tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7290283636464820232024-03-13T07:04:46.773-05:00Oh Lord, Open My LipsFr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.comBlogger161125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-87995669982858355442015-10-18T12:43:00.000-05:002015-10-18T12:43:14.411-05:00Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/101815.cfm">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/101815.cfm</a><br />
<br /><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Throughout
Sacred Scripture, we can find numerous examples of God telling His
Church how to live a life of holiness. We should always give thanks
to God that whenever He gives us these commands and instructions He
always gives us examples that we can live by. Sometimes it's the
example of Christ’s life, other times it's example of someone from
a Bible story, and other times it's the lives of the saints.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Today's
readings remind us that to be a great leader means that we must give
of ourselves to those we lead. This requires self-sacrifice. The
Prophet Isaiah talks about the coming of the Messiah and that He will
give “His life as an offering for sin”. The Gospel also gives a
clear foreshadowing of Christ’s Passion and Crucifixion and warns
the Twelve that they too will share in His “cup” and in His
“baptism”. This leads to Jesus’ final point which is, “whoever
wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all”. </span></span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Christ
is of course the prime example of what it means to live a life of
self-sacrifice. And, as I already mentioned, God also give us the
example of lives of many saints who gave their lives as a sacrifice
for God and for others. I would like to talk about a couple of those
saints. </span></span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Gianna
Beretta was born near Milan, Italy in 1922. She grew up in the
Catholic faith and later attended medical school. She graduated with
a doctorate in medicine in 1949. She opened a clinic and soon became
well known as a superb doctor and pediatrician. She was also well
known for helping organize retreats and talks in local parishes and
for reaching out to local youth. She married a man named Pietro
Molla in 1955 and their new family began to grow from there. Three
children were born to them over the next four years, but after that
she sadly lost two babies before they were born. </span></span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In
1961 she was pregnant again and after two months she began
experiencing pain. It was discovered that she had a tumor in her
uterus. Such a tumor can result in complications which can be a risk
for both the mother and the child. Gianna had a few options. One
would be to have a hysterectomy and remove the uterus along with the
tumor. This would of course lead to the death of her unborn child.
Such a choice would be morally acceptable since the operation would
be directed at saving the mother's life and not at ending her child's
life. Gianna elected not to do this, but instead had surgery to
remove the tumor while allowing the child to remain in the womb.
Such a procedure was risky for both child and mother, but Gianna
insisted that the surgeons do whatever was necessary to preserve the
child's life. The surgery was successful and on Good Friday, April
20, 1962, Gianna Emanuela was born by c-section. Dr. Gianna's life
began to deteriorate quickly after that. She developed an infection
that medicine of that day was not able to combat. She died seven
days later. Little Gianna Emanuela grew up to become a doctor like
her mother and was present at her mother's beatification in 1994.
St. Gianna is remembered today as a wife, mother, doctor, and a
pro-life witness. She died making sure that her daughter would have
life.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Another
saint who is a great example of self-sacrifice is St. Maria Goretti.
Another Italian saint, Maria was born in 1890. Her father died when
she was just ten years old, but she continued to help her mother with
the farm they lived on and helping with the care of her younger
siblings. Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation were of great
importance to her, and she went to both on a regular basis even
though the church was a two-hour walk away. </span></span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
Goretti family lived next to another family called the Serenellis who
also worked as tenant farmers on the same farm. A son of that family
was named Alessandro. During his teenage years he read a lot of
violent and impure articles in newspapers. When Alessandro was
twenty and Maria was only eleven, he began making advances towards
her. Maria never gave in though, knowing that what he was suggesting
should wait until marriage. </span></span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">One
day in July of 1902, everyone was working in the fields while Maria
watched over her sleeping baby sister. Alessandro sneaked back to
the house and grabbed a knife. No one else was at the house, so he
grabbed Maria and tried to force his way with her. She was more
afraid of Alessandro's salvation, then her own safety. She said,
“No! No! No! What are you doing? Do not touch me! It is a sin –
you will go to Hell!” Alessandro began stabbing her with the
knife, at least fourteen times. Her cries for help could not be
heard because of farm equipment being used in the field, but her baby
sister awoke and began to cry. Alessandro hid himself as adults
realized something was wrong and ran to the house. Doctors tried to
save her, but couldn't and she died twenty hours later. On her
deathbed she forgave Alessandro and prayed that he would repent. Her
chief concern was for Alessandro even then. Alessandro was arrested
and sentenced to thirty years in prison. He spent the first eight
without remorse or regret for what he had done. One day he had a
dream in which Maria appeared to him in a field of flowers as she
held out white lilies to him. He finally repented begged God's
forgiveness. On Christmas Eve, 1937, Alessandro visited Maria's
Mother and begged her forgiveness. She said she could hardly refuse
since her daughter had been so willing to forgive as well. They then
attended Midnight Mass together. Maria's Mother was present at
Maria's canonization in 1950. </span></span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">St.
Maria sacrificed herself rather than to succumb to impurity. She
sacrificed herself to save Alessandro from impurity as well. St.
Gianna sacrificed herself so that her daughter could live. Both of
these modern day saints teach us what it means to sacrifice oneself
for the love of God. They followed in the footsteps of Christ and
have shared in His baptism. They were servants on earth, but are now
great in Heaven. May their prayers and examples lead us to Heaven as
well.</span></span></div>
Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-43750667902583201212015-10-04T22:50:00.001-05:002015-10-04T22:51:02.799-05:00Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time<br />
<div class="western">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/100415.cfm"><span style="font-size: small;">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/100415.cfm</span></a></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">We all have
many different traditions in our lives. Some of them involve family
traditions, especially around birthdays and holidays. Even meals at
those celebrations can have traditions connected to them. There are
community traditions connected around events and celebrations. Even
parishes have certain traditions that are unique to them. As a
priest, I have learned that there are a great number of different
traditions at each parish that I have been involved with. I have
also learned that it is important for me to understand those
traditions and respect them. I shouldn't come barging in and change
everything just because I think I know how to do things best. In
fact, I've gained a great deal of knowledge and wisdom simply by
observing various parish traditions over the years.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western">
People in
general seem to like traditions. We like that we can look forward
each year to a certain way of doing things. We can't help but think
of all the memories of the past and we hope and pray that we can
repeat the positive memories and avoid the negative ones. In an
otherwise constantly changing world, is good to have those reliable
traditions to fall back on.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Unfortunately,
even traditions eventually come to an end. When I was growing up, my
family had a tradition of getting together with grandparents, aunts,
uncles, and cousins for Christmas and Easter. Now that my cousins
are married and have children of their own, making my aunts and
uncles grandparents themselves, the old family traditions have
changed and have been replaced by new ones. Some of you may have
experienced similar changes in family traditions.</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Community
traditions end and change as well. As a community grows or shrinks
and as other dynamics of the community change over time, traditions
may gradually change to adjust to the community. The same can be
said of parish communities too. We have all been going through quite
a bit of transition over the last two and a half months as we have
been clustering. Already we have had to change a few traditions in
our parishes, but my hope is that the majority of our traditions
remain the same. My point is that traditions can and do sometimes
change.</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
God is of
course the one thing in the entire universe that never changes. The
Earth is always changing. Even rocks can erode over time and be
shifted around. The universe is still expanding, meaning that the
stars we see at night will look very different a million years from
now. But God is constant. His love and mercy never change. Because
God is Himself so unchanging, He also made certain things which He
intended to be true from the beginning of time until the end.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Jesus speaks
specifically about one of those truths in the Gospel for today. He
is talking about what we call the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. “From
the beginning of creation”, Jesus tells us, “God made them male
and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” He
refers to the very same passage that we heard in the first reading
from Genesis. He is saying that from the very beginning, the
Sacrament of Marriage is meant to be between one man and one woman.
He is also talking about the permanence of marriage. Both of these
statements fly in the face of what our society has been telling us.
Many think it is okay to get married outside of the Church; many
think that you can get a divorce and remarry as often as you like;
many have come to believe that same sex marriages are good and the
way of the future. But these readings show that God clearly has a
interest in marriage (otherwise He never would have said anything
about this topic), that it should be in a Church so that God can
bless it, that it is meant to be a union that is for ever, and that
it is meant to be between a man and a woman. Some things change in
the world, but this teaching has not. It has been from the
beginning.</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Another
truth that has not changed with the passage of time is the truth of
respecting life. Sacred Scripture has a lot to say about respecting
human life, and so the Catholic Church has long promoted respect for
all human life from conception until natural death. October is
respect life month and many people around the country are involved
with 40 Days for Life and are praying outside of abortion clinics.
When we say “respect life” in a Catholic Church, I get the
impression that most people think of working to end abortions, but I
would encourage us to keep in mind that we are called in other ways
to respect human life as well. For instance, euthanasia is
considered moral wrong, and the Catechism argues against the use of
capital punishment. We are also called to respect the dignity of the
human person. That means helping the poor and disenfranchised;
helping the jobless to have jobs and workers to be given proper
rights. It means visiting the sick and imprisoned. We don't have to
all physically do each of these things, but we do need to support
them and not try to stop our neighbors from doing their part either.</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
We are also
called to take care of our common home. As you may know, Pope
Francis released his latest Encyclical, called <i>Laudato
Si</i><span style="font-style: normal;">,
this last May. The opening words in Latin are, “</span><i>Laudato
si, mi Signore</i><span style="font-style: normal;">”,
which means, “Praise be to you, my Lord”. These words were taken
from St. Francis of Assisi's famous prayer, “The Canticle of the
Sun”. The Feast of St. Francis is October 4</span><span style="font-size: small;"><sup><span style="font-style: normal;">th</span></sup><span style="font-style: normal;">.
As this encyclical clearly shows, our Holy Father not only shares a
name with the famous saint, but also a deep desire to care for the
Earth that God has given to us. We are asked to look at how can we
avoid wasting our natural resources and avoid putting harmful
chemicals into it. </span>
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> Again,
none of what I have talked about is anything new. It isn't a change
from out of the blue. God has been asking this of us from the
beginning. Yes it can be a challenge, but God is asking us to meet
this challenge with faith in Him and with a love for others.</span></div>
Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-39626541036743174722015-09-29T21:34:00.001-05:002015-09-29T21:34:38.120-05:00Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
<br />
<div class="western">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/092715.cfm"><span style="font-size: small;">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/092715.cfm</span></a></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">The readings
for today remind us that God bestows His blessings upon His people as
He wills, not according to how we think it should be. It is human
nature to think that whatever group we are a part of must be the
right group. A part of that feeling many times includes the often
erroneous assumption that “God favors my group.” When we have
that mindset we are not too different from Joshua in the First
Reading who comes to Moses and tries to get him to silence two men.
These men were supposed to be at a gathering, but were not. God
still decides to give them the gift of prophesy, however, and they
begin prophesying. These men didn't follow what they were told. Why
should God still bless them? That is God's decision, Moses explains.
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western">
We also hear
the Apostle John come to Jesus and report that a man who was not a
disciple of Jesus casting out demons in Jesus' name. Again, John
seems to be caught up in that assumption that God only blesses my
group. This man doesn't follow our group. He hasn't been through
the same experiences and trials that I have. He can't just come in
and preach and cast out demons like the rest of us. That's not fair!
Jesus, stop him! But Jesus tells him not to prevent him. “Whoever
is not against us is for us”, He says. Even though he is not a
part of our group, God has still chosen to give him special gifts and
the ability to cast out demons. We shouldn't prevent him; he is
still doing God's work.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
To use a
sports metaphor, God isn't interested in “cheering” on one team
over another. I recently watched a video of a commencement speech
given by legendary University of Notre Dame football coach, Lou
Holtz. During his speech, he talked about a time when Notre Dame
would be playing the University of Miami. The media was talking the
big game up as being “The Catholics versus the convicts”. He
said he didn't think that was fair because not everyone on Notre
Dame's team was Catholic. Anyway, Coach Holtz comes into a lecture
hall before the game and a priest gets up to give an invocation. The
priest told the coach that he was a Catholic priest and the chaplain
for the Miami football team. He said, “We came all the way up here
to beat you, but I want you to know that God doesn't care who wins
this game”. After Father was done, Coach got up and said, “I
agree with you, Father. God doesn't care who wins this game, but I
promise you His mother does”.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
We would all
like to be able to say that God is rooting for our team and wants our
team to win. That is true whether we are talking about actual sports
teams, or groups that we are a part of, or even our own religion.
The priest in that story was correct, God doesn't care if one team
does better than another. One could say that it is as if we are all
on the same team. Another way to say it is that there are separate
teams, but those teams are so similar, that the differences are
rather small.</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
In 2008, a
movie came out called “Leatherheads”. George Clooney plays an
NFL pro-football player in 1925 named Dodge Connelly. Dodge plays
for the Duluth “Bulldogs” which is based off of the real life
Duluth “Eskimos” who played in Duluth, MN in the 1920's. During
the 20's, professional football had very few followers. Dodge wants
to turn the NFL into a well respected business. Besides the flimsy
looking pads and leather helmets the players wore that look like they
couldn't stop a fly let alone a 200 pound linebacker, another big
difference between football then and football today is that there
were fewer rules about how the game was played. Thus, the players
utilized some very clever trick plays to try to pull one over on the
opposing team. They hide the ball under their jersey, they toss the
ball back and forth to prevent anyone from tackling the ball carrier,
and use whatever tricks they can think of to move the ball.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
During the
big game of the movie, Duluth and Chicago are tied. It's a rainy day
and the field is a complete mud bath. The players are so covered in
mud that no one can recognize the color of the jerseys. The only way
to tell the teams apart is to look at the direction they're running
in. Dodge sees that Chicago is about to score and win the game so he
comes up with a new trick. At the end of a play, he punches out a
Chicago player and then lines up with Chicago for the next play.
They carry off the knocked out player and send out another Duluth
player. Still pretending to be a Chicago player, Dodge gets the ball
and runs it in for a touchdown. Everyone thinks Chicago won until it
is revealed that a Duluth player had the ball.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Such a trick
play would never work in today's game, but it makes for an exciting
part of the movie. My point in bringing it up is that there are many
different Christian denominations out there. Even looking at a local
phone book will show there are many just in the Twin Ports area. The
readings today are a good reminder that even though one could say
there are many different teams out, we still have a lot in common
with each other and a lot to learn from each other as well.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"> A few years
ago, I had a neat discussion with some youth and young adults. Some
were Catholic while others were of various protestant denominations.
The topic came up about the relationship between all these Christian
denominations. Someone asked me what I thought was necessary for
ecumenism: that is, Christians coming together to work in unity. I
told them that I believe it will take mutual respect. First of all
we need to respect the similarities between all Christians. The
biggest similarity being that we believe in Jesus Christ our savior.
