God Gives Up on No One! (4th Sunday of Lent, Year C)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

The beautiful thing about our gospel today, the story of prodigal son, is that it is such a human story. Many human emotions and desires we know so well are explored and explained. The so-called prodigal son wants to leave home, go his own way, and find independence from family and responsibility. Where the prodigal son goes wrong is by using his newfound independence to reject the values parents spend so much time and effort teaching. He chases a mirage, the illusion of a life with only pleasure, autonomy, and self-centeredness.

This desire to leave home and to be on one's own is absolutely normal, necessary, and good when it is based in virtue. But unfortunately it is often motivated by naive assumptions and short-term thinking. Frequently during teenage years, children feel their parents no longer love them and that they are unnecessarily strict, always finding new and terrible ways to afflict and torture them. Often young people don't recognize that the changes going on are within themselves and it may not be their parents who are acting differently at all.

Returning to our parable. It had all gone very wrong for the prodigal son. It seemed like a smart move to take his inheritance and move on with his life. Never mind that he still had a responsibility to work the land his father had given him and support his father. Never mind that the land was a sacred portion of the family's heritage, not to be sold; the son had his own life and desires; so he sold it and moved on to what he hoped were greener pastures. He had a wild time, and made a lot of friends, all of whom forgot who he was when the money ran out. He found himself in the worst situation of his life, dreaming of stealing food thrown to pigs. Eventually, after exhausting all other options, he decided to return home. He anticipated shame and disgrace; he knew he deserved nothing but was willing to beg for the life of a servant. His concept of mercy could not imagine a return to sonship. But he was wrong! His homecoming was more than he could ever have imagined. 

Each of us has moments in life where we make mistakes and become the prodigal son. We call these sins and it’s usually because we try to convince ourselves that something we know to be wrong, is, in this case, right. If we have the honesty to admit it, we soon realize we are no longer happy. We can't be at war with God and at peace with ourselves. We can try, but it won't work. In what areas of life are we still separated from God by our obsession with pleasure, independence, selfishness, and control? Where do we still live the life of the prodigal son, wandering away from responsibilities to God and neighbor, stuck in the misery of sin? As a priest who has the privilege of hearing confessions, I get to see many moments of transformation, when someone returns to the Father and experiences his embrace of forgiveness and peace. God wants that moment for each and every one of us!

The Forgiving Father runs out to meet his son. How many days he must have watched the road hoping to see his son coming back and yet saw nothing! But he never stopped watching, waiting, and hoping! He doesn’t even let the Prodigal to finish his little speech about how unworthy he is or why he should only be considered a slave. The Father is overwhelmed with joy and immediately starts to celebrate. How often do you and I try to love like the father? Are we people who welcome back those who are separated from God and others? Are we compassionate to the weak and sinful? Do we do everything we can to help them return to God’s family? Are we able to forgive the wrongs done to us and others or are we harsh christians who complain that Jesus welcomes sinners into his Church?

I think most of us sympathize with the elder son. He did the right thing his whole life by working his portion of the Father’s property. He suffered through his brother's insulting of their dad. There is nothing that gets us angrier than when someone we love is offended. But he let this anger control him. It seems that much of his service to the Father was served in resentment. It may have been quiet and unspoken but it was bubbling under the surface until this very moment. How many Christians, how many of us, serve God externally but in our heart, we are bitter, disappointed, and feel unrecognized by God? How many of us feel self-righteous and disgusted by the way God seems to welcome sinners and share his mercy those who don’t seem to deserve it? Shouldn’t they have to pay for what they have done? Are we secretly jealous of the prodigal son because he did what we wanted to do?

The end of the parable is tragic and ironic. A banquet is thrown, but the elder son refused to enter. The Father who had every reason to remain angry, is not. However, elder brother refuses to forgive his sibling and his father. His angry that his father’s heart is not as small as his! By refusing to participate, the Elder Son separated himself from the Father's love. At the conclusion of the parable, only the Elder Son is absent from the banquet. And he is absent by his own choice, he has excluded himself. 

