Making God a Part of your Decisions (5th Sunday of Easter, Cycle A)

A little over four years ago, the Archbishop called me into his office and asked me to consider taking a new assignment. He told me it was okay if I wanted to take some time and pray about his request. He wanted me to ask the guidance of the Holy Spirit, my spiritual director, and afterwards come back and give my answer. He was willing to let me make the final choice, whether or not I moved. I did exactly what the Archbishop asked me. I took the next couple weeks and prayed about what God wanted me to do. I asked the Holy Spirit, do you want me to stay at the Cathedral or do you want me to go to a new assignment? I met with my spiritual director and had him pray with me. After much prayer and thought, after some nights of tossing and turning in my sleep and wondering if I was making the right choice, I finally had my answer. I made another appointment with the Archbishop and informed him the Holy Spirit had told both me and my spiritual director that it would be best if I stayed at the Cathedral. He looked at me and said thank you very much. Two weeks later the archbishop called me and told me “I would like you to move and to practice your vow of obedience”. I suppose his Holy Spirit was much stronger and smarter than my Holy Spirit.

Even though I was surprised when the Archbishop told me I would be moving, I knew that I had taken a vow of obedience on the day of my ordination. And I have to say, even though I did not originally choose to come here to St. Joseph's in Cottleville, these four years have been a great blessing for me and I have learned so much.

This practice of using prayer while making a decision is present in today's first reading. In the Acts of the Apostles, the young church is growing by leaps and bounds and has increasing needs that must be met. Some of the widows are not receiving their portion of bread and are going hungry. People raise this concern to the apostles and they take it to prayer to find a solution. The answer they are given is to select seven holy men who will be in charge of the distribution of bread and other works of mercy so that no one is neglected. These seven men are the first deacons of our Church and they become the hands and hearts of the twelve apostles, enabling them to help more people while still allowing the twelve to remain in their ministry of prayer and teaching. 

This method of making decisions is also used to replace Judas, who betrayed Jesus.  They know there needed to be twelve apostles to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. This person had to be a witness to the resurrection. They come up with two very good choices. But they allow God to make the final decision, they leave the choice to God's wisdom and his ability to know what is best for them and for the whole church. In the end, Mathias is chosen to replace Judas and he will go on to do great things for the Lord, spreading the gospel and eventually laying down his life in Ethiopia for Christ. 

The pattern used by the early church in making decisions is something that we can incorporate into our own lives as Christian men and women. God wants to be a part of our decision-making; not just the big decisions: like should I be a priest or religious or should I get married? He also wants to be involved in the smaller choices that we encounter on a daily basis. God wants to help us to make good and holy decisions that will benefit us and those we care about. 

So how do we incorporate God into our process of making choices? First of all, we should invite God into the situation we are considering and ask him to help us see all the factors involved. Secondly, we should pay attention to our thoughts and feelings as we play out the different possibilities in our mind. We might ask the following questions: Do we feel more peace or joy with one option rather than the other? Does one scenario use more of our gifts or lead us closer to God? Does it challenge us to grow spiritually and humanly or is it just maintaining the status quo? Thirdly, as one course of action begins to seem more favorable, we can run it past someone we trust and who has our best interests in mind. They can make sure we are not simply rationalizing or deceiving ourselves. Finally, we can move forward with what we think God has led us towards, confident that if we missed something, he will gently guide toward the better part. 

It is important to note that we are speaking about situations where there are two or more good things at stake. This discernment, as it is called, helps us to decide which one is better for us in the given situation. We do not use discernment when there is a choice between good and evil because in that case, we must always choose the good.

It is truly amazing how closely God works with us in these times. He will speak to our hearts if we use this process of discernment, which is very simple and natural. With a little practice and some quiet time to listen, the Lord will show us the path to take. He will help us to avoid settling for less than the wonderful things he wants to give us. He will make use of people and other creative signs to help us know when to take the next step. So let us imitate the faithful example of the early Church and make God a part of our daily decision making. Nothing but good will come of it and this prayerful spirit will benefit every person affected by our decisions.

