What A Wonderful World | November 11, 2015

 November 11, 2015

Sometimes youth ministry feels like a thankless job, but of course receiving thanks is not what motivates me. I do what I do because I love Jesus and I want to bring others to him where the real praise should resound. Today’s gospel speaks to this. Jesus heals ten lepers. The significance of healing lepers might be lost on us, but in the ancient Jewish faith it was a well-established fact that only God could heal leprosy. BAM! Jesus didn’t need to say, “Hey y’all, I’m God over here! Or “Don’t you know who I am?” All he needed to do was heal lepers to show that his authority was indeed the same as God’s. So now their faith was being tested…well, do you really believe that only God can heal leprosy or not? There are certain mysterious beliefs in our church that might also test our faith in a similar way, right? The Eucharist is one of them…well, do I really believe that the bread and wine are actually transubstantiated by the Holy Spirit during mass or not?

God LOVES to communicate with us through wonder-filled events, circumstances, miracles, and moments because he knows that our response to wonder is almost always laced with a surge of the soul toward the divine. The thing with wonderful moments is that they are usually surprising. This is one of the things I love most about God. Jesus was also a lover of surprise and he used it in his teaching regularly, most especially in the parables.

Back to the lepers…Jesus sent them to show themselves to the priests (in Jerusalem). Nine of them followed his instruction, but one rogue leper did not, how come? The narrative tells us that he was a Samaritan and because of that fact he had no need to go to Jerusalem, however, he did indeed show himself to a priest, didn’t he? Jesus was and is the great high priest and it took a non-religious Samaritan (Jesus’ favorite go to surprise character in several stories throughout the gospels) to acknowledge him as such. It says that, “One of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.  He was a Samaritan.” He praised God with a loud voice, God, who was standing right in front of him, and then he bowed down and thanked him. This kind of thanks actually indicated an end to their relationship like when we say thank you to a cashier or store clerk knowing that we will probably never see them again, and the Samaritan knew that he and Jesus would also probably never meet again. The other nine, however, would technically continue in their relationship with God and that was Jesus’ point. An ongoing relationship requires that both parties know one another’s essence. These lepers failed to recognize the essence of Christ as the only God that can heal leprosy. They were thrilled to be healed I am sure, they obeyed Jesus’ instruction to go and show their miracle to the priests, but they failed to see God standing right in front of them the way that the Samaritan, a foreigner, did.

I know that I do the same thing on a daily basis. For example, I walk by the Adoration Chapel at work probably 5-6 times a day, and how many times do I actually stop in to give him praise for all the leprous healings in my own life that only God can do?  I’m embarrassed to say, hardly ever. How many times do we give God a “thank you for your services” handshake, thus ending our business transaction for the moment until we need him to be our genie in a bottle next time? Today’s gospel reminds us that Jesus wants us in a relationship with him, not in a services rendered or business endeavor association.

When wonderful things happen in our lives, may we have the faith, like the Samaritan in today’s story, to praise God with a loud voice. With that being said, I’m glad that youth ministry is a “thankless” job at times because I want ongoing relationships steeped in praising God with loud voices, and acknowledging that Jesus Christ is our savior and healer, rather than hoops to be jumped through or boxes to be checked off. Jesus is calling us to recognize him, praise him, and to let our faith in him save us. What a wonderful world?  

Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop
Lectionary: 493

Reading 1 WIS 6:1-11

Hear, O kings, and understand;
learn, you magistrates of the earth’s expanse!
Hearken, you who are in power over the multitude
and lord it over throngs of peoples!
Because authority was given you by the Lord
and sovereignty by the Most High,
who shall probe your works and scrutinize your counsels.
Because, though you were ministers of his kingdom, you judged not rightly,
and did not keep the law,
nor walk according to the will of God,
Terribly and swiftly shall he come against you,
because judgment is stern for the exalted–
For the lowly may be pardoned out of mercy
but the mighty shall be mightily put to the test.
For the Lord of all shows no partiality,
nor does he fear greatness,
Because he himself made the great as well as the small,
and he provides for all alike;
but for those in power a rigorous scrutiny impends.
To you, therefore, O princes, are my words addressed
that you may learn wisdom and that you may not sin.
For those who keep the holy precepts hallowed shall be found holy,
and those learned in them will have ready a response.
Desire therefore my words;
long for them and you shall be instructed.

Responsorial Psalm PS 82:3-4, 6-7

R. (8a) Rise up, O God, bring judgment to the earth.
Defend the lowly and the fatherless;
render justice to the afflicted and the destitute.
Rescue the lowly and the poor;
from the hand of the wicked deliver them.
R. Rise up, O God, bring judgment to the earth.
I said: “You are gods,
all of you sons of the Most High;
yet like men you shall die,
and fall like any prince.”
R. Rise up, O God, bring judgment to the earth.

Alleluia 1 THES 5:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
In all circumstances, give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 17:11-19

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying,
“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”
And when he saw them, he said,
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going they were cleansed. 
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. 
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine? 
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” 
Then he said to him, “Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you.”

