Mass Prep Sunday February 24th 2019

Sunday February 24th               7th Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

You’ve Got to Be Kidding!

The tie in between today’s readings: Doing the Unintuitive

Psalm 103:1-13, 1 Samuel 26:1-23, 1 Corinthians 15:45-49, Luke 6:27-38

     Did you ever see the horror movie where a bunch of teenagers are trapped in a “House of Death” and one of the girls is missing? Of course, the smart one in the group says, “Let’s split up” and they all agree, such is the power of peer group pressure. So they proceed on their suicide search and are picked off one by one in grusome fashion. Shaking your head at the inane plot you switch programs because you just can’t believe how stupid those deservedly dead teenagers could be. Who does that in real life?

     The future king David looks down from a secure position. A three thousand man search and destroy party, organized by King Saul in his honor, camps at the bottom of the hill. David turns to a couple of guys standing with him and says, “Do you want to go down with me and infiltrate the camp?” Proving that blood is thicker than water, his nephew Abishai agrees. WHOA! Haven’t we seen this movie before? It doesn’t make sense. Why would David let alone anyone else want to undertake a mission like this? As it turns out, it’s a third test from God in a series which started in 1 Samuel 24. Unbeknownst to the pair God puts the camp to sleep and they sneak into Saul’s tent. Saul is also snoring away with his spear a short distance away. David respects Saul as God’s anointed and refuses to harm him despite the urging of Abishai. They grab the spear and a nearby water jug and high-tail it back to base. When Saul learns that David could have killed him, he blesses David and breaks off the hunt (1 Samuel 26:1-23). David is learning the counter intuitiveness that reliance on God requires. He needs to reject human wisdom, passions, and motives and wait on God for his happy ending. A few thousand years later…

 

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    Jesus is giving His own version of rules to live by (Luke 6:27-38). Love your enemies. Turn the other cheek. Give to those who ask and don’t look for repayment. If somebody takes your coat, give him your shirt too. C’mon, who does that? If anybody else had said this, I would put them in the category with “Death House split up” guy...but it’s Jesus and He’s setting the bar high. He says, “Look, I am calling you to a greater standard because you have a higher status. You are children of the Most High God and like Father like Son(s). I am kind to the ungrateful, forgiving to the trespassers, and gracious to the wicked. You all are My Exhibit "A" to that. I know what I’m asking sounds crazy scary. That’s because in this fallen world of limited resources the safest relationships are contractual. People will take advantage of you and being burnt hurts. But, this is not between you and them it’s between Me and you. I want you to do unto them as I have done unto you. I have unlimited resources, My love is infinite, and I will always have your back. Do you trust me?”

     Do I trust Him? Yes...but I really don’t want to. I’m not comfortable with His cosmic karma. It’s a little too much ‘Alice in Wonderland’ for me. The physics are upside down: rich is poor, give and you’ll get, die and you’ll live. I want Sunday pillow Christianity with a funny pastor feeding me baby food sermons with three points and a poem. Yet, I can see that the thrill that leads to praise and deeper communion with Him lies on the knife edges of life. King David is an example of that.  He couldn’t have penned works like Psalm 103 without his God adventures. I need to transform my thinking from the natural to the spiritual. It’s the only way to bear the image of the heavenly in this world (1 Corinthians 15:45-49).  I’ve learned two things today. First, to live the fulfilled Christian life I will have to get out of my comfort zone. Second, if I’m ever in a haunted house...I’m staying with the group.