Mother's Day (4th Sunday of Easter, Cycle A)

As I think back on the many things my mom would say to me growing up, there was certainly a pattern. Phrases like: “it will be ok”, “I’m right here with you” “I love you”, and “keep practicing, it will get easier” were very comforting when I was scared, hurt, or frustrated. I also heard things like: “go to your room until you’re ready to behave”, or “tell your sister you are sorry for hurting her feelings”, and “we’ll see if you still feel that way when your father gets home”. These words were challenging and although I didn’t like them at the time, they usually ended up making me a better person in the long run. These words of comfort and challenge, have been a part of our lives growing up. Perhaps we still hear some of them even as adults! Behind these phrases was a love that can only spring from a mother’s heart. Behind these words was a hope for our future, a determination that we become someone good and happy and successful. On this day our world acknowledges and thanks moms for the countless sacrifices and acts of love that they show us day in and day out. And all of us in this church should take a moment, if we haven’t already, to thank God for the gift of our mom, who loved us incredibly and who sacrificed so much of her herself to help us become who we are today. For some of you, your mom is no longer here with you. Please take some time today and every day to pray for her soul, that she enjoy the rewards of heaven and the peace and fulfillment that only God can give her. 

Now I do not want to preach only about Mother’s day, but I think the primary roles of comforting and challenging that our moms practice in raising us is an important dynamic to consider. Why does a mother comfort her child? Of course she does so because she loves her little one. She wants to take away pain, eliminate any fear and assure the child that everything will be ok. A good mother comforts naturally, it doesn’t have to be taught or rehearsed. It radiates from the limitless love she has for her child and it springs from her desire to share everything with her little one. 

The same can be said for why our moms challenge us as we move through the stages of life. Certainly, it would have been easier for them to leave us to our own devices rather than chase us around and ask us to clean our rooms, put away the laundry and take out the trash. Surely, they did not look forward to checking our homework, forcing us to apologize when we had done wrong and hurt someone nor did they derive pleasure from sending us to our rooms or taking away various privileges. A loving mother challenges her children because she knows it will help them to grow and practice virtues. It is a selfless form of love that looks beyond what the child thinks is best in all its immaturity and short-sightedness. A mother’s challenge is for the child’s own good and oftentimes goes unappreciated until many years later, perhaps when that child becomes a parent themselves.

These expressions of love, comforting and challenging, so beautifully manifested by our mothers, are also laid out for us in the scriptures today. In our first reading, St. Peter lays into the Jewish people, reminding them that God sent them a savior, his own Son, whom they put to death. He doesn’t sugarcoat what they have done, he can’t ignore their sin. His listeners are cut to the heart by his challenge; they know they have done something terribly wrong. In his love for them, St. Peter offers them hope, a remedy for their wrongdoing. He tells them to repent and to be baptized. And his challenge, which at first produced heartbreak and anxiety in his listeners, becomes a source of joy and life as 3000 are baptized that very day.

In the Gospel, Jesus engages us with the hopeful and comforting words “that he has come that we might have life and have it more abundantly.” There are many things out there in the world and even in our hearts that threaten the gift of life. So many experience anger, self-hatred, jealousy, and selfishness. There are grudges and hurts that we hide from God and try to hold onto, even as they consume us. We live in a society that judges by appearance rather than the heart and which tries to decide which person is worth protecting and which lives can be thrown away. Jesus comforts us with the promise that he is the gate which gathers and protects the sheep. He is the good shepherd who leads the flock to safety and makes sure they have good food and clean water. He is the one who never hesitates to sacrifice himself for his loved ones and who never stops looking for those who have become lost. Jesus’ desire is to comfort us in every moment of our life until that time that we can rest fully and forever in him.

It is important that we accept both the comforts and the challenges that God sends our way if we want to live holy, happy, and healthy lives. For some of you today, God is issuing a personal challenge to draw closer to him especially by letting go of a particular sin. Perhaps, for some of you that are married, he is asking you to trust him more, to be open to the possibility of new life and remove artificial contraception from your marriage. For others, he might be nudging you to forgive someone who has hurt you deeply, even if that person has not apologized or expressed remorse. Many of you will be invited to be more generous in your material support of the Church’s charitable works, here in this parish and throughout the world. Still others will be challenged to let go of the shackles of a personal sin like drinking, pornography, self-abuse, or an unhealthy relationship which only moves you away from God and compromises your dignity. Whatever the challenge, I encourage you to embrace it. God holds your happiness and best interests near his Sacred Heart and whatever he asks you to give up will be richly rewarded. Whenever we begin the process of conversion, he will be there every step of the way to comfort us in our heartache, to soothe us as we move into the unknown and the uncomfortable. Anything he asks us to suffer, he promises to be right alongside us; we are never alone.

