Joyful Hearts

Deacon Tom writes

“Joyful Hearts”

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Both Moses and St. Luke give us some insight about a serious sin that we all experience from time to time. It is the sin of envy. We hear today how Moses responds to a complaint brought to him by two of his tribesmen.  What bothered them was that several others of their group were prophesying even though they had not been there when they received the “spirit. Moses sensed a spirit of envy or jealousy was at work with those who lodged the complaint. Instead of chastising the two who complained he, in turn, complained to them saying, “Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets! Would that the LORD might bestow his spirit on them all!"

In a similar way, the Apostles see that someone not in their group is casting out demons and report that to Jesus.  Jesus wisely cautions his disciples “Do not prevent him.” Jesus knows that any good work done in His name will produce good fruit.

Very often our fragile human nature shows itself in the ugliest of ways. In these two incidents from Sacred Scripture we notice how one group of individuals is offended because others appear to have gotten something that they did not deserve:  in the first reading the Spirit came to rest on the men who left camp and so were not present for the imposition of the spirit; in the gospel a stranger was casting out demons without being an Apostle. Envy is at work in both these events. Each time one group feels that they have been cheated, perhaps, like someone else taking away some of the privilege that was reserved for them alone. Do we really believe the Spirit is that limited or range bound?

Our sequential, linear minds constantly seek to put God in a box. We want to control God. We want Him to be predictable and to be fair; fair, that is, as we perceive fair to be. But God is above all our thinking and even above our wildest imagination. God’s ways are simply beyond us and we need to grow into that realization.

God is at work all around us, in all faiths, in all peoples, in all circumstances. God’s Spirit works in the hearts of the faithful everywhere. God is the reality through which we live, and move, and have our being. It is not jealousy that should fill our hearts, but rather a deep sense of awe at the wonders God is unfolding minute-by-minute, day-by-day all around us. Even in those who look, act, believe, and worship differently than we do. And that should fill our hearts with Joy.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

The Obnoxious One

Deacon Tom Writes

“The Obnoxious One”

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

The world we live in today is not very much different than the world that Jesus lived in when it comes to our human nature. Scripture documents one particularly dark aspect of our human nature: we victimize the innocent; we persecute the just. The Book of Wisdom fashions an image for us that reveals the epic struggle that has persisted for all time, that of good versus evil. When good is manifested in human form, it is deemed to be obnoxious to the wicked because it stands in its way, exposes it for what it is, and reveals its vile nature and, therefore, it must be destroyed. So it has been throughout time and its saga has filled the journals of history. And, least we forget, Jesus is at the center of this classic struggle, the obnoxious one who sides with the victim, the vanquished.

This is the struggle we face throughout our lifetime expressed by St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians. It is a constant battle between good and evil, between those who seek the transcendent values of truth, goodness, and beauty and those who are unrestrained in their pursuit of temporal power, privilege, and control. “For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens”. Eph 6:12 St. Paul makes it perfectly clear the “powers” we are up against.

Fascinating, then, is the question that St. James asks, “Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from?” The answer to this question lies within us. It is our insatiable passions; our self-absorbed desires, our need to be first, our attitudes that we are better than others, our belief that I deserve more or they deserve less, that stir within us so that we “war” within ourselves. We witness a daily display of greed, egomania, and envy in our twenty-minute nightly newscast (ten minutes of commercials telling us to buy more stuff). You get the point.

Where does this end? If the parables of Jesus hold true, we are headed toward a bad ending. There are too many victims and too few “obnoxious ones” taking their blows while standing boldly for truth, justice, goodness, and mercy; who work to end the victim making; who sacrifice so others can enjoy the dignity that God has bestowed on all His children; who speak out against the evils of our time.

Jesus often uses the caveat , “For those who have eyes...” Are we able to open our eyes and see how the desires of the human heart are out of control? Isn’t it time to begin asking how are we going to solve these problems? Instead of pointing the finger and blaming others, isn’t it time to stop and reflect how we have ALL had some role to play in the problems our world is facing today? If so, recall Einstein’s famous words to the effect that no problem can be solved those who created it. We are not able to solve the problems we face because we are the ones who created them in the first place.

We are in desperate need for solutions to the difficult problems we face today, but they won’t come from government or business leaders. The solutions to the problems we face individually and as a society can only be found in the search for a wisdom that comes from a much higher source, the wisdom from above, the wisdom St. James says is, “pure, peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconsistency or insincerity”. A wisdom that the world does not know, a wisdom that empowers us to become “obnoxious” and enables us to, deny our self, pick up our cross and follow Jesus.