Mass Prep Sunday February 17th 2019

Sunday February 17th, 2019         6th Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

I Fought the Law and the Law Won

The tie in between today’s readings: Different Strokes for Different Folks

Psalm 1:1-6, Jeremiah 17:5-8, 1 Corinthians 15:12-20, Luke 6:17-26

     The theme running through today’s Mass Prep is the contrast between the wicked and the righteous, those who worship and obey the God of the Bible and those who doubt His existence... or live like it. It’s not a simple question. Because no one knows for sure, both sides have sincere, intelligent, and not so intelligent proponents. Curiously, two people can look at the same evidence and come away with completely opposite conclusions. Our readings, Psalm 1, Jeremiah 17, and in Luke 6, conclude with blessings for the righteous for their obedience to God. The wicked are warned, but they live by different laws. So like a hapless mother threatening her petulant child with, “Wait until your father gets home,” predictions of their Divine Judgment fall on deaf ears. Guided by today’s scriptures, let’s examine some of the laws the ungodly have placed their faith in. It’s important. Destinies lie in the balance.

     LAW of Nature: The materialist starts from the premise that if it can’t be measured, for all practical purposes, it doesn’t exist. So until somebody invents a God-o-meter, belief in the Almighty is irrational. But if you must, you may keep your theory. Everything came from the “Big Bang” and time + matter + chance = your brain. They say that we will continually climb the ladder of evolution or plug ourselves into our own machines until we finally reach a reality in which ”We shall not surely die but will be like God.”

     Law of Common Sense: The scoffer is just straight out proud. He is confident in his superior intellect. Anything that doesn’t fit into his cosmology is ridiculed outright. He believes that God is a myth like the Tooth Fairy and that no rational person would take this religion stuff seriously. He is unteachable. If you answer one of his God objections, he’ll come back with another, and another, and another still. The scoffer doesn’t want to know. He would rather defend his straw man arguments against God than explore another position. Having figured it all out his universe is small and comfortable. He likes it that way. Beware of casting your pearls before swine.

     Law of Man: The humanist is similar to the materialist but with a psychological twist. He believes that in the beginning we all were atheists. As we evolved, we needed to invent God in order to make sense of nature. The Almighty emerged out of the black hole of man’s fear. He is confident that science will dispel the darkness of God ignorance as it expands and projects its’ own light of truth. In the not too distant future, he expects to consign Jehovah to the museum of the ”Quaint and Curious” along with other deities like: Thor, Apollo, and Quetzalcoatl. His credo: You don’t need God in order to have a happy, productive life. We can overcome our problems by plotting a cooperative future. The sky's the limit! When the humanist dies we will plant his body in the ground and commit his soul to the big black hole of “I don’t know”, from whence God came from in the first place.

     Law of Me: The hedonist thinks that he is only accountable to himself. His motto is, ”It’s my life and I’ll do what I want.” He knows the existence that he covets is short, so he desperately clutches for all the thrills he can find. He believes that  everybody dies but few of us live. He doesn’t want to lose out on the one and only chance he has to grab life by the throat and wring it out for all it’s worth. He resents any judgments of sin on his character as confining on his life options, which for him is the biggest sin of all. He does have a sort of “love thy neighbor” morality: do whatever you want without hurting anyone. He tends not to see that he hurts anyone until the damage is done. He thinks that he is free. The irony is that a life of self gratification instead of giving greater experiences becomes banal. His kicks just keep getting harder to find. So, in the end, all of his unsatisfying pursuits prove to be a fallacy. His “liberty” has jailed him. He panics as death stalks and, despite all his rage, he is still just a rat in a cage.

     Law of Results: To the pragmatist: power is god and the ends justify the means. He is not against religion, on the contrary, he admires it in a perverse kind of way. For him, it is a great invention of the elite class to get the hoi polloi to do ridiculously difficult and expensive undertakings on the cheap. Build a pyramid. Launch a crusade. Give all your money. It’s all for a promise of a happy afterlife or the avoidance of hell fire. What a wonderful con!  Religion is also useful to maintain a docile citizenship that will put up with hardship imposed by society i.e. the ruling class. He’s not necessarily a Marxist, but he does enjoy a good population opiate if it suits his purpose. So support the church or leave it alone, but by no means get in its way. As long as it promotes the message of “love thy neighbor” and causes bad people to become good citizens or even good people to become better ones. However, if it wants to be revolutionary so to make dead people alive or set the captives free: SQUASH IT LIKE A BUG.