We all have battle stories. We have all had people who have consciously and callously hurt us. But if we don't forgive those who have hurt us, we will be keeping ourselves out of the banquet of God's love. We have also hurt others and caused pain throughout our lives. If we want to receive God's forgiveness, we have to give God's forgiveness. If we don't forgive and ask to be forgiven, we will end up standing outside the banquet griping and grousing, separated from God's love.

"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them” is the criticism we hear of Jesus. It’s absolutely true, thank God! He welcomes us and eats with us here in the Eucharist. He shows us a better way to live, a way of life free from sin and misery. The Parable of the Prodigal Son, Forgiving Father and Elder Brother is a brilliant depiction of our human condition, our foibles, and the unlimited compassion God offers us if we are willing to turn from sin and hatred. May our parish family be defined by receiving and sharing this forgiveness and so we can enjoy the freedom and peace it brings!

Stop, Slow Down, Observe, Be Present! (3rd Sunday of Lent, Year C)

To listen to this homily, click here.

One of our struggles as modern people is the ability to be mindful of our surroundings and the people around us. Even though our bodies are in one place, very often, our minds and hearts are somewhere else because of multitasking, planning, or anxiety. Being engaged in the present moment is so difficult! For example, have you ever been so preoccupied as you drove somewhere that when you arrived, you didn’t even recall how you got there? It’s not that you were sleepy or distracted, it’s more like your mind was on autopilot. Think of all the food we’ve consumed in the last week; how much of it could we remember and describe? Or the people we encountered at the store, at a restaurant, on the phone, or in our everyday business? Even though they may have shared their name or some other information, do we remember anything about them? Let’s look at something that just happened; can we recall where our readings came from for Mass without checking the book or asking the person next to us? Would we say from Exodus, 1st Corinthians, the gospel of Luke? 

In general, the problem is not memory. Most of us can and do remember incredible amounts of information about things we are passionate about. Instead, the issue for most of us is the ability to maintain a sort of spiritual, emotional, and mental awareness of what is happening around us. We are so flustered and frantic that we miss much of what God and others are trying to share with us.

In today’s first reading from Exodus, consider how incredible it is that Moses’ life and vocation – not to mention salvation history – are changed forever because he was aware of what was happening around him; he took the time to investigate; he was open to God; and he was willing to engage and listen. We might think, “well easy for him, there was a burning bush as a sign.” But go back to the reading again and pay close attention to what we are told. Moses wasn’t surprised by the fact that a bush was on fire; apparently fiery shrubs weren’t all that unusual! What surprised him was that while he watched it burn, it didn’t change. That observation only happens when someone stops, watches, observes and is not running past to something else. If Moses had been wrapped up in his own problems or thoughts, in a hurry, or simply responding to a text message, he could have easily passed by, assuming the bush would soon burn up or that someone else would be along to tend to it. He would have missed the invitation by God to come closer and enter holy ground. Who knows, maybe this wasn’t the first sign he had been given but it may have been the first one he had noticed! Sometimes I wonder what signs we are missing as we fly from one thing to the next, as we rue the past or plan for the future instead of savoring the present moment where God is usually found. 

How often do we pass by someone or something that could transform us, if we were open to them? If we slowed down enough to observe, to engage, to listen, to notice? I think all of us ask God to give us signs of his love and we want him to show us the way but are we actually mindful enough in everyday life to slow down, watch, and listen? God has desires and plans for each of us, just as God had desires and plans for Moses. And he has been and will continue to reach out to us and provide signs of his love, care, and mercy. But they are easy to miss if we are not looking for them.

Far too often we explain away these signs as nothing more than coincidence, fate, or luck. Even worse, sometimes, we give ourselves the credit, we believe we can will something into existence as if we are gods ourselves. I remember a priest once telling me, “There is no such thing as luck, there are no coincidences. God always wants it or allows it for a reason.”

Each of us can think back to special people and positive events that have changed us forever and brought great blessings into our lives. How humbling to know that those are people and moments that God intended specifically for us, for our well-being and happiness. They are his signs to us; THEY ARE NOT ACCIDENTS! Even more mind-boggling is the thought that there are many other signs and wonders we have completely missed and walked past because of our preoccupation with ourselves, our busyness, and our desire to be in control. Some of the most powerful God-moments in my life were not on my calendar or part of my plan. 

Lent is a blessed time because it provides an opportunity to slow down, let go of what is not essential and be more mindful, more present to God and others, through acts of charity, fasting, and prayer. Even the simplest things can help us to be more aware of God and others. Saying a prayer each morning when I wake up reminds me that the day is a gift from God. Not everyone woke up today or had another day like you and me. So that first prayer causes us to be grateful and realize we are blessed. Praying before meals reminds us that we are fortunate to have food to eat. Many do not have enough or any food this day and yet we have more than we need and with so little effort. Mindful of that gift, we try not to be wasteful or gluttonous with what we eat and we work to make sure others have what they need to live and flourish. Finally, before we go to bed, we can thank God for helping us through another day. Setting aside a minute or two, we can review our day, calling to mind several of the blessings, the moments we saw God loving us and providing for our needs. We will also acknowledge the signs we missed, the opportunities we ignored, and the wrongs we committed so that we can learn and do better tomorrow, should we receive that gift. 

Mindfulness is really that simple and easy. It is already baked into our day and the little acts of faith we learned as small children. Take time in the coming weeks to get back to basics and believe that God is giving us signs every day. Learning to see and respond to them will make a big difference over time and will allow us to follow the path of Moses who himself became an important sign of God’s love, mercy, and salvation. May God bless our week and open our eyes to see him at work in our lives! 

No Excuses For Lent! Make Room for God (2nd Sunday of Lent, Year C)

To listen to this homily, click here. 

These lenten days and weeks are busy for all of us, I know! As a priest, this is like the playoffs with the added confessions here at IW and at our neighboring parishes and schools. There are also prayer breakfasts and days of recollection and retreats and bible studies to help out with, all leading to the big kahuna, we call Holy Week! During lent, there are times when I can barely keep my eyes open for the second half of the day! In those moments, I am reminded of something I read, called “The 5 best things to say if you get caught sleeping at your desk.” I am sharing them with you in case they might prove helpful down the road, hopefully not during this homily!

#5, “They told me at the blood bank that this might happen.”  #4,“This is just a 15-minute power nap they raved about in the time management course you sent me to.” #3, “Wow! I guess I left the top off the White-out. You got here just in time.” #2, “Did you ever notice sound coming out of these keyboards when you put your ear down real close?” And #1, if all else fails, raise your head slowly and say, In Jesus’ Name, Amen!”

We all tend to be masters of excuses and rationalization, especially when it comes to lent and our resolutions. We usually start off with a bang, with an impressive list of wills and will-nots that would make the pope sweat. After a day or two, we are pretty proud of ourselves and maybe even start designing the holy card they can use at our canonization. Then we hit the two-week mark and often the wheels start to fall off. Of course we mean well and have great intentions but we rarely emerge from these 40 days having kept our word to the Lord. One of the reasons for our failure is that we focus on the negative. “I won’t watch tv”, “I won’t eat sweets”, “I won’t …(you fill in the blank). This is all well and good but more often than not, in focusing so much on the negative, we don’t spend enough time reflecting on what comes next, what we are replacing it with. When we fall into this pattern, we are digging holes without ever planting anything in them. 

The point of our penance is not so much what we get rid of, although that is important; it’s really about what we want to replace it with, namely God and virtue. Take that principle and apply it to your resolutions this year. If you gave up ice cream, does that sacrifice make you think of God more often? If so, great! Keep up the good work! But if it just makes you fixate on the next time you have a huge bucket of Haagen Daas in front of you, move on to another penance!