So today, we once again thank God for our moms who have loved and comforted us and in doing so, have been God’s hands and hearts in leading us closer to him. And we recognize that in some small way, they have helped prepare us for the ways God also challenges and comforts us throughout our lives. May God bless our moms, living and deceased and may he bless us with trusting and generous hearts for whatever he asks!

The Road to Emmaus (3rd Sunday of Easter)

Over the past week I had the privilege to attend a class in Chicago on spiritual direction. One of the expectations of this class is that you spend considerable amount of time in personal prayer. The scripture I chose to reflect on for the week was the gospel we just heard, that long but beautiful story where two of the disciples are lost, confused, and searching for meaning. Because their experience is so relevant to how we feel sometime, let’s take a few moments to explore its meaning. I would encourage you to imagine that you are there with the two disciples as they leave Jerusalem. The road would be filled with pilgrims entering and leaving the city. It would be later in the afternoon with the sun starting to go down on the horizon. 

These two followers of Christ were hurrying out of town on Sunday, the third day after the crucifixion. They were getting out of Dodge, fleeing the madness of what had just happened and trying to stay ahead of possible persecutions. They had seven or eight miles to walk that night. We hear that they are talking about everything that has just happened to them when Jesus approaches and asks what they are discussing. We are told they are downcast when this stranger asks them about their conversation. And this is not surprising. The average lifespan of a person during this time was about 40-45 years. And they had just spent three of them following a carpenter’s son, who claimed he was the Son of God. In their mind, they had lost three important years and they had lost their identity, their mission, their teacher, and Lord in whom they had put all their hope. How beautiful that Our Lord takes an interest in what they are going through and how they are feeling! How amazing that he “draws” near to them to walk with them along their journey. And even though he could just spill the beans and reveal himself to them right there on the road, he doesn’t. He knows they are not yet ready, they need to work through everything that has happened in order to understand. And he walks patiently with them, listening to their experience and filling in the gaps, showing them the reason for it all. He explains that everything happened for a reason, indeed it HAD to happen this way for the salvation of the world.

Even as Jesus explains everything to them, they still do not recognize him. Even though they are being encouraged, in fact, they feel their hearts burning within them, they still cannot believe that this companion is their Risen Lord. And yet, Jesus patiently walks with them to their destination. When they arrive, Jesus gives the impression that he will keep walking, he never invites himself in; he waits to be invited by the disciples and he also waits for our invitation to let him into our lives.They beg him to stay a little longer and he does. How encouraging to us to consider the generosity of Christ, who wants to answer our requests! How humbling that the Risen Lord waits impatiently to serve us, to help us! And how often we fail to invite hime to stay with us.

Once inside, Jesus reveals himself in the breaking of the bread, the same breaking of the bread that we will celebrate in a few moments. Immediately, the disciples get it, and they see who this stranger really is. And in that moment, they realize that the last three years were not wasted at all. That Christ has indeed risen and conquered sin and death and everything that he taught is true. They would have realized in the breaking of the bread that God’s wisdom is infinitely wiser than any human wisdom. They would have known without a doubt that their lord was not just a king but also a patient and loving friend who was willing to walk with them throughout their doubt until their faith and hope were restored. And because any encounter with Jesus is so good, so joyful, so overwhelming, they cannot keep it to themselves, they have to tell others. So they run back to Jerusalem, through the dark roads from which they just came to share the good news with the apostles. 

We are often those two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Don’t we all go through times when we are downcast, confused, disappointed, frightened, and hurt because we expect one thing from God but get something entirely different? These hardships challenge the way we think of God; they make us feel alone and abandoned. Because of our own expectations of God, we can be blind to the fact that he is walking right alongside us in our time of difficulty. Christ is always walking with us during these moments but we may not recognize him. Like the disciples, we may walk quite a distance down our road of difficulty before we see the presence of Christ. This healing presence of our Lord may be found where we least expect it: in the kind words of a stranger, in the beauty of fine spring day, or the smile of a friend or family member. 

Finally, we can see our time here at Mass each week as our own journey to Emmaus. Here we can bring all those things we have on our minds and present them to God. Here we have the Word of God, which is opened up and explained to us as it relates to Christ. But our Lord doesn’t stop at explaining the scriptures to us. In a few minutes he will become present in the breaking of the bread here at the altar. It was this breaking of the bread that opened the eyes of the disciples. If we invite him into our hearts, he will do the same thing for us. He wants our eyes to be opened, so that we can see him working in every situation of our lives.

