Reflection on the Holy Family_123018

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Reflection on the Holy Family”

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Year C

The Feast that we celebrate today is a very special one for all who see family as the center not only of our physical lives but our spiritual ones as well. God’s unconditional love for us is revealed and reflected in the human family. The family is where we come to know and experience the deepest form of love – agape love, that sacrificing and selfless love - in an intimate way. The love of family and close friends surrounding us as we grow through infancy and childhood forms our behavior and determines how we will interact with those around us throughout our lives. In our effort to grow in our understanding of God, we begin to see that God’s self-revelation to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is something that we see in the structure of our own families. As unfathomable as the mystery of God’s own nature is, we are, nevertheless, able to experience that divine nature in a limited way in the love we share first in our families, then with others.

If we have contemplated the life of the Holy Family, we might have noticed that it stands in marked contrast to many of the experiences of families today. Families are under so much stress with all the demands being made on parents who are, in today’s norm, both working just to provide for everyday needs. Then there is all the running around – school activities, running back and forth to day care, music lessons, doctor’s appointments, getting the oil changed, yoga classes, or getting to the gym. Oh, and don’t forget getting to CRE and Mass too! There seems to be no end to the demands of contemporary family life. And, sadly, there are so many families that are unable to maintain the pace or withstand those stress and for them addiction, violence and abuse can become the order of the day.

Our children and even our grandchildren are under a lot of pressure too, more so today than ever before, as they strive to do well in school, to be the student athlete, and to star in the big play. Our active schedules leave very little time for families to enjoy quality time together, a time to share each other’s company and stories about how life used to be. Now more than ever in our human development there is so little time where mom and dad can teach their children about virtuous living and help shape their character so that they can know how to live a moral life. Then there are the challenges poised by families separated by many miles and the difficulties encountered by single parents.

Isn’t it interesting that the people of antiquity were receptive to this notion of “Sabbath Rest” and set aside a complete day on which to rest from their labors and to replenish their spirits? Let’s face it, unless we are very disciplined people, we seldom schedule time to rest our bodies, renew our spirits, and develop lasting and binding ties to family and friends. And then there is this relatively new problem that we face today, our kids are susceptible to outside influences earlier today than ever before because our high-tech society has radically changed the way we communicate and interact with one another. And, as we are beginning to see more clearly, has produced numerous challenges to family life.

As we journey through these few days of Christmas, we would do well to contemplate the love and life of the Holy Family in which the child Jesus was welcomed, loved, nourished, and where He flourished and came to know and experience the depth of the love of God. With God’s grace may we do the same.  

May God bless you with the happiest and most peaceful New Year.

Deacon Tom

Image Credit: Cindy Osborne Drayton University

I Come To Do Your Will

Deacon Tom Writes,

“I Come To Do Your Will, O God”

Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year C

Isn’t it strange that the one thing that can keep us furthest from God’s love is the very gift God intended to draw us closest to him? It’s this unique gift of “Free Will” that flows from God’s unimaginable love for us that enables us to say “No” to him. When we misuse this gift, we are free to reject him completely; we can ignore him when it is convenient to do so; we can even deny that he exists. Imagine that! Once we liberate ourselves from our Creator, we are completely free to live our lives with reckless abandon trying to find substitutes for those very things God intended us to have from the beginning – our complete joy and happiness. But striking out on our own to find “the good life” usually has dire and “unintended” consequences.

Of course, God did not intend for us to use the gift of “Free Will” to reject him. In giving us this gift God revealed something about himself. He revealed his unconditional love for us and for all his creation. No “normal” parent gives their children something that would harm them. The giving of gifts reflects the deep love parents have for their children. Genuine giving is an intimate sharing of parents’ desire for their children to experience joy and happiness here in this life, to reach their full potential as they mature into adulthood, and one day to enter into eternal life for which we were all created.

