Living In The Light

Gospel	Mark 4:21-25 ©

The seed is sprouting and growing as he sleeps

Jesus said to the crowd, ‘Would you bring in a lamp to put it under a tub or under the bed? Surely you will put it on the lamp-stand? For there is nothing hidden but it must be disclosed, nothing kept secret except to be brought to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to this.’

  He also said to them, ‘Take notice of what you are hearing. The amount you measure out is the amount you will be given – and more besides; for the man who has will be given more; from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.’

In a blackout, do you find your flashlight, turn it on, and then put it in your pocket?  No, of course, you don't you keep it out so that you can see what you are doing.  Jesus is the light of the world and at the end of time, those things we keep safely hidden will all be exposed in His light and we will receive the wages we deserve and more.  If we deserve nothing, even what we have will be taken away from us.

This is what Jesus is telling us today. It is better for us to be light to the world and live so that all that we do is not a source of embarrassment for us.  If we live open and above board and are honest in all we do, the end will bring no terrors for us only the joy of being with Christ. 

Answering The Protestant Antagonist

First reading	Hebrews 10:1-10

Christ’s self-offering sanctifies us

Since the Law has no more than a reflection of these realities, and no finished picture of them, it is quite incapable of bringing the worshippers to perfection, with the same sacrifices repeatedly offered year after year. Otherwise, the offering of them would have stopped, because the worshippers, when they had been purified once, would have no awareness of sins. Instead of that, the sins are recalled year after year in the sacrifices. Bulls’ blood and goats’ blood are useless for taking away sins, and this is what he said, on coming into the world:

You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation,

prepared a body for me.

You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin;

then I said,

just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book,

‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will.’

Notice that he says first: You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the oblations, the holocausts and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to obey your will. He is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.

Not being the sharpest crayon in the box, I tend to steer away from readings from the Book of Hebrews.  The book, for me, goes really deep into some subjects and it hurts my brain!  Today's reading is kind of important because it addresses an issue that Protestants bring up often in their attempt to flay the doctrine off of the Church.  Very often, Catholics will stand there and nervously finger their rosaries, mouth open, and brain in the "off" position when asked if Christ died once for us, (and He really did) how can we kill Christ in our so-called "Holy Sacrifice of the Mass over and over and over again?"  With a smug look, the antagonist steps back and sees the sweat start to form on the head of his latest Papist victim.  The Catholic, red-faced, and trembling before a man that seemingly knows the Bible backwards and forwards swallows, and answers, "Ah, um, I gotta go now."  and he retreats into anonymous safety.  But the damage has been done, a weed has been planted in this poor victims head.  The doubt festers and instead of looking to his parish for an answer he begins to doubt and over time, the Protestant brings up more things that our victim never thought about and finally, he gives up and becomes a Bible-pounding, sola scriptura, and sola fide commando of the Church of What's Happening Now, and he leaves the Catholic Church behind, he gives up the Eucharist, the very Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ available to him and his soul daily for grape juice and crackers four times a year.  It is like trading a Rolls Royce for a Yugo! 

It is a sad fact that many Catholics are poorly catechized and an awful lot of us left learning behind once confirmation was received and we were "freed" from classes that took us away from important activities like basketball and soccer. We become grist for the Protestant thumpers all because we have not taken time or care to learn more about the Word of God and the way of salvation.  The sad part about is that in this case the answer was given to the victim in the question he was asked.  

We hear often at Church that the Mass is a sacred meal, shared with all and it connects us to one another, to the Holy Church, to the Saints in heaven and to the Souls in Purgatory.  What we do not hear too much anymore is how the Mass is also a sacrifice. So, we do sacrifice Christ over and over and over again!  NO, NO, NO! What we are doing is presenting the sacrifice of Jesus to the Father in an unbloody manner.  We do not kill Jesus again, His death on the Cross happened once and was sufficient.   

My main point today besides an explanation of the passage is to exhort you to quit being lazy about your faith.  You have within you a pearl of great price, membership in the Roman Catholic Church.  Take the time to care for the treasure.  Make sure it is secure behind walls of knowledge. Pick up a book now and then and read about your faith.  If you are cheap, you can read the Catechism of the Catholic Church online, for free.  Haunt CATHOLIC websites.  Be ready at all times to repulse the invaders who want to carry you off into exile and force upon you a spiritual diet lacking in what you need to survive. Do something positive for yourself, a great spiritual workout - read a book, actually listen to the homily this Sunday, like EWTN's tag line says, "Live Truth. Live Catholic."

The Poor Souls in Purgatory are crying for your help.  Please, take a moment and pray for them today.  Remember, tomorrow you might be among them. 

(PS If you stare at the picture above for a minute or two the crosses will merge and appear to be 3D.)

