On the Inside; On the Outside


 
Dec 27 2018
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Eyewitness for Christ

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Back in college, I spent some time as a reporter for The Daily Herald newspaper. I covered village board meetings, park district meetings and the like. But every now and then I was given the opportunity to cover breaking news. And I remember from my journalism classes that in these situations, interviewing an eyewitness was extremely important because they had personally seen something happen and could give a first-hand description of it. That would help make the story more believable.

Today on the Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, I am reminded of my reporter days. What I really love of John’s writing style is his ability to place the reader directly into the story – as if we were right there with John. He writes from an eyewitness point of view. He does this so that we can identify with what is happening and help us to believe what has taken place.

That is essentially the role of an apostle, and that is what we are called to do each and every day. We need to be Jesus’ eyewitnesses to the world. We must help others see that Christ is in their lives, to know that the Lord is always with them, and that Jesus will never leave our side no matter what we do.

Each of us is called to be a disciple, and that’s not always an easy thing to do. But when we become an eyewitness for Christ and bring the Good News of Jesus to others, we will find a joy like we’ve never experienced before.

Dec 17 2018
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Groping, Hoping and Waiting

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Not too long ago, I was at the grocery story waiting in line to check out. All was good with the world when suddenly I noticed that the checker ran out of change and had to call a manager; and I had to wait. So, I switched to another lane and quickly learned that the person in front of me had some sort of problem. The checker had to call for a price check, and I ended up waiting and waiting and waiting.

We get so easily frustrated and impatient with the little things of life, especially this time of year: the irritations of what happens around us, the daily struggles with our own attitudes, and the busyness of the season. These small, seemingly innocent circumstances have a way of piling up until we finally explode from the pressure.

What would happen if we were to put all this behind us and just focus on our relationship with God? Instead of groaning and complaining, we chose to be joyful and giving. What would happen if we lived every moment as a prayer, being in constant communication with the One who is to come and the One who is already here? Perhaps we would live our lives with more happiness, thankfulness, peace and love.

Lord, we come to you just as we are – right where we are. Help us to use these remaining days of Advent to constantly seek you, perhaps even grope for you as we patiently wait with hopeful anticipation.

O come, o come, Emmanuel!

Dec 13 2018
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Rules to Live By

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After going on a couples retreat at the Benedictine monastery St. Meinrad, I wanted to learn more about the Rule of St. Benedict. I bought a book that described the three vows that convey the core of the Rule. These are stability, obedience, and conversion of life.

Stability is a calling to remain where we are and to find grace in each relationship, place or situation. Basically this means that we can find God at the very center of our lives including in our family, friends, marriage, church community, etc.

Obedience is the ability to listen to what God is saying and responding to what we hear. We need to figure out what God is asking us to do and then respond to that call.

Conversion of life is really the balance to the concept of stability. While stability calls us to remain, conversion of life calls us to change and grow. We’re not fully the person God created us to be; so we need to open ourselves – which enables God to change our hearts.

We hear this same message in today’s readings. We need not fear for the Lord is always with us. We must find God in our daily lives, rejoice in Him being there, and then have the ears to listen to what He wants us to do.

In these remaining weeks of Advent, let us focus on remaining present and faithful to others. Let us listen and respond to God’s direction for us. And let us remain open to being transformed so we can experience conversion of life as we await the One who is to come. With Christ all things are possible; without Christ, nothing makes sense.

Nov 15 2018
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St. Albert the Great

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Albertus Magnus, or St. Albert the Great, was born in Germany in 1206. He was fascinated by the relationship between faith and science so he studied astronomy and biology and loved logic and math. Therefore, he is the patron saint of medical technicians and scientists.

His family could afford the best education for Albert. But when he graduated, he joined the Dominican order over his family’s objections. (Ironically, the Dominican’s relied on begging and charitable donations to survive.) Albert was made a bishop of Regensburg, Germany in 1260 and was an advisor to the pope, but resigned after less than three years asking to return to teaching.

As a teacher, one of his most famous students was Thomas Aquinas, who was later canonized a saint. Albert helped prepare Thomas to write his books on theology which are still studied today.

Albert also helped Thomas to understand that God had given him the gift of intelligence that he could use to help others know and love the Catholic faith, and for Thomas to believe in his own talents.

