Famous Last Words

“One never knows the ending. One has to die to know exactly what happens after death, although Catholics have their hopes.” They were the last words spoken by Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense. Although he was taught by Jesuits, his life took a different road. But, he knew we had hope.

There have been many recorded last words of people, some famous, some criminals just before their execution, of actors, and of course of saints. Some you can believe, while others are doubtful that’s what they really said.

Winston Churchill apparently is reported as saying, ““I’m bored with it all”, just before he took his last breath.  St. Thomas Moore said, “I die the King’s servant, but God’s first”.

But, the one that should make us reflect on my own lives is from St. Teresa of Ávila. She said, “After all I die as a child of the Church.

My Lord, it is time to move on. Well then, may Your will be done. O my Lord and my Spouse, the hour that I have longed for has come. It is time for us to meet one another.”

Can you imagine being that certain, having that much love for our Lord, facing death with joy. Knowing that what you are about to enter is greater than any pleasure on this earth. And St. Paul rightly tells us, “death where is your sting”.

And yet, the most assuring words of a person leaving us is in the Gospel.  The last recorded words of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, “I am with you always, until the end of the age”. What could be more comforting?  

Are these not the most encouraging words you could ever hear? A companion every step of the way, one stronger than you, one who won’t allow you to get lost, who forgives so easily.  

It just makes life worth living, knowing the creator of the entire universe is your best friend.

And if we truly believe that Jesus walks every step with us, guiding us on our journey, then with that trust, there is no room for fear. Our eyes, our focus must be on heaven and our hopes in seeing our Lord face to face.  

In that Gospel we see the last appearance of Jesus as he is Ascended into heaven. I can only imagine that the short time, those 40 days that Jesus was with his apostles after his Resurrection, flew by so quickly for the them.

And as he disappeared from this earth, their eyes were raised to heaven, to dwell where Jesus has gone before them and us.

And their joy was to be made complete. For it was that promise that Jesus gave them and to us at the Last Supper, “I will go and prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself; that where I am you also may be.

They are the words that give us the hope, the words that St. Teresa knew in her heart would be true. They are the very words that must grow in strength in our own hearts, for he is with us always until the end of the age”

They believed in that promise, and the promise that I will not leave you orphans, but will send you an Advocate. Yes, there is always sadness when we say good-by to someone we love, but on that day, there was hope and there was joy.

The Ascension is a feast of joyful hope, a sweet foretaste of heaven. And by going before us, Jesus has giving us the right to follow him there some day.

Jesus leaves us not as orphans, but as a brother, who will look after us with love.

He has assured us that he had conquered death and he will come back for those who love him.

That he has commissioned us, to make disciples of the whole world, preach his good news.  That with the strength and grace of the Holy Spirit, this can be done.

That we won’t shy away from spreading his Gospel out of fear of offending someone, or fear that people may think we have lost touch with world. Or we have not changed with the times.

And most importantly, his promise to us, his very last words in the Gospel of Matthew, “I am with you always, until the end of the age”

Imagine, you are standing there with the disciples and Jesus is in your midst. He is in his glory. And you begin to feel his power, and this strange sensation of internal joy fills your heart.

And as he rises beyond the clouds, you know there is no other place you would rather be, than to follow your Savior into heaven.

So, our hearts are always looking upward, storing our treasures in heaven. Yes, we are helping Jesus in preparing a place for us.

Each day brings us closer, and each day is a day to focus on how we can find the light of Christ. Yes, we lift-up our prayers to heaven praying that we too will be lifted up to heaven someday.

Our Churches are open providing us with the nourishment we need in the Blessed Sacrament for our journey.

We need our place to pray again, to receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord, to celebrate the Passion, death and the Resurrection of Jesus.  

Let us pray that “Oh, Jesus, who entered into heaven, grant that I too may live there in spirit. For I trust in your Words, in your power, in your forgiveness, in your love.

But, most of all Jesus, although I struggle, I know I have a friend in you, for I believe that you are with me always, even to the end of the age.

This day is a gift

This is truly a great day to be thankful, for we are blessed. It’s a great day to reflect on where we’ve been and where we hope to live for eternity. It’s just a great day to begin to really believe that God is in charge, and we must be prepared. And that we know from Scripture!