How To Go To Hell In One Easy Lesson

Gospel	Mark 3:22-30

A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand

The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, ‘Beelzebul is in him’ and, ‘It is through the prince of devils that he casts devils out.’ So he called them to him and spoke to them in parables, ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot last. And if a household is divided against itself, that household can never stand. Now if Satan has rebelled against himself and is divided, he cannot stand either – it is the end of him. But no one can make his way into a strong man’s house and burgle his property unless he has tied up the strong man first. Only then can he burgle his house.

  ‘I tell you solemnly, all men’s sins will be forgiven, and all their blasphemies; but let anyone blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and he will never have forgiveness: he is guilty of an eternal sin.’ This was because they were saying, ‘An unclean spirit is in him.’

Jesus died on the Cross for our sins.  Our Savior God made flesh and without sin took on our sins so that we might be freed from sin. This He did to show us that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit loved us as a person, knew us by name, knew everything about us and did all of this before we had consented to repent.  So, if this is the case, then why is Jesus saying that an act of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is unforgivable?  I ask myself if in the dark days when I was angry with God and could care less about sinning, did I commit this unforgivable sin against the Holy Spirit?  I did some brazen things in my youth, is there any hope for me or am I doomed to allow the flames of hell to torture my body for all eternity?   (Wow, aren't you glad you started reading this on a Monday morning?) 

The sin against the Holy Spirit is nigh near impossible to commit but I fear that it is committed day in and day out as people take their last breath on this world and transition to the world beyond. If God was your friend and you tried to live a good life, you accepted Jesus into your heart by this life and you accepted that He died for you, personally, for your actual sins which He knew from when you were a youth until you wheezed your last breath, then you will be more likely to choose heaven over hell, it will still be your choice, but your love for God will lead you in that direction.  On the other hand, if your life ends and you lived it without thought to God, His Law, without charity, and you rejected all of the times your conscience told you that what you were doing was wrong, in shame, you will gaze at the Light and turn your back because it hurts with eternal pain for you to face it because too late you have understood that God loved you, died for you, was as close as arms-length  from you and you, for reasons known only to you, continued your life of sin and you cared not what God thought about it and so there was only one choice for this sin against the Holy Spirit and that is exile for eternity from Him

Choose every day to love the Lord by loving yourself and others as you love yourself.  Listen to your conscience and work for the good of others.  At the time of our death we will choose heaven or hell and if we love the Lord and walked with Him, we will enjoy His love and peace forever. 

Please pray for the Poor Souls in purgatory this week.  

Many Yet One

Second reading
1 Corinthians 12:12-30

You together are Christ's body, but each a different part of it

Just as a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ. In the one Spirit, we were all baptized, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink.

  Nor is the body to be identified with any one of its many parts. If the foot were to say, ‘I am not a hand and so I do not belong to the body’, would that mean that it stopped being part of the body? If the ear were to say, ‘I am not an eye, and so I do not belong to the body’, would that mean that it was not a part of the body? If your whole body was just one eye, how would you hear anything? If it was just one ear, how would you smell anything?

  Instead of that, God put all the separate parts into the body on purpose. If all the parts were the same, how could it be a body? As it is, the parts are many but the body is one. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I do not need you’, nor can the head say to the feet, ‘I do not need you.’

  What is more, it is precisely the parts of the body that seem to be the weakest which are the indispensable ones; and it is the least honorable parts of the body that we clothe with the greatest care. So our more improper parts get decorated in a way that our more proper parts do not need. God has arranged the body so that more dignity is given to the parts which are without it, and that there may not be disagreements inside the body, but that each part may be equally concerned for all the others. If one part is hurt, all parts are hurt with it. If one part is given special honor, all parts enjoy it. 

  Now you together are Christ’s body, but each of you is a different part of it. In the Church, God has given the first place to apostles, the second to prophets, the third to teachers; after them, miracles, and after them the gift of healing; helpers, good leaders, those with many languages. Are all of them apostles, or all of them prophets, or all of them teachers? Do they all have the gift of miracles, or all have the gift of healing? Do all speak strange languages, and all interpret them?

The Church is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.  The Church is made up of many members and it was designed by Christ from the beginning to use all of the talents that she has in her members to further the Kingdom of God. 

If you are putting together a puzzle, the picture becomes more clear as you join pieces together.  Each piece is made to fit in only one place because its shape is made to accommodate certain other pieces to the exclusion of all others.  Oh, we can apply force and made a piece fit where it does not belong but certainly, that means that another piece of the puzzle will be affected and will be in the wrong place and need some force applied to it to make it fit as well.  It is each piece fitting in where it belongs that allows us to complete our work and see the beautiful picture which was being carried piecemeal a pixel at a time by the membership of the whole. 

Of course, my puzzle simile falls apart because even though we are separate, we all know what the story is and we all have a grasp on the "big picture" which is that Jesus was born, He lived and ministered to us, He showed us how to live, and He died on the Cross for our sins. Then, as proof that He was the Messiah and not just another pious preacher, he vanquished death by rising from the dead.