The Gospel (Luke 17:20-25) reminds us that the kingdom of God is within our reach. We just have to decide if we want to receive it or not. However, it does not come by watching. We need to make a move. Therefore, we are called to use our gifts and talents to help bring the kingdom to others by living the gospel. We must help others discover that the love of Jesus can change their life; and that our world is in desperate need of Jesus right now!

Today, the Church honors Albert as both a saint and a great teacher. May we realize our calling to be great teachers of our faith as well – bringing the kingdom to others by the way we live our lives.

Oct 18 2018
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Cool Hand (St.) Luke

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In 1967, Paul Newman starred in the prison drama Cool Hand Luke. Luke Jackson (Paul Newman) knows how to win at poker, even with bad cards, by using his smarts and playing it cool. When Luke finds out his mother has died, he plots his escape; when he’s caught, he simply escapes again. Soon, Luke becomes a symbol of hope and resilience to the other men in the prison.

On the Feast of St. Luke, we are indebted to him for so much information about the early Church, but we know so little about him.

He was of Gentile origin, a Greek from the city of Antioch in ancient Syria, and he made his living as a physician, and he was the companion of St. Paul. But Luke is mainly known as the author of the third Gospel and the book of the Acts of the Apostles. It is in these writings that we will find three reasons why he has become a symbol of hope and resilience to all of us.

First, he had a special love for Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is from Luke that we have most of what we know about Mary: her steadfast faith, her child-like trust and obedience to God’s will, her generosity and readiness to serve others, her acceptance of God’s plan, and her pondering prayerfulness.

Second, he focused in on Jesus’ compassion and mercy for those who suffered. As a doctor Luke was very familiar with sickness and suffering. Luke calls us to be aware of the needs of each other, and especially those without the necessities of life, for those who are lost, and for anyone who is sick or suffering.

And third, he had a passion for evangelization. Luke wanted to spend his life spreading the good news about Jesus, both in his writings as well as in his journeys with St. Paul.

May we strive to be more like Cool Hand St. Luke: cool-headed, independent, individualistic spirit that won’t submit to the power of the evil one. May we be a symbol of hope to others by having a deep-seeded faith like Mary, taking care of those who are less fortunate, and spreading the good news about Jesus to everyone.

Oct 04 2018
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St. Francis’ Favorite Words

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As you may know, St. Francis started a religious order after his conversion. He and his brothers, known as the Lesser Brothers, lived a life of poverty and the brothers had to go out into the streets to beg for their daily bread. Francis insisted that the Rule of the Lesser Brothers was to live the rigor of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now the brothers began to complain about their suffering. Francis understood their pain, but he could not understand why they should utter that pain so loudly. That wasn’t the case with Brother Giles.

Brother Giles was all about cheerfulness. He always welcomed humiliation and misunderstanding and rejoiced in it. How totally selfless one must be to remain cheerful.

Brother Giles put that wisdom into words, and these are the words that Francis enjoyed and kept close to his heart:

  • Blessed are you who love and don’t expect to be loved in return.
  • Blessed are you who fear and don’t want to be feared.
  • Blessed are you who serve and don’t expect to be served in return.
  • Blessed are you who treat others well and don’t expect like treatment in return.

Then Brother Giles stated that if you possess these three qualities, you cannot be evil:

  1. If, for God’s sake, you bear in peace all tribulation that comes you way.
  2. If you humble yourself in everything you do and receive.
  3. If you love faithfully those things that cannot be seen with fleshly eyes.

It’s holy contrition, holy humility, holy charity, holy devotion, and holy joy that makes one holy and good.

That is the secret of living a Christian life, and that is how we will bring the Kingdom of God to our present world.

 

Based on the book, “Francis: The Journey and the Dream” by Murray Bodo

Sep 17 2018
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I Am Worthy

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“Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you…” ~Luke 7:6-7

 

Photo courtesy of OdysseyOnline.com

Here I am, Lord. I stand before you a sinner. As I look at my life, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve used Your name in ways that I shouldn’t have. I’ve lied and cheated so it would benefit me. I’ve put my needs, wants and desires before the needs, wants and desires of others. There were so many times when I talked behind other’s backs, treated my friends and even family unfairly, and judged others unjustly. And let’s not forget the number of times I shouted angrily at other people on the road because they weren’t driving like I think they should be driving. How many times have I ignored the poor and needy on the street corner, or spent my money on something that I really didn’t need instead of helping out someone who was in real need?