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     The Law of Life: The apostle Paul lays it all out in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 with one big declaration of “Bring It!”  If the Savior of the world is dead, then Christianity is a joke and all that is left is a Jesus Club. So to all you worldly wise men: Disprove the resurrection and the Bible will all go away. Many an adversarial crusader has taken up the challenge. However, all attempts to prove that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a hoax end up in either fanciful theories or result in heartfelt conversions to the Risen Lord. Paul counters: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, the first fruits of those who sleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). Easter Sunday is the one irrefutable fact of history that you can stake your life on. The Resurrection changes everything. It destroys the wisdom of men and, in the destroying, God offers mankind hope. Jesus said, “Because I live, you can live also” (John 14:19). The Son of God invites you to join Him in faith. Believe in His sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of your sin and then by faith rise, born again, with Him in His resurrection to new life for this present life and forever. So what will it be? Choose! Your destiny hangs in the balance.

Mass Prep Sunday February 10th 2019

Sunday February 10th 2019                               5th Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

What’s Your Story?

The tie in between today’s readings: Testimony

Psalm 138:1-8, Isaiah 6:1-8, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Luke 5:1-11

     One of the most effective means of evangelism is a testimony. Notable testimonies in the Bible, belong to the Apostle Paul (Acts 22:6-21), the Martyr Stephen (Acts 7: 1-53), and the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1-42). If you are a born again believer in Jesus Christ, you should have one too. Yes? No? Not Sure? Let’s do a little review about testimonies in order to create one of your own or strengthen the one you have.

     All personal testimonies have three elements: life before Jesus, how you met Jesus, and life now with Jesus. “Wait a minute,” you say, “I’m Catholic. We’re not like you Protestants. We come to Jesus through the sacraments.” Let me refer you to the article, Are Catholics Born Again? on Catholic Bridge, www.catholicbridge.com. It gives an explanation of the second conversion as described in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1428-1430) and Make aCommitment to Jesus. Read it and you’ll see that even the Pope is all about the “Come to Jesus Moment”. Christian testimonies vary as much as Ben And Jerry ice cream flavors. Some are dramatic accounts in which believers credit their conversion experience for taking them out of a life of drugs, alcohol, crime, and other sordid activities. Others are more plain vanilla, but equally significant. The thrust is to show how your encounter with the risen Lord has changed your life for the better here and now, and forever. Your testimony will also extend the same offer of forgiveness of sin in Christ to anyone who would want to come to Him. You see, all of mankind is travelling down the same sin highway to hell. There is a gospel off ramp up ahead. Your testimony is the road sign that guides people to the exit. It’s the story about Jesus and you...but mostly Jesus.

     Since three of today’s readings have a testimony in common, I’ve broken down their different experiences into a Q & A in order to help you to formulate a personal testimony of your own or perhaps, improve the one you have.

QUESTION #1 What was life like before Jesus? (Jehovah for Isaiah the Old Testament prophet)

APOSTLE PAUL	I persecuted the Church. I was a Pharisee of Pharisees.
ST. PETER	I was a hardworking and hard swearing fisherman trying to scratch out a living.
PROPHET ISAIAH	I hid behind my church mask, but did not reveal my true self to others. I was religious and constantly learning, but never coming to the truth.

QUESTION #2 What kept you from coming to Jesus?

APOSTLE PAUL	I didn’t need a “savior” I was self-righteous and blameless in keeping the Law. I did not believe His claims that he was the Messiah.
ST. PETER	I was too sinful for Jesus to be around me. Totally unworthy.
PROPHET ISAIAH	I did not want my sins to be found out. I went to church on Sunday and lived like the world during the week.

QUESTION #3 What changed your mind about Jesus?