In the Second Reading today, St. Paul quotes Jesus’ words letting us know that he is aware of the gift he has received from God, and that he knows how to respond to that gift. He responds to the precious gift of free will by saying “Yes” to God. In the Gospel, Mary is visiting her cousin Elizabeth to share with her the good news of how God responds to her saying, “Yes” to him. Both Jesus and Mary use the gift of their free will by submitting themselves to God and disposing themselves to do all that God asks them to do. Jesus, Mary and John the Baptist know and teach us that this is the only way for us to fully experience all that God has promised us in this life….and, to look forward to the life that is to come.

As we prepare to exchange gifts this Christmas, let us recall the gifts that we have received from God. And, let us respond joyfully to the many other gifts we have been blessed with over the years by echoing Jesus’ words, “I come to do your will, O God” and then, sit quietly and await his response in silence.

God bless and keep you and your loved ones close to him, now and always.    

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom              

What Should We Do?

Deacon Tom Writes,

“What Should We Do?”

Third Sunday of Advent, Year C

John the Baptist was like a magnet drawing people out into the desert. They came because they were looking for something, and perhaps, because John was so very different than anyone they had ever heard or seen, they may have thought that he had what they were looking for. So they came; and they listened. Some even went so far as to be baptized, a sign that they bought into what he was preaching - lock, stock and barrel!

The baptism that John was preaching called for a change of heart. They had to leave their old ways behind and start out fresh, as if it was a new beginning, or at the least, a new mindset. Those who desired to change their ways asked John an obvious question, “What should we do?” And so, to the Tax Collector, John says, “Stop collecting more than is prescribed”. In other word, do whatever is the right thing to do in all your business affairs. To the Soldiers who asked what they should do, he answered, “Do not extort…do not falsely accuse…. be satisfied with your wages”. That’s the equivalent of saying don’t abuse your power or misuse your authority. People from all walks of life came to John for his advice and it would basically be the same, “Stop the injustice; start doing what is right”.

John is preparing the people for the one who is to follow him soon, Jesus. John lays the foundation of justice that Jesus will build on. The call to justice requires that we look within and see how we have contributed to the injustices that surround us.

John calls us to conversion, a change of heart that comes from within. When we experience this conversion, we too begin to ask the question, “What should we do?”   While we still have some Advent time remaining, let’s pause and ask Jesus to help us answer this question from within so we may always “act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”. (Micah 6:8)

Enjoy the Day!

Deacon Tom

Love Changes Everything!

Deacon Tom

“Love Changes Everything!”

Second Sunday of Advent, Year C

Paul tells his brothers and sisters in Philippi that he prays “…always with joy in my every prayer for you”.  He goes on to tell them, “And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more” [so you may] “discern what is of value”. Paul emphasizes that love is the most important virtue in his letter to the Corinthians, in one of his most famous quotes, “So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love”1 Cor 13:13. Love, as a song written by Andrew Lloyd Webber expresses so well, Changes Everything!

Advent is, as we are so well aware, a time of preparation...a time to get ready for visits from friends and family; a time to cook and prepare the traditional family meals; a time to write Christmas Cards to distant friends with whom we share fond memories but have not seen in a while; a time, oh yes of course, for shopping for special gifts, wrapping them, and decorating the house and Christmas Tree. Whew! We often reap a whirlwind of fatigue trying to get “prepared” for Christmas. Sometimes, perhaps often, we miss the “Meaning of the Season”.

Advent is a time of preparation. But, while these other efforts are worthy and hopefully driven by our love of family and friends, it is a sad reality that we often fail to prepare ourselves for the most important of friends, family, and loved ones... Emmanuel, the Word Made Flesh. The most beautiful preparation we can make, one that is most worthy of the Christ Child we anticipate, is to overcome our hardness of heart,  our negative judgments of others, our insistence to hold on to grudges and resentments of the past, our unwillingness to forgive those who have hurt us. We are “broken” and we need to be healed from the inside out. The only gift the Christ Child desires is for us to have a change of heart so that we may welcome Him into our lives untarnished by the bitter resentments of the past, hearts that long to be filled with the Peace and Joy of the new born babe.  Love really does change everything. Love changes us from the inside out as Dickens demonstrates in his famous Ebenezer Scrooge.

