The Village Darkness

He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. He knew the inner most feeling of this man, the miracle to be performed and the incredible light this man would see for the first time in his life.

It’s called consideration. If the man were instantly cured among all the people, the shock of seeing what one does not understand could be over whelming and frightening. Jesus led him by the hand, to be alone with him.

It’s is Jesus, who knows our most inner thoughts and considers how best to open our eyes to our own spiritual blindness. Gradual, at first, may be best for us. Do we see and do we want to see more? Then the hand that led us outside the village will help us to see more.

The blind man could see, and we too, who have been led out of the village of darkness,  can now see and with each passing day we begin to see more distinctly the path we must take for our salvation.

Each day, then, we can grow deeper in our faith and each day, the hand of God will lead us closer to himself, who loves us. And Jesus said, “do not even go into the village”

A Teachable Moment

 “Oh, no, who forgot to bring the bread again”, they must have talked among themselves. “Who is going to tell Jesus we have to skip lunch today”. It was word association, Jesus mentioned leaven and the apostles immediately thought bread, or lack of bread. 

Their minds weren’t on the message Jesus was announcing, a critical teaching moment for them to understand. A warning of the leaven representing the spiritual sickness in the world. It was a caution then as well as it is for us today.

But, for the apostles, they forgot the power of Jesus to feed those in need, his authority to calm the storms. They failed to remember the miracles that Jesus performed to make the blind see.  They failed to understand that Jesus, who makes all things good was with them.

The apostles, so much like us. How many teachable moments have we missed, forgetting the power of Jesus in our lives?  Times when we should leave our problems in Jesus’ hands, trusting he knows the better answer? Realizing that he feeds us and nourishes us and the everyday graces he provides and miracles he performs in our lives through the power of prayer.

Look back to the past experiences in your lives, the times when life seemed impossible, problems were eating us alive, but with that trust in God’s power, he gave us the hope to survive. Times when we fought and won the battles on temptations. God always, yes always is there when we call his name.

Yes, we too can sometimes be blind to God’s message.  We hear, but do not listen. But we must always remember that when we believe, when we trust then God can bring us through every situation in this life. What is good about life is that every day is a teachable moment.

When a mistake becomes a choice

How many of us, if given the opportunity to go back in time would change just one decision you had made? I’m sure all of us.

Here’s a question for the wives. How many believe your husband is perfect? Never made a mistake, and always made the right decision? During my homily, not one wife raised their hand, although there were a few husbands coaxing their wife.

And during my homily, I prefaced this to the husbands with, this, men is your opportunity to shine, “how many believe your wife is perfect, always makes the right decision? Never made a mistake? Many hands instantly went high in the air.

Ah! But there is hope! Mark Twain said, "Good decisions come from experience. Experience comes from making bad decisions."

Life is a matter of decisions, good and bad, right and wrong. Either, I care or I don’t care about the consequences.

It’s been said that you never make the same mistake twice. the second time you make it, it is no longer a mistake. it is a choice.

So, the choice is ours. Just think, the many choices you and I have made in this life, and it is those choices that have pretty much sculpt us to whom we are today. Some good and some not so good choices.

For many it is those very choices, that nurtured us, improved our physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Sacrifices were made, perseverance prevailed and goals were pictured in our minds and through hard work were achieved.

But for others, not so much, they chose not to make those same good choices, and many regret those decisions today.

St. Jerome one of the greatest doctors of the Church is known for many quotes.

But the one that should leave the biggest impression, the quote that should really penetrate our heart is, “Begin now to be what you will be hereafter.”

Our first reading today from Sirach is a collection of proverbial and yet, powerful teachings. Full of wisdom for those who listen, because it provides a fundamental order in creation and life.

But what it does not do is force us, or presume that we are destined to live by this order of life. It is the clearest statement ever written on the subject of human free will, on the choices we make.

This reading is a soul-searching experience, one we should take and reflect on in our own heart.