APOSTLE PAUL	He revealed Himself to me on the road to Damascus.
ST. PETER	I believed that He was the Son of God when I saw the miraculous catch of fish.
PROPHET ISAIAH	God appeared to me on His throne in His Holiness. My righteousness was rags before Him. I was undone!

QUESTION #4 What made you choose Jesus over anyone else?

APOSTLE PAUL	How do you argue with a blinding light and a voice from Heaven? In reality, He chose me!
ST. PETER	I heard His words. I saw His deeds. My brother Andrew also testified that he was the Messiah.
PROPHET ISAIAH	The Holy Vision SHOOK ME UP!!!

QUESTION #5 What happened when you believed?

APOSTLE PAUL	I became a new man in Christ. My name was changed from Saul to Paul.
ST. PETER	My sins were forgiven and I was accepted into His family. I became an Apostle.
PROPHET ISAIAH	My mouth was touched with one of God’s burning altar coals and my sins were forgiven.

QUESTION #6 What surprised you or made you happiest about Jesus?

APOSTLE PAUL	My salvation is free and sure in Jesus. I don’t have to struggle to be good enough to merit heaven.
ST. PETER	I can face the future without fear because I have confidence in Christ in this world and for the next.
PROPHET ISAIAH	I am astonished that I am able to stand in the Holy presence of God!

QUESTION #7 What was your greatest joy in coming to Jesus?

APOSTLE PAUL	Forgiveness freely given!
ST. PETER	I am forgiven 70 x 7 times. My sin is removed as far as the east is from the west!
PROPHET ISAIAH	I am forgiven…not fried!

QUESTION #8 Name three benefits that you have received in Christ?

APOSTLE PAUL	I have a born again nature. I am a child of God, and I am heaven bound.
ST. PETER	I don’t swear like I used to. I have found brothers in Christ amongst the Gentiles. My experiences and failures help me to encourage others to be believers in Jesus.
PROPHET ISAIAH	I can serve God in this life. I have a purpose worth dying for. I have seen Jehovah high and lifted up!

QUESTION #9 What is your life like now that you have received Jesus?

APOSTLE PAUL	God made me an Apostle to the Gentiles.
ST. PETER	I am a fisher of men for Christ.
PROPHET ISAIAH	God commissioned me…me of all people, to be a prophet to Israel.

QUESTION #10 What would you tell your best friend about Jesus?

APOSTLE PAUL	Believe in the Lord, Jesus Christ and you will be saved!
ST. PETER	He is the Christ, the Son of the living God!
PROPHET ISAIAH	Though your sin may be scarlet, you can be white as snow!

QUESTION #11 What would you say about Jesus to someone on the fence?

APOSTLE PAUL	For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.
ST. PETER	He is the Way, The Truth, and The Life! There is salvation in no other name!
PORPHET ISAIAH	All is laid bare before Him. Confess your sin and repent before the Judgment!

     Now you have a template of sorts to build your testimony. I hope it helps you to express your Jesus story, not forgetting that your story is His story as well. Witness to others about the wonderful transformation that faith in Christ can bring. Do it in love to whomever and whenever the situation allows it. The whole Christian church throughout history, even to this day, is one big daisy chain of people reaching out to others with their personal gospel story about the saving power of Jesus and His cross. Our last reading today is Psalm 138. It offers up praise and thanksgiving to God for His loving-kindness, how appropriate. 
     PS:     I have also posted my testimony on the "Insights" portion of this blog for an example.

Testimony of Andy Cocco

Testimony of Andy Cocco

     In 1974, I graduated High School. I had no problems. I was dating my future wife. I was set for college. Everything in my life was fine, but for some reason, I felt an overwhelming urge to read the Bible and find out what it was all about. It was a strange feeling, like a hot poker in my mind driving me on. I read the whole Bible that summer and kept on studying it throughout my first year of college. I had gotten no real understanding of it, just an overview of facts and history.

