It seems to me there are at least 3 ways to receive God’s Good News we just heard: 1) to receive it with apathy, as in, “who cares what these people say? 2) to receive it as irrelevant information: what could a widow from 3000 or 2000 years ago teach ME about living in THIS century? 3) to receive it by answering a question: what could God be trying to tell me through the experiences of these women?

If we are open to God’s Holy Spirit touching our hearts & minds today,  let me suggest a few things that might be helpful for us, for now & for the future. For Jesus wouldn’t want us to STOP growing in faith just because we received our Confirmation years ago. No, Jesus encourages us to KEEP growing in faith through the years God gives us on earth.               

My first observation is that these 2 poor & hungry widows have been emptied of earthly things to hang onto, things like their pride & possessions, power & prestige – that’s right – all the things we hear Jesus being tempted to cling to at the beginning of Lent each year. I’m saying that many things in the widows’ lives went wrong, & with their hearts & dreams broken, they CHOSE 2 TRUST God. They also remind us that if someone feels that God has somehow lost their trust, either because of something God did or did not do, it might be time to start trusting God again. That’s right: to give God a second chance!

Then, these 2 poor widows also learned that when you have next to nothing, & you share that little bit with others, God blesses those little gifts & makes them bigger. We might have forgotten about a day when Jesus was preaching to a hungry crowd, as recorded in John’s Gospel. A little boy appeared with a few barley loaves & a few fish: Jesus’ miracle fed THOUSANDS of people’s hungers. You & I can do that on a regular basis, for example, when we donate food to food pantries and soup kitchens, for the benefit of our struggling neighbors. 

And for myself, these poor widows remind me of the capacity for generosity with which God equips ALL of us, through our Baptism & Confirmation. Recall the 1st Beatitude in Chapter 5 of St. Matthew’s Gospel: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Many modern Scripture scholars have helped us understand that what that verse REALLY means is this: “Blessed are those who know they need God first, AND ACT LIKE IT!” 

Yes, those 2 widows GET God: they TRUST God! In our time, I find these 2 widows a breath of fresh air: perhaps they can inspire us to keep growing in faith & trust, if we allow them to be the evangelizers and announcers of God’s Work on earth, in Jesus’ Holy Name. Amen.    

I want to share a story with you about love for God & love of neighbor, & ALSO about the difference between LIKING someone & LOVING someone, which is Jesus’ command to love. There once were 2 neighbors, & I’ll tell you right off: from what I’ve heard, I don’t think I would have LIKED living next door to EITHER of these neighbors! The first was reportedly a very annoying woman who complained to everyone about everything & everyone. The 2nd neighbor reportedly was a prideful man who thought that everything HE did was perfect, & he INSULTED everyone ELSE’S work & every1 ELSE’S ideas as inferior to HIS work & ideas. 

These 2 neighbors didn’t get along with each other, or other neighbors. But one day the man looked out his window, & he saw the neighbor woman’s husband being taken out of the house in an ambulance, & an idea clicked for him. Because the woman’s husband would have been the one to rake their autumn leaves, & the husband was now sick, this neighbor decided HE would rake up his neighbor’s leaves. So, where did this desire to do something GOOD for someone he didn’t LIKE at all? 

We KNOW where such an idea came from: from Jesus, who taught us to LOVE ALL our neighbors in action, & NOT to just LOVE the ones we LIKE. Do we really know that, because in my mind, that’s NOT easy, & it gets more complicated when we hear later on from Jesus that EVERYBODY’S our neighbor! EVERYBODY? Yes, EVERYBODY! & If you need a Bible reference for this, it’s the Good Samaritan story in St. Luke’s Gospel, Chapter 10. 

So, when we LOVE someone, OF COURSE we DON’T want to do hurtful things to them: like cheat them, treat them unfairly, gossip about them, steal from them, or send them home to God prematurely. Those actions are the OPPOSITE of LOVE, which MEANS to ACT & SPEAK for the BENEFIT  of the other person. When I LOVE others, I treat them fairly, say GOOD things about them, protect their belongings as well as our own, & preserve their lives. I do THE best for them, even if I don’t like them. REAL love, TRUE LOVE, goes way beyond living a quid pro quo life, which says I only reach out and do good for others who have been good to me: that’s “payback love:” that what Jesus says the pagans do!  

If we always remembered that we’re called to LOVE our neighbor because ALL our neighbors have GOD living in them, we might well make some different decisions, & speak with even greater respect to others, INCLUDING those we DON’T like. That’s an example of putting Jesus first, AND putting God first. May Jesus help us to do that in our everyday lives, starting with the saving power of the Holy Eucharist to come. 

Last Sunday, Jesus corrected the thinking of two Apostles, who thought that being his follower would guarantee them an easy life.  Jesus lets them know that following HIM will involve some suffering,  some sacrifice, & lots of service on the way to heavenly life. Those three S words: suffering, sacrifice, & service, are important for Christians. 

Now, we’ve been ALL been told to be careful what we pray for, because we just might GET just what we ask or pray for! You may have heard of such an event in the life of an 85-year-old man who found a lamp in his attic. When he rubbed the lamp, he met a genie, who offered him 1 wish. The man looked at his 85-year-old frail wife, smiled at her & said, “I wish my wife were 20 years younger than me.” The genie said: “Yes: I grant you that wish.” In an instant, the man looked at his wife: she was there, but she was still 85. The genie then gave the man a mirror, & the man GASPED: HE was NOW 105 years old, not 85 anymore; & yes, there was a 20-year age gap, but NOT in the way he hoped for! Yes, be careful what you pray for!   