For centuries, Catholics and protestants seemed to focus more on the
differences rather than on the similarities, but we really have a lot
in common. Second, I believe we need to have a healthy respect for
the differences we have as well. If we don't we risk trying to force
everyone into the same mold. When we respect the differences and the
similarities, we have a chance to learn from each other and to help
each other towards Heaven. That is what Christ wants for us. And
that should be our goal as well.</span></div>
Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-35955259784552686902015-09-21T21:55:00.000-05:002015-09-21T21:55:58.845-05:00Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
<br />
<div class="western">
<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/092015.cfm">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/092015.cfm</a></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
I don't think it is a big secret that I love it
when we have children here in the Church. I think deep down, people
in general love having children around. Yes, there can be those
times when it is not so enjoyable. No one likes to see a child
upset; sometimes a baby's cry can be a bit distracting. Sometimes
I'm asked, “Father, do you get distracted when a child is crying or
making noise?” The answer is, “Yes, I do get distracted. But I
can also get distracted by a fly buzzing in my ear or hearing an
emergency vehicle going down the highway”. Distractions happen
sometimes. Despite those annoyances or discomforts we may have
experienced at times, I believe they are offset greatly by the more
positive experiences we have with children in our midst. I'm talking
about the joy we have in hearing a child's laughter or seeing a
child's smile as they wave hello. There is nothing like listening to
a child sing his or her favorite song, whether it from the radio or
from church, even if it is slightly off-key. There are many
different things that children say and do that in turn make us smile
and laugh.</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
All children have a wonderful innocence about
them that makes all this possible. We adults live in a world of
cynicism and doubt in which everything is questioned and criticized.
It brings us back to joy when we can see that childhood innocence at
work once more. One of my favorite TV shows has been NCIS. One of
the main characters in the show is named Leroy Jethro Gibbs. This
character is known for being rough, but in several episodes, the
other characters are amazed to see how well he gets along with
children. One character pointed this out and Gibbs replies, “You
know why I get along with children so well? It's because when they
lie they don't have the guile to get away with it.” In his own
gruff manner, Gibbs is talking about a child's innocence. An adult
can learn to maintain a lie and to keep the truth a secret. But that
takes time. A child is too innocent to keep it up.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
There was a writer in the early 20th Century
named G. K. Chesterton. He was a great Catholic theologian and
philosopher. In one of his books, titled “Orthodoxy”, he talks
about how we humans have lost our ability to be amazed at the world
around us. We simply take everything for granted. A small child, on
the other hand, is easily amazed at the most simple and mundane
things. He gives the example of the opening of a door. Such an
action holds very little consequence to us, but to a small child the
opening of a door is the most amazing thing in the world at that
moment. As we get older, we loose that sense of wonder.
Chesterton's point is that we need to return to that sense of wonder
and innocence. Even within our faith, we need that innocence and
that wonder of what Christ is doing for all of us.</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Christ also talks about the innocence of
childhood. He responds to an argument that the Twelve have on their
way to Capernaum about who is the greatest. The answer from Christ
is simple yet amazing: “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be
the last of all and the servant of all.” To help drive His point
home, Jesus uses the example of a child. “Whoever receives one
child such as this in my name, receives me”. When was the last
time any one of us was told to act more like a child? Yet this is
precisely what Christ is telling us here. We need to be innocent,
free of guile, open to the wonders and amazement of the world around
us. It is then that we can become more like Christ and be the
servant of all.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
So obviously the goal is to return to that
innocence that we all started out with and to grow in our
relationship with God. But what happens if we don't do that? What
happens if we choose to ignore these words and simply focus on who is
the greatest and who is the most powerful or influential and simply
doing what we want to do? The readings today talk about that as
well.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
We continue hearing this week from the letter of
St. James. Today the Apostle talks about the difference between
those who seek innocence and purity and those who seek their own
selfish wants and desires. When we seek that childhood innocence
that I have been talking about and seek the “wisdom from above”
we find what is pure, peaceable, gentle, and compliant according to
James. We find peace, righteousness and sincerity. The more we
strive for these good things, the more good things will be produced.
However, if we instead seek only what we want and not what is from
above, we find something different. “Where jealousy and selfish
ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice”. Sin
and disorder begets more sin and disorder. He goes on to talk about
how it is our passions, specifically our disordered passions, that
lead to killing and war and conflicts.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
This leads us to the conflict that we hear about
in the First Reading. The Book of Wisdom talks about how the “wicked
one” plots to do many cruel things to the one who claims to come
from God (even to putting him to a shameful death). He even suggests
putting the just one to the test to see if God will rescue him from
their clutches.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
One does not have to be a Biblical scholar to see
that this passage foreshadows what will happen in Christ's Passion.
Our Gospel reading for today includes a prediction from Christ about
His upcoming Passion. “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men
and they will kill him”.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Why this cruelty? Why this strong desire to
silence those who come with the blessings of God? It is because
those evil men do not have the innocence and purity that Jesus is
talking about. They are ruled by jealousy and selfish ambition.
They are more interested in what they want, than in what God may want
for them.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Let us not seek our own selfish gains, brothers
and sisters. But let us strive for what is good, pure and holy. Let
us seek for that childhood innocence once more, so that we can
receive Christ in our lives.</div>
Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-17463197736940321512015-09-21T21:42:00.003-05:002015-09-21T21:42:57.379-05:00Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/090615.cfm">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/090615.cfm</a></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Imagine
if you suddenly no longer had the ability to hear or the ability to
speak clearly. Yet despite this limiting handicap, you were still
expected to make a significant contribution to society. Failure to
do so will mean chastisement and separation from the rest of the
community. If we could imagine what that might be like, then we can
step into the world of the poor man who was brought before Jesus in
the Gospel today. This poor man lacks the sense of hearing and is
also described as having a speech impediment, suggesting that he
still had the ability to speak, but it was difficult to understand
him. This would have made communication with others difficult, to
say the least, and would no doubt have made him the victim of
ridicule and mockery.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I
remember participating in a seminar on group dynamics once. A group
of four of us was given a task to do as a team. We were told that we
would have to build something, but of the four of us, the first was
given an instruction sheet with a picture of what we were to make,
but he couldn’t show anyone else the picture and could not help
with making the object. He could only read the instructions and
describe what he saw. The second person was not allowed to talk, the
third couldn’t use his hands, and the forth had to keep his eyes
closed throughout the activity. Once we were assigned what we could
and could not do (I was the one who had to keep my eyes shut), the
instructions were read. We had to construct a small table out of
only computer paper and duct tape. It had to have a flat top and it
had to be tall and wide enough for the roll of duct tape to pass
between the legs. All people in the group had to participate as they
were able. I remember thinking at first that the task seemed pretty
easy, but then I quickly realized how hard it would be for me to
participate with my eyes closed. I could certainly feel my way
around to figure out what the others had done, and I would ask
questions to get feedback from those who could talk, but I was more
likely to knock things over with my hand then to be actually helping
with the goal.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
One
of the other group members had a better idea for me. The roll of
duct tape was handed to me and I was told to start tearing off three
inch long strips of tape. This was pretty easy for me to do. The
one who couldn’t talk rolled some paper into tubes to make table
legs and used the tape to keep them rolled and to actually construct
the table.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
We
were eventually able to finish the task. It took team work, as well
as patience with each other. We also had to be clear in our
communication. We couldn’t just say, “Hand me that thing over
there” or “Make it short, but not too long”. We had to be
specific: “Hand me the tape”, “Make the strips about 3 inches
in length.” Finally, we also had to trust each other. Any one of
us could have made doing this task more difficult or led the others
astray or start criticizing the less than perfect work we were doing,
but we trusted that we were working for a common goal.</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
So
what does this have to do with what is happening in the Gospel today?
Sometimes we not unlike that man in the Gospel, our own limitations
make it hard to get certain things done. Sometimes we need to trust
that others are going to help us get thing done, like I did in that
team building exercise. Sometimes the help comes from Christ, just
as it did for the man in the Gospel.</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
If
we look back at our first reading, we can see that the Prophet Isaiah
was already talking about how the Messiah would heal those who were
blind, deaf, lame, and mute, hundreds of years before Christ was
born. The Prophet tells us that we need not fear, for our own God is
coming with vindication and recompense to save us. He uses beautiful
imagery as he describes the eyes of the blind being opened, the ears
of the deaf able to hear, the lame leaping like a stag, and the mute
able to sing. This is a very powerful image that I’m sure stuck in
the heads of the Jewish people who learned it. When Jesus performed
the miracle in today’s Gospel, the crowd has no problem recognizing
that He is fulfilling what the Prophet Isaiah had said. We are told,
“They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all
things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” What
these readings should teach us is that Christ is meant to come and
heal and save us.</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
This
Gospel reading also has a very strong connection with our baptism and
our baptismal calling. The Rite of Baptism that we celebrate in the
Catholic Church has many distinct parts and various blessings within
the overall celebration. One of these blessings is called the
“Ephphetha Rite”, named after that unique word that Jesus says
during the miracle which means, “Be opened!” During an infant
baptism, the priest or deacon touch the ears and mouth of the child
with his thumb while saying, “The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and
the dumb speak. May He soon touch your ears to receive His word, and
your mouth to proclaim His faith, to the praise and glory of God the
Father. Amen.” So that prayer is asking that God bless the child
so that he or she will hear the Word of God and proclaim Christ’s
faith to all people. That same prayer was said over all of us so
that we can hear and proclaim as well.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Despite
the fact that we received that blessing, many of us are still afraid
to listen to God and to help spread the faith and Good News with our
mouth. The readings today should be a reminder to all of us that we
need the blessings and the help of Christ in order to get past our
fears and be willing to do the work our Baptism sends us on. As
brothers and sisters in Christ we can also encourage each other in
this calling.</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
My
point is simple: we are not perfect and we have our limitations.
However, Christ is able to give us the blessings we need to fulfill
the calling He has given us from Baptism; to tell others about Him.
Let us not fear, but trust in His help.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-55272808517428605542015-09-21T21:27:00.002-05:002015-09-21T21:28:04.252-05:00Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">
<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/083015.cfm">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/083015.cfm</a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;">
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> What
comes from God, is holy. That is the basic “gist” of the theme
for today's readings. We are being invited to trust that what comes
from God is holy, and therefore is what's best for us. We should not
replace something that is holy with something inferior. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> In
the first reading from the Book of Deuteronomy we are told, “Now,
Israel, hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you to
observe”. And further along we are told, “In your observance of
the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin upon you, you
shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it.” As I
said before, what comes from God is holy. The statutes and decrees
come from God and we are to observe them. But we mustn't replace
them either. Sometimes we are tempted to subtract things that we do
not agree with personally or add things that we think are better. We
are being told not to do that. We'll get to why that's the case in a
moment.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> The
second reading comes from the Letter of James and continues on the
this theme of what is holy. “All good giving and every perfect
gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights,” we are
told. “Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is
able to save your souls.” We are invited to accept the Word of God
into our hearts. It is holy and perfect. We could not want for
anything better. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-size: small;"> The
Gospel puts things into perspective. The Pharisees think they have
finally trapped Jesus as they try to call out His disciples for
violating one of the many dietary laws that the Pharisees enforced.
Namely, that a person should cleanse their hands before eating. This
refers to a ritual cleansing that had more do do with making the
person spiritually clean, as opposed to being hygienic. It should be
noted as well that this rule about washing hands comes from the
“tradition of the elders”. These were unwritten rules that were
passed on orally but were given the same importance as the written
laws of the Old Testament. So they weren't given by God, but were
added by human beings. Jesus helps to explain why this matters.
“Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but
the things that come out from within are what defile.” Now on one
hand, Jesus is simply responding directly to what the Pharisees had
said. Outside things don't defile a person: eating food without
ritually washing one's hands is not going to bring about sin or
defilement on ourselves. It is what comes from within that causes
sin. As Jesus explains later on, it's what comes from a person's
heart, like evil thoughts, murder, envy, greed, and the like that are
the real problem. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> When
we think about these words of Jesus a bit more, we can see that He is
also talking about the very same thing that we have been talking
about with Deuteronomy and the Letter of James. Everything that is
outside of us, whether we are talking about all of creation, or the
words of Scripture that God has given us, or the statutes and decrees
and commandments that God gave us, has been made by God and is
therefore good. There is nothing wrong with God's words or with what
He made. What comes from within, however, that's another story. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> We
all know that we have many different choices that we can make
everyday. We can choose to do what God wants us to do, but we can
also choose to do what we want to do. Doing what God wants is of
course good and holy. Doing what we want, however, sometimes leads
to things becoming twisted and distorted and might lead to sin. That
is why the reading from Deuteronomy tells us not to add to or
subtract from the commandments that have been given to us. God's
word is already perfect and holy. If we try to add our own ideas of
what will make it better or take away the parts we think are silly or
unimportant, we are only adding what has come from us and getting
farther from God.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> Sin
can be defined as a deliberate thought, word, deed, or omission
against the law of God. When we sin we are basically taking
something that God has given us and twisted it and deformed into
something that we want for ourselves. We can look at the Seven
Deadly Sins as examples of this. The sin of pride is at the root of
all other sins. But there is such a thing as a healthy pride. We
can take pride in our work, pride in our community, pride is our
parish. It becomes a sin when we allow that good pride to become
twisted and allow our own pride to get in the way. Greed is the
disordered desire for pleasure and possessions. It's okay to want to
feel good and have nice things, but we can't let ourselves be overly
possessive. Sometimes we might feel jealous of another person's
talents or possessions. This can encourage us to work harder to
attain praiseworthy goals and to celebrate other people's success,
but it can also turn into sadness and the desire to possess those
things ourselves, which is envy.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> We
have probably all watched the news and felt righteous anger when we
hear about crime and injustice around the world. This type of anger
can encourage us to work for good in the world. But if it gets
twisted into the sin of anger or wrath, it can lead to worse sins.
With gluttony we overindulge in food and drink. We need food and
water to survive, but we don't have to go overboard. We also need
time to rest and to recharge our batteries after doing some hard
work. But if we allow it to twist into laziness, we fall into sloth.
Finally, lust is simply the twisting of love. If love is about
putting someone else's needs before our own, then lust is using
another person for our own wants and desires. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> Sin
is about doing our own thing; we are basically adding to or
subtracting from the law of God. Virtue, the opposite of sin, is
about doing God's will. May God give us the virtues necessary to
continue following His will and all His commandments.</span></div>
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-85242758613567859802015-09-21T21:10:00.001-05:002015-09-21T21:10:49.227-05:00Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
<br />
<div class="western">
<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/082315.cfm">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/082315.cfm</a></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Every so often, we reach a moment in our lives
that requires us to make a stand and say what we believe. Those
moments might fill some of us with fear or anxiety that others may
look at us differently or change how they treat us. There is some
truth to those fears. Saying what we believe can change how others
look at us or think about us. It makes us vulnerable. Yet, if we
give in to our fear and never admit to what we believe, what are we
doing here in this Church? How can we say we are Christian, unless
we at some point profess what we believe?