In the spring of 1975, a friend of mine was dating a girl, Debbie, who went to a Bible study conducted at the home of a man who had a Polish name so long that they just called him Mr. K. Debbie invited me to go to the Bible study and I did. Mr. K. asked me many hard questions and told me a lot of things that I really didn’t understand. Up until that time, I felt that God was a “Big Accountant” and would measure me on a balance, so to speak, to see if I was at least 51% good. If I passed, then I would go to heaven. I don’t remember much of what Mr. K. told me. It was still so confusing, but one thing I did do was to accept the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for my sins. I prayed to receive Jesus into my life as Savior and Lord. I didn’t really understand the importance of that night until about two weeks later when I was reading 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 21 hit me: “God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that we would become the righteousness of God in Him.” I came to the conclusion that I would not go to heaven because of my goodness, but because Jesus took my sins for me on the cross and gave me HIS GOODNESS. GOT IT! I realized at that point that I REALLY WAS SAVED! Then I cried.

I went back to Mr. K.’s Bible study one more time and asked about different churches to join. He sent me to Springfield Baptist and I’ve been there ever since. It was there that I learned more fully about the gospel. I’ve come to realize that if Christ had not died for my sins that I would face God alone in judgment and be found guilty and justly be sent to hell forever. I also know that God loves me so much that if I had been the only sinner in the world, then He would still move heaven and earth to save me alone. I rest in a salvation so perfect and complete based on the merits of Jesus alone to take me to heaven. I strive daily to live a life of obedience to my Lord out of love and gratitude to a God who loved me first and so well.

The Almighty can do the same for you too. Accept the fact that God must judge your sin and send you to hell forever for them. Believe the fact that Jesus Christ paid the penalty of your sins on the cross. That He wiped your sin slate clean and you can go to heaven, because He that knew no sin became sin for us that we may become the righteousness of God in Him, then live for Him in the new born again nature of a redeemed person. Accept Jesus. Be saved. Tell others about Him. Walk with the King and be a blessing. Come soon Lord Jesus Christ!

Mass Prep Sunday February 3rd, 2019

Mass Prep

Sunday February 3rd, 2019           4th Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Destiny or Fate

The tie in between today’s readings: Embrace Your Destiny

Psalm 71:1-6; 15-17, Jeremiah 1:4-5: 17-19, 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13, Luke 4:21-30

     Most people think that fate and destiny are the same thing. They aren’t. Fate is passive. You leave things to fate. You accept fate. You surrender to fate. Fate is the drifting Lazy River course in the waterpark of life: comfortable,predictable, and secure. Fate doesn’t conquer you. There was never a fight. You succumb to it because fate is easy. Finally, at the end of the floating when it’s time to get out of your inner tube, you can rationalize your dead end existence and unrealized goals by blaming others. After all, you never took control of your life in the first place. You’ll discover too late that there is no victory in victimhood. Destiny, on the other hand, defeats fate by making hard, risky choices. It chases dreams and follows passions. It stumbles and gets up again in the pursuit of finding all the potential that life has to offer. That’s what you were created for! That’s where God partners up alongside of you with His invitation, “Fear not. I am with you. I will never leave you. Risk with Me.”

     God has a destiny particularly fitted for each of us. We call it His will. Usually, He clues us into it through the unspoken languages of interests, pursuits, opportunities, and gut feelings. We get a little skittish with the idea of following God’s design for our lives. That’s because we don’t look at it as a partnership with the Almighty.  Not to say that following your destiny doesn’t take courage, it does. You have to step out and trust your partner in this venture. In today’s reading, God tells Jeremiah that his destiny is to be a prophet to the kings of Judah. Like many of us, Jeremiah starts to make excuses. Understandable. Taking up your destiny is an adventure and let’s face it: adventures are scary. The Sovereign Lord doesn’t sugar coat the mission. It will be a hard hitting counter-culture message with repercussions guaranteed. God tells him to get going. Don’t fear them. I’ve got your back. That’s a good message for all of us, too.