It leaves me with a question I share today with you: “what do we REALLY want?” & when the chance  provides itself, will what we ASK FOR really have lasting value, or will it quickly fade away & soon be unmemorable? The Gospel answers that issue head on, & Jesus LEADS us to see that having relationships with one another is VERY important! What is easy to MISS in the Gospel is that while getting ready to cure the blind man Bartimaeus,  Jesus has ANOTHER miracle brewing, & THAT miracle is for the crowd, which is 1 for US! The crowd starts out today functioning like that TV character  named Archie Bunker: remember how Archie tried to stifle his wife Edith, to shut her up? The truth is that ultimately, Archie couldn’t stifle Edith, & the crowd in the Gospel couldn’t stifle Bartimaeus’ cry for help, OR Jesus’ healing work.  

That crowd is like the peanut gallery in today’s politics: they’re the NEGATIVE people, & shouting down a man crying out in pain & sorrow. But rather than OUTSHOUTING or verbally putting down the discouraging crowd, Jesus engages the CROWD to change their tune & hearts. Jesus gets the crowd to invite Bartimaeus over, thereby making the CROWD part of God’s solution. For Jesus wants the crowd to see what a courageous man Bartimaeus  is. Because of Jesus’ healing power, Bartimaeus is willing & ready to start a new life, and he’s BRAVE enough to ask for it. Think of how Bartimaeus’ life will change once he can see again: he won’t be confined to one smelly spot, with all the  verbal abuse and ridicule he’d put up with. Bartimaeus could rejoin his family & friends: he could get a job beyond begging, he could get married, & even start a family.             

As crowd members, we’ve all made some mistakes in judgment before. Can we ask Jesus to change our hearts, & to open our eyes to see the goodness & potential in others, just as Jesus sees goodness & potential in us, even when we’re at our weakest? & if we’ve been blind to anyone’s goodness, or blind to any part of Jesus’ positive & hopeful plan to 2rebuild the world, WILL we let him help us to change? By the Holy Communion we receive, let the truth of Jesus rule our hearts & lives, blessing our EVERY desire to grow into Christ’s fullness. Blessed be God forever! Father Chris

29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time – 20 October 2024 – Mark 10: 35-45 – Fr. Chris Heller

Once upon a time, a man was preparing to tightrope walk across Niagara Falls while at the same time pushing a wheelbarrow! He asked bystanders how many believed he could do it. No one believed he could. But he did it! When he got to the other side, he asked the onlookers on the Canadian side of The Falls if they really believed he could do it again. ALL agreed he could do it.  He asked, “So who wants to get in and let me push them across in my wheelbarrow?” He had 0 volunteers!  It raises a question for me: if to be a true disciple of Jesus means being in His wheelbarrow, are we completely in it, or not? Do I really trust Him 100% that he will care for me along the Way of My Crosses? 

This little story helps me understand a bit more about WHY James & John don’t understand Jesus. Think about it: if you had a checking account, would you stand on a street corner & give out BLANK checks to people, letting them fill in the amounts they wanted, & letting them cash in? Of course not! But that’s how James & John begin this conversation with Jesus: “give us anything we want!” That’s pretty nervy, wouldn’t you agree?                          

& then the trouble continues. James & John are looking to use Jesus as their gateway to Easy Street: riding in with Jesus into power and glory. These two Apostles have certainly NOT been hearing Jesus’ words in preaching, as you & I have been hearing Him in these past few weeks. Jesus has repeatedly said that being close to Him does NOT come with fame, fortune or “the cushy seats.”  Could it be that James & John, being the youngest of the Apostles, are still clinging to their little-boy dreams of a Messiah that came in like an Army general, conquering the Roman government & freeing the Jews from their captivity? Could it be that those two are being held captive themselves, by a false image of who Jesus is (like the people who worship false gods?)? Jesus TRIED to tell his followers that he was NOT a military leader, but rather a Savior, someone who would change hearts, one at a time & from the inside out!

Now, if the 12 Apostles were a sports team, and Jesus was the coach, and some of his players didn’t follow his direction & listen to his instructions, a coach could justifiably bounce them off the team! But that’s NOT what Jesus does: he unites all 12, explains again that his mission involves EVERYONE, including Himself, serving others & putting themselves at each other’s beck & call. I find it important to point out that Jesus practiced patience and perseverance with people who wouldn’t follow His guidance: isn’t that true for us as well? Hasn’t Jesus forgiven us more than once for OPPOSING His Word & failing to follow the Father’s will? Isn’t that what Jesus calls us to do? Yes!

Let us practice the virtues that Jesus demonstrates in today’s Gospel with one another, most especially by serving the people God sends into our lives, even the unexpected people & those we find unfriendly, undesirable, or intolerant. Jesus’ mission of service is meant to go forward. And on this World Mission Sunday, when we realize that all of us are missionaries (those sent) to others, even if it’s to the neighbor next door to lend a cup of flour or sugar. As Jesus reminds us: “for whoever does good for one of the least and neediest friends of mine does good for me.” Amen.

28^th Sunday in the Church Year – October 13, 2024 – Mark 10: 17-30 – Reflection by Fr. Chris Heller

As a deacon preparing to be a priest, I went to visit a 72-year-old widower named Vincent a few times. In our first few visits, I introduced myself as Chris & Deacon Chris; Vincent kept calling me “Father,” so I just left it alone!