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
The readings give very powerful examples of how
we are all called to profess what we believe. It starts with the
Book of Joshua. The reading we just heard comes at the very end of
that book. Joshua, the leader who took over after Moses died, has
lead the people of Israel on a successful military campaign to
reclaim the Promised Land. Each of the Twelve Tribes are free to
find a section of land to settle on. They are no longer forced to
wonder the desert as they did for forty years, but can finally build
homes and raise crops and livestock. With this new found freedom is
also a choice, as Joshua points out. Who are they going to serve?
Who will they worship? They can choose to serve the various pagan
gods that all the other people in that area choose to serve, or, they
can choose to serve the Lord, God. Joshua tells them, “As for me
and my household, we will serve the Lord”. Joshua makes a stand
and professes what he believes: that God is Lord of all. The rest
respond by agreeing to serve the Lord as well.</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
The Gospel
today brings us to the end of the Bread of Life Discourses. For the
past several weeks we have heard Jesus explaining that He is the
Bread of Life and that the way to eternal life is to eat His flesh
and drink his blood. Today the disciples begin to complain about how
hard this is to accept. Notice Jesus' response. Elsewhere in the
Gospels, when the disciples have difficulty with something Jesus
says, He responds by explaining to them what He means. This often
includes explaining all the symbolisms within the parables. But
here, He doesn't do that. He doesn't say, “Hey wait guys! I was
only speaking symbolically.” Instead, He actually reiterates what
He already said. “It
is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The
words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.” In other words,
He is saying that He has been speaking the truth: The bread of this
world only feeds you in this world. What you need for eternal life
is the Bread of Life. Jesus is that Bread of Life and so we must eat
His flesh and drink His blood.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Now the
disciples have a choice to make. Sadly, many of them leave: They
can't accept what Jesus is saying. The Twelve Apostles, however,
make a very strong profession of faith when Jesus turns to them.
“Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One
of God.” We are called to make this same profession of faith
whenever we come before this alter to receive the Most Holy
Eucharist.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Have you
ever thought about what the word AMEN really means? The simple
definition of the word tells us that it means “I believe”. When
we say it at the end of a prayer, we are saying that we believe the
words that we just said. We also say it in response to the priest or
deacon or extraordinary minister saying “The Body of Christ” or
“The Blood of Christ”. I have every so often run into well
meaning Catholics who, instead of saying “AMEN”, proclaim the
words “I believe” when they receive communion. As I said, they
mean well. I think their reasoning is that “I believe” holds
more meaning to them. Plus, both responses mean the same thing. But
when you take a moment and consider what it is that you are saying
“AMEN” to, you realize that it means so much than “I believe”.
It is much more accurate to say that it means, “I believe with all
my heart and soul that this truly is the Body and Blood of Our Lord,
Jesus Christ who died for me.” The Eucharist is the source and
summit of our faith. Shouldn't our response match that?</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Our faith
tradition is full of Eucharistic miracles and stories about the power
of the Eucharist. I would like to share one of them with you.
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, famous for teaching the faith on his TV
shows, was once asked by an interviewer who was his greatest
inspiration. People thought it might be the Pope or another bishop
or priest, but instead he said it was a Chinese girl.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Not long
after the communists took over China, soldiers came to a little
village, arrested the Catholic Priest in town, and locked him in the
rectory. The priest could only watch from his window as the soldiers
entered the church, breaking things. They even broke into the
Tabernacle and threw out the ciborium, scattering the Eucharist
across the floor. The priest knew there were exactly 32 hosts in the
Tabernacle. The soldiers left, but failed to notice a little girl
who had been praying in the back of the church and saw everything.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
That night,
the priest could see a small shadow moving towards the church. It
was the little girl who had managed to sneak past the guards. She
entered the church and spent an hour of adoration before the
Eucharist on the floor. After the hour, she bent down and picked up
one of the hosts with her tongue and consumed it (because lay people
weren't allowed to touch the Eucharist with their fingers). The
priest watched her do this each night for 31 nights. On the 32<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>nd</sup>
night, she came and prayed and consumed the last host. As she was
leaving, she made a noise that woke the sleeping guard. He chased
her down and killed her.
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"> Archbishop
Sheen said that after first hearing that story, he was inspired to
spend at least an hour of adoration before the Eucharist everyday.
That is how powerful and important the Eucharist truly is. We are
called to profess our belief in the Eucharist. May our AMEN not be
just another throwaway line that we say just to fit in, but let it
mean that you truly believe it and would lay down your life to prove
it.</span></div>
Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-71183894953098624342015-09-21T20:59:00.002-05:002015-09-21T20:59:24.987-05:00Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
<br />
<div class="western">
<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/080915.cfm">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/080915.cfm</a></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
I've noticed that the giving or serving of food
to another can be a great show of love and caring for that person.
Whether it is the preparing and serving of a meal or the offer of a
coffee or a pop or some sort of sweet during a friendly visit, the
food and/or beverage is being offered as a form of hospitality. When
we welcome someone into our home, we want them to feel welcomed. We
want them to feel some relaxation from their work and toil of the
day. Just as a hospital is meant to help a sick or injured person
get relief from their illness or injury, hospitality is meant to give
people relief from stress and worries. So the simple gesture of
offering food shows a level of love and caring.</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
When I was in college, one of my biggest joys was
going to the mail room on campus and seeing that I had received a
package. More often than not, the package was from home and that
usually meant a care package from Mom! Maybe some homemade cookies,
or some candies, or even some snacks for my dorm room. Sometimes,
even if Mom was just forwarding mail from home or sending me
something that I had forgotten on a recent trip home, I would still
find candy in the bottom of the box. It was a small gesture, but I
appreciated the love that was behind it. It doesn't take long at
college to figure out why they are called “care” packages.</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Our Christian faith believes very strongly in the
love and care that God has for His people. We can see this quite
clearly in Sacred Scripture. The words of our Catholic liturgies
also talk about the love of God and how we His people are giving
thanks for that love. After all, as you may recall, the word
Eucharist means “Thanksgiving”. We give thanks every time we
come before this altar.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
As a part of this love and care that God has for
all of us, He of course gives us what we need in order to be with Him
in His Kingdom. I'm not talking about a simple “care package”
that only tides us over for a little bit of time. I'm talking about
providing us with what we need to reach Heaven.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Today's Gospel reading continues with the Bread
of Life Discourses, in which Jesus declares Himself to be the Bread
of Life that has come down from Heaven. We Catholics see this
section of St. John's Gospel to be about the Most Holy Eucharist. In
fact, much of our theology of the Eucharist is taken from these
discourses.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
The Eucharist is very much connected with food.
This Sacrament was started at a meal, the Last Supper. It is bread
and wine that are brought forward to become the Body and Blood, and
still has the appearance of bread and wine. So it is not surprising
that the Eucharist is often compared to food that is needed for
survival. Just as earthly food is needed so that we can work and
play and have the strength we need do our part in this world, so the
Eucharist is necessary to strengthen our soul so that we can focus on
getting to Heaven. When a person is at the point of death, their
last Communion is often referred to as Viaticum. Viaticum is a
Latin term that translates to “Food for the Journey”. As the
body is dying, the soul is receiving the help it needs to make that
final part of the trip. Even before we are on our death bed,
however, the Eucharist is still a necessary part of our journey.</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
The First Reading today is about the prophet
Elijah. At this point in his story, Elijah is pretty much at his
wit's end. He has been working hard for God, and as a result he has
also made a few enemies along the way. One of those enemies is a
queen named Jezebel who wants him killed. So he goes into the desert
to hide, and has decided that it would be better to die of starvation
and dehydration than to continue living with this torment. God has
other pans though, and sends an angel to bring him food and water.
“Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you”.
After eating and drinking, Elijah walks forty days and forty nights
to Mount Horeb. Whenever there is a mountain in Scripture, it means
there is going to be a very intense and close interaction with God.
It is at Mount Horeb that Elijah is encouraged by God and is shown
how powerful and incredible God really is.</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
God wants to give us the food we need for our own
journey through the Eucharist. But He doesn't do it in quite the
same way that He does it for Elijah. He doesn't just give us the
food and then expects us to be well on our way. He does something
more special than that.</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
I was recently listening to the radio and I heard
a program with a Dominican Friar who pointed out something neat about
the prayers in the Roman Missal for today. In a little while, the
offerings of bread and wine will be brought to the altar and I will
say this prayer over them: “Be pleased, O Lord, to accept the
offerings of your Church, for in your mercy you have given them to be
offered and by your power you transform them into the mystery of our
salvation.” What this is saying is that God has given us the bread
and wine that we will use at this Mass. Yes, it was human hands that
made the bread and wine itself, but it was only through the mercy of
God that the wheat and the grapes were grown and harvested and
eventually made into those things. So God gave us the food, but now
we turn around and offer it back to Him in thanksgiving for these and
all that God has given us. Then, through God's power, He transforms
these gifts into the Eucharist, which we receive and once again give
praise and thanks to God for this. I hope that you see that there is
a constant back and forth between God and His Church. He gives us
something, we offer it back in thanks, He transforms it, we receive
it and then give praise to God as we come closer to Him through this
very intimate interaction. All of this so that we might come ever
closer to God in Heaven.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
God has shown us great love and care in giving us
the Eucharist. Let us receive it so that we might enter more fully
into His mystery and one day enter into His Kingdom.</div>
Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-89653988264954470062015-09-21T20:43:00.002-05:002015-09-21T20:43:52.491-05:00Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
<br />
<div class="western">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/080215.cfm"><span style="font-size: small;">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/080215.cfm</span></a></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">We learn
from a very early age that we all have five basic senses. One could
argue that there are other senses that we have that allow us to take
in the world around us (for example we have a sense of balance and a
sense of direction). However, it is the five basic senses of touch,
smell, hearing, sight, and taste that I want to focus on right now.
We are dependent on those senses for understanding everything that is
happening around us and what is happening to us. Even if one of
those senses of an individual is blocked or disabled in some way, the
other senses of that individual are often heightened to make up for
the loss of the one. I'm sure we have all noticed how small children
learn about many things simply by using as many of their senses as
they can. It is fascinating to watch a baby or a toddler explore his
or her world. They are constantly touching things and feeling with
their hands and face. They listen and smell and watch and everything
they can get their hands on will eventually end up in their mouth,
whether it is edible or not.
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western">
When you
think about it, our celebration of the Mass and the Sacraments
utilize these different senses to help us enter more fully into
worship. We smell the incense burning, the smoke of the candles, and
the perfume of the Sacred Chrism at Confirmations and Baptisms. We
hear the organ and other music, as well as the various prayers. This
includes the words of absolution after we confess our sins to a
priest. We see the colors of the vestments and altar cloths change
throughout the seasons. We see the expanse of flowers and
decorations at Christmas and Easter, and we see the stark simplicity
of the altar at Advent and Lent. We watch as a couple make their
vows and exchange rings, as water is poured on a baby's head, and as
the priest offers the holy sacrifice of the Mass. We might not
remember it, but we felt the water pour on our heads at Baptism and
the Chrism on our heads at Confirmation. We feel each other's hands
as we make the sign of peace and as we greet and say good bye. When
it comes to the Eucharist, we can feel the Body and Blood touch our
lips, and we taste them as well.</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Despite all
these sensory things going on in our liturgies, our senses are only
able to tell us so much. There is the spiritual side to all of this
as well. The Eucharist is a great example of this. We see, touch
and taste what looks, feels, and tastes like unleavened bread and
ordinary wine, yet our faith tells us that we are receiving the Body
and Blood of Jesus Christ. The Eucharist is so much more than
ordinary food. It has been given to us from Heaven, by God.</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Our first
reading comes from the Book of Exodus. The Israelites have passed
through the Red Sea, narrowly escaping Pharaoh's army. They are now
in the desert on the Sinai Peninsula and without food. They will
complain about water in the next chapter, but for now their concern
is food. So they complain to Moses and his brother Aaron (their
civil and spiritual leaders) that they would have rather have died in
Egypt with full bellies than to die of starvation in the desert. God
responds by giving quail in the evening and manna in morning. He
even adds a test for the people to see if they are paying attention:
each day they are only to collect as much as they need for each
household. For forty years, God provided this manna of the
Israelites until they finally made it into the Promised Land.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
For the
Jewish people, the manna was and still is a sign of God's loving
providence. It shows that God was looking out for the people and was
providing them with all that they needed. For us Christians we also
recognize it as a sign of God's providence, but we also see it as a
foreshadowing of an even bigger event that will take place several
thousand years later in the New Testament. I am talking about the
institution of the Most Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Today's
Gospel reading from the Gospel of John is also a foreshadowing of the
Eucharist. Last week we heard about the multiplication of the loaves
and fish. The people there were very excited about this miracle and
have now followed Jesus hoping to see more. Jesus tells them that
they should be looking for something much more important than a next
meal. The people then ask for a sign from Jesus so that they will
believe in Him. They witnessed the miracle with the loaves and fish,
but they want to make sure it wasn't just a coincidence or a fluke.
They want to see Jesus do one more sign or miracle before they make
their last leap of faith and continue to follow Him. The people
reference the same sign that we just read about from Exodus. “He
gave them bread from heaven to eat”. Jesus then explains that this
bread from heaven was given to the Israelites by God, and brings life
to the world. He then says the line that will be our refrain for the
next several weeks: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me
will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst”.
Jesus is the bread of life; the bread of life is the Eucharist; the
Eucharist is Jesus.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
We Catholics
believe in what is called Transubstantiation. The word means “to
change substance” and it is the reason we can say that the
Eucharist is truly Jesus even though it still looks, feels and tastes
like bread and wine. The substance of a thing is what it actually
is, as opposed to it's physical characteristics. As I said at the
beginning we can tell what something is by our senses taking in it's
physical characteristics. We can tell that something is a building
or a tree or a person by looking, and touching, <i>et
cetera</i><span style="font-style: normal;">.
During the Eucharistic prayer, the physical characteristics of the
bread and wine on the altar stay the same, but the substance changes.