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Beside courage, destiny requires you to be defiant in the face of opposition. In Luke 4, Jesus tell everyone in his hometown that He is the Messiah. Nobody believes Him. Despite the miracles that they heard He was doing in the surrounding towns, they still contemptuously see Him as the carpenter’s kid. They demand a miracle of their own! Jesus cites two Old Testament incidents that drive home the defiant message: “No! I don’t do tricks.” The enraged townspeople rush their “homeboy” determined to throw Him off a nearby cliff. Jesus stops, turns, and passes through the mob unscathed and goes His way. Seems like they got their miracle after all. Stay true to your God directed destiny. Don’t compromise.

There is suffering involved with your destiny. King David in today’s Psalm is surrounded by conspirators and, since we don’t know the end of the story yet, anything could happen. Just accept it. Anybody who wants to follow God’s will is going to run across suffering of one kind or another. The world tells us to avoid it. Embrace it instead. Your partner, God, is building your character through it. Endure it knowing that He loves you and will develop love’s qualities in you as seen in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. He wants you to become like Him: patient, kind, and forgiving. Through His power, you can bear, believe, and hope in all things. Follow your destiny. Stick with God’s plan for you. His plan and love never fails.

Mass Prep January 27th, 2019

Mass Prep

Sunday January 27th 2019                     3rd Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Joy of the Lord is Your Strength

The tie in between today’s readings is : Discipleship

Psalm 19:8-15, Nehemiah 8:1-10, 1 Corinthians 12:12-30, Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

     I can’t imagine anyone kicking Jesus out of their church, but that’s just what happened in the fourth chapter of Luke when Jesus put the “ME” in Messiah.  It’s rare that a church turns anyone out now-a-days. The modern church is struggling from declining attendance. Blame and finger pointing run from pew to pulpit and back again. Regardless of the reasons I see an answer emerging in today’s readings: discipleship. Before going to heaven Jesus gave the Apostles the Great Commission to go out and make disciples. Here are some principles that I’ve uncovered. File them under “for what it’s worth”, but I think at least it could help cut down on people saying, “I wonder whatever happened to what’s his name”?

     Nehemiah 8:1-10: Disciples Have the Joy of the Lord.

A remnant of Israelite just came back from Babylonian exile. Through sweat, threats and besets (troubles) they built the wall. Now it was time to get real with Jehovah. Listening to Ezra, the priest, read from the Law of God  they broke down and wept repentant tears as they discovered their sinfulness. Seeing the revival breaking out,  Nehemiah, the governor and Ezra called for a holy day of celebration. The people experienced the comfort of forgiveness with the exhilaration  of restoration. Moving forward in their new status, the joy of the Lord became their strength (Nehemiah 8:10). The true believing disciple also understands the gravity of sin as the exile Israelites did. He doesn’t rationalize it, play with the gray areas, or excuse it with a trite cliche like, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”. He keeps short accounts with his God. He pursues holiness with a purpose. He knows where he came from and doesn’t want to go back. This is a mark of true spiritual maturity.

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     Psalm 19:8-14: Discipleship requires Bible study and perspective

This compliments Nehemiah. The disciple appreciates the guard rails of God’s laws. It keeps him out of life’s ditches. He knows that the Almighty doesn’t think like him and finds excitement when he can get into God’s mind through study and meditation of scripture. Sounds boring doesn’t it? Most people would agree. Otherwise we wouldn’t spend SOOOOO much time binge watching TV shows or sports. Amusement and fantasy are much more exciting in the mind, but the payoff of virtue is in the living. There is no mark up in being God stupid. Our disciple knows the Bible is more valuable than physical gold or fleeting pleasures because heaven and earth will pass away but he is investing in eternity.

