Weekly Reflections

In today’s Gospel we see the Pharisees wanted to trap Jesus in very simple way. Should we pay the tax to the Romans or not?

If Jesus would say; pay the tax, then the Pharisees would accuse Him of collaborating with Romans, the enemy. If Jesus would say do not pay the tax, then He would be seen as a rebel, who wants to start some kind of revolution. As a result of this the Pharisees could get Jesus into prison and get rid of Him, from their spiritual and political life.

Jesus answers them: Let them who deal with Caesar, pay Caesar his due. What is of God should be given to God. They are stunned by his wisdom, and they leave because they were worried that they can be exposed even more. And I am sure that we like what Jesus just did to the Pharisees, aren’t we? However let’s not condemn the Pharisees too quickly. Let’s look into our own lives.

Are we always with Jesus? Do we really give to God what we owe Him? Do we give Him our thanks for life, family, for every grace we are given? Do we praise Him with our prayers? Do we show our children how to pray? Do we teach them God’s values in our daily life?, Do we read the Scripture on regular basis so we can more understand our faith? As Citizens of the kingdom of God do we obey God’s commandments, or take them randomly, practicing them in a way which is comfortable to us but not to God?

If your answer is no, then there is another question: Are we really better than those Pharisees?

My brothers and sisters, let’s get serious about our faith. It is not a game of pick and choose. We must show to the whole world that being a true disciple of Jesus Christ is the right choice. In choosing God and God’s values we show our love and concern – our life which is built on true, loving relationships. It really does not matter what the world or Caesar promises us because those promises will not lead to fulfillment, to peace or love. In making choices we must guard against the values and choices we cannot cooperate with, always showing our choice for God as the right choice. Not doing so would put our salvation in jeopardy. Let us choose God above all, giving to God what is God’s.

Joe approached his pastor after Mass: – Father, you talked about inviting people to our services.

I had an experience in the army. Bill and I were buddies, both Catholics. But we never went to Mass. We were having a five-day mission on the base. I asked Bill to come along, but he had some kind of excuse. The second and third night more excuses. Finally, on the fourth night he came with me to the chapel. Something hit him, because from then on he went with me to Mass and Communion regularly. That was twenty years ago. I haven not seen him since, but he writes to me every year and thanks me for asking him to go to that mission.

Jesus just told us the kingdom of heaven is like a king who gave a marriage feast for his son. The kingdom of heaven means the family of God here on this earth. The marriage feast is the table loaded with spiritual food.

My thought for today is that every one of us is a servant of the great King. Christ is His Son. The heavenly Father sends us out to invite everyone to share the spiritual feast offered by His Church.

Who are the people we can invite? Almost everyone practically.

Many people have never attended a mission, a retreat, or joined rosary, altar society or any organization in a parish. Fallen-away Christian often need a little encourage to start their way back to the family of God.

We are thinking especially of the many who attend no church and of our friends of other faiths who are looking for the spiritual nourishment we have.

Where do we meet these possible guests? They could be neighbors, schoolmates, fellow workers, even relatives. They could be chance acquaintances at a game, at the store, on the bus, in the doctor’s waiting room.

Don’t limit your invitation to so-called respectable people. Invite the underprivileged, the outcast, the sinner. As the king commanded in today’s Gospel: “Go out and invite all whom you can find, both bad and good.” Invite them to a regular Sunday Mass, or preferably to some special service.

Suppose they turn down your invitation.

Well, you have done your duty, a duty of faith, a duty of charity. You are showing that your faith means something to you. You are concerned, considerate and kind enough to want others to share the spiritual banquet we are enjoying this very hour.

God bless you.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters

God gave us free will. We are responsible for our life, our behavior, words, deeds and decisions. And because of that free will, one day each one of us will have stand in front of God and be judged for our good deeds or bad. The good news is that with the help of God’s grace we can change the direction of our lives for the better.

The Liturgy, the Eucharist points out that there must be a connection between what we say and what we do.