Scripture fulfills what the prophets have said, and our Lord many times in the Gospels speaks of His second coming. But he says that various signs would mark the beginning of this event. Signs such as famine, pestilence and natural disasters. False prophets who claim to be the Messiah will deceive and mislead the people.

Nations will wage war against each other. The Church will endure persecution. Worse yet, the faith of many will grow cold and many will abandon their faith, even betraying and hating one another, even those within the family.

And then, our Lord will come suddenly. "The Son of Man in His day will be like the lightening that flashes from one end of the sky to the other" (Lk 17:24).

St. Peter predicts, "The day of the Lord will come like a thief and on that day the heavens will vanish with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire and the earth and all its deeds will be made manifest" (2 Pt 3:10).

And Jesus himself tells us today, “I will come like the thief in the night”

It is on that very night we will meet our just Judge. Jesus said, "Those who have done right shall rise to life; the evildoers shall rise to be damned" (Jn 5:29).

He tells us, "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, escorted by all the angels of heaven, He will sit upon His royal throne and all the nations will be assembled before Him. Then He will separate them into two groups, as a shepherd separated sheep from goats" (Mt 25:31-32).

It is the moment of truth, the moment we should be prepared for, the moment that many will dread, and yet others will feel blessed that it has arrived. It is the very moment we account for our earthly conduct and the deepest secrets of our soul are revealed.

Those who have rejected the Lord in this life, who have shown no remorse for sin and have not seeked forgiveness, will have condemned themselves to hell for all eternity.

Those who do not take Scripture seriously, and live in a world that pleases themselves are the goats, are the weeds, who will not live in Paradise. 

The souls of the righteous, those who are blessed, will enter heavenly glory and enjoy the beatific vision and those who need purification will undergo it.

But, for today we are here, enjoying another beautiful gift from God. Yes, this day is a gift to be used wisely. How we choose to use this gift is up to us. For we have another God given gift, our free will to decide.

There is one way to use this gift of another day and that is to reflect on Jesus’ powerful words. “But know this, if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” Make this a day you won’t regret.

Breakfast is cooking

I always said, that when I get old, I’m going to be a good fisherman. Well, I got the first part down, working on the second. How many can remember the very first fish you ever caught? For me, fish tails I have plenty. But, the first fish I ever caught taught me a valuable lesson on how to hook a fish.

My uncle, who was like my older brother, was an avid fisherman, and couldn’t wait to take me fishing. He surprised me with a fishing rod for Christmas when I was only five years old. And from Christmas until early spring he would explain what I had to do when I hooked a fish. He would reiterate over and over again, let it nibble on the bait, let it taste it, but when the bobber goes down, pull like your life depended on it.

The day came, early spring and we went to Churchville reservoir in Bucks County, parked the car, climbed down the embankment to the lake and fishing I went.

After he cast out the line, I watched that bobber every minute afraid to blink in case it would disappear before my eyes. Then it happened, a nibble, the bobber was moving sideways, it started to sink and then the bobber went completely underwater and I heard my uncle shout “pull”. I did and I pulled so hard the small sun fish, came up out of the water, over my head, over the embankment and landed somewhere onto the road above.

As I was reeling in the slack and climbing up the hill as quickly as I could, I saw the poor little fish kind of laying in the middle of the road, flopping up and down. And then fear. A car was quickly approaching and I could only think of the worse for my first fish. So, again, I fiercely pulled on the line and the fish went flying again, off the road, over my head, off the hook and back into the water. I guess I didn’t hook him well enough.

What a difference between me pulling on my line one tiny fish and the apostles pulling on their nets and barely able to bring in their large catch. The difference is in the number of fish.

One hundred and fifty three fish they netted. Some people are curious as to why John specified the number of fish in the catch. Why 153? There have been many symbolic interpretations, all pointing to the variety, size and full nature of Jesus’ call. St. Jerome has mentioned that there were about 153 different species of fish in the days of Jesus, and symbolically represents the gathering in of people of all the nations of the world.

And the nets!  despite the size of the catch, they didn’t break or tear. Could this too be symbolic? That regardless of the number of followers, and their roots that the Church would remain intact?

Regardless of how competent they were at fishing, the apostles were lost, their best friend has left them, they felt abandoned, so they resorted to what they knew best – fishing. But their lives were about to change. The empty feeling was about to be filled with hope. No longer would they be fishers of the sea, but to would be fishers of men. God’s plan at work.

Jesus was to meet them at the shoreline, cooking breakfast for the apostles. And with that meal, our Church was forming. Because on this day, the most powerful words of Jesus to Peter “Do you love me”. Three times the bait was cast and Peter nibbled and finally was hooked. Peter cries out “Lord, you know everything, you know that I love you”. The Church has its shepherd

We like Peter have failed many times in our lives, and yet, Jesus still calls out to us, “Do you love me”. Have we failed like Peter, because of lack of courage, or self-centeredness, by putting our own interest ahead of God’s interest? But there is a Peter in all of us.

How often is Jesus holding the bait until we are hooked, and how often do we nibble. Or like some fish, we don’t like the taste of the bait and swim away. Or are we aware that when we are hooked, our lives will change and we don’t want to change.

But it is those who are hooked who can say “You know that I love you”. Yes, reel me in to the shore line to have a breakfast with you.

But saying yes to Jesus brought with it a task for Peter, the apostles and for us, “If you love me, then feed my sheep”. It is the task of living a life most pleasing to Jesus, nurturing our faith and feeding the lambs of Jesus’ flock.  We say yes and Jesus says, I am with you always.

Listen, “Come have breakfast”. He’s calling us to join him, and he’s calling us by name. God has giving us some food to nibble on, a question, a spiritual call, “Do you love me”. Our heart is ready, we come to believe that he is the way, the truth and the life. “Yes Jesus”, we say.  “then follow me and feed my sheep”.

The Wounds and Scars

Today, I had the honor of preaching at our live streaming Mass. It was different, for as I looked out into the Church, it was like living a nightmare I had just prior to giving my very first homily. In that dream, when I finished, I looked up and no one was left.

But, let’s begin with those very assuring words we heard from Jesus, “Peace be with you”. What a gesture of forgiveness and friendship to a group who deserted him, what a moment to really think about God’s true love and mercy for all of us.

For all who seek his mercy, it is there. For all who pray for his mercy, and believe in that mercy, it will be given.  For all those who say, “Jesus I trust in you”, live in that loving mercy

  

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday and Scripture tells us, “The favors of the Lord are never exhausted, his mercies never come to an end”. His mercy is never ending.

My father during the invasion of Normandy was injured from shrapnel from a hand grenade. It left a huge scar on his right foot.  And from that day on he wore that battle scar for the rest of his life.  

I sometimes thought the scar on his foot said as much about who he was as anything ever could. That scar, helped save our lives.

And, I suppose it is that way for us.  Our scars, small and large, fill the chapters of our lives, they tell the story of who we are, what mattered most to us, the risks we’ve taken. And even scars for volunteering for the love for another.

Thomas needed proof. He needed to see those scars? He needed to feel the scars in Jesus’ hands and put his own hand into his side, to be sure that it was him.  He needed to believe.

And he did, because those wounds of Jesus told a story of a death and a resurrection. And when he was sure, Thomas cried out. “My Lord and my God”. He doubted in order to become sure. 

But sometimes, not just our bodies, but our souls are wounded and they need healing. There is only one healer, there is only one person who can close up those festering wounds of the soul and bring us back to life.

There is only one place to go for that kind of healing. Peter tells us, “Lord, to whom shall we go, for you have the words to eternal life”. For the healing and mercy, we go to Jesus.

God’s mercy is never ending. He forgives and forgets. The apostles abandoned him, Thomas doubted; he forgave them all. We sin, we doubt and with absolution his loving mercy forgives us.

Jesus said to Saint Faustina “Tell all people, that I am love and Mercy itself.” His mercy is a free gift, it is there for the asking, for he said “The flames of mercy are burning me”.

“I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they cause me when they do not want to accept me”.

Our world does not accept Jesus and it is wounded, and many are crying out for God’s mercy, but our Churches are closed.  Our Churches are not essential to the healing of this sick world.  But God still hears our call.

Is God telling us something? In these strange times we are living in is God telling us something, and if he is, how long will he wait? He is offering us his Divine Mercy more now than ever since the world began.

He is bringing us to the living and healing waters. We need only to drink for Jesus tells us, “whoever drinks from this water will never thirst again”. That is his healing power

Many of us can remember back over fifty years ago, where there was evil, but nothing compared to what we are experiencing in this age.

We gave an inch back then, actually we caved in to the likes of the world. We gave in to in our movie ratings, exposing adults and kids to just a little more, allowed just a little more cursing and sexual innuendos in our television shows. Satan loved it. God looked on.

Became just a slight bit more permissive with our speech during our conversations, showed a little less respect for women, and some women a little less respect for themselves. Satan jumped for joy

And we continued to give inch, after inch to where we are today, we became an open wound in Satan’s world. How much more will God take.

How much deeper can we go, how many more inches will God tolerate, watching Satan devour more souls than ever.

But it doesn’t have to be, for that wound can be healed. It can become a battle scar.

How is that possible? Only with God’s mercy and listening to the words of Scripture, “Do not conform yourself to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.

God is awakening us. He is showing this world that we cannot live without him.  But yet many still plot their evil ways and put salt in the wounds of Jesus.

Today, our homes are our sanctuaries, live streaming our Church.  Our hearts, our inner rooms must continue to be the spiritual tabernacle for our Lord.

We as a nation, as a people of God we plead for God’s mercy. Jesus said to Saint Faustina, “return to your room, for I will be waiting for you there”. It is there where we pray.

We ask our Blessed Mother, the most powerful creature God ever created, to be with us all. She in turn, has giving us the most powerful weapon, the rosary, that has crushed the evils of this world so many times, and will crush them again and the head Satan.

St. Teresa of Avila a doctor of the Church, a Carmelite nun and one of my favorite saints made a bold statement that we must believe, “Satan cannot endure our houses.” And I will add, unless we let him.

May God’s Peace and mercy be always with you

Wandered and cried

One sheep wandered from the flock, alone and lost and called out to God. And God heard the call and searched to bring the lost sheep back to where he belonged, to his refuge and fortress.

Our physical fortress is denied entrance, our Churches are closed, but our spiritual fortress, our heart is a place God wants us to find refuge. It is there where God will shelter us.  “Whoever clings to me I will deliver, and all who call upon me I will answer”. There we will dwell in the shelter of the most high.

Many today who wandered, are calling out to God, they are lost and alone. God hears their cries and out of his great love, commands his angels to guard them in all their ways.

With immense joy they are found. And something great happens when we are found, we re-ignite a spark that keeps the embers of love burning.  We begin to glow with God’s light. Strength and courage are renewed, and we know that God is with us, is always with us, in our distress.

To road to destiny

Where does this road lead us? It leads to our destiny. Our ultimate goal, no matter what our circumstances, regardless of where we find ourselves right now, is heaven, or at least it should be. Our journey should be one full of questions and answers from Scripture, praying, devotions, sacraments and the list goes on, leading us to the destiny we hope for.

Two men traveled a road and met a man, a teacher who eased their sadness and their doubt. He opened for them Scripture filling them with the hope they had lost. Two men on the road to Emmaus walked with Jesus and dined with Jesus.

The road to Emmaus must be the road we choose to our destiny.  And as we travel that road to our eternal banquet, our Emmaus, we can walk with Jesus, filling our hearts with His burning love. As we reflect on Scripture each day of our lives, we ask Jesus to open them up for our understanding, for the way, the truth, and the life.

But the road isn’t always easy. Walking our road to Emmaus means accepting the crosses that come our way. It means accepting the fact there will be bumps in the road. There are obstacles, but there is hope. Yes, we all have a cross or crosses we need to carry and sometimes a cross seems impossible to carry, that it’s just too heavy. Today, we all seem to be carrying a heavy burden.

But God in His mercy, doesn’t allow us to carry that cross alone. He wants us to win the race, to be at that banquet table, so His hand is wrapped around our waist for support.  With His help, no cross is ever too heavy for our shoulders to carry.

There is a story told to me by a brother deacon, and you may have heard it before. It’s about a young man who felt like he was burdened with a cross he could not carry.  He complained for weeks asking our Lord to take it away from him. He kept pleading and finally God said to him, “I hear your cries, but together we’ll carry this burden”. But the man insisted, no Lord, it’s too much, please, give me a lighter cross.