It is no longer bread and wine, but the Body and Blood of Jesus. It
is not longer just ordinary bread, but the Bread of Life that has
come to bring life to the world. </span>
</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> Our
senses can tell us a lot about the world, but we need our faith to
understand the spiritual. God has given us a great spiritual gift in
giving us Eucharist. Let us continue our worship in thanksgiving for
that gift.</span></div>
Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-22417542607637687612015-09-21T20:41:00.000-05:002015-09-21T20:41:18.365-05:00Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
<br />
<div class="western">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072615.cfm"><span style="font-size: small;">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072615.cfm</span></a></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">When I was a
child, it was always a special treat when I could go to a local
arcade gallery and have some fun playing the games. My trips to the
arcade weren't all that frequent, and I never got that good at any of
the games, but I still had fun when I could go. When I got to the
arcade, I would of course beg my mother for some money so that I
could play. I can't remember how much my mom normally gave me, but
I'm sure I asked for more on occasion. I doubt I was ever successful
at getting more, but I'm sure I asked. Since this arcade didn't take
regular quarters, I needed to take the money to a token machine to
change it into arcade tokens. It was probably 25 cents per token.
So if you put in $5, it would count out 20 tokens. I don't know
where I got this idea from, but I remember being convinced that there
was a secret way to trick the machine into giving you more tokens
than you had paid for. For some reason I thought that if I put the
money in the machine a special way (like at an angle), or if I hit
the machine just right, or perhaps if I didn't touch it at all and
stood back a bit, the machine might make an error in my favor and
give me some extra tokens. I was hoping for some extra play time.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Looking back
I realize now how silly I was. I obviously had no idea how this
machine worked. The machine was designed to only give as many tokens
as had been paid for. I could hold my breath and stand on one leg
with my arms flapping like a bird for all it cared, it wasn't going
to give me extra tokens. But I sure wanted them.</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
I think we
can all relate to times when we knew that we had received enough of
something, but it would be fun if we had more. I'm not talking about
greed or gluttony where we are obsessed with getting more and more.
I'm talking about those thoughts we have when we think it would be
neat to have a little extra. Like when you are at a restaurant and
you hope for a nice large portion of your favorite food, or you hope
for a little extra ice-cream with your dessert. I love it when I
travel by airplane and I ask for a coke and instead of only giving me
that small glass they give me the whole can! It's a small thing, but
I feel like I won the jackpot!</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Our Readings
for today talk about God's loving and giving nature. Not only does
He give us what we need, but He also gives us much more than we
expect. We see this first in the Second Book of Kings with the
prophet Elisha. A man brings twenty barley loaves made from the
first fruits of grain. This is made from the first barley grains
that had been harvested for that season. Farmers would traditionally
give the first fruits of their harvest as a sacrificial gift to God
as a way of giving thanks for a successful harvest. When you think
about it, it is a very humbling gesture, giving back to God what is
truly His. After all, He is the one who gave us the plants and
animals and food to eat. In the same way, the first born son was
often consecrated to God by the parents as a way of acknowledging
that the gift of birth and offspring is from God. This man is giving
these loaves, made from the first fruits, to God by handing them over
to the prophet. God then tells the prophet what to do with the
loaves: “Give it to the people to eat”. We are talking about
giving twenty small loaves (about the size of a dinner roll) to
around a hundred people. Of course the servant objects, pointing out
that this will be impossible. Elisha simply repeats the command and
gives the prophecy, “They shall eat and there shall be some left
over”. And the prophecy comes true.</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Now, it is
important for us to understand that the typical Jewish believer of
Jesus' day knew the stories of the Old Testament like the back of
their hand. So when we come to the Gospel for today and hear this
story about an even larger crowd of over five thousand being fed with
an even smaller amount of food of only five loaves and two fish, we
can be assured that the Apostles and all those who were present there
knew the story of Elisha and the barley loaves very well. As the
people watched the miracle of the multiplication unfold before their
eyes they would have noticed the connection with the Old Testament
story very quickly. They would have quickly seen that Jesus was
acting in much the same way as Elisha did hundreds of years before.
We even see at the end of the Gospel that the people got so excited
that they even tried to carry Jesus off to make Him king. They knew
that God was doing something special for them, something well beyond
a simple meal.</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
This story
begins a section of St. John's Gospel called the “Bread of Life
Discourse”. We will see next week that the people will be so
excited about this miracle that they will follow Him, asking for
another miracle and another meal. Jesus will be explaining for the
next several weeks, that the people are not looking for regular
bread, but the bread that gives eternal life: the Eucharist.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Even with
just this Gospel story alone, we can see that Jesus is doing so much
more than just giving a meal. Elisha is giving more than just a
meal. In both cases, God could have simply given just enough food to
get them to the next town where they could buy their own food. Or He
could have produced just enough for them to be satisfied for that
day. Instead, in both cases, He gives them what they need, plus a
whole lot more. Twelve wicker baskets full of leftovers in the
Gospel. That's a lot more than a couple extra tokens at an arcade.
And that's just on the surface of these stories. Imagine what God
can do for us spiritually, if we just ask.
</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"> Jesus gives
Himself to us each and every day, but especially when ever we come to
Him in the Church and in the Eucharist. When we receive Christ we
receive not just what we want or need, but so much more. Let us come
before Christ, ready to receive.</span></div>
Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-27160489989609313132015-07-20T22:23:00.000-05:002015-07-20T22:23:18.522-05:00Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/071915.cfm">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/071915.cfm</a><br />
<br /><br />
We all are
attracted to something, though it doesn't take long to notice that
what we are attracted to varies greatly from person to person. As
human persons, what we truly want is to be happy; we want to be
filled with joy. It should not come as a surprise, therefore, that
what we are often attracted to are the things that we perceive will
bring us happiness.
<br />
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
Very often
we think we will find happiness if we own that one thing. We listen
to those infomercials on TV that promise us immense satisfaction if
we call now and buy their product. Have you ever noticed that when
they start out these advertisements, they always show some goof ball
who clearly has no idea what he or she is doing? A voice comes on
and asks, “Are you tired of having to struggle with your old garden
hose?” (or whatever it is they're selling). The person is usually
making a mess or causing themselves pain and frustration of epic
proportions. In this case maybe the old garden hose is tangled and
water is getting everywhere except where you need it. Then the voice
comes back as says, “Then you need to try the new 'Water-matic
Three-thousand'”, or some other snazzy sounding name. Whereas the
old product shows the users being frustrated and grimacing as they
struggle with their chores, the new product shows a new set of people
who are smiling and are clearly enjoying using the new Water-matic
Three-thousand, or whatever it is. The voice continues to describe
why their product is so much better than anything you may have used
before. The price is even kept at rock bottom low, plus the
obligatory “$9.95 shipping and handling”. And what infomercial
would be complete without hearing the words, “But wait, there's
more! Call know and receive a handy book light with every order”.
</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
The makers
of those products and infomercials want us to believe that buying
certain things will bring us the happiness that we want. They want
us to be attracted to those things. Even our society tries to tell
us that the more we have the more we will be happy. The truth is,
certain things may bring us happiness for awhile, but there is no
guarantee that it will last forever. No one ever said that life was
fair, and we all know from experience that it isn't always happy
either. There is something more important than material things that
we should be attracted to.
</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
We can also
be attracted to people of course. TV shows and movies often give the
impression that if we find the right friend or the right boyfriend or
girlfriend, or the right spouse we will find all the happiness that
we hope for in life. It is true that close family members and
friends can bring us many wonderful hours of laughter, happiness and
companionship throughout life. They offer support and consolation in
difficult times as well. However, anyone who has been married could
probably regale us with stories of times when marriage wasn't exactly
the fairytale that some make it out to be. We believe that God
blesses spouses in a special way on their wedding day, but even with
those blessings there are still fights and anger and frustration.
Attraction to another human being, whether in or out of marriage does
not bring perfect joy.</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
The answer,
as you probably all expected, is with God. Sacred Scripture shows us
that our perfect joy can only be found in our relationship with God.
It is He who we are attracted to. All other attractions that we find
on earth, like material things and people, are only attractive to us
because we think they will fulfill our desire to be happy. They only
fulfill it for a limited amount of time, however. God can fulfill it
for eternity.</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
In Mark's
Gospel today, we hear a continuation from last week's Gospel is which
the Twelve Apostles are sent out two by two to preach repentance and
drive out demons. Now they have returned and are amazed at what they
were able to accomplish. Jesus knows what they need and invites them
to go to deserted place to rest. He knows that after preaching and
casting out demons they needed some time alone with God. It's not
unlike how we are invited back to this place of prayer each week
after spending time being a witness to Christ to all we meet. As
they go to this little mini retreat, many others come as well and
arrive before them. Why do all these people want to come to a
deserted place? Why did the Twelve want to go off with Jesus in the
boat? Why do we wish to spend our free time on a perfectly good
weekend in church? Because we are attracted to God. We are drawn
towards Him and want to be with Him. Even some of the people who
come to Jesus in the Gospel today may have been complete strangers to
Christ. He responds by having pity on them and begins to teach them.
</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
St. Paul
talks in His Letter to the Ephesians about how those who were once
far off have now “become near because of the blood of Christ”.
In other words, Christ has brought us together through His blood. It
is through His blood that we are redeemed and so we desire to be with
Christ, the Son of God. We are attracted to God.</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
It is all
good and well for me to say that we should all keep our focus and
attention on God. Deep down I think we all know this already. The
difficulty is in the distractions. I'm talking about all those
material things and the relationships that I was talking about before
that we think will make us happy. All those who try to get us to pay
more attention to those things (to focus on buying more stuff and to
worry about relationships) are not unlike the shepherds that the
Prophet Jeremiah warns us about in the first reading. These false
shepherds try to lure people away from God for their own profit, just
as many today try to lure us into buying products and relationship
help all for their profit as well. But as Jeremiah says, one will
come who will help us and give us what we truly need, like a good
shepherd. Christ will lead us to the Father. There we will find our
true joy.</div>
<br />Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-34893275251612545602015-07-04T18:18:00.001-05:002015-07-04T18:18:47.705-05:00Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/070515.cfm">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/070515.cfm</a><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We all have
difficulties and challenges that we must face during our lifetime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The temptation for us is to look at these
difficulties with a degree of annoyance, frustration, or even anger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We use them as excuses to complain and to
wallow in our self-pity about how hard we have it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They can cause us to take our frustrations
out on family and friends and those around us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We might even blame God for causing these difficulties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sacred Scripture encourages us to look at
these hardships in another light, however; to see them as opportunities to grow
in holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes God allows us to
go through difficulties and even sufferings to help us get ready for something
bigger that will happen later in our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Maybe God just wants to get us ready for Heaven in some way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our Christian tradition often refers to this
as redemptive suffering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Granted, anyone
who has suffered will tell you that it is hard to see any redemptive qualities
when a person is in the midst of suffering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But I hope that we can all realize that God can still work miracles even
in the midst of our sufferings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Our second
reading today gives us a passage from <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">St.