May this Advent Season be different than all we have experienced in the past. May God’s grace increase our desire for those gifts that last forever: a generous heart, a deeper sense of compassion and empathy for those who are hurting this year, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And, may our love increase so that the Holy One may use us when and where the Divine Presence is needed to bring healing and reconciliation to our troubled world.

Yes, “Love changes everything” and, when it does, “Nothing in the World will ever be the same”.  Advent is that time of year when we dare to dream that the forces of love can cast out the darkness in our world and prepare our hearts for the King of Glory to enter within.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Image: Giotto Nativity

To You, O Lord, I Lift Up My Soul

Deacon Tom Writes

“To you, O Lord, I lift my soul”

First Sunday of Advent, Year C

In the silence of our Advent reflection, the words of the Prophet Jeremiah can stir our hearts with expectant hope and longing for promises to be fulfilled, for the days when, “all shall be safe and dwell secure”. For this to become a reality we must first, however, place ourselves in the presence of the Lord and breath the prayer we hear in the Responsorial Psalm today, “To you, O Lord, I lift my soul”.

Every year we all face the challenge of Advent; we need to get everything ready for Christmas, the shopping, the cooking, the visits to family and friends, the writing out of Christmas cards. And when do we stop to put it all in perspective and reflect upon the “Reason for the Season?”

This year can be different. We can break the distracting spirit of consumerism….if we want to! We can take a tip from St. Paul and ask the Lord to make us, “increase and abound in love for one another and for all”. How our lives would change! So some questions to ask during this Holy Season are these:  What holds us back? What prevents us from seeking the Holy or entering into the mystery of the Incarnation? Are we afraid of the changes that an injection of love into the fabric of our lives would cause? Are we afraid of what the newborn Babe would ask of us? Are we afraid of the confrontation with self that can take place in the time we spend in holy solitude? There are a lot of reasons why we avoid silence and fill our lives with busyness. But it doesn’t have to be this way. This year can be different!!!

Jesus tells us to, “Be vigilant at all times and pray… to escape the tribulations….and to stand before the Son of Man”. This Advent gives us another chance to renew our efforts to center our lives around prayer and to create a quiet space where we can go and rest awhile with a friend, Jesus, who comes to us as a little child bearing many gifts to all who come before him singing the refrain, “To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.”

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Foreign Allegiance

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Foreign Allegiance”

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Year B

As we celebrate the end of our Liturgical Year with the Feast of Christ the King, we are reminded that, like Jesus, “our kingdom is not of this world”. As Disciples of Christ, our loyalties are to Him and to the Kingdom that He revealed, suffered and died for and invited us to share.

But Jesus’ path of least resistance before Pilate when He refuses to summon “his attendants… to keep from being handed over” doesn’t in any way mean that the Kingdom of God is for the weak and the timid. On the contrary, those who strive to live in His Kingdom will be called upon to make greater sacrifices than those who employ armed resistance. A much higher price than dying on the battlefield will be demanded. The cost to be borne by those seeking entry into the Kingdom Jesus establishes is self-surrender; it is the slow and agonizing death to self that results from the taking up of our daily crosses, as when we suffer the hardships, disappointments, and sorrows of this life knowing that we are not alone or forgotten by God; it is in the dying to self, as when we forgive others for the hurts they have caused us or when we place the needs of others before our own. It is in making our best effort to follow where Jesus leads us on our journey of faith and to trust in His divine providence that… it will all work out for the good.

Jesus’ testimony before Pilate stands as a reminder of our calling to “live in the world but not be of the world, for… “Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world”. We have, in other words, a foreign allegiance” to one who is not of this world. To be faithful subjects of His Kingdom, Jesus must reign in our hearts so that we become like Him and take up the work that He began, the work of peace and justice. We must act as ambassadors of Christ, spreading His love, mercy, and compassion. We must invite Christ’s Spirit to dwell in our hearts, fill us up and overflow into the lives of all who pass our way!  