My prayer for all of us here today is that we approach this Eucharist with the eyes of faith, a faith which sees that Jesus is walking alongside us, each and every step of the way. May we be a people who recognize the presence of Christ here in the breaking of the bread. May we, like the disciples, say to one another as we leave this church: Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”   

Salt! (5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A)

One of my favorite weekend rituals is to spend some time with the final edition of the Wall Street Journal. It usually arrives on Saturday morning and it pulls together the events of the week from around the world concerning politics, finance, entertainment, and just about everything else. Also included are intriguing editorials and reviews of movies, recipes, clothing, gadgets, cars, and books. Now I enjoy all of these things because they are well-written and thought-provoking, and btw, if I seemed a little put out a few weeks ago, its because the snowblower ate the Journal and my fun was cancelled for the weekend! So the point of my sharing all this is that you come across some really great material that might otherwise fly under the radar. For example, last year I downloaded a book that I had read about in the journal. It was a book devoted completely to the swordfish. It may sound boring but it was fantastic and like poetry and you almost couldn’t believe that someone could write so many things about a fish with a big nose! This eye-opening experience also prepared me for the book I am reading now: it is a simple title called Salt and it is a 500 page work chronicling the influence of salt throughout human history. It may sound crazy but it is a fascinating read.

For example, did you know that we have a whole host of common words that come from salt? The word “salad” originally described a dish of raw vegetables flavored with a salty brine dressing enjoyed by the Romans. Salary was a term originally describing an allowance given to Roman soldiers to buy salt. Sometime their payment was salt itself, with which they could trade for other goods. Perhaps many of you have heard the phrase, “he is worth his salt.” Other common words derived from this essential mineral are sauce, salami, sausage and saline.

We might not think too much about salt because it is so abundant and cheap. In fact, we might think of salt as a bad thing because there is often too much in our modern diet and it can cause a number of health problems. But this is a modern phenomenon. Throughout human history, salt  has been a source of life, riches, and power. It is used preserve food, flavor meals, cure meats, treat ailments, and even make our roads safer. For most of human history, salt was precious, extremely valuable, and something to be desired. Every animal needs it and many wars have been fought, trying to secure this commodity.

Perhaps this brief background helps us then appreciate a little more, what Jesus is saying in the gospel when he tells his apostles, “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

That little salt shaker, present today in every home, was unknown in the Middle East at the time of Christ. Only the very wealthy could afford pure salt. Ordinary people had a "salt bag." The salt with all its impurities was placed in the bag, and then used in soup or other liquids for flavoring. Eventually all the salt was gone, leaving only impurities. This is what is meant in the gospel when our Lord asks, "what if the salt loses its flavor?"

Salt is a good symbol for the gift of baptismal integrity given to us by Christ. Salt itself cannot lose its flavor; but it can be used up and what remains in the salt bag, the "dregs" no longer works for flavoring food. One either has salt or one doesn't. We are either dead in our sins or alive in Christ. Once the salt is gone, a person must return to the source of the salt in order to replace it; nothing else will do. If one is to have life, one must go to its Divine source.

As people consecrated to God by baptism, we are meant to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Notice that Christ does not say that “one day you will be the salt of the earth”, no he says you ARE. Right now, where you are, no excuses. He can say this because he is willing and ready to replenish us at any time through prayer and the sacraments. With this in mind, it is time to ask: Do we really act like the salt of the earth? As apostles, are our lives having the same effect in our world? Are we a source of life to those around us? Do we provide the irreplaceable flavor of the gospel to others? Do our thoughts, words, and actions serve to heal and preserve and save from spoils of sin and sadness? Have we lived our faith so well that we are seen as a precious commodity, a resource essential to the life and well-being of others? Or, have we lost our flavor? Have we run empty in the practice of our faith, becoming like that salt bag, full of impurities and other undesirable elements? 

