Second Sunday of Lent - Hardship and Triumph

Paul writes in his Second Letter to Timothy 

Beloved:

Paul writes in his Second Letter to Timothy 

Beloved:

Bear your share of hardship for the gospel

with the strength that comes from God.

He saved us and called us to a holy life,

not according to our works

but according to his own design

and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,

but now made manifest 

through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus,

who destroyed death and brought life and immortality

to light through the gospel.

Hardships and suffering for being a Catholic in the United States of America actually do exist. Fundamentalist Evangelicals of the Jack Chick, the "Christian" that produces those hateful little comic books that spread nonsense about the Church and Lorraine Boettner who published an error-filled tome with the clever name "Roman Catholicism" form the sources of Anti-Catholic Thought in America which allows the prejudiced to trot out those antiquated lies about the Catholic Church  that have been their stock in trade for years. 

In the 1960's the world marveled as a Roman Catholic was elected president of the United States.  The fear for the "Old Time Religion" boys was that Kennedy was going to invite Pope John XXIII to move into the White House and dictate policy. We know that this did not happen. 

In prior years Catholics were kept from certain jobs and were considered second-class citizens. Even today when Christians, in general, are looked down upon by the liberal left wingers and proponents of abortion and so-called gay rights, Roman Catholics seem to receive especially harsh treatment. It is a fact that at one time most of the mainline Protestant churches were aligned with the Catholic Church in its stand against abortion and even birth control. Today, some of these same denominations now see no issue with birth control and abortion as a matter of choice. Some denominations have admitted gay clergy, and see nothing wrong with same-sex marriage which is an affront to the Law of God. The problem is that these denominations have abandoned doctrine based on the law of God for doctrine based on popular vote. The Catholic Church stands alone in maintaining the pure doctrine from Apostolic times until today. Yet, it is quipped that Anti-Catholicism is the last allowable prejudice in America. 

I don't want to make it seem like it is too bad for American Catholics because it isn't.  Today, while there is certainly still an undercurrent of prejudice against Catholics, it is a war of words and as the old cliché states, "Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me."  We are still free in the USA to practice our religion as we see fit and no one can stop us. In the rest of the world, not so much. 

In parts of the world Muslim fundamentalists, spouting a strange interpretation of Islam are carrying on genocide against any group that does not believe exactly as they do. This includes Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox and oddly enough Muslims who believe differently. For the Catholics in the middle east, the luxury of attending mass has been taken away from practicing Catholics as over three-hundred-thousand Christians, including many  Catholics, have been chased from their homes by ISIS.  The passage from Paul was written for these refugees.  These martyrs were peaceful people. They were people just like you and me. They had their homes, their families, their dreams. They also had Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and it is in His name that they suffer. Children have seen their fathers killed, some of them crucified in imitation of our Lord.  Mothers and fathers have buried their children who have been killed by ISIS because they professed the name of Jesus.  Please pray for the people chased from their homes and those that have been the victims of genocide in the war-torn middle east. 

God weeps when people of any religion kills in His name. We must remember that we know how this story will end.  The Transfiguration of Jesus prefigures His return to earth to bring His children to glory. God is Love and on this Sunday we heard the words of God approving of his Son, Jesus when he said, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him."   I think we should do as God suggests.   

Lent Day 10 - How To Be Like God!

Jesus said to his disciples:

"You have heard that it was said,

You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

But I say to you, love your enemies,

and pray for those who persecute you,

that you may be children of your heavenly Father,

for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,

and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.

For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?

Do not the tax collectors do the same?

And if you greet your brothers and sisters only,

what is unusual about that?

Do not the pagans do the same?

So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Jesus does a whole lot more than to give us instructions in our reading today.  He describes God. Here is what God does for all of His People. 

• He loves those that persecute Him.
• He blesses his enemies.
• He allows the sun to rise on the bad and the good.
• He cares for His enemies. 