If it is the world that shapes our desires, than naturally we will want more of what the world has to offer. If, on the other hand, our desires are for the things of God, He will be our help. He will provide all that we need to make things right in our lives, for He alone can give us wisdom from above.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Artwork: Christ Of Maryknoll_Lentz.jpg

Better Choices - Better Results

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Better Choices - Better Results”

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

This past Tuesday was the seventeenth anniversary of the World Trade Center tragedy. How the world has changed, and, sadly, not for the better! Why is that? There is a saying that goes like this, “If you always do what you always have done, you will always get what you’ve already got”. So, if we keep eating the cheesecake, we won’t be happy when we step on the scale! Makes perfect sense, doesn’t it.

 Therefore, when it comes to understanding and solving the problems in our world, our communities, our families, we need a different mindset than fighting fire with fire, or punching back harder when someone strikes us. We need a higher level of thinking to find real solutions. Einstein, genius that he was, said it this way, “Problems cannot be solved with the same mind set that created them”. The problems of our world, our communities, and our families are our problems. We have no one to blame but ourselves for the bitter results of our poor choices. Real solutions to any problem that ails us demand that we pursue alternate and elevated way of thinking as Einstein so eloquently noted.

For us who center our faith in Christ, today’s gospel gives us insight into finding a solution to any problem we face, large or small. Jesus tells Peter, “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do”. Our thinking remains base, seeking only what is best for ourselves. Fueled by desires that are too often primitive and self-centered, we fight with one another to obtain more for ourselves at the expense of others. That’s true for individuals, communities, and nations as well. Have you been to a budget meeting lately? There isn’t enough to go around, or so the elected officials lead you to believe.

The essence of Jesus teaching is Love. Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself. Simple, yet this is the challenge of a lifetime. Love as Jesus loved: selflessly, unconditionally, without ulterior motive or even a desire to be loved in return. Love that forgives all injuries, infidelities, idolatries.  It is called agape, where Jesus empties Himself because of His complete and total love of God and love for us. This is the way God, Abba, thinks, acts, and IS. 

Change the way we think, act, and approach our problem from our way to God’s ways and we will find not only the solution to our problems but those of our families, our communities, and our world.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

The Secret To Success

Deacon Tom Writes

“The Secret To Success”

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Jesus has a remarkable encounter with a deaf man as He traveled the countryside of the Decapolis. Petitioned by the man’s friends, Jesus cures him. “Be Opened!” Jesus says two simple words to the deaf man and he is able to hear. His life changed in an instant. There is newness to the world he has been living in but not fully participating in. He is complete, made whole, reunited to his community from which he was isolated somewhat, and ready, perhaps, to begin life anew.

There are many events recorded in scripture that demonstrate Jesus had power over the natural world. He changed water into wine, walked on water, calmed the sea. But Jesus’ greatest power lies in His power to heal as we read in today’s gospel when He uses that power to set this man free from the loneliness and isolation that his deafness caused.

The words we hear in the gospel today are powerful, “Be opened”. They challenge us to look into our lives and find those attitudes and behaviors that stand in contrast to the openness to which God calls us. Are we “Open” to forgive someone who has hurt us? Are we “Open” to letting go of resentments? Are we willing to change our behavior and stop gossiping, or thinking that we are better than others? 

Be Opened! Not just our ears, but our minds and attitudes also. We are living in a fast-paced, media fueled, 280 character twitter tweets, relationship challenged world and we can’t help but wonder if, when we speak, is anybody listening?” Is anyone open to what we are saying when we speak about God’s love for each person; that we are made in God’s image and likeness; that we infused with great dignity, and our destiny is to share forever in the divine presence?

When we are “Opened” to the Word of God, our lives change, just as the man in the gospel’s life was changed. We don’t know the details on what changed. We only know that everyone was told to keep silent about what happened. Yet, because of their astonishment, they just couldn’t keep this amazing occurrence to themselves. They had to spread the word. And those words did not fall upon deaf ears! Praise God!

God never disappoints. There is nothing in our lives that God can’t use to bring about the good if we turn to Him and trust in Him. That’s the deeper meaning of faith. That’s the “Openness” that God longs for so that He can fill us with every good thing in our time of need. Openness is our invitation to God to come into our lives and holds the secret to success in attaining a peaceful and joy filled spiritual life.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Image credit: dave-burke.squarespace.com/storage/ephphatha.jpg