The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ_C_There's Plenty to Go Around_061922

Deacon Tom Writes,

“There’s Plenty to Go Around!”

 

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

 

We live in an instant world. 

Can we ever be satisfied with anything? We want faster, bigger, better, more of everything and we want it now. We don’t want to wait or work long and hard to get things. We push a button and it’s here.

It’s interesting to watch how people are reacting the ongoing supply chain disruption.

Some are visibly upset. Others are outraged. Still others don’t seem dismayed at all. 

The last group appears to be the exception. We’ve become consummate consumers driven by immediate gratification. We’re well-trained by Fifth Avenue’s advertisements. We’ve swallowed their message hook, line and sinker. This message is everywhere--from self-help gurus, the media, and even from some pulpits, “We can have it all and we can have it our way... right now.” 

It's an interesting observation. Older generations remember economic downturns, wars, rationing, shortages, and even something as simple as needing to wait for the stores or bank to open or ordering from a catalog, sending in a check, and waiting two more weeks for the box to arrive. 

Technology’s changed all that. Even something as simple as snapping a photo with a cellphone is instant. I remember taking photos with my film 35mm camera. It was an intentional act. Each roll had either twelve, twenty-four, or thirty-six exposures set to a certain condition—outdoor, fast, lower-light, slow. I had to frame my subject clearly, take the time to focus, and then shoot. I didn’t see the results until I brought the film in to be developed. Even that had to be sent out and took about a week. 

The “great acceleration” of society hasn’t been sustainable, and now some have called this time period “The Great Reset,” a term first used as the title of the 2020 World Economic Forum meet but which has since taken on a life of its own.

Our instinct could be to say, “our expectations are not realistic,” but clearly, they are because science and man have developed things of convenience that have trained us to think that it’s always been this way (and for younger Millennials, Gen Z and below, they have been).   

But what if we look at the cracks in society today and become one of those supply chain optimists and say, “If something has to change, let it be me.” 

The truth is, we can’t change the empty shelves or prices. But the next time our favorite thing is “out of stock” we can change how we choose to participate. Let that be a reminder—a blessing, instead.

Our spiritual senses, if they are well developed, will tune us in to the fact that there is a problem when our addiction to the “instant” leaves us always wanting more. No consumer creation or human being can completely satisfy us or our hearts desires. It is only God who can satisfy the deepest longing of our hearts. 

Today’s Feast

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. This is our time to contemplate the wisdom of God as God, the architect of the universe and the one who sustains all that exists within it. He 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 in the crowds as Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes may not have fully realized the gift they were given—the bread of life, food that would satisfy completely. What’s our excuse? We’ve had time to digest this miracle. 

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 bringing 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. Many walked away from Jesus because this teaching was too difficult.

Many still do. 

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.”

I hope this continues to be our answer, too.

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 

Visit my Blog at: www.deacontomwrites.blogspot.com

Recommended Reading: Seven Story Mountain by Thomas Merton. One of the most famous books ever written about a man’s search for faith and peace.

Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom

Recommended Reading: Seven Story Mountain by Thomas Merton. One of the most famous books ever written about a man’s search for faith and peace.

Recommended Podcast: Forte Catholic Podcast. This Podcast exists to share the Joy of the Gospel... tune in...

The Solemnity of The Most Holy Trinity_C - We Are God's Delight_061222

                                         Credit: Southern Crab Nebula: STScI-2019-25

Deacon Tom Writes,

“We Are God’s Delight”

 

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Year C

 

The reading from the Book of Proverbs summons our imagination to that moment in time when God, the master craftsman, is busy laying “the foundations of the earth.” Witnessing this extraordinary 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.

Today’s readings give us insight into the Holy Trinity whose feast we celebrate today. We recognize God, as the Creator, calling into existence the entirety of the cosmos. At work also is the Wisdom of God, God’s delight, the Holy Spirit, that “mighty wind” who swept over the waters of creation in Genesis. In the Gospel today, Jesus, the Logos, through whom all creation came to be, is completing his mission on earth. Before he leaves, however, he imparts to his disciples the Spirit of Truth that will continue to guide and teach them as they continue Jesus’ work of advancing the Kingdom of God here on earth.