  We as humans tend to put things in order of importance.  For example, the CEO of a company is seen as much more important when compared to the janitor.  Yet, both of these people perform separate but very vital functions.  The CEO directs the path that the organization is to take.  Imagine how hard it would be for the CEO to direct the company if the building he was in had only one working light bulb in some slop sink in the basement or if the toilets were overflowing, these would make the job of being CEO much harder and certainly much less pleasant.  So, in some respects, the CEO and the janitor are equally responsible for why the company is in the position it is in on any given day.

So, every part has its job to do and not matter if it appears to be a lowly job such as wrapping plastic silverware into napkins for a parish event or convoking a synod of bishops, each is required and each has a place in the economy of salvation.  We should all respect one another no matter how great or how modest our job appears.  We are all doing the same job and that is making it possible for the coming of the Kingdom which will be here sooner because we attended to our duties to make it so!

They Said He Was Crazy, Mad, A Fool - They Said It About Jesus Too!

Gospel	Mark 3:20-21

Jesus' relatives were convinced he was out of his mind

Jesus went home, and once more such a crowd collected that they could not even have a meal. When his relatives heard of this, they set out to take charge of him, convinced he was out of his mind.

The charming cottage you see in the picture above is the New Bethlem Hospital.  At the time it was built, the Victorian world considered it the last word, the state of the art, and was quite proud of this place.  What? You've never heard of it?  Maybe you would recognize it by its more familiar name which is Bedlam. 

Yes, this was the first hospital specifically designed to treat mental illness.   Now, the building above was the second building built to accommodate the mentally ill.  For the most part, the cutting edge treatment was simply to lock the inmates away from the rest of humanity.  Then, in about 1815 a new enlighted policy began to form.  Those in charge of the asylum tried their hand at improving conditions.  They did not improve conditions for the inmates so much but rather for themselves.  Treatments were designed to make the place safer and calmer by putting the residents into restraints so as to limit their ability to engage in mischief, their symptoms were often thought of as being willful acts.  Men of means were welcomed to tour the place and to give money to the Board of Governors which was to be used to maintain not the hospital but rather the way of life of the men in charge of the hospital.  Families were encouraged to visit their relatives that were locked away and were expected to bring them food and other extravagances.  There were public tours, people came to gawk at the insane as they did insane things as if they were animals in the zoo. A good time was had by all to be sure!  But, let's be real here, this account is taken from the Victorian age, surely things are better now, aren't they?  Yes, of course, things are better today, sort of.  Gone are the days when the mentally ill served as entertainment for the gentry and Bedlam still exists and is a good example of the modern treatment of our mentally ill friends and relatives, again, sort of.  Not everything is perfect.  In 2001 a patient by the name of Olaseni Lewis, 23 years of age died when he was subjected to a police restraint hold that left him unresponsive and thus sedated was ignored by staff and police until they figured out that he was a bit too calm and sedated and to their dismay they discovered that he had passed from their care into the care of God.  In 2014 Chris Brennan aged 15 died of self-asphyxiation as his mental illness claimed him.  The hospital pleaded lack of staff which meant that they could not provide the care Chris needed, he needed to be watched as he had a history of harming himself. 

What does all of this have to do with our Gospel reading today?  I thought about being mentally ill.  I suffer from depression and I take medicine that keeps the disease at bay.  I am one of the lucky ones.  My depression was diagnosed early and the medicine that the doctor prescribed worked and for better or worse I am symptom-free at this time.  I remember the days before my treatment began.  My dear wife had to put up with my raving, everything, absolutely everything that she or anyone else did could provoke in me feelings of rage.  Outside of the home, my manners and politeness threw a blanket on the fire and Mary had to bear the brunt of it when I got home.  She was a living saint.  We all have our demons, we all have our moments when life seems to be a series of defeats and the darkness never seems to end, and when the light at the end of the tunnel is actually a train.  We should remember how we feel when these times come and we should not look down upon members of the community that exhibit symptoms.  We should do what we can for them but we should also let them stand on their own two feet for to do too much is as bad as doing too little. 

As a Christian man or woman, we are called to minister to all, to be Christ to those around us.  It is easy to do that in church for we are all of a like mind when we are together there.  It is another thing to minister to someone who outwardly is like us but inside is going through a personal hell that we can't even imagine.  Love, as always is the answer.  Love them and see Christ in them and be patient and kind and watch for their pleas for help.  Some of us do not know how to ask outright for help.  Mental illness can make a person turn inward to themselves and lose the ability to communicate their pain and this is why mental illness can become a fatal disease.  

Please let the love of Christ shine through to all of the people in your life.  Make the light especially bright to those who suffer wounds that cannot be seen but hurt just as much as those that can. 

From the website "Our Catholic Prayers"  Please review their website, they are very worthy of your support. 

This prayer to Saint Dymphna, printed below, succinctly identifies her as the well-known patron saint of those with mental or nervous disorders or mental illness. 

