SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY – May 30, 2021 – Matthew 28: 16-20   

Today, let’s reflect together on an EXPERIENCE of the Blessed Trinity: The Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. So one day, my phone rings, and the ID screen says “unknown caller.” I don’t like it when that happens. The last two times I answered an “unknown caller” call, it was someone trying to sell me a subscription to Newsday, and the other time, it was someone who thought I was living in a three-story house, and was I interested in purchasing siding for it. I debate whether or not I want to answer it, and I’m glad I did. I say “Hi, it’s Chris here,’ and the voice on the other end says, “Hi, Chris, it’s Gabriel…from heaven.” I’m thinking it’s a joke, so I say: “Sure, right, Gabriel from heaven,” and he says, “yes, Chris, it really is: it’s Gabriel, from heaven. And who would YOU like to speak with today, Chris?” I’m still stunned, and say: “Gabriel, you called me!” “Yes, Chris, I know: God said ‘let’s call Chris today! How about starting with God the Father?”

So, I’m on the phone with the Creator of Heaven and Earth. I’m telling God (like he doesn’t know!) how fond I am of a Jesuit poet named Fr. Gerard Manley Hopkins, and God says quickly: “Yes, Chris: the poem is “The World is charged with the grandeur of God,” and you read it regularly.” Yes! I said: “I was thinking about your grandeur, God, after reading a story about a very smart farmer named Uruk, who lived in Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in 5300 BC. Uruk found some fertile land there, but he couldn’t do all the tasks himself. You inspired him, God, to find people to clear the land, and managers, planters, and harvesters all to work with you. Because working together is the key!    

God says: “Yes: all those gifts out there are divine ingenuity at work. Now Chris, let me ask you: would you like to speak with your brother a minute?” “My brother Mike, in Massachusetts? I ask. “No, Chris,” God says patiently, “your older, wiser brother. Let me put him on the line with you.” So then Jesus says, “Chris, how’s it going today?” and I start to tell the 2^nd person of the Blessed Trinity what I was talking about with the 1^st person of the Blessed Trinity, and Jesus laughs out loud:  “Yes Chris, I know: I’ve been listening in on the conversation!” and  then I remembered. Of course: while the Trinity contains three persons, they are all united and one, and that together they constitute the very heart of God’s divine love.   

Jesus reminds me that I’ve been thinking a whole lot about the division and unrest in America.             But, Jesus says, there were times in recent history when people DID cooperate with my Father’s will:  Chris: remember when communism fell in Poland, and  when the wall came down in Germany,  and  remember when Irish people could finally walk each other’s streets everywhere, without winding up dead? Those things ONLY happened when people were working and praying and LISTENING to one another. But that’s not happening everywhere in America: people assume they know each other’s story and they really don’t. And then Jesus adds: I KNOW what it’s like to be rejected, because that happened to me all the time on earth:                                   people who didn’t even KNOW me wrote me off because they thought they really knew me.             
And until real listening happens, the bonds of trust can’t begin to grow. So tell the people, Chris: tell them to please listen: listen to my Father’s voice in their hearts, and let Our Father lead them to a new freedom for all.” I promise Jesus that I would pass along his directive and message, so today, this is EVERYONE’S official notice!

Then, Jesus asks if I’d like to speak with the Holy Spirit. I said, “of course.” The Holy Spirit gets on, and makes a great suggestion: “Chris, how about today I talk and you listen: is that all right?” All right? The Holy Spirit offers me undivided attention and is it all right? O yes, it’s just fine. So God’s Spirit says to me: “Chris, you’ve had an exhausting week this past week: I know you did. You really DO worry about things, and that worrying goes way back to a time when you were very young. But now, you sometimes waste time trying to figure out solutions for things beyond your reach, and things you can’t control! So, you know what I’m going to say next: it’s from that movie called Frozen: you’ve heard dozens of times, and I heard you sing part of it in church one. Chris, LET things GO: let us, the Blessed Trinity, handle things. Remember Pope St. John XXIII’s night prayer “God, I’m going to sleep: it’s your church: I know you’ll take care of things overnight. Good night.”

What an excellent and affirming reminder from the Holy Spirit: to LET God BE our one TRUE and only God all the time: let God lead us, and challenge us, protect us, and grow us in all these different ways. I tell you: such conversations are possible for us IF we listen. And yes:  let’s ALL try to live the Trinity’s love, for one another, and for us.

Pentecost Sunday Msgr. Chris Heller – Sunday, May 23, 2021- John 15:26-27; 16:12-15               

Happy Birthday, Church of God! One of the most beloved hymns I learned during my preparation for ministry had a beautiful melody set to a profound text. It was this: “Abba! Abba Father: you are the potter; we are the clay, the work of your hands.” This quote from Isaiah in Hebrew Scriptures puts us in the right order, just as Jesus in John’s Gospel tells us He’s the vine and we’re the branches. In both cases, God and Christ Jesus are CONFIRMING the divine work that’s going to happen in us.           

To be the clay in God’s hands has several dimensions to it: First, you and I have the mark of the Creator emblazoned on our body, mind, heart and souls: we are adopted sons and daughters of our loving God. But also, and just as important, this impact of God is not a static, once-and-for-all-time influence on us. Because we are called to be malleable like clay in the hands of God the Potter, God can choose 2reshape or refashion US into the person we need to become FOR GOD’S PURPOSES. After all, we are clay: we ARE the creative expression of a VERY creative God, who sees and knows very well how the whole world works.

And while we are being re-shaped according to the plan of a loving and faithful God, another word comes into use, and it’s related to the word CONFIRM, but different.  The Word is CONFORMED: God shapes us at baptism with the Holy Spirit’s excellent gifts. It’s a wonderful beginning into which God invites us: a faith family of eternal life.  But at OUR Confirmations, and at our sister Carolyn’s Confirmation today, we will pray that the Holy Spirit’s anointing would CONFORM Carolyn more fully to Christ Jesus, the Son of God.

I know…I know….some people consider the word CONFORM 2B an unpopular word or a bad word; that  it somehow denigrates the uniqueness of a person, or puts them in a box, like commercially-produced cookies that are identical in each box! That is RIDICULOUS! St. Paul, in his First Letter to the Corinthians, says that each of us is UNIQUELY shaped by the potter, according to Christ: EACH of us has been called to re-shape our thoughts, words, actions, and habits to be more like our Shepherd Jesus.  And yes, EACH of us has been called to serve the Lord and his people, so what does the Holy Spirit do for us?