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 essence completely. Yet, we do share in God’s very nature by virtue of our participation in the Sacramental life of the Church. In that divine community 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 at a critical moment when our world is challenged in many ways, divided according to many ideologies, ethnicities, beliefs, colors, languages, hopes and desires. Jesus told his disciples that he would send the Holy Spirit to remind them of all he had taught them and to guide them through all the ups and downs of life. As we move beyond our Easter Celebration let us endeavor to live in the light of the Holy Spirit and act as disciples of Christ by loving one another, forgiving those who have caused us sorrow and pain and serving one another as Christ taught and gave us the example to follow.

In the days to come, may we be aware that in Baptism we too have received Jesus’ spirit, “the Spirit of truth. May the “Spirit of Truth” that abides in us 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 To

Recommended Reading: Back to Virtue by Peter Kreeft is an insightful look at how Virtue serves as a roadmap on the pilgrimage of a life of holiness.


Recommended Blog: Things Not Seen - Dr. David Dault talks with people of faith who are seeking to live together despite deep differences in belief.

Pentecost - Lord Send Out Your Spirit and Renew the Face of the Earth_060522

                                                          Photo: Weeki Wachee Sunset_tjc

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Lord, Send Out Your Spirit,

And Renew the Face of The Earth”

 Pentecost Sunday, Mass during the Day, Year C

If you are among the diminishing number of Catholics that attend church on a regular basis, I think you would agree that we don’t show much enthusiasm about being there.

The event that set the world on fire, spiritually that is, has become routine, ho-hum, ordinary. That event, Christ sending his spirit into the world to complete the work he had begun, seems to have fallen on deaf ears. And perhaps you have notices this too, that our world, our communities, our schools and shopping malls and homes are at a loss because of this. Things change, we all know that. New ideas, trends, philosophies, come and go. I get that. But to surrender our faith, our core beliefs centered on God’s unconditional love for his creation in favor of the glitter and trinkets the world has to offer, well, I don’t get that. More than ever, we are in need of Divine intervention, help from above to guide us and direct our hearts and minds and enlighten them as to who we are and what God has called us to be. On this special day, a day that for these past two millennia has been called the birthday of the church, we pray to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, 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

Recommended Reading: Against an Infinite Horizon by Ronald Rolheiser O.M.I - asks us to view our lives against the infinite horizon of God's love and power.

Recommended Podcast: The Way of the Fathers with Mike Aquilina, is about the Fathers of the Church—the foundational figures in Christian history.

Seventh Sunday of Easter_C - We Are All in This Together_052922

Deacon Tom Writes,

“We Are All in This Together!”

Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year C

The words of today’s gospel challenge anyone attempting to live as disciples of Christ amid the disunity that troubles our world. Jesus finishes the last Passover meal he was to share with his friends before heading across the Kidron Valley to the Garden of Gethsemane. His final words spoke of his burning desire that “they may all be one.” Jesus calls us to share the same unity with one another and with him as he has with the Father so that we may know, “…that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.” Recall that when Jesus spoke these words, he too was in the midst of a fractured world… Roman occupation, tension between the Jews and the Gentiles, slaves and free, rich and poor, religious leaders and the people they were supposed to shepherd. Unity was far from the reality.

Yet Jesus calls his followers to a different worldview… one of unity. Jesus’ last words emphasize that we live in God’s love just as Jesus lives in Father’s love. The Son of God calls us to a mutual love, loving him as he loves us. It is an invitation into this mutual love, a love that leads us into union with the Divine Godhead, the Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

With even the slightest awareness of this reality, we begin to see ourselves as one with God, united to him as children to their father. We all should be working as one big family seeking to remove all the barriers that divide us, that separate us from the love of God and each other. And so, as people so intimately united with one another through our mutual, loving relationship with God, we are called to surmount all the barriers to God’s love, the barriers of hatred and discrimination, the barriers of poverty and ignorance, the barriers that has one group thinking they are superior to another group. And, furthermore, we are called to shun all the voices calling us to disunity, factions, division. All these barriers attack the central reality of our faith – that we are made in the image and likeness of God and that we possess a dignity of person because of God’s love and indwelling in us.