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

The Passing Of Time And Place

Deacon Tom Writes,

“The Passing of Time and Place”

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Our Liturgical Year comes to a close next Sunday on the Feast of Christ the King. As we reflect about the passing of another year, our readings today focus our attention on the “End Times”. The physical laws of the universe tell us that all things must come to an end. That pertains to our world as well. Today we read an account of those days and they paint of pretty grim picture. The Prophet Daniel says, “it will be a time unsurpassed in distress”. Jesus tells His disciples, “the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give it’s light.” 

Daniel tells us that during these devastating days, “the wise shall shine brightly….and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever.”  Jesus tells His disciples that, “they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds… and he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds.”

Today’s readings tell us some truth about the future. Hollywood imagines the “how” in its myriad depictions of “the end times”; our Christian focus is on the “what”. For we all must consider how we live our lives and prepare ourselves for that day which will be our last. Through the eyes of faith we know that we have nothing to worry about on our “last days” if we have been faithful to our Baptismal promises and have used the time God has give us wisely, helping others, sharing their burdens and lightening their loads, comforting them during their times of sorrow. Aware of our shortcomings in this life we trust in God’s abundant love, mercy and compassion that He will come and gather His faithful sons and daughters from the “four winds” and bring us home to be with Him forever when our time comes. Our days are numbered, as is all creation. And there will come a time when all that we see will be transformed into the new heaven and earth that awaits us.  

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Image credit: craving4more.files.wordpress.com – where-does-the-time-go

Generosity

Deacon Tom Writes,

“ Generosity”

Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

We encounter two women in our scripture readings today with amazing faith. They are women whose actions demonstrate their dependence upon God to provide for all their needs. We know neither of their names. We only know they are widows. Being a widow was difficult (and still is) in the patriarchal society of the bible. The loss of a husband meant a life of poverty. Women depended upon acts of charity. They were the recipients of the good works of others.

Yet, in the first reading from the Book of Kings, the Prophet Elijah is given hospitality by a widow and her young son who have only a “handful of flour in my jar and a little oil in my jug”. The widow and her son are themselves on the edge of destitution and amazingly she teaches us a powerful lesson in generosity as she willingly makes “a little cake” for the prophet leaving virtually nothing for herself and her son! Her total dependency on God is rewarded: “the jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry”!

In the Gospel Jesus notices what’s taking place during the collection. “Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents”. Having touched His compassion, Jesus comments that this woman did not contribute from her wealth as the others did, “but from her poverty…she contributed all she had, her whole livelihood”. Extreme generosity!

These women teach us about faith, trusting in God, and generosity lessons very appropriate for us today. Do we give to others from our surplus or from our need? Are we generous to the point of going without ourselves? These are difficult questions for us to wrestle with, but ones that are certainly worth setting aside some quiet time to explore. Time spent honestly answering these questions may clarify how much we really trust God and if our faith is strong enough to believe that He will be there in our time of need, when we are “burdened and heavy laden” with whatever it may be that weighs down our souls.

These widows we encounter today teach us in a practical way that God cannot be outdone in generosity. It is a strong faith that knows this. It is a faith that trusts God completely, in all things, for all the necessities of the present moment. We might begin this venture by seeking to become more like these women of faith and pray, “Lord, increase our faith, our trust in you, and your generosity”.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

First Things First

Deacon Tom Writes,

“First Things First!”

Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

We have so many demands upon our time that we can hardly keep track of them. Fortunately, we have the technology to remind us where we have to be and when we have to be there. We have electronic calendars, email reminders and cell phones, I-pads and

I-pods. We leave ourselves voice mail messages, stick post-its on the refrigerator. All this busyness and the technology to keep up with it is a part of the great reality in which we live, but it comes at a price. And the price that we pay seems increasingly that we crowd so many other important things out of our lives, like God! …. Really, who has time for God given our demanding schedules? 

