Sunday, October 29, 2017
The Need for Patience and Humility
In the story of two miracles told in the Gospel of Luke 8.41-56, we hear of the healing of the woman with the flow of blood and the raising of Jairus’ daughter. In both cases we are taught the great gift of patience and humility. They are companions as we can’t have patience without humility. We will never be humble if we can’t be patient. But when we embrace both patience and humility we can be healed by God.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Daily Demands vs Daily Prayers
Today’s Gospel reading is a consumer reports nightmare. It
is filled with false advertising and lost promises. That is, if you are reading
from a consumer point of view. Here is the reading:
The Lord said to his disciples, "Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone; or if he asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11.9-13)
If we are honest with ourselves, we ask and it is not given,
we seek and we do not find, we knock and the door we really want rarely ever
opens. So how do we justify today’s reading with how we actually experience God’s
responses to our daily list of demands?
Just a few verses before this
passage, our Lord lays out for us the “Lord’s Prayer” as the way to pray. His
followers begged Him, “"Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his
disciples." (Luke 11.1) In this prayer, which the Apostles (see Didache)
commanded that we should prayer three times per day, we find the very simply
yet often overlooked phrase “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” In
this context then we should understand today’s reading. IF we are praying the
Lord’s prayer, it goes to prove we will ask and receive, seek and find, knock
and find the open door.
There is only one problem. Too
often we offer God our daily demands rather than our daily prayers. Hers is
what Saint James had to say, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask
amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do
you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever
therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
(James 4.3-4) If we ask and not receive, we have asked for the wrong thing.
Today’s reading isn’t false
advertising because we aren’t consumers. We are children of God. We don’t (or
at least we shouldn’t) view the Church or God as something that we are choosing
from a list of menu items. The Church is the way of life established by God to
help us in our journey of theosis. If we desire to be united to Him, then we
will dump our demands in favor of our prayers.
Sunday, October 22, 2017
Playing with Demons
When we are faced with temptations and struggles that seem to overwhelm us, we can find comfort knowing that demons have no power over us without God’s permission. There is once exception when we give them permission through our love for sinful living or such boldness as playing with demons.
Monday, October 16, 2017
The Garden of our Hearts
In the Parable of the Sower found in Luke 8.5-15, our Lord explains His parable so we can know the mysteries of God. We are the soil that receives the word of God in our hearts, and we are the fruit and seeds that He sends out into the world in order to produce even more fruit for the glory of God. But like any garden soil needs constant attention and work to remain fertile, our hearts need constant work through prayer, fasting, almsgiving and the sacramental life of the Church to become and ultimately remain rich fertile soil.
Sunday, October 8, 2017
The Comfort of God’s Presence
Just when we think we are all alone and have no place to turn, God is there for our comfort and peace. As revealed in the raising of the widow’s son (see Luke 7.11-16) God is always able to comfort our heart when no other comfort is possible. Through His physical touch and presence, His power is enough to defeat death and any other pain that troubles our heart. He has promised to be with us in His Church through Holy Communion. Do you need comfort? Come into the Church and find God’s presence.
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Why do you care?
Yesterday I awoke to my social media news feed overtaken by
prayers and well wishes for the survivors of the tragic shooting in Las Vegas,
Nevada, and I asked myself, “Do these people really care?” Now before you jump
all over me for the question hear me out…
When I was a newly ordained priest serving as an assistant to a senior priest who was mentoring me, a woman I knew
was going through a divorce. I asked my mentor priest if I should call her? He
asked, “Why do you care?” I was shocked at his question! What did he mean, why
do I care? He explained, but before he did he asked another question. “When was
the last time you called her to see how she was doing?” Indeed, I hadn’t. “So
why do you care now suddenly that she is going through a divorce? Is it because
you want to be known as the priest who cares? If that is why you suddenly care
enough to call, you shouldn’t. I’m her priest, you’re not.” He went on to
explain that if I had been her priest and discovered a difficult time, I should
in fact call and follow up, but never just because I wanted to be known as the
priest who cares. I have taken that bitter pill of advice with me in my
priestly journey every day since.
So back to my question. Why do people on social media insist
on posting “Prayers for….” memes every time there is a tragedy. Are the really
praying? Do they really care, or are they just wanting to be known as the
people who care? Has our caring become politicized? I don’t recall my news feed
filled “Prayers for…” during other events that I would consider tragedies. I
understand the conversation about the tragedy and how our society may or may
not be going over the deep end, but if as many people posted that they were
praying, were really praying, I suspect our society would be in a different state
than it is today.
Next time you are tempted to post a “Prayers for…” meme, ask
yourself why you care? If you really care, pray and move on. It doesn’t really
matter what you post on social media.
Sunday, October 1, 2017
Everyone is Worthy of Mercy and Love
It is easy to love those who love us back, but even sinners do the same. This is reminder from Christ in the Gospel on the Second Sunday of Luke. (see Luke 6.31-36) As Christians we are called to higher form of love than what is easy in the world. We are called to love whether or not someone loves us back. We are called to love whether or not someone is nice to us. We are called to love even our enemies, because everyone is worthy of mercy and love.
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