God loves all his children, without exception and he calls us to be like him in this regard. Let our lives be spent living Jesus’ farewell prayer to his disciples by seeking to be one with him and with each other by reconciling our differences, by being moved with compassion in the face of suffering, bigotry, violence, and ignorance. In the face of the rampant divisiveness, we witness today, do we dare pray with Jesus, “Holy Father… may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you.” May the Almighty Father hear our prayers and give us the grace and courage to overcome our fears so we may live as true disciples of the Lord who prayed that “we all may be one.”

Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom

Recommended Reading: A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis. He writes an eloquent journal of the deep sense of grief he experienced at the loss of his wife.

Recommended Podcast: God in All Things Podcast. A journey into Ignatian spirituality.

Sixth Sunday of Easter_C - Keeping God's Word_052222

                                            Photo attribution - Pinterest.com

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Keeping God’s Word”

Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year C

In today’s gospel Jesus tells his disciples, “Whoever loves me will keep my word and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” It sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? If we keep God’s Word, the Eternal, Almighty, Divine Presence will come and be a part of our lives forever, through the good times and the bad, through thick and thin.

The problem is there are many of Jesus’ words that are really troubling to us; words that we choose not to believe, let alone want to keep; words that challenge us, like...

“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” … Matthew 6:33
“Love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you” …Luke 6:27
“No one can serve two masters” … Matthew 6:24
“Go and sin no more” … John 6:11

We dismiss the hard words of Jesus, the words that are at the core of his teaching…to love one another – as I have loved you. Loving one another, showing respect to everyone because of one’s intrinsic worth, one’s divine essence, one’s very nature as a child of God, is how we reflect the love of God in our lives. This love is an active, conscious act of the will; it is how we cooperate with God, allowing ourselves to be transformed by God and in turn helping bring about the transformation of the world. This is what it means to keep God’s word. We just can’t pick and choose which words of Jesus we will accept and which ones we will ignore if we want to have an authentic relationship with Jesus and grow in his love.

In all reality there is another question we need to ask ourselves, “Do we really want God living within us?” Within, well, that may be too close for comfort. It’s better when he’s living some distance away like the “In-Laws” whom we can invite over whenever we have something they can do for us. Far enough away that they can only come over when invited. How much God enters our life is pretty much our choice! We can keep God’s Word and look forward to the promises he has made to us, or we can go it alone and see what the world has in store for us. It’s…. all our call.


Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom

Reading Recommendation: The Rise of Christianity by Rodney Stark former Professor of Sociology at the University of Washington provides a provocative report which challenges conventional wisdom and finds that Christianity's astounding dominance of the Western world arose from its offer of a better, more secure way of life.

Fifth Sunday of Easter_C - Glory Days_051522

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Glory Days”

Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C

Today’s gospel has all the makings of a great Hollywood movie that begins on the night before Jesus dies. Jesus and his companions are nearing the end of their last meal together. Judas had just taken “the morsel… and left at once.” “The morsel,” we know, is the Eucharist, Jesus’ legacy to remain a “real presence” for his followers. Judas takes the Eucharist…then leaves.

When Judas leaves, Jesus brings this extraordinary Passover celebration to a dramatic close saying, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.” What intrigue! Jesus seems to infer that what’s about to happen, his betrayal, torture, and death, will somehow bring Glory to God! How unimaginable! Yet for God, all things are possible, even turning these horrific events into something that can and does reveal God’s glory!

How much our faith depends on this Truth, that “…with God, all things are possible.” That includes the fact that God took upon himself our human nature and all of our limitations and experiences to teach us how we might become like him in all ways. Jesus suffers the betrayal of a friend, gets convicted on trumped up charges, suffers beatings and humiliations of all sorts that no one, let alone he deserves. Imagine, he knows all of this ahead of time and still chooses his suffering and death to teach us to love and forgive one another. And, because he sees what lies ahead as God’s Will, he accepts it all. In fact, he embraces it all knowing that doing God’s Will was all he desired to do in this life.