Let me suggest two ways the Holy Spirit can energize us to overcome our previous limitations in life: the first begins before the feast of Pentecost. Mary and Christ’s disciples were afraid, LOCKED in the upper room. Why? They TRULY feared those who tortured and killed the Savior would torture and kill them as loyalists.  But when the Holy Spirit came, becoming CONFORMED to Christ meant surrendering their fears, letting go of their immobility and paralysis, and resuming their Christ-Mission: to spread to the ends of the earth the Good News of God’s kingdom and reign.   

Second, becoming CONFORMED to Christ means serving beyond our family and friends and what’s familiar. You all remember the Good Samaritan story in St. Luke. A Jewish man has been beat up, and left for dead on the side of the road; a Jewish priest and a lawyer see him, and both keep going. But a Samaritan, a man from an ethno-religious group that Jewish people HATED, takes the Jewish man left for dead to an innkeeper, and pays him to take care of the man. The Good Samaritan also promised to reimburse the innkeeper any other expenses incurred. See what Jesus did? He taught us to go beyond the borders of family and kin, to correspond to the Scriptural call given us as Christians: “go out to all the world, and tell the good news.”                                                                                                                                                

On this Happy Birthday of the Church, we certainly need a Holy Spirit B-12 shot of invigoration and rejuvenation. Let us be the ready and receptive CLAY of God our Abba’s love, and not miss a single opportunity to be stretched and shaped by the One who said to God, “thy will be done.”

The Fourth Sunday of Easter – Cycle “B” for our Readings -  Gospel: John 10: 11-18                                                                                      

This Good Shepherd Sunday is being celebrated in millions of Christian congregations worldwide today, because many Christian denominations use the same lectionary that we do: they use the same Scripture texts, often with different translations. In listening to this Gospel, we learn many reasons why Jesus became SO beloved as the Good Shepherd. We would do well to figure out WHICH Good Shepherd qualities MOST appeal to us, and WHY they appeal to us. This will come in handy for those prepared to move from thinking holy thoughts to taking holy action. 

In the mystery of God’s loving plan, we never know where the next great example of a Good Shepherd, that is, someone who is following Jesus, our One and Only Good Shepherd, will appear: some grandparents/relatives are acting on behalf of the Good Shepherd as they are raising the children of other family members, some of who are suffering with drug and alcohol addictions. Other people are stepping up as shepherds by self-sacrificing their skills and to take care of people who are COVID sufferers, or those who are covering shifts for those who’ve fallen ill themselves. Still others have donated frequent flyer miles, to help get sick people around the US to doctors and specialists; in that case, the Good Shepherd has provided them wings to fly, and a chance to grow healthier. And still others are shepherds because they are present and faithful, loyal and protective of others, making sure that old and young alike are being fed nourishing food to keep body and soul together. These are promise-keepers who, as leaders, have pledged to keep their flock safe. Now, imagine if a whole town or whole community stepped up into appropriate leadership roles, laying down their lives like Christ, to help the rest of the flock become more stable and secure. 

Well, in our lifetime, a book and a musical production entitled “Come from Away” captures the true story of what happened following the Sept 11, 2001 attacks in NY, DC and Pennsylvania. Planes were diverted from JFK and other NY area airports, and 38 planes were ordered to land unexpectedly in the Canadian town of Gander, in the province of Newfoundland. This initiative became known as Operation Yellow Ribbon. As the story unfolds, it details how the people of this little town housed and fed the 7,000 stranded travelers. And it serves to remind ALL of us of our capacity for human kindness, even in the darkest of times. It also reminds us, as Christian listeners to this true story that contains some fine Beatitude-themed episodes, that with Christ Jesus, risen from death to new life, we as the flock of God DO triumph over the hatred, which is cultivated by people who prefer the darkness to Christ’s eternal Light. 

We do well to remember that Jesus WAS once the stone the builders rejected; now HE is our cornerstone. Although his Cross identified him as King o d Jews, Jesus was nonetheless rejected by chief priests, elders and scribes of Judaism;  yet 2000 years later, we are here as signs that Jesus’ message has borne good fruit in us. Yes: Jesus was rejected: and if you have ever been rejected for a team, a job promotion, or new position, or rejected by a person or group, know that Jesus UNDERSTANDS what you’re feeling because He has BEEN THERE already. Let us open the windows of our heart, mind and soul to Jesus, so that as we follow HIS example, he will help us to get thru our struggles. AND if we listen well, Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd will show us a DIFFERENT way to use and share our skills. So, let us ask ourselves once again this afternoon: which qualities of the Good Shepherd do you both admire, and want to include in YOUR Christian response to God, others, and yourself. 

Let the risen Christ show us how to best put our shepherding skills to work, so that we learn to rise above any self-centeredness that confines and limits us, opening us instead to the ongoing love which draws us closer to the heart and mind of Jesus. Be not afraid, my Shepherd brothers and sisters: Jesus goes before us always. Let us follow him, so that we might have his wisdom, mind, and heart. And just as Jesus always provided for the needs of his flock, may today’s Eucharistic feast bring healing and strength to us all. 

3 Easter B – Third Sunday of Easter – Cycle “B” - Acts 3:13-15, 17-19; Psalm 4:to, 4, 7-8, 9; 1 John to:1-5a; Lk to4:35-48                                

Did you know that everyone of us is called to be witnessing to Jesus regularly in our daily lives? Many years ago, I was driving on Main Street in Sayville, near where I lived at the time.                                And while stopped at a traffic light, I remember looking in the rear-view mirror to see cars behind me, about 10 of them. And just before the light was about to turn from red to green, the person behind me ran into the back of my Chevy Chevette! I was shocked at the jolt!                       I pulled my car over to the side of the road, as did the driver who’d hit me, & both of us took a look. To tell the truth, there were just a couple of dented spots on my car: I was more shaken up was all.  But a third car pulled over to the side of the road with us, and a man stepped out with a piece of paper. He said, “I was right behind the man who hit you, & I saw the whole thing, if you need a witness.” This stranger, whose name was Sidney, wanted to support me in the truth of what’d just happened. And I was grateful for that support: he’d been there, he’d seen it happen, and he would witness to the truth. I’m so glad I took his name, address, and phone number, and included it in the police report drawn up later that day. It came in handy when the man who actually HIT me began to tell a story QUITE different from the one that ACTUALLY happened!              