     1 Corinthians 12:12-30: The disciple uses his Spiritual gifts.

The Holy Spirit gives gifts and abilities to all believers some of which are: teaching, helping, hospitality, leadership, and many others listed throughout the Bible. The disciple doesn’t develop it for himself but to help others especially in the church. He takes the mission The Spirit of God gives him seriously and is eager to live his essential and divinely appointed role. He’ll invest time in building up the fellowship in his faith community, provoking them as well as himself to do good works. He looks for reproducibility of Christ in others.  He is aware that gifts of the Spirit give credibility to his witness. The disciple knows that God will require an accounting of what he’s done with the Holy Spirit’s assets. No one lives for himself. The Manager of the universe expects a return on His investment. Our disciple wants to be a good and faithful servant.

     Luke 1:1-4: Disciples reach out to the world.

He will cultivate legitimate common ground with non-believers. First, for love of neighbor and second to earn a hearing for the Good News. The disciple looks for openings to give an account of his faith without being obnoxious. He knows what he’s talking about, speaks the truth in love and doesn’t attack because love bears all things. He’ll open himself up to ridicule but will not retaliate. All the while thanking God that we live in a country where things don’t get much more dangerous than that...yet. Once his witness is given,he puts himself out there. He is willing to live in a fishbowl for all to see, because he is the real deal, and since the real deal is so rare, maybe people will want what he’s got: an authentic relationship with Jesus. Walk your talk! The kinetic gospel is very effective.

     Our disciple in today’s Mass Prep may seem a little too perfect, and maybe he is, but he is an ideal to shoot for. Church does not have to be boring. Prayers needn’t be dead pan. Worship shouldn’t be forced. Bible study can be fascinating.  IF you exercise your faith as the disciples that we are called to be, then our lives with God and each other can be a dynamic experience. The operative words are: exercise, focus, discipline, and determination. They all take effort. Do you want it? Do you want to be a disciple or do you want to be disengaged from your God given calling? Will you drop out of church due to irrelevance, and end up a “what’s his name?” God expects more than that.

Mass Prep Sunday January 20th 2019

Sunday January 20th                      2nd Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Everybody Loves a Wedding

The tie in between today’s reading: Scripture Wedding Theme

Psalm 96, Isaiah 62:1-5, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, John 2:1-12

     Going through today’s readings, I discovered a wedding theme. I don’t know anybody who doesn’t like a good wedding. There’s something there for everyone. Some like a beautiful ceremony. Others enjoy a church adorned with flowers for your senses and music for your soul. If you’re into clothes, the wedding party in front is bringing their fashion “A” game to the occasion. Take a picture. It won’t last long once they get to the reception. Maybe you’re into emotions. The enraptured groom beams as he watches his radiant bride process up the aisle accompanied by her father choking back tears knowing that he will soon hand over his little girl to a young man who was once a stranger, now a son, and then slip away. With nervous confidence, they pledge their undying love to each other and seal their promise with a ring and a kiss. Applause. Applause. With a lighter step, they walk together to the church door. The new Mr. and Mrs. stand and greet their guests on the way to the reception with hugs, handshakes, and kisses. No matter what you think about weddings one thing is sure: for the man in the black tux and the woman in the white gown, everything has changed. Nothing will ever be the same from this day forth.

     Another moment when nothing will be the same is in today’s reading at the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-12). Jesus has been baptized, tested in the desert, and is ramping up His ministry as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Mother Mary informs Jesus that the wine is running out (a big embarrassment). With love and respect He tells her that they have a different relationship now. Everything has changed. Jesus responds to the need by changing the water into wine and demonstrating that He is the Lord of Creation. Miracle #1. Jesus stays in Capernaum for a few days after the wedding with His mother, brothers, and disciples. I wonder what they talked about at dinner.

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     Getting back to our wedding reception, for some the best part of the day where we can catch up with family and friends, as well as meet the new people on the other side. There is a spirit of joy so pervasive that even the most cynical among us, for a moment at least, celebrate the promise of a love that never fails. Which leads me to my favorite part of the reception: The Toast. The best man, maid of honor, and others will stand and relate humorous and touching stories of what wonderful people the new couple are. These endearing accounts give us confidence that together they will make it through the storms of life. Psalm 96 has the marks of a great toast. It sings the praises of God, relates His great deeds, and looks forward to a bright future.

     Then there are the wedding gifts to help the newlyweds get started on their lives together. Money in a card is nice, but I like to see the presents piled up on the table like a little Christmas. It shows thoughtfulness and maybe, if you picked up a good deal on Amazon, you got them a little bit more. We, the Church, are the bride of Christ. The Holy Spirit gives us gifts to help the whole family of God. Each is picked out specifically for each individual for them to play their part in their new relationship with Jesus and each other. So open your gift. Get to know it. Experiment with it like a bride with new cookware. After a while, you’ll be ready to host Thanksgiving.

     Now, the Honeymoon: the climax of the day. The rapture of the couple’s new relationship cannot be compared to any earthly experience. Isaiah 62:55 is Jesus’ declaration of joy with His new bride, the Church. He just can’t contain Himself! You can feel the love through the page as He claims her as His beloved. He offers that love to you right now too. Accept His proposal and take Him as your Savior, Lord, and Spouse. He will wash your sin from you, dress you in His glorious purity, and lead you by the hand to His Marriage Supper, where all who come will live happily ever after.

Mass Prep Sunday January 13th 2019

Sunday January 13^th         1^st Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Strong and Gentle

The tie in between today’s readings: Meekness

Psalm 29:1-11, Isaiah 42:1-7, Titus 2:11-14, Luke 3:15-22

      Psalm 29 opens with the Lord in His strength and glory. With a word of His mouth the creation shakes, quakes, and breaks. He can rip, strip, and flip anything He wishes without breaking a sweat. When it comes to judgment, WATCH OUT! Our God is consuming fire. Yet, in verse 11, the Psalmist shows the Almighty as tender and nurturing. Surprising contradiction? Not if you understand meekness.  Meekness is a wild mustang under bridle, the linebacker holding his position while aching to blitz, and the bug you put outside instead of crushing it with your shoe. In ancient times, it was a desired attribute of a king and so it is with our Sovereign God because meekness is power under control.

     Today, we usually think of a meek person as a wimp. Nobody would call a guy who could fast for forty days in a desert, eject the money changers from the temple (twice), or go toe to toe with the authorities of His day a sissy. But meek is exactly how Jesus described Himself. You cannot be meek unless you are strong. Meekness is the active and deliberate acceptance of undesirable circumstances by an individual for the sake of the bigger picture. If we use Isaiah 42 as a guide, it is a subtle mix of wisdom, humility, and self control. Bravo for Jesus the meek and mighty, but how does it apply to ordinary me?

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     We are to be like Him. Meekness is a characteristic of the Holy Spirit acting in a person’s life. A meek person can lead as well as gladly serve. Forgive his trespasser (debtor) as well as be forgiven. Step in with boldness when the situation calls for it and be teachably humble also. Quick to hear, but measured to give an opinion. Slow to anger, but rushes to defend the oppressed. Not quarrelsome, but firm in purpose. Those are pretty good qualities for the future inheritors of the earth.

     We can use John the Baptist in our reading in Luke today as an example of meekness in action. John was bold in his mission as the messenger, but kept his perspective that he was in the employ of a greater One. He served at the pleasure of the Master of whom he was not worthy to untie His sandal. He described the pinnacle of his ministry as a friend of the bridegroom. “He must increase while I must decrease “(John 3:28-30). He did decrease. Thrown in jail and meaninglessly executed Jesus the bridegroom praised him as the greatest of the prophets.  Jesus calls upon us to the “take up your cross” challenge of meekness: 

  28Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29TakeMy yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle (meek) and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”…Matt 11:28-30.

Strive for meekness. That’s where the real strength is.