Working God into our daily lives has become a challenge for us today, but it hasn’t always been that way. From early Jewish scripture comes our first reading in which we hear the famous Jewish prayer, the “shema” which means “hear”.

“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all you soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today”

These words that God spoke through Moses were a simple message intended to help the people find their happiness in this world by cooperating with God’s plan. Keep it simple; put first things first God says; live according to my plan; love me above all else…… with every fiber of your being.

Today we are busy. We are busier today than yesterday, and it doesn’t stop. Just ask someone you know who’s retired! “We don’t have time”, they complain. “We don’t know how we got things done when we were working” you’ll also hear.

The challenge we face today is consciously putting God first in our lives. It’s a matter of practice…of building the habit of inviting God into all the activities of our day, into all that busyness that so often overwhelms us. Invite God to be with us during our evaluation at work. Invite God to be with us when we’re running the kids or grandkids to soccer or piano lessons; invite God to join us in the Dentist’s chair or when we’re getting the oil changed. All the activities of our day are opportunities to draw close to God and to show him that we are mindful that His desire is to be a part of the lives of those who love Him. Inviting God into all our daily chores will help us get them all done...by the Grace of God

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Rescue Me

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Rescue Me”

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Throughout the Old Testament God is always coming to the aid of His people. He is always there to rescue them from every sort of peril and even deliver them from the consequences of their bad choices. We know these turbulent adventures of the Israelites as “Salvation History”. It is the story of God “rending the heavens” so that He may come and dwell among His people and yes, at times even come to their rescue. God lives and works among us so He can save us from ourselves, reveal Himself to us, and “teach us His ways”.

There is much we can learn from the “Remnant” that we hear mentioned by the Prophet Jeremiah today. The small band that God rescues are the beneficiaries of God’s goodness as He actively worked out “Salvation History” for the Jewish People. From the moment they became God’s Chosen People, the Israelites slowly began to turn away from Him. When He delivered them from their bondage in Egypt, they showed their gratitude by returning to their former ways by worshiping a golden calf. When He gave them the land of the Canaanites, they again turned their backs on Him and continued their idolatrous practices. But, God always remained faithful to His people, always preserving a “remnant” of people who would remain faithful to Him.

God’s faithfulness to His people is an important lesson for us today. For in reality, we are quite similar to the people who have gone before us. As a people of God we often stumble and fall; we get caught up with the “things” of this world and turn our backs to God. “Rescue Me, Lord!” is our plea too.

It is good for us to desire to be numbered among that “Remnant” that seeks to draw close to God; to be numbered among those who seek to be sheltered and insulated from the evils that surround us today. It is just this sort of protection the Blind Man in our gospel must have felt when he encountered Jesus. God rescues him from the blindness that imprisoned him and gives him a new beginning.

What do we need to be rescued from: our fears, our broken relationships, our hurt memories and regrets, our shortcomings and failures, our guilt? Many things I suspect. Today’s message is a comforting one. God is there and always has been to rescue us from all our anxieties and fears if we just call upon Him to, “rescue me!”

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

But... You Just Don't Understand

Deacon Tom Writes,

“But…. You Just Don’t Understand”

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Have you ever heard the expression, “But….you just don’t understand”? That phrase finds its way into a conversation often when someone feels they are not getting the emotional support they need to communicating “their side” of the story or when they are trying to justify their own bad behavior and explain how things were “different for them”. 

In his letter to the Hebrews St. Paul makes the point that Jesus experienced the fullness of our human experience. “He has been tested in every way, yet without sin” Jesus was ridiculed. He knows what it is like to be made fun of, to be rejected, and to be poor. Jesus had no political connections or a regular job to go to Monday through Friday. He had no family (wife and children ) of his own. And when the chips were down, when public opinion turned against Him, He was betrayed by a close friend, arrested, tortured, given a pretense of a trial on trumped up charges, found guilty, and finally executed on behalf of those He had spent his life trying to help. Yes, Jesus was “tested in every way” to say the least. He experienced all the hardships of life, yet never offered an excuse… “Hey, wait…. you don’t understand…. I’m the son of God”. No…. He continued to be a servant of all and surrendered His life as “ransom for many”. 