In 1 Advent discussion, we used St. Paul’s letter to Colossians, where St. Paul says: “always be grateful.” So, we shared our experiences of gratitude.  Now, Vincent had some struggles: he was lame in 1 leg & blind in 1eye. He lived just on Social Security with no other pension. But nothing would stop Vincent from listing all the reasons he was grateful: his friends, his long life, his family’s newest great-nephew, God giving him a new day every day, & the energy to get out of bed in the morning. Vincent taught me so much about having a free & open heart, & a joyful positive spirit.

I contrast Vincent with the rich young man in today’s Gospel. It seems clear to me that while the young man owned many things, the THINGS really owned him, which was why he walked away from Jesus’ invitation to free himself from his material wealth, and then walk with Jesus. To be clear, we ALL need SOME money & things for the normal activities of daily life. Over retreat last week, it occurred to me that EVERYBODY needs a break once in a while. & Jesus found a temporary regular oasis away from his preaching ministry by going to Martha, Mary & Lazarus’ house out in Bethany. If Martha, Mary & Lazarus had NO resources, they wouldn’t have been able to offer Jesus the life-giving hospitality that Jesus needed. Let me be clear: yes, even the Son of God & Mary needed a relaxation break once in a while! & if you & I had no material resources, how could we support our beloved parish’s many good ministries?

At the same time, Jesus in his wisdom gives us a “heads-up” about HOW the THINGS of this world can take over our lives, unless we manage them wisely & in a detached way. An example: a man owned & treasured a car. The car was side-swiped by a sanitation truck, & it took 4 weeks to get the car fixed. In our neighborhood, we heard it about every day, in a voice that could raise the dead! It’s clear the CAR owned the MAN, & not the other way around. Contrast that with some of our friends in Florida, who’ve lost their homes, property & possessions, & yet spoke on camera this week about being grateful for getting away with their lives & some clothing.

1 practical suggestion Jesus makes is that since all earthly things have a shelf life and will end eventually, why not divest ourselves of some of those things in the name of charities that can help other people. In fact, we never know HOW & HOW WELL we might be able to live in the ABSENCE of some of those material goods. & 1 way Jesus helps us to maintain a life balance is by feeding us with His Word, & His Body & Blood: He reminds us “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have called you, and you are mine.” So, let us allow Jesus to help us live the heavenly love of God & others right now! In fact, the rich young man missed a chance to travel a new road with Jesus, a road that could have changed his life & heart forever. So, let’s be as attentive as we can to the opportunities for growth that Jesus will be offering EACH of us. Amen.

27^th Sunday of the Church Year – October 6, 2024 – Respect Life Weekend – Mark 10: 13-16 – Fr. Chris Heller

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of celebrating the baptism of 2 young boys. And, as you may remember, after people are baptized by pouring water over their heads, we light a candle for each of them. I reminded those present that we get the light from the Christ Candle, also called the Easter Candle, to be sure that we, as older people, understand that Jesus is ALIVE in these baptized children, and that IF they allow Jesus to guide them into life, he will provide them with the REAL lasting truth, not LIES or half-truths. We say the same to our Confirmation candidates today: if you have an ongoing personal friendship with Jesus, he will help you grow into a holy & healthy person.

So, as we lit the candles for those newly-baptized boys, there was a little girl who was about 4 years old in the congregation. Her eyes got very wide, and a smile covered her face. & before I could say the special candle prayer, that little girl sang out with all her might: “Happy Birthday to You!” We all doubled over in laughter, & although she couldn’t have known it, St. Francis of Assisi said that baptism WAS a 2^nd birthday, a birthday into the Church & God’s family! That little girl was a life-giver for the rest of us, and that’s what Jesus meant about honoring children, who by the way in the 1^st century, were NOT honored at all! That little girl’s joy & wonder & openness & enthusiasm lit up everyone’s spirit, & served as a reminder of the precious gift of human life.

On another deep level, Jesus says that His Father’s Kingdom is open to those who come humbly & joyfully, as opposed to those who think they’re entitled just because they’re Catholic or Christian. You probably know what I’m about to say, but let me say it loudly & clearly: those who put others down, & put others BENEATH them, as if God shouldn’t bless them with love & mercy, are NOT living in step with the Gospel message we heard today from Jesus.

But WHY does Jesus preach His Father’s love SO clearly? It’s really about an expectation Jesus has for each of us: He expects us to build bridges of unity between people, & not tear them down. I just got home from a conference in Pittsburgh, PA, which is called “The City of Bridges.” & it occurred to me while crossing one of them that you & me building bridges is very much in the spirit of the words to a famous church song: “Let there be peace on earth, & let it begin with me!” So, let’s do our best this week to love others as Jesus loves US: there’s NO reason to wait or procrastinate, because we CAN live heavenly love right here on earth, when we make decisions in the Spirit of Jesus! Love, Father Chris

Sometimes, when I HEAR God’s Word, I have follow-up questions. An  example: the 1st line of the 1st Reading we heard today: “The Lord has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious; I have not turned away.” Sounds straight-forward, NO! What’s NOT said: “Why did God open my ears NOW? & to hear what? The BIG reason is God WANTS to lead us & coach us, & protect us, & prevent us from being manipulated. But for God’s will to be done in us, it comes at a cost: we must surrender ourselves completely to Jesus Christ.  

The Gospel SHOWS us that Peter CLEARLY underestimates what Jesus is actually looking for. I believe that for Jesus to say to Peter, his chosen #1 Apostle, “get behind me, Satan,” Peter must have made an OUTRAGEOUS & insulting proposal to Jesus. I would have LOVED to be a fly on the wall to hear what Peter said to Jesus, for Jesus to get that angry & forceful! Peter CLEARLY thinks he’s SMARTER than Jesus. So, imagine Peter cooking up a plan and then saying to Jesus, “Look, you don’t have to die, & we 12 don’t have to die. I know a guy who knows a guy: HE can save us; he can smuggle us ALL out of town, & we can escape this death you’re talking about!” What chutzpah: suggesting that some MAN & NOT GOD is going to save us! And Peter STILL thinks God’s plan is negotiable: that we commit ourselves for a while, & then we can STOP being faithful to God & Jesus when being a discipleship starts to have a personal cost.  