Truth be told, the most profitable penances focus on the positive, on a greater good for ourselves and others, a goal that brings out the best version of ourselves for the glory of God. For example, “I want to cut down on screen time, so I can spend more time with God and be present to my family and friends around me.” “I am going to give away more of my time and money to help others and put them first.” “I am going to honesty evaluate my spending and consumption according to needs vs wants so my desires do not rule me and I can set my sights on the one thing, the one person who truly satisfies!” These are the sort of resolutions that really make a difference over the course of a lenten season.

So, with the positive in mind, let me suggest three creative and off-beat penances for Lent that you might consider, especially if your resolve has already begun to waver on the resolutions you chose 10 days ago.

First, release a secret from your past which weighs you down and causes you shame. All of us have a history, much of it good but some of it bad. Very often, the darkest moments of our life are known only to God and ourselves. We form habits of self-hatred for our mistakes and we even wonder if God can love that part of our past which hurt him and others. That secret festers and creates a wound that never quite heals. Use this lent to let go of whatever secret you carry. Bring it to God in the sacrament of confession. Let him take it from you and shine his light upon it. If you are nervous about sharing something like that with a priest you know, then find out where they are having a parish mission or extra confessions with a visiting priest who you will never see again. That’s what I would do!  Perhaps, after you receive absolution, you may feel called to share that secret with a close friend or counselor who will help you continue the healing process. Whatever the case, stop lugging it around. It’s dead weight. And remember, it’s not only a matter of unloading a dreaded secret. It’s a matter of making room for God’s presence and peace. That’s the goal!

Second, try your hand at restorative justice. You might have heard of this term before; we try to use it in our school when one student offends another. Restorative justice is actually a legal term that means setting up a meeting between perpetrators and victims so perpetrators can learn and see firsthand how their sins and crimes have damaged people’s lives, in the hope they would feel some remorse. It might seem extreme but it’s a good thought for us. Often we distance ourselves from the ones we hurt by our lies, greed, and selfishness and as a result, have little empathy for those affected by our sins. But to look into the eyes of our victims, to stand face to face, to perceive the hurt, see the wounds, to feel what they felt from our unkindness, helps us to stand in their shoes, empathize, and repent. This is not about fostering crushing guilt for our sins and mistakes; this makes room for compassion. If we cannot do this physically, and often we cannot, we can do this in prayer. Imagine the other person sitting across from you and read their face and heart. Get into their skin and weep. Restorative justice is a good lenten exercise that keeps our heart from becoming hardened and indifferent to sin.

Third, consider the wisdom of the 14 generations. The 14 generations is a practice of the Iroquois nation. It is the notion that we give thanks for the contributions and sacrifices of the seven generations that came before us and paved the way for our existence and flourishing. And we make decisions and live our lives in a way that will benefit the next seven generations that follow us. If we baptize this beautiful practice, we relate it to our spiritual lives and the gift of faith. Lent is an opportunity to give thanks for the many, untold sacrifices and spiritual gifts that have been handed on to us by previous generations. We are not here on earth or here in church because of our own efforts alone. So many others have sacrificed and given of themselves to form us, provide for us, patiently correct us, and teach us prayer, faith, and virtue. They deserve our prayers of gratitude, even if we do not fully know who did what for us. We also have responsibility to provide for the souls who will come after us, here at Incarnate Word and in our families. Lent is a wonderful time to be still and reflect on whether or not we are providing for the spiritual legacy of generations to come. Are we continuing that venerable practice of leaving the Church and the world better than we found them; making it possible for our descendants to flourish and thrive and become saints of God? This is a good and holy stance to take in life and certainly one worth deepening in lent.

 

So, consider these three, offbeat suggestions as food for thought, especially if you find yourself stalling already in your lenten resolutions: Release your secret, seek restorative justice, and become a part of the 14 generations, always with the grace of God and for the Glory of his name. Amen.  

Lessons from the Lord (8th Sunday, Year C)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

More often than not, the season of Lent hits long before we get to this Sunday. As a result, we often miss out on these wonderful readings, which read like a mashup of a farmer’s almanac, some advice from a wise old neighbor, and timeless truth that is passed down from a parent to a child. The result is a series of practical and relevant teachings any one of us could use in our life right now.