Today Jesus spells out a condition of discipleship, namely, that we are to imitate Him in serving others... the poor, the marginalized, the prisoner, those who cannot speak for themselves. They are an easily identifiable lot; we find them spoken of often in the books of the Old Testament as those most in need of God’s care and protection, and they are:  the…widows, orphans and strangers. Today we see them in the detention centers on the

Evening News or rummaging through the wreckage of their homes destroyed by the recent hurricanes or tsunamis or earthquakes. We see them huddled together waiting for someone to help, to listen, to be present.

Now, a day will come when each of us will stand in judgment before Jesus and we will have to render an account of our lives. St Paul gives us some insight into that incredulous moment in his Letter to the Hebrews writing, “Brothers and sisters: Indeed the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we mush render and account.” Then we are going to have to explain what we did for the least of our brothers and sisters (those special people Jesus was so fond of during his life). When our day comes, I hope there will be someone standing next to Jesus to put in a good word for us; someone in whose life we have made a difference. And then we hear Jesus says “OK, Joe here from the soup kitchen has put in a good word for you, come on in!” On the other hand, if there is no one there to speak on our behalf, I guess we’ll have to give this feeble excuse, “Well, Jesus, you just don’t understand….” and then, hope for the best…

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Image Credit: newvoicesforresearch.blogspot.com

Praying For Wisdom

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Praying For Wisdom”

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Sometimes we don’t make the right decision. If we are lucky our wrong choice is about a small matter, something with few or no negative consequences. We don’t intend to make a poor choice. On the contrary, we normally act out of our own best interest seeking the best possible outcome whenever we make a choice of our own volition.

We live in an amazingly complex society. We make choices from the moment we wake up in the morning. We have so many choices about what career path to follow, where to live, the person to date or marry, what car to drive or college to attend. These are weighty decisions with enormous consequences and life can become tragic if we choose poorly.

Our readings today provide some divine guidance to assist us in our decision making process. They do so by setting out a process for us to follow to aid us in making the best decision possible. What are the steps scripture presents us with to guide us anytime we have a decision to make? The first step as we learn in the first reading from the Book of Wisdom is “to pray” for the “spirit of wisdom.” That should not surprise anyone who considers himself or herself a Christian, a follower of Jesus. Prayer is always the first choice as we begin the day, or enter the hustle and bustle of our daily activity, and as we enter our evening rest. It is through prayer we are able to act in such a way as to make the best possible choice out of the myriad opportunities we have. For prayer opens us to the Wisdom of God that then enables one to see the intrinsic value of the choices before us. Do I choose the best for me, taking all for myself, which comes as my natural inclination or does Wisdom inform my choice so that my concern is not for myself alone but for others whom I claim as my brothers and sisters in Christ.

You see, prayer and the Wisdom that enters our lives because we place ourselves before the Lord makes a tremendous difference in the choices we make in life. Prayer may alter the course of our life so that we choose to dedicate ourselves to improving the lives of others by becoming teachers, public defenders, working in a medical clinic rather than seeing to promote our own personal achievement and success. Scripture is always calling us to a life of self-sacrifice and surrender compared to a life of self-satisfaction and worldly accomplishment.

We live at a time and place where there isn’t much wisdom, only a lot of foolishness of the highest magnitude. Call it the wisdom of the world if you will. It is meant to satisfy only the here and now. It won’t last; it isn’t intended to, for it only satisfies our physical and material needs. The Wisdom described in today’s readings is a manifestation of God’s very identity. It is a part of God’s very being. God shares His Wisdom, a very part of His nature with those who ask for it, with those who seek lasting riches found only in the things from above.

If our prayer life leads us to choose to seek the things from above, we will never be disappointed. God’s Wisdom will guide us on our earthly journey and enlighten us along the way so we don’t make the wrong choice or settle for second best. 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom