With Us or Against Us?

"Jesus said in reply: 'Do not try to stop him. No man who performs a miracle using My name can at the same time speak ill of Me. Anyone who is not against us is with us.' “Mark 9:39-40

Jesus is telling the disciples that they do not have a monopoly of miracles nor of Him.  Anyone doing good in the Name of Jesus cannot do evil at the same time.

We, who are baptized in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, become adopted children of God.  This means that members of ALL Christian denominations are brothers and sisters, in Christ.

We, Christians, should devote our energy in fighting the evil of the world and not each other.  Actually, I don’t even have to go outside of my Catholic community to see this infighting!  This ministry is jealous of that ministry.  ‘This is my place in the church since I ALWAYS sit here!’  These incidents are so disheartening.  It is especially so when a stranger comes to our church and he is asked to move.  I belong to a parish where the pastor must tend to two churches.  I often hear parishioners say, ‘He is spending too much time at the other church.’  Again, this lack of unity among our sister-church can be very depressing.

The evil one must really be shouting with joy at seeing all of this occurring in Jesus’ Church.

We need to pray for unity among all of God’s children.  We need to pray for the unity that exists among the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

May our Lady intercede for us and pray that we may become one in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

Feast of the Chair of St. Peter

“…you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church…”

Peter was given the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.  He was named as the foundation of the Church. 

Peter, a fisherman, uneducated, weak, afraid, and who denied Jesus three times, was to be the leader.  How many times do we ignore the opinions of those who are simple or uneducated?  How many times do we question the faith of someone, whom we consider to be a sinner?

Peter, as meek and humble as he was, announced to Jesus “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  How could he come up with such a statement?  Jesus says that this revelation came from God the Father. 

On Pentecost, after the disciples received the Holy Spirit, this meek, humble, and uneducated man went outside, preached and converted 3,000.  How was this possible?

Peter, by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, went on to be the first Pope.  He united and guided the Church, as instructed by Jesus.

What about us?  We have received the gifts of the Holy Spirit by virtue of our Baptism.  Are we willing to express our faith to the public or do we say, “I’m afraid! or “I don’t know what to say!

When it comes to matters of the faith, education does not play a part.  This is something that I constantly struggle with.  I feel that I must prepare my responses in reference to matters of the Faith.  I need to forget about my degrees, and concentrate on the gifts of the Holy Spirit since it is through the gifts, that will put me on the path to the heavenly Jerusalem.

Come, Holy Spirit, guide me to be like St. Peter. Amen.

BLINDNESS OR COMMITMENT?

Mark 8, 22-26

Jesus heals a blind man in today’s Gospel; however, He has to do it in two stages.  The first time, Jesus asks him if he can see, the man says that he sees people, who are walking around looking like trees.  The second time, when Jesus asks him if he can see, the man is able to see clearly and is cured.

The Gospel focuses on the blindness of the disciples, especially of Peter.  Peter and the disciples are finding it very hard to understand and accept the Cross, which Jesus speaks about.  All of us are blind!

During the time of our Lord, the law stated that all persons crucified were considered condemned by God; therefore, Peter, in particular, rebuked Jesus for talking about such a Cross.

We say that we believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah, yet, we do not wish to suffer!  Jesus is very explicit when He says “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.…Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”  (Mark 9:34, 38)

Wow!  Jesus could be addressing us now in the present time, ‘this faithless and sinful generation.’  Just look at the values that the various media encourages.

Are we ashamed of acknowledging that we are Catholics?  How many of us won’t even say the grace before meals out in public or wear the ashes all day on Ash Wednesday?  These very minor practices of our Faith, which we are ashamed to do, lead to the rejection of major beliefs and precepts of our Church:  abortion, divorce, homosexuality, etc.

We must stop and rethink our personal values and beliefs.  Are we willing to serve others in the name of Jesus?  Are we willing to accept our illnesses and setbacks as our crosses and to offer them up as reparation for our sins?

I pray that we, as a family of Christ, may joyfully carry our crosses so that when we enter into the Father’s glory, the Son of Man will not be ashamed of us.  Amen.

Yeast of Herod

In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns the disciples: “Look out for the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod”.  Mark 8:15.

I have never baked with yeast.  To me, it is such a complicated process.  You start with a little package of yeast, add it and the other ingredients to the flour, cover it, and lo and behold, it starts to rise, and rise, and rise.

In the same way, as the yeast influences the flour, we are being influenced by the culture of the world.  Everywhere we turn, we see evil lurking.  With present day technology, we are present at all the ‘events’ of the world.  We see and hear gory details of murder, rape, sexual encounters, etc. on television, in the newspapers, and on the internet.  What has become so disturbing is that much of this is being broadcasted during prime time news and hours when our children are watching.

In addition, as the yeast ‘grows’, so does the gossip.  You tell one person a ‘short story’ about someone else, and this story starts circulating, until it becomes a novel.  As one blogger puts it:  “Is it true, kind, and necessary?”

The Yeast, that we should be allowing to take over our hearts, minds, and souls, is the Body of Christ.  When we receive communion, His flesh and blood becomes ours!  Have you stopped and thought about that?

So many of us receive the bread and wine on a daily basis, yet we do not fully comprehend the great Mystery that is occurring in our bodies.

"By Holy Communion, we are changed into the flesh of Him became our flesh."

--St. Leo the Great

Come, Holy Spirit, come.  Make us pure in spirit so that the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ will permeate in our beings so that when people see us, they will see Jesus.  Amen

BE OPENED!

In the readings of today, we hear Genesis 3:7 and Mark 7, 31-37 and about two very different situations, where ‘openness’ occurs.

In the first reading, Adam and Eve eat of the forbidden fruit.  “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked….”  This disobedience of Adam and Eve opened the way to original sin.  They opened the way for the tendency of sin, which is inherent in each one of us.  Disobedience in every shape and form was born.

In the Gospel of Mark 7, 31-37, a deaf man with a speech impediment is brought to Jesus.  Jesus takes the man aside.  “He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue;  then He looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to (the man), “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be Opened!”)  And [immediately] the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly…the more he (Jesus) ordered them not to (tell anyone), the more they proclaimed it…He has done all things well.”  The people could not keep more proclaiming the wonders that Jesus was performing.  Jesus, again, is opening the way for non-Jews to accept his Word and follow him.  Remember that our Lord tells his disciples to go and teach to all nations.

Are we opened to the Word of God?  Are we opened to proclaim the Word to our fellow men?  Or, are we to continue to follow in the footsteps of our first parents and give in to the sinful tendency of our souls?

As baptized members of the Body of Christ, we are to evangelize to all the Good News!

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit give me a willing heart to do your will.  Help me to not be embarrassed to speak boldly about you.  Amen.

A Child of God or A Dog?

Mark 7:27:  "It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs."

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is addressing a non-Jew as a dog.  This seems to be very harsh treatment by our Lord.  However, the woman is persistent in asking that her daughter be rid of the demon.  Jesus finally relents and heals the daughter.

Jesus is opening the way to us, the Gentiles, by doing what the woman requested.  He is trying to rid his followers of the preconceptions that they have experienced during their lives.  Just as Jesus was accepting of this foreigner, He wants us to do the same of all, who are different from us.

Are we accepting of all?  Do we welcome strangers into our midst, especially into our church communities?  How do we treat immigrants?  Are we following the ‘new’ culture of the U. S. and discriminate those who do not speak English?  Do we, the senior-citizens, accept the youth and their fads?

In the Old Testament, among rivalries, people would call each other dogs.  Jesus changed this.

Let us pray that we may not treat others as dogs. 

May our Lord, Jesus, help me to accept all, in particular those who may not belong to the Catholic Church.  Guide me to see You in my fellow-man.  Amen

TRASH IN, TRASH OUT

"All these evils come from within." -Mark 7:23

In today’s Gospel, our Lord explains that the foods we eat are not what make us unclean.  He says that evil comes from our hearts; whatever we see or hear goes into our hearts.

Several years ago I decided not to read books, which contain sexual and violent material.  I also stopped watching rated R movies.  I felt that trash into my heart and mind would produce trash in my actions and speech.  Needless to say, there is very little television that I watch.  Sometimes, even the daily news becomes more than I can handle.  In addition, I have become very selective in my reading material.

I don’t consider myself to be a righteous or a goody-good person.  I just know that listening/seeing trash can produce a gutter-thinking/ speaking person. 

For example: 

·        the music that is promoted for our youth

·        the pornography

·        the killings of the unborn

These are just some of the examples that permeate in our society and which many persons tend to accept as normal.

I pray to the Holy Spirit to guide me in my prayer life so that I may become closer to our Lord.  I pray that my heart and mind be cleanse so that I may receive the Body and Blood of Jesus.  Amen

UNCLEAN

Mark 7:6

          “… This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

Today’s Gospel talks about how the Pharisees called the disciples of Christ unclean.  The Pharisees were being hypocritical; how about us?

How many of us say that we follow the commandments and precepts of the Church?  How many of us attend Mass and receive the Body and Blood of Christ?

How many of us before we even leave the parking lot have taken our Lord’s name in vain or spoken ill of another parishioner?

How many of us turn the other way when we encounter a homeless person? 

How many of us don’t take the time to attend Mass on Sundays?

How many of us have used birth control methods to prevent pregnancies or even had abortions?

How many of us are too busy accumulating materials goods and not spending time taking care of our spiritual needs?

The list could go on and on.  We say one thing, but mean or do another.  We send mixed messages to our children:  Do as I tell you, but not as I do.

Help me, Lord Jesus, to do your will.  Help me to follow the commandments and precepts of the Church.  Come, Lord Jesus, enter my mind and heart so that my heart may guide my mind in doing what you expect of me.