The source of all true and lasting joy and blessing is Christ. That is easy to believe but difficult to live consistently. We turn most readily in thanks to God when things go well, when the spouse and family are happy, when everybody is healthy. But when the inevitable disappointments, tragedies, betrayals, and depressions come, do we guard the life of Christ and keep the promise of unending joy by remaining close to our Lord in the Eucharist, by faithfully attending Sunday Mass, by staying faithful to daily prayer? Anything else is a flight from Him who alone can help us to bear all burdens. Life here will sometimes lose its flavor, and someday will end. But the glorious and eternal truth is that we are salt in Christ, with Him our lives will never lose their flavor. May we enjoy this Divine Salt in our own lives and share it freely as a strength and sustenance now and forever.

3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A

A few months ago, I went to see one of the more intriguing movies released during the past year. It was “Gravity”, starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney and it is the story of two astronauts stranded in space after an accident during their spacewalk. Now, its not so much the story that makes this movie remarkable; rather, it is the method of filming the scenes, a ground-breaking method in its realism. The director spent some five years filming and getting things right, down to the smallest detail. He makes you feel like you are weightless in space and immersed in its silence. He also makes you feel the enormity of space, the darkness of its infinite void and its ability to simply swallow the human person, without their ability to fight back. In the midst of incredible beauty and silence, there is also terrible loneliness and danger. If one were to get untethered from the space station, he would slowly float away into the dark void, unable to stop the spinning and drifting. If one were to be outside the spacecraft too long, his oxygen would run out and he would drown in the lifeless ocean beyond our atmosphere. The movie thrusts you into the midst of this beautiful danger and it is an intense 90 minutes. Most of the film focusses on Sandra Bullock’s struggle to stay free of space debris and keep her cool as her resources dwindle and she looks for a way back to earth. One of the most powerful scenes comes in the beginning of the movie, when Bullock is separated from the space station, her fellow astronauts, and is spiraling into the dark void of oblivion. With little more than her astronaut pal, his stories and her will to survive, you can’t help but hope for her to make it back to the safety of earth.  

Now I give you this movie review, not only to encourage you to see this fine movie when it comes out on DVD in about a month but also because it illustrates a spiritual dynamic found in our second reading and gospel…

+Second reading is St. Paul scolding the Corinthians.

-They were generally good people but they had gotten caught up in pride and comparing one another. Asking ?’s like who was better based on who baptized them. Rating themselves according to the apostle who brought them into Christianity and arguing amongst themselves about these petty details.

-Though they shared the one faith, they are being divided, separated by sin.

-These arguments and sins, if they are not addressed quickly, will tear the community apart and isolate each person or family from others who could help them to live a good christian life.

+and this is the danger of sin, it isolates us and cuts us off from the source of life, joy, peace, happiness, and grace that we all need to stay alive in our faith as Christians. 

-Sin sets us on a spiral of loneliness, darkness, and destruction that we are unable to stop on our own.

-sin untethers us from the safety of Christ and his Church, it slowly robs of us of the things that nourish our souls and keep us alive spiritually, and sets us adrift into the dark void of evil that threatens to swallow us up. 

+all sin has this effect in some way, although some sins do so more quickly or dramatically.

-There is no such thing as a private sin or an offense that only affects us.

-every sin, in some way, even if it is not immediately obvious, separates us from others and distances us from God. Every small sin robs us of a little spiritual oxygen or damages the tether that keeps us anchored to Christ and to each other. Serious sins cut that line completely.

+This is what St. Paul is pointing out to the Corinthians in our second reading. He is highlighting the division of sin and showing the people of that local church the damage being done. 

+Now contrast this with the gospel, that familiar story of Christ calling the first apostles. 

-Whereas sin divides and separates, Jesus unites and brings together. He calls James and John, Peter and Andrew to himself. And what does he teach them to do?

-to go out and bring more people to him, to draw more people out of the isolation and darkness of their sin and into the light and life and union of his love!

-We will see this wonderful reality happening over and over again in the scriptures and hopefully, even now in our lives and in the Church.

-And when we live out our faith, we will see a greater cohesion and integrity in our family, marriage, parish, school, friendships and every other dimension of our lives. 

-As much as sin threatens to separate us from God and each other, Christ is even more present reaching out to us and working to bring us back before we float away into the abyss of evil, despair and self-hatred. 

