Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time_C - Come, Follow Me!_063019

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Come, Follow Me!”

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

We read several occasions today of people who wanted to follow those holy men who crossed their paths. First Elisha was willing to leave everything to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet Elijah. In the New Testament someone calls out to Jesus, ‘I will follow you wherever you go’”. It’s easy to understand how this happened. People were amazed at the miracles these men of God performed. In Jesus’ case people saw with their own eyes the great miracles that he worked; they witnessed firsthand the gentleness and great compassion with which he treated people, not just his own but non-Jews also. They personally experienced his genuineness and sincerity of heart. They felt welcomed and comfortable in his presence. And, they wanted to stay in that comfort zone as long as they could. At first glance it is easy to understand why they wanted to remain with Jesus. But remember, Jesus wasn’t peddling la dolce vita. Jesus tells them up front that following him would lead them on a challenging journey, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head”. In other words, Jesus wanted to spell out that the road ahead wouldn’t be easy, that to be a disciple, one must do as he did – pick up our crosses and follow him. 

We know that being a follower of Jesus is difficult. We don’t do a good job of denying ourselves or taking up our crosses, right? Having a discipleship mentality puts us at odds with the “real world” where all of our efforts go to build ourselves up, let everyone know just how great we are or show them how much we have accomplished. That’s really the only way to get ahead in life…this life, that is. The very fact that we strive so much to succeed puts us in direct competition with everyone else and it is those basic struggles of life that often breed resentments and envy, difficult vices that challenge and undermine our faith. They don’t have to, but truthfully, they often do. 

So, what’s the secret to living an authentic Christian life in our day and age? One way is to distinguish between what we want and what we truly need. Our wants are generally insatiable. Our needs are fairly basic and so much more easily attainable. If we are able to seek only what we need, we can begin to imitate the spirit of simplicity and freedom of Jesus. With less focus on our own needs and concerns, perhaps we can increase our love for one another, which puts us on track to practice the greatest commandment… loving God and our neighbors as ourselves. This is how we begin to deny ourselves and open ourselves to the good things that God has in store for us, those things not present in our world, but rather those treasures that flow from the kingdom of God that are for everyone and that last forever – everlasting… Joy, ……Peace, and Happiness. 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - There's Plenty To Go Around!_062319

Deacon Tom Writes,

“There’s Plenty To Go Around!”

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Year C

Can we ever be satisfied… with anything? We want faster, bigger, better, more of everything and we want it right now. We don’t want to wait to have it, or work long and hard to get it. And the message we hear loud and clear today from Fifth Avenue, from self-help gurus, from the media, and even from some pulpits is, “You can have it all and you can have it your way”. Tell tale signs that our expectations are not realistic.

Our spiritual senses, if they are well developed, will tune us in to the fact that there is a problem with our instant gratification behavior and warn us that this is not the natural order of things. No created thing, no human being can completely satisfy us or our hearts desires. It is only God who can satisfy the deepest longing of our hearts. Today we contemplate the wisdom of God as we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. God, the architect of the universe and the one who sustains all that exists within it, designed us to seek the ultimate good, which, of course, he is by his nature, by his very being. He “hard wired” us, so to speak, so that we would come looking for him, seeing his image in all creation, and putting aside all else in our search for the “real thing”, the ultimate goodness, the one and only giver of life and of all that is.

Those who were fortunate to be around Jesus listening to him speak about the Kingdom of God may not have fully realized the gift they were given, the bread of life, food that would satisfy completely. What’s our excuse? As Catholics there is no more profound mystery of faith than what we experience when we receive the Eucharist – the Son of God coming into our lives and dwelling within us and satisfying us completely. God becomes, in a sense, the very fuel that energizes us to do our part in helping bring about the reign of God in our times, in our lives, and in the world around us.

