How to Love

 

Here we are already in Holy Week, a day after listening to that long sorrowful narrative of the Passion of our Lord.

 And every time I read or hear the Passion, I remember the words my mother would tell me.

 See, I was very restless as a child, especially at Mass and on Passion Sunday, my mother would say, “If you stay completely still when the priest is reading the Passion you will go right to heaven”. Now, if that is the only criteria to get to heaven, I will never make it. I still squirm

You can only stand still for so long even as an adult. But, I really tried, but there was one time, I had to scratch my nose so bad and finally I did. I moved! Another year and no heaven again, and I looked up at my mother and she turned and frowned at me and I thought, wow, she moved too, she’s not going either. But, today, we have a much shorter Gospel, one that is filled with complete surrender and the love of Mary, in serving our Lord. Surrendering her greatest treasure, an extravagance of love to bring honor to Jesus and joy to herself.

It’s knowing that love doesn’t calculate the cost; it gives and its only regret is it doesn’t have more to give.

 And we have Judas, the betrayer, the thief, the money holder, filled with hate, and serving only himself. His greatest treasure was in the bag he was holding. No love to give, no true friendship, because you cannot serve two masters.  

And, the harsh words of Judas, of wasting the oil, is an attempt to destroy Mary’s gift of love. Although, his words of wasting, and not his motive for saying them, could incline us to think the same way. But the oil is meant to reveal complete surrender to Christ, all that we have, bringing the greatest honor to Jesus and His Church and to the giver.

 Mary’s gift and love filled the entire place with the sweet fragrance of spices, an aroma benefiting herself, Jesus and all around her. But Judas was resentful, his beliefs were warped, and he took a bitter and an unpleasant view. It’s the heart that speaks. Because a person’s sight depends on what is inside their heart. Mary surrendered to Jesus. Jesus was eventually surrendered by Judas.

This is the week that we can give our all for Jesus, serving Him completely and walking closely with Him to His Cross. We have our treasures to give, we sacrifice, we pray and adore Him in the Blessed Sacrament.  He thirsts and we give him drink. Let this Holy week become an internal flame of love burning inside, allowing the fragrance of complete surrender, to fill our hearts with the love for Jesus. 

Then on Friday at the Cross, we will recognize that, Love doesn’t calculate the cost; it gives and its only regret is it doesn’t have more to give. Jesus gave us His all, there is nothing more to give. That is total surrender. That is how to love!

Foster Father, our Patron Saint

 

Growing up, I remember two important things about St. Joseph. One I was taught by St. Joe nuns and two, we always had off of school on March 19th the feast of St. Joseph.

 Our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph were two human beings. The very same wants and desires that we have, the same temptations, the same hardships.

And their focus was always on keeping God’s commandments. Mary and Joseph were born with the same free gift that was given to us and that is our free will.

They, like us had options. We can all say no to God. But they were determined to say yes.

There yes, must be our yes, to follow Jesus, even with all the hardships and crosses He asks us to bare. Our yes and perseverance means, there will be a place for us in heaven.

Look at the face of the crucified Jesus, look at His beaten body, and know His pain, and your pain, your hardships will become bearable.

St. Joseph, Foster Father of Jesus and husband of Mary, pray for us

 

The Gifts and the Fruits

 

For those of us who were confirmed by a bishop, may not remember the exact words that were used. In my case, it’s been so long, I’m not even sure if the words were in English or Latin.

 But today, with the consecrated Chrism Oil, the Bishop rubs the sign of the cross into your forehead saying “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit”. And we responded with, “Amen”.

 It was at that moment, regardless of what language, the Holy Spirit entered our soul, even more powerful than at our baptism, blessing us with all the gifts we need to confront and battle the world, and the devil.

 The Holy Spirit, the Advocate is sent to us, by Jesus, to live in our being. The same advocate He sent to the Apostles on Pentecost; He sends to us. And why? Because, He loves us, and wants us to have all the gifts we need to be with Him in heaven. These are our resources, our tools to use, not to let stagnate.

 Pray often to the Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of the faithful. Teach us and guide us along the way, forever blessing us with your gifts and encouraging us to be fruitful companions of Jesus Christ. Amen!

A friend in deed

 

In moments of happiness, and joy, as well as times of loneliness, depression, pain, and most of all when you just feel like crying, there is always someone there with you.

 Jesus tells us, “I am with you always, even to the end of time.” Do we see Him? No, but He is with us. Do we feel His presence? Some do, but He is there, sharing with us, our joys and our heart aches.

 And He tells us something else in Scripture confirming that He is always with us even from the beginning. For He tells us in Jerimiah, that, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you”.

 This very day, whether asleep or awake, inside of you is the Spirit of God, waiting and hoping that you spend some quiet time with your creator and your best friend, who is with you always.

 

 

It's Contagious

 Have you ever noticed how beautiful and glowing young couples look when they are truly in love? It’s almost like you read their hearts just by looking at their faces. They radiate a love, a happiness that can many times be contagious to those around them.

And it is also true that our actions, our priorities, even our body language, can reveal who we really are, what we believe in, and where our treasures lie.

Some people may be very quiet about their inner lives. Their sufferings, their heartaches, their concerns are hidden from the world but, yet, the love and peace of Christ still shines through for the whole world to see. They handle their crosses with dignity and trust in God’s help. They feed and are nourished on God’s Word, reflecting on that Word throughout the day.

We have all heard the expression, “You are what you eat”. Yes, to be fit and healthy, we eat foods that will not just satisfy, but nourish and strengthen the body.

There is also another expression, “you become what you think about most”. And today, this world is downright depressing, and we are being bombarded from every possible angle with the satanic beliefs of a world that is chaotic and collapsing. Many have been swayed by the media and social media to join in on this disorder to the point where these beliefs have now controlled their minds. God is no longer even a second thought.

Once a seed, negative or positive is planted in our mind, it can spread even unconsciously. That’s why it is so important to build upon the foundation of our moral beliefs; God’s beliefs, truly living by His Gospel.

“I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure”. Ps 16:18-19

God has made us so beautifully. He made us as a unified person with bodies to express what is in our heart. And he wants to be the center of our thoughts expressing that love in our hearts. He wants to be the object and the love, of what we think about most.

Don’t let this world and its allurements steer you away from inner peace, or from eternal salvation.  Rather, be the one who radiates the love of God, the face of Jesus. even through all the crosses you may bear.

So many people need our prayers. The world needs our prayers and our nation desperately needs, not only our prayers, but our support and our actions to keep God’s presence in America.

Let people read your hearts, just by looking at your face, a face that radiates the love of God.

Paradise

 

It looks like large puffy white clouds. It smells like lavender. It is the fresh scent of clothes hanging in the day time sun. You are with all your love ones. I will be perfect in everything I do. These are some of the answers I get when I ask 8^th graders, “What is heaven like”.

 I suppose I look at it a bit differently. It’s when everything just seems to be working the way it should, the body, the mind, and the spirit. And a true taste of earthly heaven is family. Just this past summer, my wife and I went camping with some of our children and grandchildren.  It was the first time in over twenty years and we went hard core; in a tent, on an air mattress, and in a sleeping bag.

 But, what a beautiful experience, to wake up to the smell of fresh coffee brewing on a camp fire. It doesn’t get any better than that. That is, until the aroma of hickory cured bacon fills the entire camp ground as it sizzles on that same open fire. I know not all will agree, but to me, but, “That moment was a taste of heaven”

And, I really believe God gives us those moments, blessings from heaven, to help us reflect on his generosity.  And, to thank him for all the wonderful gifts he provides. The little things along the way.

 Just this very day is another gift from our Lord. It is this very day that Jesus tells us. "You must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect". Yes, every day is a gift to be used wisely, to prepare and to be thankful.