Sometimes, I look in the mirror and don’t even recognize the person who is staring back at me. I can’t help but to wonder what happened, why I feel so empty, so abandoned, so unworthy.

And then, I stop what I am doing and simply sit in Your presence. For when I am with You in prayer, I realize how blessed I am. When I am with You, things become less cloudy, less stressful, less painful, and more peaceful.

When I am with You, I remember that I matter and that I am the most precious thing in Your eyes. I am reminded that I have a purpose and a calling. I may not always know what you want me to do, but I trust that it will be revealed to me in time. When I am with You, I realize that I am Your child, and that I am loved for who I am.

Lord, if it’s not too much trouble, I ask You to be with me and speak to me. Give me the strength to freely come to you.

I am ready. I am here. I am listening. I am worthy!

Aug 23 2018
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Save the Date!

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My son and his fiance came to visit us last weekend and they were joyfully telling us of how their wedding plans are progressing and how “ahead of schedule” they were in a number of things. They also stated that the “save the date” cards were ready to be mailed. This is something that Stephanie and I didn’t have to do when we got married. Back then, we just sent out our wedding invitation and that was it. Nowadays, it’s proper etiquette to notify people ahead of time so that they have time to prepare and put it on their calendars.

In today’s Gospel (MT 22:1-14), Jesus tells us about how the kingdom of heaven is like a wedding feast, and how each of us has received a “save the date” announcement. Each of us is invited to participate, but we often don’t respond. Sometimes we have too much to do, or it’s not high on our list of priorities, or we may not even care to celebrate with this particular group of people. We often find an excuse just so we don’t have to go to the party.

But what if we received a “save the date” announcement from Jesus? What if we had plenty of time to prepare? What if we were warned? Perhaps if we knew the date of our entrance into heaven, we’d better prepare ourselves and perhaps live life differently.

This is the message for us today. We have been invited. We have been notified. We have been warned. Entrance into God’s kingdom is not automatic. We need to take action and respond. This means that we need to take responsibility for how we are living. Are we treating others with dignity and respect? Do we forgive others instead of holding grudges? Do we love unselfishly and put the needs of others before our own? Do we love our enemies as we do ourselves?

It’s time we start living the way that God intended us to live – by truly loving one another, helping one another and being a witness of Christ to everyone we encounter.

The venue is ready, the party is planned, and the table is set. But are we really prepared to “save the date” and accept God’s invitation to partake in the heavenly feast? Let’s hope so, for our eternal life depends on it!

Aug 09 2018
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New Covenant with God

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One of my many diaconal duties at our parish is to meet with our engaged couples. I, along with my wife Stephanie, help prepare them as they journey toward marriage. One of the things that I always tell them is that marriage is not a contract, but a covenant. A covenant is an unbreakable bond, something that our couples need to understand as they prepare for a lifetime of commitment to one another in marriage.

In our readings today, we hear of God making a new covenant with his people. It’s a covenant so deep and important that it is placed and written on our hearts. It’s a covenant so intense that we are only made aware of it because God has revealed it to us. And much like our engaged couples discover, it’s an unbreakable bond. No matter what we do or what we say, God is with us and forgives us. God does this because He loves us so intensely that we actually become one with each other. We are bonded in our love, and we are never left alone.

Back in college, I helped form a group of Catholic musicians and singers that sang at our campus Masses and events. When I was researching a name for our group, I consulted the Bible. Today’s reading from Jeremiah really hit home (Jeremiah 31:31-34). After a group vote, we decided to call ourselves “New Covenant.” (I even wrote a song about it!)

Each of us is called to have a personal relationship with God, so we are able to not only recognize God in our daily lives but to also spread Christ to those we encounter. This is the new covenant, and it is with us every single day. We just need to look inside our hearts (it’s written right there) so we can experience and share it with others.

Let us rejoice in the fact that we are loved by our Creator, our heavenly Father, who hands over the keys to the kingdom to those who will accept them. We are bound together in an unbreakable relationship of love. He is our God; we are His people. As it is written in the verse of my song:

He lives in you, and you live in Him, and that covenant will never end.