Good Saint Dymphna, great wonder-worker in every affliction of mind and body, I humbly implore your powerful intercession with Jesus through Mary, the Health of the Sick, in my present need. (Mention it.) Saint Dymphna, martyr of purity, patroness of those who suffer with nervous and mental afflictions, beloved child of Jesus and Mary, pray to Them for me and obtain my request.

(Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory Be.)

Saint Dymphna, Virgin and Martyr, pray for us.

According to tradition, as with another great saint, St. Philomena, St. Dymphna was martyred as a teenager for her purity when she resisted the advances of a powerful figure.

In St. Philomena’s case, it was the Roman emperor Diocletian in the Fourth century. In St. Dymphna’s case it an Irish pagan King named Damon, her own father, in the Seventh.

Apparently, St. Dymphna’s mother, who was quite beautiful, died when the child was only about 14. This so distressed King Damon that he sought to have his own daughter, who was Christian, take her place. (Talk about someone with a mental disorder!) Before this occurred, St. Dymphna had taken a vow of chastity, consecrating her virginity to Christ.

St. Dymphna then fled Ireland with Saint Gerebernus, her confessor, along with two others to escape the king. They landed in Belgium where they settled in the town of Gheel, but he caught up with them. Damon then killed Saint Gerebernus and St. Dymphna as well, when she refused to return to Ireland with him.

As with St. Philomena’s story, this account is given to us from tradition and its authenticity has been disputed, but the relics of both Saints have been very powerful indeed!

St. Dymphna’s relics were placed in a church built in her honor in Gheel, where she was martyred, as miraculous cures of mental disorders took place there in the centuries after her death. The town itself became a model of humane treatment for the mentally ill.

In the 13th century, the bishop of Cambray commissioned an account of St. Dymphna’s life’s story based on the oral tradition and the miracles attributed to her afterward.

An infirmary to treat the mentally ill was built in Gheel, also in the 13th century, and the town still cares for them to this day. Miraculous cures of mental illness, and epilepsy as well, still occur at her shrine.

Prayers to St. Dymphna like the one above show her to be a great help not just to the mentally ill but, indeed, to anyone experiencing anxieties in these troubled times! Her feast day is May 15th.

From Every Land And Nation

First reading	Hebrews 6:10-20

In this hope, we have an anchor for our soul

God would not be so unjust as to forget all you have done, the love that you have for his name or the services you have done, and are still doing, for the saints. Our one desire is that every one of you should go on showing the same earnestness to the end, to the perfect fulfillment of our hopes, never growing careless, but imitating those who have the faith and the perseverance to inherit the promises.

  When God made the promise to Abraham, he swore by his own self, since it was impossible for him to swear by anyone greater: I will shower blessings on you and give you many descendants. Because of that, Abraham persevered and saw the promise fulfilled. Men, of course, swear an oath by something greater than themselves, and between men, confirmation by an oath puts an end to all dispute. In the same way, when God wanted to make the heirs to the promise thoroughly realize that his purpose was unalterable, he conveyed this by an oath; so that there would be two unalterable things in which it was impossible for God to be lying, and so that we, now we have found safety, should have a strong encouragement to take a firm grip on the hope that is held out to us. Here we have an anchor for our soul, as sure as it is firm, and reaching right through beyond the veil where Jesus has entered before us and on our behalf, to become a high priest of the order of Melchizedek, and forever.

The Lord has kept His promise.  There are sure a passel of us Christians in the world and sixty percent of them are Catholic.  This brings me to a question if there are so many of us why are we letting "them" push us around?  I am not a Trump fan, let me say that straight out but if we go back to the Obama years, we have the Little Sisters of the Poor being required to furnish birth control.  We have legalized same-sex marriage and Christian values are belittled and frowned upon. It is a little better with the joker we have in the White House now but that's about all that is better, feel free to disagree, that is your right.  

There are so many of us and for some reason, we cannot present a united front to the world. 1.38 billion of Christianity follow the Pope and the Magisterium and that is a large group of folks.  We should be able to use our numbers to help bring about significant changes in the world.  Take some time to think about this today. Do you have any ideas as to what we can do to help bring about God's kingdom in this crazy world we live in?  Are we required to do it or is it enough to sit back and do nothing?  We have the Holy Spirit on our side.  Wherever we carry the battle to He will be with us as well.  If God is for us, who can be against us?  

Sunday Edition

Michael The Lesser Presents

Sunday

Edition

Some Thoughts and reflections

The February Synod in Rome

We live in a world that worships chaos. I am beginning to think that the Catholic Church is ready to make chaos one of our patron saints. Why would you say something like this?

Well, I am thinking about the synod that is going to take place in Rome in a couple of weeks. I really think that it is sad that the focus of this meeting is going to be “The Protection of Minors.” Don't get me wrong, I think minors need to be protected from sexual exploitation not only from rogue priests but from rouge parents, siblings, teachers, coaches and strangers. For some reason, the Church seems to be turning a blind eye to the real problem here. Most of the sexual misbehavior was not done to altar boy and girls of tender age, oh, there was some of that going on but not as much as one would think. Most of the issues were with teens, young adults, and seminarians. These master of manipulation knew just how to groom their victims in order to satisfy their “needs.” Every one of them needs to be rooted out and removed from the ministry. What the Cardinals need to talk about when they gather next month is first, why didn't we learn the lessons of 2002. Second, Why did a diocese have the authority to refuse to provide the paperwork that the lay reviewers requested? Third, Why did these predators, these rogue priests receive an Odessa File type transfer to other parishes without any supervision so that they could ply their trade again? Fourth, why did the hierarchy coddle these priests and fail to report them to the authorities? Fifth, When is Pope Francis going to take the reigns of power and do something other than to say the obvious, that the practice was wrong? We know that. Sixth, why did Francis rehabilitate a known predator and offender who had been disciplined by Benedict who told the prelate that he should live the rest of prayer and penance? Instead, he was living life large, in the public eye, with the approval of the Holy See. The Holy Father needs to take action to bind up the wounds of the Church. We know the Church will continue, we have the promise of Christ and the protection of the Holy Spirit. We need these rogues to be gone, let them be anathema as the old church would say.

We pew dwellers need to do our part as well. We need to make sure that we follow all of the rules on contacts with young people. We must allow any background checks that the diocese might require. We must pray for our Church, for the victims of abuse that they are comforted as they see the Church reaching out to try to help them heal, for the abusers that they may repent of their evil and do the right thing and leave the ministry which they obviously are not fit for.

We as God's people will come out of this okay but we have to realize two things. First, we have to realize that this situation took years and decades to fester and bubble to the top and it will take years and maybe decades for us to recover. Second, we need to care for our deacons, priests, bishops, and cardinals for the vast majority of them are good people. Even the ones that played whack-a-mole by transferring rogue priests did not do so with evil in their hearts just some misplaced sympathy for those who probably were classmates and/or friends. They see today that the long black line is to be no more. Defending those that took advantage of the defenseless will get them nothing but trouble and a possible return to the lay state.

RIGHT TO LIFE

Please say a Rosary today if you can for the unborn. It is right to life month.  If anything good has come out of the presidency of Donald Trump, and please forgive me, I am not one of his fans, it is that the erosion of our religious liberties have slowed down from the rapid pace that they were disappearing under the Obama regime.  Be that as it may, there is still more work to be done. Abortion is still legal and is protected under the guise of "woman's health."  I am in favor of any woman's health initiative. Mammograms, Pap tests, anything that helps our sisters live a longer, more productive life, I am for.  I do not see the vacuuming out of  a baby out of the host mother's womb as being part of what I would call "woman's health."  But, I hear you ask, what about rape and incest?  Every case of rape and incest is a tragedy, but why make the child pay for our misdeeds?  

Here are some famous people who were the product violent, non-consensual, forced, intercourse, i.e. rape:

Jesse Jackson — Presidential candidate, activist, and preacher http://www.wnd.com/2006/11/38638/,

Eartha Kitt (actress (Catwoman), singer (Santa Baby), author, activist) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r0dWxy17C8&feature=player_embedded and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYQWqLV35J8&feature=related

Frederick Douglass (abolitionist and author – Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass:  An American Slave)http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/life-of-frederick-douglass.html,

Ethel Waters (gospel singer, Academy Award winning actress and author — His Eye is on the Sparrow,http://prolifeaction.org/hotline/2011/ethel-waters/)

John Cox, Presidential candidate http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/John_Cox_Abortion.htm,

James Robison, tele-evangelist http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Robison_(televangelist),

Layne Beachley, world champion surfer and author  (Beneath the Waves)http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/the-sins-of-my-unknown-fatherlayne-beachleys-quest-for-the-truth/2008/09/26/1222217523690.html,

Sherrie Eldridge, adoption author (20 Things Adopted Children Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew ), speaker and adoption therapist  http://www.sherrieeldridge.com/category/conceived-in-rape ,

Pam Stenzel, international abstinence speaker and author (Nobody Told Me) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctz-svJuyxQ ,

Ryan Scott Bomberger, Emmy Award Winner, speaker, singer, songwriter,activist, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kh4eWj_lTE,

Julie Makimaa — speaker, activist and co-author of Victims and Victors: http://afterabortion.org/2005/victims-and-victors-speaking-out-about-their-pregnancies-abortions-and-children-resulting-from-sexual-assault  ,

Kelly Wright — co-anchor of Fox’s Fox and Friends Weekendhttp://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive//ldn/2010/jan/10011906 ,

Jenni Maas, activist and speaker from Human Life Internationalhttp://www.humanlife.org/abortion_jenni_story.php,

Laura Tedder, author and speaker (Trip Into A Miracle?) http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1451544 

 Bill Connor, owner of Prairie Coach Trailways in Dell Rapids. He started “Angel Bus,” a nonprofit organization that provides luxury bus rides to terminally ill children who travel to the Mayo Clinic for treatment.http://www.dakotavoice.com/200611/20061102_1.html.