Jesus leaves his followers with a “Command,” not a request, not a “can you do me a favor... but a “Command” ... to “Love one another as I have loved you.” He sets our hearts and minds on God’s Will…. that we love one another as he loves us…. completely. Christ held nothing back. He emptied himself on our account…. That’s the standard he set, if we are to be disciples…. to embrace the disappointments, betrayals, broken promises and relationships, sickness and death…to take it all in, the good and the bad, and accept all that comes our way as Christ did, and to do so while remaining faithful to God’s promises that he is with us always, till the end of days. And yes, he sustains us through each and every one of them, through all the glory days of our lives... this one and the one to come.

Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom

Recommended Reading: The Saint's Guide to Happiness by Robert Ellsberg - suggests that some of the best people to show us are holy men and women throughout history—Learn who they are and the lessons they teach us.

Recommended Podcast: American Catholic History Podcast finds hidden gems and compelling stories in Catholic Americans who have contributed to America by virtue of their faith over the past three centuries.

Fourth Sunday of Easter_C - Hearing Voices_050822

Deacon Tom Writes

“Hearing Voices?”

 

Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year C

 

In his parables, Jesus often used everyday examples from the rural settings. They were examples that didn’t need explaining. For example, people knew that when a shepherd called, his sheep would come. Shepherds grazed their sheep in different fields during the day, but at night they brought them together into one flock to have safety in numbers. 

At daybreak, shepherds called out to their own sheep, and, amazingly, each sheep followed the voice of its own shepherd, its protector and guardian. 

Most of us today don’t have direct experience with shepherds and sheep, but we still understand the message Jesus communicated when he said, “My sheep hear my voice.” 

This is what Jesus expects of his disciples. He wants us, his disciples, to hear and follow his voice like shepherds who call out to their sheep every morning. A true disciple is one who hears the voice of the “Good Shepherd” and follows without question. But as we are well aware, listening is a skillset not all of us have or employ very well. Besides…

Today there are many voices competing for our attention. 

There are many voices, idols… yes, even gods for us to follow, little whispers and distractions everywhere—peers, social media, jobs, ambitions. Be rich, famous, beautiful, powerful, successful, noticed, important… 

None of those things are bad in and of themselves—many seem like blessings we even pray for. But, left unchecked, they can easily drown out the voice of the Good Shepherd.  

How do we choose which voices to follow, and what direction to travel in? If there are many “shepherds” calling us, who do we hear and respond to? 

Jesus calls us to eternal life each and every day. As our shepherd, he gives us the right direction. He promises us the safety and security that comes from the Father, a joy and happiness that is “not of this world.” 

Jesus calls us, his disciples, to live according to his teachings of love, forgiveness, and sacrifice. It’s often difficult which I am sure comes as no surprise to anyone who’s been scarred by life.  We saw that in last week’s reading where the Sanhedrin told the Apostles to stop teaching Jesus’ message, and again in today’s reading where Paul and Barnabas got run out of town. But, when we walk in Jesus’ footsteps, we create a genuine relationship with him and each other. In that community, there’s power.

The Good Shepherd’s voice asks us to focus on God and our fellow human beings, sometimes at great sacrifice to ourselves. Other voices ask us to focus our attention on ourselves, on getting as much as we can here and now, no matter the cost. That’s the difference.

There are many paths to choose, many flocks to be a part of, and many shepherd’s voices to follow, but only one will lead us to green pastures.  Others paths may be a lot of fun, pleasant, enjoyable…. but, not permanent. 

“We are his people, the sheep of his flock.” 

This is today’s Responsorial Psalm. It again says we are God’s people, and he tends his flock. We are filled with joy and gladness; we share in his unending kindness and enduring faithfulness. God cannot be outdone in generosity. He loves each of us, his sheep. He cares for our earthly well-being and eternal salvation, if only we hear his voice and follow him. 

May the only voice we hear this Easter Season be that of the Good Shepherd, calling us to grow in love, in holiness, and in service to our brothers and sisters in Christ, the Risen One!

 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

 

Recommended Reading: The Shattered Lantern by Fr. Ronald Rolheiser O.M.I    is a Roman Catholic priest and member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He is a theologian, professor, award-winning author, and serves as president of the Oblate School of Theology.

 

Recommended Podcast: Another Name for Everything by Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M. is the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation who teaches primarily on incarnational mysticism, nondual consciousness, and contemplation, with a particular emphasis on how these affect the social justice issues of our time.