Jesus criticized some of the people in leadership of his days because they did not live up to what they promised. Their promises were empty, they said yes to God and did nothing to fulfill that yes; and because of that they were not pleasing God. Jesus tells them that their observance of the law was an outward show and that there has to be more honesty and a greater readiness to accept the call for repentance.

Jesus told us a beautiful story. And this story is for all ages. Each of us has points of inconsistency between what we promised and what we did or do. The lesson the gospel offers us is that we may be saying “yes” to God on Sunday and turning our back on what we profess during the rest of the week. Many of us who say “yes” to the Body of Christ during Holy Mass completely forget what we promise to Jesus during the week. Very often we behave like the second son from today’s Gospel.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters

I know who we would like to be in today’s Gospel. Of course we would like be the one who would say NO but actually go and fulfill God’s request.

The choice is ours. We can do even better than the son who eventually did the work. We can say YES and do the work of God. So as God’s children, let put all differences behind us and let’s start to say yes our God every day of our life.

After the homily we are going to profess our faith. I would encourage everybody to think what we profess, and live that profession this week, and all the weeks of our life.

We just heard great teaching of Jesus. The principle lesson of this parable is that God is generous, that the kingdom of heaven is not run like the kingdom of earth, that God’s ways are not people’s way.

Yes, God is generous. The question is: are we generous?

Many times we hear statements: “I grew up with the Church, I went to a Catholic school, I go to Church every Sunday, I pray every day, I go systematically to the sacrament of Reconciliation to reconcile myself with God, I go to communion all the time. So I work in ‘God’s field’ all my life, therefore I have to get better rewards than others.

And who are the others? Some of them are the people who converted and joined the faith later; some of them join our faith on their death bed. And maybe they did not work as hard in God’s field, as hard as we did. Maybe they worked as hard as or even harder than we did, but for short period of time.

Are we generous to recognize their work, without pointing that we did more, or the same — but for a longer period of time? Didn’t we agree to our reward?

If we look closer into our behavior, we really think and behave as that first group from Jesus’ parable.

Yes, as Christians, we who are working in God’s field by spreading the good news throughout our families, our neighborhoods, we can expect a reward, and we should expect a reward. But we cannot expect more than we agreed to.

Through baptism, first communion, confirmation, didn’t we agree to do what God requires from us for our reward. So, we really cannot expect more than we deserve, more than we agreed to. And at the same time we cannot put anybody down.

We have to accept God’s generosity. And that generosity is not only toward those who joined us later. The love of God and His generosity is toward all of us. Without His mercy none of us probably could reach the final reward, which is Heaven.

Why?

Because none of us is perfect. Therefore, let’s work toward perfection in our own lives as hard as we can, so at the end we will receive the the agreed to reward. Amen.

On the second Sunday of September each year we celebrate a special feast day, the Solemnity of Brotherly Love.

This Solemnity was set aside by the Synod of our Church in Chicago in 1914. The General Synod established this day for the faithful of the Church in order to remember the great commandment of God that is to love your neighbor as you love yourself.

During the Holy Sacrifice of Mass on This solemnity, we read the Gospel except from Luke 10:25-37, the parable of the Good Samaritan. That parable begins when a lawyer stood up and began to test Jesus by asking Him – what must I do to inherit eternal life?

Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?”

He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”

And Jesus said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

And the lawyer then wanted to justify himself by asking,” Who is my neighbor?”

And we all know the rest of the story about the Samaritan man who had pity and assisted the man who was robbed and beaten and left by the roadside. The Samaritan was truly the neighbor of the victim who was robbed.

It is not everyday that we have the opportunity to help someone who encountered such a situation as the man who was robbed. But, each and every one of us has numerous opportunities every day to show compassion and love toward others.

My Brothers and d Sisters, what are we to do?

We can help people who are in need by praying for them and also by giving some material help.

Lots of people around us, members of our families, friends, and people who lost everything need our material and spiritual help. We have to remember them. We can not leave them alone.

The Solemnity of Brotherly Love gives as hints and direction what we have to do and what is our Christian responsibility for each other.