That God would become really present in the bread and wine during the Consecration remains as difficult a teaching today as it was when Jesus first revealed it. Recall how many walked away because this teaching was too difficult? Jesus asked the apostles, “Will you leave me also”. And Peter responded, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

The gift of the Eucharist reveals God’s desire to be a part of the very fiber of our lives. We give God our thanks for this precious gift by sharing our faith and our lives with one another as we await the fullness of his long awaited kingdom on earth.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Solemnity of the Most Blessed Trinity -We Are God's Delight_061619

Deacon Tom Writes,

“We Are God’s Delight”

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Year C

The reading from the Book of Proverbs calls to our imagination that moment in time when God, the master craftsman, is busy laying “the foundations of the earth”. Witnessing this extra-ordinary event is this mysterious figure, “The Wisdom of God”. God’s Wisdom is “poured fourth”, personified, given a physical reality, in order to be by God’s side as his craftsman to assist in bringing forth creation. God’s Wisdom is euphoric at what is happening, “being God’s delight day by day, playing before him all the while, playing on the surface of his earth; finding delight in the human race”. The Wisdom of God is such a cooperative, willing, and light-hearted assistant, and one so eager to find delight in God’s masterpiece of creation, the human race.

Our readings today give us insight into the Holy Trinity whose feast we celebrate today. We recognize God, as the Creator, calling into existence our physical universe. And we can surmise that the Wisdom of God, who is also present and is also known as God’s delight, is the Holy Spirit, that “mighty wind” who swept over the waters of creation in Genesis. In the Gospel, Jesus is completing his mission on earth and, as he prepares to depart, tells the disciples they will be guided by the Spirit of Truth, another name, perhaps, for the Wisdom of God.

The Trinity will always be a mystery for us, in this life and the next. We know that we will never be able to comprehend God’s nature completely. But we do share in it by virtue of our participation in the sacramental life of the Church. There we encounter Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who delight in our human family.  

The celebration of Trinity Sunday is a sign that our Easter Season is behind us. We have reentered Ordinary Time trusting in the Holy Spirit whose work it is to help us recall the depth of God’s love for us. In the days to come, may we be aware that Jesus imparted to us his spirit, “the Spirit of truth. May the “Spirit of Truth” help us to see ourselves, our loved ones, and even those we may hold in little regard as “God’s delight” also.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Credit: Southern Crab Nebula:  STScI-2019-25 

Pentecost_C - Lord, Send Out Your Spirit_060919

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Lord, Send Out Your Spirit,

And Renew The Face Of The Earth”

Pentecost Sunday, Mass during the Day,  Year C

On this Feast of Pentecost, we celebrate the birthday of our church. On this special day we pray to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for whose help we are most in need. We pray for the Spirit of God to come into our lives and revive our hearts so we may know God’s presence at work within us and in our world, renewing us and filling us with his love.

This Pentecost we pray that the Spirit of Jesus Christ will awaken in us a desire to know God and to do his Will. Yet, we really don’t need to ask for this gift…. Jesus told us that he would send…“The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name -- will teach you everything and remind you of all that (I) told you” JN 14:26. Our need is to be open to receive this Spirit of God deep within the fiber of our being. We need the Holy Spirit so that we can meet the demands of Christian discipleship … that is to grow daily in the knowledge and love of God and in service to our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is the Holy Spirit who breathes into us the knowledge of God’s love so that we, in turn, can love and engender love in others as Jesus taught us. For indeed…“we have been given the manifestation of the spirit for some benefit”…. and that benefit is to realize God’s abundant love not only in ourselves, but in others also giving them the opportunity to discover God’s love for themselves.

Jesus sent his disciples into this world that hungered for the love and peace that only God can give and to find rest from the toils and anxieties of life. We have these same needs today! Can there really be any question about that as we witness the horrific suffering in our world, the political divisiveness, the economic disparity, and the hopelessness engendered by the degradation of the human spirit? We are in desperate need of the gifts of the Holy Spirit...wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord so that we can live together and realize our full potential as children of God. These gifts of the Spirit transform our lives and conform us to the life of Christ in every way. Too difficult? Yes, for us left to ourselves, but not for Christ to accomplish in us. That is the transformative power of Holy Spirit this Pentecost for all who strive to be disciples of Christ today. As Christ sent his first disciples into the world to dispel the darkness and give it hope, he now sends us into the world so we can continue to be people of hope…. who forgive and love one another, who act justly and work for a justice in this world, who look forward to the fullness of God’s reign. We, like those who have gone before us, have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit and, so empowered, are sent into the world to be witnesses of God’s love and to cooperated with his own Spirit so that together we can renew the face of the earth.

Enjoy the day

Deacon Tom

Photo: Weeki Wachee Sunset_tjc