Paul</st1:place></st1:city>’s Second Letter to the Corinthians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul explains that in order to keep him from
becoming too prideful because of all the wondrous things that had happened to
him, he was given what he calls “a thorn in the flesh…an angel of Satan”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, scholars are still debating about what
this “thorn in the flesh” was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some have
argued that it was a literal physical pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps it was a chronic pain that would have made it hard to focus on
what he needed to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others say it was
a spiritual affliction, pointing to the part about the angel of Satan beating
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Satan would have loved to stop the
Apostle’s mission to preach the Gospel to all the nations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some maintain that it was more of a
psychological ailment, that Paul’s mind was causing the pain and/or the
distractions that he was experiencing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Still others say that it was combination of these three or that the
thorn and the angel are all metaphorical and that some other outside source was
causing these challenges to Paul.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Paul says that
he prayed to Jesus about this and asked Him three different times to take away
this thorn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whatever the difficulty or
suffering this thorn caused Paul, Jesus refuses to take it away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He tells Paul, “My grace is sufficient for
you, for power is made perfect in weakness”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus is reminding Paul that he is only human and that this human nature
is prone to weakness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that’s okay,
Jesus is explaining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is offering Paul
grace which is able to work through Paul’s human weakness and help him to
complete what he needs to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">St. Paul</st1:place></st1:city>’s sufferings
helped him to do the hard work he did in his life and ultimately helped him to
grow in holiness and to enter into Heaven.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Many times in
life we experience some sort of struggle or difficulty, but later on we see how
that experience got us ready for something bigger later on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Training for a sport or a race is a great
example of this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can't just do a
couple of sprints up and down your driveway and hope to be ready to do
Grandma's <st1:place w:st="on">Marathon</st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometime the training can be even more
excruciating than the actual event.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>The
last time the Olympic Games were held, I heard an interesting story about Gold
Medalist Swimmer, Michael Phelps and his coach, Bob Bowman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seeing that he had a terrific athlete on his
hands, Bowman did everything he could to push Phelps to his limits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wanted to prepare Phelps for any struggles
or challenges that he might have to face during a race in the pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once when Phelps was at a national meet, he
forgot his goggles before a race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bowman
noticed what had happened, but instead of running the goggles out to Phelps, he
decided to hold on to them and find out what he could do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Phelps went ahead and swam without his
goggles and won the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This later
proved to be great training for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
the Games in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Beijing</st1:place></st1:city>,
Phelps was swimming in a race when suddenly his goggles filled up with
water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because he had experienced this
before, however, he knew precisely what he needed to do to adjust to swimming
blind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only did he win the race, but
he set a new world record. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Just as a
trainer or a coach will put an athlete through rigorous training to help him or
her get ready for the big game or race, so also God will at times put us in
situations that will challenge us in some way to help us grow in holiness and
faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe He gives us a small
challenge to get us ready for a bigger challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps He is challenging us to pray more and
to understand what He does for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The prophet
Ezekiel talks today about how God called him to be a prophet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God told him that he would be sent to the
Israelites, that rebellious house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is
warning the prophet that this mission, or assignment, will not be easy but a
great challenge for the young man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">St. Paul</st1:place></st1:city> a few centuries
later, Ezekiel will have to learn to trust the God's grace is sufficient for
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is helping both the Apostle and
the prophet to grow in holiness through these challenges.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Gospel
continues on these same lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus, as
the Son of God, doesn't need any help in order to grow in holiness obviously,
but the Father still sends Him into challenging situations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of helping Christ, however, these
situations help us as we work at following the footsteps of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus Christ is Lord of lords and King of
kings, yet we see in this Gospel that He can't convince people from His own
hometown to listen to Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact we
are told that He can't even perform any righteous deed there because of their
lack of faith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We too are
going to experience hardships, challenges, and difficulties, as I have been
saying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like Jesus and Ezekiel, we may
encounter people who don't want to listen to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Church is experiencing this a lot lately
with people not wanting to hear our stance on life, and human dignity, and
marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That might be our thorn in the
flesh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But know that despite these
challenges, Christ is with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As He
told Paul, His grace is sufficient.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fear
not, it will lead us to holiness.</span></div>
Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-23014105934370748092015-06-30T22:44:00.000-05:002015-06-30T22:44:35.172-05:00Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/062815.cfm">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/062815.cfm</a><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Everything has
an intended purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some things might
have a wide variety of uses, but everything has at least one purpose that it
was intended to be used for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve
noticed that it can make for good, clean comedy when a character in a movie
uses an object for something other than its intended purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe she uses a dinner fork to comb her hair
as the other characters look on in surprise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Or a crazy doctor uses a chainsaw for surgery with a large hammer for
anesthesia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>These are all
humorous examples of misusing things, but I’m sure we can all think of examples
where using a tool or other object correctly is important for safety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember being in middle school shop class
and hearing multiple times each day to be safe and to use the correct tool in
the correct way for the correct job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of
course, these are all very important reminders for a room full of teenagers
surrounded by electric tools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I
learned those lectures on being safe so well, that I actually became afraid to
use many of the tools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After hearing all
the things that could possibly go wrong with a band saw or a spinning lathe, I
had no desire to be near those things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
had to slowly build up my confidence until I finally felt confident using them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Our readings
today bring up an important point for us to remember:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God made us to be imperishable; to have
everlasting life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our purpose, from the
very day of creation, has been to live with God for eternity in Heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Book of Wisdom is very clear on
this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“God formed man to be
imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are made in the image and likeness of God,
as we are told in the Book of Genesis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That means that we have an intellect and a will and an imperishable
soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are also told that death was not
an original part of God's plan for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“By the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong
to his company experience it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just to
be clear, we are not talking about the physical death of the body that we all
have to go through at some time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
writer of the Book of Wisdom is not saying that we are supposed to have
immortal bodies or that our own physical body isn't going to die at some
point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, we are talking about a
spiritual life versus a spiritual death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As I said before,
God wanted us to have everlasting life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The devil, or Lucifer, was envious, as the Scripture tells us,
however.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lucifer mean light bearer, and
he thought he was the prettiest angel and the greatest thing that God
created.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then he found out that God
created us, and that He made us in His own image.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God was very pleased, but the devil was
envious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The devil and his angels fell
from Heaven and death entered into the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He offers us many temptations and other gifts of pleasure to try to lure
us away from our God given right to everlasting life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One of the
biggest temptations that the devil puts in our way is the lie that there is no
such thing as everlasting life and that once we die then that's the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We might not hear this lie spoken in quite
that way or quite that bluntly, but we can see it all that time in
advertisements and TV shows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They make
it seem like we only have this one life and that we have to have the most fun
before we die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The focus is on death and
that we should live out our lives having fun and not worrying about what comes
later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's very popular right now to
have a “bucket list”: it's supposed to be a list of all the things that a
person wants to do before they “kick the bucket”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have one of those lists, that's
fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'm happy for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I think they're so morbid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The focus is again on death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What earthly riches and fading glory can I
gain before I die?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of these bucket
list things might be fun, but the happiness from that fun is going to pale in comparison
to the joy that we will experience in everlasting life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You want to know what's on my buck list?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have one thing and that is to go to Heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to live my life here on Earth so that
I am worthy of life everlasting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
should be our goal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Our Gospel
today gives us a story to help us reflect on this very topic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hear the story of the curing of Jairus'
daughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story is interrupted
briefly by the story of the woman with the hemorrhages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The important thing for us to understand
about Jairus and this unnamed woman is that both of them have run out of
options.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have tried everything
else, and now they are coming before Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The woman, we are told, has been afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has gone to many doctors for
a cure and yet her symptoms have only grown worse and she continues to
suffer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For Jairus, we don't know how
long his daughter may have suffered before this point, but now she is at the
point of death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being a synagogue
official, he no doubt could have afforded to have a doctor or two try to help
his daughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On top of all that, as he
is bringing Jesus back to his house, he is told of his daughter's death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite these difficulties, both the woman
and the man come before Christ as their last hope.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A cynical look
at these two stories might claim that they were there only because they had
nothing left to loose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On might say this
is just one last desperate attempt at a cure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our Christian faith tells us differently, however.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They seek Christ because they have faith in
Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They know that there is more to
life than just completing a few goals here on earth and then you die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They know that they have an everlasting soul
that makes them imperishable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knowing
this, they are able to hand themselves over to Christ completely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The woman reaches through the crowd just to
touch his clothes, knowing that will be enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jairus pleads with Jesus to heal his daughter and still brings him to
his house when he hears the bad news, knowing that he will make the
difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Have faith,
brothers and sisters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our purpose is not
to just live for awhile and then die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>God has made us imperishable so that we may live for ever with Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is our purpose.</span></div>
Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-2934020585133525082015-06-22T21:35:00.000-05:002015-06-22T21:35:15.105-05:00Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/062115.cfm">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/062115.cfm</a><br />
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
The readings
today give very clear images of the immense power that is behind
storms and water and wind. This is especially true when all three
are combined when we experience a storm over a large body of water.
Even though we live in the Midwest, a far distance from the closest
ocean, I think it is safe to say that we know something of the power
of wind and water. We have all witnessed, I'm sure, what happens
when the wind picks up over that rather large lake at the bottom of
the hill. We have seen the waves crashing on the rocks down at the
canal and even felt the bite of the wind as it whips across the lake
in the winter time. We have all heard or read stories about the
shipwrecks on Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes and have heard
Gorden Lightfoot sing of the tragedy of the “Wreck of the Edmund
Fitzgerald”. I've seen what happens when a storm comes up on a
small lake, so I am glad I have not experienced that on the big lake.</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
It doesn't
even have to be a storm for us to experience this raw power of water.
In the summer of 2012, many people in this area were victims of
flooding and saw first hand the damage that water can bring. Every
few weeks the TV news channels show us a new natural disaster that
has taken place in the world, usually involving water. Whether it is
flooding, mudslides, or tsunamis, water is able to bring destruction
just as easily as it brings life to plants and animals. We have even
seen that when a tropical storm or hurricane makes landfall,
sometimes the greatest threat isn't the storm itself but the massive
storm surge that comes with it. Huge waves come crashing in,
flooding communities, causing damage, and taking human lives.
</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
When it
comes to water and wind and storms and other natural forces, there is
really only so much that we can do. We can damn up rivers and
control the water level in certain bodies of water. We can construct
buildings that can better withstand the forces of nature. We can
even predict the weather more accurately than ever before so that we
can warn communities of possible danger. However, when the storms
come, the waves crash, the wind blows and all of nature seems to rear
its ugly head, all we can really hope to do is to try to stay out of
danger. Only God can set the limits of the water and control the
winds and the storms. God alone has the power to create such things
and the power to set them according to His will.</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
In the first
reading from the Book of Job, God speaks to Job from a storm while
describing the creation of the seas. Perhaps Job was watching a
storm rage on the Mediterranean Sea as God described how He formed
the mighty waters and put them in their place. At this point in the
story of Job, God is proving to Job that He, the Lord, is the one who
is all just and all knowing and all powerful.
</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
God starts
out his speech by speaking from a storm. Many times is the Old
Testament (but not always) God is depicted as speaking from a storm
cloud. Perhaps the Old Testament writers wanted to illustrate God's
power. Not only is the storm strong and powerful, but God is so
powerful that He can create a storm through which He is able to speak
to the main character in the story; Job is this case.
</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
God goes on
to describe the creation of the sea. He uses the imagery of the
birth of a child to talk about forming the sea. Just as a birth is a
new creation and a gift from God, so also the waters were given to us
by the power of God. They “burst forth from the womb”, were
given clouds as garments and thick darkness as swaddling bands. But
God didn't just create the waters to be its own little place of chaos
on earth either. He gave it limits, as He goes on to explain to Job.
The image is used of doors being put is place and barred and the sea
being told to come no further. This is of course all figurative
speech to talk about the formation of the sea and the land in
creation. It also clearly shows that God is the one who is in
charge.</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
The Gospel
for today relates the well known story of the calming of the storm.
This takes place on the Sea of Galilee. Now, they call it a sea in
Israel, but it is what we would call a fresh water lake. It is
nowhere near the size of Lake Superior, but it is still large: about
64 square miles in size. That is about the size Lake Vermilion, but
without so many islands and bays. The lake is also surrounded by
mountains and hills that give the surrounding land a bit of a bowl
shape. This shape really seems to help storms come in and allow
winds to churn up the water and produce bad conditions on the water.
That seems to be what happens for the Apostles and Jesus on the boat
that day.</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
It seems
that Jesus wants to point out two important facts with what happens
here. One is that God is all powerful and able to control the sea
and the wind and the storm and that as the Son of God He has that
power as well. The other fact is that because God is all powerful,
we need to have faith. Faith is what allows us to stay connected
with God. Faith is what allows us to trust that God will be there
for us, even when the forces of nature seem unbearable. If the
Apostles had truly understood who was with them in the boat, if they
would have had faith in who He is, they would have know that He would
not allow them to perish, even while He was asleep.
</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
We too are
called to have trust and faith in Jesus and in the Father. We know
from the stories we just heard and from all that we have learned
about God, that He will be there for us to protect us. We should not
let fear overwhelm us, but instead allow ourselves to put our
complete faith in Him. We do this by continuing to pray, to follow
His commandments, and by worshiping Him alone. Let us have faith in
our all powerful God!</div>
<br />Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-60538797947875306172015-06-16T15:10:00.000-05:002015-06-16T15:10:09.679-05:00Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/061415.cfm">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/061415.cfm</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There is a folk
story that I once heard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that it
has been retold and edited over the years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The story is about three trees that grew on a mountain overlooking a village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first wished that one day it would be
made into a treasure chest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be
a finely crafted chest, decorated with gold and jewels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Inside it would hold the most expensive
treasures the world had ever seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
second tree wished to be made into a large ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This grand ship would sail the mighty oceans
and travel to distant lands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would
carry kings and queens and other royalty to wherever they wished to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The third tree, however, did not wish to be
made into anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It simply wanted to
continue to grow on the top of the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It wanted to grow straight and tall until it became the tallest tree in
the land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When people would look at the
tree, they would see that it pointed directly to Heaven and to God and they
would marvel at what God had done.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Many years
past and the trees continued to grow straight and tall on the mountain
top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One day, three men came up the
mountain and chopped the three trees down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The first tree was taken to a carpenter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It thought that it would finally be made into the finely crafted
treasure chest that it had dreamed about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Instead, the carpenter fashioned its wood into a simple feeding
trough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was taken to a barn and filled
with straw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Various farm animals would
come and eat from it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second tree
was taken to a shipbuilder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tree
thought that it would be made into the grand ship that it had dreamed
about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, the shipbuilder made its
wood into a simple fishing boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The boat
was taken to a lake and its only passengers were fishermen and piles of fish.
The third tree was deeply saddened that it had been cut down and could not
continue to grow as it had dreamed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was made into large timbers and were stacked in a storage room and left there.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>More years
past, and the three trees had nearly forgotten about their dreams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One evening, a man and his young wife showed
up at the barn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was really nothing
more than a cave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had nowhere else
to stay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The woman gave birth to a son,
and with no crib available, she laid him in the trough made from the first
tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As night fell, the light from a
single star shown on the manger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
first tree realized it was holding the greatest treasure the world had ever
known.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Many years
later, a man and his twelve friends came to the lake and got into the boat made
from the second tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As they crossed
the lake the man fell asleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon a
storm began to rage on the lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The boat
was tossed and jostled by the fierce waves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The second tree knew that it had not been made to handle such bad weather
and that it would soon sink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just then
the man awoke and rebuked the storm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
wind and the water became calm in an instant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As it reached the opposite shore, the second tree realized that it had
just carried the King of kings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Not long
after this, on a Friday, some men came and took the timbers that were from the
third tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They fastened the timbers
together and forced a man to carry the wood through the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The man was beaten, whipped, cursed and
insulted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tree was in anguish that
this man was treated in this way, but could do nothing about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After dragging the heavy timbers through the
city, the man was cruelly nailed to the wood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Others walked by and looked upon the man as he hung on the blood soaked
wood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tree could not understand why
it was used for such a cruel act.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
man died and was taken down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Sunday
morning, the man rose from the dead, triumphant!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tree realized that the Cross that it had
been made into would no longer be a symbol of death, but a sign that would
point tall and straight to Heaven and to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All those who would look upon it would worship God for what He had
done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a sense, the tree had become
the tallest tree after all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sometimes
we dream big dreams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether we are
young or old, we hope to do something great, but things do not always turn out
the way we hoped they would.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Circumstances change or reality hits and we realize that we aren't able
to do what we thought we could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sometimes what we do become seems too small or too insignificant to do
things we hoped to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We might not even
feel fully equipped to take care of all that life happens to throw at us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trees all had big dreams, but when they
become a trough, a boat, and a couple of timbers they thought they were far too
insignificant to accomplish anything of importance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>God,
however, is able to work through all of that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even though we are unable to accomplish all our lofty goals and
ambitions; even though we might feel small and insignificant compared to those
lofty dreams we once had; God is able take us in our smallness and form us into
the proper instrument that He can use to accomplish great things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through God's work, we are able to be a part
of something we never would have considered otherwise.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Our first
reading today from the Prophet Ezekiel talks about how God will take a tender
shoot from the top of a cedar tree and will plant it on a mountain in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cedar trees were considered very tall and
majestic trees in that part of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A tender shoot would seem quite insignificant compared to a fully grown
tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But God describes how He will
plant the shoot on a mountain and will take care of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tree will grow large branches and bear
fruit and all kinds of birds will nest and find shade in its branches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The prophet sums all of this up by saying
that God will make great whatever has been lowly.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Gospel
of Mark continues on this line of thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The mustard seed is perhaps the lowliest of seeds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are barely the size of a period in a
book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But God is able to make it grow
into a large shrub that is home to many birds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If God can
take small seeds and shoots and make them into great plants, how much more will
God be able to work wonders in any of us despite our shortcomings?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trust in God's plan for you. </div>
Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-7436803376817922752015-06-01T21:43:00.002-05:002015-06-01T21:43:49.916-05:00The Most Holy Trinity<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/053115.cfm">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/053115.cfm</a><br />
<br /><br />
<br /><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> There
is a very old phrase that we have all heard before: “You can’t
give what you do not have”. When we look at that saying in a
literal application, it makes perfect sense. If we go to the grocery
store and ask the person at the meat counter for some pork chops and
they’re actually our of pork chops, they’re obviously not going
to be able to give us what they don’t have. The phrase can also
refer to the passing on of knowledge since we can’t teach what we
do not know.
</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
A
couple decades ago (I think I was in junior high at the time) I went
with my mom and sister to the Minnesota Zoo. We decided to go to an
outdoor program that they were doing that featured various birds that
were kept at the zoo. The presenter and several assistants brought
out several different birds and told us about them. At one point a
parrot was brought out, one of those that is able to mimic human
voices so that it sounds like it’s talking. The presenter then
asked for a volunteer from the audience. He added, “Someone who is
very good at math”. A young boy was picked and he came onto the
stage. The presenter told him that this parrot is also very good at
math and that they are now going to have a competition to see who is
better. The presenter would give a basic math problem and they would
see who would answer first, the boy or the parrot.