Has Anyone Seen My Keys? | November 5, 2015

November 5, 2015

I lose stuff all the time. I lose my keys (almost daily), my shoes (because they are usually in my car somewhere), my coffee cup (because I’ve set it down somewhere), my car in the parking lot (because Leprechauns must move it), my mind a lot of times (because I work with teenagers), my patience for sure (it’s a lovely family trait), and countless other items. I lose things mostly because I’m too busy and my mind is always multi-tasking doing several things at once, or I don’t pay attention to where I left things, or I’m not rooted in prayer so my patience is thin, or I’m too tired because I am always on the go. Losing stuff is fairly easy for me to do, however, finding my lost stuff varies in difficulty, process, and time. Sometimes I just need to stop what I’m doing and take a moment to think about it and I’ll remember where I put it, other times there has been couch cushions flying, tables turned upside down, pool table dismantled, refrigerators scoured through, trash picking, and once I did almost dive into a dumpster. Obviously, the amount of effort depends on the value of the lost item right? We’ve all experienced the joy, relief, gratitude, and excitement of finding something that was lost particularly if it was extremely valuable (i.e. a wedding ring) and if it was lost for a very long time.

Now let’s make ourselves the lost item except we haven’t been misplaced, we have wandered off on our own. Good Lord, if all my lost objects had legs and could just roam around freely, I’d be in some serious trouble and literally would NEVER find anything again. Because we are free, we are free to roam, to wander, to leave, to get lost, but that does not mean that God is not in hot pursuit of us. He’s on our heels all the time because the value of his lost ones is worth the highest price, which he has already been paid in Jesus Christ. The tricky part is that we need to let ourselves be found.  Unlike in today’s gospel, we are not sheep or an inanimate object like a silver coin, we live and move and have being, reason, free will, and the choice to be found or not. God makes it so easy for us to just stop in our tracks, turn around and we will literally fall into his arms.

I think a lot of times I get caught up in the chase and what I really need is to be caught in the arms of mercy, love, and forgiveness. I run because I am fearful and ashamed and he chases me because he knows that. He just wants to hold me and to let me know that there is only rest in his embrace. I know that I relentlessly search for silly things like my keys and my sunglasses, but how much more relentless is God searching for me to just sit and hold his hand? I know that most days I feel worthless of this kind of pursuit, but today’s gospel shows me that God is not like me, he is not limited, shallow, and guilt ridden; he is infinite, deep, and free. You see in my pride I have tried to mold God into my own image and have forgotten that I have already been breathed into existence in the image of love. How can I ever feel worthless with that amazing gift so lavishly poured into my soul?

Let’s stop and be found today so that we can rest in the embrace of infinite love and let mercy wipe away our shame so that we can relentlessly pursue God because he is by far the easiest to find if we just stop and look.

Reading 1 ROM 14:7-12

Brothers and sisters:
None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.
For if we live, we live for the Lord,
and if we die, we die for the Lord;
so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
For this is why Christ died and came to life,
that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
Why then do you judge your brother or sister?
Or you, why do you look down on your brother or sister?
For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God;
for it is written:

As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.

So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.

Responsorial Psalm PS 27:1BCDE, 4, 13-14

R. (13) I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

Alleluia MT 11:28

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 15:1-10

The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 
So Jesus addressed this parable to them.
“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance.

“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one
would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?
And when she does find it,
she calls together her friends and neighbors
and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’ 
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.”

Move That Bus!!! | November 2, 2015

November 2, 2015 | All Souls Day

There are a lot of people to celebrate this All Souls Day. It seems like people tend to die close to this feast day, which is a really cool image in my mind.  Picture all the purified souls waiting in some staging area for their big Heaven reveal like “Extreme Home Makeovers” when they send the families away on vacation somewhere and then when it’s time, they park a bus strategically in front of the newly made over house and then all the Saints in Heaven start chanting, “Move that bus!!! Move that bus!!! Move that bus!!!” and all the purified souls on the other side of the bus join in and they are all dressed up and made over themselves.  When the bus finally pulls out of the way and they get their first glimpse of Heaven, some jump up and down, some laugh, some cry like beauty pageant winners, that ugly face kind of cry, some drop to their knees, some do their happy dance, some, if they had one, would spike a football and give the “we’re number one” finger up in the air, and some stand in awe just still and quiet. The Saint who brought them there or the Ty Pennington character is Peter who has always been a little rugged in my mind and of course he holds the keys! They enter through the gates and everyone is there to meet them and the Trinity stands together off to the side, but not hidden, just relishing in all the newly beatified souls greeting all their family members and other Saints in Heaven. They always get a kick out of this part. Maybe they have witnessed some true surprises like “You’re here, really?” or “How did that happen?” or “You, came to see me?” or “You’re my favorite Saint ever!” And all the Saints mingle for a while with one another like a big happy family reunion and then the Trinity move in to officially get this party started and that’s when it hits all the newbies. All the emotions that they went through when the bus moved came flooding back but more.  Laced with peace and ecstasy, the emotion anointed the place and the partying began with singing, dancing, story telling, favorite food eating, and eternity took over from there. And that is my mediation on All Souls Day!!! Amen. 

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
(All Souls)
Lectionary: 668

The following are a selection of the readings that may be chosen for this day.

Reading 1 WIS 3:1-9

The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed, they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them
and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
they shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and the LORD shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.

Responsorial Psalm PS 23:1-3A, 3B-4, 5, 6

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.

Reading 2 ROM 5:5-11

Brothers and sisters:
Hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
For Christ, while we were still helpless,
died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person
one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
How much more then, since we are now justified by his Blood,
will we be saved through him from the wrath.
Indeed, if, while we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son,
how much more, once reconciled,
will we be saved by his life.
Not only that,
but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Alleluia MT 25:34

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, you who are blessed by my Father;
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel JN 6:37-40

Jesus said to the crowds:
“Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”