 God gives us all an allotted time on this earth, a definite time in which we are to achieve His divine plan for our souls.

 No, we don’t know when Jesus will come, so we live each day in hope of what we do not know. As St. Paul has said “if we hope for what we do not see we wait with endurance”.

 What will heaven be like? Who really knows? But I’ll bet it’s worth living a life God says we must in order to enter.

 We pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit and use them to interrupt the will of God for us.  We must allow the saving grace of our Lord, and the many precious gifts he bestows on us, to become the treasures of our heart. We must be nourished through the sacraments and fed spiritually through Scripture.

 It is then, when the kingdom of God is within us and among us, God acts and our lives change and relationships are healed.

When we live each day with the Spirit of God as our guide, surrendering to Him, we will be prepared, and I believe, when our time comes, truly know that heaven is paradise.

The Hunger of St. Stephen, Deacon and Martyr

 

The two kinds of hunger. Yesterday on The Road to Emmaus, there was joy, an anticipation of things to come, people shouting, “He is alive”.

 Spirits and souls being fed and the desire for more, “Weren’t our hearts burning, as he opened up Scripture for us”, “and weren’t our bodies nourished as He broke the bread”.

 The two men, on the road to Emmaus, who hungered and an incredulous transformation from sorrow to joy.

 Two men, who began their journey, walking into the sunset, but once spiritually fed, walked into the sunrise, to share the good news.

 Today we go from two downcast men to a crowd, whose hunger pangs are a little different.

 Today we see a physical hunger which only physical food can satisfy.

 Yesterday, there was a spiritual hunger which that food can never satisfy.

 Jesus understands both. In his compassion, and just the day before, he performed the beautiful miracle of the loves and the fishes, satisfying the physical hunger of this crowd.

 Now it’s a new day, and their stomachs are again yearning, for more fish and more bread, but not for the bread of life.

 St. John Chrysostom, said, “we are nailed to the things of this life”. Many whose eyes are never lifted beyond the walls of the world to the eternities beyond”.

 Jesus himself tells us “Don’t work for the food that perishes, but for that which lasts forever”. We must work for the food that keeps our hearts burning.

 There are many other hungers which can only be satisfied by Jesus.

 There is the hunger for truth, there is the hunger for life, there is the hunger for love.  These leave us burning for more, a spiritual hunger, knowing in our hearts that He is alive.  

 And who better is a perfect example of that in action then St. Stephen.

 A deacon, a martyr, a man of compassion, a man who knew and believed in the very words of Jesus. Whose heart burned with love for the Word of God.

 Whose spiritual appetite was constantly fed, as he saw the heavens open up and his treasures stored in the room prepared for him.

 What makes St. Stephen so special? It was his passion for the Word of God that filled him with the Holy Spirit.

 A Spirit we all pray for, to have the Holy Spirit in our hearts, in our actions, and especially in our speech.

 Upon seeing the heavens, there was no place on this earth that St. Stephen would rather be, than with Jesus in heaven. 

 And as they stoned him, he fell to his knees, glorifying God, and he prayed, “Jesus take my spirit”.

 And then he echoes Jesus’ own words, “Father forgive them”. 

 And there in the midst of this murderous act was Saul, a threat of annihilation to the new Christians. God does act in mysterious ways.

 The power of the Holy Spirit can do all things in us, can forgive all people.

 Yes, St. Stephen is special, special because his only focus was getting into heaven, and feeding others along the way.

 Filled with the Holy Spirit, St. Stephen, with love and courage, walked into the sunrise, following his Savior.

 And, that must be our focus, feed our spiritual hunger so we can feed the hunger of others.

 There are so many people we may know, downcast, depressed, filled with sorrow, walking into the sunset.

 But we, through the Holy Spirit, have the ability to change their mourning into joy, feeding their spiritual hunger, and have them walk into the sunrise.