</div>
<br /><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
presenter said, “Okay, we’ll do addition first: What’s one plus
three?” Immediately the parrot said, “Four”. Everyone laughed
as the boy looked confused at what had just happened. The presenter
just grinned and said, “It’s quick!” He made sure the boy was
ready and then said, “Okay let’s try subtraction. What’s seven
minus three?” “Four!” the parrot quickly said. Again this poor
child stood there amazed that this parrot was beating him. The
presenter then tried division. He said, “What’s twelve divided
by three?” “Four”. This time the boy tried to say it first,
but the parrot was still faster. The boy was clearly starting to get
frustrated with the bird. Finally the presenter said, “Okay, this
is the last one. This will be multiplication. What’s two times
two?” This time the boy quickly yelled, “Four!” but the parrot
remained strangely quiet. The boy, along with all of us in the
audience, was surprised by the silence.
</div>
<br /><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
presenter then explained: the parrot didn’t actually know math or
even recognize numbers. It had been trained to say “four”
whenever it heard a human say “three”. All but the final math
problem had ended with the number three and so the bird said, “Four”
just as it was trained to do. The last problem didn’t have a three
so it remained quiet. The presenter also explained that the parrot
responded to words that sounded like “three” as well. He said to
the parrot, “What do you say when you hit a golf ball over a tree?”
“Four!” Obviously the bird made for a very funny show.
</div>
<br /><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I
bring this story up to help illustrate my point that we can’t teach
what we don’t know or give what we don’t have. That parrot at
first sounded like it was a regular math wiz. We didn’t find out
until later that it actually didn’t know any math, or numbers for
the matter. It didn’t even know what it was saying; it was just
mimicking the voice of a trainer. It never hung out with other
parrots and taught them numbers or how to do addition or
multiplication. “Hey, let me teach you this cool trick. We’re
never going to have to beg for crackers again”. You can’t pass
on what you don’t actually have.</div>
<br /><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
When
we look at this idea of giving what we have, we can also apply it to
relationships. For instance, if we never experienced what it means
to have a friend, how could we be expected to be a friend to someone
else? If a child was never taught what it means to be loved by his
or her parents, how can he or she ever learn to love?
</div>
<br /><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Today
we celebrate Trinity Sunday. It is a special feast day, inviting us
to consider the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. We believe that
the God who created us and redeemed us and sanctifies us is one God
in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that God
the Father, out of His immense love for all of us, sent His Son,
Jesus Christ, to die for our sake and to rise again to new life.
After the Son Ascended, the Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit
to come upon the Church and be our Advocate. We believe the Spirit
teaches us what to say and blesses us to bring us ever closer to
holiness.
</div>
<br /><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The
Father and the Son love each other, as a father and a son should.
From this perfect love comes the Holy Spirit, which the Church has
long referred to as the Spirit of Love. Therefore, when we receive
the Holy Spirit at Baptism, Confirmation, and the other Sacraments we
receive those special blessings and that special love of God. We
ourselves learn how to love.</div>
<br /><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
St.
Paul, in his Letter to the Romans, talks about the special
relationship that we all share with the Holy Trinity. When we
receive the Holy Spirit and allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit
we become sons and daughters of God. We receive a Spirit of adoption
that allows us to truly call God “Abba”, which translates as
“Daddy”. And since we are the true sons and daughters of God, we
are truly “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ”. We have a
special relationship with each person of the Trinity.</div>
<br /><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
So
what do we do with this? We are called to pass it on, so to speak.
When Jesus Christ appeared before the Eleven Apostles after His
Resurrection, He told them, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit”. He sent out the Eleven and now He
sends all of us out to spread the love of God to all peoples.
</div>
<br /><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
We
can’t give what we do not have. Know, therefore, that we have been
given a very special relationship with God. Let us go out, sharing
what we know of the love of our Triune God. Let us bring others
closer to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.</div>
<br />Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-33859752017614442732015-06-01T21:36:00.002-05:002015-06-01T21:36:55.797-05:00Pentecost Sunday<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/052415.cfm">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/052415.cfm</a><br />
<br /><br />
<em>Please note: My homily for Pentecost Sunday makes reference to readings from both the Vigil Mass and the Mass of the day. Therefore the link above directs you to both sets of readings.</em><br />
<em><br /></em><br />
<br /><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Imagine,
if you will, a time when you were made speechless because of what was
happening around you. It may be because you saw something so amazing
or perhaps so beautiful that you were at a loss for words. Something
might have also surprised you or perhaps even frightened you into
being speechless, though I hope it wasn't the latter. We get into
situations sometimes where we just can't find the proper words. We
don't know how to describe how we are feeling right at the moment,
nor can we explain any better later on.
</div>
<br /><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I
had an experience like that when I had the amazing opportunity to go
to the Holy Land three years ago. One of the places that we visited
was the room that tradition says is the Upper Room where Jesus met
with His disciples for the Last Supper. Tradition also says that
this was the room where the Apostles were gathered when the Holy
Spirit came upon them at Pentecost. I believe I have described being
there before in a homily, but please allow me the chance to describe
it once again.
</div>
<br /><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The
room itself is not all that spectacular; in fact it is really quite
simple. There are several Gothic style arches around the room, held
up by some Roman style columns. Most, if not all of the columns and
arches are not original to the place, but were probably added by the
crusaders who made it into church. And it would have been a small
church at that, as the room is smaller than most parish churches.
There is very little color in the room: mostly gray, white, and brown
colored stones and the white of plaster on the walls and ceiling.
Sometime in the 15<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup>
Century, the Muslims took over that place and made it into a mosque.
They installed a stained glass window that is often found in mosques
with blue and green and words in Arabic.
</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I
mention all of this to explain that with all the changes and
remodeling that have happened to this room, there is really nothing
left in the room to suggest that anything special or that any
miracles took place there. If it weren't for our tour guide telling
us where we were, we could have easily passed through the room
thinking it nothing more than an interesting study in medieval
architecture. The room itself is unremarkable. Yet, I experienced
something in that room that still leaves me speechless when I attempt
to put it into words.</div>
<br /><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I
was fortunate to go on this pilgrimage to the Holy Land with Fr. Mike
Schmitz from our diocese. He had been there a few times before then,
so he was able to add some wonderful reflections and insights from
Catholic tradition and spirituality that we might not have had
otherwise. When our tour guide had explained that we were in the
Upper Room and had reminded us of what had taken place there, Fr.
Mike asked our group to lay hands on me and pray for me. He
explained that there is a tradition there for priests to be prayed
over in this room by the people. This is the room of the Last
Supper, which means it is the birthplace of the Eucharist. Since
Jesus gave the Apostles the commandment to “do this in memory of
me”, which all priests do on a regular basis, it is also the
birthplace of the priesthood. In addition, the Holy Spirit came upon
the Apostles in that room just as He comes upon the clergy when we
were ordained. So it is quite appropriate that a priest be prayed
over in the place were it all started. As they finished praying over
me, I couldn't quite explain how I felt, and as I mentioned before I
still can't. I can say that there was a feeling of peace, knowing of
the support I had of those around me and just being in awe of where I
was.
</div>
<br /><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
That
wasn't the only significant thing that happened there, however.
After praying over me, we spread out in the room to look around and
to take some time for personal prayer. At the same time, a group of
men came in and started looking around as well. It turned out that
this was a men's choral group and they had decided elsewhere that
they would sing one of their songs in the room. Once they had all
spread out, one of the men started singing, “<i>Ubi
caritas, et amor. Ubi caritas, Deus ibi est.</i><span style="font-style: normal;">”
The other twenty or so men began joining in, while adding various
tenor, baritone, and bass parts. The Latin words mean, “Where
charity and love prevail, there God exists”. It refers for to the
events of the Last Supper and Christ's commandment to love one
another, but it is also appropriate for Pentecost since the Holy
Spirit is the spirit of love. As I heard these words I was again
speechless, but filled with the peace and love of God. The words so
beautifully sung seemed to hang in the air like a sweet and pleasant
perfume. </span>
</div>
<br /><br />
<div style="font-style: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Sometimes
God leaves us speechless. Sometimes we are just blown away by the
beauty of something. Sometimes it is the power and the glory of God
that amazes us. Much like a parent who has to punish their child so
that they have to think about what they have done, so also God has to
put us in our place. Hopefully at those times we learn to stop our
speech so that we can learn something. At other times, however, God,
the Holy Spirit comes upon us and inspires us to speak; to no longer
be speechless but to speak to those around us about our faith and
belief in Jesus Christ our Lord and to preach the Good News to all.
</div>
<br /><br />
<div style="font-style: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Such
is the illustration that God wishes to show us, I believe. For
today, the Feast of Pentecost, is often seen as the day that reversed
what happened at the Tower of Babel. It was at the Tower that God
punished the people for their pride and selfishness of wanting to
make a name for themselves by confusing their language. God was
putting them in their place and made them speechless. At Pentecost,
however, God heals that rift in humanity by sending the Holy Spirit
and prompting St. Peter and the rest of the Apostles to speak all the
languages of all the people who were there so that they could
understand what was being said. Now the Good News of Jesus isn't
just for those who speak Hebrew, but all people from all nations.
Pentecost is an amazing Feast Day, but we are not to remain
speechless. Rather, we are to rejoice and tell others what we know.
Tell them our Easter proclamation: Christ is Risen, Alleluia!</div>
<br />Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-65145998722700179102015-06-01T21:29:00.000-05:002015-06-01T21:29:00.924-05:00The Ascension of the Lord<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/051715-ascension.cfm">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/051715-ascension.cfm</a><br />
<br /><br />
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
Even though
they aren't my absolute favorite genre as far as movies go, I do
enjoy from time to time watching a good spy or espionage type of
film. One group of movies that are a part of this genre are the
<i>Mission Impossible</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
movies that are based off of the classic TV show by the same name.
I've never watched a whole episode of the TV series, but I have seen
a couple of the movies. The series and the movies are pretty much
about the same thing: a group of highly skilled agents work for a
U.S. government run agency. They are sent on various secret missions
around the world with an arsenal of high tech gadgets to help protect
the United States. These missions usually include spying and
espionage while stopping the bad guys from getting a hold of
sensitive information or carrying out terroristic threat. If you
enjoy this type of thing, it gets pretty exciting. </span>
</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
<span style="font-style: normal;"> As
many of you know, the story line of the episodes and movies typically
starts with one of the agents seeming to having a regular day: going
to work, traveling, having lunch, </span><i>et
cetera</i><span style="font-style: normal;">.
Someone who appears to be a complete stranger to the agent, comes up
and gives him an object. Many times the object looks fairly normal,
but the agent always knows that it contains an audio recording of his
next mission. The classic episodes have a mini tape player while the
more recent movies have a smart phone that plays the recording. The
recording gives some vital background to the mission followed by some
famous words: “Your mission, should you choose to accept it,
is...”. We then hear the actual mission goal which is quite
dangerous and, as the title suggests, sounding quite impossible.
Despite the danger and impossible nature of the mission, the agent
always accepts the mission. The message ends with another famous
phrase: “This message will self destruct in five seconds”. Then
the action begins, accompanied by the catchy theme music.</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
<span style="font-style: normal;"> Today
we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord. We recall how forty days
after His Resurrection, Jesus Ascended on a cloud up to Heaven. We
believe that He is in Heaven, body and soul. The Readings for today
actually give us two versions of the same story, which is rare. We
hear about it in our First Reading from Acts and then again from the
Gospel of Mark. Both accounts have their own unique way of telling
the story with different details. But the most important thing I
want to point out is that this is not the end of story. In both
accounts, Jesus gives clear instructions that the Apostles are to go
out beyond Jerusalem; “Throughout Judea and Samaria and to the ends
of the earth” and “Proclaim the Gospel to every living creature”.
One does not have to be familiar with </span><i>Mission
Impossible</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
to see that Jesus is sending the Apostles on a mission. I'm sure to
all of them, it seemed like a daunting, and dangerous, if not an
impossible, mission to spread the Good News of the Gospel to
everyplace on Earth. Yet if we continue reading the Acts of the
Apostles from where we left off, and if we go from there and read
through the lives of the saints, we will see that that is exactly
what happened. So many Apostles, and disciples, and prophets, and
bishops, and priests, and deacons, and married couples, and
catechists, and martyrs have all worked together to complete this
impossible mission!</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div class="western" style="font-style: normal;">
We
are all a part of this mission as well. It is important that we
understand our role in all this. There might be a temptation to
think that we are not a part of this incredible mission. We might
think that we are not important enough in the eyes of God to merit
inclusion in this great adventure. You might say to yourself, I'm
just a father or a mother or a kid. I have an ordinary job, I take
care of the kids or the grandkids, I go to school, I go to Church on
Sunday or Saturday night, I volunteer at Church, I teach religious
ed, I help usher, I'm a knight, or I'm a member of St. Teresa's
Circle. I'm just a regular person, why would God send me on a
mission? The answer is, “BECAUSE YOU'RE EXACLTY WHO GOD IS LOOKING
FOR!!!”