We must remember what Jesus said in today’s Gospel – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”

On a busy corner in New York City an Irish cop was directing traffic. While doing his duty, he saw a pedestrian starting across on a red light. The policeman went to that offender and discovered that he was a fellow Irishman. Calmly but firmly the cop explains: “Wait a minute, Red is not you color. Green is your color. Wait for the green light and then start across.”

This story may help us apply what Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel: “If your brother sins against you go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.”

To correct others is a duty of some people, like the policeman in our story, like parents, a teacher.
A point is how to do it. Jesus gives us some direction in today’s Gospel. Our little story gives us some hints. All those come to one rule – be positive.

The Police officer did not emphasize so much the wrong of crossing on the red light, but the need to cross on the green, He did not shout it for everyone to hear. He told the offender quietly but firmly, and with a little humor. By doing so he told him what to do as well as what not to do.

Offer the correction to your wife or husband, to your children, a co-worker, a long-time friend, just as you would want him or her to offer a correction to you. What does this mean? This means that if one makes a mistake, even if it is against us, in reality it is more against God than us. So in pointing out the mistakes and faults of another be sure to emphasize that the fault is not so much an offense against you, as it is an offense against the love of God.

As Jesus mentions, you may have to call in one or two others to back up your correction. Our Lord even talks about the extreme situation where the offender will listen to no one. Then tell the Church or the group authority. If he or she refuses to listen to a higher authority, tell him or her to leave. Harsh words, however Jesus knew that in the future some will want to make their own rules. And, my brothers and sisters, many times some Christians do not want to listen- they want to make their own rules.

Certain people have the duty of giving correction. It takes humility; it takes honesty to accept a correction. To offer a correction and to accept a correction requires God’s help.

That help is given to each of us during every mass, during every prayer.

Wait for the green light, then go ahead and offer corrections with love; and accept corrections – with love.

May God bless you and Mary always keep you in her prayers.

It is a saying in our country that there are two things that we must do: pay taxes and die. However today’s three readings tell us that we must do more than that.

In our first reading the prophet Jeremiah tells us that people laughed at him and his message to the point that he cries. However, we know that Jeremiah spread God’s message anyway. He came to that point of crying and had a choice by his free will, he chose to proclaim God’s message to please God.

In our Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples and us that whoever wishes to come after him must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow him.

True, God gave us free will, but if we want to follow Jesus and His message, we have no choice but to deny many of our pleasures, or life that is accepted by our society, life that in many ways is against God’s commandments.

Plainly Jesus tells us: “whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” He plainly tells us that in order to achieve heavenly life we must in many ways lose our earthly desire that goes against God’s teachings.
And we know how hard it is to follow that teaching during our daily life; we see and hear people laughing at us when we follow God’s commandments, when we follow Jesus’ teachings.

When those things happen, remember Jeremiah and how the society rejected him.

Remember Jesus. He was rejected and crucified because he did not fit to the society of His time.

Remember all the apostles and saints that were ridiculed for God’s sake. Now is our turn to make the right choice and to deny ourselves for Jesus.

We just heard Jesus asking his disciples: “Who do People say that the Son of Man is?”

What is Jesus talking about? His disciples traveled with him, maybe for two years now. And what is a “Son of Man” anyway?

If I were there I might say – you are Jesus, from Nazareth, a great teacher and miracle worker. Jesus, are you feeling unsure of yourself? I believe in you. You are a great guy. Don’t worry Jesus.

That is the way most people might answer. Our first reaction would be based on our own experience. How we think of ourselves. We are unsure of who we are. We are worried about what others think of us. I can relate to Jesus’ question.

And there is Peter, getting nervous maybe. Let’s move on. Enough of this self examination. I don’t care what others think of Jesus, of me, or of us. “Jesus, you are the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God.” OK, we are done, let’s go.

Then Jesus turns to Peter and tells him that this insight comes from God.

Now it is time for Peter to be afraid and to think about himself. God used me? God gave me insight? God touched me?

My friends,

We all try to understand ourselves. We all try to read what others think of us. Who am I? Where am I going? Have I made the right decisions? Do people like me? None of us are alone in this.

And… we are all Peter. God gives us all insight. Opportunity to know who He is. The ability to see Him and have Him within us.