+As we consider the powers at battle within us, the draw of sin and the pull of Christ’s love, let us resolve to look carefully and honestly at the parts of our souls that have drifted away in sin. Nothing is beyond saving and Jesus never stops reaching out to us, extending the lifeline which will save us and reunite us with him and with his Church. Let us not fool ourselves about the danger of sin, ALL SIN, large and small, as a force that draws us away from life and happiness and union with all that is good and lovely. Let us be filled with hope, that any isolation or darkness we are feeling now can be taken away by a closer relationship with God and a more holy relationship with the people he has placed in our lives. Allow Christ to draw you in by fighting sin and weakness; let him be the air you breathe and the tether you cling to in every struggle. Know that as you come nearer to him, he will also use you to reach out to others who are lost and drifting. He is our safety, he is our life, he will bring us together in a unity that will last for all time; May we never stop striving for that!

Baptism of the Lord, Cycle A

On this feast of Our Lord’s baptism, there are many different directions to take the homily. Perhaps the most obvious would be to explain Jesus’ baptism, with its theological and historical implications, what it means for us and our own baptisms, and how it is the beginning of his public life and ministry. All good points and helpful teachings. But today I want to take another direction, based on the observation of a Christian minister, which spends some time considering the act of affirmation, present in the baptism of Christ. 

Listen again to that beautiful moment when Jesus emerges from the water:

     “After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”.

What powerful words of affirmation! What a way to begin this new stage of his life! What a way to feel before setting out on his public ministry! What a thing to know before any special act has been undertaken, anything accomplished!

This is a perfect opportunity to reflect on the act of affirmation, something I’ll admit, doesn’t come easily to me. This feast gives us a chance to consider what it is, how special it is when God affirms us and in turn when we might affirm others.

The word affirmation means to state positively or to assert some truth; especially some truth concerning the nature of another person and the relationship one has with them. The person who affirms something or someone stands by his word. They put their conviction, their care into what they are saying. They invest themselves and all that is true into their speaking. To affirm something means to value it.

  But all too often when we affirm someone, we follow with: "Don't you think you could have done a little better, don't you think if you had taken more time, or if you had put more effort into it, you could have won first place, or made it perfect?"

No matter how tough or independent we are, we all long for affirmation. We long to be praised. We long to be valued and considered worthwhile, especially by those whom we love and respect. All of us long for affirmation but too often, it seems, those words come too late, after we have gone out from our homes and families, after we have struggled with things, winning some and losing others. Too often they come after some victory or in the midst of some crisis, as if we had to prove ourselves worthy of them, or in desperate need of them. This is the experience in many people's lives.

Fortunately, God’s affirmation of us as his children is different.

The whole story of Jesus' ministry begins with affirmation. Even before Jesus had told a single parable, even before he had healed a single person, there is affirmation. God speaks those beautiful words, "With you I am well pleased." while Jesus is still coming forth from the water.

If we think of our own experiences of giving and receiving affirmation, it usually comes after doing something well. In this case however, Jesus has done nothing to merit the profound words of love and respect that God grants him when he says:  "With you I am well pleased." God speaks them before, to Jesus and to us. He speaks them before any action which might lead us to think that we have earned the affirmation, before any action or event that might be interpreted as cause for us to receive or not receive affirmation.

This is the cornerstone of God’s love and the gift of his grace. And it is when we come to understand that we are children of God, that we can receive this grace, this affirmation, this love that can soothe our soul and empower us for charity. This is what our baptism is all about; reminding ourselves and others that we are indeed children of God. It is about affirming the inherent good of each and every person, seeing the good in them that God does.

Since the day that Jesus was baptized at the river Jordan, baptism has become a sign and sacrament of God's unconditional love for us. In baptism, by the water of new creation, by the faith we profess, and by the action of God, we are marked as God's forever. In our baptism, as in the baptism of Jesus, we celebrate God's welcoming love, a love that comes prior to anything we may have done or will ever do.

The wonder of it all is that each day God renews his loves for us as he speaks tender words in the scriptures and the sacraments about who we are and what we can do. God's love always remains unconditional; it always affirms us, it always nurtures and encourages us to practice a similar love.

Brothers and sisters, God loves each of you, right here and right now. Turn anew to God and to his Word. Turn each day to your brothers and sisters in the faith. Turn to worship and prayer and feel within, God’s affirmation concerning you. Then show forth the love God has for you by affirming one another as God does: before being asked, before the other has done good or bad, before they deserve or do not deserve your favor and your encouragement.

And after affirming others, after creating an atmosphere of encouragement, praise, fairness, acceptance, and charity; pray and thank God, and do it all over again, knowing that this is how God greets you every day. Only good can come of it. The good that we all seek, the good that we all need.