</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="western" style="font-style: normal;">
God
called ordinary tax collectors and fishermen and other ordinary men
and women to be the first to go out and spread the Good News. Don't
be afraid that he is now calling you. This mission is not
impossible, because God is on our side.</div>
<br />Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-44023368465236979952015-05-12T10:59:00.000-05:002015-05-12T10:59:03.786-05:00Sixth Sunday of Easter<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/051015.cfm">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/051015.cfm</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
readings today have a fairly clear theme of love that is being talked about
today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hear today about how God is
love and we hear Jesus giving us the commandment to remain in His love and to
love one another as He has loved us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These are all phrases that we have probably all heard many times before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are quite used to hearing the word “love”
being used when talking about God and Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But what does it mean to say that we are to love as Christ has loved us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What does it mean that God is love?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What does it mean to love?</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To love is
more than just some emotion that we have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Whether we are happy, or surprised, or sad, or angry, or whatever, we
have very little control over what emotions we experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can't control if we are happy or angry: we
can only control how we respond to that emotion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Love, on the other hand, takes an act of our
free will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To love someone means that we
will the good of the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other
words, we choose to do what is best for the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, to love is not something that just
happens outside of our control, but something we must choose to do freely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Love is not
something that can be forced. We cannot force anyone to love another
human.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have had various children and
teens ask me why there is so much sin in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many times they will ask, “Why doesn't God
just make everyone follow the rules and be nice to each other?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I explain that in order for God to force us
to not sin, He would also have to force us to love Him, because we would no
longer have the freedom to choose between right or wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also try to have the students imagine if we
were to invent a robot that could do different things for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it could do chores for us and do tasks
that nobody wants to do or do the things that are too dangerous to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can also imagine that we could program the
robot to say, “I love you”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We could
program it to say encouraging things to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We could even make it do random things around the house for us, like a
real loving person would do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it
could even do romantic things for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
tell the students that in the end, we could make the robot as realistic and as
romantic as technology allows us, but it would never actually love us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those words of “I love you” are only programmed
words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its actions are only programmed
actions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It cannot choose to do what is
best for any of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Therefore,
when the Scriptures talk about love, they are clearly talking about choosing to
do good for others and choosing what is right for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In our Second Reading today, John gives some
often quoted lines about God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He starts
out by saying, “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He then says later, “Whoever is without love
does not know God, for God is love.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When we think about what we know about love and when we look at what
Sacred Scripture tells us about God, can there be any doubt in our minds about
the truth that God is love?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we
consider that the Book of Genesis describes how God created the earth and the
sky and the oceans and the plants and animals that live there and saw how good
is was, and created humans beings and saw how <b>very</b> good it was, we can
clearly see that God cares about our good and our happiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God truly is love.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Well, if
God the Father is love, then it only makes sense that we can say the same thing
about the Son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“As the Father loves me,
so I also love you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remain in my love”,
Jesus tells us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He goes on to tell us to
keep His commandments so that we can remain in His love and that by doing this
we will have complete joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not just the
simple joy that a person may have as they do their favorite activities or hang
around their favorite people, but the true joy that we will only find in
Heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus finally gives what I
consider the clincher:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“This is my
commandment: love one another as I love you”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are to love: not to the best of our ability, not just when we think
of it, not just those who love us back, but to love as Christ loves us. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we only have to look at a Crucifix to know
how much He loves us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As He points out,
laying down one's life for one's friends is the greatest love there is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ is not saying that we must all die by
crucifixion or that we must all die a violent death, but He is saying that when
we love, we give of ourselves for the sake of the one that we love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If there
was any doubt left in our minds of Jesus' love for us, He goes on to explain
that our relationship with Him is not of a slave or a servant to a master.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He considers us His friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is pretty significant when think about
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For centuries before Christ, people
considered themselves as the slaves (or at best the servants) of gods and
goddesses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the Israelites sometimes
refer to themselves as servants of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But here, Jesus is saying that He no longer calls us slaves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Slaves and servants have no benefits from the
master.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The master confides nothing in
his or her slaves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if the master is
kind and benevolent, the slave is still a slave and has no freedom or rights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus clearly states, “I call you friends,
because I have told you everything that I have heard from my Father”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ shares with His Apostles and all of us
many wonderful things about God, about Heaven, and about His relationship with
the Father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He does not keep that
information from us, but tells us about this so that we might be friends and
that we can love each other freely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Friends care about each other and want what is best for the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ wants us in Heaven so we can be there
for eternity.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Christ
loves us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can be easy to kind of
brush that fact aside and think that God loves everybody.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But remember, love is a choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ has chosen to love each of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us rejoice in that, and let us strive to
love those around us as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us
love, as Christ has loved us.</div>
Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-91699185957789960882015-04-26T12:39:00.000-05:002015-04-26T12:39:48.737-05:00Fourth Sunday of Easter
<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/042615.cfm">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/042615.cfm</a><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Today, in
addition to being called the Fourth Sunday of Easter, is also designated as
World Day of Prayer for Vocations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
is a day in which the worldwide Church is encouraged to pray for vocations to
the priesthood, religious life, and deaconate. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many parishes pray for vocations before each
Mass and I'm sure many of you have prayed for vocations at other times and
places and maybe even on your own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Today, the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Universal</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Church</st1:placetype></st1:place> joins together to
pray for this cause.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Still
another title that has been given to this Sunday is “Good Shepherd
Sunday”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hear in the Gospel today how
Christ declares Himself the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His
sheep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How appropriate that the day that
we as a Church are encouraged to pray for vocations, is also the day that we
reflect on Jesus as the Good Shepherd!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are, after all, praying for shepherds to lead us when we are praying
for vocations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all as Christians
strive to model ourselves after Christ, but those in religious vocations
particularly strive to be like Christ the Good Shepherd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We strive to lay down our life for the
sheep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Gospel
is not the only reading that relates to the call for vocations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our first reading from Acts reminds us of how
saying “Yes” to God's call means that we are opening ourselves to being
transformed by Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This reading
actually refers to three transformations that take place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first transformation is that of St.
Peter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all know what St. Peter said
and did on the night of the Passion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
can probably all think of at least one Gospel story in which St. Peter tries to
be a loyal follower of Jesus, but ends up putting his foot in his mouth or
making a fool of himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time we
get to the Acts of the Apostles, however, Peter has experienced a radical
conversion and transformation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He speaks
boldly and faithfully and becomes the great leader that God intended for him to
be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His speech that we hear in the
reading today is a great example of this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here he is talking to the Jewish spiritual leaders about a miracle that
has just taken place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reason the
miracle was able to happen, he explains, is because of Jesus Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is boldly speaking about his faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The second
transformation that is referenced here is for an unnamed crippled beggar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first reading for last Sunday also talked
about him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>St. Peter and <st1:city w:st="on">St. John</st1:city> were walking into the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Temple</st1:place></st1:city> area on the Sabbath (which was
Saturday for the Jewish people) when they notice a crippled man who was begging
for money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Apostles talk with him,
but instead of giving him money or food, like other people were doing, they
heal him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In response he begins walking
around, jumping, and praising God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Imagine what joy that man must have felt in being able to walk and jump
and run again!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This had to have been a
truly incredible transformation for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As I already mentioned, St. Peter is now talking about this amazing
miracle before the Jewish leaders, trying to explain to them that what they
have just witnessed is not some sort of trick or something evil (as seems to be
their big worry) but that it actually comes from God Himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This transformation happens not because the
Apostles knew some magic or because the man was just faking his handicap for a
long time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It happened because both the
man and the two Apostles had complete faith in Jesus Christ who has risen from
the dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The third
transformation that is referenced in our first reading is in regards to Jesus
Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We celebrate throughout these
fifty days of Easter that Jesus Christ rose from the dead after three days in
the tomb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ's body had died: His
heart was no longer pumping; His body was covered in wounds from all the
beatings, scourgings, and floggings He received in addition to the wounds from
the crown of thorns and the crucifixion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was executed as a common criminal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His lifeless body is laid in the tomb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Three days later, He emerges from the tomb, with a resurrected
body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One could say that this
resurrected body has been transformed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We read in the Gospels that He still has the nail marks in His hands and
feet and the wound on His side where He was pierced with the lance, but other
than that He is no longer bloody and beaten up. He is able to enter into rooms
with locked doors and disappear and reappear in an instant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His body is quite different from what it was
before.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>These three
transformations happened because the individuals responded to God's call for
them: they responded to their vocation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus knew the will of God the Father and so followed the Father's plan
of salvation by allowing Himself to die on the Cross and then to rise
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He allowed His Heavenly Father to
do what needed to be done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both the man
who had been crippled and <st1:place w:st="on">St.</st1:place> Peter were
transformed because they put their faith in Jesus Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They allowed Christ to work within them as
they responded to God’s call for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Responding to God's vocation (whatever your vocation might be) means
that Christ is going to transform you in incredible ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This transformation is not unlike His
transformation from the tomb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I know that
it can sound a bit disconcerting and maybe even a little scary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only do we have to believe and have faith
in Jesus, but we also have to trust in Him that He will do what is best for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That brings us back once again to the Gospel
reading of the Good Shepherd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Christ the
Good Shepherd is the one who takes care of us, provides for our needs and
protects us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sheep trust the
shepherd because they know that he provides protection and that he leads them
to green pastures and plenty of water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just as a shepherd sometimes has to lead his sheep over some difficult
terrain to finally find the food and water that they require in order to grow
stronger and healthier, so also our Good Shepherd will be with us through some
difficult times in order to help us to grow and be transformed so that we can
respond to the calling God has for us.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Be not
afraid, but trust in the Good Shepherd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-59774900353072817322015-04-21T15:27:00.000-05:002015-04-21T15:27:18.950-05:00The Third Sunday of Easter
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/041915.cfm">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/041915.cfm</a></span></span><br />
<br /><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">When
it's time for me to get to work on a homily, one of the things I
often do is I sit and read through the Scriptures and see if there is
a particular line or two in one of the readings that I can focus on
in order to build my homily off of. I also try to figure out a
specific theme that is common to all of the readings or pertains to
the feast of the day. So I like to find a section from the readings
that helps point to that theme. This week the last several sentences
of the Gospel caught my attention. Jesus tells His disciples that
His death and resurrection are the fulfillment of Scripture. He
says, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still
with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and in
the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.” He goes on to say.
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the
dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of
sins, would be preached in his name.” In other words, God had
intended this from the very beginning. God the Father wanted His Son
to come and die for our sins so that by rising from the dead He would
wipe away our sins. He even had Moses and the prophets write about
it in scripture so that those who believe might better understand
what was to happen.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
As
I reflected on this idea that Christ's death and Resurrection where
meant to happen and meant to fulfill Scripture, it reminded me of a
theme from a novel I read several rears ago. The novel was John
Steinbeck's <i>The Grapes
of Wrath</i>. The story
follows a family of tenant farmers from Oklahoma. The Great
Depression and the Dust Bowl left the family homeless and penniless.
So they pack up what few possessions they have in their truck and
head west to California where they've heard there is plenty land and
food and opportunities for everyone.
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
One
of the themes that Steinbeck uses in this novel is talking about the
inevitability of things. Steinbeck talks a lot about how the
decisions of the rich of the 1920's and 30's eventually led to the
poverty of the tenants and migrants and other poorer workers. I
remember how the book keeps talking again and again about how things
keep happening as if they were meant to happen and that nothing
anybody did could change that. At one point in the story, the truck
breaks down and a couple of men in the family get to work fixing it.
As they get to work, one of them says that he doesn't like doing this
because he always ends up hurting his hand in the process. A few
minutes later his hand slips while loosening something on the engine
and he gets a huge gash on the palm of his hand. Instead of getting
mad about it, the character simply states, “Well, I'm glad it
happened now rather then later”. He then puts some mud on his hand
to act as a compress and gets back to work.
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
When
I first read that, I was frustrated with what Steinbeck was saying
about humanity. He seemed to me to be denying that we had free will;
as if we could make our own choices or decisions. Someone finally
explained to me later that what Steinbeck was probably trying to say
was that there is a certain inevitability that these hardships had to
happen. All the decisions that had led up to the Great Depression
and all the decisions afterwards the just compounded the problems
simply led to more hardships and suffering for the people. It's not
that we don't have free will to choose or that everything was already
predetermined. It's just that as events unfolded, eventually things
like the Great Depression and poverty and hardship would happen.
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Steinbeck
was concerned about showing that the bad choices of the rich
inevitably led to the sufferings of those who were poor. In
contrast, the readings for today focus on the fact that our sinful
actions inevitably led to the sufferings of Christ on the Cross. And
the sufferings of Christ, in turn, inevitably led to the forgiveness
of sins for the rest of us. In the case of Jesus, the suffering
leads to something greater: salvation.</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Our
First Reading from Acts talks about how the Sacred Scriptures
foretold that Jesus would suffer and die. St. Peter is the one who
is speaking in this passage. A large group of people, including some
Pharisees, have just witnessed St. Peter and St. John heal a crippled
beggar. St. Peter takes advantage of such an attentive audience and
speaks to them about why this healing was even possible: Jesus
Christ. He ends by encouraging the people to repent of their sins,
which caused this suffering of Christ, so that they may be forgiven.</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The
Second Reading is from the First Letter of St. John. Like St. Peter,
St. John talks about the sins of the people. He starts out by
explaining that he is writing this letter so that the people will not
commit sin. St. John’s outlook is a bit more positive I think. He
goes on to say that if anybody does sin, we have an Advocate in Jesus
Christ. Just as an advocate in a court room speaks on behalf of an
accused person, so Jesus speaks on our behalf to the Father. He
expiates, that is, removes our sins. We are to keep God’s word in
our hearts. Then we will show how much we love Him and He loves us.</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The
Gospel from Luke gives us the tale end of the “Road to Emmaus”
story. Two disciples encounter Jesus on a road going to the little
town of Emmaus, outside of Jerusalem. The disciples don’t
recognize Him until He sits down to a meal with them and breaks
bread. Then He vanishes. They hurry back to Jerusalem to tell the
others and while they are speaking, Jesus appears. We are told that
the disciples were terrified and think that Jesus is a ghost. They
can’t believe that it is really Him at first. So He shows them
that He is not a ghost and proceeds to explain how this was meant to
happen through Scripture, just as I mentioned before.
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Just
as God meant for His Son to die and rise and again and free us from
sin, we are a part of God’s plan as well. Let us strive to grow in
our relationship with God and His Son Jesus. This will bring us to
salvation.</span> </span>
</div>
Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-72233779628743328442015-04-13T22:20:00.003-05:002015-04-13T22:20:47.044-05:00Sunday of Divine Mercy
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/041215.cfm"><span style="font-size: small;">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/041215.cfm</span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Today
is Divine Mercy Sunday, and so it seems most appropriate that we take
some time to talk about what mercy means. I was recently talking to
a doctor-friend of mine and we were talking a little bit about Pope
Francis’ recent announcement that the year 2016 will be declared
the Year of Mercy. In other words, our Holy Father wants us to use
that year to reflect on things like what mercy is and what God’s
mercy has done for us and to practice showing mercy to others. My
friend and I were talking about how this was such a wonderful thing,
that we would have this Year of Mercy coming up. In our
conversation, she told me that her son had asked her a question:
“What is the difference between mercy and forgiveness?” It’s a
very good question isn’t it? We often use the words “mercy”
and “forgiveness” as synonyms. I know I interchange the two
words quite a bit in my homilies. Despite their similarity, there is
a distinction that can be made between the two. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
My
friend offered one such explanation that I thought was very good.
She said she remembered a story about Napoleon Bonaparte. The story
goes that after one of his many successful battles, he had a young
soldier in his army arrested for a crime and was going to put him to
death for that crime. The soldier’s mother came to the emperor and
pleaded with him to spare her son’s life. He replied that the
young man had committed the crime twice and justice demanded that he
be put to death. The mother said, “But I’m not asking for
justice. I’m pleading for mercy.” “He doesn’t deserve
mercy” was Napoleon’s reply. “Sir”, the mother cried, “it
wouldn’t be mercy if he <i><b>did</b></i>
deserve it. Mercy is all I ask”. With that, he agreed to spare
the life of the son. My friend explained to her son that it’s
called mercy when we don’t deserve it. We show mercy to others
even when whatever they did to us does not deserve mercy or
forgiveness.</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I’ve
reflected on this quite a bit since then. It is so easy to hold back
our forgiveness to others when we are still in pain from whatever
happened, or when they never offer an apology for what they did. We
can come up with all sorts of excuses for why the person who has
sinned against us doesn’t deserve to be forgiven. I think many of
us were trained from a young age to expect an apology from the others
before we forgive them. Not only that, but we expect them to “mean
it” when they say “I’m sorry”. When I was growing up I
remember it wasn’t always enough to say “I’m sorry”. If
there was any indication of insincerity from the penitent, there
usually came the reply of “Yeah, but you don’t mean it!” Now,
I’m not saying that this is the way forgiveness is supposed to be.