But what about victims of incest.  Certainly, there should be an exception for those women.  To abort a child conceived out of incest is a sad thing indeed. Does creating a second victim do us any good?  A baby is a living person at conception.  We should not interfere in spite of the fact that the authors of the life were closely related.  This sounds harsh, I know but I believe every life is important and life in the womb is the most defenseless of all and must be protected.  I do not have a list of famous people who were conceived by incest, but can you deny a person life just because of the circumstances that led to it?  

Before you consider me a monster, please understand that I do not judge anyone for what they do in their own life.  I  have a lot of compassion for those who have to make these terrible, life-changing decisions and I believe that God knows what is in their hearts when they make them  I always pray for the parties involved to choose life over convenience and life over death but I weep with them should they choose another route. If you are here and reading this, be sure to thank your mother for choosing life. 

The Wedding Feast at Cana

Here is where I just might lose some of the readers that are of the Protestant tradition. I hope that the mere mention of Mary, the mother of Jesus, does not frighten anyone off because she does have a lot to teach us. She speaks infrequently in the New Testament but the words that come out of her mouth are more powerful than one thousand sermons;

“Do whatever he tells you.” These are her words to the waiters working at the wedding feast at Cana and they echo down through the ages to us as well. As a matter of fact, in all of the stories that circulate about Mary it is significant that she never points to herself, she always directs us to her Son, Jesus. She was single-hearted in his service. We should heed her advice and do whatever he tells us. We also know that Jesus loved his mother dearly. From the cross, knowing that she would be all alone in the world, Jesus provided for her by entrusting her into the care of the “disciple he loved.” Early Christians had a reverence for Mary and we Catholics continue this devotion to Mary as the Mother of God. (There go some more protestants…) There are many reasons for this. Even before Jesus was born, she showed her love and trust of God. She agreed to become the Mother of God. This put her in a most dangerous position. In that day a pregnant unmarried woman would be taken out and stoned as an adulteress. She was betrothed to Joseph and while that legally conveyed all rights of marriage on to the couple, the custom of the time was to wait until the marriage to exercise those rights and if Joseph had testified that he had no knowledge of her, she would have been executed. Yet, she trusted in God and uttered the “yes” that echoes through the corridors of time and which nullifies the “no” uttered by Eve in the Garden of Eden. Mary carried Jesus in her womb and of course, was there when Jesus was born. She chastised him when he seemingly went astray in the temple. She propelled him into starting his ministry at the wedding feast at Cana when he probably wasn’t ready to start yet. Finally, she held his lifeless body in her arms and she cried her mother’s tears as she helped bury her son in a borrowed tomb. Through the whole saga, Jesus remained the center of her life. My argument is not necessarily that we should pray to Mary, although I regularly do so and I encourage it. What I say is that we must become more like her. We must be willing to say “Yes Lord” when we are called to do something for God. Mary’s faith in God was absolute. Mary’s faith in God gave her the ability to trust in God to bring things to a good conclusion in his own time. So let us be more like Mary, even if the doctrine we follow seems to preclude us praying to her. Let us imitate Mary and be loyal to Jesus, doing whatever he tells us to do. Let us be more trusting in the promises of God even when the evidence of our own senses seems to say that it is time to surrender to despair.

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Sunday Edition is published "once in a while, when I feel like it" and is filled with my opinions.  I welcome discussion but must ask you to please be as respectful to me as I will be to you.  We can always agree to disagree and still remain friends! 

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Don't Waste What You Have Been Given!

second reading
1 Corinthians 12:4-11

The Spirit distributes gifts to different people just as he chooses

There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them. The particular way in which the Spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose. One may have the gift of preaching with wisdom given him by the Spirit; another may have the gift of preaching instruction given him by the same Spirit; and another the gift of faith given by the same Spirit; another again the gift of healing, through this one Spirit; one, the power of miracles; another, prophecy; another the gift of recognising spirits; another the gift of tongues and another the ability to interpret them. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, who distributes different gifts to different people just as he chooses

I can remember only one time in my life that I was certified as a "Hotshot."  That was in eighth-grade graduation.  No, I wasn't the valedictorian of the class, far from it, actually.  No, I was the only member of the class that had a copy of the song that was selected for us to present to our proud parents on the day we left grammar school.  They didn't call it middle school back then, just ordinary grammar school.  Anyway, I was the only class member that had a copy of The Ballad of the Green Beret.  No kidding, that was our outgoing audio tribute to Davis Elementary School that hot June morning so many years ago.  Having that record, for a time made me a hotshot at least in my own mind.  For a few moments in my life, I was the center of attention.  It didn't last long.  Everyone hated the song and that is why no one else admitted to owning a copy. I still have that original copy in my 45 rpm record collection but I don't have a record player.  But you never know when someone might need a copy of Barry Sadler's tune to brighten their day.  (Four years later, the mighty Kelly High School class of 1970 would amaze attending parents with a rendition of "Age of Aquarius" which upon reflection went against my Catholic beliefs.  But let's get back on track here.  It was nice to be a hotshot and for a moment be the object of admiration and esteem (right!).  