So, in addition to knowing that Peter’s way is NOT the way to heaven or to Christ’s heart, what can we take away from today? It seems to me it goes back to something else NOT mentioned in the Gospel, and that’s your baptism & mine. We are baptized, NOT to be like  everyone else. & we’re not MEANT to be swayed by whatever’s politically popular at any time. We’re called as Roman Catholic Christians to GIVE ourselves away in love: give away our hearts & energy, give away our skills & talents, BECAUSE ALL those things AREN’T OURS alone: they’re ALL on loan to us for others, & for the betterment of our world & our neighborhoods, so that we can bring some HOPE & LIGHT & JOY to them. I received some joy this past week: there was a 3-year-old girl attending the baptism of  two young boys, & when we lit the baptismal candles, she started singing “Happy Birthday!” We all laughed, knowing that NEW BIRTH was happening at that baptism before our eyes.  What a great reminder it was. May the Holy Eucharist we receive today boost our energy & courage to put our Christian faith into action for others, and may each of our Christ-lights SHINE! Amen.   Love, Fr. Chris

I am SO grateful for being able to HEAR things: like the voices of people that I love, familiar music & new music, shows on TV & streaming services & even podcasts. But SOMETIMES when I hear something, it’s SO loud I JUMP out of my chair! For example, at times, on traditional TV, I think when the show pauses for commercials, those ads are EXTRA loud just to get our attention! I start with this experience of sound because I believe it’s 1 reason WHY Jesus separates the deaf man from the crowd & the noise. I believe Jesus IS very sensitive to how you & I react to the world, & that Jesus was thinking that a person who’d never heard ANY sound might be SHOCKED and DISORIENTED to hear loud sounds. I believe this miracle is just one more proof that Jesus cares about our health & well-being: NOT just our physical health, but our TOTAL spiritual health, too.

Here’s why I say this: we know that NO ONE is BORN into the Faith: we’re BAPTIZED into the faith of Jesus & the Apostles, the faith of the church, which we renew each week at Mass. So, when we BAPTIZE people into the faith, we LINK ourselves to the essence of today’s Gospel with a short POWERFUL prayer. The deacon or priest doing the baptism of an infant, for example, touches the baby’s mouth & ears, & repeats Jesus’ words to the deaf man in the Gospel: BE OPENED!  Here’s the Baptismal prayer: “May the Lord Jesus, who made the deaf hear & the mute speak, grant that you may soon receive His word with your ears, & profess the faith with your lips, to the glory & praise of God the Father.” 

& if we think carefully about God’s design & plan for the world, one thing is clear: God did NOT bring us to earth JUST to watch out for & take care of ourselves.  According to Jesus’ own words, we are our brothers’ & sisters’ keepers. Another way to say this is that 1 of the reasons we’re all here, as descendants of the Apostles & disciples, is to HEAR Jesus’ Good News, and to  speak it plainly to others in words & deeds. 

I recently heard of an example of someone living the love of Jesus here in NY:              a family was driving to Florida’s Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World for vacation. They were still on the Belt Parkway – always a joy 2drive on, day or night! & there was another car on the side of the road that had flames shooting out of the hood.  Well, the dad of the family driving to Disney was a well-trained NYC fireman who, when everyone else is running away from disasters, he runs toward them! This brave fireman did what Jesus did: he went to save the lives of the people who were in that other car. Yes: he did show Jesus’ love; that man showed he HEARD Jesus’ Word & put it into practice.  Let the Holy Eucharist, which celebrates NOT JUST our alone time with Jesus, but our TOGETHERNESS in the Body of Christ, help us ALL love each other with greater courage & consistency. Blessed be God forever.

In the last century, there was a Bishop in Brazil named Dom Hélder Camára. Bishop Camára stood up for the poor, against a government that told them they were not worth much at all. The Bishop told the government, for example, that food & medicine & shelter were not just for the rich & the privileged: everyone had the right to these human basics, because each of us has the dignity of Jesus living within us! And as the Bishop sent his catechists out to teach the faith to people in the poorest ghettos (known as barrios) of his Diocese, The Bishop told them: ‘Sisters and brothers, watch how you live. The way you live  may be the only gospel your listeners will ever see or hear.’ What’d he mean?  I think he meant that you & I have the Gospel of Jesus inside us, & by our Baptism, we have been called to demonstrate the Gospel by HOW we live, HOW we treat people, & how we spread Gd’s love by our actions. I would also say this: if you never felt fully trusted by anyone in your life, know that Jesus’ trust in you to do God’s work is HUGE, for by our good behavior & good example, WE confess & witness to God’s great work in the world.

&, when I put these thoughts next to today’s Gospel, it becomes clearer to me WHY Jesus told the Apostles to travel light. For Jesus, travelling light empowered the Apostles to stay focused on the message, & to rely first on God & then one another: that’s the rationale of Jesus’ 2 x 2 method.