You and I are human. You and I are Peter. We are asked to say clearly and with great passion, You are the Christ! the Messiah! the Son of God! You are asked for your insight at communion time.

I say “The Body and Blood of Christ” and I ask for your insight. If you say amen, when you say amen – you are Peter. You are touched by God with the grace to say: “Jesus, You are the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God.” I see You and I take you into my heart.

In our Gospel reading today we have one of the most important songs in the scriptures.

In the first part of the song Mary tells about her happiness for what God has done in her life. The rest of the canticle tells of the way God has worked wonders through all time by His mighty deeds.

Mary exclaims what she understands – that God has kept His promise.

That is what we are celebrating today — a kept promise. And it is the most important promise in all of history. It is God’s promise of salvation.

God sent his only son Jesus into our world to complete this mission. Jesus brought us salvation which means that he saved us from sin and death so we could one day be in heaven with Him. God wants us to be with Him, forever and always. He wants us to live forever in his Kingdom of Glory.

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Dormition and Assumption of Mary. Her falling asleep in death and her assumption into heaven. This means that Mary was treated in a special way when her life ended.

Why did Mary get this special treatment?

Mary kept all her promises to God and she did exactly as God wanted her to do. She showed her love for God by letting God make her the earthly mother of Jesus. She is just like our mothers – a woman filled with love for her child.

Jesus was able to come to us and save us because Mary said yes. She could have said no. She could have run away from something that was hard, but she decided to do what God wanted.

There is a great puzzle. If Jesus won our salvation by becoming human, dying on the cross and rising from the dead why is there still evil in the world?

This is part of the great mystery that is salvation. There are three moments of salvation: salvation was, salvation is now, and salvation is to come. It is the past, present and future of our ability to be with God.
Jesus achieved our salvation in the historical past, 2000 years ago. His salvation is present in our world right now, especially when He comes to us in the Holy Mass. And his salvation is to come in all its fullness at the end of time.

The point is that we have to cooperate. We have to make the right choices. We have to say yes to God. We have to reject sin no matter how easy or justified it seems. We have to do our part and work hard at keeping our promise to God. We have every opportunity to cooperate – it is an eternal opportunity.

However, I urge you to choose now. Say yes to God while you have time, here and now.

What we are celebrating today is a promise kept.

Make your choice and you too will celebrate one day because of the promise you keep – your promise to God.

We just heard in Gospel the apostles were going to the other shore to pray. Suddenly those experienced fishermen got frightened by a storm. They lived through many storms, and yet this one truly scared them. But there is more, they panic when they see Jesus walking on the water.

Jesus tries to calm them down saying: “It is I, do not be afraid.”

And again Peter, the one who always had to say something, “Lord, if it is you command me to come to you on the water.”

Can you imagine how strong his faith had to be to step out of the boat? And yet Peter did step out of the boat and started to walk on the water. But very quickly Peter lost that confidence and faith.

His Faith and courage fail him and he starts to sink.

Jesus quickly answers his prayer. Jesus comes to Peter’s aid but at the same time Jesus rebukes him for his lack of faith. Christ presence brings peace in disciple’s hearts.

When we are confronted with stress and pressure of various kinds we are very much like Peter. From very strong faithful believers we become almost non believers. A sudden turn of events in life and we are faced with storms which threaten the peace and security of our families and homes. At such moments our faith fails and we need to hear those encouraging words of Christ: “Do not be afraid.”

Life is journey and we need the help of Christ to guide us to our destination.

Peter’s mistake was that he turned to Jesus in real prayer only in a moment of crisis, when he was in fear.

There is a lesson for all of us who tend to forget about God when all is going well and who only become serious abut prayer when problems come to our lives. And yet Christ wants us not only during those times.

Christ wants us during our happy times as well. He wants both our praises and begging.

We can see that the Gospel highlights the importance of faith and prayer during our daily lives, not only on Sundays, not only of our times that we are in need, but on daily basis.

So, let’s not be afraid to have faith in Jesus, and let’s not be afraid to pray to him not only during our time of trial but during our happiness as well.