I like the song is because I think the words “O Come All Ye Faithful” speaks of how Jesus came into the world at the first Christmas to invite all to be part of God’s kingdom.  All are invited and welcome.

Christmas draws something out in people.  At Christmas, the churches I have been in have their attendance increase 50% to 100% with visitors.  Some of the visitors are people who live elsewhere and come home for Christmas to be with their family.  Other “visitors” are people who only come at Christmas and Easter.   I’ve heard comments from people who come to church every Sunday say that at Christmas they have to come an hour early just to get their regular seat.

So what?  I think it is wonderful to see all these people in church.  Some people will say, “Where are they the rest of the year?”  I wonder where they are too.  But I see no benefit in judging them for this.  I give thanks that at least for Christmas they have heard Jesus calling “O Come All Ye Faithful.”  The best thing we can do for these people is to make them feel welcome and let them God has something to offer them.  If they feel that they are not wanted, then why should they ever come back. 

If we want them to come back (which we do), then we need to use these rare opportunities when these people do come to do our best to help be aware of God’s love and compassion.  What better time of year to share God’s love at Christmas for the true meaning of Christmas is all about God’s love for us?

So, when you see a strange face at Christmas, welcome them with God’s love.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

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Learning a New Word

9 December 2011, 5:26 pm

Yesterday I said Mass for our school children for the holy day, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  As I always do, and especially with the new translations, I looked over the prayers before Mass.  Or at least I thought I looked them over but later discoverded I missed a word. 

During the Mass, we came to the Prayer over the Offerings and came upon a word I hadn’t noticed before Mass.  I don’t know if I had ever seen the word before and I didn’t know how to pronounce it.  To add to the mix, I spent seven years in speech therapy in elementary school.  Generally I am ok but new words are a challenge for me.

So I stumbled through the word as “pre-pre-ven-ve-ant.”  That’s not how the word is really spelled but rather the way I stumbled through it.  The word is prevenient.

After Mass, I made a point to go look the word up in the dictionary.  I had another Mass to say later in the day and wanted to know how to pronounce the word.  I also wondered what the correct meaning of the word is.

Let me share the entirety of the prayer with you

Graciously accept the saving sacrifice
which we offer you, O Lord,
on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
and grant that, as we profess her,
on account of your prevenient grace,
to be untouched by any stain of sin,
so, through her intercession,
we may be delivered from all our faults.
Through Christ Our Lord.

Now, let us take a look at the definition of the word as found on www.infoplease.com.

1. coming before, antecedent
2. anticipatory

While this solemnity is about the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the gospel we read is the story of the Annunciation where the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her she had been chosen to be the mother of Jesus.  Mary says yes to the will of God.  Because God transcends time, God already knew Mary would say yes, so in her own conception in her mother’s womb, Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin so that she would be worthy to carry Jesus in her womb.

This is prevenient grace.  In anticipation of Mary saying yes, God gave her the grace of being immaculately conceived before she said yes.

I believe a positive effect of the new translations is to make us think about the words we pray.  This prayer certainly caused me to think about the word prevenient.  I took the initiative to look the word up in the dictionary.  Learning that definition then led me to think about how Mary was immaculately conceived before she said yes.  God has a plan.  God knows us better than we know ourselves.  Let us always place our trust in God.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

 

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Sharing Our Passion

4 December 2011, 4:17 pm

We minister to one another in different ways.  As a priest, the prime way that I minister to others is presiding at the celebration of the sacraments.  I also minister in teaching RCIA, visiting the sick, and in the work I do with our various parish committees to name a few.  I have talked before about how I serve in some of these ministries.

Today, I would like to talk about how others have ministered to me this week.  Some may read this and wonder what was wrong that I needed to be ministered to this week. 

It isn’t that anything was wrong this week.  Matter of fact, in the ways I felt ministered to this week, I bet if you asked the people involved about how they ministered to me, they won’t know what you were talking about.  It wasn’t intentional ministry.  They were just being themselves (and for me that’s the best part).  What I saw in their actions was that their faith meant something to them.  In showing their passion, they served as evangelists.

Here are the three situations.  First, I was teaching RCIA to a family and the twelve-year-old son really was interested and asking lots of questions.  That helped me see it meant something to him, helped me feel like what I was doing mattered. 

The second situation was a Liturgy Committee meeting.  Many people dread meetings and this was an especially long one because we had a lot to talk about (reviewing November liturgies, working on Advent and Christmas, and beginning to plan for Lent).  I’m not one to enjoy meetings but done well they are necessary for effective communication and coordination.  Unfortunately, not all meetings seem worthwhile.  There was not anything spectacular about this meeting.  In fact, I wish it had been a lot shorter.  What helped me was simply to see the interest of the people at the table.  They were there because they wanted to be there and showed their interest in making our liturgies meaningful expressions of our faith.  They took it seriously.

The third situation was an intentional ministry but probably not in the direct way I spoke to me.  The person was the lector at Mass.  She was there about a half an hour early, had practiced the readings, spent time in church practicing the Prayers of the Faithful, asked to make sure she had everything straight before we started and did an excellent job.  One could easily say she did exactly what every lector should do and they would be right.  I wish every lector would do as well but what spoke to me the most was that she was a teenager.  It’s nice to see one of our youth actively serving in our parish and doing an excellent job.

All three were ordinary situations but people showed that their faith meant something to them and that is a big help to me to remain passionate in my own ministry.

Never be afraid to show your faith.  It can help others in theirs.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

P.S. Two weeks into the new translation – Still some mistakes but I believe that everyone is taking it seriously and trying to learn the new translations.  Another sign that faith means something to the people I serve.

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