But it ALSO seems to me there’s another connection I hadn’t thought of before this year. When Jesus was getting ready to preach God’s Good News,  what did he do first? He went on retreat in the desert for 40days. At the end of it, he felt weak, hungry, needy & alone. (most of us can identify with those experiences). & at that moment, how DID the devil try to appeal to Jesus? With some BIG temptations, about pride, possessions, power & prestige: all EGO-centered & ego-driven qualities! They all say, “life’s just all about ME.” & any of us who’s ever been tempted by them NOW KNOWS that if we dabble in temptations, or get weighted down by them or the sins to which they lead, then we’re NOT relying 100% on God’s LIBERATING power we find only in Jesus. For instance, after a while, we have to look around at our material goods and ask: “do WE own our possessions, or do our possessions own us?”  

As Jesus invites us into today’s Gospel, to soak up the nourishment he offers, it seems to me He ALSO invites us to ask ANOTHER big question: it’s related to WHY Jesus sent out the 12 Apostles to preach repentance from sin. The question is: ”is there anything WEIGHTY that’s holding me down, like a sin or temptation, that’s keeping me from doing MY share of the godly work that Jesus has in mind for me to do, while God gives me the breath & time 2do it? Back in the twelfth century when I was growing up, the Church taught that the people doing God’s work in the world were nuns, priests & religious brothers. But since Vatican Council Two, which ended in  1965, all of us who are baptized have a share in spreading & living God’s love, & forgiveness & joy. So, let’s look at ourselves, and reduce our inner & outer baggage, & whatever limits our freedom. & if, in order to enjoy your freedom in Christ, you need to sing the song from the movie Frozen entitled “Let It Go!”, then sing away!                          Love, Your Pastor and Brother, Father Chris

A homecoming is supposed to be a joyful time in the life of a person or a sports team. And homecomings are usually accompanied by support & affirmation from the local people. We have also seen it in the last few years, when US citizens are released from foreign jails: sometimes, the entire hometown of the released prison turns out. However, this did NOT happen for Jesus, & he diagnoses the problem: it’s a lack of faith in him, and his ability to perform mighty works. The people from Jesus’ hometown knew a LOT of what he did as a carpenter, first as an apprentice to his father Joseph, & later on to support himself & his Mother Mary. Jesus’ local family violated the rule our ancestors taught us: “don’t judge a book by its cover.” The locals ASSUMED they knew EVERYTHING about Jesus based on his JOB growing up!  & I don’t have to tell you the problems that can happen when we start assuming things! And WHY were the local people OFFENDED by Jesus? One reason was that Jesus talked about God INTIMATELY & familiarly – calling God “Abba” which means “daddy.” The truth we have from Jesus is that GOD KNOWS US, intimately & familiarly, even down to the number of hairs on our heads.

So, how can we avoid the pitfall into which Jesus’ own family & tribe fell,  in prejudging Jesus & presuming we know EVERYTHING he’s capable of doing? Let’s take the last phrase of the Our Father we say at every Mass: “deliver us from evil.”  It’s a good phrase: it doesn’t tell God what to do, it doesn’t give God deadlines,  & it doesn’t play games with God, such as “If you do this for me, God, then I’ll do that.” (That’s called quid pro quo, NOT unconditional love!) What does “Deliver us from evil” mean? It first says: “God, you know the sin & faults in me; help me resist them. But it also says: “God, you know the problems that are strangling me and keeping me down: show me ways to be free of their dark power.” But: if I don’t have that daily personal relationship with Jesus & trust Him, & if I don’t believe Jesus has the AUTHORITY to do these things, I can actually OBSTRUCT Christ, & prevent His power for good to work in my life! Yes, WE have this POWER!    

Finally, I leave you with a picture to meditate on. There’s a portrait from the 20^th century by an English painter named William Holman Hunt. This portrait is entitled Christ at Hearts’ Door. In the portrait, Jesus is pictured knocking at YOUR DOOR, a door that has no outside handle or latch. This means that only the person inside the house can open the door, to receive X’s grace, mercy & freedom. Why? Jesus will not force his way into your house: that would violate your free will, & Jesus honors your free will, endowed by our loving God, even when we do or say what we ourselves know is wrong and/or sinful.  So, it will only be those who believe in Christ’s power to conquer sin & death, & to  empower us to deal with small & large challenges, that open their hearts’ door to Him. We pray that, with the strength that today’s Holy Communion brings, that we will be WISE enough to open to the door to Christ when he knocks and comes calling for us! Blessed be God forever!

Many of Jesus’ miracles focus on him laying hands on people to effect a cure; so the focus is generally on him & his action, as the agent of God’s divine healing.   The healing of the hemorrhaging woman is different: she’s one of the crowd people, & her thought is just to touch his clothing to get well. Therefore: the focus of THIS Gospel is on the woman’s strong faith.

This woman is a woman of perseverance & not discouragement. Think of the effects of 12 years of bleeding. Her society would have considered her unclean, & unfit for associating with others, who’d have avoided contact with her. The results would’ve included her being treated like a leper, an outcast, a castaway, an insignificant person. One female Scripture scholar named Karen Surtaney points out that some societies STILL treat a woman who sheds blood for the sake of GIVING life (monthly menstruation) as unclean, but praises the bloodshed of people TAKING others’ lives in the name of war! There’s something wrong with that picture! & if someone is treated like a leper or outcast for 12 years, what’s the emotional or psychological long-term effects? It seems to me that the physical pain alone would be terrible, & the isolation would only magnify it.

But Jesus’ response to this woman is NOT repulsion or disgust. He responds to her with peace, acceptance, grace & understanding. In the midst of the Gospels leaving this woman unnamed,  Jesus calls her “daughter” in response to her faith. Jesus cherishes & values her, & he ALSO rescues her from outside society’s circle & brings her INSIDE & includes her. Her faith response is a great example for us all: even as a stranger in the crowd, she looked for the opportunity to be healed just by TOUCHING Jesus’ clothing. I find it enlightening that faith appears in many forms in many different people & situations.

So, what’s it like when WE reach out to Jesus in OUR times of pain, heartache, or isolation?   Are we ready to hear the TRUTH of what Jesus has to say to us, namely, that you & I are precious creatures of a loving God, & are known intimately by our creator? But even after this woman’s hemorrhaging has stopped, Jesus speaks as if there is MORE healing to follow. I take that to mean she was also able to surrender her pain, shame, hopelessness & fear, all on the basis of her touching Him. Who of us could ever imagine the healing Jesus can bring to us? Let our faith forever be our guiding light, for all the days of our lives. Blessed be God forever. Love, Father Chris

Intro to Mass: Last week, Jesus taught us while God starts us out as small seeds, he wants to grow us into large trees, trees that will support and encourage others, trees on which others can depend in their lives. Today Jesus uses the metaphor of a boat on the open sea, where the sea represents our lives, which is sometimes calm and easy to navigate, but at other times is choppy, like the rough waves. & the rough waters represent whatever scares, upsets, worries, distracts or paralyzes us.                   Let’s all take a moment to identify an event or experience that does one of those things. Please hold onto that issue for a few minutes: we’ll come back to it before we close our reflection.

As we join Jesus in the boat with his disciples, we see a Jesus who’s comfortable in the arms of God, someone who’s NOT worried about his relationship with God, his earthly life, or what anyone else thinks. Jesus is very relaxed, shown by his taking a nap  in the stern of the boat. Some people hearing this might say: “I knew there was something else I liked about Jesus: he takes NAPS at midday & he doesn’t get a hassle!

But there’s more: Jesus is ALSO not afraid to confront ALL the big-time fears in the mysterious sea of our lives. Like what? Our fear that maybe Jesus isn’t taking sufficient care of us;  the fear of drowning & our lives being cut short, OR the fear that paralyzes our ability to apply our faith in crisis situations, because our emotions are controlling us. In good times, we may not even be aware of needing faith: in tough times, faith’s essential for survival, and fear can shut down & actually try to defeat our faith. I don’t know if you’ve thought about it, but fear is the sworn enemy of faith: fears can distract us from God!  

That’s why MY question this week invites us to think about: “who IS Jesus to you & me? What role does Jesus serve in your life & your family’s lives? & when you & I are together in the boat, who’s the  captain? & who’s the 1^st mate?”  Who’s in charge? I’m talking about a control issue & preventing a real tug-o-war. Think about it:  the person who places a problem or situation in Jesus’ hands at night, but STILL tries 2B in control by the next day is in a real tug-of war with Jesus. & anyone who says “I’m letting go and letting God” but isn’t doing either one 100% is in a tug-of-war with Jesus. & if you or I are still acting like we’re captains in our lifeboats, what does that make Jesus in the boat? Our servant, our valet, OUR gofer?  Our Man Friday? WAIT! Jesus is the Savior of the world: he serves ALL, but he’s nobody’s gofer, & no one is sending HIM out for coffee!              

So, go back to that issue you identified at the start of today’s reflection: whatever scares, upsets,  worries, distracts, or paralyzes you or your faith. Take a moment to check in with yourself. If Jesus is TRULY your empowered captain all d times, take a moment to thank God for this gift. But if you still need to surrender the ILLUSION OF CONTROL, ask the Holy Spirit to help you to surrender to Jesus, for he will help you FIND THE STRENGTH YOU NEED. May today’s Holy Communion in the Eucharist bring us wisdom, so that we always LIVE & allow Jesus to captain our lifeboats. Blessed be God forever.  Love, Father Chris

It seems to me that in today’s parable stories about the seeds, St. Mark is trying to teach us that God’s Kingdom & God’s Reign are mysterious, surprising & unexpected. I have 2 illustrations that feature my dad on this Fathers’ Day Weekend. In 1 story, my dad drove the wrong way up a one-way street; we were face to face with a New York City bus that was coming at us. From the back seat, I was fearing the worst, like a crash & injuries, & not getting to our cousin’s house for the birthday party & the cake! What I didn’t see coming was the bus driver stopping the bus, & motioning to my dad to make a U-turn, & get our car going again in the right direction. He could just as easily as forced my dad to back up to the previous corner to make a U-turn, so this was a good solution for all, especially for us. But all agreed it was a surprise, like seeds just sprouting thru the surface of the soil!

In the 2nd illustration, on a Friday night, my dad came home & told us he’d been laid off from his job of running a warehouse. My dad worked for companies that sent out 4th class direct mail – he hated when people called it “junk mail.” One month, we collected in a shoebox all the 4th class mail that came into the house. By the middle of that month, we had to empty the box & start over again, there was so much of it. My dad said, “I’ll find another job,” but he didn’t know where, or how or when, just like the mysterious process of seeds that would eventually grow beyond their beginnings. Dad spent the weekend networking, asking people to put in a good word for him, calling former colleagues & employers to see if there were any openings available. It was odd to see dad sitting at the breakfast table on Monday morning and not going to work; the same was true on Tuesday morning. But later that day, Dad got a call about a job offer: it wasn’t in a warehouse, but as a security guard for the town in which we lived. It came with a salary & benefits, & like the seeds in God’s Kingdom, Dad could not have predicted that would be his next job, but it was. & our family’s life went forward.