What Jesus is asking us to do is to be like God and do the things He does.  We already know that in order for us to be forgiven, we need to forgive. To forgive someone that has done us harm, or even great harm, is very hard for us to do.  I believe that it is possible to forgive even the most grievous injuries if we but take it a step at a time. To begin the process we should pray for the person that has offended us.  We should ask God to bless them every day and in every way. It will NOT be enough to pray for them just once. In most cases, multiple prayers will need to be sent to our Father and we will need to be receptive to the grace He sends us. Eventually, the ice in our heart will begin to melt and we will be able to begin to entertain the thought of forgiving the offender. It may take years for spring to appear in our heart but we should keep up the offensive and God's grace like a gentle spring rain will help melt away years of resentment and hurt.  When you forgive someone, do you have to tell them?  In a perfect world, it would be a good idea to mend the broken relationship.  Here, again, we have to evaluate the situation. Would contact with the other party be beneficial or would it just open up wounds that have scabbed over?  The important part is that you grant them a complete pardon for any wrongs committed against you from the day of their birth to the current day.  You release all claim to revenge and reboot the relationship, the later you can do at the very least in your heart and then later, when you think it is the time approach the person and offer an olive branch. The final step after forgiving is forgetting.  Jesus not only forgives our sins, He forgets them.  We must do the same.  Forgiveness is not something that you give and hold over the head of your adversary.  If you keep reminding someone that you forgave them, well, that means you really haven't. 

Is every offense against us forgivable? The hard answer is yes, This is because our Father in heaven has forgiven every offense we have ever committed against Him.  I heard a speaker one time tell a story about how once when someone cut him off in traffic he got red in the face, spitting mad, and uttered every obscenity he could think of against the man.  That was bad enough. He then said, what if the same thing happened and the offender was his mother and he uttered all of this graphic language at her? The offense would be greater because one's mother is a person of more dignity than a stranger. It is the same with God.  When we offend Him, we are offending the highest dignity that there is. What does God do for us?  We confess He forgives, He forgets. 

The last line of today's reading assigns us our task; "So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."  Saint Francis of Assisi, at the end of his life, said this to his brothers; "Brothers, let us begin now, for until now, we have done nothing."  

  

Lent - Day 9 - The "F" Word

Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,

and there recall that your brother

has anything against you,

leave your gift there at the altar,

go first and be reconciled with your brother,

and then come and offer your gift.

There is not a whole lot that I can add to this reading.  Jesus kind of says it all.  Forgiveness is more important to the second person of the Holy Trinity than worship. What makes forgiveness hard is that sometimes, we have to swallow our pride and make the first step.  It is even harder when you are actually on the "right" side of the argument.  

Jesus tells us that our relationship with God and with our fellow creatures occupy the level!  How can this be?  Well, our Baptism made us adopted sons and daughters in the household of God.  We in effect are princes and princesses.  We are called to be ambassadors for our Father's Kingdom.

When Adam and Eve sinned against God in the Garden of Eden, God did not wait for Adam and Eve to appear.  He knew that there had been a sin committed and He went looking for Adam and Eve, He did not wait until they came to Him.  

So, for us, we are called to imitate our Father.  We are called to make the first step.  Are you ready to do this?

Lent Day 5 - Carrying A Heavy Load

"If you forgive men their transgressions,

your heavenly Father will forgive you.

But if you do not forgive men,

neither will your Father forgive your transgressions."

You cannot say that we were not warned.  How many people are there on this earth that are carrying a heavy load of hatred on their backs? The saddest part of being burdened with hate is simply it is a burden that no one will help you carry.  It is yours, and yours alone to trudge around with. It affects your health, it affects your mental health, it does no one any good but you still carry it. 

Read the scripture passage again. Read it slowly, let it sink into your very soul. Forgiving someone is not just a suggestion from Jesus, it is a command. Let me tell you about something that happened to me.  This is a true story.

My mother worked for a doctor. As part of her employee benefits, she was to receive free medical care.  One day she showed a growth on her shoulder to the doctor. The doctor though nothing of it and gave her some ointment to put on it.  after four months of this "treatment" it was no better.  My mother visited with another doctor friend and showed him the growth.  He immediately put her into the hospital where the cancer was removed.  She received treatments and scans showed that she appeared to be cancer free.  Them, about six months later the scans revealed the cancer was back in the form of a very aggressive form of lung cancer. Mom was scheduled for surgery and her children were there and she was sent off to the operating room knowing that she was loved.  The surgeon did the best he could and the surgery bought Mom about a year he said.  Four days later my mother lapsed into a coma, she had given up.  She died with her children around her. At the funeral I noticed two women sitting alone and I went up to them and thanked them for coming.  My sister came up to me afterwards and told me that one of the ladies, she pointed out which one, was the doctor that cared so very little that she could not be bothered to properly treat my mother.  At that moment my heart filled with hate for this so-called doctor.  We buried my mother and I went into depression.  I did not recognize it as depression.  I lost interest in things.  I was a great reader and kept reading the same books over and over. I quit taking care of the little things in life and felt sad all of the time.  Had that doctor come before me during this time, I think that I would have been capable of killing her and believing that I had done the world a favor.  The hate had possession of my soul.  Going to work every day I passed a Catholic Church.  It was my habit to make the sign of the cross when I passed a church because I knew that inside those walls was the Holy Eucharist, the very Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ.  One day i had followed my custom when I heard a voice inside me telling me to forgive that doctor.  I broke, then and there, with tears in my eyes I forgave that doctor.  At that very moment, the cloud I was living under disbursed, the depression left me and I was able to take up life again.  There was one lasting effect that I carry with me to this very day.  I cannot hate anymore. I have forgiven the woman that killed my mother. What more could you do to me that would be worse? 

I think that the important part of this story is that forgiving did much more for me than it did for the person I forgave.  It gave me my life back.  Besides, the person who was the object of my hate did not even know it. So, forgiveness will bring much more to you.  It will bring peace to your soul.  Mind you, I would not invite this woman to lunch, but I also would wish her no harm and I prayed that God would bless her.  Was this hard to do?  Well, it took me six months of misery and pain to do it, so it was not the easiest thing I have ever done. But the peace it brought to me was a gift from God

Do not forget that for a Christian, forgiving is not optional, it is required.  We cannot enter heaven with hate on our soul.  Heaven is a place of great joy and happiness and discord is not allowed there.  Imagine if I met this doctor in heaven and still had hate in my heart for her.  Hate cannot exist in heaven for God is Love.

Lent Day 5 - Believing is Not Enough

For I was hungry and you gave me food,

I was thirsty and you gave me drink,

a stranger and you welcomed me,

naked and you clothed me,

ill and you cared for me,

in prison and you visited me.'

'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did

for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'

The boy was twelve years old when he accepted the Lord as his savior. The preacher told him he was saved.  The boy grew into manhood and led a life of evil.  He lived life with the attitude that if it benefited him it was good.  He died a rich old man who was fattened on the spoils of a selfish life.  When he stood before Jesus, it was not as a savior, but as the just judge.  The boy asked Jesus why he could not enter heaven. Jesus said it is because you lived your life for yourself and so you reaped your reward on earth and never thought of Me or My Kingdom at all.  You have no place here.  The boy pointed out to Jesus that he had accepted Jesus as a savior when he was twelve years old and he was claiming his rights under the Once Saved, Always Saved doctrine.  Jesus shook his head and asked him where he had heard of this doctrine.  The boy explained how the preacher told him that once he accepted Jesus, he could never be kept out of heaven.  Jesus then explained to him that just believing in Him does not qualify him for heaven.  To just believe is not enough. You have to live your life in the way that I did, I sacrificed my life for all.  I gave until there was no more to give. I loved without end.  Believing in me is a good start but you needed to serve me during your life.  The boy said to Jesus, "If I had seen you in need, I would have moved heaven and earth to help you."  Jesus then showed a moment from the boy's life where he had passed a man who was asking for a handout.  The boy walked right by without even seeing the man.  Jesus told him, "That was me."  He showed him another scene, this was a great mass of people, there were many children.  They were looking through garbage cans for something to eat.  The scene changed to the boy in a restaurant eating a huge meal.  Jesus said, "Those children, they were me."  On and on it went, Jesus showed the boy the times he could have helped but chose to help only himself.  Their time together was over.  Jesus turned and walked silently back to heaven. The boy, tears in his eyes, knew he could not follow. He turned and went the other way. 

First Sunday of Lent - Waiting For The Right Moment

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert

to be tempted by the devil.

He fasted for forty days and forty nights,

and afterward, he was hungry.

Today's Gospel reading is the familiar story of Jesus being tempted by the devil in the desert.  I want to talk about the very beginning of this story because I believe it tells us something very important about our enemy, the devil. 

I think that the Holy Spirit proved Himself to be a master of understatement here. After fasting for forty days and forty nights we are informed that Jesus was hungry.  Do you think so?  

The devil is not a stupid being.  He did not approach Jesus at the start of the forty-day fast. At the start of the fast, he knew that we human beings are at our strongest and would be capable of easily casting him off.  No, he waited until the end of the fast to tempt Jesus. The devil knew that was when he had the best chance of being victorious. Jesus, for His part, resists the temptations and the devil trudges off in defeat to await another opportunity. 

As it was for Jesus, so too is it for us. The devil is unlikely to put on a major campaign at the start of our Lenten observances.  He knows human beings are very enthusiastic at the start of a spiritual journey such as Lent.  No, he will wait until we have walked the road for a time.  Then, he will point out very softly how long the road is.  He will put into our head the question, "Does this road always have to go uphill?"  He makes our hunger sharper and our thirst drier as he tells us, "You are not built for this."  He shows how other people are happy and carefree as they stray from the path of Jesus.  Some of us will fall, some of us will stop our Lenten observance and join the crowd that cares nothing for spiritual things. Some of us will fall and we will call upon Jesus to help us. Jesus will help you arise and carry on.  Jesus is with us in every step of our journey during these forty days of Lent.  He will see to it that although our legs are tired and our arms are weary and we feel too weak to continue, that we will have the strength to continue.  Keep Him at your side and you will not fail. 

SINCE WE REMEMBER THE RESURRECTION ON SUNDAY, SUNDAY'S ARE NOT COUNTED AMONG THE FORTY DAYS OF LENT. YOU MAY IF YOU WANT TO, RELAX YOUR OBSERVANCE TODAY.

Lent - Day 4 -The Tax Man

Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post.

He said to him, "Follow me."

And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.

Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house,

and a large crowd of tax collectors

and others were at table with them.

The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying,

"Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"

Jesus said to them in reply,

"Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.

I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners."

It was not cool to be a tax collector in the time of Jesus. But why is that?  Back in the time that Jesus was alive and on the earth with us, the tax collector was seen as a collaborator with the hated Romans.  The Romans did not have their own men collect taxes from the local population.  They hired locals to collect the taxes for them.  They paid the local citizen to collect the Emperor's money and paid a small salary to the person willing to do this job.  The Emperor wanted X amount from the people in the province.  Just like today, people kept wads of cash lying around waiting for the government to claim it, not!  The citizen of Israel hated giving their money to the Romans because they were occupying the nation.  In spite of all of the good things that the Romans did, such as bring water to Jerusalem, paving roads and other things, the Jews were not happy paying their hard earned money out to the Romans.  Further, the tax man, when he accepted the job, agreed to supply a certain amount of taxes to Caesar and anything above and beyond that was theirs to keep.  Levi, or as we know him better, Matthew, was a very successful tax man indeed.  How do we know this?  Well, he had the funds to throw a lavish party and to invite every form of riff-raff that served as his closest friends.  We see that even at this early moment in the ministry of Jesus that He was being watched by the Pharisees who took umbrage with Jesus because He was spending time with sinners.  He rightfully says that He does so because the healthy have no need of a doctor but the sick do. 

Let's focus on the calling of Matthew. Jesus was fully aware of the fact that Matthew was a tax collector. Matthew had been chosen to be one of the closest followers of Jesus and later would be called an apostle.  What is surprising is that Matthew did not hesitate, he left everything to follow Jesus.  He was a rich man and I am sure that when he tendered his resignation the Romans were surprised indeed. 

Matthew left all he had to follow Jesus.  He gave up a life where there was no doubt that he would have the comfort of friends, a life where he did not have to worry about what he was going to eat, drink, or what he was going to wear, all to follow the Jesus fellow. What he received in return was a life where nothing would be assured.  This was how strong the message of Jesus was to Matthew. He gave up the things of this world for those of the next. 

Jesus has come into your life this lent and has issued a special call.  He says, "Follow Me."  He calls each of us to step out of our comfort zone and to walk with Him.  As in the case of Matthew, there will be a cost.  Leaving the warmth of our little cocoon and to venture outside in the cold world will make you uncomfortable. But the wonders you will see, the lives that you touch, will make it all worth while.  |Heed the call of Jeus as He calls you with those two words, "Follow Me.:"