We shouldn’t be so stingy with our forgiveness, but we do tend to
expect something from the other before we are willing to forgive
them. We look at whether the person deserves our forgiveness.</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Mercy
is different. We give mercy whether the person deserves it or not;
whether the person has made amends in some way or not. That is
especially true when we look at Divine Mercy. When God gives us
mercy, I dare say we definitely do not deserve it. Yet Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, continues to offer it to us.
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
In
the 1930's, a Polish nun named Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska began
having visions of Our Lord. He told her about Divine Mercy and asked
her to be the apostle and secretary who would tell the world about
this wonderful message of Divine Mercy. Jesus asked her to have a
painting done of how He was appearing before her. That image is now
known as the Divine Mercy image. This famous image shows Jesus
dressed in a white rob with his right hand raised in a blessing.
From His heart are two rays of light; one red and the other pale.
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
At
the bottom are inscribed the words, “Jesus I trust in you”. The
colors of the rays symbolize the blood and water that flowed from
Christ's side at the Crucifixion. It is at the Crucifixion that we
see the greatest example of Divine Mercy. Mercy flows from Christ's
Sacred Heart, as it does in the image. Our Lord also asked St.
Faustina to spread the devotion of the Divine Mercy Chaplet and to
work towards having the Second Sunday of Easter be named Divine Mercy
Sunday. She wasn't the first to talk about Divine Mercy; Catholics
have been honoring the mercy that God has shown us for centuries
before St. Faustina was even born. The message that she spread,
however, has helped Catholics around the world to be able to reflect
better on what mercy really means.</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Our
Gospel for today is really a continuation of the same Easter story we
heard last Sunday. It also teaches us something about Divine Mercy.
Jesus appears before His disciples in the evening of that first
Easter Sunday. Jesus breaths on them, giving them the Holy Spirit
and then commissions them to forgive sins. The Church looks at this
passage as being the point when Jesus established the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. This Sacrament is really a major part of
understanding Divine Mercy. It's really only through God's mercy
that we are able to receive forgiveness through this Sacrament. As I
said before, we don't deserve forgiveness. Even when we confess our
sins, we are not always sorry for the right reasons. For instance,
we're sorry because we know what we did was wrong, but we are not
necessarily sorry because we have hurt our relationship with God.
And even if we are truly sorry for what we did, how can we possibly
make up for what we did against God and what Jesus did for us by
dying on the Cross? Yet, Christ forgives us every time we come to
the Sacrament.</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"> The
Gospel also tells us about St. Thomas. He wasn't there on the first
Sunday and he refuses to believe the others. A week later he is
there and Jesus comes again. Now he is able to see and touch Jesus
for himself. Now he believes. It is easy for any of us to fall into
doubt like St. Thomas. We question whether God can still love us
after what we did. We question whether He can forgive us for what we
did. Do not give in to that doubt, but trust in His mercy. Divine
Mercy is for all of us. Let us give thanks for it.</span> </span>
</div>
Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-32941164154621862412015-04-05T20:04:00.000-05:002015-04-05T20:15:02.473-05:00Easter Sunday<div class="s4" style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 2.4;">
<span style="line-height: 21px; padding-left: 36px;"><br /><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040515.cfm">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040515.cfm</a></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 21px; padding-left: 36px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 21px; padding-left: 36px;"></span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">Mary Magdalene is, along with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, one of the most famous women mentioned in the Bible. All four Gospel writers place her at the tomb on Easter morning. Three of the Gospels mention a few other women who were with her, </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">but all four agree that she was there at the tomb on that glorious morning and that she ran to tell the Apostles that He had </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">risen</span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">. </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">That is why many refer to her as the Apostle to the Apostles.</span></div>
<div class="s4" style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 2.4;">
<span style="line-height: 21px; padding-left: 36px;"></span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">There are not many solid facts </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">known about Mary Magdalene. It seems that she was from the town of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee. </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">She was a part of a group of women who traveled with Jesus and the disciples and ministered to them. She is also described as having been oppressed by seven demons </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">that</span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;"> were cased out by Jesus. </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">A long standing tradition </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">identifies her as being the woman caught in adultery, or the sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet, or even Mary of Bethany who was the sister of Lazarus and Martha. </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">Some even suggest that she is all of them. This tradition suggests that she lived a very sinful lifestyle until she meets Jesus and has a radical conversion. Now, it is not impossible that this tradition could be true, but there is no Biblical evidence that is either. So, the back ground and history of Mary Magdalene remains a mystery. What we do know, is that she </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">was a devoted follower of Jesus. She was the first eyewitness to the Resurrection and was the first to go and share the Good News with others.</span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;"> </span></div>
<div class="s4" style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 2.4;">
<span style="line-height: 21px; padding-left: 36px;"></span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">Mary is a great example of how </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">sometimes </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">we really only need one person </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">to get a large group of people to follow. Sometimes we just need one </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">who is willing to </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">share what they know or to share a testimony from their life or to encourage others to follow their example. The Gospels relate how Mary Magdalene told Peter and the other Apostles that Jesus had resin from the dead.</span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;"> Now, in some accounts, the Apostles are</span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;"> a</span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;"> bit incredulous and are not willing to believe her at first. </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">Not that surprising since people don’t normally rise from the dead. However, other accounts describe Peter running to the Tomb to see for himself. The Gospel of John even describes Peter and John having a race of sorts to be the first one there. Slowly but surely the rest of</span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;"> the disciples begin to believe and the numbers begin to climb until Pentecost when it takes off like a wildfire and people are joining the Church by the thousands. My point is, it starts off with one. Mary Magdalene had to be will to be the first to start spreading the news. It all spread from there. </span></div>
<div class="s4" style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 2.4;">
<span style="line-height: 21px; padding-left: 36px;"></span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">Imagine how far any one of us could help spread the message and the mission of Christ. We all just heard the story of </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">the Resurrection. We know the story. Now the question is who can we spread the message to? Imagine for a moment those in your life who you could reach out to. Maybe it’s a family member who used to come to Church but no longer does. Maybe it’s a co-worker who seems to be missing something in his or her life. Maybe it’s a friend at school or </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">at </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">another activity that you’re involved in </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">who shares some of your interests. I’m not saying that we all have to find a person and start preaching to them about how Jesus rose this day. I’m sure they have heard the Resurrection story at some point before. I’m not saying that we have to get down on them about going to Church or changing a sinful lifestyle that they may be involved in. </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">Just sh</span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">are something from your faith: perhaps a meaningful word</span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;"> or phrase that yo</span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">u heard at Mass or in Scripture; a</span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">thought that came to you in prayer one day. It might even be that you simply invite them to come to Mass with some Sunday or a weekday.</span></div>
<div class="s4" style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 2.4;">
<span style="line-height: 21px; padding-left: 36px;"></span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">Easter is a time for families to come together to celebrate this holiday. Part of that celebration is that whole families often come together to Church. It is no secret that </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">some of those family members only make it on Easter or perhaps Christmas. Some of you might be in that same boat. It may very well be that the reason you are here is because someone in your family invited you to come. Many times it just takes one member of the family to say, “Come on! Let’s go to Mass!” or “Come with us!” They may accept the invitation or they might not. That’s okay. We have to start with the invitation. </span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">It just takes one to become the Mary Magdalene of the family. </span></div>
<div class="s4" style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 2.4;">
<span style="line-height: 21px; padding-left: 36px;"></span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">Do not be afraid to share your faith and invite others in. We are all called to be like Mary Magdalene, to let others know that Christ has truly risen indeed!</span></div>
Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-51814809403455399022015-03-30T13:11:00.000-05:002015-03-30T13:11:16.597-05:00Palm Sunday <a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032915.cfm">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032915.cfm</a><br />
<br /><br />
Just a brief thought about the Passion.<br />
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
There is an
odd little story that seems to come out of nowhere in the middle of
the Passion according to Mark. I'm talking about that story about
the young man who was following Jesus to Gethsemane. The guards
tried to seize him, but he left the linen cloth he was wearing behind
and ran off naked. This story can seem so out of left-field that it
can be hard to know what to make of it.
</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
Many
scholars think that the young man was St. Mark, the same person who
wrote the Gospel. Many think that he included the rather
embarrassing story to help establish that he really was there; that
he was truly a witness to Jesus' arrest and the beginning of His
Passion.
</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
The Early
Church seems to have been all about showing that they have
eye-witness accounts of what happened at the Passion and the
Resurrection. They wanted other people to know that this is a true
story and not something that was made up. St. Mark also takes the
time to tell us about three women who were present at the crucifixion
and burial of Jesus. Mary Magdalen, the other Mary and Salome are
also the first to see the empty tomb on Easter morning. They are the
witnesses to what took place in those days and where it all took
place.</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="western">
We are
called to be witnesses as well, brothers and sisters. Even though we
were not there at the actual historical events, we are still
witnesses of faith to the fact that Christ suffered and died for you
and me. May we be given the courage and faith necessary to share
with others what we have witnessed.</div>
<br />Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729028363646482023.post-66336764300321549042015-03-23T22:49:00.001-05:002015-03-23T22:50:24.823-05:00Fifth Sunday of Lent<br />
<div class="western">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032215-fifth-sunday-lent.cfm">http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032215-fifth-sunday-lent.cfm</a></span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
There was a
priest on staff at the seminary I attended who is known for his
jokes. The man loves puns. If you are sitting across the dinner
table from him, chances are he will at some point during the meal
pick up the salt shaker and begin to put some salt on his food. He
would then gently shake it in your direction so that a little salt
would come flying towards you. He would then say in a dead pan
voice, “You have just been assaulted”. On rainy April days, he
was known to come up to people and ask, “If April showers bring May
flowers, what do May flowers bring?” When the bewildered
seminarian would say that he had no idea he would reply, “Pilgrims!
Get it? Mayflowers?” This would typically follow with a few
chuckles and a lot of groans.
</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
One of my
favorite jokes from this priest usually came up when two seminarians
were having a conversation about who did a better job on something.
Sometimes one of the guys might act all macho, pretending like he
thought he really was the best. This usually resulted in some good
natured teasing or ribbing from the other guys. This priest would
often jump in by giving what at first sounded like a complement to
the one who acted all macho, but then would finish with a back-handed
complement. He acted like he was saying it under his breath, but he
still said it loud enough so those around him could hear. It usually
went like this: “Hey! Don't be hard on him. He's angel, (fallen).
He's a gem, (cracked). He's a treasure, (should be buried)”. The
jokes were of course done all in good fun and were always taken as
such. The seminarians always seemed to liked how those “complements”
were contradictory or paradoxical but still flowed together so well.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
People in
our culture seem to be attracted to things that are paradoxical or
contradictory. We like a character in a book or a movie or a TV show
that starts out as flawed, and unsavory, and maybe rough around the
edges who turns into a hero by the end of the story. People love an
underdog at a sporting event. If a team that is expected to do
poorly in a season or even just in a specific game, if they start
doing well a whole bunch of “closet fans” come out of the
woodwork to cheer on the team. Fans love it too when a player who
very few people have heard of before suddenly gets into his groove
and gets really good at his game. People like those Cinderella
sports stories because, like the unsavory character who turns into
the hero, you don't expect them to do even remotely well. It's the
joy of realizing that we were wrong about the person and that
everything has turned out good in the end.
</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
During this
Season of Lent we Christians reflect on and indeed we celebrate an
event that is perhaps the biggest paradox in the history of humanity:
I am talking about how Our Lord Jesus Christ died so that we, His
followers, might inherit eternal life. This is beautifully talked
about by Jesus in our Gospel reading for today.
“Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains
just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit”.
Technically, I don't believe that a botanist would say that a grain
of wheat, or any seed that falls from the plant, is necessarily dead.
If it were dead, no amount of watering or sunlight would get it to
sprout a new wheat plant or stock. The life within the seed is
dormant until the proper water and soil allow it to germinate. For
Jesus' purpose of symbolizing His passion, however, the analogy is
still a good one. When we see a leaf or a seed or a flower or a nut
or any other twig fall from a plant, for most people it will probably
appear to be dead. You cannot reattach a seed, or a flower, or a
leaf, <i>et cetera</i>
that has fallen from the living plant. Yet through little miracles
that God has given us in creation, a little soil and water can cause
a seed to sprout and begin a new life. If we did not study that in
science class as we grew up we would probably never expect that to
happen.
</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
It is
contradictory to say that something can die and then become alive
again and bring life to others. A thing (a plant, an animal, or a
human) cannot be dead and then alive, yet that is what at least
appears to happen on the surface with wheat. It makes even less
sense to say that a man would die and then rise again. Yet that is
precisely what our Christian faith professes in regards to Jesus
Christ. Even more paradoxical, Jesus does this, not for His own sake
or for His own pleasure, but for all of us. A grain of wheat
produces a plant, which produces more wheat, which is able to provide
life by feeding people. Likewise, by dying and rising again, Jesus
provides everlasting life for those who believe in Him.
</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Jesus is
fulfilling a special covenant between God and all of us. Remember, a
covenant is more than just a promise or a contract between two people
or businesses. It is more like a vow or an oath that a person takes
in order to agree to something. In this case we agreed to follow God
when we were baptized, and God agreed to bring us to everlasting life
through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. That is the
covenant that God has established with us. He speaks about this new
covenant through the words of the Prophet Jeremiah in our First
Reading today. God explains that this new covenant will not be like
the old covenant that He made with the Israelites when He lead them
out of Egypt. That covenant was broken again and again by the
various sins of the people in the Old Testament. The problem seemed
to be that they did not know who their God was. In this new
covenant, God says, His law will be written in their hearts. “I
will be their God, and they shall be my people. ... All, from least
to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD, for I will forgive their
evildoing and remember their sin no more.” God wished to forgive
our sins and to bring us to everlasting life. That is why He gave us
His Son.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
It may seem odd that a man should die for us. It
may seem odd that God would send His Son to die for us, but that's
what He's done. Let us work to respond to God's covenant. For He
sent His Son to bring us salvation.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
Fr. Joseph Sobolikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142177618700722332noreply@blogger.com2