It is full of choices, set at their extremes; fire and water, life and death, good and evil, a total picture, that includes everything in between.

 Ultimately, it is telling us that what is before us is destruction and salvation, evil and what is good. These are the decisions we make, they are the path we will take. These are the choices leading us to Heaven or hell

God never told anyone to be godless. He never gave anyone a license to sin. No, but he does demand obedience, love and goodness.

Choosing God’s will is a choice only we can make, and it is the most important choice we will ever make.  It is the decision where we begin to be what we hope to be in the life hereafter.

And Jesus has told us so many times in the Gospels to be careful of what we say, what we see, how we use our body. These too, are decisions we make, decisions with consequences, and or rewards.

That is why it is so important to stay focused on God, and that if anything gets in the way of that focus to discard it.

Today we hear a warning. Jesus is warning us to take every precaution, and if necessary, drastic means against falling into sin, and away from him.

It is a warning that must be taking seriously, for he has told us that many are invited but only a few are chosen. 

Consequences for sin can be harsh. The punishment can be severe, to a place referred to as Gehenna. It is a hell.

We know that in the time of Christ, Gehenna was a valley just outside the city of Jerusalem where the early Canaanites once offered human sacrifices, their own children, no less

And then the Israelites turned this sacrilegious site into a garbage heap where rotten waste was constantly being burned. And, yes there was unbearable stench, a reminder of what hell is like, pain and suffering with no end.

You are either for me or against me, Jesus said. It is our choice. To be “For him” means heaven; against him means Gehenna, an endless stench. As St. James tells us “It will devour your flesh like a fire”.

Many of us know, that the longer we live the more choices seem to present themselves, and are opened up for us. And it is these choices we make that become our compass in life.

Yes, circumstances can impact our life and the decisions we make, but God has given us the graces to still make choices on how we will deal with them.Life is a God given gift, and with that gift comes another gift, our free will, what and how we choose to live.

Although a gift, Life is fluid, going this way and that way, a mind of its own. But we must be flexible adapting, changing our course with good choices when necessary.

It is that true wisdom from the Holy Spirit will provide us the insight, the guidance, and the perseverance to conduct our lives in accordance with God’s will, and in ways we never thought possible.

It’s how we live our lives that determine if we are for him who created us, or against him, who still created us. "Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God am holy."

That in itself should be our focus; the object of all our desires, our efforts, our decisions. We have a choice. Today Picture in your mind, your final goal, a vivid picture, aim to achieve it in this life and “Begin now to be what you will be hereafter.” You’ll be glad you did!

How to ace the test

Remember when you were in school and just maybe your marks weren’t always the best they could have been. And there was always that one sibling or one of your best friends that somehow managed to be the top student every marking period, the highest grades on every report card.

And of course, they received the accolades, they received the prizes and the rewards. That was me, not the smart one, but the one who passed by the skin of their teeth.

But then that one semester you were determined to do your best, and you did and reaped the benefits, yes, the rewards, maybe some money, the pats on the back and it felt great.

Even a surprise quiz, completely unexpected printed from a mimeograph machine with the blue smelly ink you were ready for.  And, because you studied diligently, you aced it. You were prepared for the unexpected.

For me, most of the time while in school, I not only never studied diligently, or even never studied.

That’s how our life is, and that’s what God is telling us throughout the New Testament. Be prepared, for we never know when God is going to call us. 

That is one test we want to ace. But if we are always thinking of him and preparing ourselves by praying and helping others and showing him our love, then we will ace that test too.

Yes, life is a test and while we are here on this earth, we are preparing for the final exam. And if we pass, we graduate to our eternal reward, heaven.

They heard it first hand

Was this the greatest sermon ever? It had to be, and outside no less, and on a mountain. So many people sitting on the grass, on the mountain side, listening to the greatest sermon by the greatest teacher.

