The Enemy Within

Deacon Tom Writes,

“The Enemy Within”

Second Sunday of Lent, Year C

Today’s readings give us food for thought as we begin another Lenten season. Our first reading recalls the promise or covenant God made with Abram, that he will be the father of many nations, that his children will outnumber the stars….Imagine that! You couldn’t blame Abram for holding back a little chuckle when God revealed his plan. Imagine if he was able to see the heavens through the eyes of the Hubble Telescope and realize how impossible it would be to count the number of stars in the heavens!!! Lent is a time to reflect on the promises God has made and also fulfilled for our benefit. God made good on his promise to redeem the world from the darkness of sin and death through the sacrifice and obedience of his Son, Jesus, Son of God, and Son of Mary. If we understand in the slightest what God has done for us then we realize what a great gift we have received, for we have been given the gift of Eternal Life, the chance to live with him forever. This is the gift that Christ’s death and resurrection has secured for us.

Another theme flowing from our readings today to guide us on our Lenten journey is that of transformation. Peter, James, and John witness Jesus in the fullness of his glory and they are overwhelmed. This sneak preview of the Divine Jesus helps us realize that we too must be transformed into the mystical Body of Christ. St. Paul spoke directly about our need to experience this metamorphosis when he wrote to the Galatians… “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me”  (Gal 2:20). A mature Christian mindset is one that is always seeking to follow in Christ’s footsteps, that is, to conform our hearts and minds to that of Christ so that we too can pick up our crosses and follow him daily. Not an easy thing to do, and so we take baby steps to learn to “let go and let God” so we can learn to surrender ourselves to God’s Will in the face of our trials and frustrations in life.

Finally, St. Paul gives us a dose of harsh reality, apparently something he witnessed among the early followers of Jesus. Believe it or not, some of those who called themselves Christians were, “…enemies of the cross of Christ”. Wow! Right from the beginning, people were professing to be followers of Jesus, when in fact they were living their old ways. Paul recognized this duplicity and confronts it directly. He admonishes the Philippians to, “join with others in being imitators of me”. What a powerful invitation into the life of Christ from a man who imitated Christ in every way. St. Paul is a model for us on our Lenten Journey. He knows very well how to subdue the enemy within – by constant prayer, fasting, and charitable works. Good activities to occupy us this Lenten season as we too try to quell our own “enemies within”.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Be With Me, Lord

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Be With Me Lord”

First Sunday of Lent, Year C

“Be with me Lord, when I am in trouble”. These words are from Psalm 91 that carries the heading “Security Under God’s Protection”. That’s solid advice to help get us started on the right foot this holy season. “Be with us, Lord” through the days and nights that lie ahead; “Be with us, Lord” to face the struggles that life has in store. Protect us from all our fears and anxieties… Keep us safe; watch over us; lead us; help us…to navigate the uncertainties and challenges that await us.

Think about our own experiences when problems arise. We turn to God in our time of need. That’s not unusual. It’s a wise person that asks for help before it’s too late! Jesus is a wise man and we see that he has a deep trust and confidence in God. He turns to God to support and sustain him during his ordeal in the desert as he confronts Satan. Luke hints at the source of Jesus’ confidence by telling us that Jesus did not go into the desert alone. Luke says he had a companion… that Jesus, “… was filled with the Holy Spirit” who reminded him that he was not alone during his temptation. The Holy Spirit was there throughout Jesus’ ministry as he revealed the Kingdom of God to the people of Israel and beyond. Jesus knew he could depend upon God to “Be with him” not only during his troubles but also, as he taught his disciples, God is with us “always”.

Lent is a very holy time to enrich our spiritual lives by deepening our relationship with God, to spend time developing and strengthening that relationship, as Jesus did, so that we have the confidence to know that God is always present, always willing to help us during the hard and sorrowful times and also to share our joy on the good days. That God is really present, that he really cares for us…. loves us more than we love ourselves is so often hard for us to believe; yet, it is true.

We come to this understanding by placing our hearts and minds in the presence of God and asking him… “Be with me, Lord”… now and forever.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Depart From Me, Lord

Deacon Tom writes,

“Depart From Me, Lord”

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Simple amazement at catching a boatload of fish overwhelms Peter and gives him some insight into the person of Jesus. But Peter’s initial reaction is to resist Jesus telling him, “Depart from me, Lord”. Luke is the only Evangelist to record this episode from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and yet, this brief story speaks volumes about our own call to serve God. Like Peter, we too often tell Jesus to “hit the road”. To some extent, this is a natural response. We all know that we are sinners and can claim for ourselves Peter’s confession before the Lord, “I am a sinner”. But, God is patient, a characteristic essential for anglers, who casts out his line and waits for something to happen.

That waiting is what we call life. God is calling us constantly from the day of our birth. He is calling us to be good children as we begin to form our consciences; he calls us to be good students and to learn about the wonders of the universe he has created; he calls us to build healthy, positive relationships with one another. God calls us into an intimate relationship with him through a sacramental life that nourishes us and draws us close to him through marriage and family life or as individuals who embrace a life of celibacy. God calls us into service to one another by the vocations that we choose: fireman, lawyer, teacher, or those who profess vows as religious sisters or brothers, or as clergy be it as priest or deacon. We are all called to a specific task God has in store for us also, a task that only we can fulfill. And, our calling is not a one-time event. We are called each and every day to live our lives faithfully by doing those things we have been called to do. We are especially called to be the best mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and friends we can be to one another, for family is a calling that is special to God. It is through family life that God reveals the dynamic love of the Holy Trinity and enables us to share in God’s divine essence.

Today we reflect on the call that we have received from God and thank him for the love he has for each and every one of us. Yes, we are unworthy and we know that, but so does God. And do you know what? He doesn’t care! He loves us beyond our sinfulness, and he desires that we love him in return. And so, as we look forward to another day, another precious gift from God, let us keep these words from St. Paul to the Ephesians in our thoughts:

“I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received.” Eph:  4:1

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Image: Miraculous draught of fishes by Raphael

How Deep Is Your Love?

Deacon Tom writes,

“How Deep Is Your Love”

Deacon Tom writes,

“How Deep Is Your Love?”

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

How easy it is to say, “I love you”. How easy it was for the people of Nazareth to speak highly of Jesus and to render a favorable opinion about the gracious words he spoke. It’s quite a different matter altogether to act with love toward the people we say we love or to respond to those gracious words Jesus speaks to us today as he did to the people in his hometown Synagogue, his friends and neighbors, the people who watched him grow from youth to a young man and iterant preacher and miracle worker.

St. Paul writes to the Corinthians about love. Couples often chose these words for their wedding ritual because they capture our hearts desire for genuine, selfless love. “Love is patient, love is kind” Paul says. If he were to stop there, we would have plenty to think about. We would have to work very hard to show those we say we love a patient love, a kind love. But Paul doesn’t stop with those two qualities. He goes on to say that there is much more to love than patience and kindness. He probes the very essence of love to reveal that at its very core, to love means to surrender oneself completely to the other. Love, Paul says, “is not pompous or rude; is not inflated and doesn’t seek its own interest; it is not quick-tempered nor does it brood over injury. Love does not rejoice over wrongdoing; it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”.

Love, then, is so much more than simply saying, “I love you”. It is the journey of a lifetime; one does not get there over night. Rather it is a slow process of letting go, of dying to self, of subjecting our very self-will to the will of others. And, should we really give some thought to this, we can’t love to the depth that Paul describes by ourselves. We need God’s grace to make any progress at all. For, if we are left to ourselves, we might act like the people of Jesus’ hometown who hear his “gracious” words and then, moments later, try to push him over the cliff. They just weren’t prepared to hear how abundant and liberating God’s love is and that his love goes out to all who search for him.

There is little doubt that God’s love remains a mystery. We will never completely understand the depth of divine love in this life, but we can experience it through the love of others. The deeper our love becomes, the more selfless our love will be and the closer we will come to the source of that love who is God and the better we will be at sharing that love with one another.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Image:http://www.catholicfaithstore.com