Our Scriptures today are FILLED with witnesses, who testify to what God is doing in them & through others. Peter is doing some pretty serious witnessing in the 1^st Reading from Acts, the second part of St. Luke’s work. And yet, we know that Peter was not always a stable or reliable witness on behalf of Jesus’ mission work: in fact, Peter denied Jesus THREE times not long before Jesus died, and Jesus had PREDICTED it. Peter ALSO struggled with fears & doubt. So when Peter says that there’s forgiveness available for all those who’ve sinned, he’s ALSO talking about himself! So what happened? Who empowered Peter to surrender his fears and doubts, to become a true witness?            We know the answer is God: The Father, Jesus the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and it happened with some very specific & deliberate steps. The same is true when I speak with YOU about the wonders of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and God’s love. With LOTS of others, I stood on Fr. Henry’s line on Monday of Holy Week & received God’s liberating forgiveness in the sacrament. 

Peter knew what we now know: when you betray someone, you need to apologize to that person.                     The Gospel says Peter cried after his denials: he knew RIGHT away what he’d done to Jesus and to himself.  But the Risen Christ Jesus appears to many disciples, such as Mary Magdalene, as well as Peter, with good news: Christ is NOT dead, but alive; and NOT alive like Lazarus, who was just resuscitated from death. The difference is that Jesus Christ will live forever! It’s a great lesson for me, and hopefully one for all of us: the Risen Jesus Christ did NOT hold grudges about those who betrayed him, or ran away from him when He was arrested, all before He died on the cross.               In fact, the Risen Jesus gave Peter the opportunity to repent of his denials, so Peter could move forward and serve. Do you remember that great section of St. John’s Gospel, when Jesus asks Peter three times: “Simon, do you love me?” Remember what Peter said? Peter said three times to the Lord: I love you; I DO love you; you know everything, you KNOW that I love U. Peter was given 3 chances to confess his love for Jesus AND receive the Lord’s forgiveness. For Peter’s 3 denials, Peter is able to make 3 confessions of apology and sorrow, to receive the Risen Lord’s healing.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus invites his apostles, his disciples and all of us to be witnesses to specific events: to His life, death and resurrection. These are some of the foundational events of our faith life. And yet, every one of us can say: “But I wasn’t there for the original events in Jesus’ life: how can I be a witness?” And the answer is simple AND challenging: because Jesus sent the Holy Spirit upon Mary and the apostles, and they became witnesses in Christ’s name, so can we: we who have been confirmed have received the gifts of the One and Only Holy Spirit.               

So what does a Christian look like in the 21^st century, and what does a Christian do all day and week long? For one 1 thing, Peter had his Christ eyes opened, challenging him to bring shalom, not violence or revenge. Remember during the Passion of Christ, Peter was also the one who cut off a man named Malchus’ EAR, in trying to prevent Jesus from being arrested. We could put that peace-making into practice in our family and wider community life by relying on Christ’s loving mercy. There’s a LOT of verbal violence that bubbles up in the world today, from frustration and impatience: why not take some of the mercy that Jesus gives you and me in the Holy Eucharist & spread it around? Why not dedicate this week to sowing the seeds of peace where the weeds of anger and frustration are growing?  

And if you think that YOU are a hopeless case, that YOU could NEVER be a WITNESS to Jesus Christ and HIS saving work in the world, you need only remember St. Jude: remember him? He’s the patron of Hopeless Cases. And if there EVER seemed to be a truly hopeless case, it was a man named Saul, who LOVED killing Christians, whom SAUL believed were betraying the one true God revealed by Abraham & Moses. It took God knocking Saul off his horse & blinding him, AND THEN OPENING Saul’s eyes and setting him straight. Then, after Saul’s conversion, his name was changed to Paul, d Apostle to the Gentiles. And THEN, Paul couldn’t love Jesus enough because Jesus had planted divine enthusiasm in him: how about you? Do YOU love Jesus with divine joy, so much so that it bubbles over into your daily life & conversations? That’s how witnessing happens, in deed and in word. In the week to come, let God’s will be done. Alleluia! 

Second Sunday of Lent – Cycle “B” – February 21, 2021: Genesis 9:8-15, Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9, 1 Peter 3:18-22, Mark 1:12-15                                                                                                                                                                                             Introduction: in the First Reading, God made a covenant with Noah, with a promise not to destroy us with a flood. God is faithful: God extends divine power and protection for us, and that power and protection continues in the person of Jesus, our Shepherd and Savior. Let us ask for the forgiveness we need at this moment on our Lenten journey.

There are lots of people who are pretenders, con artists, dishonest folks: and some of them even show up on television in our own time. In one such show, a woman presents herself as an advocate and legal guardian, representing the interests of people in health care facilities and nursing homes who cannot voice objections or defend themselves. In shocking, bold and brazen ways, this woman steals from these people, all the while smiling at them: she empties their bank accounts, yes, but she ALSO tricks them into thinking she respects them:  No: she represents the Evil One, Satan: she is completely dishonest and destructive. At the same time, we recall St. Matthew’s account of the Evil One tempting Jesus: the classic temptations concern power, possessions, prestige. All of them tempt Jesus to put himself first, versus putting God the Father first.

And that same Evil One tempts Jesus, as he always tempts us, against making the sacrifices necessary to keep God #1: to truly allow God to be God ALL the Time, by imitating Jesus’ courage in sacrificial giving. When I say ALL the time, I’m recalling for all of us that painful sad fact throughout our religious history. We KNOW the scenario: God offers faithful eternal love, we accept it and follow God’s direction FOR AWHILE: but then we veer off, or our engine goes off the track, or we miss d divine mark. Whichever metaphor we want to use, we fail: we go from faithful monogamy to serial or periodic monogamy, alternating between faithfulness and being unfaithful: just remember Israelites and the golden calf, which becomes the symbol of our unwillingness or our incapacity to obey the Great Commandment (Love God and neighbor completely) for the long haul.  We are blessed to know that WE need Lent, and we need it EVERY year to restore us to living that “all the time” faithfulness.

And there are some unique insights in the very short and original account given in St Mark’s Gospel. First, it says Jesus was driven into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. It’s an interesting word, isn’t it? The inference is that not EVERYone wants to go into wildernesses, to desolate places with NO one else. When I was growing up, I remember stories of people training to become Eagle Scouts: one of the challenges given them, after some basic training, was that they were each driven – by car- to separate deserted campsites in the woods, miles away from one another. These young men were each expected to take care of themselves OVERNIGHT – just one night: find food like berries, drinkable water or purify their water with special tablets,  find a dry place to sleep: this was certainly an initiation of sorts. So, when Jesus is DRIVEN into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, it’s understandable: who WANTS to go there? Who wants to be in a place where we have no defenses, no con games to play, to be alone w myself, and myself as the only resource?                    But at the same time, as we know very well, the wilderness offers Jesus and us something else, too: it’s a place of solitude and revelation, and of intimacy with God, the Holy one!  And that is true for us, too: we encounter our Mighty God, even when our minds seem to wander: even as we recognize our own mortality: the reality of sickness, age, arthritis, & past disappointments. And look at what happens while Jesus is STILL in the wilderness: angels minister to Him. Hasn’t that happened 2us as well, at various times in our spiritual journeys? Have we NOT felt divine intervention along the way? For even in our struggles, we are being fortified, strengthened and enriched by the hand of Divine Love.  

And yes, there’s more. The LONG story of the battle in the wilderness is a victory song: like the Israelites’ song in the Book of Exodus: “I will sing to the Lord, who has Won the Victory, horse and chariot He cast into the sea!”  This battle with evil, like the initiation we have undergone in Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist, CONTINUES to work from WITHIN us. And like the anointing of Confirmation that makes us strong inside and out, we end up being more fruitful witnesses to Jesus, whose death and resurrection make us whole. Let us cooperate with the saving grace that gives us the DESIRE to battle against sin and death. We ARE the people of God, chosen to be light for the nations. This Lent, may the light of Jesus Christ shine from deep within us, for us and for others, so that all may come to know Christ better.

4^TH Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle “B” – January 31, 2021 -  Mark 1: 21-28                                                                                                       People who heard Jesus preach and saw him heal the man possessed by an evil spirit were agog! They said Jesus taught with real authority, and that the power of God was evident in him. It raises a basic religious question for myself, and perhaps for others of you with me: “Who’s in charge inside YOU?” Some of  you may recall that parents of another generation would challenge their children’s faulty thinking, especially when it came to following someone blinding, by asking a question such as: “If your friend told you he could fly, and was about to jump off the roof, would you be so dumb as to join him in doing that!?” It’s true: we all need to think like individuals, and also we need to “own up” to the results of decisions we have made in the past. So again, whose power, whose authority, whose word winds up ruling your and my decisions or priorities on an everyday basis?

To be sure: it’s NOT an easy road! Look at where we’ve travelled to and from during these last ten and a half months of COVID-19! Thank God we have the Eucharist to sustain and strengthen us to make better choices. Right after the Our Father at Mass, the priest invites us all to pray these following words to God: “deliver us Lord, we pray, from every evil … grant peace in our days … may we be always free from sin and safe from all distress.”  Yes: Distress: the root cause of so many of our anxieties. That reminds me of a famous statement printed in a church bulletin with a general invitation, which said: “Don’t Let Stress Kill You: Let the Church Help!” Wait: Let the Church Help Kill you? No. Let the church help de-stress you? Yes, I hope for all our sakes it’s the latter!

As Catholic Christians, we’d be wiser to listen to Jesus, and allow him to be in charge in US all the time. Why? Well, for one thing, God sent Jesus into our lives precisely to introduce us to Gods’ power, and show us how God’s power can transform and heal us of the weaknesses we know are inside us. For another, Jesus is a leader with integrity, whose Truth is central to his mission for the Father. It’s Jesus, through God’s Holy Spirit, that gives even quiet and shy people the courage to speak up strongly, whenever someone is being treated unfairly, or being persecuted or picked on.

Not long ago, an elementary school teacher named Adele was on her lunch hour in the teachers’ lounge, quietly reading a book. Several other teachers came in and, without provocation, began to pick on Adele: one criticizing her weight, another her hair and clothing, and another making fun of her quiet nature. As this was unfolding, Adele’s food friend, another teacher named Caroline, came into the lounge and heard some of what was unfolding. She IMMEDIATELY went over and, in defense of her friend Adele, said that if they continued to pick on Adele, they would have to deal with her (Caroline) as well, and that SHE would NOT remain quiet and shy. I suggest to you that the Holy Spirit’s courage rose up in Caroline that day, responding to an injustice (persecution) being done to her friend.

The way someone responds in critical situations like the one above often says something about her or his character. When Jesus was faced with a man with an unclean spirit, there were lots of ways for Jesus to deal w him. Most people I know would say that if a person was yelling and disturbing the people at Mass, their feeling was, “just throw him or her out, and let’s get on with the Mass!” But because Jesus has the power of God in him, He has OTHER ideas and more GODLY solutions to use. By the way, that’s true for us, too: when we’re in union with God’s light, more and other options will open before us.

See what Jesus does: as the demon in the man is yelling, the demon thinks he can dilute Jesus’ power. He thinks he can distract everyone from what Jesus is about to do, which is to act with divine power. Jesus shows that GOD is in charge of this situation by doing two very specific things: 1) Jesus silences and forces the spirit out of the man, who then can STAY (rather than be thrown/forced out), and listen to God’s Word. Jesus reminds us all people – including the  possessed and mentally ill people – that they are precious, made in God’s image and likeness; 2) and Jesus then gives the man some inner peace and direction, so that for the rest of his life, he can believe: he can TRUST that God’s power IS strong, on earth and in heaven. That’s what we pray, isn’t it? God’s power is NOT just for later, when we are called to eternity, but here, now, in our daily lives!

So, what have we heard today? Hopefully, that our union with Jesus our Shepherd can help us              to do what’s needed to make the world, and its people, a better place, and a holy place.                                        But that can ONLY happen if we acknowledge Jesus as being in charge inside of ALL parts and dimensions of us: that would include our words, our actions, our thoughts, our hopes and dreams, even our future plans. Yes: answering the question “Who’s in charge in You?” starts with prayer here at the Eucharist. It STRENGTHENS us like NO OTHER FOOD or EXPERIENCE on earth. And at the end of Mass, Jesus sends us back into the world with our eyes wide open, and hopefully with a heart caring for others. Only Jesus the Christ, the great liberator can do it, and only if each of us is ready and willing to allow Him to shine and reign in us. Are we?                                                                        Fr. Chris

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord – January 10, 2021 – Mark 1: 7-11 – Father Chris Heller 

Years ago, back in the seventeenth century when I was in college, we had a great drama coach. He started one lecture by asking whether we knew why there were curtains on the auditorium stage. One of us said it was to give the stage crew freedom and “cover time” to move equipment around without interference. After a half-dozen more answers, he finally told us that the curtain was there to draw a line between two worlds: the one we came from to get to the play, and the world that would be created on the stage, for that day’s presentation. He then added a comment that’s stayed with me for years: he said the same division of two worlds happens when you and I walk in the door of a church from outside of it: we are entering a different universe! 

So I began to think of this feast of the Baptism of the Lord and the whole Christmas season all together: and because GOD is best drama writer in the universe, telling the greatest story ever told,  we can look at the MAJOR events we’ve celebrated together. And the story God’s revealing to us. And let’s use that image of a curtain opening to reveal a new/different/bigger universe to the world. Christmas is the most familiar: many drama writers would start with the MAJOR message carriers, from the story’s center, and later tell the story of those in the center.  NOT God: insignificant, smelly shepherds 1^st carry word. Why? To show this God’s inviting everyone to share new life w Christ, whose name means God saves  The curtain opens a 2^nd time, as it did last week on the Epiphany, with a new part of the message: now, Jesus will be known by non-Jewish people, too (including us!), as symbolized by the 3 Magi. 

But you and I know that God has more of the story to tell us, so we have today, the Baptism of the Lord. Like the other two feasts, there were people on both sides of the drama curtain that day. i.e., John the Baptist was baptizing hundreds of Jewish people, confessed their sins and repented to God; at the same time, Jesus’ time to take his next BIG step into human history had now arrived. And while Jesus had NO need for repenting sins OR confession, Jesus humbled himself to John, this is his cousin and kinsman John, just the way all the others were humbling themselves too. 

And as Jesus came out of the water, a HUGE transition of roles happened in human history. John’s part was coming to an end: he had done ALL the prep wk necessary 4people to hear Jesus. And this humble Savior is surrounded by the other two members of the Blessed Trinity: the voice of the Father, and the dove of the Holy Spirit. Here, the image makes most sense to me to capture the transition is the stick/baton that is handed off in Olympic relay races. John lets go, and Jesus takes it up, and begins his public ministry of preaching and healing and blessing, and loving. And while John the Baptist was a screamer, yeller and drama king, Jesus comes and simply invites us to join him, and invites you and me to put our gifts to work the way HE does: in humble, faithful, and direct service. That’s why the Church, to this day, teaches that Baptism and Confirmation confer the gifts and charisms of the Holy Spirit; they are the modern day versions of us going into the water and coming out with God’s seal of approval.                    

So, HOW does this feast speak to us in our time? There’s an American saint named John Neumann: a former bishop of Philadelphia, a big supporter of ongoing Catholic education for all, and a leader who wanted us to discover what WE could do to further God’s work on earth today. He said it like this: “God has a plan for each of us.  We are placed in our different varieties of jobs  NOT to get what we can out of them for OURSELVES, but to labor in them for Him.” For Jesus. What can WE do to help Jesus’ work move forward? Who can we help or encourage this week? Who needs an arm to support them? That’s why we are here. So, at last, we see what the curtain reveals: it’s God AND us. AND everyone else. It’s the UNIVERSE Jesus was sent to make holy. As with Jesus, we are NOT to do our OWN wills, but to fulfill the will of the One who sent Jesus to us: so, let our solidarity with Jesus in our words and actions keep us faithful and on track to serve God and one another: it is our calling and our destiny . 

Father Chris Heller

Third Sunday of Advent “B” Cycle – December 13, 2020 - John 1:6-8, 19-28                                                                                              

There’s a prayer that the priest says at every Mass: it’s part of a bridge prayer that links the Our Father as we know it, and the ending of the Our Father as proclaimed by many Christian churches. The text ends: “as we wait in hope, for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.” All year long, we hear this prayer, but during Advent, we’re invited to pay more close attention to its message. Why? Because on this Gaudete (Rejoicing) Sunday, we are now more than halfway toward our goal of celebrating Jesus’ birth at Christmas, and the more attentive we can be to new signs of life around us, the more ready we’ll be to carry the Christmas Good News.   

The key messages in all the Scripture passages this weekend are positive one: hope, joy and thanksgiving, and these virtues are ENCOURAGED even if there’s not a lot of Good News around in the news! That is, we as God’s People are encouraged to use GOD’s strength to spread the Good News, with the zeal of a prophet, and the joy of a missionary being sent to his or her first mission.

There’s NO doubt frayed nerves and worries about the future have darkened some folks’ outlooks, and has even taken away the DESIRE of some to look for joy and hope, in a world that needs a dose of both. But using Pope Francis’ teaching from the Jesuit training he received years ago, I suggest that to see God in all things in this Gospel, we would do well to focus not on ourselves, but on the teacher who is Someone greater. And in that vein, I want to point out two signs of hope for our world going forward that brought me joy and gratitude.

The first one has to do with the number vaccines being developed for the Covid-19 Virus. In my mind, the JOY and GRATITUDE part enters the story because of a MONUMENTAL SHIFT in how the research and development of those vaccines occurred.  As many of you already know, different drug companies invest HUGE amounts of money and time in research and development, always with an eye toward a profit. Usually, it occurs in a secretive, controlled environment, because if a company is first to have treatment or a cure, they will make the lion’s share of money, especially in the very beginning. This time, in response to the worldwide pandemic, drug companies, researchers and universities have engaged in a WIDESPREAD sharing of research and resources, and later test results on patients, because a vaccine for all was a goal that everyone could get on board with. This attitude of sharing among others  is certainly one that Jesus encouraged during the years of His public ministry, and would have approved of.

The second ray of joy and hope came from a franchise store, a Dairy Queen store in Minnesota. One drive-through customer's kind act sparked a two-day pay-it-forward at a Dairy Queen.  Nearly $10,000 worth of food was paid forward for strangers, starting on a Thursday afternoon. The first customer offered to pay for the food of the driver behind them. What started as 1  random act of kindness from one man paying for the car behind him in a Dairy Queen resulted in over 900 cars also taking part in the pay-it-forward chain. Now, the DQ manager said this happens a few times a year, but after 15-20 cars, it fizzles out. But NOT here. This time, the chain continued for 2 ½ days with over 900 cars participating, Then, the manager Ms. Jensen said:

"There's all different types of ways to help people," Jensen offered. "I think this touched people we didn't even know it touched, maybe deeply, and you don't know what's going on in one’s life. When the DQ closed for the night Thursday, one car left $10 to begin the chain back up Friday morning and again on Saturday morning. Jensen provided updates on Facebook.

One customer summed it up: "During times like these it restores your faith in humanity a little," she said. "The way the world is now you see a lot of anger, tension, and selfish behavior. What WE witnessed was pure kindness and it was a breath of fresh air really." But the best part for it for her was going home to tell her family about the DQ event, and how the whole family played a role in the pay-it-forward chain and kept it going.

Seeing how positive her staff became with every passing car paying it forward, married to the reactions of her customers when the cashier told them their meal had been taken care of, was touching, Ms. Jensen said: "No matter what's going on, take care of each other,  be positive, be happy and don't focus on the negative, we'll get through it," she said. That sounds VERY much like the words of the prophet Isaiah today, about good things coming from God. As we continue with the Eucharist, and come joyfully to the Table of the Lord, or come to the Altar of God to make a spiritual communion, we have the privilege of doing so with members of His Body throughout the world. Let us be in union with others God has chosen in Christ. Come Lord! Come, Lord Jesus Christ!

Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe -  November 22, 2020 – Matthew 25: 31-46

In the last few years, I’ve started to refer to this feast of Christ the King as “The Talk is Cheap” weekend.  My reason is that EVERYTHING in today’s Gospel, from the choice to be merciful to judgment day, ALL have to do with choosing how to interact with others: not thoughts, promises, plans, or ideas on how to do so.  And since it’s Jesus’ good example that we base our Christian social mercy practice on, let’s recall the vivid action at the Last Supper the night before He died. Jesus did what there? He took off his coat, knelt down before each of his disciples, and washed and dried their feet. And the continuation of that work of mercy still goes on to day, in those who want to go to heaven.

And since the Gospel mentions the General Judgment of all peoples at the end of time, it’s a good time to DEBUNK some of the nonsense about the allegation that it’s the Blessed Trinity condemning people to be the goats, that is, God condemning people to a life without God, and without eternal joy and eternal peace. NO. God CREATED us to share eternal joy, but NOT if we don’t WANT it: if we DON’T want heaven, then we’ll be living an earthly life whose actions show that we think we know better than God does; rejecting heaven would mean the compassion and concern I have is just for me, taking care of myself; saying YES to being a goat would mean that my favorite letter of the alphabet is the letter “I!” Those folks would be very uncomfortable in heaven, so God will give them their hearts’ desire: darkness.

Recently, I had to get my eyes examined. The letters on my computer screen were looking smaller. The ophthalmologist helped me with that: now I have new glasses, and things look larger and clearer. But this Gospel raises for me a question which has occurred to our Christian ancestors before us: do we have Christ’s vision of one another right now?  Are the eyes of Christ given us in Baptism and Confirmation being used for the good of others? To ask it another way: do I HAVE the eyesight and attitude of Jesus when I see others suffer?  And do I realize that ONLY GOD can change a NON-GENEROUS heart into a generous one? 

Remember the parable of the Good Samaritan? It’s FILLED w people who KNEW BETTER. 1^st , the Jewish priest who SAW the man beat up and bloodied on the road, and just kept on going. 2^nd was the Jewish scholar, the one who knew the 10 Commandments best, he did the same thing. 3^rd, the foreign-born Samaritan, whose people were the ENEMIES of the Jewish people, he’s the one who stops and helps, and goes the extra mile. Jesus is breaking down boundaries: we KNOW that’s what he’s saying, because THAT’S what Jesus DOES all the time without fail. 

So let’s SAY it: if someone needed to be fed, Jesus would NOT first ask to see someone’s immigration papers or green card before feeding them.  And if it was YOUR child, your niece or nephew or grandchild who had a life-threatening disease, Jesus would NOT ask whether your relative was in a Red State or Blue State before deciding to heal them: Here’s the summary: Jesus saw the need, knew he could meet it, and went ahead to heal them; and He wants us to do the same in our lives: that’s the Gospel’s takeaway in a nutshell. As Jesus said at the Last Supper: what I do for you, you must now do for others.                                                                And yes: during this difficult pandemic time of our lives, we CAN see people’s hungers and thirsts on MULTIPLE levels: physical, spiritual, social, etc. And we know, this year perhaps more than others: when people are alone and need to be included, even via ZOOM; and when some people’s social distancing has resulted in their feeling depressed, and deprived of human touch. But we’re NOT just DO-GOODERS. When we do these works of mercy, we do them to, and in the name of Jesus Christ the King, Lord of the Universe.

As we proceed here at the Eucharist, moving toward receiving Holy Communion or making a Spiritual Communion, may Christ’s healing presence continue to liberate the gifts and resources that God has planted within us.  Praised be God: and praised be Jesus Christ.

Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 11, 2020 – Matthew 22: 1-14                              

Some friends and colleagues occasionally find pictures or cartoons relevant for our work in the Church. One of them came across my desk this past week, with specific reference to the Gospel we’ve just heard. One of God’s lambs is out in the pasture praying. The gist of the lamb’s prayer is this:  “God, I’m trying to figure out MY direction in life.” and God’s voice responds from heaven: “My little lamb, I just want you to love me, and to care for my loved ones.” Then, in the next frame, the lamb sounds a bit frustrated, and says, “Gosh, God, this isn’t about YOU! Everything isn’t about…” and then the lamb pauses and thinks a bit, and in conclusion says, “Oh, wait, God. Everything IS about you, isn’t it?  You and I know this is true!

The general flow of this parable is fairly easy to decipher, but challenging to live completely. In Matthew’s vision, the king is God, his Son is Jesus, and the invitation goes out to EVERYBODY, because God wants everyone included. And then, the excuses start to roll in from everyone: the lyrics of the song that we were taught to immortalize the parable says this: “I cannot come to the banquet, don’t bother me now; I have married a wife, I have bought me a cow. I have plans and commitments that just must get done; please hold me excused, I cannot come.” Now, the parable doesn’t record the excuse makers saying, “Don’t bother me now,” but it’s certainly the attitude we pick up. Those invited people are not attuned to the banquet giver’s purpose, which is to begin a forever banquet! 

However, the part of the parable people have struggled with for centuries is about 1 guest, the one NOT wearing a wedding garment for this banquet feast. I’ve been searching for 40 years for a clue. And probably because this wedding garment person’s section of the parable is told at the END, as an add-on to the main message, I and others have heard the king invite people 2come to the banquet at the very last minute: but then is holding this guest responsible for not wearing a wedding garment to the banquet. Doesn’t that sound a bit unfair to you? It certainly did to me, and didn’t sound like the voice of God or voice of Jesus. UNLESS….UNLESS….UNLESS this wedding garment is not an article of clothing, but a symbol.

For example, if the wedding garment symbolizes someone’s readiness to join in the banquet of God’s eternal feast of heaven, there could be a large number of reasons why someone isn’t ready. Remember the song I learned as a boy, with that line, “Don’t bother me now.” Or, like the famous screen actress Greta Garbo, who said: “I want to be alone.” That should certainly NOT be the attitude of someone who’s called to live in communion and community with the God who has BIGGER and BETTER plans for our future. If we accept this reasoning, then what other reasons would get someone tossed out and make them banquet UNWORTHY?

We already KNOW why: it could be someone like a misguided lamb, who’s just selfish. OR Someone just going thru the motions of practicing Judaism that Jesus showed in scribes and Pharisees: good people, but their hearts and prayer are NOT united. OR, it could be that, in someone’s life and heart, there’s a severe lack of good deeds that benefit others; OR someone who’s a great pretender, who wants the benefits without responsibilities.  It could even be someone going thru a rebellion stage, refusing to bend their will to God’s holy will. Whatever it is, such a person needs spiritual rehabilitation before being ready to receive all that an eternal banquet has to offer.

Now, if we examine our own hearts, could there be any internal adjustments or conversions I need to make, to be more in union with the Blessed Trinity, particularly if God decided to call us home to eternal life one day from this moment? Let us be attentive:  not only to our OWN words and actions, but to the movement and consolation of our God, who is rich in mercy, AND generous in forgiveness, AND unconditionally in love with us. Good News? Oh, yes: thanks be to God, who brings us renewal in Christ Jesus our Savior.

25^th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle “A” – Sunday, September 20, 2020 - Matthew 20:1-16

It seems to me that it might be very easy for SOME people in the 21^st century to hear this parable, and turn Jesus off right away. With human notions about what’s right and fair, it could be easy for some people to think that the Vineyard Owner and Jesus got this pay scale business all wrong.  Even today, some people STILL feel the VINEYARD OWNER should ONLY give a full day’s pay to those who worked all day long. By the way, a full day’s standard pay for a soldier or day laborer back then came out to be about 20 cents!

Now, the grumblers who worked the full day feel RIPPED OFF, CHEATED, BELITTLED, and DISRESPECTED when the VINEYARD OWNER gives everyone what turns out to be the SAME WAGE. Why are they SO MAD? Because they assumed the VINEYARD OWNER was going to pay all the workers proportionally: work for ½ the day = ½ the wage; work for 1/3 day, etc. As if proportionality was the one and only criteria. Now, you probably can guess as to what happens when we ASSUME things? Yes, at times MANY of us have gotten into trouble when we ASSUME THINGS. Further, the VINEYARD OWNER had made a verbal agreement – AKA known as a verbal contract - with each worker, at the time he found them, and sent them to work. Do we think this VINEYARD OWNER would have ANYONE work for him on Day Two, if he’d been UNjust to his laborers? No way.  

On the other hand, the happiest people must have been those who came on at day’s end:             I’d bet that some of them couldn’t BELIEVE their good fortune: to find a very generous owner.               If they were working for a different VINEYARD OWNER than this one, they’d surely received a very few cents. But not with this VINEYARD OWNER: they got a full day’s pay, without ALL the sun and daylong back-breaking labor.         

So now, let’s get to Jesus’ MEANING for us in this parable, a story with a bigger lesson/point.    In this bigger picture, God is the VINEYARD OWNER, a VINEYARD OWNER unlike any VINEYARD OWNER the workers or we have met. God does NOT want to divide or separate us into categories, the way most modern society systems do: no, God intends to UNITE us and INSISTS on being generous to ALL those who’ve been called: it’s God’s way of dealing with us.                And for those who live their lives believing they have a right to telling God what to do, and what not to do:  please wait for me in the lobby after Mass! I’m dying to know how THAT’S working out for you! Seriously, I also have to ask you if you’ve ever been jealous when good things happen to other people and not to you. Or, are you able to be fully happy for others’ good fortune, without feeling jealous or thinking that YOU’VE suffered a loss?

Now, stay with me here: this is where our reflection takes a turn in a VERY different direction.                  This parable isn’t REALLY about wages: it’s about God’s redeeming grace, and how much and how soon we can share in it. It’s all about saving souls: ALL SOULS, your souls and mine, and everyone else’s souls. It’s about God loving us so much that He wants ALL people to be there in heaven, in paradise, EVEN THE LATECOMERS AND THE LOLLY-GAGGLERS! Now, if we’re asking the question as to whether we want the latecomers included in the FULL grace of our God, be very careful, because the LATECOMERS to the vineyard are YOU and ME! That’s right! If we sided with the grumblers who came on first in the earliest part of the day, we wind up arguing against OUR OWN place in Christian existence. WE’D be agreeing that God should JUST have included the Jews among those to be saved: they were here FIRST as the first Chosen People. We’d wind up arguing that Jesus and St. Paul and apostles were WRONG to extend the Gospel to US gentiles. Following that logic, we’d be saying that you and I, who came along MUCH later, should only get a morsel or a taste of heaven,  rather than being able to experience the FULLNESS of God’s love, God’s eternity, God’s peace: ALL of it!

And last, there are STILL some people who think the LAST of the last-minute folks – the “deathbed confession” people - are BOGUS in God’s sight, and are no better than people who cut the line in front of us while we’re waiting to check out our groceries. Some people say God should slam heaven’s door on them, rather than leaving heaven’s light on for them. Really? And what if it’s you or me who’s been a sinner, and we awaken VERY late to Christ’s merciful love? What if the one coming on a deathbed is your spouse, child, grandchild, niece or nephew, who finally WAKES UP to love God?  Do you STILL think God should not be GENEROUS to latecomers who want heaven’s mercy? To be wise, if we take sides on the question of God’s generosity, let’s adjust our attitudes to be on God’s side; because we DO know one thing about God: God’s side will be victorious, and eventually that victory will be eternal. God bless you all.

September 11, 2020

I learned of the attacks on the World Trade Center when my co-worker called me from his car while driving down on the West Side Highway on the morning of an ordinary workday.  “Turn on your radio,” he said.  “We’re under attack.”

I stopped my van on the overpass to JFK airport and just sat there in my van glued to the vision what was unfolding as I watched the skyline of Manhattan and the twin towers shrouded in huge billows of smoke.  All the commentators’ speculation ended when the second plane hit and it became clear that this disaster was intentional, not an accident. I stepped out of my vehicle and stood beside a bus driver who had stopped next to me and was now kneeling on the pavement praying and crying. A moment later, the first tower began to collapse…and the world became suddenly silent. Then shortly after, something no one could have ever imagined took place live on network television.  Two of the mightiest man-made monuments in the world simply vanished in a cloud of darkness before our eyes.

September 11 changed not only how I viewed my own existence, but the lives of all Americans.  

I choked up when the Congress sang “God Bless America”; and when the Buckingham Palace guard played the “Star-Spangled Banner”; when a solitary bag-piper played “Amazing Grace” in Union Square; and hundreds of New Yorkers as they walked around in a daze holding photos of their missing loved ones, or sheltering candle flames in their cupped hands. I watched on TV as Dan Rather broke down during an interview and was being comforted by David Letterman. I felt a sudden surge of loyalty and unity with my country that was new to me.  

Scott Simon put words to it in a National Public Radio editorial after the WTC attacks.  

Patriotism is not based on a blind belief that the United States has no need to change, he said.  God knows we need to change in many ways.  Rather, our love for America rests on the belief that the changes that are needed, are more likely to occur here than anywhere else in the world.

The following is an excerpt from the journal of Gordon MacDonald;

And more than once I asked myself—as everyone asks—is God here?  And I decided that He is closer to this place than any other place I have ever visited.  The strange irony is that, amidst this absolute catastrophe of unspeakable proportions, there is a beauty in the way human beings are acting that defines the imagination.  

Everyone—that is, everyone—is everyone else’s brother or sister.  There were no strangers among the thousands at ground zero.  Everyone talks; everyone cooperates; everyone does the next thing that has to be done.  No job is too small, too humble, or, on the other hand, even too large. Tears ran freely, affection was exchanged openly, exhaustion was defied.  We all stopped caring about ourselves.  The words ‘it’s not about me’ were never more true.

Every time I walk through the halls of John T. Mather Hospital, my eyes are drawn to the mission statements that are crafted onto the walls. One in particular is repeated several times throughout the Hospital…it is this quote from the Dalai Lama.

” If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

19 years ago, when tragedy struck our nation, people forgot about race. color and religion because then, all lives mattered. What has happened to our country since then? Why has all that love and compassion been replaced by hatred and violence? 

I would like to close this reflection with a prayer from the committal service I use at Calverton Cemeteries.

Lord God,

Whose days are without end and mercies beyond counting, keep us mindful that life is short and the hour of our passing unknown.

Let your spirit guide our days on earth in the ways of holiness and justice, that we may serve you in union with the whole world, sure in faith, strong in hope and perfected in love.

Amen.

22^nd Sunday in (A)

What began as a brief news story before the election of 1972, gradually escalated with news stories from Woodward and Bernstein. As the incident escalated, people began to ask themselves if President Nixon knew about the break-in. I remember reading one of the famous lines from the Watergate Scandal of the 70s. It was from Senator Howard Baker who asked that infamous question, "What did he know and when did he know it?"

Our gospel reading from last week and this week present us with two equally intriguing set of questions that cause us to stop and think.

Last week, Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do men say the Son of Man is?" and "Who do you say that I am?"

This week he asks them, “Do you wish to save your life” or “do you wish to lose it?”

But the problem is, there is not one Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Each gospel paints a different picture of Jesus, and some of these differences are profound. Matthew presents Jesus as the Son of David; Mark most often calls him Son of Man; Luke refers to Jesus as Savior of the world; while John presents him as the Word made flesh. It seems that even the four gospels cannot completely agree on who Jesus is, except from the realization that they sense he comes from a higher power.

But perhaps we are asking the wrong questions here? What if we were to turn the question around and asked; “Who do people say that you are? “And “Where is your life heading?”

It is easy to say that Jesus is the Lord… but that does not mean much until others are able to see him at work in your own life.  

One of my professors at the seminary would constantly remind us: "If we were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict us?"  Is the way we think and act, decidedly different from the world around us?

Here is one example:  I had a friend who taught at an elementary school in North Dakota where I was stationed during the Sixties.  One morning there was a minor altercation on the playground – a second-grader pushed one of his classmates off the slide, and, while she was not hurt, it could have been dangerous.  The teacher sent for the principal.

She talked with the children in the hallway outside their classroom.  She listened to both sides of the story and then explained to each of them, the seriousness of playground safety and how important it was to be nice to each other.  When she was finished, the little boy apologized, and that was that.

A couple of days later, she happened to see the little girl with her mother in the checkout line at the grocery store.  She smiled and they waved discreetly to each other.  She then stepped into the next checkout line, but was close enough to hear the mother of the little girl ask her daughter, "Who was that lady who just waved to you?"  

 The little girl said, "She's works at our school."  "What does she do?" the mother asked.  The little girl replied, "She helps people apologize." My friend admitted to me that hearing this, "Helped her to think much more clearly about what she did in her position at school… beyond the titles and status, and how her actions reflected how Christ worked in her life.

When you think about it, the world knows us mostly by who we are related to and what we do for a living. In reality, there is so much more to life than that.  Real life is not defined by what you do for a living, but more by what you do with your life; and by what your life has to do with helping others in the name of Jesus', because how we live our lives, will help others to come to know us as one of his disciples.

Jimmy spinner, was a young man who used to be a band director. I had met him when we were playing together in a country band while I was in the air force. One day he told me about a time when he had returned to a community where he had once taught.  How he enjoyed getting re-acquainted with parents and friends he had not seen for years.  He said, “One day as I was walking on a sidewalk in downtown St Paul, a young man came up and asked, do you remember me?"  He didn't have a clue, but then, he had taught a lot of students, and they had long-since grown up.  He said to the young man, "You're going to have to help me out here."  The young man told him his name and said, "You're the one who introduced me to the world of music, and I just wanted to say thank you."

Today’s gospel question now becomes even more profound. Who do others say that you are?  To confess Jesus as the Christ is to know him in your heart and walk in his footsteps, serving others to the glory of his name.

 But can a church, in todays self-centered, self-help culture, ask its people to sacrifice for the sake of the kingdom? Jesus’ challenge to all would-be disciples requires more than just a “feel-good” or self-hug spirituality. True discipleship begs the question, “Are you willing to sacrifice something for the kingdom”? Too many people today think they can have Christianity without the cross. They are the curious by-standers who stand at a distance from the foot of the cross. They become casual followers of Jesus. They take their Christianity like they take cream in their coffee – just a little something added to make life interesting. Sometimes I am afraid that most of us have not yet heard the call to discipleship. We do not yet understand the real meaning of the cross. Oh sure, we talk about it amongst our inner circle of friends… we display it proudly in our homes… but secretly, we pray that no one asks us about it. 

There is a sign on the road of our culture that says, “Get more, be more, build it bigger, be more successful”.

And then there is a sign on the road to Christ that says, 

“Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.”

Have faith in your relationship with Jesus, and the more complete and content your life will become.  

Faith is, first and foremost, a gift of the Holy Spirit – not something you can conjure up on your own.  If you have faith, praise the Lord.  And if you do not, pray that the Lord will give you faith, according to his will.  Don't think too highly of yourself if you feel you have a lot of faith, and certainly don’t, put yourself down if you only have a little.  Faith is a gift of the Spirit.  Be thankful for what you have and trust that God will give you what you need in order to accomplish his will for your life.

I would like to leave you with these words from a poem by Robert Frost.

Titled “Two Roads Diverged in the Wood”. It concludes with,

I shall tell you this with a sigh. Somewhere ages and ages hence, two roads diverged in a wood, and I…took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

 God Bless.