So, our Lord took him to a warehouse of nothing but crosses and explained to the man he could choose any cross he feels comfortable with, replacing the one he now has.  The man went up and down every aisle of the warehouse, seeing only huge and heavy crosses, some he couldn’t even lift, others were full of splinters that could hurt and cut the skin, he wanted nothing to do with them, but he couldn’t find any that he felt he could carry. 

Almost exhausted he was about to leave and finally he saw this small cross by the door and he picked it up.  It felt good and he shouted with excitement and said God, this is it, I have found the cross I can carry, I’ll take this one. God said, “I thought you would choose that one, for that is the same one you came in with”.

Every moment of our lives, we are in the presence of our Lord. And every step we take, Jesus steps with us. Every cross we carry, Jesus carries with us. He wants to be alive with him in our hearts.  He wants to break bread with us at his Banquet Table. Today, take a quiet moment, break open Scripture and ask Jesus to send you the Holy Spirit for understanding. With a smile of joy, you will say, “Weren’t our hearts burning”.  What a meal he has planned for us.

Hooked

I remember as a young boy, fishing in Penny Pack Creek just about every day in the summer. In those polluted waters was a beast, a huge carp, whom we named Bubba. A fish just too big to catch and reel in for us, too smart too, but yet he was the ultimate prize that summer.

Occasionally we hooked him, but every time you hooked Bubba and tried to bring him in, he would snap the line, and a few fishing poles left unguarded followed Bubba in the water.  Still, every day, some of us would bring our lunch and fish all day, just for an opportunity to catch this monster.

One day, I got to my favorite fishing spot before anyone else arrived.  I had been able to save some money and bought some stronger fishing line for my reel.  And it worked, after I hooked this monster, I struggled and fought it and was able to reel Bubba in. 

He was huge, the largest fish I had ever caught.  I was so proud of myself holding Bubba in my arms.   Yes, I was Jumping for joy, and couldn’t wait for the others to come to share my excitement with me. 

I kept waiting, but no one came. They’re always here by now. I looked at this huge fish, and Bubba was beginning to show signs of dying, being out of the water for so long.  I couldn’t let this fish die, this famous icon. So, I brought it to the bank of the creek and let it go. It struggled at first, then swam away immediately.

Sure enough, some friends arrived to fish for Bubba. It was a long wait, but finally, I could tell someone my great news.  I remember shouting in excitement, “caught the monster, caught Bubba”.  No one believed me, regardless of how many times I told them.  They wanted proof, and I had none, for the fish was gone.  If only Bubba could come back and tell them.

Remembering that story made me think. Maybe Jesus must have felt that way during his three years of proclaiming His Word. No one seemed to believe Him either, And, he tried so hard using stories and analogies.  Even with all the miracles, his humility, all of his good deeds, so many still didn’t believe he was the Son of God. They took it a step further, they crucified Him.

But we are believers, each of us to a different degree.  Even though we believe, some of us sometimes become lukewarm in our faith, and our branch on the vine begins to wither.  We begin to lose faith and trust. St. Paul tells us we must keep our eyes on the finish line, and to run the race as to win. In other words, regardless of the obstacles, the circumstances, and even though Churches are closed, we must keep faith, for there is a prize well worth waiting for.

“What eye did not see and ear, did not hear, and what never entered the human mind-- God prepared this for those who love Him”. For all who finish with God in their heart, the prize, the heavenly reward, is eternal life with all the saints before us.

Our world is in chaos, and sometimes I think many  of us are so much like Bubba, the fish in that polluted water. We need to be hooked and God wants nothing more than to catch us. And when he does, he brings us to shore and hugs us and feeds our spirit. It is only then he will tell us, “I will make you fishers of men”. Then we become the true fishermen of God, casting our nets and spreading his Word, fishing for lost souls in our polluted world. Bringing inner peace to people in a changing world.

For that we must believe and build for ourselves a strong foundation of faith. Yes, today’s world makes it so easy to struggle. And so, we pray, we sacrifice, we do all we can to be faithful followers of Jesus. For those who are sinking, whose faith is fading in murky waters, we must be their anchor.

Can you imagine if we all had the great love and excitement for Jesus that Mary Magdalene had upon finding our Lord? She had to share, and in her excitement and with true happiness she proclaims to the world, “I have seen the Lord.” There are fish out there we can help.