First up is the Book of Sirach. “When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear; so do one’s faults when one speaks.” Translated: take care of the words you speak, and, in our case, the ones we text or post; they reveal who we really are, for good or for ill. Words are powerful things and we should be careful about how we use them. Our words express our thoughts and our thoughts show the type of person we are and the priorities we value most. In light of this heavenly truth-bomb, what do our words say about us?!

Next, we zoom in on the rapid-fire lessons Jesus is doling out in the gospel. The first one deals with teaching and being taught. “Can a blind man act as a guide to a blind man. Will they not both fall into a ditch?"  In other words, we cannot teach until we have learned. We accept this truth in many areas of life. We read the reviews of persons, products, and services online. We want the teachers in schools and universities to be qualified. When something important is on the line, we want it to be handled by a professional, a real expert. I don’t think anyone would take their car to a mechanic who boasted about having no “formal” training! No one wants a doctor or lawyer who learned everything they know by watching a few videos on Youtube! 

If this is true about matters of this world, how much more important for the things dealing with eternity?! We have a responsibility to carefully choose who teaches us about our faith and spiritual life. We need to take an active role in helping that aspect of our lives grow. It won’t happen by osmosis. Jesus promises his Holy Spirit to guide the Catholic Church with a teaching authority when it comes to matters of faith and morals. We don’t have to blindly figure out these things by ourselves. In fact, it is a really bad idea to try and be our own church and teacher. This divinely-guided authority is called the magisterium and it involves the Pope, Bishops, theologians and consultants. The duty of the magisterium is to make sure we can follow Jesus, our true teacher, in a time and culture that is very different than 2000 years ago. This teaching authority is a great gift but sometimes, out of pride, laziness or even scandal at the human weakness of our leaders, we rebel and try to make it on our own wisdom. Some questions to reflect on from this first lesson are: who is my teacher in spiritual matters? Am I teachable at all or do I always know best? Do I put in the effort to keep learning about my faith from reputable teachers or did my spiritual development stop in grade school, high school or college?

The second mini lesson deals with judgements. In one of his most well-known quips, Jesus says, “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?” We are really good at seeing the imperfections of others while being completely blind to our own. Oftentimes our defects are far more serious but we obsess over someone’s much smaller fault. And, how little patience we have for the people who have the exact same imperfections as we do. Interestingly enough, Jesus doesn’t say we should stop caring about the splinter in our brother’s eye. But he demands we clean up our own vision first before we help them remove it. That way we can help others grow and improve in ways that are charitable, humble, and genuine.

The third lesson relates back to Sirach and teaches us not judge ourselves or others by appearance. "A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit.” Our thoughts, words, and actions show who we really are. When a person does good things, time after time, we know this is a good person. When a person is continually stirring up trouble, creating division, pain, and chaos, we know that person is troubled. The fruit reveals what is in the heart. In the same way, it is not enough for us to say we are Catholics and then live as pagans. In fact, it is not enough to say we are saved. What we need to say is that we are in the daily process of being saved. Our actions must reflect God's saving love to us. Of course, we always depend upon the mercy and grace of God, but we have to respond to this mercy and grace by doing our best to live the Christian life. If we don’t, then our fruits will demonstrate the insincerity of our conversion. This hypocrisy of Christians, whether it be the laity in the world or the clergy in the churches, is the biggest turn-off to those who don’t yet follow Jesus. Our thoughts, words, and actions must be consistent with what we believe because our example affects others, either by inspiring or scandalizing. 

This Wednesday Lent finally begins. I need this Lent to work on these powerful lessons of Jesus. Perhaps you do too. Lent is a time for us to grow in our faith and let the Holy Spirit guide us through the prayer and teaching of our Church. Lent is a time to look into ourselves and ask the tough questions. Lent is a time to consider our living of the Christian life. Do our actions demonstrate Christ's continuing conversion in our lives? Do our thoughts, words, and actions direct others towards God? How hard am I working to remove that beam from my eyeballs first? If we are honest, we all have some work to do. So let us ask the Lord for his patience, mercy, and grace!