For every one of us that attains public acclaim or fame of hotshot status there are nine hundred and ninety-nine that do not make the cut.  I think that this is one of the things Paul was addressing in his letter to the Church at Cornith.  He reminds us that the Holy Spirit gives gifts to those around the community as He wills.  Some can do this and some can do that and some can do the other. We should not take Paul's list as an exhaustive list of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit's list of gifts is infinite and He adapts them to the circumstances He sees.  The gifts Paul is listing are the "hotshot" gifts, the ones that are the most visible to the world which of course, are useful, very important, and very public gifts. 

For the rest of us non-hotshots who do not have any of the gifts that are listed, what about us?  Paul could have just as easily said some of us have the gift of feeding the hungry.  You know, quietly donating food to a food pantry, making it a point to have proper nutrition in your life so that you do not waste food.  Or he could have mentioned the gift of sheltering the homeless, you know those who work anonymously at PADS or those that advocate for decent homes for all. Or he might have mentioned clothing the naked, which includes donating clothes and running or participating in a clothes drive.  He might have mentioned caring for and visiting the sick, volunteering at a hospital or nursing center or bringing communion to the sick in nursing homes or homebound. Visiting the sick can mean sending a get well card to a friend or even sending a card to an institution with instructions to give it to someone who does not get cards or visitors.  Paul, who spent a lot of time as a prisoner, would have probably if he had thought of it at the time mentioned visiting the imprisoned. There are many opportunities to step outside yourself and help those who are incarcerated.  For example, you can be a pen pall for someone in the pen.  You can advocate for an end to the death penalty and for decent conditions for those in jail and just wages and benefits for those whose job it is to guard them for the guards are just as much in prison during their work day as the prisoners are! Paul could have mentioned that some might even have the talent for burying the dead. This would entail not wielding a shovel or the tools of the dismal trade but rather attending funerals for parish members you might have known, sending a sympathy card to families that have experienced the death of a loved one.  Maybe you can make your world famous casserole for a bereavement luncheon or volunteer to help set up, take down and clean up after one.  

Yes, it's great to be a hotshot in front of other people.  Imagine yourself doing the things Paul mentions but then remember, there are things that are just as if not more important to do for others.  Remember, the Holy Spirit distributes gifts and talents of all types to all people, even you have some unique ability or talent that is meant to help others.  Do not waste the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given you for you will certainly have to account for them on that day when your sunset happens and you stand before God.  That is how important this is. 

Dinner With Sinners - Recipe For Reflection

Gospel	Mark 2:13-17

Your light must shine in the sight of men

Jesus went out to the shore of the lake, and all the people came to him, and he taught them. As he was walking on he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus, sitting by the customs house, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.

  When Jesus was at dinner in his house, a number of tax collectors and sinners were also sitting at the table with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many of them among his followers. When the scribes of the Pharisee party saw him eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ When Jesus heard this he said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.’

I think it is human nature for us to assume a part in any story that we are reading and to inject ourselves into it. This makes it more exciting and more memorable.  In our Gospel reading today we have a couple of points of view we can assume. 

 First of all, we can assume the character of Levi, soon to become Matthew, and we can be amazed that this man, this Jesus, a holy man, is in my house!  He has called me to be one of His followers.  But, how can this be?  I am a tax collector and all my friends are on the fringe of society, surely He must know this! 

We can take as our character the Pharisee.  We look on with wonder. We shake our heads and wonder how this man, this so-called Messiah sit with these people?  Sinners, every one of them!  If He were holy, then He would know what kind of people He was associating with and turn His back on them. 

In real life the rest of us, I dare say, will pick the part of Levi who accepts the ministry offered to him, gives up his job, which paid quite well, and chose to follow Jesus.  But, look at how our life really is.  It is much more likely that we would be on the side of the Scribes and Pharisees and we would have joined in the gossip-like critical review of the host, guests, and of Jesus.  

We and by we I include me, have to take stock of ourselves and remember that this passage as written applies to our lives here in the twenty-first century.  We have to take seriously our role as sinners at the table. The funny thing is, the Scribes and Pharisees that were criticizing  Jesus' choice of dining companions, would have fit very well and would be comfortable at the table with Levi and his sinful friends.  For it may be surprising to some, but sin is still in the world, it has not departed from our modern life, it just wears different disguises and uses a charming and soft calming voice that says, "you are the exception" or "surely that does not apply to me" or "just once won't hurt."  

Come join Jesus, Levi, his friends and me at the table.  There is a seat with your name on it. 

In your busy life remember the Poor Souls in Purgatory.  