And who were these people, where did they come from? Why were they there? For the most part they were the poor people from the surrounding areas, they were the sick, the crippled, the uneducated. They were the unimportant people of the world. They were us

Yes, it was a teaching moment for Jesus, the Master and a learning experience like no other for the people who came to find the truth that would set them free. It is to these very people that Jesus tells them, “you are the salt of the earth, it is you who are the light of the world”.

He tells them as he tells us that Just as salt makes food taste better, it is you and I, by our example, that can bring others to the banquet table of the Lord.

Jesus said, “you are the light of the world”. Just a lamp lights up a darkened room it is you and I who reflect the light of Jesus and have the power to bring lost souls back by that same guided light.

Be the person that when people see your actions, they know you have God in your heart. Yes, you are like that light house, a guiding light, the light that leads, not just you, but those who you don’t even realize you are guiding, to eternal life.

You are the new salt for them. Life begins to taste good. The spiritual life is nurtured. You are the one who makes life worth living again.  You are reaching out, not by harassing them, not by thanking God you are not like them, but by love, by spiritually embracing them by your kindness, by your leadership.

 As we lead others to the right path, we sprinkle the salt on their path that makes their journey a craving for more.

Jesus is here, to refresh us, to nourish us, to provide us with the gifts to satisfy our own spiritual hunger, and to quench the thirst of those longing for Christ.  

We have a duty to bring the Word of God to those who are lost. As we ourselves mature in our faith God gives us the graces to proclaim his truths and spread his good news, as Jesus tells us, “if you love me – feed my sheep”.

Against the odds

It makes you wonder what kind of impression James and John had of heaven. From Jesus’ teaching they seemed to know it was a place and it was a place of honor where some went after death. And they realized not everyone made it that glorious place.

They wanted so much to be in heaven and close to Jesus that they thought what an even better honor than to be on both sides of Jesus, one on his left and the other in his right. Not, sure where they thought the other apostles were to sit.

James and John were brothers and they didn’t want to be separated from each other nor did they want to be separated from Jesus, so why not ask even though the other apostles became quite upset of the audacity of such a question.

But Jesus uses this as a very teachable moment. See, Jesus did offer them the privilege of sharing in his suffering, but this did not mean that their sufferings would take away anyone’s sins. Jesus could only do that by his death and resurrection. But still he offered them the privilege of bearing his burdens as well as his joy and so becoming as compassionate as he was.

Heaven was their goal and heaven is our goal, and Jesus is telling us we must be the servant, humbling ourselves against the odds. Return love for any hatred against us, and love when we are misunderstood. That is humility. What could cause more pain than to love so deeply, and not be loved in return? Wasn’t that Jesus’ very act of self-giving.  He drank the cup, and want our love in return.
In our own ways, each of us is called to drink from Jesus’ cup.  Who does not face opportunities every day to do something for our brother. Who does not have opportunities to serve others and reflect on the life and love of Jesus, the humblest of all servants?

This life will pass, and those who suffered humility in this life will be first in the life to come. How can we become more like Jesus? Serve! In heaven the servants would receive the highest positions, not those with the highest honors.

Is this one of your goals

Saint Paul has a way of telling it like it is. Of where you are and where you need to be. And what he tells the Thessalonians, is certainly meant for us. “Even as you learned to conduct yourself that is pleasing to God, so you must learn to make still greater progress”.

It’s like saying, don’t be pleased with your progress towards holiness. Don’t be satisfied with where you are, but be conscience of God’s will for you.  And he tells us, “it is God’s will that we grow in holiness”

If we are satisfied and pleased with our progress, then there is no cross.

And Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”.

Some of us know where we are in many aspects of our life, the goals we’ve set, the progress we’ve made and the obstacles we will encounter. And the sacrifices we will endure to overcome those obstacles to achieve the goal.

Heaven is a goal and that goal comes with many more obstacles than most any other goal we have or will set. And this goal, is by far the most important goal of your life. This goal can only be achieved through holiness.

“Strive for peace with everyone, and for holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb 12:14).