I learned a lot from those experiences. I learned that sometimes MY mind has TOO SMALL AN IMAGINATION, and that just because I in my own little mind hadn’t imagined a solution doesn’t mean that Jesus hadn’t imagined both the possibility & the solution. I wonder what solutions God has planned for nations that are at war with one another! I wonder what Jesus will have in store for us when we start to listen to each other, rather than shouting past each other, and insisting that our ideas & candidate is the right one. I also learned that Jesus rarely does things on my time schedule, so if I’m married to a clock or calendar or some deadline I’ve imagined in my head, rather than focused on the solution Jesus is preparing for me, I could MISS what He is actually trying to do in a situation, or even in myself.

A few weeks ago, I suggested to people at Mass that Jesus CAN & DOES do amazing things in us & for us, IF WE LET HIM! I repeated that phrase 3 times: IF WE LET HIM. For it’s one thing to say, “I love or believe in Jesus,” but if those are true, he asks us to trust him enough to lead us in the right direction: first closer to God our Creator & deeper into God’s Holy Spirit, and ultimately toward heaven & eternal life. In God’s Word and our reflection together, I hope you heard something that is somehow helpful for your spiritual growth. May the seeds of the Eucharist help us to grow BEYOND this hour, to love others as Jesus loves us. Blessed Be God, who plants good seeds in us through our Savior & Good Shepherd Jesus Christ.

I want to invite you to use the visual side of your brains today, to do some picture thinking. Specifically, I want to talk about 2 kinds of CIRCLES: closed & open circles.    My early school memory was that I was NOT good at sports: I was pathetically bad! When a captain was choosing up sides, I was chosen LAST, or put on the sidelines, & not allowed to play at all. In case this is not clear, I was OUTSIDE the playing circle, unless a boy named Robert was the captain: HE included me because he & I were friends, not because I was any good. But I remember how GOOD being included felt!

By contrast, when I’d go to my grandparents’ house for dinner, there usually were 20-25 eating. But Grandma ALWAYS had extra folding chairs in the closet, for any last-minute guests. I learned that while this meal WAS a family meal, others were ALWAYS welcome, especially since Grandma always cooked for 50 people, in case a baseball or football team showed up. SHE taught me abundance: to be generous, because God gave us some for ourselves and some to share, & that sharing what we have with others builds up other peoples’ spirit, with respect & esteem.

So, in today’s Gospel, Jesus’ family wants Jesus to take a meal break on THEIR terms,  on THEIR time schedule, & Jesus has an alternate plan. & because Jesus doesn’t yield, THEY say He’s crazy. Then OTHER people outside Jesus’ family start calling him crazy.  & THEN Jesus does something OUTRAGEOUS: He CHANGES the definition of FAMILY, beyond his family of origin & beyond his blood family. Jesus starts a new tradition of family that’s more in relationship with God than with the relatives with whom He grew up. And THAT MUST have driven his BLOOD family up the wall. Jesus SHOCKS all his listeners  by BREAKING open a CLOSED circle: anyone who does God’s work and God’s will has a NEW membership: as Jesus’ mother, brother or sister.  

One practical application for us in response to what Jesus does is to look more closely at what we have in common with other people, rather than jumping automatically to the ways we differ. There are LOTS of people on Long Island doing good deeds on a regular basis: some are right here in church. A few years ago, a Confirmation candidate sympathized with children losing their hair to cancers like leukemia: this Confirmation candidate cut off HER hair & sent it to an organization called “Locks of Love,” which makes wigs for cancer patients. Others are doing walks and runs to benefit organizations that are searching for cures for diseases such as ALS, dementia, Parkinson’s, and the like. When these good deeds are done by people with GOOD HEARTS, they demonstrate their membership in an open circle of sisters & brothers of Jesus, daughters & sons of God our Creator, & persons with souls growing & glowing with the Holy Spirit. Some are Roman Catholic, some are other Christians, some are Jewish, some Muslim, some of no religion, and SOME describe themselves as atheists or agnostics: they ALL have good hearts!  

This is why I started my reflection asking you to keep the pictures of OPEN & CLOSED circles in your mind: it seems to me these 2circles stand for how we want to relate to God & others in the world. & you ALREADY know which model Jesus chooses, so we can choose to work with or against Jesus. This process requires us to be life-long learners, to see WHERE we can open the circle to include others. Let Jesus guide our choices as we look forward to ALL that God has in store for us: Alleluia! Amen!    

So, WHAT CAN receiving the Body of Christ do for each of us? Let me name 3 important benefits.  

Benefit 1: While the Eucharist you & I receive is physically made only of flour & water,  it can explode within us & work miracles in us, because it’s filled with the power of Jesus Christ. There are witnesses everywhere to Jesus’ saving power. In another parish where I served, a man who didn’t speak to his brother for 20 years because of a disagreement between them picked up the phone & reached out. They had an emotional reunion because Jesus has the power to change hearts, if we let Him. In fact, church history reminds us that the Eucharist was the very 1^st sacrament of reconciliation, even before we had confession, penance, and reconciliation!  

Benefit 2: no matter whether you are married, separated, divorced, widowed, single, partnered, or searching, every one of us needs a faithful companion who’ll be with us for our entire life span. Jesus is that true nourishment & companion; He is  Food for our journey, wherever it takes us: & I’m talking about the little ups & downs, as well as the mountains & the valleys. My father was an alcoholic, and so was his mother. When my father died, I went through all the stages of death & dying: denial, anger,  bargaining, depression, & eventually acceptance. But in the beginning, I walked around numb, and couldn’t feel anything. The only consolation that brought me ANY feelings of being alive was the Eucharist, & having the Eucharist in my body helped me get through the day & week. I tell you the truth that even when my head & heart were not right, Jesus stayed with me, & led me eventually out of the darkness. Letting Jesus lead me was the best decision I ever made.