Only God Can Forgive Sins - Is Confession Effective or are We Just Kidding Ourselves?

Gospel	Mark 2:1-12

The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins

When Jesus returned to Capernaum, word went round that he was back; and so many people collected that there was no room left, even in front of the door. He was preaching the word to them when some people came bringing him a paralytic carried by four men, but as the crowd made it impossible to get the man to him, they stripped the roof over the place where Jesus was; and when they had made an opening, they lowered the stretcher on which the paralytic lay. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some scribes were sitting there, and they thought to themselves, ‘How can this man talk like that? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God?’ Jesus, inwardly aware that this was what they were thinking, said to them, ‘Why do you have these thoughts in your hearts? Which of these is easier: to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven” or to say, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and walk”? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ – he turned to the paralytic – ‘I order you: get up, pick up your stretcher, and go off home.’ And the man got up, picked up his stretcher at once and walked out in front of everyone, so that they were all astounded and praised God saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this.’

I think that besides the Real Presence in the Eucharist that the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Penance or Confession, whichever you choose to call it, distinguishes Catholics from all of the other denominations.  We Catholics have a direct access point to the mercy of God.  Like it or not, no other denomination has this facility whereby we receive the assurance that our sins against God, His Church, and man are forgiven.  Whoa! Hold on there cowboy - we confess to a priest and HE forgives sins - that dear sir is blasphemy!  Only God can forgive sins!  

Calm down and take a chill pill if you have to.  You are one-hundred percent correct when you say "only God can forgive sins." I agree with you. We may strike our brother a sharp blow in the face and thus offend him, but by doing so we break the commandments and offend God as well.  

Jesus knew that His followers would not be able to live anything remotely like a sinless life.  He knew all too well that we would fail because it was built into us so He gave the Apostles the power to forgive sin.  He said, "Whatever you loose on earth is loosened in heaven and whatever you hold bound on earth is bound in heaven."  With these words, he instituted the Sacrament of Confession.  But, surely God will forgive sins if we but ask Him without some fancy ceremony and words of an ordinary human being.  Well, God is not bound by what we think he should be bound by.  He makes the rules and His rules are always wise.  He knows how that we need to confess our sins to one another and has chosen our priest and this sacrament as the way we are to obtain forgiveness.  

But you said that only God can forgive sins and you are having us speak to a mere man, what gives?   The priest is acting Persona Christi, and when you confess, you are actually confessing not to a priest but to Christ Himself through your priest and you receive the forgiveness of sins from Jesus and His Church for every sin we commit hurts the bond that holds us to Jesus and to the Church. 

Confession is a forgotten sacrament.  When I was a boy, Saturday afternoon would find many Catholics in church standing in line waiting to confess.  Today, not so much.  One of two things is happening here.  First, perhaps we are not sinning anymore.  Now, do you really think that this is likely?  Or second, we are not recognizing the sins we commit and sin has a hold in our lives that we have chosen to blind ourselves to.  Which do you think it is?  I believe it is the later.  We have blinded ourselves and have convinced ourselves that sin is something other people do and remember me and the Lord, well we talk every night and I ask for His forgiveness.  It is fine to ask for the forgiveness of the Lord in your daily prayer but we must remember that Jesus wants us to hold ourselves accountable and to access His forgiveness through the Sacrament of confession.  Think about it.  Make it a point to go this weekend.  

We Share Humanity With Christ

Thank You, Jesus. 

First reading	Hebrews 2:14-18 ©

He took to himself descent from Abraham

Since all the children share the same blood and flesh, Christ too shared equally in it, so that by his death he could take away all the power of the devil, who had power over death, and set free all those who had been held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. For it was not the angels that he took to himself; he took to himself descent from Abraham. It was essential that he should in this way become completely like his brothers so that he could be a compassionate and trustworthy high priest of God’s religion, able to atone for human sins. That is because he has himself been through temptation he is able to help others who are tempted.

We all share the human condition with Jesus.  He was born, lived a day to day life, worked in the hot sun, tried to keep warm at night, loved his mother and father, cried when Joseph, his earthly father passed away, felt the pain of separation when He started working outside of his home and finally felt the overwhelming sadness of betrayal and underwent the horrible pains of a criminals death although He was an innocent lamb. In our lives, we will experience everything that Jesus did. He came to show us how to live, how to work, how to love one another and how to trust God and finally how to die. 

But Jesus did not stop with death.  Had he stopped at that point He would have proven Himself to be just another prophet and not the Messiah that was hoped for.  When death claimed Him and the devil laughed at the foolishness of the Cross, Jesus played His trump card, He destroyed death and made it our fate to be resurrected as He was and to live forever with Him, and the Father and the Holy Spirit in heaven. 

As you go about your day, think of all the wonderful things Jesus has done for you and of all of the possibilities He has opened for you by being born, living, dying, and rising.  The future for you is bright.  Nothing can stop you from fulfilling your destiny as a Child of God.