4th Sunday of Advent, Cycle A (Duck Dynasty)

What does Duck Dynasty and the first reading have in common? It may not be immediately obvious, but I hope by the end of the homily you will see the connection. In the first reading, we have what seems to be a pious man named Ahaz, who was a King. His was the Kingdom of Judah, the southern of the two Hebrew Kingdoms.  Basically, in the middle of the eighth century before Jesus, the whole region was at war. Ahaz considered joining his kingdom to an alliance of pagan nations, in the hope that he could protect his people and possibly expand his territory by the time it was all over.

This is when the prophet Isaiah came to him and told him to stay at peace, trust in God and behold His Wonders. Ahaz protested at this. He had his own plan. So Isaiah told him, “If you want proof that my message is from God, ask for a sign, and God will provide it.”  Ahaz might have appeared to be holy and pious when he said, “I will not tempt God,” but actually what he was saying is that he didn’t want anyone telling him what choices to make.  He certainly was not going to allow some prophet to determine his policies. He did not want to behold the work of God.  He would rather decide his own fate and that of his Kingdom, than trust in God.

Ahaz probably believed in God to some extent, at least as far as was politically necessary. But he wanted to do what he thought best. He was not going to take this religion stuff too seriously. Besides, if Isaiah was able to perform some miracle, Ahaz’s hands would be tied to doing what the prophet said. So like a spoiled child, Ahaz held his ears and screamed. He did not want to behold whatever God had in store for him because he had already made a plan and he didn’t want God to get in the way. His plan may have seemed humanely wise and perfect but in the end his nation will be defeated and marched into slavery and will suffer greatly because it followed the wisdom of man rather than the wisdom of God.

Their temptation is not one only kings and rulers face. No, we all have a tendency to react as Ahaz did when confronted with the action of God in our lives. We have a temptation that we rather trust in our own ability to find happiness than be exposed to God and be forced to reject the pseudo joy of the world.

Now enter Duck Dynasty ! This past week, the patriarch of the popular show on TV was interviewed by GQ magazine. During the interview, Phil Robertson was asked about immorality and his faith and he mentioned as one example of immorality, homosexual behavior, in addition to adultery, greed, slander, drunkenness, and swindling people. In case you are wondering, Phil’s list is based on 1 Corinthians 6:9, not just a list of pet peeves that he decided to fixate on. Interestingly enough, two paragraphs later, the interviewer quotes Phil as saying that they do not ever judge if a person is going to heaven or hell, rather he says that their job is to give them the Good News of Jesus Christ and let God sort the rest out. 

Now predictably, these comments stirred up a hornet’s nest of anger and outrage. They also summoned agreement and support. What these words and the reaction of A&E and people on both sides of the debate show is much more than political correctness, progressive vs. traditional, Christian vs. atheist, urban vs. rural. No, at the heart of this whole story is the problem of Ahaz and how we humans like to run things ourselves.

What sin is and how it is defined is not ours to decide or change. Sin is anything that draws us away from God and he shows us what these things are in scripture and in the magisterium or teaching of the Church. Not all sin is laid out in the bible. Some of it has been taught to us through the teaching and tradition of the Church. These teachings, wherever they come from, are timeless and binding. They span all cultures and ages, they do not fade or become irrelevant. Sin is sin and it is not up to us to decide what will be sin and what we can make ok.

Ahaz had a vision and he wanted that vision to be followed at all costs, even if it contradicted what God had in mind. To his limited understanding, it was the best plan, the most relevant and likely to work. But his mind was limited and he didn’t see what God sees. His people and kingdom paid the ultimate price. In our culture today, we like to redefine what is right and wrong, based on our own limited understanding. Whether it be redefining marriage or the family, or that a person can be taken from the womb, once we start trying to redefine sin, we doom ourselves and our culture. God has given us right and wrong to protect us and make us truly happy (Or should I say, “happy, happy, happy!”). Sometimes this happiness is difficult and involves tremendous sacrifice. But in the end, if we follow Him, we receive the benefits of his almighty power and infinite wisdom; His plan will always work out.  

In these final days of Advent, let us learn from Ahaz’s mistake and open our hearts and minds to God’s plan for us and our world. Christmas can remind us that no matter how unlikely His plan seems, nothing is impossible for God. So let us submit our ideas and plans to the almighty and let us trust that whatever he asks of us will be for our benefit.