Benefit 3: when we think about what Jesus did for us in giving us his Body & Blood in the Eucharist, & the great sacrifices He made for us on the cross - & doing it without  whining or complaining about doing them, Jesus can expand our hearts to greater freedom, sacrifices, & generosity, if we let Him. There’s a woman in our parish to whom Jesus spoke after communion one Sunday, & all she remembers hearing Jesus say, over & over was: “count your blessings.” On her way home in the car, she counted a lot of blessings, including the fact that she had food in her fridge and on her table all week long. That’s when she thought of others, and their food situation. Today, that same woman watches the bulletin weekly, & whatever Virginia our Parish Outreach Director says we need for our neighbors, she buys it & drops it off. So, this woman receiving Jesus in the Eucharist has stretched her ability to sacrifice: & she’s more  thoughtful, more caring & more grateful as a result of letting Jesus work actively in her heart.

When the priest, deacon, or priest, or Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion holds up the host and says: “The Body of Christ,” they are recognizing two things: first, that the holy & true presence of Jesus Christ is in the Eucharist; second, that YOU are a vessel of God’s Most Holy Spirit, and a person within whom God dwells. So, you as a member of the Body of Christ, are RECEIVING the Body of Christ. This thinking is NOT NEW: St. Augustine, our brother in faith from way back in the FOURTH century, taught that our goal on earth is to become the Jesus we receive. I believe that happens when we perform an action we did as children: when we “connect the dots!” When we connect the Consecration, when Jesus says, “This is my Body; this is my Blood, ” with opening our mouths and receiving communion, and with the sending forth statement the deacon or priest offers at the end of Mass when he says: “Go forth to love & serve the Lord, and one another.” By “connecting the dots,” we realize how the love of Jesus is penetrating our hearts: that just as God fed Jesus with love, & Jesus did God’s work all week long, so can we. Blessed be God forever.                        Love to you in the Eucharist, Father Chris

For some people, the Blessed Trinity is an idea, a picture, a concept, or a religious foundation. Actually, it’s a mystery of God who is both 3 in 1. Today I want to speak with you about a living EXPERIENCE of the mystery of the Trinity: Father, Son & Holy Spirit.

So, my phone rings 1 day & I say “Hi, it’s Chris here,’ & the voice on the other end says,                     “Hi, Chris, it’s Gabriel…from heaven.” I think it’s a joke & I say, “ right, it’s Gabriel from heaven.”  & he says, “yes, Chris, it really is: it’s Gabriel, from heaven.  Early today, God said, ‘let’s call Chris Heller today!’ Would you like to speak with God the Father, Chris?” “Sure!” I say.

So, I’m on the phone with the Father, the Creator of Heaven & Earth. I’m telling God (like God doesn’t know already!) how much I like a Jesuit poet named Fr. Gerard Manley Hopkins. God says, “Yes, Chris: the poem is “The World is Charged with the Grandeur of God, & U read it on a regular basis.” “Yes,” I said to God: “I was thinking about your grandeur after reading about a very smart farmer, who lived in the ancient land of Mesopotamia between the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers in 5300BC. That farmer found some very fertile land there, but he couldn’t do all the necessary tasks himself. You inspired him, God, to find people to clear the land, plant and water the crops, harvest them, & manage the property to work with you.”      

God said: “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?” “You mean my brother Mike in Massachusetts?” I ask. “No, Chris,” God says patiently, “your older & wiser brother. Let me put him on the phone with you.” So, Jesus, my older & wiser brother asks, “Chris, how’s it going today?” And I start to tell the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity what I was just talking about with the FIRST person of the Blessed Trinity, and Jesus laughs a bit: “Yes Chris, I know: I’ve been listening in on the conversation!” & then I remembered: while the Trinity contains three persons, they are united as one!     

Jesus then reminds me that I’ve been thinking a whole lot about the division & unrest in the United States. But, Jesus says, “there were times in history when people did cooperate with my Father’s will:  Chris: remember when communism fell in Poland, & when the wall came down in Germany, & when Irish people could finally walk each other’s streets without winding up shot dead? Those good things happen when people work, pray & listen to others. That’s not the case everywhere in the United States right now: many people assume they know each other’s story & really don’t. And then they reject those who are not like them: who look and sound different, and practice different customs.” And then Jesus said: “I know what it’s like to be rejected, because it happened to me all the time on earth while I was on earth. And until real listening happens, the bonds of trust can’t begin to grow. So, tell people to listen to each other.” I promised Jesus I would pass along his directive and message, so this is the official message from Jesus!

Then, Jesus asks if I’d like to speak with the Holy Spirit. I said, “sure.” The Holy Spirit gets on the phone, & makes a great suggestion: “Chris, how about today I talk and you listen: is that OK?” I said, “Sure!” Then, the Holy Spirit says: “Chris, you waste time trying to figure out solutions for things over which you have NO control. It’s like you are  spinning your wheels sometimes. So, Chris, you know what I’m going to say next: the words come from a movie called Frozen: “let it go, Chris, let it go!” Chris, let go of the things you can’t control. Let the Holy Trinity handle those things that are just too big for one person to handle.” What a gracious affirming reminder from the Holy Spirit: to allow God to be our One True God all the time: let God lead us, challenge us, protect us, & grow us in all these different dimensions.

This experience of God speaking in different parts of my life is brought to you by the Most Holy Trinity. With prayer, you too will have life-giving experiences in your heart & soul that will breathe new life into you. Let us listen to God, and to one another. And let us continue to bless ourselves, & bless our God, as we strive to live the trust enjoyed among the members of the Blessed Trinity: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.